My travels

   " Not travelling is like having a book and not opening its pages."-I saw this on a  TV channel I watch avidly. Jyo, my friend and I used to talk a lot about traveling. Inspite of vast differences in our backgrounds,we both shared dreams of traversing the globe,not to popular destinations but to places which were then not much sought after and somewhat wild.Those were not days when there were exotic holiday package offers and people did not or could not go when and where they wanted.But both of us still hoped to do things the hard way someday.

She could translate her dreams into reality.She did travel to places which people shunned usually,in difficult circumstances,not really bogged down by adverse opinions.She traveled to Syria,Israel,Egypt.Though at present going to these places do not seem improbable,those days it was and she did it undauntedly. Later she continued traveling to some desirable destinations too but was ever driven by an adventurous enthusiasm.I envied her then and now I know that I can never ever do the things she did.Maybe all along ,I never had the push.Never could afford to have that spirit.

Oh,yes,there has been my share of traveling too.Never planned any of  those trips nor would have willingly chosen those places.I was thrown by fate to visit those places,never out of choice but because of circumstances. Amidst those travels were  some carefully planned trips to places,which I chose with an eye on the budget.And there were places that I could not visit ,even when they were nearby,more so because of affordability.I did see some great cities like Washington,New York,Paris ,I have seen famous monuments like The statue of Liberty,Washington memorial and nearer home the Taj Mahal. I have seen the Niagara falls. But I want to see  the Ganga again,this time only to sit and muse on her banks,I want to see the Himalayas,I want to see some fabulous beaches here in India-all these may never happen.

I cannot complain too much.There are some country frogs totally contented with watching TV at home & visiting nearby temples .I have  my treasure house of experiences from my few travels that I have enjoyed whether I planned them or not.I have had a small book and I have thoroughly enjoyed going through its pages.