The time I went solo. (Part 1)

                                           

I did not have a fancy dart board with a World map on it wherein you throw the dart and travel to the place that it hits. The idea was pretty simple. It was to escape for a little while from the routine and get myself a breath of fresh air that not only nourishes my body but also pumps up some energy into my fairly inactive soul.

I may have picked up the idea of going on a solo trip from the movies where people just wake up one morning and head out to some random place only to find meaning to their lives. For me, going solo was just an excuse for having to love and be comfortable in my own company for the fact that it is only when you are truly happy in your own skin can you make people around you happy. Cliche, but true.

I decided that the place for my first ever solo trip is going to be Kerala for two main reasons;

Firstly, because I have quite a few people there who'd rescue me lest there occurs any disaster with the potential to kill me. I am an occasional overthinker.

Secondly, because it is affordable.

India is a such a picturesque country that you can literally travel to any part of it, set up a camera just anywhere and you'd be able to click really Instagram worthy pictures. It has the most beautiful blend of culture and modernism and is so full of colors that make you feel genuinely happy and content. Also, despite any allegations that have been made I believe that our country is safe enough for a woman to roam around freely; all alone.

I have been to Kerala once before when I was about ten years old. But back then it was just to attend a marriage ceremony of someone I don't remember. And given for that age I don't really remember anything about the trip except for the fact that the place was really clean and green. I looked up for pictures of places to visit in Kerala over the internet and was completely blown away by the unimaginable beauty of the place. That's when I realized, it had to be Kerala for sure that I want to visit.

I had saved up enough money during Diwali; the money that my elders gave me, money that I did not splurge on buying expensive traditional wear that I would end up shoving into the cupboard after wearing them just once etc. It wasn't much but it was certainly enough to help me get through the trip. Spend less, travel more is a mantra that works for me.

I am sure that most of us have thought of going on a solo trip at least once. But we generally put the idea aside due to a number of reasons. Parents won't allow, I don't have enough money, I am too scared or may be I'll get too bored so on and so forth. I sure did have a lot of such questions popping up in my head. But I knew I had to do it. There will be instances where you may not know whether what you are doing is right or wrong. But trust me, no one knows the outcome for sure unless the job is done. We need to find our way through such situations if we really want something to happen. At times when we keep doubting ourselves, we lose a clear vision of what we want and start getting trapped in the thoughts. It is better to just calculate the risks and give it a try. That's what I did and it paid off.

I carried along with me a bag full of clothes and paraphernalia, a camera and a whole lot of related accessories, my wallet, some identity cards, my phone and a huge list of emotions with excitement and fear fighting for the first place on that list.

I set out on the journey praying to God to help me return home alive and healthy; for I can get really panicky at times.

I had pre booked the entire trip from a website before embarking upon the journey. The itinerary had Munnar- Thekkady- Allepy- Kochin on it.

I am a huge Nivin Pauly fan and have watched Premam innumerable times. The river song is on the top of my playlist all the time and I was very eager to visit the Periyar river. Thus I started my journey in Kerala from Aluva.

No mate. Just the bag - because it ain't demanding!

The website people had sent a car to receive me and show me around all the places that were on my itinerary. I met the driver at Aluva. A man in his early thirties dressed up in a plain white shirt and a pair of khaki colored trousers. He was roughly five feet seven inches tall, was well built, had a thick moustache and an even thicker accent. He had a bright smiling face which enlightened on seeing me since he had been waiting for my arrival so that he could notify his agency. He greeted me in English and asked me if I could speak Malayalam. I told him that I could understand much of it and speak less of it. He helped me get my luggage into the car and we started the journey. I do not socialize much. I am highly incapable of breaking the ice and starting a conversation with someone I do not know of. I can sit for hours besides someone I do not know without uttering even a single word. I just do no understand what should be spoken to someone I've never met before ; but that was the whole idea behind the trip. To experience such situations and to learn to deal with them. With a lot of hesitation, I asked him his name and where he was from. He answered my questions as if he was giving an interview; my name is Pradeesh and I live at a distance of five kilometers from your hotel in Munnar. Concise and hitting the brief. I was extremely relieved that he wasn't a chatterbox like most Uber drivers in Mumbai because I do not enjoy the company of people who keep on talking about irrelevant subjects for long just to pass their time. He was quiet and I did not feel the need to plug in my ear phones. I was happy. He used to brief me about certain places of importance that we'd cross during our journey, where I'd take out my camera and capture them. Munnar was the first place to be visited where I was going to stay for two whole days.

We were having a really smooth conversation until I came up with the topic of evolution. That got him pissed.
Courtesy : A stranger

I'll be writing about Munnar and the rest of the trip in my upcoming blogs.

Until then,

Enjoy.