Traveling Duo

Life is full of unpredictable twists, and innocent occurrence of events resulted in unorthodox relationship to my partner Natali. We been together for two years and never had an opportunity to travel. My life at that stage included full-time studying, and part-time work that left me with nada free days. After my graduation, I hesitated how to seed the hint of "hitting the road" with her. I recollected Natali stories of her travels with her parents, and they usually included comfortable hotel rooms and organized tours. I was first-hand witness to her overwhelmed expression when she was reminiscing about "meltdown" when she went bush walking with friends and had to stay in a tent. I, on the other hand, knew that I possessed wanderlust "gene" as my anatomy professor used to say in his monotonous voice “All the signs and symptoms present. ”I appreciated peaceful pleasures of life like hiking, campfire cooking, sleeping under the stars, sitting on the beach and watching sunset, swimming in the rain and "day dreaming" about exotic countries. Not to mention the constant itch for novelty and new experiences. All this indulgences were usually short and sweet day or overnight trips. Back then I could only afford to be an armchair traveler and keep up longing to witness the beauty of the world with my own eyes.

After a sad event at work, I spilled my awaken desire to travel to exotic countries. Natali reacted antagonistic to my crystal ball reading, and our views of a situation were poles apart. When I was nervous about resourcefulness to travel at a comfortable level and not to get trapped in a foreign country in some unpredictable situation. Her red flag was: "We will be spending so much time together that we may be fed up with each other sooner rather that later.” I tried to look at it philosophically answering: “What meant to be will always find a way, it will undoubtedly test the relationship and not necessarily for worse.”

Both of us were excited to discuss the idea of where, when and for how long. I acutely craved South America, and Natali had thirst for Europe, and at the end of the day, we found ourselves booking tickets to Bangkok.

Humid, hot air is the first thing that struck me on our way out of Bangkok airport. It feels like I dived into the pool without taking my cloth off. I am glancing at my partner that stands flabbergasted with her eyes wide open trying to take in the sights. I still regret that I was unable to capture the moment, the picture that was worth a thousand words indeed. Taxi drivers were screaming and pulling while somebody started pushing us. No breathing space, no time to hesitate and I offer another couple to share a taxi to save money, and we are on our way. I reach to squeeze Natali's clammy hand in reassurance, and she glances back at me with her big green eyes that scream of exhaustion and excitement. We arrive at Khao San and quickly find a place to crash.

On the second day in Bangkok, we used the most common mean of public transport known as "tuk-tuk." The shocking revelation was that it did not take us to agreed-upon destination in addition to overcharging us. I was reaching boiling point for pouring time and money down the drain when Natali calmly said: "There is no point crying over spilled milk. "I admired her peaceful temperament and tried to extract it like a bee sucking the nectar from a flower. One of my resolutions for the journey was to turn over a new leaf in my life and become more tolerant and open minded. Easier said than done. Don’t you agree?

Food fossicking caused us to cross swords like in Les Trois Mousquetaires. In a course of time, we learn to live by their motto "tout pour un, un pour tous" that means "all for one, one for all. "On top of that, our palates got used to spicy food to the level of addiction that made selecting eatery uncomplicated.

We were traveling for months now and learned tricks of the trade. One of them was:" Always buy water for a long journey lying ahead." On this wise, after purchasing bus tickets, choosing seats with a window that theoretically and practically can be opened we left our bags and disembarked. On our return, we discovered that our bags were waiting for us on the floor, and young Vietnamese man was occupying our seats. We bitched about the rudeness of his actions. I can’t recall everything that we said but something along the lines of bad manners, boldness, and disrespect. I was still carrying on when this guy looked at us and in a peaceful manner in almost perfect Russian said: “ Tickets numbered and you were as a matter of fact occupying my chair." Apologising profusely I wished the ground could swallow me. Afterward, we initiated conversation with him and realised that he is local that studied engineering in Moscow. The old saying “Don’t judge the book by its cover” could not be more appropriate to this awkward situation. Subsequently while laughing at our expense my partner said wiping tears “ The bewildered and astonished expression on your face was a pure pleasure to witness.”

When I left home to explore the world I was mainly looking for new experiences and found so much more. The adventure challenged me in so many ways. I discovered new traits about myself, constructed sturdy bond with my better half and together we learned to agree to disagree. Red flags, which preoccupied us at the beginning of the journey became green at the finish line and sweet realization that we were "meant to be" descended gently like first snow.