The couches are filled with travellers, each one seemingly glued to whatever wireless device they possess... Some on iPhones, some on tablets, kindles, and iPads, some with 17" MacBook pro's... all apparently travelling in their own way... they are intent on squeezing every possible megabyte from the NZ$4 they have paid for 24 hours access... unlimited seems to need to be tested to its limits... But forgive me, for it is raining, and lake Taupo no more than a rumour, behind the mists and drizzle... Mt Doom hidden far beyond the reach of eyes, only the postcards belie its existence... But the web-travellers do not restrict themselves only to rainy days, nor are they solely people I see... I too, succumb to the net, my eyes taken by Facebook, blogger, emails... My excuse? trying to upload as many photographs as possible... flicking them off to anyone and everyone willing to come and travel through a glimpse of my journey... Ten years ago, travelling seemed a different story; I can only imagine what it was like 20, 30, 40 years ago, when a solitary monthly phone call absorbed a weeks worth of food money... But I was no traveller back then, nor even born...
We make use of what we have at each point in our lives... keeping in touch with loved ones, showing off our hedonism and our relaxed moments in hot springs... the girl whose grandfather passed away this morning, desperate over a missed call, and trying, trying to get back in touch with family a nighttime and possibly ten thousand miles away; the lone traveller with girlfriend back home, desperate for every syllable uttered, every smiling silence shared even if only over the phone; the couple, engaged on a beach in Thailand, trying to share their great news with one and all... Everyone is a different story, a tale of love, smiles, happiness, desperation, torn hearts, and torn minds...we (for, at this brief time I too am a 'traveller') pass by, sharing glimpses of our experiences, each with the similar tales, told differently, and with different flavours... for some the bungee jump is their highest achievement, for some the sunset over Hawkes Bay, others the breathlessness of having completed the Tongariro Crossing - alive, and reporting home to mum and dad that "I am ok, and it was awesome..!" others, working their way around farms are desperate to share the sight (and possibly the smell too) of them covered in cowpoo, building their first ever compost heap... Nothing is out of the ordinary here, no tale brings looks of confusion from anyone, for the traveller is on a road with many many opportunities; forks in the road appear daily, sometimes hourly... life no longer has a plan... a brief sketch outlines an idea, each traveller their own architect, becoming foreman and builder each and every day...
The world has become smaller... and some of us find ourselves engrossed in how small it is, by looking at our screens for far too many minutes, hours each day... The forks in the road can be anticipated, each place already a map in the mind of pubs, bars, hostels, activities and people before even setting foot in them... Am I cynical? Not in the slightest... Do I regret my minutes and hours composing, swearing at various upload apps when they fail to work... No. For I wish to share... I desire others to witness my trip... And I still write postcards... although I struggle to see their recipients gleaning a new view, for they too, may have already been privy to my photographs on Facebook/blogger/email... But I know that as the posts disappear down their timelines, and the blog posts are forgotten, the postcard may still grace the bathroom door, the kitchen cupboard or notice board for weeks, months, even years... And my dearest loved ones receive and send text messages regularly... there is no harm in letting them know my movements, that I am ok - no; that I am great... There was a part of me that once wished to be able to disappear for weeks, without contact, being in my own world... But this was a selfish and idealistic view... my loved ones fully deserve to know each and every one of my movements... for they care, they love and cherish, and I have no desire for them to suffer worry...
The world continues to become smaller, cheaper, easier... Friendlier? Perhaps... but this is where we 'travellers' maybe lose out... Had I not switched off my iPad this morning and looked up, I would not have been able to give a bit of warmth and care to the girl whose grandfather just passed away, way back in the Caribbean... she was incredibly grateful for my words, she allowed herself to speak about it, her feelings, and her dilemma about whether or not to return home for the funeral... and she was able to talk it out instead of cry it out alone... Had I not switched off and returned to earth last night, I would not have been given news of a great app for campervan travel around the islands... We all share, if we look up once in awhile... We all give and receive when we are open... we are all in the same boat, different winds taking us anywhere and everywhere, passing in the breeze, sharing glimpses, ideas, news, information, and above all else, sharing our lives, for a few minutes, days, a week... The world is not just out there, it is right around us all the time...
And now my world moves towards a new destination, another place never before visited, where I will meet and share again, give and learn... I will endeavour at each point to raise my head and switch off the screen for each person I meet...
Ciao for now...
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