What I learnt from my first solo trip ever?

Light to guide our path

It was late 1996 when I got my first opportunity to travel abroad. It was a rite of passage, first international travel without parental supervision. Scary but exciting. It was a trip to a Catholic monastery in  southern France to a small village called Taize.  Since then it has been about 17 years of travel, these lessons still guide me when I #travel.

#Lesson1: #CarpeDiem: Seize the Moment: Don't live to regret what you didn't do. It doesn't mean all caution is thrown to the wind and one indulges in irresponsible behavior which may harm self and others. But it means exploring the full potential of the moment. Often we lose opportunities for friendship, to give or receive love or to open ourselves to a new perspective because of our inhibitions, fears or complexes. Sometimes we may miss out on a completely new experience. During my Jo'burg trip in late November, I had a very small window of opportunity to go to The Lion park to see African Lion in their natural habitat. My co-travelers had backed out pleading other commitments. A couple of them had backed out  due to shopping fever. Consequently I was left alone and the cost had increased substantially for me as I was the lone traveler. Do I go or cancel? Too much investment way outside my budget? In the end I decided to go and never looked back. Seeing a giraffe, zebra, white lion and an ostrich was an experience of a life time. See the pics at  http://tinyurl.com/b4a2w5j 


#Lesson2: #Respect #Diversity: Everywhere the people will be different from us. They will speak a funny version of English, if at all they speak English. If we can look beyond these differences we will discover a wealth of experience and culture beneath those assumptions & stereotypes we carry everywhere.

African Mama with Moi

#Lesson3: You represent your country: People in the other lands judge our country by the kind of experiences they have with us. We can decide how we want them to see us angry, pushy, rude, selfish, disrespectful, loud, uncouth, affected  constantly complaining nouveau riche OR courteous, well mannered, respectful, discreet and appreciative.

Old Friends New Connections

Railway tracks in Colombo

The journey of life is so strange. You meet to part and part to meet. Sometimes you meet people who represent an milestone or a turning point in your life. They journey with you for that moment in time and then they move away. But many a times, life leads  us on a circuitous road and we meet again. Almost like discovering a well loved book after a long time. For me that will be The Pillars of Earth or Rebecca. Or like slipping into a well -worn comfortable T-shirt or enjoying a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter evening! The comfort and familiarity yet a sense of the unknown.

The intervening years and various episodes of life have shaped and reshaped us. How will it pan out? Don't know ! I am happy for the moment that  anew connection has been made. Let us see what the journey brings.

This post is for all my long lost friends in Sri Lanka. I loved reconnecting with you! And to a new friend who provided inspiration for blogging! (You know who you are!)