The Journey Begins

I’m about to launch into a journey of discovery, and I invite you to come along with me. Join me on this voyage as a long distance observer, or as an interactive participant. I welcome your comments, questions, requests, observations, and, of course, your blessings.

Several people have asked me what is the purpose of this trip. I’ve asked myself that question also. Ever since my first trip to France when I was 15, I longed to see beyond the boundaries of the world as I knew it. Throughout my teens and 20’s and 30’s, I ventured to many places in North America, Europe and Asia as tourist. Before Lily was born, I worked in the travel industry, mostly setting up big conventions or small executive meetings taking place in luxurious venues throughout the world. It was nice to stay in deluxe hotels, eat sumptuous meals, see beautiful places, AND get paid for it!

Now after 20 years traveling through the most important journey of my life thus far, that of parenting an awesome daughter, I’m ready to go out and see the world in a different way. (The photo is of Lily and me taken August 31, 2008, just before she left for her junior year at Sarah Lawrence College in NY.) Throughout my travels, I’ve found that the most important aspect of the trips was not what I saw or did, but connecting with the people I met along the way. So my intention for this journey is to “meet the people,” enter into the lives of people in many parts of Asia, and see how I may be able to help them out in whatever way they need and I can provide. One way I’m planning to make this happen is thru WWOOFing. Willing Workers On Organic Farms, www.wwoof.org, is an organization that matches volunteers with organic farmers throughout the world. On these farms, I will do whatever tasks are necessary to help the farmers, not necessarily only digging in the dirt. 

Another way I hope to connect with people on this trip is through contacts from people along the way, and from you! Already I have lined up connections with friends of friends in Kyoto and Okayama, Japan, and in Auroville in India, with hopefully, more to come. So if you think of anyone you would like me to contact in Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, India or Nepal, please let me know!

My tentative itinerary, so far, is to be in Japan until late October. Then I’ll be in the Chiang Mai and elsewhere in Thailand until mid-December. I’m hoping Lily will come to join me in Cambodia and Laos during her month-long winter break. In mid-January I plan to arrive in Auroville, (www.Auroville.org) near Pondicherry, India, where I will be helping to start a new raw foods restaurant there! When it starts to get really hot in early March, I’ll head to Northern India, perhaps Nepal, and on to Bhutan in April. Beyond that, maybe back to Seattle, maybe Europe, or New York, or who knows where…………..

Barak and Joe and Pam will be living at my house and keeping the proverbial home fires burning. I’ll be checking email occasionally, so if you’d like to email me, please write to hiaraya@comcast.net.

I’ve already sent in my absentee ballot for the November election and urge all of you vote to change the regime in this country. That other Barack and Joe got my vote!

Sending you blessings for a healthy, happy, and very sweet New Year filled with your own journey of discovery,
Araya