I just read a book review mere moments ago that made me say, "Ahhh" (link). For those of you who have trouble following links, it is a review of a new book by Pico Iyer. I have enjoyed Iyer's work for decades, I guess, though I forget about him often. There was a time when I read any travel related book that came out. I was hungry to see the world, and to see it in a "certain way." And I did quite a bit. You can't see the world in that "certain" way any longer. That's just the nature of things. Change is constant. Lucky for me, travel was cheap. Even better, it did not require the planning that it does today. I could simply make up my mind to go someplace, book a flight for the next day, and go. And when I got "there," it was not difficult to find a cheap place to stay. I was looking at flights and hotels online yesterday for several places I've thought of visiting lately. Holy shit. Let me sound like an old man for a minute. I used to stay in the Southern Cross Hotel on Duval Street in Key West for ten dollars a night. Later, when I no longer wanted to slum it, I stayed in the Southernmost Motel at the Atlantic end of Duval for thirty dollars a night, which I thought was pretty outrageous. The Southernmost is right now, this week, $250/night. But that is what happened everywhere. I looked up flights to Albuquerque. Motherfucker! Seriously. What happened? New Mexico a decade ago was like Key West "back then." I guess "Breaking Bad" changed all of that. I used to stay at the Chelsea Hotel in NYC for. . . .
You catch my drift.
Airports are overcrowded and people do weird things on airplanes now. My most seasoned business traveler friends say that can't stand going on a flight any longer. The Golden Age of airlines, they say. . . .
The highways are congested. In my own home state, what used to take an hour and five minute trip takes two hours--if you time it right.
European cities are beginning to restrict travelers. There are just too many tourists. They've had enough.
It's like the old Yogi Berra saying, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
When I talk to Travis, an inveterate traveler, he regrets the places he didn't get to that are impossible places now, many of them Levantine countries.
And so, like Iyer, I've entered a quiet and contemplative moment in my life. I'll buy the book.
I must add that the wealthy villagers I know still like to travel. They go first class and pay premiums to stay in the best hotels and eat at Michelin restaurants. And when they return, they talk about their travels as I once did about traveling to places like Peru during it's most turbulent time when terrorists ruled large swaths of the country and I stayed in hotels without heat or hot water after noon, where I dined on food from street vendors or in restaurants with primitive stone ovens. This is how we all travelled then before the magazine articles and books came out and everyone wanted to go. I'm sure Iyer is as much responsible for the change in travel as anyone.
I read a book titled "The Golden Hordes" a long time ago about the great impact of the international travelers who seek pleasure. It is out of print, but I'd recommend you buy a copy if you can find one. You will see that the reason for traveling and the means makes a good deal of difference in the impact on the world.
"We like to travel for, you know, the sites and to try new restaurants. We always come home with ideas about decorating the home and new recipes we want to try to make for ourselves."
And so it goes.
I just looked up famous travel quotes thinking to blame Mark Twain for a good amount of it, but do it for yourself. I'm not pointing fingers. I longed to live by many of those pithy platitudes, too. You know. . . only the small minded stay at home, etc.
The cold air has made its way to my sunny southern state. I have the heat cranked up high to warm my drafty old home. Cold air comes up through the floorboards, creeps in through window cracks and door jams. Walkers outside are all bundled. I am thinking about taking a trip to another town's farmer's market where I can buy fresh mushrooms of many varieties. It's a trend. Mushrooms are the key to a healthy body and a healthy mind. It might be true. Mushrooms have been used to make medicines and potions for centuries. Now everyone wants a little micro dose of the magic, even the retired judges I know. The aging brain longs for enlightenment.
Pico Iyer believes he found it at the Benedictine Monastery that is his longtime retreat. But I'm sure Iyer just did something terrible. The great hordes will be standing in virtual lines to get their time for quiet solitude in order to experience some deeper meaning. Just wait and see. Someone you know will go and come back with tales, and soon it will cost a lot of money to go.
I used today's picture because the woman looks to be a bit world weary. And it kind of illustrates the song, too.
Pray.
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