Rosalyn D'Mello: Tripping on travel

On the cusp of turning 31 I found myself buying travel insurance not just for the duration of my ongoing twoweek trip to Myanmar but for a whole year a multitrip plan that insures against various exigencies that could arise anywhere in the world This lastminute decision ranks high up as one of the most ambitious ones Irsquove ever made and somewhat presumptive too But counting my upcoming trip to Australia visa gods willing by the end of August Irsquoll already have made four international trips this year which if yoursquore part of a corporate network or have a demanding job seems like a very small accomplishment But when yoursquore a fulltime art writer surviving from one delayed pay cheque to the next it feels deserving of an awardI landed in Yangon last evening and happened to catch a glimpse of half a rainbow suspended against the backdrop of the majestic Shwedagon Pagoda It was fortuitous indeed PicGetty ImagesI remember a letter I wrote to my oldest brother when I was perhaps 15 Hersquod moved to Abu Dhabi to work at Etisalat which made him one of the most accomplished members of our family at large Given hersquos 11 years older than I I justifiably felt as though I had to run all my big life decisions by him Irsquod written to him about how I didnrsquot particularly fancy a life of middleclass stability how I wanted instead to travel the world taste exotic things dip my feet in the waters of the Nile and traipse through borders with the practiced eacutelan of a gypsy troupe Obviously he replied saying I was being airyfairy my head entrenched in thick fluffy clouds I had little grasp of the reality of adulthoodIrsquom most likely the least travelled person in my immediate circle of friends As kids my parents usually only ever took us to Goa on summer vacations Now almost 14 my oldest niece has travelled more than I had at 20 Though I was born in Kuwait and visited my father there when I was five with my older brother my first real trip abroad was when I was 25 and Irsquod collected enough money to go to Paris for three weeksThe thrill of travel is a high I feel like Irsquove rightfully earned Having never had access to it growing up or even as a perk in the few jobs Irsquove officially held each trip I have made since I was 25 has been the consequence of a lot of hard work Most have been press trips as an art writer the most memorable of them being a 10day trip to Tokyo Yokohama and Sapporo Next month at around this time Irsquoll hopefully be on a flight to Australia where Irsquoll be stationed for a month to promote my book which Hardie Grant will be publishing in the continent and to speak at two literary festivals about my contribution to an allwomen anthology Walking Towards Ourselves edited by Catriona Mitchell I donrsquot know what the rest of the year holds in store but Irsquom really hoping to make the most of the travel insuranceI landed in Yangon last evening It had been raining so when my cab paused at a traffic intersection I happened to catch a glimpse of half a rainbow suspended against the backdrop of the majestic Shwedagon Pagoda It was fortuitous indeedEverything is unfamiliar Language has more or less been reduced to sound human contact restricted to the act of exchanging smiles Irsquove been enjoying the gesture People are amazingly friendly and if you look in their direction and simply curl your lips into a smile they smile right back at you and you suddenly feel warm and welcome Downtown Yangon has something of a Bombay feel to it old colonial buildings with high ceilings a very vibrant street life with the river standing in as a substitute for the sea The food though has no parallel It is simply magnificent and I wonder if it is at all possible to have a bad meal Like in Bangkok women mark their presence on the streets and constitute a good part of the work force which makes the city even friendlier and significantly less maledominated Sometimes it seems the more you travel elsewhere the more you realise how misogynist and patriarchal everything is back homeThere is more to explore than the Lonely Planet has prepared me for Cartographically dyslexic as I am I couldnrsquot fathom the degree of unfamiliarity that would confront me There are so many details to soak in so much to make sense of so much to absorb and internalise so much to sample Everything I see makes me salivate for moreI cannot imagine a happier state in which to beDeliberating on the life and times of Everywoman Rosalyn DrsquoMello is a reputed art critic and the author of A Handbook For My Lover She tweets RosaParx Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom