The northern state of Himachal Pradesh, in India is a wonderfully relaxing piece of heaven at the foot of the gargantuan Himalayan Mountains. In the middle of it all is the small town of Dharamsala where the current Tibetan government-in-exile resides after they were expelled by China (or as the Chinese say, “liberated”) back in 1959. I was told by my fellow travelers that where wasn’t much to do in the quiet town of Dharamsala, but I ended up spending the better part of a month there specifically for that reason! Set along the backdrop of the Himalayas, Dharamsala is a world away from the overcrowded, congested cities like New Delhi. I stayed specifically in McLeod Ganj located in upper Dharamsala was just the perfect rest bit after the Holi celebrations in Vrindavan. From a ten-day silent meditation retreat at Tushita, to hiking at the foot of the Himalayas, to sliding down the side of a mountain on melting snow bank, to watching a Tibetan opera performance, and even seeing the Dalai Lama himself, I had a wonderful time in Dharamsala!
Back when I was a student at The University of Texas at Austin, I heard about this strange new Indian holiday known only as “Holi.” I saw the colorful advertisements plastered around campus and everyone was talking about how much they were looking forward to the even, but coming from Katy, I had no idea what the celebration was for much less why everyone was so excited for it. For those you who are in a similar boat, Holi is Hindu festival celebrated in the month of March to commemorate the victory of good over evil. There is a long Hindu mythological story behind it that you can read about here, but all I cared about was that it was an excuse to throw brightly colored powder at strangers, dunk people with buckets of water, and dance to lively Indian music. What more can a person want? From that first year at UT, I fell in love with the holiday, so when I found out that I’d be in India, the land where it all started, there was no way I was passing up the opportunity!
Without a doubt, the most iconic building in all of India (and poster child for anything tourist related) is the one and only Taj Mahal. Unless you have been living out in the African Serengeti disconnected from society, odds are you’ve come across this building either in a textbook, online search, or any travel related commercial on TV. This enormous monument is right up there with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the clock tower housing Big Ben in London, or even the Empire State Building in Manhattan and I was not going to pass up the chance to see it in person. Just like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, I never thought I’d ever get to visit in my lifetime, but my dream finally came true!
I’ve been completely out of my element since the day I arrived in India a little under a week ago and I’ve been wandering the streets of New Delhi like a toddler lost in a shopping mall. I’ve been staring at all the pretty lights, putting strange foods in my mouth, completely at the mercy of kind strangers, collecting a variety of new illnesses, abjectly lost the entire time, and generally just trying not to die. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to catch up with an old friend from college, Kanika, who was in town visiting family and friends in New Delhi. The timing couldn’t have worked out any better and thanks to her, I learned the ropes of how to get around India, saw the dynamics of an Indian family, and got to finally up with an old friend who I hadn’t seen in years!I’ve been completely out of my element since the day I arrived in India a little under a week ago and I’ve been wandering the streets of New Delhi like a toddler lost in a shopping mall. I’ve been staring at all the pretty lights, putting strange foods in my mouth, completely at the mercy of kind strangers, collecting a variety of new illnesses, abjectly lost the entire time, and generally just trying not to die. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to catch up with an old friend from college, Kanika, who was in town visiting family and friends in New Delhi. The timing couldn’t have worked out any better and thanks to her, I learned the ropes of how to get around India, saw the dynamics of an Indian family, and got to finally up with an old friend who I hadn’t seen in years!
I’ve been in India for a little over a week and a half now and it’s been a remarkable learning experience for me. I’ve traveled halfway across the world over the last 10 months and visited numerous exotic lands, but never in my life have I seen a country and unique as India. People may bicker about whether or not they enjoyed their travels through the country, but there isn’t a traveler on this earth (or even a local Indian) who can say that India is a “dull” experience. I’ve been in India for a little over a week and a half now and it’s been a remarkable learning experience for me. I’ve traveled halfway across the world over the last 10 months and visited numerous exotic lands, but never in my life have I seen a country and unique as India. People may bicker about whether or not they enjoyed their travels through the country, but there isn’t a traveler on this earth (or even a local Indian) who can say that India is a “dull” experience.
Never in my life have I experienced such a drastic change in scenery as the day I flew from Dubai to New Delhi. Just hours ago I stood in front of the Burj Khalifa watching a mesmerizing water show that puts the Bellagio in Las Vegas to shame and wondered what India would be like. I was in a brand-new city of the future full of all the glitz and glamor that only absurd amounts of oil money can buy, and within 24 hours I would be in one of the most overcrowded, congested cities of the world. Up until this point, I feel my entire trip through Europe and the Middle East has simply preparation for this leg of my trip - India is where I would finally my traveling skills to the test. As I boarded my flight there was a mild feeling of anxiety when I realized I was the only white guy on the entire plane.Never in my life have I experienced such a drastic change in scenery as the day I flew from Dubai to New Delhi. Just hours ago I stood in front of the Burj Khalifa watching a mesmerizing water show that puts the Bellagio in Las Vegas to shame and wondered what India would be like. I was in a brand-new city of the future full of all the glitz and glamor that only absurd amounts of oil money can buy, and within 24 hours I would be in one of the most overcrowded, congested cities of the world. Up until this point, I feel my entire trip through Europe and the Middle East has simply preparation for this leg of my trip - India is where I would finally my traveling skills to the test. As I boarded my flight there was a mild feeling of anxiety when I realized I was the only white guy on the entire plane.
In my old consulting days, at the end of every project my team would summarize our “lessons learned.” Nobody ever enjoyed the exercise, but it was always an invaluable resource for the next team. I did this for work numerous times, but never once took inventory of my own “lessons learned” in life. Now that I’m traveling, I realize the value of writing them down and I feel this is one of the few ways I can give back to readers of this blog.
Two months before I left the US to begin my trek across the world a friend of mine, Sean, asked me where in the world I’d be the week of February 9th, 2015. He was planning a trip with his best friend, Will, to Abu Dhabi and said I should try to meet up with them while I’m on the road. Sean still adamantly (and somewhat resentfully) claims I told him we wouldn’t meet up with him because I’d be in India, but in reality I couldn’t make any plans because I had no idea where I’d end up. Planning nine months into the future is a crapshoot even when you have a stable life and if you live a nomadic life like I do it's next to impossible. Fortunately, thanks to the month-long delay with my Indian Visa back in Tel Aviv, the timing worked out perfectly and I had the chance to experience a taste of southern hospitality courtesy of Sean, Will, and Will’s parents, Kurt and Lulu.
I’m rather surprised by how much there is to do in the UAE (albeit expensive at times), but as great as the country is, what made the experience for me was not so much the city, attractions, or even activities – it was the great company I got to share it with. Backpacking across the world by myself grants me the freedom to make spontaneous, unilateral decisions as I go, but there is a price: I have nobody to share my adventures with. While I do my best to share my stories with family and friends back home through this blog, it is a far cry from actually experiencing the events together. While cliché, it’s true when they say life is better with company - and the same applies to travel. Ironically, what started out as terrible travel delay with my Indian visa turned out to be a blessing in disguise and I had the opportunity to travel with two old friends from college, Sean and Will, who were visiting family in Abu Dhabi.
It’s 3:00 am Gulf Standard Time as my plane descends into Dubai International Airport. I’ve been up for over 21 hours and my eyes feel like sandpaper rubbing against wood every time I blink, but the dazzling city outside my narrow window instantly washes away my lethargy. From thousands of feet in the air I can see the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, conspicuously jutting out from the futuristic-looking city of Dubai. The mammoth structure dwarfs every other building in sight and appears comically out of place among its peers. As the plane passes over downtown Dubai, a rush of excitement fills my body and chills run down my spine. It is a uniquely exhilarating feeling that reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on the Empire State Building as I flew over Manhattan.
