“Wheresoever
you go, go with all your heart.”
Confucius [Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)]
Over
the last few decades, travelling the world has opened up so much
so that some people don’t truly appreciate the places they
travel to. I say “some” as I know a most Venture
readers would beg to differ on this, Venture readers tend to be
travelling for adventure and are passionate and protective about
their journeys.
But we’ve all seen who I am talking about, those who seem
to be out of their comfort zone and spend time complaining about
minor discomforts as a result of being in a foreign country. “It’s
too hot, too windy, they don’t speak English, the aircon doesn’t
work, the aircon works too well, where can I plug in my hair dryer,
why is it raining in the Amazon...", you get the picture.
It makes one wonder why these people decided to travel in the first
place, well its probably for the same reason as you, to learn about
a new destination, to see new things and to have an amazing experience,
however, it’s quite likely that these people simply were not
prepared before they arrived, had the wrong expectations and hence
left their hearts at home.
I’ll tell you a true story, I was travelling in the
Congo many, many, years ago, visiting the mountain Gorillas; it was a magical experience, mind blowing to say the least but very
rugged and very remote. To get to the edge of the rainforest, in
this particular location, we had to trek through the countryside
for 8 kms, we slept in tents we had carried on our backs, ate maize
and potatoes grown locally and didn’t wash for days. Then,
teaming up with a local guide we went deeper into the forest and
cast our eyes on these beauties first hand. They were sublime, the
experience was ethereal, words can’t describe so I’m
not going to try.
After one of the most emotional experiences of my life (don’t
tell my husband or son that) we embarked on our journey back to
the real world, through farm lands and the back roads of Africa.
As we approached the first decent sized village we’d seen
for days we were shocked to see two tourists approaching us with
arms flailing, eyes like saucers and, what seemed to us, dressed
to the nines (ok they had clean jeans, jewelry and make up on but
let me tell you, in the heart of Africa, that looks overdressed).
They were also dragging an oversized suitcase rather than a practical
backpack, which looked out of place on in a dusty African village.
“Oh my God you survived!” they exclaimed, “Can
you send a note to the west and tell them we’re alive!” They were truly out of their comfort zone and looked petrified.
They asked if there was a hotel and porters where they were going.
We were as shocked as they, what were they thinking, what had they
been told? There was not so much as a thatched hut or running water
where they were headed.
I felt sorry for them and feel they must have not read about
the destination before they arrived or had been given the wrong
information, hence their expectations were unrealistic. Of
course they were there for the same reason as us, they wanted a
mind blowing experience of viewing the mountain gorillas in their
natural habitat, but our experience must have been so much better
as we were fully prepared to rough it, it became part of the experience,
part of the journey, it was fun and to see the mountain gorillas
as well, simply made the expedition a lifetime highlight.
I think of that couple every now and then and wonder how they got
on? I hope they managed to see the gorillas and forgot about the
unexpected discomfort?
This simply highlights how important it is to be prepared
for your journey, read up before you go. Pour your heart
and soul into it and keep an open mind. You’ll have less surprises,
have less to complain about, more to understand, more to learn,
more to enjoy and wonderful memories.
Remember
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only
a page.
St. Augustine [philosopher and theologian (354 – 430)]
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