Travel Opens up Your Senses
It's that time of the year when all of you will be travelling to some destination far or near. Summer time is a time for exploration for people across the world. From groups of tourists to families and solo trekkers, you will see them all dotting airports and stations with their chatter and laughter.
Vacation time is a time to create fond memories. It's a time when you truly unwind and put issues of work and home at the back of your mind. But it's also a time when you learn how much travel can add to your life. In many ways, travel is an education by itself.
On my own last travels to Bhutan, I realised how peaceful and happy a whole country of people can be. They refrain from talking in loud voices, they smile at each other, nod their heads in acknowledgement when they see travelers, and they are hardy, adventurous, spiritual and fun-loving all at the same time.
And you know what impressed me the most? There was not a single franchise anywhere - no McDonalds, no Levi's, no Nike or Gucci. Just cute little boutique stores with an assortment of things... Untouched by brand mania, the country was refreshingly simple and down-to-earth.
No wonder Bhutan is known for its Gross National Happiness Index, a concept that focusses more on the pursuit of spiritual wealth than material development. I've come back feeling a great sense of calm and contentment.
Every place we visit has something to teach us about its people, food, culture and history. But more importantly, it has a lot to teach us about ourselves and how we respond to situations unknown to us.
Travel pushes your boundaries, it makes you reach out as it makes you reach within, it makes you compassionate as it makes you a survivor, and it teaches you the universality in all as it brings out the uniqueness of each set of people.
Travel definitely makes you wiser in more ways than one. It is, in fact, a multi-sensory experience that touches all of your five senses, and then the sixth one as well. Here's how...
You cultivate your taste buds: Travel is about eating new foods, it's about trying local delicacies and refining your palate. From new cheeses and wines, to local produce like fruits and vegetables and the distinct bread and rice of each region, travel helps you discover new cuisines - an important part of any culture. One of the basic tenets of all travel is to “eat local”, the more you experiment with the local cuisine, the better your travel experience. And once you return, memories of sitting in cafes, sipping on hot chocolate and biting into warm crepes, can definitely perk up a dull day at work!
You see different landscapes: If you've been looking at the same roads from home to work and work to home, travel is your chance to explore and appreciate a whole new landscape. As you drive or walk through quaint towns and take in the natural beauty around you, several new and spectacular landscapes unfold. Sometimes, you may see snow-capped mountains in the background, sometimes a small stream running by your hotel and at still others, vast tea plantations. Whatever it is, feast your eyes as you're soon going to go back to your own surroundings. If you haven't got enough, take some snapshots and look at them when back home.
You hear new sounds: Every place sounds different, its temple or church bells, its different species of birds, its local language with its own specific accent, its decibel level... some places louder or quieter than others... Travel tunes you in to new vibrations and frequencies. Every place also has its own special expression of music. I heard some young and talented rock bands in Bhutan and also picked up some CDs with Buddhist chants; taking the music back and listening to it while working helps me relax and relive the place long after I've left it.
You smell the unfamiliar: You will be assaulted by new smells of oils and food in every new place you visit. You will also discover fragrances distinct to that place like lemongrass, sandalwood, aromatic herbs and spices, pine trees, fresh waterfalls. Inhale and take it all in with wonder and curiosity. You will be surprised at how closely these smells are linked to your association of the place. To carry the experience with you back home, buy some small bottles of aromatic oils, candles, incense sticks or potpourri specific to the place.
You feel new textures: An important part of travel is feeling the textures of the place. From regional textiles to handicrafts made from local materials, let your hands feel the smooth or rough edges of the products manufactured in the places you visit. Sometimes, even bend down and touch the earth, it helps you understand the geographical conditions of a place. It also truly connects you to the people, from dust unto dust, right? And of course, don't forget to feel its energy, every place is enveloped by a certain ethos and spirit... keep your heart open to experience it.
You experience a sense of oneness: Travel helps you feel a strange sense of commonality among all people. You realise that no matter where you go, how people live, what they eat and what they experience, life issues are the same everywhere. Fears of life and death, education and unemployment,old age and youth, being single, married or divorced, affect everyone equally. You feel a sense of oneness in the greater design of the earth and you feel happy to have experienced one more place in it.
These are just a few I could think of. Do feel free to tell us about your own travel experiences... we can't wait to hear about all the discoveries you've made.
Vacation time is a time to create fond memories. It's a time when you truly unwind and put issues of work and home at the back of your mind. But it's also a time when you learn how much travel can add to your life. In many ways, travel is an education by itself.
On my own last travels to Bhutan, I realised how peaceful and happy a whole country of people can be. They refrain from talking in loud voices, they smile at each other, nod their heads in acknowledgement when they see travelers, and they are hardy, adventurous, spiritual and fun-loving all at the same time.
And you know what impressed me the most? There was not a single franchise anywhere - no McDonalds, no Levi's, no Nike or Gucci. Just cute little boutique stores with an assortment of things... Untouched by brand mania, the country was refreshingly simple and down-to-earth.
| Feel oneness in your travels |
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No wonder Bhutan is known for its Gross National Happiness Index, a concept that focusses more on the pursuit of spiritual wealth than material development. I've come back feeling a great sense of calm and contentment.
Every place we visit has something to teach us about its people, food, culture and history. But more importantly, it has a lot to teach us about ourselves and how we respond to situations unknown to us.
Travel pushes your boundaries, it makes you reach out as it makes you reach within, it makes you compassionate as it makes you a survivor, and it teaches you the universality in all as it brings out the uniqueness of each set of people.
Travel definitely makes you wiser in more ways than one. It is, in fact, a multi-sensory experience that touches all of your five senses, and then the sixth one as well. Here's how...
You cultivate your taste buds: Travel is about eating new foods, it's about trying local delicacies and refining your palate. From new cheeses and wines, to local produce like fruits and vegetables and the distinct bread and rice of each region, travel helps you discover new cuisines - an important part of any culture. One of the basic tenets of all travel is to “eat local”, the more you experiment with the local cuisine, the better your travel experience. And once you return, memories of sitting in cafes, sipping on hot chocolate and biting into warm crepes, can definitely perk up a dull day at work!
You see different landscapes: If you've been looking at the same roads from home to work and work to home, travel is your chance to explore and appreciate a whole new landscape. As you drive or walk through quaint towns and take in the natural beauty around you, several new and spectacular landscapes unfold. Sometimes, you may see snow-capped mountains in the background, sometimes a small stream running by your hotel and at still others, vast tea plantations. Whatever it is, feast your eyes as you're soon going to go back to your own surroundings. If you haven't got enough, take some snapshots and look at them when back home.
You hear new sounds: Every place sounds different, its temple or church bells, its different species of birds, its local language with its own specific accent, its decibel level... some places louder or quieter than others... Travel tunes you in to new vibrations and frequencies. Every place also has its own special expression of music. I heard some young and talented rock bands in Bhutan and also picked up some CDs with Buddhist chants; taking the music back and listening to it while working helps me relax and relive the place long after I've left it.
You smell the unfamiliar: You will be assaulted by new smells of oils and food in every new place you visit. You will also discover fragrances distinct to that place like lemongrass, sandalwood, aromatic herbs and spices, pine trees, fresh waterfalls. Inhale and take it all in with wonder and curiosity. You will be surprised at how closely these smells are linked to your association of the place. To carry the experience with you back home, buy some small bottles of aromatic oils, candles, incense sticks or potpourri specific to the place.
You feel new textures: An important part of travel is feeling the textures of the place. From regional textiles to handicrafts made from local materials, let your hands feel the smooth or rough edges of the products manufactured in the places you visit. Sometimes, even bend down and touch the earth, it helps you understand the geographical conditions of a place. It also truly connects you to the people, from dust unto dust, right? And of course, don't forget to feel its energy, every place is enveloped by a certain ethos and spirit... keep your heart open to experience it.
You experience a sense of oneness: Travel helps you feel a strange sense of commonality among all people. You realise that no matter where you go, how people live, what they eat and what they experience, life issues are the same everywhere. Fears of life and death, education and unemployment,old age and youth, being single, married or divorced, affect everyone equally. You feel a sense of oneness in the greater design of the earth and you feel happy to have experienced one more place in it.
These are just a few I could think of. Do feel free to tell us about your own travel experiences... we can't wait to hear about all the discoveries you've made.
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