NomadicExplorer

Bihar, India review piece

edrh23 — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 11:26:00 GMT

I visited Patna, in the North East of India in February 2017, where I met with a close friend of mine,Tina, who I networked with whilst living and teaching in Copenhagen during 2015 and 2016. The plan was to speak at a conference about my experiences teaching in Scandinavia. I also had the opportunity to visit some Universities and Colleges in Patna where I also spoke to and with some of the students about the education systems in Scandinavia as well as Australia, Finland and Germany. The discussion based primarily on the differences between those education systems and India. There was robust discussion about ideas for change in the future.

It was the first time I've visited India. Patna, the capital of Bihar is an incredibly bustling place with very helpful people. On a personal level it was a complete change of culture and lifestyle to Scandinavia where I previously lived as well as Australia and Germany where I had resided in recent years also. Whilst in Patna I was fortunate enough to visit the Gandhi Museum and add to my educational philosophy.

From Patna we visited Bodh Gaya - known as 'the place of enlightenment', where we visited the sacrosanct Maha Bodhi Temple, where there remains a descendent of the famous Bodhi tree, and the deeply respected practice of meditation continues amongst the Buddhist monks and the general public. We also dined at a traditional Tibetan café which Tina recommended from her previous visits. Bodh Gaya is a busy pilgrimage, also home to the seat of enlightenment, known as Vajrasana.

After arriving back in Patna we visited Rusera - a pleasant village in the countryside. After pausing at the family's favourite roadside cafe on the way, we arrived at the family's rural property set amongst traditional Indian flora and fauna. We visited several small villages around Rusera. What was prevalent were the strong women taking care of their families. Without much food, medicinal access and only very small houses it is a struggle for these families to survive on a day to day basis within the parameters of the conditions available.

State of Contrasts (Bihar, India)

edrh23 — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 13:35:00 GMT

Upon arriving in not just the poorest state in India, but the poorest city, it was evident the next two weeks spent here was going to something incredibly different from my past experiences living, working and travelling for numerous years in Germany, Denmark, England, Sweden and Australia.

For me, not just meeting, but developing connections with locals is the forefront of a true expat, traveller or even tourist. Amid the chaos of the state of Bihar, and more particularly the city of Patna in India’s North West was a true sense of poverty, a lack of optimism and a soul destroying disparity between classes. My first thought – how can this be changed?

I have a task of contributing to the development of a new school in this area of India – one with a truly international feel, and this is where the change starts. Gender equality, a gap in classes and a movement away from typical education in India is where my initial connections are made. I see slaves, workers, children in despair, women cleaning floors.

My local connections ranged from the finance minister, the land minister and educational professionals at a conference where I gave a speech. To middle aged women living in an isolated village, showing me their houses, how they cook, how they live, how they survive without any medical support. I also connected with young university students, wanting a change, some hope. Their politeness and advanced social skills astounded me. These people need opportunity.

Connection with locals in India involves eating their food, drinking their tea, becoming a part of their family, but most importantly; listening, showing respect and helping to minimise the problems, even if it may be in a very small way. These people, with beautiful smiles, drink water they're not supposed to, feed numerous children without any regard for their own need, and sleep in one room. They don't expect much.

Along the way, I may have been sick, nervous, going without typical showers and foods, my mind was racing from the chaos and information I was trying to process. In the large scheme of things, I'm glad I could connect with all of the locals I met. I refused I to sit down when someone offered me their seat – my first response was always ‘it’s your seat, I don't need any special attention.’ A smile always ensued. It was worth it.

Thoughts of an Explorer

edrh23 — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 13:28:00 GMT

‘A traveller enters a new place with an open mind and a hunger to experience’

Being someone who has travelled is unique. There are a number of intricate and integral aspects that I believe set a traveller apart from a tourist, or more informally known as a holiday maker. It is evident that everybody has a choice as to how they like to see the world, but I believe it is also important to respect the values of a person who has experienced what the world has to offer in a deeper cultural sense – to me it is purely a level of exploration.

It is important to mention that this is not meant to be a negative comparison, or argumentative piece, but merely an explanation of values that make up a traveller in comparison to someone who has not travelled. There is no doubt that people in this society would be content and happy with being a tourist- everyone is different and this is not intended to portray a tourist in a negative light. I also do not believe that being a traveller is fundamentally ‘better’ than being a tourist, in fact I do not believe in the debate; just that people decide to explore differently. This is what I believe the experiences of a traveller involve as compared to a tourist:

Independence

‘Tourists expect things to come to them or to just be there, but travellers actually go and get it’

Cross any of the big tour companies who run scheduled and planned itineraries off your list if you wish to be, or call yourself, a traveller (Contiki, Top Deck etc.). If not already independent, a traveller becomes fully independent. To do this, following somebody else’s routine, plans and guidelines makes a person a tourist. A traveller will make their own plans (if there even are any).

Rushing through places, trying to see sights quickly, taking as many photos as possible, and then moving somewhere else, is simply not traveling. Travellers slow down, immerse themselves, feel themselves in a previously foreign environment, and become a part of the culture. Meet the locals, work and live, study, or just immerse themselves in the place as a whole, before moving on.

Independence is the essential facet of what makes a traveller. The mental and physical toughness and willingness to carry out your dreams on your own terms. After all, travelling can be brutal as you are away from regular friends and family for a long period of time. I personally, and maybe also others have heard people say that they have ‘travelled’ after they have been on an organised tour for 3 months (for example). Remember, tour forms most of the word tourist.

Budget and experience the real culture

‘A tourist is a subset of a traveller’

Dorm rooms, dirty hostel kitchens, a huge backpack attached to you slowing you down whilst walking for hours to avoid taxi and public transport fares, getting lost, budgeting for and spending less than €30 a day; now this is more like travelling. Add to the miniscule budget that you will be on, a traveller, as mentioned previously, is independent. On this occasion in the sense that the money used is their own- not mum and dad’s, or grandma or grandpa’s, or business funded, or an inheritance. The reason a traveller is so careful with their money is because it is their’s, and only their hard earned money. On a personal note I was brought up in a working class family, but my goal was to travel, and to do it young and the right way- the hard way, but to make sure I could do it completely on my own.

Instead of buying guidebooks and making plans, talk to locals! Instead of dining out, cook local food in the hostel kitchen. Instead of a take away burger, go to a market and sample the unique, fresh, local produce! Travellers meet travellers and genuine local residents by being travellers, not being tourists.

Staying in 16+ bed dorms, sampling the local delicacies whether in the solid or liquid form, is all a part of immersing yourself in a culture, and being able to regard yourself as a traveller.

Duration and substance

‘A tourist goes home having only scratched the surface through photos and sightseeing, a traveller stays the journey, goes deeper’

Travelling is not about the seeing of sights. As mentioned previously, you will immerse yourself completely in another culture – learn and speak another language from beginner level, be in a friendship group of people who come from all corners of the world as well as knowing and respecting the locals. What is the only fulfilling way to fully achieve this? Work and live in a foreign land for a substantial amount of time. There is no other way to fully immerse yourself in another society and culture than to experience real, everyday life in a culture previously unknown to you.

This particular aspect will draw debate (mainly from a tourist’s viewpoint) but it is something that cannot be realised until it is actually experienced. It is often said you will learn more in one year overseas than 10 years at home, and if you want to experience this, then you will have to live and work overseas. Not only is this great for your curriculum vitae, but it makes that change in you, a deep and permanent one that will never leave. This is something you cannot possibly get from just moving place to place, taking a plethora of photographs, getting on a bus, train or car to the following tourist destinations, then returning to your homeland.

This is not to say that a person who has lived abroad in one place for 10 years has more experience travelling than someone who has lived and worked abroad in 3 different countries in two years. As travelling is often associated with the experience of ‘moving’ it is important to note that moving often decreases the longer you are in only one place. I still admire people who stay in one place for a longer, sustained period such as five or more years as it is most likely they were a traveller before they became an expat.

The unknown pathway

‘Not all those who wander are lost’

Travellers won’t always be the ones showing photos, talking about seeing sights or their plans for tomorrow. They will, in most cases, be more likely to be the ones thinking about what they have done and will do that is different to others, and what lies ahead. The life changing experiences, the memories of back streets, beaten paths, adventures not known to the conservative, forests, jungles etc. that a tourist would never have known even existed.

The best sights are not the places the majority see (Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, Buckingham Palace etc.).They will be abandoned, forbidden, hidden, encouraged against visiting, or even in some cases untouched and completely unknown. Independent, adventurous travellers will find these places, sometimes through luck of getting lost, sometimes through research. But one thing is for sure, they will never be forgotten.

Travelling is tough at times, after all, it is not a holiday. It is all of the previously mentioned aspects, and even more. Things will go wrong, you will get lost, you will make friends- and lose friends, you will see things you never wanted to see, you will be emotional, you will miss close ones and of course become homesick at times. A real traveller, somehow, survives, pushes through, because they know that the experience gained will outweigh any reason to return home (if, as a traveller, you even have one) until it may be time. Returning home as a person who has travelled is yet another story in itself…

‘Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves’

Serbia on a Budget for Travellers

edrh23 — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 13:26:00 GMT

Serbia, and in particularly its historic and at times eerie capital city Belgrade provides the true traveller with a sense of mystery and fulfilment. There are two unique sides to the capital, a trait that is also reflected in the locals.

Top things to do:

The capital city Belgrade is your first port of call. Belgrade possesses an aura that words cannot explain. It has two sides – a dark, mysterious and eerie feeling that is mixed with the begrudged feelings that the locals seem to have in regards to their past. It also has an aura of hope, of caring and helpfulness. The Old Town, which can be reached from the main part of the city by bus, encompasses the lighter, and more beautiful side of Belgrade.

I visited Belgrade in early winter, which no doubt has contributed to my overall descriptions of this eerily charming city, I felt I experienced the capital at its rawest and most honest. The city itself boasts some stunning buildings and scenery. Take in the wonderful view of the Danube whilst sitting at a local café or bar, be sure to visit the fortress, which is just the beginning of your trip back into a chaotic past. Last but not least, enjoy the incredible nightlife that this city unfolds for you when the sun goes down.

If you have time, take in some of the scenic Serbian countryside, especially historic cities such as Novi Sad. The locals in Serbia, are friendly, caring and helpful. They do like to educate you on their dark recent history, be sure to listen and ask questions.

Places to Stay:

The capital boasts an array of accommodation options, make sure you book ahead for summer months. Hostel owners are very friendly, mine even took me out to explore the nightlife, then for a traditional Serbian burek for breakfast the next morning. There are hotels abound in Belgrade, but if you are to visit other cities and towns – be sure to book ahead.

Cost guide:

Serbia is still very affordable, something that won't last forever. Expect to pay around €10-15to stay in a hostel dorm room, €25-30for a private room and of course depending on your level of luxury, hotel rooms will range from €40-200 per night. Food is also affordable, be sure to try the local delicacies such as the burek and pljeskavica, which is a local meat patty. The budget conscious traveller can survive on €30 euro per day.

Know before you go:

Make sure you get to know the locals. They may not seem friendly at first sight, but remember they have a dark and chaotic past. They are more than willing to engage in conversation, help you to discover their amazing country and even possess a dry sense of humour. If you take public transport, like I did, make sure you are ready for numerous, and lengthy delays at the borders. A night train is a cheap option, but don't expect to get too much sleep. As an example, on a night train from Hungary to Belgrade, the train was stopped four times, but don't be deterred as the end result is well and truly worth it.

Macedonia on a Budget for Travellers

edrh23 — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 13:20:00 GMT

Whilst its scars from a troubled past are still visible, and the struggles of today are real, Macedonia boasts a uniqueness that few other European countries possess. From war torn cities to the cobblestone streets of lakeside towns, Macedonia is a fascinating surprise waiting to be discovered.

Top Things to do

Make Ohrid (pronounced Okrid) your first priority when visiting the hidden gem of Macedonia. Ohrid is located by the shores of the stunning Lake Ohrid. Spend your days exploring the charming cobblestone streets of the Old Town, local markets, historic buildings and of course spending some time at the quaint local bathing spots within walking distance. By night numerous lakeside cafes and bars are a wonderful place to wind down and enjoy meeting locals and tasting the local cuisine.

Ohrid is also famous for its pearls, which are handmade using a secret formula involving scales from a fish native only to Lake Ohrid. Be sure to do some research if this interests you, as word has it only two retailers are known to sell genuine pearls.

The capital city Skopje boasts an incredible history; its edginess and rawness will both enthral and encapsulate you with its natural charm. Whilst visiting Skopje it is essential you brush up on some history, this can be done by visiting some of the very informative and at times confronting museums in this fascinating city. The Holocaust Memorial centre and the Museum of Macedonian Struggle are just two of many suggestions, and a guided walking tour is a must.

Places to Stay

In Ohrid and Skopje there are numerous accommodation options including hostels, hotels and apartments. Friendly locals will offer you their apartments in Ohrid, be sure to consider more than one offer if this is your priority. Apartments can be a great idea, if you make sure you are getting a fair deal.

Cost

Macedonia is a very affordable country, even for the most budget conscious traveller. In the summer months if you book in advance a hostel dorm room can be found from less than €10, a double room in a hostel from €15 and if you are traveling with others an apartment is an option; prices fluctuate depending on the facilities and location, expect a basic apartment from €35 per night. Hotel rooms can be found from around €40 per night. Book ahead for best results.

Local cuisine can be consumed on the cheap, especially at markets and local take away shops; expect to be well fed for around €5. If you take a taxi, be sure to agree on a price firmly before departure – my advice is to speak to a local about a suitable fare beforehand.

Know Before You Go

Border crossings: if taking public transport from neighbouring countries (normally by bus) be prepared for long delays at borders. The Albania and Macedonia border, for example, took around two hours to pass through in the busy summer months. Make sure you have your passport and all relevant visa documents handy or you will find yourself in trouble with the authorities. Depending on which country you are from, you may also be required to ‘tip’ border security. This is usually only required for residents of neighbouring countries. Last but not least – be nice to the locals.

Photos: India - Bihar

edrh23 — Mon, 29 May 2017 17:10:00 GMT

Life in Bihar