Poverty is not the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of travel; yet the reality is when we delve deep into a culture we develop a greater awareness of how people live and the struggle they are sometimes faced with in their every day life.
For some daily existence is geared toward food, water, shelter and safety. For many of us in the western world third world travel is eye opening and life changing. There is nothing that brings awareness like the brutal reality of poverty seen up close and personal while traveling throughout the world. My perceptions changed in 1993 during a trip to Indonesia. It was my first experience in a third world country. What I experienced there and what I saw changed the way I thought and lived in a positive way. I lead my life now with a deep awareness of others and a respect for what others live every day. May we each open our hearts and minds on this Blog Action Day 2008.