Sunday 9 October 2016

Newer mornings..

The procrastinator in me kept me from writing. And it has all piled up. One blog for the first North-East trip, one for the solo travel, one for the impromptu travel, one for the well planned trip and one more for the one which doesn't take categories.

5 blogs is too much work and every story is huge. So I decided, there will be no elaborate storytelling. Just 4 highlights from each trip and maybe 1 travel tip. I hope this solution is appreciated. (probably this is what studying MBA can do to you. You number everything and then you make lists. And God alone save our spellings. I mean, MS Word alone...)



Calcutta - November 2014

1. The most beautiful thing:

Homes. They are tiny beautiful homes filled with amazingly warm people.

2. Favorite memory:

This is getting Nostalgic. I remember sitting in my friend's apartment and listening to my friend's father talk about Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

3. The best thing I ate:

The Puchkas. Undoubtedly the best!
The Rasgullas, we got 2 of them for Rs.5 in a khullad. It couldn't get better.
The Misti doiii!

4. The best thing I saw:

I will tell you what I Didn't see - The so called "Most populated" and a "very dirty city."
I saw clean, empty and dimly lit roads with people taking evening strolls.

5. When in Calcutta....

- Live in a Bengali household
- Experience their warm hospitality
- Talk in Hindi and receive replies in Bengali
- Go do some street shopping in New market and take breaks just to eat Jhal muri
- Shop for pretty colorful stoles

Darjeeling - November 2014
(The Gurdum - Sandakphu trek by YHAI )

1. The most beautiful thing:

The sunsets and the sunrises, the shooting stars, villages with just one home or one home that forms a village, the very little water days, the food sharing, the laughter, the trek, Garba with your Gujju friends in a forest.

Shot by Kunal Kabra

2. Favorite memory:

At Tumbling - Looking at a star shoot felt like a dream.
At Darjeeling, Mall road - While a band performed beautiful Nepali songs, people danced, shopped and ate all at a time..
- We took random roads and explored crazy little eating joints


3. The best thing I ate:

The Momos, Tukpa, Doughnuts and every meal at camps during the trek.

4. The best thing I saw:

The beautiful wooden homes, animal friendly people who put sweaters onto dogs that lost fur and the kids who cannot stop playing football on those tiny streets.


5. When in Darjeeling....

I cannot stop talking about Darjeeling.
Darjeeling felt like HOME!

Bombay! - July 2015

1. The most beautiful thing:

They say, "Bombay never sleeps", "Bombay is a city of dreams."
Before I went to Mumbai, I thought to myself - looks like Bombay is an insomniac like me.
But there is so much happening in the city, it cannot afford to sleep. This city dreams with it's eyes open all night and day!

2. Favorite memory:

While I sat on the Marine drive at 3 AM and kept falling in love with Bombay, a family came.
A family of about 20 people. 

While the kids ran around, their fathers or uncles were looking after them and the women unpacked dabbas of Biryani and started serving. 

That is when I realized that its the holy month of Ramadan. They were breking their fast on the Marine drive. Their very own dining table. People make the city.

That picture will last with me, forever.


The Serene view at The Marine Drive

3. The best thing I ate:

The street food at Juhu. Those were the days I ate pani puri for breakfast.
Because, why not?

4. The best thing I saw:

The city was full of life and charm.

5. When in Bombay...

Try and be awake always.

Gujarat (Ahmedabad - Bhuj - Kutch - Vadodara) - December 2015


Edited by: Sumanth Shetty


1. The most beautiful thing:

The Gujjus are funny, wonderful hosts, loving, foodies, amazing chai makers.
Live with one to know what I mean. I was lucky enough to have lived with 3 such hosts in Gujarat.

2. Favorite memory:

- I traveled solo and it was my first time. At the end of it, I felt confident and empowered
- I couch surfed for the first time
- I met a friend's friend's friend's cousin in an unknown town. And she offered to host me. I told you, people and specially the people of GJ are awesome
- I celebrated my Birthday all alone for the first time
- I came back after a long day to my host's house just to see that they really care
- They arranged a little celebration at home with cake, the best brownie ice cream in town, a long night drive on her two wheeler, a girl talk by the lake with the moon over our heads and a shot of vodka. She turned from a stranger to a bestie in a matter of two hours.

The cake and the Lake

3. The best thing I ate:

Chola fali, dhokla's on streets, the Jain pani puri and the lovely home made khana!

4. The best thing I saw:

The sunset at the White desert!

5. During a solo travel....

Travel solo but travel very safe!

Himachal - July 2016
(Kasol - Chalal - Tosh - Dharamsala)

Sketch by Rahul Kustagi

1. The most beautiful thing:

Charas! Period

2. Favorite memory:

The walls filled with Graffiti paintings, the hanging bridges connecting villages, the sound of waves from Parvathi river, the epic sunsets, the never ending treks and the peaceful Parvathi valley.

Shot by Abhijit Satyapalan


3. The best thing I ate:

- The freshly plucked and unwashed apples, pears, apricots and plums
- Shakshuka with Pita bread
- The apple pie, apple crumble, cheese cake, carrot cake at The German Bakery in Kasol or Dharamsala
- The Jolly Maker orange wine
- The unending supply of maggie everywhere
- The amazing momos
- Anythings that a cafe on top of a hill can provide
- Visit the Mcllo cafe in McLeod Ganj



Contribution to the picture by: Ashwin Shetty, Abhijit Satyapalan 


4. The best thing I saw:

The dogs that trek with you up and down the trail. Infact, they start living with you, eating with you and resting with you..

Click by: Sumanth Shetty

5. When in Any of these places....

- Go with your friends 
- Plan your trip very well. Exploring needs planning too
- Buy the hand made Dream catchers and jewelry
- Buy the crushers and the chillams



So, the fact is that you will come across fantastic people, places and stories. And like the Rajasthan Tourism advertisements say, "Kisko pata kya dikh jaaye?". 
You will never know untill you go there..

This blog is in the hope that we all will travel a little more!





4 comments:

  1. "A filled passport!
    Lungs breathed
    so much different air,
    the air of everywhere.
    It is the people you'll remember
    having gone so far
    and seen so much"
    -Credits to the creator

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. beautifully written quotations Sir :)
      indeed, its the people...

      Delete
    2. The Happy girl comes up with her blog!! :)
      Sai, your blog is too good for eyes,heart and even to tongue :) my hunger just grew more and more when I was scrolling down.
      Travel-people-music-food! pure bliss <3
      Loved every bit by bit! <3 cheers!

      Delete