Going wild
The theme of a bestselling Cheryl Strayed memoir, and, more famously, this week's newsletter
A background tune for reading this newsletter:
For me the urge to travel comes in waves, dependent on the money in my bank account, the points on my credit card, the weather in my home city, the sanctity (or monotony) of my routine, and always, the ever growing need to be reminded of my very small place in the universe. In a pre-pandemic world (remember that?), my trips were fueled by the urge to visit a brand new city, to indulge in new foods and drinks and smells, and to be surrounded by so much life that I learn more about what I want from my own.
Now though, I find the urge to travel stems more from the need to escape our current pandemic reality. As our daily lives strain against the confines of quarantine, the idea of escape is as enticing as it is urgent. Crowded by news soundbites, unread emails, text notifications, and Zoom calls, I want more than ever to reach somewhere out of reach. Where can we breathe more freely than the outdoors? How can we even entertain the idea of shedding the heaviness of the world without leaving it at a trailhead, on a mountain top, or inside a blissfully turned off iPhone?
In the 348 days (</3) since I began self-isolating, I’ve traveled only to woods, mountains, and water. In those spaces I have cried, laughed, and left an alarming amount of emotional baggage. While I may never feel the same about a crowded bar or funky-smelling hostel, I can reliably always return to the clear-headed, dirty-footed, perfectly childlike enjoyment of going into the wilderness.
I’ve battled the pressing need to leave my apartment and the fearful questions that accompany the journey. Will I be safe? Will my gas station stops and outhouse trips endanger anyone? What will the ever-changing world look like when I’m back on the grid? But ultimately I’ve always returned with more answers than I left home with. I’m going to be okay. I don’t eat enough PB+J sammies. Water is the best?! And I’ll never, ever regret trekking into the wilderness.
Mara
Contributing Editor
Local’s Corner
This week we visit Madan Challa and Meena Madan Challa in Mumbai, India. Both born and raised in Hyderabad, they made their home in Bombay after marrying in 1985. They’ve got some stacked resumes: Meena is a family physician and cosmetologist, running her own clinic for 23 years; Madan is a mechanical engineer who has worked on aircraft maintenance for Air India since 1979.
The songs they currently have on repeat:
Meena: “Samajavaragamana.” I hear it almost every day. I first heard it when I saw the movie Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo before the lockdown.
Madan: “Adha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi.” It’s a beautiful song with a lady that carries matkas (pots) on her head and is dancing in the moonlight. It’s a very old movie; in fact even I’ve never seen the movie and it’s from before we were born. Excellent song. The best part is the lyrics. “The moon is half”… “The night is half”… “I hope our words and meeting isn't left unfinished.” Every word has relevance and meaning.
Where they’d like to travel next, post-COVID:
Meena: Ladakh! Leh Ladakh... It’s in the mountains, it’s supposed to be unspoiled; I haven’t seen it. It’s like Nepal and the Himalayas, with waterfalls, rafting, hiking. More and more lately I’d rather travel to and be surrounded by nature and open spaces instead of crowded cities.
Madan: I haven’t been to the Northeast (of India). It’s supposed to be pristine — Assam, Tripura, Darjeeling, all these places. A real wonder. A sight to watch — even just the sunrise and sunset there.
The place they’ve traveled to that they’d like to go back to:
Meena: Lake Tahoe. It’s supposed to be the cleanest, purest lake in the world. You could see your image in the water, it’s that clean. I like the small cottage on the shore of the lake. It reminded me of all the fairytale cottages I had read about, like Cinderella… It was really dreamy.
Madan: Rome. I really liked the monuments for the history behind them and the architecture. Fantastic. Vatican City was amazing. I went in the ‘90s. We were there for three or four days.
Their favorite local Mumbai spot close to their home:
Meena: Aarey Colony. It’s like a little forest in the heart of the city with lots of trees, and Juhu Beach. At the beach, I like to sit there and listen to the waves and walk in the water. We just want to be close to nature now... we’ve come to that stage.
Madan: I would like to go to the Sher-E-Punjab Gymkhana and Health Club that is my hangout. My passion of sports is met there. Also the socializing is pretty good there, no one to bother you. You can sit as long as you want to, you can do whatever you want. It’s a stone’s throw from the house.
Their favorite local-to-Mumbai snacks or food they can't get enough of:
Meena: Mine is Puran Poli. It’s made all over India, but very well made by Maharashtrians (people from the state of Maharashtra, Mumbai’s state). Very thin and soft and the sugar portion is just right - not too sweet. I also like Mumbai Bhel Puri. It has everything. It is sweet, it is sour, it is spicy, it has many things in it. Little potatoes, chips, stiff puri, yogurt, chutney.
Madan: Panipuri. It’s savory. I don’t get to eat it as much as I would like because it has a lot of spicy water in it, and the street vendors don’t use very clean water, but when it’s available and I know it’s clean I’ll definitely have some — like at weddings or building functions.
The movies should people check out to get a feel for Mumbai:
Meena: Piya ka Ghar. It perfectly reflects the life in Mumbai. You can get a sense of how the middle class exists in day to day life. It shows the city, it shows inside the house, how they manage.
Madan: There are a couple of movies that depict the underworld in Bombay. It was very prevalent when we came to Bombay, now it’s almost gone because the police got rid of it. One movie is Deewaar, it’s very famous. There are two brothers, one becomes a policeman and the other gets involved in the underworld. The other is Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. It’s about Haji Mastan who was a kingpin. There’s always one big kingpin in the share market and one in the underworld in Mumbai. A particular thing about Haji Mastan was that he ran a game called Matka where he would pick a card and if anyone in any of his outlets across Mumbai picked the same card they would win a multiple of the cash they gambled. It was amazing how he coordinated this across so many outlets all over Mumbai — Haji Mastan the Matka King.
Their ideal days in Mumbai (non-COVID times):
Madan: In the morning go to the gym, at 11:00 go to the office, spend 2-4 hours working, come back at 2:00, have lunch, go to sleep for one hour at least. In the evening go to the gym, watch children playing there, train if someone is there, sit by the poolside, have some snacks, then come home. The ideal day still has a little work, just 2-3 hours, otherwise what will I do with the free time. Given the choice I would have every day be the same thing.
Meena: In the morning go for a walk and swim. Have breakfast by the pool, then go to the clinic, but only for 2 hours. Come back, have a good lunch, nap. I need to meet friends some time; in the morning swimming time I meet friends. In the evening at 4 or 5, go out, to the beach or to the movies. If I can’t do that, then read a good book which I’m not able to concentrate on nowadays. Or see a movie at home.
Do you call Mumbai Mumbai or Bombay?
Meena: I call Mumbai Mumbai. It was called Bombay when we grew up but Mumbai sounds more Indian. I like Mumbai. Everyone in my generation calls it Mumbai even though for most of my life it was called Bombay.
Good Trip Tip:
We’ve been leaning on safe getaways via Airbnb more than ever. Who hasn’t spent hours scrolling listings for the best hidden treasures? Save time and get inspiration by following Airbnb round-ups on Instagram for the best of the best. @best_airbnb covers the world, and there are plenty of regional accounts like @achadosdoairbnb in Brazil.
Read All About It:
Don’t laugh, but we have to recommend… Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. That is one dude who knows how to have a Good Trip — whether it’s swimming in the Amazon in Peru, bonding over drinks and darts with locals at a middle-of-nowhere watering hole in Montana, or accepting spontaneous wrestling matches in Mali.
First, we have to put ourselves in the place to receive the truth. This noisy world we live in, with its commitments, deadlines, fix thises, do thats, and expectations make it hard to get clarity and peace of mind, famous or not. So we have to consciously put ourselves in a place to receive that clarity. Whether that’s prayer, meditation, a walkabout, being in the right company, a road trip, whatever it is for each of us.
Close your eyes and pretend you’re here… Ciao!!
Lovely article. I can vouch for Mumbai as an awesome place to visit. So vibrant. And OMG the food...