Years & Destinations - MY TRAVELS - Not only de-stress tonic but also brings out appreciation of cultural diversity

Till 1969 - While in school I used to travel by train with parents and sometimes alone to visit relatives during school vacations to Dehri-on-Sone,  Dildar Nagar, Patna  and  Bhabhua Road in Bihar and Chandauli Majhvar U.P., Nainital then in U.P.

1969 - My first disastrous flight of  life at the age of 17 years was when I flew from Patna, Bihar to New Delhi in a small private aircraft and onwards New Delhi to Bombay by Indian Airlines. I was mostly sick during both the flights.

1969 - 1972 - When I was staying with my uncle, many road trips were made with family to Dehu Road, Pune, Lonawala from Bombay. It was Army Officers Mess in Dehu Road Depot where I consumed a beer for the first time in 1970. My cousin brother was posted there.

1972  Summer - I had to travel by train from Bombay to Patna and back after two months to assist my cousin brother in managing a small scale factory. These were the two months during which  I cherished the company of my Grandfather before he breathed his last.

1972 - 1976  - During my studies at Dadar Catering College it was mostly train travels during vacations  from Bombay to home town Lucknow and in 1973 summer to Nainital for Industrial Training.

1976 - My first trip to Vasco-Da-Gama, Goa from Bombay by overnight bus.

1976 - 1985 - Now that I was in a full-time job in a hotel my travels were restricted to fewer short trips to visit parents and a longer trip for my wedding ceremony at Lucknow, however, I visited on official business to Bombay and once to Poona to attend a course conducted by American Hotel & Motel Association Educational Institute.

1984 - 1985 - It was my first visit in 1984 from Goa to Bangalore and back by train to appear for an interview at IHM for the post of Head of the Department. Next year It was a bye bye to Goa and family travel with bag and baggage to Bangalore. 

1988 Summer - LTC to North East - IHM, Bangalore being a Semi-Government autonomous establishment. Our family was entitled to Leave Travel Concession (LTA) facility. We travelled to Meghalaya and Sikkim via Guwahati, Assam where we visited Maa Kamakhya Temple, Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir and savored traditional  Assamese thali at the famous Paradise restaurant river. Next was a picturesque road trip to Shillong. We undertook a 50 kms. long trip through the misty valleys to Cherrapunji, one of the wettest place on earth,  via  famous Nohkalikai Waterfalls. With a drop of about 340 m, Nohkalikai is counted among the highest waterfalls in the world. On our way back we took a detour to Gangtok, Sikkim by driving along Teesta river. Apart  from regular tourist spots and Rumtek monastery, the highlight was a visit to China border post of Indian army at Nathu la pass (whistling ears pass) at an elevation of 14,250 ft. height and the breakfast langar at Mahavir Chakra awardee Late Honorary Captain Baba Harbhajan Singh Memorial. Singh was martyred in 1968 near the Nathu La pass and is said to serve the Indian Army even after his death by coming in the dreams of soldiers.

1989, November, International travel, Pakistan : My first International travel was to Karachi, Pakistan to represent Indian team in a three week workshop on Tourism Marketing organised by W.T.O. 

1990 July/August, International travel, USA: My second foreign trip  and the first one to USA - a six-weeks U.N.D.P. sponsored trip to U.S.A. to undertake two weeks Professional Development courses at Cornell University followed by a four week Walk-through exposure at Grand Hyatt Hotel, a Hyatt flagship 1000 room property in Washington. In addition I was nominated to attend a three day CHRIE (Council of International Hospitality Educators) convention at Crystal City, Arlington. 

1990, August, International travel, Germany : - On return from USA to India. I  undertook a detour to  Dortmund, Germany and neighbourhood.

1990  - Return trip from Bangalore to New Delhi. I had applied for the IHM, Lucknow Principal position. Interview was held at Ashoka Hotel in Delhi. It was the largest Selection Committee panel that I faced but I was very confident.

1991 - Family travelled with bag and baggage from Bangalore to Lucknow as I joined IHM, Lucknow as Principal.

1991 - 2003 - Many official work trips to Tourism Ministry/NCHM/AICTE/NAAC - All in New Delhi and to many cities of  Uttar Pradesh for Hotel Classifications for 1* - 5* Star Category.

1994, LTC family trip - Travel by train to Chandigarh. We visited  Sukhna lake , Nek Chand rock garden, rose garden, museum & Art Gallery and Pinjore garden.  Then proceeded to Shimla by the UNESCO World Heritage Kalka-Shimla toy train and visited to places like Kufri, Chail, Naldera and Mashobra. 

1998 - International Travel, Miami, Florida, USA -  Attended my second CHRIE convention, held in Miami in 1998 at the iconic Doral Golf & Spa resort owned by the Trump Organization. This venue was very close to headquarters of Carnival Cruises which I visited to catch up with my batchmate who was Vice President, Carnival.

2002 - International Travel, Orlando, Florida, USA - attended my third CHRIE  convention in Orlando, was made even more special as my wife accompanied me. We visiting famous attractions like Disney World Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, and Sea World during this trip.

2002 - International Travel, Baltimore, Maryland / Washington, USA - Post-convention we also undertook a 3 day tour to see the atractions in Baltimore and Washington City 

2003  - Return trip from Lucknow to Mumbai I had applied for the IHM, Mumbai Principal position. Interview was held at IHM, Mumbai. 

2003 summer - Family travelled with bag and baggage from Lucknow to Mumbai as I joined IHM, Mumbai as Principal.

2003 - 2013 : Many official work trips to Tourism Ministry/NCHM/AICTE/NAAC - All in New Delhi and to many cities of  Maharashtra for Hotel Classifications for 1* - 5* Star Category.

2005 : Our family made a L.T.C. trip to Andamans by a flight from Chennai to Port Blair. We watched Light & Sound show at Cellular Jail in Port Blair and sailed to Havelock island, 41 km northeast of Port Blair.  It has some most amazing beaches including Radhanagar Beach, rated the 7th best beach in the world by Time Magazine. On return we booked a full day tour of Chennai and surroundings. 

2005 - 2006 : I made two trips to Varanasi with my wife  - first to finalise marriage of my daughter and second to attend post marriage At-home.

2006 - Maldives, International trip : To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary we went to Thiruvananthapuram and explored the beauty of Kerala by road and boat. Then drove to Kanya Kumari to visit the renowned Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue. Our final destination, however, was  Maldives and stayed at Hulhule Island Hotel, explored the capital city, Malé before proceeding to  a Taj resort  by a 45-minute speedboat ride. My wife was lucky to find a small pink colour coral on the beach.

2007 - International trip, Singapore, Malaysia,  : My wife and I went on a 7 day trip to  Singapore and Malaysia  In Singapore, we visited  Merlion Park, Boat,  Clarke Quay, Sentosa, Night safari, Mustafa store, Little India and Chinatown street.  From Singapore, we took a bus trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia and visited  Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Suria KLCC mall, and Genting Highlands. Our journey also led us to the historical cities of Melaka and Port Dickson.

2007 -  International trip, Dallas, Texas, USA: -Attended fourth CHRIE convention in Dallas. My wife joined me on this trip. We also visited Las Vegas and Sky Walk at the Grand Canyon.

2008 -  International trip, UK, Europe tour, : We went to London and also  visited Europe entering France from Dover to Calaise by ferry and then visiting all the touristic attractions in France, Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy (Milan, Rome, Venice), Vatican and Austria.

2009 - International trip, Greece, Turkey : We flew to Athens, Greece and explored the ancient Agora site, Plaka, temple of Olympian Zeus, Acropolis, and The Parthenon. From Athens, we flew to the volcanic island of Santorini to visit to Thira, Oia, Akrotiri, Kamari beach, and the volcano island Kameni. Continuing, we flew to Rhodes Island, Greece, and from there sailed in a ferry to enter Turkey through Marmaris port. Marmaris has castle, museum, and beautiful beaches. Further we drove 220 kms. to Kusadasi to explore Roman city of Ephesus, visiting en route  Altinkum beach, historical Didim, Miletus, and Priene. Our next journey was a 200 kms. drive to Pamukkale to see Hierapolis spa city ruins and the stunning terraces of gleaming white calcium precipitated mineral water. Traveling further another 530 kms. via Egirdir, Konya, Sultanhani, Aksaray and Neveshir, we reached Cappadocia, renowned for its underground towns, cave hotels, hot air balloon flights, and unique fairy chimneys. Finally we flew to Istanbul, where we explored city's landmarks the Dolmabahce and Topkapi palaces, Sultan Ahmet,Taksim square, Blue Mosque,  grand bazaar and went on a boat excursion up the Bosphorus. 

 

2010, January, International trip, Thailand :-  Our family tour traveled to Thailand exploring Bangkok, visiting the Grand Palace, temple of the Emerald Buddha, and experiencing the cultural show Siam Nirmit. In Pattaya, we visited Nong Nooch gardens, beachfront road, Pattaya beach and took a boat trip to Phi Phi island, and James Bond Island. Then we went to Phuket enjoyed Patong beach and  a mesmerizing Fanta Sea show. 

   

2010 -  International trip, Bangkok, Singapore : Soon after the above trip I joined  an official tour of IHM Principals to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Singapore.

2011 - Coastal Karnataka bus tour : We undertook a very interesting “Coastal Karnataka Tour” with a group of mostly senior citizens from Mumbai and Pune.We travelled by train to a remote station in Karnataka for an onward long tour in a bus exploring the cultural and natural wonders along the coastal region of Karnataka. We covered Murudeshwar Temple where the second highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world is situated, Shalmala river in  Sirsi revealing the presence of “Sahasralinga” thousands of Shiva Lingas carved throughout the shallow river bed, Trip included Chitrapur Saraswat Math at Shirali and many temples including Mahamaya Temple, Ganesh temple at Idgungee, Marikamba Temple at Sirsi and Gokarna Mahabaleshwar temple. An unusual stop  Yana is one of the wettest villages in the world, famous for the amazing tall Yana Rock  formations. Tour ended with  Jog water falls. 

2014, May, International trip, Pokhara, Nepal : I took a return flight from Lucknow to Pokhara via Delhi & Kathmandu to discuss and finalise a six month assignment to develop a hotel school. Pokhara is beautiful. 

2014, June, International trip, Pokhara, Nepal : Wife and me flew from Lucknow to Pokhara via Delhi & Kathmandu to take up the Nepal assignment and settle down in a nice house for six months.

2014, November, International trip , return from Pokhara, Nepal: On completion of Nepal assignment flew  back to Lucknow via Kathmandu and Delhi.

2014, June to November, Nepal : Visited many tourist attractions in Nepal on weekends by road. Of all the attractions, few places left a profound impact : Muktinath, Lumbini, and Chitwan. To reach Muktinath requires a perilous flight from Pokhara to Jomsom by a small ATR aircraft, followed by a trek to the temple at an altitude of 3,800 meters. Lumbini (the birthplace of the revered Lord Buddha) and Chitwan (Royal Chitwan National Park is a World Heritage Site famous for one-horned rhinos)  are reachable by a long road drive. 

 

2015, July : Return trip from Lucknow to Greater Noida to discuss and finalise a Directorship assignment of a private hotel school.

2015, October : Wife and me travelled from Lucknow to Greater Noida with bag and baggage to take up the new assignment and settle down in a nice house.

2019, April : On completion of the Greater Noida assignment and to settle down in our new flat, wife and me travelled from Greater Noida to Lucknow with bag and baggage  .

2019, June : We headed to Lamgada village, Jalna, Uttarakhand with a stopover at Bheemtal. During our over a month stay, we explored the locations of Jeolikot, Almora, Mornoula, Dol Kalyani Ashram, Shaharphatak, Bhowali, Nainital and Mukteshwar. In one of the earlier trip we had also covered Jeolikote, Kainchi dham, Munshiyari, Jageshwar and Ranikhet. 

2019, July, Gurgaon & Pune :  We attended our Grandson's birthday celebration in Gurgaon, and soon after, we visited my daughter and  Grandchildren in Pune .

2019, October,  - We undertook a long-awaited trip to Amritsar to visit the awe-inspiring Golden Temple and witness the grandeur of the Wagah border ceremony.   

            

2019, December, International trip - We made a 18-day long trip to Philippines  exploring Manila, Taal volcano in Batangas, rice terraces at Banaue, caves and hanging coffins at Sagada, UNESCO declared Spanish-style city of Vigan, garden city Baguio,  islands of Boracay and Puerto Princesa, underground river at Sabang beach, covering a distance of approximately 1400 kms. by road from hills to sea shores in addition to  two domestic return flights from Manila, experiencing the length and breadth of Philippines.

 

2021, Feb-July - We  spent  in Gurgaon with family of my son  from February to July, where I received both shots of the Covid vaccine. Upon returning to Lucknow, we joyfully celebrated the Mundan ceremony of my grandson in October, 2021.

2021, November, Odisha  - After the hardships of the pandemic, We went to Puri to pay our respects to Lord Jagannath. During our five day 1100 kms. road trip in Odisha, we visited the sacred Lingaraj and Anant Vasudev Temples in Bhubaneswar, Sun Temple in Konark, Chilika Lake, Pipli village, and Udaygiri caves.

 

2022, May, Arunanchal & A

ssam-  - We did a 13-day tour of Arunachal Pradesh staying at  homestays. We flew from Lucknow to Guwahati via Raipur and then drove to Tawang. The trip included visit to Tezpur, Bomdila, Shergaon, Mandala Top, Sela Lake, Bum La Pass Indo-China border at 15,200 ft. above sea-level, Sangetsar Lake - famously known as Madhuri Lake based on  Bollywood movie "Koyla" featuring Madhuri Dixit. The journey included visits to many Buddhist monasteries, Zemithang Waterfall, a 600-year-old Chak Zam Bridge,  Nuranang Jung Falls, the Zengbu Gompa at Shergaon, and the unforgettable Dharma Coffee House in Tawang. On return trip we visited the ancient Nag Sankar Temple in Tezpur and  Kamakhya Devi Temple in Guwahati. 

 

             

September, 2022-  I had the pleasure of reuniting with my batchmates from the 1972 batch at our alma mater in Mumbai to celebrate our 50-year milestone since joining the institution.  

2022, October, International trip, Mauritius : Our family embarked on a week-long journey form Lucknow to Flic-en-flac, Port Louis, Mauritius  via Mumbai and enjoyed beaches, catamaran trip to Ile aux Serfs, big cats at Casela Nature Park, and water sports activities. 

 

April, 2023 - A return trip from Lucknow to Goa over the Easter weekend to revisit the  very places we frequented during our stay from 1976 to 1985 in Vasco-da-Gama, Goa creating new memories while reliving the past. 

2024, January, Gujarat - We went to Gujrat on a 12 day trip to Gujrat on a flight from  Lucknow to Ahmedabad, then driving 2,100 kms. and a short boat ride before returning to Ahmedabad. Our trip covered (Swami Narain Temple, Hari Prasad Bav Stepwell, Jain Temple and ISRO exhibition) Ahmedabad, (Museum, Swami Narain Temple, Parag Mahal, LLDC, Bhujodi Handicraft village, Laser show at Vande Maatram Memorial,Road to Heaven, White Sands, Dhordo, Dholavira ruins and Rann Utsav) Bhuj,(Vijay Vilas palace) Mandvi, (Dwarkadheesh temple, Rukmini Temple,Nageswar Jyotirling) Dwarka, (Dwarkadheesh temple & Hanuman temple by boat) Bet Dwarka, (Bhalak Tirth, Shri Ram temple,Triveni Sangam and Somnath temple) Somnath, (Devaliya & Gir Forest Safari) Sasan Gir, and finally Statue of Unity at Sardar Sarovar, Kevadia. 

 

2024, April - International Trip,Thailand, Cambodia  -  We took a direct Air Asia flight from Lucknow to Bangkok for a 10 day family trip. We visited Bangkok and Ayutthaya city in Thailand before crossing over to Cambodia by road to visit ancient Angkor Wat templs in Siem Reap and attend Apsara Supper Theatre. 

   

2024, July - A short return trip to Mumbai to attend a wedding reception of my niece and visit my ailing batchmate. 

204, Oct - Nov., Gurgaon - Trip to Gurgaon to celebrate Diwali with entire family and have fun with Grandkids.