Spicy Travels

Casually chatting with my nephew in Punjab, I mentioned that I have planned a short weekend in Patiala after a family wedding next month. There was utter silence at the other end followed by a load thud! He came back on the line saying he was so stunned he fell off his chair 😊

 Apparently, no-one, I repeat no one visits Patiala for a holiday! He wanted to know if his aunt had lost her marbles. His remark made me grin as this was something I’ve heard frequently over the years.

-1998: “You are going to travel through Europe in a caravan?”
-2000: “Six weeks in a car, with the young ones but no Indian food – What will they eat?”
-2007: “You know zilch about sailing, and you’ve rented a small yacht to stay”

-2010: “All four of you are going to cycle in the Austrian Alps – in this weather? You have truly lost it!”

-2012: "You shipped a car to Delhi for a 2-week road trip in Ladakh!"

-2015: "Beer trail through the monasteries in Germany - what do monks know about beer?"

But what a kaleidoscope of cherished memories… 

• almost arrested in Paris for “ticket-less travel” (forgot to validate out tickets, let off after a steep fine);
• Paid toll at the same toll gate thrice as we were lost (even the toll collector shook her head);
• Driving at all odd hours in a motor-home with the kids fast asleep at the back;
• Fishing and cooking our catch on an uninhabited island under starlight; 
• Risk-free drinking & cycling (its permitted, unlike driving!),
• Catching the wrong train in Netherlands, landing in the wrong city with a dead mobile;
• "losing my mobile" in an airport loo with strangers hunting for it just to find it in my hip pocket.
• Discovering at the station that train tickets for a group of 20 were for the previous night;
• Booking wrong hotels; instead of the city centre, we stayed 20 kms away!
• Travelling back 40 kms to convince the innkeeper in a foreign lingo that he under-charged us (4.02 v/s 402 euros)!

And some more adventures...

• Our car breaking down in the middle of nowhere in a Himalayan Pass;
• Asked to leave as we were yawning non-stop through a ballet performance in Paris (In our defense, we just got off a long haul flight! They let us stay till the end 😀)
• Conned into making Butter Chicken and Nan bread for a large group twice: Scotland & Paris on the assumption that every Indian cooks this daily. (Called home for the recipes as it was early internet days, no Google uncle to help out)
• Singing a Bollywood song at an Egyptian airport before the airport officer corrected a mistake,
• Leaving behind both my baggage & spouse as I caught the connecting flight (both came the next day, none the worse for their adventure)… list of hiccups is unending!!

I wouldn’t exchange any of these howlers for a perfect guided tour as these provide the spicy bites I need to laugh with my cuppa. Rather than the moments which were picture perfect, these allow me to share that special look with the hubby. 

Anyone can share pics of awesome lakes and vistas but these special moments, now these are mine exclusively to share and brag (??) about! As we continue to meander through our trips, I’m grateful for each crazy experience. It means I’ve been blessed with another occasion to travel!

Feb 2020