Group of small children standing on drying rushes
Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries,  Travel in general

Gallery: magic moments while travelling

December 11, 2023 / 51 Comments

Magic Moments

Memories we’ve been sharing

Magic Moments

When two hearts are caring

Burt Bacharach / Hal David

We travel of course to see the big sights. We want to see for ourselves the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York. We want to marvel at the height of the Alps or Himalayas, the endless sands of the Sahara, the dense rainforests of Amazonia. But what we sometimes remember just as much are the people we meet along the way.

Those magical moments when we connect cannot be had any other way. We may think we know what to expect from those iconic sights. But we cannot know beforehand what other small delights await us in these places.

So for Ann-Christine’s Lens Artists challenge theme of ‘Magical’ I thought I would reprise some of our encounters. Yes, I have shared some of these previously, but I’m glad of the excuse to bring them all together here. They certainly fit the definition of magical that she quotes from Wikipedia: ‘…beautiful or delightful in a way that seems removed from everyday life’. Removed from my everyday life, yes, but giving me a glimpse into theirs.

Two small children with a deflated football

In Phoe Taen Akha, northern Laos

We had an impromptu kick-about with these children, part of a group that took great interest in our visit. You can see the little girl with some others from the same village in my feature photo.

Laughing toddler on stone steps

At the Imperial Vault of Heaven in the Temple of Heaven, Beijing

This toddler spotted me drop my ticket while resting on the steps and immediately pounced on it. We then played a little game with me sliding the ticket down the marble balustrade and him catching it and returning it to me with a giggle, before anxiously waiting for me to slide it again.

Three girls making peace sign

Schoolgirls in the Peace Park, Hiroshima

I’ve described previously how we were interviewed by several groups of schoolchildren here, all keen to hear about our home country, our perceptions of Japan and our dreams for world peace.

Group of children and a few adults

Local schoolchildren in Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine

More children on a school visit, this time to see the place where national heroes from past battles are buried. This was taken during a Virtual Tourist meeting in the city in 2010. I wonder where these children are now, if they are safe, and if some of them are today also fighting to defend their country?

Two girls in white shirts

At the Foreign Languages School, Chongjin, North Korea

Another encounter with school pupils, albeit this one much less impromptu, which I described in full here. Clearly the young people had been carefully rehearsed in what they could and could not talk about with us. Nevertheless it was a rare chance in this country to talk with some of those who live there.

Small girl in a fancy red dress

Young girl in a Syrian village

This young girl didn’t so much invite me into her home as drag me there, eager to introduce me to her mother and baby sister. As with the Lviv children, I often wonder about her fate and that of her remote village.

With a local woman in the Thar Desert near Samsara, Rajasthan

This wasn’t such an impromptu encounter. A visit to this woman’s home was included as part of our transfer to the nearby desert camp. But the smile with which she welcomed us into her small house was genuine, as was the pride with which she introduced her young grandson.

Woman in western outfit with another in sari and a small boy
Man cuddling a toddler

At a Berber home in the Wahiba Sands, Oman

Another encounter I’ve shared previously and another one that was orchestrated as part of our itinerary. But this endearing moment between grandfather and grandson was too magical not to include again here.

Man seated surrounded by furniture and religious statues

Leo, proprietor of the Chimayó Trading Post, NM

My very first blog post described our encounter with the engaging proprietor of this magical treasure trove of a store. Leo is sadly no longer with us, so I’m extra glad I had the opportunity to meet him while he was still alive.

Man gesticulating next to a large mural

Alex Hansen explaining the stories behind these murals in Zurich

Another character, Alex had spent his life studying the symbolism behind these paintings and was eager to share his theories with me and my friend Sonja.

Smiling girl with blue hair

Barista in Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA

I admired this girl’s hair colour and she told me her mother dyed it for her. She was more than happy to pose for photos!

Group of people

With local tourists at the Kukhna Ark in Khiva, Uzbekistan

This group of (mainly) women were keen to pose for photos too, with me and my friend Sue. They had enough English for a brief conversation about where we lived and why we’d chosen to visit their country.

Two women cooking

Learning to make tamales in Indian Church, Belize

My main memory of this encounter is our hosts’ amusement at our incompetence!

Two women and a man posing on a hill above a city

With Betty and Marcelo in Quito

When we visited Quito, a London-based Ecuadorian friend gave us an introduction to her parents there. Betty and Marcelo were excellent hosts, taking us on two outings around their city and to some great restaurants we would never have found without their local knowledge.

Group of people posing in front of a grand staircase

With Virtual Tourist friends in Chicago’s Cultural Center

I’ll finish with a shot from my recent trip to Chicago, a reminder that special connections can also be made with your fellow travellers. I value the magic that is the Virtual Tourist community immensely and am glad to be able to celebrate it again here!

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51 Comments

  • leightontravels

    December 17, 2023 at 19:31 Reply

    You have shared some really special moments here Sarah. I wouldn’t have been able to resist the impromptu kickabout, the little guy looks like he could do with a new ball. A few of my favourite people photographs also came from The Forbidden City, which is surely one of the world’s best people watching spots. The photo from Lviv is a bit haunting, I immediately thought the same thing about their current whereabouts and what they might be doing at this moment. Each of the people in that shot must have their own story to tell. I think my favourite here might be grandpa and boy, it’s a really natural and intimate capture.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 18, 2023 at 08:35 Reply

      Thank you for this detailed feedback Leighton 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed these images and that they brought back some good memories of your own. I agree about the new ball, although it’s amazing how much fun kids can have with any toy when they’re not under the sort of pressures some Western children feel to always have the latest thing to keep up with their friends. I bet he enjoys his kick-abouts just as much! The Chinese toddler was at the Temple of Heaven, not the Forbidden City, but yes, I got some great people photos there too, although it was too crowded to have any significant encounters.

  • Anita

    December 15, 2023 at 16:38 Reply

    Magical, indeed!! All these encounters with unknown people are and remain magical. Your photos convey so many emotions of joy and curiosity, especially when it comes to the children. Your images show a reality beyond one’s own everyday life, and that feels exciting.
    An unexpected choice for the theme but an excellent one.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 15, 2023 at 17:36 Reply

      Thanks so much Anita 😊 I guess it was an unusual choice but I wanted to steer clear of the obvious Christmas magic which was the first thing I thought of. But I’ll be posting some of that next week 😀

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 13, 2023 at 16:18 Reply

      Thank you Rose 😊 I think that’s true – these children mostly lead much tougher lives than ours but it’s their normal and there are usually plenty of smiles around!

  • Sofia Alves

    December 12, 2023 at 18:39 Reply

    Your posts are always different and interesting takes on the themes and I always enjoy them immensely. This one feels closer, more personal and in that way magical. Wonderful people, beautifully captured.

  • margaret21

    December 12, 2023 at 17:51 Reply

    How lovely to remember the people who have made your travels so magical. This may be a post we can’t so easily share with you in the same way, but I’m so glad you did this one for its power to bring back the magic for you.

  • Wind Kisses

    December 12, 2023 at 16:14 Reply

    You have truly had some unique and magical connections with people you meet along the way< Sarah. There is no better way to learn of a culture that to place yourself amidst those who live it. Yes, it is nice to see iconic sites, nicer still to meet the locals. Such a nice collection of stories and photos to treasure.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 12, 2023 at 15:31 Reply

      I don’t always find it easy but in a lot of the countries we’ve visited people are even more curious about us than we are them, so engagement is more natural perhaps

  • Easymalc

    December 12, 2023 at 10:43 Reply

    I entirely agree with you about meeting people as well as seeing the sights Sarah, and you’ve definitely proved your point here with a collection of fabulous photos. When travelling alone I was always keen to capture people on camera, but never could for fear of either being arrested or beat up 🙂

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 12, 2023 at 11:23 Reply

      Thank you Malcolm 🙂 I’ve never been arrested or beaten up for taking photos of people! If I ask they often say yes, and if I’m taking candids and they ask me to stop, I always do so. Most of these were taken with permission, only the first one of the kids playing football is a bit of a sneaky one, but I’d already been permitted to photograph the same children earlier in our visit (you can see the little girl in my feature shot).

  • bluebrightly

    December 12, 2023 at 02:15 Reply

    So true, Sarah – if we didn’t meet people along the way we’d be much the poorer for it. I like that barista! And Leo sitting among his things. My heart stirs at the sight of the Syrian girl though – what a smile! That photo is reminiscent of one or two my son took while in the Marines, serving in a remote village in Afghanistan.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 12, 2023 at 09:29 Reply

      Oh yes, your son must have had very similar encounters in Afghanistan, with people living in similarly tough circumstances. Leo was a real character, we were so pleased we had the chance to meet and chat with him 🙂

  • sustainabilitea

    December 11, 2023 at 22:09 Reply

    I love your take on this, Sarah. I too wondered about the people in some of your photos, as they live in such difficult places. What lovely memories these photos must engender!

    janet

  • Leya

    December 11, 2023 at 21:04 Reply

    You are so good at meeting people, talking with them and remembering them. Beautiful and expressive photos of them all – especially love the children. Magical meetings they are, and I also wonder what happened to the youngsters later on, their life stories are forever hidden to us. Unless you keep in contact with some of them?

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 12, 2023 at 09:25 Reply

      Thank you Ann-Christine 🙂 No, these are almost all chance encounters, too brief to have kept in contact or even to have any means of doing so. The exceptions of course are my Virtual Tourist friends, and also Betty and Marcelo whom we did keep in touch with for a while afterwards. They had plans to visit their daughter in London and we hoped to see them then, but instead I believe she moved back to Ecuador and we lost contact with her and her parents.

  • thehungrytravellers.blog

    December 11, 2023 at 18:55 Reply

    You’re so right, people encounters lead to the stories which lead to the tapestry which make our travels memorable. When one views one’s own photographs of such moments, or indeed reads back through one’s own posts, it triggers both memory and conversation. When one reads through someone else’s memories, like your post today, the overwhelming feeling (if it’s a good post, anyway!) is…..”I wonder what that person’s life story is….what is their life like…..”

    • Sarah Wilkie

      December 12, 2023 at 09:22 Reply

      I’m not surprise you related to this post Phil, as your own travel stories are laced with memories of the people you’ve met along the way. I think it’s these encounters that make our travellers’ tales more personal. Others could travel to the same destinations and see them same sights, but they would meet different people, or (if they failed to take the opportunities to engage) none at all. And I have similar thoughts about those I capture in my candid shots, ‘what is their life like?’

Do share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you!