How My First Solo Travel Made Me a Decision Maker

After your first solo travel, you immediately realize the changes that have incurred in your personality. When I went for my first trip to Coorg on my own, I realized one significant difference in my persona. Earlier, I would never take many decisions on my own; I would like to take a backseat and let the parents, friends, colleagues, and bosses make the big and small decisions of my life. And when it was urgent for me to come forward, I would take a collective decision with the support of relevant people. On the one hand, I was leading my life with a submissive attitude. On the other hand, I wanted to get rid of this habit of mine.

After a lot of churning in my mind, I decided that I had to get over this attitude of delegating decisions and take control of my life. And I chose to begin with solo travel, about which I had been thinking for a long time. I had read and heard about the benefits of single journeys a lot, but I had never thought of doing it on my own. I would always feel that it was not my cup of tea, and let others do it as they want. I would like to go out with my family and friends only so as not to get bored. However, the company of ruthless or ignorant people had begun to irk me, and I wanted a change.

The idea of going to Coorg came up when I was having a house party with a few friends, and they proposed the idea of going there. However, none of us could agree on common timing, and then someone said that why not go alone to Coorg? I don’t know the idea clicked others or not, but it did hit off with me. I did not take long to decide it in my mind that I am going for a solo trip this time.

I looked for Self Drive Cars Bangalore and booked a hatchback to enjoy the entire road trip with my own company. Being on your own for a long time gives a deeper understanding of yourself from inside and outside. Driving as well as the time in Coorg gave me time to understand the way I was carrying on my life, and if I needed to change my course in another direction.

Never did I feel the same about my life, the way I did during my solo trip. I had to force myself to take big and small decisions of my journey as I had no one to turn to. Earlier, I used to be a team player, but never a leader. Every time I had to decide on something, I would wait for others. However, now I learned to rely on myself and resolve things immediately, and think about solutions for more significant problems. I did struggle several times to be the person I was not, but it did begin reflecting on my identity.

I could feel the change in my way of walking, talking, and carrying about myself when I reached back home and office. My colleagues started noticing the difference in my conduct, and they appreciated it as well. Talking to my inner self was something I learned with just one small decision of solo travel, and I thank myself for it.

The Person Whom I Can Call at 2 am for a Road Trip

I find myself lucky to say that I have got a friend whom I can call anytime I wish, and he is there for me, always! In the seven years of my work life, never even once I have met such a person who would make such an effort for me. Manish and I were batchmates at a fashion college in Bangalore, and while studying there, we made such memories that we can never forget in our lives. Not just one, we had taken many road trips during our college days, which were never planned. I must say these unplanned trips were the most enjoyable ones on our list of outings.

Even today, when I think of going for an instant cup of tea or a road trip to Ladakh, I can only call Manish. One such road trip happened when I was getting bored watching a flick on the TV. I called my buddy and enquired him what he was up to, and his reply gave me my answer. He was also watching a movie, and we knew what we had to do without saying a word. I just said, “Okay, I’ll be there in 15 minutes”. His reply, “Cool.”

What else would I want from my youth when I have buddies like Manish? His flat mate, Akshay is also chilled out, and we three make up a great company of friends. I reached there as swiftly as I could with a bottle of Scotch with me. Before I would have asked for anything, I found Manish cooking Mushroom Tikka for all three of us. Such is the chemistry of us three musketeers, at least of us two, which we do not need to say anything, but both of us will understand what plan we are going to make.

We sat down with the delectable Mushroom Tikka on the plate in front of us, turned on the music, and took out the playing cards. Making plans for trips is one of our favorite topics of conversation. We thought of going to Pune this time, and then started discussing the things we can do in the city. I have heard a lot about Sinhagad and Aga Khan Palace in Pune, so I suggested we can visit these places. However, the other two buddies did not want to be a part of my history lessons! We had to cancel this plan like always.

The other place that came to our quirky minds was Kerala. We know that the state is meant for couples in love, but we are in a different kind of love with each other. We decided to give it a thought. Talking about the places that we could visit there, we contemplated elephant rides, sitting on a houseboat, living in a village, watching the snake boat races, and many such things. Although all these activities sounded tempting, we checked the budget required to visit Kerala. When the truth dawned on us, we sat quietly and took another sip of our scotch.

Just like every other time, we contemplated a lot of plans of going here and there. We even thought of hiring a Self-Drive Cars Bangalore this season, but sometimes our pockets, and at other times our disagreements would not let us finalize a plan. Nevertheless, where there is a will, there is a way. We had never thought that planning a trip would be so much more complicated than planning a spontaneous road trip. In the end, the good-for-nothing we three finished our drinks and slept like babies!

A dazzling visit to Blue Ginger- the oldest Vietnamese Restaurant in India

It was my spouse’s birthday on 7^th November in 2016 when we thought of having a fine dinner at an exclusive restaurant. We had got married in 2015, and one thing had a major role in hitting off our relationship- food! We love experimenting with food and whenever we used to go out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; our relationship grew up a notch higher. After having dozens of Maggi’s at several 2 am’s, now was the turn to mark a special day in our love life. So we chose Blue Ginger, the Vietnamese restaurant in Taj West End for this romantic date.

The dreamy and eclectic setting of the Blue Ginger comprises of all shades of green and a petite lake with budding lotuses, playful fishes, and inquisitive amphibians. These adoring features welcomed us when we stepped into this little island looking setting of this graceful restaurant. Rustic décor, open-air seating, and fancy China add to the experience of fine-dining. The hanging lanterns and traditional vases give a touch of Vietnamese theme of the place. The flawless service of the restaurant impressed as we went through the menu comprising of both Thai and Vietnamese cuisines.

I must say that the extensive menu of the Blue Ginger left us spoilt for choice. We took a quite long time to choose a few items from the delectable-sounding cuisines such as vermicelli salad with ground chicken and shrimps, the starters palette comprising Grilled Lamb Chops, Wok Tossed Lotus Stem Butter Garlic, Poh Pia Ja, and Satay Chicken; jasmine rice; curries- Phad Kai Bai Karprao, Hei Phad Prik Haeng, and Vietnamese Prawn Mango Curry; Rice paper rolls; Goi Xoai, the salad made of Raw mangoes; Goi Du Du, salad prepared from raw papaya; Nem Ran, the fried rolls; Grilled lamb chops; Grilled prawn lemon grass chilly; Grilled chicken lime leaf; Grilled tofu Saigon; Stir fried prawn and tamarind sauce; and Celery over Stir fried noodles.

We ordered the buttery garlicky lotus stems for starters and then the main course. I must say that the food is not at all overrated; it deserves every word of praise I can write here. The Blue Ginger is the place where each element of the setting functions in perfect association to create an unforgettable experience that lingers for many years to come. The waterfall and stone walls in the background, the sounds of swishing palms, mellow lightening, and the soothing ambiance made us forget everything that exists outside this place as we enjoyed our food.

Having an experience of fine dining at the Blue Ginger is not meant for a budget outing, but for a special occasion. When the bill arrives in thousands, you must be expecting it rather than feeling shocked. We gave away the billed amount and spent some more time lounging around the restaurant. The Blue Ginger is such a place that we never wanted to leave from here, but we did just because we could not stay there forever. Another thing that added to the charm of our evening was the long drive we took after the dinner. Ditching our Swift Dzire this time, we had taken a Chevrolet Cruz from the various options of Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore. The time spent in seclusion holding hands with each other can never compensate for anything in the world. At least for that night, we did not have to worry about anything at home or office. We drove for a while in silence sipping red wine, thinking and talking about the present, past, and future. Seeing my spouse passing that gratified smile gave me the best feeling in the world.

How I had my best Breakfast Ritual in Bangalore on the go

When I went to Bangalore in January 2017, I had complete one week to spend in the city. I could have spent my entire time commuting to and from the office had I been staying far away from the office complex. Thankfully, I was staying close to my workplace, and I also had a little flexible work timing, which meant I could explore the city and yet complete my duties. Because of all these privileges, I decided that I would experiment with authentic breakfast meals of Bangalore every day at different places. Being from Delhi, I am a big-time foodie. I love to begin my day with a sumptuous breakfast. I checked out the following tried-and-tested breakfast joints of Bangalore and found out that most of them were exquisite places except a few restaurants.

Shri Sagar (CTR)

Monday began with the bona fide South Indian food of Shri Sagar restaurant, which was founded about 20 years ago by Sanjeev S Pujari. I found out that the locals love the Mangalore Bhajjis and Benne Masala Dosas at the place. The crispy outside, soft inside Benne Masala Dosa comes loaded with butter, which I happily enjoyed with my hands digging in the Dosa. A few happy waiters serving at Shri Sagar told me that several politicians, sportspersons, celebrities, etc. have been to this place. Even though it was early morning in Bangalore, I could see dozens of locals around me having a taste of breakfast delicacies.

MTR

With more than eight decades of history, MTR had begun as a small joint near Lalbagh Fort. Generations after generations of Maiya family have run the MTR restaurant in Bangalore, which was into the packaging of foods earlier, but then came into fresh food service later. MTR has been into operations since 1924, and it was delightful to have hygienic South Indian food on my second day in the city.

Veena Stores

Though Veena Stores sounds more like a Saree Shop, it is definitely not the one it suggests. The food joint is famous for its fluffy soft idlis, filter coffee, and crispy vadas. I had all three of these things, and I must say, despite the small size of the shop, the breakfast was sumptuous.

Koshy’s

On Thursday, I wanted to eat at an exclusive place. So I enquired and got to know about Koshy’s Bar and Restaurant. The special coffee of the place was really worth trying. It felt awesome sitting in the unique and historical ambiance of the place. I devoured the Roast Chicken and Prawn Biryani in breakfast for the first time, and I must say I did not regret it. The red brick walls are hardly painted at Koshy’s; they give a feeling of the pre-Independence era with its old-world allure. Since I could not eat more, I decided to try their English breakfast the next time for sure. They serve eggs in different variants life fired, toasted, poached, and scrambled with a wired range of toppings.

Vidyarthi Bhavan

My friend gave me the wise advice to hire Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore since you cannot rely on public transport of the city. I must say I was at great comfort finding out various breakfast joints around the city. On Friday, my last destination was Vidyarthi Bhavan, which is also a decades-old food outlet in Bangalore. The Vidyarthi Bhavan, situated in Basavanagudi, is treated as one of the landmarks of the city. When I reached Vidyarthi Bhavan, it was already crowded in the evening, but I managed to place an order for its crunchy Masala Dosa. I must say that Bangalore, as opposed to my expectations, did not disappoint me with its food at least.

My most adventurous self-drive road trip around Bangalore

When my company relocated me to Bangalore last year, I had thought I would get bored in the first week of my stay in the city as I did not have a very good impression of the city. The main thing that bothered me about Bangalore was its traffic; I could not tolerate the thought of bearing the traffic for 1-2 hours daily in the morning as well as evening. However, I must say that although the traffic part is still unresolved, I certainly do not feel bored in Bangalore. The city offers so many things in and around it that sometimes I felt pressed for time to cover every place.

Parasailing in Malpe

I have already done paragliding, so parasailing was something new for me. Although I had to travel more than 400 kilometers to reach Malpe, where parasailing is done, the trip was indeed worth it. Malpe is a fishing port in Udupi, Karnataka. It is popular for its serene sunsets and pristine beauty along with the water sports done in the Arabian Sea. In the Udyavara River that flows on the sideline, parasailing is offered as the main attraction for the audacious travelers.

When my guide was tying the harness attached to the parachute on my body, I was watching people flying high above the waters. I could not wait for my guide to begin parasailing with me. And I must say that being tied with the harness gives the feeling of safety and flying high on the clear waters gives an unparalleled thrill. With the wind soaring all around me, I felt like a free bird. Being able to have the sights of the sea from a height left me with a sense of marvel. However, I had to come to the beachside after a few minutes, which left me craving for much more of parasailing.

Jetski Ride in Malpe

Although I was not satisfied with the time spent at the parasailing experience, I decided to go for Jetski Ride, which is also conducted in Malpe. A jet ski is a fun ride over the sea waves and is tremendous fun with the combination of waterskiing, motorcycle, and speedboat. As I reeled in the breezy wind over the sea, the breaking waves and the roaring swish of the motor along with splashing water on me felt just so amazing that is impossible to put into words.

Now that I was already tired of indulging in these adventure sports, I felt the need to rest for some time and then experience a few of the relaxed activities. I brought my stuff back to the beach of Malpe and sat there watching hundreds of visitors around me. Sometimes, it is mesmerizing just to watch people doing silly things with their loved ones. It was especially delightful to observe kids making sand castles and writing their names on the beach sand. I felt like sitting at the beach for the entire day and night, but I had to get up after a couple of hours and rush for the Coconut Island.

The Coconut Island

I had rented Car for Self Drive in Bangalore, so I had to make sure that I returned to the city in time the next day. Therefore, I decided to give a quick visit to the Coconut Island, which is one among the 26 geological shrines in India. The Coconut Island is a bunch of four islands and is a great place to be at the place. I spent a few hours on the island and then returned to my hotel.

It was a thrilling trip to Malpe, even though I made the excursion alone. I wanted to experience the thrill of a solo trip, so I just decided to rent Cars in Bangalore and leave for any destination this time. And, I must say that it was an experience of a lifetime.