I have traveled the world by air, land, and more than once, by freighter. Traveling in any form of transportation is enjoyable, whether it is flying by airplane to a distant land, soaring in a hot air balloon over Africa, hang gliding over the verdant majesty of New Zealand, parachute jumping in the Palouse wheat fields, riding in a helicopter over a Franz Josef glacier, braving a bush plane in Botswana, scuba diving in the Cayman Islands, or bungee jumping over the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls.
However, in all of my decades of circumnavigating the globe and taking part in so many wonderful adventures, never in my life have I experienced anything close to what happened to me when serendipity brought me to Egypt…
I had been traveling through the Greek islands, and when I became disenchanted with the cold and gloomy weather, a travel agent offered to send me somewhere warmer. Looking at the world map behind her desk, Egypt had stood out to me, glowing like a beacon. My desire to leave the damp and dismal climate to be warm in the desert commandeered my travel plans. The next day, I was on a flight to Cairo.
Two days later, I was standing in front of a glass display case in the Cairo Museum, paralyzed by the sight of something that kept me rooted to the floor, completely mesmerized. It was an exquisite necklace, made of tightly-strung rows of coral and turquoise beads woven together with fine gold thread in a half-moon shape. Jewelry like this necklace holds great historical importance and great monetary value, but that wasn’t what had me fully engrossed in the image of the beautiful piece.
One look at it and I knew I had worn it before. In another lifetime, I knew that this had been my necklace. I felt it on me. I saw it on me. I remembered the exact spot where the gold clasp had irritated the back of my neck. Emotion washed over me and through me as I absorbed this revelation. I was immobile, and the inability to move kept me rooted far longer than the line of people behind me found tolerable.
A rush of energy moved through my body and tears streamed down my face. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. Over the years, I had become aware of some of my past lives, but I had never experienced this feeling. I walked out of the museum knowing I had been an Egyptian in another life, and it was obvious that this particular lifetime in Egypt had seeped deep into my soul.
The necklace clarified my purpose for traveling to Egypt in November of 2005.
I sold my belongings as a result of this trip and moved to Cairo for a year, thus beginning my adventures as a world traveler. I’ve visited over 40 countries and lived for short periods of time in many of them.
I hope you will keep me company as I take you along with me on the many adventures I have had as a solo world traveler. Whether you want to plan your own trip of a lifetime, or just want to experience something new each week through the eyes of a woman who has been there, I would love to bring you with me as I journey around the world and into my own past.