Loneliness is in our hearts. We may be alone yet we are not lonely when we adapt to our surroundings and treat people as our friends. We may be in a crowd with laughter coming from around us, if we close our hearts we can feel lonely.
I experienced loneliness and it reduced me to tears when I was at KLIA before boarding my plane. Belinda Lee was supposed to go along with me for a 8 days trip to Beijing, Chengde and Tianjin but an accident befell her mother-in-law. She had to give up her trip to be with her.
Things were not going smoothly for me too. I had to stay back to attend a meeting and was released at only 9 pm the night before departure. By then I was mentally and physically exhausted as I was running a temperature. Having paid for the trip I refused to give up. Swallowing 2 tablets of panadol to relieve the fever and dizziness and equipped with a bottle of chrysanthemum tea plus a blister pack of panadol I was ready to conquer China.
My taxi driver was a cheerful uncle who had visited China before. “Very good to visit”. “ Many things to see”. “ Many things to buy”. Mmm, China seemed a fun place to visit. He dropped me at the entrance, wish me well and left me ALONE.
Upon entering the airport I look around me. Of course, there were no familiar faces. Most people were traveling in pairs. Loneliness overpowered me. I was on the verge of tears. Along came two ladies in their late forties. They sat beside me on the bench. I turned to them and asked, “Where are you traveling to?” “China”. After a few pleasantries we became friends. We were with the same travel agency. I agreed to “look after them” (This was requested by one of them. As if they needed looking after. They looked kuat to me) and they invited me to “join them”.
From that moment on, I looked forward to my trip. By the time I boarded my plane I was enjoying myself and knew I would not be lonely anymore.
I have never regretted my trip to Beijing although there were one or two frightening experiences. In fact if I got the chance I hope to travel alone again.
I experienced loneliness and it reduced me to tears when I was at KLIA before boarding my plane. Belinda Lee was supposed to go along with me for a 8 days trip to Beijing, Chengde and Tianjin but an accident befell her mother-in-law. She had to give up her trip to be with her.
Things were not going smoothly for me too. I had to stay back to attend a meeting and was released at only 9 pm the night before departure. By then I was mentally and physically exhausted as I was running a temperature. Having paid for the trip I refused to give up. Swallowing 2 tablets of panadol to relieve the fever and dizziness and equipped with a bottle of chrysanthemum tea plus a blister pack of panadol I was ready to conquer China.
My taxi driver was a cheerful uncle who had visited China before. “Very good to visit”. “ Many things to see”. “ Many things to buy”. Mmm, China seemed a fun place to visit. He dropped me at the entrance, wish me well and left me ALONE.
Upon entering the airport I look around me. Of course, there were no familiar faces. Most people were traveling in pairs. Loneliness overpowered me. I was on the verge of tears. Along came two ladies in their late forties. They sat beside me on the bench. I turned to them and asked, “Where are you traveling to?” “China”. After a few pleasantries we became friends. We were with the same travel agency. I agreed to “look after them” (This was requested by one of them. As if they needed looking after. They looked kuat to me) and they invited me to “join them”.
From that moment on, I looked forward to my trip. By the time I boarded my plane I was enjoying myself and knew I would not be lonely anymore.
I have never regretted my trip to Beijing although there were one or two frightening experiences. In fact if I got the chance I hope to travel alone again.
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