The discomforts that make up the joys of travel.
It is only one that has known the joy, an experienced, or should I say avid, traveler that can relate to sentiments such as these. Or so I would assume.
To the uninitiated, what joy is there in getting lost in an airport? What joy is there in being IN an airport?
But these are trivial tales.
With travel, comes the sense, the urgency, the desire to experience every moment, live every breath and enjoy every step. Throbbing feet, splitting headache, chafed shoulders and anxious tension at being ‘the newboy’ in town all beside the point.
An old adage, bad decisions make for good stories. Never truer than in the world of travel I say.
Stories come to mind, memories. Of streets dark. Wrong trains, missed flight, and the ill begotten comfort of public benches. These are stories, to be told someday, with false teeth and a grandchild on each lap (minus the certain censored bits of course). Yarns to be cherished.
The point is…I love travelling. A fact few may be aware of.
I speak not of the mundane, day to day commute to work type of travel. Any who enjoys that ,unless he/she is on a motorbike, (A rip-roaring single cylinder thumper. That than is completely understandable) is deserving of a place in Pietermaritzburg’s infamous house of the not so blessed.
What I speak of is travel to new places. The exotic, the unknown, the mysterious.
There is a beguiling draw to mystique.
Travel, unplanned. A new destination each day, a new sight each moment, and an unknown bed each night. (Planned trips are nice too, but in unplanned lies the lure.) The hidden joy to all travel is firmly embedded in the words ‘go with the flow’.
The friendly face of a helpful stranger, giving directions to an elusive place in an unidentifiable language.
The hostile glance of a haughty Parisian, wondering at the apparent foreigners roaming French streets, totally lost.
The bemused expression of a drunk Swiss. Staring in astonishment. A surprised greeting uttered more in reflexive shock than cognizance, to the three obviously homeless, making full use of sleeping bags and the comfort of Berns streets. Cooking midnight rice, and preparing for a nights rest in oblivious happiness.
These are faces to be remembered, stories to be told.
This is where the true joy of travel rears its ugly head.
To the uninitiated, the joy of a cold night is lacking. To a traveler, joy is in the unknown knowledge of what lies beyond.
There is however, another aspect to traveling. A deeply profound aspect. It lies in the realization of the world. The creation.
It lies in the chance meeting of an uninterested stranger, transformed into an enthusiastic friend, with the knowledge that we share the same faith.
It lies in the Masaajid of the world, and the realization that a Muslim in Spain, and one in South Africa differ only geographically. (Sometime ignorance apart)
This sense of brotherliness is no imagined joy.
Amongst many other things, I am happy to say, I am a traveler!
I have traveled (a bit), and hope to someday travel further.
Travel to learn the world. Travel to experience the world.
It is not something easily regretted, and this I say from experience.
(I’m sure Ahmad, and even Mahomedy can agree with me on this.)
- Go with the flow. Nothing will ever always go according to plan.
- Pack light, less than what you consider light in fact.
- Budget. Either that, or starve.
- Ziploc bags, they come in handy, as does a pocket knife.
- Money pocket sewn onto your vest. It is your own personal safe, and works better than any money belt.
- Account for travel time, it takes time to reach new destinations.
- Sleep. Travel is tiring, sleep and take breaks. (Travel and sleep combined works well)
- For Halal food, its best to get directions from the nearest Masjid.
- Learn punctuality, even if its just for a few days. You wont regret it. May want a more precise timepiece than this though
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The Prague Astronomical Clock |
For more tips and hints, please refer to people that know what they are talking about. I am but a novice in the game...for now.
Bon Voyage
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