Checking Off the "I" Countries

The best part about waking up today was waking up in Italy. I left India 2 days ago to journey to Bologna Italy to see one of my brothers. India. What can I say? You kicked my ass over and over again but I did grow to enjoy and appreciate the area I spent last week in.

After a nightmare car ride, I finally arrived in Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Goa is known across Europe as a beach destination, but with the monsoon season in full affect, I didn't quite know what to expect. I settled into the Silver Moon guest house last week, the house was surrounded by other guest houses filled with people on the backpacking trail. I met numerous people from all over the world and ate, drank, explored and basically "touristed" with them for a week. Some days though I sat and watched the rain,reading and reflecting on my life now. Even though I am traveling solo, I have learned that I am only as alone as I want to be, as the backpacking trail is full of people doing the same thing I am doing.

My favorites were the Rat pack. Rob, Adam, and Tom. They are 3 guys from Australia that bought bikes in India and are traveling the length of India on said bikes. They hope to make it all the way to SE Asia on their bikes. Tom has been tramping around the world for 8 years and I loved listening to his stories and perspective. I asked myself "could I do that?". I don't really know where or when I will stop traveling, but just knowing that I could do it for as long as I want really inspired me. I got into a debate with one of the girls staying at the guest house about just that. She felt that 8 years was too long, that you could get sucked into a reality that is not in fact, real, just traveling and not entirely committing to anything. I disagreed with her on that point. I think that people get sucked into life wherever they are and whatever they are doing. The bottom line is that right now, I would rather spend time exploring new cultures, volunteering, and immersing myself in the adventure life then sit in an office all day. You can get sucked into daily life in the states and make no mistake about it, it is hard, sometimes nearly impossible to get out. It's all a choice and Tom's choice is as valid as a choice to settle down is. Tom is working on his memoirs right now and they should be a fascinating read. The guys also gave me some good advice. They said "Lara, get used to doing nothing on some days and be happy with it." I am still working on that concept, as I am so used to always hurrying. I am hoping to meet up with the guys somewhere in SE Asia in September and I can't wait to see them again and hear about the rest of their trip through India.

While in Goa, I decided to journey to Italy and bought my tickets 2 days before departure while sitting on the patio of our guest house and drinking beers with the Australians. My little brother attends university in Bologna and he is moving back to the states on August 14th. I hadn't seen him in 3 years and thought I should come to say hello and goodbye. The journey from Goa to Italy ended up taking 43 hours. In that time I rode 4 different airplanes, spent time in Qatar (which I am embarrassed to say, I didn't even know existed until then) and was rerouted and then rerouted again across 1/2 the world. Luckily I had 2 travel companions that were also going to Bologna from Mumbai and they helped keep me awake on our layovers. Qatar was by far the most interesting. Sheiks in full white robes and women in Burkas were everywhere. I found out that it is the richest country in the world and riding on their national airline Qatar Air, proved it. It was pure luxury even in coach. I finally arrived here late last night and collapsed in my brothers spare bedroom. Today we spent time exploring Bologna and ate the best pizza I have ever had. I seem to have a bit of reverse culture shock after India and am still practicing some of the habits I picked up in my time there. From here I will be going to volunteer on a couple of Eco farms in Italy. I plan to spend the rest of the month on 2 farms, one is located in Tuscany and the other in Abruzzi National Park. It should be a great way to really immerse myself into Italy, making a full escape from the normal tourist haunts. I hope to have some interesting stories to share, as one of the farms is a goat farm and the other doesn't have electricity. However, don't be surprised if I change my mind at the spur of the moment and don't go to one of them. After all, this is MY journey and I am just sinking my teeth into the fact that I can go anywhere I want, do anything I want, and spend as much time as I want where I am. Freedom in the truest sense of the word, suits me well.





Peace, love, and joy

Lara