It’s almost impossible nowadays to go on an actual vacation without toting along at least some form of modern technology, like a laptop or Blackberry. However, I was determined to spend my vacation in Kerala, India over the past winter break technology-free and I am proud to say that I succeeded. Instead of relying on any form of modern digital technology, I spent my vacation in India not quite remembering how to drive a stick-shift, building a nativity scene out of mud and twigs, visiting a Hindu temple, riding an elephant, and fishing.

On the second day of my stay in India, I decided to give driving a shot. In India the driver is situated on the right side of the car — normally the passenger side in the United States. And there are apparently no driving rules where I was in India, which means that there are no lanes or stoplights and no driving etiquette that I could discover. Driving over there is further complicated by the lack of automatic gears in cars, at least in the one I was driving. My attempt at driving a car with a manual transmission was unsuccessful, even though I was taught how to drive a stick-shift long ago when I first learned to drive.

Failing at driving did not interfere with my trip. One day, I was able to visit a nearby orphanage, St. Joseph’s Children’s Home, a picturesque estate-like home surrounded by inviting greenery. Although I’d expected the children to be somewhat sullen and Slumdog Millionaire-like, the children were probably the happiest and healthiest kids that I’d ever met. I spent almost an entire day there and since I’m not particularly adept at swinging on the swing or sliding on the slide, we instead built a nativity scene outside the home. Since there are no AC Moore or Michael’s craft stores there, everything was hand-crafted out of ‘earthly materials,’ including the actual figurines.

My non-technological adventures continued. The same day that I gained admittance into a Hindu temple, I was permitted to ride an elephant. Normally, non-Hindus are forbidden from entering a Hindu temple, though there are certain temples that are tourist attractions and are easily accessible. I was awed by the temple’s vibrant colors and historical architecture. After I watched an elephant procession on the way home from the temple and voiced my desire to ride an elephant, my uncle arranged it. It was truly an unforgettable experience, though I doubt that I will ever want to ride a 10-foot elephant again.

Even less exotic animal encounters were a new experience for me. Fishing in India was entirely different from the fishing that I am used to. While I normally fish with reels, rods, and worm bait, such equipment is not readily available there. I was forced to rely on hand-crafted fishing spears and dried dough for bait. It was especially difficult to ‘reel’ in a fish; when I caught my first fish, I had to manually pull the fishing line from the water and rest it on the ground without losing my balance. I ended up catching more fish with dried dough than I would have with earthworms and a modern rod and reel.

My trip to India over winter break was probably the first actual vacation that I have ever had from omnipresent digital technology. My experiences were far more exciting than checking for missed calls on my phone or new e-mails on my laptop.

Giby George is currently a sophomore at Drexel University, majoring in biological sciences with a pre-med concentration.