1. First day of a round the world trip

By Filipe Morato Gomes	Where is Oporto?
It's not a fantasy, I realize - the big dream is actually beginning! These are a few excerpts from the adventure story that has surely become the most rewarding chapter of my life: my first trip around the world.

With bleary vision, I stare at the mechanical board displaying my non-return flight. The print focuses and hazes with every wave of emotion that hits me. I am entering unchartered territory - the territory of no-return, where my starting point is no longer my ending point, but instead a place that promises to unfold a myriad of new starting points. Overwhelmed with passion, I stare at the unaffected electronic board that periodically blips my destination, and with it conveys the promise of long-yearned freedom. The big day has arrived.

The destination is Moscow, where the possibilities seem endless. From Moscow I could ride the legendary Trans-Siberian line, sleep beneath a starry sky in the peaceful Mongolian steppes, or even walk the Great Wall of China. I could challenge my soul with revered Tibetan spirituality or my body with the stature of the Nepalese mountains.

I may be surprised by the friendliness of the Burmese people, or take pleasure in the richness of Thai cuisine. I could have the privilege of witnessing the sun sink beneath the horizon of Angkor temples, or get to visit the Asian pearl, Luang Prabang. I may be entranced by the Vietnamese coastline, or feel the pride and promise of the youngest nation on Earth as I step onto East-Timorese ground.

I could witness the magnificence of the Sydney Opera House, swim with the fish and through the coral of a Polynesian paradise, feel the sensuality of the Argentinean tango penetrate my skin, make tracks in the salty Bolivian landscape, timetravel to the past in the ruins of Machu Picchu, dance to the magic of Cuba, and then slide back into the reality of home. As surreal as it seems, all this is a definite possibility for this next chapter of my life. Though lacking in most modern luxuries, for the next few months I will revel in the absolute luxury of stepping each step and living each moment with the knowledge of a freedom to decide where each following step and each following moment will take me.

Travelling around the world is not an original idea, and neither is writing about it for that matter. But what is unique is that there will never be two travellers who perceive their experience the same way. They will never report exactly the same sights, same feelings, or the same emotions. Each journey is a unique encounter, which must be why the Portuguese daily newspaper Público has welcomed this endeavour from the beginning. They have agreed to publish the travel stories that I will send them, from wherever it is my journey takes me.

My goal is to set out on a seventy week journey, embracing the world quietly and speaking freely about what it shows me and teaches me, and the way that each lesson makes me feel. I will try to understand and convey the spirit of each place, and hope to express the defining characteristic of each people group and culture I encounter.

I had abandoned most of my personal belongings, under the pretence that weight is the enemy of mobility. And it is a good thing considering the weight of all the electronic equipment (laptop and various photographic devices) I am carrying as I approach the check-in desk.

While waiting in line, I ponder all of the intense planning and preparation that have suddenly come to an end. I think over all of the inquiries into the wonders of so-called technical clothing, all of the advice from medical doctors, and the countless inoculations. I have read, researched, and regurgitated so much information about so many countries. I have tried my best to choose the most appropriate equipment for an unplanned journey. I have visited friends and family, and now, from farewell to farewell, I sit here about to say my last-about to head into the unchartered territory of no return.

I catch my first sight of the flight attendant, welcoming passengers with a smile. I realize that I am helpless to resist the smile that has spread itself across my face as I take my last step on Portuguese ground. I board the plane that will launch my tour. Talk to you soon, from somewhere on this limitless planet.

(originally written in Portuguese)

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