sriram
2014-03-05

This says it all ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooM-RGUTe2E

indigoite
2014-03-06

@Sriram - Indeed, there's no place like home, but ............... :)

asha
2014-03-06

ohhhhhhhh......but all good things come to an end. Come back soon on travelpod and share your travel stories , anecdotes and your insights. Thanks for this virtual trip. Enjoyed thoroughly and immensely enriched through your share.

Vincy
2014-03-06

What a trip it was Ramesh!. and thank you for taking us along with you on your travel though all those lovely posts and pictures. I have enjoyed the past couple of weeks of travel, ( virtually that is) and kind of sad that it is over... :-)Completly agree with you when you say, home is best.. especially after 8000 kms. Thanks for being an inspiration and wishes for more travel.

indigoite
2014-03-06

@Asha - Thanks very much. It was your encouragement and example that motivated me to blog about this trip.

@Vincy - Gee- what a compliment. Thanks very much. Much obliged for reading and the encouraging words on every single post.

Shachi
2014-03-06

home sweet home :). Thank you for delighting us with your travel diaries....loved your view of my favorite Gujarat :)! Do visit again when I'm around ;)

indigoite
2014-03-07

@Shachi - Thanks for following the trip. Of course, would love to come and see you, but you are in the opposite corner of the world !

neeleshshanbhag
2014-03-09

Welcome Back to Home.. :)

Ravi Rajagopalan
2014-03-09

Another classic from the master of modern day angst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnGmYLlv9qM&feature=kp

Sandhya Sriram
2014-03-09

Congratulations Ramesh, on yet another milestone!! An amazing journey, an out of the world travellogue and a refreshing change, for you, for us :-) hope you make your next plan soon.

if you every write a auto biography, i think, it would run into a million pages, so rich is your experiences with life - the saying that life is what we do with what happens to us, is written for you.

Looking forward get back to your musings again. why not start with your take on Ukraine?

indigoite
2014-03-09

@Neelesh - Thank You

@Ravi - Classic indeed. Those days the words music and lyrics had a different meaning to the one today !

@Sandhya- Whoa Whoa - I now have to be bashful :). Yes, have to get back to muse on business.

Malini
2014-03-10

I was a little late joining your journey virtually but I don't want that to turn into a no-show when it comes to sharing with you how much I enjoyed your travelogue.

Your report on the excellent state of repair of the National Highways system and even some remote roads (special thanks to the BRO), was heartening to read. But your dissertation on the driving styles of truck-wallahs in various states was even more enjoyable and it conjured up an image in my mind of you punching the air and letting lose a stream of choice endearments every time a truck cut in front of you !

Thrilled to hear about your date with the elusive Sher Khan at Gir. As you rightly point out, spotting a solitary lion through thick forest cover is a far more challenging than driving past one of several prides lounging in the open savannah. Lucky you! And while the attempts to sneak up closer to the Wild Asses (tempting the censors here!) in the Little Rann is an exercise in futility, at least you have a clear field of view for miles.

It comes as no surprise that a moonlight walk into the White desert in the Great Rann, or the panorama of the vast Thar from the top of an ambling camel put you in an introspective mood. Confronted with stark landscapes, human beings are forced to confront the hidden corners of their mind and think about their place in the world. And the Great Rann is indeed such a place. I was there a few years ago on a bird watching trip and even if we had not seen any birds at all (in fact we saw plenty), the trip would have been totally worth it.

I was particularly fascinated by the account of your detour in Gujarat and Rajasthan through remote towns and villages to get as close to the border as possible. Borders are special places and besides telling you about a country's relationship with its neighbor, they say even more about what a country values, how it treats its own citizens and foreigners and whether it abides by the rule of law. I am sure you belong to the ilk that when they arrive close to a national border, have the irrepressible desire to go across and take a peek. It is a pity Indians cannot casually pop in and visit the neighbors, no matter the direction one is headed.

Indeed while India shares its borders with several neighbors large and small, as far as getting in or out of the country is concerned, it is virtually an island. The irony was highlighted to us by some bicyclists we met in Uzbekistan who had travelled overland for several months but were struggling to arrange entry into India and were resigned to taking a flight in. We can only hope that this will change one day!

Finally I am glad that you and your trusty four-wheeled 'passepartout' made it back safely after 8000 km. of long and winding road, through the chaos of cities and the calm of the desert, dodging people and livestock in equal measure. Will eagerly look forward to the next time that little voice in your head urges you to get up and go and you can no longer ignore it !

indigoite
2014-03-10

@Malini - Wow - honoured to see a comment from the distinguished traveler. Thank you for reading. Well, its too early to badger you for resuming your travel considering that only a few months have passed since your great Odyssey around the world. Will look forward to your travel blogging when the itch strikes you which I know will be far earlier than me :)

Suja
2014-03-17

I finally read the parts I had missed Ramesh. It's a story well told, I enjoyed it all :) I am still travelling but feel ready to go home. There is a time in any journey when the siren call changes direction doesn't it? Far away lands, unseen destinations, unknown people - all have a call which us hard to resist but finally the call of home which is the most irresistible. Cheers. Suja

indigoite
2014-03-18

@ Suja - Yes indeed - there comes a time when you want to go home and I suspect it comes sooner if you are visiting India from outside - as India is not the easiest of places to come to !! Thanks for reading my travelogue even when on the move. Safe journey back home and look forward to interacting at your usual blog space.