by
How do we process your data?
We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and personalize our content. They are mainly used for statistical purposes.
Looking for practical advice, feedback and inspiration for your next train journey? Make yourself comfortable and put your headphones on: board now for “Je t'offre un rail?”, the podcast that will get you hooked on trains, in partnership with SNCF Connect !
Perhaps you've heard of Alexandra David-Néel, the pioneering early 20th-century explorer and author who had the audacity to defy the odds to travel to Tibet? Following her example, Amaïa (aka “Amaïa Show” on social networks) embarked on a solo journey by train and bus through India, Nepal and Tibet.
n the 37th episode of Je t'offre un rail? with Lisa, the comedian and actress recounts her incredible journey, both inside and out. A 3-month adventure that not only enabled her to rebuild herself after a toxic relationship and domestic violence, but will soon give rise to a documentary, “Chère Alexandra - Journal d'émancipation”. Enjoy!
Amaïa's reasons for setting off for India include a desire to regain her self-confidence after her break-up, a deep need for freedom and independence, and the book Méfiez-vous des femmes qui marchent (Annabel Abbs) given to her by her mother... But above all, there was one woman: Alexandra David-Néel.
“After this toxic relationship that lasted several years, I was really shattered, and it took me a long time to get over it. I felt I was making progress, but there was a page I couldn't turn. So I needed to do something on my own. Then I remembered an article that had fascinated me about Alexandra David-Néel, and it was obvious.”
Born in 1868, Alexandre David-Néel wore many hats: opera singer, writer, feminist and anarchist journalist, orientalist, Tibetologist and explorer (“she would have made Linkedin bug,” Amaïa jokes on her documentary project page).
But if she's famous today, it's above all for having been, in 1924, the first Western woman to enter the city of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital forbidden to foreigners at the time. On foot, disguised as a beggar, she crossed thousands of kilometers to realize her dream.
“She was my age, 37, when she made the journey that made her famous.”
©Wikipédia - Alexandra David-Néel in « tibetain costume »
“She's quite a fascinating woman for her time, very free and independent, with quite a personality. She told her husband she'd be gone for 6 months, and she was gone for 14 years...”
Inspired by this courage, Amaïa has structured her itinerary around the emblematic places of the explorer's journey: Varanasi (also known as Benares), Sikkim (in northern India) and Tibet. Amaïa's itinerary:
France-India (by train until Turkey)
“My dream was to go there by land, but I had to go through places that scared me a bit, like Iran and Pakistan. I finally flew from Istanbul. But once there, I did everything by train and bus.”
India, Nepal and Tibet, in the footsteps of the explorer (all by train and bus)
“There are so many trains in India! They're very long and impressive. I was often in 2nd class, it's very noisy and lively, very different from French trains. Everyone talks to each other, and there were always people to help me find my seat.”
After her breakup, Amaïa needed to go off on her own to face her fears and regain her self-confidence. “I wanted to manage on my own, without the help of those close to me.” Like the woman who inspired her, she wanted to take up the challenge of the unknown and follow her own path. “I'd been on bike trips before, including 6 weeks in Mongolia with a friend. But this was the first time I'd gone off on my own. It terrified me, but I told myself I had to do it.”
So she took the toro by the horns and made her first symbolic purchase, with a taste of personal re-conquest: the first night train of her trip, bound for Vienna. “It was an incredible feeling of freedom.”
“At the end of my trip, I reread my notebook where I'd written that I was terrified, and I'd forgotten that fear! This trip really helped me to do things for myself. Now I really carry that with me.”
Potala Palace, Lhassa, Tibet
When you think of destinations where it's safe to travel alone as a woman, India doesn't usually top the list. On the contrary, we tend to associate this country with anecdotes of unwanted attention and insistent stares... Yet Amaïa didn't feel insecure:
“Before I left, a lot of people told me to be careful, that everyone was going to look at me as a European woman. When I arrived, I had planned to find someone to travel with me to Benares. I did it alone and didn't even realize it. And to get to Sikkim, I found myself on a bus where I was the only woman in the middle of a hundred men - my mother's nightmare! - and everything went fine.”
What about the language barrier? “I had a bit of a complex about my level of English, even though I get by,” she confides. You get the impression that to travel alone you have to be really good at it, but even if you're not, it goes really well. In fact, I met a woman who told me she'd been traveling alone for years and didn't speak a word of English!”
Be careful, in India, you need to book your trains a little in advance, “unlike in Nepal where you can find a seat on a bus the same day”!
Her best advice for those dreaming of such a trip? “If you want to do something in life - even if it scares you - it's because you're capable of it!”
Today, Amaïa is preparing a documentary about this adventure in the footsteps of Alexandra David-Néel. In it, she will tell the story of the explorer's journey, but also what she personally went through during those 3 months, between images of her journey and cartoon animations. If you'd like to find out more or support the project, visit the documentary's Ulule page! And to keep up with Amaïa, who puts on a comedy show about self-acceptance, check out her Instagram account.
To make sure you don't miss a single episode and get inspired by our guests, don't hesitate to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening platforms. Thanks to our partner SNCF Connect, the reference app for trains and sustainable mobility, which accompanies over 15 million users on their journeys in France and Europe.
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
