Posted:
'It is fun being a frugal traveller'
December 13th, 2009
By Rajeev Khandelwal
Once every six months, I have an urge to have a tryst with nature. I just pack my bags and take off for an adventure to far off places. I like going to unexplored destinations. As a traveller, I like destinations that are not on the tourist map. I like to be totally unprepared about the place before going there, so that I can discover it on my own. I don't like surfing the net to know about the place. Moreover, I don't want to make my visit to a place "synthetic" by staying in a five-star hotel.
I like to stay in a guest house atop a hill run by a couple with whatever minimum facilities they provide.
Often people think that I stay at an isolated place because I don't want to be recognised, but that's not true. I had been travelling even when I was not famous. I like living at these places to discover the culture and the life of the place. I like trying the local cuisine and mixing with people.
I also love camping, therefore, a small tent is enough for me to survive when I'm in a mood to travel. I carry less stuff with me so that it is easy to move from one place to another. I also have a camping car that has all the things I need like a tent, a bed-roll and essential camping gear. I just pick-up some food and drive to nearby but exciting destinations.
Most of the times, I end up going alone because my friends are scared to go with me due to the absence of "luxuries". They are more concerned about washrooms and basic utilities whereas I love to face difficulties.
However, my favourite holiday destination is Leh. And I don't just mean the tourist spot that people often visit. I am talking about the other surrounding areas that are quite difficult to reach. Once I reach there, I often hire a car and drive to places in an attempt to explore the outskirts that are remote and usually inaccessible.
I love the beauty and the geography of the place. And besides that I was fascinated to see how people live such a difficult life, facing challenges everyday. I was shocked to a know how few turbulent incidents in the area had brought a change in the life of the inhabitants here.
As a traveller, I'm also not fascinated by exotic destinations around the world. It's not that I don't want to go there, of course I want to see the whole world, but before I start travelling outside India, I'd like to see all the interesting places the country has to offer.
I have not been able to discover South India that much, but I surely want to go there as soon as possible. I have loved visiting the North East. Discovering Kohima, Shillong, Meghalaya, Tripura, Agartala has been an exciting experience. Knowing small details about the place makes the journey all the more interesting. Like in Shillong, I discovered how it grew to a wonderful city from a small village. The city is surrounded by hills, which add to the beauty of the place. I'm also an absolute adventure enthusiast. Every year I take a trip to Rishikesh for river-rafting and body surfing. Most of the sports related to rivers or mountains interest me a lot, so I keep looking for destinations to enjoy such activities. I want to make a trip to Kerala next. Firstly, because I have not been to that part and secondly because it's a good destination both for water sports and trekking.
As told to Priyanka Bhadani
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/supplementary/%E2%80%98it-fun-being-frugal-traveller%E2%80%99-919
December 13th, 2009
By Rajeev Khandelwal
Once every six months, I have an urge to have a tryst with nature. I just pack my bags and take off for an adventure to far off places. I like going to unexplored destinations. As a traveller, I like destinations that are not on the tourist map. I like to be totally unprepared about the place before going there, so that I can discover it on my own. I don't like surfing the net to know about the place. Moreover, I don't want to make my visit to a place "synthetic" by staying in a five-star hotel.
I like to stay in a guest house atop a hill run by a couple with whatever minimum facilities they provide.
Often people think that I stay at an isolated place because I don't want to be recognised, but that's not true. I had been travelling even when I was not famous. I like living at these places to discover the culture and the life of the place. I like trying the local cuisine and mixing with people.
I also love camping, therefore, a small tent is enough for me to survive when I'm in a mood to travel. I carry less stuff with me so that it is easy to move from one place to another. I also have a camping car that has all the things I need like a tent, a bed-roll and essential camping gear. I just pick-up some food and drive to nearby but exciting destinations.
Most of the times, I end up going alone because my friends are scared to go with me due to the absence of "luxuries". They are more concerned about washrooms and basic utilities whereas I love to face difficulties.
However, my favourite holiday destination is Leh. And I don't just mean the tourist spot that people often visit. I am talking about the other surrounding areas that are quite difficult to reach. Once I reach there, I often hire a car and drive to places in an attempt to explore the outskirts that are remote and usually inaccessible.
I love the beauty and the geography of the place. And besides that I was fascinated to see how people live such a difficult life, facing challenges everyday. I was shocked to a know how few turbulent incidents in the area had brought a change in the life of the inhabitants here.
As a traveller, I'm also not fascinated by exotic destinations around the world. It's not that I don't want to go there, of course I want to see the whole world, but before I start travelling outside India, I'd like to see all the interesting places the country has to offer.
I have not been able to discover South India that much, but I surely want to go there as soon as possible. I have loved visiting the North East. Discovering Kohima, Shillong, Meghalaya, Tripura, Agartala has been an exciting experience. Knowing small details about the place makes the journey all the more interesting. Like in Shillong, I discovered how it grew to a wonderful city from a small village. The city is surrounded by hills, which add to the beauty of the place. I'm also an absolute adventure enthusiast. Every year I take a trip to Rishikesh for river-rafting and body surfing. Most of the sports related to rivers or mountains interest me a lot, so I keep looking for destinations to enjoy such activities. I want to make a trip to Kerala next. Firstly, because I have not been to that part and secondly because it's a good destination both for water sports and trekking.
As told to Priyanka Bhadani
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/supplementary/%E2%80%98it-fun-being-frugal-traveller%E2%80%99-919
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