Searching for a moment

I love traveling.  Not the sitting around at the airport or on the plane part of travel but the actual feeling upon arriving and knowing it is the start of a new adventure.  I especially like traveling alone because I do what I want when I want, and how I want to do it.  It is not about being selfish it is about immersing myself fully in the moment of every experience.  I know that when I travel alone, I am not missing out on some adventure because someone had a bad day, headache, needed bathroom break at a critical moment, and so on.  I do not worry about where I can or cannot go because of someone else's preference or their agenda because it is only me and I set my limitations or lack thereof.  It is a level of freedom that allows me to open my mind to the possibilities and plunge right in.

Recently I returned to China and India.  Upon arrival in Shanghai, and as my driver neared the concrete walkway of The Bund, I had a moment of exhilaration as I recalled the enjoyable experience I had during my previous visit.  In that moment upon arrival and seeing the colorfully lit buildings of Pudong reflecting the cityscape image back onto the river I was able to reconnect with a former feeling.  I could easily relive that moment of years past in my mind as fresh as the day was then.  Those feelings are what I refer to when traveling as "magical moments," and as I travel across the globe now, I find myself searching for those moments.

Something happened several years earlier that left an indelible impression, an imprint of such on my mind that will always be with me.  It is a combination of full awareness of where I am, the history and significance of my surroundings, the colors, the noise or lack thereof, the smells, the company, and a word or gesture all combining to create a magical moment.  Not just a magical moment, but a moment that I can never forget.  The closest thing I can relate it to is a powerful synapse.  I have experienced that moment walking amongst the marble halls of the Taj Mahal and feeling the power behind its creation.  I experienced that moment as I hiked the Great Wall of China and touched the stone walls and felt the strength and protection it represented.  I experienced that moment as I sat at the bar in a restaurant across the street from Museo del Prado in Madrid while conversing and joking with a local patron in Spanish, thinking we are all one.  I felt that moment when my guide placed the waters from the River Ganges in my hand, and I felt the spirit of all of the people that left their aura there over the centuries.  These are the moments I search for and will attempt to share in future posts.