… and it feels like my backpacking trip’s purpose is ultimately coming into focus. All the floating ideas of purpose and achievement in regards to this adventure are getting narrowed down and filtered into intentions. Roaming the world free can do such a thing to an individual who’s open and willing to listen to their own heart.
(The overnight train connecting Georgia and Azerbaijan was quite comfortable, even if the morning coffee was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever tasted.)
During the past couple of weeks I’ve been meeting other travelers who like me are adventuring solo in the Caucasus region – the area between Europe and Asia which feels like it belongs less to the latter and more to the prior. Most of these travelers have set specific goals for each country even before they arrive, such as hiking in amazing remote locations, and visiting this place or another; they’ve studied each country’s history, and they even speak at least a few words of each language. Well, that’s not me.
(In some destinations, sightseeing is just a break between meals, and the Azerbaijani cuisine definitely won a special place in my heart.)
I am one of those travelers who randomly notice a country, learn a bit about it, book an airplane ticket and a hostel and then set sail. I prefer to learn as I go. And so far, this plan of not having any expectations is proving to be pretty compatible with my life/traveling style.
The reason why I believe this is working for me so well is because my intention set prior to traveling is to discover as much as I can about myself and to grow through this experience, and not necessarily to learn about the country I’m traveling in – although this is inevitable. It’s been amazing experiencing first hand the Armenian hospitality in Yerevan, soaking in a sulphur bath in Tbilisi, Georgia, and eating my way through Baku, Azerbaijan; but to me, what’s most important is to investigate Lina to the depth, and to allow this feeling of being alone to rise and empower me in ways only traveling can achieve. As an introvert, doing this while on the road is one of the most challenging things, and yet by far the most rewarding.
(Marrying old n’ classic with new n’ modern has never looked better than it does in Baku, Azerbaijan.)
The way I see it, if one can survive traveling the world alone without knowing each and every region’s language or culture, and instead they successfully get by only with gestures, smiles and the kind heart of strangers, imagine what they’ll achieve in a world they feel truly comfortable in.
Every good entertainer has this as a motto: “the show must go on”, and so it goes with life as well. There are plenty of ways to do just this, and none of them are right or wrong. As long as one’s intention is aligned with their heart, the means they use to achieve the desired outcome (as every true artist would nod in agreement) make no difference. One may roam the world to attain the tools they need to get where they need to be in life, and someone else may do the same having never left their home town. Moving one’s heart never had anything to do with distance, but rather with the intentions set in the beginning of their journey. It is my personal choice to keep growing as a traveler, and along with this, as a human.