I Have More Words Than Pictures

Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences - Sylvia Plath

A story is worth a thousand words. Everyday my mind tries to recall all those vivid memories of my journey, that all seem fresh as the words effortlessly flow on my screen. At the beginning, I was scared not to be able to write anything. I'm not even a professional writer, which is actually even better as I am not confined by rules. As Stephen King said, the scariest moment is always just before you start. The dreaded moment when I hopelessly stare at my screen, thinking of what to type. But as soon as I started, I was amazed at how I was able put my mind into writing. Words pouring out naturally, flowing like a river.

They say that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but in reality, there is a fundamental difference between reading and just looking at a picture.

When I travel, I make sure to visit the best of nature, as some can be totally unique in different places. Instead of cities, give me the sea, instead of museums, give me the mountains. Yet, those times I was torn between taking photographs to capture the moment and just being there, enjoying the present. But I just tried to enjoy the moment and not be worried if I will have photos or not. This especially became true when I started to lose some things along the way, including my camera. I was of course, upset, but I didn’t try to fight for it anymore. I learned how to just let go of things. I realized that maybe it was time for me to just focus on enjoying the scenery, nature, and people. This is freedom.

When I didn’t have a camera anymore to capture the picture-perfect moments, I started to have more quality time with nature and in the company of good people. I recorded all those moments in my mind, with adjectives and adverbs, that I can better paint the scene only through writing.

There’s something that amazes me when I write my travel memoirs, the words take me back in time. It’s nice to remember, the hardships, pain, joy, and excitement. All pure and simple. These raw feelings I could perfectly express only through a story worth a thousand words.

Writing is an escape, an antidote to loneliness. As someone whose home has been the road for the past years, the only thing to cure travel nostalgia is to just go through with it. Writing makes me remember the life lessons I have learned, and hopefully, it will also help me arrive at my next destination. Meanwhile, I will enjoy the journey....

I write so I can say what I cannot say. I have to get these stories out of my system and get the messages out there. I feel the need to write what I feel - happy, lonely, angry, or sometimes, even when I'm not feeling anything.

A traveler who can write is someone who pays attention to the moment. Someone who also pays attention to the world.

Writing is also an act of rebellion, it is so powerful that the heroes used the pen to rebel against the rulers, to open the minds of people, to fight for peace and freedom.

When I came back after a few years of traveling, the reality sinks in. Nobody cares and nobody wants to hear those stories. True, because I traveled for myself and not for anyone else. I once asked a friend who remained by my side all these years from a distance, what now? He told me, "write".

I’ve been wanting to write while I was traveling but I guess I was so engrossed in whatever I was doing at the moment, letting the time flies. I was in deep conversations, I was silently communing with nature, and I was out there having the time of my life. I was more attentive to encounters, introductions, and random adventures. As Thoreau said, it would not be enough for me to just sit, I actually have to stand up and live.

Now, I have this immense appetite for writing just as I have an immense appetite for existence. It’s good that I’m finally able to create something out of those travel experiences, that I believe, can be as valuable as photos. Those without short attention span can read what I write, and experience those precious moments through my stories. The past worth looking back on. Soon, I will continue my journey to discover more hidden places worth describing and write those irreplaceable moments.

Home is calling, the road is home.