Shruthi's Travel Diaries

23/08/2021

The patterns in the sky have always fascinated me. There constantly seems to be a battle between the clouds and the sun, each trying to overpower the other. From the sun trying to shoot its rays through the clouds to the clouds trying to cover the sun just before rains, it's enjoyable to watch.
So, here are some of my favorite moments of this jugalbandi:)

20/08/2021

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost, The road not taken

19/08/2021

Hibiscus flowers have always been close to my heart.

From my mother constantly growing it in our garden to put it on the Siddhivinayak photo to teachers giving the "Hibiscus dissection project" for our 6th or 7th grade (I think so) biology classes, the hibiscus was always a part of my childhood.

But they've always been the red flowers. The first time I saw the white ones were during a trek in Munnar, when all those childhood memories came rushing back to me. And I couldn't stop myself from capturing the beauty.

My mother still puts the flowers on the Siddhivinayak photo by the way, and now I have started doing it too:)

🌺 ❤

18/08/2021

I'll never forget my first Nandi Hills trip for 2 reasons:

1. I recall waking up at 4, on my wedding anniversary, to be on time to watch the sunrise. Going on a freezing bike ride, early in the morning, across the city, with a Harry Potter wand (the anniversary gift) in my pocket. Then not able to watch the sunrise because the whole place was filled with fog:) The walk upstairs and the breakfast was terrific, though.

2. Then, for the second half of the day, I remember getting called into the office because of an escalation (I was still on leave that day) and working my ass off from 12 noon to 11 pm that night. Not at all able to spend time with my husband, or take care of him, even though he fell sick because of the freezing morning cold. What started as a fantastic day became a nightmare.

But I learned an important lesson that day. To know to set my boundaries and prepare myself enough to set my boundaries. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to put an out-of-office email that day and had just informed my tech lead about the leave two days back. And had also failed to notify the onsite counterpart. Worst decisions ever.

I never made the same mistake again, though, and for that, I'm proud. This day will always remind me of the repercussions that could happen:)

17/08/2021

Getting to know your hometown better is always special. And I'm grateful that COVID gave me a chance to do that.
Sick of staying at home, my husband and I started searching for new ways to travel while being safe. And voila! We got an idea to cover all the wonderful spots in and around Bangalore.
I don't think we would have ever taken up this project if not for COVID lockdown. We often underestimate the city we grow up in and look for places outside for travel. Far away places look and sound more fascinating in our minds.
But when was the last time we asked ourselves, "How well do I know my city?".

16/08/2021

My last trip to my hometown meant so much more to me than usual. Probably because I was more aware of the beauty surrounding me, or because I got to pause and reflected on everything around me.
I have been visiting the Srirangam temple from when I was a kid. But it was only now that I paused, stopped moving with the crowd, looked around, basked in the morning sun, and inhaled the wonderful smell of Tulasi combined with the fragrance of agarbatti.
There's definitely something about Vishnu temples that have pulled me in from time immemorial. The peace and the calmness of mind I get from these places cannot be compared to any other experience. The aura probably? I have no idea.
But I did make a promise to myself during this visit. In the future, I will definitely take more measures to get to know about the rich history of my hometown. To appreciate the place enough, and be proud of my heritage.

15/08/2021

Welcome to my Travel Diaries!

I'm Shruthi, a travel writer who is passionate about inspiring people through travel stories. You can find a curated list of personal stories, itineraries, travel tips, how-tos related to travel, and inspiring stories of other travelers to motivate you to go around the world even more!

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