You might have already gotten the vibe from my blog that I’m an international woman – I like to travel, go global and get the fuck out to see the corners of the big wide world whenever I get the chance.
‘Why’, some have asked.
‘Because I can’, I tend to say.
And until there’s a way to cross multiple borders and time-zones to arrive in an alternate reality without taking a shitload of LSD then I’ll continue to jet fucking set. I’ve been told of suspicions I’m frequently smuggling shipment across borders up my butt for the local Chinese triads. This is offensive as everyone knows that preserved abalone & pickled rhino penis doesn’t keep well up that passage. That line was so wrong, even coming from me. No, I travel as much as I can because I have a demonic curiosity to know what the fuck is going on outside of the small box that I live in – because that’s a core way to have a relationship with the outside world, to prevent tunnel vision and narrow mindedness. Because if you have the financial means, physical strength and freedom to step out bearing witness to the truth with the power of language to report back on what you’ve found – then doing so becomes not only a mad time away but also in my opinion, a kind of responsibility.
I haven’t been everywhere but I have covered some extensive distance: took a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, sailed past waving at the Statue of Liberty, ate ham & cheese under the Eifel tower, skipped along in tight pants past the Colosseum (heaps of hot men in Italy, so must wear tight everything), numbed my cheeks sitting on cobblestones in the city square of Prague, and most recently, imagined myself having a turbo shower staring at Niagara Falls. Oh and then there was the freaky sight of what appeared to be millions of identical versions of one person huddled together in one place – this may have been either China or a certain ‘all you can eat’ buffet restaurant at the Crown Casino.
Remember also: travel isn’t just about place, it’s also about people and the more space you cover the more you realise that you’re not limited to the people working in the same office or living on the same street in order to have a genuine connection with another human being. I decided that I Never Will be Still when it hit me that someone who is usually sleeping while I’m awake, in summer when I’m in winter can be frustrated by the same bullshit as me, have enough insight to argue against my harsher judgements of me, and to just simply find the same shit funny as me. I’m not trying to make a ‘we are many, yet we are all one’ etc community announcement – I’m just saying that everyone at some point or another will feel a disconnect with the situation and people they find themselves with amongst their immediate reality, and for those times when you feel somehow so far ‘out’, travelling outside where you are is what can pull you way back in.
Empress Evelyn 
awesome reading ur blog ev 🙂
also got ur message about my blog too.. i wrote a massive message back but the stupid computer froze so i was like.. sghfvjkfcnkujfbnjkd at the computer… but anyway… loving u and missing u.xxx
michiemooooooo
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Hey moo! I know you’re not just reading this post, you’re living it out & feeling it in real time. Love the way you’re representin’ our crew ova in euroland. Tho make sure you return all those street signs u’ve attempted to pull out & ‘borrow’ along the way! E xxoo
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totally agree, very aptly explained xxx
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You have arranged your life so you can travel—that is so cool. I agree that people need to see for themselves, because reading about someone else’s experiences can be a warped view and it won’t be yours. It’s hard for me to travel now (finances, pets) but if I get the chance I grab it. I flew to upstate NY this spring (for work) and the entire journey was physically uncomfortable but mentally the most fun thing I’ve done in years. I have a lot of opinions about the whole ride—and I feel smarter for it, ya know? Even if we never share it, these traveling experiences arm us with firsthand knowledge. And doing it by yourself makes it even better because it encourages you to connect with strangers. So the more miles a sharp gal like you has under her belt the worldlier, craftier, more experienced you’ll be. Do it while you can hon. Which for you will probably be forever!
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Hey D: I’m hoping it’s forever if forever permits. I feel there is no coverage or promotion of life choices out there if you actively don’t choose to be married or have children. So I’m rocking to the beat of my own drum & that beat is thumping & drawing me across the oceans. But like with all choices, I’ve had to sacrifice things in return (& being apart from my own pets has been heart wrenching). If u had a mentally fun experience from the physical discomfort of flying to NY, then you’ll probably pass out from euphoria if u ever fly cattle class all the way down to Aust! But we’d still love to have u! – E xx
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Gawd one mate! =>
Standing still, moving around/on the go… both are great! Its when we do one too much and not the other – than we really get stuck. =>
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For real Yogi bear: tho we both know that another way of feeling ‘stuck’ is to wake up after a night out in a different State (from QLD to NSW) after floating across the border in the ocean face down … oh dear … mem-mories … E x
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well-said empress evelyn, travelling to places beyond our usual local life opens our minds & our hearts to what is possible & more extraordinary & devastating than anything we may have experienced before. Whatever our differences & similarities, we will see what is life for others & perhaps then improve ourselves & our community.
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Indeed JasTea, the realist stories about places & spaces are from experiences you can personally verify. It’s no coincidence that some return from overseas complaining less or changing more – E x
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“for those times when you feel somehow so far ‘out’, travelling outside where you are is what can pull you way back in.”
So, so true.
Like those times when you’re feeling lost or directionless in life that getting lost (literally), just for a little while, is what will help you ‘find’ yourself again. If you get what I mean.
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Lil Vee (cousin of Lil Kim): we both know where u wanna be, so go there before u go all mad crazy town on our asses. One word bytch: Metrocard!! – E xoxo
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Written so beautifully, I love this.
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Sincere thanks 4Clues 🙂 It’s worth writing if people are feelin’ it – E x
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E- even though my travel is nowhere near as extensive, I do understand where this entry comes from. We will always come across people and places and events in our lives that will affect us in many different ways – you just happen to be collecting a shit load more different ones – and for this reason (amongst others) we all live vicariously through you – so continue your travels and continue to pull us back in with you!
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Special K, you and I met during my travels in Europe – hard evidence that species of the same mental wiring end up sniffing each other out. Re living vicariously thru me, I’ve committed to letting go of all my inhibitions (do I even have any?) to go forth & continue to take everyone on the best ride ever, even if it means eventual extradition and deportation – E xo
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[…] about how we make the decisions that we do. As I said in a previous post, Never Will Be Still (https://empressevelyn.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/never-will-be-still/ – click it son – no shame in cross-pollination promotion), sometimes we all feel really far […]
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