Travel Stories: Discovering India by pinklert

When I travel, nothing makes me happier than discovering new places, experiencing new environments and, most of all, trying local food. These are exactly what I did in India.

We traveled to more than seven cities in two weeks. Everyday was a new adventure in India. I was as excited for the trip as I was to use my Contax T2 I just got for the holiday. We had our schedule all planned out by a local travel agency, who customized our itinerary and provided us a driver who stayed with us throughout the trip. I highly recommend traveling India this way since it’s safe, convenient, and cheap. Plus, it is never a bad idea to have a local by your side as it allows you to see perspectives other than your own.

We started our Rajasthan tour at Udaipur, the City of Lakes, which is one of my favorite cities that I visited. I was so impressed with the lakes, the palaces, and the city itself. It was so surreal. I just fell in love with the mood of the city! After Udaipur, we went to Jodhpur, Pushkar, Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi. Each city really has its own vibe and character. It’s not only just the cities but also all the places in between that make the trip all worthwhile.

My favorite part of the trip is probably the last bit. We ended it by traveling to the mountains to catch a glimpse of the Himalayas. We started off with a five-hour train ride to Kathgodam, a two-hour car ride transfer to Jillling Estate, and finally an hour-long hike up the mountain. I realized that it was a well worth journey after witnessing the breathtaking scenery from the top. We settled in a home-stay, where we were provided with home-cooked meals. We could see tiny peaks of the Himalayas from our cottage.

I’m always awkward when it comes to taking pictures of people. However, as I was exploring the cottage, I stumbled upon these two guys just casually hanging out. The mood felt so right that I had to pluck up my courage and take a picture of them. I gestured shyly to ask their permission. They obliged and so I snapped the photo. What was so memorable about this is that I could tell that they felt as awkward as I did. The guy on the right didn’t know what to do so he moved awkwardly, while the guy on the left fiddled and tried to hide his camera shyness by looking straight at me. They both gave me a smile as soon as I put the camera down. I found it so adorable, and for some reason, I can still remember this moment very vividly.

There was no phone reception and no Internet connection there. The trip to Jilling Estate felt like a long needed retreat. The night sky was full of stars. During the day I absorbed the sun, the wind, and the smell of nature as we hiked to the top of the mountain. The view was extraordinary. It was a perfect end to my trip to India.

This is what I love about traveling. As we go to place after place, we collect new experiences, special moments, and most importantly, new perspectives. Every time I travel, I feel like we learn at least one new thing about ourselves and other people. With this, we learn to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings little by little.

See the rest of @pinklert's photographs in this album.

Travel Stories is a new Locations series in the Magazine where we put the spotlight on beautiful travel photographs and the stories behind them as told by you, our community members. If you would like yours to be featured here, feel free to drop us a line at julien.matabuena@lomography.com.

2015-09-03 #places #india #location #travel-stories