Now and then we get requests to be featured on our site.
We usually oblige almost all of those.
We believe that everyone has a story to relate,
something that can change someone’s thoughts or lives out there.
Lofty aspirations? Maybe.
But that’s why
we started Trippin Traveller – to give voice to the uncommon.
To those who don’t know the voice within.
When Tariq Shakeel wrote to us,
we felt grateful that he chose us to share his inspiring story.
His is a story of how traveling helped him
to overcome that debilitating illness – depression.
Here then, straight and unadulterated his story.
On depression
“#lets’ talk:
The World Health Organization’s theme of 2017 is depression.
Depression affects people of all ages, from all walks of life,
in all countries.
It causes mental anguish and affect’s one’s ability to carry out
even the simplest everyday tasks,
with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships
with family and friends,
and the ability to earn a living.
At worst,
depression can lead to suicide,
now the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year olds.
Depression is a disease, just like any other.
You hear? People can give you support.
But you have to treat yourself.
This is what I was told by my counselor.
I was on medication.
While I was going through depression,
every next person told me to come out of it.
But no one ever told me how.
This approach backfires.
It’s hard to imagine how anyone
who was depressed would not
fix himself or herself if they could.
Every depressed person has his or her own story of combating depression.
So the same thing may work for few but not for others.
It’s very difficult to find the right approach.
My approach?
I decided to fight against it by doing what I am good at.
Ride.
A ride for my life…
On the beginnings of my love for traveling
When I started traveling,
I have no idea what ‘traveling’ really is.
Being born and raised up in a suburban family,
I always had the opportunity to stay near nature.
Forests, hills, rivers always excited me.
After moving into cities,
I started longing for this close contact with nature,
which pushed me to visit new places in search of peace and belongingness.
Riding a bike gave me ‘freedom’,
freedom to think,
to explore,
to reach out to remote places
and connect to new people and traditions and customs.
What travel means to me
For me,
traveling is all about seeing new things and getting new impressions,
having different experiences,
At times,
people often think that travel is about escaping from our daily grind,
from all the thousand small
and big obligations that life brings with it.
But what I think is we belong to nature.
We have drawn a veil between nature and us,
but Nature is pure,
mysterious,
and always giving.
I wanted to discover my new self,
and thus I indulged myself into this sea of happiness
by riding across the Kingdom of Bhutan.
How travel was therapy to me
From my initial school days,
I was always adventurous,
and people called me crazy.
Traveling very often means,
putting up with a way less than we are used to,
staying in rooms that might not live up to our usual standards,
waiting for buses,
trains or
airplanes to arrive or depart,
enduring annoying security procedures, dealing with unknown languages
and undecipherable street signs,
eating things our stomachs are not cut out for
and subjecting our organism to different time rhythms and zones.
When you’re traveling,
there is no lawn to mow and no mail to answer.
A depressed person doesn’t have control over their thoughts.
Depression makes it very difficult to do anything; to take any action.
While I was suffering from it,
all I felt like doing was to lock myself
in my room and stay in bed for days.
I know it will just take me five minutes to eat my food
or to take a bath or just to wash my face.
But I remember,
I didn’t move.
Traveling is not only therapy,
but it also teaches you a new way of living life.
Bhutan and my bike
Bhutan is the new must-see destination in southern Asia.
This peaceful nation half the size of Indiana is emerging as a big draw,
attracting those in search of a spiritual journey,
a hiking adventure —
or just a chance to experience
a place before the rest of the world gets there.
This place, rightly called as the last Shangri-La,
is a paradise for bikers.
Being purely mountainous, on an average,
there are around 10 turns per kilometer.
Nestled in the Himalayas,
more than 60% of its area is still forest covered.
It’s a land of history, mystery, and culture.
I can relate myself to nature very well.
That is the reason I wanted to take my bike on a trip.
I wanted to live there. Be there.
A depressed person doesn’t have control over their thoughts.
Biking gave me that freedom and control.
Freedom of thoughts… to explore.
To stay. To be the one.
Me being in search of inner peace decided,
to explore this yet to be exploited beauty of Mother Nature.
My favorite experiences in Bhutan
Bhutan is purely mountainous.
As such, it’s a biker paradise.
The natural beauty and Dzongs
and monasteries in Bhutan are incomparable.
Talking about me,
I would rank Phobjikha Valley as my favorite place in Bhutan.
There were many times while riding when
I was compelled to stop my bike for hours
and admire the pristine beauty of Phobjikha.
There were clouds hovering when I reached this Heidi land.
This valley is equally rich in culture,
heritage,
and cuisine.
The Tiger’s Nest Monastery
and the majestic Dochula pass is also worth mentioning.
My favorite experience while traveling
Every new place contributes something new in my life.
From trekking in the Himalayas to spending sleepless nights
at the frozen Chadar River where the temperature dips to -35 Degrees,
to riding through some of the highest motorable passes and villages,
to riding on the mighty Sach pass
and India’s most dangerous road of Killar –
Kishtwar,
everything has been memorable and special for me.
To me,
the company doesn’t matter a lot.
But one person deserves special mention over here
who made my travel more colorful.
With that person,
even small rides like a local ride of Jama Masjid or
a weekend excursion to Mussoorie felt nostalgic.
When depression transformed itself into courage
My 14 days of the Indo-Bhutan ride was extraordinary to me.
I was suffering from depression,
and I am not ashamed about it.
I was shattered and hopeless.
And didn’t have any idea how to collect those shattered pieces and move on.
But then one day,
I mustered enough courage to say to myself that
you are way worthy of
all the beautiful things that nature is holding in her.
And then everything changed.
The way I looked upon my life,
and myself has taken a leap.
When I was looking at the world through the visor of my helmet,
the world seems so different.
I was right there in the moment.
For that moment,
everything just seemed so easy
and all my problems vanished in the thin air of Bhutan.
Depression transformed into excitement and anxiety dissolved
in the cool crystal clear waters of the numerous rivers and lakes.
I returned as a different person.
On responsible travel
[su_quote]”With great power comes great responsibility.”[/su_quote]
With the advent of modern gadgets and travel,
we have scaled great heights in traveling.
Human littering and waste can be found everywhere.
Nature is mysterious and always giving. And so should we.
Time and again people have shown their true colors
and selfish side to Nature,
but it always gives back.
In my school,
I learnt we should leave behind nothing except THANKS.
There is a need to follow this.
More and more volunteer programs should be
undertaken to embrace responsible tourism.
I think children should be taught
about the benefit of traveling from a tender age.
Parents should support in such decisions so that more
and more volunteers can have the platform
to explore the world and to explore their inner self.
For there can be no development of human mind
and human race if we don’t understand Nature
and if we don’t connect with it.
My message for mental wellness
I am suffering from depression, and I am not ashamed about it.
I am not ashamed about it just like any other person
suffering from any other illness or disease.
And I am not embarrassed to seek help.
One of the roadblocks to recovery for those
who suffer from depression is our culture’s tendency
to stigmatize depression and other mental health problems.
I believe that the stigma surrounding depression arises
from living in a culture where feelings of vulnerability
are considered weak and unacceptable.
This is especially true for men who are raised with
the injunction that “big boys don’t cry”—i.e.,
it is not okay for men to be vulnerable and show their feelings.
[su_quote]
In this sense,
everyone of us who has ever struggled with crippling depression
or anxiety is a hero–and there certainly is no shame in that.
Everyone is a fighter and a survivor of their own type.
And so are you.
Find yourself, be a Spartan.[/su_quote]
All images used here are copyrighted to Tariq.
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