We are socially conditioned to living in a world full of rules and labels. We get layered with so many roles that we soon lose our own identity. Travel helps you find yourself. I did.

In all frankness, the initial days of my travel were not the best of my life. I missed my family, home, and friends; till then I had not realised that I had so many people and elements influencing my life. And then there were the operational hurdles, for instance, clearing the bike at Bangkok. That was a pain as they didn’t speak English and seemed to have complicated and layered the process so much that it made it easy for them to swindle money off me. Life in hostels was another experience that I was new to. I had so much of inhibitions as to how people would welcome me into their circle. But as the days progressed, I realised that these doubts had no foundation in reality. I was welcomed with open hearts. Today I can confidently say that I made friendships that will last lifelong.

The ride took me through South East Asia, Australia, Middle East Asia and Europe. The northern loop of Thailand, Chiang Mai – Pai – MainHong Son – Doi Inthinon – Chiangmai, was truly a rider’s dream. The ride through the mountains, through the mist and valleys made for an experience worth re-visiting. The landscapes in Northern Laos, Luang Prabang,  the Konglor village and the cave are beyond mere words. They are untouched by the mainstream tourist and thus still have some genuine, authentic emotional connect.  The culture, the people and their hospitality are something to be revered. The street food in Penang still has its flavour stuck in me. The street art and the iron art fascinated me and I fell in love with the island.

Indonesia is truly a world in itself; the diversity has no end as you hop from one island to another.  From the active volcanoes, to the natural habitat of the Orangutan in Sumatra, to some amazing coastlines and islands with one of the best underwater habitats are sights and experiences beyond imagination.

Australia is very close to my heart as I got to do my first sky-jump in Cairns and to top it, I snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef! The ride through the Great Ocean Road and the crazy weather of Melbourne made me spend a good 2 months in Australia. It’s one of the best countries to live in. The Australian countryside was a pleasure and a visual treat. It’s remarkable that Australia has been so successful in capturing and presenting every moment as larger than life.

 

The Middle East was a veritable eye-opener; from the historically rich Oman to the fantasy land of Dubai leading to the land of the source of Persian culture, Iran. It was my first experience in Oman and Iran. Oman might not feature in the bucket-list of countries to be seen for many. It’s a pity because it has something to cater to everyone’s interest from the Wadis and mountains to the heritage sites and off-road trails. The best thing to happen on my journey was the ride through Iran. My family and friends were sceptical about this part of the journey. But after my experience there, I wouldn’t think twice in stating that Iran is one of the safest places to travel in, with the best people on earth. Nothing compares to their hospitality. Being an Indian was an added advantage as they respected Indians from both a bilateral as well as cultural perspective. I have had experiences of people stopping me on the highway to offer breakfast, been invited to homes to stay with the locals, had strangers stopping to help me in the middle of nowhere without expecting anything from me.

I entered Europe after passing through Turkey. The only hassle in Turkey was that I was inspected at certain points as part of the routine checkup as the county was going through political upheaval. Despite that though, everything functioned normally. Yes, there was a steep fall in tourist inflow but it was to my advantage in negotiating better deals.  The ride from Erzurum to Capadoccia all the way to Istanbul took me through all kinds of weather conditions.

It was the first time I set foot in Europe and everything functioned so smoothly! I did cover the big cities and the major tourist attractions. But the highlights were the amazing landscapes that exist in and around the smaller cities. I was wonderstruck at some sights and couldn’t believe such visual frames existed.  I felt as though I was riding through fairytale settings! For some time, I camped on a farm in a small village, Le Luc, on the Eastern side of France. I joined the family to work on their farm and that was truly a memorable experience for me. The bike breaking down at Banyuls gave me the opportunity to explore this magnificent city located on the Western coast of France. San Sebastian situated near the northern border of Spain on the west coast is cool and happening by night and a city filled with people that love to indulge.

As a traveler, I was living on a shoestring budget. I learnt a lot from other travelers on how to efficiently manage money. I was very surprised when one of my hostel mates took me to a restaurant where he negotiated paying 50% percent of the food price because there wasn’t anybody and the restaurant was closing down after their working hours. He suggested we would buy out the balance food and that is how we struck a deal. That was truly impressive! Be it by staying in hostels and working for them or working in farms for the food and stay they provided, I found ways to manage my financial requirement.

As much as we think language is a barrier, sign language normally works. At times there could be difficulty in communicating things verbally, but non-verbal communication through signs and symbols usually does the trick. One just needs to be careful not to offend anybody; it’s essential to do prior research on signs people from different cultures find offensive.

We take things for granted in our daily life; it could be a coffee in the morning handed over by our parents / life partners/ friends, but once we step out of our comfort zone, we start valuing every little thing around us and the importance it has in our day to day life. As we grow up, we create a circle of friends and family who are more or less in sync with our thoughts and the way we live. We get so comfortable that we stop treading beyond these self-defined boundaries and exploring life around us. We stop trusting people who are strangers to us. Travel helps you break these preconceived notions and gets you out of your predefined circles. For instance, I had met with an accident in a village in Thailand. The local villagers took over the situation and within an hour I got my bike repaired and I was back on the road riding. I have been stranded in small towns, where there were no hostels/guest houses/hotels and the locals have opened their houses and hearts to me. All these incidents reinforce the belief that good human beings do exist around us and we can still trust people. The world is not as bad as it is portrayed!

All these experiences have turned me into a much more confident and understanding individual.

Although this journey started as a 5-region, 40-country plan, at this moment it looks like it will end in Europe with about 24 countries. But it is inconsequential whether I am able to complete this trip or not. This journey has given me the confidence to do what I believe to be the most worthy thing in life, and that is to TRAVEL. I do not regret putting my savings into this journey; the experience and the learning have been priceless!