Meeting People
Categories: holidays
Date: 02 January 2009 09:11:24
One of the joys I find during travelling, apart from the experiences different places and cultures afford, is meeting people along the way. It is amazing for me to think of all the people in the world, most of whom I will never meet [for which I suspect many of them are eternally thankful! :)], and to see the world from their perspective for a few moments at least. It also strains my brain to think that God is not only sustaining me and my worries, but that He knows and cares for each person I pass -- all 6 billion+ on this world. It certainly causes me to stop and ponder on His Love, His Knowledge and His Wisdom.
Travelling alone perhaps gives you more of a chance to meet people. This to me is one of the benefits, and perhaps one of the reasons I do it: in addition to my need for time to myself. There are many times when I have been the lone person on a beach, or a mountain, or next to Old Faithful on this trip: there is something special about that -- but there is also, sometimes, the wish a friend was there to share the moment with you. It is amazing though, that if someone else should come along or if I should "intrude" on someone else's solitude and experience, how you feel connected -- and how you will talk, if only an "Hello" or a shared "Wow" or similar; and for a while at least there is a connection made.
As well as seeing and sharing times with friends, I was blessed to meet a number of people whom I probably will never see again this side of Heaven. But those few moments, or hours, truly did help to make this a holiday to remember.
The first people I met were in a bar / coffee shop in Flagstaff, Arizona. I was enjoying a coffee, being out of the snow and cold, when a woman started speaking to me and asking me where I was from. We got talking and her boyfriend joined us. She had followed him here and he was studying alternative energy [solar, wind, etc.] at the local university. He asked me had I tried a Mojito ["the only Cuban thing apart from cigars we're allowed" he commented :)]: I had not. He bought me one: and I loved it. We talked some more; I bought him a Mojito in return; and we talked some more. They then left, and it was time for my train to Williams so I left too. A very pleasant, and unexpected, evening.
On the train I got talking to the conductor, a fascinating woman who had only recently decided to join Amtrak and become a conductor. The conversation started when I complimented her on her hat [I am like that...or was it the Mojitos? :)]... She greatly enjoyed being a conductor and travelling on the trains between cities; she told me it was something she had always wanted to do and was so happy she had the chance to do it. As someone who loves train travel I could completely understand.
The next day I caught the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon. I had plumped for the Dome Class, an upper-level glass enclosed dome, which was well worth it. More information and photos when I blog about the Grand Canyon later. There were 7 other people up there with me and we had a great old time on our way to the Grand Canyon, talking about where we were from, where we were headed and doing. A number of them had been to Australia and it was interesting to see my own country through their eyes. I met three of them again on a free village shuttle at the Grand Canyon South Rim Village the next day.
Travelling in to Yellowstone in winter is via bombardier -- and what a great [and loud and bumpy!] ride it is. When you go in and out, you can choose between a direct ride or one that is a bit more leisurely: I went for the latter. There were 3 others [who had also been on my shuttle from the stunningly beautiful town of Jackson, Wyoming] plus the driver in the bombardier I was in and we had some great conversation and some great laughs on the way. And the scenery...my goodness. I look forward to sharing it with you in later posts.
Also in Yellowstone I took a Canyon Day tour: and I was the only visitor on the tour! Lucky me. Four others, employees of Xanterra or the National Parks Service, as well as the driver, came along to "learn the ropes" of this tour as well as some history of the park. Again, a wonderful and diverse group of people from those new to Yellowstone to those who had worked through the summer and were learning the ropes in winter; to a lady who had spent some time in Alaska; to a man who came to Yellowstone with friends and then decided to stay and work; and to the fascinating driver who had worked as a chef at two bases in Antarctica! People in this wonderful world are simply so diverse and amazing and it is a joy to meet them and hear about their lives.
And then there were those who were lucky enough to not be caught by my camera; the people I spoke to on planes; the people I spoke to at cafes or coffee shops; the two Dutch couples whom I sat next to at dinner at Yellowstone [one couple was camping in the snow!]; the Australian woman from Brisbane who was at Yellowstone with her Californian boyfriend; the American couple who taught at a school not too far from me; the hotel shuttle drivers and taxi drivers from a variety of backgrounds who had fascinating stories and lives; those I travelled out of Yellowstone with; those I travelled out of the Grand Canyon with; the woman photographer at the Grand Canyon whom I saw some mule deer with while I was walking and then saw her the next day on the shuttle bus and bought a 2009 Calendar from her, with shots of the wildlife around the Grand Canyon; and many others as well. Thanks and praise be to God that I got the joy and pleasure of meeting so many people and in so many unexpected ways.