The 100th Post: Surrendering To What Is
QATAR/SAUDI ARABIA - ZAMBIA/VANUATU - ANGOLA/VANUATU
Here’s to “Connecting Routes” ~ a space to spotlight a common theme in my travels that offers snapshots from one place to another, like the tantalizing tease of a tasting menu or a shortlist of your next dream vacation!
Top Three Ways To Surrender
It was nearly perfect. But then again, perhaps that’s the closest Life can get. Even the best laid out (travel) plans rarely plunk into place exactly as they’re plotted. Had I kept that in the forefront of my mind, I might not have bought inbound tickets to Libreville Gabon, without first having the Gabon visa in my hand (admittedly, a rookie move). Alas, this Central African tour had to be rerouted, even before it began. Gabon should have kick-started this series instead of dinner parties in DRC - in reality though, I never even made it there. How many of those moments do we muffle the messages meant for us, where “shoulds” simply overpower?
This is DocAtTheBeach’s 100th post - wootwoot! Even though it was scheduled for release earlier this month, it’s meant for us, for now (p.s. thanks for being here <3). Getting 100 in school, stocks, social capital or our sweet dreams may seem to signal success, but deep down, we all know better than that. As I survey travel tales, it seems that spunk often came from when I was in a funk: should I follow footsteps, or feel for flow? Perhaps we give ourselves (more) permission when we travel: be it to take risks, get lost, try something new, be overwhelmed, wayfind to a different destination or seriously sink into ourselves. Some of my most splendid stories were born out of serendipity, synchronicity, and sometimes even surprises. Whether it was relinquishing a flight in Senegal just to get one extra day in Dakar or taking huge risks to make it to the airport from a boat trip in the Solomon Islands, we often don’t necessarily seek out walking with lions or diving with sharks when we leave home, do we?
A timeless lesson that travel teaches, is that it’s our job to enjoy the journey itself, whatever it might be. With my mind in the backseat, these three drivers took over, leading me to lands and plans that were way cooler than what I could have conjured up!
Gut: I found myself in Qatar. Drawn initially by FIFA, it might not be a place one would intuitively choose since Dubai is its neighbour, after all. Yet in leaning into intuition to add this to my itinerary, the country’s culture, class and creativity created a seven-star experience. Likely not leaping to top tier tourism, Saudi Arabia somehow also beckoned. The marble was cool, sleek and strong against my forehead and down the bridge of my nose. Eyes closed, knees near chest, I suddenly downshifted into a sweet surrender.
Spirit: The boisterous bellowing of Victoria Falls in Zambia moved my insides. With or without using illicit drugs, one could easily imagine 3D ghosts and goblins in the water’s curls and swirls, while the back splash created an eerie smoky sensation even during the light of day. Even if I tried to mobilize on, I was glued to the grace and grandeur of these falls. In Vanuatu, a similar sentiment swelled as lava leapt from the earth’s depth, shaking my sense of self as I stood at the edge of an active volcano.
Toes: It “should” come as no surprise that having the backdrop of even a sliver of beach with the blue hues in tow signals me from my toes to the tip of my head that ‘everything is gonna be alright’. Heartfelt scenes and sentiments in Angola made me wonder how to carve out more time to dockatthebeach as we race against the sands of our hourglass. Of a different genre of picture perfect are the dozens of sand dunes in Namibia that are def Instagram worthy. The pimp of them all and the world’s tallest, is appropriately named Big Daddy, which we climbed. Barefoot and barely able to stay straight on its spine, I was quickly reminded of the sword edge on which we live life. And so it goes, the hundreds of bifurcations where we need to decide how to walk our walk … and in so doing, surrender to what is.
May the big beauties of Love and Light be our barometers, and the forces that pave our path,