With movement curbs and lockdowns eased in the country, tour operators, hiking guides, adventure tourism and anyone and everyone connected to the travel industry seems to have offers on hand for those of us who wish to get on the road again.
In the time Before COVID (effectively, B.C. for the world), many of us who were bitten by the travel bug had to contend with little or large problems that kept us from our dream destinations. For our tiny family, it was mostly a lack of funds that put a lid on our plans, but eventually, small savings grew into larger ones and we did don our travel boots and, the interminable and stressful wait for visas notwithstanding, we did journey to places we had never imagined we would see: Rotorua and the Waitomo glow worm caves in New Zealand, the Twelve Apostles off the Great Ocean Road in Australia, Ha Long Bay off Vietnam, the towering Burj Khalifa and the imposing Statue of Liberty, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the Keukenhof Gardens of the Netherlands and the Butchart Gardens of Vancouver Island, the “fairy” chimneys in Cappadocia and the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon …
We should be satisfied.
We are satisfied — and delighted too.
But that little travel bug continues to niggle at times, enticement still remains and as we stoically try to ride out the viral storm, we entertain ourselves with lists of the places we would like to revisit or see for the first time, both in India and abroad.
Of late, everywhere we turn, we see happy pictures of “caravanners” in our country, and it seems like a dream come true to drive off in a mobile home and take our time to experience the places we have always wanted to see. No hotel bookings to worry about, no air tickets and double masks and PPE and prior Covid testing, no contact with other people …
But can we really opt for a caravan at this stage of our lives and at this stage of the pandemic? What about those e-permits to cross state borders in some places and what happens if there is a sudden escalation in the number of infections and subsequent curfew or lockdown? An impulsive romantic drive into the sunset — or sunrise — doesn’t appeal to us now as senior citizens and we are more inclined towards travel without uncertainty.
Besides, we cannot bring ourselves to forget the nitty gritty of everyday life and we worry about minor comforts we have grown accustomed to and major whims we indulge in: will there we enough water to wash our travel-stained clothes regularly — and where would we dry those clothes if we are constantly on the move; are there adequate camping grounds to park in or will we have to make do with the side of the road; and so on … all a sure-fire dampener to spontaneity.
That puts paid to our travel within the country — and so, Araku Valley, the Rann of Kutch, the ramparts of Jaisalmer fort, Pachmarhi, and the Karnataka coast must wait.
As for travel abroad: with many countries unwilling to accept our vaccination certification, the many hassles of visa applications and the “Green Passport”, and the status of the pandemic on other continents, let’s just accept it. We are not going to ride in that reed boat on Lake Titicaca or gaze in wonder at the cliff dwellings of the ancient Puebloans at Mesa Verde. We are not even going to meet our beloved family in the UAE anytime soon.
Best then, to shelve those dreams — or if you will, tuck them away like you would a favourite book, to flip through the pages from time to time: not with a sense of loss or regret, but with a thrill of anticipation and a whole heap of hope.
— Cheryl Rao is a writer based in India
