26 hours and 5 airports later, I peered out into the subtropical rain forest. It was dark already. A van picked us up, and we bolted down long windy roads through the jungle. Finally, a building appears as we enter town. But we veer right off onto a completely unlighted dirt road which the van can barely fit through. We brake every 20 feet to carefully dodge a tree. 15 minutes later, a 5-star hotel rises out of nowhere.
We are there for my dad's conference. There are some hiking paths nearby, but absolutely nothing else except solid rainforest for miles. Since it was hard to get out, and my dad was occupied, my mother and I spent most of our time in the hotel. I ended up reading 3 books and leaving the hotel only once to go see Iguazu Falls. Speaking of which…
Exploring Iguazu Falls (2 min)
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| Argentine side of Iguazu Falls |
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| Up close |
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| Devil's Throat |
More pictures at the bottom.
At first, I felt a little lame. Aren't vacations supposed to be full of seeing and doing? I imagined answering the question, "why fly 10,000 miles just to sit in a hotel and read books that you could read anywhere?" I had frequent urges to organize a group to get a taxi and go exploring, but honestly I just wanted to sit back and think.
Every morning, I wrote for 30 minutes, meditated, explored various thoughts and ideas in a handwritten Moleskine journal. I also tried to check e-mail/Facebook/news together one single time each day- a practice I intend to continue. I didn't need to network, but I attended events primarily to accomplish one thing: practice good eye contact. Interpersonal skills tend to suffer when you're lost in your own thoughts while working in lab for extended durations.
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| Relaxing by the pool |
I reflected back on some of my previous vacations- taking whirlwind tours around various cities, staying in a different place every night, frantically trying to catch a ferry or train or bus, always on the move, always trying to plan the next destination, meal, or shower. Honestly, I don't remember very much about them, other than a few key moments.
I see no reason to trade a busy worklife (which I always need to simplify further) for a busy vacation. Relaxing, clearing my thoughts, attaining some distance, and then dispassionately examining my own life. That's what I needed, and that's what I did.
And suddenly, I started making progress on everything I had been stuck on.
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More photos
I prefer active vacations that focus on my body (hiking I.e.), as I always return from these mentally and emotionally refreshed. If I travel to a new country, I want at least 3 weeks to adequately immerse myself in the culture. I need to do a staycation sometime this summer, I.e. go a day without doing science or medicine and read, cook, run, meditate, yoga, and avoid the Internet.
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