Cycle complete!
Displaying the Irish flag for the craic I popped along to the Cricket World Cup semi final of England vs NZ here in Delhi. Little did I realise that a fellow Irishman (and even better a Munsterman!) had brought along his own Irish flag for the laugh too, and coincidentally was seated just in front of me. Tis hard to imagine the elation I felt at finally chatting with an Irishman for the first time in 3 months!
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Snowy capped mountains, raging rivers, and friendly tibetan villages. These are just some of the things you will find if you decide to trek in the himalayas. If you come to Kathmandu, its almost taken as a given that you are going to tackle one of the ranges. The 100's of outdoor clothing shops lay testament to that. Stop for a moment outside one of these and in an instant a shopkeeper would rush out to tempt you inside. Its funny how shopkeepers chants the world over remain the same. The typical shouts of "my friend, my friend!" and "good price" became so monotonous that it doesnt take long to ignore such calls. Power cuts are common here. Well I should say theyre more than common, occuring every day for at least 10 or 12 hours. To charge phones or batteries here actually was rather difficult. The earthquake has been the major culprit for this even though it has been a year on from those tragic events.
One could go into detail of harrowing bus journeys on treachorous Nepalese roads, but lets just say it was one of those 8 hour journeys that I found myself on. I'll let your imagination do the rest! The trek I found myself on was on a range only a few miles from the Chinese border. Life up here in these villages is incredibly and enjoyably simple. The only way to get supplies up to these remote spots is on the back of mules, of which there was plenty. After a hard day of trekking one could unwind in front of a hearty fire, gobbling up some hearty sherpa stew and making friendly conversation in the dim light. Those chilly nights spent in settings like this are ones that live long in ones memory. As for the trekking, if you were looking for an easy trail then you were probably on the wrong one. Since the earthquake this wasnt for the faint hearted. Huge rockslides and avalanches have meant that one has to navigate hastily made paths, literally inches from certain death. At one point as I approached one of these areas I could hear several rocks tumble down the opposing side of the valley, the echo of which was truly staggerring, abruptly interrupting the peaceful surrounds. One thing that stands out here is the silence. Perfect silence. Its only occasionally interrupted by the howl of monkeys or the jingling of yak bells, and even then these sounds only add to the secluded nature of this place. I doubt im the first to say the silence here is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle and honking, present in towns and cities throughout India and Nepal. Its a real priviledge to to be able to get away from modern society and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. I trekked hard for 5 days. To be honest, going at things full on, and full belt is the only way I know. I always have had the tendency to be like that in everything I throw myself at, but even moreso coming from the cycling, Im always pushimg myself. Just the next town and then the one after that, Im always telling myself. I brought that attitude to the trekking also and even though my legs told me No! My mind kept telling me Yes! I find it hard to relax, take things easy and that I believe is a flaw. Not just for myself but moreso for when Im doing stuff with other people, as I'm not sure how patient I would be if others did not go at my pace. Cycling solo means I can always go as far as I want and as fast as I want in any given day, and thats grand. In a way Im my own boss and this suits me well for now. If this pattern be interrupted I grow easily frustrated and at times admittedly I become angry. If there is something I want to learn more of it is patience. In india with traffic and people you can imagine it is not the easiest place to live out that quality. But it is something I will have to learn for when I re-enter normal society. Life shouldnt be all about me and when one travels alone for a long period of time, that is what day-to-day is normally about. How far can I go? Where will I pitch the tent tonight? Have I enough food and water? You become so independent that it can become dangerous for the time when one must return to 'normal' life. In a way Im going to have to re-learn how to work together, to not always be focused on my needs but to be even more mindful of those around me. Yes, as I travel I already do that, but it just gears up to a new level when one is not cycling around the world. Patience and being more mindful of others is something I hope to work on before returning home. In fact it is a must. Sorry where was I? Oh yes! Trekking in the mountains. So yeah. Walked a lot. Thought a lot. Prayed a lot. Ate a lot. Slept a lot. Throw a hundred or so photos into the bargain and that was pretty much it... Bar the 8 hours return bus journey and 2 terribly cheesy hindi movies! If you have never read the bestselling novel 'The Kite Runner', my advice is to go read it, you wont regret it. It was somewhere in Australia if I remember rightly that I found myself stuck in the book. Several nights I knew I should go to sleep earlier so that I would wake up fresher in the morning. But each night when I lay in my sleeping bag and opened up my Kindle to read, I just kept flying through the chapters. It was one that you really couldnt put down.
At the heart of the book is the theme of childhood, which encompasses the competitive world of kite flying and kite fighting. In the western world kites are a rare thing nowadays. Maybe theres a few up in an attic somewhere but I dont recall very often seeing kites a flying in a park on a Sunday afternoon. As I go to put out my washing on my weekend off here in Lucknow, in the courtyard a group of 4 boys are staring and pointing at the sky. Dropping my washing on a water tank I join them to see what all the fuss was about and then I noticed two of them were holding a string that was flying a magnificent purple and green kite. Theres was not the only one either, but up in the dark blue indian sky perhaps 20 other kites were twisting and turning, ducking and diving. I stood still for a minute to take it all in. They were not only flying for the fun of seeing where the wind would take it but also there was competition to be had. Our eyes shifted to this one pair of kites who were twirling around each other for some time, obviously eager to cut the other's before their own was caught. It took several minutes but eventually you could see one of the two kites floating unbounded to the ground. The short battle had been won. It made me think about childhood at home, how it was for me, and how much it has changed in the past 10 years or so. I remember every dry day we got home from school, I would be outside with Sam or Andrew playing footy or some sport. (It was always competitive whatever it was.) We had our time on the computer too but for the most part as a 5-12 year old I was outside A LOT! They were good times... Really good times I must say! It is now as I look back and realise that it cannot be the same ever again. Sam and Andrew are both married and have jobs to do and people to meet, such is life. But its one thing I think I will be ever grateful for is a happy, competitive childhood. Today here in India I think I caught a good glimpse of what childhood can be like this side of the globe. And I think to myself, long may it continue that way. With her taste still fresh on my lips, I feel duty bound to report a most amazing encounter I have had this evening. And in case you may be thinking of something ENTIRELY different, let me tell you that this 'her' is quite special, quite simply the most amazing thing about India I would have to say! This 'she' is the incredible indian cuisine that I have come to love. She hasnt only enticed me but i know she has mesmerized countless others who make it to this part of the world. And it is not as if she relies solely on taste, but she draws you in ever so well with exotic smells of spices, that I couldnt for the life of me pronounce!
Although I could talk about paratha and dhal, and curries, this 'Chala' I had tonight eclipses all else. Seeing it to be the most expensive thing on the menu (for only €1.50) I went for it, and boy it didnt let me down. So how do I describe it? Its pretty much an edible crunchy wheat basket put on a plate. Inside are put too steaming hot chickpea and potato patties, which have a gravy of sorts drizzled over them. Added to this were an assortment of spices, such as cardammon, turmeric, garam masala and... other things I couldnt pick up on! The next level was one of parsley before an additional layer of another thicker gravy was put on top. And then two things that capped it off ever so beautifully, first a dashing of pomegranate, and lastly the whole basket (as well as the entire plate is drowned in yoghurt. Cold, refreshing natural yoghurt. Im not sure I've had a more diverse set of flavours in one meal, but after every bite I just wanted more and more. It drew you in like that. I wolfed down the plate in 10 minutes, and for a change my bottomless pit of a stomach was satisfied. Didnt need anything else, just a bed to lie down in and wait till tomorrow when I can enjoy it all over again! It's fair to say that in terms of privacy India has been the most challenging. Wherever.. and I mean WHEREVER you stop it won't be very long before a crowd has gathered to ask you several guaranteed questions, the repetition of which can be very frustrating. When they come from lads on motorbikes (never females unfortunately!) it can be even more so as I have to shout my answers over the traffic. Riding side by side also creates a serious hazard, and there's been occasions where I've nearly been knocked off the bike because of the distraction.
95% of the time I will be asked these questions:
I remember one guy who overtook me on his motorbike, stared me and my bike down and then stopped a few hundred metres ahead. As I pedalled past him he started up again and overtook me once more, staring me down without saying a word. Once I caught up with him he slowed down to my pace and I said "hello" to which he asked one question. "Where are you from?" I replied quite simply "Ireland", and before he had time to register that he had his foot on the gas and had left me on my own again. Not that I was complaining however, it meant I had a few minutes to laugh away to myself with how odd our brief encounter had been. Even more common is the 'smash and grab' as I call it. This is where a motorbike will approach me from behind, ask me all the basic questions before stopping, turning around and heading back where they had come from. Some it seemed would drive for a mile or two just to find out who and what and where the white man was doing and going. I wonder would I do the same if an Indian man was out cycling the back roads of West Cork! |
The AuthorName: Daniel Ross Top Tips:
1. Constantly challenge yourself. 2. If you never try you'll never know what's possible. Archives
October 2016
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