Oh how I’ve missed writing this. I’m pretty sure my dear audience has missed me too 🥹. I’m currently in Kanasar, an offbeat alpine meadow near Chakrata. Although I was reluctant to go on another trip right after I came back from my adventures in Thailand and Singapore, it was Dad’s birthday yesterday and he doesn’t normally request this sort of thing. This was enough to melt me.

Before I talk about my time though, I’d like to start by describing a funny little incident from when I came back to India on the 8th. Singapore is well known for the convenience of its public transport, and I experienced this first hand in my time there. In fact, I planned most of my travels around the use of this transport, sometimes deliberately choosing to take longer routes so that I end up exploring a particular line on their MRT or bus system. Anyway, when I came back to India, I asked my brother if he can pick me up from the metro station. I took the airport express and alighted at the Yashobhoomi metro station on the airport express. I decide to exit via Gate 2. This is my first time I’ve ended my journey at this station, and it is also when I realized that the distance between the metro station’s AFC gate and the exit gate is ridiculously long here. It’s fine though, there are a lot of travelators along the way and a tired me takes the 10 minute walk to gate number 2. As I approached the exit, I couldn’t help but sardonically smile at what I saw — “Gate 2 is closed. The inconvenience is regretted”. These motherfuckers could’ve just as easily had a similar sign at the metro exit and saved 30 minutes of my super-productive life, but why do good work when barely getting it done is enough? If not the pollution, this little episode surely reminded me that I was now back in Narendra Modi’s utopia.

My time in Thailand and Singapore

My trip was scheduled in 2 legs: 8 days in Thailand (Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi) for a bachelor’s party and the next 4 in Singapore, which I was going to do solo. The Thailand trip was full of partying, weed (and gummies and brownies), exploring nature, and an unforgettable experience which now seconds as a lesson that my curiosity of experiencing everything at least once can sometimes have dangerous consequences — a bleeding nose in this case. A photo from this experience sells the perfect lie though, and I cannot resist showing that here. Enjoy my “victory”, fellow readers 😂

Before the fight, completely unaware that my face would soon be used as a boxing bag by a 23 year old hunk from Holland
Before the fight, completely unaware that my face would soon be used as a boxing bag by a 23 year old hunk from Holland

As great as Thailand was, I would say that the Singapore leg of the trip was even better! This is mainly due to 2 reasons — the hospitality that my friends extended, and the frictionless travel that the country affords you. Before I even checked in at my hostel, I had received so many travel tips and food recommendations that I didn’t have to spend any time figuring out what to do with my time there. All I had to do was keep an international credit card in my pocket, and I was on the go! I managed to visit all the major urban and natural attractions, but one of the most surreal experiences was cycling alongside the Gardens By The Bay and on some of the streets which would be closed down for the F1 race in a few days. As an F1 fan, getting to do this felt out of this world. And to think that this trip and all the amazing memories I made here happened simply because I chose to volunteer for a trek that I had already done in the past! I now share a few photos from this trip. I hope you enjoy them

In Chinatown, getting treated to an absolute feast by my friends
In Chinatown, getting treated to an absolute feast by my friends
Funan Mall. Features a bouldering gym and a cycling track. Also looks futuristic AF!
Funan Mall. Features a bouldering gym and a cycling track. Also looks futuristic AF!
Chilling near the Eco Lake inside the Botanic Gardens
Chilling near the Eco Lake inside the Botanic Gardens
an F1 road closure sign. Gave me the goosebumps when I first saw it
an F1 road closure sign. Gave me the goosebumps when I first saw it

Also, I cannot really end this section of the blog without talking how good the food was. This trip broke my myth that the Indian cuisine is superior to most. I didn’t crave it even once and now I’m excited to try and make some of these at home! Funniliy enough, what I liked the least surprised my friends the most. The Kaya Toast is the staple Singaporean breakfast but the idea of dipping a sweet toast in soft boiled eggs just didn’t appeal to me that much. The texture of it seemed alien to me. These were my top 3 dishes from the trip:

Penpalling

I was perusing reddit one fine afternoon, in the middle of a work sesh, as I always do, when I first came across the penpals subreddit. Folks here seek long form communication with strangers, either via email or physical letters. I found the idea fascinating and decided to browse the subreddit. I sent a few DMs that day but one in particular caught my attention. A few weeks later, me and a complete stranger from Korea have already exchanged a couple of long form emails and we could soon transition to physical letters!

So far, I’ve loved the process of getting to know someone like this and sharing updates from my own life in a single long essay where I delve into details with complete honesty. I think what I like most is the thoughtfulness that comes with writing something that will take days, if not weeks, to be read, re-read, and processed by someone. I’ve been writing these letters on paper first so that I can slow down my thought and be really deliberate about what I’m writing. I then digitize it and send it as an email.

P.S. I’d love to do more of this, so if you’re interested, drop an email?

Work, volunteering, and college plans

Before I left for the trip, I had found a great work opportunity, something which paid in dollars but had a very steep learning curve. I hedged all my bets on it and worked really hard to make it work, only to come back to an email letting me know that the work is not available anymore. Maybe the quality of the work I had already submitted was not up to standard, or maybe someone else took it up. I had not seen this kind of money in a long time and I had already imagined future international trips funded by the moolah this opportunity gave me. If you read the Homo Irrealis article shared in the Recommendations section, you will see where this delusion comes from. Anyway, I’ll now have to start from scratch because I have no other option. I know this urge to travel isn’t going away, and all I want to do before college starts is save up for travel, do the travel, and repeat!

Traveling as a volunteer

Some of my trek mates from the NUS have done someting called work exchange, which is basically a barter of some skill you have for free meals and accommodation at a hostel, NGO, or anywhere the host offering this service provides. When I listened to some of the stories, I thought traveling like this could be a great way to explore a country and its people, as it allows you to talk to locals on a much deeper, personal level. Workaway and Worldpackers are 2 great websites which connect you with hosts looking for volunteers, and I plan to sign up on these platforms later in the year.

College plans, and the importance of being in a good university

In my last weekly update, I mentioned how I don’t really care about the college I get into, because exposure is also a big motivation for me to go to Europe. Well, on my trip to Singapore, one of my trek mates gave me a tour of the NUS, which is the world’s 10th best university right now. Safe to say, I was blown away by the campus and everything it had to offer. UTown, or the community center of the university, was buzzing with so much activity and energy that I could feel it myself, and I was all smiles on the entire tour. This also made me realize that I cannot be so casual about giving up hopes on a decent scholarship simply because I don’t have good grades from college. A great university environment can help you meet awesome people and give you the tools necessary to experiment with your ideas freely and completely. I’m now considering career counselling sessions so that I can gauge my realistic chances of getting into a decent university. Although I cannot change my grades, I can still take online courses or build a work portfolio that shows my skill and passion for the field I choose for college. The Singapore trip has been eye-opening and mind-expanding in so many ways!

I’m glad I was able to complete this blog while traveling. Missing 2 weeks was bad enough and a short trip like this couldn’t justify extending this absence for another week. See ya next week, awesome people!

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