Remember, Don't Forget Your Passport!

You may be wondering where the name of this blog came from?  Don't-Forget-Your-Passport!  Many many years ago I used to watch a show on TV called "Don't Forget Your Passport".  It was a great show featuring off-beat destinations like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Bolivia.  I'm not sure if the show is still on TV.


This show inspired me to travel on my own.  I always wondered whether I could do it or not.  Now I know.  I can be independent, find my own way and survive in a foreign country whose language I don't speak, without being scared.  In fact, instead of being scared, I now find it exciting!  I feel... this is what life is all about: Dreaming... Believing... Discovering...

After meeting Dr. Prakash Amte and Dr. Mandakini Amte in 2007 in Toronto, a new dimension has been added.  I don't just want to see things, but I also want to do my part in helping the poor people.  I started with bringing used (but still nice) clothing from Canada and donating those to people in small villages (wadis) in India when ever I went trekking.  That is my way of giving back to the society... and villages in the Sahyadris are very close to my heart.  I'm not doing great things, but I'm doing what I can.  I'll try to do more in the future.

[Angkor Wat in Cambodia - the largest Hindu Temple in the world - Picture by Neeraj]

Cambodia was the first country I traveled to on my own.  My flight from Toronto was via Hong Kong.  When I reached Hong Kong I was quite nervous about how I would manage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, seeing as I was reaching in the evening and did not even have a hotel room booked, nor did I know where I was going to stay.  But when my flight took off from Hong Kong I saw some mountains and all my fears and apprehensions were instantly gone and I had a smile on my face.

Such is the magic of mountains for me.

This blog is dedicated to the show that gave the world to me.  Not only did I discover the world, I discovered myself.  Thanks and Cheers!

And remember, Don't Forget Your Passport!

1 comment:

Nisha said...

I think we share the same passion about travelling and except for the last phase which is going to be in KL before flying out of the country, I haven't booked any hotel in advance.