traveling slowly
I used to make itineraries before traveling to a new place. The problem with itineraries is that they can only contain places not people. You cannot plan human interactions beforehand, thus we fill our plans with things to see. Temples, churches, museums, restaurants or cafes.
And when I travel, it feels like the mystery of traveling is lost in our time. Only before smartphones, we could have interesting traveling experiences and stories to tell. Now, in 4 days, we are all trying to see the same temple, taking the same photos from the same angle.
But, when you travel slowly, you open up space for serendipitous interactions.
Currently, I am in Bangkok and this is my 13th day in the city, which is longer than what most people spend time here. (great for you :d)
Last day, I was walking in my hostel’s neighborhood, trying to observe how people live there. I then saw a cannabis sign in front of a single house. I wanted to get a joint to relax a little bit. There were a few American people chilling on the couch and a Thai guy doing a bong in the corner. I entered the house to buy a joint, but the owner said he only sells it in grams.
While I was thinking about going back to the hostel, I remembered the Thai guy outside. I walked out, and kindly asked the guy if I could roll one from his stuff. He was just a pure friendly and energetic guy, he first offered his bong and then rolled joints for me. We chatted for almost 2 hours. He said he was a crypto trader before and now owns a vegetarian restaurant. We just talked about business in Bangkok, people and maybe even doing a business together in the future. Also his friend whom he met in a party last week joined us at one point, who was also the first Maldivian person I have met.
I met another Thai while I was walking to a temple another day. He said he is from Chiang Mai and he is a teacher. He had a good English and offered to walk to a temple together. Even though I suspect that it may be a scam, I accepted to see the end. We talked about tourism and Bangkok until we reached a small temple. Then, he offered to teach me how to pray in a Buddhist temple, and how to light candle sticks in a group of three. He bought the candles and even took my photos.
When we left the temple, he started to talk about how much he paid for the candles. He said he paid 500 baht for them and it would be nice if I could throw some money. Everything seems normal, until you know that you can eat 10 meals in Bangkok for 500 baht :D. We negotiated and agreed on 200 baht for this scam experience. He was literally like a missionary to persuade me to Buddhism to gain wealth out of it. At least now, I know how to pray and light candles in temples.
Having these interactions makes my day. They don’t always change your life, but that’s not the point. They pull you from your universe and create thrilling moments for a short amount of time. These interactions has become possible only when I have enough time and taking things slowly.
Also I would always prefer them to sitting in a cafe to try another hipster coffee. I like to take a Thai tea from a food stall and continue walking to find my next adventure.
On my last days in Bangkok, I stayed in a lovely hostel. It has a yard where people meet and form small groups to travel together. There, I met a German woman who works in Laos. She was a very natural person and we quickly had a connection. After spending some time, she invited me to Laos after Bangkok.
I guess after all, there is still mystery in traveling, I just need to slow down and seek those serendipitous interactions.