We come into this world with our eyes closed. Our life from then on is a blind date with the world. Different people and varied experiences at various stages of life mould us into the people we become.
The beauty of life is that every experience helps us evolve. If we wish to, that is.
Travel is my passion and also my blind date with the world. I look forward to the thrill of experiencing a new place, each time I tick off places listed on my bucket list. For no matter how much research you may do, and how many people share their experience of a place with you, when you visit it for the first time, it is a blind date with that place. It is you who discovers something new for the first time, with new eyes.
I experienced my first snowfall in Beijing, where I was welcomed with a white carpet of it. I admit to looking up at the sky in awe, as perfectly formed snowflakes fell softly around me. I caught them on my tongue, made snow angels and squealed with joy as my feet sunk into the thick carpet snow made on the ground.
This experience made me thankful, for the wonders of nature and that I could experience something I had looked forward to doing so.
Traveling the world makes you realize how small you are, in the bigger scheme of things. Despite which all of us have a responsibility. Look at the world as your own home and you will want to respect and nurture it.
Just like the Bhutanese do. Bhutan is the only country in the world which calculates the Gross National Happiness of its people. The citizens of this country value their Happiness above everything else.
Little wonder then, that they are joyous, proud of their heritage and believe in giving back to their country and community. A true lesson in acceptance and gratitude.
Mind blocks and preconceived notions keep us from moving ahead and living life fully. Mine were busted thanks to travel, once again.
When planning another trip, we added Istanbul to our itinerary as doing so would make the nitty-gritty of the rest of our trip easier. We had little information or knowledge about the place, which made us form a mindset, and we weren’t too excited to visit it.
Landing into the country made us realize how wrong we were!
Istanbul had so much to offer, well dressed and striking people who looked like they had walked off a magazine cover. Amazing architecture and the famous Blue Mosque, the mighty Bosporus. We took it all in as we feasted on fist sized juicy strawberries, warm pretzels and chestnuts.
Born and bred in Bombay I left the city 6 years ago, with a fearful heart at what awaits me outside of my comfort zone. Having lived in 2 different cities since then, I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to move out. For embracing change, and both cities has made me richer in experience and honed me into a better person.
What is next on my Blind List? A visit to the oldest city of India, Varanasi. Bowing down in front of Kamakhya Devi in Guwahati. Getting drenched in Cherrapunji. To experience the blinding whiteness of the Rann of Kutch. The list is long, and I have a lifetime to complete it.
Whenever you get an opportunity to do so, I urge you to write down and refresh your blind list and go on a date with the world, which will serve as a self exploration date with yourself. Discover yourself as you discover the world. The best date ever.
Sharing a video I so resonate with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g6dDFy3d8o
This is definitely one of the best posts in this challenge. Love your travel diaries.
Thank you, Sonia.
A blind date with the world is a lovely concept and you rightly pointing out travel as an integral part of it.
Here’s wishing you many more blind dates with yet unexplored places. Loved this post!
Thank you, Varsha.
I loved reading through this Mayuri….The world indeed has so much to offer. Go on a #Blinddate with it and it will never fail to surprise you.
Thank you, Deepali.
The World is beautiful so is your post and the bucketlist.
Love your travel sojourns.. hope you accomplish the names yet to come as ticked off.
Thank you, Dipika.
I loved the way you narrated your first snowfall experience. It made me go back to Khardung la pass (Ladakh) where I experienced snowfall for the first time. Your bucket list looks attractive too. Plan your visit to Kutchch during March to May as it the breeding season of beautiful Flamingo. Best wishes.
Thank you for reading, Gowthama.
Wonderful thoughts and a memorable snow fall experience
Thank you, Suhasini.
It was nice reading this one in this writing prompt…..nicely done Mayuri….:)…..the blindlist prompt has seen many lovely writings including yours. I am also very happy to have participated in it myself…:)
Thank you, Anindya.
Thats quite a number of places you have been to MAyuri. Needless to say I am jealous!!! I am yet to explore the world, so have a long long bucket and blind list.
Thank you, Ramya.
Like you I love to travel. There is something joyous in looking at a place with new eyes and discovering hidden gems. Enjoyed reading about your experiences.
Thank you, Rachna.
I am so glad you get to travel with such enthusiasm, Mayuri. Indeed the more we travel we realize how much less we know about the world and its people. And, that is a wonderful blind list of yours. Hope you get to savour every place at your own pace. Good luck with the contest,M 🙂
Thank you, Meenakshi.
Travel really does open up your mind. I haven’t seen snowfall so that’s something that would top my list. And also Istanbul – Turkey fascinates me. The people really are so good-looking – and no that’s not why I want to go there :-). Varanasi too – we almost went there this summer then changed the plan to Agra at the last minute.
Damn… my comment disappeared.
All the places you spoke about have been on my list for ever so long.
I loved your experience with the snow, specially since I’ve never seen a snowfall. It must be wonderful. I’d love to go to Turkey too. Ever since I read a book on Istanbul, the country has fascinated me.
Oh and Varanasi was on my to-visit list this summer but then everyone said it would be too hot and we ended up going to Agra, which was also madly hot by the way, but we still had fun. This year it shall be Varanasi for sure.