Browsed by
Day: 18 November 2002

Globetrotting

Globetrotting

Really late now, supposed to be in bed. However, I will not be around for the next 2 days, so it will be better for me to pen it down, before random amnesia kicks in.

Sitting crosslegged on the bench in the terrace just outside the deserted Herreninsel museum (in Chiemsee, a really beautiful town with a clear sparkling lake) (no one, except me, was insane enough to brave the winds and leaves swirling in the air and ground), the realization of my change in mentality struck me.

The old me would never have done that. Before reaching a destination of interest, a schedule would have already been planned beforehand. Then I would march from one place to the next with sheer willpower (usually after I start feeling numbness in my legs) and determination. The motto was ‘Cover all grounds or drop dead’! With singlemindedness, I combed the entire town til near exhaustion. Scorning at the people sitting around on benches and drinking coffee at the cafeterias, I stalked on with conviction.

Perhaps I have more time for exploration, as compared to the short 3 weeks I had during previous travels. Now, I have the luxury to pick the season and weather to brave my adventures. Or perhaps, my new found (hopefully not a 3 minutes interest) hobby of photography has allowed me to look at trees, blades of grass in a different light. There are times when I simply stand around, roam aimlessly and shoot at anything that interests me. Sitting at a sidewalk cafeteria, sipping a cup of hot chocolate and observing the people around me, has ironically become my favourite pasttime. Now, I find the prowling tourists amusing and feel a sense of deja vu. Nothing beats having the idleness of afternoon tea and scribbling thoughts (evil ones as usual *cackle*) in my notebook or diary.

People may think I am so atypical but yes, castles are rather special to me. I simply love sitting on a bench, looking out at the far scenery (if it is possible) under the shade and muse about what great kings thought about when they were lounging there (or perhaps, the benches were not there in their era, but nevertheless….). Well, it doesn’t have to be kings, any normal person of that time would do. What would they be thinking and doing? How was life before the invention of electricity and modern equipment? Were they contented with their lives for most of them had to work til they died? Nah, don’t worry, I am not going crazy, yet.

Those are the joys of solo travelling. Some people looked at me in horror and exclaimed, ‘Isn’t it boring?!’ Well, truthfully, it is a totally new experience for a person like me. Perhaps, my subconscious self is more introvert than I realise and sometimes, not having to make conversation can be happiness in itself. Instead of expanding my brain power on conversations, it is turned inwards on self reflection and generating new thoughts and questions. If I were to confess that solo travelling is totally fun, there will be 2 kinds of conclusions derived by people around me. 1. I am totally mad. 2. I am totally selfish. What am I? A mixture of both, or none at all? I like to believe that it is just me.