As for the places to go we have 6 different options, and instead of a regular registry, we have opened a “Honey fund registry” so you can help us decide where to go.
http://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/michelleandjon05232009
These are our options:
Iran: we have very good Persian friends who have done an excellent job in making us
want to go and check out the history, culture, architecture, gastronomy of Iran. Growing up in the US during the 1980's, Jon has always had a fascination with post-revolutionary Iran, a land that was once the historical center of diverse, liberal, and intellectual thought, spawning such enlightened thinkers as Zarathustra and Cyrus, to the progressive ambitions of the Safavid empire, and now its recent and drastic shift towards men like Khomeini and Khamenei. In spite of the radical views espoused by each of this country's post-Pahlavi leaders, in how many other states in the region did citizens hold a candlelight vigil following 9/11?India: The land which many of Jon's closest friends from childhood to today call home. The world's second mos
t populous and by far most diverse country is the jarring blip from both of our travel maps. The ancestral home of Hinduism and Buddhism that is also home to the world's 2nd largest Muslim population also happens to be the world's largest democracy and houses the world's largest English speaking population. A land whose emigrants to the US comprise 30% of our medical doctors, and whose entrepeneurs were responsible for 19% of our IPO's. A nation that went in a span of 60 years from colonialism to independence to communism to democracy, sharing "special" relationships with both the Soviet Union and US that will be a major player in the "Post-American World."
Indonesia: The world's 4th most populous country which the greatest # of muslims call home is also a secular (yet fragile) democracy. This country is among the world's highest in both volcanic activity and tropical biodiversity, ranging from the paradise of Bali to the chaos of Jakarta... where this great man was once just the new kid named Barry
Australia: A beautiful land of warmth and comfort which has managed to maintain its spiritual aboriginal grandeur in the face of rapid progress. With an open arms immigration policy and spirit of opportunity, is it possible that this great country so closely mimmicks American values that it has even surpassed the US? In fact, might we have imagined such a geopolitical outcome had the US been sheltered by such aquatic borders? We certainly will not be returning on Oceanic 815!
Russia: The 2nd most jarring blip from both of our travel maps that has been and will continue to be (whether we like it or not) a critical player in shaping the world. It is this land which Jon has been most fascinated by ever since taking breaks from being taught how evil they are during elementary school to go through duck and cover nuclear attack drills. The majority of the world may subscribe more to Adam Smith than Lenin, but which one's body is still kept frozen and on display for all to see? As we continue to self-destruct and destroy each other, perhaps it was Bakunin who will prove most prescient after all.
Hawaii: Volcanoes and jungles and beaches! oh my oh my! From its history as a leper colony to yet another place that Barack once called home... now holds the key to the smoke monster and the Dharma Initiative!
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