Reaching the age of seventy, I find that traveling occasionally is good for both my health and my spirit.

I live in Victorville, California, and this time I visited my brother's house in Chicago after a long time. As we both age, it has become harder to see each other often, but I took this opportunity to stay for a few days, share old stories, and explore Chicago.

Upon arriving in Chicago, the first thing I felt was the scale of the city was indeed different.

Victorville is a modest area in the desert, but Chicago has tall buildings that seem to pierce the sky, and the streets are full of life. Most notably, my brother took me to a place called the 'Chicago Riverwalk,' which was a fascinating experience.

When I got there, boats were moving along the river. I thought they were just sightseeing boats, but there were various types.

There were cruise boats for tourists, small restaurant boats where people enjoyed lunch, and even boats decorated like upscale restaurants. My brother explained that Chicago is famous for its architecture, and if you take a boat tour, they describe the buildings along the Chicago River.

At my age, I was more captivated by the sight of the boats gliding over the water than the architecture itself.

In my seventy years of life, it was the first time I saw boats passing by so closely, right in the middle of the city.

Every time a boat cut through the water, the surface of the river sparkled, and the sunlight breaking over it felt incredibly peaceful. It was a scene I could not see in Victorville, making it even more special.

My brother even bought me a ticket for a sightseeing boat. The feeling of enjoying the breeze on the river while viewing downtown Chicago was quite different.

Seeing Chicago from the boat was entirely different from seeing it on land. The shadows of the skyscrapers reflected on the water danced as they swayed, and I could see the bridges opening and closing. The sight of the bridges slowly rising as the boat passed was quite a spectacle.

The tour guide explained things in English, and while I couldn't understand everything, my brother was there to explain a bit. Hearing things like, "That building was built in the 1920s" or "That bridge used to be the busiest in the world" made me realize that Chicago is not just a big city but a place rich in history and stories.

I also saw people eating Chicago pizza on the boat, and they looked so free.

I took out the sandwich my brother had brought and, while enjoying the river breeze, I felt a sudden rush of youth.

"Am I really seventy? I feel like I'm around fifty," I thought, feeling refreshed.

Travel is quite mysterious. Even though it's the same land in America, being in the desert-filled Victorville and then watching boats by the Chicago River felt like being in a different country, strange and fresh.

When my brother asked, "Isn't it nice to explore together at this age?" I just smiled and nodded.

Inside, I thought, "I need to have more moments like this."

After a few days of traveling in Chicago, on my way back to California, the scenery outside the airplane window looked just ordinary, but my heart felt much lighter.

As I grow older, opportunities to experience new things decrease, but I realized that if I muster the courage to travel like this, there is still so much to learn and feel.

The boats I saw on the Chicago River were not just a tourist attraction; they symbolized that life can still be interesting and enjoyable even as I age.

Now, I will return to Victorville and resume my daily farm work, but the scenery of the boats on the Chicago River will always remain in my heart.

And I believe that memory will enrich my old age in the future.