Conversations about Travelling, & more...

I have been travelling for a few years now, more so in recent past. Infact, the love for travel began back in junior school. Luckily my parents let me go on every single trip, be it day trips or longer ones to new destinations. Even though they weren't big on travel, I got to explore the country-- Yayy for me! 

And over the years, I found joy in travelling alone. Initially it was because friends were busy and couldn't take time off but over time it has become something that is all mine. I infact even hesitate to tell people am travelling for fear that they will want to come along or latch on.. Maybe I am just being cautious, because I firmly believe that if you can travel with someone, then that relationship is set for life- be it a friend or otherwise. 

And the one big takeaway for me with the whole travelling alone is that I have learnt so many lessons, discovered so many things not just about myself but about how to travel smart and wise, considering am into budget backpack travel and not the lavish kind. 

Few weeks back, I was working out of a cafe, rather editing pictures from a recent trip when a friend pinged me on chat. We hadn't spoken in a few months, and it was a pleasant surprise to hear from him. We started chatting and here is how the conversation went..

He - Hey, how are you doing? 
Me- Hi, am good, whats up.. This is a surprise. ;o) 
He - Ah well, I do think about you woman, just that life happens and then work happens, etc etc.. 
Me - Hmmm.. 
He- So, are you in town or somewhere new/exotic? Gotta say, am so jealous of you/your life...
Me - hahah.. shuddup... dont put kannu now... 
He- Nah, never.. am happy you are doing what you Love.. back in Chennai? 
Me- yes, been 3 days since I got back. 
He - So where all did you go this time?Spill the beans.
Me - I was exploring in and around Gujarat this time.. Familiar places and few new ones as well. We started with Ahmedabad, then explored the regions around- Adalaj, Patan & Modera before moving ahead towards Bhuj and Rann of Kutch. It was a fun packed road trip alright. Also combined plenty of textile based village/NGO visits.
He - Oh wow, sounds exotic alright. How do you manage finances when travelling? Am assuming you went through a group and they charge a fee + taxes... 
Me - Well, this one was actually a reccee, which means we were checking out the region, the accommodation etc so we can put together trips and bring people. But yes, when we do that we will charge them a fee plus what is called GST. 
He- Wait, what is this GST? 
Me - Uff, well unlike earlier when we had million different kinds of taxes, today it has all been consolidated and we pay just GST [Goods & services tax]..   If you wanna understand this better, head over to the GST section on the site, it has all the info you could ask for... 
He - So, you pay GST on pretty much everything.. 
Me - Yep and you gotta file GST returns periodically as well.   
He- Ooh., interesting~~ Things seem to have been streamlined in India now... 
Me -  Ya, and what is cool is that when booking hotel rooms, if the tariff comes to under Rs8000, then am charged only 18% whereas if it is beyond this rate the GST is around 28%.. This way you can look at staying at high end hotels that give you good deals as well. ;-)
He - Hmmm, and what about food? does GST apply there as well?
Me - yep, in that you will see two components at the bottom- CGST and SGST- one goes to the center and other to the state, the total GST percentage is divided up equally between the two.. And on top of this, some places add Service charge[10%] as well- which is basically tips. 
He - oooh. okok.... Wow, so much has changed since my last trip home... What about flight and train tickets? how do they work these days?
Me - they work the same as before... you can choose your mode of transport based on the travel duration, your comfort and fears.. hehe
He - Shuddup monkey.. I mean how expensive are they these days? 
Me - ahh that.. well, if you book ahead they are cheaper... Under the new taxation laws, the tax on the economy class is 5% while business class is 12% when it comes to flights ...  For trains, GST is applicable to all categories of tickets at 5%.. 
He - Gosh, okay!!   
So, how do I find out about GST returns filing? 
Me - That is for businesses, but then you can check the site I mentioned earlier. It is quite indepth and easy to follow. Infact, they even do the needful for you, all you gotta do is provide necessary information and documents. 
He - Wow, good to know... Ok, this is enough for today, more later.. head is swimming with info... What were you upto when I buzzed? 
Me - Cool.. Was editing pictures from the recent trip..
He - Lucky bug~~ 

The birthday getaway tradition...

A few years ago, I was on a road trip with a cousin of mine and it so happened that on my Birthday we were in Chidambaram. I got to visit the  Natarajar Temple and it was the 1st time I heard/saw the Chidambara Ragasiyam. Was quite an experience, especially cos we were taken around by a priest an aunt knew of. 

He infact gave us special permission to click some photographs of the outer area and pillars as well. It also happened that most friends had moved out of Chennai, and I was alone on the birthday, and sometimes even just cooped up at home, not doing anything interesting. It kinda got to me, and thus began the tradition of my Birthday getaways. Year on year, I make sure to be away from Chennai on the birthday, anywhere! 

Over the years, I have been on a couple of holidays around the birthday.. Once I was off to explore the towns of Tanjavur and Kumbakonam... That apart, I have done day trips to Pondicherry on the birthday [mainly cos I would not have had more than 2 days to spare]... Last year was quite amazing, since we were getting back to Delhi from Leh/Ladakh on the birthday and then I spent the day with a special friend who surprised me with a cake and wine. Each trip has been fabulous and filled with memories... 

And then there was the one birthday which had me puzzled only to turn out to become the best among them all.. August mid arrived and I knew I wanted to get away, but was confused. I spent a few weeks trying to zero in on the place, having discussions with friends until I finally cleared my head and made a decision. That was that, once the destination was finalised, I kinda knew it was going to be the one time I was ready to indulge, after all it was my special day! I spent 3 days near Kanyakumari [also close to Kerala border].. There was a property a friend had shared images of [must have been sometime last year] but it came into my mind, and that is where I was headed... secluded, situated around a lake, the property boasted of cottages that had the lake view, and the highlight was no cell service[ atleast no Airtel] but did have good wifi service.. I borrowed BSNL sim from a friend [just incase]... More on the property in a separate post... :-) 

I remember starting a discussion on the one travel group am part off on Facebook and so many responded saying they get away with a friend /spouse for their birthday/anniversary or have the custom of once a year trip somewhere special... 

What do you do for your Birthday/Anniversary? Any such tradition?

Interesting Encounters on the train -1

Train journeys are so much fun, especially if like me you travel alone.  You can sit reading a book or plug in your headphones and tune out the world. Another awesome thing about train journey is the opportunity to observe the world around you, the people who are waiting on the platform, the hawkers, the passengers, and the railway staff..

Many a times I tend to reach ahead of time, and will sit/stand near the train watching people around me. Some have a calm energy while others are nervous and fidgety, some prance about while others worry where their seat will be, and then there are those who are on the phone giving running commentary as they walk towards their compartment, down to the crowd related details and what they drank or bought. It is quite amusing, and entertaining. 

Decided to do a series on this.. Here is the 1st one from a recent trip.... 

This time, I was on a passenger train, an overnight one at that. Since it was a last minute booking, I got the absolute Last Side Upper seat, and well the train was full, so I had no choice. I was used to upper berth, just dint like the last one cos it is right next to the loo and the door, which people tend to keep slamming every few seconds. Sigh..

I settled into my seat, and dug into my box of salad that I had picked up earlier that day. I looked around and noticed a family of four make their way in-2 small kids, and 2 big suitcases. They settled in and no sooner did the TT come bearing news that they had been upgraded to A2. Poor guy had to lug the bags down 4 compartments while his wife sat with the kids and then they all left. Soon after came another family, a large one of about 9 members [ yes, i counted] included 3 kids- 2 girls and a boy.  I figured one guy was the kids' uncle, cos they were close to him and kept asking "mama for the phone"... One girl was whining to her mom that she had tamil exam the next day and dint want to go to school. 

The boy kept running up and down, bare foot that kinda got me telling him to wear his footwear as the train was dirty. They were all from Tirunelveli, and kids were going bonkers over the mobile phone that the uncle was holding out. There was another Malayali family in next compartment who got close to this lot and during dinner time they all shared food. [no I did not eves drop, they were loud enough to be heard and seen]

Around 9pm, at the station a girl hopped into the train with her father and took the seat next to mine. She was going to her college [Ayurveda college] at a town near the final destination. She asked me where I was from, where I was headed and how come I was alone [sans family]. 

This girl and the older girl from the other family started chit chatting with me.. They were both amazed that I was travelling alone and that too for a holiday where I was gonna be alone. 

Girl1: [from the earlier family] asked - unga daddy irukkara neenga pora edathula ? [was my dad waiting for me at the destination]

Me: no no, nobody is there

Girl 1: Then you have friends who are there?

Me - No, it is just me

Girl 2 [the other one travelling alone to college]- From Chennai you are going all the way to a place to be alone.. ? 

Me - yes. I do this regularly and enjoy it

Girl 2- Your daddy lets you go alone far away?

Me - Yes.. I don't need his permission anymore.. 

Girl 1's mom - You really travel alone?

Me - Yes i do :)

Girls and the mom - wow, first time naanga ippadi oru ponnu paakkarom [ first time we are seeing a girl like this].. they then share this ingo with their spouse/family who then smile at me and say "enna kannu, yen ma thaniya pora.. [why child, why are you going alone?]

Me - Pudichirukku [Cos i like it]

Girl1- *continuing with puzzled look * So, who is there where you are going?

Me- Nobody I know.. I go spend time on my own and come back to chennai..

The entire lot smiled and just shut up.. guess they were lost and dint know what to make of it.. 

# I realised they were unable to wrap their head around this concept of a girl travelling alone to do a holiday alone and was happy about it.. 

Ever had any such instances? 

Drama in the skies... headed to Bagdogra

That was that, I had decided I was doing the trip to Sikkim. Next came the dilemma of travel, whether I wanted to fly direct to Bagdogra [a town in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal] or maybe to Kolkatta and then take an overnight bus/train.. Ultimately settled on direct flight to Bagdogra [ with stop over of 2.5hrs in Kolkata]. 

Upon landing in Bagdogra, we had to walk across the short distance to the airport.. I then managed to grab my rucksack, got out, found the driver/vehicle and headed out to pick up others. This is when I discovered this airport is located right next to Tea plantations.. :-) It was a pleasant surprise seeing the plantation!!

Sikkim Itinerary  

    The flight I took... 

For those who know me, window seat on a flight is my thing. And so here too I managed to snag window seat on both legs of the onward journey... here are some shots taken during the time I managed to stay awake...

The National Mall in Washington D C... not really mall~

[All that you find in the area... image courtesy: Google]

I had three days in Washington D C and wanted to make the most of it. When I was looking at the various sights to visit, it was overwhelming. But then, I kinda made up my mind to do what I could and move on... Leave some for the next trip right?! 

I was staying with a friend in Virginia, she suggested I hop on the train and get off near the Smithsonian station and walk around the National mall area.. I thought to myself "Wait, I wasnt here to visit some mall, I dont go to malls back home"... And then it hit me that the area between the monuments in Smithsonian area is called The National Mall.. 

It is essentially the area between Lincoln Memorial on the west and east to the United States Capitol grounds, with the Washington Monument dividing the area slightly west of its midpoint.. The train ride was a short one and within 20mins I had reached Smithsonian station, and as I walked out, I was greeted by a gentle drizzle and cool breeze. What was amazing was there was a team of people laying down sand and carpets so people could walk without slipping in the puddles. 

The National Mall is home to ten of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution offering a variety of exhibits ranging from art to space exploration. Other major attractions include the national monuments and memorials, the U.S. Capitol Building, the National Gallery of Art and the U.S. Botanic Garden. The Mall is a national park with landscaped gardens and expansive open spaces that are often used for public events. 

I spent about 7-8 hours walking around the space, visiting museums- all of which are free, trying food from the food carts and indulging in an ice cream, while sitting in the park bench watching people walk by.. Ah, what a fun day it was... And now, a year after my visit, am still amazed by how awesome the trip was... Stay tuned for more...

The artist stands tall..

He stood there, at the intersection glowing under the light.. I have no idea who he is or why there is a statue for him out here in Hospet... No signboard, no plaque nothing...

This was a statue we passed by when walking towards the bus stand..  Shimmering under the light, this person was definitely an artist of some sort, maybe a poet.. but nobody knew of him...  I came back from the trip, and posted this on Instagram and a friend of mine solved the puzzle. She said he was 

"Saint Kanakadasa. A poet philosopher and an important person in the Bhakti movement of Karnataka.His compositions are famous and sung even today by leading Carnatic exponents."

Have you come across such mysterious things during your travels? Do share stories... 

• More on this saint

Skywatch Friday... Bhubaneshwar to Chennai I fly....

I love the window seat, and I make sure to grab it at every given opportunity. This time, while flying back from Bhubaneswar, I was allotted the aisle seating on the 2nd leg and well, I kept hoping praying none else would come and I could scoot over to the window. But lo behold, after a bit of juggling and people shifting about, since I was a lone traveller I got to move to the window seat.. Yabadabadooee 

And well, I had a blast clicking pictures, watching the plane do its magic the cities/clouds below pass by slowly...  Here are some shots and video in reverse order.... :-) 

For more beautiful skies, click here

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

Solo travel.. my take!

As most people know, I love travelling on my own and it so happens that most of my travels have been solo travel. I had done an earlier post about how fun it is doing trips on your own. I do know it is not everyone’s cup of tea and that is perfectly fine! There are a few who keep talking about travelling on their own, but just don’t do it, cos they are unable to get themselves to do it. They need to accept it and let it be, instead of harping on it.

Another thing that most people assume is that just cos I travel on my own, it means I don’t have friends or am a loner. I am not, trust me! I plan these trips on my own cos I love it and I enjoy my space & freedom when I am off exploring a new town. I don’t get scared, or even if there are moments of uncertainty, I just take a moment, breath and figure out a solution. Nothing is rocket science or life threatening. If it does get to that point, am sure I will find someone to rescue me…

So, is there a flip side to travelling solo? Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it flip side, but yes there are a few sticky points in this. Actually I have so far faced only two issues.

      1. Photographs –

Well, when you are exploring a new town, you go about enjoying the scenes, sights, and devour the local treats.  There are bound to be a few landmark buildings that you click pictures of. But then when you want a picture in front of the place, it becomes a “what do I do now” kinda moment. There have been so many trips where I have not a single picture of myself at the location. But over the years, I have started asking other travellers or a local to click my picture. This time during my USA trip, I asked someone or the other at literally every spot to click a picture of mine. I did click a few selfies, but then am not comfortable with that and invariably the picture looks weird.  And then there is the whole “is anyone watching me shamelessly click a picture of myself”… lol

       2. Looking out for your things while you go do an activity –

I was in Goa, at Calangute beach and spotted a few parasailers and others on the jet skis. I so badly wanted to give both a shot but then I had my backpack with me which contained everything from cash, to room keys to my ID, cards etc. What do I do? There were no locker facilities or a safe place to put these. And so, I spent nearly an hour walking up and down the place, all the while my eyes and mind was keen on doing these activities. It did notice a family that was staying at the same place as I was, and smiled at them. In a few minutes, we were yapping away about how hot it was and so on. I don’t know if it was telepathy or the man had been watching me stare longingly at the para sailers/jet ski, but he suggested I go give them a shot. When I hesitated, he immediately said don’t worry, you can leave your bag with us. It will get wet and you wouldn’t wanna get your things wet/lost in the process. His wife chimed in and reassured me. I decided to throw caution to the wind and do just that.  Phew, it was such a relief to come back to the shore and see them holding onto my bag.. God bless them! The kids were so curious to know how the activities were and we yapped a while before going our separate ways!!  Not sure if I will trust people so willingly everywhere….

What are the other issues you have faced when travelling alone? Any scary/terrifying/awkward instances ? Do share…