Dubai: I was so High!

Next to my Ride

I’m gonna start with a confession! I’m an absolute nature lover and hence never really fell in love with Dubai. I mean I love forests, waterfalls, beaches.. Green and Blue basically! Hence Dubai never won my heart, till I was assigned there for a contract on marketing collaterals for the most Iconic places in Dubai.

Burj Khalifa

It was only then that I found a whole new love and respect and was left in awe of what stood before me. I introspected and realized that my being a history buff was so limiting suddenly. I questioned all the governments of the world in my mind.. “Why were we not creating beautiful landmarks anymore?”

I mean.. look at Dubai.. It’s literally made of sand.. rather made out of sand.. inspite of sand.. They have nothing going for them except a land which is Earthquake proof. I have to give it off to the Prince and Government of Dubai to create such amazing structures. They keep wanting to succeed and supersede themselves. Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, Palm Islands.. and now the soon coming World Islands.

The Sea Plane being prepped!

In my many visits to Dubai I had seen 'em all and marveled at these architectural wonders. UNTIL!

All true UNTIL… Until I had the chance to see Dubai from an aerial view! Have you ever been in a state where you were physically ‘gob-smacked’…  when you actually were at the edge of your seat for complete 40 minutes… when you felt like a child and wouldn’t stop looking everywhere hoping to absorb every view even better than your camera ever could… and all of this with the adrenalin rush of being in an 8 seater sea plane?

Burj AlArab

 

Meticulously Planned Dubai

We took off from the Dubai Creek in charming 8 seater  Sea-plane. I took a seat right behind the co-pilot. After a short brief from the young Captain, we were ready to take off. And boy did we TAKE OFF… I’m usually good with words but I don’t think I’ll be able to nail this one and would urge you to put this ‘Ride of a Lifetime’ on your bucketlist. At the speed of 180 miles per hour, from cruising over waters of the creek, we were gliding up in the air over Dubai.

Palm Jumeirah

Within moments we were right over the Palm Islands. Silence fell on all of us in the flight as we hovered over the most amazing sight from our windows. Dubai is like the ultimate view for a person with OCD. Perfect in every way, in every shape and every conceptualization. I mean, think about it, to create… physically create islands and lands in the shape of a Palm and then create Islands in the shape of the World Map next to it.. Bigger and Grander in every way. To be able to see the Burj AlArab’s entire structure along with the helipad and finally to soar around the Khalifa. You see my predicament?

How can I ever describe to you how each moment felt? How proud and yet small I felt when I physically had the bird’s eye view of what all my race had accomplished? And then for a smart company to create a flight plan for us to feast our eyes on?

The World Islands

My Private Window view

In 40 minutes you can get the thrill of taking off in a sea plane from a creek, fly over the most developed cities of the world which prides in creating structures which are monumental to say the least and then land smoothly back on water. Create a memory of a lifetime! Excitement of breathtaking views! Adrenaline rush of being in a sea plane! All from the luxury of your large private window! 

Post the ride

                                                                           For all queries contact: Seawings Dubai

Berlin and all Emotions in a Day!

Berlin

Outside my Hostel

I was coming into Berlin from Amsterdam and had decided to stay in a hostel. I was going through a tough time with my monies and had to be smart if I had to finish what I had planned. Now I know when I'd say to some Indians that I stayed in a mixed dorm in Berlin, they would be gob-smacked, but the truth is; they are absolutely safe cause you have like so many more people always in the room!! Unlike a hotel room where anyone can come knocking at your door and create trouble! So here I was with similar hesitations and yet complete confidence that I could handle any situation.

It was a small room with 3 bunk beds and when I entered; most of my room-mates were sleeping and I had the lower bunk. I silently pushed my luggage around and sneaked back down to the reception for a quick bite and to pick up information. The place was buzzing with people of all ages.. well budget travellers like me to be precise. The lounge was just simple, unpretentious and everything was affordable! The receptionists were nice and gave me a total download on everything I needed to know and the best ways to see the most of Berlin without splurging!

Alexanderplatz

The Walking Tour

Berlin is one of the few places where one can experience every possible emotion in one single day!

This was my first tour that I had booked myself for, and the reason will kill you! Yes! It was a FREE walking tour of Berlin.. all I needed was my walking shoes and a good night's rest! When I'm trying something new anywhere I intentionally don't keep any expectations, that way it's easy for me to be pleased and also it's incredible how the smallest thing can over joy me! Thankfully the tour was to start right outside my hostel and like a good girl I was on time. 

In a few minutes many people had come together and this young man with shabby hair, cargo shorts and a perfect English accent was hollering out to all of us. Aaron Birchenough had landed up in Berlin for love and decided to stay. A historian and archaeologist by profession, he now lead free walking tours and believed in being happy in life! He loved his job and he loved Berlin!

St. Mary's Church

The Neptune Fountain

The Dark History

Berlin Cathedral

We started from Alexanderplatz, easily identified by the Fernsehturm (the TV tower), the 2nd tallest structure of European Union and the iconic World Time Clock. This places had been redeveloped several times and now is the busiest shopping area. A ten minute walk took us to the next spot, the St. Mary's Church. Possibly built in the 13th century, it has a striking statue of Martin Luther outside and a beautiful Neptune fountain. I was the only solo traveller in the group and oh so busy taking notes. What can I say I'm a writer and I don't like forgetting (haha)! Next stop was the Berlin Cathedral with its magnificent dome. Yes it was amazing, but its location is why I remember it so well... it was right next to.. ahem.. the LUST GARDEN... infront of the Altes Museum (Old Museum). Nope! It's a public garden now and no funny business was happening and yet the name!!??

At the Lust Garden

But it was the next place that reminded me of the suffering this little city had both caused and endured. The Neue Wache, a simple small structure with nothing spectacular from the outside, had the most intense sculpture of the "Mother and her Son". The mother's head hangs lowly as the body of her son lies curled up at her feet under the Oculus (a circular opening in domes) exposed to the sun, rain and snow... depicting the suffering of all civilians in the war. It was deafeningly quiet inside and yet my head was pounding with the vibe of the place. It felt like the souls of the innocent were all trapped in those walls.

Next stop was Bebelplatz, known for the Nazi book burning. In 1933, they burnt close to 20000 books that day, and now a memorial under the glass plate in the cobbles showcases empty bookshelves which could have held those 20000 books. Then we walked to the famous Checkpoint Charlie, which was the crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. I mean can you imagine your whole city split in two overnight... by a WALL? It really did happen... people and neighbourhoods were simply divided by a wall. The Berlin Wall... While I stood there, I couldn't help but imagine how helpless the people must have been. With absolutely no control on their lives. Aaron shared stories of how some people tried to jump the wall and it just gave me goose bumps!

Charlie Checkpoint

The next stop was the Fuhrerbunker. Now this was the underground air raid bunker, where Hitler married Eva Braun and also committed suicide with her and killed his only dog Blondi. Ofcourse its not open to public and we just stood over the area where many feet below out feet... he had died. Aaron informed us in a very hush voice that some extremists still have meetings around this area apparently. You know there was nothing there... just plain grass and some very dull buildings where people live now.. but I was just so full of hate that I found myself cringing.. Hitler.. the man responsible for so so so many tragedies had breathed the air in the same area I was standing in years ago... Such an uneasy thought!

But what came next.. knocked me into lulled silence and a very very heavy heart! The Memorial to the Murdered Jews. The name itself is grim and the place... although it's just a cluster of asymmetrically pieces of grey rectangles.. almost like graves.. 2711 concrete slabs.. all of it is just so cold in colour and vibe that it... the sadness and dullness of it could give you a shiver down the spine. You can walk all along and it's been designed in such a way that you can only walk alone. Much like our lives.. no matter how many people are around us.. we all are alone. And this place was like... the designer wanted us to walk alone with our thoughts of what this country had seen and lost.

The Ampleman

We also came across a couple of cool things specific to East Berlin, like the Ampleman, the man in a hat in the traffic light and the Trabi (Trabant) Car.

The last stop was the Brandenburg Gate, finally a good note to end on... ofcourse it had seen its share of wounds considering its location but the air felt more cheerful.. thanks to the tourists! All of us in the group had become friendly and said our byes to each other. I stayed back with Aaron for a bit for my list of questions.. Yes! I'm a history buff! I asked him how I could use the rest of my day best and he gave his suggestions and highly recommended the Pub Crawl.

 

Aaron n Me at Brandenburg Gate

The Pub Crawl- The Lively Present

So initially.. I had my share of a million hesitations but a chat with Aaron had relaxed me and given me the courage to give it a try. In this journey of 45 days and 13 countries.. this was one of my many firsts and wasn't going to be the last for sure!

Now a Pub Crawl; as the name suggests is much like the walking tour except they make you hop from one pub to another offering free drinks everywhere for a fixed price paid at the staring point. Anybody can join and you can quit anytime.

My Roommates

My leg was paining with the over 4 hour long walk and I had started limping so decided to go back to my hostel and rest up to gain energy for the Pub Crawl. I think I was also emotionally drained with all the information and sadness. When I reached the hostel, some of my room-mates were up and we said our hellos. A couple from Canada, a very cute girl and Spanish speaking guy. We chatted up and exchanged plans for the night and moment I said I was planning to go for the Pub Crawl, the cute girl Thais Farias, popped her head out and asked if she could join me.. OFCOURSE! I was over-joyed actually and Rafael decided to join in too.

We all slept for a bit and then Thais and I got up and started getting ready like 2 girlfriends who knew each other since years.. discussing what to wear and how to do our hair and make-up. We three went down to the lobby together and it a little while our hostel lobby was full of youngsters and travellers from almost every part of the world. Big groups of girls and boys and friends and couples. Oh I can't possibly describe the energy but it was electric! Soon the organiser was there leading all of us to the closest tube station. Yup, you got that right! It started with a trip in the tube.. and I discovered that Irish are the most fun people as Sean came and introduced himself with his absolute boyish charms. Soon we were hopping from 1 pub to the next across Berlin and making friends and cheering to the sojourns of us travellers. We spoke of our stories and places we had been to and what our plans were. Conversations were flowing easy and friends were easy to find.

The Pub Crawl Gang

Berlin was one of the friendliest cities so far with an array of emotions to explore. It was a testimonial of what I believe so firmly in... Don't let your past decide who you are today!

The Trabi

Paris- Love Letter to a Stranger

Je T'aime Paris

Yes Paris is romantic! Love is just in the air; it's true! How can anyone deny it? The art, the architecture, the culture sprawled all over the walls and ceilings and floors of every corner. From the touristy places to every little coffee shop on the paths less travelled; from the elite French restaurants to the lanes selling the Asian food or the cheap pizza slices being sold by Italians; Parisians love Love and Loving!

Eiffel all day

In my four days in Paris; I had it all. There were the late night walks with endless conversations, staying up late to watch the Eiffel sparkle, lying in the parks aimlessly, drinking coffee and tasting exotic chocolates in the quaint streets, the serenade from a stranger and my taking a leap of faith and falling in love and finding the happy ending. My 4 days in Paris were right out of the classic Audrey Hepburn movies with a twist.

My Airbnb flat in Paris was in one of the tallest buildings and I was on the 25th floor. I had romanticised meeting Mr. Eiffel since I can't even remember. And my first view of him sparkling like diamonds in all his glory had left me frozen in awe. With the Sacre Coeur on my right glowing in soft yellow lights on the hill and the Eiffel glittering I had sat up in the chilli balcony till late in the night. Very late.

No matter who says what about the Eiffel, I promise you, it will take your breath away. I spent a whole day just looking at it from all angles and spent the evening on the lawns, watching it come to life as the sun set. No I didn't do the Louvre as it takes a whole day and I don't like the idea of being forced to follow a path, when I have limited time and am so keen on the Impressionist era.

Limburg Orange at Sacre Coeur

The next day I went to Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral. Once you take a day pass in Paris, you can use it absolutely anywhere for public transport. To reach Sacre Coeur, you need to first get to Montmatre. The best stop is Pigalle (Metro Stop). Here is the funny part; you need to walk past Moulin Rouge to get to the Sacred Heart Cathedral! IRONY eh?

Once you take the Funicular, you will reach the mountain top with the view of the entire Paris. And again, it will take your breath away! I was very lucky cause not only was the cathedral absolutely gorgeous on the inside, but I was there at just the right time. The choir was singing. Wait, now picture this; you are at the top of a mountain, with the view of the Eiffel, the wind whistling in your ears, the grandeur of the Sacre Couer behind you, you turn around and enter into a cathedral with frescos and the sun shining in from the dome on top and the choir singing with the voices of the angels. It was ethereal and heavenly. I felt overwhelmed and for no particular reason, my eyes welled up. I think I was just so at peace. Each wall, each turn was full of history and angels and Jesus.

Art everywhere in Paris

My friend Craig had flown in from London to join me and as I walked out from there with a bit of a heavy heart, I was avoiding all eye contact with him. When suddenly the air was filled with the joy and sounds of fanfare. Up on the steps of the cathedral, a brass band of old chaps in Orange tees and White pants was revving up the air with "Angels by Robbie Williams". Oh how my mood becomes a slave to music! Forget minutes, in seconds I was already dancing with the women of the band. Craig started talking to one of the players Peter, who ended up knowing about Travelling Boots! Wait, What? So I meet a Dutch Brass Band in Paris and one of the guys knows about me and has read Travelling Boots??? Can you ever imagine my shock? It was my first spotting ever!! Peter introduced me to Claudia and the others in the band as the Indian woman who travels alone and invited us over to Moulin Rouge for their show at night.

Moulin Rouge

I went through the day almost absent mindedly and even though Craig was tired; he was a darling to come back for me. But at night.... the only busy looking Moulin Rouge area; was a full blown naughty street for adults only (wink wink!) with neon lights and all sorts of description of naked shows. So what did I do? Craig and I took crazy, creepy, naughty pictures infront of the red neon lit Moulin Rouge windmill (Haha!) But in the roll of all that fun we forgot about the band momentarily, and then suddenly tried to look for the sound of a brass band. We had no idea where they were so started asking strangers for the Irish Bar..well that's all we knew really!

Soon we heard them... ummm.. the cacophony of the trumpets honestly.. and Craig and I dashed towards the sound like the rats of the Pied Piper. And sadly our luck had run out; the band had just finished their last tune! But I was glad to get a warm welcome from familiar faces (not really.. I was terribly heart-broken to have missed all the music). Claudia and Peter, took me by the shoulders and pointed me towards George, the band manager and asked me to hustle him..George looked serious so I mentally prepared a whole speech to ensure I impressed him so maybe they'd play one more tune.

Claudia and me

But I was wrong, George could barely hear me when I spoke to him, but he knew I was kind of pleading for music and stepped out into the area where the whole band was. Wait, picture this again.. a group of musicians, all over the age of 40.. who had been playing since morning on all sorts of percussion instruments, some were too tired and drunk and sleeping on the tables. He came out and yelled in the midst of them; asking them to wake up for an Indian girl wanted to hear them play. And you know what...they all got up.. cheered for me.. made a circle around me and played Angels for me.. Only for me again... While I stood in the middle.

I was in Paris, travelling alone, and now had a Dutch band called Limburg Orange playing me their favourite tune in the wee hours of the morning.. all looking at me ... tired and yet smiling... For me! Yes only for me! They serenaded me! My first ever Serenade! I broke into tears... cmmmon.. wont you? If you had a band of over 20 strangers Serenade you the to a song called Angels while you were a solo traveller in Paris?

Wait; this wasn't even the best part.. Claudia later asked me what my plans were. I was still overcoming my most precious moments on earth, and told her my vague plans plainly. I hadn't really decided on my dates and plans so told her that I would go to Belgium for a bit and then Switzerland and then Netherlands. When I said Amsterdam, Claudia's eyes sparkled and she announced that she was barely 2 hours away from there and that I should come and see her.

I was a few beers down honestly; so I looked at her square in the eye and said.. "I'm a man with no plan woman, if you gonna make an offer.. I just might take it", and I meant it! She asked me to take her mobile number and to message her later with my dates.

Limburg Orange post my Serenade

She was serious. You know the song by P!nk; Glitter in the Air, hear it.. it has a line .. Have you ever invited a stranger to come inside? Few weeks later, I was in Maastricht. A place I had never heard of, with a woman I only met for 5 minutes in Paris. With her gorgeous and intelligent daughter, their adorable dog, in their home and being driven around in her convertible singing songs out loud.

We both are years apart, grew up in different geographies and cultures and yet.... somehow connected so deep and so spiritually that it's hard to explain at all. We walked in the rain and drank wine while she narrated the rich history of the town to me. I joined Claudia for her band practice where kids from the age of 10 were syncing up some wicked classic tunes along with the old chappies.

I can't put my finger on what happened to me after this experience. I... I've changed! When you meet someone with so much trust and unconditional love for an absolute stranger.. what can I say.. it changes you. Inspires you. Ignites you and Illuminates you.

Yes, Paris is romantic. I for sure found true love there and my happy ending with a friend for life, bound together by the strings of music. With all this news about hatred, I found love! And that is what Paris will remind me of for all my life.

Travelling Boots

Some related videos.. :)

Tired Limburg Orange Serenades ME!

The Choir as Sacre Coeur

Eiffel Sparkles!

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My 5 “I”s of Solo Travel

Inner Peace

I will never get bored of elaborating and explaining and re-iterating that travel teaches. All the quotes are true and yet so limiting. For no matter how much we read the stories and facts or see the high definition pictures, for me; travel makes me. I can clearly recall how certain traits of me have changed with marked experiences through my solo travels.

                                          

You can and will read the stories in my blogs but here are the top 5 reasons why I travel solo and recommend it so whole heartedly.

Be Wild.. haha!

1. Instinct: Just plain Instinct. Not what your heart says, not what your mind thinks. Just Instinct. I have been stuck in some rather scary situations and also in some extremely tempting ones. I’ve made bad decisions and faced the consequences and more importantly; learnt my lessons. And this is the biggest one!

You know the first reaction of your body…? To any situation? The very first one, the withdrawing of the hand when we touch something hot, or how animals defend their young, or how simply our eyes shut to self protect. That is instinct. I’ve learnt to hear it, value it and be in tune with it for self preservation. Our anatomy is built to protect itself and our minds are yet to understand how it happens… well I am to..
When you travel solo and are responsible for yourself, you will face a million moments where you will need to take decisions. I have learnt, to simply trust my instinct. The slightest hesitation in my body language and I stop myself, the moment I feel I can trust and my mind is not crowded with what it has been conditioned to think, I've let go and discovered amazing places and wonderful people.

Shark Diving

2. Impulse: When I'm travelling on my own, I need to keep reminding myself of my safety and budget. Yes, I'm mostly on a tight budget and as many of us, I have my vices. Travelling Solo teaches you to control your impulses and plan better. I have a weakness for shoes and well anything unique I see in my travels. For various reasons, from luggage allowance to money to better plans, I've learnt how to control my wants for my needs. 
For example, I found out that I could go White Shark diving in South Africa but had a limited budget, so I gave up on some much needed coffees and sandwiches and luxurious dining options for this once in a lifetime experience. 
It’s now so easy for me not to splurge on shoes cause I'm looking at them and thinking that this pair may give me some .. some feel good moments but saving this money and spending it on my travel will give me memories I’ll share with my grandchildren .. hahah!

So my solo travel teaches me self control, planning and being wise with money.

Be funny! Be YOU!

     3. Independence: I can only talk about the society I've been brought up in, where most decisions taken by us are… ummm… well communal. Many of us are Financially Independent, but rarely do we really understand the concept of Independence. Here is my concept of Independence. I have a mind of my own and I've learnt to express myself and my ideologies with my own logic. Not by what I was told, but by what I experience. Yes, I can take care of myself and choose not to seek permissions to live my own life.

Sounds easy right? Well, it is! It however does not mean that I don't need anyone. I need my family, my husband, my friends. To love me, support me and suggest me, but Travel taught me to be ok .. rather happy on my own too. When I started travelling solo, we didn't have whatsapp on our mobile phones where I could go into a cafe ask for the wifi code and tell my parents I was ok or see videos on youtube or FB. With days and weeks at hand in a foreign country and no internet, you have no choice but to connect with yourself. And in that connection I found my Inner Peace, my Self-Recognition, my Self-Acceptance and my being comfortable in my own skin for real. And that is my definition of Independence.

Stone Henge

4. Interests: When any of my friends come to me with their guy troubles, I have often used a standard line… “It’s ok.. you are learning what you don't want.” I feel everything that has happened in my life so far has happened for a reason, good or bad. And that we are supposed to learn from it. Had it not been the series of unfortunate events that had happened in my life, I wouldn't be here. Here, with the man I 

      love, in the home I live in, with the friends I've earned and travelling and being able to express my thoughts and feelings by writing. Each incident teaches us a little more about ourselves. What we like, what we don’t, what triggers us, what calms us down.

For example; I went to LA and hated it cause I felt it had no character or history, well.. turned out that even though I hated history as a subject in school I am actually a history buff. The names I crammed only to pass my tests are now my subjects of absolute interest. I used to think I didn't like experimenting with food, I was wrong (thank god!). Unpatriotic people piss me off the most and music can heal me in ways you can't fathom.

Post my accidents I had become … umm… cautious. Yes, Cautious with my body and would never even try the normal stuff. 45 days across 11 countries in Europe and I've figured I can walk for almost 15 Kms in a day and I'm perfectly capable of carrying my suitcase and I can change the tyres of a car without breaking a sweat.

Making Friends in Berlin

5. Intelligence: No I don't mean the regular intelligent. I think travel makes you worldly intelligent. It has made me street smart and oh trained me on how to quickly identify and not put up with bullshitters. I must confess, I was very naive till some years back, but once you are out there on your own, trying to make the best of your time and opportunities, one just does become more intelligent and fast at decision making.

And the other Intelligence, the most under-rated one… Emotional Intelligence. Boy have I learnt to respond instead of reacting and later regretting. Well, I’m still learning to be honest but am definitely on the right path. I now choose to discuss instead of debate, I vent out even the smallest irritants by communicating instead of becoming a pressure cooker. All the exposure to so many cultures and languages and people, changes you. Makes you a better listener, more helpful and broad minded to the literal meaning of it. Tolerant and respectful of everyone's way and reason of being. Something I don't think I would have learnt had I not travelled and come back to a room alone, left to mull over the events of the day and smile about them.

So go on out there… Explore! Experiment! and Excite your life! And get some more of "I"! :)

Explore Yourself!