How I learned new things while traveling in India

Even though I am born and brought up in a small town in India, I did not realize the importance of a few things in life until I started traveling. When I went for my first trip to Haridwar, I did not like the crowded Har ki Paudi, where thousands of people were taking baths at the banks of river Ganga. However, I happened to visit the same holy Indian city again, but we went to a different ghaat that time, and I realized what they call offbeat travel. At that secluded ghat or the riverbank, we could take bath in peace in the pleasantly cold water of the river, sit there for as long as we wanted, and then return to the famous Har ki Paudi to witness the Ganga Aarti. Just because everyone goes to the same tourist place in a famous city does not mean that I also have to do the same.

In the recent times, I keep hearing about offbeat travel, which tells people to go to lesser known places. I smile at such articles when I remember that second visit to Haridwar. While traveling to different cities in India, I try to stay away from things and places that attract a majority of tourists. This is how I am able to explore a lot more about every city. I had heard a lot about Kasol, for example, but I found the place very disappointing as I reached there. It might have been a smoker’s heaven a few years ago, but the place is highly commercialized now. On the other hand, rather than wasting my time in the markets and cafés of Kasol, we hiked ahead to Tosh, where we found the peaceful environment we were looking for.

The same thing happened with my visit to Neemrana this year. When I was looking for hotels in Neemrana, the rooms in the fort palace were skyrocketing, and were certainly not worth the price. So I researched ahead and looked for accommodations nearby because I could not spend more than a night on that vacation. I finally found a hill fort palace in Alwar, the price of which was decent, and I enjoyed my outing with my wife to the core. It was worth spending every penny on that trip because Alwar is a place that does not attract thousands of tourists. Hence, it is not too expensive, still untouched, and people are really humble and nice. What else would you ask for in a weekend getaway when I could quickly rent a car without driver, reach my destination within four hours, and return the next day to Delhi.

Indian villages and small towns have always been my priority when it comes to vacationing. When I got a chance to visit Ujjain, I could not control my curiosity. This ancient city had been on my list of places to visit since a long time. So I prepared a list of the temples I could visit in my two days of stay in Ujjain, took recommendations from a neighborhood friend, and just set off on my road trip to the religious city in Madhya Pradesh. The Ram Mandir ghaat happened to be my favorite place among all mandirs.

The thumb rule of traveling for me is to select untouched places where not many people would want to go. Even if I find a few tourists at such places, they are like-minded people with whom I can discuss the topics of same interest. Once I am done exploring India, I will move ahead to foreign destinations.

How I Embarrassed Myself on My Road Trip in Delhi

So I am just another youthful person with stupid feelings in her heart, and I cannot keep them to myself. I have lived all my life in Delhi, and I refuse to feel ashamed of the fact that I fall for cute guys. Moreover, I keep embarrassing myself at several occasions because I confess my love at first sight to everyone I like. This time, I was destined to make a fool of myself in front of Yash, the damn cute guy in my office.

I fell for him and day he entered the office last month, and the best part was that I was supposed to report to him. God had listened to me finally and I had already started planning my life with him in my mind. The names of the kids were decided, the venue of marriage was finalized, and I knew that I would have at least three paneer cuisines on my wedding!

So… he was not coming to office since last week and I was constantly in contact with him over the call. He wanted to discuss a presentation with me yesterday, and he called me to meet him over a coffee. It would be an understatement to say that I was jumping out of joy as I disconnected the call. His words were reverberating in my mind as he had said that he would rent a car without driver so that he could drop me home. A road trip or a drive date! Whatever it was, I was elated about it.

So it was 6 pm at Café Coffee Day when I went to meet him. As we discussed the presentation, my heart was pounding in my heart. Even though I knew that I should have calmed down, I could not. I finished the work somehow, and we left for the parking lot. The coffee still felt hot in my stomach, but I pacified myself as we went through the way talking about random things.

As he saw a beggar sitting on the pavement, he donated the burger that he had got packed from the café, and I was going all awe in my heart. When he returned, I told him that it was very sweet of him to do that. I was already imaging myself as his wife donating alms to the peddlers!

It was then that he dropped the nuclear bomb!

“Do not forget to praise me when you meet my girlfriend” he blurted out!

I just somehow controlled my emotions and stopped my mouth from dropping on the ground. My body was walking on the pavement, but I was numb from inside for like 30 seconds.

He dropped me home and that road trip was the worst ever drive date with anyone. For the rest of our journey, I felt so embarrassed and talked about random things just to keep communicating. And had a sigh of relief as I reached home!

Pheww!

Being On a Road Trip with My Dog

What else do you need when you have a great buddy with you on a road trip? Everything becomes pleasant just by having someone on your side whom you love with all your heart. In my case, it is my dog whom I love so much that sometimes, I do not even need my friends. My Labrador, Shiny, is a golden-fur dog. He has been with me since my school years, and he was two months old when my Dad brought him to me. My parents always thought that I was an introvert person and that I needed to get out of the house more often. That is why; they decided to bring a four-legged friend for me with whom I could go to the parks and streets. They were right in their thinking; people often come to me to play with my beautiful dog and be kind to me as well. I may sound mean here, but I have actually made many friends just by having Shiny with me. Some of those people are still with me since years of their meeting at various places.

Trip to Pune 

A friend of mine happens to live in Pune, and he had called me to his home many times in the last few years. Since I could not find anyone to accompany me for such a long trip from Delhi to Pune, I decided to take Shiny along. He was super happy to be in the car, although he also showed some tantrums sometimes. He enjoyed the pleasant weather during February last year along with the delicious food that I had got for him. I did not want him to deal with an itchy stomach by constantly being in the car.

Trip to Goa

I never knew that Shiny would love beaches so much that he would never want to return. He actually enjoyed being close to the water; then he would go into the water for a quick while, and then run back to me to display how happy he was. I could feel the bliss in his heart when he was there at the beaches, even though some people were not comfortable with having a dog around them. I had to pull him out of place whenever we had to go back to the hotel, which also showed frets for the pets sometimes. As if I care!

Trip to Manali

I don't know about other dogs, but my Labrador does not feel very happy in cold weather. I decided to rent a Car without Driver and took him to Manali to see the snow and snowfall. However, he was not very happy to be there walking in the snow. He wore heavy clothes and sweaters, which were made out of my sweaters, but I still had to convince him to go out in the open air. He would always like to sleep in the cozy bed, no matter how hard I tried. Somehow, I managed to spend three days in Kullu and Manali with him, but I had to return early.

My vacations with Shiny have been very memorable, no matter it was an extended trip or a small visit to a grocery store. He is an adorable companion who loves me despite everything. He keeps himself entertained as well as everyone around him. If I have Shiny with me, I seriously do not feel like being with other people. However, he has taught me to be more social and more courteous to others than I ever used to be. More than me, my parents are grateful to him.

The Coziness of Traveling With Family

No one in the world can teach us the way our parents teach us. My father has also been the legendary in making me what I am today. He has given me some values, which I can never forget ever in life. His schooling for me and my sister have been monumental for us as well as our extended family. One thing that he always insisted upon to keep the family united was going for a vacation at least twice a year. Even when we could not afford a car, we used to go by bus or a train. Nevertheless, he made sure that we went out to another city in India to rebuild our bond with the family.

Values we get from traveling

We went to Shimla last year, and the weather was not very pleasant. We were expecting a snowfall, but we did not find any. All of us were in a lousy mood, expect the head of our family. He thought of making the most of every minute we spent in Shimla and Kufri, where they say it snows every year. It was the end of December, and heavy tourist footfall was expected in a couple of days. We bought a fruit beer from a small shop in Kufri, and he did his best to boost up the mood of the family. Acts like this from his side made sure every time that we did not have a bad time. As usual, he was successful in his attempts to cheer us up.

Nonetheless, we were about to return from the place when the snow began falling from the sky. It was the first snowfall of my life; I was only twelve years of age. The smile on my face as I enjoyed the snowfall is still captured in the photograph that he clicked. His passion for photography has effortlessly passed on to me. Now that I have become a father, I do not forget to capture every significant moment in my Smartphone.

By traveling with family, I have learned the importance of sharing and caring. Although I would fight with my sister over every little thing, I can still remember when I was dressing the wound on her feet in Jaipur. My parents watched us with the feeling of proud in their eyes as I helped her calm down and let me do the dressing. Another instance that I can recall is that my little princess would always share her piece of cake with me after I was done chasing her for an extra share. She has a habit of teasing me until I get frustrated with her, but she does not forget to give to me everything I need.

Recently, I planned to rent a car without driver to take the entire family to Bir where we could enjoy some peaceful time. When we grow up, we become busy in our lives, and the same has been the case with us. After living in Bangalore for more than six years, I realize the occupations of typical urban life. I used to like shopping for clothes so much, but now there is no time to go to any mall. I have to suffice with surfing online and buy whatever is available.

Nevertheless, the comfort that I feel with the family is never the same with other people, no matter their closeness to me. I try to pass on the same values to my kids so that they can also relate their experiences of life to the ones gathered during childhood.

Buy Diamonds in Delhi with Just a Few Bucks in Pocket

What is the definition of a diamond? It is something that you can wear on your hands or neck once in a while and be happy that it shines brightly in a party. It is meant to make you happy at the end, which I suppose anything else can do as well. In my opinion, food is something that gives me equal happiness as diamonds. I am a big-time foodie, and l like to experiment with foods all around Delhi. Rather than spending one lakh bucks on a piece of tiny stone, I would rather be happy with bare hands and spend that money on life experiences.

Food travel rather than anything else is my cup of tea, and I can spend any amount of money on it. Travel, at least in India, costs much less than diamonds, and it suits my current state of earning. I would surely buy a diamond for myself rather than expect it from my guy, but I want to win many more experiences before that. Let me share a few instances when I had the best time of my life, in addition to delicious food, in Delhi.

The Qila  

The Qila is situated in Qutub Institutional Area in a quaint region in Delhi. I just love this area because of the peace it provides. Being there with my spouse before marriage for a romantic candlelight dinner was one of the most breathtaking feelings ever. It was the time when I did not know him much, and we talked for an hour on the terrace of the restaurant under the full moon. The best thing about the place is that no one disturbed our piece as we stood there in each other’s arms watching the moon. Nowhere in Delhi or India have I experienced such a place where I can sit with my partner for an endless time without any interruption. 

When we returned, we were welcomed with complimentary snacks, to begin our wine. The bread, I must say, tasted delectable with the sauces. The quantity of food is not what you look for at such places, but the experience of being with someone you love with all your heart. The time spent at a restaurant like The Qila is much more precious than anything in the world. I still look at the lone picture we got clicked from a person, and the smile on our faces is priceless. No diamond in the world can give me that smile when I wear it, but looking back at those memories can. After we got married this December, we still rent a car without driver every time we wish to have a fantastic drive and have a great time together. Again, the feeling of being in each other's company is the most precious feeling for me. Yes, I would like to have many more diamond-like candle-light dinners in future with my bae in all corners of the world.