Blog du Wren

Good Hosts

Traveling can be a tedious endeavor: language barriers, different beds every night, very little familiar territory, no space to really feel comfortable. Traveling solo adds the extra aspect of not having someone to share thoughts and observations with, etc. Don't get me wrong; all the newness and time for reflection can be a very good thing, but it sometimes is just plain hard.

Enter wonderful people. In Japan and Taiwan, I was fortunate to have a number of wonderful hosts to help ease the hardships of travel. Whether providing guidance on local activities (many of which I would have never experienced otherwise), welcoming me and sharing their lives with me, offering up generous use of their homes and a place to sleep*, or just indulging my brain dumps (and chance to speak English for a while), I realize that my experience wouldn't have been nearly as wonderful without these people. So to , , , and I can't say thank you enough. If ever I can repay you in whatever way, I'll be glad to do it.

In thinking about it, all my travels of late have been helped along and enhanced by so many good people: Steve and Hope in Grenada, Gabriella in Mexico, so so many good folks on the eastern seaboard, Andrew and Gretch in Portland, and Sibley and Nina in Santa Cruz just to name but a few. I count my lucky stars each time I think about it, and hope that the generosity they all have shown me comes back around to them someday. As I hope, I realize that the best way to make sure that happens is to be the best host I can be whenever I get the chance. So next time you, any of you, pass through Anacortes, know that you've got a willing host to put you up, show you around, and help in any way possible. After all, it is the least I can do.

Tuesday April 14 2009

File under: travel

Toggle Comments (3)

comment?

on Tue 14th Apr, 2009 09:33 pm PDT Mom said:
Luckily, I concur in extending the invitation and you won't have to share the Outback with Wren.
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on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 03:00 pm PDT steve said:
Thank god for mom shielding us from the outback!!
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on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 05:04 pm PDT Joe said:
It was kinda funny clicking on each of the pix of your hosts one by one, as each one got further and further away from the camera, thus more and more unrecognizable. I was expecting the last one to just be a google earth shot with an arrow pointing to a dot representing your host.
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