The Spirit of Adventure

Copyright 2007 Jan Gorski
Pench Tiger Reserve, India

What does "adventure" mean to you? Stepping out of your box, out of your house, trying something new? Taking the leap (out of a plane), eating raw fish (sushi can be so interesting!)?

I thought India was a wild place (mostly the accommodations at the Pushkar Camel Fair and the fact that we were tiger bait in the open jeeps...), but as we try to finalize our Indonesia trip I see that there really are some pretty wild places left in this world.

Wilderness means a lot of different things to everyone. Some want to be the only person to step on a particular piece of land in a place far far away. Some want the peace and quiet of a cabin in the woods or perhaps a lounge chair on a lake or a bivouac on a cliff side or ... what is your definition of "Wild"?

I've ridden a few elephants on my travels but this was definitely the first time I've had to climb a ladder to mount my ride into the peaceful grasslands of the tiger. In India the choice is a few steps here and there off your jeep or - in this case off a steel ladder. In Nepal, we had a man-made platform to jump on board. Does this seem unnatural? I know all you horse riders are thinking ... what's the problem? I can't tell you how many hands an elephant is vs a horse - but it's a ton more than a human could leap and I'm not sure all of us are that comfortable getting on a typical horse either!

The whole point behind the adventure is to just go with the flow.... you don't worry about the ladder slipping or the elephant moving or whatever. You "just do it" - to quote a familiar motivational slogan... The experiences we had with the tigers in their environment cannot be described in the written word. When you are used to seeing tigers pacing back and forth in man-made cages in a zoo you are comforted by the joy they express in their own territory. They are at peace with their surroundings, yet doing their job of protecting their territory.

Are there things that prevent you from expressing yourself because you are in a place you don't want to be? A "caged tiger" so to speak? If so, what will you do to move forward?

I took a class today on "Conquering Clutter," as I have a basement full of stuff that was moved from the rest of my house to the basement after a remodel - kind of a 'purgatory' or holding place. Things that I wasn't ready to part with, that have some "perceived" value that need to move on. What does it take to remove the clutter from our lives to open the doors to experience the new adventure that lies ahead?

My basement will be a project in and of itself but tonight I learned of a number of cool ways to declutter my life. Here is a simple task that could relieve a lot of your clutter-stress! If you are receiving way more catalogs than you desire and you have an interest in saving a few trees check out this website: https://www.catalogchoice.org/

Happy Trails!

Sparking the Creative Spirit

Posing with an Indian family at the "Baby Taj" in Agra, India

Thank Goodness for the spring! I'm finally waking up my creative spirit and hopefully will be better about postings from here on out. It's been way too long since I've shared photos and stories with you all and I have many excuses - mostly the overload of editing so bloody many photos and over committing myself to volunteer work!

I shot over 4000 digital photos in India. So how do I even come close to sharing the experience with you all without serious info overload?

Luckily - I recently took a class in Kaizen which teaches you how to take the smallest possible step to achieve your goals. I noticed very quickly that my small steps were pretty monumental to what was expected but hey, at least I'm out here trying to post something after the long winters night..... a nice hike in the foothills of Boulder and a full day of sunshine are quite motivating!

I'll try to take a subject at a time, or a photo at a time or a moment in time to share with you all - feedback from you will encourage me to post more often, so interaction is highly recommended if you want to see/hear more about India.

I recently had a few friends over to share their travel stories and photos. What a great night it was - we visited Croatia, Montenegro, Patagonia and India and had a fabulous gourmet meal with wine, over the course of about four hours .... I think we need to do this more often!

So - here's a post to spark some creative thinking and I'll be pondering about what to share next during my daily walks. If there is some place you are dying to see/hear about let me know. I realize I've been "bagging" a lot international locations but not sharing all the fun stories and photos from them with friends - so what's the point????

Help me out with some suggestions on what you want to see! If I haven't been there I'll let you know. BTW I'm currently planning a trip to Indonesia for a month with a friend who was born and raised there but never got to see the unique things about the area (venomous Komodo dragons, orphaned Orang-utans). Hence - this is one of the diversions that has kept me from posting - I was invited on the trip about a month or so ago and we are planning to leave in June - so much research .... so little time to finalize the itinerary.

Did you know Indonesia contains over 18,000 islands in the span of about 3,000 miles? UNBELIEVABLE!

Posing with school group near Agra - Copyright 2008 Jan Gorski

The coolest thing about India was the people. This is the first country I've ever visited where people (mostly young girls) came up to us and asked us to pose with them in their photos. Wouldn't it be amazing if some of the kids from this class saw their photos on the web?

Happy Travels!

Jan, Janet & Joan's Incredible India Adventure

• Lured by tigers, the Taj and travel abroad - Joan, Jan & Janet flew over seas & skies far and wide
• Armed with action packed itineraries and pre-dawn game drives to find the big cats, sleep was a luxury except at Pushkar camps
• Each day brings excitement from seeing new cities to the alarm calls of jungle predator watchers
• The call of nature - "any time, any where" - is answered by porcelain, sandbox and PVC fanfare
• Annoyed by the frequent noise of people, vehicle horns and cell phones, we retreat every evening for whiskey and "chips"
• Families with hearts of gold and Rupees the prize, make power shopping the standard for jewels and textiles
• The fair-haired American maidens pose often for curious Indian photographers, from the Taj to the backstreets of Pushkar Village
• Escorted by Gypsy Jeeps, camel carts and tasseled tempos we strain to understand our Hindi-English speaking guides
• Serenaded by off-key fiddlers, the howls of wild jackals and tiger growls in the night, we shoo away hawkers who cry "Halo Madame, Picture?"
• In the tent of the best dressed and "beloved" camel, "Roger", the flute playing, sari wrapped trio become celebrities for the day and appear in the 11/24/07 Hindi Times
  
• The smells of masala, pollution and dung ingrained in our nostrils, we dream of fresh air, a juicy rare steak and our favorite spirits on ice
• Memories downloaded daily to share special moments, the last game drive just a cloud of dust at 120 km/hr
• With a red fire sunset, we bid a fond farewell, to this country of enlightened souls, mystical temples and magical wildlife
• We cherish the reality that "In India, Everything is Possible"

Thanks to all the Indian guides who made this trip special and stay tuned for photos and more stories on this blog and on Tiger-BurningBright