The joys of travelling to parts unknown

Travelling is amazing. When I decided to visit China and India during my annual leave from work, I was hoping that it would be seven weeks of adventure and of diverse experiences.

Having just finished an internship in the great metropolis of Shanghai, I thought that Madurai would bring a quiet relief from the big city that I had been living in but I was so wrong. After a trip that took 16 hours (including stopovers) on three different airlines and as many airplanes, I finally got to Madurai in the south of India.

After walking across the tarmac being able to stand up in the cool and breezy terminal (that smelt of bleach) was a welcome relief. Soon enough and true to India’s British heritage, all passengers soon lined up in neat rows in order to pass through immigration.

  

Adjusting my ear to the Indian accent led to quite a funny conversation with the immigration officer but as soon as I became accustomed to his accent I was able to answer his questions correctly.  After moving through immigration, customs and baggage claim (that miraculously made it all the way to India) I was ready to begin discovering the country that I had dreamt about visiting since I was a child.

The first thing that hits you is the noisy busy streets full of rickshaws, cars and bikes. Everyone seems to want to get to their final destination as quickly as possible with the impatient behaviour that would get you fined in Australia. While it seems that no one follows the rules but, maybe as a foreigner, I am seeing them follow a set of rules that I am not familiar with.

Soon after leaving the airport you notice the odd cow or herd of goats that wonder past unlike a western city where there is a clear divide between nature and humans. From now onwards I think I’ll be more aware of  where food comes from.

One of the things that always drew me to visiting India was the food. Indian cuisine is so spicy and so full of flavour that I dream about it at night and wake up wondering what great food I get to try during the day ahead.

It is wonderful to experience a way of life that is so different to my own. Who knew that riding in a rickshaw could be so much fun or that I could become comfortable bartering with the sellers at the market. Living here is also showing me that I can live without Starbucks, a nice cold beer (Alcohol is almost impossible to find here) and Japanese food.

While I am here for a short time I am sure that this is just the beginning of a life time of discovering India.