The 'Later' Trap

There is something about ‘nature travel’ that I have been attracted to ever since my teenage years. My first memorable trip in my knowing years outside of the state in which I live (Maharashtra) was to Ooty (Tamil Nadu). I remember sharing visual descriptions of the trip to a very good college friend then, about 15 years back, and, the memories are still fresh in my mind. Closer to Maharashtra; Mahabaleshwar, Dive agar and Ganpati pule are my favorite and I don’t mind going there any time, provided the season is right and so are the roads! So also, it is true for my maternal and paternal natives, Chiplun and Dapoli, respectively. Absolutely lovely places to go to!

There are many places I haven't seen and want to. I want to see Murudeshwar in Karnataka and the Amboli Ghats near Goa. I want to see bits and parts of Goa again as I had only visited it when I was 12 and never again since then. But this time I want to go with my friends and experience a home-stay rather than going with my family. I also want to experience Hampi near Bangalore and want to live in a shack there. I have read that the place is really welcoming, and different kinds of people visit there. I am particularly curious to experience the rudimentary essence that the place has, in that it essentially is a heritage site of sorts, but the shacks and the minimalistic tourism format that has been adopted is worth exploring as it amalgamates beautifully with the site itself.

I have been wanting to visit different destinations and hill stations in the south such as Munnar, Kerala backwaters, Wayanad, Vizag to name a few but I could never visit any of them. I had the good fortune of visiting Coorg though, with my cousins, but it was a short trip and I did not really get to bask in the lap of nature the way I wanted to. But, although we had not planned, we visited a Tibetan township there and that is what that I cherish the most from that trip. I am always up for a trip at these places provided its only one small place that I am visiting at a time. As in, I don’t like the tours which cover entire south India in one go. I would rather prefer going to one place at a time in short intervals of two months or so.

Around three or four years ago I had this compelling urge to visit some snowy region. Any. I have never been to any. But I have been too petrified by the extremes in weather and so, despite the amazing and adventurous Leh - Ladakh or Kashmir, I prefer the Himalayan ranges which are high on my list even today and after that, I would like Dalhousie. I also want to see the Lonar crater in Buldhana, Maharashtra, which was created when a meteorite struck the place that led to streams of water being generated in the area which fostered the ecological succession leading to the growth of custard apple trees. The natural phenomenon has intrigued me ever since I heard about it the first time. For that matter anyplace which is pleasantly cold, has a lake or a water-body with a cottage like a basic place to stay and simple, fresh, warm local food would be just right for me!

I don’t mind exploring different places. I feel travel is not a luxury. Travel teaches you to live with basics. It helps you to see different people and cultures and infrastructures and habitats and broadens your perspective of living. That is really nice you know! I like doing that every once in a while. Thanks to an ex-colleague and friend I was exposed to architecture and the love that people have for it. Just around that time I was particularly drawn to Portugal. I never had the opportunity of going there, but if I ever get a chance, I certainly would. Just like Portugal, I was drawn to Ontario in Canada and feel it is one place that I would like to visit. I have also evolved to like San Francisco, Florida, and California and next on my list is Italy and France. I really love the sense of art, overall way of living, weather, and degree of open-mindedness in these places that I have observed through my exposure to them via the internet.

These are only a few places to name but my surge for being in nature is really endless I feel. Be it the scenic mountains in Kyrgyzstan or the brisk Norwegian countryside, I want to see them all. I would love cosying up in a small fairy-tale like small town village in the Netherlands admiring the Dutch architecture as much as I would love to witness the phosphorescent water in Bosporus on a full moon night in Turkey, Istanbul! The labored spice gardens in Africa lure my senses while am also in awe of the modest minimalist architectural retreats in New Zealand. And if I ever get a chance, I would never miss fulfilling my passion for the sea heading to Casa Volta or Srilanka or anywhere for that matter for a terra cotta style relaxed holiday! It is better to do these things rather than planning anymore as it is not nice to fall in the ‘LATER’ trap which I have been in for some time now!