After traveling for almost 10 years, and writing about my journeys for the last six years, some fundamental questions about discovering a new place, people and culture swirl in my mind often. Like a fly that revolves around our head with an uncomfortable buzzing sound. So here I am trying to answer those pressing questions and presenting you with a soliloquy of a sojourner; a quest! Take a glass of wine and let this black ink on the screen slowly touch you with the feelings resting in it; for words know the magic.

A soliloquy of a sojourner, Travel Realizations
Under an open sky, a green field, a pen and my diary – my favorite companion!
I am trying to answer fundamental questions about discovering a new place, people and culture and presenting you with a soliloquy of a sojourner; a quest! #Travel #Wanderlust Click To Tweet
 

Traveling in the age of no unknowns

Somedays I feel I have to complete seeing this world before all-pervasive technologies don’t let the people keep any secret. Everyplace, everywhere, everyone is thinking alike; wearing the same clothes, eating the same food and reading the same book and the definition of beauty has become uniform. Being a traveler and being a protagonist of each of my travelogues, I need subtle nuances which no one knows. Before all unknowns become known and we land into an era of no unknowns.

Somedays I feel I have to complete seeing this world before all-pervasive technologies don't let the people keep any secret. #Travel #wanderlust Click To Tweet
A soliloquy of a sojourner, Travel Realizations
After seeing the mesmerizing Arches National Park, USA!
 

Experience diverse ways of life

Somedays I feel an urge to drink the tea in a bhaar (a teacup made up of clay), the way I used to drink after office back in Kolkata, India. Somedays I feel I need to sit beside a reserved Swiss citizen who loves privacy and exchange silent glances. Somedays I pine for the comfort of easy-going Italians. Somedays I feel talking to an ethically upright German man. I did all these but nowadays I am scared; lest everyplace, everywhere, everyone becomes the same.

A soliloquy of a sojourner, Travel Realizations
Lost!
 

Uniformity or Uniqueness?

I, you and we all need stories to listen to; unique stories. We don’t want to listen to the same stories and see the same stereotypical travel pictures the umpteenth time. I feel, in this digital era it has become difficult to remain YOU. The constant bombardment of messages and encouragement to aspire and desire the same dream with similar fret and frenzy is obnoxious.

The constant bombardment of messages and encouragement to aspire and desire the same dream with similar fret and frenzy is obnoxious. #Traveler #Wanderlust Click To Tweet
 
 
 
 
 
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Today’s story is not about relativism but about one mighty realism. We might not relate to their culture, but they are the reality and living in America for thousands of years. They are the native Americans who lost almost all of their ancestors after European colonies invaded America. They are the Navajos, the second largest tribe in the USA. . When I visited Antelope Canyon, not just the landscape surprised me but also the crafts and culture of Navajos. I first found out the concept of the dream keeper. A dream keeper is a wooden box where one writes about their most precious dream and keeps it under the pillow every night until the dream comes true. Yes, you got it right; today’s story is not about relativism but about one mighty realism. . I was repleted with beauty when I saw a dance performance by one of the Navahos. The music, the rhythm, the dance, and the passion all merged together and formed a piece of electrifying art. I felt that life and this whole world has so much variety. It is us who often snatch the freeze frame of life from the simultaneity of existence by holding on to illusions of permanence and a familiar bubble. Yes, you got it right; today’s story is not about relativism but about one mighty realism. . #TravelRealizations @travelrealizations

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Comfort, convenience or experience?

Imagine a beautiful summer morning in a brand new place; everything is unknown there. The language, the way of life, food and culture, all are unfamiliar. The kind of place where you don’t know what to expect. This is uncomfortable but think about the experiences that it can offer you. No doubt sometimes, somethings will be inconvenient and uncomfortable but then you will get a break from all known and familiar things back home. A completely different day, all afresh which perhaps comes with a probability of teaching you a new perspective towards life. I have been choosing experience over comfort and convenience throughout my life and believe me, it’s a treasure. Hence the tagline of Travel Realizations is :

A soliloquy of a sojourner, Travel Realizations, Sanchi stupa
Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, India – where thousands of years of history is still alive!

 

No doubt sometimes, somethings will be inconvenient and uncomfortable but then you will get a break from all known and familiar things back home. #Travel Click To Tweet
 

Soaking in or sharing?

Let me transport you in front of the beautiful Jenny Lake in the Grand Teton National Park in the USA. After reaching there, I saw the mist fill almost the entire area. I could hardly see anything. I was disheartened but didn’t give up. I secretly wished the sun to show. I waited with my anxious eyes. A few minutes later, to my surprise, I saw the blue of the sky slowly revealing and the sunshine slipping out from the clouds and a few distant tall pine trees. I was savoring all the details with full concentration. Now when I am writing about it, all the small changes are coming to me like pieces of cinema – colored slides slipping across the screen of memory.

A soliloquy of a sojourner, Travel Realizations, Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National park
I was so intensely absorbed in the surrounding I almost felt that I heard the sound of the water sparkling in the bright sunshine.

Do you know why I could write about the nuances of my experiences? Because I was seeing; I was soaking in all without letting my phone distract me to share then and there. I want to share but not just those pretty pictures but also words that will communicate to you about the feelings; the joy and the essence of my experiences

 

Travel Inspiration – your own or borrowed?

Some scenes have always inspired me to travel and to make connections. I can’t relate to today’s digital-era inspirations as they tend to inspire to hoard things. I rely on my own little inspiration that I find here and there while traveling. Perhaps it can be…

  • The winter sunshine on an old woman’s face
  • The laughter of a child
  • A small bird’s nest
  • The sound of the coffee machine and the aroma of coffee beans inside a small cafe
  • A parting kiss
  • The sky full of stars and a crescent moon
  • A traveler reading a book
  • Sea of faces in a crowded place
  • The curls of silent white steam from the steam train
  • An isolated post office
  • A quote inside an unknown museum
  • A boat and a setting sun
 
 
 
 
 
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Life would be a mistake without such scenes.Life would be a mistake without getting lost in such scenes. . After a long and tiring day of a bus tour, in the evening, when I sat for a while at a beach in Hawaii, I saw a boat sailing across the horizon in front and the setting sun – a splendor to our eyes. After a while, the sun dimmed in the horizon somewhere, leaving me to myself. Life would be a mistake without such scenes. Life would be a mistake without getting lost in such scenes. . The vista in front acted like a pebble which was thrown across my mind’s pool and created a ripple of rings. Rings of realizations. Life would be a mistake without such scenes. Life would be a mistake without getting lost in such scenes. . #travelrealizations

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Travel Realizations

To create a sense of urgency, I often see messages from travel-related websites inducing us to book a hotel room or a flight or a cruise. I feel an urgency to travel not for those conversion driven messages but because of an urge to talk to you before YOU become I or I become YOU.

I feel an urgency to travel not for those conversion driven messages but because of an urge to talk to you before YOU become I or I become YOU. #Travel Click To Tweet

Thank you, readers!

I am a simple yet sensitive traveler who loves to experience the world. I love to write too but can’t imagine writing for six long years continuously without your support and encouragement. You inspire me every day with your messages and comments. As long as I will live, I can never quit writing. This blog has become my friend when I am amidst the crowd and accompanies me when I am alone. I have got a new direction, a sea of love and recognition. Thank you! 

Leave a comment below if you have any questions or DM me on Instagram @travelrealizations

A soliloquy of a sojourner, Travel Realizations, Funicular, Lugano, Switzerland
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Chirasree Banerjee

Hello. My name is Chirasree. I have been traveling for almost 11 years to places all over the world. I enter into a separate reality during my travels and enjoy the allure of escape from the mundane. I seek beauty through nature and human-made creations. Because beauty is powerful. I seek knowledge. I observe, absorb, and write about the places I visit and the profound realizations and inspirations that each place has to offer.