Sightseeing

I feel if reaching a destination is exhilarating then the journey undertaken for it is taxing, testing and thought provoking. In July my husband and I went touring to Agra, Jaipur and Manali. We returned happy and satisfied with many memories to treasure. Watching the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the enormity of the Aamer Fort and the splendour of the Rohtang Pass with the Ladakh mountains forming its backdrop left us spellbound. We travelled by road to all these cities. There were various kinds of sights that we saw in addition to the above, such as:

Hounding guides at the heritage monuments.
Populated markets, where at every step we had vendors after us to buy their goods.
Dhabas situated at deserted locations in between cities.
Small settlements in conditions and at heights you wouldn’t want to return to a second time.
People making their livelihood by selling tea and taking photos at 13,000 ft!
A man, leaving the sanctuary of his home, driving for days on end through treacherous routes.

What makes men and women lead such difficult lives and continually so? Wouldn’t they prefer any other way? I don’t believe that it is simply a lack of vision and/or ambition posing as obstacles, but a lack of means.

Extremely hard though it might be, these people haven’t surrendered but are striving to meet their needs. And all the struggles and sacrifices are always for a better tomorrow.