Tales of a Female Nomad
Rita Golden Gelman
2002
320 pages
Publisher Comments:
“I move throughout the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.” — From the Preface
“I move throughout the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.” — From the Preface
Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an extraordinary existence. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world. In 1986 she sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.
I prefer Alice Steinberg’s Without Reservations. While Gelman travels to some exotic places and has interesting stories to tell, she’s just too hard-core for me. I’ll admit, I like a little comfort with my travel…I don’t want to be on an anthropological expedition, which is what Gelman’s travels seem like, nor do I want to be made to feel like she who dies with the least toys wins. Gelman takes pride in getting by with the absolute bare minimum, and I’m sorry, but I’m just not into that.
So, an interesting book, but just not my cuppa tea.
I loved this book, and have given it to friends, BUT I agree with you about liking a much higher level of comfort when I travel!