My first 60 minutes in India & how I freaked out.

indiathroughmyeyes — Wed, 27 May 2015 12:26:17 GMT

I’ve always thought that the best stories of travels are when you go outside and experience it in the cheap way. I mean, when you are facing them you think you are in a place called hell. Yes, while you are living them, you might not be so happy, but once they are in the past, you wish to be there again because even though you felt miserable at some point, that was an experience and you survive and now it’s all laughs.

India sounds amazing; it is exotic, a far away place full of colors and Bollywood, I couldn’t ask for more. I was so excited to go there but my first day there was slightly different from what I imagined it would be. First of all I am pretty sure I was pale and in my eyes you could see fear. India IS an amazing country, but it is so different from what I was used to, that I had a strong cultural shock. Thoughts like “What I am doing here? How many days till it’s over?” were running like Usain Bolt in my mind. I was freaked out.

First of all we arrived to the airport and a van from the hostel went to pick us up, so far so good. But then, we went outside the airport and this chaos of trucks, cars and tuk tuks were crossing our way like a cattle on E and no direction at all. It was three in the morning and it looked like everybody was awake and decided to take a night ride. The streets were full of crazy drivers trying to make their way. After around twenty minutes of that we arrived to a calmer area. The lights were faint, there was dust everywhere, and there were also piles of garbage every ten steps and cows sleeping next to them. My cousins and me were seeing this image with our mouths and eyes wide open. The van stopped in something that looks like an apocalyptic scene from a movie and I was just waiting for a zombie to come out and attack us. We took our big backpacks, we started walking to this not so bad building that had a bright sign on where you could read “HOTEL” and we thought that was ours. We were mistaken. The driver called us up and said that the hostel wasn’t that way and he pointed to a really dark and small alley. My heart started to beat so fast when I saw that. Everything was close and you could hear water leaking. At the end of the alley it was our hostel, and it said: “Sweet Dream INN, homely comfortable stay.” I can assure you it was everything except a homely comfortable stay. But after that, more minutes in India passed, and, the day I had to leave that amazing country, I was already thinking in coming back.

Photos: Travel Photography Scholarship 2012entry

indiathroughmyeyes — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:22:00 GMT

My name is Daniela Flores, I am from Mexico and there are 3 things that I love in life: my family, food and travel. I will graduate from college in december and I was feeling lost because I didn't knew what to do with my life. But, then I realize I knew it all a long, and what I want to do is: traveling. I want to see places that makes me say "WOW!", I want to taste different kinds of food, meet new people, discover new things, I want to live! not being stuck in an office doing something I don't like just to have money. But, you need money to eat, right? So, I was confused about what step I should take next, I will love to travel for living (which I think is more suitable to say; Living for traveling, but how great would it be if I can do the thing I love and in the meantime I do not starve to death. Anyway, why should I been chosen one? (haha, It sounds like Harry Potter or Frodo "The chosen one") Well, I don't know exactly, except -maybe- because I want this with all my heart, because I KNOW I can (& will) do a great job and because this is my next step, my chance to prove myself & everyone else who am I & because I will take this love/passion in to photos and people will see.

Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien

My first 60 minutes in India & how I freaked out.

Photos: Travel Photography Scholarship 2012entry