Wanderlust

Khardung village

Following my previous posting that included What if syndrome that I suffer from on and off (usually preceding certain lethargic times or when in need of an escapade from monotony), I am back to day dreaming again.


Today I can think of:

• What if some dying great grandfather’s illegimate son’s father-in-law would include me in his ‘will’ for an inheritance of his vast fortune?
  

Then I would quit my work right now and start travelling. A small share of his inheritance is enough. Without being too greedy, I’ll wish only for a couple of million of dollars. Just enough so that I can do what I wish with the rest of my little life including travel, travel and travel more.

• What if I wasn’t as busy as I have been the past 3 days?
  

Then I would probably be either spending more afternoons on the beach or cold desert (temperature is at a low of 4 deg C these days), or writing something creative or blogging and while at that, more importantly, responding earlier than I did to the sweet comments of my lovely fellow bloggers to my previous posts. I would do that if I were still around in this place. If I had an alternative otherwise, I would be wandering around the mountains of Himalayas, if not starting off immediately on a lunar exploration mission.

• What if I wasn’t employed in this part of the world?
  

Then I wouldn’t have to bother about the apt appearance for work place wearing the right amount of make up, the heeled footwear and smart formal clothing to attend office regularly. I’d neither speak in Arabic anymore nor would abide by the local rules and regulations. I would instead happily go to work either here or here doing something about this while attired in my casual clothes and flip flops and be a merry soul singing happy tunes.

• What if I were living in the farm house in the little town I was born in?
  

Then I would have helped out the farmers there, be amongst grazing cows and herding sheep, climbing trees and plucking fruits, eating home grown food, running through jungles, stopping by to pick up wild berries, swimming in the ponds and lakes, playing in the gushing waters of the overflowing streams, frolicking under the waterfalls, while tasting a bit of the exciting life that Robin Hood and Veerappan had, minus the arrows, guns and violence of course.

• What if I were a Buddhist monk in a remote part of the Himalayas?

Then I would don my bright orange and saffron robes, embrace poverty, depend on local people for my food, eat for necessity and not pleasure, walk barefoot, give up on luxuries and shun vices (that I am not leading a Bohemian lifestyle now is another matter). I would enjoy the softness of the mattress at the end of the day and not suffer from insomnia again.

We have all heard of the much clichéd phrase: If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Right now I neither wish to be a monk nor a farmer. My life is rewarding to me as it should be. Nonetheless, I crave again for a break from the humdrum. So it’s time to swing a rucksack over my back and move. The travel bug has bitten me. Yes, it is again time for another journey. It is the best leisure activity I think of.

Where do I travel this time? I am taking a flight to Delhi, and where do I go after that I am not certain, because I am a traveller, not a tourist. Getting whisked off from one tour destination to another through carefully planned tours by a tourist office is not my cup of tea. I wish to be on my own and traveling at my speed. I want to enjoy my travels my way - whether it is walking around the streets thronging with people and interacting with locals, or spending time in solitude at a remote mountain pass, or watching the serenity of a river flowing by, or the cascade of a waterfall in the midst of a thick jungle.

I wish to get the feel of the exotic places I’ll travel to and quench my thirst for adventure. If I get lost and don’t return, please don’t shed tears for me. After all, getting lost is one great way of discovering the hidden treasures of a new place. So I’m ready to take up a bigger challenge and discover what is beyond the norm. I am ready to travel not quite knowing where I am set out to. Free independent travelling. Explore - at my own sweet pace, my style!

Does anyone here feel similarly?