Some stray thoughts

Many a times and often, I wonder as to why traveling or trekking is so therapeutic. As an example- after a week long trek, even though my body craves for creature comforts, yet my mind is absolutely refreshed, far from any stress- interacting with new frontiers of consciousness.

I don’t know if it is true for all of us; there are a few friends of mine who totally abhor the thought of trekking and traveling without the proper paraphernalia. It is not to say that they aren’t into any physical activities; take them for a game of badminton or cricket, they will beat me black and blue. Perhaps it is just the thought of leaving one's comfort zone and experimenting with a new unknown zone, that unsettles them.

Comfort zones are funny things- you start adoring the challenges as well as monotonies of your comfort zones. You may go on cribbing over the way- your life is shaping up, but when asked for re-engineering it, you will harp upon so many positive things about the predicament you are in. In short, you love to hate your comfort zone and yet it's your first love.

One of the big reasons of traveling alone, has been the relative freedom I tend to get, while traveling. Singletons are generally more open to experiments, much more than twos. For example- when I was in Spiti with a very good friend of mine- with whom I shared a wonderful understanding- we had our share of differences over how the entire journey be done. Like when he wanted to stay back at Chandratal, I didn’t want to and when I wanted to just hop out of bus to Kaza and trek towards Key Monastery, he was craving for a soft bed. Yet despite a strong urge among both of us, we hardly had any interaction with the locals, because we used to take care of emotional needs of each other and therefore the urge to find it elsewhere, among the local populace was gone. So whatever little interaction we had with the locals was largely unparticipatory and therefore governed by Hawthorne's effect. (I am working on an article on this effect while traveling)

Ok, as an aside, one of my favourite travel writers Mark Moxon has written a wonderful yet simple article, on the pros and cons of traveling alone… I am giving a link to it (I hope merely giving a link is not a copyright violation)…Moxon's entire website is wonderful.

http://www.moxon.net/travel_tips/solo_travel.html

Anyway, back to the original question as to why traveling is so therapeutic. Some days ago, while trekking in the Sinai with Ahmed and Farid, the two Bedouin boys- I had a wonderful experience.

It happened when I was trekking from one small oasis spring- Ain Al Malha, where we had camped for the night- towards the Coloured Canyons- through the Wadi Al Atshan (Arabic for the Thirsty Valley). The trek was a tedious and tiring one, of about 4 hours.

I have done tougher trek in the Himalayas and Sahyadris, but Sinai is different because of its terrain, which is rocky and devoid of any humidity or vegetation. It is like a furnace that captures a lot of heat and does not let it go. The temperature of the ground exceeds 60 degree Celsius at times, though the temperature of the air remains at more comfortable 40-45. This makes Sinai a very different terrain to trek. Another factor, however, is that I am growing older and succumbing to a more hedonistic life style. This has taken a toll on my stamina- though the will power remains intact, in fact, in Sinai – I did the entire trek on my will power than on my stamina.

It so happened that there came a point while trekking, when I realized that Ahmed, who was accompanying me as a guide, has darted away and was out of my sight and I was left alone in a rocky surrounding, with imposing structures and without a sign of life. I was speechless, both frightened and exhilarated at the same time- these were the environs where Moses was given the message. It was all surreal; I started wondering why always the wandering souls have been given the message, in places where ordinary humans don’t dare to go. I started walking…to catch up with Ahmed lest I was not lost. Losing way in Sinai has meant death for many daring souls… Ahmed told me that just last December, two daredevil Israelis lost their way and rescued after 12 days, when one had already died and other was barely living... and to think of it, they were fresh out of their mandatory conscription.

And suddenly, everything turned inexplicable. With each passing step… I lost the fear and the urge to find Ahmed, I was very very tired and my body was concentrating over the next step to be taken, just the next step and nothing else, not even a possible death if I am not able to find Ahmed… and concentrating to breathe in a particular manner, which I have been taught as the first lesson of trekking. I realized that I had reached a particular state of meditation, where the time and coordinates had lost their meaning to me, and the only things that existed was- my breath and my next step. It was a very unique experience. It did not last that long, because Ahmed turned back to find me and called for me… that broke my trance.

It however left me wondering if Trekking is a form of meditation.