The Lost Imagination.

During the last decade the world has changed a lot maybe more than in the past 50 years. There is great boom in Science. New technologies are being developed with every blink of an eye. We have developed lots of gadgets to make our life easier, comfortable and smoother.

Roads , shopping malls, housing complexes have slowly filled up our backyard with little space for kids to Explore, Play and Learn. Modern day competition in the educational front has pushed any scope for outdoor or indoor extracurricular activities on the back-foot. Any spare time left after schools and coaching are generally dedicated to playing on modern gadgets like mobile phones, video games and televisions.

Brain is a very peculiar organ. The more it is used the sharper, the more focused and the more developed it becomes. The latest lifestyle has left no scope for imagination and creativity that are very vital in the development of any child. If during these early stages of a child's development, his brain is not allowed to think freely, its going to affect him the rest of his life. A child who has no Imagination has no wings to fly.

Give Children Toys that are powered by their IMAGINATION and not by batteries. - Jackson Brown

Colgate has come up with a very interesting and new concept of inspiring the creative nerves of a child. Their new Colgate Strong Teeth packs come with interesting sea creatures and some trivia inside them. Kids can cut, explore, play and learn. With these characters, situations and trivia information they are asked to weave their own stories around them and share with their parents and friends.

Imagination can break all Boundaries | Original Image Courtesy: Colgate and Playbuzz.com

When I gave one such Colgate pack to my kid he got really excited. He loves making paper crafts so was immediately pulled towards infinite possibilities that the characters had to offer.

I advised him that the best way here is to not play by the rules or logic and let he should let his imagination run wild. He came up with some really interesting scenarios and stories played by the characters demonstrated on the pack.

There was a Pirate captain "Blackbeard", who was intelligent, brave and had immense knowledge of the sea. He had successfully discovered a no of hidden treasures around the world. He loved the sea. He is always passionate for more treasure maps and expedition of the sea.

Then there was his lovely wife "Sadie", the love of his life. She was different than any other girl - while other girls used to play with their dolls as kids, she was out exploring the sea with his pirate father. She knew the sea routes very well and was a great navigator.

The vast sea is filled with countless interesting creatures. We have sea horses, dolphins, killer whales, Star fish, sting ray, octopus, tortoise,  mermaids etc. You can choose your own villein or supporting characters in the story.

Your theme could be anything a treasure hunt in an area filled with killer whales, sting ray and Octopus or saving a mermaid trapped in an underwater Castle by an evil spirit Or you can simply go on an adventure trip to find your lost tortoise just like the movie "finding Nemo".

His imagination took him to scenarios and stories that never were and amazingly those were really interesting to hear especially with his mimicked character voices.

Isn't this wonderful how a small pack with simple character drawings can stimulate a kid's brain into thinking the impossible, later possibly help him in doing the impossible. What do you think?  Try to give your kids one such pack of Colgate and see what Story they weave with their imagination...

Why Travel?

...... because Travel is the ONLY thing You buy, that makes you Richer

Most of us are stuck in a monotonous job routine with nothing interesting or out of the ordinary happening to remember in a year from now (forget 10 years ). Life is not just about living and toiling to pay our bills - It is much much more...

Life is about getting out of our comfort zones. Its about exploring the beauty and surprises that nature has sprinkled all over the earth.  Life is to travel, and be filled with happiness, peace and tranquillity to the very cores of our heart and soul. Life is about experience, adventure and moving on...

You Don't need magic to disappear... all you need is a Destination:

The World is a huge place with unimaginable number of interesting places to visit. No "One Trip" or maybe No "One Life" is sufficient enough to experience all of them. So, the best way to figure out places to visit is by choosing a location best suited for the time of the year.

Its summer time and so to escape this summer heat, me my friends are planning to visit the "Queen of Hills" - Darjeeling, for which Mark Twain famously said:

"The one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once-by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined" - Mark Twain

The Hill station, Darjeeling is a gateway to nature in all its youthful beauty and charm. Hills, Trees and Flowers are everywhere. The days are cold and the sun plays hide and seek, peeping through clouds and trees. It is the Home of the famous "Darjeeling Tea". Who can forget its marvelous taste and aroma which is revered by connoisseurs across the globe.

Darjeeling is known for its Six Ts: Tea, Teak, Tourism, Toy Train, Tiger Hill and Trekkers

© IndianHoliday.com

First of All Meet My Crew :

• Zeeshan: Our Main driver and a self proclaimed car expert. In-charge of our transportation arrangements .
• Misbah: Our mobile ATM and financier. Of course. He is responsible for taking care of all our monetary need during the trip.
• Afroz: The Food Expert. Everything about Food, snacks and Drinks on the way or during our stay in Darjeeling comes under him.
• Me: The Guide  - I am not bond but feel like one with these Bond-007 Gadgets. Paper maps, GPS enabled mobile, Gazillion songs on iPod and USB, Binocular, Camera and a whole arsenal of batteries. In short, you will never get lost with me.

Zeeshan , our Car expert has suggested to rent "Toyota Innova" as it as reliable, comfortable and has ample seating and booting space for the four of us . And we can't argue on that. So Toyota Innova It is...

Our Route:

We will be driving from our home town Ranchi (Jharkhand) to Darjeeling (West Bengal) via Hazaribagh, Banka, Purnea and Silliguri.

©Google Maps: Ranchi to Darjeeling Route

The Adventure List:

Darjeeling is known for its Six Ts: "Tea, Teak, Tourism, Toy Train, Tiger Hill and Trekkers"; and we would try to experience each one of them.

 

We will walk across tea plantations and Teak forests, do a tour of how the famous Darjeeling tea is processed. We will also be boarding the Toy trains running on century old miniature steam engine and chugging through hills and mountains of serene beauty. We also have a 3 days trekking expedition planned.

We also plan to go to "Tiger Hill" which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is the highest Railway station on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is said to have the most beautiful panoramic view of Mount Everest together with Mt. Kangchenjunga. I hear that the sunrise there is very breathtaking.

Darjeeling!!!   Here I come ....

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Explore Domestic Airlines to Darjeeling from your nearest airport in India with Yatra.com.

Here are some of the breathtaking snapshots from our trip to the Qutub Minar

A Myna sitting on a tree with Qutub Minar, in the background

Qutub Minar, Delhi - A closeup view

Qutub Minar, Delhi - Calligraphy

Qutub Minar, Delhi

Qutub Minar, Delhi

An Airplane passing over Qutub Minar, Delhi

Silhouette of Qutub Minar, Delhi

The Foundation of  another Minar, that couldn't be completed

The Painting in Dooms

Who is the Artist
Of the “Painting in Dooms”,
Grieving my Heart
To see it in Blooms.

The blushing greenery
The towering sky
Where with the wind
The clouds do fly.

The shades do remind
Of some masterpiece
With Men and Nature
To co-exist.

With time and ages
The shades did change
With men on scene
And greed of range

The upheaval in the painting
Should now or never
Be daintily corrected
By some skillful painter

For if it would be late

We would have just to wait
For death to bait
On our doomed fate

_______ x _______

Can the flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in the past set off a Road trip around the World ?  Lets Find Out ...

 

 

The Butterfly Effect - A cocktail of Science and History

This story starts some 200 million years ago, when all the seven continents huddled into one big land mass called Pangaea, the super-continent.

The future was scripted. One Day, a butterfly will flap its wings -  one thing will lead to another and the entire earth will be jolted by severe earthquakes, breaking up the super-continent. The shattered pieces will then slowly drift apart to form the seven continents separated by water as far as the eyes can see.

But at the critical moment Destiny intervened. As the butterfly was about to flap its wings. A bee-eater swooped down and plucked the butterfly off the face of Nature.

The Pangaea didn't break. No one.. not even the bee-eater realized that, on that day a new script was written - 200 millions later "My Road Trip around the World ".

 
I don't See Any Borders ... Do You ? 

So the World didn't breakup, there is a new "one world" order in which I am a global Citizen. I am Free and thinking about a Road Trip ... 

Well, what am I thinking about ? Lets start Planning ...


The Theme for the Road Trip

Pic Courtesy: Staytondailyphoto.com

The World is a gigantic place with unimaginable number of interesting places to visit. No "One Trip" or maybe No "One Life" is sufficient enough to see all of them.

So, the best way to filter out places on the map is by choosing a theme.

The Theme for our Road Trip will be "Exploring the Sense of Smell". 

We will go to places around the World, Close our Eyes, take a Deep Breath and let Nature do all the Talking ...

  

Original Pic Courtesy: Mentalfloss.com

The Route and The Destination

The 5 Destinations on our Road Trip:

1. The Sky Breeze on Indian Mountains.
2. The Lavender Gardens of England.
3. The Dragon Fruit in the Canals of Thailand .
4. The Citrus Jungles of Brazil
5. The Springs of New Zealand.

The Route was designed taking in mind - 

1.  It touches all the above 5 Smell Destinations.
2. It covers all the 7 continents of the present World.
3. It marks the Symbol of Infinity on the face of Earth.

There are only two Mistakes We can make along the Road to Infinity - Not going all the way and not Starting.

 1. Sky Breeze on the Indian Mountains:

Pic Courtesy: ShutterStock

Our Journey to Infinity started by trekking the great Indian Mountains. 

We climbed to the peak, outstretched our hands, closed our eyes and took a deep breath...

Amazing !!!  you could feel the cool mountain air ignite a sudden thrust of freshness inside your tired body. 

 Your loose cloths dangling in the wind bless you with The Wings of Freedom. You wish you could crumble to pieces and spread over the Heavenly view.

2. The Lavender Gardens of England

Pic Courtesy: Express.co.uk

After experiencing the Mountains of India, we set out for the Lavender Gardens of England. 

On the way we came across the Desert roads of the Sahara, crossed the River Nile in Egypt and drove through the Streets of Paris and Rome.

Then we saw the Mesmerizing view of the Lavender Gardens. We walked through miles of Lavender on either sides of the road, with nothing but only the Horizon in front of us. 

The lavender laced aromatic wind tickled all over my face, calmed my erratic nerves and whispered in my ears - "Relax.... " 

You haven't Lived until you drove Cross-country on a Car, sticking your Head out of its Sunroof with a big Grin on your Face and had a 'Bug' fly into your mouth.

3. The Dragon Fruit from The Canals of Thailand
  

After being enthralled by the Magic of Lavender, we set out for the exotic tropical destination of Thailand.

We drove through the coldness of the Siberian Desert, the terror of "Mangolia", the vastness of China and finally reached "The Land of Free - Thailand"

Pic Courtesy: ShutterStock

The Winding canals of Thailand lined with Dragon Fruit were an exotic feast for our senses. 

The scent of a Dragon fruit on your platter will awaken your senses, and leave a Fresh and light tropical impression on your memory-map - The Feeling of Holiday, Romance and Escape.

Ever wonder How a Vacation Smells like ? Yes...... It Smells like this !!!

4. The Citrus Jungles of Brazil

After Exotic Thailand we turned our compass to Brazil, not for its Soccer but for the "Scent of  its Fresh Citrus Fruits".


On the way we tread through the "Great Silk Route" of ancient World in Kazakhstan, icy terrains of Greenland, the Swamps of Canada and the Cities of America.

Pic Courtesy: ShutterStock

We reached the "Jungles of Eden "  beholding the mighty power of orange draped trees, baiting you like the "Forbidden Fruit".  


Spelled by the sorcery of the swinging pendulums in the wind, we grabbed the forbidden fruit and sniffed...

The Soft Oriental smell, did wonders on our senses, stimulated awareness and cured chronic fatigue - a much needed revitalization from the long journey.

 
5. The Springs of New Zealand

Revitalized... we set out for our final destination of the Trip - New Zealand. We survived the dense equatorial forests of Africa and the biting cold of Antarctica only to be be stunned speechless by the beauty of Nature.

Pic Courtesy: ShutterStock

We stood beside the raging stream of Amrit (nectar of immortality) with moss covered rocks as a light spray of refreshing fresh water knocked goosebumps all over our skin. 


Enthralled by the opportunity, the Eyes forgot to blink,  the Heart stopped beating, the Lungs went miser and the charged Ears started recording every burst of Acoustics available.

The Road Trip was Enchanting... We were Wonderstruck, intoxicated all our way back Home. We decided - "We will do this again !!! "

__________________________________

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi (click to Enlarge)

An Awesome click of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi -  the largest mosque in the UAE and the eighth largest mosque in the world.

A Mystical Desert Safari at Night

 Three Words: Desert, Safari and Night

First of all, say these three words - "Desert, Safari, Night" and then think over them separately for a few seconds.

Got the Goose bumps? Yes, all of the three words have a mystery wrapped around them, they have the power to amaze your senses, thrill your nerves and pump up your heart beat.

 Desert Safari at Night ... Let's break them up - "Desert Safari" and "Driving at Night".


Desert Safari:

Desert Safari: Surfing over the yellow sea

  
Desert Safari is like surfing over a yellow sea, going up and down the dunes, paddling through the waves, and leaving behind trails of dusts, joy and moments of heavenly enlightenment. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson said – “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – isn’t this, what Desert Safari is all about?


Driving at Night:

Driving at Night can be Daunting

At Night the calmness of the landscape, touches your inner self.  The magical black canvas starts pouring drops of twinkling stars through your windshield and your fellow traveler the Moon showers yellow marigold flowers in your path.

At Night you can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. Just like life – with both past and future in the dark (past is of no use now and we have no idea about the future), you only live and see the present, while life unzips around you.

Now How about a combination of the two – Desert Safari at Night ?

Got the shivers again?  Huh…


My Desert Safaris at Night – Experiences of the Deadly Duo !

During my studies, doing a night shift for an MNC in the middle of an uninhabited desert was never my motivation, but this is LIFE - always there to spank you up, from all possible directions.

But time changes and so do perceptions. Now I simply love this job. Well, not fully because of what I do or what I get paid. But the opportunities I get to experience life in all its 1000 Shades of Awesomeness.

My current work location demands me to travel daily over 80 kms of desert sands. Within minutes of starting my journey, the smooth black tar roads give way to the graded roads (made by laying loose granite stones over sand). You can experience the whole world shaking around you.   

Buckle Up, because NEXT you are going to have the ride of your life !!!

The canvas outside is pitch black and you can only see as far as your headlights, when suddenly the vibration stops - no roads ahead, only tons and tons of sand all around you.  You relax to enjoy the silence but only to experience the immense G-force trying to pull you down, as the car speeds up a sand dune. You could hardly gather your senses when the car again takes a deep plunge into the trough section of the dunes. This is not over. Like this slightly modified Robert Frost Quote - "The road is wavy, dark and deep, But you have promises to keep, and Miles to go before you Sleep".

With Adrenaline fully pumped into your veins you could just express – A W E S O M E...

The Thrill Quotient? 

 The most thrilling factor of a night safari is the suspense of what’s next – you have no idea of the size shape or contour of the sand dune ahead of you. You are just driving into the unknown with your car, doing all sorts of acrobatics - climbing, rolling, skidding, flying over the mystic golden sands...

One Vs A Caravan  ?

Most of the Desert Safaris programs from Touring Agents here in UAE pick you up at around 4 PM in the evening and drop you off by 9 PM.

I have never been to such dedicated Desert Safari caravan tours myself (what’s the use of spending 300 AED (around Rs 4000) when you can experience it daily free of cost). So I can’t tell how much they do the actual desert Safari (driving on sand dunes part) at night.

According to me, if they don’t do the Safari Driving at night then, they are definitely robbing their tourists with an exciting adrenaline possibility.

But even if they do it, dozens of vehicles going in a caravan one behind the other can’t beat my Lone Safari Nights.  

What’s the point of going on a Safari without the Pleasure of being Alone, without the Fear of getting Lost and without the Faith on your Capabilities to Handle each Difficulty?

What Do you Think ? ...

PS: Desert Safaris at Night are to be EXPERIENCED under professional’s supervision. Both “Desert Safari“ and  “Night driving” are sweet poison in itself. Both have the power to encapsulate you in its Aura and then Rob you Blind.

- x -

An invitation to the unknown(Click to enlarge) 

An amazing view clicked between Kochi and Mangalore India, reminded me of the lines by Helen Steiner Rice.

For the road goes on and is smoother,
And the "pause in the song" is a "rest,"
And the part that's unsung and unfinished
Is the sweetest and richest and the best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load,
Your work is not finished or ended,
You've just come to "a bend in the road."

If the Path is beautiful, lets not ask where the Path may lead.

Where are all the Sparrows!!! (photographed at Ranchi by Shahzad Ashraf)

A Little bird, with plumage brown,
Beside my window flutters down,
A moment chirps its little strain,
Then taps upon my window-pane,
And chirps again, and hops along,
To call my notice to its song;
But I work on, nor heed its lay,
Till, in neglect, it flies away.

Lines By: Paul Laurance Dunber

A few breathtaking pictures from our trip to the Red Fort, Delhi India.

Red Fort Outside View

Red Fort Indian Tricolor

Crowd Outside the Red Fort waiting to go inside

Moti Masjid Built by Aurangzeb inside Red Fort

View of Jama Masjid from Red Fort during sunset

Indian Roller - Bird Watching in Bangalore (Click to Enlarge)

An Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis), also called the Blue Jay bird sitting on an electric wire in Bangalore (India).

Camera: Nikon L120 (at 21X zoom)

PS: Finally found this bird's name

Ropeway to to the Great Wall of China (click to enlarge)

Ever wondered how People climb to the Great Wall of China ??  Well this is one way .... 

Stay tuned for some other exciting ways to climb to the Wall of China. 

Coming Soon ....  My journey to The Great Wall of China !!!