Four Corners' Centennial

Well, here it is folks, almost a full 10 days since my last post, number 100, the 100th post since they day I sat down and said "I need to do a favor to the World....I am going to start writing a blog". What an historic moment. It has been quite a busy past few days, which explains my recent absence here on the blogosphere. I haven't had much time to contemplate ways of celebrating the Four Corners' Centennial, and to be honest, I still haven't thought of any. I actually have a movie review for you folks, I watched a recent film called "Hanna" last night, where Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett featured. But I didn't want the Big 100 to be used up by a movie review. "Hanna" will have to wait until #101. I was hoping to come up with something a little more special for the first milestone in Four Corners' lore.

This is predominantly a travel blog, yes? In that case, how could the 100th blog post be about anything but that? I am sure you all agree. Well, like I said, I couldn't really conjure up any special things to post. It has already been announced that I am planning my next adventure for South East Asia in November, and looking further on to February 2012, Australia has already been booked. For the past three months, a painful time, I have been grounded, my wings clipped, and I haven't had the opportunity to leave New York state, much less the country. Absence makes the heart grow fonder I suppose, and I can't wait to get back out there again. Traveling, in particular internationally, is where I find my peace. Yes, even when you are felled by a mystery illness (a la myself in Spain), or are stuck in long lines because of flight cancellations, or the face the anxiety of missing a flight, or are by yourself in an unknown place having to constantly battle off hawkers in stifling heat. Sure, it can all be very stressful at times, but there is no other place I would rather be.

All travelers love to take in the sights, and I am no different. The Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, the Pyramids, the Great Wall, and any one of thousands of UNESCO World Heritage sights. Its not a bad reason to hop on a plane and set off to another time zone. But this is secondary to me. I prefer to experience life as it is outside of my normal realm in Whitesboro, NY.  To put it simply, to see how other people, half a world away, live their lives, that is what brings me back time and time again. Wandering through the side streets crammed with apartments in Tokyo, or sitting in park in Retiro, Buenos Aires, watching regular Portenos winding down their day, all far from camera-wielding, fanny-pack-wearing tourists, is where the real traveling gets done.

I had realized I never really laid out why traveling is your humble correspondent's passion, and, by extension, the focal point of this blog. Well there you have it. If we aren't supposed to interact with those that share our planet, to experience their lifestyles, their environments, the battles they face everyday, then what, I ask, is the point? The World is my oyster folks, your are just living in it.

Apologies to those who came expecting fireworks or something crazy to celebrate the moment. No such luck. Chalk it up to my busy schedule, maybe I could have come up with some neat way to pass the Centennial. Well, this will have to do. Keep it in mind while on the road folks. By all means, see all the sights and partake in all necessary experiences, but save some time to wander off the beaten path, to do some people watching, you will find there is a whole lot more to traveling.

Look for a Hanna review later today.