Why? To see things, taste things, see friends, and make new ones. I've visited nearly 40 national parks in the US. At least 35 of them are stupendous with stunning and unique scenery. I hiked in a lush cloud forest in Central American and found myself face-to-face with a family of tapirs, who were even more shocked than me. I feel a sense of wonder when I walk through an old-growth redwood forest in northern California. I looked into the caldera of an active volcano in Chile and was amazed to see a sudden eruption of red-hot lava come halfway up to the rim toward me. I saw the seemingly endless dunes of the Sahara. Climbed up the narrow metal stairs on the side of the massive Sigiriya rock in Sri Lanka. I expected to be turned off by the masses of other tourists in Venice, but I was captivated by Venice's beauty instead.
I feel euphoric each time I exit the RER or Metro station in Paris after arriving at the airport, and get my first glimpse (for the umpteenth time) of that magnificent city.
There's also the feeling of accomplishment when I bike up a mountain pass. Or the sheer joy of biking along an empty road in the southwestern French countryside and entering a medieval village which has barely changed over the centuries.
I sigh with content when I drink a papaya licuado from a street vendor in Mexico, drink a beer Lao on a hot afternoon, eat a plate of mole negro in Oaxaca, eat roti for breakfast in Singapore or Malaysia, a plate of noodles in Thailand, a piece of Vollkornbrot in Germany, or a croissant aux amandes in France.
And of course, there's the joy of hugging an old friend I've haven't seen in many years.
I feel euphoric each time I exit the RER or Metro station in Paris after arriving at the airport, and get my first glimpse (for the umpteenth time) of that magnificent city.
There's also the feeling of accomplishment when I bike up a mountain pass. Or the sheer joy of biking along an empty road in the southwestern French countryside and entering a medieval village which has barely changed over the centuries.
I sigh with content when I drink a papaya licuado from a street vendor in Mexico, drink a beer Lao on a hot afternoon, eat a plate of mole negro in Oaxaca, eat roti for breakfast in Singapore or Malaysia, a plate of noodles in Thailand, a piece of Vollkornbrot in Germany, or a croissant aux amandes in France.
And of course, there's the joy of hugging an old friend I've haven't seen in many years.