In the land of Make Believe – Kushagra Shrivastava’s Blog

A whole quarter has passed and I’ve not traveled anywhere in 2010. This sucks!

I couldn’t travel partly because I was ‘busy’ interviewing for a role change internally at Google and later relocating from Hyderabad to Bangalore. These first three months have really been crazy in terms of work. First, you interview, later you plan out a transition of your current roles and responsibilities, ramp a guy up to take up your job, and later unlearn everything and start learning new skills. Pretty awesome, but pretty tiring! I started as a Product Marketing Manager on Feb 15 and have been busy with some awesome projects since then. That said, it is high time to get that work-life balance back.

I plan to travel again — yaaaaaaa baby, woohooo

First stop, a luxurious spa holiday in Thailand in April — a much deserved break. And, after I’ll blow all my travel budget getting Thai massages and drinking by the beach it is back to traveling cheap — the way I like to do it.

A trip to Egypt, and a roadtrip across Europe is in planning stages and will become reality only if it is ‘really cheap.’ I am looking for a some folks with whom I can tag along and do mass-bookings to save on air-fare and hotel costs. So if you are interested, give me a buzz.

This year I plan to travel to places where I couldn’t in 2009. Top of the list if Ladakh. I’ll definitely take a 10 day trip as planned in 2009. I’ll do it the way I wanted to do — on bike, setting up tents and drive through Khardung La, highest motor-able road in the whole world and sleep beneath the stars, if it doesn’t get too cold that is

Also, a much awaited trip to the North Eastern India, I plan to visit all the places in my itinerary from 2009 in 10-12 days: Guwahati, Shillong, Kaziranga, Kohima, Kipfiizha, Jorhat, Dirang, Chabrilla, Nurarang, Tawang, and finally go to Pasighat — home town of Shaleha, my favorite girl friend and spend a day or two with her family I also plan to club in Bhutan, if possible that is.

Other then these two long vacations, I want to take some weekend trips to Karwar on coastal Karnataka, Pondicherry, Coorg, Ooty, Kabini, and other places near Bangalore. I heard there are some tremendous options, haven’t explored them as yet. And of course, my year will not be complete without hitting Goa, drinking my ass off, and crashing on the beach.

I travel not just because I like to; I do it because no book, no wise-man (read wise-ass) can teach me as much as my travels. It is such an humbling experience to see such amazing places, and feast on local cuisine (frog legs, and sea grass included ). Clicking pictures of some of the most scenic places, exotic food, and locals is another passion of yours truly. Photographs are not just for memories, they are for the world to see (thanks to the Internet) and visit the places I’ve been to.

Here is to exciting 9 months full of travel.

So if you are not one of the travel types, and think that Discovery Travel and Living has shown you everything — you cannot be more wrong.

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