America: getting ‘settled’

It has been a lengthy couple of days, with both the travel and the friendly time zones heading east to west carving out an extra 10 hours.  On this flight alone we have been in the air 10 hours and forty minutes, but only advanced 3 hours from London to Vegas.  Combine that with the Nairobi-london leg and we are in for well over 24 hours of airports, taxis and tubes.  But, with video on demand and a big backlog of desirable movies, there are certainly worse ways to pass the time.  Mu opts for back to back sleepless nights, the movies are that alluring.   

I know i take it for granted most of the time, but the international air network is a true marvel. During these travel days, i squeeze in a run near Lake Naivasha outside of Nairobi, seeing giraffes and zebras, then jog along the idyllic tow paths in East London, and then the next day brings a stunning sunset trail run in Red Rocks National Conservation Area.  3 days, 3 continents, 3 cultures, 3 currencies, 3 climates.  These three destinations are so different from each other and yet condensed into such a short time frame.  After a half year on the road, and more broadly a lifetime with ubiquitous air travel (in America, at least).  Our itinerary doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is important to step back a little, take a look at a globe and contemplate the distances between these three spots.   Being able to be in those three places in such a short time frame is sort of a magic power when you sit back and think about it, yet a privilege that i all too often take for granted.

Lake Naivasha

Covent Garden

View from Chez Korol in Vegas

Those distances and the fuel required to get these massive 747’s and 777’s around the globe are not costless.  In my past jobs, i have written about carbon guilt frequently (for example here: http://www.avaya.com/blogs/archives/2010/07/my-personal-carbon-guilt.html), and am suffering from an acute round of that malady.  Air travel is one of the most carbon intensive activities in the modern world, moving planes at a high rate of speed requires an enormous amount of fuel.  We have taken 19 separate airplane trips in the last 6 months, and i am a little scared to calculate the carbon footprint of those actions.  As a starting point, the two most recent flights clock in at 1,657 lbs and 2,033 lbs of CO2, respectively, using TerraPass’ excellent online carbon calculator.  Roughly 1.67 metric tonnes of carbon, or the per capita emission for the WHOLE year in Morocco, Fiji, Namibia and Peru (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita).  Having been to all four of those countries, it is astounding that my 3 days of travel add up to the entire yearly emissions.  I don’t have a great solution, still working on that part, and many of our recent experiences, like walking through Petra at night with thousands of candles illuminating the ruins or rafting the mighty Zambezi, don’t lend themselves to dematerialization.    

It feels wonderful to be back in the States, with the first couple of days spent seeing and doing our favorite things here Vegas.  On the other hand, we are so used to the movement and newness of places, the very essence of travel, that getting back to the mother country is certainly a change in mental orientation.   Instead of exploring, we are climbing at our favorite spot in Red Rocks and gorging at the Argentinian parrillada, favorite spots that we have enjoyed many times.  

Of course, and in true Korol style, we won’t be settled for a bunch more days; after Mu drives back down to Vegas from her family up in Salt Lake, after we drive to Colorado with our little subaru stuffed to the gills with our ski gear, after a much anticipated long weekend with friends from Denver and DC at a big house in Dillon. Only then will we get really, truly settled in our rented condo outside of Breck.  Having a place to call home will be a big switch from these last 6+ months, let me tell you.