When traveling, I have this constant urge (as I think many of us do) to see as much as possible – not to waste a minute of time doing nothing. Well, unless perhaps you’re on the beach where doing ‘nothing’ is considering part of the vacation, like sunbathing – a favorite past-time of mine.

So when I reached Agra on the evening of the 6th, I was tired from the train ride, but fine overall. The next morning I woke to body aches and bad stomach, which then expanded into chills, headache and fatigue, followed by burning hot fever and questioning if I had gotten enough vaccines or not before leaving the US. (A few days later. I’m now fine and can say yes I’d received enough shots).

Worse than being sick alone, in a foriegn country, was the fact that I wasn’t doing or seeing anything! I had to lie there in a bed, pondering whether I would die in my sleep, and calculate what I wasn’t going to be seeing now that I wasn’t well enough to do as much as turn a page in my ebook.

Which reminded me that I have a hard time sitting still and relaxing.

Santi, Sarah. Santi.  (slow down...).

The next afternoon (around 30 hours into my bout of sicknes) I made my way to the Taj — unshowered as there was no hot water due to a water main project (or something, you never really know what is going on). I snapped away in a weakened state at one of the world’s most amazing buildings. It was beautiful. And pretty much all I’d wanted to see in Agra, when I originally wanted to be there for around 24 hours and then move on to Varanasi (to the east) and the Rishikesh (to the north)

This plan was no longer an option. Prior to booking my tickets (and remember this for when you travel to another country) I didn’t know that Dewali – India’s BIGGEST holiday – was going on during half of my time here. My Indian friends told me “Sarah, it’s like your Thanksgiving and Christmas tied into one”.. Tiik..Tiik  (pronounced teeka – means OK).

But you really don’t have any concept of what this means until you can’t actually book a train ticket or even A/C bus ticket for that day or the next or the next. And then have to hire a car for 5000 Rupees to get back to Delhi the next day because you’re done with Agra and can’t imagine spending a FOURTH night in a city where ONE was previously enough. BTW a bus ticket would’ve been 500 rupees or so and same for train.

Well, made it back to Delhi I did. Sat in the biggest traffic jam of my life (but hey, I was moving forward! no problem!) and happy to see my friends again, and enjoy wonderful conversation of an Indian friend Sabine. Followed by a little American TV (score!)

All during this time, it kept bothering me that I wasn’t out seeing something, that I was wasting time doing NOTHING but sitting around, trying to book tickets (fruitlessly) and not on the go, seeing forts and palaces and camels and stuff. But why? Why must we fill our days with so much stuff while traveling that we eventually get sick?

I feel like this is just a metaphor for so much in my life. Hurry up. Go go go go go go! Don’t just sit and relax. No shanti. Must be productive.

Doesn’t really work the same here in India. I call it “India time”. It’s just as it comes. Sometimes things are late. Sometimes trains, or people. Want a ticket? Plan ahead! Want a ticket for two weeks from now? Maybe you can get it quickly, or maybe it takes two days to arrange.  Can’t do anything about it, and no need to stress about it either. What does stressing do? Nothing – besides taking years off your life and adding wrinkles to your face.

Compared to my stress levels in the US I’m dealing with it all differently (tho I still want to be seeing more camels and stuff). But now that I’ve taken Shanti as my new unofficial middle name, maybe it’s just part of me, I’m feeling much more relaxed, having now done very little as far as touring in the past few days, but will start up again tomorrow, and have many things ahead still to see. It will be worth it too, when I feel well and am no longer afraid to eat.

Now, instead of trying to fit two towns in Nepal before meeting the LHS crew in Kathmandu for the trek, I’ve decided to visit only one. Which one i’m still not sure of, but I’ll spend 3-4 nights in one place, and be happy for it. As I won’t be rushing, and worrying about how much I’ll see (or not see), and slow down enough to really take in some sights and my surrounds.

Shanti, people.. Shanti