Before the backpacker came a timid and cautious traveller.
The first time I ventured out of home (and my comfort zone) to travel on a whim, I chose a destination off the beaten track which was a day’s journey away with no direct connections. It was a place called Chikaldhara, a tiny hill station. It was not the fact that it was coffee growing area in the remote reaches of Maharashtra in India that drew me to it. Nor was it the fact that this place situated about 1000 meters above sea level offered excellent mountain type weather and was teeming with wild life.
No, the compelling reason was for me to conduct an experiment on my own life, to break free of inhibitions to follow my dream of travelling and of maybe getting a taste of solitude which was so much appreciated (and recommended) by most of my heroes.
I had no clue how I was going to get there, what would I be doing when I finally did and how long would I stay.
It was the biggest life-changing decision of my life. One moment I was in the comfort of my home and the very next moment I was in a bus with just a small day pack, heading to the railway station with an absolute determination of getting to my destination one way or the other.
I knew not what I was about to find out there. In hindsight, I do not think I was even setting out to look for something. I just wanted to face my fears, satisfy my craving for adventure and find out for myself if I was the traveller I always fancied myself to be!
I travelled in an unreserved compartment, standing throughout the 14 hour journey in a packed compartment with no space to even move. I did not feel constricted, as I would if I were in a similar situation heading to work. On the contrary there was a feeling of release, of openness and of pure and unbirdled excitement of finally being out there in the great wide open.
The end of the train journey was the beginning of a bumpy ride in the rickety government buses that serviced the region. Again I was far from uncomfortable but was rather warming up to the feeling of being an explorer!
I stayed for about four days in this place. My activity included exploring the region on foot, hitching a ride on bullock carts, aimless meanderings in the valley and spending sunny hours of quiet contemplation.
Yes, when I do look back, I can confidently say that this single journey was what transformed me as a person and shaped my destiny as a traveller and backpacker.
So it is with so many different choices we make in our lives. If there is a tugging in your heart, a constant pull in a certain direction then I would strongly suggest you take heed!
Don’t worry about the How,When,Where’s. As Mahatma Gandhi once said – Find purpose, the means will follow!
Are you a painter that has never painted, are you a musician that has never struck a single chord, are you a teacher that has not taught a single person, are you a writer that has not yet written a single page?
Start walking. Take one step or maybe even half a step in the general direction of your dreams. It is like taking a plunge in a pool of cold water. You are afraid of the chill but eventually you muster the courage, take a deep breath and jump right in and before you know it you are enjoying the swim!!
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot
I absolutely love the picture (and the blog!)
Did you take it in Chikaldhara?
No Sammy. The Pic is a random selection…Don’t even think I had carried my camera back then!