While people all over travel to India to find themselves, I decided to travel the world instead. I’m not really sure how much of I found myself while trying to achieve my lonely planet fantasy but I’m sure I have reached a place where I can help amateur travellers in ways which no other guide book or travel journal can. So, here are top 5 Gospels for any new traveller on block. Some may agree or disagree with them but the point is to go out and explore them and make your own rules and have lots of fun while doing so.
1.)Getting lost is not such a bad thing
Call it my poor sense of direction or my inability to read maps, but I have been lost in every major city of the world. So much so that it’s a way of life for me and let me tell you, it’s not always that bad. And if I don’t count the racist attack in Kuala Lumpur, then it always have turned out to be pleasant. I never would have discovered the spoils of Oxford Street in London had I not been lost and had I reached the intended destination which was Harrods. And for those who claim that no tourist can ever get lost in London, someone should make them hear the song “Lost in London” by kid British.
2.)Don’t flash to avoid any clash
As someone who has been to more third world countries than first world countries, (Blame the currency exchange rates), let me tell you that being there is a great ego massage but don’t flash too much of skin, cash or your arm candy because you never know which one of those you would end up losing. Now I was fortunate enough to never face any such things but there is always someone who knows someone who has gone through this and you don’t really want to be that someone. So try eating a humble pie and be subtle and save those fantasies of being a Master for your bedroom.
3.)Keep that stranger away
I know when you are on a vacation; you have all these thoughts of rescuing a distraught little Meg Ryan lost in an alien land just like the movie French kiss. First that never happens: Meg Ryan has other high profile suitors of her own and second, if we are really taking inspiration from movies, did you forget “Hostel”? Trust me, that hot chick may not be that naive and who knows if she is a chick entirely? (Now you know why they call it amusing/amazing Thailand). Be really sure before you make your move and always inform someone back home about your whereabouts. And shady old men don’t invite you on their boat just to play chess. Playing chess doesn’t require a yacht that too in the middle of shark infested waters.
4.)Travel agents are just Ignorant unless they are clones of Ian Wright
Travel agents are just glorified clerks who have never been out of the city of their birth leave aside going out of the country. So if you happen to have a lousy travel agent like mine, just take control and guide him in tailoring your itinerary as per your needs. Research and talk to other travellers before you plan yours. Itineraries are just like your tailored suits, if you don’t have them customised to your measurements, they prove to be waste of money.
5.)Tip, tip and tip your way out of almost anything
Nope, I’m not referring to the song made famous by Raveena Tandon in a wet yellow sari back in the 90’s. I’m talking about being a little generous and sharing in with those serving you. After all you are on a vacation and any seasoned travelled out there would actually tell you that tipping is a great service differentiator. And moreover, isn’t it a gentleman code to tip? And in some countries like Egypt and Italy, they take serious offence if you don’t tip. So next time, make sure you “barsao lots of tips” to that bell boy and door man.
Love, love and love !!
Sagar Raha
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Stolen Moments
I have always nurtured an alter ego of a photographer inside of me and throughout my travels around the world I have happened to click thousands and thousands of photographs but never dared to share them on a public platform given the fear of judgement. Last week my friend Pierre was helping me upload all of my files on to internet (Oh! Iam also technologically challenged by the way) for safekeeping given the fact that my laptop is about to crash, and I came across some beautiful pictures apparently clicked by me (Even though I still cant believe I clicked them). I wanted to share my top five (Out of many) and also because I haven't updated anything in a LONG TIME !! Apologies for taking this long to come here but in my defense I was busy.... Busy clicking the world away, writing, living, travelling, falling in and out of love, winning silly contests, singing and yeah most important of all completing my education, Anyway, so here are my top five :
This photograph was taken in Luxor,(Egypt)from a moving car and what's really fascinating is the light in this picture. It was getting dark and the focal point of this picture is this horse cart but if you focus closely you will see the path full of sphinx statues leading to the temple of Luxor and the irony here is that had it been clicked during normal daylight, the view from behind would have completely overshadowed the horse cart. It was a case of perfect timing. My next favorite picture is this.
Isn't it serene? I swear I can stare at this view for a lifetime. It was clicked in this tiny little fishing village near Colombo called Negombo in Sri Lanka. I clicked it during a morning run on the beach and I was so spellbound by its beauty that I happened to drop my digital camera in a puddle of sea water which ultimately ruined it and which also lead to me being banned from borrowing my dad's gadgets. I wish to go there again sometime, run on it soft sand , go fishing and sailing, all this without my camera. The third on the list is this beauty.
This was clicked right off the coast of Pattaya on a fishing trip quite early in the morning. Turns out that if you pay a little extra to the local fishermen, not only do they take you to the unexplored heavenly islands, they also entertain you with songs from Eric Clapton (With their nasal twang) and yeah you can also learn fishing while soaking in the sights and listening to their (Annoying mostly) music (At times the fishing part is mandatory if you pay them less or promise to assist in lieu of the ride like in my case). Moving on to the next one.....
This amazingly beautiful picture was clicked in Orchard Gardens in Singapore and its one of the amazing sights the place have to offer. I love how commercial this picture is and how it appeals to people of all sensibilities. People are in awe of it from the moment they see it. Many think its a perfect backdrop for clicking either a couple or something else but I like its emptiness. I didn't want anyone to hide under its beauty. It seems eternal and never ending and yes, a lot of couples do get married here. I would like to think that doors of heaven would look something like this. And last but not the least, here is a very special picture of moi, quite literally !!
Yeah, your guess is as good as anyone else's, It's yours truly. Well, my faithful readers and followers (All three of them) were quite keen to see the real me, so I decided to make a guest appearance on my own blog. It was again clicked back in Egypt during a visit to the stupendous Temple of Philae. It is dedicated to the Goddess of Magic, Isis and there was certainly some magic in the air because Iam not very photogenic normally and this photograph is too much improvement over my previous pictures and needless to mention the amazing things it has done for my self confidence and my almost unvisited profiles on various social networking and dating websites. I swear when I get old, I would show this picture of my youth to my grandkids bragging about how good their grandpa used to look back in the day. So these were my top Favorite pictures clicked (Somehow strangely, they were all clicked in third world countries).
I would love to hear what you guys have to say about my blog. I would really like my follower count to increase from mere three and it would be wonderful if i don't have to bribe or threaten anyone along the way. Waiting to hear from you guys.
Love & Light
Sagar Raha
This photograph was taken in Luxor,(Egypt)from a moving car and what's really fascinating is the light in this picture. It was getting dark and the focal point of this picture is this horse cart but if you focus closely you will see the path full of sphinx statues leading to the temple of Luxor and the irony here is that had it been clicked during normal daylight, the view from behind would have completely overshadowed the horse cart. It was a case of perfect timing. My next favorite picture is this.
Isn't it serene? I swear I can stare at this view for a lifetime. It was clicked in this tiny little fishing village near Colombo called Negombo in Sri Lanka. I clicked it during a morning run on the beach and I was so spellbound by its beauty that I happened to drop my digital camera in a puddle of sea water which ultimately ruined it and which also lead to me being banned from borrowing my dad's gadgets. I wish to go there again sometime, run on it soft sand , go fishing and sailing, all this without my camera. The third on the list is this beauty.
This was clicked right off the coast of Pattaya on a fishing trip quite early in the morning. Turns out that if you pay a little extra to the local fishermen, not only do they take you to the unexplored heavenly islands, they also entertain you with songs from Eric Clapton (With their nasal twang) and yeah you can also learn fishing while soaking in the sights and listening to their (Annoying mostly) music (At times the fishing part is mandatory if you pay them less or promise to assist in lieu of the ride like in my case). Moving on to the next one.....
This amazingly beautiful picture was clicked in Orchard Gardens in Singapore and its one of the amazing sights the place have to offer. I love how commercial this picture is and how it appeals to people of all sensibilities. People are in awe of it from the moment they see it. Many think its a perfect backdrop for clicking either a couple or something else but I like its emptiness. I didn't want anyone to hide under its beauty. It seems eternal and never ending and yes, a lot of couples do get married here. I would like to think that doors of heaven would look something like this. And last but not the least, here is a very special picture of moi, quite literally !!
Yeah, your guess is as good as anyone else's, It's yours truly. Well, my faithful readers and followers (All three of them) were quite keen to see the real me, so I decided to make a guest appearance on my own blog. It was again clicked back in Egypt during a visit to the stupendous Temple of Philae. It is dedicated to the Goddess of Magic, Isis and there was certainly some magic in the air because Iam not very photogenic normally and this photograph is too much improvement over my previous pictures and needless to mention the amazing things it has done for my self confidence and my almost unvisited profiles on various social networking and dating websites. I swear when I get old, I would show this picture of my youth to my grandkids bragging about how good their grandpa used to look back in the day. So these were my top Favorite pictures clicked (Somehow strangely, they were all clicked in third world countries).
I would love to hear what you guys have to say about my blog. I would really like my follower count to increase from mere three and it would be wonderful if i don't have to bribe or threaten anyone along the way. Waiting to hear from you guys.
Love & Light
Sagar Raha
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