Where the Sky Begins: 
Travel Essays on the Edge of Time

Travel is an escapade in time. Sometimes, the traveler has the feeling that people left behind, at home, grow older faster, while his time stands still or moves very slowly, with a rejuvenating power. I felt this under the intense sky of Jerusalem, in the markets of Lisbon, in the medieval streets of Medina of Fez, or on the Ghats of the Ganges River. In a Buddhist Temple in Thailand, a monk spoke to me about the wandering, immortal soul; in Peru, I witnessed how a shaman called upon the departed enlightened spirits to heal and cure the living; in Varanasi, huge crowds waited patiently for the day on which they embark on their final voyage. Somewhere on an isolated beach in South America, I felt that time had shed its authoritative structures. I took in that feeling happily, ready to enjoy the simple moment. I knew then that I could put a stop to everything and live simply, freely, without responsibility and without guilt. Journeys can bring these sorts of revelations.

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"Carmen Firan’s keenly-observed essays transport you with her to many destinations from Machu Pichu to Lisbon and Bangkok with an imaginative, sensory and painterly vitality. These whimsical travel stories dive into the connections we have to one another and to our planet.  As the author notes, “Earth is like a tiny walnut that can be slipped into one’s pocket.."

                                       -- Alka Mansukhani, PhD, Biomedical research scientist,

                                            Health Equity Initiative