Usually when I leave India, I want to return almost immediately. This time I don't. I feel as if I have had enough of the crowds, smells, food poisoning, heat, poverty, rubbish in the streets, dodging traffic and being honked at. Don’t get me wrong – I still adore India, but I need to give it a break.
Looking back on my two-month trip to India throws up a mixture of feelings. As usual. India left me confused. Nowhere else on earth brings out the strange juxtaposition of emotions – love, hate, and other sentiments, but never indifference.
Right now, I am craving wide open spaces, empty desert roads, hiking trails and wilderness. I feel a U.S. road-trip is imminent and much required. It will be like going back to my travelling roots, as that is where I started. In my 20’s I zig-zagged my way across the states by Greyhound, hippie bus and car on many memorable trips, and I can’t wait to do it again.
India – I still love you. No doubt I will return one day. In fact, I can’t imagine not returning. I just need to embark on a different kind of adventure for a while.