Day two of our little break, and I had the most local travel experience I’ve spent two years avoiding.
Crowds.
I went to an amazing museum today, and the first warning sign was the queue winding around the block. We waited forty-five minutes, and then the line surged forward. It felt like being carried along on a sea of humanity with no plans of stopping.
That was the deal for the whole visit. A wave of people taking in and photographing some of China’s most important historical finds. It was all too much for me, and the longer it went on, the more uncomfortable I felt.
Note to self: you have never liked this kind of thing, and that isn’t about to change, so stop doing it. Like most things, a simple fix.
The afternoon was spent relaxing and wandering the streets of this very pleasant city. It was a lovely few hours, taking in the history of a well-balanced place, one I feel surprisingly comfortable in, considering it holds sixteen million people.
The food was great, the company better, and it was good to head home early to a large soft bed that is somehow far too soft to offer the support it does. Life confuses me more than I care to admit. At this stage, I think it always will, so I may as well get comfortable with that.
All in all, it was a wonderful day of not doing much and feeling connected to every moment I lived. Some moments felt uncomfortable, others felt free, like small particles of joy dust floating around me, never landing but leaving a smile in their wake. Simple days like these feel more special now since I started moving slowly enough to take in everything they offer.