Total Panic
Somewhere between flipping the pages of a Lonely Planet guide and practising Nepali phrases, I panicked. Confidence gave way to quaking in my hiking boots as I realised that people were trying to tell me that travelling alone through India was a VERY BAD IDEA. With my departure date looming I began to casually call around for a travel companion. "Oh hi! Long time no see! Hey, I'm going to India and Nepal in a month - you wanna come?" As the inevitable declines came in I resolved to hold my nerve - I didn't want to hurt my reputation of intrepid traveller did I? Then one night one of my closest friends called me up. She had initially declined the offer with a left-field response of believing we would not make good travel companions. However after a few glasses of Stone's Ginger Beer she had changed her mind. "I take it all back!" she cried, "We would make great travel companions, I really want to come with you!" In spite of our hysterical enthusiasm that night my friend was not as gung-ho as she first appeared. Over the next week or so she vascillated between wanting to go and wanting to do the sensible thing and wait for a better opportunity. Motivated by my own anxiety about going it alone I feverishly rewrote the itinerary, pushed my departure date forward and coaxed her toward a committal. We booked the flight.
The next day I had a distinct feeling of unease throughout the day which turned into high anxiety when I saw the missed call on my mobile. I knew it before I opened her email but it didn't stop the momentary feeling of devastation that followed. She had pulled out. Her reasons fuelled my stubborn resolve to prove everybody wrong. That a woman can handle anything on her own and find achievement and joy in it too.
And then...the panic. After losing my travel companion I began to doubt the wisdom of my plans. Originally, I planned to go overland from India to Nepal, go trekking, volunteer at an orphanage then make my way through India to my departure city - Bangalore. The overland route began to look like a challenge. First of all, India seemed to be filled with people of prize-winning ingenuity in scamming tourists (see traveller's tips in the Lonely Planet website for an entertaining sample). Secondly, the border crossing looked complicated and risky with Maoists beginning to extort money from vehicles crossing over. Finally, my tour company had a grim message that announced that due to the high level of bandhs (strikes) they were offerring people booked onto tours a chance to change tours. To my horror, everyone in my trek had already accepted the offer.
After many sleepless nights and agonised debating with friends, colleagues and family I came to the conclusion that I didn't know what to do.
The next day I had a distinct feeling of unease throughout the day which turned into high anxiety when I saw the missed call on my mobile. I knew it before I opened her email but it didn't stop the momentary feeling of devastation that followed. She had pulled out. Her reasons fuelled my stubborn resolve to prove everybody wrong. That a woman can handle anything on her own and find achievement and joy in it too.
And then...the panic. After losing my travel companion I began to doubt the wisdom of my plans. Originally, I planned to go overland from India to Nepal, go trekking, volunteer at an orphanage then make my way through India to my departure city - Bangalore. The overland route began to look like a challenge. First of all, India seemed to be filled with people of prize-winning ingenuity in scamming tourists (see traveller's tips in the Lonely Planet website for an entertaining sample). Secondly, the border crossing looked complicated and risky with Maoists beginning to extort money from vehicles crossing over. Finally, my tour company had a grim message that announced that due to the high level of bandhs (strikes) they were offerring people booked onto tours a chance to change tours. To my horror, everyone in my trek had already accepted the offer.
After many sleepless nights and agonised debating with friends, colleagues and family I came to the conclusion that I didn't know what to do.
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