Eyeing India

I’m currently in Bangkok and I’ll be heading to Chiang Mai in a few days. I’m on my eighth month of backpacking in Asia. So far, I’ve travelled to a number of countries without having a definite duration on how many days I’d stay in one place. Even if at times I’m spending more because I haven’t carefully planned what I’m going to do, I’m just glad that the freedom of decision-making is within my grasp most of the time.

One day I’m in Cambodia, the next day I’d travel to Thailand. I’d drop by a few days in Singapore, and then take a bus to Malaysia. The spontaneity of it all and how easy it is to go from country to country drives me high.

singapore
Singapore airport sky train

Of course, money plays a big role because transportation plays a big chunk in this scene. But somehow, it’s not as expensive compared to flying out from my country.

Back in the Philippines, I had a challenge getting out of the country at the immigration counter. It’s something a lot of Filipinos are worried about because immigration officers have to make sure that those who are leaving the country for the holidays have plans of returning to their home country.

taj mahal india
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
photo source: christianhaugen

Anyway, because of the frequent and spontaneous decisions of flying, I thought about buying an airline ticket to India. I wonder how crazy it would be to purchase a flight and book one of Cosmos’ unique Goa holidays. Actually, it doesn’t matter whether I’ll be in Goa or Agra or whichever part of India so long as I’d step foot on this visa-required country.

You see, the reason I’ve been travelling in Southeast Asia is because I don’t have to apply for a visa. My country is part of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and we are allowed to visit other associate countries without all the hassle. I know it’s going to be a matter of time before I’ll overcome this and become more open-minded to seeing other places that require visas. For now, I’m just enjoying the backpacking adventure.

india
sights in India
photo source: learnscope

Although I haven’t fully explored other locations in this side of Asia, I just feel like conquering new places and setting new goals; India is somewhat next on the list. That is, once I find better deals online; and after I’ve visited the Middle East. I’m glad the world is big no matter how small it is. There’s so much more to explore and so many things to see.

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Before I do too much daydreaming about India or any other country in my room, I better start working on my online tasks. I’m still in Bangkok and I’m trying to triple my efforts of writing more stories and do other freelance assignments. Good luck to me. At least I found a cheap hostel that serves fast Wi-Fi access inside the room. It’s not the best, but it’s good enough.

bangkok hostel
single room in Bangkok, near Khao San Road
180 Baht per night with fast WiFi – what this digital nomad needs


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


25 thoughts on “Eyeing India”

  1. South America sana, Ed. Mura daw sa mga visa-free countries dun e, except Brazil. Kaya lang pamatay yung initial airfare to get there. Maybe someone can sponsor you!

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  2. Ed sama kami sa India, hehehe. My colleagues always mention about Goa which seems to be a famous holiday vacation spot in India, but we want to go there for another thing. They said that city had a fusion of Portuguese and Indian culture which makes  the food something different from the rest of India.

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  3. @ihcahieh: yep, mas mura dun but the air travel expense. haha. sponsor? sana nga. hehe.

    @sky: haha, sure sure. when will that happen noh? I'd like to go there for the culture too! 🙂

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  4. sure love backpacking, especially crossing  the boarders. there's this feeling of excitement that i cannot explain. I hope to visit India someday, while i still can (i mean physically can). Looking forward on your next blog of adventure, hope you can also feature flea markets of the places that you visit…

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  5. I do not understand why our Pinoy immigration officers are concern whether our departing kababayans are going to return to Pinas or not. Why should they care? Their concern should be whether incoming visitors are going to overstay in our country. Hindi ba?

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  6. @Cez Prieto: thanks cez! thanks for dropping by! 🙂

    @Kulapitot: haha, actually, I'm bit choosy sa lugar, kelangan may WiFi and dapat mura! haha. but i get what you mean. while my body can still take it. 🙂 thanks!

    @melvin: thought about it, even with Singapore since I visited the place frequently the past months. Maybe next time na. 🙂

    @bertN: that's also my thought on the matter. It should be the other way around, but I guess there're a lot of factors they consider. I just don't like the stories I hear about other travellers who go out for holidays and how a few did not get past getting out of the country.

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  7. I support you with India! Yay goodluck Ed! May balak akong mag-Chiang Mai ulit soon if things don't go my way sa November for the lantern festival. Parang kelan lang nung umalis ka ng Pinas tapos ngayon 8 months na :))

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  8. @Micamyx: onga no? ambilis ng 8 months. kelan lang when i asked flip for tips about this backpacking adventure (he was on his 6th month na nun). 🙂

    @Riz: yep, I think India's a great place to travel, it's also cheap daw. 🙂

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  9. it can get crazy! mabaho, masikip, maalikabok, maingay! haha but those things will not stop you from loving india. it's really a whole new world out there. 🙂 My jaw dropped when I saw Taj Mahal! and that's just one of the million reasons why you should go to india.

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  10. @Nurse-issistic travels: Thanks Ayn! sure, it's Nat 2 Guesthouse. basic lang sya, cheaper than most hostels in KSR. when you face Burger King, there's an alley on the right. the first alley, just go inside and you'll see more options 🙂

    @Wends: thanks wends, haha. dami ngang inspirational reads about india from Flip 

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  11. Hi Ed, Ive been to India, if you get a chance to go there, I would like to you to visit North India that includes New delhi and from there you can go to agra,  rajhastan,  varanasi. But even in delhi alone you will be amazed with their tourist places. only downside is most of the people doesnt speak english, good for me i learned some broken hindi words that really helped me a lot to wade through the crowd. Increadible India as they say. Its truly incredible…

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  12. Go for India and Middle East! I think you'll like it here in Dubai since it is something new, something different from what we're used to in the Southeast – scenery, food, culture, crazy locals. Although, crowd-wise, you will feel that you haven't left Philippines at all since there are a lot of Kabayans here; no problems getting lost in translation. 
    And India, well, IT IS a beautiful country. Just don't let the smell, crowd, and traffic get to you. 
    Looking forward to more stories of your backpacking adventures!!

    Reply

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