Overloaded Senses

When you hear or read people’s experience of their trip in India, they would describe how their senses experience different things that are foreign. The eyes, the ears, the smell, all senses are identifying new things and trying to get used to them. At some point your senses are overloaded. It could be a good thing or bad thing, totally depends on your reaction.

I didn’t really experience that. Maybe because I was more informed. I was looking forward to going there for quite some time. Even years before I make real plan I love watching documentaries or travel shows on India, about the culture, the food, people’s experience there. Unfortunately I didn’t grow any interest in watching Bollywood movies. Anyway, my eyes were somewhat trained after watching documentaries, my taste buds are familiar with the food (though I won’t pretend to know all Indian food, because of course I can only eat what they have to offer here).

So while I was there, as much as I try to immerse myself with the culture, I don’t think I got the real 100% Indian experience. I didn’t really mingle with the locals, go to their house to have even a day to live as an Indian. I didn’t have that luxury.

Nevertheless, I was happy being a tourist for a month. From the small chats with the locals who were willing to converse and could converse in English I got bits and pieces of what people do. A nice guy I met in Chennai explained how a woman would start their day. She would take a shower, smoke her hair with the incense and after she will prepare breakfast for the family. In my ears it sounded impractical, but culture is culture, and in my imagination I could see this woman doing it out of love. Just beautiful.

The one thing that I think my body was working hard to adjust to the new habit was my tummy. Change of diet can be challenging, but I tried as much as I can to balance it. With minimum fiber intake I made sure I have an apple in the mornings and other fruits like banana, orange or juice during the day. Glad I could find lassi anywhere and milk, even in small portion on chai. I never was a big fan of chai. Give me tea and milk on separate cups and I’ll drink both. LOL. But that doesn’t work like that in India. On good days I could find tea, on better days they can add some ginger. It’s good tho to be able to find any chai stall on the street, especially during winter in India.

Back to my diet. Without intending to lose any weight, I knew I was losing some, at least 2-3 kgs. Quite surprising considering most of the foods were starch. Naan, roti, chapatti, mixed with curry with some tiny cut veggies. And I never say no to street food. I was curious. I wanted to taste them all those namkeen. My favorite was still samosa, and I get to met my second favorite, which was panipuri, and belpuri became number 3. Aahh… I could survive the day just eating those, with a glass of fresh mixed juice.

By the end of the trip and almost back to motherland I could only imagine one thing that I was craving for. No, not meat (tho I missed having a juicy beef steak or pork). Being in India for a month was kind of a test, and I think I could become vegetarian quite easily, tho it’s not gonna happen. I love meat. LOL. So the last few days I was there I thought about the first meal I’d like to have, and that would be of a big bowl of freshly sautéed veggies. It could be a mix of 3-4 veggies, carrot, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, bean sprouts, anything. Just the idea of having veggies could actually made me drool!! Yep, that was how much I missed it, crunchy tasty veggies. And it happened. Heaven. God bless farmers! :)

The Bucket List.

The term "bucket list" was coined by a movie of an odd old buddies, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. It told the story of pursuing to do the stuff that you've been dreaming of doing in your life. So people start listing things to do, the desires of the heart, best before you die.

Seems this generation has travel as a big thing. Including me. I love traveling. If money isn’t a requirement and the job isn’t something that provide that luxury I’d be on the road all the time. Or maybe not. After a full month traveling (which is the longest I’ve been), I kinda missed my bed, and tired of the packing-unpacking, especially tired of wearing the same 8 clothes and 4 pairs of pants again and again.

The list I got to cross out this time was INDIA. 

Aahhhh India… where do I begin?

It started with a chat with a friend of mine, from one topic to another we came to a decision to travel to India together, for a month. We picked the month, and the next meeting we bought our tickets. We had a few months to prepare and book the rest of the journey. The fun of choosing places to visit, stuff to do, it was just exciting, seeing your dream started to materialized.

Come November, we were all ready and prepared and excited! Accommodations were booked, inland transportation also. We decided to fly for any train trip that exceeds 12 hrs. It’s just a waste of time. Booking train was challenging as we’re abroad, no local number which was required. Good thing my friend has a good Indian friend there and was willing to help us with the booking, and we could repay her when we’re there. Awesooomme! That’s the benefit of having friends in places we want to go. :)

In the whole month we visited 11 cities, countless historical places such as palaces, religious places,and  many other interesting places. We trailed from the south, Chennai, up to Hyderabad, up again to Rajasthan and ended up in Delhi. Like a friend of mine said, while visiting a country it’s always good to visit the capital city. Correct.

Some of my next postings will be Indian-related. Travel a month gave so much ideas to write. What we saw, what we ate, the whole experience the senses had. But all in all I can’t pretend I understand and know India. There’s so much still to be seen and learn. The culture is diverse from one area to another. I suppose India is not crossed out completely, sort of half way, since I still want to come back. Someday, sometime, on a good day.