One day in May, when I checked in a hostel in Cambridge, UK, I met an Indian man.
Around 45 years old, he was lying on the lower level of a a dorm-like double bed when I entered the room. He was doing nothing but lying.
First I wondered what's wrong with him. Why would a person who traveled from so far away, to such a beautiful place on such a glamorous day, stayed at the hostel and lied on his bed?
Later I realized he was not just killing his time or idling. He wasn't spending his time for nothing. His eyes showed spirits. He was looking at the ceiling but his mind was searching somewhere inside. I learned that his name is Vikram and he came for a conference in Cambridge.
He told me that everyday, he finds an hour or two to do nothing. "Nothing?" I ask. He said nothing, is a misleading word. "I reflect on myself, and ask what I've done today."
"I do not ask what I've not done today. But ask what I've done but did not fully appreciate."
"My time goes by faster than you, Michael. I cannot rush by everyday blinded."
After meeting Vikram, the pace of my UK trip slowed down. I can travel anywhere, I think, because everyday is a trip.
I'm looking forward to a trip that offers spectacular landscapes, combined with space to reflect. I had the luxury to do that on my Amazon River trip, of which every night I sit on the deck of the boat, admiring the reflection of the moon on the Amazon River.
A trip to Tibet is also something I wish I could join. Yellow desert, starry night, the sound of Jeep's engine. One day I will visit Amazon again, and I will visit Tibet.
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I started this article one and a half year ago. Never was I able to finish it until someone told me about Tibet.
