To die a backpacker death allows you to exit your body, to float up and see yourself from above, from the outside, to look down on what you have become from afar. This new perspective allows you to evaluate what you have become, what you have learned and where you wish to go. New perspectives are why I began my journey all those years ago. Location: Opunohu Bay, Moorea, French Polynesia. Time: Sunrise. Weather: Fine. Speed: Cruising. Mood: Elation. I’m at the bow of this huge ship some ten stories from the ocean beneath, as it glides into this outlandishly exotic harbor (see panorama above). I don’t feel it at the time, but as I write it now, it seems like the finale to some cheesy chick flick adventure. The scene dwarfs me, the ship and
... read more
