One night, shortly after we were married, we were snowed in with nothing to do. It was too late for a trip to the video store (remember videos? This was in the days when "burning" and "ripping" had to do with bodily functions and not DVD's or CD's) and so we scrounged past the old Star Trek videos and he came up with one I hadn't seen. It was a documentary titled Darshan: An Indian Journey hosted, narrated and traveled by Michael Wood. That video enthralled me. While seeing pictures of David's journey to India a few years previous, had intrigued and inspired me a great deal, this video totally had it's hooks in me. The colors, sounds and contrasts of India were palatable. Or maybe it was a combination of all these things that made me look at David and say "Do you ever think you'd like to go to India again?"
Or maybe it was my crush on Michael Wood. I find tall, lanky men hoisting a backpack and talking about history enthusiastically to be the height of infatuation.
And that was that. So fast forward, say, 16 years or so. Netflix. Modern age of DVD's. We rent the documentary Conquistadors. Ms. D and David started the movie while I was finishing up a few things in the kitchen. And then I heard the voice. I said "I'd know that voice anywhere!" and then "WHO on earth is that?!"
It was Michael. He came back for me. To talk about Cortez and Pizzaro. He's still enthusiastic. He's still hauling a backpack. He's still tall and lanky. I am still infatuated. As he walked through todays Mexico following the path of that rotton scoundrel Cortez I was, once again, pulled in....
And then Ms. D said "Oh, you guys...could we go to Mexico?! It's beautiful!!"
Oh, Michael...you've struck again. I don't want to talk about spanning the generations because that would make you feel old, but there is something about you that inspires the desire to travel. With a backpack...with a lanky guy...and that just might be possible for Ms. D and I.
Your blog is so fun! I love all the great graphics. I share an infatuation with tall lanky guys who travel- although my crush travels and talks about food, not history...Anthony Bourdain. ;) I'll have to check out these Micheal Wood documentaries, they sounds interesting.
Posted by: Dawn | February 13, 2009 at 10:27 AM
OMG! I love his voice too!!! hoodathunk? Just how many hits do you get from my site??? I dont even know how many I get... where can I find out??? EDUCATE ME PLEASE!!! p.s. thanks for the love baby!
Posted by: Heidi | February 13, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Like mother, like daughter. :)
Posted by: Sara | February 13, 2009 at 06:49 PM