Journey versus destination
A shorter article today. I am writing this article at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. My flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka is in under 3 hours, and I only found time now to ‘pen’ my thoughts for this fortnightly series. On my way to the airport, I found out that my flight was delayed by 1 hour. Darn.
I love travelling. Always have. And I love both the journey and the destination. I find an element of surprise in every journey. The combination of people, idiosyncrasies, in-flight menus, in-flight entertainment, delays and more contribute to the uniqueness of each journey. Never to be replicated again.
This is also a week where the potential perils of air travel are top of mind following Singapore Airlines’s misfortune with turbulence that left one passenger dead and several injured. It was a Singapore-bound flight from London that had to detour to Bangkok after experiencing turbulence near the Bay of Bengal.
Everyone who knew I was flying today told me to ‘keep your seatbelt on!’ Which I always do anyway.
The emotions associated with the destination depend largely on the purpose of the journey. Whatever the purpose I always like to ‘tune in’ to my destination before I get there. Sri Lanka/Colombo is not new to me. I have visited the country many times, but I always wonder what new experiences I might gain on each trip. I was there in February for a client workshop. I am seeing the same client for a follow-up.
The last time I arrived in the afternoon and spent 2 hours getting to the hotel - a 42 km trip. Traffic was manic. This time my later arrival should make road travel smoother. Only time will tell.
It’s now Sunday morning as I continue writing this article from my hotel room. I ran out of steam to write last night. My flight was delayed a further 1 hour and 15 minutes. I left at 12.15 am Malaysian time and arrived in Colombo just before 1 am (3.30 am Malaysian time) and cleared immigration swiftly. I got to my hotel at 2 am. Thankfully the traffic was better but not completely clear.
It is Wesak (celebration of Buddha’s birth) week in Sri Lanka. As I travelled through Colombo at 1 am, there were still celebrations taking place. The city was still abuzz. I was warned of this. And the lights and decorations were amazing. Pity it was too dark for me to take some good pictures. And my phone camera is not the greatest.
I made a Booking.com reservation for my hotel stay. It was a last-minute deal for this property, and I had to pay in full in advance. The rate was so good compared to the hotel’s published rates on their website that it felt too good to be true. Lo and behold the reception staff could not find my reservation! My concerns were becoming a reality.
Thankfully they had rooms available, and the staff got me checked in. I forwarded my confirmation email to them, and the hotel’s reservation team will investigate it this morning.
I got 4 hours of sleep. The two-and-a-half-hour time difference is playing its part. I am an early riser and considering it was 9 am in Malaysia as I woke up is an achievement for me. I am a typical 5.30 – 6.30 am riser at home.
There you have it – journey versus destination! They are different and each has its own set of emotions that make it unique for that moment. I was hoping to walk to the Mount Lavinia neighbourhood, where my hotel is, to take some photos of decorations. But the weather presently is not cooperating. I may go out later and share any pictures that I take in my next article.
For now, I leave you with the view of the great Indian Ocean from my room.
As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com