Travel through Past, Present and Future

My travel story of 2023

Traveling brings freshness, knowledge, and first-hand experience. I am sure many of you like traveling, going to different places, experiencing different lifestyles, and knowing different unknown facts. I am not an exception either. I have been traveling to different places for the last many years. It adds so much life to me.

This write-up intends to share a few experiences of my recent visits to some beautiful places which I correlate to traveling through the past, present, and the future. This write-up is not to share a simple list of places to visit but to share the thoughts and correlations while visiting them. Let’s explore.

In August, we as a family along with our friends went on a road trip and drove through the highways of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The highways are pretty decent. We thoroughly enjoyed the drive. The lush green paddy fields, the mountains, and the highway-side village environment gave us a fresh experience. Our destination was Hampi, a place where the past is present.

When we were approaching Hampi, we already felt that we were delving into a great historical place. Hampi is like an open museum where we can explore various locations to know and understand how a wealthy and advanced kingdom flourished. The ruins, temples, old street shops, etc. were screaming with pride and depicting the great Vijayanagar Empire.

The rusty mountains with different-shaped rocks were a delight to the eyes. The rocks are standing as if every one of them wanted to share the story of the past. The temples and monuments have their charm with the amount of scientific and technological marvels that are way ahead of the times. The ambiance of the place is so addicting, that our minds were almost wandering around those great ancient times.

The banks of the Tungabhadra River, The Virupaksha Temple, The Vitthala Temple, and The Lotus Temple are a few of the great places to visit in Hampi. It is such a place where history is not restricted to 1500 AD or around but also it took us to the times of The Ramayana where we can find references to Kishkinda. We had a great experience while hiking through the Anjanadri Hill where Lord Hanuman was born.

The enchanting ruins of Hampi took us back to our glorious past and the memories of this ‘live theme park’ will remain with us forever. A must-visit place for historians, travelers, research scholars, artists, and all the people who want to see the real past being in the present.

The next place I would like to share the experience of is Sikkim, India’s only organic state. Gangtok and nearby places have been my favorite destinations since my childhood. Every time I visit there, I experience different vibes of peacefulness, calmness, and serenity. Isn’t this what we look for in our everyday life? Having stayed there, I felt the warmth of natural beauty with mighty mountains covered with snow, enjoyed the freshness of purest air, the ever-flowing waterfalls, and the finest hospitality from the local people. All these experiences made me think about how our life should be. Slow, peaceful, and pure. Those who live in cities and metros are missing this experience in their day-to-day life.

The jaw-dropping beauty around Changgu Lake reminded us how beautiful our mother earth is. The reflection of the snow-covered mountain on the lake depicts how we should sit back, relax, and introspect ourselves once in a time.

The serpentine roads that lead to the top of the mountain where we challenged ourselves to reach near to the Indo-China border by walking through the slippery snow trail. I am dumbstruck to see how the Indian Army makes sure to protect the land and people even in such harsh weather conditions. This teaches us dedication, commitment, and discipline towards our duty and work. Many times we forget to implement this basic necessity.

When you are traveling from the past, enjoying the present, then it is inevitable that you are going to dive into the future. While exploring the city of Dubai, I felt I had stepped into a well-orchestrated futuristic city where infrastructure, layout, and technology are everywhere and shouting out for a bright and prosperous future.

The significant example of the transition from the past to the future through the present is well depicted by the monument called “Dubai Frame”. It is an observatory, museum, and monument in Zabeel Park, Dubai. Reaching the observatory, you would witness the old Dubai on one side and the other side the future Dubai.

If you want to know about what’s coming your way 10–30 years. from now on, then a must-visit place in Dubai is the Museum of The Future. When I entered the premises, I saw a few robotic dogs moving around. I got a glimpse of what I was going to experience there. I explored near-future technologies from the world’s leading innovators. There were futuristic cars, futuristic gadgets, and the demo, there were new materials, new research, and the display. All techno enthusiast visitors will have the best time.

There was a virtual journey to the ‘future 2071’. It was a mesmerizing experience all together. There was a museum for children too. Future Heroes is the Museum of the Future’s dedicated space for children. The exhibition’s three main experiences: Imagine, Design, and Build present children with opportunities to play and learn through activities that encourage communication, collaboration, and creativity.

All together, it was an enthralling experience.

Traveling through the places like Hampi, Sikkim, and Dubai gave me a different perspective this year. The experiences are etched on my memory and I will cherish them for a lifetime.

If you like this article to know more about the places, please reach out.