Upon arriving in India, I initially wrote that Hanga and I entered the big leagues
of backpacking. After one month, our travels have matched
the billing and the hype, and far exceeded the ease and comfort of
my 10 month trip across Europe, which included somewhat challenging Russia,
Turkey and Morocco.
I
shall now follow up my recent cultural dissertation of India and Nepal with an
account from a traveler's point of view. While these two blogs were
written separately, to me they are two parts of one blog, complementing and providing insights into one another; essentially summarizing my singular experience
from dual perspectives.
The Good
Over one month Hanga and I traversed northern
India and central Nepal. It sounds like a long time, but we felt
rushed for most of it. Transportation is slow so travel times really added
up, plus the grind of two treks took up half of our trip.
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| Nature has always struck a chord with my soul - Chanderkhani Pass, Himachal Pradesh, India |
Those treks were arguably the highlights though,
particularly the 10-day trek to Annapurna Base Camp. Hanga and I are both
nature lovers, and I have wanted to get more into trekking and there's no better place to do it.
Climate wise, we came at the best time of year, in late September just after the end of the monsoons. It's still hot and humid in the lowlands, and actually quite cold in the foothills of the Himalayas. The other recommended time of year to visit is February to April, prior to the start of the monsoons around May.
Sunsets occur much earlier here, around 6 pm. This
meant shorter trekking days. But it also meant better opportunities to see sunsets and starry nights which, with my accompanying star map, I have learned some
of the constellations.
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| To live among hills is to live humbly in the mercy of Mother Nature |
We really enjoyed the natural setting of towns like Shimla and Pokhara. In Pokhara, we
woke up to views of the snow-capped Annapurna mountains, where we later trekked close to, from our Couchsurfing
host’s home.
Surely though, we didn’t go to India and Nepal just
for the nature.
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| Religious devotion should never be mistaken for anything other than a force of good |
The Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas have been particularly
awesome in Kathmandu, which has the one of the most UNESCO
World Heritage Sites of any city in the world.
We also saw the main temple complex where the Dalai
Lama currently resides in Dharamshala. Seeing religious devotion has a powerful
effect on me. It’s moving to witness such devotion, even if I’m not religious.
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| The presence of animals freely in the city indicates harmony with living creatures |
For those searching enlightenment, there is plenty
of yoga, meditation and massage therapy available in the form of single
sessions, retreats or even teacher courses, particularly in Rishikesh. Hanga and I did a few yoga lessons, which cost only around $5 CAD
per session, and I got a decent massage for about $10 CAD, a fraction of the
cost back home.
And if you’re looking for fun activities,
activities such as river rafting and paragliding are available, of which
Pokhara is renowned for. Hanga did the paragliding.
We haven’t gone to many museums as they tend to have poor English and are not well organized. The Tibet Museum in
Dharamshala was really moving as it shed light on the plight of Tibet due to Chinese government oppression.
The International Mountain Museum and Gurkha Museum in Pokhara were pretty
interesting too.
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| Something must be done about climate change beyond inconvenient films and museum exhibits |
The food so far has really been amazing, and consistently
good even at its worst. The amount of spices used in the food here produces amazing flavours and, due to growing up eating spicy food, I have handled it well and loved every bite.
Nepali food has less vegetables, colour and variety
than Indian food. Dal bhat, the meal synonymous with Nepali cuisine, has
its own t-shirt with phrase “dal bhat power, 24 hour.” Though this very yellow and starchy meal
quickly became predictable, its redeeming quality is that you get
free seconds, which came in handy during the trek.
Everywhere I visited, I searched far and wide for cheap
local joints with little or no fanfare, often without menus and specializing in
just a few items. One of my favourite local joints in Kathmandu, far from
tourist friendly area Thamel, spoiled me with momos (Tibetan
dumplings), pakoras (deep fried veggie things), chow mein, curried chickpeas, and potato curry with
roti, all in one meal for just 150 rupees, less than an individual dish of chow
mein in Thamel!
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| Deep fried pakora, sweet orange jelobi and oily gurung bread are three reasons to live |
I have become addicted to street food, and tend to lose
all self control over deep fried samosas and gurung bread, sweets such as jelobi
(orange shiny flower), and baked goods such as the twisty pastry “mafa” which
my family makes back home.
And the guilt typically associated with gorging is
absent, since I spend only $3-5 CAD per day on food. This could easily be $5-10
CAD per day eating in tourist areas.
In fact, traveling in the Indian subcontinent is generally
very cheap. Nepal has been slightly more expensive due to the fees and costs
associated with trekking in remote regions but, over one month, we averaged
about $14 CAD per person per day, excluding cost for visas.
The Bad
Of course travelling India and Nepal is not without its
challenges. It’s humid, chaotic, noisy and claustrophic, particularly in the big
capital cities of Delhi and Kathmandu. Poverty is everywhere, hygiene is poor and infrastructure is in disrepair - roads and sidewalks are uneven and dotted with cow poop.
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| Nepal needs to clean up its act by cleaning up its streets |
Nepal is comparable with India for the above, but
trumps India in terms of its terrible roads and, thus, inefficient and uncomfortable buses. Unlike Nepal, India has trains, but they are ridiculously crowded. Nepal also seems dustier and has a bigger garbage problem, a lot of which can be seen burning in piles in the
streets in the morning.
The culture shock of the entire sensory experience is
too much for many people to handle, and took Hanga and I quite awhile to
adjust. By now, I don’t blink at these things anymore.
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| Can you see the mountains in the distance? Big as they are, they can still play hide and seek |
The one place which takes exception to all of these
issues is Pokhara, Nepal, particularly the touristy area Lakeside. The heat and
humidity is tolerable, and Lakeside is peaceful, orderly and clean. Though staying
in Lakeside was a nice respite, after a short while the experience felt too washed
out. The food was too international, expensive and lacked flavour, and left me wandering
off again in search of truly local eating experiences.
Especially in touristy places like Lakeside and
Thamel, prices are inflated but nearly everything can be bargained down generally to around two thirds the asking price, even toilet paper. I was lucky to have Hanga with me because my bargaining skills are
meek by comparison. But bargaining is a piece of cake in comparison with getting around.
In India, particularly Delhi, there are many
deceptive locals who appear helpful, but are really directing you to certain
businesses instead of where you really need to go. My initial encounters here initially
eroded my trust in the locals. This trust was thankfully restored in northern India and Nepal, where
people generally leave you alone.
Hanga and I adapted out of necessity by
learning to search out which locals to ask for help. Asking is, in the end, the
only way we got anywhere since information is unbelievably scarce and
unreliable, and streets and bus stations are not labelled. We narrowly avoided missing several buses simply by asking everyone we could, and aggregating
their scattered answers.
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| Even the greatest philosophers couldn't answer the question... why did the chicken cross the road? |
In Kathmandu I rented a bicycle for one day and
rode to four temple sites, winding up and down many local pathways, and witnessing
Nepalese life along the way. I knew I would get lost of course, and I did, but
I simply asked locals, who are milling about everywhere in the city, every time
I was unsure of the way.
The Indian subcontinent also lacks many amenities
that are standard in the western world. We haven't stayed anywhere with heating or air
conditioning. Daily water supply is restricted, pressure is low, and hot water is also rare. I have taken just one hot shower my entire trip.
Washing machines are rare and dryers are entirely absent, which meant hand washing.
In Nepal rolling power outs left us without electricity
for several hours once or twice a day, which really only hindered access to Wifi
internet. Internet is hard to find and when I find it, the bandwidth crawls as fast as a caterpillar taking its time.
The Ugly
There can only be one thing to label “ugly” - the overall lack of hygiene deserves honourable mention. India is smelly and,
particularly in Delhi, the stench of human and animal waste is almost unavoidable. Thankfully, Nepal is not very smelly.
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| Worship a cow, and how does it return the favour? By blocking traffic and leaving large piles of poop in your path |
The combination shower and toilet rooms are smelly, damp and mouldy, sometimes to the point where "do nothing" is a better option. There
is no toilet paper. Hanga always brought a roll everywhere with her and, since
parting ways, I have failed to carry on this tradition. Fortunately I don’t
need to take showers often, and have adapted to washing my tush with water, in
accordance with traditional custom, whenever I go “number two.”
The Wrap Up
There seemed to be no more appropriate blog to use “The Good, Bad, and the Ugly” format. India and Nepal truly encompasses the full
spectrum of stimulation of the senses, and confirms that you can’t have the
beautiful without the deplorable, or the intriguing without the repulsive.
If you are thinking of traveling to either of these
countries breath a small sigh of relief because some of the experiences Hanga and I had can be
avoided by paying more money for guided itineraries, hotels, taxis and coach buses.
But with it comes a more sterile and scripted experience, leaving no room for error.
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| At nature's whims, trekking requires flexibility in the face of unpredictability; flexibility not pictured here! |
For example, during the day the typhoon affected the Annapurna Region, many trekkers with paid guides and pre-booked accommodations couldn't risk falling behind schedule and had to hike in the intense rain and wind. Hanga and I trekked independently and with a flexible timeline and were thus able to patiently wait out the typhoon.
Another example is staying at the amazing House-for-Everyone in
Pokhara, which is open to travelers on Couchsurfing. We got to stay there free
for almost one week, hang out with some really cool people, and share hearty home
cooked meals together. It’s not easy sharing a house with up to 8 people at once,
but the friendships made and inspiration shared outweigh the sacrifice of
comfort and privacy.
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| Inspiration from the walls of Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu |
Basically, Hanga and I chose the lower budget options, to save money, yes, but also in order to get a spontaneous, immersive and real experience, living like the
locals, meeting interesting people (locals and travelers alike) and gaining appreciation for the comforts which we take for granted in the western world, such as running water, and the ability to wear shorts and t-shirt indoors on a cool evening.
It’s
the time worn argument of traveler vs. vacationer, time vs. money. I consider
myself rich, not in money, but in time, which allows me to travel and just live life in the most fulfilling way possible.
Here’s a recent blog with similar themes, written by
my fellow Canadian, friend and travel addict:
