A return to normal life

From the travellin' journals of Ramblin' Ollie Bettany...

Sunday 12th March, 2006
Location: Pokhara, Nepal

Pokhara closes early and in the absence of dinner time conversation I've chosen to dredge up some prose rather than stare out at the almost deserted streets outside the restaurant. Well, that's not quite true, there is a bit of activity. Considering how quiet it is during the day it's no suprise that the only things to see are the occasional lone motorcyclist speeding by and some soldiers watching with disinterest the shutters on the shops being pulled down.

I'm waffling, I know. I have no theme in mind to get my writing teeth into. I should give upbut I'm not really in the mood for reading my book. It's strange and sad to be without dining companions for the first time in such a long time.

Earlier I speculated about the nature of the changes I have undergone since I left Australia. It's interesting, in retrospect I don't feel like I changed all that much in the first fifteen months of my travels. Did I? It feels almost as if during that whole period I was developing without knowing it and preparing for this experience of travelling alone - an experience which has given me the opportunity to take everything I've learnt and apply it practically.

Am I talking shit? Sort of, but I can't deny that after reflecting at length on the prospect of my imminent return to England, and bearing in mind all the challenges that I've faced since I left Australia, I have changed. I've found some inner strength, some kind of faith that has put my past, present and future into perspective. Have I rediscovered God - again? Will this difference I feel survive the transition into the western world, into normal life?

What is normal life anyway?

Normal life is about cold mornings, smoking cigarettes while watching TV after dinner, trips to the video shop, drinks after work on Friday, conversations on mobile phone on the move, txt msgs, take-away curries, getting up Saturday lunchtimes with hangovers, fried breakfasts, party drugs, nightclubs, cosy smoky pubs, browsing in music shops.

Not only that, normal life is also about cider with ice on summer afternoons, laughing your socks off with your brothers, dressing gowns, central heating, cafetieres, waking up next to girlfriends, spending hours mixing tunes late at night, posters, postcards on the fridge, pasta and pesto with cheese, listening to old cassettes while washing up, weekends away in Cornwall, festivals, summer evenings by the riverside outside the Arnolfini, routine, routine, routine...

Working, writing, saving, sharing, loving, caring... leaving again?

Normal life is all these things - and more. Normal life is precisely what you make it.