I’ve noticed a curious phenomenon about travel; it’s called, “How will I EVER?” It occurs when you’re still at home, thinking about an upcoming journey. As you’re making your plans, it feels inconceivable that you’ll ever be able to figure things out – especially if you don’t speak the local language. Questions arise like, “How will I ever be able to order food?” “How will I ever figure out how to catch a bus?” “How will I ever reach that interesting temple out in the middle of nowhere?” While sitting at home, foreign travel often feels overwhelming. So overwhelming that you might as well just cancel the trip and save yourself the confusion and the embarrassment. It’s better than starving on the streets, right!
I experienced “How will I ever” before a recent vacation to Japan. I knew we would need to book a ticket on the Bullet Train from Tokyo to Aomori, but how would I ever figure out which ticket machine to use? They’re all written in Japanese! Later, I knew we would have to get from a Lampu no Yado hot spring resort to Lake Towada, but I could see there was no buses or trains connecting the two? How would I ever pull this off? Hitch hiking? Back tracking 3 hours? It’s too uncertain!!! Maybe I should call the whole thing off!
And then you actually arrive in the country and the local rules start making sense. You see patterns. And ever-so-slowly, you become a functional traveler.
This phenomenon works in reverse as well, especially with the passage of time. “How did I ever pull that off?” Like the time I was in Turkey back in the late 80s, trying to reach Sumela Monastery.
I’ve just finished visiting the eastern border of Turkey, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Ararat (Wow Place #209), and now it’s time to get back to Istanbul. I can certainly take a western-bound bus and retrace my steps, but why not head north and catch a ferry on the Black Sea from Trabzon? Heck, along the way I can visit Sumela Monastery, which I hear is pretty spectacular.
In the moment, this all makes perfect sense. You consult your guidebook. You find someone who speaks English at the bus or train station. You just keep saying “Sumela” until someone points you in the right direction. But looking back now with 30 years of perspective, I can’t help thinking, “That was pretty darn crazy! My younger self sure was a ballsy daredevil!”
In the end, I pull it off fairly easily – OF COURSE I DO — and make it to Sumela, which is indeed impressive. Nestled into a steep cliff, the monastery dates back to roughly 386 AD during the reign of King Theodosius, and reached its present form in the 13th century. Revered by Eastern Orthodox Christians, the site features the Rock Church, several chapels, kitchens, student rooms, a guesthouse and a library. What really stands out, though, is the location itself, 4,000 feet up, crammed against the cliffs and overlooking the Altindere Valley. How did they ever build this a thousand years ago? They didn’t have cranes back then, did they?
And how did I ever get here?
(Apparently the life of the average professional athletes is a series of failure and setbacks, punctuated by the occasional moment of glory. They have to trust themselves, trust their training, trust their experience and hope for the best. Travel is the same, as is life. You know you’re going to fail – often! But you also know you’ll have peak moments of success. And what is success anyway, other than putting yourself in a cool situation and seeing what you can learn about yourself?)