Vishnu mentions that most of his experiences were positive, and he experienced only kindness and warmth during his journey.
“I didn’t experience any kind of hostility or racial indiscrimination. I got to visit many religious places around the world, including churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and dargahs. Every single place welcomed me with open arms,” he adds.
Colombia has a special place in Vishnu’s heart.
“While I was waiting for my new passport to arrive, I was working as a volunteer for Amalia Mon, a teacher. I lived with her family for two months and managed to learn Spanish in the meantime. Because I was there around Christmas, I was part of all their celebrations, and they would make me sing—and that too in Spanish! ‘Con mi burrito sabanero voy camino de Belén’ became my best piece, and by the time I was ready to leave, Amalia had come to see me as her son,” he adds with a smile.
No journey comes without its share of challenges and obstacles, and it was the same for Vishnu. Among them, one incident stands out. He was hitchhiking near the border of Chile and Argentina, where he was stabbed during a robbery attempt. Fortunately, help was nearby and the thief ran way after throwing all of Vishnu’s valuables.
Visa applications were also an obstacle.
“Being a journalist, I had to lie at several occasions due to the circumstances. During the journey, however, I decided to remain honest. I knew that I would have to pay the price for this and I did,” he narrates.
For instance, during the US visa interview in Australia, he honestly informed the authorities that he had resigned from his job, was unmarried and had no house in Mumbai.
“Within 90 seconds of the interview, my visa was rejected. Had I received it, I would have finished my journey nine months ago. With valid US visa, one can just walk in from Mexico to Bolivia and Chile,” he remembers.
Because of this, Vishnu needed individual country visas for 11 countries.
Usually, the time taken to process a visa ranges from two weeks to two months. However, in Nicaragua, his visa application was held for 52 days.
“Later, I was told by the office bearer that she and her colleague went to the Vice President (who looks after visa approval) with a request to approve my visa, and I got it!” he adds.
One impressive practice that Vishnu practised throughout his journey was to plant a sapling in the places he had lived.
In fact, he has planted saplings with ministers and diplomats in at least 15 of the countries he had visited.
At one point, he got the opportunity to do it with the German Environment Minister, Svenja Schulze, who later helped him receive a gratis (free) Schengen visa. Additionally, since he had volunteered in Chile during the wildfire, he was also personally felicitated by the President, and together with environmental ministers, they planted a couple of saplings.
After travelling for 1097 days, Vishnu finally reached the Thane railway station, the very same point from where he set out three years ago, on 21 March 2019.
He claims that this journey of a lifetime has deeply enriched his life, and for anyone who wishes to travel, this is what he has to say:
“You need to start small to build confidence as well as to understand how you can fare alone for a longer duration. Avoid staying in hotels as it robs you of the experience of meeting new people or living with families. Never worry about the money—it comes and goes and trust me, a lot of people are out there to help. If one is sincere in their objectives, nothing is an obstacle to achieve our dreams.”