The Indecisive Traveller’s Bucket List

As I write this, I am counting down to my maiden trip to Italy, a country that has been in my bucket list and I have been looking forward to visit – the trip of a lifetime. Its four in the morning, and the crowds pouring down the streets to see my para pujo is slowly trickling down to a more manageable level, and I can hear myself think, finally.

Gurudas Park Sarbojonin Pujo

Its difficult to figure out where I want to go next. AGS was talking about the Rainforest Festival in Sarawak, and I totally have that in my head – I do want to go there. I missed it the last time I hit Borneo, and I have a feeling I am not done with the Kalimantan belt – so a trip to Java might be in the cards, along with one around the Sulawesi region where I can swim, snorkel, and observe the megaliths if possible. I also wish I could extract the time to do a proper South America trip starting with Peru, but maybe, if I am given a blind list, I would want to explore Northern China too, maybe a road trip down the Silk route, perhaps moving from Xian to Urumqi, all the way to Kashgar and explore the conglomeration of interesting cultures like Uyghurs,  Kyrgyz, Han Chinese, Uzbeks and Tajiks.

Decisions, decisions. But that’s how I am built, because for me, travelling is happiness. I can’t fall asleep the night before I’m travelling, and as a result, flight attendants need to shake me awake and inform that they have run out of meaty sandwiches, and would I like a vegetarian sub? No, I would not, but that’s another day, and another story.

DSC_0039

Let me tell you about the time I walked out of an interview. It was very strange. I had my life sorted – a planned trip abroad to study, my mind focused on the PhD topic I would be pursuing. But then, life happened, and I ended up working two jobs and looking for a better opportunity in Kolkata, and the fact that good jobs were few and far between is an understatement – the kind of manipulation and boot-licking I had to face was overwhelming. It was in 2012 when I finally decided I simply wasn’t cut out for a nine to five job, so, in the middle of a queue for an interview, I decided to walk out. I was close to Sealdah station, so I merely walked there, as if in a dream, and then, bought a ticket.

It was a local train – my financial constraints made it really clear that I would have to make do with a trip that won’t be over a couple of hours, but as I boarded the train and tucked my ample self into one corner, I realised my mind was completely blank. I could hear voices around me – chirping, rhyming, singing – the voices kept on going till they lowered and dulled and then I was left alone in an almost-empty seat, my eyes seeking out the rushing world in shades of green and brown.

Malaysia
Malaysia

Epiphany? I don’t know if that was it. All I knew was that it made me happy to see the world rush past – to know that I was moving but it was my choice to do what I was doing – and the rest was left to fate. As I returned home that night, it was clear to me that I wanted to do this – go outside, exploring the world, and the thought made me happy, because it answered a lot of questions I was having about what I wanted to do and be.

I was finally at peace. With myself, and with the world. Self-exploration is good for the soul, and my soul wanted to roam around the globe without a lot of plans in hand, because who knows what the next moment might bring?

So go ahead, share your bucket list here and have a chance to win something that can help make your blind bucket list of exploration come true! Use hashtags  #SayYesToTheWorld and #TheBlindList to score big!

Disclaimer: This post has been written in association with Lufthansa.

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2 Responses

  1. Wow!! One of my top items in the bucket list is the Zanskar river trek. Almost dream about it every month!!

  2. #sayyesttotheworld #TheBlindList
    1. Paris/Versailles/French Riviera
    2. Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora
    3. Prague
    4. Alaska
    5. Gwalior Fort
    6. Kerala and Lakshwadeep
    7. Lava Lolegaon
    9. Cambodia
    10. Turks and Caicos

    This list really does not end for me.

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About Me

Hi, I’m Panushwari

Welcome to my blog which is mostly about Food, Travel, Lifestyle and Beauty. I generally review restaurants and hotels in Kolkata and my work as a Restaurant Consultant and Food Critic in Kolkata allows me to maintain this blog as a showcase of my work. I am also a published author and have been a panelist at many events.

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