Director's Cut: The group email that was never sent.

I had planned on sending this email on my last day in India. But for reasons I can't remember (I think I was tired), I left it half-finished; and only completed it today, day 6 back in Australia. I figured it was absolutely stupid to send a travel email from Australia, so instead, for the benefit of those readers who were actually interested in my trip, I would post it on "Passenger". It is not my best piece of writing, with probably hundreds of grammatical errors; but if I changed it too much that would be unfair. I wrote it on my trip - the last day - it deserves, well I thought anyway, to be kept in its original form. Even if it is shit.

Enjoy......


Dear All,

Welcome to the final instalment of these group emails from my time on the road: described by some as "massive", "lame", and "an attempt by me to develop my personal branding." So, in light of this "positive" feedback, I'll try (emphasis:try) to stay away from the rhetoric non-sense; if I don't though, my apologies beforehand.

I have become cynical these last months - especially towards group emails. They are, after all, just another ego trip - an outlet of backpackers to gloat in their glory; consolidate their experiences and give it a sense of achievement. We post our photos online - look at ME, ME, ME. (Meanwhile outside the Internet cafe, a kid has no food and is begging for a rupee.) We write our blogs - giving our travels this narrative element to it; yet the reality that we call our "adventure" is the same one where people struggle to survive. We write these group emails - for who? for what? Do you guys really give a damn what I have been doing? Or I am writing this thing, just to boost my pathetic western ego. The curse of tourism. We travel to try understand the world; yet we leave understanding near to nothing, only the superficial side that we could have gained just sitting at home watching ABC. Like I said, I have become cynical. Time to go home.

Nevertheless, with one day left on the road, I will leave my cynicism aside, I just write this damn thing. Tick off the list. Put it in writing so I don't have to explain it all again. Finish this trip once and for all.

Here it goes....

Nepal:

After the logistical nightmare of Tibet, Nepal was breeze; pleasant: like the warm welcoming of a mother's arms as a child. The food was delicious. (especially the Japanese). The people could actually be trusted. The landscape was stunning, despite the incessant rainfall that resulted in endless cloud cover and rain.

And in the same way when you go back to see your mother, I got a bit lazy, successfully spending two weeks in Kathmandu Valley, doing next to nothing - indulging in fresh fruit juices, playing pool with locals, listening to cheesy cover bands, and devising strategies to hide from these two random guys who keep following me around wanting to be "my best friend". Weird.

When I finally got off my proverbial couch, I managed to get a decent amount of exploring done, including spending time at Chitwan, Pokara and Lumbini. (Translation - in order - a National Park, a picturesque lakeside village, and the birthplace of Buddha). I did the usual - a combination of mixing with the locals and being a blatant tourist - enjoyable yes, but after a while, I was getting irritated by it all.

Nepal was easy: it's the kind of place that people with mid-life-crises should run away too. Or if you want to go on a trek. The international tourism market is certainly sorted there. Politically, well that is another story that I will save you from hearing in this email. The Himalayan Kingdom was certainly enjoyable, but I had this constant yearning for hard travel - the kind where you sit on 16 hours bus trips, where you don't know where are you going. Challenging travel.

Northern India

I had this rather lame idea that Nepal would somehow be a good transition from Oriental Asia to Hindi Asia. I could have never been so wrong. India was a complete head-spin. I have never been to a country that I have loved so much, yet so irritated with on a 24 hour basis. As I have said to some friends, India made China look like Pleasantville. My first stop in India, Varansai, the holiest of holy for Hindis, was like entering into the set of Lord of The Rings Circus. Cows everywhere. Stray dogs crumpling through rubbish. Dead bodies flowing down the river Ganges, including one dead baby I saw with a group of Koreans.

And so began India- I cursed my wish for challenging travel. I mainly concentrated in Northern India - through the Uttar Pradesh, up into the Northern States of Punjab/Haryana and Himach Pradesh, and a grand finale exploring the desert state of Rajashatan. Which probably means near to nothing for most of you, but culturally and regionally passed through very different worlds - harsh deserts, the modern and poorest of poor, the holiest of holy, hellish cities, Tibetan, Sikh, Hindi, Rajash, Punjab. At times, I felt like I was going to different countries than provinces. And that was only a small percentage of the country.

At this point as I write I am trying to think of highlights, but I can't think of anything specifically per se. Of course, the food, but that was a given. Perhaps I loved the way religion and life were so intertwined in India - they were one and the same. At home, you go the Church and that is that. In India, you pray to Lord Shiva on the street; In Delhi, you walk past a Buddhist, a Muslim and a Hindu monk in the space of one minute; or, in the desert city of Jaimsalmer when I was there, you burn down Muslim villages and hold a strike in a city when a farmer accidentally kills one of your cows. Intertwined.

And, of course, a thanks to all the people - only in India have I ever gotten absolute pyscho at someone for cheating me, and then a minute later, the victim happily wants to take about cricket. Oh yes, and to all those Indians who commented on how "good" my English was, thank you - I have never been so angry by one innocent statement in my life.

If it had it been for my yearning for home, I would have stayed longer in India. Six weeks is no where near enough. You need six years to see this country. But enough of India - god, it was amazing - a complete utter mind-trip to use a better word, so colourful in every way that it makes Oz look so damn boring.

The final paragraph that is meant to summarise 11 months.

Traditionally at this point - the ending of one's travels - that group-emailers usually finish off with some grandiose statement, acting like Paul Coleho wannabes - how it changed me, how AMAZZINNGGG it was (right, sloandog?), things of that nature. The travelling "ego" trip as I said before. But for once, I'll put aside my tendency to ramble, to weave travel PR, and describe it has honestly as I can...right now.

At times, it really sucked - the endless bus trips, the haggling, the hell at preschool, the occasional droughts of sickness. There were moments when I was actually bored. And then at other times, I have never felt so inspired. Natural beauty has it seemingly uncanny ability to make you feel invincible.The small rushes of adrenaline I use to get arriving somewhere, not knowing anyone or anything, knowing that somehow it would ultimately work out - its the best; I'll miss that. Umhh, so maybe I ain't so cynical after all.

Thanks for putting up with these emails. Don't worry there won't be any more...at least for a little while.

Off to catch a plane. Looking forward to seeing all of you.

Eddie

In one word.

Shanghai: Fun
Turks: Knob
Amit: Knob
Sloany: Knob
Oscars: Memories
3 and 3 Blingual Development School: Hell
Apartment: Sick. (As in good.)
Ayi: Awesome
Mongolia: Random
Nomads: Cool
Smoking Habit: Destructive
Yunnan Province: Beautiful
The-Random-Dude-who-got-me-a-black-market-ticket-into-Tibet: Magic
Beijing: Olympics?
Getting needles stuck into your eye: Painful
Tibet: Tragic
Everest Base Camp: Surreal
Nepal: Relaxing
Masala Chai: Heaven
Nepalese Locals: Weird
Japanese Food in Nepal: Amazing
Books: Sanctuary
Long Bus Trips: Meditation
Spanish: Amazing
Swedish: Amazing
Kiwi-who-live-in-the-UK: Awesome
India: Head-Spin
Varanasi: Deadbabies
Kingfisher Beer: Rotten
Pokara: Heaven
French Toast: Routine
Himach Pradesh: Beautiful
Camels: Stinky
Journal: Friend
Home: Nerve-racking
India: CHEAP!!!!
China: Frustating
India-Pakistan-Border: Run-DMC
Travel: Freedom

The End (Again!)

The end has finally arrived...well,almost. My second last full day of travel. An overnight bus to Delhi tonight - a flight to Singpore - a day in Darwin - followed by another flight to Brisbane. 4 days of waiting, sitting in airports, picking my nose, and thinking about how the hell I will react once I see people I actually know more than one week.

Ed.

A High Ending

With the imminent closure of this trip, I have been stricken with some really good memories. I was dreading that I would finish on this low - consumed by the thought of home - but, to the contrary - it has been the opposite. I'll leave with the memories fresh. Knowing how real and raw travel is. Why is so so good. How much of a head-spin India is.

Just returned from a three day camel sarafi with these two awesome kiwis. The sarafi was tough - painful at times - the blazing sun overhead, the pain of riding camels all the day (especially mine: the youngest camel, Micheal Jackson, who was both stubborn and stingy). We slept under the stars in sand dunes, stared at sunsets and sunrises, and I, in my absent-mindedness, almost burn myself to death when a bit of amber lit up my blanket. A great trip - the Rajashatan desert is harsh, absolute nothing - reminded me of Mongolia at times. But it was the first time I experienced real silence in India - I sat one night, sitting on sand dune, not a sound to be heard expect the sporadic farting of a camel. The stars scintillated overhand, the sound of the wind had this almost meditative quality...god, it was beautiful. Our guides, too, were really really cool- though their stories were a bit sad. For one month they only make 1500 Rupees, which is about 45 dollars a month. And with that, they have to support their whole families. The sad reality that is India - an India dictated by the legacy of its Hindi caste system, an India where corruption and greed are omnipresent, and where the rich and poor divide is so so real. We have it too good in Oz.

The remaining few days are going to be sweet - going to continue hanging with these kiwis, heading off to Udipur in Southern R'jstan tomorrow, spent two days there, before heading back to Delhi for the flight home. Home - well, that is another story. I am excited, yes, but I am become so accustomed to this hermit lifestyle lately. As I keep telling myself, just have to go with the flow. I am already thinking about my next trip - China to Europe Overland. (via Central Asia!)

See you soon. Ed.

Puskhar and the adventures with the Spanish

The last six days have been truly truly amazing.

For a while there, consumed by the anticipation of home, I lacked the energy of travel. The enthusiasm. The love. But by some divine guidance, somehow, it came back again - in the form of two AWESOME Spanish people I hung with. We met on the train on the way to the holy town of Puskhar - perhaps my favourite place in India so far. A small quaint little place with awesome views and a sacred Brahamin Lake in its centre. Manuel, Maria and I kicked off very quickly - by the first hour, we were in discussions about life, philosophy, movies...the usual list of things you talk about with travellers. But Manuel and Maria were different- they were on my level. As a result, I have was consumed by a sense of clarity, inspiration for everything. I was back. We didn't do all that much in Puskhar - wandered around, hired motorbikes and explored the Rajashatan desert, and sat by our hotel pool, laughing with the owners and engaging in deep conversation. After Puskhar, the three of us headed off to Bikaner - home of the infamous Rat Temple, argued by some as the 8th Wonder of the World. This temple, located in the middle-of-fucking-nowhere, was filled with Rats, packed with rats - on the floor, on the walls, in the walls, on our feet. And the dreaded thing was we had to enter barefoot; consequently I spend about one hour cleaning my feet afterwards. Somehow I thought the temple was going to be filled with healthy rats; but, no, in true Indian style, the rats were all disease-ridden, disgusting things. It seemed like a good idea at the time to go into a place as disease-permeated as war is to Iraq; but in retrospect, perhaps it wasn't the best idea. If I get home and I start getting sick, well....blame the rats.

Manuel and Maria just left me about 30 minutes ago - they are heading back to Delhi, from which they will be returning to Barcelona. I am headed off to Jaimsamler, which one Israeli told me "a place where you feel like you are in the Middle East, rather than India." God, I am going to miss Manuel and Maria. I gave them my Australia flag - a sort of gesture that we have to meet again. (Sorry June, they were so awesome - I just had to do it.) I don't know if it was them, or something else, but I feel alive now. I had this strange goal in my head that wanted to discover myself on the road, explore the great indoors so to speak. The goal has been achieved. Sometimes divine inspiration happens in the most strangest of places.

In other news, I have 11 days left of my adventures. I am nervous as hell to go home - how the hell I am going to adjust to normal Australian society is beyond me. What is life like without a backpack? I will have to take it step-by-step and just see how the ball rolls.

And while I am rambling, I would just like to say. SOLO TRAVEL IS THE BEST THING EVER. DO IT. GET YOUR BACKPACK AND GO TO A RANDOM COUNTRY WITHOUT ANY AGENDA. GO TO A RANDOM TOWN AND MEET SOME LOCALS AND GET YOURSELF IN PAINFUL SITUATIONS. DO IT, DO IT, DO IT. The art of simplification - having nothing but your backpack, a book and a diary makes you grateful for what you have got; but also the realisation that you don't need anything to be happy. The strange irony of solo travel is even though you goat that you are "solo travelling", you never really are on your own - you meet a local, you hang with some travellers, you have a conversation with a hotel owner. It is so easy- much easier than I expected - I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to do it In the last six months, I have only really been alone for more than four days. Its so so so so so good, I will miss this life so much. I wish I could do it again. No, I will do it again. And if I sound like a lunatic, well, I don't really care to be honest - I don't give a shit.

Anyway, home in Bris 17th October. If I am acting weird, it is probably because I am suffering from some form of Post- Reverse-Culture-Shock. That, or it is the rats.....

Looking forward to seeing all of you and catching up on what you have been doing this last year.

Ed.

Delhi Pitstop/Highlights from Northern India

Back in Delhi for the day - a quick stop before heading down into Rajashatan for the reminder of my two weeks here in India.

Highlights from Northern India:

- Joined a Tibetan Protest March in Dharmasala. The Chinese Government is implementing new regulations which will give them the right to "take part" and/or veto new incarnate lamas. (China says "Religion is Poison". Why are they interested now?)

- Hung out with a bunch of Israelis in Manila. An interesting experience - I sort of wanted to break negative stereotypes I had about Israelis....it worked, to a degree.

- A stay in a Sikh monastery in Amistar, next to the prestigious Golden Temple - the holiest of holy for Sikhs around the world.

- A trip to the India-Pakistan border to watch the armies fight it out in a Run-DMC style showdown, complete with dancing, music, and hundreds of crowds screaming "Hindustan!!!". I stood about 50cm away from Pakistan; I even waved to one guy on the Pakistan side, but an Indian solider soon told me to get back.

- Eating Tibetan food in McGeold Ganj.

- Doing some hikes and exploring the beautiful Himach Pradesh countryside with an Aussie family I met. Along with Stewart and Rossie, they brought with them to India their three kids - aged 3, 2, and 6 months. How they do it I don't know? Stewart told me many of his travel stories, including one when he rode from Alaska to Central America on a bike. Said it was very easy, which is reassuring, cause I would love to do that next trip. Bike that is - across Central Asia!!!!!

- Hanging out with Amit's (a friend from China) family in Punjab. A insight into the modern, wealthy Indian society, eating the best Indian food ever. I am in love with Chapati bread.

A bland post I know, but anything to waste some time, waiting for my train. The only regret I have is that I didn't make it up to Kashmir - frankly though, I didnt have the energy to hike it all the way up there. Rajashatan will be a nice way to finish off my six months - ride a camel, watch the locals, take some pictures, play some random instruments (or attempt to).

Australia - 2 and a half weeks baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eddie

Off to Manali

Once again, I find myself in this same situation. I pick a place, any place; usually I open my Lonely Planet and pick somewhere within the place of five seconds. I book a bus ticket. I arrive: not knowing anything about the destination - people, activities, streets: all remain an enigma. But then, as so often has been the case during my travels, you meet someone. You find an awesome restaurant that serves a great local specialty. You stumble across something unexpected - Hindi monks praying, a beautiful sunset, a bunch of locals who follow you around in the hope of winning over your friendship. Or is it money? In an uncanny, almost supernatural way - everything ultimately works out; and the result is that you are filled with a great sense of confidence about the unknown. Life isn't that scary anymore. I hope that this confidence will translate into the real world back home. But travel life and home are two different realities, so we'll see what happens.

Anyway, off to Manila. I wonder where it is.

Eddie

Dharmasala, India

In Dharmasala atm - arrived about 2 hours ago after a eight hour bus train, which, on a side note, was suprisingly painless. I cannot figure out whether it was the bus itself or my pain-threshold has reached new limits - long bus journeys are never "long" anymore - it is more an opportunity to zone out and think about life. Dharmasala for those who are not aware is the home to the Tibetan-Government in exile: the town itself is very Tibetan. My plan is to stay here for a week or so - it is a nice place; restaurants everywhere; small cinemas playing all the latest flicks; meditation courses on offer. I am sick of all the travelling anyway - I need something else beyond being a tourist.

Oh yeah, and I am coming home this time next month. Very exicited. More exicited than ever - even as I write this, I am getting the little butterflies in my stomach, similar to the ones I encountered when I first came to Australia those many years ago. Though I know as soon as I return, I'll wish I was back on the road. Such are humans - craving the future and when it comes craving the past.

I'm off to have a milkshake.

Currently in India.

Currently Residing: Chandrigah, Punjab. Designed by the same dude as Canberra, Chandrigah is something in itself - wide streets, a paucity of cows, open areas of grass, stores ranging from Reebok to Esprit to Lee's. Its main centre - Sector 17 (lots of creativity put in that title) - is so haunting familiar to Cairns, that for a second, my current drought of homesickness almost disappeared. Home to Amit, a friend of mine from Shanghai.

Current Plans: Since I am suffering from mega-travel burn out, I have decided that I am going to cut my India trip a bit short and head home a bit earlier than I planned. It has been 5 months on the road and the whole adventure is starting to take its tole. Ideally, it would be easy to hop on a plane now, but I am determined to push my limits and finish this trip to the very end. Mid-October I will be home. Going to take my time in exploring India - I'm just going to go with no expectations. I will see what I can; and if I am miss out on something, so be it.

Currently in Stomach: Mushroom Indian Kebab "thing" - perhaps the most tasiest thing I have eaten in a week. Indian food is amazing.....

Current Frustation: Why is it that I am having more trouble understanding what people are saying to me here than in China? I am finding Indian-English very hard to hear; the constant clarifying (excuse me? pardon) is mentally so exhausting.

Current reason why I am on the internet again: My hotel is boring; I am a solo traveller; the internet is my only friend sometimes.

Part 2: Travel Quantitatively

5 months on the road. 9 months away from home.

Numbers sometimes speak much louder than words....

Needles in my Eye: 2
Aussies I have travelled with: 6
Swedish I have travelled with: 1
Diary entries written: 150
Blog entries: 8 since Shanghai.
Facebook messages: 200 I reckon. I am a SEO-ed, as Kirsten Mort would say.
Calls to Mum: 15 times. (especially in Beijing.)
Appearances on National Television: 1
Trains: approx at least 20. (Some spanning 32 hours or more.)
Buses: approx 20. (Some extremely painful.)
Credit Cards stolen: 1
Guitar lost: 1
Moments where I have chatted with locals, but have no clue what they are saying: 15
Times where I should have been outside rather than at an Internet cafe: 30
Hitchhiking: 2
Nomads stayed with: 3 (Two Mongolians; One Tibetan)
Horses rode: 2
Monasteries camped in: 2
Hostels stayed in: 100's
Hikes: Umhhh I am thinking maybe 4 or 5 by now.
Everest Base Camp attended: 1
Low-Points: 2
Tex Mex Burriots eaten: 7 (thanks Chengdu)
Motorbikes ridden: 2
Missed transportation: Surprisingly 0
Books read: 8 or 9
Random outbursts of anger: countless. (more so at Chinese.)
Missed things in this post: 100's

There are some things you can't count. For everything else, there's Mastercard.

Taj Mahal

Whilst I am on posting rampage, I thought I'd post a photo of me at the Taj Mahal this morning. Especially for all those who don't have facebook. Dad - you would have had a heart attack it was so beautiful.

(Quality isn't that good - but anyway.)

Chai Tea

Indian Masala chai tea is the most glorious thing ever invented by mankind. As addictive as coffee, I would be more than happy if I had to drink Chai tea for the rest of my life.

It is that good it deserves its own post, despite how pointless it is.

That is all.

India

Finally I have arrived. India. My last destination (well, kind of). More Exploring. More randomness. At this stage of the game -almost 5 months on the road - I am a bit tired of the whole "travel" thing to be honest, but I figure I'll keep on pushing through. "A test of my mental strength" is the term I have been using as of late. Hopefully I'll survive.

Currently in Varansi - one of the most holiest sites in all of India, where Hindi pligrims bath, wash, die, swim, drink, shit in the Ganges river. Today I stood in the corner - touts hassling me, cows and goats faceating in front of my feet- watching a body get burn and thrown into the Ganges river. Quite a surreal event. I have been hanging with a bunch of Korean travellers I met in Lumbini, Nepal. Although I had initially hoped to come into India on my own- "a test" as I call it - I am kind of glad I chose otherwise. India makes China look like Pleasantville. It was nice to have some company coming into India.

As for my plans, I have decided that I am going to concentrate my travels in the north western area - to see all of India in two months is way too much. That, and of course, the endless bus rides, trains, has started to take its toll. I figure I will stay at places for longer, unlike before where it was - two or three days- then off to the next place.

Anyway enough rambling. Chai Tea is calling me.

Ed