I love to go to new places, but I don’t like traveling. Sounds like an oxymoron, right? 

By ‘traveling’ – I mean the part that involves moving from one place to another, the taxi ride to the airport, immigration, baggage claim, security check, waiting to board, deplane, all that stuff. 

Yet, sometimes, I am surprised by the encounters that happen enroute.

On the way to a wedding

On my first trip to India in early February, I attended my college reunion in Mumbai and flew to Bhubaneswar for a destination wedding. At Bhubaneswar airport, my friend and I were assigned a vehicle to drive us to the beachside venue along with a young woman, a friend of the bride, whom we hadn’t met before. 

I had been looking forward to seeing Anu, my good friend and travel companion with whom I have traveled to countries far and near. The three hour car ride was a perfect time to catch up in person. It seemed rude to exclude the young woman who was accompanying us. She was the same age as our kids and we were not sure if she minded our conversation which covered topics ranging from gossip about former colleagues to opinions on current affairs, health updates and new hobbies. 

At the start of the journey, we introduced ourselves. Our young companion, S, worked in the fashion industry, unlike us with our pharma-medical backgrounds. We kept up our endless stream of conversation, making sure we did not exclude the young woman while simultaneously trying to not intrude on her me-time. It was a delicate act. 

S was polite, responded enthusiastically to our questions about her work and her connection with the bride’s family. She didn’t ask many questions and we wondered if we had bored her. Well, we tried. Would she avoid us at the wedding ceremonies? That would be the true test of how she was us – two boring aunties or two vibrant women who engage din scintillating conversations!!

At dinner that evening, we saw many unfamiliar faces (except for the groom’s family who had invited us). The guests who had come from far and near showed up in fine clothes and made interesting small talk. But the highlight was when S walked across and chose to sit beside us at our table. I felt pleased that a young person had chosen our company – it was only later that we found out that her friends were arriving the next day! In any case, S made my day. We were not boring ladies, after all.

Finding connection

On my second trip to India, I took out my crochet needle and yarn while I waited to board my flight to Bangalore. I had not been sure whether these items could be carried in the hand baggage and had finally checked with airport security. Happy to have something to do with my hands, other than scroll through my phone, I focused on the baby hat that I was making.

Suddenly a peptide young lady appeared beside me and asked “Hello Ma’am, how long have you been crocheting?”

To say I was taken aback is an understatement. But I was also pleased.

I smiled and replied that I had started a year ago and was now working on a hat for a newborn relative. V, was a student at IIT Delhi and was returning via Bangalore after attending a wedding in the family. She was the same age as my older daughter and exuded such a lovely vibe that I was captivated. She mentioned how she had taken to crochet a year ago and had made cardigans for herself, in order to stay warm in the Delhi winter as a first year Ph.D. student.

She shared pictures of other things she had made, including cute Oreo bags. Like me, she had followed Youtube tutorials to teach herself not just the basics but also try out new patterns, learn about yarn and stimulate her creativity. I felt such a natural connection with her even though we spent just about an hour together.

The thing about travel

We often talk about our travels as fun and important things we did at exotic places – the scenery, the skyline, the food, the shopping etc. However, our adventures begin the minute we step out – of our homes, of our comfort zones, of our everyday states of being.

The best photos from a trip may not tell the full story. I have no pictures with these two young women with whom I crossed paths but I remember them even without the usual visual cues. When I picked up my crochet kit to start something new last week, I remembered V and wondered whether she was also crocheting something in Delhi. When I read an article about the outfits worn by stars at the recent Oscars, I thought of S and smiled.

We are informed and influenced by all our encounters and experiences, some tend to linger while others fade. This is what makes life so multifaceted and vibrant. We can’t hold on to everything or value each interaction equally but like icing on cake, these sweeten our world.

What kind of unexpected  travel experiences have you had with people?