Happy New Year!

So the year 2011 has begun and I am feeling quite positive about the year! Though I am currently jobless, I am sure I will find something I like in this year! So I brought in the new year with a trip to Mount Abu with relatives and it was quite fun!

Mount Abu is the highest peak of Aravalli Mountain ranges (kya yaar, school mein itni geography toh padhi thi.. and i have awesome memory when it comes to remembering arbit trivia) and let me tell you, it could easily pass off as an extended part of Gujarat. (it's in Rajasthan) Most signboards there are also in gujarati and everyone there speaks gujarati too. Well, Gujarat is the tourism backbone of Mount Abu. There are many reason. Apart from the scenic view, which is quite pretty and the architecture.. the marble work and all, the fact that it's just 4 hours drive from Ahmedabad, and a place where daaru is legally available works to its major advantage. (no, i did not go there for daaru)


I last visited Mount Abu when I was a little girl.. back in 1994-95, I think. I was 10 years old.. and I could only vividly recollect the scenic places. I remembered the Nakki Lake and how there was one slope right there at the market. Though in my memories, the road was more broader and had more shops. In reality, it was full of local photographers who insisted I wear a local dress and get a photograph clicked. It was quite disappointing in some ways, because instead of enjoying and taking in the natural beauty, most of your time was spent dodging away the guides/magicians/photographers. I know that tourism is their source of income, but dude, back off!

Apparently, the days we stayed there were the coldest days, and the temperature went below 0 degrees in the night. The direct rays of sun felt so good on the skin.. Of course, once the sun set in, you'd feel as if suddenly the heater in the room is turned off!

Yes, that's my shadow. This man was playing this instrument right outside the Delwara Jain temple, which is beautiful, btw, and he just kept playing. It's a bit sad to see these kind of things around you, and feeling helplessness for not being in a position to do more to help them.

The Sunset Point. We went there twice, because we didn't quite have much to do in Abu. The second day, the sky was clearer and we were able to catch the bright yellow golden ball of fire turn deep red and finally disappearing behind the mountains ending the day, and rise in some other part of the world, bringing in a new day, a new hope!

On that note, happy new year everyone! May you have an interesting year!