I am writing this from Pattaya, and won’t be surprised if you wonder why i am writing this instead of ‘taking a walk’ in Walking Street. That is not my kind of travel, hence i am confined in a room, 20 floors above the ground, watching Pattaya from my balcony.
My friend messaged me on Whatsapp, “Dude did you watch any of the ‘cultural shows’ or enjoyed the local ‘delicacy’”. Anyone who has been to Thailand would instantly understand that he is referring to the sex shows & the Russian/Thai prostitutes. To his disappointment i said “No” & he responds back with an annoyed smiley!
For me travel is a mode of education – understanding culture, food, perspectives & nature! Travel with observation teach you a lot from the right way to live to the right way to behave. An organised trip with time bound fun activities like this doesn’t allow you to do that. I am more of a ranger who detest planned expeditions into unknown territories. I prefer unplanned travel, silent moment & casual talks with the residents.
I still remember my impromptu decision to jump out of a moving train between Coimbatore & Bangalore and travel in a truck instead. It gave me a sense of adventure. It generated a curiosity in me, made me learn new things like why a fully loaded truck always prefer to travel on the centre of a road (so that it won’t slip & topple in case of a tyre burst). However insignificant it may sound, these small bits of wisdom can help you at times of trouble.
Travel makes you human! I remember talking to an old sadhu at the banks of river Ganga. He was thrown out of his home for his wealth & today his mind is peaceful with no need of money / shelter to live! I had my dinner with him, the food was salty … or was it my tears running down my cheeks?
For some,travel is to break their routine, to climb a hill, to drink & dance or to click some pictures for his Facebook profile. For some its an option to run away from what the face on a day to day life.
For me, travel is learning…learning to live!
PS: though i wrote it in Pattaya, i couldn’t share it due to limited net access. Hence sharing it now.