Riya's Riyaaz

For many reasons this post has been long delayed. I thought I could easily write about Rajasthan well as I wrote about Tamil Nadu. Lets find out... Diwali has always been the time for family vacations. Earlier it used to be spending time at Grandma's, bursting crackers and other shenanigans related to Diwali. However in past many years, the break has meant going to selected destinations in India for a tour. The first day in Ranthambore was relaxed. On someone's suggestion we decided to make an hour's ride to Chambal River. I fall short of words when I say this, we did not expect to be the only four people on the shore, including two other people with a boat. The place was untouched by any tourist litter. The water was sparkling clean. The silence in the air took on us. We sat there for a long time, dad telling stories of dacoits (bandits) of the chambal and us trying to wonder how time has changed. Later in the evening we took the forest safari

Dad was keen on not laying around the house in the Diwali vacation last year. He spent months (some midnight's too), planning the trip to Tamil Nadu, 2018. We had 5 destinations on our list; starting from the bottom i.e. Kanyakumari and traversing along the coast, we would halt at Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Pondicherry up to Chennai. We chose train journey over an air ticket to witness the stories of the beautiful greenery of South India. We were not disappointed. Every now and then I would leave my seat to stand near the train door to breathe the fresh air and try to absorb the myriad of colors nature had to offer. The train was an hour late which made us get down at every station to check if we reached (since small town railways stations lack name plates). We were unprepared for the destination, surprisingly it did not have a physical platform at all! It had a small cabin with its name; Nagercoil Town', facing the road ahead rather than the station. Kanyakumari was half hour

The coast touches the land of Mumbai on the west. Growing up here sunsets have being an integral part of life. One unforgettable experience was my first study trip to Murbad. A village in Dahanu, 2 hours away from Mumbai. The horizon was graced with fields and trees unlike the infinite ocean in Mumbai. Amidst the "concrete jungle" one doesn't get a sense of the vastness of the sky and the beauty it holds. On our last day we spent time on the canal edge admiring the sunset, that will only be alive in our memories until we visit this place again...