Friday, May 3, 2013

Our First Road Trip



This photo takes me back to our first road trip. It was the summer of 1988. We had a brand new Omni van, our first car, and were raring to go have an adventure on the big bad road.
We loaded the van with sleeping bags, a kerosene stove, a sauce pan to make tea, instant noodles, some dry ration, and a few other things that we thought we would need. We planned to drive from Ambala in Haryana to Rampur in Himachal Pradesh via Shimla, and Narkanda, stopping as the day grew dark and beginning again the next morning.
It was a loose program and we had no reservations anywhere.
As we left the plains behind, the terrain changed to green hills and then to cold mountains.
The roads were narrow, had numerous bends, and were scary to drive on for plains people like us.
We traveled along the beautiful, crystal clear Satluj river beyond Shimla.




This photo has my husband and daughter posing at a view point. All the distances and place names are clearly marked on the road sign.
This is a travelers' pride kind of photo. It says, "Hey, we are here."
My daughter looks tired and appears to be wondering why we were bouncing around in the van when we could be home. She has that fountain hairstyle which no self- respecting little girl wants to be seen dead in. Well, I knew only one hair style and inflicted it on her every day till she outgrew my styling.
My husband is studiously presenting his best profile.
So over all a beautiful picture of a moment in time captured perfectly.
It makes me think of those carefree days when we could just up and go.


Note: I took the original photo with our Hot-Shot camera where you slide the button to move to the next frame. This is a photo of the original photo using my Nokia Asha 305 phone.




20 comments:

  1. Yes Lisa, It was great fun and a learning experience too.
    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maruti van has been a life-saver in hills for decades...
    Good luck Madhu :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely moment in time captured indeed!

    Best wishes for the contest!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you @Anunoy, @Carver and @magic eye.
    I had a hard time picking out that photo. Once picked, the memory just came alive. There is lots more in that story and the trip. :)

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved the memories... although risky, I am all in for unplanned trips. :)

    www.anucreations.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  6. must have been an awesome trip, eh? loved that photograph and the way you described each and every thing in that photograph!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Aww...fond, very fond memories, I see. :)
    This is exactly what one should do when her or she buys a new car -- take it on a nice long drive.

    Nice meeting you here. All the very best. I really like this post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Debjyoti and D. Nambiar
    Thanks for visiting my blog.
    I am glad you like this one.
    It was really special. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This region is full of lovely Himalayan vistas. Post more pictures no? You are able to recollect the details of your trip well.

    www.bnomadic.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting bnomadic. Will try to locate some pics and also complete the write up of this amazing first road trip.

      Delete
  10. How wonderful it sounds! And lovely picture. How kids grow up!

    ReplyDelete
  11. wish you many more road trips. This also confirms Nokia Asha has some pretty good photo capabilities, despite being a cheap phone

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Srinidhi. I love my Nokia Asha 302.

      Delete
  12. Sweet memories! Nice read of your recount. :)

    (You are right about Brahmakamal. I am making the corrections.)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ilove the pictures and yes, you are right, my mum has all my fountain choti's pics around and I make sure I take them down when I get home every time. I love reading narrations of memories. Nostalgia is always endearing

    ReplyDelete

Here's your chance to talk! I would love to know what you think.