Thirty years ago by Leela Howard

Thirty years ago, after graduating high school, I was at a threshold, and not yet ready for college. At 17, I set off alone to travel around the world.

Minimal itinerary led to unplanned adventures in Asia: trekking in the Himalayas, a Buddhist meditation retreat, elephant riding through exotic forests in Thailand, holy temples, cramped buses and trains, driving from Nepal to South India in an old army truck, drugs and rave parties on tropical beaches, rice patties, dancers and art in Bali....all steeped in interwoven times of connection and loneliness. 

Absorbing the diversity of lands and peoples created a fertile ground to know my inner landscape, discover independence, and change the direction of my life.