Yalla Beena, Yalla Yalla (let’s go man, hurry!)

One of the most valuable life lessons I have learned over the past 30 or so years revolves around the benefits of travel. Like most people it took a while for me to reach a financial position that allowed Terrie and I to travel abroad. We had taken trips within the states and a few to Mexico but I had never been across the big pond. 

The first of those trips was to France and Monaco. They were easy places to travel because most people speak some English. Next came Hong Kong and a totally different experience. Sure there were plenty of people who spoke English but the “street people” didn’t. One afternoon we were released from the group we were with to explore on our own. Terrie and I decided to take the Star Ferry across the bay to Kowloon and find a place to have lunch. It was pretty much a disaster. There were very few signs in English and we had no idea how to find a good restaurant. I finally said, “let’s look for a place that is really busy, that should mean it’s good.” Well, we stopped at the first place we saw that was packed with locals. My first clue should have been the plucked chickens hanging in the window! We went in, found a table and began scanning the menu brought to the table. Everything was written in Chinese. I had no idea how or what to order so I started looking around the room, surveying what was on other peoples plates. When the waiter came to the table all I could do was point to plates that looked interesting and hope for the best. So much for my theory. We ended up with a plate full of grizzly boiled chicken with some sort of vegetables and a bunch of rice. No wonder the waiter chuckled when I tried to order. But hey, it was one of those travel experiences we still remember and have an occasional laugh about. 

The travel we were getting to do was fun and exciting but we weren’t really getting the full experience. We were primarily sight seeing. As we matured as travelers I began to realize there is so much more to foreign travel, and travel anywhere for that matter, than just seeing the sights. Heck, in todays world you can do that on YouTube. The real beauty of travel is experiencing the people and their culture. Sure, an African safari is an extraordinary experience. Being in a safari vehicle 20 feet away from a pride of lions or witnessing a kill by a Cheetah is amazing. But going to Simon’s (our guide) village, seeing where he lives, meeting his wife and children, that is the real richness of travel. In North Vietnam we had the opportunity to go to the home of a gentleman named Hong Mi. Hong had been a pilot in the “American War” and to have the opportunity to hear his side of the story, while somewhat difficult to listen to, put an entirely different perspective on our recollection of the history of our relationship with his country. Again – a rich experience. In France we have had the honor of going to small farms in the countryside, sit on bales of hay and share a glass of wine with the farmer who made the wine. We talked about life, our families our hope for the future. It was never about our differences. Rich! 

We have just returned from another amazing trip, this one to Egypt. When we arrived in Cairo my first thought was it is one of the most chaotic, dirtiest places I had ever been. No doubt, it is chaotic, it is dirty but it is also full or rich culture stemming from its amazing history. The longer we were there the more I started to get a feel for the rhythm of the city and its people. What appeared to be completely void of any organization was normal everyday life to them. A city of 25 million people all going somewhere in cars, horse drawn wagons, “duck tucks”, scooters, on foot. Not a single traffic light. No recognition of traffic lanes. Cars pulled off along the side of highways waiting for who knows what. People risking their lives crossing the roads through traffic. Boats moving up and down the Nile. Piles of debris where the government had taken down housing complexes to make room for “coming” new development. Minarets and mosques everywhere with the five times per day announcement of the time for prayer. For a first time visiter, Cairo and Egypt in general is a very intimidating place. But like everywhere else I have been, taking time to look for the “richness” of life there pays off. Getting a feel for the culture, experiencing it through the food, seeing the unending historical monuments and museums, visiting temple after temple. Of course going to the pyramids of Giza, seeing the famous Sphinx first hand, riding a camel, flying over the vast Sahara as we made our way to the temple of Abu Simbel in Aswan were expectations. Going to an Egyptian rug making school, witnessing a family working together to create a beautiful work of art was not. I could go on and on about all the places and things we saw. But again, the real beauty of the experience was meeting the people, seeing how they live, enjoying their food, learning about their hopes and desires, hearing how they worship their god, all the things that makeup life as an Egyptian.  

The travel company we used for the trip, Egygo Travel, is a family owned operation, some members live in Alexandria, Egypt and one in Denver. The final night in Cairo they hosted a departure dinner for us and it was truly a “rich” evening. Parts of the trip were relived, stories about our families were shared, hope for continued connection was expressed and at the end of the evening there were lots of hugs, kisses and probably a few tears as we said goodbye to our new friends. With all of the amazing things we saw and did during our time in Egypt, the final evening together with our new friends from a culture we had never before experienced was the best of all. 

Travel provides the opportunity to experience the “richness” of the diversity God created for us to enjoy. The website, Got Answers describes it this way. ”Diversity is part of being human. God delights in the plethora of differences His human creatures possess. The book of Revelationdescribes the final gathering of God’s people from “every nation, tribe, and tongue” (Revelation 7:9). The angels and elders around God’s throne adore Jesus with the words “with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). So God enjoys the diversity within the human race. We are each created in His image for His pleasure and glory (Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16). He designed us the way we are and delights in His handiwork (Psalm 139:13–16).” God made humanity diverse for us to enjoy, not to fight against. 

So as Amir Shahin, our amazing and brilliant Egyptian guide would say repeatedly, Yalla Beena, yalla yalla. Let’s go man! Let’s hurry! God has given us so much to learn about and enjoy in other people and nations there is no time to waste!