A journey to nowhere…
Have you ever wandered around with no particular goal? Traipsed around an unknown city simply soaking in the beauty of a strange place and reveling in it’s novelty? It doesn’t have to be any place fancy. To me it spells a different kind of freedom as long as safety isn’t an issue. Only ones who truly appreciate that sort of independence will get this. Honestly, how many of us have explored the city we stay in exhaustively? I am yet to.
Try going to a new place, hop into a public transport and let it take you wherever it is headed to with no pre decided itinerary in mind. I tried this once with my trek mate( an elderly lady) simply because we had arrived early and had nothing better to do. It did not particularly amount to anything. The place was boring, the weather was burning hot, but we liked it none the less. I like improvising on the go.
I even went on a wild bus chase once, with my friend. The two of us hitchhiked a ride on a strangers motorbike for a good 80 kms to find my phone that I had dropped in the bus. That trip didn’t come to any fruition either but I ended up meandering my way through a strange place. Stupid decision on hindsight, but it worked out alright. People warned me about trusting a stranger, but to me it turned out to be a lesson in kindness instead. Someone who went out of his way to indulge my insane plan and brought us back safely.
In 2021, I tried a solo trip to our neighboring state, Goa. After quitting my job, I headed there because I wanted to be close to a water body. Being around a beach always calms me down. I wouldn’t sleep all night but irrespective I would pop out of bed by 6 am and head over to the beach. I would stroll around aimlessly for an hour or two, have my breakfast someplace and head back to my hotel room.
I chose South Goa over North Goa since I like my peace and quiet and I am certainly not the party hopping kind. A day later, I rented a bicycle and trudged my way all over town. Dead exhausted, but my adrenaline still pumping, I would clock about 15 kms with only my water bottle for company. I once lost my way only to circle back to the same place where I had taken the wrong detour. Not surprising, since I have a terrible sense of direction and needless to mention, google maps on my phone was pretty much useless. One lady, a shopkeeper very sweetly quipped, “You shouldn’t be out in this summer heat. It isn’t good for you.”
A few days later, I walked to the local museum. I was there before opening hours and was the only person there being guided around and given a tour. Not sure how many people know of the place even. I don’t suppose anybody goes to Goa to visit a museum :D I would switch off my phone all day except to give my mother my daily attendance late evening. After a week of doing nothing other than daily visits to the beach, cycling, binge watching television and eating out, I was back home.
I totally hate the idea of visiting places only to check boxes. I have never understood what sort of satisfaction, if any at all do people derive out of visiting countless places (sometimes several countries) in a few days time. Also weekend trips aren’t vacation. They should be called ‘exhaustion’ instead. Of course, I too include the prominent tourist attractions in my itinerary, however, I would rather explore the place more in it’s entirety. One reason I prefer road trips to hopping on flights.
I always make it a point to visit the local marketplace everywhere I go. It gives me the general vibe of the place. It speaks loud and clear about it’s inhabitants and their culture. For instance, in Arunachal I found that most shop owners, hoteliers and also people working to build roads were women. I have had the pleasure to meet quite a few interesting people on my travels, people who unknowingly have expanded my horizons. May be I will write about them some day. I may not be in touch with all of them, but I am grateful I met them nonetheless.
I like taking my time with each place I visit. I will probably visit most places just once in my lifetime. I might as well make it worthwhile.
