Travel - make it slow & take it easy!

Did you just return from your vacation and feel like you need another vacation from that vacation?

Were you subject to ‘Army-drill-tourism’ with someone else ringing your alarm-clock every dawn?

Did you just visit all the favourite tourist-spots of your Raju-guide’s?

Did your tour drive you breathless with the non-stop shuttle from one spot to the other?

Has your camera done more sight-seeing than you?

Did you just spend your money on a tour that you do not remember?

Well….you’ve subjected yourself to ‘power-tourism’ – not ‘power’ in ‘power-games’…..it implies ‘power’ in ‘power-yoga’ – action-packed solid workout! With any luck you might’ve burnt some calories too!

It’s time you remedy this.

Travel and tour at your pace – for your own pleasure!

Don’t know how? Here are a few options to get you started:

1.    Take a River-Cruise on a ship for a few days– skiff up a river and laze around on the deck all day and all night. Choose to keep your eyes open or not. Wake up in a new place each day without moving a muscle. Have food & drinks of your choice served to you wherever you are on the ship. Pay to get pampered!

2.    Get wild in the wilderness – pick a jungle-themed Eco-camp in any Wildlife Sanctuary or National Park to stay at and hop on to an elephant or a jeep and visit your favourite wildlife – One-horned Rhino, Asian Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard or even the Great Indian Hornbill and Dolphins. You want to stretch your legs, go nature-trekking in the wilderness.

3.    Moped around in those British or Portuguese Colonies along the beach or on top of mountains wearing comfortable clothes and no makeup. Make random stops at beach-shacks for cocktails or mocktails or just juices. Drive to feel the fresh cool breeze in your face or chase the sunset.

4.    Check-in to a log-cabin and explore the gorgeous and scenic lush green Mountain-meadows swaying with millions of wild-flowers. Park yourself there with your favourite book and music or go mountain-trekking.

5.    Tired of the tropics? How about you chill in the snow? Most mountain-resorts are easy to reach with well-developed flights network and bus-connectivity. You just need 5 days for a trip to Leh and back. Explore the mountains on Yaks, Donkeys or Ponies.

6.    You’re neither fond of beaches nor crazy about mountains? Then pick a quiet but enchanting hill-station and stroll around Tea Gardens, Orange Orchards and Orchid Farms.

7.    You want to explore your spiritual-side? Check-in to an Ashram or a Buddhist Monastery and get in touch with your inner-self. You don’t have to be or become a Buddhist to visit a Stupa.

8. And if you're looking for an even slower paced holiday then check-in to a Spa. Get a full massage in ayuvedic oils or dip into a mud-bath daily. Get a back-rub or a foot-massage twice daily.

Now imagine all this.

Choose your Cruise on River Brahmaputra....

You will fall in love….all over again.

You will wake up in a different place every day.

You are constantly moving from one place to the other without lifting a finger.

You can laze laze laze all you want.

You will visit some far-flung and fascinating places.

You will be surprised by the most unexpected natural elements.

And if you care you will also steer a ship on the river.

Welcome to River-Cruising on the Brahmaputra – the floating-hotel-ride of a lifetime!

Not to take away the element of surprise from it but let me whet your appetite and warn you of what you could be missing.

World’s largest river-island – Majuli; pink playful Dolphins; Wildlife Safari in the Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park and tons more – all aboard a river-cruise-liner- ship!

Pick a month between October and March, pack light and pack right with imperatives and prepare to set sail aboard a ship for a few days with these pointers in mind:

Ø  Set your expectations right – know what to expect:

o   There would be 15-30 other passengers on the Ship. You can expect foreigners too.

o   Most ships would be double deck with living quarters below and a canopied open deck above with reclined beach chairs for lazing around and for sightseeing. For photographing some great sights along the way, you must park yourself here. It’s a great place to hang out at sunset with a bottle of chill beer or wine or both!

o   The ship would stop at few prime places where you’re expected to get off and explore the locale on foot or on elephant-back. You would have few opportunities to shop. Keep cash handy.

o   As you would be going into thick forests of the National Parks and even do shore-excursions of walk-throughs of villages, you must carry mosquito and snake repellent, and carry two pairs of footwear – one for the ship and the other for trekking on land in villages or in forests. Umbrellas, caps, sunshades, sun block, first-aid kit are imperatives.

o   River waterways are calmer than ocean cruisers. These river-ships being smaller than ocean-liners won’t have casinos but most ships have in-house cultural programs. You have the liberty and choice to do whatever you please. Bring board-games or a juicy book. Or just park yourself on the deck and soak in the cruise, the ambience, the river and the scenery and mingle with your co-cruisers.

o   Food menu would be limited to a pre-set list of dishes. Obviously as Assam is tourism-centric, you can count on food being good. Some cruise-lines offer barbeque dinners on islands.Most river-cruise-ship stock a good bar onboard.

o   There would be insightful information given by the tour-guide atop the deck when he addresses the whole tour-group.

Ø  Carry a camera with wide angle lens and zoom lens on a tripod stand and remote clicker to plant your camera firm and click pictures without having to look through the eye-piece each time. Also find a way to connect the camera to your laptop so you can see your images on the big screen right away as they’re being clicked. Don’t forget your binoculars.

Ø  Take domestic travel insurance. What if you need it on the trip but you don’t have it?

Ø  Know the terrain you’re about to tread:

o   Its river all the way people – with occasional stopovers on land. So motion-sickness folks please excuse.

o   Explore the world’s largest river-island – Majuli Island.

o   Thick riverine forests of Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park inhabited by wildlife such as the single-horned Rhino, Tiger and Elephants.

o   Historically religious sites of Hajo and Vishnath.

o   Tribal Village tourism of Assam.

o   Tea garden-treks.

Ø  The first rule of ‘CHOOSE A CRUISE’ – be aware of the whole itinerary from start to finish with the details mentioned above so that you choose the cruise you want to be on and you don’t face any rude shocks on the trip. The second rule – let go, relax, live for the day and live it up. You paid for it!

Pix courtesy: Telegraph.co.uk; Lonely Planet; brahmaputrarivercruises; elephantsafari.wordpress, GoHoto Blog.