Travels of Sumith Kumar Puri
 
I always liked to travel. Now, I like it even more. I am always waiting for an opportunity to travel to a new place - especially on a weekend, long holiday, break or even sometime for a working holiday. I had a Samsung Digital Camera which was 8 MP, but now i have one which is 12 MP. I plan to buy a SLR in the near future and get to some where near a amateur or hobbyist nature and wildlife photographer. I also like to photograph 'natural' situations or photographs with a moral. On this page, you will find description about my trips, more like a mini blog - with some photographs from that trip. These are only a few of the many more that I want to add to this list.

01) City of London  (2007-08)
I travelled to London for the first time in May 2008. It  was on a Highly Skilled Migrant Visa. I was there until November 2008. During this period, I visited almost all historical sites, religious places, palaces and other important hallmarks in the city. I entered the main City of London  for the first time at the Trafalgar Square; the scene is etched in my memory forever. Almost having seen it in every other movie - especially bollywood, the place was just too good to be real. You could see people from almost every nationality around at that place. The place, even with such a large crowd around, had a sense of calmness and serenity about it. The other places I visited in London were the British Museum, Natural History Museum, War History Museum, London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral and Madame Tussaud's. Yes, I did meet AB and SRK finally :-) London is a great place to live, work and enjoy. Though I could not get deeper into many other aspects of city life, I did savor whatever I could. As I am a foodie, who feasts on variety - I relished Turkish, French, Italian, Mexican, British, Pakistani and also (very own) Indian food.

02) Isle of Wight (2009-10)
In September 2009, I visited London again. As I had seen almost all the worthy places the earlier time, I decided to go to the Isle of Wight. Though not the best time to visit Isle of Wight, as it was winter, I did have a great trip. I  left the mainland of England from Portsmouth. It was via ferry, a journey that gives you a nice view of the sea; but one that is short. The needles is the best sight in the Isle of Wight. Apart from that, I did trek around the island. I stayed in a hotel that was on the sea side.  


03) Windsor Castle (2009-10)
In December 2009, I visited the Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle is located in Berkshire. I travelled by the train from London. It was a great sight to see such a huge castle, which is also one of the most important in the history of United Kingdom. There was also a cathedral inside the castle, which I visited. I also hiked around the neighboring areas, especially the shopping mall near the station. It was chritstmas time, and the shops in the county were decorated with lights.


04) Nandi Hills (2008-09) 
Nandi Hills is a hill station near the outskirts of Bangalore. It was the summer capital of the King of Mysore. It is a great picnic spot and though I have been here multiple times, this seemed to be the best time - close to March 2009. One can get a bird's eye view of the city from here. Also, there are very old temples which are located here. I enjoyed the natural flora and fauna of Nandi Hills. I also got to see the horse way and the drop or suicide point.


05) Shivanasamudra (2008-09)
Shivanasamudra is located near the banks of cauvery in Karnataka. I visited this place in August 2009. The waterfalls were quite in full flow during this time. I had a good time,  especially taking bath in the natural mini waterfalls. I visited the nearby ancient temples and also enjoyed the natural beauty of the place.


06) Goa (2011-2012)
Working while enjoying on the beaches of Goa, is something I always wanted to do. Though I have been here twice earlier, this time it was a working holiday for my own startup. I designed my company's website on the beaches and also charted out the plan for the first product and launch. I stayed in Arambol and there was quite a good crowd here. This was in September 2011 and it was a very good time to be here. I enjoyed the local goan cuisine especially chicken and to some extent, fish.  I stayed in a hotel located on the beach and it was the greatest experience to wake up to the view everyday.  I was here for almost three to four days, but wanted to be here longer.


07) Mathura (2011-12)
I visited the birthplace of Lord Krishna, Mathura for the first time in 2011. One of the most holiest places for Hindus, I visited the Krishna Temple; including the exact spot of birth of the Lord. I also visited the Brindavan where Lord Krishna's childhood was spent with Radha and other gopis. I also visited the Birla Mandir. I rode to Mathura from Gurgaon and my ultimate destination was Agra.


08) Agra (2011-2012)
I visited Agra for the second time, in Novemeber 2011. This was on my bike, Yamaha Enticer from Gurgaon. For the first time, I rode the bike for about 500-600 kilometres, to and fro. It was a real fun ride, with an adventurous, spooky and rocky ride from Patwal to Sohna on the way back. I visited the Taj Mahal first and then the Agra Fort. It was a good time to visit Taj Mahal, as the feet  burn less (as oppossed to in summer) on the marble of the Taj. I watched the light and sound laser show of the history of the fort and thereby the Mughals. I left for Gurgaon in the late hours of the night and had dinner in a highway dhaba. Overall, it was a great trip on the bike. I hope to have many more on the bike.


09) Srirangapatna/Ranganathittu (2014)
I visited Srirangapatna, Ranganathittu and Mysore in October 2014. Though not a very fruitful or enjoyable trip, It was of note as I visited some historically very important places. I travelled by a hired cab from Bangalore. Srirangapatna was the capital city of Tipu Sultan. First stop was the Summer Palace followed by Tipu's Death Place, Tipu's Main Palace Ruins, City Ruins and Ranganathaswamy Temple . Next was Ranganathittu (Bird Sanctuary). Though a decent place for bird watching/enthusiasts, I could not completely savor the trip as boating was not available - due to the high tide. I stayed overnight at Mysore. Next morning, I left for Bandipur (Tiger Reserve) but got late by about half an hour for the last Safari. Sad :-( I left for Chamundi Hills (Ancient Temple) and on the way back was Mysore Zoo, Jaganmohan Palace - Then Lunch at the Mysore/Bangalore Highway (Chicken Biryani/Kabab) - before reaching Bangalore.


10) Nepal (2018)
[Global Soldiarity Tour - 2018] : https://rebrand.ly/skp-nepal


11) Bhutan (2018)
[Global Soldiarity Tour - 2018] : https://rebrand.ly/skp-bhutan


12) Myanmar (2018)
[Global Soldiarity Tour - 2018] : https://rebrand.ly/skp-myanmar


13) Thailand (2018)
[Global Soldiarity Tour - 2018] : https://rebrand.ly/skp-thailand


14) Singapore (2018)
[Global Soldiarity Tour - 2018] : https://rebrand.ly/skp-singapore


15) Bali/Indonesia (2018)
[Global Soldiarity Tour - 2018] : https://rebrand.ly/skp-bali


16) Philippines (2018)
[Short Term Work Assignment in Manila - 2018]


17) Bangkok/Thailand (2019)
Second Visit to One of my Favorite Place on Earth - Bangkok! ;-)