Part 1 - ****Trigger Warning ****
India - a place that is feared by some and sought out by others.
I made a plan to travel to India after a really bloody awful end of 2015 and beginning 2016.
- Found my BF cheating on me. (for a really long time)
- My Cat passed away
- I had gone on a date and been raped during it
- My so-called best friend started spreading rumours about me. We had a massive falling out.
Anyway, it was just an awful shit show of a year. So, while hiding at my parents’ house in Kerikeri, trying to decide wtf was going on with my life and what I could do to make it better, I was talking to Mum about travelling. It had been many years since I had been on a big trip, I felt it was a good time to get back out there.
I have always travelled with boyfriends or friends. But I was sitting in a position of no boyfriend and not really trusting anyone, so I thought why not go by myself. It was something I had always wanted to do, and when I would take wee trips by myself, I always had a ball. A lot of the time it was way more fun than the people I had come with.
India was a place I always wanted to visit. I had been to Egypt a few years earlier; I had grown up in Hong Kong and spent a lot of time in Asia. Being in places that were very different to my norm and put me out of my comfort zone. The food is fantastic so could only imagine how much better it would be in the country. Obviously, you hear all the stories of solo female travellers getting in trouble there, so I decided I would book a tour. Then I had the comfort of travelling with a group but also the drive to go by myself and do something adventurous.
I started looking at tour companies and came across intrepid. Older travellers (compared to some of the other younger ones, which for note I have done before they are still great) a big range of tours and for that week they had put $1 down to secure your spot and you could pay it off. Win win in my book.
I booked for my birthday, I could not face celebrating it in Auckland if there wasn’t going to be people around, and it was a good season to travel to India as it’s not the extreme heat or rainy seasons.
I picked the trip called Indian Getaway, 11 days on the tour. Visiting Dehli, Varanasi, Agra, Tordi Garh and Jaipur. It is only a small area on the map but it was a great place to start, it was all local transports, including overnight trains, and the accommodation wasn’t fancy but it was clean.
Waiting for the trip dragged on, but it gave me time to save and get ready. Got my trusty pack out of the cupboard. This pack I got from Kathmandu (the store) in 2003. It has been everywhere. Even places I haven’t been when my friends have borrowed it. It has been my bed when I haven’t gotten somewhere to sleep. It feels like an old friend to me. I still have my same sleeping bag from that first trip but felt that the winter weight of that one would be too much, so got one of those silk sleeping bag liners. If you are going somewhere hot and want something to cover yourself with, this was so good.
About 3 months before I left for my trip, I met Gert, it was quite a weird time for me. I didn’t really trust anyone and was having trouble opening up. If you know Gert (which I know you do) he is loud and obnoxious and will do anything to get a smile or a cringe from you. So, it was quite nice having someone around. I had suggested if he wanted to come, he better book his trip quick. But I am so thankful he didn’t come. I grew so much in that time and got to heal in ways I don’t think would have happened if he had come along with me. Although we would have had a lot of fun together. I have asked him what he felt about me leaving on this trip by myself. He has admitted he was quite surprised I wanted to do it, and alone. But he was so proud of me doing it and getting out there. He has told me that while I was away on that trip he realised how much I meant to him.
The night before my trip, I had my bags packed weeks earlier. I was ready – I stayed at home with my flatmate and we went and got Indian takeaway for dinner. Yeah I don’t know what I was thinking either. I was so nervous. I have flown many times by myself, I have been to different countries alone, but this was different. Gert showed up bright and early the following morning to get me to the airport for 6:30am. I was talking a million miles an hour. He dropped me at the front door and drove off. It felt really anti climatic after all the nerves.