The Aspects of Travel Pictures and Videos Can't Portray

The beauty that only nature can supply 

Below is a video shot in the tourist-haven/holy town of Pushkar, in the Rajasthan state of India. The video is of a local Rajasthani musician sharing traditional music with two western tourists. The room is small, cramped, and filled with the immense scents of spices, as well as the overwhelming cacophony emenating from Pushkar's main drag. It is typical of nearly all small shops in cities around India. Sans explanation, this video seems like a typical interaction between tourists and locals in Pushkar, but what the day actually held is the mystery of travel that one cannot understand through non-direct mediums.

While my lovely travel partner and I did enjoy the music, what this moment truly reminds me of is the confusion I felt towards India at this point in my trip. Three weeks into visiting India, I had found myself full of apprehension towards any person who confronted me on the street. I was beginning to harbor negativity, and found my thoughts revolving around how hard it was to gauge those with good intentions, and those trying to milk me dry. The musician playing for us was a perfect example. This was before I started to understand, or more so, submit to what a truly contradictory, confusing, beautiful, complex, and inviting place India can be. While I left India with nothing but fond memories and a desire to return (as well as a case of Giardia), not every moment was stellar. 

Much like the opaque lines written on an unsuspecting face, without explanation, the situations, places, interactions, and experiences shared in video or photo of travel leaves much to the imagination. In a sense, this is beautiful, but it also portrays an idealistic image that may not meet expectations of those on the medium's intake. While I would take a day of travel over almost any other experience this earth has to offer, it isn't always glorious. Somedays, it's a battle. Be it with hustlers, the weather, fate, or your own alter ego trying to tear you down, it can be rough...but travelers also know that these lows only make the highs that much more euphoric.

As a travel blogger, I would never stray people away from gazing at, reading about, or indulging in any medium about exploration. As a traveler, it would be a fabrication to say I can fully share with you what you would experience if you left the comfort of your own four walls. Enjoy my small sample of India!