#Travel Log, Travel #Experience..

The Journey and an Island that changed my life

Traveling and exploring the new is as close you can come to in discovering the different versions of yourself that exist.

Part I- Mumbai

The journey began on the 2nd of March. Anxiety and excitement clouded my train of thought.

I could not decide which emotion I let flow and which to bottle up tight. It would be easier if I had the ability to have the reins of control over my thoughts, but my actions seemed to be governed by the happenings in my surroundings.

At Mumbai airport the main hope was that check in and immigration would just go off like a breeze. That was the general wish for all the airports to follow. As my turn would pop up I could feel my insides turn. It's not like I have done anything wrong, in fact that is not even a remote possibility in my world, since I am the constant preacher of the 'right' and 'good' practices in the world. Then why this anxiety is hard to comprehend.

Anyhow as all the formalities were over and done with, I headed to search for my guilty haunt, 'the smoking lounge'. Since the New terminal at the Mumbai airport is just opened the smoking lounge was a small and still in a, 'work in progress' stage.

Traveling alone has many drawbacks. Most important one, you don't have any company, no one to talk to. Yes I know there are many people at the airport so it should not be a problem to find someone to chat with, right? Well no, not for a person like me. Only in rare situations have I spoken to strangers and the conversation has never extended for more than 2 minutes!

Alright so coming back to a situation where I have to travel alone, which was now, I carried a good book one that belonged to the romance genre of course. I have always been a big fan of the whole 'love deal'. Last but not the least my constant life saver music. Thanks to my awesome iPhone 5c, listening to my all time favorite mood fix, was not going to be a problem.

The flight from Mumbai to Dubai was normal. No hiccups or weird scenarios to describe, thankfully.

Part II- Dubai

Alright so I admit, I was marginally confident. I had good talk with myself on the flight, the conclusion being great start to the trip no need to panic everything will go great! 

Number one rule never gloat before you reach your goal. And never, ever make the mistake of assuming nothing will go wrong! 

I reached Dubai airport, all confident and happy. Disembarked from the flight waiting to be greeted by the Marhabah, but there was no sign of anyone with my name placard. Panic started bursting in the pit of my stomach yet again. This time with much more force and with a warning that there might be 'rainfall'!

I told myself to get it together, asked a few airport personnel regarding the whereabouts of the Marhabah lounge. I had to take two airport trains before I could reach the lounge. In the meantime I kept following the rest of the passengers. Called mom told her about the absentee Marhabah. 

I finally found the Marhabah counter right before passport check. Now the importance of this is that I have some weird sense of fear when I see the men in Dubai. Don't get me wrong it is not that I am judge mental with regards to Arab countries, but it is just that the men there have a very harsh look on their face. So the Marhabah acts as a shield for me in this scenario. 

But this times passport check experience was quite good. The man at the counter had a constant smile on his face, it was the very first time I had seen a smile on the face of an Arab. It was nice. 

Finally I reached outside and was greeted by my brother. I had a one night stop before starting on the next leg of my journey to Athens.

Part III – Athens

Ok so I had a splendid dinner with my brother and a good night’s rest before heading off to Athens. By this time I was already considerably more confident and calm as compared to the start of my adventure. 

I walked around a tad bit at Dubai airport and boarded the flight with no trouble. It was a 5 hour 30 minutes flight to Athens. As I settled into my seat I continued writing few snippets of my experience so far. But soon my lids were heavy with sleep and I was out cold for majority of the flight time. 

Upon arrival at Athens airport I was curious to see how it would look like. When I had network coverage a call went out to my mother, letting her know I had landed safe. 

I had just taken a trolley. To take one you have to put in 1€ in a machine and that's when the trolley is available for use. When I reached the luggage belt, I saw someone standing with my name on a placard. I was pleasantly surprised that this was the staff from Sofitel. 

I had asked for airport pick up, since I required assistance with my luggage ( The Sofitel is a hop, skip and a jump from the airport, right across the road as you step out). But I was not aware that they would send someone inside the airport. He greeted me with a warm, genuine smile followed by 'Welcome to Greece'. I was already getting a feel of the Greek hospitality and it made me feel excited. 

The room at the Sofitel was comfortable and clean. I lay down to unwind and also ordered myself a beer to relax. I treated myself to a sumptuous burger and cheesecake followed by a luxurious, relaxing bathtub soak.

My dream of bumping into a Greek god and having a Greek wedding was still alive. With that thought in mind I went into a peaceful sleep. 

Final Destination- Paros

Now the flight I had to catch to the Island Paros was one of those small 45 seater planes. For a person who suffers from motion sickness it can prove to be a nightmare! No matter how short the duration was.

I was vary of this fact but nonetheless had to complete this last stretch to reach my final destination. As I buckled myself into my seat I kept trying to calm myself down, people say deep breathing helps, but when you know what lies ahead air refuses to pass out at a smooth pace. 

The flight took off along with my fears. Since it was a small and relatively lighter aircraft it flew pretty low and the beauty my eyes witnessed took my breath away. It was as if for the duration of 25 minutes I completely forgot all my worries and problems. The colour of the water, different shades of green and blue. The shape of the neighboring islands, the sight was spectacular. 

In no time I had landed in Paros and trust me when I tell you, I did not feel a thing. 

The Island

Paros is one of the Islands in Greece. The first time I heard about it was when I had to come here for a writing workshop. And since then I thanked my stars that I was introduced to this breathtaking Island. 

The drive from the airport to the main city is just 30 minutes. The whole while I spent staring outside the window and wondering how beautiful Mother Nature truly is. 

The houses in Paros were all a standard white colour. In fact you will find white in abundance here, even the cracks in the road are painted white. During summer time it does get pretty hot, so the white helps keep it a bit cool inside the houses. The doors however are vibrant colours of orange and blue and various shades of green. 

One thing I had come to realize. I could travel on my own and it is not that difficult. I was proud of this accomplishment. It gave me an extra boost. The warmth and hospitality of the Greek people on this Island, added to my fairy tale experience. 

They always had a smile on their face. If you passed by any stranger on the road you are greeted with a smile and a greeting, 'Kalimera' (Good morning or good day in Greek) if it's morning time. 

My days were spent walking around this place, sitting by the port, writing and of course making new friends. The best way to explore this Island is on foot. So I put on my sports shoes and headed out every day for a new adventure. I did occasionally enjoy the pub visits at night where I let my hair down and enjoyed. The food is out of this world and it's made with real love and care. One thing is, you cannot be impatient. If you are on a break or a holiday relax. If the food arrives at your table after 20 minutes, don't fret. This is something I learnt here. I learned to relax and enjoy the moment, rather than worrying about what was next or why is it taking so long.

I truly believe everyone should go and give themselves a chance to explore the world at least once on their own. What you gain is priceless and I fall short of words to describe how positively this journey has changed my life and thought process. I returned a more confident, fresh and calmer version of myself. To understand what I am talking about you will have to experience it. So stop wasting time and get packing! 

Bon Voyage!!

-Trishna Damodar