The Moments Inbetween

Those unexpected moments, sometimes otherworldly, often mundane, that hit you with a sudden force, are the moments that we as travellers, remember forever. They can come out of nothing and nowhere, and they often seem to happen in the quiet break of a crammed itinerary. The instant you sit back, look around and realise where you are. You are here, at this particular second, in this particular time, in this particular place. No one else can feel what you can right at this moment; it is almost an outer body experience.

As I was walking through Hong Kong, upon the rigid walkway, the pulsating lifeblood in the heart of the city, this happened. It happened when I was journeying from my trip to Victoria Peak and was heading back to Kowloon, for the night ahead. As the sun set an ethereal glow flooded the city and washed over me. These moments are indescribable and personal and unique and extraordinary. They come from your heart and fill your body with an excitement that is so powerful you can feel the energy resonate as you look around at the rush of commuters, going from A to B. The world goes into a time-lapse and you are the center. Everything stops, your worries, your pain, and your sickness for home. There is a peace. You haven’t paid any extra to be there, it was not on your itinerary but it just happens. As the sun sets and the sky casts its pink glow, the cities smog softens everything around you, like a dream. You are in a gigantic light box of movement and excitement and splendor.

As I had travelled across South East Asia to Hong Kong I experienced so much. I remember it all, from the beauty of nature in Doi Suthep, where the hills seemed endless and the glow of Chiang Mai as you look down upon it, to adventuring down the Mekong, surrounded by cloudy orange water, with luscious green hills. Some locals chose to canoe, others insisted on racing upon loud, petrol smelling, long boats. I remember the faces and voices of my travel companions from all walks of life and different nationalities but this single moment upon the walkway has remained prominent. I could have froze time and stayed for hours, for days however I do not know if this feeling would have passed or would have stayed until my body could function no more. I tried to capture it with a photograph but could not encapsulate it like my memories have. This is what travellers yearn for, these inexplicable moments of sudden realisation, of overwhelming beauty, of utter contentment, of peace.