As I sit writing the first blog entry of our trip (at almost midnight), I am reminded of all of the reasons that we struggled with the idea of keeping a blog.  I love the idea of having a way to keep all of our family and friends updated on where we are and what we are doing, but don’t want to end up with entries along the lines of “Having a great time, wish you were here.”

Although I am a fairly diligent journaler, particularly when traveling, writing to update others is a different process and commitment.  Over the years we have encountered many travelers who have been so focused on keeping in touch with those at home that they are not fully experiencing the rare opportunities available to them on the road.  We encountered this phenomenon most recently with a traveling companion in Nepal at the end of last year.  As we were on a safari in Chitwan National Park, searching for rare white Rhinos and rarely-seen Bengal tigers, he was completely focused on trying to get a connection on his iPhone.  Knowing that he wasn’t dealing with an urgent crisis, I found it hard to imagine how his need to keep in touch could outweigh the once-in-a-lifetime experience of the safari. Although he did see the wildlife once someone else had spotted it, he completely missed out on the thrill of the search.

Having learned this lesson, we commit to doing our best to keep interesting updates on the blog on a weekly basis, but the priority will be on experiencing wherever we are in the moment rather than finding internet connections and downloading photos.

Tracey