Brendan - Living Life Not Existing! - Part 2.

It’s been nearly 3 months since Brendan arrived in India.  The initial shock he experienced when he arrived in Delhi has now gone.

Brendan told me, “India is just totally crazy on so many levels. It’s hard to describe or show through pictures - you can only relate to it if you have been here. The trip has taken me through so many emotions it’s been like life itself:  I’ve experienced sadness and happiness; I’ve been tired and frustrated. One minute you hate certain aspects of India and then, a few hours later, you love it so much!!!  Where else in the world can you find cows and pigs sat on the railway platforms?”

So far, Brendan has travelled from Varanasi to Darjeeling, at the foot of the Himalayas.  To get there Brendan took a 16-hour sleeper train followed by a 3-hour jeep drive up the steep mountains.  Brendan recalled, “It was a pretty scary drive, there were sharp bends and huge drops with nothing to stop you toppling off the edge! However, it didn’t seem to slow the driver down”.

When Brendan’s party arrived in Darjeeling, it was very cold, which was a welcome break from the 45-degree heat, so they changed t-shirts for hoodies. The heat they had experienced in Varanasi made them appreciate the cooler temperatures in Darjeeling.  

Last year, Brendan took part in the John O’Groats to Lands End and London Marathon double.  He said, “I love the mind set I have developed since completing the marathon.  I’ve learned that you have to experience the bad to appreciate the good, so having it so hot has made me appreciate cooler temperatures.  I even appreciated the rain yesterday, which we had for the first time in months, because I knew it would make me appreciate the sun more.

Brendan told me that during his first visit to Africa, his primary emotion was guilt because of the poverty he experienced whilst there.  He said, “Appreciation is the key word of this trip, it’s very similar to the feeling I have when I am in Africa. It’s not like my first visit when I felt guilty.  This time round, being here has given me a great appreciation of life.  I have met so many incredible people here, in particular, at the guesthouse at Bandhavgarh, the lads there had travelled 40 km to look for work and had left their families behind.  They worked 15 hour days, they didn’t have days off, they cooked, cleaned and looked after the guesthouse.  They slept on the floor and had no belongings apart from a small bag packed with a few items”.

The people Brendan are referring to earn 3,000 rupees a month, (£36 a month), for working 15 hours a day everyday.  They still smile when serving food and are just happy that they have work.  One of the men told Brendan, “I have met so many foreigners here and I love gardening and looking after the plants". He was just 20 years old.

Brendan learned a lot from his conversation with this young man.  He told me,  “At first I was sad as he explained that he came here when he was 15. I watched how hard he worked and it made me sad - but during that one conversation I learnt so much about myself.  I learned that in the west we are so lucky to have such a privileged way of life.  The main reason is because we have choices and opportunities.  Most people struggle in the UK like I have in the past, but it’s through bad choices and then we moan when we don’t have any money.  People living in the Western world spend far too much on rubbish.  I am guilty of that myself!  We don’t appreciate how well off we are.  Seeing poverty daily makes me appreciate every small thing from water out of a tap, to being able to make the choice to go to work, study or see the world.  The struggle here is on a completely different scale, it’s so far removed from the world we live in that it’s hard for us to even relate to it.  It’s as though we live in a bubble, a consumerism bubble led by greed, celebrity and competition with each other. The desire to have the best of everything is so strong in the west that we forget about the important things in life”.

Having observed the incredible community spirit in so many villages, Brendan’s whole approach to life has changed.  He has been welcomed into villages with open arms, been given seats on trains, had full conversations with whole train carriages full of people, which usually starts off with them asking where he is from and then he is asked if he likes cricket and then sits and listens while his fellow passengers list the whole England team!  Stares always turn into conversation, which then leads to him feeling totally welcomed into their culture and lives.

Brendan told me with a grin, “I have never smiled so much or said hello so often as I have since I started this amazing adventure”.

With 3 months to go Brendan’s incredible trip continues, so check back next week to learn more about Brendan’s experiences.  Subscribe to our blog to make sure you don't miss any of our posts about Brendan.