I sorted myself out a bit this weekend, and have come up with a new blog:

I drink my tea sweet

Hopefully, I shall be writing more frequently there, and more importantly, enjoy writing there..

So, in case you did read my blog regularly (I doubt that!), please go ahead and update the link in your rss feed and blogrolls!

'Theater of Dreams' : Home of Manchester United FC - Old Trafford, Manchester

Almost dragging my finger, pressed Ctrl+T to open a new tab. Nothing happened. Got reminded, this was a new office laptop, where I am forced to work with Internet Explorer. Even more slowly, I pressed Ctrl+N – A new window. Somehow, remembered the URL and went to the webpage – one I hadn’t visited for ages. Definitely at least  a couple of months.

At one corner, the login name and password option showed up. Next to it, in small blue letter, ‘Forgot your password?’ stared back at me. Jolted back, I remembered – I didn’t even remember the login name.

“Jog your memory”
“Think hard, this is just the first step, next you’ll have to think about password”

A couple of hours, a few washed dishes, one full washing machine cycle and a short nap later, the problem was finally resolved.

As the new window opened, a familiar screen opened. I closed my eyes, leaned back into the sofa, and took in a deep breath.

As I slowly opened my eyes, ignoring the shrill sounds from TV, beeps from microwave, and the deep grizzly sounds from the washing machine, I purposely moved forward my mouse cursor and clicked on the small button which said ‘New Post’.

Madhugiri is the largest monolith in Asia (and 2nd largest in the world). And on its peak is nestled a small fort built by the Vijaynagar dynasty. A couple of weeks ago I went on a trek to reach the peak of Madhugiri hill. On its way, I saw many fort walls, drainage structures and minarets. Below is the photograph of a a majestic structure which I am guessing was a watchtower of the fort – one of the strategic points of any fort – the first place from which attacking armies can be spotted and the fort defenses be put on alert.

Madhugiri, Karnataka, India

India was involved in an armed conflict with Pakistan in the summer of 1999. This conflict, known as Kargil War, or Operation Vijay, took place in the Kargil, Dras and Batalik regions of Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC).

As I was traveling through Kashmir this year en route to Ladakh, I cam across many remnants of the war. One of these was a wall constructed on a short stretch of the national highway in Dras sector. The highway is very crucial for supporting the movement of supplies and forces, and if any part of the highway was taken over, the rest of Kashmir and entire Ladakh region would have been cut off from the rest of the country. This wall, very close to the famous ‘Tiger’ Hill, was constructed during Operation Vijay to protect this passing trucks from constant shelling coming in from the hill tops.

Dras, Kashmir

I’ve stayed in Mumbai (as it was rechristened from it’s old name Bombay – I would still always call it Bombay, that’s another story) for 4 years of my college life. And yet, I haven’t been to most of the tourist spots around Bombay – because I pretty much stayed at the college campus.

So, I am calling the next few days of travel as the ‘Rediscovering Bombay Tour’. You might find me at some famous museum or trying out street food or doing the cheesiest touristy activities!

Oh, by the way, did I mention? I am going to do paragliding as well!

I even made an impromptu video with my digicam capturing the atmosphere at the special spot, and yes, I do sound a bit breathless.. I was excited!

I hope you enjoy the video..

This little kid was throwing pebbles at the waves – teasing the mighty ocean, and as the waves came crashing, would take off at full speed into the opposite direction to evade the waves. As the waves started receding, he would again have a go at the waves – taunting them how he could outrun them.

At the Repos beach, Pondicherry

What this entailed was a flight to Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. And then a road-trip from Srinagar to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, via National Highway NH-1D. The road went through beautiful green hills and valleys, 13000 feet high passes and weird sandstone landscape, war memorials and Buddhist monasteries.. but in the context of this post, what is more important is – I passed through the northernmost point of India reachable by a public road. Look at the map below (map courtesy Wikipedia):

Well, it was an amazing trip, and I’ll most likely be harping about it for months to come..
You might question – how is all this relevant to choosing a travel destination? It’s quiet simple. I travelled to the northernmost point of India (atleast one I could reach). What’s next?

Obviously – The southernmost point of India! Kanyakumari!

So I went to Kanyakumari – at he the confluence of the three mighty seas – the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea – the southernmost point of mainland India.

I don’t know how people define a ‘traveler’ or why anyone likes to travel? But for me, it’s pretty simple. I just love to see new places, it’s the journey, it’s the thrill to reach a new destination that gives me the motivation to travel. The choice of going to Kanyakumari – for some it might defy logic, but it makes perfect sense to me. Doesn’t it?

After all, now I can claim with pride – I have traveled from tip to tip of India!

Maheshwar, on the banks of river Narmada

(Click on the photograph to get a high resolution version)