Inspiration Through the Eyes of Two Travelers

Recently we were invited to write a post for Velvet Escape regarding people that have inspired us on our travels. We have another post coming out today at CheapOair about our time in Bali, and it brought back memories of our instructor Ronald who was also an inspiration.

It was a topic that really made me think about all of the people that I have met on the road and how I have taken so much for granted while I am at home. In an earlier post this week, I touched on the subject, and now, in honor of our post appearing at VelvetEscape and at cheapOair’s blog today, I have been thinking again about the people that have inspired me.

Hard Roads in Ethiopia

Africa was one of our toughest travels to date. We cycled through some of the most brutal conditions the world could throw at us for 120 days.  We would cycle through the desert for 6 days in a row without showering, without cold water and without a comfortable soft bed. We cycled through some of the poorest countries in the world and since we were riding for a charity, we had the opportunity to visit developmental projects to see the work that is being done to help.  We also witnessed first hand the hardships that many people face and the want and need to make a better life.

Upon my return home, I was amazed with the little things.  When I opened my fully stocked refrigerator to to make a meal I thought of the people that I met that don’t even have a refrigerator. As I rinsed my fresh vegetables under my cold running water, I thought about the people of Ethiopia and Malawi that have to walk for kilometres on end to fetch water from the local well; the only source of fresh clean water around.  I think of the people that work in the backbreaking heat tending their crops and the people that can’t just go to the corner store because they don’t feel like cooking dinner this evening.

I can’t deny that I have guilt.  I am not special, I was just born in a rich country given everything that I could need from the day I was born.  I am not a rich person, but living in Canada, you do not have to be rich, to live a rich life.

Dave and I often discuss this idea. Who “up there” decides who will be born in luxury and who will be born in poverty.  When we were in Cambodia, we had a hard time accepting ourselves and felt guilty for being who we are.  The world is not a fair place and travel opens our eyes to it on a very real and deep level.

I am not saying that all people that we meet on our travels suffer.  Many are happy and healthier than people here. We have ended up meeting truly inspiring people through our travels and here are some of the  moments that have touched us the most while we have been on the road.

An artist works at his craft funded through Microfinance

1. In Cairo’s poorest neighborhood Plan Canada took us to see what was being done to help. The people of the inner city were so proud to show us the progress they have made. We visited a micro-finance shop. Talented craftsmen showed us their businesses that they built from the ground up and were now making a living carving beautiful pieces of art and furniture. They had big plans and I am sure that they will fulfill all of their goals.

Gate to Cambodia

2. In Cambodia, we stopped in Kampot and taught English for an evening. The teacher was so proud of his accomplishment. A local villager, he earned 2 dollars for the evening and asked us if we could help him because some of his pronunciations were not good because English was his second language. All we did was help people pronounce words properly, he did all of the teaching, but it was a moving experience.  The pride that everyone felt that evening was unshakable. The students were proud to show off their grasp of the English Language, the Teacher was proud of his important job that was making a difference and their joy and determination rubbed off of us as we felt a certain pride in being able to help in our own small way.

Tea at Inle Lake

3. At Inle lake in Myanmar, we met an extraordinary girl. She invited us into her house and showed us photographs of her mother as as we sipped tea with her grandmother. We talked the afternoon away and she asked for nothing in return.  We were just two people walking along the canal that she happened to want to talk to and our hearts were lifted as we listened to the hardships of her life, but also the dreams that she has and what she has accomplished already.

A quiet moment in Wadi Halfa

4. Wadi Halfa Sudan- we weren’t supposed to be here.  We were simply supposed to get off the ferry from Egypt and move on the next day. But as luck would have it, our support truck was stuck at customs and we had to spend another day in this dried up town on the edge of lake Nassar. It was the next morning when we were walking through the streets that a man invited us to have breakfast with him.  He fed us a hearty meal and kept the sweet tea coming.  As we ate he talked to us of the town. How it was once lush and green and beautiful, but when the Egyptians built the Aswan Dam, they cut off all of the water coming in from the Nile and people ended up moving away.  He was a retired professor in Khartoum and had now moved home to rebuild his life here in Wadi Halfa, people are slowly coming back, but there is a long way to go.  When we tried to pay for our breakfast, he waved us off and that was the first of many experiences in Sudan where people have so little to give, and yet they give so much without a thought.

Dave with students in Malawi

5. Malawi- One of the poorest nations in Africa made famous by Madonna of late. We had the chance to visit a school.  We were greeted with music and singing and smiling faces. This school was a success story in a land that needs so much and the community was so proud to show us their accomplishments.  Their was a well, a soy bean field a playground and several buildings for classrooms.  Teachers and students came out on their day off to give us a tour and talk to us about what was going on.  Children from the village have gone on to university, recieved scholarships and jobs.  Children are monitored for malnourishment and they are not only taught lessons in school, they are taught how to tend the soy bean field and take care of crops. I saw pure joy in the faces of everyone and the success of the community could be felt in the energy all around us.

Check out this wonderful series that has had incredible contributors and we are honored to be included alongside such great writers as journeywoman, MyFolieaDeux and WildJunket, SoloTraveler, Travelogged and AfricaFreak

And find out about travel destinations from other great guest bloggers at CheapOair.

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