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Looking back at Year 2013

Another year has passed and it’s time to look back and take stock of my journeys, not only in terms of travel but the journeys which opened a new horizon in front of me and helped me see the world with diverse perceptions.
As I always say, I count my memories, not the places and I am happy that my travel memories are far more and better than the destinations.

marina bay sands Singapore @lemonicks.com

Marina Bay sands, Singapore

For this recap post, I haven’t tried to remember or browse thru my photos to check how many places I have visited in 2013. So the photos & the mentions of places are not in any sequence and it is possible I may have missed out a few places or events.

Snow in zakopane @lemonicks.com

Did I travel enough?

I think yes. The year 2013 took me places & brought me laurels… both in India & abroad.

At times travel was hectic. There was a time when I flew out of Mumbai four times in a single month… once within few hours of landing from a country in west to fly to a country in east! There was a time when I had to decline 3 international invites within 10 days, not to mention several others that I declined.

Year 2013 took me to 7 countries but only two of them were new to me, Turkey & Poland. All others were revisited.

kite festival @lemonicks.com

adlaj ni vaav @lemonicks.com

I think the year started with an offer from Ford to try out their Ford Figo and we took it for a week to see the Kite Festival in Ahmedabad and other neighboring places in Gujarat.

When Tata Motors offered me a car immediately afterwards, I took it to Pune, my first visit to that city. It was a pleasant surprise when the Tatas sent their video team to shoot an outdoor video with me … driving, speaking et al. I felt like a celebrity and quite shy when people stopped and watched the shooting. 🙂

chinese net kerala @lemonicks.com

An invitation to ICTT (International Conference on Travel Technology) India saw me flying to Trivandrum. After the 3 day conference I travelled with two Australian speakers in an Innova on a week long road trip of Kerala. It was our first trip to Kerala (their first to India) and we visited a new place everyday. It was an interesting experience to explore Kerala with foreigners and to know what they thought of our country.

ibiza sea @lemonicks.com

The old town of Ibiza in daylight! It looks even more beautiful at night.

When Tourism board of Spain invited me a second time within 6 months to visit their beautiful country, I requested them to postpone my return ticket. After the FAM trip got over, I stayed back and backpacked in Catalan region exploring the little known gems. I always enjoy solo travelling & this was my first in Spain. I didn’t know a single word of local language just like they didn’t understand English ! But I found people of Spain extremely helpful & friendly. In fact I should write about my experience with them.

cappadocia rocks @lemonicks.com

Exotic Turkey happened next and I was mesmerized with belly dances and rocky Cappadocia the most. I felt very bad that I couldn’t extend my stay in Turkey as I had prior commitments waiting for me in another country.

I state with pride that I am the first Indian to be invited as a travel blogger for any FAM trip.

palakkad statue @lemonicks.com

I flew to Kerala once again, this time to Palakkad via Coimbatore. It was a totally different experience to live, eat & breathe in an Ayurvedic ambiance.

Goa NH17 @lemonicks.com

Another invite from Ford came for their EcoSport and this time we drove down to Goa for a week. I chose Diesel model and Mars Red color. In Goa we wanted to do something different from the touristy circuit & explored the unexplored.

Featured in DNA

In the meanwhile, I was approached by a Travel talk Radio show of the USA and was interviewed live for half an hour. This special experience will linger for a long time in my mind. The interview was scheduled at 12 PM EST (9:30 PM IST) over Skype which would be relayed live on their Radio show. But this is India. Only 5 minutes before the scheduled interview time the power went off ! I was alone at home. It was pitch dark; I fumbled for candles & my mobile showed no network!! Rest is history how I managed to get thru. Nonetheless, the show went off very well. I received many mails, messages from all over the world complimenting me.

I was also interviewed for DNA newspaper and featured in other media as well.

Tiger in kanha @lemonicks.com

My first visit to Madhya Pradesh happened when I went for a week to explore the jungles of Kanha & Bandhavgarh. I chose to spend the entire time only in Kanha instead of rushing from one place to another. It was my first official week long wildlife experience. The Tiger welcomed me on the first day itself!

ramadan festival KL @lemonicks.com

It was an honor to be chosen, along with another person from Delhi, to fly to Malaysia to cover the famous Ramadan festival for a week. Bazaars, cooking classes, walking food tours and what not greeted us. I can never cease to love mouth watering Malaysian food.

In between these trips I went to Bangalore. Exchanged and shared some gyan and experiences with a few friends and bloggers.

creole festival mauritius @lemonicks.com

I, along with an editor from Delhi, represented India as a two member team at Creole festival in Mauritius. Swirling skirts, African beats, glasses of Rum and local authentic food stole the show. I had the opportunity to see the festival from the front as well as from the backstage on different days. There were journalists from 80 countries and I was happy that India was one of them.

Snow in zakopane @lemonicks.com

When I accepted the invitation from Poland, I had mentally decided one more thing…. that it would be my last trip of the year. I said a firm NO to other invites. In spite of a cold, snowy winter in Poland, I found it very WARM. The warmth & hospitality of its people made me appreciate the country even more. I would like to visit it again, there is so much see & learn!

Now you decide for me, how was the year 2013 for me? 🙂

If you want to travel places with me, I suggest you to join me on my Facebook travel page and Twitter.

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57 thoughts on “Looking back at Year 2013”

  1. Did I tell you how big star you are in my eyes? you are such an inspiration for all who want to see the world.

    I cant believe you been to so many places!

    May the new year brings many more joy & travel to you.

  2. Sharell Maya Maharana

    Wow, your schedule was more hectic than mine last year! What amazing adventures you went on. 🙂 Hope 2014 brings lots more your way…

  3. I would say that you had a very good 2013 year. You got to do so many things that most of us just dream about doing.The fantastic journeys you have experienced this year is almost speechless and awesome.The photos you took on your journeys were Great.And now its 2014 and you have so many adventures ahead of you.Thanks Nisha Jha, I’ve enjoyed reading about your journeys on 2013.Can’t wait to see your journeys on 2014.

  4. Whoa ! Thats grand stuff. And as I mentioned before – much more interesting ! 🙂

    You keep inspiring me to see more and more of what God and Man have put together on this planet, and I will not rest till I finish that 🙂

  5. I am breathless 🙂

    That is one busy schedule. Hope you are as busy or more in 2014. It gives us , your readers, something to look forward to.

    I particlualry liked the dancers in swirling white dress.

    All the best!

  6. Kudos Nisha! You rocked with an eventful 2013 and here’s wishing you an even more awesome 2014! And yes, do blog about your experiences with the people in Spain. Happy travelling and wish you all the very best! 🙂

  7. Congratulations for an amazing travel year that was 2013. Hope 2014 brings many more exciting experiences for you. Will be looking forward to read your travel stories.

  8. Hello Nisha!
    Fantastic photos. Turkey is a wonderful country.
    The dancing dervishes do every big impression.
    A delightful dance.
    I send greetings from the crippled Polish.
    Lucia

  9. Puru,
    I like your “I will not rest till I finish that”. 😀

    Can we ever do that?
    I feel places evolve with time. And so, for me a place is never done. I like to go again & again.

  10. Arvi,
    Yes, it was indeed a busy schedule in spite of declining so many offers.
    Thank you so much.

    Those dancers were very energetic. I have a video as well which I’ll post soon.

  11. Lucja Maria,
    Thank you very much.

    Do you know before I visted Turkey, dervishes seemed ghostly figures to me but when I saw them dancing, it was so soothing & spiritual. 🙂

    I love your country as well. 🙂

  12. Aleah,
    LOL!
    I believe in doing honest work. I let my work speak instead of myself. 🙂
    I guess that worked. 😉

    We shall meet soon, somewhere. After all the world is small. 😀

  13. You wrote on my blog that my travels made YOU feel like a loser! AHAHAHAHA! Sounds like you were on the road much more than me! How did you manage all of that? Sounds like an excellent year you had. My favorite is the swirling skirts from Mauritius. That is a place I’d love to go. Happy New Year!

  14. Jim,
    See, that shows how much more is left to explore! What you have seen, I haven’t and vice versa.
    Travel is the way of life. 🙂

    That photo is my favourite as well. 🙂

    Keep coming.

  15. Lovely post, Nisha. Wish you many more travels in 2014. I’m planning to visit Kanha in a couple of months. Do you suggest I club it with Bandhavgarh? Also, any tips?

    P.S.- Especially beautiful photography! 🙂

  16. Have just read your blog “Looking back at Year 2013” and in all what i can say is Fantastic!!!!!. Have not been to the many places from the list of places which you mentioned above but have seen the same through your eyes/blog.

    Kudos to you!!!!!

    Wish you a great & another delightful year ahead. All the best!

  17. What an amazing year for travel!

    I also visited Turkey for the first time ever and it’s a country that I’m keen on spending more time in – hopefully this year as well. I see it as a country for a potential base for a month or two.

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