A bit of India

To be honest I am not really sure where to start and what to say about 4 weeks travelling in India. Definitely not enough time for such a big country but probably enough for me to get an idea as on a few occasions I found myself counting down the days to return to London. There is no word in the dictionary to describe what India inspired us, maybe diverse, maybe challenging, maybe complex could be some options. It is a mix of feelings and thoughts constantly like a rollercoaster with ups and downs and then you are happy, later sad, then confused, then excited, later tired or exhausted, and so on. It turns into a very interesting opportunity to see yourself dealing with lots of challenging situations almost all the time.

I have to recognise that I found more than I was looking for and I feel grateful now to each single experience I had there, especially those 10 days in a Buddhist meditation retreat in the middle of the mountains. I decided to write a list of the things I liked and enjoyed, and also another list of the things that made me feel not happy at all and inspired reflection. Based on a diary which we managed to write everyday with our top 5 impressions I am going to share them with you as I know some people are already waiting to hear them.

Now I understand clearly why it is said that once you go to India you will never be the same again. You discover another reality and see with your own eyes many things you are not used to. You have two options: getting crazy or welcoming whatever comes with an open mind. I tried most of the time to have the second option of course but there is no doubt that sometimes I felt like I was spending my summer holidays in the wrong place. I realize much more than before how lucky I am and I have been in my life. My struggles are at a different level. And I was glad I was not on my own for the first 17 days and travelling with my boyfriend was a considerable help... Love is always a great support!

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave us some help and advice. (Thanks Asia, Miha, Tanu, Lambert, Sivan and thanks for all those who were in contact with us during the trip). With no further comments, here are the lists. I should advice future travellers that no matter how prepared you think you are in terms of reading and hearing some other people’s experiences, once you land in such a complex country you have to face a huge but interesting challenge and make your own journey to make the most of it.