Steve’s Birthday, My Departure

I was tempted to leave McLeod Ganj a day or two before Steve's 27th birthday, but it seemed silly to not stick around to help him celebrate it.  When my 32nd birthday rolls around in September, I hope to have a few travel buddies with whom to hang out.

We ordered dinner and a few Kingfisher beers while chilling on the roof of Carpe Diem.  The whole gang was there, or at least the gang of people I came to know during my time in town.  Mostly though, I saw it as my last night with Steve and Marie, though Steve was planning to head to Thailand just a few weeks after me.

Anastasia had amazing taste in cake-selection, picking out an entire chocolate mousse from a great Italian restaurant where I ate previously ate twice (getting sinful chocolate desserts both times).

My plan was to stay up all night so I could ensure I caught the 5am direct (local) bus to Amritsar.  Based on my all-nighters in Christchurch and China before leaving those countries, I felt confident in this plan.  Unfortunately, I realized such a strategy doesn't work as well when taking a 6-hour bus in India.  The Russia-Spain Euro 2008 semifinal match at 12am did less to keep me up then I expected.  I drifted in and out of sleep until 4am when I received a wake-up call.

I walked through the quiet streets, passing cows and dogs in the shadows, until I found a drowsy taxi driver to take me 30-minutes downhill to the bus stand in Dharamsala.  The bus left on time, winding it's way down to an elevation of just a few hundred meters.  It began to rain, resulting in all the windows being closed.  Lacking a flow of fresh air, I felt increasingly nauseous, wondering whether I made a mistake in trying to leave so early.  Luckily, despite a full bus at times, no one seemed to want the damp window seat next to me.

Around Pathankot, the halfway point of our journey, the road straightened out and I began to feel better, even excited to be on the move again.  The times when I'm in transit are when I feel the greatest sense of freedom.  Recollections of the recent past mix with excitement for  what lays ahead.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.