Redux

Approximately three years ago I graduated from university and - with a 60 liter backpack and three of my closest friends in tow - set out for my first taste of independent travel. I landed first on familiar shores, re-acclimatizing to the craziness of Asian life in India, and then departing for a couple of months to explore the milk run that is the South East Asian tourist route - chronicling my misadventures on this very blog. Coming back to the real world and starting a career proved to be a rude awakening, though it was rewarding in its own way. However, my feet itched insatiably over the years, longing to hit the road again. This year I follow in my own proverbial footsteps.

After two and half years of working as an engineer in Calgary, Canada, I requested and received a leave of absence (in other words, a variable length vacation without pay) from my company. I’ve spent the first six weeks of my LOA here in Delhi, enjoying the company of my family and reconnecting with India. I had originally budgeted for a shorter sojourn here, as the excitement of exploring new places loomed. However, as it has always seemed to do, India has drawn me in with it’s alluring and undeniable power. Most of my time has been spent in the disorienting, bafflingly chaotic capital, Delhi. I ventured to the Himalayan foothills for some much needed fresh air and quiet, visiting the famous hill station Mussoorie where I sipped chai and warmed my feet by the fireplace following long days of hiking. I also attended a traditional Punjabi wedding in Chandigarh and partook in the festival of Holi. As always India has been eye-opening and fantastic. But the time has come: the documents are in order (I think), the bags are packed, the iPod is loaded up and my mind is exploding with emotions and anticipation.

And so, one day after my 24th birthday I will land on a continent I’ve never visited, in a hemisphere I have yet to breach. A place that evokes dozens of stereotypical images to the average North American (many probably not very positive) who may never even get to set foot there, will come into focus in my immediate reality. It still doesn’t feel real to me, doesn’t feel like I’m actually departing on this trip I’ve been planning on for years.

I’ve got a lot of ground to cover.

Africa, here I come.