Cycling Through Solitude in the Indian Himalayas

Posted on April 20, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“If you’re bored with life, if you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things, then there is more to life than you have yet to realize.”

“…There is no one and nothing around, I’m alone in the middle of the Himalayas. In fact, the region is so peacefully quiet that I sometimes forget that I’m not alone in the world. It is the feeling of solitude, blissful, wonderful solitude.”

Cycling Through Solitude

This article explains the happiness and overwhelming sense of peacefulness that comes with cycling through solitude above 5,000m in the Indian Himalayas, a region I absolutely loved and think about often. After months in the overcrowded flatlands of India and Nepal, I am more than ready to retrieve that feeling of bliss once more as I head back into the region in a few weeks.

India As A Solo Female

Posted on April 15, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.”

Solo travel through India.

It’s scary and intense but worth the struggle to discover the colorful world of complex culture, harmful ignorance, and immense kindness that is waiting to be discovered. It’s a life changing experience to say the least, one that will leave you as a solo female feeling empowered yet disheartened, grateful yet afraid.

All About Food

Posted on February 14, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“If you can’t learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly.”

-Rice and dal is the most common dish in India and Nepal, and locals typically eat it twice a day (breakfast is at around ten, and dinner is at six or seven. There is no lunch, usually just some biscuits and tea). Dal is a broth with a few lentils or beans and occasionally chickpeas, potatoes, or pumpkin. Usually with this dish you also get a small portion of curried vegetables which are always amazing. In India, this comes with roti (Indian bread) though in Nepal this seems to be much less common. This dish, which is always all-you-can-eat, costs anywhere from 70 cents to 1.50$ depending on where you are.

Cycling Through Hell: India

Posted on February 6, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”

As I take three or four large gulps from the water jug on the rickety bench I feel that familiar sense of adrenaline, fear, and anger rise up inside of me. When I lower the pitcher I see them, watching me intently as they always do. Indian men.

Though their names may change, to me they are all the same. I feel naked. Their piercing greedy eyes undress me, leaving me vulnerable yet prepared to fight as I toy with the rock in my clenched fist. I have three more in my pocket and pepper spray tucked into my bra. I’m prepared, I have been through this before. In fact, I go through this everyday now. I’m cycling through hell.

Solo Travel

Posted on December 20, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Don’t be afraid to walk alone. Don’t be afraid to like it.”

Traveling solo, whether male or female, is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world. By traveling alone you are forced to meet and befriend more people, both travelers and locals, and you gain a sense of independence you will never have if you travel with someone else. People are much more willing to invite you into their homes, and you get to do what you want, when you want, something that makes solo travel very liberating.

What Do Your Parents Think

Posted on December 19, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“If your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough.”

(Family picture taken the summer of 2013 before I set off on my journey)

“What do your parents think.” That is one of the most common question I am asked by foreigners and westerners alike. So, I decided to ask them exactly what they thought about their twenty year old daughter setting off to cycle around the world.

Peculiar But Important Items

Posted on December 14, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“It’s okay pluto, I’m not a planet either.”

I was going to make a list of the gear I couldn’t live without, but the list was pretty boring and predictable… Sleeping bag, Birkenstocks, camera… You get the picture. So instead I started to pay attention to the little things I use, things you wouldn’t necessarily think of bringing, but that end up making a difference.

India Through the Lens

Posted on December 4, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“You all laugh because I am different. I laugh because you are all the same.”

Here are a handful of my favorite shots from cycling through Northern India.

India: 1600km

Posted on December 3, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Every trip to a foreign country can be a love affair where you’re left puzzling over who you are and whom you’ve fallen in love with…”

Culture

India is… Well India. It is dirty, it is beautiful. It is chaotic, busy, and tranquil. It is frustrating yet rewarding. It is rude and friendly, peaceful yet scary. And it is everything in between. There are Hindus, colorfully dressed in beautiful saris and suits. There is a wonderful Sikh community, easily spotted because of their colorful turbans and peaceful nature. There are Muslims wearing full burkas, and there are Buddhist, especially in the mountainous regions where many Tibetan refugees live. There is extreme poverty. Children running around cities without clothes, begging for a bite to eat. There are also beautiful farming communities where everyone is self sufficient. Part of what makes India so interesting and immense is how culturally diverse every area is. Though there are many similarities throughout, the clothing, attitude, type of house, and lifestyle changes dramatically every few hundred kilometers, as if you have just entered into a whole different country. It is impossible to know India, it is impossible to even scratch the surface, which is part of the reason why India holds such appeal, especially to us cyclists.

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.

The Wandering Nomads

Two bikes, one life, and the whole world to see

Category Archives: India

Cycling Through Solitude in the Indian Himalayas

India As A Solo Female

All About Food

Cycling Through Hell: India

Solo Travel

What Do Your Parents Think

Peculiar But Important Items

India Through the Lens

India: 1600km

Crossing Over: 4510km