Backpack Go !

        There are many things that I did for the first time after coming down to Australia. First time jet ski, first time drove a tractor through a farm, first single engine open aero plane ride, first hair cut taken from a lady barber (we can call her barbara)..fist time snorkeling, and finally first night out with one of the most unique creatures within the human species – backpackers.

These guys are amazing, they are available in all the sexes possible, in all colors, but mostly fair colored, believe in wearing minimal clothing, mostly pierced – n yeah.. not just on the face and decorated with unfathomable mural art- on any part of the human body that you can stretch your imagination to and many times carrying huge sacks that are almost 2/3rd their own size. Needless to say, with so much of a fuss, only the fairer sex among them looks presentable- just in case you are interested in ogling at them.

As foolish as I normally am, just to get a closer look at the lives of these guys, I checked into one of the backpackers hotels in south Melbourne.(Serious note for all readers : by reading through the words that you are now reading, you have morally signed the official terms and conditions for not letting the information revealed in this blog post to any one of my family members ;-))

I met Ben who had graduated in mathematics(wished he had learned some programming), was backpacking around Australia and was down in Melbourne to see if he had any job prospects. Sarah who was bored of her work-from-home language translation job and was down for a change and boy.. was she enjoying herself. Rogers who was retired from the US military and was going around places in Australia to see if anyone wanted to support his project for accepting alternative medicine into mainstream medicine line through government support. Gean(Pronounce as John) fuon quaon, French guy, who, along with his irish girlfriend got drunk till 3 in the morning and still got up at 6:30 and took me around for a 12 hour long tour of entire Melbourne in just $3. Stacey and kewn(travelling for being dumped by her boyfriend), travelers from NZ who joined us on the $3/person trip.

They say that you know that you are really living when you would be able to write a book about the past year of your life. These guys certainly can do that. They have a lot to tell if you ask them ‘hey hows your travel coming up’. If anyone thought that the dwellers of slums of Mumbai are the only ones who master the art of survival, these guys do it at a global level. Most of them don’t know if they are going to be able to collect enough money to board their next flight scheduled in a weeks time. They are ready to take up any job that pays hourly and save every penny – just to splurge on diving with sharks in the barrier reef ;). And if anyone got the message of ‘swawlamban’ (self service) from Gandhiji, its these guys. They stay in places that have sharing rooms, common toilets and kitchens and common lounges – and have the greatest time that no five star can offer you. You can easily start a conversation with anyone with 2 easy topics – how beautiful the city in which you currently are and how inconsiderate the bastard employers of the city are who don’t pay more than $12/hour ;).

Almost all these guys live to travel and when you have a closer look at them, many don’t know where they are going to be in a few days time. If their survival capital is in doldrums, they might just have to get instant flight changes and go to some other place. Mostly look aimless and not at all focused in life – but really happy. After all, that’s what all the comparatively sane people are looking to achieve.

Narayan Murthy, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates – all have been there and done that(Narayan Murthy in fact took up entrepreneurship as a result of one of his hitch hiking trips near the Serbia border). And for those who are willing to learn, I think aimless globetrotting does teach you a lot of things. It would enhance your faith. Because when you decide to go all on your own, many a times, things are going to get out of hand and you just have to rely on some higher power to get you through. Fear vanishes as you know that you are just going to fine if anyone throws you in any corner of the world. Apparent risks in daily like start appearing menial. You meet millions of different types of people and come closer to what would be called as a global citizen. And if you ask me, it might just set you free as a person if you are looking out for that- but freedom as usual, comes at a cost. And for those who are ready to pay for it, it’s a f**king roller coaster ride.

Damn you Language !!

      Looong flights from India to Dubai to Brisbane and then to Townsville. Was sitting in between a fat farty old genleman from New Zeleand and a pretty lovely french hottie(LFH from here on). As you must have guessed, this is obviously about the latter one. And simply because such thing never happens to me, I must have been to atleast 500 movies by now, but not once has a girl(or atleast something that can be called a girl) has sat next to me. So we sat down and
Me : So heading to Brisbane ? (As if she is going to jump off mid flight into the Indian Ocean from a non stop flight to Brisbane)
LFH: a.... ah.. ha!
Me: ! .. ok.. so vacation  ?
LFH: A. hh.. ye... arrrrrr.. ah.. nno...
Me: Can I borrow that book for a while ? (LFH had this tour book about australia and since I had changed my plans last minute and was going to go to brisbane and not melbourne. So this was genuine and not just something to add on to the conversation as most of you feel)
LFH: (No response - just staring at my nose)
Me: You fine !! ??
LFH: Aahh..book.
Me: Ya. .
LFH: (Nodding).. I no englisss...  spi.. arrahh.. (signaling some weird things and pointing towards her throat..)..
Me : (Spit !!).. !
LFH: Speak.. French ?
This was the point that my entire academic career came crumbling down in front of my eyes. I wondered why i hadnt taken a french course instead of engineering. Any ways i just freaked out those 4 years, one 4 week french course would have saved me from this terrible communication crisis at 31000 feet.
Me : well no ! :-(
LFH:(Still handed over the book).. aha..
Me: Thanks .. and yeah - it was in French !
Still i chose to just stare at the maps now that she had handed that over to me.
LFH: So you.. (again making that weird throat signaling).. French ?
Cant you see I am staring at this book as Mayawti would stare at some draught economic project report drawn by Chidambaram
Me: hhmm. Naah !
LFH: uh.. ah.. m.. me .. working job vacation !
Me: (Wow.. 3 english words at a go.. great going !! but more happy because she initiated this time) aha.. me business and studies..
LFH: (Smiles)
Lunch arrived and she could hardly tell the air hostess what she wanted. I realize how she much be feeling. Its the sorta feeling that you get even when you go to some other state within India itself. I sometimes get it in Hyderabad and definitely got it in chennai. Not knowing local dialect does alienate people so fast ! May be thats why its possible for any american to move to any part of USA easily- because he knows that his primary source of communication is going to be understood. Imagine if we had just one language- moving across states would have been so much more easier - Imagine landing in chennai and not having to struggle to tell the rikshawwala where you have to go and strike a conversation as well. Shopkeepers, offices and everyone understands one national language and prefers it. Wow ! The country's unity and productivity would have been so much higher. Well .. may be.

            Oh coming back, LFG and me did make some more futile attempts to communicate at times when we were bored of wtching movies, tv seerials, songs and playing games on that small screen which is your whole and sole to distract your attention from sore knees caused by non aisle seats in economy class -  And I kept wondering why God couldnt send us down here pre programmed in a single language.