The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost
Far better it is to dare mighty dreams, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take the ranks with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat!
Find Me Finding Myself: Five weeks abroad, five weeks of recovery and contemplation.
“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” — “Marky” Mark Jenkins
*A special thanks to Geoff Green, my friend and travel companion who’s photographs captured the heart of the journey far more than words ever could.
Mad Stats
30 Days, 10 Flights, 8 Airports, 53.24 Hours, 23,385 Miles
NYC - London: Carrier: Virgin Atlantic Hours: 7:20 Miles: 3,458
London - Colombo: Carrier: Sri Lankan Hours: 10:35 Miles: 5,418
Colombo - Bangkok: Carrier: Sri Lankan Hours: 3:24 Miles: 1,482
Bangkok - Delhi: Carrier: Air India Hours: 4:45 Miles: 1,824
Shimla - Delhi: Carrier: Kingfisher Hours: 1:00 Miles: 171
Delhi - Goa: Carrier: Spice Jet Hours: 2:20 Miles: 941
Goa - Mumbai: Carrier: Spice Jet Hours: 1:10 Miles: 257
Mumbai - Colombo: Carrier: Sri Lankan Hours: 2:20 Miles: 958
Colombo - London: Carrier: Sri Lankan Hours: 12:00 Miles: 5,418
London - NYC: Carrier: Virgin Atlantic Hours: 8:20 Miles: 3,458
Best airline: Virgin. Worst airport: Mumbai. Same three Goan trance tracks repeated through entire flight: Spice Jet. Scariest landing: Kingfisher - Delhi. Most tolerable meal: Virgin. Pesticide sprayed throughout cabin: Sri Lankan and Spice Jet. Least amount of legroom: Sri Lankan. Longest passport control wait: Bangkok. Most attractive flight attendants: Virgin (who would’ve guessed).
*The award for “Flight I Least Wanted to Kill Myself During” goes to: Virgin Atlantic. Well designed aircraft with modern conveniences, snacks throughout flight handed out by pleasant staff along with passengers following some sort of social etiquette when exiting the aircraft will keep me coming back. As for the others, I would feel safer and more comfortable traveling by mule (again).
India: You Either Love It or Hate It.
This is not a tagline, its a statement given to me by an Indian ex-pat when describing his homeland. However I beg to disagree, I feel it’s much more complicated than that and I have come up with three alternatives.
India: It’s a Love/Hate Thing
Love to Hate It: India
India. You Hate to Love It
*They all pretty much say the same thing: India leaves you with very contradictory feelings.
Goodbye Sri Lanka, Well It’s Time to Go: I am back in Negombo, Sri Lanka to say a bittersweet goodbye to my last night in Asia. As the sun set over the horizon I ran to fetch my camera, only to find the settings got messed up in Bombay and everything came out fuzzy. But fate is not without a sense of irony — the picture perfectly describes the conclusion to this adventure — beautiful but blurry.
*Not Over Yet: Stay tuned for final trip statistics, they will be staggering.
1.Horn
2.Brake
3.Luck
— My Driver
Hive of Scum and Villany: Leopold’s in Bombay is the infamous bar and eatery — made famous by the book I am reading whilst traveling, Shantaram. The book written by and based on the life of Gregory David Roberts has been pivotal in helping me to understand many of the extreme cultural differences in the subcontinent of India.
*A special thanks to Kay, who after weeks of prodding convinced me to take her copy with me on my travels.
A New Addiction: It’s known as paan, an addictive and euphoric explosion of flavor wrapped in a chewable leaf. This edible southeast Asian tradition is a concoction of areca nuts, lime paste and other exotic ingredients packaged in a betel leaf. Varying by region I would find the local paan artisans across India and support their craft. This craftsman in the small Goan beach town of Sernabatim Colva allowed me to document his intricate process.
A Merry belated-Goan Christmas: A former Portuguese colony and predominantly Catholic, Goa is extremely festive during Christmas. Nativity’s and lights grace every neighborhood and fireworks fill the streets at the stroke of midnight Christmas Eve.
*I have a bad habit of not taking photos when I am having fun — when I should be taking the most. So this is all I have for you, sorry.
Don’t Look Down: The airport in Shimla, India is quite literally a mountain with the top chopped off. Watch as the runway just disappears from underneath at second 0:20 and the full runway at a distance at minute 1:06.
Kufri: My first view of the mighty Himalaya from muleback.
Yes, More Monkeys: The world’s tallest high-altitude statue located in Shimla of Hanuman is a refuge for hundreds of macaque monkeys. So many, that for a mere 5 rupees you can purchase a stick to beat them away.
Shimla: A mountain city in the foothills of the north India’s Himachal Pradesh is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited. The summer capital during the British Raj’s rule, this time of the year is off season so it was a great time to mix in with the locals.
The Toy Train: The Kalka-Shimla Railway — known as a toy train because of its narrow gauge 2’ 6” track — is a breathtaking 5-hour trip through the Himalayan foothills.
