A few reflections on New Zealand

I'm on the plane back to SF and completely exhausted. Back home I'm looking forward to my own bed, my stuff, my routine, my gym, my pillow, my neighborhood, and my friends. It's a true homecoming... It doesn't feel like I'm going to a place that's temporary. I like my life in SF and I'm happy to go back to it. 

That said, I just finished an amazing trip. I won't go into everything I thought about or learned, but suffice it to say that this trip, like all others before it, helped me see the works in a new way. 

- I learned about Maori (and Pacific Island) culture - the Te Papa museum is one of the best. Now I want to do a haka chant before every important presentation I make. I learned from the travelers and locals I met, as well, such as the big things (are gap years worth it?) to small things (the reason why some countries drive on the left side of the road). 

- I saw what is undoubtedly some of the most stunning scenery in the world. Lake Marian was the most special because we were alone for 60 minutes at the beautiful alpine lake. But almost everything else was world-class. 

- I had to negotiate my relationship with Shweth. In all, we got along great. Of course there were bumps, as to be expected, but by the end of the trip we knew each others' strengths and weaknesses and could cover for one another. In the end we were a team.

- I had that serendipitous experience I always want when I travel. Susan and Ladislav were my surrogate parents for two nights, and I met some incredibly hospitable locals who invited me to their home.

- I saw wildlife up close: fur seals, kiwi birds (and hears their mating calls at night - a very special memory), dolphins jumping in the air. 

- I checked bungee jumping off my bucket list

- I listened to a huge number of podcasts during our long drives, specifically the Moth, HBR Ideacast, and All Songs Considered

- I had time to think to myself. Not about anything in particular, but in the absence of cell coverage I could let my mind wander. A rare, appreciated experience these days. 

- I lost four pounds (a good thing). Prior to the trip I had gained a lot of weight because of some headaches. I am now back to my ideal weight and feel healthy, due to eating well and exercising during the trip. 

- Aside from just seeing the sights, I participated. Two sea kayaks, a bungee and a swing, five long hikes (including one on a glacier and one traversing volcanos and craters), a helicopter ride, a few scenic urban runs, and a spelunking adventure.

What I did NOT get was sleep. Despite always wanting more, I was happy with the tradeoff of less sleep for more awesomeness. 

In New Zealand (and in other places too), it's tempting to view your trip as a checklist. Bungee. Kayak. Skydive. Hike. And there's a good reason for this: New Zealand has so many "must do" activities, and they in large part defined our trip. But in doing so, we risk being tourists, and not travelers. Jenny and I experienced this in Mexico when we packed so many activities into the trip, yet found ourselves wanting more unstructured time - to talk with the locals, take an extra couple hours at the cafe to read the newspaper, drink another beer, or stay out late because you don't have to get up early in the morning.

Planned activities are the bones of most trips. In Tanzania, our trip would have been completely different without planning the safari. But in my experience, the most special memories arise serendipitously. It's the two Germans on their gap year who you talk to over dinner, it's the respect that you gain for your safari guide, it's meeting a friend in Mexico City before a lucha libre match, it's staying two extra weeks in Granada because you found a home away from home at a language school and the Funky Backpackers hostel, it's going to the county fair in Nevada City, it's going on a callejonera and partying with locals in Guanajuato, its sitting at a restaurant in La Isla Janitzio in Michoacan while it pours down rain and you get drunk with new friends then boat hitchhike to another island, it's having your kayak trip in Milford Sound canceled because of weather but then enjoying a sublime alpine lake. And of course it's about all of those small interactions that don't even qualify as things or events. I don't know about you, but I remember almost all of them. One important thing I've learned about myself this year is that I enjoy interacting with other people not "just because," but because I revel in the exchange of information, feelings, and understanding. This can happen through a guided tour or a 10-second interaction. What travel allows me to do is have so many of these interactions in such a short timeframe. It's a dense power pack of experiences. 

When traveling, these moments cannot be planned. One has to be open to them and be willing to seize them when they arise. I guess seizing this applies to life in general - not just travel. Life exists in the moments between the big events. In the day-to-day. In the seemingly mundane. Travel focuses us on every little detail. The meaningless becomes meaningful. Why not do that in our normal lives?