With 10 countries and 29,254 miles traversed, 2017 was my most active year of travel since 2013, although interestingly my mileage count for the year seemed low given the number of flights I took (19 in total). At the end of this post you can see summaries of previous years’ adventures and how they measure up. But 29,000 or so miles is nothing to sneeze at; in some ways this last year feels like it was much longer than a year. Here’s why, and what I did in 2017:

This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

JANUARY: Florida, Ecuador

I started off 2017 in Florida at my (kind of) home base in Hollywood where I had spent a chunk of time in 2016. By mid-January, it was time to make a move, and that move was to the mountains outside of Cuenca Ecuador to live at Gaia Sagrada retreat centre; a place I discovered in late 2016 and to where I was returning.

FEB-MAY: Ecuador

The next four months were spent at Gaia Sagrada, where I assisted the manager in trade for a break on accommodation expenses, and informally continued my studies of ayahuasca and san pedro shamanism. It was an intense and all-encompassing position that required a lot of my energy through every two-week retreat.

So I didn’t spend much time “discovering” Ecuador, nor doing much work on my online business, which had been somewhat stagnant since I took to doing “shaman things” in Peru in late 2014.

But I did get around Ecuador a tiny bit during the five day breaks between retreats at the retreat centre. I visited Banos in the north, which is the adventure capital of Ecuador, and where I (sort of) bought a hotel for $29. I also visited Vilcabamba in the south; a popular “hippie town” with an interesting vibe that compares to my former home of Pisac Peru.

But the time soon came (inspired by an expiring Ecuadorian visa) for me to move on. By the end of May I was on a plane. Doors have been left open in Ecuador (and at Gaia Sagrada) for me to return, but to this day I’m not sure if it’s in the cards.

JUNE: Florida, (Toronto), Japan

The beauty of my (kind of) home base in Hollywood Florida at my friend’s house is that it’s a great jumping-off/landing point when traveling to/from South America. So after a couple of weeks of decompressing in Hollywood, I said sayonara to my boyfriend (with whom I’d been together since my arrival in Ecuador in 2016) who was jetting off to the west coast to earn some money while I jetted off to Tokyo (with a lightning fast layover in my hometown of Toronto ) for a house-sitting gig.

My arrival in Japan was an exercise in me proverbially coming up for air and taking stock of my online business, which had been relatively stagnant after three years of sitting on Andean mountaintops “doing shaman things”. What I saw wasn’t pretty.

JULY: Japan

Among other increased business activities such as redesigning my website and taking social media to a new level, I breathed new life into my dormant YouTube channel and started producing weekly travel vlogs. Tokyo was a perfect place to do it; it was eye candy for the camera and cocaine for the brain. Selected highlights included almost dying on Mount Takao, going to the Greatest Show in the History of Entertainment, and then having the wool pulled off my eyes in Akihabara.

I started to intellectually fall out of love with Japan after Akihabara, as I pontificated in my post Why I Could Never Life in Japan. But after almost two months in total in Japan, I managed to pull it all together with this (slightly more balanced) post.

AUGUST: Japan, Indonesia

I realized that in over 10 years of wandering the world, I almost never went somewhere without having my accommodation sorted out (and usually free accommodation at that). Bali was the first time I’d gone somewhere without having any innate connections, specific opportunities, or accommodation lined up.

But I went anyway, and it was fantastic. I hung with the monkeys, negotiated like a pro in the markets, hiked through rice terraces, and learned about the beautiful ceremonial practices of Balinese Hinduism. Oh yeah – and I visited Kuta to see a Balinese healer, which was a total comedy of errors (but the kind that made for a really funny post).

SEPTEMBER: Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia

Coinciding with the expiration of my 30-day Indonesian visa was an opportunity to go to Macau to speak at a travel conference.

I stayed in Hong Kong for a week (and loved it – most of it), before taking a ferry over to Macau for the conference. The connections I made there paved the way for some opportunities for an upcoming trip to India that I’d booked after finding a mistake air fare.

After my quick sojourn in Hong Kong and Macau, I returned to Bali for what was supposed to be another month. Instead, the active volcano Mount Agung went into high alert, and although I was technically safe in Ubud, reports I’d heard from Ubud’s survivors of Mount Agung’s last eruption in 1963 didn’t make me want to stick around to find out, so I voluntarily evacuated. Turns out I evacuated a couple of months earlier than necessary, but the volcano did indeed start spewing ash which shut down the airport a few times.

I really enjoyed Bali on the whole, and am certainly curious to return….another time.

OCTOBER: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India

Part of the reason evacuating from Bali was easy for me was because I had friends of friends (of friends) in Jakarta who were kind enough to open up their homes to me. I had no intention of writing about my three weeks in Jakarta which were pretty sedentary, but a few things happened that I found so amusing I simply had to share.

Then it was off to India (via a night in Sri Lanka). India was another destination that I chose without having much of anything organized save for a cheap flight. But after sending off a few emails and making some connections in Macau, my trip started to take shape. It began in Jaipur where I reunited with an old friend and landed in the lap of luxury, which continued on the Deccan Odyssey: the most luxurious train in the world.

NOVEMBER: India, Thailand

Even in the lap of luxury, everything started to go wrong for me, and my month in India (much of which was spent in Rishikesh) became a critical and pinnacle experience for what I suspect is going to be a big transition/transformation (still in progress). I’ll be pontificating more on this idea in 2018, as this is something that is unfurling by the day.

So it was with no small degree of enthusiasm that I left India in mid-late November on a plane bound for Chiang Mai Thailand, where I reunited with my boyfriend after six months apart. We found a sweet little condo to nest in for a wee while.

DECEMBER: Thailand

I’ll be writing a bit more about Chiang Mai in the coming weeks; but I also don’t have very much to write about Chiang Mai on the whole, since I did almost nothing noteworthy (from a travel blogger’s perspective). Instead I enjoyed all the creature comforts of this surprisingly bohemian city, ate amazing food, went to the gym, spent time with my boyfriend, and tended to some increasingly consuming issues of health and wellness (both physical and emotional).

It was an agonizing kind of bliss that capped off 2017 in the strangest of ways.

Summary Notes

For a year that started off in South America with a focus on plant medicine work, I didn’t expect to visit 10 countries; including seven Asian countries – all of which were new to me except for Thailand. Then again, it was a year full of unexpected surprises and new experiences. The easiest way to explain my current state of being is to say that it’s like every single aspect of my life has been thrown up in the air (lifestyle, location, health, relationships, career, etc), and I’m watching all the pieces float around and am waiting to see where they land. It’s simultaneously exciting and agonizing. 2018 is going to be a very interesting year. Stick around….I’m pretty sure it won’t be boring.

10 countries and 29,254 miles…..2017 is another one to go down in my own little history book.

Previous Annual Summaries

My First Four Years of Full-Time Travel (2007-2010, including Canada, Hawaii, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Nepal)

What I did in 2011 (13 countries, 73,000 kms, including New Zealand, Canada, USA, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, China, Vietnam, Grenada)

What I did in 2012 (8 countries and 20,000 miles, including Grenada, St. Martin, BVIs, USA, Switzerland, France, England, Canada)

What I did in 2013 (12 countries and 29,000 miles, including Grenada, USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, France, Panama)

What I did in 2014 (7 countries and 34,000 miles, including Panama, USA, Canada, Peru, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy)

What I did in 2015 (6 countries and 35,000 miles, including Peru, Colombia, USA, Costa Rica, Canada, Bolivia)

What I did in 2016 (5 countries and 30,000 miles, including Peru, USA, Canada, Ireland, and Ecuador)

This post 10 Countries and 29,254 Miles: This was 2017! appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Traveling through India on the Deccan Odyssey (the most luxurious train in the world) was akin to a dream come true for me. I’ve experienced (and written extensively about) long-distance train travel. But when I booked a mistake air fare to India on a whim, I had no idea I’d follow my cheap flight with such a decadent experience.

Because let’s get it right: I don’t exactly earn an income in keeping with a trip like the Deccan Odyssey, which is super-deluxe-luxury stuff. Although I’ve often said that financially sustainable travel is not synonymous with budget travel (some full-time travelers earn six figures; so they can spend accordingly), I’ll also admit that my current income is definitely not in keeping with this trip.

So it’s important to disclose that this trip was free for me, many thanks to Cox & Kings (India’s favourite tour company and the world’s longest-standing one) who actually owns the Deccan Odyssey train; some personal connections I made with the folks at Cox & Kings while speaking at a travel conference a few months prior paved the way to this experience.
2021 Update: Cox & Kings is out of business.

I may not earn a ton of money, but this job definitely has its perks.

Four Days on the Deccan Odyssey

My four days aboard the Deccan Odyssey train in India flew by. After boarding in Jaipur (halfway through it’s journey from Delhi to Mumbai), I spent the first day getting acquainted with the train’s many amenities while the passengers were out touring. The following day was a full one in Udaipur.

Unfortunately I awoke the following morning with a migraine so I missed the morning’s activities in Vadodara. Luckily everybody returned to the train for lunch and I was shipshape to join them for the afternoon visit to Laxmi Vilas Palace (the largest palace in India, and close to the largest in the world).

The following day, the morning was spent doing my absolute favourite thing to do on trains (lie in bed and watch the world go by); something I’d have liked a bit more of, but I’m in the minority in that club – most of the Deccan Odyssey passengers saw the train more as a means to tour around India’s destinations, rather than the train being the destination unto itself. (But I’m weird that way).

That afternoon, we visited Ellora Caves in Aurangabad; an extensive network of caves that have been hand-carved into temples of beauty, mythology, and acoustic grace. When we returned to the train for our collective last night on board the Deccan Odyssey, a surprise was awaiting each of us in our cabins: specially chosen traditional Indian outfits (saris for women) and a Bollywood party to attend! I’m not sure if my crazy Bollywood-esque moves impressed or horrified the guests and staff alike, but either way I was a great source of amusement for all.

Join me for my Last Two Days Aboard the Deccan Odyssey

This is the kind of trip that is best experienced through (moving) pictures, not words. Check out the video below to see the largest palace in India, catch me singing a song in one of the Ellora cave echo chambers, and kickin’ it Bollywood style to cap it all off!

Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

Just in Case You Missed It…

Acclimatizing to India, In Jaipur

Touring India’s Deccan Odyssey: Most Luxurious Train in the World!

Udaipur India, with the Deccan Odyssey Luxury Train

Heaven and Hell: Panchakarma as Reflected in (My Time In) India

This post Traveling on the Deccan Odyssey (Pt 3): Palaces, Caves, and Bollywood! appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Traveling/Touring With the Deccan Odyssey

The Deccan Odyssey is much (much) more than a simple train ride. If you missed my post/video last week with a tour of the train, I highly recommend this opportunity to see what the most luxurious train in the world looks like.

But the Deccan Odyssey is more than just a super-luxurious train with an insane amount of amenities and attentive staff. It’s a way to see India. Each night before bed the following day’s itinerary is lovingly left on every pillow as part of the turn-down service. They’re full days of touring, often with early starts. It’s an all-inclusive and very easy way to see India, with everything laid out and a different local guide meeting passengers every morning to escort them on the day’s adventures, which often include some very exclusive experiences (lunch at palace in the middle of a lake? Why, thank you!).

A fellow passenger best described the Deccan Odyssey as being like a “cruise on rails”; all your needs are catered to on the boat (er….train), and each morning you arrive at a new destination that you have a chance to get a little taste of, before re-boarding and moving on to the next destination. So while a cruise (and likewise, a trip on the Deccan Odyssey train) isn’t a chance to dig too deep into local cultures, you’ll cover a lot of territory and figure out where you might like to return to, later in your trip, or later in life. Where the Deccan Odyssey has cruises beat hands-down (well, aside from the fact that it’s a train!), is that with such a small group of passengers and some very knowledgable staff, it’s a much more intimate experience allowing a more private audience with local experts for questions to be answered.

And, for the record, this experience on the Deccan Odyssey was free for me, courtesy of Cox & Kings, the longest-established travel company in the world, who also happens to own this train. They conceded me this treat because I wrote a book about trains (thus demonstrating my crazy love of trains). Oh yeah, and I begged, just a little.
2021 Update: Cox & Kings is out of business.

I joined the Deccan Odyssey halfway through its trip from Delhi to Mumbai, so passengers had already visited the Taj Mahal, done tiger safaris, visited Jaipur’s forts, and more. Given that Udaipur was my first full day on board the train, it was a pretty spectacular one.

Udaipur, India

Udaipur (everybody’s favourite city in India) is also known as the “city of Lakes” or even “Venice of the East”. Being in the state of Rajasthan which is known for palaces and forts and princely things, Udaipur is no exception.

My full day in Udaipur started off at the City Palace (a giant palace known for its detailed mosaics), continued with a boat ride to the Pleasure Palace for lunch (and if your mind just went to a dirty place, you’re not wrong; the Pleasure Palace was constructed in the middle of a lake for the prince at the time to take his flings and, well….fling). We continued on to an artist’s studio (Udaipur is known for it’s miniature art, which is pretty spectacular), and finished off with a stroll through the local fruit/veg/spice market (where I took about a million pictures).

Visit Udaipur With Me, on the Deccan Odyssey!

Enough descriptives and still images; watch this short video to get a taste of the day for yourself. It’s pretty divine.

Click to watch this video on YouTube

Just in Case You Missed It…

Acclimatizing to India, In Jaipur

Touring India’s Deccan Odyssey: Most Luxurious Train in the World!

And next up: The Deccan Odyssey, Part 3: Palaces, Caves, and Bollywood

This post Udaipur India, with the Deccan Odyssey Luxury Train appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

Travel is Contextual.

Before I get into the delights (and horrors) of both India and Panchakarma, it’s important for me to re-iterate that travel is contextual. I’ve said it many times before – especially whenever somebody asks me about my favourite place in the world, but it was probably the biggest lesson (or rather, reminder) that India had for me. Travel is contextual.

So while I’m going to admit up front that on the whole I didn’t like India, it’s not a definite statement about the country or people, nor am I discounting the opinions of the many people who love India. It’s not a challenge or a competition.

My context for being in India was completely wrong. I believe India is great for somebody who wants an exotic experience. Something completely different. An adventure. A challenge.

This was not me.

I’m fundamentally tired of traveling, and I’m officially looking for the next place I can call “home” (at least, “home” for a while, if not forever. More on this in a future post). At the very least, I need some modicum of stability and grounding.

Because of this, India was a very poor travel choice for me.

Here’s a contextual exercise: What do you see in this picture above? A broken and dirty road, littered with cow shit, and a noisy construction site ahead? Or the sun playing with a bright alley and interesting mural, and a colourfully dressed woman passing by?

Here’s another one: What do you see above? Tattered rags and barbed wire, in front of a field of weeds? Or a green field with colourful bits of recycled sari beautifying the perimeter?

No matter what you see in the pictures above, you’re right. So while I’m sure India is a wonderful place and I don’t doubt the validity of the rave reviews of many people I know who count it among their favourite countries, that was not my experience.

Here’s what really happened.

An Introduction to Panchakarma

India is the home to the age-old medicine/practice of Ayurveda, which centres around the idea of harmony of the mind/body/soul. It’s as much a lifestyle and diet (according to your Ayurvedic body type/personality) as it is a form of medicine.

Panchakarma is an integral part of Ayurveda, and is considered a healing art that completely detoxifies and rejuvenates, and restores the body/mind/soul to balance. Although some centres will do panchakarma treatments in as little as three days, other clinics won’t even accept you for anything less than two weeks, preferably three. It’s a process….and one that requires time and commitment.

A friend of mine who described her own Panchakarma experience said it cured her of a pretty bad thyroid problem. As a student of the healing arts myself, I became intrigued by her description, and given that I’ve been feeling off-centre lately, I figured it couldn’t hurt.

Although Ayurveda originates in the south of India (specifically around Kerala), I had my eyes on the north, specifically the town of Rishikesh in the foothills of the Himalayas. I was told that there are plenty of Ayurveda centres there, so I decided to do my Panchakarma there.

Heaven: My Introduction (to India, and Panchakarma)

India: How can you not love a place when you’re being catered to in five star glory? My arrival in Jaipur was a soft landing in the hands of the Fairmont, and the warm embrace of my friend and colleague Mariellen. Even after my first four days of swish digs, my couple of days in Jaipur flowed pretty nicely. (See also: Acclimatizing to India, In Jaipur)

Panchakarma: Likewise, although the circumstances that brought me to my first Panchakarma appointment were atrocious (more on that later), the session itself was delightful. After an initial consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, I was prescribed some ayurvedic supplements, lifestyle and diet protocols, and a course of daily two-hour treatments for the next two weeks.

My therapist (Regni) was a tiny woman with incredibly strong hands who rubbed me down with oil in the style of Ayurvedic massage, which started with a thorough head massage and continued on to the body with long firm strokes. There’s no room for modesty in this process; standard attire is a pair of disposable underwear (which Regni comically referred to as my diaper), and nothing more. All skin is fair game.

Following the massage was a treatment called Shirodara, which when I read about it looked like Chinese water torture (hot oil is poured continuously on your forehead), but which I was assured would be relaxing and divine. Save for the three gallons of oil that remained in my hair following the treatment and required a bottle of shampoo to divest myself of, it was indeed divine.

Cap the two hours off with a steam treatment (a steam box you sit in with your head sticking out), and I was in heaven. “This panchakarma thing is going to be most excellent!” I thought. Although I wasn’t wrong, it also wasn’t quite so straightforward.

Slow Fall From Grace

India: After a few days in Jaipur, I boarded the Deccan Odyssey (the most luxurious train in the world) for four days, which was a dream come true for me.

Although the experience was truly heavenly, it couldn’t shield me from some rumblings in my inner world. It started with a migraine on day two which required me to miss the morning’s activities and remain in bed (one of the big reasons I decided to do Panchakarma was regular headaches and migraines). It continued with my onward travel plans from the train being uprooted, along with a realization that I’m simply tired of moving around, and of my time not being my own (as was the unfortunate case with both of my five-star experiences; delightful as they were, they are meant for people on vacation, not people like me who work as well. I’m not complaining, but sponsored gigs involve a lot of work).

My travel fatigue and desire for home had bred in me a desire to just relax somewhere; this, combined with an increasingly urgent need to get some work done meant I was not reacting well (physically or emotionally) to my circumstances.

When I disembarked the Deccan Odyssey in Mumbai, I had absolutely no plans. I didn’t even know where I would spend the night, and spent an hour sitting on my luggage desperately tapping on my phone to find a half-decent place. It wasn’t half-decent, nor well-priced. Although I initially planned to stay in Mumbai for a few days, I booked a flight out the next day, to Rishikesh.

Panchakarma: My next few panchakarma sessions continued to be delightful but increasingly strange. If the amount of oil in my hair from shirodara was alarming, the amount of hot oil poured over and rubbed into me for my oil bath session a few days later was obscene. Not that I’m complaining – it was delightful, and Regni and I giggled away as I slid around on the table covered completely in oil.

My milk bath the day after also had me in stitches for the sheer oddity of my treatments. Two ladies this time, poured warm milk over me and rubbed and pounded it in with herbal packs.

Things got weird when Regni poured butter in my eyes. Yep. Butter in my eyes. A standard Ayurvedic eye-cleansing treatment involves a barrier of sorts being put around the eye area to contain the warm ghee which is poured into it. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly while Regni did this.

“Okay, open your eyes,” she said when she was finished pouring and there was a good inch of warm butter in my eyes.

“Seriously?” I said. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Open your eyes,” she repeated. Slowly and cautiously I opened my eyes, and started moving my eyeballs around as instructed, so the ghee could do its cleansing thing. Three repetitions of this exercise in succession left me both shocked and feeling a bit nauseous.

My liver cleanse the following day (hint: it involves the Ayurvedic version of laxatives washed down with a mixture of warm milk, castor oil, and sugar, before spending the next six hours no more than a few feet from a toilet) wasn’t nearly as “explosive” as I had expected it would be….it was manageable.

By this point my friend Miki (who you may remember as my “husband” from my adventures in Florida) who was getting regular updates from me, decided I needed to leave. “Nora! They’re pouring butter in your eyes and giving you diarrhea! It’s time to come home,” she said.

Hell

India: I was promised peace and quiet and fresh air in Rishikesh – something I needed by this point as the general chaos and crowds of India were unending, and my headaches were only worsening with the noise and poor air quality. Descriptions of Rishikesh given to me created in my imagination an oasis of quiet and greenery and ashrams and people doing “spiritual things” alongside the quiet and holy Ganges river, surrounded by the Himalayan foothills.

Instead, I found this:

This is the Laxman Jhula bridge – a fairly high, long, and narrow suspension bridge across the Ganges river. I was bound for the other side to sniff out an Ayurveda centre that I’d researched online. If the 15 minutes of shuffling across with people on all sides while sidestepping shitting cows, pissed off monkeys, and honking motorcycles wasn’t harrowing enough, I broke completely when I arrived to the other side.

The other side of the bridge was the “ashram” side of town. Where I was told it’s nice and quiet. The scene I found on the other side of the Laxman Jhula bridge was the antithesis of that. A one-lane road lined with stores and stalls on either side and sections of overhead cover to increase the claustrophobic effect, was home to solid pedestrian traffic (including shitting cows and pissed off monkeys), as well as two directions of car/motorcycle traffic. In order to navigate the crowds, these vehicles would lean on their horn – constantly – the entire time. Because of the very narrow width of the road, this meant that while standing as much to the side as possible, often in a pile of cow shit, vehicles grazed by me with inches to spare. Basically, while nursing the beginnings of a migraine, vehicles were honking (continuously) in my ear, while I inhaled the glorious freshness of shit, vehicle exhaust, and if I was lucky, crops and garbage being burned in nearby fields.

I almost booked the next flight out of India.

Instead, I persevered, and found that the Ayurveda centre of my choice was located in a quiet area (all things being relative) a bit outside of town. The price was right for the (extremely basic but sufficient) accommodation, and I booked myself in.

By now I acknowledged that I’d been tipped into a full-on depression that had been percolating for some time, and I needed help.

Panchakarma: Everything went wrong when it came to the enema. I’ve never had an enema before, and I was pretty nervous about the procedure, yet assured (by others who have had enemas) that I’ll feel great afterwards. The first day of my enema treatments involved a (relatively) small amount of Ayurvedic oil being put “up there”. This actually wasn’t too bad, and gave me confidence for the next day’s procedure. (Miki, on the other hand, increased her plea for me to return home. “Nora! First they put butter in your eyes! Now they’ve put oil up your bum! Stop! Stop now! This is insane!”)

When Regni appeared the following day with an obscene amount of medicated liquid that was going to be syphoned up my bum, I paled. Breathing hard in an attempt to relax, I endured the procedure (which was incredibly uncomfortable for me, but apparently some people actually find it pleasurable). What happened afterwards, I can’t explain. I started crying uncontrollably, for an hour. Poor Regni didn’t know what to do with me; she’d never seen a patient do anything like this.

“Most people say ‘ugh’ then go to toilet. Why you cry and cry?” she said bewilderedly, in her broken English.

I couldn’t explain it, except to surmise that some sort of emotional trauma that was stored “up there” was released with the enema. In the realm of the work I’ve done with plant medicine and spirituality, I recognized this as a good thing, but it still felt like absolute hell, and I spent most of the rest of the day in bed under the covers (literally).

And Back Out Again

India: I can’t say I ever got accustomed to the vehicles honking in my ear; I frequently yelled obscenities at vehicles and drivers for their very unnecessary contribution to noise pollution. But I did find some quiet spots and learned to appreciate some beauty.

Sitting one day on the steps by the Ganges river (by Ram Jhula bridge), I watched a “ferry boat” (the words ‘ferry’ and ‘boat’ being loose approximations of anything you can conjure up in your mind for such a thing) come across the river and drop off a dozen Indian passengers – women and families – near to where I was sitting. I watched them set up on a tiny spot of “beach” (more like concrete) by the river and ‘bathe’; a holy ritual more than a cleansing act. They also offered prayers to the river (by floating little boats with candles and flowers down the river), and then proceeded to wash their laundry. In that moment, everything was bizarre, and perfect, and beautiful.

I’ve heard people say “India is like a punch in the gut followed by a big kiss”. They talk about how you can have a challenging day but then the sheer kindness of a stranger, or simplicity of a passing smile, can turn everything around. Sure it can! You’ve just been punched in the gut! You’ll take anything you can get!

I’m sorry. I don’t buy it. I can appreciate a passing smile, or a connection with a stranger, without being abused first.

But in that moment, after the hell of experiencing all the challenges of India, as well as the hell of my own inner demons of depression and the detoxification challenges of Panchakarma, I realized that everything was exactly as it was meant to be, I was in a great period of learning and self-compassion, and all would eventually be okay.

Panchakarma: I was actually scheduled for five enemas – one small (the oil), then big, then small, then big, then small. After my meltdown I was off the hook, and we finished up that part of my therapy with just one more small one, thankyouverymuch. From that point on my treatments were back to delightful and enjoyable, my favourite treatment being warm oil being beaten into me with herbal packs followed by massage. All treatments of course started with a head and shoulder massage and finished with steam.

The day of my final treatment was both happy and sad, as Regni and I had grown quite close. Despite language barriers, I came to know her as a remarkable woman who shines light and fun on every situation (except, perhaps, enema meltdowns), and who has made the most out of a very trying life. She cried when I left, and even though given my lifestyle I’m accustomed to saying goodbye, I had to fight back a few tears myself.

Thank you India: Context, Healing, Self-Compassion, Home

India’s lessons to me were all reminders of what I already knew but perhaps had lost sight of.

India’s first lesson to me was that travel is contextual. My inner landscape of wanting home and a brewing depression was reflected on my outer landscape of challenges. I couldn’t appreciate India’s beauty for all the ugliness I saw (both outside and inside of me).

India’s second lesson was that I needed to take some time to heal, and that healing is hard work. Suffering a migraine on the Deccan Odyssey was my cue to change tack, cancel plans, and do a panchakarma treatment. The panchakarma itself required me to take a lot of time each day to focus on myself; my bodily functions, the food I ate, and more. The emotional release I received during my enema was both agony and a great relief. My continued attention to diet and lifestyle is the gift of Ayurveda, for which I am very grateful. Two weeks of panchakarma didn’t heal me, but it started me well on my way.

India’s third lesson has been ongoing for years, and the hardest yet for me to truly grasp and practice. What is self-compassion and self-kindness, anyway? Is it doing whatever you want to do? In that case, roll me a joint and give me a vat of chocolate….but no, that’s not self-compassion – it’s self-destruction.

I was “supposed to” visit Rishikesh to experience the birthplace of yoga and explore the Indian “brand” of spirituality (having been to two other places of spiritual pilgrimage this year – the Andes of Ecuador and Ubud in Bali). My act of self-compassion was doing none of what I was “supposed to” do in Rishikesh. To forgive myself for changing plans when my body and soul told me I needed to relax, eat good food, sleep, work, read, and see/do nothing more than that. People in Rishikesh laughed when I said (with some degree of pride no less) I didn’t do one yoga class, nor set foot in one ashram in my three weeks there.

In a world where we’re “supposed to” do a lot of things, self-compassion (for me) is really tuning into to my inner voice that might contradict those ‘should’s and following the beat of my own drum instead. Easier said than done, but well worth the effort.

My final act of self-compassion was also realizing that India isn’t my cuppa tea, and being okay with that. Perhaps under a different set of circumstances I could return and love the place. I am totally open to that.

But what India really did for me, in flying colours, was to emphasize something I already knew but to make it irrefutably loud and clear: it’s time for home.

I’ve been whispering this ever since I left Peru, and now I’m prepared to shout it out from the rooftops. They say people travel to escape something or look for something. Although this hasn’t been true for me in the past, it is now. I’m looking for the next place to call home.

I’ll be patient in the search, but I am grateful for this opportunity to get really clear on what I’m doing.

And because of that, my trip to India – heaven, hell, and everything in between – was a great success.

Epilogue: Curious About Panchakarma/Ayurveda?

After reading this post, I was contacted by the owner of an Ayurvedic clinic called Sevayu, near Toronto, where I have since established a home base. He offered me a complimentary massage and shirodara treatment in the hopes that I might have a wider frame of reference to better understand my Panchakarma experience.

The proof is in the pudding: when the doctor met with me prior to my treatment and asked what my challenges were, I mentioned anxiety and never feeling properly rested after sleeping. This allowed him to “prescribe” the right oils and massage methodology for my session. In the two nights following my treatment, I slept better than I had in….well, possibly in my entire life.

If you are in the Toronto (or Mississauga) area and interested in a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, followed by a customized selection of Panchakarma treatments, I can certainly recommend Sevayu. You’re in good hands, and their prices are very reasonable.

Where to Stay in India

I stayed in a hole in Rishikesh. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a hole, but it certainly wasn’t luxurious. If there’s anything I can recommend about travel in India, it’s that you’ll have a good time if you don’t scrimp at every turn. I was staying in a place that cost $6/night. For incrementally more money, I might have had a different – more pleasurable – experience. (Too bad for me I couldn’t handle moving any more, so I stuck to my guns). 

Things to do in India

My second piece of India travel advice is to book organized tours. My time aboard the Deccan Odyssey was utterly delightful – and also incredibly educational. While you don’t have to ride the most luxurious train in the world to have a safe and pleasurable experience, I recommend checking out some of the bestselling India tours below:

This post Heaven and Hell: Panchakarma as a Reflection of (My Time in) India appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

My Indian adventures thus far had already begun on a pretty divine note, at the Fairmont in Jaipur. Little did I know the fun had only begun. After a few days of getting my feet wet in “the real” Jaipur (the apres-Fairmont Jaipur, that is), I was whisked back off to luxury la-la-land aboard the Deccan Odyssey.

What Business do I Have on the Most Luxurious Train in the World, You Ask?

Great question. Let me tell you.

I’ll save you the speech about how financially sustainable travel is not synonymous with budget travel (even though it’s true), and how if I happened to be a bit more flush than I am, I could have paid my way. Cuz I didn’t pay my way.

The beautiful people at Cox & Kings paid my way; mostly because they heard me talk at a travel conference and they liked my style and wanted to work with me. Cox & Kings is the world’s oldest tour company, and they’re based in India (though they offer trips around the world). When I discovered they owned a train, it was game over.
Update 2021: Cox & Kings is apparently out of business.

Why was it game over? Because, if you didn’t already know, I have an evangelical love of long-distance train travel; to the point that I’ve done some epic (some may say epically stupid) train journeys around the world. I even wrote a book about it.

So as I was ironing out my initial few days in India, I realized I would be in Jaipur when the illustrious Deccan Odyssey would be pulling in, halfway through its journey from Delhi to Mumbai. I suggested if they happened to have some space, perhaps I could hop on? And they said yes.

And here I am. On the most luxurious train in the world: the Deccan Odyssey, in India.

What is the Most Luxurious Train in the World Like, You Ask?

Another great question.

It’s crazy.

Of the 21 train cars, there are just 16 passenger cabins. So for a very long train, it’s a pretty small number of guests. This leaves space for some gargantuan passenger cabins (by far the largest I’ve ever seen, with bathrooms that blew my mind – for a train). In addition, there are two restaurant cars, a bar car, a rec room/library, spa (!), gym (!!), and more.

Yes, there’s a spa, and a gym, on the Deccan Odyssey.

I know, right? Wow.

And then there’s the service. I believe the number of people working on the train actually outnumbered the number of guests, although it wasn’t totally full when I was on board; a full occupancy of guests would probably see close to a 1:1 employee/passenger ratio. So as you can imagine, the Deccan Odyssey’s wheels are well-greased.

I had my own valet/butler. Actually, that’s not true. I had to “rough it” by sharing him with another passenger cabin or two. Guests with Presidential Suites have dedicated valets. He not only cleaned my cabin daily and turned down the bed each night, but he provided wake-up calls with the drink of my choice. I also had a phone in my cabin with my valet on speed dial whenever I needed anything. When I first boarded the train, if I was leaving my room or coming back to my room, he would just pop up out of nowhere and insist on accompanying me. He even tried (unsuccessfully) to carry my purse!

The Deccan Odyssey’s hospitality on the whole was incredible. The guest manager had some outrageous stories to share with us each evening while prepping us for the day to come, as we sipped drinks in the bar car. The coordinators who came along with us on each day’s tours were enthusiastic and informative. We even had a dedicated paramedic quietly playing wallflower for whenever a guest needed anything from painkillers to bug bite treatment to whatever. And at meal-time on the train, the wait staff were tripping over each other to be of service.

Which brings me to the food. Earning a moniker like the most luxurious train in the world means the food is top-notch. With both an Indian and International menu on board, all tastes were catered to. The Indian menu changed daily according to the local cuisines where the train was at the moment, which was a nice touch. Anorexics, need not apply. The food on this train is just too good to pass up. (Though I will admit with some gratitude that the portions of the multi-course meals were small enough that I wasn’t over-stuffed at each meal).

Wanna See?

Pictures don’t do this experience justice. Come with me on this tour of the Deccan Odyssey. As you will see in the video, I’m pretty damn giddy about the experience.

Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

The Fun has Just Begun!

The plushness of the Deccan Odyssey extends way beyond the train itself; it’s a full-meal-deal sort of experience. Check out two more posts and videos on my adventures aboard the Deccan Odyssey:

Udaipur India, with the Deccan Odyssey Luxury Train

Traveling on the Deccan Odyssey (Pt 3): Palaces, Caves, and Bollywood!

A Final Note About Semantics

Is the Deccan Odyssey really the most luxurious train in the world? Well, it’s debatable. It has received awards for being the best luxury train. The difference between “best luxury train” and “most luxurious train” could be semantics, or not.

When I look up most luxurious trains, Google shows me a bunch of trains I’ve ridden: The Ghan and The Indian Pacific (in Australia), the Canadian and the Rocky Mountaineer (Canada), the Trans-Siberian (Russia), and more. (Most of these trains are covered in my book. Just saying.)

Although I haven’t experienced other contenders like the Blue Train (South Africa) and the Maharaj’s Express (India), I can say that from the trains I’ve ridden, the Deccan Odyssey wins the prize for most luxurious train in the world – hands down – in my books.

Accommodation in India

Looking for a place to stay in India (perhaps before or after your Deccan Odyssey adventures)? You’re in luck! There’s something for everybody. Have a look: 

Things to do in India

To anybody who is visiting India for the first time, I strongly suggest taking (at least a few) organized tours. India can be an overwhelming place at the best of times, and it’s difficult to make the sorts of connections that allow you to learn about the place, as well as stay safe and ensure you’re not being ripped off or scammed. Check out some of the bestselling things to do in India below, and save yourself a whole lotta stress and aggravation! Also, check out my friend’s guide to taking trains, planes, and autos in India!

This post Touring India’s Deccan Odyssey: Most Luxurious Train in the World! appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Preparing For India

Prior to arriving in India, I read The Shadow that Seeks the Sun; a new release written by a guy who spent a chunk of every year in Rishikesh for a while. The book tackles some ambitious spiritual topics, but refreshing ones that made me fall even harder in love with the idea of visiting Rishikesh and finding some friendly local stranger with whom I could have spiritual talks on the steps of the holy Ganges river. (Spoiler alert: I ended up in Rishikesh and received quite the punch-in-the-gut (Indian style) on arrival, before relaxing into the place (a bit) and being a hermit for a two-week detox. More on that in a later post.)

I also watched a movie called The Shack on the plane to Delhi, which although not based on India, featured some concepts that would serve me well, such as releasing my idea of judging what is good and bad.

And lastly, I watched the movie Lion, which is simply a gorgeous movie (based partly in India) that made me cry. A lot.

Oh yeah, and for the record, Shantaram (set in India) is one of my top three favourite books of all-time. (Though a friend of mine who is all about India says there are heaps of books about India that are far better!) 

Arriving in India

So I figured I was on the best possible footing to arrive in India. In the spirit of dichotomy (something India is famous for), I recorded an anxiety-ridden FB Live Video the day before I left, before embodying a bit of zen and surrendering to whatever the place would be.

It didn’t hurt that after a hectic arrival and near missed connection, my first four days in India were spent at The Fairmont in Jaipur – the best 5-star hotel in Jaipur. I met up with an old friend and travel writing colleague (Mariellen of BreatheDreamGo) and we lapped up the luxury for four days of Fairmont ecstasy.

The Fairmont was a blissful experience, and I’m not just saying that because they hosted Mariellen and I for free; it’s a destination unto itself, and if you’re looking to ease into – or out of – India (or need a rest in the middle), I highly recommend this splurge – a splurge, which, all things considered is well priced for what you get.

But let’s get it right. Staying within the confines of the Fairmont’s delightful embrace was hardly the India I was braced for.

Acclimatizing to India in Jaipur

My acclimatization started while staying in Jaipur city (the Fairmont being about 20kms outside of Jaipur). Again, I had it pretty easy. Mariellen being familiar with Jaipur, selected the Bani Park area for us to stay in, because it is a quiet residential area but still accessible to everywhere. I hopped on Booking.com and picked Om Niwas which was decent enough for the money.

Looking for accommodation in Jaipur? Check out these deals: 

A Note About the Cost of Accommodation/Living in India

One of my bigger initial surprises about India is the cost of things. I’d always been led to believe that everything in India is dirt cheap. Not so. (Like, at all).

Although India may be considered a developing country with some shocking amounts of poverty, it also has the world’s largest middle class, and it also has some of the world’s greatest wealth. The most expensive house in the world…is in India. The most luxurious train in the world…is in India (more on that next week). So, similar to Bali, India is a place where you can pay as much or as little for something as you wish.

Mariellen’s advice to me was to stick to accommodation in the 2,000-3,000 rupee/night range ($30-45); this was considerably higher than what I had expected to pay. Later in the trip I broke her rule a few times and didn’t suffer for it. But it’s wise to check out a place first (or book just the first couple of nights online so you can leave if it’s a dive); in many places I couldn’t find a particularly logical correlation between what you pay for and what you get.

Walking in Jaipur

On with my tale of acclimatizing to India. After a night in Jaipur together, Mariellen was on her merry way to Delhi, and I was left to my own devices in Jaipur. I didn’t cover off all the touristy sites as many people would do; instead, I went for a (very long) walk, to and through the Pink City.

You know what? It wasn’t so bad. The best way I could define the India (as I’d come to know it through a couple of days in Jaipur) is that it’s like all the little things you need to be aware of when you travel through other countries – like beggars, and touts, and scams, and crowds, and noise, and dirt – combined, and intensified.

If that doesn’t sound like a very good time, well, it’s not. But it does have a certain indescribable charm to it that’s probably responsible for the far-away dreamy look people get when they refer to their time in India. If anything, it’s exotic, and like nowhere you’ve ever traveled to before. That, I believe is the main allure for people who travel to and love India.

I’m going to cap my observations of India at this for the moment. I have much more to say, but all in good time. This story has an arc, and it must be followed. Stay tuned.

Walking in Jaipur, Vlog Ep. 29

Please enjoy this short film of my long walk through Jaipur, to get a feel for the place.

Click here to watch this Jaipur video on YouTube

Things to do in Jaipur

If you’re at all worried about traveling in India, then I highly recommend not only shelling out some decent cash for a nice place to stay, but also, to go on organized tours. You’ll learn a ton, and stay a million times safer. Check out what’s available to do in Jaipur below:

This post Acclimatizing to India, In Jaipur (Vlog Ep. 29) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!