It’s that time of the year again when I write year-end review posts, take some time out to evaluate how I am doing and fine tune my life! Since last year, I have been doing my year end reviews according to the Indian traditional calendars – Vikram and Veer Samvat (don’t know about them? I have explained them here). This “new year” comes along with Diwali, one of India’s biggest festival, and for me it is a very meaningful celebration. So I have decided not to bother with the other ‘new year’ that comes by in Dec end, because culturally, I do absolutely nothing meaningful at that time.

The past year: Vikram Samvat 2074 & Veer Samvat 2544,

Travelled for: about 7 months (I didn’t realise it was a whole 7 months of travelling until I wrote this review….)

Places visited: Lisbon (Portugal), Andalucia (Spain), Tiruvannamalai, Isha Ashram (Coimbatore), Kozhikode and a little bit of Bangalore, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kelve beach in Konkan Maharashtra.

Here is a quick summary of all this travelling:

Last year I spent my Diwali & New Year in Kolkata with the big, extended family. And in just a few days after returning from that trip I flew to Lisbon. There was an annual meeting of the company I was working with at that time. And I decided to extend that trip (who flies to Europe for only a week? 😉 ). As it happened, I took an Airbnb apartment in Lisbon and stayed there for a month.

A month in a European Capital City

I was always curious to spend a little extended time in a European city and understand the lifestyle. Lisbon gave me that experience. Maybe another more happening capital like Barcelona or Paris might have been a more charming experience, but I think it depends on the area we stay in. And given the costs and my choice of apartment, it’s quite likely that we may not stay in the coolest neighbourhood (and still be paying a lot for the accommodation). I paid about 80k/month for my Lisbon apartment – a very nice 1BHK, fully equipped. A lot more than what I anticipated to be honest, but as it happened, the Portugal visa arrived very late and so I had to book the apartment quite last minute. (I think the cost can be brought down to 50-60k/month for a full apartment if we book well in time).

And even at 80k/month, if you think about it, the total monthly cost of the European stay goes to about 1.2 lakh/month. Adding air tickets that is within the 1.5lk/month cost which is the upper budget-normal limit for Europe.

(Picture from the Botanical Garden of Ajuda, Lisbon)

It was an insightful stay. I want to write many blog posts about my experiences but so far I have managed only very few. One thing I realised clearly was that being a digital nomad with a full-time job is pretty much pointless. Because working that many hours leaves hardly anytime for real exploration. A lot of people may have the energy to whiz around on the weekend or after work hours, but honestly, I just want to curl up with a book or watch movies after a week of full-time work. So eventually, once I returned to India, I decided to reduce my work hours.

I also explored a bit of Andalucia, Spain for a couple of weeks and thankfully managed to do a bit of cycling! And went on a solo hike where I almost died. But then I got rescued. Phew.

Never a dull moment. 😉

Once I got back and had the time to properly accept the fact that I had almost died, I decided it was time to tackle a big personal matter which I had been avoiding…

And that’s why after a few months I headed to South India.

4 months in South India

Adiyogi

After too many years, I visited the Isha Yoga Center. This was a big personal matter for me which I had to tackle. I attended their Mahashivratri event, met old friends and camped in a derelict village hut – a story for another time. And, of course, met the Adiyogi!

Over the next few months matters with the organization were sorted out. And that was a very cool turn of events for me.

Kalaripayattu

As a real change of pace, I spent 10 days in Kozhikode learning Kalaripayattu. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would be able to manage at all. I am not the fittest person nor am I comfy to physical exertion. But surprisingly I managed Kalari. The fact that it somehow aligns well with my yoga routine helped.

Tiruvannamalai

After that I stayed in Tiruvannamalai for 3 months. This is the longest I have stayed at any one place as a traveler, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Made lots of friends in Tiru. I almost want to rent a long term apartment there.

This was also a good test about my “nomad”ing skills – and I think I did pretty well with gear and packing and all that.

This stay included a few days in Chennai where I explored the Jain temples in Puzhal.

Ahmedabad & Kelve Beach

After returning from South India in June, I spent a little over 3 months in Mumbai. There is a change in how I feel in and about Mumbai. I don’t exactly feel like a “Mumbai person” but there is still a strong resonance of home here.

As it happened, this monsoon was an amazingly overcast and cloudy one which I thoroughly enjoyed. Lot of time spent experiencing sunsets by the sea. 🙂

Went to Ahmedabad for a few days with parents. We explored the nearby Mahudi Jain temple.

On the way back, our train to Mumbai got stuck in the monsoon waterlogging. As a result, we had a quick halt at Kelve Beach – where I got a chance to taste the Konkan laid back, sleepy town feels. 🙂

…..And South India Again

I still had some unfinished stuff at Isha Yoga Center. So again in September I headed to Bangalore for 3 days and then to Coimbatore. This time I stayed at Isha for over 1 month.

And on my return trip I spent 5 days in Goa. (Watch my (amateur) video of the Anjuna beach sunset).

And then back here in Mumbai for this Diwali & NY!

That’s about it for the year that went past.

Not too many plans for the upcoming year. But I will be spending some time at Isha Yoga Center again (am helping them with some work) and possibly a long trip into some of the South East Asian countries.

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And what about your past year? How was it? Did you do a year end review?