About
a month or two ago, the bunch of us met for a Tamil play.. A friend’s sis had
also come down and she joined us. It was during the few minutes I spent talking
to her that she mentioned we should do a trip to Rishikesh enroute to Haridwar
for the Ardh Kumbh Mela. Now, I have been wanting to attend a Kumb Mela just to
experience the energy and witness the crowd that comes down. So, when she gave
us an open invite, it was all that I needed. A friend[couple] and I planned the
trip, booked tickets and then came the drama.

With this friend, nothing is what it seems. The Trip began with him, his folks and Me doing the trip, and what finally happened was he+his wife [also a friend] and I ended up going on the trip. We booked onward journey tickets, but that changed over time and then came the return.. The hotel bookings were done literally the night before we were to fly out. If that isn’t last minute I don’t know what is.. 

Well, that is how I first official big trip of the year 2016 began. More to come in subsequent posts. But for now all I will say is that the trip was quite the interesting, insightful one.. I firmly believe that when you travel with someone is when you actually learn about them, and discover if the friendship is what it seems.. True to this, it was one hellova trip!! No regrets!!

 

According to Hindu mythology, ‘Ardh Kumbh Mela’ takes place when the planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. Kumbha (meaning pot) Mela (meaning fair) is considered a very sacred Hindu pilgrimage. It takes place at the following four sacred places across India:

You can read more about the Kumbh Mela here