Five Reasons I Love Travel (from Hsinchu, Taiwan)

My high school English teacher, Mrs. Remington, always said, "It's a sad day, when you don't learn something new."

I have my own spin on that, which is, "It's a sad day when I don't see something new."

As Martin, Stephanie and I were walking through Hsinchu, we spotted this monk. He was meditating.
It's not that I hadn't seen a monk before. I've seen plenty.
It's just that I hadn't seen one in Hsinchu, and I wasn't expecting it.

Perhaps I'm easily amused, but whenever I see something I wasn't expecting, it reminds me why I travel.

• Travel helps me break familiar patterns
  
• Travel makes me aware of life's potential
• Travel induces a sort of physiological delirium that I find pleasant
• Travel introduces me to new smells, sounds, sights, and touches
• Travel forces me to see what I am, and am not

As I'm sure this monk would echo - it's the journey, not the destination, that matters.