Travel Guide For Life;

A TRAVEL GUIDE FOR LIFE Chapter 1 : GOING TO SOUTHEAST ASIA.

THIS MOMENT IS PART OF THE SECOND DAY OF 1992. WALKING AND REALIZING THAT IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT. IT IS THE PRESENT MOMENT THAT WE CAN BE CERTAIN OF.  NOTHING ELSE IS AS CERTAIN AS THIS.  STILL I MAKE MY PLANS. FOCUSING ON MY EXPERIENCES CLARIFY WHAT THE PRESENT MOMENT IS. FOR ME, TRAVELING IS A GREAT WAY TO DO THIS. OF COURSE, ONE DOES NOT NEED THE HOBBY OF TRAVELING TO EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTAND EACH MOMENT OF REALITY. WE CAN DO THIS WHILE EATING, WASHING DISHES, OR READING. 

IT IS JUST EASIER FOR ME WHEN I AM TRAVELING BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY MUNDANE ASPECTS OF DAILY LIFE HERE, IN ALBUQUERQUE, THAT I TAKE FOR GRANTED. I SPEND TOO MUCH TIME FRETTING ABOUT GOING TO WORK AGAIN, PAYING THE BILLS AGAIN, SHOPPING FOR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AGAIN AND AGAIN. ALL THE WHILE I AM THINKING OF GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE. WHEN I AM TRAVELING, EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE IS CENTERED AROUND WHERE I AM AND WHO I AM. LIFE IS CIRCLING AROUND US ALL THE TIME AND WE NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL COME AT US AT ANY GIVEN TIME. WHEN I AM PLANNING A TRIP,  100% FOCUSED, I AM LIVING IN THE MOMENT BECAUSE TIME GOES BY AT AN UNRECOGNIZABLE PACE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE RESULT WILL BE. THE YEAR WAS 1992 AND I WAS PLANNING A TRIP TO SOUTHEAST ASIA.

THIS TRIP INCLUDED A STOP IN TRAVERSE CITY MICHIGAN TO VISIT ABIGAIL AND HER PARENTS, HIBBING MINNESOTA SO I COULD VISIT MY GRANDMA CICCHI (VIA DETROIT). THEN I WOULD BE BROUGHT TO LAX AND AN EXCURSION UP TO SAN LOUIS OBISPO TO VISIT MY SISTER. 

IN PREPARATION FOR THE TRIP, I WENT TO LOVELESS HOSPITAL TO GET AN IMMUNO GLOBULON INJECTION. IT COST $30 AND WILL LAST FOR THE ENTIRE JOURNEY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. I ALSO PICKED UP A FEW MALARIA PILLS. 17 OF THOSE TABLETS COST $93!! THEY HAVE QUININE IN THEM. THAI, INDONESIAN, AND ARABIC LANGUAGE BOOKS, BANGKOK TO BALI GUIDEBOOK, FLASHLIGHT, CLOTHS TO WEAR AND DISCARD, CANVAS TO SLEEP ON, MOSQUITO REPELLANT, THE MALARIA PILLS, AND PASSPORT; I AM READY FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA. 

A TRAVEL GUIDE FOR LIFE CHAPTER 2 FIRST EXCURSION

TO SOUTHEAST ASIA PART 1. CRUNCHED CRACKERS YET 

SITTING IN A PLASTIC BAG. CRUNCHING DRIED LEAVES 

WALKING ON GRASS AND PAVEMENT. THE 19TH OF NOVEMBER

WAS THE NEXT DAY. THAT DAY WAS THE DAY OF MY DEPARTURE.

SAMPAI JUMPA LAGI.

I must live in the moment. Do not let the planning and the waiting 

drag on, must remain calm of mind.  Must remain calm of mind in 

all works of nature and man. Yet, it has occurred to me that the

distance of one period of time and another seems to be, quite often,

an unnerving obstrosity, in waiting for the arrival of a certain point

of time so that I may witness the result of my expectations. I

needlessly expend energy. I admit, against my better judgement, 

time is often thought of as a dread obstacle. We are just specks of 

dust and time is an eternity. As such, I must understand that any 

impatience or exitement felt by me is verily quite superfluous. 

IT WAS 2:30 PM DULUTH MINNESOTA TIME 20TH NOVEMBER.I WAS

SITTING IN THE GREYHOUND BUS STATION. A DULUTH TRANSIT 

AUTHORITY BUS WOULD PICK ME UP AT 5:00 TO BRING ME TO 

VIRGINIA MN. I WENT TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SINCE I HAD A LONG 

WAIT FOR THE BUS. I ALSO PRACTICED MY TAI CHI CHUAN. I HAVE

NOW PRACTICED MY TAI CHI IN DULUTH, DAMP CEMENT, SPRINKLING

RAIN WITH SNOW FALLING JUST WEST OF DULUTH AND ARRIVING

HERE SOON. I HAD MY GREEN DUFFLE BAG WITH ME. THERE WOULD 

BE A BUS TO TAKE ME FROM VIRGINIA MN TO HIBBING MN IN THE

MORNING. 

THE NEXT MORNING I WAS AT THE BUS STOP IN VIRGINIA. THERE 

WAS A MAN THERE WHO HAD BEEN THERE LONG BEFORE I HAD

ARRIVED. HE HAD A CHILDISH MENTALITY. HE SPOKE AS A CHILD 

AND WAS PLAYING CHILD GAMES. HE WAS DRINKING SODAS AND 

IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ON HIS THIRD SODA. HE ALSO HAD A FEW

BAGS OF CHIPS AND A CANDY BAR. BUS HAS ARRIVED.

IT WAS 10:00 AM HIBBING MN TIME  21ST NOVEMBER AND I WAS

SITTING AND WRITING THIS AT GRANDMA CICCHIS' HOUSE. AUTHOR 

POLUZARRI, AN OLD FRIEND OF MY GRANDMA WAS ALSO THERE.

AS A CHILD, I KNEW HIS SISTER WHO LIVED DIRECTLY ACROSS THE

STREET FROM GRANDMA IN THIS AREA OF HIBBING WHICH IS CALLED

BROOKLYN.  IT IS NAMED AFTER BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY BECAUSE

SO MANY ITALIANS SETTLED HERE FROM BROOKLYN TO WORK IN THE

OPEN PIT IRON ORE MINES NEAR VIRGINIA AND CHISOLM, JUST NORTH

OF HIBBING. WE ALSO LIVED ACROSS THE STREET FROM GRANDMA, FOUR HOUSES DOWN THE STREET. MANY OF THE HOUSES IN THIS AREA WERE

BUILT BY MY DAD AND GRANDPA. THEY COULD DO EVERYTHING . THEY

DID HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE DOING THE OUTER WALL FACADES THOUGH.

MY DADS' COUSIN, PETER TARAMELLI (HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DRIVE

A CAR), WAS A STONE MASON WHO BUILT MANY BRICK WALLS AND FIREPLACES FOR HOMES AND BUSINESSES ON THE IRON RANGE. WHEN

I FIRST ARRIVED HERE, I SLEPT LONG AND DEEP. I MUST HAVE BEEN

EXHAUSTED. I WAS NOW RESTED AND READY TO LISTEN TO THE

CONVERSATIONS. VISITING GRANDMA CICCHI ALWAYS PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR INTERESTING STORIES. ARTHUR POLUZARRI

AND GRANDMA WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY WERE ALWAYS

CUTTING WOOD AND DID NOT HAVE TELEVISION. "WE DID NOT EVEN

HAVE A RADIO FOR HEAVENS SAKE." MR. POLUZZARI TAUGHT SOCIAL

STUDIES IN HIGH SCHOOL FROM 1935 UNTIL 1955. HE WAS ALSO TALKING ABOUT HOW THEIR YARDS HAD NO GRASS. THEIR YARDS HAD LOTS OF 

GARDENS WITH VEGETABLES GROWING. GRANDMAS' GARDEN WAS HALF GRASS AND HALF GARDEN. SHE GREW GARLIC, LETTUCE, TOMATOES, GREEN BEANS, CUCUMBERS, AND ONIONS.

I WAS AT THE DAYS INN OF HIBBING. MY DAD ARRIVED FROM LAS VEGAS

NV AT 8:15 AM. HE WAS IN A NICER HOTEL BUT I WAS IN A DOUBLE ROOM.

THE NEWS PAPER WAS SLIPPED HALF WAY UNDERNEATH THE DOOR.

THE FREE BREAKFAST THAT COMES WITH THE PRICE OF THE ROOM WAS

THE BASIC CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST WITH EGGS AND CEREAL, BREAD,

AND A TOASTER. WITH THESE SIMPLE HOTEL BREAKFASTS, I DRINK A LOT 

OF THE FRUIT JUICES BEFORE EATING EGGS OR CEREAL. 

A TRAVEL GUIDE FOR LIFE Chapter 3: FIRST EXCURSION INTO SOUTHEAST ASIA PART 2

A TRAVEL GUIDE FOR LIFE Chapter 4: FURTHER INTO SOUTHEAST ASIA