the journey begins

Taken from my journal I kept during my trip:

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Are we there yet? ...

Apparently there are only a mere 9 1/2 hours to go until our destination. The plane is gliding above the waters around Iceland, and the moon has just set as the sun has risen. For awhile there the moon was glowing over a thick layer of clouds, and light was reflected off of them like sunlight on ocean water. Beautiful.

***

ARAL SEA

Flying over the Aral Sea -- amazing what mankind can do to this planet. Rapidly shrinking and plundered of resources, the Aral looks like it belongs on a moonscape. The land around her is shriveled and dry looking, sandy and brown. A feeling of wasted lives spent tilling infertile soils is all around the place.

The Aral herself is still beautiful, although the dusty soil of Uzbekistan (or is it Turkey?) seems to be taking the sea over. In the distance the Aral Sea is a serpant's belly blue, and closer in she looks redder, more silt filled. But beautiful yes, still beautiful.

***

Somewhere over Pakistan ... almost there!