Let’s Explore the World

As a child, I would read books of great adventures and dream dreams of explorers. “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne was one such book that I relished reading repeatedly when I was just eleven years old. This book was introduced in school as part of the English curriculum.
Being an avid Space enthusiast and a follower of the stars at night I was mesmerized by anything that had to do with travel and exploration. I was simply smitten with the thought of being an explorer and one that would travel the world and beyond. I always believed that the Universe has great adventures.

As a teenager, I enjoyed making new friends and being acquainted with new faces and places. Taking a longer route home by bus was a fun-filled activity. Whenever I travel, I always have this one thought in my mind “I wonder where this road leads to”. Thanks to the super photographic memory I would remember routes I’ve taken, and places I’ve seen for the first time; going there the second time was a no-brainer for me. At home, I would spend quite a lot of time in the tiny garden speaking to plants and following the paths of ants wondering what their underground homes would look like. I was just very curious; I think I still am.

Even though my travels as a young adult were restricted to my country, I was ever so keen to explore other countries and meet people of the nations, experience the sights, sounds, and smells. Growing up on an island nation that had a civil war for almost three decades of my early life and being raised in a very conservative home, life became a boring game of mere survival. I did have my good times. Time flew by!

My first travel outside of my country came about thanks to a job at the time and I was in my late 20’s. This was such a treat! I traveled to London in Business class. This was my first experience on a flight. I am not ashamed to share the enthusiasm and the fact that just like any other first-time experience, I was just bewildered by this journey to London on a plane. I was aware that this would be a 10+ hour non-stop journey and at the time, this was just about the exact duration it took for me to travel from where I lived to my mother’s hometown where I was born.

However, due to my ignorance and the memories of London instilled on my mind as a youngster reading literature such as David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist, I was not too fond to travel to a place where I would expect to be that of gloom and doom. I was gravely mistaken with all these thoughts as it turned out that London / England became my favorite destination to date. I loved the cold gloom and doom weather; I enjoyed the grand English breakfast at the hotel I stayed, fish and chips and the ciders off the tap, and all the people I met and made friends with. The strolls in the gardens and on the streets just kept me so excited that I could not sleep at night. The street musicians were mind-blowing- music to my ears. I was exploding with excitement. I just did not feel like returning to my country. When I returned home, to my country, I felt homesick and missed everything about the destination where I had just been to. It almost felt as if the land of the English was my actual home. I missed it very much!

That was just a taste of what was waiting for me! Since I visited the Land of the English, I have been to some fabulous destinations such as Nepal, Turkey, Germany, and Vietnam to name a few. I realized that I had just expanded my territory with adventures and exploration. The impact of traveling around the world has opened my eyes. I see things so differently now. The friends I have made from my travels both here in my homeland and all around the globe have made me realize that I should be thankful for the opportunities life has thrown at me. The unique types of food which I have tasted from black pudding to pickled juices and dried octopus; my taste buds crave for more culinary adventures.

I am glad I took my chances to travel to these destinations amidst many challenges. As an ambivert, I am blessed at being able to enjoy a full house party or just some quiet time all by myself. But there is just one thing on my mind any time of the day – When and Where will my adventures take me next?

A little advice to my fellow readers:
Please do make some effort to move out of your comfort zone and travel to a different destination. I promise you that it will be the most exciting and memorable experience you will ever have. Eat some food which is strange to you, listen to some music from a distant land, meet some people who speak a different language and live a different lifestyle and bask in the fragrances of those destinations. Your mind will just open up to a wealth of knowledge and your senses will explode with ecstasy.

When you return and go about your mundane life, I assure you my friend that some nostalgia will come forth in various ways that will make you pause, ponder and smile.

When this pandemic begins to take its course and when the borders begin to open up for travel, I cannot wait for you and I to explore our World and its People.

Photograph – That’s a selfie I took from my last destination which is Doha, Qatar in 2020 when I went on a desert safari