A solo trip is rather not lonely because you are given more opportunities to interact with other people and to get helps from others. While I was traveling I believed that I was quite lucky. But now that I think back and I realize that I didn’t have fear of strangers or unfamiliar places. That’s why I easily opened my mind and grabbed the chances provided by the world. The world provides equal opportunity to everyone. In my upcoming travel journals including this one, I will talk about the opportunities the world gave me.
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#1
I got off at a jet-black Amsterdam bus terminal and didn’t know what to do at all. A friendly lady came to me and sparked a conversation. This new friend I felt thankful for was Lina. She also took the same Eurolines bus from London. She was a clever Colombian lady who is a solo traveler like me. Lina threw a question to me, ‘so, what are you gonna do?’ She then took me, who was dumped in the middle of town without a plan, to Amsterdam city center.
We unpacked our bags first. She said she had found a hostel before she got here. It was a very liberal shared dormitory where boys and girls share rooms together. Lina already decided on her own to take me everywhere with her. Without asking me a single question, she checked both me and herself in. I got to share a bunk bed with her. While unpacking my stuff, I made eye contact with a guy waking up from his bed opposite to mine. He wore nothing but underwear. Mmm…
As we arrived here so early in the morning, the Amsterdam streets were still murky with morning fog. Lina said she loved the fog and kept sniffing around. We unexpectedly made a good pair.I traveled without any special plans and Lina was somewhat spontaneous. We walked around and crisscrossed Amsterdam city all day long. We lost ourselves at Van Gogh museum enjoying his work, spent a mere few hours looking for a weed café but we abandoned our plan when we found out that it was expensive. I felt like I was traveling with my old friend. Wecooked spaghetti for 4 people at a hostel to save some money and finished up together. Although it was only one day, we were the perfect duo.
When I travel alone, I sometimes meet my company out of nowhere. Back then, I just met them and said good bye to them. Now thinking about them again, I feel that they were angels the sky sent to me. Not always from trips but from other places too; we meet so many angels in our life. In the past, upon recalling countless moments Ididn’t realize that they were angels;I learned that I must do the best all the time with everyone, solely focusing on the moments in order not to regret later on. An open mind is alwaysimportant, too, as you would reverently accept the ‘messages of the universe’ delivered through those angels.
#2
The train departing from Nuremberg, Germany was running through the white snow field to the Czech Republic. The journey involved two train changes. The second stop, Cheb of Czech, was scenery of infinite snow as if snow could cover the entire world. I impulsively got off from the train. I was looking around just like a lost dog not knowing when and which train to take. If you travel around the European countries, you often face the situations in which English is not an option for communication. The Czech Republic was one of those countries.
All of a sudden, there came a pleasant voice from the back. “Where are you going?”
It’s English! I looked back and there was a German man looking like a tourist. He said that German would be a better language for communication in this country. He asked some questions about me and told me I would have to take the same train that he was taking. He gazed at me, looking almost like a beggar and trembling in coldness, and bought me a cup of hot chocolate. I momentarily hesitated to accept his token of kindness; it was really a short moment. My mind soon melted with the hot chocolate.
While traveling on the train, we had a pleasant talk. He talked about his life and his daughter who was about my age. He gave me a cue about his secret holidays: at around this time every winter, he takes a quiet holiday to a small mountainous village in the Czech Republic. He added that no one, not even his family, knew of this place. At around this time when it snows heavily, he could take a really quiet rest there. He said it was truly a beautiful village. At that moment, I almost spat out the question, ‘where is that village?’ But I’d rather let the angel keep his secret to himself. I tried my best to turn my eyes away from the train station he got off, trying not to see where it was. He was an angel – he taught me about aging leisurely. I didn’t even ask his name but I kept a picture of him for myself as I didn’t want to forget about him.
I was left alone on the train carriage. I thought of my father who was still working hard in the survival competition far away in my hometown. I thought to myself, ‘After this trip, when I get back home, I will massage his shoulders and tell him to make his own secret holiday spot.’ My eyes prickled with tears. It could be because of the white scenery out the window that made my eyes painful, or because I thought of my father…
To be continued….
