Never Say Never

I am a travel addict. No matter how much I travel or explore, my greed to experience and see more always keeps me on my toes. And while I do manage to travel a decent amount (a lot as per others), these constantly itchy feet made me think and eventually set a resolution for myself on 27^th December, 2010 – #atripamonthin2011. I am not much of a resolution maker or keeper mind you. Never have been. But I thought, maybe, just maybe, if I set one regarding something I was obsessively passionate about, I’d make an extra effort to stick to it. And I did.

So, the plan was such - starting 1st January 2011, I decided that every month of the year I will go some place. It could be with friends, with my husband, with family, my dog, or even alone, but every month I will go somewhere. A trip / vacation, unlike what most people think, doesn't necessarily have to be to some fancy sounding destination. It could be a weekend getaway, visiting a place you have already been to, a short domestic holiday or a bigger International one. A trip is a trip. So, based on the month, the event / situation and the amount of money I / we were comfortable spending in that month on the trip, a place was decided upon. And guess what *drumroll* I stuck to the #atripamonthin2011 resolution. I traveled in every single month of 2011.

Jan: Bangalore.

Feb: Pune.

March: Alibagh.

April: Delhi.

May: Thailand.

June: Germany.   

July: Germany.

August: Valley of Flowers, Uttaranchal.

September: Alibagh.

October: Australia.

November: Nowhere. I knew Dec would more than make up for it. :)

December: Delhi, Pune & Gujarat.

I got and still get various reactions from people; from the minute I announced my resolution. The only difference is what began with a shocked expression and a ‘yeah right you’ll do it eye roll’ has now turned into a pleasantly surprised or a sort of envious ‘you really did it every month eh!’ It feels good. Not because others are envious, but because I stuck to doing something that excites me so much. Some of my closest friends, family and fellow travel enthusiasts now believe me when I say that it’s not tough to take a couple of short (or long) trips in a year. As the year progressed, and I managed to go for a trip every month, they, and I realized that it’s not such an unachievable goal after all.If you plan right and work things around it and of course, save sensibly, it’s quite doable.

It’s a new year, and while I haven’t set a resolution for this one, the enthusiasm is high and the desire to explore new places and revisit older ones is even stronger. I will travel more. I will explore more. I will learn more. And yes, I promise to write more too. Mean while, all you wander-lusting people out there, don't procrastinate or be envious of the next person who is planning a vacation or is happily uploading their recent holiday pictures. Don’t brush aside the thought of going somewhere or wait for when you have the time and money because you will never have enough time or money. Never. 

Make time, save the money and tick off places one by one on that long overdue travel bucket list. And don’t let others ever tell you that you can’t do something or that it’s an impossible thought. I am telling you otherwise. It's all possible so never say never.

Have a trippy 2012 all!

A lifetime is not enough

A friend shared some phenomenal documentaries with me about two weeks ago. One of the most enriching gifts I have received. Ever since, I have been addicted to watching them. There's this greed. To know more, see more, absorb more, about everything thats under, on and above this Earth. And what I've seen so far cannot be put into words. You have to watch it for yourself. The Crimson Wing and Home are just two examples of what lies out there. Unimaginable landscapes and behaviour patters of animals. Overwhelming.

Having watched a dozen of these documentaries has made me realise that none of us will never get to see even half of this gorgeous planet before we die. Yes, never. I am certain. The parts that are worth seeing that is.

So, so, tragic.

Travel as many times as you can. Explore as much as you can. And when you can't, try and get your hands on some such documentaries and books. Trust me, what you see on television on National Geographic and Animal Planet is just not enough. And once you've seen and read more, don't curse me if that wanderlust increases double fold. :)

The Ganges in Mumbai

Yet another discovery in Mumbai. A photography spree took me to Banganga, a hidden tank in Walkeshwar which supposedly has water flowing in it from the Ganges. How much truth there is in that, no one will ever know. But here's what I found out.

Read my piece on Banganga here: The India Tube.

"Kem Che Dikra?"

These long breaks are becoming a habit now. Sorry, but a lot has happened since May (the last post) and it has everything to do with Broken Compass. Shall write about the rather exciting and eventful journey of Broken Compass in another post.

This one is about my latest article which has been published on The India Tube website. An article about a community I love dearly. 

The Parsis. 

My love affair with the Parsi community began 14 years ago when I first met my bubbly, curly haired, mad baawi (a common term used for Parsi women) roommate at AWWA hostel, Mumbai. I would have never guessed then, that over the years, she would become one of my closest friends, and through her life, family and friends, I would become so close to her community and its culture. Post our hostel days, we ended up staying at her parents’ home in Tata Co-op Housing Colony, Elphinstone (just one of the many Parsi colonies in Mumbai). Over the 3 years that I lived there, I saw a very different side of the city. One that is a very integral part of it, yet, poles apart from the fast paced indifference that Mumbai stands for.

Here is my article on The Baugs of Mumbai.

Of new beginnings...

Remember the 'new venture' I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. The one that kept me from blogging for a while. Well, it's finally launched and on it's way.

Ever since I started traveling extensively, and began helping friends and family plan their trips on and off, I had it in my head that one day I would want to own a 'holiday planning' company. One that would make life easy for everyone by helping them at every stage; from the minute they thought of going on a holiday - through their planning - till they were off! 

A couple of months ago, I found myself having a discussion about this with a friend who had the same thought. Wonder of wonders. So we decided, instead of becoming competitors, why not pool in our resources and start this together. After all, we were both equally passionate about it.

And so, after much planning and numerous discussions, came about Broken Compass, Manjari Verma and Avani Patels brainchild. A company very close to our heart. A company we are slowly but steadily building on. Yes, we are new but we know what we do. And we make sure we do it well. 

It's a nice feeling to watch your dream turn into reality. To work for yourself. Every long working day and sleepless night seems worthwhile now. Every penny spent on making this happen seems well worth it. For now, we just hope people like what we do and things only get better. 

Wish us luck.

And yeah, happy tripping all! :)