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Peace and quiet, doing things at your own pace, minimal fuss – a solo traveller’s wishlist is mostly simple. What happens when a big, diverse group comes into the frame? Would you squeeze in to fit inside the frame or you would show yourself out?
A good traveller has to be open to experiences, they say. But it’s not always easy to be a “good” traveller. Especially, when it’s your ‘once-in-a-year’ kind of break. You have a bucket list and it does not seem simple enough to adjust according to others. Until, it does.
My fellow travellers during my recent trip to Bhutan included people from different parts of India – South, West and North. But they all had one thing in common – wanderlust. And that was enough.
When constant road journey is part of the itinerary, it becomes all the more important to have people around who are well-aware of their own needs, and that of the others. A little bit of empathy and well-intended humour also help.
Our group of 11, including a couple accompanied by their one-year-old, spoke different languages and diversity added an extra flavour when we were out on the winding ways in the country of thunder dragon – Druk Yul. Our guide, Sonam Tenzin, made sure that we were not ahead or behind the schedule.
“Do you need some medicine?”…”Do you need snacks or food?”… “We can wait while you explore“… “Is it your first time here?“… Conversations brewed as we started from the border town of Phuentsholing, and went on to explore the capital city of Thimpu, Punakha and Paro.
A week passed before we realised and when it was time to leave, it was not the same group of strangers who started the journey together. They knew each other better.
(More on Bhutan in the posts to come on
www.solokudi.com // Thanks to fellow traveller Abhishek Jayachand for photos)
