Project I :: { Self Worth, Love and Desire }

          Will I be a cool Grand Mom? Will my kids Travel the world? Will I have a beautiful huge Yacht standing in the turquoise waters of Santorini, Greece?

          Listening to Gasoline and Matches | Date: 7^th Jan 10.05 pm, as I sit in front of the TV geared up to open the laptop again after an exhausting work day, I sit to wonder what am I doing, what am I doing right now, what all did I do today, how will my day be structured tomorrow and eventually how will my life turn out? 

I should be writing a blog on my last trip (the ideal scenario), after all travel is what my blog is about. I do have its structure ready with all the facts and figures in place, but I don’t think it’s in the right shape yet to be posted up for everyone’s read. So my Hong Kong Trip details will be a bit delayed. Or, I might end up deleting it which depends upon how I feel about it in the next read.

From the movie ‘You’ve got Mail’:: Kathleen Kelly: [writing to "NY152"] Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void.

A week back, I decided to move back home. It’s a brave enough decision considering the fact that it includes around 100kms of daily drive through the back breaking and digestion screwing traffic. But I got to do it, if not for me, for my family, my single mum and the little mental peace that I have left. She’s done the world for us kids, she struggled with us, lived and made us worthy of a comfortable life that we are leading right now.
 

          On an unrelated note: My brother has got a fab opportunity in biotechnology product management in Munich, Germany after 3 years of rigorous hard work, studies, making his way through in the foreign land. But the thing that makes us happy is his words that, that’s what he wished for. On him getting a job, I am happy for me as well as. It will be much easier for us to materialize our long trips and drives across Europe. “Grinning!”
 

Am I happy with what I am doing? To great extent I am, I mean there is a use of brain and whatever little appreciation that I get from clients does keep me hooked and in the groove. Well! Most of the time it does and I know my career is in a decent shape. And it is what matters most right now. But I am still thinking, if not this then what?   

Couple of days back my brother asked for some photography tips. He’s decided to learn something new after being regular with many things including the Yoga asans, German language degree just to name a few.

He asked me a simple question, why did I leave photography? It didn’t perturb me one bit. I have been asked question number of times before and I always shrug it off by saying ‘Been there, done that!’. But that’s not completely true. I mean whom am I kidding? I loved it and I think I was decently good at it. I had the drive and looked upto Lara Jade for her works. What’s even interesting is that after moving to US, I had started making money of the freelancing assignments that I did; model look books and portfolios. I would spend hours shooting and then hours editing the pictures, without keeping a check on night or day. 18 – 19 hours would pass in a blink and would never tire me off. 

However, what left me perturbed and thinking was his statement: “Tune wahi cheez karni chodh di jo tujhe sabse jyada pasand thi. Kyun?” ’You left the thing you were most passionate about. Why?

Now that’s something no one has ever asked me before.

Why did I stop clicking pictures? I don’t know and don’t have any justifiable reason for it. All I know is:

Nobody leaves their passion unless something truly life turning happens that forces a change in the course of your direction.

I do, however, know exactly where the ball got dropped. I was 23 or so, going through a hell lot for any 23year old to handle. At that point in time photographs creation somehow was left behind in the due course. I wanted to be strong, appear strong in front of the entire world and photography didn’t seem like a strong statement to prove anything to anyone. 

I know I was weak to give it up! 

In this entire process I agreed to prove my worth in the language that people around me understood the best without much effort. I took up a 9 – 5 job in a rather nascent industry of Digital Marketing that placed me at par with many of the fresh graduates from ivy league schools of Harvard and Stanford and promised me a beefy check. My incentives were that it would not let my math skills rust, was fast paced, evolving and will distract me from everything else. And it did that fantastically! Freaking super Thanks to it!

So where does the photography stand in the picture? It’s an old flame, something that got ignored while I was busy making myself a cozy corporate chair.  It’s an old flame that might flicker anytime. It’s an old flame that I miss it like hell. It’s an old flame that might insist on me to dust off my old camera.

Meanwhile my love for Travel and Technology is keeping me good company and I am trying to justify my (lame) life and 100 kms. daily drives by spending a couple of hours every day with my aging mom. 

Until Later, 

Rakshita
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How to start travelling? :: { Struggles and THE ANSWER! }

Long sagas, big blogs, short quotes and so much more had been written and continue to pop up for read about travel and the spirit of travel.

10^th Dec’13 | I went to apply for Chinese Visa today; we are already very late with our application and hence we went for an express delivery of the visa. I am so excited to get it tomorrow itself. It’s was a good start but turned little troublesome when our car’s battery started giving problems. Grrr! Almost entire day wasted at that.

Listening and tripping to AC/DC. Don’t ask me how you trip to AC/DC, you just do.

I travel a lot (well! a little more than many) but I still want more. It’s now much more than a mere hobby or just some pleasure break that I take every half an year. It’s become a need, a drug without which I can’t possibly survive. If I don’t travel, I can’t function properly in my corporate job, I become irritable and impatient as if life is just running away leaving me behind and as if I am dying with each single passing day (which actually, we all are).

Sometimes I travel fancy and in sheer luxury, but most times I travel without shopping a single trinket for anyone or myself, I book the cheapest flight and train tickets but stay in lovely hotels and expect world class service(that’s my hook).

I was on a rebound when I started travelling and I fell in a relationship with it. You fall in love with the places and it’s people when you travel and then with a heavy heart you move ahead to explore another destination. You fall in love with the hellos and byes become the hardest part of any trip. To Travel is a great high, it teaches you so much about every thing including the journey called life.

1) First day in Egypt 2011

2) Running across the deserts to the Pyramids

3) Embracing the Pyramids view (being such a tourist)

4) Feeling the stone relief 

5) Outside the Luxor temple

6) Bunch of school girls getting a picture clicked with me (making me feel no less than a celebrity) outside the Hatshepsut temple

7) My first ever visit to a Mosque

8) Tahrir square; in middle of the freedom revolution (first day of first ever elections in Egypt) 

9) Northern Egypt: soaking up the view

Just about everyone I know has the similar love affair with travel. Everyone lists it as one of their passions in life but not everyone is able to follow it. Why is it so? I hope I am able to help you break the curse and start with your own travel diary.

Most common misconception: It takes a lot of money to travel. It does take money, but that’s not the only or prime consideration. The most important consideration is to prioritize and be sure about what you want to leave behind in terms of appointments, commitments, work etc.

The best way to start travelling is... JUST PACK AND GO! 

I know sometimes (well most of the times) it’s not as easy as I make it sound, especially considering how we’ve made our lives so busy and complicated with the EMIs, jobs, family and commitments etc. that whenever we even come close to planning a real trip, we end up finding an easy reason to slam all the plans. Anxiety gets the worst of us and we give up saying ‘One Day I shall Travel’. So, to avoid the hyperventilation of anxiety, take a globe, rotate it and just put your finger on the map. Once you’ve selected a place you’d really wish to visit, put all your energies, money and INTENT to make it into a reality.

For people at specific phases of life: Read On!

Note: To travel is planning a trip and going anywhere aside to your grandparent’s, uncle’s or cousin’s house.

1.   Too Young to Travel? If you are smart enough to figure your ways out, to explore places and people, age won’t matter. And if you are not, travel will make you smarter. Invariably, travel will serve you best.

Take couple of months off, take some part time job and save some money. If you are really desperate, dream to travel and have no qualms about taking money from parents or others, beg and borrow for a trip of a lifetime. If you are from western side of the world, go not to the Americas or the UK but to the adventurous places like China, India and other parts of the Asia. You’ll get to see and learn a lot about how to survive not only in these countries, but in life.

{ River markets, Bangkok }

Additional Perk: you can have a month or two long trip in these countries in the same amount that you would spend in a week in some western part of the globe.

For younger lot from INDIA, you’ve worked and studied way too many books and most of you have got those thick spectales on. It’s high time to take a breather and get one with nature. Go to Rishikesh or Nepal - The LAST RESORT, a brilliant and not too expensive an option to get a taste of adventure (rafting, bungee, rappelling etc.) and of the wild. Amsterdam and Spain are good options too that will leave you exposed to the ideas that might have never crossed your mind while you were busy studying those science, history and mathematics books. Best part is that you can go to these places alone even if you don’t have company of a bunch friends. Travelling will help you make friends who like to travel.

2.   Too busy working? Or no leaves available? Or will travel after retiring?

Whom are you kidding? 

Yes, that house is important, but is it really worth it if you toil away the prime years of your life for a matchbox sized apartment? Are the memories in any which way comparable to that rafting trip, when you jumped in the chilling water of the calm rapids and then hiked through the forest to get back to a hot cup of tea and grilled sandwiches in lunch.

You might not remember the number of late nights or Holidays you sacrificed for work, but you will remember each and every holiday you went crazy having fun on.

If you are working, my guess is you would have saved some money or has a potential to get the basics together for this first ever dream trip of yours. If you are short on time to plan, take help of a professional for trip planning and tell them what all you want from your dream vacation.  A trek or a beach view or dinner with the locals or interaction with the wild whatever it is, travel planners shall make it possible for you. All you have to do is be focused and determined to achieve the desired results to get the sweet reward of wonderful memories that will last you a lifetime.

Reevaluate your priorities. What will matter the most 15 – 20 years down the line? That promotion and little appraisal after numerous late nights you put in or the pictures of you having a blast with a bunch of fellow travelers.

{Emerald Lakes Tongariro National Park, New Zealand}

PS: Take cues from various corporate professionals who are avid travelers. Feel free to write to me with your queries, I will be delighted to help and will put you to right people who can help you plan your first trip without leaving big holes in your pocket.

3.   I am a Girl: So? 

      The biggest weakness we have is that we give ourselves way too less credit for everything. Before anybody else, we are the first ones to doubt ourselves, our potential; we are first one to question our own strength. To this, many of you might say, that it’s not safe for girls to travel or my parents don’t permit me to go out etc. You don’t have to be a rebel to be able to travel, all you need to be is determined to do it. Imagine if you, your girlfriends and the girls all over the world started traveling without any doubt in their heads, world will be such a free flowing zone for women, no taboo, no ho-ha about women exploring the world all by themselves, one city at a time, one country at a time.    

Please question, to what extent are you willing to live under the shelter of your parents, brothers, boyfriends and husbands without having a chance to develop your own perspective of how the world functions? Take a call, pack your stuff and get out.

So how should you start travelling? 

Leave everything BEHIND, collect your savings (meagre or big); throw in a pair of jeans, comfortable flat boots, a bunch of T shirts, a couple of party dresses with a few other basics in a mid-sized bag and GO! This is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution but it's probably the only solution and shall serve the 90% of the people with a dream to travel “ONE DAY!”  

Listening to Jon Bon Jovi’sgreatest hits – you give love a bloody bad name 

Rant: Nothing is more important than knowing life. You know life not by eating or blindly following a school of thought in the name of religion or being aimlessly tied to a fellow human in the name of marriage. You know life by seeing life, life of others, life in various setups, life in different forms. You know life by trying to understand it and how and why it functions the way it does. You learn to live life by knowing about it and when you learn to live it you respect and appreciate it, which increasing number of us are failing to do.

For now... JUST PACK AND GO!

Untill Later, 

Rakshita

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Inspiration, Priority & My Calling!

Travel: Just reading about it, looking at the pictures of the gorgeous and varied landscapes moves me to plan my next trip. Right now, I am reading Shivya's Blog about how she quit her job at 23 and started travelling. It’s an interesting read, not similar to my story, but I bet most of us, stuck in the rut of 9 – 5 jobs, will find it quite appealing.

Its 16th Nov’13, 9:07 pm and I’ve just settled down after a working Saturday. Listening to Enya's Only Time for the past two days. I am hooked onto it. YouTube(d) it after watching Volvo Trucks - The EpicSplit feat ad featuring Van Damme. It’s just so surreal and soothing.

I’ve always wanted to travel. It’s been long since I last traveled; I don’t instantly recall my last trip. It look me almost a minute to realize that I went to Maldives this Sep around my B’day. I wrote a complete log about my experience here. Next, I am planning to go to Hong Kong and Macau, but that’s in December. I still haven’t applied for Visa and nothing including itinerary, clothes etc. are in place.

It’s been a busy week with a working Saturday. We got a number of pitches lined up and I am a part of one. If it all goes well, we (my colleagues and I) might go to Ranthambore next weekend and then attend a colleague’s wedding on the following Monday i.e 25^th Nov’13.

Just Alt+Tab(ed) window to check my blog submission status on IndiBlogger. Yippie! It’s approved! Does that make me an official Blogger? Maybe! If yes, then I am step closer to writing a book someday. #daydreaming.

At times I feel that my feelings and talks about travel are just fake and faff. With all this writing about my past trips and travel in general, do I tick people off? I don’t know and also don’t want to worry about it as all I am trying to do is write honestly about what’s going on in my head. And, incidentally, accidently it’s travel (well! most of the time)

Agreeing to agree with my feeling to not hype or write about travel feels natural sometimes until the next moment when I see a gorgeous picture of some part of the world or read a travel story or see some interesting travel video log, I end up realizing that travel is My ONLY CALLING.

I always beleived that I am a home grown, home happy material. There was no place but home that gave me solace. But thanks to a gentleman (just being a bit kind with my words) who vehemently told me that I would forget about all his bad words and wrongdoings if I were to go on a trip to London tomorrow. A taunt that was meant to show me down and prove me shallow did me a life time of goodness. It showed me MY TRUE CALLLING. I subconsciously realized that if there is anything that can make me forget any freaking pain in the world, it’s Travel!        

The best and first solo trip ever. Andamans hold a very special place on my World Map. 

I don’t crave for huge solitaries that I saw Sachin’s wife wearing on his farewell ceremony. Though they did stand apart and looked particularly huge (Apologies for obsessing about the stones, but I’d rather travel than wear them if I were to choose one between the two) Also, the idea to give Bharat Ratan to Sachin is just appalling to me. Is it some sort of added gratification for superbly talented? I feel he’d been reasonably thanked for all the glory he’s got the country, with his farewell and by the millions addressing him as GOD! Bharat Ratan is just going overboard. What does the award stand for anyway?

So, what inspires or moves me to travel? I don’t know. Would I prefer a well-made house over travel? I don’t know for sure. I would like both, but a lovely house would be nice AFTER a LONG VACATION. After all, I need a nice corner to showcase all my pretty travel pictures with lovely sunsets, beaches and adventures.

What Travel inspires me to do? It inspires me to work hard and even harder. I would love a job with NDTV GoodTimes or something on a similar tangent. Until that happens, I ought to do with my existing job. I ought to do it well(at least try) and keep a positive attitude so that my chances to get a good promotion with a decent appraisal increases proportionately, all while beefing up my monthly paycheck that will further empower me to visit fancier places and plan more trips to explore the world.

Having said that, I love Digital Marketing. If it weren’t for this job, I would have been dead by now. It lets me use my brain, interact with good hearted people and once in a while lets me use my creativity. I think, I would have been feeling stupid and wallowing in self-pity if I were in Fashion. Maybe I am not up to deal with the constant pressure to look good all the freaking time. Or maybe I have just gotten way too cozy in my trek pants, preferring them over a pair of navy blue high-waist cigarette pants paired with a pastel peach cardigan with a knotted neck collar and ¾ bishop sleeves and a goregous pair of sky high heels. 

Thanks to all the turn of events, I now know for the fact that Travel is "My Only Calling" and it enables and motivates me to be a better professional and a better person.

                Listening to Sinead O'Connor - 4th and Vine

Happy Tripping

-          - Rakshita
      
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Zoned Out

Its 14/11/13 1.00 o’clock in the afternoon | I am in the office, listening to “Moves Like Jagger”

Juggling, sorting my way through tons of excels listing Telcom Spends data, I’ve got a hell lot to do today, so I shall come back once I have something interesting enough to talk about. Meanwhile all those who are travelling in winters, check out my post on must keeps for winter travel called “7Keeps for WinterTravel - {China Calling }" 

 

Maybe I should write about how to dress up for Office in winters.

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Project I :: Thanks to him, I am a drug addict!

Title is so, because I couldn’t think of anything better without making it sound cheesy.

It’s 2.33 am, 3rd Nov 2013. I am listening to Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men. Not liking the rushed and hurried feeling it’s giving me with its pacey beats.

I got engaged yesterday, actually, day before yesterday, on 1/11. What a fab number to get hooked, hitched, knotted or whatever on.  

It wasn’t a very special day. I mean, it was all special for its occasion, its grandeur, with all my loved and the most important people in it. But there wasn’t anything particularly distinctive about it. It could have been any other day of the year or any other year, at any other festival, function or wedding, with the same people and I would have dressed up the same or maybe a little different and I would have been fine with it.

I am in absolute love with the date though.

1/11 didn’t lack any of the awesomeness the engagements days are supposed to hold. Maybe because it wasn’t “that” particular day (don’t remember, exactly which one) when I fell in love (don’t really know, but I think love is the rightful word for the feeling) with him, it simply felt like just another chapter to our story. I am not one big gooey, lovey and mushy kinds but I do want all the romance. Admittedly, I am one of the confused, hard to read or understand female lot.

So what’s the special day then?

The day when I sat next to him crying over some work politics and he said nothing, the day when he laughed out loud when I called out my boss a “dog” (it was my boss’s Chinese sunsign), the days when we didn’t care about the entire freaking world and made fun of it like was no body’s business, the days when he stood by my side, enrolled himself with me and then took self-forced classes for French and then GMAT, the day he first cooked for me, the day when he got me my first designer cake and my first LV bag, the day when he learnt driving to take me out, the days when he looks at me and reads me like an open book, the days when he is a bigger spendthrift than I am, the days when he tells my mom the exact reason (without any prior knowledge of it) of what’s upsetting me, all those days when he manages to irritate me to the core and make me laugh, both at the same time, the days when he books a couple air tickets to the fanciest of travel destinations, the days (almost all of them) when he loves me for all that I am; little sane and mucho INSANE. 

All these days are special, special because I remember them, very special because I cherish them and super extra special because they have you in them. I couldn’t have found a better “my kind of crazy” than you. You are perfect for me. Pinch me all you want for this is my reality and you are my drug that has gotten me addicted to life.

(To anyone like me reading this blog: I am allowed to be all cheesy today and tomorrow and maybe dayafter) 

Quick note: All those trips wouldn’t have been even half bit fun without you!

Quicker note: I still have more international Visa Stamps on my passport than you :p And I do intend to maintain this position by going with you, everywhere you go… HAHA!

P.S: even with lesser Visa stamps, I love you. :*

Maldives Sep'13  - Ashish and Rakshita 

To many and many more couple shots, holiday tan and fat and all savings spent on travel. 

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The Dreamy Edition - Maldivian Escapade with Sun, Tan, Beaches, Green Apples & Free Flowing Drinks

The Maldivian Escapade 

The Dreamland

You know you are about to witness something magical when the plane glides through the beautiful formation of clouds to reveal ring like sea formations called Atolls…

Ariel View of Maldivian Atolls

{ Before I go about describing the magical feeling called Maldives, please note that this blog will be all about indulgence and happiness and day dreams and how it makes you feel utterly blessed by the end of it all. Hence, I’ve refrained from keeping it technical without any to-dos and don’ts list.}

 … As the plane glides down the sky, the brilliance of blue underneath makes you wonder if it is all you see or is there something more mystical waiting for you. You remember the delicate, angelic beauty of jelly fish and then within a flash you are under the sea swimming amongst them, trying to reach out but refrain as to not harm them. You see the exuberance of bright red and orange corals with a hidden purple octopus, sitting snuggly right in the middle of the coral garden. And then you look up, you look up to the shining sea; you see a big whale shark is out for the evening swim and it is right above your head. You try and try to swim, swim really fast to touch it. And just when you are this close to touch it, just then the captain of the plane announces your landing.

Sigh! The magic has shown its glimpse and has left me wanting more out of this trip.

Male, Maldives

We land in Male and after checkout as we head towards the gates, we see a guy holding our hotel placard with our names on it. As we commence our trip, one thing that stands out is the crystal clear light and dark blue waters till the horizon.

Hotel arranged for a speed boat for our pickup. It’s a bumpy and fast ride to the resort as speed boat gushes at a blazing fast speed tearing across the calm water between various Maldivian atolls. On our ride to the resort, we saw small birds, coming in and out of the sea for (what we guessed), fishing for food. On a closer look, there were many of them.

“Wait a minute, are these birds?”

“They do have small wings. OMG! These are not birds, these are small flying fishes” And there wasn’t just a handful of them, but a big group who one after another, sometimes together were jumping and flying  in and out of the sea.

Our boat slowed down and driver asked us if we liked Dolphins. We walked towards the deck as we saw a dolphin swimming right in front of our boat. Within 10 secs or something there was an entire school of dolphins all around us. With our mouth open wide in sheer awe, we were immersed in the moment so much so that it didn’t strike us to take our gadgets out to capture the moment.

Quick Note: If you are staying in South Male, travel time with a speed boat from Airport to any resort is between 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Day 1: We stayed at Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort, read its detailed review here: http://gypsyflyblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/kandooma-maldives-review/

Kandooma Resort, Maldives

Day 2&3 - Anantara: We reached Anantara where its staff clad in all white, welcomed us. Standing right at the entrance, against the backdrop of sophisticated beach resort and palm trees, they bowed and assisted us to the reception and then to our rooms.

A great example of excellent hospitality, Anantara welcomed us with refreshing welcome drinks while we waited at the reception. It’s in no doubt, one of the best places to stay in Maldives. After relaxing and easing out, we headed to the pool next to the main restaurant and bar.

Outdoor Restaurant at Anantara

There it was! The Oh so WOW moment! Infinity pool overlooking the serene blue ocean waters with a hammock in middle of the sea, it was indeed the love at first site. Dropping the idea of early lunch we headed to the pool for a quick swim which turned out to be approx. 2 hours long. 

Infinity Pool at Anantara

In the infinity pool were the high stools for guests to enjoy drinks and food while chilling in the pool and as expected, we gulped down our share of drinks.

Pool side assistance for apple lovers (not the iApple, but apple, the fruit) like me included a bountiful tray with a bottle of water for hydration after swim in the sun, two green apples, one pear and one fresh hand towel. Bliss! 

Welcome drinks and other beverages at Maldives

Food: I prefer vegetarian food; hence always try to scout for some delicious vegetarian delicacies to keep me satiated on trips. Without any surprise, restaurants at Anantara offer great mix of all types of food and cuisines. We devoured one of the best Vietnamese rolls along with the pizza that was heavenly, Cappuccino after swim and some simple well-made pasta with green olives and sundried tomatoes in arrabbiata sauce. Rest of the day included more food, drinks and sun bathing.

Welcome Drinks & Other Beverages at Maldives

Water sports: Little bit of snorkeling with a bit of trying to touch medium size silver fishes leaves you all exhausted and that’s when beach chairs outside villa come in handy. Pristine blue waters with different light and dark shades of blue and hammock in the middle of the sea makes it all worthwhile and leaves you with nothing more to be asked for.

Quick Note: Snorkeling kit is free for the guests. There are no water scooters available.  

Scuba: Next day instead of taking scuba diving course at any of the resorts, we took a speedboat to a small local island called Maafushi. A Padi certified professional scuba diving course for 2 day in a village will cost anywhere between INR 10,000 – 15000 vs. 30,000 – 35,000 at any resort.

Unfortunately, after 1 day of scuba, I couldn’t complete the course as I was all exhausted playing mermaid in the sea because of which I caught Hypothermia and fever on the main diving day. I was very disappointed considering the fact that I spent almost entire evening of the previous day in the training session and almost all night reading the Diving book (Yes, I was laughed at and was called a geek). Did the sad part last long? No ways, it gave me the opportunity to indulge, eat, drink and go for spa.

Later in the day, we kept the dinner light. I had veg. clear soup with tones of pepper and garlic along with raw papaya salad. End of the day included some chilled white wine and gazing at the setting sun.   

Sunset in Maldives

 Water Villa: I will say nothing and will leave you with the pictures to imagine how dreamy it was for us.  

Water Villas at Anantara

Sunset view from our Water Villa

If you are still reading this post, thanks for being with me (and hats off to you). To sum it all up, this trip was a sheer warm indulgence. 

* In addition to the luxurious, dreamy part of the trip described above, there was bit more realistic side to the next couple of days. Shall leave it for a later post. 

Cheers! 

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