The Power of International Travel
December 5th, 2006During the course of my life I have been fortunate enough to leave my native Australia and travel internationally to some far away destinations. Although thoroughly enjoying the adventure of being in another country, on each and every occasion I have not only learnt new insights into the way other cultures exist, I have always come away from the experience knowing just a little bit more about myself. International travel can be expensive but it broadens your horizons like nothing else can. When you are outside your comfort zone and the security of your home country, so many exciting and sometimes nerve racking circumstances can arise and dealing with these often unforeseen events in original and creative ways will give you new perspectives on dealing with the usual day to day problems when they pop up in your regular life.
Although traveling in another English speaking country can still have its own unique set of difficulties arise from such things as misinterpreting travel times and dates to over or under dressing for particular functions or activities, traveling in countries where few people or nobody speaks English can be a real test of your patience and your character. Unless you have been in this situation it is hard to explain exactly how difficult and frustrating this can be. There will be times when you are faced with an important decision that has to be made immediately when you simply cannot be understood no matter how hard you try with hand signals or pictures and when no amount of money can buy you the information you so desperately want. So what do you do? Well you have to do something unless you want to be stuck there for the rest of your life, so you either have to improvise or take a risk. For some people this can be a whole new experience and very frightening and for others they revel in the adventure of it all. No matter who you are or from what background you come from, it’s facing moments like these that remind you, you are really alive and ultimately this can only make you a better person. The reason I say this is, I believe without facing adversity how much can you really grow personally or spiritually.
Earlier this year I was traveling in Cambodia and what an amazing experience that was, the people are easy going and friendly but outside of the usual tourist areas very few people can speak English so effective communication is a real issue. Although I now live in Thailand and can get by with a basic knowledge of the Thai language, Cambodian is an entirely different language altogether. After touring the ancient temples at Angkor Wat just outside of Siam Reap I tipped my very efficient tuk tuk driver (a tuk tuk is small street legal 2 seat carriage towed behind a motor bike) and asked him if he would return early the next morning to take me to the boat for my 200 mile trip through an inland sea and then along a river running through the middle of the Cambodian jungle. We agreed on a time to pick me up in the morning and he left. I thought by giving him a good tip this would ensure he would be on time the next morning but as it turned out he went out drinking all night and slept in. By the time he arrived I was running so late I thought for sure I was not going to make it to the boat on time.
Anyway, as we arrived at the port I noticed two separate boats carrying tourists towards two larger boats out in the deeper water about a quarter mile from the shore. At this stage my tuk tuk driver was apologizing profusely for arriving late and was able to tell me that one of those boats was going to Phnom Penh which was where I was headed and the other boat was heading to another destination in the other direction. What he didn’t know was which boat I needed to be on but assured me this was the last boat making the 5 hour trip to Phnom Penh until the next day. I couldn’t wait till the next day as my flight was leaving Phnom Penh early the next morning. I was in a serious predicament and must have looked like an idiot running around trying to communicate with the locals who lived in this small fishing village pointing to Phnom Penh on my map of Cambodia and then pointing to the two boats hoping someone could tell me which boat I should be on. I had all but given up hope when I noticed a long tail boat being driven by a small, dark fisherman pulling up to the shore. At this stage I realized both boats were about to leave so I made the decision to head towards the bigger of the two as Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and I figured more people would be headed there than the other destination I had never heard of that my tuk tuk driver told me about. I went over and asked the fisherman if he could take me out to the bigger boat I pointed to and he had no idea what I was talking about but funnily enough he understood perfectly when I pulled out some US dollars. I handed him $10 and he had his boat turned around so fast I had to hold on as we sped towards the bigger boat. As we were heading out I noticed the other boat had already starting moving and was gaining speed and there was no way we would catch up if I had made the wrong decision to go towards the larger boat. As we pulled up beside the boat I called out to a bunch of tourists standing on the outside deck and they confirmed the boat was headed to Phnom Penh and I just managed to get on board only moments before the boat took off.
Fortunately I have been lucky enough on my international travels to have never been involved in any life or death situations but my experience in Cambodia is just an example of, although you may have planned things to the best of your ability, unforeseen circumstances can still arise that can throw you plans into chaos. I could just as easily have missed that boat and the flight the next day and although it would have been an inconvenience and annoying it would have just meant I’d arrive back home a day or so later than I had planned. So what I always do when I plan my international trips is organize a day or two at home after my holiday before I need to head back to work just in case a problem arises.
Problems can arise even when you are traveling in your own country but they are compounded when in a place where nobody speaks your language but that is all part of the adventure. There really is nothing better than a few unforeseen complications arising on your international travels to add a bit of spice to the trip and it’s the stories of the unexpected surprises your friends love to hear about when you return home. If you have some photos to go along with that amazing story that’s even better, so don’t forget to take your camera as you never know when you’ll need it.
Every time you travel abroad you not only learn more about the country you are traveling in but through fresh experiences you become wiser and better equipped to deal with new and difficult circumstances when they arrive.
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