so..... this has been my last day in india. my last day wandering around, being free to do what i want to do, looking at cool shit and eating curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
it's been the most amazing 14 weeks of my life. without question. i've seen and done things that have been beyond my wildest dreams, things that i didn't think i would ever be capable of. i've been so scared at times i thought i would cry, and laughed so hard and for so long i thought my face would explode. i've travelled for thousands of kilometres through jungles, deserts, mountains and dusty plains. i've stayed in 5 star luxury, in rooms with bedbugs and cockroaches, and lived for a week in a hovel next to the beach. i've met so many amazing people from all over the world - canada, new york, germany, holland, grimsby, california, austria, new zealand, oregon, south africa, brazil, mexico, china, thailand, italy, manchester, russia, israel and gloucester :D i've been drunker for longer than i've ever been, i've danced in the sea listening to crazy tribal music, swung through trees on zipwires with one of my bestest friends from university, been clubbing in hyderabad's latest trendy nightspot halfway up a skyscraper and had dinner with aurangabad's prominent businessmen, educators and the state government of bihar. i've seen the taj mahal, the golden temple, the ruins of the vijayanagar empire, the gateway of india and more cave temples than you can shake a stick at. i've walked through tribal villages and tea plantations, hung off the side of a suburban train in mumbai, had a go on chinese fishing nets, smoked weed on the beach while watching fireworks with kim and hannah and a nepali guy in goa, had dinner in bangkok with a friend from my game and watched an evening of thai boxing. i've drunk singapore slings at the raffles hotel, had a cooking lesson in the kitchen of a woman from jodhpur, been thrown off a moving train, seen the himalayas and taken a train trip that took 40 hours. i've rocked up in strange places with no idea where i was, no idea how to get to where i needed to sleep, and no idea how to communicate to the people around me yet always managed to get a roof over my head and food in my stomach. i've laughed, i've cried, i've been lower than i've ever been and happier than i've ever been ever.
it's been the most amazing 14 weeks of my life. without question. i've seen and done things that have been beyond my wildest dreams, things that i didn't think i would ever be capable of. i've been so scared at times i thought i would cry, and laughed so hard and for so long i thought my face would explode. i've travelled for thousands of kilometres through jungles, deserts, mountains and dusty plains. i've stayed in 5 star luxury, in rooms with bedbugs and cockroaches, and lived for a week in a hovel next to the beach. i've met so many amazing people from all over the world - canada, new york, germany, holland, grimsby, california, austria, new zealand, oregon, south africa, brazil, mexico, china, thailand, italy, manchester, russia, israel and gloucester :D i've been drunker for longer than i've ever been, i've danced in the sea listening to crazy tribal music, swung through trees on zipwires with one of my bestest friends from university, been clubbing in hyderabad's latest trendy nightspot halfway up a skyscraper and had dinner with aurangabad's prominent businessmen, educators and the state government of bihar. i've seen the taj mahal, the golden temple, the ruins of the vijayanagar empire, the gateway of india and more cave temples than you can shake a stick at. i've walked through tribal villages and tea plantations, hung off the side of a suburban train in mumbai, had a go on chinese fishing nets, smoked weed on the beach while watching fireworks with kim and hannah and a nepali guy in goa, had dinner in bangkok with a friend from my game and watched an evening of thai boxing. i've drunk singapore slings at the raffles hotel, had a cooking lesson in the kitchen of a woman from jodhpur, been thrown off a moving train, seen the himalayas and taken a train trip that took 40 hours. i've rocked up in strange places with no idea where i was, no idea how to get to where i needed to sleep, and no idea how to communicate to the people around me yet always managed to get a roof over my head and food in my stomach. i've laughed, i've cried, i've been lower than i've ever been and happier than i've ever been ever.
and i've made it. i didn't think i'd make it 1 week, india was such a frightening place when i got here. but i've made it. even when i was feeling like the only person on the planet, was missing home and felt so so so shit i stuck it out. i've done it.... and now i'm coming home.
this country is amazing, such a contradiction in every way. so much poverty, yet so much wealth and so much promise. the landscape is truly stunning, the culture and the heritage bowls you over. the passion of the indian people, their love for their country and their humble, open
generosity makes this place what it is. how on earth does india work? i've asked myself this so many times and still haven't really come up with an answer that satisfies me. 30 odd states, all with different languages and history and culture... it's like 30 countries operating as one. the one thing that binds everyone together is their love of india. on every truck, car and motorbike there is always a sticker or handpainted saffron, white and green flag proclaiming "i love india" or "india the great".
so yeah.. for those of you that have stuck with me - thank you for having a read of my ramblings. hugo reckons i should keep blogging when i get home but i think you've all heard enough from me for now. maybe on my next trip.....
2 comments:
Have to say I'm going to really miss reading your posts. Hugely entertaining, invariably made me laugh out loud at something or other and very evocative of the place and the mood. Well done! If only I could conquer my annoyance at the lack of capital letters, it'd be perfect :-)
I'm with Kevin on the capitalisation...
Tiptop Good man! You've had an awesome time.
See you soon
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