India As I See It: Part 2

Another solo trip began on the 23rd of May 2024. This time I wanted to cover a lot more states where I hadn’t been. I was in search of new experiences and meeting new people. Travelling alone boosts your confidence and I believe it will help you become more independent.

I started from Kochi to Banglore. I was planning to travel by train and bus this time. I reached Banglore on Friday, the 24th morning, and refreshed at my friend Akshay Bahuleyan’s place in HSR Layout. I spent some time and walked around the Infosys campus where he worked. We had biriyani for lunch and left to catch the train to Kengeri railway station. My next destination was Hyderabad.

Hyderabad:

I reached Hyderabad (Telangana) on Saturday 25th early morning. After searching for a bit in the nearby areas found a hostel where I stayed for 2 days. The first day in hyderabad was good. I went to Charminar and then Birla mandir for the sake of visiting and wandering around. Both these places didn't have much to offer for me. But I was just enjoying the vibes of the city. One thing I understood soon after I reached Hyderabad was traffic rules and helmet were not mandatory things there :D! Evening I decided to go to Golconda Fort which had much to offer than the previous two places. This fort was catchy in terms of its structure and saw the beauty of Hyderabad from top of the fort. After spending enough time I left for the hostel. At night I decided to meet one of my friend who was working in Hyderabad. I went to Gachibowli where he lived. To my surprise, It was a posh area with high-tech buildings with big world-class corporate offices situated there. We had a nice spicy biriyani from a good eatery there.

The next day I didn’t see around much except when I went to Hussain Sagar aka Tank Bund area. The secretariat and a park accompany the lakeside. In the evening I left for Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Nagpur, Maharashtra:

Nagpur was hot more than I expected. I reached the railway station later than expected. I went to a dormitory service named Basera which was a good one for Rs.400. After settling down I went for a walk around the place I stayed. Even at noon time, the markets were full with people all around the place. The highlight for me in Nagpur was the meal I had from Haldiram’s Restaurant. It was so delicious and my stomach was full that I couldn't finish it. Afternoon again I went for a walk and left the city to go to the much-awaited place Indore.

Indore, Madhya Pradesh:

I reached Indore in the morning at 7 am. I found a dormitory stay in little away from the city centre. Here I got a nice friend named Opendra. He was from Lucknow, UP. That day we both decided to see around the place at each other’s company. First we went to Rajwada Palace which was a small one. The most important thing about Indore is its cleanliness. All the people are very cooperative in keeping the city clean. I was amused after seeing the city. I never expected a city like this in India. Opendra and I had a poha and left Rajwada for Lal Bagh Palace.

Lal Bagh Palace was a nice one with places to walk around near the palace. We both talked a lot about different things. After which we had food from a dhaba and left to see Kamla Nehru Zoo. Just an ordinary neat zoo where we had a good time. We left for our room in the evening and then took some rest. I was excited to visit the night food market in Indore. We left to Sarafa bazaar by around 8. This market was a sight to see. I could see lot of people coming here to taste different types of sweets and other dishes. We tried different items but I don't remember of any of the names of those foods. But that day will certainly be in my memory for a long time I believe.

The second day at Indore I was just trying to spend time without a purpose. I went to a nearby mall called C21. Just enjoyed walking up and down the mall seeing people and window shopping. Afternoon I went to the Meghdoot garden where I could sneak peek into couples having some intimate time together 😛. The garden was well maintained and was worth spending the evening when the heat had diminished. I also made friends with a guy who helped me in transportation multiple times. By around 6 pm I left to Raipur, Chhattisgarh on a bus.

Raipur, Chhattisgarh:

My first impression of Raipur didn’t give me any good feelings. It was certainly very hot. But I got a decent dormitory where I could freshen up and rest. For almost a full day I was in the dorm. If I got out I was certain that I would be evaporated away by the strong heat waves. Although I went to have lunch in a nearby restaurant and lunch was good as a matter of fact. I thought it was not good to sit only in a room after coming to a new city and decided to spend the evening in Marine Drive which was a walking spot around a lake. This was a peaceful thing in the middle of the city. The Nescafe tea I had from there was worth mentioning since it helped me boost my mood and hormones.

Ranchi, Jharkhand:

Ranchi, Dhoni’s born land certainly turned out to be not likable for me. I didn't find much good vibes there. I couldn’t even find cheap accommodation there like the ones I got in other places. I decided to go to an OYO. I later realised that there was a water shortage in the city and I used water kind of like petrol(very frugally). The good part is I had a stomach-filling and tasty special thaali meal from a good restaurant there named Kaveri. In the evening I visited Tagore Hill which was a good one in terms of the view it provided of the city. I spent quite some time there before returning to the room. The next destination was Kolkata.

Kolkata, West Bengal:

Fortunately or unfortunately the day I reached Kolkata was not great since it was the election day there. I understood there won’t be much transport system active on this day. Somehow I got a bike taxi which charged me twice the normal charge to reach my dormitory. The stay place wasn’t great but was manageable. It was called bubble beds. The first day i didn't do much apart from walking around the streets. Evening time I went to Howrah Bridge which was a famous one out there. The sight at night was a visual treat to the eyes. The bridge certainly is gigantic and made up of iron. One thing I noticed about Kolkata was the place isn't very clean. I had a decent bike ride through the city using the Rapido/Uber bike taxi service.

The next day I visited Victoria Memorial which was very beautiful. I am not sure of the history behind it. But it looked like a place where there was history and archaeological things listed. The garden around the building was superb and the building was also very good to see. After this, I went to see Science City which was a place for kids to unveil their inner technology interests and also a place where we could walk around. This was the end of my Kolkata chapter and got ready to leave for Bhubaneshwar,Orissa.

Bhubaneswar, Orissa:

By this time around 10 days were over and I covered around 7 states. I was on leave for 1 week now I had to join back office meaning I had to start working. Since I am a digital remote worker I could work from anywhere in India(Ideally anywhere in the world). This fresh Monday morning I started to work from a hostel in Bhubhaneshwar. This was the best hostel I stayed throughout my journey in terms of cleanliness. the name was Tranquil Hospitality. I was planning to stay here for 2 days and i literally didnt go for site seeing anywhere in Bhubaneshwar since I had work. Also, i heard there wasn’t much here except temples. I am not sure about this although. Tuesday evening I left for my last destination Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh:

I never expected this city To be as good as I saw. I felt here like a mini goa. Since I was only here for 2 days and both days I ought to work I couldn't explore much. Even though I managed to walk through the beautiful beachside In the morning. This place was very clean similar to Indore which was not to be expected in India. The dormitory I stayed was good. The people were very friendly and there was a small Shih Tzu dog with which I played. I was usually afraid of dogs but this one was so cute and friendly. In the evening I went to the town and walked around. The next day I had a flight back to Kochi by around 2 pm. In the morning time I had some work to be completed so could not see around any place.

On the whole my 2 week solo trip was so mesmerizing and experience full. When u travel alone meet people from different walks of life and learn survival. Looking forward for my next solo trip.