journal

1 March 95 Varanassi, India on the banks of the Ganges River:

"Sunrise on the Ganges was magical. We arrived at the ghats (steps that lead down to the river) at around a sleepy six a.m. I purchased a leaf prayer candle from a child on the banks. It contained a small wick, a leaf that had been held together by one-inch slivers of wood, a marigold and a paste wax ignitable substance. I lit it after she gave it to me, I walked to the edge of the Ganges to see the flickering lights as they swam across into the middle of the stream, such a spiritual feeling and sight. Our boatman was seventeen, oh eighteen, I guessed his age, a nice boy, log of info and with a cheerful smile. We passed the burning ghats, the early morning smoke filled the air and blended with the mist, all in one. Sunrise was excellent, the huge fuchsia ball of fire stood up over the horizon and beckoned our notice. Delightful."

Vivid moments become vivid memories when written down with pen and paper. How did I remember that moment so clearly, so magically? I wrote it down shortly after it happened. Writing your own memories in a travel journal may be the greatest treasure you return with when your journey is complete.

"Oh, it's a drag to write every day," "I hate to write," "What's it good for anyway, I can't write," "oh, I'll remember what happened and where I've been". These are many of the chiming chirps and reassuring comments I've heard from fellow travelers when I pull out my 8 1/2" x 11" journal at night and begin to write what I experienced throughout the day.

In the evenings, waiting for trains or stationary in airports, I tug my journal out of my pack and begin to write about where I am. My journal is a bit large, I must admit. Many people comment on the size of my journal, more than on the fact that I actually keep a written account of my adventure. What can I say? I don't like to write on a napkin-sized notebook, I'm witnessing momentous sights and experiencing life-changing moments. They deserve more than a postcard-size scrawling.

What Kind Of Journal Do I Get?

Now you don't have to go to the extreme I do, using the large hardbound black artist's sketchbook, in which I can write and draw. A small spiral notebook is just fine depending on what you are comfortable with.

I enjoy the artist's sketchbooks because they don't have any of those little blue lines racing across the page. Blank pages offer a wide variety of choices, you could sit and draw the Eiffel Tower if that suits you one day in Paris, while you munch on French Brie and a baguette. The next day when you are in Mont Martre you could freely describe your surroundings, scrolling down on the empty page. In addition, the hardbound sketchbook weathers well on the road, its rugged and durable binding helps to keep your journal intact.

"But I'm Not Artistic"

I have a suggestion for women who don't consider themselves "artistic" when it comes to sketching or drawing. Just give it a shot, what do you have to lose? Why not, who will ever know? The only person to see it will be you and you will be amazed at how much better you will become after a little practice. I believe there is a wonderful artist in each of us. She's waiting to get out and practice, so let her. Georgia O'Keefe didn't paint her first flower to perfection, it took her years to develop her own unique style and artistic gift. Give yourself time and patience.

Setting Up Your Journal

Your memory book will be a budding flower of interesting stories soon after you depart. In addition, your journal is a terrific place to keep information you may need to have handy or as a backup if you lose any of your important documents or papers.

Front Pages -

My name, address and telephone number in case lose my journal, with a little luck maybe it will be posted to my home.
A title page as to where I'm going and when.

Back Pages -

Telephone numbers & addresses of family and friends.
Names and addresses of people I've met on my trip with whom I want to keep in touch with.
Medical information & medical insurance information.
Any medical conditions I have, medications I take presently.
Any allergies to medications.
List of foreign hospitals which, take my health insurance.

One page to tally how much I'm spending.
List of traveler's checks cashed & where I cashed them.
List of American Express offices where I will pick up mail.

Inside Covers -

Paste beer labels from different countries.
Baggage claim stickers.
Stickers I bought that I like.
Photographs of friends and family at home.
Anything fun which I can paste!

Combining both personal and practical information in your notebook, serves two purposes. If you are traveling with a friend, let them know you have your medical and emergency information in the back of your notebook in case you need medical assistance and cannot speak for yourself. Write everything the medical staff may need to know in the back of your journal. It’s safety precaution that will probably never be used, but you never know and, if you don't use it, then be happy you didn't need it.

I've Got The Journal, Now What Do I Do?

So now you have this great empty blank journal, with the little blue lines or without, and you’re thinking, "This is a lot paper to fill." Where do I begin? Where do I begin to express how I felt while walking the narrow crooked streets of Venice in a comforting October breeze, or flying above the jagged edge of the snow-shadowed Himalayas in a twin-engine airplane.

My best suggestion is simply start writing. Start writing, start writing. Let yourself be free to jot down whatever comes to your consciousness. Have fun with the freedom you have to take time out of your day and express your own experiences and how they make you think and feel.

For some of you, writing may be a whole new experience altogether. Good for you for taking on the wonderful and fulfilling challenge to write what you are experiencing in the world! Again, let me stress that if you really feel at a loss as to how to begin writing, here's a few suggestions.

Down The Middle Or A Single Moment
Two Techniques As To How To Write And
Journal Your Adventure

Down The Middle Technique

Draw a line down the middle of your page.
On the left side list the places you visited, people you met, foods you enjoyed and events that happened during the day.
Space each memory about two inches apart down the page.
On the right side, write a brief or lengthy account of your thoughts, and feelings, as a result of these experiences.
Write your experiences down in your own words, don't feel you need a thesaurus handy to make it sound great, remember this journal is for you and only you unless you choose to share it with someone else.

A Single Moment Technique

Write down in outline from the highlights of your day.
Choose one event to write about.
What was it about this particular event that had such an impact on you?
Why did you choose this event?
How did it make you feel?

For example, you are in Florence, Italy, and today you went and saw the Basilica, the Market on the Bridge, and Michelangelo's sculpture, David. Sitting quietly in a small cafe sipping a cappuccino, you decide you really don't have the energy to recap and write the entire day's events. Jot down in outline form what you saw today in a general way. Then choose one place or event you would like to write about. Perhaps Michelangelo's David swept you off your feet. Then be swept away for ten minutes and record what your thoughts and feelings were when you saw the heavenly white statue and what you felt when you witnessed the genius of Michelangelo revealed in stone.

Develop Your Own Writing Style

Develop your own writing and journaling techniques, find out what works best for you. Do try to put down something, you'll thank yourself later. Once you get into the habit of writing and embrace the pleasure of putting your memories down on paper you'll feel strange not doing so.

In Years To Come

Perhaps you won't look at that journal for five or ten years but someday you will and what pleasure it will bring you; the payoff is wonderful. Not only will you have this grand piece of literature you have written, but you will actually be able to remember events and experiences easier because the writing solidifies events in your long-term memory better.

SCRAPBOOK

Collecting small items to put in a scrapbook once you are home is also a wonderful way to remember your adventure.

Collecting The Scraps

Creating a travel scrapbook is really quite simple. Basically you collect the tickets and stubs from:

Museums you have browsed (the Louvre, Hermitage)
Train tickets, rail passes
Restaurant bills that sport the name and city
Entrance stubs to exhibits, gardens, or zoos

Where Do I Keep The Scraps And Miscellaneous Items?

Depending upon how much you want to keep for your scrapbook, you could use:

Pencil pouch (like the one you used in grade school)
Zip-locÔ bag
Money belt
Small paper or plastic bag

Every few days or weeks I tend to go through my fanny pack and money belt and throw away what I decide is trash and keep what I want for my scrapbook. I then put those items in a Zip-locÔ bag in my backpack. When I return home I lay out all of the tickets, stubs, bills, and receipts. I buy a simple hardbound book with blank pages and then paste all of the items I have collected in the book.

Interestingly enough, some of my most favorite scrapbook items are handwritten receipts from restaurants or scribbled train tickets from China. These tangible items from your trip will bring you immense joy year after year, they bring back the moment so quickly and clearly.

Monte Carlo Casino Restaurant Receipt

While cruising from town to town through the elegant and chic French Riviera (other wise known as the playground of the rich and famous) my friend Valerie and I decided to venture to Monte Carlo and check out the infamous gambling establishment.

We stayed in the Menton Youth Hostel, a town just a few stops by train away from Monte Carlo. We rescued our best traveling clothes from the bottom of our packs and tried to shake out the well-creased wrinkles. The sun was setting over the Mediterranean Sea and we were walking out of the youth hostel, anxious to see the glamour of Monte Carlo.

Our youth hostel owner shouted at us that we had better be back by the time he locked the front door or he would not let us in for anything. He did not see the thrill or glamour of Monte Carlo, in fact all he kept mumbling was, "casino, bullshit," over and over.

Valerie and I exited the hostel and swore to one another that we would definitely not be late. The youth hostel was on a huge hill, to get there you had to climb three hundred stairs (I counted) now we had to go down them. Scaling and zigzagging down the hillside, we reached the street at the bottom and headed for the train station. A short train and bus ride later we were standing in front of the casino. While a warm gust of Mediterranean wind blew through our hair, our eyes were fixed upon the glowing fountains that lay in the casino lawn before us.

We cruised the casino, ironically called the American Room, hey, we're in Monte Carlo, not Vegas, right? Well, neither of us had any money to really gamble so we decided to splurge. In other words, one of us would pull out a credit card and we'd have a little bit to eat, like dessert or something.

The cafe inside the gambling complex was packed with adults, children, and a few dogs sprinkled here and there. We sat in a lovely corner and took a look at the long menu. After we began to make the exchange currency translations, we figured out this place was really way out of our budget. Then I thought, oh well, I can pay for it on my credit card when I return home. There it was, right there in the corner, the minimum charge to pay by credit card was around one hundred dollars. We didn't even have enough cash to pay for two coffees, oh no. Valerie and I both sank a little in those soft, cushioned leather seats.

I began to wonder how we were going to escape the restaurant with little embarrassment; it seemed inevitable we'd be publicly shamed. Should we just simply get up and smile as we walk out the door? Should we both feign we had to use the ladies room and tell them we always go in twos, then exit left? I decided to simply approach the host and honestly tell him our dilemma and beg for his pardon. This was a little bit of hell, however, I carried myself with dignity and prayed he wouldn't verbally slice me to shreds.

The host was an elegant, tall, grey-haired gentleman. As I began to tell him my dilemma, above the clamor of the restaurant and yapping dogs, he simply put his hand on my back and began to lead me back to my table. I began speaking faster, maybe he didn't understand what I was saying. Did he speak English? Oh geez. At our table he gestured for me to sit and said there was no problem, however, I wanted to pay and whatever I wanted to order was just fine. Valerie and I were quite impressed and remarkably relieved. We ordered two cheese plates (four pieces of tiny cheese), dessert, and coffee totaling around fifty U.S. dollars.

Valerie and I ended up racing back to the train station on foot after missing the last bus to the train station. Fortunately, we didn't miss the last train to Menton. We raced like two mountain goats back up the three hundred zigzagging stairs to our hostel. Blisters beginning to rise on our ankles and out of breath, we made it back to the hostel just in time. Sitting on the balcony looking down on the lights of the French Riviera, we laughed about the wonderful evening, the gracious host, the American Room, and the three hundred stairs.

Later, I tucked the restaurant receipt in my Zip-loc bag and went to sleep so happy.