It was the summer of 2013 that I would like to remember as the time when wanderlust took over me. It is an addiction which can’t be treated fully, it can only be kept under control with strong medication like taking out time from daily chores and hitting the roads. I had been doing just that, for the past one year I spent in the UK. Come weekend, and I was always ready with a back-pack, a camera and a train ticket if no-one agreed to drive me. This earned me the reputation of having a ‘chakkar in my paon’ but who cares! The chakkar was always there, by the way – but only last year I let it take over me and I am so glad I did.
From skipping a meal just for a few extra minutes to roam around to skipping bath because I overslept and can’t miss a single item on my itinerary, from being a fridge-magnet-souvenir freak who insists she is not going to get back home without buying one to surviving without sleep as the country side is too beautiful to let myself catch a nap – I think I have done it all for travel-love and the chakkar in my feet is now going to stay forever because I really have learnt to live with it.
Let me begin from the very beginning because I really am a fan of the chronological order. Call it OCD if you must, but it’s not going to change. It had been a whole week in England and I hadn’t seen anything apart from the road which lead to office. The brand new camera was sulking in a back-pack and me, at work. There were strangers all around – and one such group of strangers asked me ( just out of courtesy, because I was sharing their table for lunch) if I would be interested to join them for a trip to Wales. It is now, a well known and accepted fact that my puppy eyes made them ask me this stupid question. They believed I would say a curt no. Ha Ha.
Rest is history, as they say. It started on the notes of garma-garam-parathe and that is all we discussed for a couple of days. Also, someone forgot to inform half the group that we would be leaving at 7 am instead of 4 am, and till date, he blames it on vodka. I was one of the few un-informed people and I now use it as a excuse to shy awa from anything and everything I want to. Until I post this, only I knew how much I enjoyed watching the sun rise that day. Being the eternal nocturnal that I am, generally, sunrise is when I sway into dreamland. But now I can vouch to having seen it at-least once.
Within minutes of hitting the highway,we were a bunch of happy Indians craving for garma-garam-parathe and wishing for a dhaba to magically appear at the English countryside. We stopped for a little break sooner than we planned. For me, it was a getting-to-know-England-better-tutorial and a transition from masala chai and butter laden parathe to coffee and a croissant. It is here, that we took our first group picture, not knowing that it would become so special to each one of us.
It didn’t take me long to realize that for the entire duration of the trip, I would prefer to be behind the camera, capturing amazing views, than posing! The sky was bluer, the grass was greener than what I had ever seen. It was a seamless transition from England to Wales, just the signboards had lots of ls in each word now and we could hardy pronounce anything we read on them.
Like a bunch of excited little kids, we drove around Wales to get a look and feel of the place before heading to our cottages. There was an amazing air-show we caught by chance, at the town of Llandudno, by the beach side. Mesmerized, we stood watching the sea and the sky coinciding. This was my first time at the Atlantic – a moment I would always cherish. Add to that British soldiers putting up a magical show, and the moment goes down in history to be exaggerated and shared with grand-kids!
Then we made a move towards our cottages, only to be stopped by beautiful rivulets or enchanting mountain turns. Even though better sense prevailed – to try to reach before the sun sets on a hilly terrain, we could not move ahead without a photo-stop every now and then. And then, the sun, set behind the mountains and called off the day.
It was dark in the night when we finally reached our cottage, after getting lost in the mountains a few times. It is not advisable to try this, unless you have a GPS that really works and crazy company like I had, which made getting lost a lot of fun. It was a 200 year old Welsh cottage with fireplaces and chandeliers and I felt like a brush of history colouring me in the colours of British India, I have only heard of.
Blabbering about the cottage can’t get over without showing off what we saw in the front lawns and the back-yard the next morning. Frankly, I can never get over that 200 year old cottage we made our home for a few days.
No account of a trip to Wales is complete without sheep. You spot them throughout the day, every-day, just gazing. Sometimes we used to wonder about their huge appetite. This was the one and only time we spotted sheep, which were not busy eating, but probably planning to eat.
The next day, we headed to Cader Idris peak which is one of the popular destinations for trekking and hiking. The name Cader Idris has a story-line of a giant( Idris) who used this mountain as an arm chair(Cader) to gaze at the stars. We criss-crossed through lush green valleys and sparkling waterfalls to reach the top. It was not an easy trek and a number of times we tried to make ourselves believe that the journey is more important than the destination, so lets head down before dark.
But, every time, someone or the other wanted to walk a lap more and see another valley so we carried on, and what was waiting for us at the peak can’t be described in words. I lied there, awe-struck, forgetting to take any pictures.
Two days were over in a jiffy and we had to head home. A Monday was lurching above our minds but our hearts refused to give up. So we plotted to a stopover at the Powis Castle & Gardens before bidding goodbye to Wales, only to return once again.
We kept our promise and returned again because Wales is too vast to be covered in a couple of days. This time, we were not a bunch of strangers but a close knit family.
All pictures (c) Akanksha Dureja
YOU KNOW HOW MUCH JEALOUS YOU HAVE MADE ME?
I want to sit by the fireplace now!!!
Haha! Come to Delhi during the winters, and I'll arrange one for you. Pakka 🙂
I have seen all the photos you posted during your stay in London….I simply wish I was there too. But, I have seen so many places through your lens 🙂 Thanks.
I wanted to write about the places I visited but I had no time. Now, trying to re-live memories through these travelogues 🙂 So glad to know you liked the pictures..
im so glad to be reading this….and wonderful images…those with chakkars on their feet (like me) can truly undestand another with same condition!!!!
http://www.myunfinishedlife.com
I know what you mean. I soooo do! Only people with chakkar in their feet can understand wanderlust. I just hope I continue with the journey and keep writing about it. Also, you're such an inspiration for sharing these posts about places you travelled to, always loved reading them!
Hey Akanksha, I hardly travelled but I feel it's the most magical experiment and education to see the world. Loove the views captured by our lenses..direct dil se.
Hope I can see the world some day.
Cheerz
It's never to late to pack your bags and hit the road and see places. 🙂 Glad that you liked the pictures!
Hey, I am participating in UBC challenge and a novella. Do check it out on http://vishal-newkidontheblock.blogspot.com/2014/…
That's great! I'll pay a visit. Thanks for sharing.
🙂 Lovely…. I wish I were there too 🙂
Don't worry, you'll be featured in the next travelogue, when ever it comes 🙂
I am so glad you have been bitten by the wanderlust bug ! Wales is such a pretty place. I love your pics and I love yoru descriptions and I am dying to go there now !
The bug was always there, I just tried to overcome it and succeeded every time. But, now that I have really learnt to deal with it, I feel much better. 🙂
Wales is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have been to! Add it to your list and I promise, you won't regret.
Wales is as picturesque as I had imagined it to be. You almost expect elves and fairies to appear magically.
Back here in Australia, we do the same. Come weekend, if we are not having a get-together with friends, we drive off to the beaches or the mountains.
wowowow and that second pic of the parachutes .. reminded me of the day i had jumping from the plane 🙂
wales is a beautiful place and every year I go for a week to stay there .. and you are right I have been going there for years and still have so much to see .. you been to snowdon , or betsy-on-coed and landudno 🙂 wales is indeed very beautiful
and hey if you going to wales you can always stop for hot paranthas and tea at my place .. if you come the M6 way 🙂 you cross my house
Bikram's
Surprized how I missed this beautiful post with such lovely pics including the para drop! Im amsure these lifetime memories will stay with you fresh forever, Akankisha!