How I Realized Not to Ride an Elephant Anywhere in the World

Asia is a famous part of the world where the elephants are a common sight. Whether it is India, Thailand, or Sri Lanka, one can easily spot an elephant and take a ride on its back for fun and frolic. Whenever I would see an elephant earlier, I would ask my friends to join me for a fun trip. However, it was not too late when I realized that I should not do it. I still remember my first giant ride in Delhi when I was there with a friend who had come from Mumbai. It was around eight at night when I was there in Connaught Place, and we spotted an elephant with its mahout, the master of the animal. The man seemed to have a good reputation with the giant being, and as soon as he gestured, the elephant bowed to its front knees to let us sit on it.  

Our joy could see no bounds when we realized that we were going to ride an elephant in reality. The mahout let us sit on the square seat that he had created on the back of his tamed creature. As soon as the elephant got up, we had to grip the bars of the seating tightly to avoid falling from the top of a huge animal that we had even touched for the first time. Just in the flash of a second, I could imagine myself being trampled under the foot of the elephant if he got angry. Nevertheless, it was too much to think of when all we had to do was to hold the iron bars tightly. 

As soon as the elephant started moving, we started enjoying the bumpy ride. Although the mahout charged us a hefty amount for a two hundred-meter ride, we did enjoy the trip to the best. We wanted to be there on the back of the elephant for at least a few more minutes, but before we realized, the journey got over. We got the pictures clicked with the adorable living thing, and went ahead to have the dinner with our hearts full of joy. At several other instances, including ones in Mumbai, Ludhiana, and Kerala, I took the pleasure of elephant rides. However, it was when I was there in Mumbai when the realization dawned on me that I was indulging in a cruel act for my sake of fun.

I was there with the same friend in Mumbai who had come to my city, Delhi when we first enjoyed the ride. We had taken a Car Rental Mumbai to explore her city of dreams. While having a great time around the grand town, we spotted an elephant again. As soon as we saw the animal, we giggled and immediately decided to ride it once more and relive our memories of Delhi. We took the trip on the animal as we had resolved, but as soon as we were about to leave the place, we noticed something that changed our perception towards animals forever.  

The mahout of the animal was poking sharp iron rode on its leg when the elephant refused to obey his orders. Maybe the elephant was sick and tired for the night, but his master was not ready to let go of his earning for the day. He wanted to get more out of the elephant, but the beast was adamant not to give in. After the mahout tortured it for a couple of times more, he had no choice but to agree. It was a terrible sight to see, and I could see it in the eyes of the elephant that he would never forget a human being for treating him like this. I recalled my so-called learnings of school when I had gained the knowledge that the lions, rabbits, and elephants are tormented to entertain the humans. I immediately decided not to indulge in this heinous act of riding an elephant again in my life, and so did my friend.

Going for a Paan Break in Jaipur

A few cities in India are famous for certain things that are truly unparalleled. Just like Nagpur is famous for oranges, Jaipur has earned the fame for Paans. For those who are new to India and its traditions, Paan is a mouth-freshener prepared with a combination of betel leaf, areca nut, tobacco (occasionally), fennel seeds, gulkand, katha, mukhwa, and many other refreshing ingredients. The psychoactive and stimulant effects of this fantastic creation are well-known from centuries in India and abroad. The Mughals have it mentioned in their scriptures as well. It is a simple, yet complex creation, which requires years of practice and expertise. Only a few Paan sellers in the country have been able to become famous for their variety of paans. 

Jaipur is one such city in Rajasthan where eating a Paan after a meal is a must-do. When I went there last month in October, I had made an elaborate itinerary to visit various forts and palaces. However, all of my plans failed because I had not managed my itinerary well. Nevertheless, few good things also happened on our vacation. I am blessed to have a supportive family who does not crib over petty issues. Even though our plans did not work out well in Jaipur, we still had a great time with each other.

It was our first day in Jaipur when we saw a massive crowd in front of a bicycle. Our first thought was that there must have been an accident, which is why such dozens of people were present. However, the presence of BMWs and Audi’s made it a little fishy scene. I got down from my car to find out what was wrong as the traffic was already moving at a snail’s pace. To my utter surprise, it was nothing else, but the rush to grab the Paan from the seller. I had never seen such a swarm of people maddening around to grab a piece of mouth-freshener. 

I have bought Paan from a few sellers in Delhi who are really famous for their creations. They sell a wide range of paans in flavors like chocolate, strawberry, Maghai Paan, Saada Paan, Paan, Banarasi Paan, Meetha Paan, Silver Paan, Rasamalai Paan, Gold Paan, Chocolate Paan, Bangla Paan, Tambaku Paan, Misti Paan, Jagannath Paan, and Kalkatti Paan. I must say that I have googled these names from just one source, and these are only a few variants of Paan sold in Delhi. Despite such a vast assortment of their creations, none of the sellers are able to attract more than ten buyers at one time.

Anyway, I got down to know what was so special about this seller. After waiting for a good fifteen minutes, I could manage to have my turn to buy his special creation of Paan. To my utter surprise, the person was not even preparing the Paan. He had already got his stock ready from home, and he was selling only Meetha Paan, which was quite cold I must say. He would take out the required number of paans from his storage box, probably a mini-refrigerator, and give them to his customers. I grabbed the four paans for my family, paid the price, and rushed back to my Self-Drive Car Rental Jaipur. 

As I gave my parents and sister the famed paans of Jaipur, and opened my share of this majestic creation, I looked at my sister who was about to ask something from me with her mouth filled with paan. As I was gulping down the cold and fresh paan, she asked me the name of the seller, and my reaction was, "Oops! I didn't ask for it!" What a shame! No, I did not go there again in the long queue to ask it.

Being Twenty-Something and Not Going Broke to Go for a Vacation

Not being penniless in my twenty-something has been the most significant achievement of my life until now. Although the student life in my teens felt awesome, sometimes it felt terrible to feel almost broke. No matter how much money my father would deposit in my account, my pockets would always be empty just like a typical student studying in a different city than the hometown. Now that I have started earning a decent income after college, I feel at least a little relieved that I do not have to ask for money from my Dad. I would rather be able to send money home after a few years of being in a job. 

Since this is my first job as an IT engineer, the environs around me are quite standard as it would be in an IT company. My office is located on the outskirts of Noida, and I live in a rented accommodation with my friends. With some amount of income in hand, I always feel like I can have a good lifestyle. I cannot give much attention to seemingly unnecessary things, and I do not want to regret my decisions in life. Therefore, I try to take careful decisions with informed choices. 

In my early teens, I would always think about going for a vacation, but money was always an issue. Even if I would try to make a plan, my first concern was to think about not getting broke.  Nowadays, albeit the supply of money is not unlimited, I can still make an effort to go out for 2-3 vacations in a year. The time spent with the family and friends means a lot to me; I understand that with each passing year, I might lose the time that I would never get back.

My first road trip after I joined the job was headed to Rishikesh; I went there with my friends to do white water rafting and Bungee Jumping. Everything we did there was just unforgettable. We could do anything that we wanted for the two days we had in hand in Rishikesh. Sitting on the white sand on the riverside, watching people frolicking in the Ganga River, and talking to the friends was the best feeling ever. The first vacation always remains most memorable, despite the number of voyages we take later.

The next time, I made a plan to go to Nainital with my family. It is impossible to explain the pride I felt when I could make expenses for my family. It feels speechless to have your own money in your pocket, spend it on your family, and see the gratification on their faces. They feel speechless to express the delight they feel when they realize that their kids are gradually becoming self-dependent. I can do the spending forever to see that smile on the faces of my parents.

The last trip that I took this year was headed to Pune. After partying a lot for more than a year, I felt like relaxing in the lap of nature. I had never been to South India, so I decided to take a quaint road trip this time. With my friend who works in the city, I took a Self-Drive Car Rental Pune and went to a couple of places to explore the southern region of India. No doubt that I like the hills of the North, but I also fell in love with the beaches of the South in the country. I reassured myself that in the next three years, I would take at least one trip every year to this region, without going broke!