My Love Affair with Nature!

Hello Friends

I wanted to share my very first travel experience with you all as it holds a significant place in my heart and will probably be one of the most loved journeys of my life. Believe me, I have been to many places in the world which are truly breath-taking and straight out of a painting, but this journey and the destinations have my heart. The places, the people, the food, the circumstances, the vibrancy in my childish mind, the wonder in my eyes, the bliss in my heart, the expectations, the disappointments along the way, the meagre provisions and soulful interactions, the entire experience is something which pulls my heart strings even to this day. My home! I feel to this day as my heart is pulled towards these places. I have not been able to go back ever since and the longing feels worth it! Traveling the entire world and still wanting to go back to that place, I feel is a calling of my soul! A Love Affair yet to be realized! I will always wait for opportunities to go back there anytime. This is an experience I want to share with you all. I will update this in a few parts as I am not sure how many posts would be needed to finish it. Don't want too lengthy posts, so will make smaller updates.

If you want to be tagged in my next post, please react to this so I know who I should tag, thanks.

Part 1:- One summer evening in the mid 90s, in Hyderabad, my younger sister and me were enjoying a Qwality Walls ice cream after an entire afternoon of playing with our friends in my apartments when my dad walked in from office. He had a broad smile on his excited face as he brandished the train tickets. It seems he was allotted LTC(Leave Travel Concession) by his employers and was allowed to visit any number of places with family at a concessional price. He decided we would go on our first 20-day vacation as a family. We did go once in a while to our maternal grandparents' town a few hundred kilometers from Hyderabad but it was mostly just with my mom. But this was the first time we were going across the country to several places, all four of us. My mind ran at the speed of a lightning just by the thought of leaving to a far off land, that which was more than a day's distance away (28 hours). Oh! the excitement, the fun we were going to have, the places and the people we were going to meet just wouldn't let me sleep. The next few days, mom was busy making arrangements for all of us, the clothes, the necessary food items we would have to carry and other essentials. In the evenings, as soon as dad came home from work, me and my sister would gather around him with an atlas and he would explain where we were going showing us the different places, distances and telling us about those places as much as he could. I was old enough to just grasp a bit of what he was saying and I doubt my sister being 2 years younger to me even understood what was being discussed.

In a few days we were on board the AP Express in a second class compartment, in the last week of April! We were just little kids, more like monkeys climbing up and down the berths, singing, laughing uncontrollably at the vendors who sang in unique tunes and voices as a marketing strategy. We made friends with another family with two kids who shared our coach. We played games, sang songs, ate sumptuously, thanks to my wonderful mom who didn't forget to pack our favorite pickles and papads. Our train raced up north through the night while we slept peacefully after an exhaustive day's journey. When we woke up the next morning, it was already 24 hours since we boarded the train and we still had 4 hours to go. We felt impatient as we saw the landscape changing through the windows. The people wore different clothes and spoke different dialects of Hindi, which were not very familiar to me, though I could understand the basic language thanks to our cbsc educational requirements even from kindergarten. Everything looked different and vibrant to my young eyes as I couldn't wait to enter this new world and start exploring these new horizons.

After almost 28 hour long train journey, our destination finally arrived! New Delhi! All the exhaustion of the long journey literally vanished in a few minutes for me as I couldn't believe that I was standing in the capital city of our country! The place which was constantly mentioned several times in our social and english text books. I only ever saw Delhi in the map and only knew that it was my country's capital city. I knew people in Delhi spoke Hindi and that it was extremely hot in summer.. even hotter than my own city, Hyderabad!. But the heat didn't bother me, after all it was not my problem, it was my parents' headache to take care of us and keep us hydrated

Originally posted by: Dihiva

Part 1:- One summer evening in the mid 90s, in Hyderabad, my younger sister and me were enjoying a Qwality Walls ice cream after an entire afternoon of playing with our friends in my apartments when my dad walked in from office. He had a broad smile on his excited face as he brandished the train tickets. It seems he was allotted LTC(Leave Travel Concession) by his employers and was allowed to visit any number of places with family at a concessional price. He decided we would go on our first 20-day vacation as a family. We did go once in a while to our maternal grandparents' town a few hundred kilometers from Hyderabad but it was mostly just with my mom. But this was the first time we were going across the country to several places, all four of us. My mind ran at the speed of a lightning just by the thought of leaving to a far off land, that which was more than a day's distance away (28 hours). Oh! the excitement, the fun we were going to have, the places and the people we were going to meet just wouldn't let me sleep. The next few days, mom was busy making arrangements for all of us, the clothes, the necessary food items we would have to carry and other essentials. In the evenings, as soon as dad came home from work, me and my sister would gather around him with an atlas and he would explain where we were going showing us the different places, distances and telling us about those places as much as he could. I was old enough to just grasp a bit of what he was saying and I doubt my sister being 2 years younger to me even understood what was being discussed.

In a few days we were on board the AP Express in a second class compartment, in the last week of April! We were just little kids, more like monkeys climbing up and down the berths, singing, laughing uncontrollably at the vendors who sang in unique tunes and voices as a marketing strategy. We made friends with another family with two kids who shared our coach. We played games, sang songs, ate sumptuously, thanks to my wonderful mom who didn't forget to pack our favorite pickles and papads. Our train raced up north through the night while we slept peacefully after an exhaustive day's journey. When we woke up the next morning, it was already 24 hours since we boarded the train and we still had 4 hours to go. We felt impatient as we saw the landscape changing through the windows. The people wore different clothes and spoke different dialects of Hindi, which were not very familiar to me, though I could understand the basic language thanks to our cbsc educational requirements even from kindergarten. Everything looked different and vibrant to my young eyes as I couldn't wait to enter this new world and start exploring these new horizons.

After almost 28 hour long train journey, our destination finally arrived! New Delhi! All the exhaustion of the long journey literally vanished in a few minutes for me as I couldn't believe that I was standing in the capital city of our country! The place which was constantly mentioned several times in our social and english text books. I only ever saw Delhi in the map and only knew that it was my country's capital city. I knew people in Delhi spoke Hindi and that it was extremely hot in summer.. even hotter than my own city, Hyderabad!. But the heat didn't bother me, after all it was not my problem, it was my parents' headache to take care of us and keep us hydrated

This is awesome

Reminded me of my own childhood when we travelled to delhi in train

Once journey ended we were all dirty with dust coal etc and hungry

Those were the days

Now I prefer flight though 😄

Originally posted by: chatterbox

This is awesome

Reminded me of my own childhood when we travelled to delhi in train

Once journey ended we were all dirty with dust coal etc and hungry

Those were the days

Now I prefer flight though 😄

True, I prefer flight to train especially for such long journeys now, but those days, we had no options and when I think of it, we took pride when we travelled.. travelling with the family was a matter of pride for my parents and for us kids too.. so much to show off once the school reopened. For this journey though, I was not old enough to know the importance of showing off and just enjoyed everything with a sense of marvel and wonder 😃. Innocence of childhood 💯

Originally posted by: Dihiva

True, I prefer flight to train especially for such long journeys now, but those days, we had no options and when I think of it, we took pride when we travelled.. travelling with the family was a matter of pride for my parents and for us kids too.. so much to show off once the school reopened. For this journey though, I was not old enough to know the importance of showing off and just enjoyed everything with a sense of marvel and wonder 😃. Innocence of childhood 💯

I know those days were like that

Flight saves time bit expensive

Though funny thing

In switzerland I travelled by trains

And I totally loved thosr trains

Originally posted by: Dihiva

Part 1:- One summer evening in the mid 90s, in Hyderabad, my younger sister and me were enjoying a Qwality Walls ice cream after an entire afternoon of playing with our friends in my apartments when my dad walked in from office. He had a broad smile on his excited face as he brandished the train tickets. It seems he was allotted LTC(Leave Travel Concession) by his employers and was allowed to visit any number of places with family at a concessional price. He decided we would go on our first 20-day vacation as a family. We did go once in a while to our maternal grandparents' town a few hundred kilometers from Hyderabad but it was mostly just with my mom. But this was the first time we were going across the country to several places, all four of us. My mind ran at the speed of a lightning just by the thought of leaving to a far off land, that which was more than a day's distance away (28 hours). Oh! the excitement, the fun we were going to have, the places and the people we were going to meet just wouldn't let me sleep. The next few days, mom was busy making arrangements for all of us, the clothes, the necessary food items we would have to carry and other essentials. In the evenings, as soon as dad came home from work, me and my sister would gather around him with an atlas and he would explain where we were going showing us the different places, distances and telling us about those places as much as he could. I was old enough to just grasp a bit of what he was saying and I doubt my sister being 2 years younger to me even understood what was being discussed.

In a few days we were on board the AP Express in a second class compartment, in the last week of April! We were just little kids, more like monkeys climbing up and down the berths, singing, laughing uncontrollably at the vendors who sang in unique tunes and voices as a marketing strategy. We made friends with another family with two kids who shared our coach. We played games, sang songs, ate sumptuously, thanks to my wonderful mom who didn't forget to pack our favorite pickles and papads. Our train raced up north through the night while we slept peacefully after an exhaustive day's journey. When we woke up the next morning, it was already 24 hours since we boarded the train and we still had 4 hours to go. We felt impatient as we saw the landscape changing through the windows. The people wore different clothes and spoke different dialects of Hindi, which were not very familiar to me, though I could understand the basic language thanks to our cbsc educational requirements even from kindergarten. Everything looked different and vibrant to my young eyes as I couldn't wait to enter this new world and start exploring these new horizons.

After almost 28 hour long train journey, our destination finally arrived! New Delhi! All the exhaustion of the long journey literally vanished in a few minutes for me as I couldn't believe that I was standing in the capital city of our country! The place which was constantly mentioned several times in our social and english text books. I only ever saw Delhi in the map and only knew that it was my country's capital city. I knew people in Delhi spoke Hindi and that it was extremely hot in summer.. even hotter than my own city, Hyderabad!. But the heat didn't bother me, after all it was not my problem, it was my parents' headache to take care of us and keep us hydrated

Originally posted by: Quantum-Dot

Beautiful writeup, Dihiva. Looking forward to the next parts, please continue and tag me. Even we had visited for the first time, New Delhi and parts of Rajasthan using my Dad's LTC, and that was our first big trip ever.

Thanks QD! I guess LTC was responsible for a major population to be able to roam around the country in those days. I am not sure if the facility is still available but it was definitely a breather in those days for our parents.

Will definitely tag you when I update

Originally posted by: chatterbox

I know those days were like that

Flight saves time bit expensive

Though funny thing

In switzerland I travelled by trains

And I totally loved thosr trains

Trains are highly affordable, air conditioned and hygienic in the first world countries .

What a beautiful, heartfelt post — I really felt the emotion in every word. That kind of connection to a place is rare and powerful, and I totally get the feeling of your soul being drawn back somewhere. It’s amazing how certain journeys leave that lifelong imprint. If you ever get the chance, encounter incredible Arctic https://poseidonexpeditions.com/antarctica/south-georgia/ wildlife like polar bears and walruses. It’s the kind of raw, untamed nature that stirs something deep — the kind of experience that lingers just like your first love affair with travel.

Dear friends,

Finally back with the second part of my very first travel experience. Sorry for making a late update but was caught up in life and couldn't write.

Part2:-

My mother's cousin and her family graciously hosted us in Delhi for the next three days because of which we had the opportunity of staying in the vicinity of All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS). My uncle, the dad of the family, was a doctor at AIIMS and their home was just across the road from the hospital in the staff quarters. As a young person who was just stepping into the real world for the first time, I was fascinated listening to the stories uncle told us about how the doctors at AIIMS tirelessly worked to save people. I don't remember the exact stories but my take away was that I wanted to become a doctor too and save as many lives as possible. Though I did not pursue the ambition for long, my point is that our thoughts are shaped by such experiences at this young supple age and they tend to leave a lasting impression in our hearts. They shape our overall personality of being compassionate and caring towards those in need.

The next couple of days we took a tourist bus and we visited several monuments, memorials and temples in Delhi, the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Qutub Minar. The intense heat tanned our skins at least 2 shades darker and I remember me and my sister protesting against walking to the tombs of our country's previous Prime Ministers and other important personalities. I guess we were too young to appreciate their tombs and memorials. And frankly it was too much walking which we did not enjoy in the heat of May. We roamed in and around the city with a round hat and affordable sun glasses on each of us. I remember we also couldn't eat chapati too much as we were used to eating rice back home. So, my mom cooked some rice before we started each morning and mixed it with curd and carried some pickle as it was good on our stomachs while we travelled all day in the intense heat to various sight-seeing places. During those days, there were not many restaurants we could afford to eat twice a day. Amma fed me and my sister the curd rice under the shade of trees while we played around and the rest of the people in our bus went to visit the memorials. During these couple of days, my dad arranged for a bus ride to Haridwar for us to meet my mom's own sister, my aunt.

We bid farewell to our gracious hosts in Delhi and boarded the bus at night from the bus stop not far from their house and were all set to reach Haridwar by 6am the next morning. We tried to sleep through the night in our parents' lap, albeit inconveniently, as the bus rode through the darkness of unlit highways. At around 4am, the bus stopped. The light in the bus was switched on we woke up. The driver came out of his seat to address the passengers and stood at the head facing us. He said it was time he gave us an offer. He showed us the road ahead as the headlights of the bus fell on a fork in the road. The sign board above read, "Left for Rishikesh - Right for Haridwar". He said, it was only 4am and we would reach Haridwar in just about half hour. He informed us that we wouldn't be able to find any transport from the bus stop until at least 8 in the morning. We would have to wait for the tangas (horse-drawn carriages) to show up at the bus stop to drop us at our respective destinations. So if we all agreed, he would not mind driving us to Rishikesh which was about an hour's distance away from the place he stopped the bus. We could all have our darshan and see some places there and he would drive us back to Haridwar by 9.30 am. I am not sure if he charged us a little extra for this detour but I remember, my parents were extremely delighted at this offer. Everyone in the bus agreed and we took the left towards Rishikesh.

My parents were visibly excited about this unexpected twist in our journey as we slept off in their laps to complete our sleep because we couldn't comprehend the reason for their happiness. For me and my sister it was just an episode of the bus driver disturbing our sleep. In about an hour, the bus stopped. The bus driver informed us about where we could all freshen up and how we could have darshan of Lord Shiva, the darshan timings, the route to the temple, where we could all have breakfast before we meet again for the journey ahead to Haridwar. We left the bus and followed the instructions of the driver, freshened up and set out to the temple. All our bus members stuck together as it would be easier for us to find our way back to the bus later. There were some people who knew the place and the routes well and they headed the front of our bus party.

As we walked towards the temple, the darkness began to fade. We could see the surroundings better than before and I was surprised to see that we were on a mountainous terrain. We were climbing up and down some stone staircases on the way. As the sunlight illumined our path and the surroundings, I was spell-bound! I needed a minute and stopped in my tracks to take in what my eyes were seeing for the first time in my life! The Himalayas! We were surrounded by thick dark green mountains on all sides. The air was crisp and clear. I searched behind the mountains to see where the Sun was still hidden as I wondered how beautifully the mountains held this place in their heart. For my young, untrained mind, it looked divine! I don't know how my heart knew what divinity was. But it knew this was divine and not ordinary. I felt as if Rishikesh was so dearly protected by some divine forces, may be that is what Lord Shiva was doing there, I thought!