I came across this comment on some lyrics website:

Pink Floyd saved my life | Reviewer: Groulx | 12/26/08

Pink Floyd save my life. I was in a deep depression when I discovered this awsome band.
I was thinking about suicide but I heard some of their songs that made me change my mind.

They mean lot to me.
They saved my life

I am not too surprised to read the above comment. Put a smile on my face.

1. Bhadrachalam & Papikondalu Hills
2. Bombay
3. Vodarevu & Suryalanka beaches, Chirala, Bapatla & Guntur.
4. Brahmapur & Gopal-on-Sea, Orissa
5. Bombay
6. Bangalore
7 & 8. Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Phalodi, Khichan, Jodhpur & Delhi
9. Hubli
10. Bombay
11. Badami
12. Konaseema houseboat, Narasapur

So far, luck has been on my side and things have just fallen in place & I could balance health, family, work & social life in my travels.

I have 40 more weekends to go. Sounds like fun. There will be some inevitable duplicates like Bombay. Some of you are disputing that my frequency to Bombay is kind of unfair. Common, i need to go home on important birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Another issue is, how do far off places like Rajasthan & Delhi count as weekend trips? They were longer trips, but the point is I was out of Hyderabad and was travelling with vengeance for those 10 days. They are trips and I cant be bothered with the technical definition of a weekend trip. I will travel on every weekend, how and where arent necessarily exact weekend destinations.

My bigger concern is that I have already been to so many of the places that are easy weekend getaways from Hyderabad.

Out of the remaining 40 weekends, I have about 20 places in mind, have already planned the next 8 trips and am open for suggestions and ideas for the rest.

I’m not likely to post the details about my friends who came along with me to respect their privacy. I do maintain a gMap, travel calendar and a CouchSurfing calendar. In case you feel you deserve to know those details and want me to share them with you, let me know.

By popular demand, I will be timely in posting details about my weekend trips.

I am returning from one of the most serene & beautiful weekends I have ever spent. What made it so unique? The fact that I spent an entire day on a houseboat. Houseboats bring visions of Kerala & Kashmir to mind. But, this is in the usually dreaded Andhra Pradesh!

For a weekend away from Hyderabad, this trip is ideal. Jellyfish, dolphins, tropical riverbanks, peaceful cruise, trip to a tiny river island with coconut plantations, cozy cabins, an upper deck for ourselves & diving into the river from there, swimming, spectacular sunset, faraway beach, long but scenic rickshaw ride, a locked rectangular lighthouse, etc. were the highlights of the weekend.

Food was alright, nothing to rave about, nor was it horrible.

The train ride was also convenient, took the Narasapur-Hyderabad Express for the round trip. The overall trip cost me about Rs. 10000 split 4 ways. The houseboat itself costs a crazy Rs. 5040 which makes it imperative that you do it with a group and not solo. I had great company and will remember this weekend for a long time because of the people as well as the place.

cd:  alright, tell me more about your travel philosophy

me: my philosophy… umm… God made the physical map of the world, and man made the political map. i guess i hv to travel across borders to see the beautiful world… but i am a patriot at heart (although i dont totally belv in the concept of countries) .. and so to better represent myself as an indian in the future on my rtw trips… i am travelling all over india (or at least southern & central) this year

cd: cool

me: and i travel for multiple reasons…

1. to meet & deal with “the common man”… away from the wannabe american life tht most of the urban ppl live…
2. to just be outdoors… life in hyd & particularly at work is very indoors. lil things amaze me and thrill me… like a sunset… i am in love with the colours of the sky during sunset/sunrise times

3. photography….i am keen and self-taught… n i hv ample time to practice on various monuments, etc. & of course for the cheap touristy thrills of clicking… “i was here” kind of photographs…

cd: heh

me: what about you

cd: the real deal is, i once read a quote by st.augustine. i quote, “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page”

  now, that caught my fancy

  since then i have wanted to travel

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