Diwali in the Desert

          The Diwali atmosphere my generation used to experience is nowhere to be found in the current times & so everyone has his/her own unique plans to spend these holidays. The time slows down due to overall festival feel in the air and a not so social person like me tries to run away from the awkwardness of being the odd man out in the Indian society.

          The Diwali 2024 was approaching, I started visualizing the boring days both at home & at office & to avoid the lonely scenario booked a group tour to Jaisalmer.

       So the dawn of the Hindu new year arrived on the NH-68 to Jaisalmer & I liked the welcome change of not having to wait for breakfast till reaching Jaisalmer. Although the tea was bad & the bread had little butter on it, the opportunity to relax my bowels was enough to rejoice.  

Tiger's breakfast - Poha & bread butter

The journey lacked the hullaballoo of trekking tours I had done in the past for this was a group of families & not of youngsters without parents. Finally we reached the hotel but the comfort was still far away as the lengthy process of room allotment was going to take about an hour. Anyway low cost group tours  always carry its own inconveniences & so it was not surprising at all except the shock I got when I was offered a staff room & common bathroom as there was no other single male to share a room with me.

I haven't changed drastically as a person in all these years but still my tolerance levels have definitely improved & so I did get the room I had paid for.

Anyway the best this day had to offer was rest before another long journey to Longewala on the next day. I skipped the boat ride in Ghadisar lake & instead took a ride down the vodka road.

Golden T in Golden city

Next day marked my second visit to the Bada baug & Tanot mata temple on the way to Longewala war memorial. Only difference from the previous trip was that this time I went inside the temple as far as it was allowed to go wearing shoes.

The sightseeing in Jaisalmer is meaningless unless you have a guide & that's where this trip had an upper hand compared to previous one.

The 2 hours given for Bada baug exploration were too much for many but somehow they discovered joy in making reels inside the Cenotaphs & created Instagram memories.

Finally came the cultural night to lift the spirits of the remaining tourists & although music & dance was not up to the mark for my taste, the company of old monk did it for me.

The last day brought the most exciting moments of the Jeep Safari in the Sam desert. For those whose thirst of thrill couldn't be quenched by complimentary Jeep & Camel Safaris, costly Quad biking was ready to go. Thus making the last morning a success. 

The Beach Vacation

Holiday thoughts have now become a quarterly phenomenon that clouds my mind every 3 months & makes me go somewhere, anywhere, away from the routine.

Beach vacation in a low cost group tour was the idea I finalized for a week away from home. Vacation it was but not a fun-filled one as the group never materialized making it a sad, solo trip.

Anyway it certainly was a break from the routine for a full week & that more or less settled the score as it wasn't a costly trip to begin with. After riding around north Goa on 2-wheeler in the summer of 2023, this was a monsoon trip & hopefully I will celebrate the new year party in Goa someday.

Some fond memories of this beach vacation....

Dinner Cruise

Bom Jesus Basilica

I dreamt of Madonna

Dona Paula beach

Dona Paula for Bollywood

Sleeping Beauty

Sinquerim beach

Around the Capital in a single day

          This should be the epilogue of the Nainital tour but as it has much more to offer than a usual epilogue, its a new blog.

          A visit to the Taj Mahal was the original plan for the spare day before my flight to Ahmedabad but as it had happened on each day of the Nainital trip, this day also had its dose of misfortune - the fact I didn't know that Taj Mahal remains closed for visitors on Fridays.

              Anyway the stock market was on to engage me mentally & for the physical activity I decided to experiment the Delhi Darshan bus tour.

Birla Mandir

This was both the pickup point & first place to visit. Here you have to deposit your mobile outside but as the dance of Nif
ty & Bank Nifty had just begun & I didn't want to lose the thrills, I opted to skip going inside.

The Parliament

Here our guide cum photographer captured beautiful photos of all withe the background of old & new Parliament buildings.

Sansad Bhavan

India gate

A second visit of India gate within a week & this time I got clicked by another photographer.

Indira Gandhi Memorial

Kutub Minar

Lotus temple

Raj Ghat

I did capture a selfie at the resting place of Gandhiji - Rajghat - but later on found it inappropriate. So here I will post a thoughtful quote I found there.

Red Fort

Last fort to conquer in the May heat of Delhi was the vast & picturesque Red Fort. The bus left me at the back side of the fort as evening was approaching & I could complete my evening walk on the way to capture the face of the Red fort.

Chandni Chowk

Right next to the Red fort lies the next attraction of Delhi, made world famous by Bollywood, Chandni chowk.

Sad to say that I kept walking for around 15 minutes around the area but didn't get the same feel as in the movies  - maybe because I was a little early in the evening - & so nothing was clicked there. Anyway here's a selfie from DLF mall to fill the space.

After facing the hottest afternoon of my life, a cool metro ride from New Delhi to Airport marked the end of my week long tour.

Mayday Mayday!!

The month was May & the situation was Mayday - insides were smoldering & outsides were scorching. Afternoon heat burned the skin until late evening. Even early mornings felt like afternoons. In the night, my pillow was getting sweaty in no time. I could have bought an AC but my calculating self argued that the summer is to be over in a month & I will have it well before the next summer starts.

Thus the summer luxury was delayed but summer vacation was not to be delayed & Nainital / Corbett National park was the cool interlude I decided to have.

Global warming has left no corner of the world untouched but still it was much pleasant & cool atmosphere in Nainital compared to the city. My stay was nice & very peaceful as it was in a deserted area few kms away from the city of Nainital. Only facility I missed was a bar during my stay there.

First day was spent in Delhi & I made it memorable by my first Metro ride & a visit to the India Gate. Having nothing else to do I spent the evening at a small bar. I overslept the next day thanks to the old rum named after some monk.

The all day long drive to Nainital wasn't boring at all as we had a tire burst in the afternoon, traffic jams & the last minute stay change in the evening. The tiring journey ended at dinner time & anyway the location offered nothing to do in the evening except enjoying sleep in the soft bed of a deluxe room.

Sunrise at hotel

First day of the trip was a paid holiday for my driver as no outside cars are allowed inside Nainital & you have to hire local Jeep for sightseeing. Before the afternoon I had realized that I have come alone to a honeymoon destination.

Suicide point

Gabbar bridge

Naini Lake

There was a suicide point, a small waterfall, beautiful lake for boating, narrow unwinding roads filled with view points - all the usual stuff available at any hill station of India. Only that Nainital is ahead of all in the number of lakes. The morning was pleasantly cool & refreshing but was turning out to be uneventful so I tried go-carting to add some thrill to it. Hill station temperatures are not so cool in these times of global warming but if you compare that of your city you will surely be happy about it.

I was in no mood to enjoy the scenery & greenery inside the Nainital city as it was well past lunch time. Looking forward I arranged for drinks for the lonely evening at the hotel. One lunch at a hill station costs you as much as half bottle of good scotch & having such ideas show exactly how middle class minds like mine function.

Thus Nainital sightseeing came to an end & I was back at my luxurious room to enjoy afternoon siesta. The peace at the secluded location - my hotel in the wilderness - was revitalizing & scored above all the sight seeing. Soon it was evening where comes my usual woes of loneliness & for which I already had a potion ready. So with the feeling of being on top of the hill I went to sleep.

Day 2 turned out to be worse than day 1 as Ranikhet was boring & far away as per my driver cum guide and Bhimtal - which we decided to visit as it was nearer - had nothing to do / visit & all we did was a darshan of Bhimtal lake & immediately made a U turn towards the hotel. But it still was about noon & whole day was there to spend so we headed towards Nainital town. The disappointment came in a different form this time as there was heavy traffic jam inside the town & no vehicle was available to get there.

Anyway a luxurious afternoon siesta erased all memories of dull days of Nainital & I started looking forward to the excitement of jungle safari in Corbett park.

The next day around lunch time we reached another luxurious hotel in Dhikuli village. This day turned out to be an experiment on effects of trees on our environment as the jungle safari was to begin at 3 PM in the May afternoon.

Deer in the Daylight

Even as we didn't find any wild animals in the Jungle, it sure was a pleasant ride as the temperature was cooler inside. If you feel contended to see deer, monkeys, Sal trees & termite mounds then you will enjoy the Sitabani zone. For those who wants more should book resorts inside Dhikala zone for 2-3 days as it takes about 6 safaris to fully experience wild life of the Corbett National Park. This revelation was the final blow on the Nainital trip's report card.

The Jungle trip was over very soon & I was back in my luxurious room thinking about the long evening ahead. Even as I didn't get to click a tiger in the park, I did buy a beautiful picture of tiger in the jungle as memorabilia of the Corbett trip.

Here's a selfie at a beautiful bar visited on the last night & that's the end of this tour diary.

The Accident

          It was sudden & struck me out of nowhere when I was lost in the chase of nifty & bank nifty in the rush hour period. These days the temptation of making some fast money takes over my senses as soon as morning bell sounds on NSE. The day of 28th February was no different as I was making pit stops to monitor market mood on the 7 km rush hour journey to office.

         With my mind clouded by market volatility, I missed to check before starting out of a blind zone & collided with a biker rushing on the wrong side. His argument was that I should have blown horn. I already knew it so I accepted my mistake & let him get away while I called my garage & arranged pick up of my Vespa as the front fender was crushed due to heavy impact. He may not have needed to get his vehicle repaired due to minor damage but it cost me my 2 days' salary.

           The amount of money lost by me in the past one year was deeply saddening but it has given me a lot of mental strength to handle such losses & this one was no competition anyway. So I thanked God for escaping with little injuries & moved on with life. The account of this mishap is being recorded in the blog just because it was my first head-on collision in almost 25 years of driving career. Also, it may serve as a reminder that accidents can happen with anyone, anytime.

Rann Utsav - the Middle Class version

              The new year 2024 arrived at a new place for me after a surprise transfer to my once favorite city - Ahmedabad. The 5-6 years spent in Ahmedabad were the best of my life & most probably those times won't be replicated again.

          So here I was again in the same office where I had started about 17 years back. It does get dull to stay in the office for seven & a half hours but having spent 11 years in the field job, I hope I can spent at least 1 or 2 years in the confined space doing data crunching - both on & off the record. Anyway, the results of this whimsical step remains to be seen in the future.

          For now, An outing was due after the Kerala trip in November last year. The need to explore something different every time made me go for Rann Utsav in Kutch - not the official one but a group tour which included Rann Utsav as the main attraction. Actually I was lucky to find official tents unavailable as in the budget tour I got to see Dholavira & Mandvi beach too.

The day before

          Trouble started just a day before the journey day as I got shivers & slight fever from early morning. Otherwise not feeling much bad I neglected the shivering, popped a paracetamol & went on to the (office) business as usual. But as the day passed on, the cold shivers emerging from within my body became unbearable & I had to leave for home in the afternoon.

           It was a miserable day & the pain didn't end before the medicines showed effect late in the night. Before that I had already informed the trip coordinator about my illness. But as I was aware about the upcoming weekend & also about cancelled trips & leaves in January, I asked her to wait till the evening for cancelling my booking. All was not well in the evening but it was definitely better than previous day.

           On second thought, I realized that the trip will get me through the weekend & get my lunch & dinner ready for me - both of the tasks were going to be challenging in case of staying at home with sickness. So the packing was done before the evening & as usual I was standing at the pick up point at the given time.

        The journey started almost on (the latest updated) time but that lucky break was no match for the multiple misfortunes like Late trains, last minute inclusion/exclusion resulting in delay due to extra vehicle arrangement time, miscommunication of pick-up point. The troubles kept surfacing one by one for almost 3 hours. In these budget tours I always have to sacrifice my night sleep & this one was no exception. Anyway we reached the first attraction - Sunrise point - well before the sunrise & I had my morning walk in the vast dried lake engulfing the road.

day 1

          Look at the Moon few minutes before the Sunrise & the Desert Sun slowly getting on its duty - both captured at the same location. 

Morning Moon

Desert Sun

         It felt quite refreshing in morning after the hiccups of the night & after a satisfying sunbath of about an hour, we headed to our resort for the real bath.

         There was no time for the bath as suggested by the tour manager & the idea was silently rejected by most of the tourists as the baths, breakfasts & even make ups were leisurely undertaken for about 2 hours instead of the 45 minutes planned. This was the strike 1 from the Indian Time phenomenon for this tour.

         Anyway, after breakfast, wearing fancy clothes & nice make ups we headed to explore Dholavira in the hot afternoon of the desert. For me, Dholavira turned out to be the best place in this trip for a detailed & interesting information of the Sindhu valley civilization at Dholavira given in the one hour guided tour.

Reservoir at Dholavira

          

         Only if my morning rituals were not disturbed, Dholavira would have been more enjoyable. No bath, Late lunch & above all bad health made the first day a painful one. Also, I missed to witness the enchanting Sunset at Bhanjno hill. (Video given below is not shot by me as I was unable to walk 1.5 km to the spot & decided to sleep in the bus)

day 2

          Then came a much better day with a hot bath, good breakfast & the mesmerizing journey through the road to heaven. The idea of heaven was liked a little too much by the group and so about 2 hours were spent in the vast dried lake making reels while I sat in the bus waiting for the Reel festival to be over. 

             After completely satisfying the reel buds, we headed for our next destination - ગાંધીનું ગામ where you can buy handmade traditional clothes for women. It was well past lunch time & there was no time to waste so the window shopping was finished rapidly, we started for the resort & landed straight in the lunch hall.

          Once again, there was little rest period available after the late lunch as the journey to White Desert had to begun in the late afternoon. White desert didn't look very exciting as we already had spent 2 hours making reels in the same scene. As usual for a tourist place, here you have the same activities that makes you fly in the sky & that's' what our companions enjoyed till the start of the cultural event. The cultural program was open to all who can bear the chilly wind flowing through the vast open landscape & not for me as I was not in best of my health.

White Desert Sunset

           The last stop was the Rann Utsav market which was like a full movie of the trailer we saw at "Gandhi nu Gam". So there was much more window shopping & a late but tasty dinner finished our day.

day 3

          If the second day was better then the last day was the best of the trip as I was almost fit, tried to break ice with a square faced young girl & had evening walk on the beach.

Swaminarayan Temple, Bhuj

          This was a day of palaces as we visited Parag Mahal, Aaina Mahal (in Bhuj) & Vijay Vilas palace (in Mandvi) - all in a single day plus the palace like Swaminarayan temple of Bhuj. I got myself clicked at the Vijay Vilas Palace where the shooting of Hum dil de chuke sanam was done. 

Vijay Viilas Palace

          The beach of Mandvi was somewhat disappointing but still it felt good to have evening walk on the beach. Finally the weekend getaway, that began with fever & coughing, ended with a fit & fine me ready to start the new week on a healthy note.

Mandvi Beach Sunset