The Time is Almost Up, About Time I Got a New One!
It has been almost ten years, the passport has to be renewed. While any thought of dealing with the Indian bureaucracy sends a chill down the spine, what is to be done, is to be done. I have been such an infrequent traveler that even after ten years I do not remember my passport number! The Canon has given me company only on the last two UK trips but I just included it in the picture.
The first trip abroad was Singapore, I was still a Ph.D. student and in fact ,when my first paper was accepted I had apply for the passport in a hurry. I got it in time to make the trip. I stayed with people we knew and was always escorted everywhere, so I only negotiated the airports on my own at IGI, Colombo (transit) and Changai.
Then came Athens via Dubai. First trip really alone, meaning I knew no one there and what an adventure it was! It was a culture shock not in terms of how others behaved but how dumb I was!
The third one was to the Netherlands. By now I knew some of the ropes but still Amsterdam is one of those places ...
Then came Italy (by the way all these trips have been related to work, I have never taken a vacation abroad nor do I think we will take one apart from maybe doing the Everest base camp one day) and a trip to Venice. Truly enchanting and also alone! Venice is not the place to go alone.
Then came a four year drought when I was caught in some lousy jobs, a time when there was no research, no travel, only many good students, at least at the last place, and a few even before.
Finally the last two trips to UK with the Canon in hand! The highlight of the first was a trip to Saltaire, UK. And then Oxford and London.
The second one, the most recent one, walking in Oxford has been a pleasure.
That is all, sums up the last 10 years when I used my passport! I hope there are a few more such trips in store for me in future!
The first trip abroad was Singapore, I was still a Ph.D. student and in fact ,when my first paper was accepted I had apply for the passport in a hurry. I got it in time to make the trip. I stayed with people we knew and was always escorted everywhere, so I only negotiated the airports on my own at IGI, Colombo (transit) and Changai.
Then came Athens via Dubai. First trip really alone, meaning I knew no one there and what an adventure it was! It was a culture shock not in terms of how others behaved but how dumb I was!
The third one was to the Netherlands. By now I knew some of the ropes but still Amsterdam is one of those places ...
Then came Italy (by the way all these trips have been related to work, I have never taken a vacation abroad nor do I think we will take one apart from maybe doing the Everest base camp one day) and a trip to Venice. Truly enchanting and also alone! Venice is not the place to go alone.
Then came a four year drought when I was caught in some lousy jobs, a time when there was no research, no travel, only many good students, at least at the last place, and a few even before.
Finally the last two trips to UK with the Canon in hand! The highlight of the first was a trip to Saltaire, UK. And then Oxford and London.
The second one, the most recent one, walking in Oxford has been a pleasure.
That is all, sums up the last 10 years when I used my passport! I hope there are a few more such trips in store for me in future!
Labels: Musing, Travel, Travel abroad
posted by Mridula at 10:11 PM
8 Comments:
Imagine if there was a document that would get stamped each time you traveled within India, what a collection of memories that would yield, of places visited.
Instead, only occasionally when I come across an old train ticket do I remember of a trip taken!
anil - thats actually would be so nice. At least one can look at that document and feel good.
Mridula - thats a fair bit of places in 10 years. Best wishes.
I was searching on google when I got this site. I would read more over time.
In your free time, visit www.ghumakkar.com and if it interests you then share some of your stories there as well.
good luck
>>Imagine if there was a document that would get stamped each time you traveled within India, what a collection of memories that would yield, of places visited.<<
Anil: It's going to happen very soon... I'm a UPite and have already applied for a Visa to visit Mumbai.
Wow thats great! Do you have to return the passport to get new? or can we just keep it for all these wonderful memories?
I know Anil, I still have some tickets from my Ladakh trip!
Atul, I hope not!!!
Yes Ajay, they let you have the passport, at least that is what I have seen with others till now.
Nandan, thanks for sharing the link, can I share one of my back posts? Because the elaborate write up you guys maintain, I won't be able to match on a regular basis.
The only countries I've travelled to, outside India, are Pakistan and Nepal.
:)
Pakistan must have been very interesting experience Sidhu, I too have been to Nepal but as you don't need a passport to do it I didn't include it here.
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