Solo Trip to South Goa

Way back in 2010 I wandered alone for 3 months which was "I am left with no options" as I was alone in HK and sitting in room was getting more boring. Ended up exploring few places in and around HK, alone.

After so many years, I set out on a solo trip to get my own time for myself to Goa, unplanned, no hotel bookings and with very less balance in my savings account, ofcourse credit card was there to rescue. When I left Dharwad, had thought of meeting friends in Belguam and nothing more. All the meeting, cheering, tea, gup shap was over in a hour's time, as friends were busy with their work. What next ? Goa !

Dharwad -> Belgaum -> Agonda

Around 4pm I reached Agonda, parked my car and walked the narrow lane asking for a room. the options were plenty. Checked few rooms but the one facing the sea was more attractive, priced Rs 3000/- per night and I said yes. The only luggage was backpack with couple of dresses and a laptop with it's charger. Beside my room was a restaurant, sea facing, offering drinks and food. Took a beer and a paneer tikka and started leaving all tensions, worries, headaches one by one. 

 My only thought was "what do I do, alone ?" The first day, I just sat watching the waves, had a long bare foot walk, wandered to and fro deciding where to have dinner. Zeroed in on the same restaurant where I had lunch. There was some live performance, singing some romantic, dil bhare and some foot tapping numbers. I drowned myself in Glenfiddich and the songs.

Hadn't spent being alone, purposely, anytime. Even though I was alone on the table, communication to couple of friends didn't stop and I didn't wanted to stop (not with N). It was a Sunday and Monday was a holiday too. There was no pressure of getting up early and warming up and start working, keeping me awake past midnight listening to the gushing waves. 

Room View

The Agonda stretch was small, the ends of the narrow lane were not far and therefore I looked out for other options, found Palolem to be more crowded, made it my next destination. Had breakfast, checked out from room and headed towards Palolem. Again checked out some rooms and decided to stay in Brushwood resort (never stay there).  

In Palolem, I would take a walk in the morning before breakfast, work, take a walk for lunch, work, take a looong walk for dinner and sleep. Opted for a new restaurant every time, a different cuisine every time. But 2 things didn't change, my silence and drinks (beer in the afternoon and whiskey at night). For 4 - 5 days I spoke to anybody other than the waiter.

Palolem

Being with myself, walking along the seashore, watching the waves gushing and calming down, observing the sunset was all that needed to drain the worries, tension of a city life. That's the time one asks self why there is a need to lead a stressful life ? why there is a need of competition to have a peace of mind ? why there is a need to wait for a weekend ? Although the eagerness to talk to somebody increased after few days, but that would settle down if one decides. In the world of unknowns, one a attains peace and learns to live more calmly.

Having experienced this, the next year may bring in more solo trips! 

Harmony

Harmony - coming from a Greek word Harmonia meaning - joint, framework, agreement. 

The most sought after living, yet it's the most difficult thing to achieve or probably the area where least effort is put on by humans. It's an inherent feature in everybody when it comes to communicating the feelings, thoughts, conflicts, disagreement and ofcourse expectations. 

When harmony has to exist between 2 humans or a group of humans, communication holds the key. Let's take Husband and Wife relationship. They got to live together, go through emotions, share living space, protect each other, sail ups and downs but how? harmoniously! And it will be harmoniously when the communication between the two is impeccable, be it about feelings, expectations, conflicts or expectations. This is where the relationship fails a lot of times.

I didnt specifically mean marriage relationship, that was just an example. The relationship could be of 2 friends or a group of friends, parents and children, families, teacher and student, leader and team. So much build up, like KGF !

We fail to express our expectations, feelings, disagreement and even if we do so there is difficulty in getting on a agreement which pleases both the parties. And when there is no agreement, the relationship breaks. But the question here is - what should the topic where both the parties express disagreement and dont come to common terms? And when there is a disagreement, then comes next step, one of the parties should take a step back or both the parties can take a step back/forward to get the harmony in place.

I have a situation. I am not keen on spending 2 nights to celebrate new year, just because few friends aren't ready to drive back home on 1st reasoning to have exhausted after the party. Multiple reasons

•  Alcohol is not the primary way of partying for me
• I already have plans for a trip just before the new year
• I dont want skip my work and also dont want my daughter to miss her school due to an extended stay
• Even though the price of extended stay would be less, it unnecessary

I haven't been so rigid before but I have my reasonable reasons to stick to. 

This is a disagreement. I have communicated. The other party has communicated too. There may be not a compromise by both parties. 

What next ? Harmony breaks ? Only time can tell.

Travel

Something to unwind, something to breakfree, something to explore, a way to learn from past and present, something to experience ... meet ... greet people, something to experience climate ... food ... culture is what for we travel. Trips also explains us how much we have been occupied with routine, how mundane is our job, how much of we are missing in our life, how much more can we get out of our life.

All that glitters is not gold, yup all the trips doesnt meet the purpose. 

Looking back at last 2 years, we have been places to unwind and rejuvenate ourself. 

2022

Mysore, Nanjangud

Pune, Lonavala

Sikkim

Udupi

2021

Nandi Betta

Sakleshpur

Belur, Halebeedu

Goa

Coorg

Coimbatore

But every time we return from trip, we end up taking a day of rest before resuming work.

Am I traveling the right way? Am I planning the right travel? Am I defining the "Travel" correctly?  

Certification in Life

I have been educating/training/working on a certification in professional life. Its been long and every time I open the course, the "why" question diverts me to close laptop and just lazy around tv or do something else.  Wondering what is this "why" question? 

Why should I do this certification? Especially when I dont have a task related to it. 

Answer could be : prepare yourself, so that you are ready when the task comes.

Right from childhood, we have been doing the same. Prepare yourself for Maths, may be you get into a chemistry course hence ready chemistry or possibly you might end up taking up medicine so learn biology. 

Let's assume I get into Maths stream, what about the time I spent studying biology? Is it going to be helpful any time? Well, there will be people who will be there to guide me when I need it, the doctors!

So what is the all fuzz about? Everyone, literally everyone, is living for the future and nobody is living at the present. And when the "that" future arrives, do we know we are ready/exist to face it?

So why take the certificate of completing I std, II std ... X std, the Graduation, the Post Graduation or the Kubernetes? 

I refuse.

Short write up so that I can get back to prepare for Kubernetes certification.

Improvising the habit

Just recollected when and where it all began - Vodka diaries 

And looking at myself where I am.

Started of with Screw driver (which screwed by health). It lasted in multiple forms for ~4 years until and unless I realized the impact on my physical well being (neither was mental well being in good shape).  

And how on earth did I realize? Simple, sugar levels were sky rocketing. So its a WARNING. Avoid Vodka/Breezer.

But then switch to what? Here is the profound knowledge, Whiskey. Arrey isski !. Its not going to impact sugar levels directly. What will it impact might be your question and that's a homework for you 😆

I have moved from Vodka to Breezer to Rum to Shots to Whiskey and now embarking on the journey with Beer. It has been an enormous discovery of which alcohol impacted me all these years. Some of them good and some bad experience. 

The ones which I enjoyed a lot were the single malt and I still do.  I would also like give some credits to couple of kameenas for pushing me into this ocean. 

Long live the kameenas 🍻

STATUTORY WARNING : This is not a post to be proud of nor I am encouraging any sort of habit nor to improvise it. This is just a post for myself to read when I am old and recollect memories.