Travel and be happy

There is an old saying that there is a time in everyone's life after which they start loosing interest in their profession, routine activities and almost everything else. Everything seems trivial, and it becomes difficult to find motivation to participate in any activity. The wiser man may start questioning the reason for his existence. So did I!

I started asking questions to my inner-self: what is the reason that I am working days and nights even when I am not happy? What is it that I would like to do in life? What can keep me happy? After carefully considering for few days or may be even months, I realized that traveling to beautiful places, admiring the beauty of the nature, participating in adventurous activities, eating/cooking good food, keeping people around me happy, remarkably boosted my happiness. Now, though I have identified activities which make me happy, I don't have time - limited leaves. So, will I be compromising my happiness for the mundane activities of life? No, of course not! I might not have the answer today, but I have several alternatives in mind; the feasibility of these alternatives still need to be evaluated.

In the interim, let me share with you how traveling makes me happy and can do the same for you. Though it may sound trivial, but nature's fresh air and greenery can really reawaken your energy and enthusiasm. You can't imagine this unless you have experienced it before. So don't underestimate the power of this simple activity.

Watching beautiful birds and animals, playing with some of them or even running after them, can put back a broad smile on your face. Listening to the chirping of birds, the sound produced by a fish in the still water, enjoying the fragrance of flowers may become an amazing experience and even the time of your life.

The adventure of traveling itself and the surprises on the course add spices to your overall experience. Moreover, I can say that I get to learn a number of new things about life, about myself and about nature while traveling. So guys, try it! This might work well for you as well.

In addition to this, recently I had read an intriguing research report which stated that spending your money for experiences is a better choice for buying happiness rather than spending your money on products which may give you short term happiness. In short, travel and see for yourself!

Abu Dhabi

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." - Aldous Huxley

I never thought that my first international experience would be with UAE. I went to Abu Dhabi along with my office colleagues to attend an international conference organized by IAEA.

About Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi was a beautiful place, far better than I had expected. We got down at the Dubai international airport and took a taxi to Abu Dhabi. There were tall buildings on both sides of the road and the quality of infrastructure was far better than I had ever seen before. The selection of colors, architecture, cleanliness, and well-maintained structures must be the reason for my first impression. 

Yas Marina Island

We spent 4 days at Yas Marina Island which is famous for its formula one racing circuit. The circuit is considered to be one of the world's most technologically advanced circuits. Besides this, the architecture of buildings at the Yas Marina Island was unique; the island was surrounded by artificial body of water and natural greenery which added to its beauty.

Yas Marina Circuit

I wasn't sure about getting time to visit the circuit, but luckily we had one dinner party in the building which was part of the racing circuit. 


There were a number of internationally famous hotels at the Island. We stayed at 'Hotel Park Inn'. The view from the hotel was superb. There was a swimming pool in front of the balcony and a number of umbrellas were provided along with sun bathing chairs. The end of the boundary wall was the beginning of a ground blanketed by lush green grass. Even their grass and trees were more beautiful and elegant. 

View from Balcony of Hotel Park Inn

There was one important thing that I had observed during the visit. The quality of almost everything was far superior to that in India. Even the Lux soap gave better foam and fragrance and I could feel the difference as it treated my skin very gently. To share few more: the quality of air, the types of vehicles running on the road, the quality of service at the hotel, the quality of their food, the amount of money people earn there, and many other things made me feel that I have been missing something good for last several years of my life. 


There are 2 sides of every coin. If there were several good things, there were many restrictions as well. You can't get too romantic there on the road or in public places and must maintain the decency/decorum without any public display of affection  (PDA) of course. There were several other restrictions. So depending on your life style, it could be a good or bad place for you.

Mahudi - Jain Temple, Gandhinagar

This Sunday, 13 May 2012,  I went to Mahudi - a famous Jain temple near Gandhinagar. Though I do not like visiting temples, I enjoyed going there early morning. I am not an atheist, neither am I very religious. I just believe that there is some power, present somewhere. capable of doing things which can't be explained by science. Even if there is no such power, still, I believe, I am getting a chance to practice the discipline of faith. Sometimes you can do things which under ordinary circumstances wouldn't be possible, but you do make things happen just because you had faith. However, I think, you don't need to go to temples for this.  There are other reasons I do not like to visit temples:

1. Temples should be a place where you can find peace. On the contrary, our temples are crowded and very noisy. You need to rush to see the face of the god and run, because there are many others waiting in the queue.


2. Secondly, we always go to a temple to ask for something. Even god will understand your selfishness one day. Better live with what he has given, and accept what he has to offer without asking. Sometimes by asking for something you may miss a bigger opportunity which god was planning to offer you; instead he may choose to give you something of your choice to respect your prayers. 


Anyway, I went to temple, because my father wanted me to. I went there just for the long early morning, i.e., 5:00 pm ride.


How to reach there?

Sign Board @ about 38 kms

Route to temple is pretty simple. Go straight from Gh-0 circle of Gandhinagar towards Pathika. After about 38 kilometers you will find a sign board with 'Madhudi' as text on it, showing arrow to the right hand side. Take right turn and keep driving for almost 4 kilometers. You are there!


About temple
I found the temple very similar to other Jain temples. The temple is famous for Lord  Ghanta Karna Mahavir. The structure is white from outside and you can notice very fine carving work done on the marble roof and columns. There is a counter just at the left hand side, after entering from the main gate, from where you can buy sacred food for god which is called 'Sukhadi'. It is made up of wheat flour and clarified butter. An interesting story about this sacred food is that you can't take it outside Mahudi. Or you shouldn't take it outside Mahudi because it is believed that doing so may bring bad luck to you or something bad may happen to you.

The temple is beautiful from outside. There is one bell hung on a tall tower. Staircase is also provided to reach to that bell. It is believed that your wish may come true if you get up there, ask for the wish and ring the bell. There is no harm in trying.

Temple outside view (L). Bell Tower (R)

Most importantly, the road to temple is beautiful, surrounded by fields of grains, mangoes and many beautiful trees. 

Crops in the middle picture were there few months back, but they have been harvested now.

We could not stop ourselves and went into a mango farm. We thought we will take permission, but then no one was there. We picked 2 mangoes from the tree and started running to leave the place before someone spotted us. We had just reached the gate and someone came from the other side of the road and said 'please stop'. You will have to pay for these mangoes. You can't take anything from here without our permission. These were the words of the gentlemen. Though we got caught, it was fun! 

Adalaj Step Well

Adalaj step well is approximately 6 kilometers from Infocity Gandhinagar. I had strong aversion for this place. Though I had never been there,  mere description of the place led to such feelings. This Sunday, 06 May 2012, one of my cousin had come to visit us. He didn't want to go to any mall and wanted to see other things. Megha suggested this place as it was close by. 


We went there in the evening around 6:00 PM. We could easily find the place. It was surrounded by a vegetable market. There was no place to park the vehicle. I wasn't expecting much crowd, however, there were a lot of people. Still it was very hot outside the building, but we could feel a water-body nearby after getting into the building. Though the structure didn't look good from outside, it was still beautiful from inside.

I could take one video of the place. This will, hopefully, give you an idea of what it is about.

My recommendation: I am not an appreciator of the work done on stones, but I can say, the structure as a whole is beautiful and it is worth going ones iff you are nearby. 

Aagra

Being in love for so long, and not visiting the symbol of love, even when it is very close to you, would have been injustice to the life. Aagra was just 6 hours journey from Kanpur via rail. So one day I just decided that I will go there. The thought came in the afternoon and we left for Aagra in the night, on the same day.


We reached there around 7 clock. It was extremely cold out there, but we were prepared for it. I made a big mistake by taking a cycle rickshaw from railway station to Taj Mahal. Since it was open, we went shivering all along. By the time we reached Taj Mahal, sun rays started reaching us. The Taj Mahal looked beautiful from outside. The marble surface was shining like anything and looked very white against the blue sky.





We decided to hire a guide from the beginning itself. Guide could tell us many interesting things which would be difficult to understand or even observe by ourselves. There was one more benefit of taking the guide along, he could take as many pictures of you as you wanted. He did also tell us which are the top poses for photography. We roamed around for about 2 hours. By that time, the marble started getting hot. It became difficult to walk on the floor.


We left Taj and decided to see some other famous forts. We could finish everything in just few hours. So we returned back to Taj and sat there for few hours. In the evening, we left for railway station. Our ticket was not confirmed. We were walking on the road. After 6 o' clock I couldn't find the autos easily. The street lights were not working and it was dark everywhere. I was wondering, is this how we are managing a place where one of the seven wonders is located?


On the railway station, people were fighting. The station master slapped a guy! The entire scene was scary. We went to the station master's room and asked him to check if the ticket was confirmed. He looked through the register and said, NO. Wait, he said. I can confirm it, but then you will have to pay 600 Rs. I knew it was too high, but then I had no choice. After coming out, a foreigner couple came to us asking for the place where they can find out if their waiting is cleared. They were scared to go to the room pointed by me, because the station master was fighting and shouting. We offered that we could come along and help them. We went along with them and then got the ticket confirmed by bribing the station master or whatever he was. They spoke to us for an hour or so and then we went into our compartments ones the train arrived.


My recommendation: Do not take the risk of going to Aagra if you don't have confirmed tickets. It could be a horrible experience. Do go there, at least ones, to see the beauty of Tajmahal. 

Sun Temple, Modhera

I always choose what I should do on the weekends. However, this time I decided I will do something chosen by others. The element of surprise will add at least some spices to life which has otherwise become so monotonous. I asked for Megha’s opinion and she said Sun Temple of Modhera. Sun temple it was. 


The sun temple of Modhera was around 90 Kms from Gandhinagar. We left very late, around 2:00 pm, and boarded on a state government bus to Mehsana. We reached around 3:00 pm and enquired about bus to Modhera Sun Temple. The man at the enquiry counter babbled something, of which I could only understand 5:30 pm. I asked for the last bus to Gandhinagar and he said 7:00 pm. I was surprised that how could the last bus be leaving so early, i.e., at 7:00 pm. There are so many people traveling between these two cities every day and, I wondered, how come the transportation is so poor.  However it was not possible to manage to visit Sun temple between 5:30 to 7:00 PM, as people said it takes almost 1 hour to reach there. We got little depressed, mainly for the reason that even after coming so far we won’t be able to see sun temple. We went out of bus stand and asked some auto rickshaws about travel time and fare. One guy said Rs. 250 for to and fro and it will take only 30 to 40 minutes. I liked the deal and we immediately hired that auto. The road to sun temple was very pleasant and was surrounded by greenery on both the sides. While traveling, I was thinking about my life and was comparing it with other people. I was thinking that millions of people are out there who have got some or the other talent, but I have none. I never worked on cultivating a talent. I was asking a question to myself why I do not have any talent. The answer which I got made my journey a success. I learnt something very important that day. I realized that:

I have never lived for learning, but I have only been learning what is required to live happily.

That made many things clear to me. This made me happy even before reaching sun temple. We reached in 50 minutes to sun temple. 

The temple did not have any idol, it was just a structure of stones on which lot of carving was done. I have never been able to appreciate the fine work done on the stones, but I could appreciate the beauty of the structure as a whole. 

Surya kund, facing the temple

The journey took us total 7 hours, out of which we could spend only one hour in the sun temple of Modhera, and rest all went into traveling. 

Indroda Nature Park, Gandhinagar

Indroda nature park is situated about 1 km from Infocity, Gandhinagar. I often visit this place, mostly early mornings, to cheer myself up and to spend some time with nature. Greenery of the nature is like a nymph which gets over your mind and irrespective of your age you start feeling young again. The red pink and yellow flowers, green leaves, jumping monkeys and running blue bulls will make you feel alive and may be jump on your feet. 

Green trees planted along the road make you feel as if they are walking along with you. The combination of greenery and wildlife is a gift of nature available so close to my residence. I am feeling ignorant by knowing and still not going there everyday for a morning walk. While entering the park, I saw a monkey relaxing on the branch of a tree. I liked his cool style and the immediate thought that came to my mind was even I should take sometime off from the work and relax like him, at least sometimes. It looked as if he was a monkey monk, different from others of his kind - who are often found jumping, hanging on a branch of tree effortlessly, not interested in any of the worldly things, not worrying or thinking about anything, but just having some good time.To capture this moment was difficult. Every time I tried, he got up and posed like a model, well aware of that fact that someone is taking his picture. The poor fellow couldn't understand what I was looking for. But finally, I got it.

A muster of peacocks could be easily seen inside the park. Even the fan formation of feathers could also be easily spotted. However, what is rare is, finding a Peahen and a Peacock sitting together and on top of it, two beautiful birds kissing each other. I was lucky that I had a chance to capture a special moment wherein the symbol of beauty grace and love was himself in a romantic mood. 

I have never found a Peahen so beautiful, but she really looked pretty with the peacock.  A morning walk at Indroda Nature Park or any other similar place can give you an amazing experience. Keep walking with nature and cherish its beauty.

My recommendation: You must go here every morning if you live in Gandhinagar. Or if you want to see some places and are a nature lover, please do visit this place.