We didn't do shit today and it sucked. I was originally planning on leaving first thing in the morning because I thought we were spending the previous evening out in the fields with the nanny's father's flock of sheep. But then it turns out it was supposed to be tonight so I stayed one extra day.
My host is at a particular point in his life where he just wants to take it easy. I'm a super type A vacationer. I feel like I need to accomplish something each day, rest is for when you get back to work. I would go off on walks in the mornings, but there's only so much of a small village mountain street you can see. I had told myself that this will be a lesson in patience and relaxation for me. I don't have to occupy every second of every day checking things off lists and photographing ever flower I see.
I think I was doing pretty OK with that until I was told that the shepherd wasn't moving the sheep tonight either, that it was actually the next night. I said it was fine but I could feel myself getting very hot. Unfortunately, this was already at night and too late to hop on a bus to Manali.
I had heard that the Manali-Leh highway had opened early this year. That drive is often described as the most beautiful stretch of road in the world. It's 2 days across high mountains. It includes the highest motor-able roadway in the world. I had not intended to go to Manali because I had heard that it was just a bunch of tourists smoking charas and getting drunk, nothing of any cultural value. My friend my McLo, Sarah was headed to Manali today so I planned on meeting up with her tomorrow.
Traveling alone in India is difficult and amazing. I don't regret for a second coming and being a part of this experience but I'm not doing this again. For those reasons I'm going to extend my trip by a month and a half. At the rate I'm going, and even if I pick up the pace, I will have only covered the North by the time of my flight on June 28th. If I tack on an extra month and a half I can breeze through the South of India and Sri Lanka and still be back in time for a week in New York and right off to Burning Man.
I have had so many inconveniences and annoyances along the way that I don't expect to have the will to start up another India exploration again. Next time I come to India I just want to visit family, not be a dollar sign to the annoying tourist trade.
Rickshaw drivers are amongst the worst people on Earth. I want to punch every shopkeeper that yells at you from across the street to come take a look at the same shit that can be found at the next twelve shops in a row. I am sick of people pretending to want to get to know you then telling you to come visit their shop or their uncle's guesthouse. I never again want to here that looking is for free. I am completely frustrated with selfish drivers that wedge themselves into oncoming traffic so that everyone on the road has to stop and then inch past. If they just pulled over or stayed in their lane, traffic could have kept going. My eardrums are battered from the constant honks of cars that warn you of their approach even after you've made eye contact with them from across the road. I dread never knowing what my next bowel movement will look like. I am over crowded, dusty modes of transportation. I hate taking hours to travel a couple dozen miles. I hate the total disregard for the value of my time, sorry to everyone back home that I've made wait for me. I hate being lied to directly to my face. I can't stand people refusing to admit that they don't know something. I am sick of everyone wanting to offer advice, wether they know what they are talking about or not
They say that travel broadens your horizons and makes you more flexible and easy going. I find that the more I travel the more I confirm my core values and expectations.
My host is at a particular point in his life where he just wants to take it easy. I'm a super type A vacationer. I feel like I need to accomplish something each day, rest is for when you get back to work. I would go off on walks in the mornings, but there's only so much of a small village mountain street you can see. I had told myself that this will be a lesson in patience and relaxation for me. I don't have to occupy every second of every day checking things off lists and photographing ever flower I see.
I think I was doing pretty OK with that until I was told that the shepherd wasn't moving the sheep tonight either, that it was actually the next night. I said it was fine but I could feel myself getting very hot. Unfortunately, this was already at night and too late to hop on a bus to Manali.
I had heard that the Manali-Leh highway had opened early this year. That drive is often described as the most beautiful stretch of road in the world. It's 2 days across high mountains. It includes the highest motor-able roadway in the world. I had not intended to go to Manali because I had heard that it was just a bunch of tourists smoking charas and getting drunk, nothing of any cultural value. My friend my McLo, Sarah was headed to Manali today so I planned on meeting up with her tomorrow.
Traveling alone in India is difficult and amazing. I don't regret for a second coming and being a part of this experience but I'm not doing this again. For those reasons I'm going to extend my trip by a month and a half. At the rate I'm going, and even if I pick up the pace, I will have only covered the North by the time of my flight on June 28th. If I tack on an extra month and a half I can breeze through the South of India and Sri Lanka and still be back in time for a week in New York and right off to Burning Man.
I have had so many inconveniences and annoyances along the way that I don't expect to have the will to start up another India exploration again. Next time I come to India I just want to visit family, not be a dollar sign to the annoying tourist trade.
Rickshaw drivers are amongst the worst people on Earth. I want to punch every shopkeeper that yells at you from across the street to come take a look at the same shit that can be found at the next twelve shops in a row. I am sick of people pretending to want to get to know you then telling you to come visit their shop or their uncle's guesthouse. I never again want to here that looking is for free. I am completely frustrated with selfish drivers that wedge themselves into oncoming traffic so that everyone on the road has to stop and then inch past. If they just pulled over or stayed in their lane, traffic could have kept going. My eardrums are battered from the constant honks of cars that warn you of their approach even after you've made eye contact with them from across the road. I dread never knowing what my next bowel movement will look like. I am over crowded, dusty modes of transportation. I hate taking hours to travel a couple dozen miles. I hate the total disregard for the value of my time, sorry to everyone back home that I've made wait for me. I hate being lied to directly to my face. I can't stand people refusing to admit that they don't know something. I am sick of everyone wanting to offer advice, wether they know what they are talking about or not
They say that travel broadens your horizons and makes you more flexible and easy going. I find that the more I travel the more I confirm my core values and expectations.
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