Day Two

One way ticket to India: $817
Auto Rickshaw, Paharganj to IHC: 80 Rupees
Delicious chai from cart vendor: 12 Rupees
Ten pills of Diazepam for 17 Rupees: priceless

But seriously, I'm over it. Ready to move on now. Delhi is noisy, polluted and crowded. I Need fresh air and space. And streets where i don't need to work so hard to stay alive.

India: Day One

The Paharganj area I am staying in right now. Full of dreadlocked hippies and old European women. I took one bite of the thali below and knew I was home.


The noise, the smell, the crowds, the traffic I aint ever seen before, the food....

Love it.

I ain't leaving this place.

Recap: The Eigth Wonder of the World:California

Endless suburbia. Box stores, freeways, mountains, radio, wind.
The American Dream and Babies
GPS
Family
America

some travel songs, not all, some

Here I go Again
Wild World
Running Down a Dream
World at Large
Road Tripping
Me and Bobby McGee
Wherever I may Roam
The Way
Around The World
I've Been Everywhere
On the Road Again
The Distance (why not)


and when it's time to go home:
Homeward Bound

India T-Minus 1 day

Okay, upon further research I realized that big chunks of my itinerary are in some cold ass places. I'm talking sub-freezing. I knew the Himalayas would be cold, but for some reason I didn't think it would be that cold. I was a little daunted at first, but upon further consideration, the idea of me freezing my ass off in a Himalayan village, neck deep in snow in the Kashmir Valley, and drinking chai on a snowy cafe veranda fills me with optimism and joy.

India: T-minus 3 days.

squeeeeeeeeee!

The hardest part of a 1,000 kilometer journey is taking the first step

Sitting here in the comfort of my own home, I am vacillating between confident eagerness to start a new backpacking adventure and debilitating fear about starting this new backpacking adventure. It's the strangest feeling in the world, one that I remember vividly (see June 9, 2010 post) from the start of my CA trip.

PROS:
-On the one hand, I really want to go. I have lots of experience and confidence from my Central American trip so I know I can do this.

-I know I'm going to have a good time, I know I probably won't die, get robbed, get raped or have my organs harvested.

-?????

-And I really need to get away from Hawaii.


CONS:
-But on the other hand, there are lots of things that are quite terrifying and make me think twice about what I'm doing. For one thing, the language barrier is going to be worse than in CA because of the different languages of the countries I'm going to. Unlike Latin American, I can't travel through many countries with just one language, and I sure as hell am not going to bother learning Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese and Nepali.

-And India is kind of the big question mark. It's something I'm looking forward to, and many people I've met said that it's a love or hate kind of destination. I am cautiously optimistic that I'll like it, but...India is dirty and poor, man.

-And squat toilets. Jesus, don't even get me started on the squat toilets.

-Then there's the money issue. Do I really want to spend thousands and thousands of dollars I can't really afford? What really kills me is paying rent on an empty house again.

-And let me tell you what is going to happen when I finally return home. I'm going to start working in the restaurant again and instead of going back to school or finding a real job (like I said I was going to do last time), I'm going to end up working there for another year, spending every minute hating the business and myself . Then, when next summer rolls around I'm going to tell myself "one more backpacking trip and that's it. I'm going to get a real job after I come back." Wash, rinse, repeat.


The image I have of myself stepping out of the airport into the chaos of New Delhi alone with all my earthly possessions hanging on my back, vulnerable to any thief with an inclination, is terrifying and yet so titillating and enticing...........the truth of the matter is, those are the moments I live for. Those "where the hell am I?" and "Where is food and shelter?" panic attacks are half the fun of backpacking.


CONCLUSION: I'm going. That was never in doubt, I just thought I'd try to share the weird conflicting thoughts and emotions roiling around in my head.

NOTE TO SELF: Go to Kalamazoo, MI.

Allah, please don't let NBC cancel Community. You already took Firefly from us. Mercy! Grant us the small cult comfort of weird quirky humor that is Community.

Preparations

Getting visas, doing research, packing clothes, filling prescriptions, buying toiletries, etc... is important of course. But equally important for being prepared for this backpacking trip is watching and reading the appropriate movies and books. I'm watching movies like Fight Club, Lost in Translation, Outsourced, etc... to remind me of how weird life is. I'm reading books like Cat's Cradle, The Alchemist and Chuck Palanhiuk novels to remind myself that sometimes you have to blow off your own jaw with a double aught in order to be born again.

And of course, Shantaram. The Gregory Roberts novel that started this whole thing. If I had to give one reason as to why I'm going to India, Shantaram would be my answer. I am going to India because I read this book.

Onwards to India

I just booked my flight to India. I'm pretty sure this is going to happen this time. I haven't been feeling very excited about this backpacking trip until now. I guess it never felt "real" to me, like I was never sure it was going to happen. But since I booked my ticket and started gathering my supplies, I am beginning to feel The Excitement. It's not only excitement I feel. It's a chaotic blend of emotions.

I am feeling:

Fear: Because I'm going to India, man!
Excitement: Because I'm going to India, man!
Hope: Maybe I'll find the meaning of life?
Pessimism: What's the point? why waste money? I need to find a job.
Optimistic: I know it's going to be an experience, one way or another
Confidence: I did central america, i should be able to do India/Nepal.
Nothing: sometimes I just feel bored.
Doubt: Do i really need to do this? What is my objective?
ennui: What is the point of doing anything?
Panic: vaccines, medicines, language, visas, so many things to do.
Dread: diarrhea, language, sickness, tiredness, diarrhea, injury, death, squat toilets, diarrhea, 15 hour train rides.
Alive!: Fuck objectives and reasons! I'm going to india, man!

conclusion: I'm a moody bastard.

Expensive Repair: 0
Me: 1

Between this and the liquor commission thing, I feel justifiable.