It's more than just the travels that drew me into this show. It's the history of what was being seen first hand. Living history. Reaching out and touching something that is exactly as it was documented hundreds of years prior just absolutely fascinates me. Part of me longs to go through the hell of traveling on horseback, crowded buses, and all around misery to meet people in a land who are living the same exact way they did for probably a thousand years (excluding the Nike hat that someone was wearing).
I'll admit that i let my imagination wander and drift away to the far away lands that i too would like to experience. I know I'm fortunate enough to live in a region that is very beautiful with it's different seasons, colors, and varying features (lake, hills, greens, blue, browns, etc) and that those that are in shows like i was watching would be in awe of my homeland just as much as i would be in awe of theirs. The key word for me is really "experience". Most people that travel go somewhere, take a bunch of pictures, and then go home. I want to experience my destination. Rather than a hotel or a hostel, I'd much rather find a family to take me in for a couple of weeks and show me the ropes of their area.
It's the little things that i see in programs like this that draws me in. Transportation was needed to get from one village to another and the only way to get there was to hire someone to ride a bike with you on the back. How cool is that?! It's sad that a region can be that dirt poor and yet i long for us to truly grasp how pampered we are even with our buses. The idea of biking everywhere because it's your only mode of transportation just strikes a chord with me. No i'm not turning into one of those fixed gear riding hipsters! I just think we've lost an overall appreciation for not only our surroundings but travel time because of our "superior" means of transportation.
Granted that I know my perception is being filtered by the filmmakers views of the places traveled, the ultimate draw of shows like these for me is how friendly people everywhere are to travelers. You can stage a lot for a camera but there are so many little gestures of sincere camaraderie and brotherhood that can't be staged. When you see politicians on stage and even the best of actors, they still seem to lack something. When you see an image of an old toothless man as he's sharing a smoke with a foreigner, you can see the magic in his eyes. Neither will forget the other. Both having an immense impact on each others perceptions of outsiders. It's exchanges like these that i'm drawn to. I want to experience them too. I want someone far removed from me to come away thinking that outsiders are good people too.
In the end I guess i just get warm fuzzies from the idea of learning first hand that most of the world is filled with decent people. We're taught and conditioned to not trust most of the world which i think is contrary to human nature. I'd like to believe that if you put two people together with no common means of communication that they'll work things out and get along just fine. Stay away from this region because they don't like us and they'll try to eat your brains! Don't travel there because they are all bad people that hate us! Don't associate with those people because they'll corrupt the way you think and pollute your mind with ideas that will destroy your sense of morals.
Bah. Fuck 'em. I want to learn for myself about people and places. I want to travel. I want to see places. I want to experience new foods and new ways. Something tells me that most of the world doesn't give a shit what my country of origin is and is more concerned if i've got a spare match in my pocket or an open hand to hold the door for someone.
It might be a minor thing but what i miss about traveling is looking out the window. Whether it's a window on a bus, plane, or a house, i miss looking out the window. Perhaps it's my voyeuristic nature but there's something soothing about watching everyday life unfold before my eyes. I might be on a bus buzzing from town to town but i love letting my imagination wander as i see building an people. I guess when i take a vacation, i like to take a vacation from reality while on vacation.
There's so much history in the world that is both living and dead waiting to be experienced. I can only hope that i can witness first hand a fraction of it in my remaining time here.
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