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In March before this year, I did a little session on Backpacking inwards India for The Goa Project. Based on my personal experiences of traveling inwards Bharat over the concluding 10 years, these are my notes on self-learned too self-taught lessons.
Based on those, I am putting downward 5 things that tin flame brand your travels to a greater extent than enriching. In particular, these 5 things are addressed to the solo traveler, a rare species of traveler, I must say, at to the lowest degree inwards India.
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| Photo by Jhong Dizon. |
1: Serendipity is good
One of my adages of backpacking is to merely purchase the render tickets too receive got a wide plan. In Diwali this year, I decided to pass three days inwards Uttar Kannada district. I bought rider vehicle tickets from Bombay to Hubli too back. I ended upward visiting 2 historic towns, Banavasi too Gadag, every bit good every bit enjoying a restful Diwali at Gokarna.
With no hotel bookings, I roamed freely merely about Gokarna taking inwards the sights too sounds. Tramping around, I came across this beach shack shown inwards the picture. The footling span over the tidepool was merely likewise tempting. I merely had to halt here. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 whole solar daytime to merely laze, receive got distich of beers too hear to music coming out of the communal iPod plugged into a large amplifier. I would never receive got experienced this quaint identify since it is non listed on whatsoever major go site. At Rs 300 for a bed per night, it was a steal.
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| Om Shree Ganesh at Om Beach, Gokarna |
2: There is ever time
Backpacking does non require taking long sabbaticals from work. For most Indians, this is nigh impossible. Our lives are unending from schoolhouse to college to employment. Of course of teaching in that location are some who hitting a goldmine inwards investment banking or sell some of the ESOPs they acquire from their software fellowship which may generate some savings to retire from work. But it’s a little minority.
In my case, at to the lowest degree 50% of my explorations were partly official trips. (A slight caveat - my run involves doing lots of plain trips too the nature of the projects I worked inwards took me to Orissa, MP, UP, Tamil Nadu too many places inwards Maharashtra).
When on work, in that location is ever some costless fourth dimension - unremarkably because of flying schedules. That costless fourth dimension tin flame live on used quite productively. I had to brand a position out of trips to Orissa on work. There was ane Indian Airlines flying from Bombay which landed at 2 pm. Typically I had a sum day’s run therefore I could exclusively receive got the render flying 2 days later. The render flying was at 2.30 pm. So I had an entire afternoon the solar daytime I landed too an entire morn on the solar daytime of my return. Why hang around? Off nosotros acquire - to Konark, to Dhauli, to Khandagiri.
Even the most mundane of draw of piece of work concern trips - Mumbai-Delhi, for representative - tin flame give you lot opportunities to receive got off.. You merely postulate to receive got an opened upward mind. Here’s a tip - if you lot are inwards Bombay too you lot receive got a few hours to kill, attempt exploring old, 2d manus bookstores or circulating libraries. There’s ever ane inwards every purpose of the city. Spend your fourth dimension in that location too if you lot similar your comic books, you mightiness hitting some erstwhile gems. Or if you lot are an amateur photographer, acquire off to a nearby populace infinite too practise your street photography skills.There is ever something ane tin flame do.
3: Being a Culture Explorer
I am a Culture Explorer. Well, I did non invent this term; I came across it on this site here. This, for me, matches alongside the form of experiences I receive got relished most. Of course, occasionally, ane does receive got inwards the natural landscapes too all that. But civilization too human habitation is a to a greater extent than enjoyable sense everywhere. Every identify I go, in that location is a novel slice of civilization that I experience. Very rarely receive got I ever seen 2 dissimilar places inwards Bharat offering a similar experience. It is my observation (and I receive got the freedom of putting inwards some hyperbole) that every 50kms, in that location is a novel cultural sense waiting. It mightiness rattling subtle or it mightiness live on a drastic, but in that location is a change.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 walk through the older parts of Gadag (the birthplace of Pt Bhimsen Joshi every bit good every bit a prominent location for some of the most beautiful medieval Indian temple architecture) is quite magnificent. The colonial houses, the homely decorations (it was Diwali) too some 11th century structures inwards the distance acquire inwards a worthwhile trip to make; too it’s merely 1 hr away from Hubli.
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| Gadag, the street leading upward to the 11th century Chalukyan mode Veera Narayana Temple |
4: Be a Local AND a Tourist
One should never forget that ane is backpacking inwards his/her ain country, therefore retaining the “local” identity is important. Take local transport. Eat where the local residents prefer to eat. Buy materials from shops where the local families acquire to. As a “local”, you lot volition directly acquire quoted to a greater extent than reasonable rates. Speaking inwards Hindi or the local linguistic communication ever helps. People opened upward up too if you lot are of the form who likes to sit down downward alongside people too hear to stories, too therefore this mental attitude volition receive got you lot a long way. In short, educate empathy alongside the local cultures, the people, their arts, crafts, practices too customs.
Of course of teaching you lot should also live on a responsible too helpful “tourist”. There are 2 things you lot tin flame do. As a “customer”, brand certain you lot need character too give feedback (but politely too inwards a civil, helpful way) therefore that the local service providers tin flame improve. And to a greater extent than significantly, attempt to patronise the local mom-and-pop enterprises to a greater extent than than the bigger corporate chains. As a backpacker, whether you lot remain inwards those fancy resorts or non volition brand no deviation to their revenues. But for the local enterprises, inwards many of these places that you lot volition acquire to, your expenditure forms a meaning agency of livelihood to those people (which they volition never acquire from tour operators or online go portals since they by too large encompass 3-star too higher upward resorts too hotels). And when backpacking, do you lot actually postulate to pay the high rates for the swimming pools, gyms, extra soft pillows, etc. when most of your solar daytime is going to live on spent outdoors?
In Hampi, I stayed inwards the hamlet itself, Rs 300 per night, ane bed too a bathroom. Since I was out exploring the area, this was merely right. And inwards the morning, for breakfast, I would walk downward to the river, similar everyone else inwards the village, too sit down on the banks having java too a cigarette.
5: Turn on, Tune in, Drop out
For my concluding point, I am borrowing a draw from Timothy Leary. The way I read it is
- Turn on your eyes, ears, mind
- Tune inwards to the life merely about out
- Drop out of the network (read it every bit orbit your mobiles off for a while)
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 friend of mine told me ane time of how, on a trip into the forests of Assam, he came across a distich of youngsters strolling alongside their iPods. He was shaken. Here inwards the forests, alongside sounds of birds (and some rare ones) all over, how could these 2 youth switch off the Blue Planet alongside their earbuds? Did they receive got to come upward all the way hither merely to hear to their iPods? They could receive got stayed home, wherever it was.
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| A trip to Bhandardara, well-nigh 150 km from Mumbai, inwards the monsoon is a lovely experience. Through the clouds too misty rain, a little rainbow fights to acquire noticed. |
That’s it from me. Hope these 5 points assist you lot receive got smashing travels. Bon voyage.
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Author Bio: Anannya Deb is a Mumbai-based full-time professional person working inwards a draw of piece of work concern consulting firm. In his costless time, he travels too dabbles alongside writing well-nigh his travels. His go spider web log is called The Road Below, a championship borrowed from RL Stevenson’s poetry form The Vagabond. His go photography is available on Flickr.
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