{"id":4928,"date":"2020-08-14T17:14:53","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T17:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/?p=4928"},"modified":"2025-01-21T05:18:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T05:18:58","slug":"discover-the-secrets-of-a-true-explorer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/general-info\/discover-the-secrets-of-a-true-explorer.html","title":{"rendered":"Discover The Secrets of a True Explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We shall not cease from exploration,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the end of all our exploring<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will be to arrive where we started,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And know the place for the first time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never has T.S. Eliot’s poem felt so true, than during\nthis time of Covid-19. As someone who used to be an avid traveler, I find\nmyself using this time to reflect back on the travels I have done when one\nstill had the freedom to roam freely. Whether it was following an ancient\npilgrim route from northern Nepal into Western Tibet or sailing along\nIndonesia’s magnificent coast onboard a phinisi cruise ship, but also just\nbeing part of the street food scene in Yangon as I enjoyed their local tea leaf\nsalad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have always been deeply curious in other cultures and\nthoughtforms and find it fascinating in how we as humans have different ways of\nbeing in the world and are able to express this with great variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born to Dutch-Indonesian parents, this curiosity was\nsomething that I inherited already early on. Having moved around a lot as a\nchild, travel has shown me that home does not need to be limited to a\ngeographical place. I saw that we can find a sense of belonging wherever we are\nwhen we realize that the ‘other’ is actually not all that different from\noneself. Don’t we all long to be seen, to be loved and understood? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my recent book Where the Light Begins, I describe the\ntransformative experience travel has had on my own life. I started to shift\nfrom travel being a way to check off destinations on my bucket list, to it\nbecoming a way to connect more deeply with the people and the spirit of a\nplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, I started to appreciate the inner journey as\nmuch as the outer one as I became aware that our external world is often a\nreflection of our inner world and that there’s an opportunity for awe and\nwonder wherever we find ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is true that at the moment travel is still\nlargely restricted, I believe that this doesn’t necessarily mean that we have\nto stop exploring. Travel can be done in many different ways: through reading\nwidely, through having an open mind to the immediate world around us and\nthrough engaging with people outside our usual circles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I will admit that there are days when I am feeling\nnostalgic about travel, but then I find comfort in knowing that all around us\nthere’s an opportunity to embark on a new adventure if we are willing to embody\nan explorer’s mindset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

—————————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cristy Elmendorp has organized pilgrimages to Bhutan, Tibet, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Nepal, inviting travelers to reconnect with their inner selves. She is the author of Where the Light Begins: A Seeker’s Journey for Truth, Freedom and a Place to Call Home, a memoir of self-discovery, adventure, and spirituality interwoven in an epic coming-of-age story. To order her book click here.\u00a0\u00a0 (Link: http:\/\/wherethelightbegins.com\/)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started, And know the place for the first time. Never has T.S. Eliot’s poem felt so true, than during this time of Covid-19. 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