My love of travel and engaging with new places is something that is a clear feature of my life...I often think of it as a disease as the travel bug is one that can not be easily sated !
So...a week's break from school and the opportunity to travel to another destination.A trip to India is something I have dreamed about for many, many years. With this brings a sense of anticipation and excitement!
Now, with a trip to a country with over a billion people now over, it is time to pause and reflect...
Loved: Morning walks along Colva beach in Goa - watching the hermit crabs scurry and the patterns in the sand...watching our shadows playing in the sun...loving how simple, yet complicated, nature is...
Loathed: The uneasy feeling brought about by the extreme levels of poverty - how does one react to a young boy with a baby in his arms...such a feeling of helplessness on my part and even more so on his part I suspect. Such a disparity of living conditions on this planet...why?
Marvelled: At the stunning Indian women and their resplendent saris - the variety of colours from vibrant turquoise to deep turmeric colours was staggering.
Reflected: On the fact that we are living out our dreams of living and travelling. This is a good feeling!
Wondered: How the group of school-aged kids who repeatedly banged on our car windows while we were stopped at the traffic lights, begging for money, would ever be able to live their dreams and have them come true.
Enjoyed: Selecting a different curry for dinner each night...oh my...I am officially addicted to Indian food.
Hunted: For the lurking chillies in the meals! I made a big mistake on the first night thinking that the long green item that was part of the poppadoms sauce was a green bean! After munching in and having chewed 3/4 of it I discovered I had made a little mistake...it was a chilli! Burning ears are not fun people!
Haggled: At the stalls and then realized that the final price we had settled on was the equivalent of 40 Australian cents lower than the vendor's previous best offer. After feeling victorious about having secured such a good price, I then let the vendor keep the change - effectively rendering the previous 5 minutes of bargaining useless. I figured he needed the extra cash more than me...
Played: In the pool for hours on end - handstand competitions, backward somersaults, diving lessons! Felt like a kid again! Was fun!
Thought: About what a fabulous husband I have and how lovely it was to have time to have fun together! He makes everything so much more fun and it is amazing to have him to share all these incredible adventures with! I can still kick his ass at handstand comps though!
Smelt: A lot of things! Some good...curry; the beach; garlic naan, freshly cut grass; frangipanis. Some not so good...I'll leave those smells of India to your imagination!
Felt: Very content after a marvellous vacation of sightseeing, shopping, swimming and sunning...but also uneasy - I cannot reconcile in my mind how there is such a disparity in living conditions in this world...
Thanks to Rach for the inspiration for this blog!
