How I Learned About Forbidden Things on My India Travel

It was not by chance that I was there in India last year; I had thought about it well and planned it in the best way possible. Having heard a lot of things about the country, I wanted to be twice as sure about being there for a long time, especially being a female. My friends had told me that Indians are quite touchy about a few things, and I must take care that I do not offend anyone. I totally understand this fact, being from Japan, I realize that religion and belief do play an important role in one’s lives.

An Indian friend

Being friends with an Indian guy helped me a lot before I traveled to India. I have been in touch with him for more than three years after I met him in a seminar in Japan. Whenever I would talk to him over the phone or text, we would exchange information about our cultures. The way I am keen on Indian culture, he wants to know about the Japanese ethos. He knows my nature as a person, and he assured me that I would find many friends in India when I go there.

So I happened to travel to India after I gained confidence that I can stay there for quite a long time since I planned to work while I lived there. I decided to stay in Bangalore so that I can explore south India first, and then move on to Delhi to wander around North India. The first warning he gave me was that I must not talk anything about any religion in India. Some Indians may be more sensitive than others in every place, and I must respect those differences. If someone takes an offense to my comments, it can be a legal challenge as well. It was good enough warning for me to begin with traveling in India.

Respecting the national anthem

No nation would tolerate disrespect for its national anthem, and it is a little more evident in India. Rohit, my Delhi buddy, told me that I might have to participate in the recitation ceremony at cinema halls, sports tournaments, etc. I had two choices- I could either stand in respect for it or not participate in it at all. Nonetheless, I should never deliberately disrupt the Singing Ceremony of the national anthem, which may land me in jail if someone files a complaint. Never in my life would I want to see the jail in my country or that of someone else.

Stopping a train

The Indian Railways are way different than that in Japan; the trains in India have a chain system that one can pull to stop the train in case of an emergency. However, there has to be a legit reason to pull the chain. Otherwise, it can lead to a hefty penalty or even jail. Even out of curiosity, I decided not to play with the string in the train. Although I had planned to take Car Rental in Bangalore without Driver or cabs for the most part of my journey, I still wanted to experience the trains in the country.

I, although being a well-intended person did not want to hurt anyone, I still thought better to learn about things that are not acceptable at any cost, religion being one of them. Rohit advised me to be a spectator when I did not understand anything or better ask someone about the norms at religious places. Therefore, even before I had set my feet in India, I had gained a lot about the nation.

A Day in Bangalore from a Foreigner’s Perspective

I do not want to brag about the fact that I come from a foreign land, but this point impacts my perspective to view any new city around the world. I come from New Zealand where you will not find many people or much of traffic jam. I find it a pleasing sight to be among warm-hearted people, and that too millions of them in just one city. Since I have origins from Hindu grandparents, I can understand a bit of Hindi language. The best part about the urban cities of India is that I can easily find English-speaking people, so I do not face much trouble in communication.

I began my day stepping out of my hotel, and I came across a temple where I offered my prayers, in not-so-proper style. However, as soon as I walked out of the temple, it was shocking for me to notice the huge bunch of garbage on the floor. There were cows finding something to eat from the trash. One thing that I observed in India is that one moment I may be passing through the most unpleasant smell of garbage or sewer, and the next moment, I may come across the most pleasant fragrance of food cooking in the kitchen of a restaurant. Every step in Bangalore is a great adventure of various kinds of aromas.

Some corners of the roads are marked as coconut corners, where I could find more than a hundred green coconuts with the vendors. It is just so refreshing to drink fresh coconut water and eat the cream, which often comes as a surprise to me. The price of the coconut and many other foods in India is quite nominal, and the vendors or the government do not charge additional taxes and charges on the products. One may pay several hundred dollars for a meager coconut in the USA, but here in Bangalore, you can get it for only 30-40 INR.

In many of the places in Bangalore, I am not allowed to record a video, some of them being the trains, malls, and grocery stores. Therefore, I suffice my cravings for blogging by memorizing as much as I can and then pen it down. Since it was my first day in the city, I decided to buy groceries for the entire month, at least as many things as I could remember. It is great fun to hire a service apartment in India and live like a local person. And the best part is that the residents would not resist you based on your ethnicity.

As I was driving my car, I saw a man riding a bike along with his dog sitting on the fuel tank. Usually, the kids sit on the tank with their parents in India, but it was absolutely hilarious to see a dog park himself on the place and enjoy the weather. Once more during the night, I saw a passenger on the rear seat carrying a goat on his lap while sitting on the bike. I realized that you could transport everything on a motorbike, and maneuver your way through traffic.

Bangalore, during its summer days, becomes very hot, so I find it better to hire a Car Rental in Bangalore without driver and drive anywhere I want. However, I avoid the office hours to come out on the roads because I never want to be stuck in the back to back traffic. And on any day, if I feel dehydrated, I would just grab a green coconut and gobble down the refreshing water. It is refreshing for me to just be in Bangalore. I get to see a lot of places inside and outside the city. And when I have a car with me, I do not have to worry about catching a bus or a train. Someday, I feel, I might even come to live here forever!

How I Killed My Fear of Travel

Paulo Coelho had once stated that travel is rather a matter of courage than money. These were the simplest words he could have used to define what it takes to travel around the world- just courage. No amount of planning can beat the nerve that we all need as a prerogative to even think of going to places. Even if you leave your house with almost nothing in your pocket, you can still survive and return triumphed. I am not saying all these things without experiencing them; I had gone through a phase when even the thought of travel would intimidate me.

Somewhere in my heart, I used to have the desire to take tours more often than I could afford. I would read the travel blogs, listen to travel documentaries, and read magazines of National Geographic. Still, I could never go beyond buying the atlases, globes, and city maps. Like almost every member of this urban planet, I was stuck in the web of deadlines, pending bills, or the look-after of my family. Whenever I would see any picture relating to my dreams, I would let out a sigh of helplessness and go back to staring at my laptop.

After wondering how much more of all this feeling of powerlessness I could take, I decided to quit one day. Quit, not the dream to travel, but the mediocre life I was leading. I decided to come out of my box and leave everything behind me, not forever, but for a week. Yes, I finally decided to go for a solo trip because I knew I could not confide in any of my family members or friends. And this was not just another weak decision, I must tell you. I booked the Car Rental in Bangalore without driver and then disclosed my plan to the family. To my sheer surprise, they were not upset with my decision. In fact, they were happy that I had finally picked to do something for my delight. However, they were worried about me taking a solo trip in the country. I assured to keep them informed of my whereabouts, but I also asked them not to be over-concerned about me and let me have my space. Not being married was one of the perks that worked in my favor and my parents simply agreed to what I said.

I took my Self-Drive Car Rental Bangalore to Coorg and a couple of other destinations and had the best time of my life. This solo trip gave me enough time to have a solitary yet perfect time introspecting myself. No, I did not get bored at all. My first solo trip was much easier than I had expected. It was then that I realized that India is not as tough a country as it seems. It was an excellent choice to rent Cars in Bangalore as my city surrounded by breathtaking hill stations. I must say that I had to keep myself at the first position at least at some point in time to avoid dying of mental asphyxiation. I still thank god who gave me the courage to take a right decision in time while I was still young. Had it been quite late, I would have regretted it all my life. I am looking forward to other such memorable moments sometime soon.

How I met a Foodie Travel Partner in Bangalore

Bangalore is always a delight to visit; no matter whether someone is there with me or not. I have taken a few solo trips across various states in India, and have met quite a few fabulous people on my journeys. This time I met a foodie couple, whose only purpose throughout their journey was to try new cuisines and stuff their tummies with loads of food. Aparna and Sujit from Bangalore were an absolutely adorable couple, and they gave me an entirely new perspective towards travel.

While meeting new people on my journeys, I had realized one thing that every person has a different reason to get out of the house to see a new place. For me, travel is all about exploring new places and meeting new people, even if I don’t make lifelong friends with them. I have seen people, who would get out of their city and visit the same tourist destination repeatedly, just to seek solace. They would live in a petite hotel or a grand resort, drink beer day in and day out, eat anything that the hotel can serve them, and then leave for home after they are done retreating. Although this kind spending the time does not suit me at all, it must appeal to someone out there. I am no one to judge anyone for their hobbies and interests.

So this time, I met Aparna and Sujit, who I must say were very happy about their holiday. The first thing that I noticed that they had taken a Self-Drive car rental Bangalore to reach Munnar. The car with the company logo seemed interesting to me, so I went there to ask about their experience on a car rental since I had never rented one. Moreover, I was going to be in Karnataka for more than a month, which made complete sense to take car rental in Bangalore without Driver to save money. They gave me a lot of information about the concept, which I ingested instantly.

While taking a look at their car, I noticed a large cooler in the backseat that contained drinks and sandwiches along with a lot of other tiffin boxes and eatables. Reading the expressions on my face well, they told me without asking that they were fond of eating while traveling, which made sense about carrying a lot of eatables along. To make his point more valid, Sujit said that one of the reasons he wanted to Rent Cars in Bangalore was that he couldn’t tolerate hunger and he would want to eat anything he could find while traveling. Now a train or an airplane wouldn’t fulfill such fantasies to chomp, so it made perfect sense to travel by your own car, or a car rental, of course.

Aparna, on the other hand, was a calm, but an enthusiastic person. She would not speak to me much about herself, but she told me about her adventures and road trips enthusiastically, many of which she had taken without her husband. I did appreciate them on their face about the space they gave to each other and the kind of support they had for their partner’s hobbies and fantasies. It was lovely talking to them, which made me realize that not every couple in the world fights over petty issues.

Travel is indeed a bliss if you have a brilliant travel partner, or you must have the will to move around alone. Though I have not found my travel buddy yet, after meeting Aparna and Sujit, I would definitely try to find out my soul mate-cum-travel mate.

Drive off to have the adrenaline rush with rafting around Bangalore

When you are in Karnataka, there is no dearth of adventure sports. One such activity is rafting that gives an unparalleled thrill to anyone who wants to get into the water or not. Most of the rafting sites in Karnataka are nestled in the dense region of Western Ghats and close to scenic beach towns. It is not every single day that you get a chance to experience such thrilling sports, so given a chance, you must never let it go.

Bheemeshwari

Located at a distance of just 100 kilometers from Bangalore, Bheemeshwari requires you to spare only one day for the excursion. Drive your car for three hours to reach this place that can keep you engaged for the entire day. Rafting is conducted in the Cauvery River that meanders gradually at some places and drops off to a slope at others. The changing current, the unpredictable movement makes Bheemeshwari a perfect destination for white water rafting. Rapids at grade-III test the navigation and maneuvering skills of even the most trained rafters. Although the rafting stretch is not too long, expanding for just 8 kilometers, it is still enough to give a boost to your mind. You can come here between June and September.

Kabini

For Kabini, you have to travel a distance of 220 kilometers if you are in Bangalore. In the ancient times, it used to be the favorite hunting destination of the Maharaja of Mysore. Most Bangalore residents prefer Kabini for its easy accessibility, sights of groups of elephants, opulent green environs, and the thrill of adventure sports. Wildlife spotting is another major attraction of this place. Kabini is a tributary of River Cauvery. Although maneuvering through the river is a challenge, anyone can overcome it with slight effort.

Kondaji, Davanagere

Situated at a distance of 260 kilometers near Davanagere, Kondaji is famous for its vast expanse and beautiful simmering lake with forests and hills at its backdrop. General Thimmayya National Academy of Adventure offers rafting, surfing, coracle riding, and kayaking at Kondaji.

Barapole, Coorg

The mountainous region of Coorg is the most popular place around Bangalore. In addition to the hilly region, the place is also famous for white water rafting because of its speedy waters flooding over rocks resulting in rapids. Maneuvering through the rapids makes rafting a great adventure to make memories. The Western Ghats display the best of their scenery in Coorg during South West Monsoon. The Barapole River, where rafting is conducted, is regarded as the most dangerous in Coorg because of its stormy flow in addition to the environment surrounding it. Grasshopper, Morning Coffee, Wicked Witch, Frame Head, and Milky Churn are some of the best rapids of the river.

Sitanadi, Agumbe

For nature lovers, Sitanadi is the best place to enjoy rafting because of its lavish green forests, unforgettable experiences, and free flowing waters. If you are an enthusiast for outdoor sports, you must come to this region of the Western Ghats.  Agumbe receives the second highest level of rainfall in India, where Sitanadi originates to form its course of more than 70 kilometers. It offers one of the most thrilling and exciting white water rafting in India. The bio-diverse woods around the river offer an incredible experience of rafting and sightseeing in Sitanadi.

Sharavati, Honnemardu

The Sharavati River is the origin point of Jog Falls, which makes it a must-visit place to do river rafting. Sharavati also flows through the Western Ghats and houses various other activities in water such as kayaking, backwater camping, canoeing, boating, etc. Nature Trails is famous among the adventure seekers. The place is an ideal site for swimming and island camping on one of the most trivial waters of Karnataka. Although you need to travel a distance of 400 kilometers from Bangalore to reach Sharavati, Honnemardu, the drive is entirely worth it. If you want to have a weekend getaway far from the distress of urban life, you must come to visit Sharavati.

 

Traveling away from your everyday lives requires a bit of courage as well as patience because when you are driving on the highway, you encounter several challenges. Self-Drive Car Rental Bangalore teaches you to cope with these challenges in an efficient manner to transform you into an entirely different being. When you Rent Cars in Bangalore, you must make sure that you look for Car Rental in Bangalore without Driver rather than taking a chauffeur-driven cab. This is because driving on your own is not only fun but also a great learning experience. It also lets you have a good sharing experience as you share the responsibility of driving and learn about each other. Moreover, the best part about Self-Drive Cars is that they prove cheaper and more convenient than the chauffeur-driven cars.