Travel in Books - Índia

(Para versão em Português mudar o idioma na caixa no canto superior direito de EN para PT se estiveres num PC. No telemóvel clica no símbolo com as 3 barras horizontais no canto superior direito e depois muda de EN para PT na caixa no topo da página)

Book

• 📖 Everything is Possible - Jorge Vassallo | 🌍 Índia 2015

  
  

Everything is Possible

by Jorge Vassallo

India can’t be explained — it has to be felt. And, true to the title of the book, in India, "Everything Is Possible".

This book takes us on a journey, hitching a ride on a scooter… yes, really — a Vespa (which, in fact, isn’t an actual Vespa, but plays the part with all the stubborn charm of one). We follow Jorge for over 5,000 kilometers across dust, colors, smells, heat, stomach bugs, falls, elephants, setbacks… and above all, stories.

Jorge doesn’t hold back. His honesty pulls us into his dream — and all the parts of dreams we rarely share, because we forget them over time (or because they don’t look quite so good on the polished blogs we’re used to seeing online).

A Sensory Explosion

Jorge takes us through an India that “simply can’t resist filling every moment and every space with sensations, stimuli, colors, smells, flavors. Stories. It’s more than just a quirk or an obsession — it’s its nature.”

An India where “there are no full stops, only exclamation marks. Nothing is regular — it’s all bold. Nothing is light — everything is intense.”

The Road as a Metaphor

He shares episodes of what it means to drive in India:

“We flew at eighty kilometers an hour down a highway that was, at times, smooth as silk, and then suddenly a minefield of speed bumps, potholes, puddles, construction work, and traffic… Buses with people vomiting, spitting, and throwing trash out the windows, slow-moving tractors leaking oil onto the asphalt, even slower ox carts leaving behind trails of dung; motorbikes, tuk-tuks, open-bed trucks bursting with goods and people.”

At this point, many might be thinking: No way. Give me back my resort.

But don’t forget: “Each of us has our own way of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling”.

The Real India

On this trip, we’re introduced to the real India — the good and the bad walking hand in hand. Faces and stories that make India what it is.

And in this book, we meet many of them — with open eyes and an open heart.

Jorge reminds us, rightly so:

“Details, facts and all the bullshit aside — we are truly privileged. And we need to remember to give thanks every single day for all we have, for who we are, for the truths we take for granted, for the ground beneath our feet and the sky and stars above our heads”.

A Wake-Up Call

This journey made me appreciate so many of the things we overlook in our daily lives. And with several quotes from the book, I leave you this message:

Because we are privileged, we have a duty to enjoy life. Be it in India, at a resort, or on our own couch. Every time we step out of our comfort zone, we grow.

“Why complicate things? If I can hear, see, smell, taste, and feel this moment — why complicate it?

How often do we let ourselves get caught up in projections and intentions, expectations, fears, nostalgia, and insecurities — and without noticing, forget to celebrate the courage it takes to simply appreciate?”

Keep Going

And here’s a precious reminder:

“There’s no guilt that can change the past, nor worry that can shape the future. So, with that in mind — let’s keep going”.

Or, in other words:

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what can go right.

“There are no steps backwards. There are sideways steps. There are challenges and setbacks, possibilities and opportunities — often in places where it seems like there are none. We have to stay optimistic. A step to the side can be the beginning of a beautiful tango”.

“That doesn’t mean, of course, that once in a while, from time to time, on a bad day, when we’re only human — and no amount of optimism or patience can save us — we don’t just send this or that off to Some Very Well-Known Places (if you know what I mean)”.

The Journey of Life

“Life is a wild, overwhelming journey full of unexpected unpredictables”.

And this book is one of those journeys — on paper, in the soul, and in the heart.

Thank you, Jorge, for showing us this India where "everything is possible" — unfiltered, unafraid, and unapologetic.

...and Thank-you Papa Leguas for the Travel in Books Weekend that allowed me to know this journey in India!

Always yours,

Uncanned Sardine