Crossing Over: 4510km

Posted on December 1, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”

As I crossed the border into Nepal I was elated. I was finally in Nepal, a country I had dreamed about visiting for years, and one of the countries I am most looking forward to getting to know. It was time for me to get out of India as well. Though I had a mostly wonderful experience, the last week has been taxing and has unfortunately left me with a somewhat sour taste of the area. (Besides my issues with the men and the constant unfriendly stares, I was also ripped off by rich business men every night for hotel rooms since they knew I had no other choice.) Nevertheless, I will be returning once again to India next summer (after about five months in Nepal), notably to the mountainous regions of Spiti, Ladakh, and Kashmir. But more about that another time, for now, I am in Nepal.

On the Road in Pictures

Posted on November 30, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“If you don’t know where you are going, then any road will take you there.”

I sometimes forget that an ox-pulled cart or five people crammed onto on a small scooter is unusual since I have become accustomed to cycling next to just about everything. I realize though that this is not the case for most of you, so I decided to take a few pictures to show you what it is like. Keep in mind that these were all taken within an hour, and cover only a fraction of the funny things I find myself next to on a daily basis.

Chai

Posted on November 28, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”

Chai is a huge part of the Indian culture, something I hadn’t realized coming from North America where it is in no way part of our daily life. There are tea stalls absolutely everywhere, and the second you arrive at someone’s house you are handed a nice hot cup of tea. Everyone drinks a glass of chai in the morning when they wake up, and at least a few others throughout the day. It is a milk based tea with lots of sugar, and “masala,” a mixture of spices that gives it it’s flavor. Everywhere makes it a bit differently, but it is always absolutely delicious!

All About Rice

Posted on November 27, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I eat rice everyday, and in India, often three times a day. Even so, I had absolutely no idea where it came from before staying with the Sikh family on their rice farm.

Sat Sri Akaal: 4350km

Posted on November 26, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“People always ask me when I am going to come down from the clouds. Never. I like this view.”

Imagine you are sitting on the back of a motorcycle, riding down a winding dirt foot path through fields of rice and sugar cane. All you can see in front of you is a bright orange turban, as the driver is a friendly Punjabi (Sikh) man, the kind of grandpa any child would be lucky to have. To your right are a few teenagers jumping into the largest pile of hay you have ever seen, and to your left, at least twenty ox grazing in a field. Now let’s back up a bit so I can tell you how I got here.

An Unfortunate Encounter: 4300km

Posted on November 24, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else’s.”

This section of India, through the eastern state of Uttarakhand, has unfortunately proven to hold many rude and inappropriate men. Though everywhere in India they stare, in this part, the young men in their twenties and thirties try and stop me on my bike, or yell “I love you,” as they pass by. Though most of them are harmless idiots, I did come across one circumstance which had me worried.

A Banana, A Samosa, and A Chocolate

Posted on November 23, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.”

India is known for its poverty. There are beggars in every town, and as a tourist, it is sometimes hard to walk past them without feeling bad, especially if you are holding food that they obviously need more than you do. I usually walk by with my head down and try to not concentrate on how unjust our world is for some. It is not that I don’t want to help them, but if I gave every beggar I encountered money, I too would be broke (plus, by giving money, you can’t guarantee it’s not going towards alcohol or drugs). In Rishikesh there are plenty of beggars, homeless Indians as well as Babas who choose to be homeless, basically relying on the kindness of others to get them through. I decided for a day to change my philosophy, and instead of giving nothing to everyone, I gave some food, a banana, a samosa, and a chocolate, to every homeless I passed.

A Childhood Obsession

Posted on November 21, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough.”

Jane Goodall was my hero when I was younger. I always thought I would grow up to live in an African forest amongst the chimpanzees just like her. I had read her books, knew the names of her chimps, and had posters covering every inch of my walls with animals, notably monkeys of all kinds. I was an absolute fanatic, and apparently there is a little bit of that childhood love left in me. Everyday at four (in Richikesh) I visited the same spot where I knew a family of white monkeys always came. Sometimes I brought banana peels and other treats, and other times I just watched them wander and climb around as monkeys do. They are very docile, and didn’t care much if your approached them. The second you opened your bag though, they would all crowd around expecting a treat.

Babaji and Puja

Posted on November 20, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“I have never been attached to just one place. I don’t feel like that my home is the city where I was born.”

Richikesh has many Babas (or Sadhus), wandering Hindu monks who have no home and no past (obviously they have a past, but they live as if they have none). They do not live within society as most of us do, they have no processions, no family, and no job, and instead live their life in a spiritual manner. They often live in forests, caves, or temples, and sometimes, like in Richikesh, just on the street. There are 4-5 million today in India, and they are mostly respected by the rest of society. They receive donations from people as much of the community believes they help to burn off bad karma. Not everyone respects them though, there are many beggars, especially in holy pilgrimage sites, who now pose as Babas in order to be given money or a meal. Something I found surprising was the fact that these holy men smoke a lot of weed (called charrus here), since they believe Shiva, their God, adored the leaves of the plant. Another interesting thing I read is that Sadhus are legally considered dead in India, some of whom even attended their own funeral.

Amongst My Own Kind

Posted on November 18, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“We are born into a complex world. Its nature. Its history. Its cultures. Ours to absorb. We are small, but we are fearless. We explore, we question, we test the world. Young and unburdened, we are not afraid of the answers we might find…”

Well, I got stuck again for a week (at this rate it’s going to be months until I make it to Nepal), but it was a much needed break to recharge my metaphorical, well, and camera batteries. Though I’m on the road to meet the locals and experience their ways of life, I will admit it’s very nice to be with my own kind. I ended up in Richikesh, a very touristy town because it’s near the source of the Ganga, and because it has become a sort of yoga capital. The town is filled with what I refer to as “lost travelers,” people on the road for years on end, often because they have no home or family and don’t really know what to do. India seems to attract many of these such travelers as it is easy to get a visa and because it is one of the cheapest countries to live in. There were also an astounding amount of yoga fanatics, people who come to India just to take classes and do their daily practice. It was a funny mix of travelers, definitely not what I consider a typical backpacking crowd in most of the world. And since it was a town with so many westerners, I was thankfully not starred at or watched constantly. It was nice to have a few days of easy travel, knowing where I would be sleeping that night and having somewhere to store my bags.