How I Rekindled My Family Bond on a Bangalore Road Trip

When you are struggling with a rough patch with your family, the best way is to travel with them. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was in the dullest phase of my life. My job in Delhi was not doing justice to my hard work, and I had decided to return to my home in Jaipur. However, this was not the ultimate solution as I used to sit at home all day without thinking of my next step in the career. However, my parents were the guiding light at that time, and they taught a few valuable lessons on a road trip.

Even though my mother tried hard to give valuable life lessons to me at home, I would barely listen to her. Whenever Dad used to communicate with me, I would answer in monosyllables. I cannot thank them enough for their patience all this while as they tolerated me. The best thing that they did was to take me for a vacation in Coorg via Bangalore.

We had our flight from Delhi to Bangalore, which was delayed by four hours. We had no option but to wait at the airport, which I hate from the core of my heart. Had I been alone, I would have sat there cursing my fate, but I was amazed to see my parents enjoying their free time. They felt rather blissful that the delayed flight gave us more time to talk to each other while sitting in the AC lounge of the airport. I almost slapped myself for being such a pessimist while I saw my parents rejuvenating even in unexpected circumstances. Dad said that the flipside of the waiting time was that they did not have to wait in the hot weather. They could relax in the air conditioned ambiance of the airport, roam around to do window shopping because everything was so expensive, and watch people busy with their life.

From Bangalore

As we reached our beginning point of the road trip, we had to wait for a day at the hotel, which again seemed boring to me. I was desperately waiting to reach Coorg so that I can start enjoying. Again, I saw my parents enjoying every bit of their time in the hotel. They went out to see the city and find out the car hire in Bangalore so that we could begin our journey to Coorg. I got another valuable lesson from them that it is no use cribbing over the mundane journey, but to enjoy it to the best. I could recall the days in Delhi when I used to think that I will be happy one day when I will achieve this milestone or that. Until I did attain something, I did not want to be delightful about life. In Bangalore, I appreciated their perspective towards life that Mom and Dad were least bothered about the time when they will reach Coorg. Instead of waiting for the destination to be happy, they taught me the way one should cherish the journey as well. A road trip, as Dad said, is meant to be enjoyed on the road itself, not just at the destination.

Needless to mention that we created countless memories on our road trip to this gorgeous hill station near Bangalore, but I also got a few valuable life lessons just by spending some quality time with my family. I had never realized that my parents might have faced the challenges while bringing me up, but I do appreciate their efforts multifold now after this little road trip.

My Travel Journal with an Unconditional Friend

They say that friends may come and go from your life, but some people make a permanent mark of their presence. I, being a mother of two adorable children, always thought that the life of an Indian woman revolves around her family until I got married. It is not that my husband encouraged or discouraged me from doing anything, but he never said anything. When I came to Bangalore from a small town nearby, I found my soul sister in a neighborhood friend.

Initially, we would meet each other to borrow little household things, but the friendship grew so deep with time that I actually started looking forward to talk to her or meet her. We would call each other often and home visits were frequent when our kids were not at home. She was a travel enthusiast and a writer. She wrote about various things online, but was confined to the city of Bangalore because her husband wanted her to stay at home. On the other hand, my husband never stopped me from doing anything, but I never had to incentive to do something progressive. Karuna, that sweet soul sister, motivated me and I reciprocated to encourage her. Our husbands met and we grew into a small family in this completely unknown city.

Eventually, Karuna and I decided to go for a few temple visits, to which her husband never argued about. It was surprisingly pleasant for her, and we had a great time traveling around various temples around Bangalore. Every time we sat at any temple, we enjoyed the solitary time to the core of our hearts since we did not have to worry about the household work or any other domestic worries.

After a few months, we took a car rental Bangalore and went to Chikmaglur. A wildlife sanctuary, waterfalls, and scenic beauty are just a few things that we enjoyed at the hill station. We dealt with the decisions of booking rooms, tickets for entertainment activities, and travel plans on our own, which gave us a newfound confidence. Not even once did we feel that we were two ladies coming from a small town in Karnataka who had never taken their decisions alone.

Even though I knew driving, I had never really done it for so long because Dad or brother were always there to do the job. It was only men’s job to drive in my house before marriage. Thankfully, we both have got progressive husbands who understand that it is time for women to live a happy life as well.

From each travel article that I had read online before our road trip, I felt that the travelers are right when they say that travel is empowering. You get to deal with challenges and take your own decisions since there is no one to take care of you. While returning from Chikmaglur, we decided that we will soon make a plan with our husbands and go for a road trip again.

How My Sister Makes the Best Company for Road Trips

Sometimes, you cannot get enough of company from a person. In my case, it is my sister whom I never get bored of; she is a pleasant travel buddy for sure. Maybe I love her more because she acts like my mother whenever we are alone, and I don’t have to worry about my things.

The packing part

Whenever I have Trisha Di traveling with me, I don’t have to worry about packing my things. She is a pro at packing clothes, shoes, accessories, toiletries in small bottles and tubes, and everything else we might need for our road trips. At the max, I have to make a list of things that we need to carry for our trips, and she manages everything on her own.

Compatibility

When it comes to talking about things in life, Trisha Di is the best person on earth. Unlike other siblings in my family, I can talk to her about any random topic around the world, and have a meaningful discussion. I can be relaxed that we do not judge each other for our opinions. Even if we are traveling for more than ten hours, our time passes without realizing.

Clicking pictures  

We both have a very active Instagram account, but we both prefer to stay away from Facebook. In that case, we always need a person who is more than willing to click deliberate and candid pictures of us. We love posing for each other, endless times, and we know that we will not get frustrated. The result is that our Instagram is full of pictures and Selfies.

Eating habits

We are obviously raised in the same environment, so we have the same eating habits and choices. Whenever I want to have matar pulao, I can simply order it and I know that my sister can have it in peace. Whenever she wants to have a pizza, she knows that I will comply.

Traveling choices

There are times when we have the budget of a bomb, so we splurge in travel options like flights, luxury trains, and Self-Drive Car Rental Bangalore airport. However, when we are short of money, we don’t mind traveling in public buses as well. There have been instances when we have walked for a long distance just because we were broke on our road trip. Nonetheless, we never complain.

The fights

Not everything is so good with Trisha Di as well. We have had our share of fights and arguments. However, after we fight like crazy, we always end up well with a patch up, which is usually a deal or an agreement to do or not to do something.

Without any doubt, I can say that Trisha Di and I make quite a good travel duo, despite our differences and similarities. I am blessed to have her in my life. Else, I cannot imagine how my life would have been if I had a moron for a sibling. Thank God I have her, not someone else!

Why I Avoid Deep Thinking While Traveling

The only simple answer to this question is that I consider my vacation time as the period to explore new things. I do not find myself fit for deep thinking at all. The process itself seems so boring to me. In the fast-paced urban life that we live, who has the time to take a week off just to sit back and indulge in deep and serious thoughts. The thought of thinking so much sounds so dull to me that I don’t want to even think about it. I am an active person who remains to be busy at all times. I don’t have time to waste on petty issues of life.

Some people may call me selfish and mean for not winking an eyelid about things that hold significant substance for others. I have heard things about myself when people have called me unfit for social life. They do not want to be with me because I do not give right and proper importance to their concerns of life. Men do not want to make me their spouse because they do not find me serious enough for a stable relationship. I don’t mind listening to things like this because I know that it is not my job to please everyone. I have a very close-knit relationship with my family and a couple of friends. Only the space for a spouse is vacant, which I am sure will fill up when the right time comes. I am in no hurry to jump into a relationship or get married.

In spite of this, I have been with people who have been really sweet with me and accepted me the way I am; and most of these generous folks are travelers. I am a real wanderer at heart, and people who love me know this about me. I am a detached person, which makes me different from others, but not evil. It is just a fact, which not most of the folks around me are not able to understand. After spending a good deal of time explaining my perspective to people, I have given up the challenge to transform the world. I, now, maintain a low profile of existence and do not elucidate my ideas to anyone.

I have understood that most people in office and society are there just to find fodder for gossip. They are not capable of understanding the broader values of life as they are happy existing in their shells. As opposed to most of the crowd, I am inclined towards learning new things, talking to new people, exploring new cultures, and uncovering various facts unknown to regular folks. During my journeys to multiple cities in India, I loved the time I spent in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, McLeodganj, Manali, and various other places. Each of these cities has taught me a lot about their culture, people, their habits, and food. However, nowhere in the city did I try to seek the peace of mind.

I do not want to flaunt anything, but I find myself at peace at all times. Even though I do not have time to even think about my next meal while working for Car rental Bangalore, I do not have anything to complain about life. Sometimes, I feel the need to relax, unwind, and take a breather, but that does not mean I want to think about things that hold no value for me, but for others. I have realized that over thinking about problems never solves them. It is only when I relax and stop thinking about issues that I can find better answers to them.