A friend and I were hiking in Indonesia. As we were hiking along, our guide would see an animal and tell us the Bahasa Indonesian name and we would chant it back. My friend created this entire song with the animals and their sounds to help us remember them. (Unfortunately, something I did not capture on video. Though I do have video of the three of us singing Britney Spears.) The local custom had a dowry system where the bride’s family would receive buffalo with the going rate being about 12. When we would meet other people, my friend would point at herself and say “80 kerbau”, point at me and say “5 kerbau.” Then laugh. The locals would look in horror and disagree until they realized it was a joke and laugh with us.
With my fellow students at a NOLS program in Chile, while we were sea kayaking we stayed on the property of a poblador (rancher) that our instructors had met previously. As his closest neighbors lived a horse ride away, he welcomed us with open arms. I sat and drank yerba mate with him and a few other pobladores that were also visiting. Later that night, he turned his generator on so we could all watch “Snakes on a Plane.”
These experiences could never happen without travel and I cherish the memories. They were all unexpected adventures that happened by embracing the moment. Hence, travel is important to us at AnamBliss. Whether it is a short day trip or traveling to a new country, you never know what will happen or who you will meet.
You get to explore.
When we travel we can explore museums, streets, neighborhoods, trails, beaches, mountains and even more. You’ll see vistas that you never have before. When we return, we may be encouraged to walk down a different street in your home city.
You try something new.
It could be a new food that you never had. It could be something adventurous like zip lining or sky diving. It could be something creative, such as painting. The excitement of doing something you have before stays with you.
You get to relax.
We’ve all had trips that left us feeling exhausted: traveling for a wedding or family event. Overall, most of our vacations that are for us, leave us more relaxed. We may have been busy, but we spend most of our time doing things that we want to do.
You learn about other cultures.
Discover shops shut down for lunch. Try a dance. Listen to music that transcends the language difference. Find out about marriage customs. Learning phrases in a new language.
You meet new people.
It could be a local or a fellow traveler, sitting down and talking to someone new can create a new friendship. It might last a few hours or years.
You learn to adapt.
Everyone doesn’t have electricity or 24 hour grocery stores. The weather is rainy on your beach vacation. Unexpected things happen. Doing our best to take advantage of an unexpected situation can be the best thing that happens. You may find you sleep better. You spend more time reading your book or with your loved ones talking. Stumble upon the best restaurant. You visit a place you didn’t plan to. (That happened to me in Panama City. I ended up in a museum due to the insane rain.)
You realize how amazing the world is.
