My Travel Log 2 - Awestruck !

Recalling my travels brought back memories of some absolutely treasured experiences.
I have used the back space so many times as I tried to put down my favourite ..
I have concluded no favourites ...each holds a space in the heart

The trip to Sikkim is now 11 years from the past ...
I had vowed to revisit within 10 years ... well i'm past my deadline but as they say 'better late than never'.


Sikkim I remember for :
my first feel of snow (though snow fall i am yet to experience)
the white covered hills against the clear blue sky
grabbing a handful of cold snow & throwing it in the air

The biting cold when I dared to have a cold water bath at about 4 degrees.
The yummy 'momos'.
The very long hike up hill an down again
White water rafting.
The serenity of Rumtek monastery

Glad to have it on my list of places i have experienced and on my list of places to visit again.



Rajmaachi:
I recall both the treks to the place; one an excruciating long one & the other a cruelly fast one.
It holds place as one of my favourite trek destinations. Both treks began at night from Lonavla ..
both were led by COM ( Prof. Sudhakar Solomon Raj... he sometimes signs as Crazy Old Man).
Destination is Rajmaachi fort ... a Shivaji time fort on the Ghats of Maharashtra between Karjat & Lonavala. Its touted as the highest fort in the region.And thats where the commonality of both the treks end.

The 1st one was when I was in college my Final year BSc. It was a trek i was initially not supposed to be part of but wanted to be part of . It was a large group of 55 of us boys n girls with professors from 1st yr junior college to MSc students .

We made our way into the mountains now green with the monsoon effect. As we trudged along we could hear streams find their way down. Typewritter frogs tapping away with crickets & sikadas playin their own orchestrated music.

Somewhere along the path (which we learnt much later ) instead of taking a left we too a right turn and kept walking with no sign of our destination. We walked in almost pitch darkness though some used torches ...{Trek hint: torches shud be used in absolute emergencies ..our eyes will eventually adjust to the minimal light recd from the moon}
We started walking around 10:30 at night and began to see our destination only around 6 in the morn with a halt of about an hour for dinner (which we had carried) At 6 we had managed to reach the base of the fort and had to make the final climb. Were our legs sore !!! ?? but seeing the fort we were determined to climb it. It was a precarious climb with narrow footholds which in some places were covered with slippery moss. Luckily we held on and made up to the fort with no mishaps. Once there we collapse on the grass covered floor too exhausted to look around

The bigger deception came when we were told that Shivvaji never even visited the fort ! ..

Once we caught our breath we dragged ourselves to the ends of the fort ...peering over ...and the view took my breath away (hahaha).
simply put ..."B E A U T I F U L"
Its a fort built using the mountain face hence camouflaging it. It provided for an open unrestricted view for kilometers ...indicating its strategic positioning .. a perfect vantage point.

The view was carpets of green with the light cover of mist.
As the sun rays spread, the shine from the reflecting dew drops added the glitter

The long walk was well worth it .

Of course the trip down was more painful

We did walk almost 15 hours at a stretch with the halt for dinner and the brief
halt at the fort for breakfast.

It did leave a lasting impression on my mind


The next trek was about 10 of us only, half of us ex-students of the college including me. Its been a long while since my legs or body had done any remotely physical activity as we set out on this trek.
We started a little earlier and reached the base of the fort in about 2 & 1/2 hours of cruelly fast walking. COM was all out to set a record of sorts. My legs gave way ...suffering cramp , locked knee, muscle pulls on the way but was pushed on. We stayed at the village for the night in a hut with thatched roof and mud floor ...and ate the spiciest chutney with simple veg meal . We saw stars that night ...and we owe it to the chutney :-)

Early, before daybreak we trudged up the fort it was still breath taking like the last time.
We made it back also in double time ...with me almost giving up a couple of times preferring to live in the wilderness than walk anymore.

I'd love to go there again and pull a few more muscles ... its simply worth it

(This post was typed a long while back ...apologies for the delay in posting)

My Travel Log - a statistical view

-- a "geographical' account of the lands I have covered

My travels have until recently been limited to the borders of India. Though not an extensive traveler, I would have to consider myself lucky to have covered the places that I have, from the North of our great & beautiful country to the South & from the East to the West.

Being born in Kerala (parents are from there) to be being brought up in Bombay (now Mumbai; parents earned their living here) itself established that I have touched 2 states (Kerala & Maharashtra). Studying and growing up in the city of Mumbai and going for summer vacations to Kerala (to see my loving grandparents) in the town of Quilon (now Kollam) was a long train journey then, of 44 hours assuming the trains were not late (rarely were they on time). Crossing the ghats in Maharashtra & racing across the dry arid landscape of Andhra Pradesh to the refreshing greens of Kerala. Passing through tunnels and on bridges that are built over dry river beds, creeks and Kerala's famous backwaters .
An occasional trip to Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) to visit relatives added to the places 'been to' in Kerala. My real break in travels came when one Diwali vaccation we (my family) decided to travel north. We went to Delhi (our capital) and using Delhi as our base camp we covered hill stations like Dehradun & Mussouri, then travelled to the worlds most famous monument of love, the Taj Mahal at Agra. We also visited the pink city, Jaipur. I call it the city of forts & palaces, a short trip to Mathura was also squeezed in. It was a satisfying holiday.
Then on another vacation to Kerala we decided to do more than just meet the relatives. We set a couple of days apart for a trip to the southern most tip of the country ...Kanyakumari.

During this course of time one granny moved to Bangalore, my God parents too live there making Bangalore another regular vacation destination. This granny later moved to Cochin, making that the vacation hub besides Kollam. I have done a quick tour of Alleppey, Kayangulum & Clapanna places where my Dad, did his schooling and was the location our former ancestral homes.

Back home in Mumbai ...have been to the neighboring hill station of Lonalvla & Khandala ..places that I have visited quite often since. As I began college I joined the Nature club of my college i.e. The WCNC (Wilson College Nature Club ) and enrolled to go for the annual camp which that year was planned for Gir forest well the plague caused that location to be scrapped and was re-planned for Tadoba Tiger Reserve which is in Maharashtra itself in the district of Chandrapur (near Nagpur). Wow the experience of living within the forest was exciting ....(another blog for experiences). Thus began my camps with the WCNC along with whom I went to Sikkim i.e. Gangtok; Kalingpong & Darjeeling was also on the itinerary. We halted at Siliguri and also at Calcutta (now Kolkatta) where i took a walk to the famous Howrah bridge. One camp was to Annamalai forest in Coimbatore where at one place we were told our one foot was in Kerala & the other in Tamil Nadu. So was in two states at the same time. Yet another camp i was part of was to Kodiakanal. I missed out on trips to Gir forest & Kanha national park among a few others.
Raajmachi fort near Lonavla & Ambernath were a couple of the small trips I took with the NC.

I finally managed to go to one of the more popular holiday destinations i.e. Goa and have been there on 3 occassions now. Oh did i mention going back to Mathura for a wedding ...what a trip!!
Nashik, Pune, Nagpur & Bhopal are few places that I have stayed at least a day. While Nagpur & Bhopal were official trips Nashik was to visit a religious shrine and Pune to visit a friend.

Now i have finally set foot out of the country and am in the UAE. Within UAE I have been to 5 of the 7 emirates, the 6th one i have only passed through. Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Umm al-Quwain, Fujairah are the emirates that I have been to and have passed through Ajman. Ras al-Khaimah should be my next immediate destination.

To Sum it as a statistic : I have set foot on only 2 countries out of over 200 countries world wide.
Within my own country India I have set foot on just 9 out of the 28 states and 1 Union territory of 7.
In the only other country that I have visited I have been to 5 out of 7 emirates …

Lakshwadeep and/or Moonar/Periyar are targets for the end of this year '09

I have a long list of places i wanna visit, see & experience ...and hopefully my plans will materialize. More than the statistic am looking for varied experiences of climate, scenic beauty, food & people. I will share my experiences of places and pics too as time goes by.

Keep tuned for this 'Sinbad' inspired individual’s experiences of travels.

Sinbad

The thought of traveling around the world experiencing the beauty of different places gets me all excited. Even being to different places within my own country of India is a thrilling prospect. Though not an regular traveller I treasure memories of places i have been to, from hill stations to historical landmarks, from cities to the core of forests, from freezing lakes to extremely hot dust bowls. Even within and around the singular city of Mumbai there is so much to see and experience. And to travel add the variety of food....yummmm...and its such a heady mix.

I envy the Sinbads of the world who I believe are privileged to indulge in so much variety in their lives.

Experiencing the WOMAD (read my post : http://a-muse-me-india.blogspot.com/2009/04/womad-simply-superb.html ) was like pouring oil in the flame of wanting to experience the diversity of the world. From listening to 'world' music, to letting my tongue savour different recipes & cuisines, to seeing the God created natural wonders, to the creativity of man through art, dance and architecture ...my heart is thumping for more.

Am taking baby steps in fulfilling these my cravings but at least I know am walking in the direction pointed out by my heart. I'd like to have a 'crew' for my 'voyage' or even a first mate. (any volunteers?) Sharing the wonders of the world with someone multiplies the pleasures, actually,we tend to lose the essence of some wonders if traversed alone. Come on friends and family take me on your ship or sail with me. What am suggesting is from the simple 'share' the new recepie you learnt to joining in on treks, holidays and the like. From suggesting new restraunts to pointing out a hidden cave.... The "variety" available is like the treasures in Ali Baba's cave. Sail ahoy!!!

2Toes - Part 2 (Surprising Diets)

As she has grown from a tiny pup to a pretty full grown spaniel, 2Toes has entertained us no end with her eating habits. She has consumed and relished food items varying from bananas to raw karela (bitter gourd /pavekya). As a pup she was fed on cerelac as a baby. She showed her craving for various foodstuff as early as her 2nd day at our home. Mum and me were celebrating her arrival with a pizza and she wanted to be part of the feast. Her whining and finally 'sit in the further most corner of the room' protests showed her thorough disappointment on being denied the treat. She even held the grudge for 24 hours. As she grew up we began to realise that she loved fruits. The smells of mangoes used to drive her crazy with greed. In her 4 human years I believe she has eaten more fruits than I have in my 30 years of existance. Infact after every meal she needs a plantain (green banana) as desert. So that amounts to a minimum of 3 times a day. While eating she gives the impression that she eats her meals in a hurry so as to get to the dessert (plantain) as soon as possible. She has a taste for mangoes, apples, pineapples, bananas, jack fruit, sometimes even pomegranate and water melon. (I had taught her one trick within just half an hour using arils of the pomegranate fruit as incentive).

2Toes choice of foods seems like one who is conscious of diet and healthy foods. While my Mom cuts vegetables 2Toes will patiently wait, as she expects mom to keep a portion of the veg. for her. She has thus eaten bitter gourd (karela), ladies fingers, methi leaves, carrots, cucumbers, french beans, green peas, cabbage, .... all in the raw. And she seems to relish them as she always comes back for more. There was a time when a whole carrot became a regular snack between breakfast & lunch. Occasionally it was substituted with the other vegetables. It was interesting to watch her sit with the carrot (which contrasted against her shiny black fur) held up between her paws as she bit into it.

Besides these naturally occurring foods she loves ice cream (especially mango flavoured). She cannot resist the smell of cheese or peanut butter on bread either. Peanuts, cakes, curd with honey and other items of interest. When she was little, she used to run to the kitchen whenever a coconut was cracked open for a share of the coconut water which Mom & Dad would thoughfully keep for her. She soon learnt the taste of coconut too and not surprisingly relished it.

Currently, her regular day begins with 2 chappatis & milk & a little flavoured supplement followed by a portion of plantain, all this by 7:30 am. Her lunch has to be served sharp at 12 noon. This is a mix of boiled rice and mince meat which she gulps down followed by another portion of kela (plantain). She expects 4 (nothing less, nothing more ) biscuits for 'tea time snack' at 4 in the early evening. (This is one time she does not insist on following up with plantain though she would gladly have if offered). 2Toes is particular about the biscuit being 'Marie'. She has an early dinner (at 7:30/8:00 pm) comprising of a couple of handfuls of 'Pedigree' and yes followed by her 'must have' dessert. If the family is having fruits after their dinner she will patiently wait for her share of the fruit as well.

I have something to learn from her.

"Increase my fruit intake"!!

"Eat on Time" &

"Have an early dinner"

2Toes - Part I (The begining)

2Toes is a black female english cocker spaniel. Her full name at registration is 2Toes Adora and yes we add Vaz at the end as she is so much part of the family. She was born to Cherry & Mango on 29th April 2005 in Mumbai, India in the home of Dr. Srinivasan. I saw her for the first time on 16th June '05 as a little pup about just half a foot in length. She was in a huddle with her sisters and brother on a sack. I remember that on the day she chose me not the other way round. Cause when I called out to the lot ...she came wobbling on her unsteady legs straight to me while the others wandered around.

While I acquainted myself with the whole family she chewed on the hem of my denims and played with my shoe lace and then as though to say "you are mine" she nestled her head on my shoe and fell asleep.

I had made my choice or actually she had made hers... though she lacked the sheen that was on the fur of her siblings, or that she seemed the least active of the lot did not matter. As i left with her cradled like a baby in my arms, her mute caretaker communicated through Dr. Srinivasan that I had picked the most intelligent of the lot. Almost 4 years now since she became family and I believe the caretaker was right about her. Intelligence is something 2Toes has displayed right as a pup and continues to amaze us with.

Her comin home was like the arrival of new born baby. I dashed off with by good buddy Cecil to buy baby foods and toys while my mother and she bonded. We had visitors regularly dropping in to see the new addition. And yes, she loved the attention. She was the Baby of the the house (and still is ) :-)

Love Fool

1st April 2009 ...its almost 3 months since i saw you.

The 3rd day of this year, I packed my bag, then hugged you & kissed you good bye.
I was leaving on a jet plane ...knowing that it wud be a long time till i was back again.
I saw the question in your eyes ...I felt the heaviness in my chest and my eyes moistened as i turned to go.
I wonder at times if this journey is worth it ...leaving you behind like that? Whether the material gains is worth the sacrifices of mine and the sacrifices of all those back home. How do i put a value to things like your enthusiastic and joyful welcome when i come home after a hard days work.

I close my eyes and the various things we did together flash across my mind :-
- Our walks together, where I got looks of envy and you of admiration
- Our little fights over trifle matters which we resolve quickly ....you probably do not even recall our fights..'make up & move on' to the next good moment being your philosophy of life.
- The times I pampered you ; My fingers in your soft hair; Me scratching your back.
- You snuggling close; Your wet kisses ...
- Watching you sleep; Us falling asleep together.
- The things you communicated ...
- The way you loved to be complimented ..and be showered with gifts.
- The good times we had at the beach ...

I find it hard to explain to myself why am away ...Not as hard as to explain to you that ....

2Toes ...I miss you.

The 3 "R"s and more ...

R educe, R euse & R ecycle

"3R" is a very famous term used to describe the three ways one can help produce less waste, and is often symbolized by three arrows, arranged in a triangle. We observed "Earth Hour" a couple of days ago and my thoughts go to the real mass movement that can make the difference.

Reduce? It simply means reducing our waste and/or consumption. I would include another "R" as part of this 'Refuse'. Reducing consumption would include simple things like reduced use of plastics. Like at a shop 'refusing' the extra plastic bag. Another step would be the use of long-lasting goods like a shopping bag thus reducing the use of plastic bags. Another is the use of products that come in minimal packaging. Reduce should apply to our power consumption too. Reduce emission. Since reduction prevents the production of waste in the first place, it comes as the first step in conservation.

Reuse? The reuse of things around us reduces consumption and waste. Old items can be reused either by yourself or someone else. Repairing items and/or donating them to charity or using them in a different way are methods of 'Reuse'. From the reuse of you 'out of fashion' clothes by lesser fortunate to reuse of plastic bags from shopping sprees for garbage disposal or storage or another shopping spree instead of buying new ones for the same purpose. Refilling bottles or use of old furniture after remodelling them. So new "R"s here are Reinvent, Refill, Reach out...

Recycling? Recycling is the newest 'R' of the basic 3 R's. It turns materials, that would otherwise become waste, into valuable materials. By recycling, we can conserve resources and at the same time reduce waste. Recycling involves the collection of recyclable materials, sorting and processing them into raw materials and manufacturing them into new products. A lot of products are now using recycled materials eg. newspapers, metal drink cans. Our role is to ensure recyclable waste is sent for recycling. Hence the need for sorting our waste. Another important role we have in recycling is in purchasing of products using recycled material. Ensuring growth and promotion of the practice.

I have one more "R" to add to the list R emind.

Remind? Ah! thats what I am doing right now ...Reminding you to play your part by following the "R"s. And following this R each one is called to remind themselves & the people in their lives to follow the "R"s for a better life.

Skeptics: I have heard this "what difference will it make if I do it?" time and again. The question has come to my mind too. But the answer comes too ...'Every Drop makes the ocean' . For example I am 30 and if i had to live another 30 yrs (30 yrs = 10,957 days)...If i were to use 1 plastic bag less each day that woud be 10,957 plastic bags less in the waste. If i can get 5 people close to me to do it (remind) too along with me that would be 65,742 plastic bags less. If this is a chain i.e. each influencing 5 more ...16,43,550...WOW!, the impact of reducing just one item ....by 31 individuals. Imagine more than one item per individual and with a larger group doing it.

Language- A Key to Happiness & Success

Did you know you can say almost every sentence in positives for the present?
What do I mean by that?!!
Ah, I mean we can make every moment of our lives a positive experience just by the way we talk, especially to ourselves. There are 2 aspects to the language :-
1) Is getting the context about the present correct and
2) Is utilising positive sentences to convey anything.

1) Context of the present: Yes I repeat myself (from previous post) "Past does not exist" What 'happened' happened. It does not have to be the present. For example, if 'in the past' you were never able to grasp maths does not mean you cannot understand it today/now. Every moment is new and the possibility exists to understand maths. So whether it made sense to you in the past or not it can make sense to you today.
So our sentences for the present should be in context of the present. eg. "For me, there was a time maths was difficult to comprehend. Lets see how i do now" instead of "I can never understand math" In the first sentence I have distinguished the past and the present and am giving myself the possibility of understanding math today. In the 2nd sentence I clearly am referring to the past as my present and almost certainly killing the possibility of understanding maths.

2) Positive language: Its about framing the sentence conveying what you have to say but saying it differently i.e. positively. We could compare it to something in English Grammar; Changing the Voice "The cat chased the mouse" to "The mouse was chased by the cat". What I see in this sentence is the focus shifts from cat in the 1st sentence to the mouse in the 2nd sentence. Similarly we can take the spot light off the negative from our sentences and shine it on the positive. A couple of simple examples :
i) "I will not be unhappy" --> to --> "I will be happy"
Here in the 1st part I am focussing on "not" being something, (in this case being unhappy).
In the 2nd part I am focussing on being something (in this case happy)
In 1st part, I remind myself unhappy exists
In 2nd part, I am talkin only about happiness
In 1st part, I imply that 'unhappy' is the normal way and have to not be it (conflict with normal)
In 2nd part, I imply that 'happy' is the normal way and set my self to be it i.e. goal (join the flow)
I compare this to 'I want to be a doctor' and 'I dont want to be an engineer '. Doctor is specific, 'not an Engineer' is vague and does not imply you want to be a Doctor. No directions mean likelihood of getting lost.

ii) "I am not sure what to do" --> to --> "I need to decide what to do"
Here again the difference is in the two sentences is about giving direction. Both sentences mean 'i have not decided what is the next step' But the effective difference in the 2nd sentence is I am positively saying what needs to be done instead of leaving oneself in the "not sure" zone.

This initially needs concious effort ...but soon it will be your language ...your attitude ...life is beautiful see it that light . These 2 steps in speaking the Language of positivity has made life positive and progressive for me. I recommend it. You can only gain. (instead of you have nothing to lose) :-)

Faith can move mountains!

Have you heard that before? I have and can say i have experienced it too. There is truth to it either literally or figuratively.
All motivational speakers refer to faith in some context or the other. The Bible too has several references highlighting the power of 'Faith'

'I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move.' -Matthew 17:20

'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believeth.' -Mark 9:23

Definition : Faith is the confident belief in the truth of or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. It is also used for a belief, characteristically without proof.

My View: Faith to me is a deep belief ...could be in my abilities, could be in the outcomes i seek, or it could be in the supreme power of God...

Looking at it practically: People may say "Move a mountain??!! Not a chance". I decided to look it from a simplistic form for now i.e. Lookin at it as a metaphor ..mountains representing our problems. If i do not believe i can resolve them then there is almost no chance whatsoever of a resolution coming forth. My efforts in 'moving those mountains" will either be non existent and/or meaningless. Mentally am also likely to be unaware even if a resolution presents itself in front of me. So with the resolution staring in our face we never notice it as a possible solution. This is because we do not believe that a resolution can be found. If nothing else, going in with Faith exponentially increases your possibility of success.
Faith garners potential and forces within you that you most probably have no clue exists and puts them into action to resolve the "mountain". You begin to do things positively and achieve positive results.
Faith helps loosen the constraints and chains within ourselfs. Imagine yourself jumping over a ditch whose width is about the maximum distance you have ever jumped in your life ....and the ditch is deep, let say life threatening, ..you need obviously need a good run up to clear it and you probably will i.e. only if you believe. Because if your belief is waning you are in all probability going to falter in the run up itself or at the take off, as, part of u wants to stay back down on this side and you are likely to be swallowed by the ditch by that half attempt. Run in faith and you are likely to clear the ditch by a margin to spare too.

I have faith that the rule of Faith applies to bigger things including making a mountain move.

Thus Keep the Faith ...forces of nature work in conjunction with Faith and so does everything around you. Keep believing in all that is good and progressive .

Life - Time

11,111 + days since i was born...Thats a lot of days!!

I reflect back and wonder .."how many of those days have i really 'lived'?"

Then i return to the present and ask myself .."what is real living?"

A question that can be answered lightly- nonchalantly or with deep thought
I'll go with the simple , its ...(and am now struck by the profoundness of the question)....
(am only measuring time in days ...each day is made of 24 hours and each hour by 60 mins and each min by 60 secs )
...a day (not necessarily the whole day) at the end of which i can say i took definitive steps as an individual to :-
a)grow personally (intellectually, physically, socially or spiritually),
b)make someone smile,
c)contributed to the betterment of society,
d)towards the progress of the nation and the world as a whole,

A fuller life will constitute the 'really' living in smaller 'time portions' like hour and minutes

The human body (and mind) is full of potential to achieve anything it decides to. I have begun to realize the value of living every minute though i need to be reminded of it occasionally. And when am conscious of this fact I see myself living more moments of my life....

This step back to counting days passed ....and asking this thought provoking question is to help one see the present in the light of living it fully

Mulling over lost time(years, months, days, hours & moments ) is not living the now.
Remember the following quote ...I will refer to it very often
Neither the Past or the Future Exist ...what does is the Present ...Live It!!