Here I am, the intrepid traveler, sitting cross-legged upon a stone bench with my journal poised upon one knee. I hunch over and scribble something in its pages, then straighten up to soak in the sun and atmosphere as I chew on the end of my pen. It is a well-chewed pen.
It's a moment of pause in the whirlwind of my day. Here at Humayun's Tomb, in the middle of the bustle and clamor of New Delhi, I savor the relative quiet within the tastefully manicured grounds. Outside the walls, a swarm of auto rickshaws await their next fare, vehicles honk and weave in and out of traffic, and a city of almost 14 million people pulsates with a life of its own. Inside the walls, however, the 16th-century, red-sandstone monument transports me several hundred years into the past. Commissioned by Emperor Humayun's wife after his death, the tomb complex was the first of its kind in India and served as an inspiration for the Taj Mahal. Even Humayun's royal barber has a tomb in the complex. Apparently, the 16th century was a very good time to be a barber.
I contemplate why I do this. Why I travel the world and journal to share my experiences with friends and family, and why I would be an ideal candidate to do so for WOW. The answer I come up with isn't terribly clever or creative, but it's honest: I am ideal because this is what I do naturally. I've been traveling for years, often on my own, and keep an online journal so that my friends and family can share the experience. For me, the world is a wondrous place waiting to be explored and savored. It is my hope that in sharing my experiences, I will infect others with a sense of curiosity that inspires them to explore it for themselves.
