So long, farewell....

I am into my final days in India and Nepal and I guess the end of the first chapter of my travels. It is hard to get my head around that this time tomorrow; I will be in the comfort of my lovely friend’s apartment in London. In London....the western world. Good coffee, “normal” food, clean streets and rules and regulations. I am not sure if I am ready. It seems quite surreal. This week I have been back in Mcleod Ganj – I had a week spare and wanted a place to meet my dear friend Annie, that was, well, comfortable and a little bit familiar. Not Delhi high temperatures, but relatively clean streets and some fresh mountain air. And it has felt good to be back. But later this week, I won’t be woken by packs of barking dogs, I won’t be greeted by cows and monkeys, but I will be able to flush the loo paper. It might sound strange, but it is those things I am actually going to miss. I have been thinking a lot about the differences, and as per my last post, the similarities....but it is perhaps the differences, the uniqueness of countries like Nepal and India that I will truly miss.

Annie and I hanging out at Shiva Cafe

I love that the traffic is chaos, ok, the horns get a bit tiresome, but I will no longer be able to confidently cross the busy road simply by raising a hand to the traffic without the aid of a familiar green man. Here they allow you to pass (you must walk slowly but confidently as our guide in Mumbai instructed us) but it works, somehow.  I am not so sure this technique will have the same affect in London. For what is seemingly chaos, with lack of apparent rules or regulations, it just works.  Nor will the mix of endless taxis, motorbikes, rickshaws and cows meet the modes of transport I will find in Paris. But again, I still smile every time a see a cow make its way up the street seemingly undisturbed by a stream of traffic.

My favourite view, just with a little less snow

I think what I will miss the most, is the openness of the people I have met along the way. I have never before been so lucky to be constantly surrounded by people with open hearts and open minds and that greet you when they see you (whether they know you or not). It is not uncommon to have a deep and meaningful conversation about life and what we are all on this planet for with the person selling you trinkets, or the guy making your coffee. People here have strong and powerful beliefs, whether it is Hinduism, Buddhism or their own blend of spirituality, most people share a common belief that we are all connected, that giving is receiving – the law of karma – and that there is something greater than us out there. Unlike in the west, where the focus tends to be what new toy can I buy, how can I make more money, and when can I retire? (Notice the constant of “I”) People are more focused on “we”, they think and act family, community and often have some form of ritual or practice to keep them in the “now”. We in the west can certainly learn a lot from the seemingly “simple” life these people lead. 

A belief in something greater than "I"

I splurged and had a pedicure the other day (for $10 and for over an hour why wouldn’t you?) I felt I owed it to my feet, they had been punished in countless hours of flip flops, trekking boots and not forgetting the combination of dirt and rubbish. But funnily enough, I will miss the dirt; it is a daily reminder that I am truly experiencing a life of difference. I can’t believe I am saying I will miss dirty feet, but it is perhaps the daily reminder of how lucky I am that I can have this experience.  So from here, with my freshly scrubbed feet and brightly painted toes, I will head to London on my way to Poland. Europe will be an entirely different experience, but even after the pedicure, I am sure the dirt of India and Nepal will always be there, and I am kind of pleased about that.