Tokyo Condom Store
Dorothy was right when she said there’s no place like home. We’re back and it feels good. But it seems to me that the world has changed a bit since Dorothy’s time and one could make a case that everyplace is like home. You can get along in English and there are Starbucks and McDonald’s everywhere.
From one perspective, that makes travel a bit easier and familiar. From another, it can be misleading. Many places in the world remain more than a little different however much they may superficially seem the same.
One of the biggest surprises of this trip for me has been the egocentric introspection it has generated. The recurring question is about how all these new places impact on me. That’s partly because I’m self-centered, I suppose, but also reflects my emphasis on the present over the past. It is fairly easy to be overwhelmed by the Taj Mahal. It is very difficult to figure out what’s happening in India today after a visit of several weeks.
That said, I think travel is good and I encourage anyone reading this to do as much as they can as soon as they can, preferably before even more of the cultural differences are erased. It’s fun, if sometimes challenging. The people are usually friendly and there are a lot of beautiful and interesting things out there to see.
No comments:
Post a Comment