It was 2016, when I realised that I could do travel related jobs and not take up a desk job, save money and then travel. With an English Honours degree, I was telling myself that I should be preparing for banking exams and get into a job, all for money. Then I could travel with it. I had no passion for bank jobs or say any desk job. When I spoke my thoughts out to my Ma (my teacher from high school), she told me how my eyes sparkled when I spoke of travel, and that statement was enough to realise that I shouldn’t do anything other than travel. I thank her for being the spark to my career, she pushed me in the right direction with just one statement, aren’t teachers just amazing. I am lucky enough that she made me her daughter when I was in high school. We hardly talk, but when we meet, we know what we mean to each other.
So right after my graduation, I moved to Kerala, when I got a chance to be a content writer for an adventure company in Munnar. It was a job for just ten thousand rupees and the stay wasn’t pleasant at all. But that’s the price you pay for passion. The world around me seemed beautiful and I was encouraged to follow my dreams. That’s the start to my tiptoe journey. It was an opportunity to live in a new place, explore it and also work. And I called myself ‘Tiptoe Traveller’, as I knew that I won’t be a travel nomad, rather I wanted to travel at my own pace and when opportunity came my way, without any rush.
My journey in Munnar, which was supposed to be for few months, extended to years. For the next two years I didn’t leave the place, was engrossed in work and also the beauty of this amazing hill station. That’s when I decided to take up my first planned trip and also combined it with homecoming. I visited Calcutta after two long years. But before that, I took up the crazy adventure to North East India. It was a friends trip, with Charlson Joshy my crazy friend and brother from Munnar and Sajan Chetan or Saja. Though Saja is elder to us, he was more experienced and one of the pioneers in trekking and adventure activities around Munnar, Kerala. We set out on a journey for 3 weeks, starting with Shillong, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. It will always remain a special trip for me. We backpacked across the places and travelled on budget, making it crazy adventurous. I’ve not pack packed anywhere after that.
I am so proud of myself and happy that I did it, and we stayed back that night, at a homestay, very close to the bridge. It’s an experience of a lifetime. The waterfall under the bridge was so good that we bathed there, and next day morning it was swelling up as if a flood had risen. That was very normal in Cherrapunji. I so want to do it again, maybe when my daughter will be big enough to carry her own backpack and join me.
The best of the adventure was the visit to Double Decker Root Bridge and Visit to Twang Monastery. One was adventurous and the other peaceful. What a journey that was, it had everything we wanted. Spontaneous plans, random choice of stay, lived with locals and trekked and relaxed. I want to say so much more about the trip, so will put it under ‘My Trip to the North East Indian Gems’.
Then I visited my home like a guest. It’s a crazy feeling. I ensured I had our biriyani with aloo in it, had fuchka, yummy fish cutlets, mahal muri, and yummy food made by mom. And I did meet my Teddy. It was a ritual, I was never allowed to leave Calcutta without meeting him. We were classmates for 5 years, during our early teenage. As time passed by, we don’t know when we became best friends. He is till date the best man I have met in my life.
During my college days, we had made it a point to visit every museum in Calcutta. That was how I actually got to explore my city. From Railway Museum to Police Museum, we left none. We also visited the Marble Palace and Jorasanko Thakurbari, which is a must visit when you visit my Calcutta.
The travel bug in me always made me want to travel, and my God brought opportunities that made me travel. Can you believe that?
Right after my North East Trip, I got a chance to work as social media presenter for the Kerala Tourism. It was a big milestone in my travel career.
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