Year In Review-2018

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3 Countries, 51,000 Kms Travelled, 34 Flights, One Bus, One Dive, One 10k ,6200 USD spent and 110 days on the Road

 

Every time I am excited to share the same kind of stories at the end of every year. Our actions define our choices and our choices guide our lives. So as you all know, travelling is what I have chosen to do and this is what defines me. Now, I only have to choose between destinations, which are easier than making other life choices. I also made one more important choice this year – beaches over mountains or plains. Here is another summary of the choices I made and how I spent 2018.

 

January’18

In January, I went with my family to Indonesia and Malaysia. It was my second trip abroad with my folks. This trip turned out to be a very memorable one. Though it was my second visit to these two places, it was my first time here with my sister, mom and dad. We went to Bali and Kuala Lumpur. It was a fun filled trip where we did a lot of shopping. The highlight of the trip was our stay at Katamama- The One and Only Designer Hotel in Bali. It was truly a great experience and worth the money spent. In order to give a Balinese Experience to my Parents I booked Hotels, Homestays, Bungalows and that to in different locations- Seminyak, Ubud and Denpasar. We were on the beach in 8 out of 10 days stay. This is where I got bitten by the beach bug.

February’18

After having a happening January, I was truly determined to spend this year on the beach. I planned a trip to Goa and then extended it further to have some more quality time with my new found love (read beaches). I have been to Goa earlier, but it was the best experience of Goa so far. Sunset, beaches, shacks and talking to people – it gave me one of the most enriching experiences. From there I flew to Bengaluru and then to my mom’s place (Vizag).

March’18

Well, as they say, when you have decided something, you should just do it. This exactly happened with me. This time again, my business trip was at the most unexpected place- Andaman Islands. I was so happy that I am going to see and spend some time with my new found love. It was totally a different and nomadic experience. The food was so good that I ate a lot and got food poisoning and missed my first dive of the year. From Andaman I flew to Kolkata to meet my loved ones. It was the best month till date with regards to my Personal and Professional life as well.

April’18

 I was still in Kolkata, madly in love again. I had started living alone and absolutely loved the feeling. I didn’t go anywhere but stayed in one place for some time and continued swimming whenever I got time.

May and June’18

I was back to my mom’s place. I joined some swimming club to continue my affair with water on the sides. On the other hand, my personal life was getting badly affected. Because of work pressure, I was unable to give time to my loved ones. I was getting stressed up day by day and did not know what to do.

July’18

I flew to Kolkata for my friend’s wedding. On the other hand, my best friend stopped talking to me. The problem was getting worse day by day. Life was full of stress. So finally I decided to take some time off and travelled. I booked my tickets to Indonesia. But this time it was not only to overcome stress, but also to start a new venture in Indonesia. Yes, you heard it right. I planned to start a new company in Indonesia.

August’18

I had gone for 10 days, but then extended my stay as I started liking the place. I started exploring the city and nearby places on my own. This helped me in building local contacts and new avenues to explore the city opened up. Suddenly, in second week a series of earthquakes started and it was a horrifying experience to live with that fear. But on the other hand, what kept me alive and kicking were new things I did like learning how to ride a motorbike, trying different cuisines, island hopping and many more. I met all my old friends and everyone was so happy to see me again.  All in all, it was the best time I had in Bali. After almost a month long stay, I flew back to India.

September’18

August ended on a high note for me and September was just the opposite. I was spending time in Vizag with my family, but was missing my life. The business was down as well. And all of this together was hitting all the low notes. I was craving for some more adventure.

October’18

So to let off some steam, I planned a trip again to Goa. I stayed there for a while with my friends. The beach therapy did work for me. The highlight of the trip was the party we did at one of the beach shacks in Goa. We danced full night on Trance music. It was the kind of break that filled me with renewed spirit and vigour. I returned to Vizag just before the month end.

November’18

I celebrated Diwali with my family and then ran my first 10k km of the year. I was really waiting for all the festivities and celebrations to get over as I had planned something totally new. It was to travel for one month in India. The places I covered were – Vizag- Mumbai- Surat- Delhi- Kolkata. During November it is a kind of different weather condition at each place. The best part was the food, culture, people and the weather. I truly cherished this trip within India.

December’18

It was the busiest season for my line of work and I was not even taking time to catch some Z’s. After working for long hours for many days, I decided to celebrate the success and relax my body and mind. So I made a plan to go to South Thailand and treat myself. Even so, a few hours before my exit, I called for a close ally of mine, if he cared to come along. And, as if he was waiting, agreed, and packed his stuff in a frenzy. In two hours we were en-route Thailand. Little did we know what adventures awaited there and intense series of events unfolded filling us with hope, dismay and frenzy. We could only go to Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Larn. I found that the much famous Walking Street has lost its fervor, and now mostly full with the Indians or Russian to some extent; I bathed in the sun on a distant island on the last day of the year, away from the buzz of the city; I celebrated the New Year’s Eve with a new friend who is a graduate from law school and a good company to hang out with. And we flew back to India in the wee hours of the morning on the first day of the year.

I do not know what to conclude as every month was different, took me to different level of highs and lows in the year, opened a new perspective for me in relation to work and maintaining a balance especially when you are your own boss, made new friends around the world etc etc etc. I now only think that this year is finally over, and a new year is up with new challenges, new adventures and new destinations to travel to…

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