Kindness Never Gets Out Of Fashion

People who never leave their comfort zone are the ones who give the advice to others to do the same. I have met countless people who tell me to stop going for so many road trips and stay in my city so that I can be safe. I have tried convincing them that the world is a safer place than they show in the TV, but I have stopped telling them so now because people don’t want to listen what I tell them. They are only interested in the scary stories that they see in the news.

I understand how tough it is for people who want to go for solo trips to trust their instincts and not the news, but I would still say that people around the world have many things similar in their hearts. They have same aspirations, dreams, needs, and necessities. There are numerous people around the globe who would go out of their way to help me and many more travelers.

Last year, we made an instant plan to travel to the Chandratal Lake in Himachal Pradesh, which was a huge mistake, for sure. We could not procure the permit online to cross Rohtang Pass, so we thought we would try our luck at the permit office directly. The entire journey was going against the plan, but we were still adamant to reach our destination. We had already begun our journey quite late, and there was no way we would reach in time in one day. After it was dark, we got at least two families telling us to take a halt and resume the journey the next day.

Again, we were in trouble because we could not find an accommodation. We even thought of sleeping in the car, but we were six people and we did not have enough blankets to survive the chilly cold nights of the region. We might have died of cold had an old man not helped us to stay at his hut. It was a low-roof hut where we could barely stand, but we slept well at least for a few hours. The kind old man helped us to find fuel the next morning. The best part is that he did not take advantage of our situation by charging excessive money. We coerced him to accept money, which he had not asked for, thanked him from the bottom of our hearts, and resumed our journey. However, we pledged that we would never make instant plans for such risky destinations.

Once again, when I was in Goa trying my luck at parasailing, even though I am scared of water, as well as, heights, I found a kind lady soothe me. My family had hired Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore and we had driven to Goa. They all wanted to go for water sports, but I did not. No amount of compelling convinced me to agree, but a kind lady did just by her empathetic words.

There are many other instances where I found several people compassionate and benevolent, especially when they know that someone is in trouble. We just need to give the world a chance; we live on a beautiful earth indeed.

How I Enjoy My Vacation in India and Abroad

After being a traveler for so many years, it is not easy to write down what I like the most about a place. Nonetheless, I do like to travel to various places, most of which are in India, and some of them are abroad. Here is my top list of things that I love to do, no matter where I am.

Enjoy being idle

Whether I am at an airport or a railway station, I just love sitting at a place to watch people busy in their lives. In my usual city life, I barely get a chance to sit with myself. That is why; I enjoy the waiting period at such places and do nothing at all. Even if I feel sleepy, I prefer to stay awake and observe people doing various things. There are parents busy with their cute kids, old people struggling to read the newspaper, people from various backgrounds struggling to find their train or the way to boarding the airplane.

I also love to wait for people at the cafés, restaurants, or public parks unless I have something urgent in my schedule. While I was sitting in the garden city browsing self drive cars in Bangalore, I met a lovely elderly couple who talked about their life history with me. It was intriguing to know how they survived a plane crash in London. I had never met a truly grateful person before that day, and just one session of conversation made me realize the gifts I had in my life. 

Read books

I am not a tech-savvy person at all, which is why I never thought of buying a Kindle to pursue my love for reading books. Even though I am a lazy reader, I am persistent at it. During my airport hours, I make sure to read something if the waiting time is too long. The railway stations in India sell interesting novels at throwaway prices, and I buy them in abundance whenever I get a chance.

Window shopping

There used to be a time when I would shop for literally anything that caught my eye at a tourist destination. However, I have matured as a traveler with time and I am not an impulsive buyer anymore. Nonetheless, it does not mean that I have stopped visiting the local markets completely. Now I prefer to go for window shopping and shop for things that I truly feel will not take any extra space at home. I don’t like to haggle too much with the locals of a tourist place, which is why, I tell the shopkeeper upfront that I am only looking around at stuff and I don’t intend to buy anything. They also understand my thoughts as they encounter several window shoppers in a day. I get out of a shop once I am done satisfying my eyes with the beautiful local stuff.

Travel gives a lot of time to kill, but I love to enjoy it rather than just pass the time.

Things I Have to Deal with While Traveling in India

I, being a local Indian traveler, just love this country. I have always believed that India has much more natural and artificial beauty than any other country. I have never thought of traveling abroad just for the sake of it, or just because many other Indians are doing so. Yes, I have been to a couple of exotic countries abroad, but my faith in my country has never been less. Having said all that, there are a few things about local travel that I simply hate. I cannot come to terms with these few aspects of roaming around in India, despite the fact that I have been an independent traveler for more than five years. And the verity that I am a backpacker, these irritable things just amplify.

Filthy toilets

Given that there is already a scarcity of public toilets in India, I have to use any washroom that is available on my journey. If I travel by bus, I barely have a choice. And it is rare that I travel by car because that is very expensive mode of transportation for a single person. When I went to Coorg with family last year, we had taken Innova Car for Self Drive in Bangalore, which proved cheaper and more convenient for six members plus the driver. Coming back to the point of dirty toilets, they stink so badly that I try to hold my breath for as long as I can. I have to cover my mouth with a heavy cloth so as to breathe clean air, just in case I take more than fifteen seconds in there. It is my best attempt to come out of the lavatory in less than 30 seconds.

Dealing with touts and auto-rickshaw drivers

As soon as I get down a bus, come out of a metro station or an airport, the drivers of auto-rickshaws, manual rickshaws, or taxis jump on me like I am the only passenger left in this world who will pay their bills. Even though I don’t look like I am a foreigner, they attack me so mercilessly. I wonder the plight of poor foreigners who don’t even understand the local language. I cannot blame the drivers or touts entirely for their behavior, but they should understand that this is not the way to approach any tourist. The travelers take back a reputation of any place in their mind when they return, which is determined by the behavior of the locals. They need to learn the civic sense to deal with their neighbors and tourists because the traveler would always spread the bad word about such occurrences, whether it happens in India or abroad.

I love to travel in India, but I cannot ignore the fact that these disturbing these are present in my own country. If I cannot sustain dirty toilets and ill-mannered locals, the foreigners who talk ill about India are not to blame. Indians, please understand the value of tourism and the tourists.

Why I Don’t Quit Traveling Despite Facing Challenges?

Someone asked me in my office that I always tell them the difficulties I faced while traveling, so why don’t I quit traveling? Yes, he had a point, but I also had an answer. I asked him whether he will listen to my stories if I would tell him all the pleasant things. Wouldn’t it get too boring to narrate the stories of places of saw and the cuisines I ate? Moreover, challenges are a part of a journey, which I learned with time and I love those problems.

Leaving home for a long trip is pain; a real pain for sure. No matter I want to leave my comfort zone when I get bored of my regular life. However, when it is time to leave home for a long time, I feel the discomfort in my heart and mind. Moreover, I hate leaving the family behind for more than a week. I know that I would miss my family, friends, pets, and even the stray dogs in my street. Still, I cannot convey my anxieties to my family because they would never let me leave otherwise.

In contrast, the other challenge that I face is returning home after a long time. Just like I find my comfort zone in a regular job and routine, I find the same in wandering around doing random things. It is really tough to leave that solace that I get when I am on the road. In the backdrop, I know that the money in my bank account is vanishing and I need to go home soon, but I never want to do that. I want to be traveling all the time, which makes it even harder to go home again.

In addition, it also distresses me to see that I got out of the city to gain new experiences, but everyone else back home is busy in their mundane lives. Mom still complains about the faulty internet and TV connection. Dad keeps complaining about the politics in his office. And my friends never stop gossiping about people who make more money than them. I don’t want to call them losers, but in a way, they are. They are really harsh words for the people I love, but it is true that when you gain more than your peers, you cannot stop pitying them, if not hate them. I hate myself for saying that, but I have grown a lot more than my peers. I would never say that I don’t like them, but I cannot be like them again. I like to stay attached to my roots, yet, I like to fly high.

I have traveled to many cities in India in the last few years, and I knew that many of these places were not very safe. When I was in Varanasi, I had to be double careful about my belongings and well-being. I could never take my safety for granted because those staring eyes and incidents of crimes made me anxious. When I decided to do the bungee jumping, I knew that I could not guarantee my life. Still, I wanted to kick myself to come out of the box and I did so.

I hired Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore when I had to travel to the remote corners of Karnataka. And I took a flight when I had to travel from Bangalore to Kolkata, but nothing deterred me from being a passionate traveler. I have faced and I still deal with a lot of challenges, but nothing stops me from being who I am.

How I Keep Myself Productive While Traveling

I hate travel, especially business travel. Having said that, I must add to it that I love personal travel. I have to travel because my office asks me to do that at least twice a month. However, I have to keep myself productive because first, I have too much of work, and two, I don’t like to sit idle. People call me workaholic, but I don’t care. I do talk to people, but when I have time and willingness to do so. Let me write about how I maintain my sanity when I have too much time on my road trips or flights.

Work on less intensive work

When I am in office, I have many stressful jobs to do. However, I cannot have the same ambiance of my office at a bus station in Roorkee in North India. It is way too much to expect. Rather than cribbing over the lack of private space, I plug in my earphones and gather the less productive work. I can check my emails, pay the bills, register on a few freelancing websites, and do anything that seems too mundane in office. I hate doing these chores when I have more important things to do. But traveling gives me time to accomplish all these seemingly trivial but important things to do.

Advance planning

I have traveled to Bangalore from Delhi at least a few dozen times by now, which has made me experienced enough to understand what I should expect from the city. The situation of traffic, for example, is bad around my office in Bangalore. So I book a cab to reach from airport to office or hotel, and I use the time to do my pending things as I wrote above. However, when I have to travel for leisure around the nearby hill stations, I simply take a Car Hire in Bangalore and set off for the gorgeous hills. Similarly, whenever I have too much time to spend on an airport, I make sure that I carry my laptop charger, a novel to read, at least one academic book, and a power bank for my phone. I hate it if the battery of any of my gadgets goes too low to work. All these things need prior planning and I cannot go without it.

Adjustments, adjustments, and adjustments

Travel is just another name for adjustment and compromise, just like marriage. Even though I am not married, I can still say that I am lucky enough to have gained enough experience of adjusting to adverse situations. I hope it will help to cope with my married life. Nevertheless, without getting distracted from the topic, I should mention what I do to not feel distracted from my work. I know that I can use the headphones and listen to some really loud music, but it is not healthy throughout the journey. I feel several distractions while working in office as well, but I have learned to focus really hard on my work, no matter what is going on around me.

When it comes to kids getting cranky at an airport, I have to ignore them and focus on my work. Sometimes, I have a presentation to give within a few hours of landing in another city, and I cannot pay attention to the mess around me. Therefore, I have trained myself to just concentrate, despite everything.

Isn’t it a blessing in disguise to have developed so many traits just by traveling for work? I feel great when I look back at what I have achieved and I have so many milestones to achieve.

Things I Learned on My First Visit to Bangalore

Even though I had never thought about living in Bangalore, life took me there in the beginning of 2018, and it was a mix of sweet and sour memories. The best part about this city is that Bangalore is full of vigor and joyful people. On the other hand, the worst part is that you cannot bear the traffic situation here. The roads are too narrow to bear the huge number of vehicles on the road.

Thankfully, I had to spend only a month in Bangalore, so I used to take everything in a happy stride and be cheerful about things. Having said that, I cannot blame people for cribbing about a few things about their metropolitan life in Bangalore because they were absolutely right in their place. I, being a traveler, understand that problems tend to magnify when you have to face them again and again.

Since I am quite comfortable in the English language, I did not face any problem in communicating with people. A few people that I had met while traveling, though had a problem with the locals never speaking in Hindi. The local residents here speak either English or Kannad, their mother tongue.

Once, I had to go to the Cubbon Park, which was a few kilometers of distance from the mall where I was. So I tried to board an auto-rickshaw, but could not find one. I asked a guy standing beside me waiting for an auto as well; he responded that finding an auto in Bangalore is sheer luck. Sometimes, they come and at other times, they would just never cross your way. It was a brilliant thought for my mind, and I thought that it is better not to rely on the auto-rickshaw drivers for traveling.

I asked the same man about the alternatives to traveling around, to which he said that I should hire a cab or a car rental Bangalore, the latter of which is the better option because I did not have to depend on a driver to come. I cannot thank that guy enough for his valuable suggestion because having a car ready to drive anywhere I wanted saved a lot of time, even though I had to bear the traffic at times. But at least, I did not have to wait forever for a cab or an auto-rickshaw to come.

In my short stint in Bangalore, I visited the old places like Bangalore Palace, Vidhana Souda, Cubbon Park, and Lalbagh to witness the glory of olden times. Additionally, I visited the new constructions such as unique restaurants, high-end hotels, IT companies, and multiplexes. It was certainly an interesting vacation plus work stint in Bangalore, about which I have fond memories.

I also went to Coorg, which is just a few kilometers from Bangalore, and it was a mesmerizing vacation for sure. I got to know a lot about coffee plantations, and I can never thank the polite locals of Coorg. I think I would go to Bangalore again, given a chance because there is a lot more left to explore around this city.

My Experience of Trying New Foods in India

During my entire life in Israel, whenever I thought of visiting India, I had never thought of skipping the Indian street food. However, when it came to actually visiting India, I went through the articles online, and they literally scared me out. Almost every article about tips to visit India talked about not trying the street food, and it was a huge disappointment for me. However, I went deeper into the details, asked a few friends, and finally decided that I would surely devour these delicacies, but from the trusted sellers.

So, here I was in Mumbai as my first stop in India. After I dropped my bags in my hotel, I straightaway asked the hotel reception for the nearby seller where I can get batata-wada, wada-pao and pani-puri. He stared at me as if I had come from Mars. I could understand this poor guy’s confusion and I told him that I had already researched well about the Indian food and that I wanted to try every possible thing.

He guided me to locate a few outlets, and also suggested me to try things like Bombay sandwich, paav bhaji, sev puri, kandha pohe, thaali peeth, and aamras. I felt grateful to him for the information that he gave me, and just rushed out of the place to see places and stuff my tummy with the delicacies of Mumbai.

My next stop was in Bangalore and the food traveler in me wanted to explore the foods of this city as well. There is no one stopping me when it comes to sniffing out foods. Now I had my list of target cuisines ready with me, but I needed a car to travel around since the public transport is not so great in the city. I hired a Self Drive Car Rental Bangalore Innova from a mobile app, and rushed to find out what I wanted. I tried the famous masala dosa, apple pie, Andouille Sausage on Sourdough Toast, mangalore buns, dal obattu, idla vada, sambhar vada, bhaji and filet kaapi, rolls and kebabs.

By the end of my four days of stint in Bangalore, I was stuffed badly and I took rest for a day while eating only salads and drinking juices. It was relaxing for sure. Eating so much can be pure bliss, but it messes with the body weight for sure. I could not follow my passion for food for the next two days, and sufficed with eating only light foods at a friend’s place. Her mother made me eat khichdi and daliya on my special request because Indians never treat their guests with such foods that are meant for patients. She wanted to cook butter paneer and chicken biryani for me as she is a brilliant cook. However, it was amusing to see disappointment on her face as she had to feed a foreigner guest at her home with plain khichdi. Her dialogues were priceless! And my journey as well!

My First Journey in a Luxury Train in India

Traveling in trains in India is no less than a luxury, and you have to be quite bold to do that, at least alone as a women. I had heard quite a few nasty stories about solo woman travel in regular trains, so I thought of going by a luxury train called Shatabdi Express since it was my first time in the trains. It was early in the morning. Like everybody else, I was eagerly waiting for the snacks and food that are served in the train.

I was fortunate to have two elderly ladies on my both sides of seat. They were busy in their world, and so was I. I started reading a book and the music on my phone was not so pleasing, yet I had no other option. I listened to it for a while, and removed the earphones only when the first serving of snacks arrived at the time of morning tea.

The morning tea

The lady on my right and I made the tea with tea bags and milk, and gulped down our favorite drink in the morning. The lady on the left did not feel like having tea, so she took the biscuits and kept the biscuits in her bag.

The morning snacks

The next set of snacks was interesting comprising cutlets, eggs, bread, and butter. I gobble down everything in just a few seconds while paying a little attention to what my kind neighbors are doing. The lady on the right also ate the snacks, except the eggs. The woman on the left kept everything in her bag again; maybe she did not feel hungry at all. And like every other Indian, she would keep everything in her bag rather than refusing it altogether.

The soup

Two hours later, we received the next serving of soup, which I shamelessly finished again as I like to have tomato soup any time during the day. I noticed the two ladies on my sides and both of them did not drink the soup. The one on the right refused to take the serving, and the one on the left took only soup sticks and kept them in her bag again. Maybe she ate one cutlet during that time; I am not sure.

The last meal  

Just before the train reached Bangalore, we were served lunch. Without saying much, let us say that I ate and the lady on the left kept everything again in a lunch box in her bag.

Then, she called someone and said, “Beta, have you brought car hire in Bangalore? I am arriving the station in half an hour. When will you come?

I felt so small in that moment of pure selflessness that this lady had for her son, who must be an adult as he was coming to pick her up. She did not eat anything at all just because she wanted to share everything she had got with someone.

Only Indian moms can do it!

Why it is Fine not to Travel Alone

I have a problem, a problem with solo travelers who think so high of themselves and belittle non-solo travelers. I have traveled alone to a few places, loved my secluded time, but that does not mean that I would want to indulge in solo travel every time. Solo travel is not the sole best way to travel. I have seen many solo travelers bragging about their experiences, and they make sure that they make other people feel like they are missing something in life if they do not go to place alone. Many experiences in life are unique, but that does not mean that everyone should indulge in them to attain nirvana!

Many people, for example, would never think about scaling the Mount Everest. Does that mean that their life is incomplete?

Never!

I have not done bungee jumping yet, but I do not consider myself any less of a traveler. I am a mountain-trekker at heart, a sleeping buddy at the beach, and a random person on the streets of the world. I love to wander around places all alone, but that is because I have a personality like that. I like to be on my own. I like the space solo travel gives me, but I never brag about it. I hate promoting the notion that I am, in any way, superior to others. When I started solo travel, I had no idea that it would become the coolest thing on social media. I had never even thought about it. It was just more convenient for me to go around alone than wait for people to accompany me. However, I love traveling with people whenever we can make a plan.

Traveling with family

Whenever I go out with my family, I love the time I spend with them. Even if it is a short weekend getaway, I make sure to be with them. As they say, “We owe our life to our parents.” I feel the same obligation, as well as, love towards them. My parents and siblings are a cool set of people; they do not bore me at all. That is why; I love their company even if I have to go to a place like Thailand where other people would not even think about going with a family.

The spirit of travel

I don’t let anyone judge me for what I do. I have the adventurous spirit in me and the curiosity to explore places. I have the freedom to do things I like, be at places I dream about, and be with people I like. Then why on earth, I should not visit places with people. Personally saying, I get bored of my company sometimes. That is when I like to be with friends or family.

Solo travel may be fun sometimes, but not always. When the Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore were launched, I wanted to go for a road trip, but not alone. So I called two of my friends and convinced them to accompany me to Coorg. I got to drive an SUV for the first time, and I had a blast for sure. I, sometimes fall short of words when I comes to explaining my feelings to anyone. Friends are an awesome gift from God.

People are often educative, so are my friends. I love talking while driving or trekking, maybe about politics, education, country, or any random thing in the world. However, I make sure that I talk witt informative people. Many travel buddies have given me unforgettable memories, which would never have been possible if I were alone.

Why I Love Bangalore More than Any Other City in India

No matter where we are born, a village or a vast metropolitan, the place always remains close to our hearts. Then comes one place in the nation that accommodates everyone from every part of the world; such is the city of Bangalore. People from various cities and countries come to Bangalore to build their respective careers, and many make it their home forever. When you have lived in the City of Gardens for a long time, it becomes impossible to take it out of your heart.

The memories of school

The friends that you make in college and school are often the ones you can never leave, despite the number of fights and arguments you have. There was a friend in school, Alisha, with whom I used to commute. We used to have lunch at her home; her mother cooked delicious food for us, and I returned home around 6 pm only after attending tuitions with her. When you spend such length of time every day with a person for years in a row, it becomes impossible to take that person out of your heart. Although life happened, and we happened to live in different cities for college and job, we still meet once or twice in a year and cherish the time we had spent together in our childhood.

College in Mumbai was even more exciting than the time in school. I made quite a few friends in the college, went to parties with them, and a few vacations as well. However, despite staying for a few years in Mumbai, I still prefer to be in Bangalore any day.

What is great about Bangalore?

I have been to several metropolitans in the world such as the New York City, London, Mumbai, Paris, etc. Not everything about these places is as good as it seems. People seem to work all through the day and night, and still, they cannot find peace. It is my personal opinion that you have to be crazy about the materialistic things if you want to live this maddening life. I cannot live to work; I like to work only to sustain myself a reasonable standard of life. An existence without greed is the one I prefer, and I can have all of what I want in Bangalore.

In my hometown, I can travel domestically and internationally. It gives me the opportunity to drive fancy cars (not to mention the traffic jam), buy designer clothes and handbags, have decent investments, and still save for my holidays. I can rent Self-Drive Cars Bangalore in various models to drive to multiple neighboring places and have the time of my life with my friends and family. What else do I need in life? I don't want to live a dissatisfactory life where I can afford to live in a huge mansion, but my mind is not at peace.

I have been brought up with fundamental human values that my parents and relatives have given to me. They always taught me to stay away from a paycheck-to-paycheck sort of life, which I often see people doing, especially abroad. It makes no sense to me to pay a fortune for the rent of a beautiful apartment in a luxurious city when I can pay the EMIs for my house in Bangalore. My home city gives me a chance to live a modest yet modern life, and never forget my roots. People make their own choices in their lives, and I have made mine to live in Bangalore forever no matter what. 

New Forms of Scams around the World

The world has changed for sure, at some places for better, and at the other sites for worse. Pickpocketing sounds like an age-old practice that the crooks would resort to when they did not have the brains to do anything else. Nowadays, the goons have become so smart that they would steal your money right from under your nose, and you would realize it only when it is too late. The old tactics of stealing money have taken new forms, and it is easy to fall prey to them.

Pickpocketing

Imagine you are watching things and people at a crowded place like the Gateway of India in Mumbai, or New York’s Times Square. Suddenly, you hear loud voices coming from your back, and you turn around to find two people exchanging heated arguments. In no time, they start fighting with each other. Rather than asking them to calm down, people prefer to stay away. Many people, including you, even begin recording the ongoing event to upload it on YouTube later. As soon as the scuffle gets over, you start watching the video you just recorded. However, you realize in a few seconds that someone stole your wallet as you were watching and recording the fight. Doesn’t it teach you to stay away from brewing dramas in every country and walk away? Yes, you should do that.

Fragile items

Most scams require more than one person to run the act successfully. Whenever you go to a shop that sells fragile things, they would clearly mark it not to touch the products unless you want to buy them. However, the shop of a scammer operates in a different manner. The shopkeeper would place every item in your hands while telling you about their qualities and how rare they are. In reality, they are just fragile junk products that are meant to break in your hands. As soon as something breaks, the seller will raise his not-so-sweet voice, and demand a huge payment for the antique product, which was actually waste.

The shopkeeper often calls the attention of other customers in the shop, who are actually his companions in the scam. A couple of people would pose against you, but one of them would be in your favor to act as a kind person. Now this kind person would be the one who would persuade you to pay the money to avoid any problem in a new city. Even if you plan to call the police, you might find that the police is involved with the crooks.

Do not feel scared

Whether it is in Bangalore, Mumbai, or New York; you have to be cautious of the events happening around you. The age-old scams have just acquired new faces. Use your intuition to judge whether something is right or wrong. If your inner voice asks you to step back, do not hesitate to do so. You have all the rights in the world to raise your voice and call the attention of other people whenever you fear that someone is trying to coax you into paying a bribe.

While renting Self Drive Cars Bangalore or buying souvenirs in Cuba, do not pay attention to anything that seems too reasonable to be true. Research well about the place you plan to visit, find out the current scams going on at the site, join online forums, and grab as much information as you can. You may not know everything about every city before visiting, but it will give you a fair idea about how you should conduct yourself on foreign land.