They say travel broadens the mind. If that is the case, my mind must be really broad by now. Although my surface travels have been limited primarily to India, in my mind I have traveled far and wide to regions known and unknown. This is in honour of all the trips I’ve made, all the people who have accompanied me, and all those I’ve met during these trips.
I didn’t travel much before my marriage. I started keeping a record of my travels even later, after my baby was born in 2000. Here are a few of my travel tales and my travel logs.
TRAVEL TALES
A Birthday Celebration in Nainital - This year my birthday falls on a weekend, so we are going out of town to celebrate. My husband votes for his favorite destination, Saat Taal. I give in a little half heartedly since our last trip was also to Saat Taal. Then while browsing for accommodation online, I notice that the KMVN guesthouse atContinue reading "A Birthday Celebration in Nainital"
A Completely Unplanned Trip to Mamallapuram - The original plan was to go to Bangalore, then Alleppy district in Kerala, then Chennai, and finally to Puducherry (Pondicherry). Sounds like a weird plan, I know, but the primary purpose was to visit family and took into account various people’s availability. Puducherry was the only place that we were planning to visit for touristyContinue reading "A Completely Unplanned Trip to Mamallapuram"
A Cruise to Green Island - One of the most popular activities when visiting Far North Queensland is a Reef Cruise. Green Island is a coral cay, about 27 km offshore from Cairns in Queensland, Australia. The island is surrounded by coral reef and protected as the Green Island National Park. Although Green Island has a luxury resort, most visitors comeContinue reading "A Cruise to Green Island"
A Memorial for a Memorial? - I have seen a lot of memorials. In Delhi, it is difficult to walk a kilometre without stumbling upon a memorial or two. But a memorial for a memorial? Overkill, isn’t it? But when you get to know the circumstances, it seems quite justified. The Great Ocean Road, a 234-kilometre long road along the south-eastern coastContinue reading "A Memorial for a Memorial?"
A Night in Vrindavan - November 2021 My mom had been to Vrindavan only once, and that was a long time ago. That had been a day trip of Mathura & Vrindavan, arranged by my dad’s office. I was a kid at the time and only remember that it was the sort of trip where you rush from one spotContinue reading "A Night in Vrindavan"
A Picnic Lunch at Apollo Bay - Previous – Kennet River Apollo Bay is a picturesque seafood village along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Tranquil beaches with great surfing options are the highlights of this coastal town. Though quieter and smaller than nearby Lorne, Apollo Bay is now a popular tourist place as most Great Ocean Road tour buses, likeContinue reading "A Picnic Lunch at Apollo Bay"
A Song and Dance About Garbage - The hills are alive With the sound of music,With songs they have sung For a thousand years... …sang Maria in the opening scenes of the evergreen Sound of Music. But the song reverberating through the Bhimtal hills these days has just been around for the last five years or so and goes something like this:Continue reading "A Song and Dance About Garbage"
Aloha On the Ganges, Rishikesh – A Review - Usually, when we visit Rishikesh, we stay at the Ganga Resort run by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). But it hasn’t yet resumed operations after the Covid lockdown. So this time, we tried a new resort, Aloha on the Ganges. Aloha on the Ganges is a beautiful, 3-star resort in Tapovan, Rishikesh, a little aheadContinue reading "Aloha On the Ganges, Rishikesh – A Review"
At Kennet River - Previous – Anglesea | Next – Apollo Bay After our stop at Anglesea for coffee, the next stop was about an hour later at Kafe Koala, Kennet River. Our driver guide said that we are bound to spot a koala or two here so we set out after him along a side path near KafeContinue reading "At Kennet River"
Back in Bhimtal - We had been itching to come back to our place in Bhimtal all through Summer but dared not venture out after the dreaded 2nd wave, which claimed so many. In our society in the NCR, there were more than 300 cases at the time, 17 in our tower itself. So for more than two monthsContinue reading "Back in Bhimtal"TRAVEL LOGS
My Travel Log (2000 to 2008) - My son was born in year 2000. I started maintaining a travel log for my son so that he could read all about it when he was grown up. Every year, I took a print out of the log and attached it to his baby book. It turned out to be a good idea asContinue reading "My Travel Log (2000 to 2008)"
Year 2009 - Why am I writing about Year 2009 in 2019? Well, as it happens, I’ve completed ten years at my current place of employment. During the celebratory spring-cleaning of my laptop, the 3rd one in this office, I discovered 10 years’ worth of pictures. I backed up the pics promptly on google, but then I thoughtContinue reading "Year 2009"
Year 2010 Trips - By the start of this year, I had settled down in my new company and made new friends. The new year seemed a good time to plan a trip with some of these new friends. After last year’s surfeit, we made fewer trips this year. Or possibly, I didn’t take photos of all my trips.Continue reading "Year 2010 Trips"
Year 2011 Trips - Prev The year started out with my husband deciding to quit a regular job and start freelancing. His aim was to be able to spend more time on travel, especially to the hills. He had always dreamed of moving to the hills and work from there. Unfortunately, our company didn’t support working from home onContinue reading "Year 2011 Trips"
Year 2012 Trips - Prev January in Bhimtal We started our new year in Bhimtal. My sister and family were visiting. My li’l niece turned One on Dec 31, so we partied into the New Year. We also made a day trip to Mukteshwar. January – A New Arrival in the Family We got a little puppy for myContinue reading "Year 2012 Trips"
Year 2019 Trips - April – Kerala The first trip of the year – a hastily booked trip to my hometown when my dad passed away. I’m not yet ready to talk about it. Someday. April – Rishikesh My dad had been talking about revisiting Haridwar and Rishikesh for some time but hadn’t been able to make it dueContinue reading "Year 2019 Trips"
Year 2020 Trips - January – Rishikesh We ushered in 2020 in Rishikesh. We had come here a few days earlier and stayed at GMVN’s Ganga Resort. Then on 31st December 2019, we joined our friends at Parmarth Ashram. They were celebrating their 25th anniversary and had invited a few close friends and relatives. Apart from the famous aartiContinue reading "Year 2020 Trips"
Year 2021 Trips - So another year comes to a close and it’s time to log this year’s trips! January – Rishikesh We try to go to Rishikesh at least once a year as it is our family’s favorite destination. This year we went to Rishikesh on the Republic Day long weekend. We stayed at Aloha on the Ganges,Continue reading "Year 2021 Trips"
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