People Are People

What nearly always take some getting used to for me living out of my backpack is how a person makes friends on the road. You are thrust into these bizarre situations all the time with random strangers, and just as quickly you find yourself apart from these same people. Rafaela from the trek puts too much salt on her food, is worried about her sick grandmother, and doesn´t like sushi. Max likes Nordic heavy metal and doesn´t need a shave after 5 days in the bush. Kate wants to travel more but has to move home after this trip to her parents´ place outside Glasgow to figure out if she wants to start a career or travel more. Who are these people? Why should I care about them? I have met so many people, and have pages of email addresses, most rarely used. But, on the other hand, just a few months ago I spent 5 short days in London and saw two people I met (separately) in Thailand, and one I met in Belize. Or is it only that we make friends quickly on the road because we are lonely, or bored with our companinion? Or is it merely that curious people travel, and we ask questions to learn new things and just make new friends in the process? Why do I bother to ask these questions?