What a wonderful world

"Excuse me, sir, but I cannot allow you to board the plane. You are too late; the boarding gate is already closed. I’m sorry. You will have to wait another week for your next flight."

Covered in sweat, I wake up. It is too damn hot in my room. I wonder what time it is. In the darkness, I search for my digital camera (besides my laptop, the only device with a clock I’m carrying). Found it – 6 AM. God, it’s way too early!

I am in Bangkok. I arrived yesterday from Denpasar. On my last night of traveling, I didn’t want to sleep at the airport, nor did I want to go to Khao San Road (the backpackers’ district). So, I found myself a very nice hotel room in the city center. In six hours, I fly back to Berlin.

I am anxious, nervous, and terrified. Everything came to an end so fast. If there were moments when I thought, “What am I doing here? I should be working. This is nonsense! Traveling for such a long period of time…” I now wish October 4th, 2010, were today and not eight months ago. Eight months! That is quite a lot of time, isn’t it? And yet, I wish it could all start over again.

It is impossible to summarize everything I’ve lived. I won’t even try. It is the past, isn’t it? One of the things I learned in Thailand was: “You should die to the past every second. Your life is now!” How can you do that? I have no fucking clue. I can’t do it – but I am working on it.

Before I “die to this past,” I want to tell you what you probably already know: the world is absolutely wonderful! No matter how gorgeous the country – how impressive, how beautiful – what really remains at the very core are the “strangers” you inevitably meet along the way. I have witnessed and experienced true kindness, friendship, love, and hospitality from people of all sorts of backgrounds, races, and beliefs. And this – this is something so powerful and overwhelming that it makes you realize 99% of human beings are actually ready to give rather than take. And I was surely given so much!

Thank you all for “traveling with me” through your visits and supportive words. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Love, Ricardo.