On my way back from a two week trip to glorious Indonesia, I was jet lagged, weary, and ready to come home. As I proceeded to the Air Tran ticket check in counter in Los Angeles, I saw a tall, handsome chap who kindly checked in my bags and gave me my air ticket.

The wait and queue was quite long, which made customers in line a bit irritable. It got a bit tense, but nevertheless I patiently had a brief conversation with this intellectual gentleman who was serving me. He told me he was from Iran, which immediately interested me further.

I told him that I was particularly interested in producing a documentary film on this country and traveling through it to see what life and sentiments are really like toward the western world. I care not to believe all American media propaganda, neither to be governed by fear.

My parents were greatly fearful about me going to Indonesia and acted as if I was going to die there. It was nothing of the sort as the Indonesian people greatly embraced and welcomed me. I even made friends with an entire company of army police who happily were snapping photographs with me. Veiled Muslim women in Java were doing the same at Borobudur Temple.

So you can't believe everything you hear in the media. Fear is self-centered and never a great way to live your life. People are people everywhere, all having similar needs and desires. We all have dreams and aspirations. We all want to be recognized, respected, and loved.

Therefore I always endeavor to leave my comfort zone and truly engage people worldwide. Having traveled now to over 50 countries and 6 continents, I am continually looking for opportunities to capture culture and people as it truly is abroad.

My Iranian friend (Davood) has since emailed me often and told me his friends back home in Iran are involved in filmmaking. His father is a historian and very intelligent man about Iran. Davood has invited me to go with him to Iran and film the documentary we discussed.

I am very excited and expectant about doing this. It will be a token of peace and international dialogue for the world to watch and behold. I already have all of the video equipment to make the production. I now only need to gather some noble investors to help us with our travel expenses and finance the promotion of the documentary.

These are the occurrences that serendipity can bring to you to have meaningful relationships and live a purposeful life when you remain open. Though I was coming home jet lagged and weary to Florida, I got some fresh fire and desire for my next project at the least likely time. Indeed sweet serendipity is most sublime and can occur suddenly any time.

Paul Davis is a motivational speaker, life purpose coach, worldwide minister, change master, creative consultant, and turnaround specialist.

Paul is the author of several books including Breakthrough for a Broken Heart; Adultery: 101 Reasons Not to Cheat; Are You Ready for True Love; Stop Lusting & Start Living; Waves of God; Supernatural Fire; Poems that Propel the Planet; and God vs. Religion.

Paul's compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul has served in many war-torn, impoverished and tsunami stricken regions of the earth. His Dream-Maker Inc. is building dreams, breaking limitations & reviving nations.

Paul's Seminars inspire, revive, awaken, impregnate with purpose, impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery and dream fulfillment.

Thiruvananthapuram, the city of the snake god, is the capital of Kerala State and is situated at south India. The city is a blend of modern and traditional architecture. Named after the fabled Serpent God 'Anantha' on whom Sri Anantha Padmanabhan (Lord Vishnu) reclines, the city is built on seven hills. Caressed by the Arabian Sea at the west, Thiruvananthapuram is a popular transit destination for Indians and foreigners alike who like to visit south India.

Places to see in Thiruvananthapuram:

• Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple
The imposing seven storied tower makes it the most impressive landmark in the city. The temple is an excellent example of the dravidian style of architecture. There are innumerable pillars, intricate carvings, and mural paintings.

• Kovalam
Kovalam is 12kms to the south of Thiruvananthapuram and is one of the finest beaches in India. It has been developed into an integrated seaside resort. The beach complex has many hotels, cottages, yoga centres etc.

• Sree Chithra Art Gallary
Has a rich collection of paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and Roerich It also has copies of paintings of the Ajanta, Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore Schools besides some works from China, Japa, Tibet and bali.

• Ponmudi
A pleasant resort at an elevation of 912m above sea level. It is 61 kms from Thiruvananthapuram and connected by road. There are many tree and rubber estates around the hills.

• Kowdiar Palace
The home of the late maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama varma and his family is off limits to visitors but you can have a glimpse from the main gate. If a friendly guard is on duty, he will let you walk a bit inside the grounds where you can get a view of the grand old building at the end of its long drive.

• The Kanakakunnu Palace
This palace in the heart of Trivandrum city is one of the most beautiful buildings. The palace and its sprawling grounds are today the venue for many cultural meets. The Museum The museum building is an architectural splendour. The napier museum, the natural history museum, the reptile house and the Shri Chitra Art Gallery are in the same complex amidst a well laid out garden and park..

• Kuthira Malika
Puthen Malika is also known as Kuthira Malika. This palace was built during the time of H.H Maharaja Swathi Thirunal the king of Travncore who was also a great poet and musician. This palace has wood carvings in the traditional Travancore style. The museum presently displays various painting collections of the royal family.

• Varkala
A pilgrim centre for the devotees of Sree Narayana Guru, one of the patron saints of Kerala, whose motto was "One God, One Religion, One Caste". It is only 51kms from Trivandrum by road and also boasts of one of the best beaches in the State.

Fairs and Festivals in Thiruvananthapuram:

The Great Elephant Race
Though strictly not a local festival, the conclusion of it is in Thiruvananthapuram. It is a four daylong extravaganza arranged by the tourism department of Kerala. 101 caparisoned elephants march from Thrissur on the 17th of every January reaching Thiruvananthapuram on the fourth day with stop overs at Kochi and Alappuzha. Boat races and folk art performances are arranged during this period where tourists can have glimpses of Kerala culture. The festival is concluded on the fourth day at Kovalam Beach with cultural programs and seaside barbecue.

Nishagandhi Dance Festival
The Tourism Development Corporation organises the dance festival. Leading artists of Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Odissi, Modern ballet and other folk form will perform at the open-air theatre of Nishagandhi in the Kanakakunnu Palace compound. Admission is free and the festival usually is accompanied with music.

Vetta and Arattu
This festival is celebrated twice in a year, once in Oct.-Nov and other in March-April. Vetta represents Lord Vishnu hunting down the demon of evil in the forest. The next day afternoon the Arattu procession begins. Images of Lord Padmanabha, Lord Krishna and Lord Narasimha are carried to the Arabian Sea at Sangumugham beach escorted by the members of the Royal Family. At sunset the images are ritually bathed in the sea. Returning the images in a procession back to the Padmanabhaswamy temple concludes the event. Several cultural programs including all-night Kathakali are performed during the festival.

How to get there:

By Air
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (6 kms. from the city) has air links with convenient connections to Maldives, Sri Lanka and many countries to the West of Arabian Sea and other important ports. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operate domestic flights to different parts of the country.

By Rail
Thiruvananthapuram is an important railway terminus on the southwestern coast with train services from all parts of the country, including the southernmost tip of the subcontinent, Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin).

By Road
Motorable roads link Thiruvananthapuram to several important tourist and business centers in India. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operates bus services of various classes.