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Lorena
Finally, I've realized my dream of backpacking through India (and it's only taken 6 years)! My hope is to share my adventures as I attempt to put into words experiences that, I imagine, are beyond words... Here I go...La Gitana
Travel Blog Posts
April 8th 2007
First off, Happy Spring! Second, apologies for not writing sooner. It’s been a crazy month since the last time I wrote. So, as you can imagine, it’s hard to even begin to write about my experiences. I will try to keep it short, if that is even possible. So it begins: After Kerala, I headed to Maharastra to see Pink Floyd in Mumbai and quickly fled the city after the concert on a midnight train to…. Jalgaon- not quite Georgia. However, I ended up on the wrong overnight train (not sure how that happened) with a second class general passenger ticket… To give you an idea of how it works- this class of ticket has no reservations, they just squeeze as many people as possible like packed sardines, bodies everywhere and it’s not a pleasant ... read more
February 15th 2007
The silence has broken and I must have rewritten this blog in my mind a zillion different times while I was suppose to be busy meditating and concentrating on my respiration. It’s hard to describe the experience in mere words… In the tropical jungle of Kerala, I entered into the Vipasanna Meditation Center not exactly sure what I would encounter. The Center itself was newly created and still under construction. Our group of 15 men and 7 women (gotta love the male/female ratio!) was the second course that the Center coordinated. It’s unusual to have such a small, intimate group since courses in other locations can host hundreds, even thousands of participants. So upon arriving and waiting for the course to actually start, the females had a chance to get to know each other which was ... read more
January 30th 2007
After a brief tour up north, I decided that it was about time to head down to the hot, sticky South for a bit of R&R- After all, this is my holiday! Once I got down south, the heat and humidity were intense… Unfortunately, that made my overstuffed bag even more miserable to travel with, especially on a 5-hour bumpy bus ride! Once I got to my perfect little paradise in the sacred Hindu city of Gokarna, I decided that I need to reconsider- actually, scratch that- REPACK this bag! Once I unloaded some stuff onto some locals and sent the rest of my things home, I felt so much lighter- thus I could finally begin to enjoy the exuberant city of Gokarna, which is located on the western coast of the state of Karnataka. It ... read more
January 22nd 2007
I was warned by many people to not go to Pakistan, which is precisely the reason why I decided I must go. Granted, I was a bit uneasy about what I would encounter in this conservative, Muslim nation but I, nonetheless, got to the border crossing and marched my way across the border- Yes, I literally, walked the 500 yards that divides India and Pakistan by myself as I once again encountered many peculiar glares. It was amazing! Saqib, a 26-year-old Servas host, greeted me at Wagah border. Saqib was accompanied by his best friend, Faheem, whose English was a little less broken than Saqib. I was Saqib’s first visitor through Servas and it was my first time using Servas while traveling. Luckily for both of us, we hit it off immediately. It was clear that ... read more
January 18th 2007
I headed up to Amritsar as soon as I could upon arriving to Delhi. Amritsar is situated in the northwest Punjab province and its claim to fame is the impressive Golden Temple, one of the holiest places of the Sikh religion. As I stood outside the Golden Temple entrance, barefoot and bewildered about how to proceed forward without desecrating the site, a young Canadian girl, Ravin, approached me along with her family composed of mostly women and one bearded, turban-clad man.- "You're suppose to cover your head to go inside, you know?" "I know but all I have is this sad, little knitted scarf... Do you think this would be enough?" I asked. "Yeah, that will do." And so, I began to court the family who consisted of a matrix of my mother's brother's wife's daughter ... read more
January 16th 2007
Upon arriving to Delhi at 11pm, I wanted to flee! No joke, I got into a taxi outside of the airport and directed the driver to go to a hostel which he had never heard of. As we are inching towards the exit, his "brother" jumps in the taxi. Red Flag! Red Flag! Two men in the taxi with one lonesome female- bad news!! Before I had time to figure out how to deal with the situation which my guidebook clearly warned against, I was on the highly congested Delhi highway literally packed with people, horses, rickshaws, trucks with body limbs hanging out of the window, bulls pulling carts... you name it, I saw it. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the 'view', I sat there contemplating my escape route should my escorts decide to try ... read more
January 15th 2007
It's hard to believe that I am finally going to board an airplane and be transported to a land I've only fantasized about visiting for so long- India. Although I advocate traveling alone in most instances, I find myself unexpectedly nervous about the endeavor. I know that this feeling, along with my anxiety, will melt away and uncover the deep-seeded excitement and exhilaration that traveling has always given me... It's only a matter of time before I get there and I'm confident I will but for now, my stomach is clenched and my nerves are on edge as I prepare to fly to the land of spice and everything nice... See you in India!... read more
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