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Travel: Travel, live and learn
Two award-winning travel vloggers reveal the global experiences that shaped them and the lessons they learned along the way
There is no cliché truer than ‘travel is the greatest teacher’. We learnt this both in hard ways and gentle ones, when we abandoned our corporate jobs and became travel vloggers.
1. Northern Lights in a small village in Finland
Ylläs, 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, is a skiing destination. On our most memorable day in the area, we were up early, ice climbing and hiking. One would think this would automatically translate to a good night’s sleep, but the promise of the elusive Northern Lights kept us awake. We got in our car and drove to a pitch-dark by-lane, where we waited. Forty minutes later, still no sign!
At 3am, we spotted a pair of headlights. Soon a lone gentleman slowed down, asking if we were in trouble. We assured him we were okay—just two kids with wonder in their eyes, hunting for the Northern Lights.
And just then the sky lit up, green, purple, pink all at once! That night we witnessed our first ‘aurora storm’—the most vibrant lights we’ve seen on our travels. We had started the night feeling restless but we wound it up sipping warm lingonberry juice with a complete stranger near the village of Ylläsjärvi.
2. Lost in translation
On a road trip in Spain during carnival season, we drove to our rental apartment in Costa Brava and called our host, so we could collect the keys and settle in. No response! This happened thrice.
Just when we started looking for other options online, the phone rang. Our host, a 20-year-old, had ‘forgotten’ we were arriving and was away for the weekend with friends. In true Spanish fashion, he said, “My father lives two blocks away, go and relax at his place, I’ll be there first thing tomorrow.” Then the last blow: “Oh, and he doesn’t speak much English.”
It was already 9pm, so off we went to the padre, where a rickety bed in a crumbling colonial home awaited us. We were about to hit the sack when we heard a knock—the old man was standing there with a bottle of Andalusian sherry and Scotch!
First round—a stiff drink and a colourful tale about his wayward son’s irresponsible behaviour. Second round—a stiffer drink and tales about the war told in both Spanish and broken English. Third round—the stiffest drink yet and we were telling him tales in English and smatterings of Spanish. We never did sleep that night.
3. Stuck in paradise
This was our first cross-country road trip and we were in Europe to experience crisp autumn days, in France and Switzerland.
We rented our car at the airport in Paris, opting for the basic package, frowning over the bizarrely high surcharge for add-ons like snow tyres or 24x7 help. The first few days flew by as we drove through the French countryside and crossed into Switzerland. We drove through stunning mountain passes, picnicked in meadows, and visited more chocolate factories than we can remember.
On our fourth day, we decided to drive to Alpine villages. In retrospect, the smattering of snow started almost as soon as we got off the highway, but we were too enamoured by the drive to notice much.
Approximately 10 minutes later we found our car stuck in the middle of the village’s busiest road. It refused to move! As the honking and grumbling from the cars behind us increased, our faces turned tomato red! Eventually, a few helpful locals stepped in and we had to push it out of the snow the good old-fashioned way. Suddenly the surcharge for snow tyres did not seem so bizarre after all.
4. At home in Bali
Every time we are quizzed about why Bali feels like home to us, we think of our very first day on the island.
We booked a beautiful villa overlooking the paddy fields in the highlands near Ubud. Upon checking in, the host told us about a celebration at the neighbourhood theatre. So, the plan was to nip into the community celebration for a while and leave.
But we were startled by the crowds. The atmosphere was akin to the Ram-Leela grounds back home. Vendors were selling snacks and cotton candy. Kids were buying balloons and little toys. Thoroughly intrigued, we entered the venue just as the enactment was starting. Within minutes, we were surrounded by people on all sides and it became impossible to leave!
We’d go on to spend months exploring Bali. But our first evening there was spent crammed like sardines in a local theatre, watching a rendition of The Ramayana in a language we did not understand. It was the day we first met our host’s son, who is now like a godson to both of us. Perhaps that is why it feels like home?
5. Kava in Fiji
The mere mention of Fiji invokes images of the bluest of seas and vibrant marine life. But it is the traditional kava ceremony that cements the archetypal Fijian experience. Kava is a mild narcotic made from the crushed root of the pepper tree . It is the national drink of Fiji and part of several ancestral and religious rituals.
Our first communal kava ceremony was in the middle of the wilderness, in a small Fijian village. The drink is mixed in a large communal bowl, which is passed around for everyone to sip from. We remember being sceptical when we took the first sip. Whether it was the euphoric effects of the drink or the hypnotic strumming of guitars, we found ourselves sucked into the communal ritual. Hours of singing and dancing later, we were yelling bula (Fijian for ‘hello’) every time the bowl was passed to us.
Savi and Vid are full-time travellers and digital entrepreneurs. They have travelled to over 95 countries together.
From HT Brunch, April 9, 2022
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