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Realizing that we would be in for long hauls, choosing my seat first came to mind. Heedless of the warning of how Indians drive, I still chose the front seat for the prime spot of viewing of Incredible India as it unfolds before my eyes. With my two cameras (wide and telephoto), I was definitely in for a ride. With the end in mind that I may not be able to come back, I just wanted to document every interesting thing, people, and scenes along the way--something like a keepsake that will remind me of my India trip.



Long land trips can be quite boring. A traveler would always resort to munching chips and nuts, engage in endless chat with a seatmate, or if he is alone, gadgets are his best friends, and even worse--just force himself to escape to dreamland. Boredom is one thing, but physical exhaustion is another. Long hauls are not good for blood circulation, you know.



The start of the trip was just okay. Sublime and the trivial chatters began to fill the traveling van up to its rafters. Then there were senseless and careless comparisons between India and the Philippines that made me cringe and feel uneasy--that forces me back to the conversation to give my views to water down what would have been a reeling conversation that might lead our Indian hosts to think differently about us, Filipinos, or the Philippines in general.

Then, there is someone who had the penchant to ask half-witted questions around topics that can be easily found and very well read on the internet. One was a grandstanding know-it-all guy who seemed wanting to impress that he was a well-traveled person and someone knows a lot of facts about the Philippines, no matter how wrong or how twisted some of the information can become.






All these, make me recall those blog entries of some Filipino travel bloggers about solo traveling. Being a solo traveler, perhaps, would be a bliss to some.  He does not have to contend with late companions checking in at the appointed meeting place and time. He does not have to think about other companions being lost--he only has to fend for himself--no more, no less. For many, having a good company would be great--primarily for social interaction and for that feeling of security. Well, I did not have the choice, either, because we were a group of learners. I had to live with that given situation.

Be that as it may, the cultural exchange was great--only that, everything was seemingly falling out of place. It was the first day out, so I guess, there was too much adrenaline and excitement as we go out to the field to learn. I thought that I just had to live with that for the meantime.






In between conversations and occasional naps (oops, yes I did!), I documented our road trip. First time in Incredible India and sleeping on the entire stretch would have been the biggest "crime" I could commit. So I forced myself not to doze off into dreamland--no matter how exhausted I was--for I would never know what interesting subjects would appear before my senses and which stunning images are worth keeping in my memory box.



So much for the rant (read: reflections), I am sharing a few on this blog. For more photos, see On the road | Bangalore to Chitradurga in Flickr.


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