Solo!!!
It has been exactly a year since I landed as a solo traveller in the city of magnificent architectural landscapes, blazing skyscrapers, and marvelling laned expressways each competing with the other in daily hustle and bustle.
My first sight from the balcony of my stay gave me a glistening one-side view of Dubai & another side of Sharjah. The confident, elated, anxious rustle of blood through the veins made feet go cold for a girl who had never even been to a different state alone and had travelled to an entirely different country SOLO.
It is not a big deal, as solo travelling now is a term very commonly used by “GenZ”. But doing such things once in life has always been and will always be a heart-warming moment for ME. After all, it was all about taking the big leap of faith with closed sweaty palms, so I needed to pen it down from my memory and not just as the after-the-trip experience.
The Gist is all about how this one trip empowered me. Visiting the main landmark was a must-The Burj Khalifa. Acc. to the research done while making an itinerary, the view from the top is exquisite & hence a must on the to-do list. Moving through the lane, waiting for the world’s fastest lift with its much-lauded wait count & feeling mesmerized while going above 100 floors, all that felt surreal when the lift doors opened on the 125th floor. A crowded balcony with glass ceilings, creatively painted 2–3 picture spots & the cool breeze touching your skin made me realize that life at the end is all the same. Whether you view from a seashore, high-rise building or walking crossways — all you have to do is live in the moment & continue taking JUST the next step.
The anxious feeling before stepping out of the elevator-that I have no one to click my good pictures. To giggle out with someone the moment I was able to see the entire city down with sparkling lights during that night, that moment in front of my eyes. To hold hands and complete the circle of that balcony with mesmerized eyes did not go away, but they significantly shifted to the bottom of the list. Those moments while sitting on that high balcony alone brought such calmness to the soul, I was smiling ear to ear momentarily.
Though, the feeling was soon pushed away thanks to an old lady’s push as they wanted to click pictures too at the spot that I had captured as my territory for a moment there. Such is life though, sometimes some moments unknowingly help us realize to slow down, smile from ear to ear & breathe with a conscious mind.
Those anxious feelings/fears were still plunging with me during the rest of the trip too, but they kept on pedalling to the bottom of the list & up again after some time. You feel stoked one moment & disastrous the other one.
The most important aspect of such moments is that they help you to stay grounded, and make you feel strengthened.
Posts about solo travel may be too common, but they are someone’s story of gliding their boats with shaking hands, with cold feet & sweaty palms. They are worth a read.
