We wrapped up our travels on the 5th of April, about a month ago, and since then have been home in the States and India, respectively. The six months that we took to spend traveling around 3 different continents and about 20 different cities were, among other adjectives, eye-opening, surprising, and fabulously fun. As much as the places and people were intriguing to us, as was the experience of being ourselves in these other places, and seeing how we felt 'other' - sometimes we felt unsafe, sometimes we felt like we could live there forever, most often we felt completely welcomed, and very privileged. We didn't really set off with a mission in mind, other than to simply be in a new place and experience the world.
Personally for me this trip meant a lot - it allowed Jono to finally visit India and be a part of my life here, at the same time allowing me to travel in my own country as I rarely had before. It gave me the opportunity to go back to Africa for the third time (perhaps the malaria will cure my bizarre fascination with the continent...for a while) and spend time doing something unrelated to my academic and career path. Even a month down the line, I can't really believe it's all over - it seems like we were done in a flash, and given the chance I would do it again. It was lovely to come back home to warm showers and clean clothes, and although at first I thought: ah, this has finally cured me of the travel bug...now it seems like I'd be up for a bit of adventure again. Next on the list for me is a masters at Tufts University beginning in September, and hopefully the world of academia won't seem too staid after a year around the world.
I echo a lot of Ayesha's feelings about the trip, and I have some of my own:
When I was a kid I used to like fantasy books, like with wizards and monsters and stuff, and just recently we went to Tanzania where there are witchdoctors and elephants and crocodiles. The books I mentioned usually featured castles and palaces and fantastically ornate structures of impossible shapes and sizes. In the past six months we've seen the Taj Mahal, the Alhambra, the Sagrada Familia, the Red Fort, San Jorge Castle, and scores of golden temples, beautiful mosques (only the exterior of course) and haunting, ancient churches. Ayesha and I were in Mumbai for Obama's election, and experienced the global glee following his inauguration from a bar in Tanzania. We saw the Taj Hotel burning from a distance during the attacks of November 26th. I saw devastation hit a city in which I had begun to feel at home, and I saw that same city pick itself up and continue living with impressive resilience, but also with a commitment to change its infrastructure and to reform its political system. We met orphans only a few years old, who had lived through events that we would never have to experience: tragic stories that put our petty problems in perspective.
From the romantically appealing to the eye-opening, to the unforgettably powerful, this trip did not let us down, and I am so grateful for everyone who showed us kindness and hospitality along the way. There are a few wierdos in the world who give the rest of the strangers a bad name, and "don't talk to strangers" is just about the worst policy I can imagine for a trip around the world. It's also nearly impossible when you're a white guy in Africa. I want to especially thank the Dinshaws for making me feel so at home and treating me like part of the family, and of course, thank you Ayesha for thinking of doing this in the first place, and for being such a great traveling companion. I hope you've all enjoyed our entries. Thanks for reading.
Personally for me this trip meant a lot - it allowed Jono to finally visit India and be a part of my life here, at the same time allowing me to travel in my own country as I rarely had before. It gave me the opportunity to go back to Africa for the third time (perhaps the malaria will cure my bizarre fascination with the continent...for a while) and spend time doing something unrelated to my academic and career path. Even a month down the line, I can't really believe it's all over - it seems like we were done in a flash, and given the chance I would do it again. It was lovely to come back home to warm showers and clean clothes, and although at first I thought: ah, this has finally cured me of the travel bug...now it seems like I'd be up for a bit of adventure again. Next on the list for me is a masters at Tufts University beginning in September, and hopefully the world of academia won't seem too staid after a year around the world.
I echo a lot of Ayesha's feelings about the trip, and I have some of my own:
When I was a kid I used to like fantasy books, like with wizards and monsters and stuff, and just recently we went to Tanzania where there are witchdoctors and elephants and crocodiles. The books I mentioned usually featured castles and palaces and fantastically ornate structures of impossible shapes and sizes. In the past six months we've seen the Taj Mahal, the Alhambra, the Sagrada Familia, the Red Fort, San Jorge Castle, and scores of golden temples, beautiful mosques (only the exterior of course) and haunting, ancient churches. Ayesha and I were in Mumbai for Obama's election, and experienced the global glee following his inauguration from a bar in Tanzania. We saw the Taj Hotel burning from a distance during the attacks of November 26th. I saw devastation hit a city in which I had begun to feel at home, and I saw that same city pick itself up and continue living with impressive resilience, but also with a commitment to change its infrastructure and to reform its political system. We met orphans only a few years old, who had lived through events that we would never have to experience: tragic stories that put our petty problems in perspective.
From the romantically appealing to the eye-opening, to the unforgettably powerful, this trip did not let us down, and I am so grateful for everyone who showed us kindness and hospitality along the way. There are a few wierdos in the world who give the rest of the strangers a bad name, and "don't talk to strangers" is just about the worst policy I can imagine for a trip around the world. It's also nearly impossible when you're a white guy in Africa. I want to especially thank the Dinshaws for making me feel so at home and treating me like part of the family, and of course, thank you Ayesha for thinking of doing this in the first place, and for being such a great traveling companion. I hope you've all enjoyed our entries. Thanks for reading.
Jono & Ayesha
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