diary of a traveler

It's so incredible that a region that was  isolated, rugged,  largely devoid of modern infrastructure, digital connectivity & visited only by highly adventurous people just one or two decades ago, now attracts lakhs of tourists every year. When I recall the impression of Ladakh I had in my school days, it feels like it was just a dream. But the fact is that I have  completed the adventure & shockingly it never felt much of an adventure except the severe headache I had for 2-3 days. I opted not to take the EMS tablets & just tolerated the headache as I wasn't sure that it was due to EMS or due to chilly winds I enjoyed at the airport. Leh Airport Arrival in Leh - day 1 This was the first time I had been to the Mumbai airport & the domestic terminal felt small compared to Ahmedabad. Also, the tea at the lounge was bad & hence my first order at the Leh hotel was for tea. Leh airport, as expected, was even smaller with no restaurant at all. (I realized abo...

The financial year was over & so was my bank balance. It is too late to realize that I am addicted to this zero sum game. The year ended with even bigger losses that made me realize some very disturbing facts about the trading. Anyway, these days any regret or setback can't make me stay sad for long & so a weekend trip to Sasan Gir Lion Safari was booked out of the blue. The trigger for the outing was the boredom caused by holidays popping up one after another. About 8 hour journey took me to my stay - a water park cum resort where I was the only guest. The restaurant, Wi-fi & TV all were out of order which didn't matter as I was too tired to do anything but rest. Early Morning @ Resort Devaliya Park Safari The breakfast came after a long wait but I felt like royalty as I was the only guest & about 4 to 5 persons prepared it. The bargaining for the package cost had landed me in a mediocre place & I was almost prepared for it. So after a healthy & not so ...

Lost in the labyrinth of the equity derivatives, I forgot to plan the Diwali vacation this year & got infinitely bored in the Diwali week. Anyway, it was over somehow & it was time to plan the Winter vacation. Being in my forties, these days I worry more about time than about bank balance. So a new tour operator & a new corner of India was selected for the winter vacation. Overnight journey by connecting flights was a terrible decision & the night spent at the airport has been stored in my memory for use whenever I may need to act miserable. The sleepless night was too slow to step aside & let us begin our journey to Kaziranga national park. Day 1 - Kaziranga Jeep Safari Kaziranga Jeep Safari Meghalaya literally means 'abode of clouds' & the clouds were ready to welcome us on the very first outing of the trip. There was no sign of rains on our journey to Kaziranga & so my raincoat stayed in the hotel just like the animals stayed away in their homes l...

May the month of May never come again is the wish we make every year & yet it does come back with seemingly more power. The power we know we can only hide from - behind walls cooled by ACs/coolers or inside airconditioned cars. Staying out becomes bare minimum to save our skin but there comes a point when we miss the feel of the outside world & that makes an excellent excuse for a trip to a cool hill station. The wanderlust in me has become so overpowering that having no savings at all couldn't stop me from planning a summer escape away from the scorching heat. After the dull group tour of White desert, costly disappointment of Nainital-Corbett solo tour & distressing Jaisalmer group tour, I was extra cautious to avoid any fiasco this year. So the professional help & doubling of the budget was the right decision after all as the trip turned out to be a memorable one. May 7-9, 2025 Mock drills were the talk of the town all day & it was obviously the day one of re...

          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 hulla...

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

          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...