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Maxine's On Main
Picture from Maxine's web site "LIFE'S JOURNEY is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit, what a ride!"
- Mavis Leyrer age 83
I came upon this quote the other morning while I was having breakfast at a little place here in Bastrop called Maxine’s
(http://www.maxinesonmain.com/). It’s a deliciously quaint little small-town dinery that dishes up fried southern specialties (with an emphasis on
special) such as chicken gizzards and catfish, serves drinks in large mason jars, and does it all with the kind of leisurely unhurried pace that reminds you that you really shouldn’t have anything better to do with your day.
By the by, they also offer to adjust your attitude with one of three sizes of cast-iron pizza pans, and post a charming reminder (a picture of a shotgun) that they don't call the police.
For their décor, Maxine’s has gone for that yard-sale-random-assortment-of-junk look that is so entertaining while you’re waiting for your menu, waiting for your drink, and waiting for your food. Amongst the bicycles hanging from the ceiling, hubcaps, and old newspaper clippings on the walls, I saw this quote,
Healthy Hip Bone
Like the one I'd enjoy keeping in my golden years. printed and framed - and I loved it!
From my humble perspective, this completely sums up the spirit of the independent traveler going it alone in third-world countries. I won’t sugar-coat it: you are shaving years off your life, what with the stress of finding conveyance and places to stay, the bouts of traveler’s diarrhea, the time spent inhaling second-hand smoke, and those little worms that crawl up into your stomach and set up camp.
But what are we saving ourselves for? A comfortable and stale old age?
I look ahead to when I'm 100 years old (laugh if you want, but many of the women in my family have made it that far), and hope that I will not be kicking myself for missing opportunities when I was young enough and foolish enough to take advantage of them. First of all, I probably won't be agile enough to kick myself, and even if I managed it, I'd probably break a hip. Then I'd be left with regrets
and a broken hip, and who wants that when they already have a hard time getting their Depends on and off?
Seriously, though, for what exactly am I
willing to sacrifice a comfortable lifestyle and relative security? I'll tell you:
• Seeing the "jumping cat" monastery at Inle Lake, Myanmar (come on, cats that are
trained to jump???
• Watching Thai boxers beat each other bloody in Bangkok, Thailand
• Taking a jungle survival cooking class in Siem reap, Cambodia
• Learning to rock-climb in Vang Vieng, Laos
• Taking in a water puppet show in Hanoi, Vietnam
• White-water rafting in Pai, Thailand
• Taking waterside Tai chi classes in Hong Kong
• Spotting rare freshwater dolphins in the Four Thousand Islands region of the Mekong
• Viewing the absolutely awesome temples of Angkor Wat on horseback at sunrise
• Learning Thai dance in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Sleeping on a junk boat while touring Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
• Learning about Buddhism at an overnight stay in a monastery
I'm not going to put up any pics yet - when I get there and do it, I will show you what it was like.
And one day when I'm a crusty and exhausted old woman with 50 cats (maybe I can train them to jump, too) and an unbroken hip, I will still chuckle when I read that quote, and be glad that I took the chances when I was younger.
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I fully intend to see my one hundredth birthday as well. I'll send you a card, if I can remember my own name by then, that is...Trained cats oughta be fun to see. Maybe they'll give you some pointers?