The Monks Who Laughed When the Bumblebee Stung Me

Jet-set and elevate your spirit with the adventures of a solo woman explorer's offbeat odyssey! Embark on an exploration of our wonderful planet with Sumaa, an intrepid Indian solo traveller with an insatiable curiosity. Ride carefree on Cambodia’s bamboo train, bite into Napoli pizza, hike up Sapa Valley’s lush greenery, and sigh at the expanse of Russia’s Lake Baikal. The landscapes unfold, transporting you to distant realms. Yet, it is the transformative encounters with strangers on the road that hold the irresistible allure in Sumaa’s tales. The Monks Who Laughed When the Bumblebee Stung Me defies the conventions of typical travel literature, offering generous peeks into the mind of a solo traveller who repeatedly challenges and then breaks patriarchal rules. Sumaa’s narrative unveils both exotic vistas and short-term companions of the road that crack open the heart’s deepest, secluded corners while holding out a slice of home. A beacon of inspiration, this book urges you to transcend real and imaginary boundaries, embrace the path’s unpredictability, and claim your space on this vast, lonely planet. ‘The most motivational travel read since the Lonely Planet was invented.’—Zac O’Yeah, author of A Walk Through Barygaza and Digesting India