10 Things I Learn while Traveling

1.     Take Chances – Trouble or adventure. It’s still a story to tell and to remember. 

I can be quite sure that most people would love luxury travels. 5stars hotel, 3 michelin stars restaurants, personalize services, perfect itinerary and the list goes on. I absolutely adore that kind of travel.

Hitchhiking with other Travelers in Egypt. 

However, probably it’s a blessing that I don’t have that endless string of zeros in my bank, I jumped at whatever chances that come my way.  And that give rises to many amazing experiences that I never thought I could have.  I guess it takes an irrational mind, a tinge of guts and a bucket load of stupidity to ignore the logical voice in my head.  Although I became better or some say, stubborn, I still couldn’t fathom the mastery of shutting logic out entirely.  And because of that, every time an opportunity to be stupid come to rise, I freak out. I do! Excited at the same time though!

Then I would call up the usual suspects, telling them my situation, asking for advices and topping it up with an hour or 2 of annoying whines which no doubt pisses them off.  Most of the time, their responses are unanimous.

“DON’T do it, but I know u will.”

After a while, I stop planning my itinerary. Its more exciting not knowing what’s going to happen next than to expect the expected.

I call it, The Opportunity Cost. Its now or never.

2.     Pride is useless – That’s the only thing that stops you from the world.

          Some say they just wanna get lost somewhere.  Faith and chances plays a part here. Don’t be afraid to get lost, to be lost, or to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. That’s what I call, experiences. Its ok to be lost cos the right route/direction is only a question away.

             I’ve met people, mainly men, too prideful to ask for directions, insisting on looking at the map for 30minutes when we could get answers in 5seconds. People, NORMAL people, will help a foreigner. Ask 3 different people to confirm the information. If you need help, open your golden mouth and ask. Pride is therefore useless.

There was once, I was so hungry in Uganda, lost my wallet, that I had to ask someone for bread. In the end, i was invited for a meal.

In Sudan, with 98% of the population speaking Arabic and staring at me like I am born with 2 heads, I had to display my hidden talent of charade to ask for directions. Bear in mind, I didn’t know the address (they don’t have one anyway) and I had to use my limps to demonstrate where I stay! Every street in Sudan looks the same! Dirt road. I took a taxi without any money, going round in circles for 1.5hours, keep saying that I’m staying beside a “chicken street”. Of course, mimicking a chicken, pointing to a road, and putting my palms together on my cheek to demonstrate “sleep/house”. 

An hour and a half later, I found home. Best of all, the taxi driver did not even ask for any money. 

If you want to see the world, first let yourself into the world by putting away the unnecessary pride and the high pedestal you think you are on.

Therefore, if you keep your pride, you will never experience how great people can be.  But, what’s wrong with asking anyway?

3      3.     Rest – So you can go further. 

      Travel suppose to be a fun and relaxing thing. Its not about meeting schedule and doing every single activity stated in the tourist brochure. Its not about seeing every monument, every cathedral, every museum and every famous street just to say, “I’ve been there.”

Its about feeling the culture, knowing the people and their daily lives. Its about understanding and appreciating a whole new humanity. For all these to be possible, time is crucially needed. 

You don’t have to see the safari to say you have been to Africa. You don’t have to see Venice to say that you have been to Italy or the Sydney Harbour bridge to say you been to Sydney.  Will you say I’ve seen the Marina Bay Sands, means that I’ve been to Singapore?

Rest, do nothing sometimes. Roam the streets, sit in a café for hours, read a book, talk to a stranger, watch the snow falls, party with randoms or even stay home for a day. 

Its suppose to be relaxing, not stressing. So what if I’ve not been inside the Pyramids? So what if i've not seen the safari in Uganda or the Alpine in New Zealand? 

4.     Have faith – Everything is going against you but you keep moving cos you are never alone. 

                           God’s there.

Being a believer, i will never believe that He would see me stranded in a terrible situation and NOT do anything about it.  It’s as simple as that. People often ask, “why you so daring?”

In fact, I’m not. I just stood firm in my belief and that opened me up to so much of amazing experiences. Watching the century’s revolution in Egypt, hitchhiking in Sudan, hitchhiked from Munich to Berlin, went to Australia with 500SGD for 2months hoping to find a job and I did, spontaneously joined a guy on a road trip for 3000km for 10days in Queensland,

Even if you are an atheist, have faith in yourself. Its only when you put yourself in an unknown land, you have no one to depend on but yourself, you will learn to be strong and start trusting. 

Nothing to do with the nerves or the guts, its only pure basic human survival instinct. 

5.    

Tea house in Sudan. Guy gave me free tea and some money for my next meal

                   5 .   Do good – The world will be a better place if everyone function with love.

                                            In fact, I’ve got nothing more to say than, Do good.

Being in a foreign land, I learnt the importance of having good people around. Help somebody in need,  even in the most insignificant ways ever. To the recipient,  it makes a huge difference. I was many times a recipient myself, and I know.

There was someone a guy that I met in Germany who took an effort to bring along a bar of chocolate that he found at home with him when he goes out of home and gave to this beggar we met in the train. The gratitude shone through her eyes. 

To many of us, it was just a bar of chocolate. As much as I want to understand how she felt, I could never fully comprehend that joy she has upon receiving a simple chocolate bar. 

6.     Fall in love – With places, people, person. Love keeps you alive.  

       I’ve seen so many people who shut them selves out emotionally, afraid to expose their vulnerable side; afraid of getting hurt, and their world becomes colorless.

Munich Hauptbahnhof (central station)

The snow fell while I walked down the streets of Munich. Being alone, I felt the shame of not able to share this beautiful moment with someone. However, it gave me the full privacy to fall in love with the place.  I stopped in my path, sat in a cathedral for some time, feeling calm and alive at the same time. Fell in love with the place.

Battle ground in Lyon, France. 

It was a rough time in France. Battling with emotions that had twirl me around in a vicious cycle for 2 long years. As much as I wanted to stay longer, I knew its time to leave. Time to pack up my emotional baggage and leave. And so I did. The best way to heal… I don’t know if I was ready, but I want to be, is to allow myself to fall in love again. And 600km later, I did.

Some say, can you stop falling in love with the wrong people and get yourself hurt everytime?!

No, I’m sorry. This is what keeping me alive.

7.  Be grateful – Right. So the world doesn’t owe you anything. She is here first.

Sometimes i get a bed... 

Sometimes when you get too comfortable with what you are comfortable with or in, you can easily overlook the importance of gratitude and appreciation. I’ve never wake up thanking God everyday for being where I was except when I’m out there. It easy to thank when people are not in their comfort zone. I am not saying that I’m a Saint who would fall on my knees and sing hymns every 2 minutes. I myself caught into this trap of not being grateful when I’m back home.

I wanna thank every Host in Couchsurfing that opened their doors to me, gave me a roof, a bed, food, warmth, shower, pillows and safety. I remember every one of them and our good times together.  I thank the ones in Egypt to pick me up from the airport,  the ones in Germany who adopted me for days, the one in Lyon who responded to my emergency call for a roof ( very very much), the ones in Uganda who hosted me for days (he’s such an awesome man), and so many more that I can’t name them all.

You may not be Christ-tuned. But also, be thankful to whoever or whatever you believe cos unfortunate things could happen any second, but hey.. it didn’t.

And sometimes i don't. 

I thank the one who made throwing waste paper into the toilet bowls possible (its strictly forbidden in Egypt and Uganda). I thank the one who made tap water drinkable. I thank God for A/C, for water heater, for elevators, for lamps and light and for toilets that I don’t have to expose my ass to the pokey grass and broken branches and who knows what gonna attack my bum from behind or below when I take a dump. And yes, toilet papers.

78.     Look forward – Its pointless to hold back onto something which is of no use in your life anymore. 

       There are more things, better places, more exciting memories to pursue. Let go so others can come.

To each its own path. New Zealand. 

I’ve learnt that trying to relive the moments I once had usually turns out disappointing. Although I would die to be at the same place with the same person(s), doing the same thing again, it’s usually not the same anymore. It totally ruined the memories it was then created.  So it is a struggle every time.

 It was so good that I want to go back there again. However, I went back so many times before and it never once convinced me that, it-was-all-worth-it. It takes the right time, the right place, the right people and the right emotions for that magic moment to be constructed. 

Once its over, leave it behind but take the memories with you. Its not easy leaving, especially being the one left behind. Why and how to walk together if our directions are different? Even if it’s the same, paths are different; paces are different.

Stop giving chances to the past and give them to the future.

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    9.     You don’t need that much in life.  For those you need most, you need not carry.

I don’t understand why would anyone need a 25kg baggage for a 2 weeks trip. 1 week in Thailand means, 3 undies, 2 dresses, 1 bikini, 1 bra and 1 good book.

Every time I enter my Host’s place, they asked in disbelief,

“Is this all you have?”
“This is all I need.”

There’s a truth that I still fail to grasp. I could travel with a 8kg backpack (laptop not included) for 4 months and have no problem with clothes and the only pair of shoes I had was the ones on my feet. Right now I’ve got two wardrobes overload with clothes and 20 pairs of heels on the rack and every morning I stared at them for 10mins, thinking, “I’ve got nothing to wear!!”

Its true when traveling is your only focus, materials come last. And I thought I need my comfy bed, my precious TV and my holy air conditioner.  If I could see another mountain, walk down the street of another city, meet another great traveler, I don’t mind giving up my next shower.

10. Trust and believe, be positive – The world doesn’t run by dollars. Trust the people and the universe.  

     I am the worst believer of myself.  But I believe in the One who granted me this trip, the One who made my path possible, the One who creates. My faith is almost non-existence. Call it faith or being stubborn, everything WILL be ok.

    It’s always easier to travel with a deep pocket. Relying everything on money. Who doesn’t want that? I met many who traveled for years with absolutely zero money. There are ones who worked their ass off for 20years, sold everything and off they go. You don't need to be rich to travel. You need enough. 

People you meet all over the world!