| 1.4-1 Boston to Washington, D.C. |
On the subway ride from downtown Boston to upper Cambridge I was seated across
from a beautiful young slender blond man. During our ride I noticed he had trouble
keeping his eyes off of me and I likewise off of him. This continued for several train
stops, but neither of us had the guts to break the ice, especially since I was due to
be at my awaiting friends house in minutes. Finally, his stop came and he got off of
the train with neither of us ever saying anything other than what was said with our
glances and smiles. Se la vi. I got my traveling baggage together to get off quickly,
for the stop after his was mine.
Upon my arrival at Greg’s house in Cambridge, Greg, Teryl, and Margarita greeted
me. First on my list of things to do was to show everybody my new electronic toys. I
pulled out the video camera and began taping the most excited hostess of the
bunch, Margarita, Greg and Teryl's beloved Amazon parrot. She is delightfully
covered with fluorescent lime to deep green feathers with red and yellow feather
highlights. She was working up a storm upon my presence for it had been over a
year since she had last seen me. Actually, I think she gets excited whenever
anybody relatively new comes to see her. But Margarita and I were old friends.
I spent two weeks in Boston having fun with Teryl and Greg and their friends. While
in Boston I joined the American Youth Hostel, an organization that would allow me to
stay at hotel like accommodations around the world at low rates. I also managed to
repair my electronic organizer. Apparently the sharp drop in Quebec City shorted
out the batteries. I replaced the batteries and it worked great again but I did indeed
lose all of the information I had entered into it just before embarking on my trip. So I
re-entered all I could remember as well as retyped all of my friends addresses and
phone numbers from my hand written phone book.
My final task in Boston was to arrange my travel from Boston to Miami and from
Miami to Jamaica. So, Teryl, now a data processing coordinator for a large travel
agency, sent me to Terry, an agent within her company. I arrived at Terry's office
and explained to her that I wished to travel to Miami with a stopover in Washington,
D. C. She made the train reservation and prepared my ticket. She also checked on
two other needs I had.
First she checked on flights and cruises to Jamaica from Miami. A cruise just wouldn’
t work for my needs and was way out of my budget. So she checked on flights from
Miami to Jamaica and decided I could just as well wait until I was in Miami to
purchase my ticket because the price would not differ.
Next she checked on the price of “Around-the-World” tickets. Although I had
already planned my around-the-world travel schedule through Pan Am, I felt it
wouldn't hurt to have her look for something cheaper. She found nothing cheaper.
As I readied to leave, she made a statement that she was very envious of my travel
plans. She told me flatly, “I want to read your book when you get back.”
I left her office thinking to myself, “Book! What book? Who would be interested in a
book of my day to day travels around the world?” Although I was keeping a journal,
it was obvious to me it wouldn’t be interesting to myself let alone another person.
This is probably obvious by the uneventful writings so far. Is it possible she
somehow foresaw the events to fill my life in the not too distant future? Or, was she
truly interested in my day to day travels and the simple meeting of acquaintances
and the discovery of new places? I'll never know.
That afternoon I met Teryl at her office in central Cambridge for lunch. We went for
a walk around her building after eating. On our walk we passed a bus stop and to
my great surprise, waiting at the bus stop was the beautiful fellow whom I had sat
across from on the subway my first night in Boston. We both noticed each other,
but being with Teryl, I didn’t want to just break away from her and start talking with
someone I had never even met before. As we walked back to Teryl’s office, I couldn’
t help think that fate was trying to tell me something. When we got back to her
office, I made up a story that on our walk I had seen someone from my high school
and I wanted to go back to talk to him. I quickly left her office and ran back to the
bus stop. Just as I arrived, the guy was already boarding the bus. The bus doors
were still open and the question flash in my mind “Do I get on the bus or don’t I?” I
stood there and watched the bus doors close. I let the bus drive off with one of my
possible destiny’s being carried away with it. I walked back to Teryl’s office slightly
saddened wondering what I had just missed out on.
I left Boston on the evening of Sunday, the 10th of March. At the Boston train
station I almost fainted as I carried my luggage up the stairs from the subway. I sat
down at a wooden bench and took my temperature and it was over 100 degrees.
So, I boarded the train and bundled myself up for the overnight ride to Washington,
D. C. When I arrived early Monday morning I checked my temperature again. This
time it was 102 degrees. I wasn't feeling well and unfortunately I wasn’t supposed to
meet my second cousin Carolyn and her husband Dan until later that evening after
they arrived home from work. So, I pushed my sick body around the capitol mall to
see some sights, sweating my way around the Capitol Building, the Washington
Memorial, the National Arboretum and the National Museum of Art.
Upon arrival that evening to Carolyn and Dan’s house in Alexandria, Virginia just
outside of the District of Columbia, I was immediately put to bed. Some way to meet
your second cousin for the first time. I was ever so thankful when I found my bed
was supplied with an electric blanket.
My two-day visit grew into a full week and a half. I stayed in bed most of the week,
waiting for an antibiotic and decongestant to take effect on the East Coast virus I
had caught. With the occurrence of this virus, I decided to finally choose a health
care insurance that would cover me around the world. I chose a company called
Travel Assistance International (also known as EuropAssist), a Transamerica
Corporation insurance provider. I would be provided health insurance as well as
travel aid when needed. They provided a toll free number to call if I needed
assistance while in the U.S. or I could call collect when outside of the U.S.
After a few days on the antibiotics and decongestants I finally started feeling better.
So Carolyn and Dan drove me around the town and showed me some sights in
Washington that I hadn't seen yet. I also visited with Kathy, a childhood friend of
mine I met on vacations to my Aunt’s in LA. Kathy was now working as a travel
agent in the Washington D. C. area. She kindly gave me her toll free phone
number and instructed me to call her if ever I was stuck somewhere on my trip and
needed help with travel arrangements. In exchange, I promised her I would return
after Jamaica and show her the video I had captured while traveling the island.
At Carolyn’s request I changed my travel plans a bit. We decided that after my tour
of Jamaica, I should begin my Around-the-World travels from Miami. Pan Am would
allow me to fly from Miami to Washington, D. C. since it is a longitudinal flight. On
an “Around-the-World” ticket you must continue around the world in only one
direction (east or west) but heading north or south is fine as long as you don’t
backtrack much. I could stay a few days with her and Dan and this time I would be
healthy so I could see some more sights in better weather. I could also pick up
some of the items I would leave behind which I wouldn't need in Jamaica. I could
then fly on to Boston to visit Teryl and Greg for a few days as well as pick up the
winter clothes I left with them and then fly on to Norway for the summer solstice. I
called Pan Am and changed my Around-the-World travel plans.
The night before I left Washington, D. C. I made a copy of the video I had taken so
far and sent it to my parents in Seattle (thus, all of the video clips above). I headed
out the next rainy morning, Thursday, March 14th from Alexandria, Virginia on the
overnight train to sunny Miami, Florida. I couldn't wait to reach the arms of warmer
weather and leave the fingers of coldness.
from a beautiful young slender blond man. During our ride I noticed he had trouble
keeping his eyes off of me and I likewise off of him. This continued for several train
stops, but neither of us had the guts to break the ice, especially since I was due to
be at my awaiting friends house in minutes. Finally, his stop came and he got off of
the train with neither of us ever saying anything other than what was said with our
glances and smiles. Se la vi. I got my traveling baggage together to get off quickly,
for the stop after his was mine.
Upon my arrival at Greg’s house in Cambridge, Greg, Teryl, and Margarita greeted
me. First on my list of things to do was to show everybody my new electronic toys. I
pulled out the video camera and began taping the most excited hostess of the
bunch, Margarita, Greg and Teryl's beloved Amazon parrot. She is delightfully
covered with fluorescent lime to deep green feathers with red and yellow feather
highlights. She was working up a storm upon my presence for it had been over a
year since she had last seen me. Actually, I think she gets excited whenever
anybody relatively new comes to see her. But Margarita and I were old friends.
I spent two weeks in Boston having fun with Teryl and Greg and their friends. While
in Boston I joined the American Youth Hostel, an organization that would allow me to
stay at hotel like accommodations around the world at low rates. I also managed to
repair my electronic organizer. Apparently the sharp drop in Quebec City shorted
out the batteries. I replaced the batteries and it worked great again but I did indeed
lose all of the information I had entered into it just before embarking on my trip. So I
re-entered all I could remember as well as retyped all of my friends addresses and
phone numbers from my hand written phone book.
My final task in Boston was to arrange my travel from Boston to Miami and from
Miami to Jamaica. So, Teryl, now a data processing coordinator for a large travel
agency, sent me to Terry, an agent within her company. I arrived at Terry's office
and explained to her that I wished to travel to Miami with a stopover in Washington,
D. C. She made the train reservation and prepared my ticket. She also checked on
two other needs I had.
First she checked on flights and cruises to Jamaica from Miami. A cruise just wouldn’
t work for my needs and was way out of my budget. So she checked on flights from
Miami to Jamaica and decided I could just as well wait until I was in Miami to
purchase my ticket because the price would not differ.
Next she checked on the price of “Around-the-World” tickets. Although I had
already planned my around-the-world travel schedule through Pan Am, I felt it
wouldn't hurt to have her look for something cheaper. She found nothing cheaper.
As I readied to leave, she made a statement that she was very envious of my travel
plans. She told me flatly, “I want to read your book when you get back.”
I left her office thinking to myself, “Book! What book? Who would be interested in a
book of my day to day travels around the world?” Although I was keeping a journal,
it was obvious to me it wouldn’t be interesting to myself let alone another person.
This is probably obvious by the uneventful writings so far. Is it possible she
somehow foresaw the events to fill my life in the not too distant future? Or, was she
truly interested in my day to day travels and the simple meeting of acquaintances
and the discovery of new places? I'll never know.
That afternoon I met Teryl at her office in central Cambridge for lunch. We went for
a walk around her building after eating. On our walk we passed a bus stop and to
my great surprise, waiting at the bus stop was the beautiful fellow whom I had sat
across from on the subway my first night in Boston. We both noticed each other,
but being with Teryl, I didn’t want to just break away from her and start talking with
someone I had never even met before. As we walked back to Teryl’s office, I couldn’
t help think that fate was trying to tell me something. When we got back to her
office, I made up a story that on our walk I had seen someone from my high school
and I wanted to go back to talk to him. I quickly left her office and ran back to the
bus stop. Just as I arrived, the guy was already boarding the bus. The bus doors
were still open and the question flash in my mind “Do I get on the bus or don’t I?” I
stood there and watched the bus doors close. I let the bus drive off with one of my
possible destiny’s being carried away with it. I walked back to Teryl’s office slightly
saddened wondering what I had just missed out on.
I left Boston on the evening of Sunday, the 10th of March. At the Boston train
station I almost fainted as I carried my luggage up the stairs from the subway. I sat
down at a wooden bench and took my temperature and it was over 100 degrees.
So, I boarded the train and bundled myself up for the overnight ride to Washington,
D. C. When I arrived early Monday morning I checked my temperature again. This
time it was 102 degrees. I wasn't feeling well and unfortunately I wasn’t supposed to
meet my second cousin Carolyn and her husband Dan until later that evening after
they arrived home from work. So, I pushed my sick body around the capitol mall to
see some sights, sweating my way around the Capitol Building, the Washington
Memorial, the National Arboretum and the National Museum of Art.
Upon arrival that evening to Carolyn and Dan’s house in Alexandria, Virginia just
outside of the District of Columbia, I was immediately put to bed. Some way to meet
your second cousin for the first time. I was ever so thankful when I found my bed
was supplied with an electric blanket.
My two-day visit grew into a full week and a half. I stayed in bed most of the week,
waiting for an antibiotic and decongestant to take effect on the East Coast virus I
had caught. With the occurrence of this virus, I decided to finally choose a health
care insurance that would cover me around the world. I chose a company called
Travel Assistance International (also known as EuropAssist), a Transamerica
Corporation insurance provider. I would be provided health insurance as well as
travel aid when needed. They provided a toll free number to call if I needed
assistance while in the U.S. or I could call collect when outside of the U.S.
After a few days on the antibiotics and decongestants I finally started feeling better.
So Carolyn and Dan drove me around the town and showed me some sights in
Washington that I hadn't seen yet. I also visited with Kathy, a childhood friend of
mine I met on vacations to my Aunt’s in LA. Kathy was now working as a travel
agent in the Washington D. C. area. She kindly gave me her toll free phone
number and instructed me to call her if ever I was stuck somewhere on my trip and
needed help with travel arrangements. In exchange, I promised her I would return
after Jamaica and show her the video I had captured while traveling the island.
At Carolyn’s request I changed my travel plans a bit. We decided that after my tour
of Jamaica, I should begin my Around-the-World travels from Miami. Pan Am would
allow me to fly from Miami to Washington, D. C. since it is a longitudinal flight. On
an “Around-the-World” ticket you must continue around the world in only one
direction (east or west) but heading north or south is fine as long as you don’t
backtrack much. I could stay a few days with her and Dan and this time I would be
healthy so I could see some more sights in better weather. I could also pick up
some of the items I would leave behind which I wouldn't need in Jamaica. I could
then fly on to Boston to visit Teryl and Greg for a few days as well as pick up the
winter clothes I left with them and then fly on to Norway for the summer solstice. I
called Pan Am and changed my Around-the-World travel plans.
The night before I left Washington, D. C. I made a copy of the video I had taken so
far and sent it to my parents in Seattle (thus, all of the video clips above). I headed
out the next rainy morning, Thursday, March 14th from Alexandria, Virginia on the
overnight train to sunny Miami, Florida. I couldn't wait to reach the arms of warmer
weather and leave the fingers of coldness.
World Turned Upside Down
Music - Let Me Take You
Home Tonight & Peace Of
Mind by Boston
Home Tonight & Peace Of
Mind by Boston
Music - Boston - Let Me Take You HomeTonight & Peace Of Mind