This 70-year-old Indian woman has traveled to 66 countries in the last 25 years. And it won’t stop

(CNN) – Traveling alone was not considered safe, ideal or fashionable for Indian women 25 years ago.

Those who traveled alone were often criticized for defying cultural and social norms, dismissed as inflexible single women who did not care for their own safety.

But that did not deter Dr. Sudha Mahalingam. When she took part in her husband’s work trips abroad, she took advantage of the opportunities for her adventurous side.

Her husband, who did not like to explore, would ask Mahalingam to visit the tourist sites with a local guide. But she did not like planned trips or package tours.

“Tour packages are so predictable,” he tells CNN Travel. “They show you what they want to show you, not what you want to see.”

Two decades ago, Mahalingam quit his job in mainstream print journalism and switched careers to pursue energy research. Soon after, she began receiving invitations to speak at international conferences in oil-producing countries, and the world of travel opened up to her.

Today, at age 70, he has visited 66 countries on six continents, which he tells on his blog Footloose Indian and in his book “The travel gods must be crazy“.

Skydiving in Australia, hiking in Borneo

Due to a hectic schedule between work and family, Mahalingam often did not have time to organize his trip, so most of his first trips were sudden and unplanned.

She landed in the Czech Republic without a valid visa, faced the challenge of finding vegetarian food in China, was accidentally locked in a monument in Iran, and was discovered without proof of a yellow fever vaccine at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya.

Although Mahalingam sometimes travels with friends, she does most of her travel alone.

His most recent international trip, to see lemurs in Madagascar in 2019, was one of his favorite adventure moments.

“It was absolutely unexplored territory, not very touristy and had very few facilities. It was a difficult trip and the way I like it. I was on a boat for three days and the boat had no bathroom,” says Mahalingam of the river trip. Tsiribihina to Tsingy on the western coast of Madagascar.

“Tsingy is full of jagged, blade-shaped rock formations that jut out straight into the sky. It’s quite steep and very difficult to climb these rocks and lacerates hands and feet. But after climbing to the other side, you see creatures that you don’t see anywhere else. place of Madagascar. “

Another adventure that Mahalingam highlights was his trip to Borneo in Southeast Asia.

“There were creepy bugs everywhere and lots of meter-tall leaves. You put your foot down and you didn’t know if a snake would twist around your leg or if a scorpion would bite you. It was raining all the time. I’ve also been to the Amazon rainforest, but it was a piece of cake compared to Borneo, “he says.

Mahalingam has also indulged in different adventure sports, including scuba diving and paragliding. He also traveled to Everest Base Camp and when he was 66 years old, he went skydiving in Uluru, Australia.

However, she doesn’t think these activities are a big deal, as anyone can do them if they have the money.

There were times when she found herself in dangerous situations, including one night in the Kashmir Valley in 1997. She traveled with a stranger, an army officer who asked her to take her, and after a few hours they witnessed a minesweeper vehicle heading toward them from the opposite direction, which had cleared the road of any potential explosives.

On the way to the airport the next day, Mahalingam says armed militants shot at the car in which he was traveling.

“The trip to Kashmir was not particularly stressful, but it turned out to be very different from what one would have anticipated. In retrospect, everything is fun. The driver was driving like crazy and we were shot.”

“The bullets went through the car and one hit the fender. I was crouching in the back and I was actually laughing. I didn’t realize how serious the situation was. It was exciting. Now when I look back, I think so Once what I did was silly, “he says.

Paralyzed by the pandemic

Mahalingam, however, notes that she does not stress easily and is always looking for the fun element on every trip.

Traveling has also taught him to believe in people and strengthened his faith in humanity.

Visiting remote lands and unfamiliar cultures has made him realize that there are many ways to live life.

He says that the Aborigines he met in Australia, for example, live in harmony with nature.

“They have an immense appreciation for the earth and they respect all living things and they don’t think that humans are superior,” he says.

Visiting a Ghotul hut and spending time with the Bastar tribes of the Chhattisgarh state in India was another highlight for Mahalingam.

In the Ghotul tradition, the boys and girls of the tribe come, work and live together until they can decide on a particular partner for life, he says.

“That was a very remarkable way of life. There is no shame in trying different partners and deciding on the right one. In (Indian) society, we disapprove of any contact between the sexes, but here they respect what is natural and give enough time to flourish, “says Mahalingam.

Staying in a Zen Buddhist monastery in Kyoto, visiting the Galapagos Islands, hiking for 24 days to get to Mustang in Nepal, and meeting people like the Drukpa, who live in harsh weather conditions and yet are welcoming and happy, are experiences. that have humbled you.

Now in his 70s, Mahalingam’s desire to travel has not been quenched.

In recent months, due to travel restrictions from the global pandemic, he has focused on domestic travel, including many road trips.

“I drove to Goa, which was a 16 hour drive from Bangalore,” he says. “From there I drove to Dandeli and then to Gokarna. Then on another trip, I drove to Belur Halebid, where there are two Hoysala temples, and stayed there for a couple of days. I also drove to Hampi, which is an eight hour drive away. from Bangalore. Next week I’m going to Coorg. “

As the world reopens completely, she wants to train to sail aboard one of the famous yachts Clipper, an expensive but once in a lifetime experience.

“A few years ago, I met the Clipper team in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and while I am still fit and able, I would like to do a stage of the Clipper Round the World Race,” he says.

Colombia, Patagonia, Chile and Argentina are other places that Mahalingam hopes to visit in the future.

“Even if I travel to three places every year for the next 10 years, I will not cross every country on my list. There are a lot!” He admits.