The journey is not over yet, and having a month at my disposal, I still feel like a world traveler. But it's also true that the world tour has ended; I am returning to Europe, from where I departed on July 1st, 2024!
It has been a little over 5 months, and I have seen a lot, but above all, I have met many wonderful people who have given me so much, with whom I will stay in touch, or maybe not—it doesn't matter. The great thing was meeting them and sharing moments, beautiful situations, but also difficult ones, exchanging ideas, travel tips, places to visit, how to get there, which train to take, what time the bus leaves, which beach you've seen, where to find free Wi-Fi, how to buy tickets, accompanying me to the supermarket on a scooter, going to the market together, trying this fruit, seeing the turtles... and so on. So many, many beautiful people. I have a sixth sense for people and usually understand if they are right for me or not. Of course, I sometimes make mistakes, but it has rarely happened and not on this trip.
I shared this wonderful experience with people I love very much. My little sister and Vale joined me in Indonesia, Giusy in Malaysia and Vietnam, and of course, Manie in South Africa and New Zealand. Everyone had to adapt a bit and deal with a person who is not on vacation but on a journey. This difference is substantial, and I realized it more and more as time passed. Travelers are not in a hurry and don't need to arrive somewhere and see everything possible. I believe this is the key difference. I learned to travel, and I liked it a lot. I wanted to see the different countries, but above all, I wanted to try to understand the different cultures. It has been an exciting discovery for me. I don't want to say that I now know the cultures of the countries I visited, but I have tasted a small part of them.
I went to the homes of South Africans, Indonesians; I saw the rural culture of Vietnam; I got to know the Maori culture of New Zealand, and I talked a lot with the inhabitants of Rarotonga and Tahiti. I also exchanged chats and ideas with the group from the Hostel in San Francisco.
I met travelers like myself who accompanied me on some excursions, and it was nice to share, even without speaking the same language. Slowing down is the secret. Taking in the landscapes, things, and people calmly. One thing I noticed is that many tourists walk with their phones in hand and take pictures without even looking closely at their surroundings. I wonder why they travel; they could find the same pictures on the web anywhere. I have nothing against selfies—I take them too, because traveling alone, otherwise, I would never have a picture of myself—but please look at them next time you go out. They take pictures, then look at them and share them instantly, and as soon as they look up from the phone, they move on. I wonder what they really saw and what they will remember.
I took a lot of photos—it's my hobby—but not as many as if I had been a tourist for 5 months. I carry within me beautiful moments that cannot fit into any photo, like when I first saw whales off Rarotonga sitting alone on the beach, or the trip to Sepa with Giusy that left us exhausted sitting on the roadside waiting for a bus that never came, or our hostel on the Perhentian Islands right on the beach, super basic, or the waterfall in the mountains of Semokong seen with Manie, the simplicity of that proud rural people, the turtles seen with Vale and Sber, the corals and the thousand fish, the landscapes of New Zealand, the beaches of Bali and its inhabitants with whom we stayed in touch. They update me on the coral situation. It's raining at the moment, and they tell me they are waiting for good weather to resume cleaning the sea and planting corals.
There were also difficult moments like in Jakarta where I was sick for two days. Fortunately, I always had Manie supporting me from afar; I am not an easy patient up close, Ingrid from San Francisco reminded me of this too, let alone from afar ;) Yes, I also felt sick to my stomach in San Francisco; I think it was some bad fish.
Fish, I know they are wonderful beings, and now that I have seen them up close, I feel a pang of conscience eating them.
London, here I come :)
I went to London to visit Tizi and Luca, two friends I've known for over 30 years. We call ourselves "the three musketeers"—this says it all. We are always there for each other; they have always been there for me, and I know they always will be. It was a nice interlude on the way back from my long journey. I had a wonderful time, I always enjoy seeing them and spending time with them. I didn't see much of London, but we went together to the Tate Modern where we saw some beautiful exhibitions. I then took a tour of the British Museum, which is free, although I made a donation to stay inside for only half an hour, not because I wanted to stay so briefly but because I hadn't realized it was almost closing time :) but it was interesting nonetheless.
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