Travel Diaries
I am starting a travel diary to capture those moments on my journey. Where I was lost, afraid, happy, anxious, sad, angry, at peace. These days I no longer feel the urge to travel and am more interested in travelling with a purpose instead. I have accumulated a lot of memories and what better way to put them into stories. In no particular order these are some general view points from those stories.
“I work hard for my money too” - On being scammed
People of Peru are very honest people. There were very little bargaining at street markets when I was there in 2015. I appreciate that. What you see is what you get. There is no sizing someone up. There is no going back and forth to try to work out the best deal. There is no pretending to walk away from the deal. There is no trying to make your customer feel like they got a good deal. There is no feeling bad you got ripped off by the seller.
Then there was that one restaurant in Aguas Calientes next to Machu Picchu. After arriving late in the morning and settling down in the hostels, my travel group headed out to explore a bit of the town. I am always afraid if someone is trying hard to sell you something. And walking down the road there were lots of people trying to get you to go into one of their restaurants. Seeing that we had plenty of time we collectively decided to sit down and have a bite after viewing their menu. Everything was going well. The food must have been decent because it wasn’t too memorable. Nothing horrid and nothing spectacular. Then our bill arrived. It was quite suspicious because the prices weren’t what was advertised on the menu. Did they add gratuity on top of each dish? We asked our server where these numbers are coming from and due to the language barrier I wasn’t able to understand the whole explanation. But I did understand when the server said “we work hard for our money”. No doubt the service industry is difficult having had service jobs when I was younger. But what made me upset was the blatant deceit. Seeing this was a foreign country where I could not speak the language, with very fews other customers inside. We reluctantly paid for the surcharge of being “tourists”. But I needed to tell that server is “I work hard for my money too”.
“Do you have google translate?” - What language barrier
The staff working the front desk of the hostel only spoke Spanish. And with any language barrier there needs be one party that at least understands a little bit of the others language to have any communication. With the very limited vocabulary learned from my one Mexican friend in ESL class in grade 4 I was getting very confused. Thank goodness for technology and google translate. It went something like this. Staff typing what would you like for breakfast in Spanish. Turns computer. I Speaks out loud. “Ahhh. What would I want for breakfast.” Smiles. “Do you have boiled eggs?” Turns back computer. Ahhh ok. That feeling of being understood is amazing. We all want to be understood.
“I want that” - How to order food
With the help of translation dictionary I was able to communicate with my server to order food at a very local brunch spot. It took awhile to figure out that what was on the menu was the daily special. If you are not sure what to order, look around what others are eating and point to something you would like to try. That meal was probably the most affordable and local dish on that trip. Look up the basic words on your dictionary. Ex. Chicken, Egg, Soup, etc.
“Kindness” - No such thing as language barrier with kindness
I just got off an overnight bus and am riding in a jeep towards the Uyuni salt flats. To save money my group selected the Spanish tour instead of the English tour. Our driver was a short kind old man. I wasn’t feeling exactly my best having spent the last 36hrs travelling on a plane, by cab, by overnight bus feeling the onset of a cold, persistent cough, sore throat, running a low fever and just getting my period. Exhausted all I wanted to do was relax and enjoy the scenery. Having packed most of my feminine essentials in my carry-on strapped on top of the car, this man climbed up and opened up the tarp that covered everyones luggage to get me what I needed. Thank you for your kindness. That was the first moment on that trip where I was at ease. Because of this kind man who didn’t speak English but went out of his way to help me.
“Girl Power” - On travelling solo
I meet a lot of people from Argentina who travel. This girl was doing a trip by herself. She was sitting in front of the car and spoke Spanish. We shared conversation with help from the dictionary. It was nice being able to communicate with another girl. I find it much easier to approach another traveller when they are by themselves. It is much more intimidating when they are in a group. Making friends is harder when you already have a travel group. Later on the same trip I saw another girl taking a hiking tour with us. There are probably a lot more women travellers that I meet than men. Maybe I am approached more by females.
“Common sense is not the same for everyone.”
I usually trust people as my default. But sometimes you have to trust them to find out you are just incompatible people. And these are the lessons I learned before deciding to travel again.
Money wise. There needs to be consensus on how money should be spend. The purpose of the trip is not to save money as much as possible. But it is also not to splurge on everything. Decide on what you are willing to spend money on. Ex. Hiring an English speaking tour guide if you do not speak the language. Transportation vs walking.
Time allocation. Some people want to cram as much activity in one day. I need to have a few key things to hit up and leave flexibility to enjoy my time. Decide which activity to do together, and when to be separate.
Sleep and Food has to be priority number one.
Have one person lead but get consensus from the group.
If you would enjoy the trip more by yourself, then go on your own to avoid compromises.
“I am doing my best” - On standing your ground and enjoying the moment
Sometimes I end up in situations where I don’t want to be in when travelling. Most of the time it is when I’m travelling with someone else. I am pretty critical of myself most of the time. And often we are our worst critic. But getting criticized on a trip is not exactly my idea of fun. In these times I journal and try to find moments where I can enjoy myself.
The time when I was planning a trip and my companions all cancelled last minute. I was not brave enough to go on this trip myself even though my accommodations and flights were all booked. Maybe it was the language barrier that was daunting. Maybe it was the extra cost of accommodations. Maybe it was because my desire to go was not strong enough. Maybe my desire to have companionship was more important than the destination.
Just because I accept your criticism doesn’t mean I don’t resent you for it. Feedback is great. When it is a two way street. No one likes being told what to do. Over and over again. Looking at my younger self I would tell her to stand your ground if you care about this friendship or walk away if it is not worth salvaging. The people who care about you will care about how you feel. Don’t be afraid to set your boundaries because you are afraid to hurt other peoples feelings. Your feelings are valid and important too.
“Wow” - On being speechless
There are moments that just take your breathe away on your travels. Where the camera doesn’t do itself justice and you wish you could just take it home. Where you want to sit there forever to take in the scenery. And you wish for a companion to share that moment with. I usually feel this the deepest when I’m travelling by myself.
Vatican - St Peter’s Basilica
Uyuni - Starry night sky
Watching beijing wake up to start its day.
“When in Rome. Follow the old ladies” - 入乡随俗
The energy of every city is different. Perhaps it has to do with its culture, customs, beliefs, language, city layout, architecture, food. In order to immerse yourself and really understand another. To understand the norms. Perhaps this is the challenge of a multicultural country to live in harmony. But at the core. Our needs as humans are same everywhere. To be accepted, loved, to have enough to provide for your family, to be treated fairly. I guess the new world like Canada and America has a chance to start over and to show the world how to live in harmony.
A simple example like crossing the street. In western society. There are street lights that indicate when a person can cross. People wait for their turn. There are more cars than pedestrians and cars usually drive at a fairly high speed.
In china there are usually a variety of people on the street including cars, bicycles, buses. When you step into the street cars lookout for you and seem to anticipate your speed and steer around you accordingly. There is a seamless weaving of people and vehicles.
In Rome there are lots of roundabouts. Where there isn’t really as much stop and go traffic on smaller roads. I stood for a long time waiting for gap to cross and watched as a couple of old ladies made their way across the street. Seeing the gap I was waiting for would never come I followed another lady and crossed the street.
The most dangerous thing you can do is to act not according to the norm. No sudden abrupt changes to your behaviour the other person cannot anticipate.
“Hi, my name is Holly. Can I join you? “ - On making friends
Your biggest asset is your smile when making friends. People who travel are some of the friendliest coolest people you get to meet. My favourite way to make friends is joining a walking tour of the city. This has been the best on my solo travels in London, Berlin, Rome. You can also make friends by asking someone to take a photo of you, sitting in a park, on a train or bus ride. You exchange stories and share your life with no judgement, no expectation and then you say your goodbyes once you part ways.
I find it much harder to make friends or start conversations in group settings unless there is alone time.
“Home sweet home” - No place like home
One of the best part of travelling for me is arriving home. Coming back to what is familiar. Coming back to security. That feeling of there is no place like home makes you appreciate what you do have. Because like most people who can afford to travel, having that option is already a blessing that not every person can experience. This feeling is magnified when you come back from a developing country or a place with language barrier or when you faced some challenges on your trip. Like the time I accidentally booked the wrong return ticket departing from a different airport and thankfully was able to change my ticket last minute.
“I wish I brought something other than my camera” - On being scared
Our group was going on a short hike to see a waterfall before our main adventure the next day. It was a nearby route that in my head seemed to sound like a leisurely stroll. I brought my camera and some cash just in case I fancied getting something. I followed along and walked and walked and walked and walked. There were no signs along the way, we asked some folks heading back from the direction we were heading towards if they knew how close we were. There must have been some lost in communication because we passed by some “waterfalls” that could only be described as streams falling from some rocks. By this time the sun has started to set and we turned around heading back. Very soon the dark sky loomed over. I was left walking by myself beside a rail way track in pitch black with no one around me. With nothing on me but a camera and some cash I found it difficult to restrain my tears. What was I doing? Why am I walking by myself next to a railroad in pitch darkness in a foreign country with no idea how long it will take to get back to my hostel. Did I even know the way back to my hostel? I didn’t have a map with me. I couldn’t keep pace with my group and there was no one around. After what seemed like forever. There was a divergence in the road and I was greeted with groups of school kids singing in the dark and marching. I felt extremely sad and alone that night as I made way back to the hostel.
“Maybe we should turn back” - On getting lost
Between the choice of walking back on our own and waiting for the shuttle to pick us up. I trusted my partner to know where we were going when he suggested walking back. Again very reminiscent of previous walks. Nothing on me. The moon shone brightly as we walked on a foreign road. Maybe we should turn back was all he said. And we did. This time walking back to the little town. Trying to call our guide to pick us up. Unable to get through in the middle of no where. Being handed the phone and telling me to deal with the situation. Sighs. Thankful for the kids who sat beside me waiting for our guide to realize we are lost and come back to find us. Don’t go anywhere without a map or if you haven’t walked the paths.
“Act Calm - Don’t make eye contact” - The longest train ride
I just landed from a very early morning flight to Berlin. Figured I be able to talk to someone to buy train tickets, but with no one in sight, I chose to line up in the self service machine where many of the travellers were queuing up. After buying my ticket I headed unconfidently to the platform and waited for my train. After buying a German map from the airport and navigating my way towards the city centre sleep deprived all I wanted to do was rest on the train. It was the terminal station and very much empty. After a few stops a group of young men got on the train. They sat in the aisle next to me. But one of them decided to move to the seat facing directly across me. Then the staring began. He would just stare and stare and not say anything. It wasn’t a nice stare. It was a cold stare. I avoided eye contact and minded my business but kept my eyes open. After like what seemed forever that group of friend left the train and so did the creepy stranger. After some time has passed there was an announcement in German that came on the train system. I saw a bunch of people getting off but I knew I hadn’t reached my final stop. I saw 2 people not far from me who remained on the train. So I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Then the train started to drive off track. I quickly realized this was not good and befriended the two strangers who also didn’t speak German. We laughed at our plight and frantically tapped the windows when we saw someone walking on the tracks. He told us not to worry and that the train will be heading out and to get off at the next stop.
“There is nothing we can do” - Crimes in a foreign country
We know from the news that bad things happen all time in the world. And this is no exception when you are travelling. Except what is scarier is you may not know the laws of the country, the language and you may not be able to stay there for an extended of period of time when something does happen. That is why safety is always the number one concern when travelling or at home. Petty crimes like theft is so common and tourists are targeted because we are easy prey. Sometimes the crime is more egregious that you may be in shock. After returning to your home country to report the crime, often times the police will tell you “there is nothing we can do”. Because what happened in that country can’t be investigated in your own country. There are extreme examples like the guy who travelled to Taiwan from Hongkong with his pregnant girlfriend and subsequently killing her while on vacation but coming back to Hong Kong a free man. This is when we need to be very careful when choosing your travel companion and picking destinations that are safe to travel to.
“View the places you never seen before” - On where to go
If you come from a place with beautiful mountains then you might not be in awe when you see other beautiful mountains. If you come from a place with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables you might not feel excited about so many exotic fruits. If you have a lot of beautiful gardens and temples in your home country, those things might not impress you. If your city has world class museums then maybe you won’t find many museums interesting. So, when choosing your travel destination. Seek places that are different from what you are used to if you are looking for new experiences. Or don’t complain and compare and appreciate more of what you have at home.
