what to do with the money

Now I have a few thousand dollars, no debt and life stretched out before me. I could blow the cash on the usual stuff the young blow cash on - but that wasn't my modus operandi. I decided to open my spirit to the universal power of God and ask for direction in my search for "truth". I was in my little shanty house in Hollywood and began to pray - how else to get direction for a life? I ask you. Well I got the overwhelming "impression" that I was to go to India. It is difficult to describe - one just needs to be that crazy to think that God speaks to us in such a manner. I was convinced that this was what "God" wanted me to do with my money and time. Now I was 22 years old, female and not exactly unattractive and I was about to embark on a solo journey around the world. Where to start? First I need a passport. I had trouble arranging my life to get a drivers license - let alone a passport - but off I went in search to the proper office to get one. I remember I needed to go to downtown L.A. - this was before internet and post office applications - or I didn't know about how else to get one. Now I have a passport. Now I need a visa for India. I had to go to San Francisco to the Consulate for India. Now here I am - living in a shanty house in Hollywood that I share with my brother - I have a car and clothes and junk that doesn't mean much of anything and think that I am going to S.F. and get a visa for India - buy a ticket and off I shall go. Where is the plan? Where is the setting up of places to stay? Where is the one thought of what the f*ck are you doing? - didn't even occur to me. I just turned over my car to bro, packed my sh*t in boxes that I wasn't taking with me and left it up to him to move when our shanty house fell in on itself - packed clothes I wanted to take - got on a plane for S.F. and hoped the acquaintances I had in Berkley would get me at the airport. Somehow I managed to call them when I arrived and they did come out to pick me up. We didn't know each other very well and I was uncertain as to who lived with whom but there was a place on the floor to crash and they agreed to take me to the consulate office to get a visa. I remember I needed to have a round trip ticket before they would let me get my visa. Once in they want to make sure you will leave - smart people. I managed to fumble around and get the ticket & visa - now wait for the plane to take off. My buddies dropped me off at the airport and I waited for my Japan Airlines flight to take off.



If I think back that I was just dropped off - not even by good friends or family with no plan whatsoever to start a 2 year journey that would take me around the world - I can hardly wrap my head around the concept. Anyone who knows me now and how much crap I want set in stone prior to walking out my door would scratch their heads at who was this nut case?.



Anyway - I was on the plane - 1st stop Hawaii - I got off and walked around the airport but didn't stay more than a stop over. When I got back on the plane I ended up sitting next to a guy from India. He went by the name of Don - real name probably much longer and hard to pronounce so he used a short American name - we started to talk about India. He was going to Tokyo on business. We gabbed and how on a plane you do - anyway he asked me if I wanted to get off with him in Tokyo and hang out for a week or so before I continue on to India. Why not? I had the expensive ticket that you could do that - so Tokyo it was. This was early 70's remember - Japan was modern but not like it is today. Tokyo is what it is - crowded and full of people staring straight ahead - wearing the same clothes - grey or blue suits - women in the same version - just skirts instead of pants - and nobody pays any attention to you at all. We went to the hotel he had reservations at and checked in. The clerk asked if I was his wife and Don said no - just friends - the clerk and the guys behind the counter busted up giggling like little girls. I didn't see what was so funny. We were going to share a room - they wanted to know one bed or two - two we said and they thought that was even funnier. Strange people. The style was Japanese - rice futons and bathroom set up - it was cool. All Don wanted was some arm candy to speak English with while he visited some clients in Tokyo. He was up to taking some small tours and taking me out to dinner with the clients. We had a nice time visiting temples and the various shopping districts then it was bye bye - back to the airport and continue my adventure. Stop for this post.