My travel Map to this day

 The countless blessing includes my passion for travel and the job that allows to me to see more places than i could have imagined. I have lately been thinking about documenting and marking the places I go to with my runs. It's been a few years now exploring this thought, but I am finally taking a plunge to draw a map of words around the places I have been to and what better way to start than from the extreme tip of the south Asian continent Srilanka. 

Sri Lanka Travel Log

1. Basic Information

• Name of Place: Sri Lanka
• Country/State/City: Sri Lanka (Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya)
• Date of Visit: December 2019
• Duration of Stay: 10 days

2. Travel Experience

• Reason for Visit: Vacation & Cultural Exploration
• Mode of Travel: Flight to Colombo, then road trips within the country
• Accommodation: Mix of hotels, beach resorts, and a homestay in the hills

3. Highlights of the Trip

• Top Attractions Visited:

  • Sigiriya Rock Fortress
  • Temple of the Tooth (Kandy)
  • Tea Plantations in Nuwara Eliya
  • Galle Fort & Unawatuna Beach
  • Yala National Park Safari

• Memorable Experiences:

  • Climbing Sigiriya at sunrise for breathtaking views
  • Taking a scenic train ride from Kandy to Ella
  • Seeing wild elephants up close in Minneriya National Park
  • Relaxing on Mirissa Beach and watching blue whales
  • Exploring the colonial charm of Galle Fort

• Food & Cuisine Tried:

  • Traditional Sri Lankan Rice & Curry
  • Hoppers with spicy sambol
  • Fresh seafood in Galle
  • Ceylon tea tastings in the highlands

• Cultural Insights & Local Traditions:

  • Learned about the significance of Buddhism in Sri Lankan culture
  • Witnessed a traditional Kandyan dance performance
  • Experienced the warm hospitality of locals in homestays

4. Reflections & Learnings

• What I Loved Most About This Place:

  • The mix of history, nature, and beaches
  • The warmth and friendliness of the people
  • The incredible variety of landscapes in a small country

• Challenges Faced:

  • Humid weather in coastal areas
  • Some long road journeys between destinations

• Would I Visit Again? Why/Why Not?
  ✅ Yes! Would love to explore Jaffna and the northern parts next time.

5. Photos & Souvenirs

• Best Photos Taken:

  • Sunrise from Sigiriya Rock
  • Elephants in the wild at Yala National Park
  • Colorful tuk-tuks in the streets of Colombo
  • The picturesque tea fields of Nuwara Eliya

• Souvenirs Collected:

• Handcrafted wooden masks
• High-quality Ceylon tea
• Batik fabric from Kandy

• Hong Kong Travel Log

  1. Basic Information

  • Name of Place: Hong Kong
  • Country/State/City: Hong Kong SAR, China
  • Date of Visit: October 2018
  • Duration of Stay: 5 days

  2. Travel Experience

  • Reason for Visit: Vacation & City Exploration
  • Mode of Travel: Flight to Hong Kong International Airport, local transport via MTR, trams, and ferries
  • Accommodation: Stayed in a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui

  3. Highlights of the Trip

  • Top Attractions Visited:

    • Victoria Peak (The Peak Tram & Sky Terrace 428)
    • Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) & Po Lin Monastery
    • Avenue of Stars & Symphony of Lights Show
    • Disneyland Hong Kong
    • Temple Street Night Market
    • Star Ferry ride between Kowloon and Central

  • Memorable Experiences:

    • Watching the skyline from Victoria Peak at night
    • Exploring the bustling streets of Mong Kok and its vibrant markets
    • Taking the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to see the Big Buddha
    • Experiencing the thrilling rides at Disneyland Hong Kong
    • Enjoying a traditional dim sum meal at a local tea house

  • Food & Cuisine Tried:

    • Dim sum (Har Gow, Siu Mai, BBQ Pork Buns)
    • Egg waffles from a street vendor in Mong Kok
    • Roast goose at a famous local restaurant
    • Pineapple buns & Hong Kong-style milk tea
    • Seafood dinner at Sai Kung

  • Cultural Insights & Local Traditions:

    • Learned about Feng Shui influences in Hong Kong’s architecture
    • Experienced the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations with glowing lanterns
    • Noticed the balance between modern skyscrapers and historic temples

  4. Reflections & Learnings

  • What I Loved Most About This Place:

    • The dazzling skyline and harbor views
    • The efficiency of the public transport system
    • The fusion of Eastern and Western influences in the city

  • Challenges Faced:

    • Crowded streets and busy tourist spots
    • Humid weather and occasional rain showers

  • Would I Visit Again? Why/Why Not?
    ✅ Yes! Would love to explore more islands like Lantau and Lamma, and try a junk boat experience.

  5. Photos & Souvenirs

  • Best Photos Taken:

    • Panoramic night view from Victoria Peak
    • Giant Buddha at Lantau Island
    • The neon-lit streets of Mong Kok
    • A bustling dim sum table full of delicacies

  • Souvenirs Collected:

    • Lucky cat figurine for good fortune
    • Hand-painted Chinese fans
    • Traditional Chinese tea from a local shop

From Strangers to being Strangers !!

It all Started on a way to a cycle to nowhere

On a morning, I knew nothing about. 

There you were on, starting a journey, to become unknown

A string here and a string there

Tangling like a rope, over time

Bond was like I had never known

Shared every morning lost in the due

Like it was a dream not wanting to be Woken 

Then came the summer and all it went 

Into the dust like wind swept on the shores

Bellows of memories nothing to hold

I know I cannot Sail

But who can stop for a cycle to nowhere

what began on a morning ended like a storm

In that I found my soul and lost it too

For the journey was never to be alone 

But lost in it were the two, holding but a hay!!

Trying to put together a Journey to the unknown 

From strangers to behaving like strangers

I have come a long way, looking for no one but you again.....

Wandering on the road

 On a quiet start to a distant melody

The heart pounds to the roaring breeze

You ask why I love the fleet

The solo ride on a winding street

To what has the melody has the song

The words are missing but not the thoughts 

On every turn there are memories 

Some more cherished some left desired

Today the warm sun bracing my path

Showered Light to show me the path

One step at a time syncing to the rythme of my walk

Know not what I find but to be found

Rise again says the birds in the Sky

Turn to me as I take flight

Cherish my color as I blossom on the plant

Says the flower brimming to me

Of Growing up and Growing wise

 The last few years have been tough for me as an individual, growing older you are either assured of who you are or you have doubts on who you have been. This divide has not been very different for me either. Its a good time to look at the last few years which is a journey into health, heart & healing. Not that i have had issues with either but i wanted to better myself at all three. 

Health: What you know about your health, is it really in your control like everything else. To a certain degree it is. Focused on what I can do like a discipline and focus on aspects where I can become better. I do believe in moderation and injury free workouts. I am not looking to be like someone but be someone. My journey is mine alone and cannot be replicated simply because my habits are different and unique to me. I work out or stay active for at least 45 minutes to 90 minutes or more everyday 365 days. The more important reason for me to be healthy is that I gracefully age and not be dependent on anyone else for anything. The uncertainty with health and health matters comes from mental status, preparing and working on your mind was and will always be just as important as your physical health. I have struggled with the mental aspects, I did meditation everyday for about an year and now struggle to get back on the mat on a regular basis. I know the benefits and have experienced it but not able to get back to the routine. Mental health is slow but significant to your health. Health is also what you eat, what goes in your body is what makes you.. Often tempted by the easily available unhealthy food I give in more often then I would like. However, having disciplined the body to eat mostly two meals and some snacks every now and then has some benefits. Also, learning about supplements that work for me. what and how much to take. Not over doing anything is the key.  

Chasing Life through small runs

 In aspirations, the thought flourishes losing track of time. What do you want to achieve is not dependent on what you set out to but what you keep at it despite the challenges. 2024 has been a year of absolute madness. I am not complaining nor regretting anything about it. I have challenged my being many times this year in the sense that I had to fight the demons in my head like never before. Self-doubt, loneliness are creations of your own doing and not someone else. I began this new journey somewhere middle of March chasing life through small runs. The idea was to keep at it without thinking too much. Just simply do it, and now I see myself advocate about it in the strangest of ways. I have been on the fitness path for some time now but haven't felt like this or worked out a schedule like this for myself so I feel proud in a way. Focused on simple goals to achieve two things really 

1. Physical Wellness 

2. Emotional Wellness 

Physical wellness, very loosely put to me meant being able to walk, run, cycle, gym, move without pain and reduce time to recovery. Yes, I feel the reduced time to recovery is the key in my view of how we are progressing in this journey. It still continues to evolve, one day at a time. I have become more aware of when to stop, when to read the signs of the body. In all this eating has also evolved, I have reduced number of meals, reduced intake but time and time I fall back into eating and drinking junk. Sometimes I just allow myself to drift away without being too hard on myself. I have got to my best BMI of around 15 and VO2 Max of 47 recently and I feel great about pushing myself. 

Emotional Wellness, bouts of feeling lonely, desperate at times, anxious or anxiety from different events in life continues. I have tried a few things and have progressed definitely in the right direction. Being able to sync and realise that your journey in life is about how you behave when you are alive. So how do I behave cannot be dependent on how people treat me but how I treat myself despite the situation. Do I have the answers to getting there where I want to me may be not at this time, but I will get there. I will not beat myself to it. 

So why Chase life through small runs. These thoughts become so loud when running that to cut it out you really need to push yourself harder every day. Counting the steps, the breath, pushing your boundaries to realise something that would mean nothing to anyone else other than you. So, what that you run 10kms everyday who the fuck cares. No one Cares about the goals you have set and what you have achieved as it does nothing for anybody else other than you. It's a reminder that you don't need to do anything for anybody and do not need to things in a way that it pleases others. You simply do it, keep at it, one step at a time. You start changing bit by bit. You know there is no better place than where you are. And to reach the destination or not is never decided, never certain. You do not have to be hard on yourself to and definitely do not work to please someone else. The discipline of getting up and doing something as a ritual is prayer like to me now. Sometimes you pass by a temple or a fellow runner and you feel the same energy, even push yourself to better yourself. While I hope I will wake up in the morning and find the courage to go for the run like I did today. I continue to chase life through small runs.

Reflections

Off the winding roads on to the dirt,

A path still to be carved, 

an adventure still to be explored,

The unknown and the fear of the known, 

Life is an explorer and your choices the driver. 

Destination unknown.

Live with the excitement of the explorer, 

Trade with the caution of a keeper, 

Surrender to the sail only to trust the wind, 

Sensibility and sensitivity be the guide, 

No matter how choppy the tide, 

Destination unknown. 

Never for the shore nor for the city, 

The explorer is for the journey. 

Living for it and lost in it, 

Only to start one thinking many more to come, 

It's not how you reached but how you traveled, 

Destination unknown. 

Traveled but not accompanied, 

Found only to be lost, seen but forgotten, 

A meaningless tryst the greatest explorer, 

Not without a compass but with a story teller, 

To share the twist without the turn, 

Destination unknown.

Not to be alone but only to be cherished, 

Paddle on the wheel,

Not to be pushed but only to be guided, 

Holding on to the road only to be closer to the

Destination unknown 

Europe Vacation with a todler & a 6 Year Old - An Indian Family Saga : Part 1

Family Vacation to Europe

There is a lot written out to there to help plan an itinerary to places to visit and I am sure they will have done a far better then i ever will. This is my first trip to Europe add to that the first trip with my family on such a long journey.

We are traveling with a 2 year old and a 6 year old. You can imagine the butterflies and the excitement. While I am relatively frequent traveler and so is my family. This by far would be our longest journey. Am I sounding anxious definitely I am.

Let me begin with my planning, I booked myself on JetAirways from Bangalore to Paris via Abu Dhabi carefully using all our miles returning London to Bangalore via Delhi again JetAirways. I preferred the Indian Airlines over the other options purely from the fact that they might just understand Indian Travellers better but it remains to be seen. I booked the rest of the trip mostly for hotels and Visa through a travel agent Trip Factory. I think i could have done a better job than they did but guess didnt want to take the risk and responsibility to make sure everything is right. I realise that its only better that you do things on your own and talk to people you might know who have traveled to plan your trip then these agents. You definitely cant plan everything and you definitely dont think you can research it all. But as they say some plan is better than no plan.

UK Visa has to be first if you are planning Europe with London. For the Visa make sure that you have enough documents and make sets of at least two. VFS offices make a killing out of even photocopying papers and documents. There is absolutely no use of paying to them for an SMS service. Thats water down the toilet DO NOT OPT for it. Once done apply for Schengen Visa again there is no SMS and tracking charges for the Schengen Visa, they keep updating you on the status and its very fast. You get the visa in less than 4 working days. But again carry multiple sets of insurance, tickets and other paper work to ensure that the process is smooth.

We are a vegetarian family add to that my wife is very particular about food. We are carrying one bag of ready to eat meals for the trip easily upto 23 kgs. The anxiousness is only growing as we draw close to the travel dates. First the luggage, you are allowed only 2 PCs of checkin luggage per person and it cannot be more than 23 kgs each. I thought I could carry 83 Kgs and it would a breeze. Pack everything in one bag and  carry two smaller bags for everything else. Guess what you cant do that. You have to carry 2 pc of luggage for each passenger and keep it under 23 kgs. This only means that you will travel with more number of luggage and a stroller for your young one. The plan from an original 3 suitcase (1 large, 1 medium and 1 small) all gone for a toss. We had not add two more pieces which means that now my travel is already very exciting given that i am traveling on Thalys from Paris to Amsterdam, a high speed rail experience. They have very little information on stoppage time and they close the gates 2 minutes before departure so you need to be ahead of schedule but
you cant reach the station too early because track and other details are displayed only 20 minutes prior. But I guess you need to face what comes. Manage kids and load everything on the train and guess that you don't be anxious. My neighbor who travels frequently to europe threw a last minute spanner saying you need Car seats or you wont be able to travel by cabs as it is mandatory for travel. I freaked for one I dont have one and even if I did have one how do I carry the car seat a monster in itself. The kept me awake through the night, researching. Finally to conclude that public transport is the answer and wherever you are using cabs you need to request for family vans rest I can tell you only once I have completed my travel. Indian Kids used to jumping around in the car no seat belts this is going to be interesting. I am preparing myself mentally to keep calm and believe this will be one hell of a team building activity for my family. We are in the final moments of packing and to set off on this memorable journey.