Trip of a Lifetime 1981-1982

Lisa Cohen

Poem written for Marin County Fair in the creative writing section about global travels. Won 3rd place.

Trip of a Lifetime

1981-1982

Remembering the past

Not the past of illness

But the past of adventure and travel.

The trip of a lifetime

21 months, 11 countries

By plane, bicycle, car, train, riverboat, ferry, foot, rickshaw, tuk tuk, wagon, donkey and even elephant.

Through heat and cold, wind and rain.

Exploring the exotic –

Ayers Rock, the Taj Mahal, the Ganges River, the pyramids of Egypt and the Wailing Wall, more ruins and Buddhas than one could imagine.

Exploring the mundane –

The lively markets, the colorful food stalls, the exotic wildlife, the colorful regional costumes and handicrafts.

The stress and fear of living on a kibbutz in Israel with a war that surrounded us.

Being awakened by loud crowing roosters and the haunting daily Call to Prayer

Disturbed constantly by loud honking vehicles

Listening to strange languages and learning a few words here and there.

Remembering the taste of juicy ripe pineapples

Sweet papaya

Hot spicy food

Salty fish and chips.

Remembering the feel of

Sand beneath my feet

Pain in my knees, hands, back

Smooth silky fabric

Many bodies touching too closely together

Soothing cooling ocean, river water.

Remembering the smell of

Pungent cow paddies

Intense incense sticks in Bali

Barbecued chicken in street stalls

The pungent aroma of thermal pools in New Zealand

Salty ocean air.

What remains – I have a binder of photos and a computer full of digitized slides.

I will never have the energy or the strength to repeat this trip

But the memories will last a lifetime.

Lisa Cohen

May, 2019