| Monday |
| recollections of a magnificent journey abroad |
“Oh my god, you’re back! So what did you get up to?”
Pause.
I never know where to start.
Often, trips consist of several magnificent highlights, moments that you can rattle off the top of your head and that is it. But god bless me, I feel like my entire two months have been an absolute highlight in itself.
Stuck in between two prosperous and ever-advancing countries of India and China lies a quiet and beautiful country not many visit. Nepal, the second poorest country in the world is home to people with hearts of gold. Aside from the magical scenery along the countryside, the most striking feature of this small country is the small people. Nepalese, in stark contrast to North Indians, are friendly, caring and loving, truly living out the country’s acronym – Never Ending Peace And Love. Modest people whom expect nothing but kindness in return.
Though a small country, it probably encompasses most of the highlights of my entire trip. The two week clinical experience at the hospital added minimally to my physiotherapy knowledge bank, it served as a constant reminder for me not to take things for granted back home. The close-to-notorious conditions of the hospital and countless under-treated and untreated patients make me realise how lucky every single one of us are here in Australia. Patients with broken hips lie in bed for up to 8 weeks with a string and water bottle traction before being surgically repaired. Sometimes I feel like a rope tightens around my heart as I watch on by; changing this system is well beyond my power.
Weekends were never wasted. Mountain-biking to several villages outside Kathmandu offered a vast array of picturesque scenery and a whole lot of sweat and painful buttocks. The early morning hike to Nargarkot for sunrise was nothing short of spectacular, as is sitting on top of a bus for a two hour down hill ride.
Biking it
Chobar Gorge
Cute Nepalese girl smiling at the right moment
Trekking up the Annapurna was no doubt the unbeatable experience. Probably not the most gruesome and torturous trek possible, but enough to say that a bit of training beforehand helps a great deal *Thank you Chobar and Kali Temple.* We were lucky and most thankful to have a wonderful guide and porter accompany us through the trek, serving us food, ensuring our safety and more importantly, carrying our load, for which we could not have done it ourselves. I have learnt my lesson at the price of my porter’s sweat – pack minimally for treks. The mountains offer extraordinary views from the world above and nothing can rid my vivid memory of that early morning hike for sunrise from Poonhill above the clouds. Breathtaking.
Paragliding view
Poonhill (3210m) sunrise
Trekking photos
The home stay, the lovely family and fellow backpackers we met along the way, in short, made our unforgettable experience in Nepal, complete. As did the Dhal Bhat and momos.
India is a whole new story. Whilst the country is somewhat cleaner and less polluted as Nepal, it is a pity that its beauty is masked by unfriendly and pushy North Indians. Of course, I am generalising here, so take no offence. But from my brief experience of North India, I cannot bare to ever think that I will return, despite the wealth of awe-inspiring historical monuments. The Taj Mahal, Humayun’s tomb, Jama Masjid, Lotus temple and Swaminarayan Akshardam; a possible candidate for the 8th world wonder, are only a few to name. But believe me, the joys of sightseeing is temporary and after being bombarded with monuments and forts and temples in Delhi, all I need was the retail therapy in busy bazzars, street food and a rest in cheap hotels – much that our driver in Rajasthan could not understand.
Sleeper trains to Amritsar - Panjabi, North India
New Year's Eve dinner at Golden Temple
Panjabi sweets
Wagah Border - India and Pakistan
Lotus temple
Taj Mahal
Lassiwala, badam milk and cheese omelettes off the street add to my list of my fondest memories of Rajasthan, and of course, the one night we slept in the desert.
"the best fucking omelette i have ever fucken had"
Luck would have it that the only day we had rain through the entire trip had to happen that very night we decide to sleep on the sand dunes equip with only a sleeping bag, wood, two camels, and an experienced camel driver who mainly communicated with words like, “don’t complain”, “you happy, I happy”. Nontheless, a brilliant safari.
Camel Safari
On the camel back for 5 hours
Lunch, brilliant lunch
The big sand dunes - look up and we knew it was obviously going to rain...
The exact spot we got drenched overnight...
Moving down south to Mumbai and Goa offered us an escape from the northerners, which god, I was more than thankful for. Sharing the same motherland, South Indians are friendlier, happier and less money focussed. Done with the sightseeing and monument hunting, the south was the only rest time we had through India. Cruising along the coast, splurging on fresh seafood, ayurvedic massage, beach party and long night walks gave it a nice wrap up to the tiring but most amazing two month journey.
Thailand. Shopping and Islands would be what I would ever go back for, nothing else. Spending only a comparably short amount of time in Bangkok, Phuket and Phi Phi Island, I don’t have much to say but that my experience of Thailand would not have been the same without snorkelling, rock climbing and more importantly cliff jumping. That adrenaline rush would never leave me, but probably something I would choose not to do again.
Cliff jumping - yes that miniscule object midair is indeed me
Once you catch the travel bug, it never leaves you. I’ve caught it. I have my options laid out for my next big trip; Backpacking through South America, or through Japan, Korea, China and Lao. The latter is probably the safer option at this stage, but researching and lonely planet reading *ugh* is on its way, along with the will to work on my savings account. |
posted by sciurine @ 2:46 AM   |
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| Sunday |
| back |
Once you catch the travel bug, it never leaves you. I’ve been away from home for the last two months, backpacking through Nepal, India and Thailand, and as much as I miss Melbourne, my family and friends, laptop, my bed and hot showers, be nothing beats travelling so far. I’m already looking forward to my next trip. Be it not long from now.
It was the best feeling coming home to my family, but sometimes, it sucks to be back. Badly. The day after I got home, enormous loads of laundry were waiting to be done, cargo documents to be organised, and our university timetable is already out. The list goes on. The beaut of travelling is that none of the above need be mentioned. No study, no washing, no organising. Pure freedom.
Needless to mention the beauty of spending in rupees and baht. I don’t ever want to revert back to the Australian dollar. Everything in the supermarkets seems ridiculously overpriced back home. The amount I spent on filling up my tank of petrol yesterday could’ve lasted me an entire month in Nepal. *ugh*
Anyway, in many other ways, it's good to be back. |
| posted by sciurine @ 11:24 PM |
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| ABOUT |
Thoughts, ...flowing slowly and gracefully, ...awakening the senses, ...keeping you up in the night, I sometimes wonder why people write. To express? To reflect? To be heard? I write, to free myself from a world of thoughts.
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