India Unbound

Goa, Pondicherry and Lucknow were conquered in 2010.

Pondicherry

 

Auroville

Starting from Pondicherry, definitely a different experience from other coastal towns.   Firstly a distinct French presence in the city and secondly an ensemble of people from different nationalities. Pondicherry's laid back streets and the idyllic walks are the musts for any traveler visiting the place. Nearby Auroville offers you the most natural settings for a weekend away from the mad town rush. The French breakfast and a pizza for lunch from the nearest pizzeria completes the french experience. My only bad memories from the trip was the short stay in Chennai. Chennai please stop being torturous. Off course how can i forget to add Mainu and Abhishek, who made the journey more memorable.

Next pitstop was Goa, third time in three years. Will i be third time lucky too. You bet i was. The best thing about the place is that it let's you be yourself. For the partying crowd you have the Calangute's and Tito's. For adventure seekers you have the water sports and the casino's. For the God fearing soul's you have the temples and the churches. For a nomad like me, I had an unending neverland to be explored on Manoj's bike. Surprisingly i had landed on a Diwali morning, with the city gearing up for the festivities. Before i forget, i should mention the picturesque town of Belgaum on our way. Belgaum to me seems to be a town right out of R.K.Narayan's book, through the window of my bus i could see many Swami's and his friends running in the streets. 

Day one was a low key affair mostly concentrated on the festivities and meeting fellow shippies.

Day two morning was brilliant with morning swim in Bogomalo beach but the afternoon proved to be a spoilsport. A damp day with incessant rain meant coming back and simply enjoying Goan sea food and beer.

Day three was exactly as i had planned with morning trek to Vagator fort. There is something about the point on the hill top which makes me feel that i will keep coming back to this place. One of the most amazing feeling you can possibly get is watching the nearby river coming and joining the Arabian see. You perched on the hill stop surrounded by green grasses can spend the entire day endlessly staring at the awesome scenery. As i describe the settings now, my mind is forcing me again to take the next bus and hit back Goa, such is the power of the place. It draws you towards it's charm.

Day four had an anti climatic ending, with the visit to the temple town of Ponda. Marvelous architectural wonder's with loads of grandeur. The Hindu inside fell pure after last three days of binging and revelry.

Bye with a heavy heart to Goa and daddy to be Manoj. I'll be back says the soul.

Vagator

Pose-o-graphy

Finally was a visit to the Hindi heartland and the town of my ancestor's Lucknow.It was a short detour from my visit to Patna and boy what an amazing experience. Firstly the joy of meeting old friends, participating in a full marriage after 10 years of wait. Meeting all my relatives about whom i had only heard. The warmth of Lucknow is sure to stay inside me for long. Lucknow people really know there food and the mehman nawzi.

Lucknow Weeding

New Delhi, Tirupati, Mumbai and Bhopal are lined up for this year. Let's see how it turns out to be.