Touristy

Someone once remarked to me, right after a trip, “Oh I see that you did all the touristy things?” That was not the first time. I have heard this before – from acquaintances, strangers and even close friends. Many have said this. I am sure you too, at some point, would have heard this same retort from someone in your circle.

What is this “touristy” thing? I checked the dictionary to see the meaning. It says “it relates to or visited by tourists” and “often used to suggest tawdriness or lack of authenticity”.  Oh so that is an underhand comment meant to mock your style of travel.

Let us look at the logistics of a trip. Food, cost of transport, accommodation, clothes, camera, sight-seeing costs – that’s a whole bunch of expenses a person who travels has to factor in, excluding the planning that goes on weeks in advance. One has to be decently rich or at least willing to spend one’s hard-earned money on travel for any trip to become a reality.

So tell me, if you are going on a three day trip to another country, spending nearly 50,000, what are you most likely to do or see? Which fool will sit in a cafe and watch life pass by? Would you too not do the same ‘touristy’ things that you sneer others about? Or at least, see the most frequented and talked about paces first and then if time and money permits, explore lesser known places. Spending so much money for so little time in a new city or a new country, one of course would like to see the most famous places first. 

Only a person who lives there would go around exploring the lesser known places. That is because having lived so long there he would have heard about it from someone. Or if you are a super wealthy traveller or travelling on company money then yeah you might skip the more famous places for the quieter ones just to relax and be away from the crowd. Or if you are a solo backpacker, you would again focus your energies on few select places not frequented by more regular people. In all cases, you would either have the luxury of time or money.

I don’t think any normal person, by which I mean a middle class, working class family like my own, who has saved money and planned for the trip for months in advance, will go to a new place and choose to sit in a remote corner of the town just so he can boast about saying “oh, I don’t do the touristy things.” I mean, who goes to Singapore for the first time ever, and doesn’t see the famous Night Safari or the Jurong Bird Park. Or who goes to Mysore and doesn’t see The Palace, the Zoo or the Chamundi Hills? Or who goes to Sikkim and doesn’t visit a Buddhist monastery or eat momos?  Who goes to Chennai and doesn’t spend some time in the Marina Beach? Who goes to Kanyakumari and doesn’t visit the Vivekananda Memorial? Or who goes to Jaipur and doesn't see the Hawa Mahal?Is that touristy for you?

If it is, I really want to peep into your travel diary. I want to see what were the things you did and places you visited when you first visited a city with your saved up money.  Two places in India that we as a family have gone repeatedly are Mysore and Udupi. Each time we have explored a different facet of the city, the little nukes and corners, the lesser known eateries that serve absolutely delicious local dishes. But the first time we went to both these places, we visited the Zoo, the Palace, Chamundi Hills and so on. They are a must to see places in Mysore. And if that counts as “touristy” “tawdry” or lacking in imagination, that is only because, may be, You haven’t gone out enough. So, pack your bags, loosen your purse strings and go visit a new place. And then we will sit and talk of all the things You did “differently.”

Sikkim - Part Three

The Make My Trip Package we had chosen is called 'East Delight with Lachung.' Cost per person for this 6 nights trip was Rs 37,000. It included the flight tickets from Bangalore to Bagdogra, airport transfers from Bagdogra to Gangtok and 1 night stay in Lachung, 1 night in Darjeeling and 3 nights in Gangtok with breakfast and dinner on all days.

In Gangtok, the hotel was Summit Namnang Courtyard and Spa. Summit is a group of hotels quite famous in this part of the world. In Sikkim itself, they had 3-4 hotels and in Darjeeling too.

The rooms were beautiful, with a great view of the mountains.  

But what didn't work was the breakfast and dinner spread. The service of the staff at the restaurant was poor too. They were slow and quite unresponsive.  We hardly ate anything. 

In Lachung, the stay was at Cliffview. Spacious and decent accommodation. True to its name, it had the best view. I don't remember staying in a hotel where you opened the windows to this majestic view of the mountains and THAT close. It was like if you stretched out your hands, you could feel the ruggedness of the rocks and run your fingers through its curvaceous paths. But of course, you couldn't stretch your hands out because it was so SO cold!

The distance from Gangtok to Lachung is 125 kms and takes about 7 hours. Painful, seemingly never ending journey on bad roads. On the way, we stopped at various view points and reached the hotel in the night and went straight to bed. The itinerary was such that on all days during the week long trip, we would reach the hotel just in time for dinner and CRASH.

In Darjeeling, we stayed at Springburn. The hotel had good breakfast and dinner. The staff were all Nepali. Great service. Very courteous boys.

MMT promised that there would be a tour manager throughout the trip. There was none. They claimed there would be assistance at the airport at the time of arrival and departure. There was none.

Out of the 7 days, two complete days were dedicated for traveling – 5 hours from Gangtok to Bagdogra airport and then, more than 4 hours in the flight from Bagdogra to Bangalore. So we spent the whole of 11^th and 17^th , the first and last days of the trip, in cab and plane. In addition to that, we spent one whole day traveling to Lachung from Gangtok and another whole day traveling back from Lachung to Gangtok. When the itinerary is sent, you don’t realize the extensive travel it involves. We used to reach the hotels just to spend the night sleeping. Next day early morning hit the road again!

MakeMyTrip service was atrocious. Not just us but many others, we met during our stay in the hotels and on our flight, had had bad experiences with them. For starters, many of them had been given wrong flight information. There were no such flights in that hour to that location. So any info regarding flights you get from MMT, always double-check. We realized from experience, our own and other fellow travelers', that MMT is extremely negligent with respect to information as critical as flight details. And when you talk to them about it, they blame the airlines (Indigo, in our case). And Indigo, of course, wipe their hands off it saying it's the responsibility of the tour operator.  

When we spoke to the customer service, their response both on mail and over phone was clearly of “what do we care?” types. They had done the group bookings for hotels, flights and sight-seeing taxis and they were not obliged beyond that. They got their cut from every transaction. The customer saved a few thousand rupees thanks to shared cabs. All this meant, MMT was not ready to listen or take responsibility for anything else. Since we had booked online and the person who interacted with us was from another city (Delhi) there was no way we could directly approach him. Our driver was narrating incidents of how people would come through MMT and get into verbal and sometimes even physical fights with the local cab driver/hotel. Some threatened of beating up the MMT guys, some of complaining to the police. The reason was always all the false promises made by MMT. The drivers themselves were paid a pittance and had to endure delayed payments repeatedly.

One young couple we met suggested to always go to local offices for any bookings with these package travel dealers. You tend to have a better experience when it is done across the table rather than online. It is easier to get an answer from them as one specific person handles your account and he is directly responsible for you. In the case of online bookings, the mails are read and replied and calls attended to and passed on from person to person without any sense of accountability. The email ids and phone numbers they provide for assistance is of no use.  Once the payment is in their account, they are least bothered what happens to you. You will have to chase and do all the follow-ups whether it's for the flight tickets or contact person details. 

Lesson learnt from this trip? No more Make My Trip for me - ever. Even if their current brand ambassador is Ranveer Singh, who I am a big fan of.

Why Chennai? I say, Why Not Chennai

This is not my first visit to Tamil Nadu. I have been to Pondicherry, Ooty, Yercaud, Trichy, Hoganekkal, Kodaikanal, Salem, and Kanyakumari. (That’s a lot of places covered in a single state, isn’t it?) I love the state.

This is my first visit to Chennai. In 34 years. And I am pretty sure my last.

Why did I choose to go to Chennai? Why would anyone in their sane mind want to go there for a week-long family vacation? Don’t people go there out of compulsion, usually work? That was the response we got from family & friends. Sathya’s colleague (a Northie) was flabbergasted & asked, “But kyun? Koi aur jagah nai mila? Itne saare achche places hai?” It is a city for forced transfer, not holiday or sightseeing.

I don’t know about that. How could I form an opinion about a place/people I never saw or met? I have a long list of places I want to see in India (no money to go see ‘countries’). Among the Indian metros, I was yet to visit Calcutta & Chennai. Both these places are known for their cultural & literary heritage. Both are still largely dominated by their own kind; the population is still very much local & hence, in that sense, the experience authentic. Both these cities were once the seat of power – political, economic & social – thanks to the British Raj & the kings who ruled before them.

I have a fascination for things connected with our colonial history. On the 2 occasions I visited Delhi, I fell in love with it. Every road, every pillar, every stone in Delhi seemed to tell a story of a martyr/freedom fighter, of political struggles or some event from the pages of history. I loved that about Delhi. I was like a wide-eyed schoolgirl in a Barbie shop. I had travelled & explored Delhi ALONE – both times - & was so mesmerized by it; I cared two hoots for its “most unsafe Indian city for women” tag.

I wanted to see Chennai from a long time. Just 6 hours away, it is the nearest metro to Bangalore & that was a logistically compelling reason too. Moreover, it is the city with the longest recorded history. I wanted to feel and experience the ethos of the place.

So off we packed our bags & set off on a trip. From 27^th Sept to 2^nd Oct.

Did I like what I saw? Did Chennai make me crave for more? Will I refer it to other first time travelers? Did I bid a tearful goodbye when I left its land to return home? Do I miss it now as I think about it?

In the next post! :)

Please Travel

As a faculty in a management college, I have seen students hesitating around career choices that revolved some sort of travel.
“The company wants me to relocate to Pune & I don’t want to”.
“HR said the 1st year I’ll be posted in Calcutta & shifted back later on”.
“They asked if I was willing to travel. The job involves travelling within the state”.
I’ve never understood why travel is such a dreaded word amongst the student community. The only valid reason not to be able to take up a job that involves relocation is a medical emergency at home. Say, one of your parents being bed-ridden or terminally ill or needing constant medical care. Everything else is just hogwash.

Sample this:
“I’ve a dog/cat/cow at home. I can’t be without it”.
“I don’t know anyone there”.
“My fiancé doesn’t want me to”.
“My parents are very strict. They won’t allow me to go to any other place”.

The real reason is a refusal to move out of one’s comfort zone; an unwillingness to try new things. Conservative parents, strict spouses, possessive fiancé’, family responsibilities are all convenient excuses. The cowardice lies hidden behind them. Only a brave heart can venture out into an unknown place & make a living. The more adventurous one thrives on it.

If you’re a student, here’s ONE good reason why you’d travel:
1. It’s an antidote to your narrow-mindedness. It opens up avenues for knowing &
understanding other cultures.You witness ways of life, eating patterns, dressing
habits, & life preoccupations different from your own. So the more you travel,
the more you can try & understand others. And in the process, shed some of your
prejudices & rigid beliefs.

If you’re an executive, here’s ONE solid reason for you:
1. It’s company money. You lucky ass…you get to travel, eat great food, visit
another city/state/country, capture memories of a foreign land & culture. All
this at the expense of your company? What are you waiting for? You are among
the privileged few, you dumbo.

The important thing about living is to be able to meet new people, explore new cities, & then attempt to observe & understand them. And if possible, appreciate the beauty & diversity of human society. No wonder, travel is a good teacher. It’s better than your best degree that formal education can ever give you. It helps you grow as a person. You become less judgmental of people & situations. You become more loving & accepting because you’ve seen bigger & better things or sometimes even worse. It’s an eye-opener in the true sense of the word; the only medicine for all the self-righteous, prudish, uptight people of this world.

Carpe diem!!!

I had not watched a single film of Puneeth till I met Sathya. I have watched every film of Puneeth after I met Sathya. I know them both since the past 5 years!

Not withstanding “Prithvi” & his immense admiration for Puneeth, if Sathya becomes a politician, he would be the most corrupt politico that has ever lived on the face of this earth. And I would be the most travelled wife on the face of this earth!

Most people are corrupt because they are greedy for more money. They want more money because they want to prove their one-upmanship to the rest of their clan - bigger car, bigger land, bigger house, and an even bigger collection of jewelry. Their statement is: I have a bigger everything! I am better than you.

I would not like being the wife of a corrupt person. Who wants gold & diamonds & car & bungalow at the cost of work ethics, moral values& conscience? Not me. Never fancied or longed for any of these.

But what if Sathya, being Sathya (chalu, smart, smooth talker) says, “Here’s the deal. You can travel all you want, wherever you want, whenever you want with my hard-earned ‘ghooos’. I ask nothing of you but your ‘janam janam ka saath”. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Would I still refuse? No … not the janam janam ka saath wala idea. But the moolah with which he could fund my travels? Would I still say NO to his haram ki kamai? Would he be able to buy my silence, my allegiance? Good question.

And here’s my super quick & easy answer: No! I would not refuse!

Just imagine: Going on a world trip, travelling around the globe, seeing every city ever printed on a map, draping every national costume, trying every cuisine, wild nights on a cruise, shuddering on snowy mountains, posing for the lens at exotic locales, dinner in Vegas and breakfast in Mexico, praying in Italy and romancing in Paris, river rafting in New Zealand and scuba diving in Lakshwadeep, shopping in Japan and sleeping in China, …………………………………..these are what my dreams are made of!! How can I let it pass? I could not let this go. Not in my sane mind. No never. Carpe diem!!!

Hypothetical questions…DAMN YOU!