Snapshots Of India: A Traveller’s Exploration Of Goa And Rajasthan

Brought to you by Contiki

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Artist, yogi and excellent photo taker Sally Mustang has spent the past few years travelling the world. But few places have touched her quite like India.

India was somewhere I was always fascinated by, even as a little girl. My great grandma moved to Delhi with her father at the age of four and grew up there until she left for college as a young adult. She would tell me her stories of the colour and music that was India; the beautiful saris and jewels that were everyday wear there. Seeing the country became a priority for me.

It’s actually really hard for me to describe the feeling that India brings up for me. The days I spend there are exhausting and hypnotising. Travelling through India’s northern state of Rajasthan is unlike any trip I have taken before. I am confronted with busy streets, insane traffic conditions and livestock littering the roads. It’s so busy, but somehow this colourful country seems to run on organised chaos.

Although the initial shock of the mayhem in India is somewhat overwhelming, the country contains so much beauty that I’m soon lost in it.

A shamble of bazaars. A palace. Women in jewels. Saris. Silver trinkets. Spiced chai tea is served everywhere and a selection of spices and fresh vegetables are to be seen on every corner. The trucks are a delicate artwork themselves. India’s love of celebration is apparent everywhere.

While writing this I’m instantly transported back: I’m sitting on the beach at Little Vagator, on the northern-most part of the state. There are a group of Swedish hippies on one side of me — curing a hangover with a coconut each; and some German backpackers on the other enjoying lunch from one of the various restaurants scattered on the sand.

This is a typical day for a traveller in Goa — hippies, backpackers, and the local cows, enjoying the sunshine and black sandy beaches, until nighttime rolls in. Once the sun sets, Goa becomes a dance party, as hundreds of travellers and temporary residents rave.

They’re the type of parties you find on the outskirts of Bellingen and Byron Bay — except the colour, lights and everything in general, is magnified. The music is louder, the dancing starts earlier and there are neon teepees everywhere.

Besides the music and party scene in Goa, there are more yoga classes and workshops here than anywhere else I found in India. People are partying one day, doing yoga and eating well the next. In Goa you will find more vegetarian and vegan restaurants then you can count. Some of my favourites include Bean Me Up and the German Bakery.

Fresh juice is sold everywhere for under $2 and even the traditional Indian restaurants and vendors are promoting a healthier range of curries and snacks. Tree houses, huts, and tents are the accommodation of choice, with a decor of pillows, rugs and lanterns. The backyard is filled with jungle-like vegetation and palms.

When someone travels they are to some degree, transported out of their common routines and rituals of everyday existence. As an observer we often discover fears and values we have in our own lives back home.

I left feeling warm, knowing full well that these colours, sounds and sights would be carried with me forever — the view changing my outlook ever since.

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Does a life-changing adventure take your fancy? Explore the Eternal India tour by Contiki here.

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You can follow Sally’s photo journal on Instagram at @sallymustang