Mumbai- My first planned Solo! :)

I used to read so much about this city and always used to think how it would be in real...

It’s truly amazing in every sense! :-)

One fine evening, out of the blue while sitting... As usual, I was checking tickets and 2 days prior to Friday I booked my dates for Mumbai... And woohoo I was going to Mumbai... :)

It was a Friday morning flight, I didn’t sleep Thursday night in excitement and reached airport much before time..

Day 1

Quest for Vada Pav

One purpose of booking a morning flight was to eat vada pav in my Friday morning breakfast. \m/

All charged up, keeping in my mind my Chennai “flight missing” incident, I was at airport 3 hours prior to my departure time..

Flight landed, I was dying of excitement... Not even for a second I felt it was my first trip to Mumbai, and had an instant connect with the place..

I booked a cab for my guest house and asked him to stop in-between for vada pav...  but, there was no vada pav shop on the way, I reached guest house around 10.15 am... I asked the caretaker from where I can have the best of vada pav.. he suggested chowpathy.. I went downstairs and asked people where chowpathy is... it was not very far, so, I took a taxi and starting talking to the driver about the city and asked him to suggest a good place for vada pav..

On his recommendation we went to CST to eat Vada Pav.. It was not very near but worth the travel..  I had the first & the best vada pav of my journey..

I came back to the guest house & took a nap... I got up in an hour and left my guest house to explore Mumbai...

Beautiful South Mumbai

I called up my friend in Mumbai and decided to roam around in South Mumbai..

We started with Social Colaba, this was decided when he visited Delhi & we went to Social Hauz Khas.

After that we covered up nearby paces including Colaba street, Leopold Cafe, Gateway of India, Marine Drive and randomly tried bakeries on the streets of south Mumbai... We walked almost 9-10 kms or even more... It was 10-10.30 pm... We were full though but we had to try sizzler in one of the famous places there... So, we headed towards ‘Relish’....  After over eating... I left for my guest house...

Day 2

The Day of Minions & Phoenix!

I had plans to visit the other side of Mumbai.

I started my day with a morning show of Minions with a friend at IMAX 3D, Wadala, as we don’t have Imax here in Delhi... I loved the movie and above all I loved the caramel popcorn... :D

After the movie, I had plans to meet my old friend and her daughter at Phoenix Mall, so, I took a monorail as suggested by a friend, and boarded in local train from Chembur for Reay road... In between, I quickly grabbed a pastry :P

Rushing from Reay road I took a taxi and reached phoenix,  I started searching for her in the mall, we coordinated on fone multiple times, we both waited in front of Zara but were not able to see each other... After almost 2 hours of search in mall, we figured out they have 2 phoenix malls in Mumbai and we were in different malls. She was also new in Mumbai so we both had no clue... :P

I was in Pheonix Parel and she was in Pheonix Kurla. The best thing about these two malls is they both are similar in terms of their showrooms and placement :P but are very far from each other...

Since, it was already 3.30pm and I was dead hungry, we decided to continue in our respective malls and planned to meet in evening at marine drive...

I was back in my ‘kung fu panda’ mode and started looking for food to eat... I ate a burger in appetiser... I was hungry and craving for pasta... I saw a very nice looking place around the mall by the name of ‘The California kitchen’, I went inside and ate the worst pasta of my life...

Though I was full, I took an ice-cream to change my taste...

I went back to the guest house, quickly washed face, took my camera and left for Marine drive to meet my friend...

She stays far from Marine drive, so while waiting I decided to click some pics, I clicked, enjoyed naturals ice cream on marine drive, had a great conversation with the loud waves and finally met my friend at around 9.30pm... we roamed there for a while and went for dinner...

After dinner I came back & slept.

Day 3

Divinity day

It was my last day in Mumbai and I had only half day..

I got up at 5 am as I decided to visit Sidhivinayak, Mahalaxmi & Haji Ali...

Finished all 3 by 9.30am...

I had time till 2pm, I boarded a local bus for Bandra, I visited Bandra fort & Bandstand, captured it in my camera... I rushed to the linking road for the most talked about market... I roamed there for a while but didn’t like anything... It started raining... I waited for rains for 2 complete days... I enjoyed vada pav there and left for CST to buy the yummiest vada pav for my family.

I boarded local from Bandra to CST, walked till the market just to realize it’s closed on Sundays... :P I waited for bus to go back to my guest house but some shopkeeper suggested to take a taxi as it’s hard to find a bus on a Sunday.

I reached back to the guest house, packed my stuff and left for airport...

Delhi

It was drizzling in Delhi when I reached... I never loved my Delhi more...

People always compare Mumbai & Delhi... I can’t because the feel of both the cities is totally different... I loved the sea, vada pav, simplified transportation, hassle-free taxis, safe environment and helpful people...!

But, my core belongs to Delhi.... 

And will travel more often to Mumbai *<3>

God, you are the best! Thank you for everything  :)

I am an Addict!

O Yes! I am an addict.. A Travel addict...

Like Ranbir said in Ye jawani hai Deewani- “Main udna chahta hoon, daudna chahta hoon, girna bhi chahta hoon ... bus rukna nahi chahta”

I dunno what it is... But, I keep on reading about travel when I am not travelling... I don’t precisely know what addiction is all about, but, I crave to visit new places.... I love travelling... No matter to which place... for me its new... I love nature; I love different cultures, the food, the sunrise, the sunset, the journey, the air, the water and the feeling of my being in a new place...

It gives me immense happiness when I travel to a new destination, and when I am not travelling (I mean sitting in office or at home) I dream about my next travel, I plan another trip.... I read about destinations, I make a list of what is missing in my travel bag... For me... I never unpack my bag... ;-)

My weekends when I travel are more relaxing than the ones I spend at home... Its weird I know but it’s true....

When I am unable to travel to any new place for a month or so I feel upset and depressed... It’s a same feeling which I get when I skip my espresso... you know that addiction wali feeling...

Travel makes me happy... it gives me enormous pleasure to be able to breathe in a different air.... It’s like my basic need... and nothing else can fulfil it... No coffee no shopping no food nothing...

Whenever I visit a beautiful place I feel I leave a part of my heart there and it remains with me... though... I forget everything in maximum 3 days.... Thanks to my memory... I can’t remember anything.... but the feel stays in me.... A connection with that place... A pull that calls me back....

It’s a passion in me which is only growing stronger day by day... Dunno where I will end up... But... wherever it may be... all I really wish is to travel travel and travel for the rest of my life...

God, please help me.... I promise I’ll try to be a better person, but please help me... Love you.... Bless my people... :)

My best Christmas Ever!

I wanted to write this from the day it happened... It was truly the best Christmas of my life.

I always believed in Santa Claus, from the very first day I learnt about Christmas...

You may say, I was born and brought up in a set-up, where, as a kid.... all we had was a perfect family, not so perfect situations, a small TV,  and ample time to play and weave dreams...

I still remember how eagerly I used to wait for Christmas eve, watch all Christmas cartoons on Doordarshan before Disney took over and wait for Santaclaus with a list... in a hope... I was a born optimist! :P

Santa Claus never came; I never got any gifts near my pillow on any Christmas morning... I used to feel heart-broken... but, I changed that for my brothers, they always had a Santa to gift them whatever they wished for... For initial years... they didn’t know that there was no Santa in real and that was a true feeling of success for me :)

With time, I changed in size and looks but from inside I was always the same girl who wished for a miracle... till today... I believe in miracles and yes, I have witnessed many of them...

One such miracle was my last year’s Christmas!

It was my best Christmas ever... And it gave me an experience of a lifetime which I’ll never forget...

In December 2014, I planned a trip with a group of people who were travelling to south India. I am a travel freak, so, even though I didn’t know all of them I decided to join them.

Since my plan was finalised at the last moment... My flights were different from the rest of the group... 

A day before Christmas, All energized... I was at the airport to catch my flight for Chennai... 

Although I was alone, I felt like I belong to the airport... I was very happy and excited... Much before time, I was standing a queue for security check when I realised... I missed my flight... how... when... and why... were of no use... My flight was gone and I was standing there without luggage for a security check...

I was furious and upset... I complained.. requested.. argued.. shouted.. pleaded and tried everything to convince them to send me to Chennai... but all waste...

I decided to go to Chennai come what may... I was already separated from the group... And since they had to go to Pondicherry from Chennai they proceeded while was stuck at the airport in Delhi...

After 7 hours and all the efforts, they agreed to give me a seat in a connecting flight to Chennai... I was delighted... I left my home at 4 am and I reached Chennai at 8 pm...

Aahhhh... I can’t explain what a great feeling it was when I first came out of air-plane and inhaled the first gulp of air in that warm weather of Chennai, I was instantly in love... I stepped-in to Chennai airport... It was beautifully decorated for Christmas eve... My fone was dead... So, I first decided to charge my fone... I saw a socket and sat there on the airport floor while my fone was charging... Amazing feel... I dunno why I feel like home everywhere I go... As if I was born to travel.. :))

I charged my fone, called up home to inform I was safe, booked a hotel to stay.. took a cab and enjoyed the drive through the decorated Chennai on the Christmas eve... My hotel was brilliantly highlighted for Christmas... And that was the time... when I realized.. this was my true gift for Christmas which I always waited for... if I wouldn’t have missed my flight I would have been somewhere else, missing this beautiful experience... I thanked Santa and checked in...

I was planning solo travel from a very long time but never got permission from family... this one day in Chennai was my gift for a lifetime... I was all solo and decided to roam around in Chennai all alone... I had one day with me... Christmas day it was...

I got up early, checked the internet and penned down places I wanted to visit... I visited 3 churches on Christmas... blissful... bought homemade cakes... checked out serene beaches of Chennai... talked to strangers, clicked pictures and realised life couldn’t b better...

And again my fone was dead... So, I visited a mall there and bought a power bank for my fone, it was so like a mall in Delhi yet so different, finally... I decided to roam around in T-Nagar market to get the feel of being a local and try some authentic roadside south Indian food... And trust me that was the best part of my day... I loved the food sooooo much... I roamed in the market for around 2 hours... eating everything or rather say overeating everything... :P

Seriously, I felt 1 day was too short, and it was the best trip of my life... next day, I met the group and we proceeded for Coorg but in the entire trip the best was my one day in Chennai...

All my life I waited for Santa and He gave me all the gifts I could have asked for in just one day... Without even asking.. :-)

I love you, God... I know I am your favourite... bless my people and thank you for everything... muaah :)))