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December Journeys:

I'm so sorry as it's been ages since I published a post in this blog. I've been so busy with my big travel. In

the mean while I wrote three posts which I'd be posting one by one mentioning their respective dates.

- A Dream Come True -

- December 31 -

- Saturday, 23:43 -

"Where are you?"

"I don't know!!!"

Weird right?! The month December of the year 2011 gave me an unusual yet unique opportunity of 

having this conversation quite often. As an important part of my study abroad plan I booked my flight

ticket and I'm eagerly waiting to move to a new and happening city called Toronto. I quit my job by the

end of November 2011. After a reluctant goodbye to all my colleagues, I started to drive my two

wheeler from the parking lot towards home. I had a bundle of chaotic thoughts moving back and forth,

clashing, parting away, lots of questions unanswered! ... 'What am I gonna do?', 'Is it a right decision?',

'Am I doing the right thing?'. These are the just the sample questions I had while driving back home. Out

of all that questions, only one caught my attention. "I have one month in hand before leaving to

Toronto. How am I gonna use it?" I tried to figure out a productive answer to that question. While

stepping into my house, while taking a shower, changing my clothes and finally I had the answer when

the day came to an end, while lying in my bed and watching the stars out of my window. 'I'm gonna

travel, travel like I never did, to all the places I never visited!' I thought to myself. That thought then took

me to Andhra Pradesh, Coimbatore and introduced me to some strange and unique people whom I'll

never forget. The very same night I packed my bags and called the 24 hours service centre of Andhra

Pradesh Tourism board and booked a ticket to Tirupathi and Papanaasam, two beautiful mountain

towns in Andhra Pradesh. My December journeys started at the 1st of december, early in the morning,

even before the sunrise!

The day faced a heavy downpour at four in the morning. I was standing outside a gas station, waiting for

an Andhra Pradesh Tourism Volvo. After a seven minutes wait, a white bus came into my sight. I started

my adventorous and exciting journey to Andhra Pradesh!

When I first entered into the bus, I saw many confused and strange looks. There were people from all

walks of life. A North Indian couple, a 70 year old youngster, a middle aged single man from Andhra, an

engineering student and many more from different backgrounds. I finally settled in my seat. I was so

excited as it was near the window. Leaving the chill breeze and cold drops outside the bus started to

move in a steady speed. I slept off as soon as the bus started and I had no clue about that. A two or

three hours, I guess, I'm not so sure. But when I woke up, I saw something beautiful and magnificient

outside the window. Mr. Sun just woke up like me and he was giving that lazy glimpse, a beautiful pale

orange glimpse. The bus was travelling in the midst of a magnificient green farm. The pale orange light

spread throughout the farm and there was lots of birds chirping and talking to each other! The previous

day, I swear, I never know that I'm about to have this experience. Life continues to suprise me in its own

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way and I absolutely love that!

As expected, that day proved to be a great one, an unforgettable day! I went to Papanaasam, a dam and

mountain town and Upper Tirupathi, a temple and mountain town. The dam's water splash, the

mountain's greenery and magesty, its wildlife, unique and colorful birds, the turn-o-turn mountain drive

and many more! I returned to my home, late that night after a very long and different day. That day was

like a dream, a dream come true!

Coimbatore - A scenic experience:

Not more than two after the Andhra Pradesh experience, I got a phone call from my aunt. She insisted

that I had to come and stay at their place for atleast two days. My aunt and my uncle lived in Atlanta,

USA for more than forty years and now they have settled in a quite and beautiful community near the

city of Coimbatore. I've never been to their place, but I heard from my sister, that the community was

situated in the midst of a most peaceful and scenic village. I then called my cousin Balaji and asked him

to accompany me to Coimbatore. He agreed to come with me and took an off from his work for a week

and one fine night we were all set for another 12 hours long journey!

Next morning when I woke up, I was sitting in a cozy window seat of a volvo, and again I met Mr. Sun

with his same old lazy yet beautiful pale orange glimpse. I prefer only night travels when it comes to a

long journey. So whenever I get a phone call while travelling in the bus asking "Where are you?" I'd say

"I don't know!" I may be in the midst of a farm, or a road in the middle of nowhere!

The next two days were nothing but a joy ride. I was so impressed with Coimbatore. The roads were so

neat and everything is so organized. We got to a village called Madampatti near Coimbatore. I have to

mention that the place was so beautiful, I mean it was fantastic, surrounded by mountains and

unimaginably tall waterfalls! It is the border of Tamilnadu state. It is right to use the word 'scenic' to

describe the place. We walked a lot, hiked, had a mountain ride in the car, went to temples, enjoyed the

cold climate! After two days, we bid a big goodbye to my uncle and aunt, a reluctant goodbye it was!

Pondichery and Auroville:

I haven't had the opportunity to visit a beautiful and different French settlement called Pondichery.

Eventhough it's just a 3 hours bus ride from my place, I haven't seen it, not even once. Since I thought

that I shouldn't have a regret when I board the flight, me and my sister planned a family trip with our

cousins' family. We decided to visit their place first and then from there we planned to go to a French

village called Auroville and the town of Pondichery. Once again, an early morning I woke up and outside

the window, I saw that I was riding in the road which passes through a beautiful river on both sides, and

ofcourse, the lazy pale orange glimpse! That was a four day trip, and it turned into an utmost fun, I

would've regretted for sure if I had not gone with them. My mom, dad, my sister, my cousins Raghul,

Praveen, Kiran and their parents and me, a great group trip! Vandavasi is a quite and peaceful old town.

That night, after a very long time, I slept in the open terrace of my cousins' beautiful house. The next day

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we were headed towards Auroville village. After a hour long ride from Vandavasi, we caught a neat

highway and it lead straight to Auroville. Auroville's beautiful beach filled with cute French girls and its

magnificient French architecture buldings and European Cafe's made me speechless. I never imagined it

to be like this. 'Little Europe' would be the right name for that place. Pondichery is an extended version

of Auroville. The highlight of Pondichery is its black rock beach and Annai Ashram. The beach side view

of the town made me sit there for a long time, I sat there for nearly two hours, enjoying the picture

perfect buildings and cute children riding in European cycles! I returned back home and I realized one

thing, I now got rid of all those unwanted questions from my mind and instead I filled it with those

picture perfect scenes from my December Journeys!