RambledAndWandered

One fine day some time in 2010, my eldest niece asked me:

Niece : Why do you travel so much, uncle?

Me : Hmm... *deep in thought (ahem!)* It’s because I like travelling, visiting different countries, seeing new places and meeting new people, learning the history and experiencing different cultures, trying different kind of food...

Niece : But you're not a tourist!!

Me : Eh??

- - - - -

Of course I went on to explain to her what a tourist is but how I wish "tourist" is actually a profession. Then I'd be doing something that I really, really love, and get paid for it ;-) Truth to be told, I have always loved to travel. Even when I was a little kid, every time I was asked what I would like to be when I grow up, my list would almost invariably look like this:

1. Pilot;
2. Diplomat; and
3. Air crew

And guess what they all have in common? ;-)

In hindsight, I probably should have just answered my niece simply by saying, “No, I’m not a tourist, I just like to travel.” That answer however probably would have made her just more confused. I do believe it’s true though because at times, I travel just for travel’s sake. I sometimes embark on a road trip or jump on a plane without thinking much about what is there to see or do once I get to my destination. I just simply go. To quote one Robert Louis Stevenson, "For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.” I totally share this sentiment.

I like to travel like it’s nothing. Although in truth, it is indeed a great affair to me. Throughout my travels, like I told my niece, I have had the opportunity to see new places, make new friends with total strangers, learn, unlearn and relearn history, explore different cultures, taste different kind of food, experience new things, and so on. I have also learned to appreciate the simplest things in life, and become more aware and grateful to the Almighty with whatever life throws at me. Most of all however, it gives me the chance to keep learning more and more about myself. And while I’m not out to prove anything to anyone, I do hope that some people understand that “not all those who (ramble and) wander are lost.” :-)

Anyways, I’m not really sure what prompted my niece to ask the question. But she had a world map on one wall in her room and she subsequently asked me to show her the countries that I have been to. I knew she wasn't really counting at the time and neither does anyone else today, for that matter.  Nevertheless, here are some of the places that I have been to so far.

This is not the map on my niece's wall, by the way, heh heh!

I’m hoping to cover more of Eastern Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa in the near future and eventually maybe fly further to the Americas, North and South.

It sure is going to be a long journey before I can finally join the Traveler's Century Club!

Wish me luck! :-)

*Gone to beg the bank manager*

RaW
30/06/2012 Dubai, UAE.

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P.S.:  Just in case some of you are wondering, no, I'm not a pilot, and neither am I a diplomat nor an air crew ;-)

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