One of my goals for this trip is to be a traveler rather than just a tourist.
How are they different? To me, a traveler lingers when a tourist zips by, through, in and out, or around. A traveler works to blend in with the culture as best as possible. A traveler ponders, talks with people on the train, asks questions, takes note of the little things. A traveler allows the experiences, sights, sounds, people, places, and things of the trip to penetrate beyond surface thoughts and feelings – and possibly even to temporarily interfere with current belief systems, at least long enough to absorb better how others view the world and why they think of it as they do.
I had a woman ask me the other day, as we chatted during a lengthy and warm train ride, what I would take home with me from this trip. She pointed to her temple and said, “I mean in here.”
It’s something I continue to ponder.