Half penny post: Travel epilogue

The last time we caught up I was in Charlotte recovering from my partying ways. I was supposed to fly to San Francisco, but due to some flight cancellations and being # 25 on the standby list I decided to go on to my next stop which was Washington DC to see my sister. It was a pleasant evening. I had dinner at Nando's Chicken. Every southern African worth their salt know's some good peri-peri chicken when they eat it and this is IT! The only city in the US with Nando's is DC and the place is usually packed. I had to wait 15 mins to get a table but the wait was worth it. The quarter chicken and chips with spicy rice was heavenly. Pity the chicken portion looks like a damn cornish hen quarter. We had breakfast at the airport because I was late for my flight and had to catch a later flight. Breakfast came complete with a lovely waitress who I will admit to flirting with briefly. My sister was gracious enough to tell the waitress that I thought she was cute ... yea I love you too junior.

Now I'm back in snowy Chicago and missing Miami. Can't wait for my next trip out of here. I have been thinking about why I enjoy travelling so much. I love seeing new places, meeting new people, trying new cuisines and all that's in between. If I could get a job that lets me travel this much I would take it as long as it's not in sales / marketing. I am my father's daughter in that respect. I love traveling.

I decided to give it more thought and I think the other reason why I travel is that I don't feel as lonely. I am surrounded by people and interact with a good many on a regular basis but am lonely at the core of it. When I travel I am meeting people, and doing things that help me to fill the void. Some people drink, some jump out of perfectly good planes, I travel. When I travel it's one of the few times that I feel completely in my element.

Most of my travelling is spontaneous, eg this trip. I decided in which city I wanted to be when. The only thing in this trip set in stone was the Macy's day parade, everything else was dependent on how I felt. I left Chicago on Wednesday instead of Thurs morning coz I had nothing to do that night and thought dinner in Philly would be fun (Philly cheese steak anyone?). I caught an earlier flight to Miami coz I wanted to eat lunch on the beach on Friday. My plane on Sunday had a 4 hour delay so I chose to go into Philly to see the city again. The lack of structure in travelling would drive a lot of people crazy, but for me it's exhilarating.

This trip also reminded how much it sucks to be single. You see soo much that you'd love to share with someone. At the end of a day before you sleep you want to call someone to just touch base or share your day or simply say I love you and miss you. Aaaaargh I'm beginning to depress myself so I'll quit while I'm ahead. BTW congratulations to a friend of mine who got engaged this past weekend.