Aswini Ashok

When I watch travel vloggers videos on YouTube, there is a stark contrast in the way men and women describe their scary moments. The guys talk about “other” scary things, while women’s scary moments mostly revolve around men. But, hey, let’s face it. Solo trips are not just about scary moments. Indeed the scary parts are almost nothing in the whole big picture. Every moment is a learning when you travel. But, sometimes you learn it in a fun way that lingers in your memories for eternity. I present two such incidents from my travel that taught me to be more hopeful in approaching life. Hippie Island at Hampi: The best things in life are never planned. It is because we have an open mind to embrace any opportunity instead of sticking to a “plan” our ego never let's go off. One such amazing experience was at the Hippie island of Hampi. The second day at Hampi, my plan was to go “planless”. I just wanted to cross the river and see what that side has. And, it turne...

Never in my life have I considered solo travels to be a yardstick of how ‘alone’ I can be. I just think of it as how well I can ‘manage’ things. Solitude cannot be confused with ‘alone*’. Every time I post my trip’s blog or pictures, I get lots of love for sure. But, at times I get hurtful messages as well-which can be loosely interpreted as I am destined to be alone*. Over time, I got used to it and have never really cared to explain. But, I feel I am obliged to clear certain misconceptions around the A-word for some reason which I will come to later. I might be 27 years old but the only sibling in my family to still throw tantrums that I am the usual ‘ignored’ child. Middle child syndrome is for real, people. Also, the fact that I am not writing a diary to keep it myself but a blog in ‘public’ about things that matter to me means, I want people to engage with me for god sake. I have no shame accepting, I crave attention as much as everyone does. But, if you call me a lone...

Part 1:  Curating My Own Golden Triangle - Delhi (Day 0 - 1) Part 2:   Curating My Own Golden Triangle - Agra (Day 2) Day 3 – Jaipur:           Thoughts about Jaipur: I find it very disturbing that such a big state’s capital is dependent entirely on tourism. I don’t see any other form of development activities going on. People seem very poor and illiterate and sadly I saw police thrashing people in public places very frequently. Though Jaipur is very vibrant, these things again left me with sadness about the poor governance they have been subjected to.           I must say Gypsy Monkey is one place I would recommend to anyone staying in Jaipur. The staff was very friendly. It is only because of them I changed my mind from hiring a bike and decided to explore Jaipur through tuk-tuks and buses only and it was enthralling. My first stop was to the city palace. I don’t feel the entry fees for monument...

Part 1:  Curating My Own Golden Triangle - Delhi (Day 0 - 1) Day 2 – Agra:          Thoughts about Agra:  If not for the Taj Mahal, the city would be totally invisible. Despite the revenue the state yields from the Taj and the GDP they gain through the tourist activities, Agra still remains very backward. And I can’t help but feel bad about the poor governance they have been subjected to all their lives. Also, the religious polarisation seems evident as the only person(autowala) I spoke with was very open in spewing venom about the minority community despite the fact that it is only because of that particular community’s ancestral work, Agra is even a city to visit, to begin with.          I got the 6.45 train, Taj Express from Delhi to reach Agra. The woman who sat beside me offered me her yummy home-cooked parathas. Once I reached Agra, I kept my luggage in the cloakroom and headed outside. UP tourism has prepa...

               Delhi and Tajmahal are places that have fantasized me always. So, once I made up my mind that its time, I promptly enquired tourist packages, but, eventually, gave up the idea because I know the fun part in any solo trip is curating our own program and schedules and not blindly following someone else’s itinerary. After all, that is what solo trips teach us - to be completely responsible for things that may or may not happen as we please. Thus I began curating my own Golden triangle of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. Day 0 – Bangalore à Delhi              Honestly, I was nervous while boarding the Airport shuttle in Bangalore. This was my first solo trip too far away and for a long time too. And Hindi is a complete no-no. But, the nervousness transformed into a sense of excitement as soon as I entered the airport. Watching the red-orange horizon, flying from Bangalore filled me with a newfound p...

          Travelling is one highly recommendable activity to unfuck our lives. That too when you are backpacking solo, the liberation that comes with it is unparalleled. One such awesome recent trip is to the heritage sites at the north of Karnataka, Badami and Pattadakallu. They are a testament to the architectural marvels of the Chalukyas in the 7th & 8th-century C.E.           My journey started with Golgumbaz express from Bangalore that was excruciatingly delayed by 3 hours, from there it was a nearly 12-hour long journey to Badami, a very remote village. Fortunately, there is a railway station and the train halts exactly 1 minute at the station. Every trip, I venture to try something new. This trip, I decided to not book any hotels prior to my arrival and see how well I am able to manage. Once the train arrived at Badami, the first thing I had to sort out was to manage a place to refresh. The station had a very spacious...

People usually, ask why some like to travel alone, but, I would ask why most people don’t. There are few things in life that can be enjoyed only in absolute solitude. Solo trips are one of such kind. While traveling in a group has its own charm, solo travels fill the inner souls. As an active doer of both, I can easily say, one cannot be looked over the other. All of us deal with our crisis mostly by ourselves all the time, but we never acknowledge how brave we are for waging our own battles, but, in solo trips, one could instantly acknowledge their courage and presence of mind for dealing crisis in a minute-to-minute basis and nevertheless making the best out of it. From finding places to visit, stay, eat and having proper time management or addressing the lack of it, solo trips teach us life skills in the most intriguing way. There is a power in extending our boundaries by ourselves. So, if you haven’t been to one, get started already. You may not even need to have an elaborate i...

Prequel:  Touring Hampi: Day 1 at the temple side "To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasant sensations in the world" -Anonymous Day 2: I woke up by 7 A.M and after a hot shower, packed my bags and checked out since I did not want to waste money on the hotel room unnecessarily as I was leaving the same night anyway. Again walked to the KSRTC Station. I have started knowing the routes like the back of my hand. Luckily found a cloakroom in the bus stand where I deposited my bag and carried only the essential things in a small bag. This time I was cautious to enquire H-A-M-P-I to get the correct bus, unlike the previous day fiasco. The city bus dropped me at Hampi near Virupaksha Temple. I switched on the maps and walked to the ferry point. Plus the tuk-tuk driver had already assured me the ferry point was at the backside of the temple only. The backside of the temple opened into a view of a beautiful river which I never thought was there initially. It ...