On Being Lucky.....

Apologies all for my blogging hiatus. I have been thrown a few life curve balls of late and have been busy running them down. I re-appear today with a reflective post on what it means to be fortunate. Not to worry, it shan’t be too deep.

There are a great many ways to measure how fortunate a person is. Perhaps they have a great family or network of friends surrounding them, maybe they vast sums of money, or athletic prowess, or a wicked intellect, etc. etc. etc. For that matter, it is possible that a given person may even have all of the above!

But, on this day, I submit for your consideration, a far simpler definition of being lucky, one rooted in the form of an opportunity. At the start of 2009, I tabled a goal to visit two new countries this year. Quite simply, it was time to pull out the world map, and have at it! So many choices! I have always had a penchant for travel in Asia owing to the nominal cost of doing so, and also to the fact that the cultural contrasts between my everyday life and that observed in Asia are so vivid. Long having had a fascination with Vietnam, it quickly became a front runner destination. But how to choose another destination? Would it be Borneo? Malaysia (always wanted to see the Petronas Towers)? Indonesia? Myanmar? Nepal (ah Everest)? In the end, realizing that what was needed most was a little R + R, I opted for Indonesia. Then, a mini travel bonus presented itself in the sense that flights from Denpasar to Ho Chi Min are non-existent. Translation, time to introduce a stopover! What better place than Singapore. I had heard that two days is enough to see the country, and so it was – two days in Singapore.

Both at that time, and with the trip now complete, I sit back and realize that a great many things came together to allow the trip to happen. Among the things that come to mind:

· The finances to make the trip possible.
· The ability to schedule free time from the grips of a demanding work schedule
· The help of one Chinese travel agent to secure an incredibly inexpensive flight package. Info kernel – if you are going to Asia and know what you want, hit up your local neighbourhood Chinatown!
· The help of second travel agent to fill in legs of the journey that flight attendant #1 could not resolve. Info kernel – get your long haul travel done before you go, and if possible and fairly valued, ask for an agent specializing in the area you are travelling to. In my case, I met an Australian travel agent who knew Indonesia like the back of her hand!
· The confidence to travel alone. No biggie in my mind, but some people simply shudder at the thought of solo travel in foreign speaking countries. Chalk this up to my parents who taught me early on that seeing the world is one of the best ways to get perspective and open your eyes.
· The ability to tap my French and Chinese speaking skills to make the trip more comfortable at key moments.
· The gift of travel points from a fried to soak in the amenities of a 5 star Westin.

Perhaps to some, the definition of fortune will seem trivial, but to me, for having had this opportunity, I view myself as being very lucky indeed, especially in light of the sites I saw on the trip.

Those are my two cents for the day!

VB Out!