Showing posts with label Andaman Islands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andaman Islands. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 December 2014

Of Vacations And Teddy...

I have one Daughter.
But, I have two Kids.

Say what?!

Yes, you heard that right.

The two kids at my place, are my Husband and my Daughter.

Why do I say, that my Husband is a kid?

Not just a kid, my Husband is even more kiddish than my Daughter.

And that kiddish behavior magnifies in its existence, the time we decide to go, for a Vacation...

More than annoying me, both my Kids' kiddish behavior, leads us to discovering something new, not just once, but many times over, during a single trip.

This post is going to list some such instances of somewhat kiddish behavior, which have made my vacations, more memorable than I had expected them to be, in the first place...

Such instances have added dollops of 'Magic' to my Travelogues.

~~~

My daughter's curiosity, coupled with my husband's fetish to click pictures, has given my Vacations a certain 'magical' touch.

Take, for instance...

These snaps from our Vacation to the Andamans...


We had befriended a Mollusk who was busy catching hold of its intruder...
While it attempted to catch hold of Mister's hand, in vain, I sure caught hold of a picture - a unique Black shell and its inhabitant, intact! :D


This one is from our Cottage at the Sea Shell Resort. The property there, had a private beach.
Hubby and Daughter went off, for a quick morning walk.
The canine friend, they brought back, tagging along, was a pleasant surprise! :)
He refused to leave the Sitting Area outside the cottage, as we found him, sitting outside still, even in the evening!
The next morning, it had made its way back to the beach...


This one, again, is from our Cottage.
Mister had decided to re-launch the revamped Chipko Movement.
Seen here, he is 'hugging' the palm right outside the cottage...
See the expression?
I Am NOT Going To Leave This Palm, At Any Cost!
Kiddish, yet memorable...



This is the most unique picture, we've managed to acquire, over ALL our vacations.
Can you guess, what it is?

These are White Crab's Dens.
These are  dug up places, or should I say geometric patterns?
White Crabs live in the white sand, spread across the Radhanagar Beach on the Havelock Island.
This was the Daughter's discovery, the Husband's click, and my joy!

~~~

On a serious note, I concur with the following ideology...

"The more that you Read, the more things you will Know.
The more that you Learn, the more places you'll Go."

~~~

I still remember our vacation to Kanyakumari, clearly.
The daughter was nine, at that time.

The way she'd jumped with joy, on witnessing the 'meeting point' of the three bodies of water in India, is indescribable.

It was the first time when she'd visited a 'place of significance', that is, according to her Geography book.

They'd been repeatedly asked as a routine 'Fill In The Blank' question...

_______ is the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent, also the meeting point of the three water bodies in India.

A similar expression was captured in my lens, when we'd visited the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, and she'd been cross-checking what all she had learnt in her History course, at that time.

Countless have been such knowledge-imparting experiences.

~~~

From then on, we've covered almost the entire country, summarized in numerous travelogues, over the years, and the 'Magic' in our Vacations has been that point in time, when my Daughter learnt something new,

It has been magical to bring back home, some learning experiences from our 'Teddy Travelogues', every time.

The Teddy being my Daughter, of course. :)

~~~

As far as the question - 'How do I ensure that my Daughter has the best of times during her Vacation?' - is concerned, I have been abiding by the following ideology so far, and will even continue to do so.

Do NOT force your kids to tag along, to ALL the places you've listed in your itinerary.

If they don't feel like going along to a certain place, just let them be.

I still remember our trip to Goa.
The daughter was seven, at that time.

We had been staying at Cidade De Goa.
She'd refused to go along, to three beaches, all in a day.
The plan was for the third day of our trip.

Then, we discovered Cidade's 'Kiddies Room'.
And, that was her gateway to Paradise.

On the second day of our five-day long stay, we visited the 'Kiddies Room' in the evening.
The caretaker there, was a college-going girl in her early twenties.

She played for two hours with my daughter, telling her stories, role-playing 'Teacher-Student', and solving some jigsaws.

The Kiddies Room became my daughter's favorite place, thereafter!
She longs to go back and visit the Kiddies Room, again! :)

Meanwhile, we decided to tweak our itinerary to visit one Church, and two beaches instead, and the plan for the next day was made.

The third beach was shifted to the last day, instead.
Everyone was happy! :)

~~~

Waiting to hear from you too, about some of your kid's 'Teddy Travelogues'...
Feel free to express yourself in the Comments Section. :)

~~~

This post has been written as a part of Indi Happy Hours' #TravelWithKids in association with Club Mahindra and IndiBlogger.

Monday, 15 December 2014

Tis' The Time To Holiday...

Christmas Cheer Once Again...

Ten Days To Go...

~~~

For, December's when we get into the Holiday Spirit...

Because...

Tis' The Time To Be Jolly...

Fa La La La...

Fa La La La...

Tis' The Time To Holiday...

Fa La La La...

Fa La La La...

~~~

Singing Along?

Were You?

Weren't You? :)

~~~

The Christmas of 2012...

Is fresh as a daisy in my grey cells...

As one of the most memorable holidays in my entire life-span, so far...

~~~

The Farthest We'd Been From Home...

The Longest Time We'd Spent In A Far Off Land... - One Week...

Till Date...

~~~

25-30 December 2012...

The Andaman Islands...

~~~

See, the Record Statistics had already been set...

More was yet to come...

But, this vacation was bound to be the most special holiday, till date...

~~~

From Having Shot...

'Cloudy Charisma' In The Andaman Sky...

Like This...







~~~

To Landing At Port Blair...

To Cruise The Fair Seas...

To Havelock Island...

Just About To Board The MacCruise...
The Clear Sky...
The Soothing Breeze...
And The Many Ships & Boats In The Andaman Sea... :)

~~~

To Playing Green Ambassadors To The Palms And The Coconuts Outside Our Cottage At Sea Shell Resort...

Mr. Khanduja's Chipko Movement... :D

Yet Again...

The Bridge Between Nature And Humans...

~~~

To Uncovering The Marvels Of Nature...

Such As These...

The Limestone Caves, At Baratang Island...

~~~

To Resting The Evening Away At Our Private Shack...

At The Resort...


~~~

To The Mister Turning Eco - Curator For The Mangroves At The Resort's Private Beach...


~~~

To Spotting These...

At The Radhanagar Beach...

At Havelock Island...


Would You Take A Guess?

These Are Crab Dens...

Dug Up In The Sand! :)

~~~

Even Befriending A Canine...

Who Playfully Followed Her...

From The Private Beach...

To Her Cottage... :D

Daughter Dear - With Her Browny... :)

~~~

To Discovering These...

At The Naval Marine Museum...

Port Blair...

Calcified Flower Like Coral...

Is It A Coral?
Seems Like A Snowy Pine Cone...

Mushroom Coral Caps...

Seeming Like The Feathery Shawl Of Peacocks...

The Majestic King 'Bird' Shell Standing Tall...

~~~

Saluting This Man...

At The Cellular Jail...

Port Blair...

Cellular Jail, Port Blair


Pride Of The Nation - 'Vir' Savarkar 

~~~

The Thread Of A Sense Of Service To The Nation...

From The Martyrs Of Yesteryear...

To...

The Common Man Of Today...

~~~

Isn't that a truck-load of the most special memories, already?

You, now, tell me, about your most special holiday memory, in the comments...

For...

Tis' The Season To Holiday...

~~~

This post is a part of the WordPress Daily Prompts : 365 Writing Prompts program where the aim is to post at least one post a day based on the day's prompt.

December is the month when I officially Guest Author for Project 365, in partnership with Jaibala and Vinay, for our respective Guest Authoring Prompts, chosen beforehand.

The Prompt is, Memories Of Holiday Past - 'What is your very favorite holiday? Recount the specific memory or memories that have made that holiday special to you.'

This is my Twenty First Post as a guest author to Project 365 : We Post Daily!

Saturday, 21 June 2014

Because, Bon Voyage & Parivaar - #JodeyDilonKo - A Photo Blog Post...

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

~~~

What Comes To My Mind When You Say...

TRAVEL?

Places...

People...

Vacation...

Relaxation...

Experiences...

~~~

These are the common terms you'd associate with Travel.

But, for me...

FAMILY

Is The Most Important Term...

As Far As Travel Is Concerned...

~~~

Because,

If, as a kid, your first visit to an outstation city was at the age of 10, (Back in 1974), that too, to Kashmir...

And, if your husband keeps travelling to the Metro Cities of India...

For one or the other Conference, once in every three months or so...

And, the Cherry on the Cake...

If your own daughter kick - started with her voyages into the World, at the age of 7...

You can very proudly say...

That...

 Bon Voyage & Parivaar - #JodeyDilonKo...

~~~

I wonder where I should begin from...

From the first trip to Manali...

As Mrs. Khanduja, Maybe?

That's Us...
Back In 1994...
The First Travel Together - #JodeyDilonKo...

~~~

From That Serene Step...

In The Courtyard Of The Golden Temple...

At The Golden Temple, 2000

~~~

A Little Fast Forward In Time...

From Here...

The Worshipers Of Lord Hanuman...
All In One Picture...
2001

To Here...

At Sai Baba's Feet...
Shirdi
2004

~~~

They've All Been Memories...

All Bon Voyages...

All Family Trips...

Which Resonate The Emotion...

#JodeyDilonKo...

~~~

However...

The Mega - Vacation Was Yet To Come...

The Andaman Islands...

In The Chilly Winter Of 2012...

~~~

The Longest Distance We'd Traveled... - 2500 Km...

The Farthest We'd Been From Home...

The Longest Time We'd Spent In A Far Off Land... - One Week...

The Most Expensive Vacation... - I'd Better Not Say...

We've Had...

Till Date...

~~~

25-30 December 2012...

~~~

To Having Shot...

'Cloudy Charisma' In The Andaman Sky...

Like This...







~~~

To Landing At Port Blair...

To Cruise The Fair Seas...

Aboard The MacCruise...

To Havelock Island...

Just About To Board The MacCruise...
The Clear Sky...
The Soothing Breeze...
And The Many Ships & Boats In The Andaman Sea... :)

~~~

To Playing Green Ambassadors To The Palms And The Coconuts Outside Our Cottage At Sea Shell Resort...

Mr. Khanduja's Chipko Movement... :D

Yet Again...

The Bridge Between Nature And Humans...

#JodeyDilonKo...

~~~

To Uncovering The Marvels Of Nature...

Such As These...

Mr. Khanduja Once Again... :)
The Limestone Caves, At Baratang Island...


~~~

To Resting The Evening Away At Our Private Shack...

At The Resort...


~~~

To Mr. Husband Turning Eco - Curator For The Mangroves At The Resort's Private Beach...


~~~

To Spotting These...

At The Radhanagar Beach...

At Havelock Island...


Would You Take A Guess?

These Are Crab Dens...

Dug Up In The Sand! :)

~~~

To Even Befriending A Canine...

Who Playfully Follows You...

From The Private Beach...

To Your Cottage... :D

Daughter Dear - With Her Browny... :)

~~~

To Discovering These...

At The Naval Marine Museum...

Port Blair...

Calcified Flower Like Coral...

Is It A Coral?
Seems Like A Snowy Pine Cone...

Mushroom Coral Caps...

Seeming Like The Feathery Shawl Of Peacocks...

The Majestic King 'Bird' Shell Standing Tall...

~~~

To Saluting This Man...

At The Cellular Jail...

Port Blair...

Cellular Jail, Port Blair


Pride Of The Nation - 'Vir' Savarkar 

~~~

The Thread Of A Sense Of Service To The Nation...

Between The Common Man Of Today...

And The Martyrs Of Yesterday...

#JodeyDilonKo...

~~~

Because, Bon Voyage & Parivaar - #JodeyDilonKo

~~~

Yes...

The People...

The Places...

The Experiences...

#JodeyDilonKo...

~~~

But...

Above All...

Is The Virtue Of Life...

Zindagi Jodey Dilon Ko...

~~~

It must be insane to say...

That I've penned this post at 2:30 AM in the night when I have an early morning 5:30 AM flight to Mumbai to catch the same day!

For Yet Another...
Bon Voyage & Parivaar - #JodeyDilonKo...
Experience...

In Mumbai...
1400 KM Away From Delhi...

Commencing With An IndiBlogger Meet!

~~~

Because I'm An IndiBlogger...

And I'm On Vacation...

And It's My Daughter's Birthday, Today! :D

~~~


This post has been written as a part of the Zindagi IndiBlogger Meet Experience...