First trip

by Kashish Shivhare (India)

I didn't expect to find India

In 2009, I had my first travelling experience. My dad took us to Mumbai. It was our first and last vacation as a family. It was my most memorable trip… It was a tumultuous time for us, as a family and me personally as well. I had just lost my grandmother, to whom I was really close and a few months later our family dog. My dad decided that we needed a break from everything that was happening around us. In spur of the moment, he planned a family trip to Mumbai. I come from a small but a very renowned city in northern India… Agra! It’s the home of the TAJ MAHAL, one of the seven wonders of the world. But, as a city it’s just like a small Indian town. I had never travelled outside of Agra let alone to Mumbai, which is the financial, cultural and entertainment capital of India. It is the wealthiest metropolitan city in India! It was a 4 days trip! & boy what a trip it was… Unforgettable! It was like, I was in another world. The hustling & bustling of the city was mesmerising. The crowd, the speed… Mumbai was at another pace…I was hooked! I had never seen life at this speed. It was along time ago so I don’t wanna bore with the details, but some of the most amazing moments of my life were on that trip… the precious time with my family… the late night bike rides me & my brother took… the cliché but awesome touristy things we did… time of my life!!! Then, we returned home back to Agra… we were all smiling… remembering and sharing our anecdotes & stories from the trip… Still, today when I look at the pictures from that vacation all the memories come just right back… It was the only vacation we took as a family… before my dad left us for heaven. It was the moments, memories and the love that got hooked me onto travelling and exploring and keep on creating new memories of my own… It’s the open road & it’s kabira’s journey...