I don’t write much. I’m pretty well the promotion and behind the scenes guy here on Nomap. I do however occasionally get an inspiration or a thought that really fits into our site’s sectional charting.
Such is this post. So, if I may . . .
Recently while reading a book by Ted Simon entitled Jupiter’s Travels, I realized the most important part of travel is not what you plan to see. It’s what you discover along the way. In the beginning of his book, he is following the Ganges in India. Having crossed it a few times, Ted gets lost and his motorbike runs out of fuel. He is eventually rescued and invited to an extravagant wedding where he becomes a rather important guest.
This was 1973. Had this been 2011 he may have been equipped with a GPS unit and would not have gotten lost, would not have run short on fuel, and would not have experienced the wedding. He would have gotten to his destination of Calcutta and seen what he expected. He would have been happy, ignorant of the loss what he could have experienced.
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Is wandering blind a way to travel? I feel it is the best way to travel. To have only a rough idea of where you want to go, the route you wish to travel, and the bus or train schedules in hand – but not always followed. Your life, and it’s experiences are simply left to fate. In our travels we have not done this as much as we would like. This is due to work schedules and my difficulty in leaving things to fate.
Perhaps it’s my age, my changing philosophy, or few life experiences but I am now more than ever willing to accept what comes. I want to stop and see and witness what life provides, rather than seek it out and take it like it’s an offering. The old saying that the best things in life are free holds weight in this philosophy. Perhaps the next trip will be better for I have already removed the GPS from my motorcycle.
-Raven