I’m not much of a “returner” when it comes to travel, but I felt a strange sense of unfinished business with India. I missed the chaos, the chai, the challenge – and I knew what I had to do. I had to go back.
Even as I mourn the pumpkin pie I won’t be having here today in Delhi, I’m still incredibly grateful for the experiences this year has brought me – grateful for the way each has been a portal into some pretty brilliant new connections and friendships.
It’s the tricky part of loving your job, and something I haven’t quite mastered yet: learning to cut it off and allowing yourself to just be in the moment, without worrying about what you’re going to do with that moment.
Tom (or Mr. Tom, as he’s often referred to) wastes no time in getting started: “Adventure involves ignoring safety advice, going somewhere you know nothing about, and getting lost.”
“I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate.” — Vincent van Gogh It was the summer after graduation and I was two months into living at home and waitressing at a local restaurant. One night, a customer asked what I was doing now that I’d finished university. “I’m moving to London in August … Read More
Rickshaw Runners like to put on a hardened front. We’re adventurous, tough as nails, and capable of withstanding whatever the Indian roads throw our way…literally. But maybe, just occasionally, we slipped up. I can’t say for certain, but rumor has it… 1. There may have been air freshener… When we stumbled on this convenience store … Read More
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” — Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright Before leaving for India, a friend who did the Rickshaw Run last year sent me a few emails with advice, tips and … Read More
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust Normally, I’d be inclined to agree with Proust. But after passing 3,000km through India in a rickshaw, I find myself disagreeing…our own voyage of discovery through the subcontinent brought with it so many new landscapes that … Read More
“Do not plan for ventures before finishing what’s at hand.” — Euripides It’s over. I can’t believe I can finally say those two words, but it’s true…we survived the Rickshaw Run! Citlalli and I rolled across the finish line last Thursday night at precisely 6.35pm–24th out of 72 teams! Not bad, considering we were one … Read More
It’s our day off today, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy to say that. Yesterday brought an unexpected fourteen hours of driving–the first two and a half of which were spent covering exactly 18 miles due to the world’s biggest traffic jam…ever. While the streets themselves were blocked with bumper to bumper … Read More