It has always been my premise that there is no adventure unless there is uncertainty. Mostly, I have chosen to engage in adventures only because the uncertainty was there, but sometimes the adventure and uncertainly grows around you. This was the case when my pal and I decided to paddle around Punta Banda, in Mexico. What began as a simple paddle turned into a taxing and worrisome couple of hours on the water. It sure as hell was an adventure.
So was the Chinese Junk, Hai Jung. How many other folks have owned a junk? How do you repair it, how do you sail it, what sail does what and why? In fact, this was an adventure that spanned several years.
For another example, once, when we were in Italy, Kay and I got on a train that had changed tracks at the last minute. We had to race down the steps from the platform we were on, into the tunnel below the tracks, then up to the next platform, where we arrived as the train pulled in. We jumped aboard. Kay asked, “Is this right train?” I replied, “I don’t know, but it’s going somewhere.” We mildly sweat it for half-an-hour until it arrived at the destination we had planned for. THERE was an adventure. We were in a foreign country, on a train going God knows where, and uncertainly permeated the air. Maybe the train wouldn’t end up where we wanted. Who cared? Might be a better destination than the one we planned. It was an adventure, and unlike dozens of other train trips in Europe and elsewhere, it is a trip that we remember. You don’t get this when you are on a pre-paid tour.
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