One Bunk at a Time
I am lying on the top bunk in a hostel in Lisbon. Last year I was in a hostel in Bangkok. Same cheap bed, same noisy fan, but two different continents.
People always ask me which one is better, Asia or Europe. I never know what to say. They are not better or worse. They are just different.
In Asia, food is cheap and the streets are loud. You can eat a big bowl of noodles for two dollars. The buses are old, but they go everywhere. People talk to you fast, and they smile a lot. Life feels quick.
In Europe, things move more slowly. A coffee costs more than my lunch in Bangkok. The trains are clean and they arrive on time. People are quiet on the metro. At first I thought they were cold, but they are just calm.
Travel is easier than people think. You don't need to speak the language well. You need to smile, point, and say thank you. That works on every continent.
The foreign words sound strange for one week. Then, slowly, they start to feel normal. A bus station in a new country is scary on the first day and easy on the seventh.
I have learned one thing on this trip. The world is big, but people are the same everywhere. We all want food, a bed, and someone to talk to.
Tonight I will sleep, and tomorrow I will take a train to a new city. The bed will be different. The fan will be louder or quieter. But I will be the same traveller, learning the world one bunk at a time.