TRAVEL MUSINGS

TRAVEL MUSINGS

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Posted by Ishita Vora on May 17, 2003 (Saturday)

As I transcribe my dairy to my computer, I am getting this very strong urge to rewrite my thoughts in a more refined way.

Trains, I love traveling in trains. But I don�t enjoy very long train journeys. Max I can take it for eleven to twelve hours. Problem one, I can�t endure the train toilets. And problem two, I hate the New Delhi Railway station and for that say, even the Mumbai Central. Urine and car fumes. These two smells haul the spirit of traveling out of me.

Here I am seated on my berth and penning my fast varying thoughts in my travel diary. People around me are thinking that I am a journalist. Actually I won�t mind being one for the rest of the journey. At least I�ll feel more secure, nominally. Argghhh�. The child sitting next to me is conspicuously whispering to his mother to ask me to give him my Window seat�. no way, I mean what is the use of traveling in second class if you can�t have the window seat to yourself. I pretend to be lost in my writings and look out of the window now and then, to pretend that my writings are inspired by the slow moving dry scenery outside.

Its 10�o clock in the night and we pass through these huge stretches of stench which become public toilets in the morning. And emerges a long fleet of shacks which remind me about the enormity of life. Me here and them there. Same life, same material.. shit I start feeling crappy when I think about the semblance of it all.

Coming back to this diary, I guess I started writing more by default than by interest. I had just finished my schooling when my first article was published by the Times of India. And believe me it was hazaar kachara, in every sense of the word. It was the most superficial article I ever wrote and the grammar was all screwed up. And yet they published it� I was on cloud nine. That is when I developed this belief that I can write. Four years into it and I think sometimes decisions taken on loose ends have better pay offs than fully reasoned choices. Actually every situation is so unique that you can�t really generalize. Yaa, so this diary made its way into my tuck bag somehow.

Actually the time I kept this diary in my bag I forgot that I have a sixteen year old cousin who would be accompanying me for the trip. �DIDIiiiiiiiiii� kya hain� she�s been reiterating since the time we boarded the train. Two things are bugging her at the moment ( in order of priority). First, enduring the second class general journey for a whole night ( in this heat). And two, me ignoring her. Sometimes its fun ignoring people and watching them bask in guilt. Equally interesting is when you give a lot of attention to people and make them feel important.

The baby in my compartment just pissed on the floor. There, my cousin gives me that look� � I told yaa I don�t want to travel like this�.

(A few hours later...)

I enjoy adventure travel. When I started taking a macro-view of my life, I listed down some twenty odd countries (cities) where I wanted to go to. I think they more or less covered the entire planet. One year later, I started crossing the names and came to a still about my travel philosophy. No organized travel plans�. Pay 39k and see Swittzerland in 10 day, 1 hours at alps, 1 hour for lunch, 2 hrs for shopping� i didn�t want anyone planning my holiday for me. To me adventure travel is getting up one fine morning and packing my bags ( the moment I get this strong urge to get out� though it doesn�t happen always!) to go to some place XYZ where I know no one. Arriving in a city and looking for a place to drop my bags. Going to some remote village in a local bus and sharing space and time with the people there, when I don�t even understand what the other bloke is saying. Traveling late in the night and reaching new cities to behold the sunrises. Its not knowing what would be my destination next!

No, all this doesn�t mean that I don�t plan my trips ever. I can fit into different shoes at different times, be the most rustic traveler at one point and yet be the most sophisticated at other. Being of the fairer-sex ( my apologies to all feminists� ) I have realized that my adventure-travel plans rarely materialize. My trips are usually more planned and are not what can be called exploratory. And my boundaries limited to India.

So that is how this trip happened. I had to push myself to work on some discreet Wednesday, by evening I was sure I had to get out. Friday night I was in train. I was in Jodhpur on Saturday morning and now I am in this settlement called mooda ( or goodda) bishnoi, trying to spot some bucks.

I surprise myself more than anything when I am in a different place. things which I would otherwise whine for, don�t unsettle me any longer. May be because I am mentally prepared for it . I know and accept, a different place would mean different people, culture, lifestyle, thinking�. and I become more tolerant to things. Travel is so much of freedom.

There was a time when I had to think hazaar before I could think of moving out. Time, money, studies, job, company ( as in waiting for some friend called X to agree and once he/she has agreed, wait for some more time for Y to agree� by when X would have for sure changed his/her mind). So I decided next time I would just decide and let the decision flow. I have to give priority to my mobility.

When a place really interests me, I love walking as much as I can and stop to spend some time in a local caf�. I think these are the best ways to experience places�

( much later�.)

I didn�t write much on my way back. Though I thought about things I would have otherwise written, some wise man wanted the lights off and his lower berth to himself. So I had to settle on the middle berth where I could hardly sit straight and had no view.