The Side Effects of Endorphins

I’m gonna take you on a trip so far from here
I’ve got two tickets in my pocket now, baby
We’re gonna disappear

Eddie Money

Sometimes I can be the luckiest person in the world, and I feel fortunate for that. With frequent flyer miles, acculturation of travel, and some dedicated planning the above scenario is not that far out of the question.

I wrote a story many years back and I believe it’s getting published beginning of the next year,

Here is a brief excerpt from the beginning of the story titled “Cant Get Here From There”

Tomas and his wife Eleanor worked for the last few months with their stubborn travel agent to plan a dream vacation much to their liking. Tomas and Eleanor were a quirky couple who did things bucking conventional tradition and sometimes wisdom. Their travel agent Unix worked tirelessly to book their vacation to the exact specifications of the love-struck couple. After months of back-and-forth planning of the details Unix was at complete wits end with the quirks of the couple. Unix wanted her social life back as she worked non-standard hours toiling tirelessly with the couple. Tomas and Eleanor couldn’t agree on everything and bickered over the details. Eleanor wanted a place with many hiking or running options; Tomas insisted on a place not infiltrated with privileged people drenched in wealth. Tomas wanted to be off the grid and Eleanor wanted a destination where she could sit and experience the life of the locals. Travel to this couple, is not a checklist of countries visited, rather a sense of belonging.

Unix felt more like a marriage counselor than the professional travel agent she wanted to be. Unix met with the couple in a smoky bar down by the docks overlooking a few tired looking fishing boats heading back into harbor. It was a tourist bar with a section set aside for locals doing business. Reading the mood of the table, Tomas and Eleanor took part distractedly, as in earlier meetings. These meetings were eating into Unix’s free time and her productivity as a travel professional. She had no plans for their meeting and suddenly, partly from frustration, and partly a desire to travel, she made up a plan. She liked this couple, but they were simply too much work.

Unix sat down with trepidation, and presented to the couple, admittedly a calculated wild guess. Unix passed a plain manilla folder which Eleanor accepted gingerly. She glanced briefly at the folder, much like a poker player viewing their hand during the first deal. She gave a knowing smile giving away her approval of the content. Silently, she slid the folder over to Tomas as if she were bluffing.

“What is this, this is an empty folder?”

Yes, their travel is going to a destination, unknown, I find the idea intriguing just getting on an airplane having no idea where you’re going, landing there and living there for a couple weeks or a month.

In a sense, we have a trip coming up that is a little bit like that. I’ve always been intrigued by Albania. It is a destination unknown. In my past travels, I could always speak a little French, German or Spanish and get by. Albania will be different. I’m a little bit nervous about that, but sometimes I can mix up being nervous with adrenaline. Then we venture over to Turkei. It is going to be a little bit uncomfortable, but being uncomfortable it’s comforting for me. Then again you must remember marriage is a democracy..

Let the adventures begin.