December 26, 2010
This travel memoir follows three friends, in their late 20's, through their 18-month journey across four continents (countries include: Peru, Brazil, Kenya, India, Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand & Australia). Each women alternates in narrating a chapter. While this approach was effective in understanding each woman's unique perspective and personality traits, I did have a clear preferences for Holly's writing and often wished I could hear more of her voice throughout the book.
Rather than delving into extensive details about each locale, the nature of each environment and the local people's charm (or in some case, not so pleasing traits) are revealed through anecodotes recounting their adventures (e.g., hikes, hostel stays) and unique experiences (e.g., volunteering in a impoverished Kenyan villiage, residing in an Indian ashram). Each women also shares their inner journeys as they try to find a life-work balance and question their past or current relationship status.
As I read the book, I admired several aspects of their journey. I admired that they had the courage and strength to put their day-to-day lives (i.e., careers & relationships) on hold in order to pursue their passion to travel the world. I respected that they spent a month volunteering in a Kenyan villiage, empowering and bringing joy into the lives of school-aged girls. I envyed their strong bond of friendship, which they nurtured and strengthened. While they revealead the challenges and tests placed upon their friendship, ultimately their travels created a lifelong bond. They appeared to fully understand each other and recognize they could always count on one another.
I had a difficult time relating to other aspects of their journey, in particular their choices of accomodations which typically consisted of bare-boned, hostel stays. While their tight budget restricted their accomodation options, often they longed for more comfortable and peaceful lodging. Accomodations play a vital part of the travel experience and I personally would have had a difficult time adjusting to most of their accomodations.
Each woman made several life-affirming discoveries. One of the more poignant was Holly's reflection upon her life, made during her stay at the ashram
"There's a metaphor in Buddhism about the lotus flower, which starts out growing on the bottom of all this muck and then rises through the swamping darkness into the light. When it finally gets there, it turns into what is was meant to be, opening into something beautiful. But the flower doesn't open instantly, it has to go through the muck to get to the light."
While God's spirit always shines within us, I am deeply inspired and moved by religious icons. In the presence of icons, I feel God's light emanate. They visited two majestic and awe-inspiring religious sites that I hope to visit someday: the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero and the Reclining Buddha statue in Wat Pho, Thailand. I can only imagine how being in the presence of such statues reinforces how tiny and dependant we are in His powerful presence.
The key lesson they learnt on their journey, a lesson I learnt a long time ago, is that despite cultural differences among people from different countries and cultures, one must discover and focus on the universal goodness in this world.
" After all my searching for something to believe in, what if taking the journey itself was the highest act of faith? Travelling anywhere that was foreign inevitabley meant I'd have to rely on the kindness of strangers."- Holly's reflection at the end of the trip
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