By Georgie Bright Kunkel
 
    Over the years I managed to travel widely to destinations all around the world. Racking up memories is what I did and now I can look back on it all and conjure up visions of past delights mixed with some downtime, for sure.  Now that our TVs are filled with the Rio games it brings back memories of the time when I was there in person, gazing up at the monumental statue of Christ.

It was interesting wending my way up the myriad of steps to the top.  I had no idea that the huge statue was sitting on a postage stamp of space leaving little room for more than one to stand there at any one time. Christianity made its mark on South America as exemplified by the imposing statue of Christ which can be seen for many miles away.

   Those who were ambitious enough to walk up the many steps to the top were able to stand at the base of this statue and look up in awe.  I remember the trip down from the great statue.  How could I forget? The fellow who drove me down the windy road to the bottom expected me to stop and purchase things from his contacts in jewelry stores but I said I didn’t want to buy anything.  When my driver realized that he wasn’t going to get his cut from enticing me into the stores run by his friends on the route down he began driving at breakneck speed to get me out of his car so I went out on the beach in front of the hotel.  Once I decided to walk from the beach to the restaurant area and was able to get a feel for the culture I had invaded. It didn’t take long for me to experience the local scene which  was a dichotomy of high end shops and beggars on street corners. It was shocking to learn that children were sent out by their parents to beg on street corners.  I was told that they were often deliberately maimed to get sympathy from the tourists.

It was almost unbelievable to suddenly be exposed to such a world of poverty in the face of upper class riches. Since I came from humble beginnings I could empathize with the poverty that lurked, mostly out of sight of tourists.
    My offspring are now experiencing travel and I must admit that it brings back memories of my worldwide adventures  when I hear their stories after they return from trips to Mexico or South America. The World Games also bring back memories of the time when my youngest brother prepared to get into the 1936 Olympic games in which the Boys in the Boat competed.  For some reason competition trumps cooperation in most societies. The male of the species has more testosterone which results in more fighting I suppose.

    Recently on TV viewers were exposed to the violence  resulting from the terrible Civil War. I cannot imagine living in those times when no family was safe. Fortunately, our country developed into a more civil society in which the rule of law is mostly followed.  Even now, however, there are people who fall between the cracks, as they say.