The Road Trip to Delhi From Pondicherry

7 Days, 7 States, 2 Union Territories, 3000 km, and an Ignis

The Trip: Pondicherry to Delhi

Auroville, Tamil Nadu - An experimental tree house

A unique community that celebrates humanity, spirituality, creativity, and technology. The 'No nation, no religion' concept intrigued me. An absolute visit if near Pondicherry.

Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh - A flamboyance of Greater Flamingoes

The second-largest saltwater lake/lagoon in India. One of the best places to bird watch especially thousands of 'Greater Flamingoes'

Aundha, Maharastra - Aundha Nagnath Jyotirling Temple

Considered the 8th of the 12 Jyotirlingas. This beautiful stone-carved temple is a popular pilgrim destination for devotees of Lord Shiva. The main sanctum is located in an underground cave. Photography is prohibited inside the complex.

Aurangabad, Maharastra  - Bibi Ka Maqbara

One of the only two edifices commissioned by Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb. Bibi ka Maqbara is a tomb built in memory of his beloved wife Dilras Banu Begum.

Ellora, Maharastra - Ellora Caves

Unesco heritage site, Ellora, is a spectacular complex of rock-cut cave temples built from 600 to 1000 CE.

Fardapur, Maharashtra - Ajanta Fresco in Cave I

About 100 km away from Ellora is the Ajanta Caves complex. This UNESCO heritage site is home to some of the finest rock paintings of the ancient world. These caves date back to the 2nd to 6th century BC.

Mandhata, Madhya Pradesh - Omkareshwar Temple

Omkareshwar is considered the 4th of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Located on an island named Mandhata on the banks of river Narmada

Jhalawar, Rajasthan - Gagron Fort

The Gagron Fort is a picturesque island fort accessible through a bridge that gets submerged during the monsoons as seen in the photograph above

Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh - Gwalior Fort

It is said the architectural planning and the structure of the Gwalior fort are so strong that no attacks on the fort were successful 

Most of the roads were well-maintained and scenic. Pondicherry to Nizamabad has good connectivity to National highways. We faced the dilapidated roads once we entered Maharashtra. Nizamabad to Aundha, Aundha to Aurangabad, Ellora to Ajanta, and Ajanta to Burhanpur were terrible stretches. Barwaha, Madhya Pradesh to Delhi is well connected by well-maintained National Highways. 

More Indian Than I Thought

My first international trip happened a couple decades back. I was fresh out of college, a novice teen with big dreams and a lot of curiosity to see 'The World' - A world that was defined by the many books I had read all through my growing years and of course the many English movies. Though thrilled at the prospect of finally being able to explore and experience the pages of those books and movies in real, stepping out of a sheltered life into a big wide world of the unknown presented some apprehensions.

My parents had come to see me off at the airport. The hardest part was bidding farewell to a crying mother. After a long hug and promises to write long detailed letters, I headed towards the journey forward. When the announcement for the boarding knocked into my ears, the feeling finally sunk in, I was 'REALLY' leaving. Leaving the country I knew so well. Leaving my home. Leaving my people. Leaving my family. Leaving my friends. Leaving everything that I loved and cared for.

With moistened eyes, I walked solemnly towards the aircraft, trying hard to control my lachrymal glands, trickling tears anyway, against my wishes :((

At the entrance gate, an Italian flight attendant smiled and welcomed me with a warm "Namaste".  I reverted with a namaste.

Having noticed my sad face, she asked, “Going out for the first time?”

I nodded silently. I wasn’t in a mood to converse.

She said, “Don’t worry! You won't be too far from home." In her broken Hindi, she continued “Gar idar bi hai.” (There’s a home here as well)

Instantly my face brightened. I laughed.

“You know Hindi”

“ Mai koshish kar rahi hai" (I am trying)

“Bohut Achcha (very good) That’s so very sweet of you”

I already felt comfortable. Perhaps the world outside won’t be as scary as I imagined it could be.  Maybe I can find a home there as well.

The air hostess asked me, “So, you live in Bombay?” (since I had boarded from Bombay)

I replied, “ No, I am coming from Delhi”

“Ah!!! You are traveling to Milan?”

“ No!! to the US for higher studies. Milan is a transit"

“ So you got your Visa from the Delhi consulate?”

“Actually No, I went to the Chennai consulate to get my visa stamped”

“Were you studying in Chennai?”

“No, I studied in Hyderabad”

“Oh, so you got your passport work done from Hyderabad”

“No,  I got my passport made from Bhopal”

“Oh!!! Is that where you are from?”

“No, my father works in MP, I am a Bengali”

“Oh! So I guess you were born in Kolkata”

“No, I was born in Assam”

“My dear you are more Indian than I thought"

A Short Tryst With The Mountains

Where Journeys end, stories begin

During a trek to a remote, mystic monastery, I stopped over for a month at a tiny village in Zanskar Valley. The hamlet, felt like the last point on earth, beyond which lay miles and miles of barren mountains - majestic, immovable, invincible yet ever changing! Once in a while random adventure seekers trekked across them, enduring all the adversities, of a rough terrain inhabited by snow leopards, for that ineffable, glorious feeling of having triumphed over the untamed.  Aware of my limitations, I contended myself by capturing the breathtaking experience in my camera.

Some days, the mountains were cloaked behind layers of cottony clouds waiting to reveal well-kept secrets. Some days, the peaks glistened with fresh dust of snow while romancing the sunrays kissing them. Some days, they looked dry, barren and lifeless as if in mourning. Yet other days, they looked like a surreal painting on a bright blue canvas.  The mountain-scape kept changing, mysterious, intimidating to sublime and alluring.

The mountains spoke a story of change.  Change, they say is inevitable but not everlasting. It brings with it the apprehension of letting go the known yet it gives the thrill of discovering the unknown.

Alice In Ladakh

“While nature can mystify, architecture can stir the soul”

A few years back, in my process to heal after a certain personal setback, I had decided to hit the road for a solo soul search. The lone trail led me to the mystical ‘land of passes’. What began as a sudden whim, eventually, turned into a magical journey of amazing discoveries.

Some wise soul had once said, “you don’t need magic to disappear; all you need is a destination”. Ladakh is one such thaumaturgic destination.

Traveling and healing are connected in a weird way. Traveling may not be a panacea but it does bring positive changes in perspectives. A place as beautiful as Ladakh, with its many untouched, unexplored, ethereal, exotic locales, possesses the magical charm to heal and rejuvenate.  Its natural beauty is beyond comprehension; almost a painting on a life-size canvas and as amazing is its architectural splendor.

Being an architect, monasteries and particularly their architecture, caught my attention.  Whether it was the secluded, spiritual cave temples of Zanskar or the colorful, vibrant gompas of Indus or the tall statues of Nubra, Ladakh revealed a rich treasure trove of art and architecture. The breathtaking clay and wooden edifices ensconced amidst the rugged Himalayan terrains and gorgeous, clear azure sky presented a surreal spectacle hard to find anywhere else on earth (and I literally mean it).

….

“There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger!” said the maddest Hatter

“That is impossible” Alice replied flaunting her 7 and a half-year-old attitude.

“Only if you believe it is! Every adventure requires a first step” snubbed back the hatter.

…..

If I am Alice, Ladakh is my wonderland. Fairy tales do come true - Where Journeys end, stories begin.

From Right Under Our Nose!!

Valley of Flowers in Tawang

Location: A hotel in Tawang.

Early morning at 5:00 a.m., someone knocked at our door. The knock got louder and louder to finally knock me out of my deep slumber. Assuming it was the tour driver for a wake-up call,  I dragged my sheepy 'zzzzzzz' legs to the door hardly noticing it wasn't bolted. Much too drowsy to even realize the 'unusual', I opened the door to find two quizzical faces staring at me. One of them I recognized as the hotel owner and the other a complete stranger.

"Yes?"I asked, trying hard to open my eyes.

"Is that your bag?" said the guy pointing at a few things near the staircase.

I glanced in the said direction. There was my bag, my camera, my friend's bag, my friend's camera, and her phone. Hmm! Where is my phone? I wondered!! Oh! yes! it's safe under my pillow - answers why, it didn't quite make its way up there.

"Yes, those are our things, but why are they outside our room?" I asked the obviously silly question, still trying to figure out if it was real or some weird dream. Flummoxed, I pinched myself - Ouch!!! It's definitely happening. Reality had started to dawn, gradually!!

SHOCK eventually replaced SLEEP!! Seriously? Did this actually happen!! I vividly remembered, switching off the idiot box around 3ish, and checking the door bolt before hitting the sack. How and when did someone enter our room! ?? This was unbelievably absurd!!

The commotion had woken my friend as well. Confused and shaken, she scanned through the stuff frantically!! "Kay all the money is gone!!!" I keep money in parts, in all possible pockets of my bags including the camera pouch when traveling. The thief had ransacked our bags thoroughly to not leave a single penny! He was clever enough to not take the mobile phones and our cameras. My camera is pretty outdated and antique for anyone's taste but my friend's was a pricey brand new slr !!! Some nerve he had to escape that temptation!!!. Hmmm!! An educated thief knows where to draw the line!! He was probably, somewhere very close, hence, chose to loot only the cash, intelligently ignoring anything that could get him caught easily.

The scary part was, the thief had opened our door, entered our room somewhere around 4am and taken all our stuff out and we heard nothing!!!! Instincts suggested it had to be a hotel staff. Most likely, our dinner was drugged which had us sleeping so soundly. Most disconcerting was the thought that worse could have actually happened!!!

We lodged an FIR at a local police station but to no great benefit. The officer in charge and his aide did a routine investigation quite nonchalantly and left us a note that if they come across any clues, we will be informed. Of course, that never quite transpired.

Disheartened, we decided to leave Tawang the next day. As the day moved on and the sun suddenly showed up all bright and warm after two days of non-stop cold rains, we reluctantly changed our minds. We had made it this far after a very rough journey, bad roads, two big landslides, an annoying travel mate, and 18 hours of continuous downpour.  Going back without exploring the place would be such a shame. Bad experiences happen but that shouldn't make us change our course. With that thought, we urged ourselves to the lakes early next morning. It was a decision well made! The enchanting beauty of the valley of flowers totally wooed us.

Shungetsar Lake

Arunachal is definitely a not-to-miss destination but it's wise to be cautious. Locals mentioned such things were not very uncommon. Hmmm!!

Disclaimer: We do not want to discourage anyone from visiting Arunachal. Just a forewarning for fellow travelers to be aware and alert!  We were robbed in Miami and Rome as well :P Happens everywhere !!!