New Experiences That Come With Travel Are Priceless - Why?

Imagine you wake up in a different city where residents do not speak your language, the signs are all in a different language, the people around you look different from what you are used to, the dress they wear is also different from what you are used to, the weather is different, and the flora and fauna are not similar. In short, your normal is very different from this new place’s normal.

When you are in a situation different from your routine, your mind or brain is forced to create new neurons because the usual networks will not be triggered. And this is why I love travelling, especially to places different from where I live. Growing up, I only knew the life where we would move to a place and meet new people, knowing fully well that we would leave for them for another place in a few years.

That is how I found myself waking up in Brazil and Argentina. And with that, I can say that I have set foot on all continents except the Arctic and Antarctic. Now, one thing I learnt a long time ago was to find something routine in a ‘foreign’ place. Over a period of time, I have developed a routine for such situations - I meditate, do a bit of yoga and read a book. Meditation really helps to get used to the vibes in a new place. Although in some places it is easier than others - like Sao Paolo was a tad bit more difficult than Buenos Aires. The way we get to visit a city is to walk, go to a grocery store - and observe the locals. With the recent trip, I have visited thirty-seven countries, some of which have been visited multiple times.

While each place has its unique personality, my mind tries to compare the current location with the other places I have been to. And it is fascinating to watch how it makes sense of the new place until it attains some normality - like people in South America are of the same height as Asians and have similar looks. In fact, locals sometimes mistook me for a local and would start talking to me in Spanish or Portuguese. South America is a lot like home regarding weather, fruits, and how houses are built. I was delighted to find the same fruits I sometimes crave, like mangoes, sugarcane juice, guava, tamarind, etc. Even the shops were set up like back home - small sections carved off the roadside with multiple small shops, unlike the malls. They also had malls along with kiosks and small shops. There were police cars on almost every street. Parts of both cities resembled Paris, Darling Harbor or Covent Garden. At the same time, there were differences, like Mara, which was a different kind of animal that looked like part rabbit/hare. People still use cash or debit cards. A lot of locals read on Kindle, which is a bit like London, to be honest. The bookstores all carried books in Spanish with a special section for books in English. And there were a lot more gays/lesbians than in other cities I have been to, at least in public - the world needs more love, be it in any form these days. They smoke a lot more - a bit like Europe that way. Anyway, I could go on and on…

There is something to be said about the fresh perspective that comes with travel, for which I am very grateful. After the first two days, the humdrum of your routine life fades back, allowing you to return to it with a freshness that was missing before. When all is said and done, there is no other time like the first time; even after all these years, Paris still remains my favourite city because it was the very first city that I explored - so the memories had much of an impact as there was nothing to compare them with. That is priceless- here are more of such priceless moments! Do you recall your firsts?