It’s just one of those things I
think – the need to write down your thoughts, especially when in places as
juxtaposed as Nepal and the world they call third…
Incredibly beautiful, insanely
polluted, defyingly peaceful, super busy and all in a country the size of
England and Wales put together. Motorbikes, horn-honking, Namaste’s and dhal
bhat, this Himalayan country is amazing no matter how you look at it.
Despite its mountainous western
reputation (whatever that may be), few people realize that Nepal is one of the
world’s poorest nations, with the GDP being only USD400 per annum… And here I
am earning that sum in 3 days to merely be here ‘researching.’ It just doesn’t
seem just. The best thing about this unjust however is the good old dose of
reality to bring your beliefs (and therefore issues) into perspective. I can’t
imagine what some of these people would think when rolling up to our modest
Auckland property with its roof actually on, running water (yep, both hot and
cold) ‘on tap’ so to speak and the neatly manicured lawn out the back.
Juxtaposition - it’s something
that’s made me smile while hiking through these incredibly basic, mountainside
villages with the Nepali smiles being the first thing you see…
As I sit here typing on the free
wi-fi at one of the many local restaurants, a thought comes back to me that
I’ve been trying to pinpoint over the last few days. It’s a feeling in the pit
of my stomach but I’ll try to put it in words…
When I was that younger,
‘invincible’ 22yo being (and I’m sure most of us, read Westerners understand),
when traveling alone I was at my most free - happy and free actually. There was
no one else to really have to deal with, you always met people along the way but
ultimately it was your way of seeing the world, at your pace. And I really,
really loved it. I still do however now, there are
small differences that make it harder and on reflection about that said gut
feeling, I think it’s -
A) I’m
in love – great, but not having that lover with you experiencing the very
essence of these amazing places is hard
B) It’s
not my travel I’m doing now but travel for, and on behalf of others
C) The
level of responsibility as a result is quite large which I feel detracts from
my own level of travel nirvana…
I find it takes more time. It takes time to settle into being
alone, it takes time to tell yourself that you’re okay and can only do what you
can do (for others) and it takes time to try to relay what you’re seeing each
day to those you love.
Don’t get me wrong… Time away
from others is amazing and incredibly necessary in this day and age to maintain
ones independence and sanity - that really is something I think more people need.
So, when I get it I do relish it, eventually. And once that happens, it becomes
so crystal clear…
This life of mine (ours) is
nothing short of phenomenal and it’s through absolute privilege slash luxury
slash self-creation-after-an-amazing-life-start, that I get to have the
experiences and therefore these opportunistic world views that I have.
I really do wish that every
person on this globe could have the opportunities that I have however on Nepali
reflection, perhaps the fact that these people have not had exactly that is the
sole reason they simply smile and offer me their genuine Namaste’s…
