As I reached for the book an old man standing next to me, holding a travel guide of his own, tells me "Nicaragua is a beautiful country." He looked to be in his 70's and had a slight Spanish accent. The man asked me when I was leaving. I told him one month and he seemed eager to tell me all about it. He told me, in an unpretentious manor, that he had visited 43 countries. I learned all about his countless trips to Central America in the 60's and 70's and how the rain forests stood untouched in places where resorts now reside. He scrambled to tell me about the boat he had in Mexico and the river fishing he did in Panama and the bad taste Germany left in his mouth after serving there in the War. I watched his eyes light up as he remembered Thailand the "amazing food in Vietnam." I chuckled to myself as he vividly described vistas, locals and landscapes but repeatedly forgot the names of the towns he was in... every time he got frustrated, apologized and blamed his lack of memory on old age.
He was reading a book on Costa Rica. He told me he had been there six times before but was looking for new information. "So much changes every few years" he said. "Every time I read these books there is something new."
The man rolled his eyes and laughed as he told me about his honeymoon in Brazil. He had married a French painter and they traveled to Rio de Janeiro. Excited to do some painting of the people out on the sand, they ended up on the beach of Ipanema surrounded by beautiful ladies in tiny bikinis. This wasn't what she had in mind and he chuckled as he explained he didn't have a problem with it, but his new bride was not pleased.
His stories could have gone on for hours and I would have loved to listen to them all. He was kind, full of experience and knowledge; anyone would have been privileged to pick his brain. He had seen the world and he really seemed to understand the value of travel. With conviction he told me "every country has something beautiful to offer."
I think I'm writing this so that I don't forget that statement and so I don't forget that awesome man. I never got his name but I've always believed travel makes you a better person and today I met living proof that it does.
