Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow

Its so difficult to begin this post for it will bring with it the nostalgia, the beauty, the joy and everything else that Bali and Gili Island were.

Back in november when i decided to take a vacation with strangers, it was a conscious decision to not read about the place or try to know people of my travel group beforehand. The idea was to not have any idea. And Boy, what a holiday it turned out to be !! Mom says I am still hungover. Well if the place where I went was anything close to the picture below, who will not ?

My takeaways from the trip:-

1. Sitting in bars and night clubs of Kuta (the most commercial district in southern bali), it is possible to have a soul stirring conversation with a friend you made a day before on the trip , for we all are but mortals equally scared and equally screwed deep inside our hearts. Some try to find solace in "Hash" loosely sold on the streets of Kuta, some in "Men" willing to go all the way with you and some in "Just a drink with themselves".

2. There are islands in this world where only mode of transportation is Tonga and Bicycle. The island named Gili Trawangan [one of the  3 Gili islands] is small enough that one can walk through its perimeter and yet when you decide to let it go, you might be heading for the most surreal experience of your life (i.e. diving) in an ocean which knows no bounds. Lazing on beach or walking around the island is your pick but there is no way you can come back from the place without promising yourself to return. Don't believe me ? Have a look.

3. Essence of travel is to meet new people. Each one has a tale to tell. Be all ears and you might end up making friends for life. Not only the people of your travel group, it is also natives of the place that define your experience. In my living memory, I don't remember to come across a place where everyone smiles. A Lot. Would you be surprised if I tell you that while walking all by myself on the island alone in midnight, I was offered a "boy" and on my refusal, the man just smiled and left? Well, I was surprised. Pleasantly so. Even on most commercial roads of bali, nobody honks and tour guides on mountain treks collect plastic bottles left behind by tourists in their bags to keep their place clean. Did it bring a smile on your face? As I said, once there, everyone smiles.

4. Its important to stretch your limits and try things you never thought you were capable of doing. Scream on those banana rides and on that so called sober sport they call tubing. Dive in an ocean with that pounding heart. Go for that active volcano trek where you feel like a hundred year old granny gasping for breath. Trust me, it won't kill you and what you might encounter in the end may turn out to be a thing of beauty [like watching the sun rise and sky changing color from black to gold to orange to blue]. And didn't John Keats once said "A thing of beauty is a joy forever"?

5. Kids are same everywhere and that is how they should be for they are just kids. On the sunrise trek of Mount Batur - Bali's active volcano, we met Agush, Alaan, Meera and Kisti, all between the age of 10 to 13. They accompany tourists on trek in night to sell them cold drinks, water etc. and have a school to attend at 10 am just after they return from work in morning. This life doesn't stop them from being happy and they are all crazy about their favourite Indian TV Stars. Do they have something to teach to this world full of Oil Wars, Fundamentalism and Hatred ? I think Yes.

 6. Brace yourself for the Gospel Truth - Bollywood is All Pervasive. Love it or hate it but once you are born as an Indian, you ought to stay connected with an invisible umbilical cord with "Ma and Cinema" till your last breath. The moment you land in Bali and they know you are from India, you will be greeted with love songs from movies of Shahrukh Khan and Emraan Haashmi everywhere. You think you can escape Bollywood? Hahaha. Try doing it once and i shall have to dedicate an entire post to your experience.

7. Plan but don't overplan. Pick up a scooty and drive on the roads of Ubud - the most beautiful town of Bali and its cultural hub. If you are lucky, you might find a group of musicians playing on the streets. You might be asked to dance. Don't hold back for this moment may never come again. Shake a leg with them, click a picture, say thank you and leave. 

8. Soak Yourself in the Experience. Its important to visit countryside to soak yourself in the essence of that place. When in Ubud, go to the countryside. Stop your scooty on roadside and stare at the lush green horizons, sit in the paddy fields and just take a walk in quaint lanes of the sleepy town. Or you may just sit in the local bar and admire the beauty that is Ubud.

9. Give credit when due. This trip would not have been possible without the planning and execution of Neeraj Narayanan, Editor and Travel Writer at "This Guy's On His Own Trip" . 

And Manasa do I need to tell you once again how glad I was to have met you :)


[Photo Credits : Neeraj Narayanan & Manasa Chandrashekhar]