A few of our favourite moments

(Originally posted 25 September 2015) Each destination you visit has something wonderful and unique to offer. Although some places are more memorable than others, if you battle to find something memorable at each location, you need to ask yourself why you are bothering to travel.

If you wander off the traditional tourist paths, speak to the locals, or step back into a corner quietly observing all around you, you will easily find the treasures in this new terrain or culture.

Having said that, there are always a few standout moments you often recall – especially when you are witnessing some corporate chaos in a difficult meeting during your nine-to-five job. Everyone else is arguing and pushing their agenda, and you can sit back and think about a different world, silently smiling about the experience – good, bad and just bizarre.

Here is a list of five of our favourite things from our travels (written on 25 September 2015, so the list has been added to quite substantially, but we kept the original post here):

1. Sipping a pint in the local pub

Regardless of your personal preference, from a Guinness to a cappuccino, slowly sipping a drink in an Irish pub (in Ireland) and listening to the local banter is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It is like looking through a window into a stranger’s community and understanding what it would be like if this were home.

Read more about our time in Ireland and the benefits of travelling to an English-speaking country here.

2. Stolen moments during tours

There are many benefits to taking an organised tour. You can often avoid long queues and quickly access fascinating facts about your location. However, every once in a while, you get the opportunity to separate yourself from your tour group and have a quiet moment to yourself. One such moment was on tour in Los Glaciares National Park in Patagonia, Argentina, cruising the lake to view glaciers. The cold was too much for most, and while they were all inside warming up, there was a chance to take in the serene magnificence of nature.

3. Lost in translation

Waiting for a good while at the station for the overnight train from Cairo to Luxor (Egypt), our guide suddenly started shouting ‘yalla, yalla’ (hurry up) after an Arabic announcement. The powers that be had decided that the train we were waiting for would now be directed to another platform, just as it was coming in. All of us ridiculously over-packed tourists needed to grab our wheelie suitcases, holding them awkwardly and start dashing down and up stairs, through the tunnel over broken and wet concrete to get to the other side of the station. It was very clear that having a local tour guide can make or break your travels in Eqypt if you don’t read or speak Arabic, and you will get lost in translation.

4. The first time you enter St Peter’s

We say the first time you enter St Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City) because you will keep being drawn back to this phenomenal place. Nothing can prepare you for the first time you enter this majestic place of worship. It takes your breath away. Entering the colossal doors, the size and grandeur of the interior are overwhelming. You can spend hours here looking at all the wonders, from Michelangelo’s well-known Pietà to the intricate tiling designs on the floors.

5. Lessons on life and love

Merida (Yucatan) was one of the cities we visited when touring Mexico. Soon after checking in at our hotel, we walked down the street and selected a very mundane looking restaurant from the exterior. Being mid-afternoon and between meal times, we were the only patrons in the entire place. As your eyes adjusted to the dark but ornate interior, you could see that the collection on display had been collected and cherished over many years, each item with a story behind it.

The restaurateur, Alberto, led us to a wonderful courtyard and quickly brought us a large jug of cool Sangria. After asking us about our travels and upcoming wedding, Alberto shared his views on love, marriage and life. It was a special moment we will never forget – we hope to go back one day to let him know what an impact he made.

6. Napalese whispering (added from a blog post published on 4 May 2016)

For some of our travels in Nepal, we have joined another group of eight tourists. They are from Namibia and South Africa and, besides English, they all speak Afrikaans. It was good to converse in a language from home – typically our secret language we use to gossip (skinner in Afrikaans), or check in with your partner before negotiating a price with a local.

We have found that Nepalese people speak English very well, but for some reason, one of our guides that has travelled with the group for a few days cannot be understood by anyone in the group but me. He has an extensive English vocabulary and is clearly well educated, but he has a very strong accent. Even I have smiled and sometimes nodded, not understanding the fifth or sixth attempted explanation he has provided.

So I found some purpose during our visit to Nepal. I am our group’s Nepalese whisperer. Everything he says, I repeat for our fellow travellers.

As time has gone by, everyone is beginning to get to grips with the way he speaks. So as we part ways with these lovely people, I hope we will see them again one day – especially considering they now head off with that same guide to trek around the foothills of the Himalayas, not fully understanding all the directions provided.

Note: having started writing this post, we have realised how many special moments there are, making it difficult to choose just a few. So watch this space for more of our favourite moments coming soon.