As much as I love to travel and tour from one place to another, explore and discover new places, there are some situations which I come across in each journey of mine. These incidents are amusing, funny and leave me with a smile and I don’t even try reasoning it. There are many memories created and numerous people that I meet; some strangers who become co-travelers as they sit next to me in the aeroplane. Some who are standing in the same line as mine for the check in and are travelling for the same reason, which is for a vacation but our destinations are different.

Let’s start with the entertaining instances. The first is when people rush to the departure queue thinking that they are going to miss the flight. In spite of boarding pass already collected; they hurry as soon as the information for departure is announced. Some passengers create chaos and try to locate the people that they are travelling with. I have never understood why would a confusion be created and why would passengers think that their flight will be missed.

How can I forget when the passengers are standing for their boarding pass while checking in, and once they reach the counter, they forget their important documents and some of them carry the ticket with the travel date for the next day; the most surprising time was when the passenger had no idea how he was travelling to his destination, where was the transit from? He was a farmer going for work to the Gulf, and he knew his native language only. How would he travel without knowing a language in which he could communicate with the officials?? There are hundreds who leave the country for work every day for employment and each of them have one problem that is communication. The way these uneducated masses are spoken by the officials is disrespectful most of the times.

The next astonishing part is when passengers travelling get scared when their luggage is not seen on the conveyor belt. There are times when there has been switch between baggage while travelling, but that does not happen each time. Passengers need to wait patiently for the next lot to be put on the conveyor belt and stop panicking. The funniest bit lies when people do not recognize their bags, after picking and scrutinizing a suitcase, they keep it back on the belt. How can someone not identify their belongings?? If the model of your baggage is popular, just paste a sticker or make a distinguished mark on it.

The most annoying part while travelling is the various security checks, which is a process of immigration but carried endlessly. There are times when the metal detector is used and is just for the formality by the personnel. The accessories from belts, watches, leather shoes, jackets are scanned before the body checks are done. There are moments when the officers get angry and irritated with any question asked by the passengers.

If I am travelling alone, I am always amused by the conversations in the crowd. The unintentional overhearing of talks makes the journey more interesting as people speak loudly on their phones and interact in the highest volume with each other.

Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer. As people from all over the world are travelling together irrespective of their religion, caste, color, race, travelling gets everyone under one platform.

We were discussing about our travel plans, for a family trip this season. I gave options on somewhere in North India, as we were going to New Delhi for a visit. Since I love preparing itineraries, I prepared a schedule for a week to the destinations I wanted to go to. There were three options given, but alas, nothing was considered. That is the reason I don’t like planning holidays. We were halfheartedly ready for the trip, thinking about the place with least expectations on the short vacation. We finally ended up to a spiritual place, Haridwar and Rishikesh which is situated in Uttarakhand. Our perception changed in a week’s time, and we concluded that it is a place that one should visit. It is a different feeling being at this place. We fell in love with Rishikesh, which had so many adventures to explore. So let me start with Haridwar which can be covered in two days, the holiest place filled with temples. We went to a few of them, while describing, one of them had idols made of glass pieces, it was beautiful, while the other temple was cave shaped, the dark passage needed to be crossed to get inside. We went to an interesting multi-storeyed temple – Bharat Mandir, each floor depicted an era in the Indian history from the days of Ramayana until India’s independence. It is dedicated to the well renowned heroes of India and great saints from various religions. The eight floor holds the shrine of Lord Shiva from which a panoramic view of Himalayas. The visit to Chandi and Mansa Devi temple is a ride of 20 minutes from the town and has to be reached through a ropeway. It is a popular destination because of the cable cars, which offers an amazing view of the entire city. As we got done with these five temples, it was time for the evening prayer at Har Ki Pauri. When we reached the place, it was an enchanting sight to see. People from all across the world were gathered together at one spot, waiting for the aarti to begin. They were buying floral floats with lamps and incense and went to the banks of Holy Ganges to float. We followed the ritual, but I was thinking it would be so much better and the water would be cleaner if the practice of diyas was stopped. Some pilgrims took holy dips to remove their sins. There is no timing for holy dips; it is taken anytime of the day. As the clock struck 7 the chants started, and the priests were offering prayers to Goddess Ganga. A spectacle of sound and color is seen and the pilgrims from different walk of life are enjoying the enthralling experience. The next day as we reached Rishikesh, the Gateway to Garhwal Himalayas, we got ready for the exciting activities; we had a list of things that we wanted to do – Flying fox, White water rafting and many more. Rishikesh is a mixture of spirituality and adventure with many tourists. The first amazing experience was with Paddle India, as we completed the rafting with our guide Mukesh, our man for the day. The scenery was beautiful as we crossed different hills starting from Shivalik, The waves and currents were fun as the names are given to rapids (The Roller Coster, Golf course and many more). The 16 km rafting was completed in an hour as we enjoyed the dip in the cold water. The kayak was in front of us and there were other rafters enjoying the waves. Rowing the paddles with all the zeal and enthusiasm, we had a great time with the conversations. The warm welcome at the base of Paddle India made the trip more awesome. After a quick bite we went for a small hike to Neer Garh, no longer a hidden waterfall. It is an easy walk for half an hour and the force by which the water comes gives a good massage to the body. As Mukesh and Manohar gave us company, we could see the place as a local tourist. And sometimes the journey to a place becomes more interesting as you meet the right people in your travel. The next was Asia’s longest flying fox with Jumping Heights. We booked for our adventure and got on the bus which would take us 15 kms across to the jumping site. There is bungee (83 mts high) and swing along flying fox. We did not go for bungy as we wanted to do it from the best place at home, The Last Resort, Nepal. As we were harnessed to the wire, which rolled down on release of gravity, with the speed of 160 km/hr, it was not enthralling as we could see the end. We cut Flying fox from our list of things to do. And as we hitch hiked back to the town, we made couple of friends, students studying in Delhi and chilled with them. With the evening and morning prayers, loud, peaceful and happens on the banks of River Ganges. Rishikesh is the place to be if you are looking for hiking, backpacking and an adventurous trip!!

If you want to experience the evening aarti at Haridwar, check :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiAoCj5yOJI

White water rafting :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7qvud1fgc0 and also at

How wonderful would it be if we could travel each month in a year, take some days off from our busy schedules, and just go off exploring different places. Each trip need not be fancy, neither luxurious travelling is required, but being a wanderer at times is necessary. It takes us out from many troubles and questions that we have been finding answers to. We get to know what we are seeking in life and the best decisions are made when we have taken the leap of faith.To travel is to take a journey into ourselves. It again depends on what type of a traveler we are; the budgeted ones who want to discover each attraction possible, experience all the adventures or do we belong to the next category for whom travelling is about holidaying and relaxing.

We should make our plans to travel once a quarter, even if it is for the weekend . Every destination has so much to learn and so many memories to create. There is something about travel and the varied people that we meet, the different lifestyles that we may adopt, the cultures that we start loving, and customs we make ourselves part of.

Since I have been travelling often, it’s been an amazing journey and how I wish one day I can make memories all around the world. And how I pray I get paid while I leave my trail all across and get richer with thousands of experiences out of my comfort zone. From the yellow sand dunes, to the view of magnificent hills, from the heart throbbing bungee to white water rafting and hitch hiking, it’s been a crazy ride, and looking forward for more to follow and add on to my lists.

The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time. There is a different charm to this line which says:: DON’T BE A TOURIST, BE A TRAVELER 🙂

Some visit just happens, spontaneous and impromptu. The last minute decision to visit Kopan Monastery was one of them. North from Boudhanath lies the Kopan hill, where the magnificent monasteries are located. As we completed the event at The KTM Drive, wherein we gave healthy kits inclusive of lotion, bathing soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair oil, nail cutters and hand towel to six kids at Bouddha and conducted an awareness program on sanitation, we thought of visiting the gumba which was nearby.

We were all set on our bikes, and it took about 20 minutes to reach the top. I remembered driving to the monastery some years back and when we reached; the gates were closed. Since they are strict about their timings, it is best to visit in the morning. The drive was a little tough as I was a beginner then, and it was a good practice for me. It sure is a waste if you cannot get a chance to enter the premises. The roads are narrow with steep slopes; you have to be an experienced driver to reach this destination.

This place is one of the best tourist spots which had magnificent pieces of work. There were thousands of people, especially the ones who follow the religion of Buddhism in the hall, which was beautifully decorated with chandeliers and different colored ropes designed in a circular way. The prayers were being chanted and as we were observing the crowd. In no time, everyone stopped signing the prayers; the volunteers got up and started handing over packets to eat. It was a delightful sight to see.

There are two gumba on the main entrance and the place is surrounded by many other. We headed towards the stupa behind the prayer hall, and it was carved marvelously. The stupas were replica of one another, and each one of them had small golden Buddha statues, which were places perfectly in rows. We were amused to see the detailed architecture and the design. We were definitely impressed how it was made and the level of creativity applied. There was a statue of Buddha which was three sided and the life of Buddha was also shown elegantly in the miniatures. As we quickly took a round of the monastery we could see the view of the town. The houses in the valley looked unstructured, and the city looked congested with no greens and space for new houses to be built.

As the place is open every day, the timings on Saturdays are different; visitors need to enter by 12 in the noon. There are many other monasteries nearby, but they are mostly closed. Some run teaching lessons and are allowed to enter with special permission. The child monks stay in a nearby building and follow a disciplined routine as instructed. Preserving the Buddhist tradition as it was practiced in Tibet over many centuries is one objective of Kopan Monastery. Teachings, rituals and prayers honoring this tradition are part of the daily activities. If you have not been to that side of the town, you should not miss out on the beautiful statuette and monuments.

VLOG AT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0xnA5hTLvM

As I complete two years at Revolution Radio, I can officially say this is one of the best places to work at. The coolest online station which comes in live for four hours in the mornings and ends your fun filled day with lots of excitement with the evening shows from 7 to 11. If you are having a lazy day you can tune to different genre of music, whichever mood you are in, and the kind of songs you want to listen to can be heard on our official page www.rvlradio.com. We have nonstop rock music and to add to the rock category, we have Nepali pop rock, slow rock. If you are in for some classics, you can get to hear the track of your favourite Nepali artist, in for some jazz, we have that too. If you are hosting a get together and your dancing shoes are on, you need not wonder where to play good music from; just check our dance collections. With that we have mushy love songs lined up for our rev-lovers out there.

The radio has surely revolutionized with time, and RVL Radio is the best example. We not only get our voices on air but we also get you the view of how the studio looks like through the revcam. If you are confused and figuring out why it is called a revcam not a webcam, this is where the trick lies, we are not the ordinary radio station which has radio jockeys, rather we have voices from different professional fields that you cannot imagine of. We have doctor to fashion designer, social worker to reporters, accountant and pilot. It’s so cool how the team is diversified and each of us love the two hours of shows that we have in a week. We look forward to speaking live on air and connecting to the world. It does not matter how our day has passed but once we are on the show; there is a different kind of energy that comes in automatically. All thanks to the hundreds of listeners who are listening to us from different parts of the world.

The location and interiors of the studio is so amazing at the Moksha parking space as the paints on the wall complement well with the lights. We can get a feeling of what is happening outside the studio and what the weather is like. As we get our station live in a simple and easier way, we have our application which is app-solutely mobile; just search for Rvl radio on your play store if you are using android phones. We have launched our application for ios users too with the same name.

We come with fun and interesting shows and some you can never think about. We have shows like turn it on, soundtrack of your life, strictly rock, mash-ups. We also encourage Nepali talents to send in their covers of song if they have recorded any, we have shows with the Nepali and English top 20 charts every week. A show on Indie music, another where we take in tracks from your playlist as you flaunt your compilation, new releases, shows which get you going. One interesting show that we have is Kill your TV, where we not only make you listen to amazing music but also your best videos can be watched. In this era of internet, when you are online all the time, we get you connected to your loved ones through Facebook, twitter and take in Skype calls. We don’t do ordinary at RVL.

As we play only English and Nepali music and our shows are not scripted. The best part about this radio is that we as voices have the liberty to interact with our listeners however we want and conduct our shows at our own ease with the craziest idea. And it all happens because of one person that we adore, Ashish Dai.

We have gotten lovely jingles composed by Manoj dai and the technicalities which is taken care by him at the station. Our timings of programs and voices can be checked on our official page. Radio is all about multi tasking getting the right songs, blending one track with another, and at the same time taking in requests and answering all the posts sent on our pages. To add to it interacting with all rev-listeners and framing what is to be spoken next. And when you love what you are doing, you are not working a day in your life, and trust me it surely gets addictive.

Love talks and relationship advice can go on endlessly, one of the subject which has so many questions and very few answers. Everyone is an expert while dealing with other’s love story but can hardly manage their own. As we all know it is easier said than done. There is no point taking second opinion about love situations or sharing it along for suggestion from anyone, as we know that we won’t move forward with it, if the thought is not in sync with what we want to hear. Our heart already knows what we want and we will eventually follow our decision. There is no reasoning to things that love makes us do and the way we feel in the beautiful bond. The best is when this relation stays the same forever and the love story when described after 50 years still gives the goose bumps to the ones listening.

There are times when things do not go as planned in a relationship, the charm and spark fade in months and we part our ways and move on. We are in a situation where we love being single and are not on lookout for another person in our life. And just when we are not in the search, we might meet interesting people. The conversations and frequent get together are fun which makes us fall in love again. There are just some things we need to follow when we get on a new start. Comparing a relation to our ex never ends well and going back to ex is like reading the same book over and over again when we know how the story ends.

 

Each individual is different and there are some qualities which have attracted us to that someone special. We have accepted the way the person is and are appreciating how both of us complement each other. There is nothing extraordinary we are looking for, we are seeing the perfection in all imperfection, and not letting our exes affect our behavior. Whatever the reason are for the previous relation not working out or however things are left between two people, we need to start afresh on a clean slate. We cannot think about how our ex would have acted to a particular incident, or assess the kind of persona both of them have. If we start measuring, it is a disaster waiting to happen. An ex should stay an ex. They are the Example and Explanation for why we deserve better.

It makes no sense if we keep thinking about relationships and the number of years that we have been with that person. It has surely taught us so many things and made our life happier. A relationship of four years cannot be compared to the one of four months. Depending on the nature of each person, we can be friends with our ex. It is how mature we think as we do not want to let an amazing person go from our life. For some ex means “Thanks for the experience, as time has expired and now exit from my life.”

The reminiscences of the previous bond cannot lighten up and die, as they have been the fondest ones. With a new relationship, it’s time to make new memories and get to discover more about the other person. Once we express and communicate how we feel and let them know that there is nothing to worry about and they are the one. The insecurity if any would no longer exist and this could be the story of the couple who are meant to be together with a happy ending.

I met some sixty people during the family function last week, my mom made me meet quarter of them, and my granddad introduced me to half the crowd and the remaining lot asked who I was. That’s how I added those many faces in my mind, all in one day. I don’t remember their names individually nor do I recall how they are related. Some of them had interesting stories to tell about me, the kid they had seen years back who was all grown now. It was a fun conversation with some knowing about their experiences and their life tales and with some I wanted to take a rain check the moment they started talking.

It is so strange how the entire generation is associated with so many people whom they have never met nor heard. The bond and link of the newer lot is automatically less with the older age bracket as the family expands. The newer ones can relate to their immediate family members . Majority, it happens that the older ones are familiar with the family structure of far off relatives and still have that soft corner for all of them. This is because they have lived with one of the members and the second generation of that family gets related too. It all depends on the time that you have spent with the other person, that is when the attachment increases. A cousin brother of my granny is dear to her but when it comes to my connection towards him; it seems like a distant one. It surely is a closer one when its from his side, as I am his sisters granddaughter. With time, the knot between two individuals from different era is almost nil or a reduced one and the bond is not same on both sides.

We hardly know the names of our far off relatives?? We wouldn’t be bothered about what is happening around them?? And since we have not stayed with them we do not have the attachment. At the same time, if there are people who are not even related by family and you have a friendly relation with them, the affection is more. It all depends on the individual comfort and chemistry. Each relationship is valuable and the two people who are a part of it only understand the significance of it. Relations are pretty amusing as the level of it changes with each person but the nature and character of each entity remains the same.