The Tale of Toxic Travel and How to Avoid It

Travel is something we all venture upon whether it is for business or pleasure. Some of us like to travel alone and some like to go in groups; some take a trip with family, some like trotting the country with friends and others share the journey with their colleagues. 

We all need that break from our monotonous lifestyle and a week-long trip is usually the answer. How many times have you sighed heavily with these words, “I need a break!” or I need a vacation! Yes, travel is very very important but you gotta get it right. 

If you are traveling alone half of your potential problems are solved already but if you are traveling in a group, especially a stuck-up-careless-judgmental-ass-headed kinda group, boy… are you in for a rocky ride!

What is Toxic Travel?

Many of us begin day dreaming of the places we are going to visit, life suddenly becomes a bit more exciting! Then comes the big day, you are all packed and ready for an adventure and BAAM!!! You find yourself in middle of chaos. Trains running ultra late, cancelled flights and bus that refuses to move. Fights within the group, bad food, health issues, sleepless nights, death and misery…. Everything that can go wrong, does!  If you have ever experienced any or all of these then you, my friend, were on a Toxic Travel.With the right company you can manage but with the wrong lot you are doomed.

Things that Make You Go Grrrr…My Trip from Hell

•  Plan: Travel 3 cities in 2 days - what stupidity!
• Trip planned by: a senior group member – Giga Genius
•  Casualty rate: Unimaginable! RIP my sanity…

While booking for a cab to take me to airport the app repeatedly asked to “try again later”. When it finally did get booked and the cab arrived I set out to pick up the rest of the traveling team (because unfortunately I was stupid enough to agree to coordinate the ride to the airport) and my group member showed up 40 minutes late, unapologetic (actually angry with me for her confusion and delay!!!). 

We barely made it to the airport and got the flight, off to the venue which no one knew about…finally some relief I thought.  "Mad or what!?", said the inner voice..


 Let me cut the long tragedy short. 

•  Off to the venue in Delhi – one big ass hotel, character assassination and horrible food (intestines cried out for mercy!) later, the trip began.
• Train to Amritsar 2 hours late finally leaves at 9:15 pm – waited at the station feeding biscuits to dogs and listening to Kill Bill Soundtrack with creepy people roaming about scanning us top to bottom.
• Two men come up and started bullying people around because they wanted a place to sit till the next station; fight broke out between three men. Two compartments away, a man of about 50 dies of a heart attack. (Sleepless night, we meet again)
• Arrived in Amritsar at 10:30 am, the next day, 5 hours late due to a strike called in because of the price hike in rice. Our train to Agra was supposed to leave at 4:00 pm on the same day.
•  At Amritsar railway station we were informed the train to Agra will leave from Jalandhar station at 5:30 pm (about 83 km, what shit!?)

• We hired a minivan and paid 3k – (wanted to commit mass murder)
• Reached Jalandhar and were told that our train will NOT leave from Jalandhar station, we can catch another which is about to leave any minute for Ambala and catch the train from there! (Went to hell and kicked devil’s ass to pulp…in my head)
• Ran on the railway tracks to catch the train like our lives depended on it. Bhag Milkha Bhag meet DDLJ mash!
• Reached Ambala and….yes waited again, wondering… can this trip get any crappier? Shit, I spoke too soon!
•  Left Ambala at 10:30 pm and arrived in Agra at 11:00 am - was informed about the riots on the beef issue
• Team members insisted on exploring the Taj Mahal under the scorching sun at 1:30 pm (the urge to commit a serious offence returns) 
•  Got a call from Redbus that our bus to Delhi has been cancelled, we booked another, non AC. Humidity was in the air…
• Bus was suppose to leave at 7:10 pm but left at 9:05 pm and reached Delhi at 1:00 am members decided to take 3 autos to guesthouse, two autos had one guy each sitting with the driver for what joy I don’t know – last strand of sanity fell off with a deafening THUDDDHHH!
• Got up at 5 am, left for airport and caught the flight back home (Died and went to heaven or hell…don’t really know, don’t really care)

So... things can get messy, really messy if you are not prepared, travel can be unpredictable and beautiful at the same time provided you take certain precautions, be firm and yes, be Zen. Be Zen like hell!

Does and Don’t for Group Travel – For the Sake of Your Sanity!

1.  Don’t travel with negative, stuck up and narrow minded people. Just avoid!
2. Don’t discuss personal details with nosy people; they will always use it against you.
3. Don’t engage in negative conversation, short, firm and polite is the way.
4. Don’t pay attention to nasty sarcastic remarks or comments - Ignore, be Zen
5. Don’t eat oily fried stuff, junk food or spicy food. Keep it light, dal roti, sandwiches, fruits, wheat biscuits and lot of water. Stay hydrated at all times.
6. Don’t let any situation overpower you - be alert of people around you, be aware of your surroundings.
7. Do as much research before your travel as possible even if you are not the planner/coordinator, it will help you. Location, routes, timing, etc
8. Do keep emergency numbers on speed dial and ALWAYS be in communication with people you TRUST (family, partner, friend) keep them posted  about your location and travel schedule 
   at all times
9.   Do hold your own when it comes to your health and safety but be flexible rest of the time. Keep your wallet, phone and pepper spray handy ALWAYS.
10. Do carry books, music, First Aid/medicines, pepperspray and pocket knife (safety comes first), blanket, tissues and hand sanitizer, chewing gum (somehow it helps, imagine you are a T-Rex chewing up mean idiots who are bothering you) 
    
11. Do keep your mobile charged at all times, wherever you find the charge point, PLUG IT!
12. Do keep calm no matter what is happening, what is being said about or to you, even when you want to pull out a knife and run after your group member like Chucky from Child’s Play - 

 Remember,  deep breaths …

Mystique

Deeper and deeper I scrapped at my heart
I need to know what lies in that part

To see what’s hidden within
My soul cried in pain but I couldn’t stop digging

As I lost my mind bit by bit
Wanting desperately to quit

The chaos all around was maddening
Thoughts melting into each other and fading
Old wounds were open again and fresh ones were bleeding

Fire licked at my wounds with relish
Sharpe as knife, red, hot and hellish

Then the little voice spoke
Like a calming balm it stroke

Let the pieces fall to the ground, peel away those layers
Don’t listen to them naysayers

You were never born to be tamed
Peace will be yours once you walk through the pain
Only when you break you will be whole again

The fire burns within you
Fierce, bright and true

Your soul already knows what you seek
You are a sage and a seer
A gift wrapped in mystique

#SoulSpeak #iamenough

An Open Letter To A Special Group Of Morons

I’m not here to debate, or tell you the benefits of being a vegetarian. I’m not here to act like an all pure saint looking down on bloody sinners. This blog is also not to make you pity a non non-veg eater; it is definitely not to patronize non-vegetarians neither an attempt to turn them into becoming complete vegetarians.  This blog is not to generalize or hate non-vegetarians.

This blog has solely been written for the kind of non-vegetarians who feel it is their birth right to mock, insult and harass vegetarians and vegans or anyone who doesn’t eat meat. Every word is being served to this special group of morons who feel and act superior because they can eat a dead animal before a person who chooses not to. This blog is a statement and a warning to this superior race; watch your mouth and stay within a respectable boundary. Because next time you ask me in a horrified screeching voice, “How can you eat ghaans phoos (grass and weed) or how can you live like this?” you will be blasted so hard you would wish you had kept your mouth shut when you learned to speak. Oh, and please save your sorry ass excuses, “I was just pulling your leg. Why are you taking this personally? I didn’t mean it that way, what’s wrong with you?” Bullshit! There’s a very fine line between harmless joking and repeatedly saying awful things.

If I had a penny for every time I was given a shocked, “drop dead you freak” look for being a vegetarian I would have beeen richer than Mark Zuckerberg and at a much younger age too! People are suddenly interested in what I am or not eating. That awkward silence before a sarcastic comment like, “Seriously, not even egg? Come on, egg is vegetarian! Yeah, right, you ignorant idiot… 

The sarcasm and insults doesn’t end there, here’s what some of my friends had to put up with for being vegetarians.

Shiva Sharma, a writer and a socially aware citizen, faced these annoying comments repeatedly…

·         “You are not really enjoying life” Disappointment…

·         “How can you live like this?” Shock!!!

·         “Oh...The ghaas phoos type” With a screwed up face.

·         “You don't know the real enjoyment of life” Arrogance.

·         “It is high time you try it” Challenging tone.

·         One guy went to the extent of saying that, “My rule is clear...I don't want to pay for veg food”. How polite.

An 18 year old shares the kind of pressure he is put under by bossy non-vegetarians.     “Animals are supposed to be eaten, by not consuming them you are going against the nature”. He had a traumatic experience, something he wouldn’t have expected from his relatives.

“Once I was cheated by my cousin who got rolls. I had specifically asked for paneer roll but after finishing it I realized it was actually chicken.” Deliberately trying to make someone eat non-veg food through trickery or by force just to look cool and feel powerful makes you look like an utter loser! Which you are!

Akshay Gupta, an activist and a responsible citizen, felt angry and hurt when these things were being said to him. He tried to reason with them but his words fell on deaf ears.

·         “You are killing plants…they also have lives”

·         “How can you live by eating this ghaas phoos”

·         “If you want to put on weight, you have to eat meat”

·         "You are saying no because you haven't tasted it”

·         “Animals are meant to be eaten”

“There have been times when I know people are just joking but they take it too far; someone asked me if the baby pigeon I’m taking care of has been kept for supper soup.” Akshay took a deep sigh and continued, “Just the way we wouldn’t appreciate jokes about rape and abuse we have to be sensitive towards animals and animal caring people”.

What a wonderfully sweet thing to say to a person who cares for animal, isn’t it?  Talking about murdering or cooking their pets or foster animals is certainly going to make them feel right at home. Just because some vegetarians preach and shout like fanatics doesn’t mean all vegetarians will do that. Being a vegetarian is MY CHOICE! I have never run after or badgered someone to be a vegetarian. Yet, I meet countless people who are so bothered and anxious about my choice, especially when I’m about to have my meal. And the various expressions of disgust and disappointment that follow during lunch or dinner time with full on sound effects, groans, Tch, tch and the huffing noise! Looking at me with accusing eyes while simultaneously judging me for being a vegetarian! 

As a child I used to eat non veg but as I grew up I realized that I don’t want to and made a conscious choice. I like what I eat and I don’t hold anything against my friends or acquaintances for being a non – vegetarian. I don’t embarrass them by saying mean things when they are having their meals or make them uncomfortable by preaching my views for hours.  But at the rate things are going maybe I will have to give some of them the taste of their own poison.

Now comes the nonsense which was thrown at me, the reason I decided to write about this!

·         “Why don’t you try just the gravy? Would it make you feel better if I puke all over you!?

·         No wonder you are not gaining weight, how will you if you don’t eat ‘proper food’. Because that’s what elephants and hippos do!

·         “You don’t have options, same old boring food” It seems you do, drown in your options then! Or better yet, just eat non-veg three times a day! Don’t eat any form of veg food.

·         Plant killer, you know that recent study says they can hear you! Really, so does that make you any better? Because you are eating beings that not only hear but feel as well, have blood pumping through their veins, have a brain and a heart and want to live!

·         What will you do if you go to China? Why, the hell would I go to China? Just so you can make a useless point?

·         “Animals are meant to be eaten by us, and they taste so good!” And who decided that, you self obsessed, egoistic, intolerant freak!? What is your problem if don’t want to eat something??? I still don’t get it.

·         “Don’t ever take your DOGS to China, those guys love DOG MEAT”. Ah! Taking a hit on my family is not a very wise thing to do…because I will say some really gruesome things about yours like:

1.      What if I cut your human baby up and made a non-veg gravy, would you eat it?

2.      Slaughtered your parents for that kabab roll recipe?

3.      How about if I boiled your siblings to make a delicious soup?

4.      Maybe skinned your relatives to make a nice leather bag?

Oh God! How can she compare!!!!

Did that hurt? Made you angry? Want to punch my face till nothing is left but pulp? Good!!!! Because that’s what I want to do every time you speak about my animal babies!!! I do not differentiate between human and animal babies, to me both are precious.  If you can’t understand that then keep your thoughts to yourself and your mouth shut. And… get some professional help!

Another argument thrown at me about my choice (to be a vegetarian) is…”so a murderer would say it’s my choice and murder, a rapist would say it’s my choice and rape. You can’t just say it is your choice and do anything!” My choice of being a vegetarian (smartass) is not killing an animal or a human; it is not torturing, raping or abusing them! Get it? I’m choosing not to eat meat! How the hell is it related!!??

Here's on post which came quite close to what all crap vegetarians face:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/vegetarians-dumbest-things_n_4177147.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in

 

I still can’t decide whether these guys have an inferiority complex or a superiority complex! How does my not eating something can turn your sorry life upside down? Oh, you are a vegetarian!??? Floods! Earthquake! Nuclear bombs! End of the world!!! Why so much drama? Seriously, don’t you have anything better to do? Is your life that sad!?

There is a chance that many people would take this personally and may even stop interacting with me for expressing my choice and views on their wild reactions. But if you had really cared about me or how I feel we wouldn’t be here. Since you don’t respect or care about me or my loved ones there no point interacting. So next time someone says to you they are vegetarian or a vegan or whatever swallow your dirty comments, the urge to rag and nag and RESPECT them.