New people, new places

Last night I sat in an old schooley Arab styled cafe, walls decorated in powerful stuff, plump cushioned chairs, waiters rushing around delivering hot coal for the many shishas giving off their gentle watery smoke, an Arab/flamenco guitarist singing and playing his way through the night, locals clapping and cheering as old favourites came and went. I sat there and was struck by how surreal everything was. I was in a new country, a new cafe, talking about life, love, family, growing up, perspectives and perceptions with two people I had met less than 48 hours prior. Strange how given the slightest chance we can easily find it in us to have meaningful conversation with people that, according to social norms, should have been considered strangers. There is something about travelling that brings out the best, the most social in people. So here's to new friends, new places and new moments.

I stand by my idea that it is only by travelling, by experiencing how you react in multiple environments in a short period of time can you start to gain an understanding of what is a core characteristic of yourself and what is a characteristic that you are simply reflecting from the community around you, social conditioning if you will, not always a bad thing. So there we had it, a small group of people, of similiar age and education, from three very different parts of the world, coming together to chew the fat and pass the time away in each others company. Cheers guys.