It was not easy at all, because every time I started thinking about the places I wanted to go, fear came back. Fear of many things, fear of being cheated, disoriented, lost, and most of all... fear of loneliness. However, in some way, the determination and passion to see new lands overcame the fear - the passion that every time I had free time at the company, I would sneak into websites with information and pictures of that land to read, to push my feelings, to nurture them to grow until I actually set foot there. Those days were really exciting, I felt my neurons always buzzing and my mind was always in the mindset of leaving tomorrow.
Early days in Chennai
The first destination I chose was India, a country that is always a hot topic in the media, both good and bad; a country that perhaps anyone who hears about it is hesitant and does not think about visiting. However, there are also lands with breathtakingly beautiful and majestic scenery like Little Tibet Ladakh, “the land of high passes”. I imagined that one day I would stand on the highest pass in the world, Khardungla, at an altitude of 5,359m above sea level, spreading my arms to welcome the clearest sunlight, feeling so adventurous and free. How wonderful…!
My excitement overcame my doubts about India, and I booked a flight to India alone. My plan was to travel from Chennai, gradually moving north, through major cities and other famous tourist destinations such as Hampi, Mumbai, to the cities of Rajasthan, passing through the famous castles and palaces of the golden age of Mughal Empire, which covered most of the area from Punjab in Pakistan to India, leaving behind many wonders that are considered masterpieces such as Red Fort in New Delhi or Taj Mahah in Agra, “the mausoleum of eternal love”.
One day in early August, I arrived in Chennai city in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Everything was not rosy at all. From the first moment I set foot in the city, I felt that everything was really quite difficult for me. Although it is one of the four major hubs of India, Chennai is not a tourist city. The road from the airport to the accommodation is a long one with images of slums growing close together next to high-rise buildings, poor people walking barefoot, wearing ragged, dirty clothes sleeping on the roadside. Nearby were huge piles of garbage emitting a strong smell, in the distance there were cows walking on the street, and there were many crows in the city. Hearing the crows cawing made me feel a bit creepy. When I got back to the hotel, I could not "digest" that feeling, so I quickly let myself sleep to forget what I had just seen.
The next morning, the first thing I had to do when I woke up was to buy a sim card - not as easy as in Vietnam or other Southeast Asian countries. In India, you need to register and go through a complicated form filling process. Luckily, before the trip, I had prepared two 3x4 portrait photos, a passport photo and the address of an Indian friend who also lives in Chennai to sponsor me, so everything went smoothly. The second thing was to exchange money. My friend in Chennai (Rahul) introduced me to an address in Chennai with a good exchange rate. My friend in Chennai came to pick me up later. We met through Facebook when I posted in a group asking for information about traveling in India and he was very enthusiastic in helping me answer my questions. Without Rahul's information, my entry and procedures would have been much more difficult. That was also my first lesson when traveling alone: "Look up complete information and find yourself a reliable contact at the place you are going to."
Rahul drove me to his house, and for the first time, I experienced a meal with an Indian family. Indians are mostly vegetarian, but there are also many meat eaters, especially those in the city. I was treated to two famous dishes in South India: Biriyani and Thali, a dish with a lot of sauces. Indian food is also a huge challenge for first-time travelers. After many days in India, I found South Indian food much easier to eat. The sauces are milder in flavor and less spicy than in North India. So, I found it quite easy to adapt to those dishes. However, in the beginning, I was still a bit reserved and could not eat much.
Rahul took me around the city, explaining about the Indian dress tradition and the spiritual stories of the locals, for example, they consider cows as sacred animals so they let them roam freely anywhere. As for crows, according to their beliefs, crows come to peck at human corpses so the souls of the deceased will enter the crows. Therefore, crows are not a bad omen. I remembered reading somewhere about the “Sky Burial” practice in Tibet, and then realized that: It is my own thoughts that hold me back, that I must accept the thoughts and beliefs of the different lands I visit. Only then can I open my heart and enjoy that land. This is also my second lesson.
Go to Hampi, listen to the rocks tell stories in silence
That evening, I went to the Chennai train station and took the overnight train to Bangalore, a large city considered the IT hub of India. Considering Bangalore as a transit city, I just wanted to rest at my hostel in Bangalore, as well as take some time to digest what I had gathered on my first day in this country, both mentally and spiritually.
The hostel where I stayed in Bangalore was a type of motel with many dorm rooms. A room could have up to 4-6 beds, each person had a bed, which was a bit inconvenient but in return, the cost was quite cheap, suitable for backpackers. This hostel had a common room so I had the opportunity to chat with young backpackers from many different countries. Here, I happened to meet a Nepalese friend named Sanna, she had traveled a lot so she was very comfortable. We almost got along with each other right away and since Sanna had no plans for the future, we decided to go to Hampi together, a famous tourist destination in India. I realized that if I was bold and talked to other friends who were also traveling alone like me, there was nothing to feel lonely about. It was easy to find companions on my journey.
Sansa, my new companion
Having Sanna with me made my journey much more interesting. Hampi, to me, is probably the most wonderful land in India, although it is a UNESCO heritage site but is still known by few people. For those who are passionate about history and architecture, Hampi is probably a dream destination because there are still many ancient architectures from the Vijayanagar empire that ruled South India for more than 200 years. The temples here have quite unique shapes and sculptures. Not to mention, the entire village of Hampi is surrounded by strange rocks from large to small. I have never set foot on a land with so many rocks and feel that this place still clearly retains the essence of an ancient empire.
Through Hampi village, you will get lost in a complex of temples, so we only chose to visit a few of the most prominent places. First is the Virupaksha temple, located near the center and also the largest temple. Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the typical architecture of the South Indian dynasty, each sculpture on the wall is still very clear and sophisticated. Although surrounded by many ruined temples, Virupaksha is still intact. That is why Virupaksha is used as the main temple for people here to worship. The surrounding temples were mostly destroyed by invasions from the Islamic empire and are no longer used.
The second temple we visited was Vittala, one of the most important temples of the Vijayanagar dynasty, and arguably the most impressive temple in Hampi in terms of architecture and scale. The temple is built in the typical Dravidian architectural style of South India, with extremely detailed and careful carvings. At each entrance gate or pillar inside the temple, you can find a very instagrammable corner.
We chose to watch the sunset at Malyavanta Temple, about 7km from the city center. Next to it is a series of rocks located on a high mound, giving us a view straight to the horizon, in the distance are beautiful rock ranges. The more I stay here, the more grateful I am to the Creator for creating such a wonderful place.
Hampi easily took us 3 days, the following days, Sanna and I rented a motorbike for 200 Rupees (about 75 thousand VND) and walked around the village and further, visited the Hanuman temple. Legend has it that this is where Hanuman was born, a monkey-faced human god quite famous in Hinduism and extremely influential in the hearts of Indian people. Queen's bath with its architecture reminds me of Roman's bath of Bath city in England, some sunrise viewing spots such as Matanga hill, Lotus Mahal architecture,... are my favorite destinations.
My summer was so sweet. Until now, I still feel that the decision to travel alone was not a bad one. I have the necessary flexibility to always accept new opportunities, unexpected companions without prior planning. I have the necessary initiative to know when to go and when to rest, not to be too dependent on others. I gained more knowledge thanks to taking the time to prepare and read more about the land I went to. Along with that, I broke down my doubts to accept the differences from the different lands I set foot on - something I probably would have found difficult to do if I had only seen it through movies.
