Towards The Tirthan Valley- A Wondrous Getaway!

Have you ever thought that being lost is your destination?

Yes, I have. For me, the key to a wonderful life is to never stop wandering into the wonders.

The pollution in Delhi was beginning to get to me and I was aching to run away to the hills, breathe some fresh air and enjoy the slow paced life. The traveller inside me was in search of an offbeat place away from the hustles of the Delhi life.

So here I was at - Tirthan valley, the lush green forests, all covered with deodar and pine woods, the best decision I ever took, I guess, while knowing very little about the place, I embarked on a journey to uncover this lesser known paradise in the immediate vicinity of Himachal Pradesh. The closer I got to Jibhi, the fonder I grew of this hidden treasure, unadulterated by the outside world, it still breathes afresh.

Here in the wilderness I dare you, ofcourse with optimistic viewpoint, to walk where you have not yet walked and notice that life is as beautiful as the dreams that dance in our imagination. We don’t have to try in getting anything out of it, because we won’t, we don’t have to try to make use of it, because we can’t. And that’s the point I believe, to just walk, see, sit down, and be. Just be, whatever one is with, with whatever one has, and realise that there is enough to be happy. There is a whole world out there, right outside our window, and we would be a fool to miss upon it.

Mudhouse experiential hostels - Where life gets a meaning. When a housing structure is built in mountains, it definitely takes a toll on the ecology.  This pretty little homestay with an attic room seems to be straight out from a fairy tale book. Since it is not on any of the main roads, it is surrounded by trees and you can easily hear the water stream just behind this homestay. I walked near to the stream, near water, the most peaceful company and place I would ever know. There I sat and stayed, with nothing and everything on my mind, cleansing my head. Nature with its silences as offering, I learned, is sometimes the most beautiful sound. 

Mudhouse has given me memories of lifetime, the opportunities to explore a better side of myself in the laps of nature, mingling along with the alike minds, exploring the parts of self existence, with lots of offerings in form of activities such as bonfire, fishing, camping, trekking, walks and the live music time, amongst many.

The taught have often showed me that great things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens with the blink of an eye--we only think it does. The motion of drawing back a bow and sending an arrow straight into a target takes only a split second, but it is a skill of several years in the making. So is with the life, anyone's life for that matter. I may list things that might be described as my accomplishments in these last few years, but they are only the shadows of the larger truth, the fragments separated from the whole cycle of becoming. And if I can tell an odd-time story, it is because I have spent many years walking-wayfaring-wandering about myself, listening to voices that came not just from the people but from animals, birds, streams, trees, stones, and everything wild.

For nature lovers and art enthusiasts, this place can bring the best out of you as well as enrich you in the most unimaginable way. They also have a whole lot of games in case you are travelling with friends or kids and want to spend the evening playing ludo, jenga or monopoly. My favourite part of the homestay was the fireplace where one could sit through the evenings, curled up with a book or some music.

I was thrilled that the wifi signal wasn’t great because I desperately was in a need of digital detox. I could feel my stresses just melt away and all those siestas, delicious food and restful sleep at night gave me the break I needed. I was happy, rested, satiated and felt ready to take on whatever life had in store for me.

I would suggest to not worry yourself, because as I started walking and kept walking until I no longer knew the road like the palm-lines of my hand, what I realised was that when we walk the same roads day in and day out, to the places in an outside world and back home and we often cease to understand the world around us. It is like walking in the sleep and teaching our muscles to work without thinking. Nature knows the secrets, it knows no boundaries.

The beauty of this property is that it feels like a ‘home away from home’ where you can have absolutely everything you want. The rooms were very comfortable. I was pretty upset about leaving this gorgeous place with all the warmth and hospitality that the host had to offer. 

Rahul and Anu - they stand true to their name 'experiential', the vibes of the hosts and the place around is unexpectedly amazing, the perfect host, very prompt, attentive and went out of their way to make sure all my needs were met. A truly unbeatable and unmatchable experience with the hosts. One is for sure to fall in love with the place and hosts.

I cannot wait to be back and highly recommend that you check out their soon to be opened property in Jibhi only for your next vacation with friends. It was a great place to connect with the fellow travellers. Everything is hospitable at this place and if ever you are around in this part of Himachal, do not miss out on this place.

They say Alexander- The Great slept with 'The Iliad' beneath his pillow. Though I have never led an army like him, but nevertheless, I am a wanderer. During the waning moon, I cradle Homer’s 'Odyssey' as if it were the sweet body of a woman. 

- Hardik

While In Rome - Italy's Hot Blooded Capital!

“Rome is not like any other city. It’s a big museum, a living room that shall be crossed on one’s toes.” – aptly remarked by Alberto Sordi.

Rome, when one comes to talk of it, there's so much about this city. It may be a cliché, but there’s no better advice for visitors to the Eternal City than the old adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This is where la dolce vita originated, after all.

London? Paris? Berlin? Zurich? Maybe Brussels, center of the young union? They all strive to outdo one another culturally, architecturally, politically, fiscally. But Rome, it should be said, has not bothered to join the race for status. Rome doesn't compete. Rome just watches all the fussing and striving, completely unfazed, exuding an air like: 'Hey- do whatever you want, but I'm still Rome'.

I am inspired by the regal self-assurance of this town, so grounded and rounded, so amused and monumental, knowing that she is held securely in the palm of history. Of course, after more than 2,000 years in existence, there’s enough to explore around the city and to keep one busy for years, with decadent pasta and gelato to indulge in, places to shop for haute couture, archeological sites, Baroque churches, villas-turned-museums, and enough art to overload one's senses far and wide.

Rome is the capital of Italy. Roma Provincia of Lazio region has a complete beautiful country inside it, the Vatican City, which is the House of the Pope. Vatican City, headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, has St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums, which house masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes. It is rightly said that one would always be in a time deficit while roaming around this city. 

I would proudly quote Mark Twain here when he remarked that from the dome of St. Peter's one can see every notable object in Rome. He can see a panorama that is varied, extensive, beautiful to the eye, and more illustrious in history than any other in Europe. And it definitely stands the tests of time.

Right there I held my psyche in balance and realised that I had finally arrived to this Capital of the World, where I saw all the dreams of my youth coming to life, it has been only in Rome that it became possible for me to understand Rome.

From the Piazza di San Pietro, there was Bernini designed to look like arms extended in an embrace. In the offerings from this beautiful city are the highlights in the palace which include the Raphael Rooms, old master paintings, and antique sculptures. Just south of the Vatican City stands Castel Sant’Angelo, where popes sought solace during sieges. Climb to the top for splendid views of Vatican City and the Tiber. At its base you can see the Ponte Sant’Angelo with Bernini’s exquisitely carved marble angels.

There is so much to go around in this mesmerizing city, be it the museum of the Basilica S. Pietro, the Fountain of Trevi, Castel Snt’Angelo, the Poaltine Hill, Roman forum Arch of Titus, Altera Della Patria, Pizza Navona and the most famous Collosseum. This city has lots of offerings on the platter, with loads to see and learn from the Roman City.

The city’s mild Mediterranean climate is another persuasive draw for the visitors from the around the world. For me the main draw will always be the pulsating energy of a place which lives life as a form of theatre, and Rome had all of me at once.

If one is crazy for Italian cuisines, Italy is definitely one of the perfect place to explore the authentic Italian food. One can always hand pick a slice of pizza from any of the roadside cafes, and they would all do the justice to the taste buds. And if one has a sweet tooth, one's trip to Italy is incomplete without munching on the Italian Gelatos.

As I would narrate down my journey further, it began with my first experience with bullet train, from Pisa to Rome. The view by the train was pretty mesmerising as I could see and capture the sight of the sun setting in the mountains and the ocean, the ideal place where the sun should bid goodbye for the day.

I only had one day to cover the city of Rome, and to my luck it was Sunday so I got to be a part of the Sunday mess in the Vatican City. So my day started in the Vatican listening to the prayers and offerings by the Pope, though I could not decipher a single word as neither I knew Italian nor Spanish, but it was a great pleasure to be a part of the crowd over there. Before the crowd could disperse after the prayers, I made my way to the Vatican Museum. It was a 27 Euro ticket and a walk of around 15-20 minutes, which one would love if one is interested in the Christian culture and history. 

After the Vatican I proceeded as per the map. I thought and planned of walking across the city, though I was aware that it would be a very long walk, but nevertheless being a proud wayfarer that I am, I was enjoying every corner of the city, and to no surprises it had lots of special offerings as I trailed from one point to another.

From vatican city, I proceeded towards the next stop that was the Castel Sant' Angelo, also called Hadrianeum or Sepulcrum Antoninorum, that was originally the mausoleum of the Roman emperor Hadrian and became the burial place of the Antonine emperors until Caracalla. It was built in AD 135–139 and converted into a fortress in the 5th century. It stands on the right bank of the Tiber River and guards the Ponte Sant’Angelo, one of the principal ancient Roman bridges. 

It was a small walk again, to reach the top and catch the hold of the sight that this place holds. A ticket of 19 euros for the Castel was worth paying to get the view from the top. 

Then, I advanced my journey to Piazza Novona, the places were pretty happening with good eating places and some beautiful fountains. The most beautiful parts of Piazza Navona are its three fountains, designed during the papacy of Gregory XIII, which are - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro and Fontana del Nettuno.

One can spend time there by sitting over there and enjoying the fountains. 

The square is surrounded by restaurants and terraces giving Piazza Navona a lively and delightful atmosphere during the day. Here, visitors can enjoy performances by street artists like magicians and dancers.  The most imposing buildings which look onto the square are the Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone and the Palazzo Pamphilj.

I did not cease to be impressed by the beautiful fountains and baroque architecture all along Piazza Navona in Rome. But there is so much more to it than meets the eye!

It is said that Emperor Domitian had the stadium built in 86 AD. It was called the “Circus Agonalis” – from the Greek “agones”, or contest. The stadium could hold up to 30,000 spectators (about half as many as the Colosseum.) It was used for all kinds of games, including nude Greek athletic contests.

From there I pressed towards the most famous fountain of Trevi. Trevi is really a marvel, the white sculpture is designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Panini, standing 26.m  high and 49.15 metre wide. It is the largest baroque fountain in the city and one of the famous in the world. One would never find any other place in the world that celebrates the ever-mutating and incredible power of water like Rome. The Trevi Fountain is a fantastic work of art that is much more than a mere sculpture.

Trevi, is quite famous and is known as the wishing well. Here one has to make a wish and throw the coin into the pond and wait for one's wish to come true. Well keeping the superstitions apart, to my surprise this place does not look like what it looks in the photos. As soon as I reached the Trevi Fountain, I found myself stuck amongst hundreds of people. I guess it took me half hour to get a place to stand for myself and click the photos.

The light and shade effects on the marble make the wind seem to bellow through the drapes and locks of the statues, agitating the waves, creating an extraordinarily intense and spectacular scene. In this Baroque creation, the architecture itself seems to come alive with the current of the revitalising waters.

I wandered further towards the Piazza Venezia. There’s no way to miss the hustle and bustle of Rome’s largest round-a-bout: the Piazza Venezia. On one side you can look down Rome’s longest street, the Via del Corso to the ancient northern gates of the city. From another angle, the ruins of the Imperial Forums lead the way to the Colosseum. Take a different road and one would end up in the Jewish Ghetto, on the way to Rome’s Trastevere neighbourhood and last but not least, towering over the piazza, is the un-missable marble monument: Il Vittoriano. 

There  I happened to click some pictures and moved through the Roman Forum, the Arc of Titus, the Altera Della Patria, and the Palatino Hill. It is amazing to see the Roman Architecture, the Roman pillars and all the other ruins of the ancient roman civilisation, being in the city of Rome itself.

Architecture was central to the success of the ancient Romans. In building their great capital, they were the first people to use architecture to tackle problems of infrastructure, urban management and communication. 

To do this the Romans advanced methods devised by the Etruscans and Greeks, developing construction techniques and building materials that allowed them to build on a massive and hitherto unseen scale. So solid and monumental were their structures that many great, hulking ruins remain today, thousands of years old yet dominating the centre of the modern city.

An impressive – if rather confusing – sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was ancient Rome's showpiece centre, a grandiose district of temples, basilicas and vibrant public spaces. The site, which was originally an Etruscan burial ground, was first developed in the 7th century BC, growing over time to become the social, political and commercial hub of the Roman empire. Landmark sights include the Arco di Settimio Severo, the Curia and the Casa delle Vestali.

After walking all through the city of Rome, finally I made my way to the most awaited destination from the city of Rome, the Colosseum, one of the great wonders of the world. I was so gripped and spellbound on seeing the Roman Colosseum. A ticket of 12 euros  is what it takes to enter to the Colosseum. The Colosseum is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome. 

The Colosseum can hold the audience of 50000 to 80000 with an average of 65000 and was built in 80 AD. It was used for gladiator contests and some other shows. It is partially ruined due to earthquakes and stone robbers, still it is the most iconic symbol of imperial Rome.

So after a complete tour inside the Colosseum, it was almost evening and I was magnetised to the place there clicking pictures of the sunset across the Colosseum and waiting to see this monument in the night light. As it was the month of August, the daylight is there till 9 pm in the night.

I enjoyed road shows throughout the city of Rome, but one of the disappointed resided in me while making my way to the new city and moving to Barcelona as I could not see the night lights even after dark as well. So I returned back to the hostel, had a chit chat with room mates over there. One of them was a guy from Argentina and the other was from Spain, discussing each others travel's tales.

And there outside the hostel, my cab waited, I flew down to Barcelona for the new adventures and experiences.

It is a poem pressed into service as a city. A heady mix of haunting ruins, awe-inspiring art and vibrant street life, Italy’s hot-blooded capital is one of the world’s most romantic and inspiring cities.

See you, until next time Rome, for as Robert De Niro said Rome is Rome.

- Hardik

Wayfaring - I Love Not Man The Less, But Nature More!

I felt my lungs inflate with the on rush of ascetic scenery, lush green lands, the mystifying air, lofty mountains,  luxuriant vegetation, native people; and a thought ran within me which said this is what it is to be fortunate and delighted at the same time when I began to discover the parts of me through wayfaring. This has been proven to me time and again that the clearest way into the Universe is definitely by travelling on foot, discovering the locals, nature and everything that comes across the way.

The best remedy for those who are afraid or unhappy is to step out of their comfort zone and walk out, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the nature, because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that nature has remedies and wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple offerings of nature. As longs as this has come to reside within me, and it certainly always will, I know that there will always be comfort for all of my joys and trouble, alike, whatever the circumstances may be. And I have become a firm believer of the fact that nature brings solace in all the situations, perhaps, the best comforter and healer.

For journeying around one does not have to be good all the time, or one does not have to walk on the knees throughout, for several miles uphills or through the deserts, which is often promising and takes away any kind of repentance, a walk across them is as incredible as the best gift that one would present oneself ever. For all that one needs is to let the soft animal inside oneself love what it craves and desires for the most.

Meanwhile, the fact is that the world goes on, also the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the pebbles of the rivers and rain are moving across the landscapes, over the rivers and the deep trees, the mountains and the plains. Also, the wilderness high in the clean blue air begins to head to their homes.

As I began wayfaring, another realisation that came to me was that who so ever one is, no matter how many plethora of emotions one holds, the world has several offerings beyond one's imagination and making the nature seem as a family of beings and things.

I definitely, not love man the less, but nature more. 

- Hardik

Dancing Lessons Onto "Songs Of The Sea" At 'Wings Of Time' At Sentosa, Singapore!

Traveling wide and across has always been important to me, second only to family. But then is there anything better than seeing the world with your family? Well, not! 

The stamped passports, plane tickets and the plans for adventure feels like the best gift that I can possibly either present them or receive from them, for I can believe traveling together is one of the best family investments that one makes.

There is this strong anticipation which keeps everyone happy for months, there are the experiences which can change one's life, and then there are the memories, which binds and sustains the family for years to come. After having experienced my first international trip at Singapore with my family, I arrived at an inference that there is no tv screen or wardrobe piece that has embarked upon that kind of effect.

We live in a beautiful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure, to which there is no end to the adventures we can have if we seek them with our eyes open. One of those mesmerising experiences for me has been that 25-minute show during the sunset at Sentosa Island known as "Wings Of Time" that tells a tale about two friends, a mysterious pre-historic bird and their  journey across several landscapes and time to find the bird’s home, which the combination of natural elements, water and fire, along with the pyrotechnics and lasers.

Until now those performances have been occupying a prime place in my memory as traveling sights such as 'Wings Of Time' are pleasant surprises, the colourful doors and windows to a wonderful display of the fireworks. The Wings of Time show at Sentosa is definitely worth watching with the family after a day out in Sentosa.

Going into the technical details of the show, it primarily features robotic fountains and pyrotechnics, which is seen to be projected against a backdrop of white, geometric panels, while the musical score of Songs Of The Sea featured familiar local oldies, the live talent performers of Wings of Time sing a modern English ditty which goes “When you’re far away from home”. The highly-precise laser beams which shoot out from behind the screen create an illusion and making the viewers to think that it could be daylight, or that the images are gasp.

For a person with little to no interest in history, it does not turn out difficult for one to understand the time-traveling concept as to why a “bird-like creature” resembling a scarlet macaw, with its polychromatic wings, is the main character of this spectacular scene. Here in the depiction, Shahbaz, awakens from a deep slumber and swoops across panoramic vistas from the Industrial Revolution of Europe to Chinese Silk Road and to African savannahs as it attempts to make its way home.

Thus, spending our one of those Sentosa evenings by treating our eyes to the Wings of Time show in Singapore, an award-winning night show that mesmerized all of us with its pyrotechnics, lasers, fountains and storyline has been supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, yes, and that means extraordinarily wonderful.

I would rather proudly say, such travel plans are my evergreen dancing lessons, on which I would anyday love to tune in with.

- Hardik

And When The Odyssean Quest Began!

Mankind has legs, and so he can wander. Being a wanderer, I have come to few quick realizations that whenever I'm somewhere I've never been before, learning goes on all throughout the day, each and every day. Also, it is something like wandering was the only thing that I ever believed in, and the only thing that ever believed in me. 

While crossing the ways, I've become a strong believer of the fact that my spirit gets nourished in faraway places. Sometimes I wonder if it's a biological need, or perhaps maybe a biological flaw, that compels me to seek the excitement and challenge that comes of being in a place where nobody knows me. I learn the best and most, by happily experiencing, touching, sharing, tasting, believing and wandering into the unknown.

I do not remember the exact time and date when the travel bug did bite me, but all I can recall are the days when after school I used to be glued to the black and white television screen to watch the places and dreamt of visiting them as I travel through my journey of life. Though time has slipped through my fingers in these years, but my curiosity to discover the world around me has only grown since. 

As and when I travel, I often hear people say, "Yet another place in this world". But I see ‘Another world inside me and another world in every place I visit".

The urge of going to different places, experiencing something new and living a life that I have designed for myself is fondly becoming an addiction I wouldn't want to get rid of, for nothing has ever enriched me than traveling has.

- Hardik