Travel dairies..
After a long and hectic life this year finally took time to travel. Mentally was exhausted and wanted some personal time. Didn’t wanted to spend with anyone or doing anything. Just go somewhere and be alone. Yes, alone. That’s me. Lonely and happy to be that way. Solo trip.
Well frankly, seeing all the couples and love flowing from the moment you step out does make you feel hollow but then, once the journey starts for a solo traveler it changes and make you feel liberated. So the plan was to reach Singapore on 10th August and by road go to Kuala Lumpur on 13th and back to India on 15th. Start was good and reached airport on time (it’s a fear I always feel when have a flight to catch about missing it by the time I reach airport). T3 is my favorite and I always feel happy when I am there. Flight was also nice and wine was ok. The excitement started in my stomach the moment I landed. WOW. Yes, only wow is the word for Singapore. What a country and what beauty. People are so-so nice. Very friendly. The whole country has a feel of global city. So many nationality working and living, so many cultures flowing, so much to see and so much perfect. I walked the first day around my hotel on Baliester road (pardon if wrong spelling). The only problem were my new shoes. I took them especially for walking purpose but they started to bite my feet. It pained really hard. Anyway, went to an American type restaurant and loved the fish and beer. All around me different languages were being spoken and whole time I was thinking of home and family back in India. I guess, brooding happens when a person is at his lonely best. We start thinking of the most important people in our lives and thinking what they must be doing and thinking. But somehow, I was at peace. Both feelings were together. Lonely and peaceful. Walked more around the streets and was amazed at the civic sense and sheer responsibility drivers feel for walking people. No one honks and no one show unnecessary haste. They wait for you to cross and smile when you say thanks. Ohh so lovely and different it felt. I just love manners. It makes you believe in world of chivalry.
Sleeping late and getting up even late is something I missed so much in India. No noise and disturbance in hotel room (without any windows) made me sleep as if doing it after ages. Plan was to reach universal studio early before crowd hits. One thing as a back packer and solo traveler I realized and learned is to rely more on public transport then taxis. You will bleed my friend, money wise if you just look for comfort. The whole idea behind solo trip should be to face difficulties. The challenges of solo travel is to win over your mind to face and overcome challenges which keep coming. And trust me, they will. I lost my way so many times. Wrong bus, wrong stop, but loved it all. Universal was grand. The whole place had a fun aura around it. I took two rides and started to feel nauseated and decided no more rides. I also decided not to do any shopping to save money. Frankly, I wanted to explore more places then do shopping in malls or market. After universal which is going to remain in my memory, I walked toward beach side. Unfortunately, I forgot to carry my swimming costume. So couldn’t take dip. I just grabbed a beer and took my t-shirt off and sat on sand. Part of me inside wanted people to admire my back (LOL). I just wanted to show my tattoo. But it was so nice and truth be told beach and sea makes me start thinking always. Standing and walking knee deep in sea water and sun hitting my body, I started remembering all the people who have come so deep inside and left my life. Especially that one person I loved so much. I remembered the moment last time we met and I dropped her at airport. She was going up the escalator and looking back at me. Her eyes, her face all said it. This is the last time. Inside my heart I knew at that moment; I am losing her forever. I started to think of some lines which came to my mind standing in water and looking at vast sea.
In lahron se koi awaz tum tak agar pauche,
Toh soch lena ke kahe pardes mai koi yaad kar raha tumhe.
Dil ka kya hai soch leta hai kuch bhe,
Kabhe samundar ko dekh kar naam le lena mera.
Yahe lahron ke sahare shayad awaz mujh tak wapis aye.
Dil ka kya hai soch leta hai kuch bhe.
All crap I know, but then at that alone time, one thing after another starts to run in once mind. I thought of person currently I am talking too. Should I continue or not. I thought of person in my office, the one I have developed some kind of crush. Even though we are in different teams but I have seen her eyes and I know something has clicked between us even if its unsaid and frankly my day dream. I thought of Shimla and person I left there. It’s like a train which comes on platform and leaves. Each person is like a train, and I am sitting on platform seeing it go by without me getting on it. I had some tears also to drop and add my salt with sea salt. Anyway, these are moments I think make us humans and not robots. Evening had to meet a long lost cousin. Could see the success he has carved out for himself.
Third day, went to china town. Walked and walked. Must have covered 30 kms easily on foot. The best moment was finding this Tintin shop. I am telling you, as a tintin fan it’s like finding gold mine. I spent good half hour inside looking at all the memorabilia. It was very expensive but worth. Photography was not allowed and I guess rightly looking at the exclusiveness. The person who owns the shop told me there are only two in Asia ( one in japan other in Singapore ). Market had a temple where monks were praying. Buddhist temple and some kind of prayer was on and I just stood for a while listening to the chants. The food was problem as my stomach doesn’t allow me to experiment too much. And the type of Chinese food in stalls were being served was beyond my taste. Luckily found an Indian food restaurant and mutton keema was amazing. Also, it rained and I saw a beautiful Singapore emerge from it. Hardly any pollution of any kind; sound, air, soil etc. nothing. I can spend my life in this country with someone paying for my expenditure :)
After a night stay with cousin and his family; and an extra day in Singapore left by road to Kuala Lumpur. The bus journey are always my favorite. They make me feel so grounded and real. Volvo was amazing and quite comfortable. The journey which was supposed to end in 4-5 hours took 7 hours all thanks to long lines at Singapore immigration. The Chinese tourist love to travel is such huge groups I tell you. Hundreds of them go together. One and half hour it took me to clear from Singapore immigration and hardly 10 minutes to enter Malaysia. Conductor promised to serve lunch on bus and moment he served lunch box and I opened it my heart sank. It had boiled white rice with small fishes fried full and served as pickle. Also had some very spicy red prawn sauce to mix with rice. I just eat rice with sprinkled sauce to subside my hunger pangs. Road was smooth and scenery was beautiful. Only three people very travelling and I being lone foreigner. Reached KL late at 7 and then reality hit me. I didn’t had ringgit (only Singapore dollar, US dollar and INR). My phone was not working as last Sim was of Singapore. The address my friend had given for KL which was his home to stay was wrong. I just kept walking with whole back pack and other material around public transport. Some Pakistanis I meet suggested me local blue/red line buses which are free travel. Unfortunately the red line dropped me at some main bus station from where blue line was supposed to go to Sultan Ismail where I was supposed to reach. The time I reached, blue line had stopped working. There were drunk taxi drivers all around and quite abusive and aggressive when I asked them for help. Luckily and young boy from India saw me and took pity on my position. He came and talked to me in Hindi about not taking a cab but local metro. He even gave me 10 ringgit as a gesture to keep me going. I always tell my friends that in this world people are all good only, it’s the circumstance which at time make us do bad things otherwise world have survived so much with general goodness and humanity. With his money and lady who helped me understanding the ticket vending machine took metro to reach sultan Ismail station. There another person helped me making a call to my friend through his own phone and finally meet and reach home. The tiredness and exhaustion went away moment I reached home.
Late night walk with friends to twin towers and mesmerizing night life of KL will forever remain with me. One thing I felt was immediate opposite culture compared to Singapore. Even though Singapore was under Malaysian rule to mid-70’s I think still the stark different both have evolved. Singapore was all about sophistication that comes from global exposure and KL was more conservative and laid back. KL also had higher pollution level as far as air and noise was concerned. But still a separate beauty of the city can be seen all around. Most of the time I spent with my friends and I really love them too much and miss them now. The help I got from total strangers when was lost is the best moment for me. Some might say, why did you took such a risk but then solo trips should be filled with risk. It’s at these moments I learn so much and my mind find the depth to which I can go down to survive and win. My trust in world full of people ready to help and sharing happiness is renewed. I am sure humanity will keep on going in spite of all the sorrow and hate we see around.
Hardest part ? coming to office back from trip on 16th. I hated it. Every day while on way to office I think of all the places I saw in Singapore and KL. Some part of me still is their only walking on street with my back pack. Next travel has to come in few months by year end. Till then will keep on going with the memory :).
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