Best of Travel 2015: The Lesson Year

Year 2015 has been a roller coaster ride, I survived an accident, chicken pox and most importantly wedding of my best friend, who by the way was my roomie for 6 years. I have to agree, the only escape to my struggles was travelling AND what a year of travelling it had been! I was able to accomplish 6 trips in India and each one has a special memory. The  most important lessons this year are 'One is Never Alone 'and 'Travel is the Only Cure to Anxiety'. Like everyone else I'd like to keep this flashback blogs short with the pictures of my choice. So without further ado, here are the highlights of the Travel year 2015

Kutch in February

White Salt Desert, Great Rann of Kutch

So the travel year began with a trip to Kutch Region in Gujarat. This was my and Sharma's (Shikha Sharma, my partner in crime!) first trip as two female travellers and it turned out to be excellent. Since visiting the White Salt Desert was a dream for me, it got better with Sharma's company. We felt all grown up, taking all the decisions by ourselves and most importantly managing the expenses with our poor math skills. But what do you know, it was one of the most successful and fun trips I have ever taken in India. I'd like to write a post soon on how we managed a trip to Gujarat in Rs. 7000/person. So keep visiting the page :)

In this trip we managed to witness Bhuj Town, Mandvi along with White Salt Desert. Since we visited during the Rann Utsav, the fun of being in Kutch multiplied. 

Mandvi Beach, Mandvi

You must forgive me for the poor quality pictures, I am a novice in this business but soon will be gifting myself a better camera. You can comment in the box below to suggest which camera should I go for.

Khajuraho and Orchha in July

After the recovery of my broken foot and chicken pox, the trip to Khajuraho and Orchha was like a blessing. I felt as if I escaped from the claws of death (yes, I would like to put it this way because I am always a bit melodramatic :P). Anyway, Khajuraho was another destination that had been on my bucketlist from a long time and doing this trip right after the most depressing state of my year 2015, made me come back to life.

Raneh Falls, Khajuraho

This was my first trip to Madhya Pradesh and it was indeed the best! Madhya Pradesh is beautiful and historically affluent. There are fairly so many aspects of this Central State in India that a life is just not enough to witness all of them.

Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho

Khajuraho had some of the most magnificent temples in India. The erotic sculptures on the outer walls of the temples are certainly a must-see. It is ideal to visit the Western Group of Temples, which are the finest of all.

Orchha, Orchha Fort

Orchha is like the hidden gem of Madhya Pradesh, although in a dilapidated condition, the destination has a distinct charm that cannot be avoided. World Bank has decided to help this place with a facelift and I hope it comes across well. 

Lucknow in September

Dastarkhwan, Lucknow

View From Renaissance, Lucknow

Lucknow has been my favourite place for food. Since my family lives in this ultimate food city, I take opportunity every now and then to visit and gorge on some delectable dishes. Mostly famed for its non-vegetarian delights, Lucknow is the  land of  Galawati Kabab, Biryani and Sheermal. And this by the way some of the famous items, the list is an endless one.

Bhopal, Sanchi and Bhimbetka in October

Another female trip of the year and this one is an absolute eye-opener. What I said about Travel Being the only Cure for Anxiety was actually a lesson learned after this trip. Travelling to places on shoestring budget and being female travellers can be a challenge in India. We hiked, boarded local crowded buses and requested people to let us fill our water bottles with free water and this is all we actually cared about, we almost forgot about daily struggles in the metro cities that we live in and our personal life problems seemed like moles against the hills. 

Bhimbetka was a wake up call, here we met a Bengali gentleman, who actually changed my way of perceiving the world. How I wish to share what the elderly gentleman discussed with us but I guess this particular blog is not the right place  for it (may be I should write another blog about interesting/influencing people that I encounter during my journeys).

Guwahati in November

The trip to Guwahati was a much anticipated one. Not only it had a purpose (to attend the wedding of one of my closest friends) but it was a special trip as it availed me the opportunity to fly solo for the first time and witness one of the most beautiful views of the Himalaya.

Also, the mighty Brahmaputra was my object of being excited. North East is indeed beautiful and this gateway in the form Guwahati is truly commendable. A ferry ride on Brahmaputra to Umananada Temple is one of the things that I will never forget. What adds more to this beautiful place is the culture and simplicity of people that are guaranteed to win your hearts.

Udaipur in December

Lake Palace amidst Lake Pichola, Udaipu

The everlasting beauty of Udaipur never fails to woe tourists. This was the last trip of the year and indeed a lovely way to wind up a fabulous year 2015. Yet another wedding had to be attended in Udaipur and I just couldn't resist the invite.

Fateh Sagar Lake, Udaipur

Witnessing the magnificent palace and havelis or sitting by the lakeside doing absolutely nothing was my idea of spending a holiday in Udaipur.

Well, there you go! This is how I rolled in the year 2015 and as I conclude this blog I realize that it had been actually a great year; despite all the major and minor problems I had to face, I still managed a year with handsome memories. Happy New Year everyone, hope both you and I  can explore the world better and wider this year!