Travelling with a friend or a group.... lessons learnt...

Travelling to me is more than just visiting a new destination. It is all about an experience that starts with the journey going all the way till the day I pack my bags to head back to base. And one of the things I have always believed that when you travel with someone is when you see their true colours.. You see sides to them you did not know existed, left right up down wherever.. But you get the drift, right?

While most of my trips have been solo, there have been a few with people I know.. rather I thought I knew.. but boom, I was in for a surprise and not a pleasant one at that. But then on the other hand, there are folks who have made the trip memorable with who I had a good time.. So, you win some and lose some..

Travelling with someone you know means,

•     You need to be open to conflict of ideas.
• You should be willing to adjust and do things you normally wouldn’t do
• You should learn to stay silent at certain times [ when blowing up a fuse might only make it unpleasant or turn nasty]
• You should be ok with twists and turns [ the times when your companion suddenly decides they want to sleep in, or go shopping while you want to get an early start and visit some of the cultural sights or take a tour of few hours]
• You should be willing to accommodate their whims and fancies
• You should be prepared for hours of ranting and venting [instead of spending a few quiet minutes before calling it a day]
• You should be ready to hand hold and guide them around, instead of just doing something on your own/at your own pace
• You should learn to control your emotions and not let it ruin your holiday
• You should be willing to have them get mad at you for being honest, but move ahead
• You should accept that they are gonna do what they are gonna do and just tune out
• You should sometimes cut chord and decide to go your separate ways and meet before flying out back to base.
• You should let them indulge and take photographs of you and you need to click them as well.. :D

And then there is the other spectrum -Group travel, where many a times you know none-  maybe the organizers or you have a friend travelling with you. For ex, I did Leh Ladakh with a group I connected through a duo who organized trips [ most of them are treks ex delhi- JustWravel].. These days with technology what it is, instantly a whatsapp group is created with those travelling on those dates and messages fly to & fro, including important information about the trip. Surprisingly for the Leh trip, a group was formed only when there was a crisis and all were needed to find an alternative solution. The group then continued to remain where we shared links to photographs and blog links.. I then got out of it, cos it did not make sense to just have a group where I had nothing to share..

Part of the group at Sanchi Stupa.... :-) 

In such group trips, the ballgame is entirely different from travelling with just a friend/colleague/partner. Things you need to take note of,

1.     Group Dynamics- not everyone is the same. The needs, lifestyle and personalities are varied and so there are bound to be clashes, arguments. It is all about how you choose to handle things.

Some in the group might not be as fit as others and so take longer to complete a task, or a hike. Similarly, some will sleep in late, causing a delay in the entire schedule. At times, you might have people whine and crib about things like accommodation, food etc and so will demand things being done differently for them. Sometimes the organizers will bend over, but in most cases things are all preset and so nothing can be done.

2.     Adjust and accommodate – There are times things could go wrong and one needs to be prepared for it. This applies to all aspects of life. One cannot huff & puff saying it was meant to be a certain but things aren’t what they were promised. During Leh trip, many a times we got delayed on the road because of roadblocks. These are elements beyond the organizers’ control right? So, all we could do was be patient, have some fun while waiting and move on… One needs to also adjust when there is someone who is battling with motion sickness or needs to use the restroom urgently, etc. There are always things that will crop up, and these cannot all be pre-informed/planned

3.     Be polite, be civil and survive the trip – There will be times when you are ready to lose it, yell or just go on a debate you know aint gonna end well. But time to pause, think about why you are where you are and regain focus. It then becomes easy to deal with people who are different from you J

Walking through the streets of Ranwar Village in Bandra, Mumbai

Narrow lanes, quaint independent houses and bungalows is the first thing you see as you step into Ranwar village, dating back to 1716.. This is one of Mumbai's treasures.. an area not many are even aware of.  All this right there in Bandra, one of the buzzing areas in Mumbai..  

This village consists of bungalows on each side standing tall since the early 1900s, divided by Veronica Street. And for those familiar with Waroda Road and the small eateries around here, then you should take a small detour towards Ranwar Village.

There are fire hydrants, small cross, a church of sorts and so much more packed within these walls. And then the street art, oh it is so bohemian and chic.. If only the walls could talk, they would tell some amazing stories I bet..

The short walk down the narrow lane will lead you towards the Ranwar Square – it is said to be the hub of cultural activities back in the days. Since 1866 when it came into existence, the place has hosted the Cross feat, community rosary recitals and many other activities. The wells here are known to have gold that was hidden by locals to save them from Arab pirates. There is also a story that these wells were used to swim by the villagers on the feast of John the Baptist... Who knew so much lay tucked away within the streets of such a happening city....

Skywatch Friday... Beyond the planes

Had just landed at Bangalore Airport, walking towards the shuttle I spotted this beautiful sky and cloud formation....

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Vegas and all the jazz.. Part 2.. Hoover Dam

Well, after an eventful first few hours at Vegas, 

and the fantastic visit to Grand Canyon, 

I was all set for the 2nd round...

Where were we headed? Next on the agenda was Hoover Dam... I had seen images of the place and read about it but this was the 1st time I was actually going to see it.. We drove down the deserted road and then the bus pulled into a parking lot. All around was nothing but mountains and a bridge, I also spotted a sign board saying "Welcome to Nevada", but there was no sight of the Dam. I wondered if it was hidden away and I would walk around the corner and ta da, it would loom large. But that was not the case. There was a walkway with a spiral pathway going up the hill. All along the way, there were  boards talking about the Dam, how it was built, how long it took and so on. Quite informative and detailed. 

Thus began the walk up the slope, while it wound round and round , going up quite a bit, it wasn't a tiring walk. There was a curved structure of sorts with stone benches near the top, along with few more information boards, before you step on to the bridge sidewalk and see the Dam down below.

From the boards, I came to know that the Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada.Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, and is located near Boulder City, Nevada.. It was built between 1931 and 1936 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and is named for President Herbert Hoover; from 1933 to 1947 it was known as Boulder Dam. A key unit on the Colorado, the dam is a major supplier of hydroelectric power and provides for flood control, river regulation, and improved navigation.

We could feel the entire sidewalk vibrate every time a car drove by on the bridge behind us. Not to forget how windy it was.. I nearly thought I was going to be blown away... After a few minutes standing there, seeing all the structures around the Dam, we made our way back down the path to the parking lot. I could still feel the path vibrate with the traffic increasing with every minute...  As I made my way towards the vehicle, I thought about what it must be like to go closer to the Dam and witness the water gushing out the doors.... Amazing how much history a place offers..

A few links to interesting read about the Dam- 
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/7-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-hoover-dam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam Stay tuned for more from my trip to USA....