The First Wall

On the road, just about everyone hits the first wall, it’s usually not a matter of if but when. In my experience, it usually occurs somewhere around the end of the first week. Suddenly the new culture doesn’t seem so fascinating anymore, and all the little things that are different from where you’re from turn into annoyances and impediments. Suddenly, you find yourself wanting to eat a grilled cheese sandwich and watch an episode of Friends in an air conditioned room. Suddenly you start thinking about how nice it would be to be back home and you worry that perhaps you’re not cut out for life on the road. 

But the first wall can be surmounted, it’s usually not too high, and once it passes then you can hit the travel groove. Now traveling becomes routine; the issues and troubles remain, but instead blend back into the fabric of everyday life as just more common obstacles to overcome, not different from any of those same obstacles back home. Another day, another city, and again and again. It sounds blasé to speak in such a manner, but the truth is this is how most people feel once they set out for any period of extended travel. And the beauty of the groove is that it’s the best way to knock out a lot of distance and places, because once you’re in it the feeling is that you could keep going forever. 

We arrived in Trivandrum right as I was beginning to hit the first wall, as I think many in our program were beginning to feel as well. Kochi was stressful as a city, difficult to walk in, not particularly notable for any reason, and immensely crowded. Trivandrum is still dense and bustling, situated on a series of hills that give it a rolling landscape, but at least has amenities such as sidewalks and “quietish” side streets to stroll down. It has been a nice change of pace from Kochi thus far.

There have been brief respites throughout the journey thus far which have helped as well. Before arriving I had heard multiple recommendations for renting a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala, and though not immediately convinced, when I watched Anthony Bourdain board one in his episode of No Reservations on Kerala, I decided it was probably worth checking out. 

The Kerala backwaters have proven one of the rare items on the tourist trail that actually live up to the hype. It’s difficult to describe the sensation of floating along through the channels and lagoons, lined with palms and other tropical vegetation and populated by locals tending to the rice paddies, and just how beautiful and relaxing it can be. We only had a few hours on the boat, but even still it was a wonderful experience to simply sit and take it all in. Even the masses of other boats carrying tourists, a surprising number of which were Indian tourists, didn’t seem to bother me. I guess once you’ve spent a couple days in Indian cities, the countryside looks that much better.