Travel Memories: I Will Always Be Grateful for These Unforgettable Moments — Part 2
#6. When I went paragliding for the first time!
Lockdown gave me a chance to look back into my travel memories recently. I still remember my friends and I sitting down and chatting while the topic slowly drifted towards travel.
We soon started sharing our travel stories and especially started recollecting all our travels the year before lockdown. I then realized that I had taken four vacations in 2019, with multiple weekend trips in between.
Growing up, my family never had the habit of going on vacations. Vacation for me always meant visiting my grandparents’ places for the summer and playing with all my friends there.
After I got married in 2019, my husband and I decided to travel as much as possible. And talking about my travel stories with my friends made me realize how grateful I was to create those memories before the “deadly virus” year.
As we went through all of our photos, emotions of joy and gratitude filled me, which I aim to share with you here.
— Part 1
*This article is the second of a 2-part series. You can find the first article here.
**All photos are of the Indian subcontinent
5. Mattupetty Dam in Munnar — A moment for conversations
I took this photo in Munnar, a picturesque hill station famous for its tea plantations, when my husband and I visited Kerala, God’s own country, in December of 2019.
This lake will always have a special place in my heart. As a couple, we were going through some problems then. It felt as though we had been pulled apart by our hectic schedules back home and had not had a proper conversation for months. The silence and peace here made us realize that there is so much more to life than our work, and nothing is more important than our relationship.
The patterns in the clouds, the crystal clear water, and the cold breeze also truly made me realize the beauty of nature.
6. Vagamon, Kerala — I went paragliding for the first time! (Best travel memory ever)
Again one of the best experiences of my life! I was skeptical of being afraid of heights, but it was amazing! The whole experience lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes, where I glided all over the mountains in Vagamon. I had never seen a better panoramic scene before!
I was also able to have a conversation with my instructor, who I later found out was from North India and only came South during the paragliding season. I asked him how he came into this risky job and was curious about whether he feared his life. The way he confidently said, “This is my job, and the only thing I know to do. My family depends on me, so I have to do this”, blew my mind.
Many times, we never realize the efforts people from the adventure sports industry put for us. This episode exponentially increased my respect for all the instructors involved in this field.
7. Gokarna, Karnataka — Where I finally learned what “chilling” meant
Gokarna inspired me so much that I wrote an article about it. My husband and I visited Gokarna, as a means to a much-required release after COVID-19 lockdown, for our 2nd anniversary. And I could not have asked for anything better.
The sound of the waves and the cold January breeze got me out of my writer’s block and taught me an important life lesson. To experience life as it comes and to enjoy the smallest of things happening around you.
On top is my husband standing on the beach. On the bottom left is a picture of a gorgeous boat during sunset and on the bottom right is me relaxing in a shack and journaling (the table with the view).
8. Ranganathar Temple, Srirangam — This trip left me looking at my home town from a different perspective
Srirangam (actually its adjacent town Trichy) is my hometown. I have been visiting that place for god knows how long and have also visited the Ranganathar Swamy temple countless times.
**Fun fact: Srirangam is the largest functioning Hindu Temple in the world, and the tower is the second largest one in the Asian continent.
But all our trips to the temple have always been in hurry-burry. We entered the temple, worshiped the deity, exited the temple, and continued with our daily lives. I never enjoyed the beauty, looked at the architecture, or learned more about the numerous stories of the massive historical structure.
I could say I am ashamed of this too.
When my husband and I visited the temple last December, a sense of peace and calmness washed over me. I took my own sweet time to look around the Koil (Temple in Tamil, my mother tongue), experience the divine, inhale the smell of incense sticks and Tulasi (a variety of basil leaves), and stroll to absorb everything.
The experience was life-altering for me. Often, we take everything around us for granted, and over time lose its value in our eyes. In our quest to search for something we don’t have, we forget the things we already have and forget how grateful we should be for them.
This trip to my hometown taught me this vital lesson.
Looking through these photos and reminiscing the travel memories with friends and family brought back happiness, peace, and gratitude. It has also increased my passion for traveling further, going around the world, visiting places, experimenting with food, and meeting new people.
I can’t wait for COVID-19 to get over!
When was the last time you looked into old photos of yours? Share your experience in the comments below!
