KP On The Go!

Introduction Being an avid reader and a traveler (of sorts), it would be fair to assume that books related to travels and journeys rank among my favourites. Reading such a book while on a journey myself adds to the richness of the experience - the author's journey coincides with that of mine and when the experiences overlap its not an insignificant euphoria. Reading 'The Pearl' - a novella by John Steinbeck - by the beach Of course, not every book achieves such a rapture. The way a person - be it me or the author - develops  across the course of a journey is what matters in the end - the change of perspective perhaps, or a realization that dawns slowly in the way a veil of clouds lifts off a snowy peak. All journeys have their natural pace and all stories have theirs. When the pace of the story matches that of the journey - running across the crowded city streets and pausing a while to savour the fragrance of wild-flowers in a wild forest bloom - the effect tran...

No Auto-Rickshaws Please I'm always wary of commuting by an auto-rickshaw when I'm outside Mumbai. The working meters make it a bit simple in Mumbai - the catch being that one must insist on using the meter and even then there have been attempts to fleece near airports and railway terminals. One needs some thick skin to ensure that the right fare is being charged. Outside metros though, working meters are a rarity. And when a person strolls in with a ragged t-shirt and a backpack - typical backpacker/tourist wear - one can literally sense the rickshaw-wallahs drooling at the sight of an easy prey. So, I'd prepared myself to haggle strongly as I set off for my trip through southern Rajasthan in early January of  2016. -x-x-x- Chalo Jugnoo Se Our hostel manager at Backpacker Panda Udaipur introduced me to this app - Jugnoo. Apparently I've been living under a rock for a while, as this app has gained quite a buzz. The idea is as simple as the regular Ola/Uber ca...

Introduction Traveling to some far off, remote place without ones own vehicle can be a pretty demanding exercise. Arranging logistics for such trips is a complicated task in itself. The timings of the public transport available may not match your schedule. Some places are so remote or locally unimportant that they do not have a fixed transport infrastructure of any sort. Also, there is no guarantee that you will find yourself at the right place at the right time to catch the right bus to the right destination! Well, if you miss any of those rights, its time to stick your left thumb out! (left thumb valid in places with left side driving :P) You are bound to miss many though Wikipedia has the following definition:  Hitchhiking  (also known as thumbing or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle. Hitchhiking can be free or paid. In most cases you may not be ev...