In fact she was giving me something. Though no words were spoken, she delivered a strong lesson in human spirit. I turned as she passed, wanting to say something. The words didn't come as I dealt with wonder at what a human being can do against all odds. I stood transfixed as she lurched slowly into the distance, then I turned with humility and started to walk with my wife and children down the causeway.
Life is full of lessons and teachers.
On this trip, like all journeys, the outer voyage of discovery was a metaphor for an inner one. Traveling with no itinerary we moved with our feelings and interests, seeking to explore, discover and learn. Our teachers of life came in many shapes and forms. For beneath the tourist veneer of palm trees, islands, hotels and modern cities, lay societies and ecosystems in rapid change. What we saw was a planet and its' people in transition, an ecosystem under incredible stress and a world needing new ideas.