New York Travel Show

This past weekend, tourism boards, travelers, travel agents gathered at the Jacob Javitz Center. It was the 10th Annual New York Times Travel Show. There were booths representing every corner of the world, big and small. The signs were big and the representatives were welcoming. It wasn't a competition for the best booth but presentation did not go unnoticed. It was as if you hopped from one country another as you maneuvered through the crowd from booth to booth. It was a blend of voices in different languages. I skipped around only to gather information from countries I'd never been to, establishing conversation and make new friends.

As I looked around, the Taiwan table caught my attention with its bright colors, pamphlets, flags, big crowd,  and display of calligraphy. Yes! There was an older man patiently writing what people requested atTaiwanese table. I ventured onto the line to request that he write the name of my blog. As I explained the best I could in a series of hand gestures and descriptive adjectives, he looked puzzled at me. He had taken the word "wanderlust" out of context. The guy behind me starts to chime in saying that he has seen the movie. No, I said its "an irrisistable desire to travel". "Ahh travel, yes like planes" he replies. Apparently, his english was fairly limited. He smiled and started drawing a series of curved lines intersecting straight ones all over the paper to make into what ended up being his interpretation of what he thought I was saying. He asked me to write down my blog name as he was intrigued by its title and wanted to read up on it. "Very original" he said over and over. I honestly just hope it really says "Mbracing Wanderlust".

If he was any indication as to how friendly and inviting people from Taiwan are, I would definately love to visit sometime. And at the end of it all, isn't that the purpose of this Travel Show?- To open your mind to countries you would not have thought of going to?