A week back I saw a post on Devilz Abode, about the movie "Bucket List" and he tagged me to write about my "Bucket List" - the things I would like to do before "Kicking the Bucket". My first reaction was that I would like to do things that interest me then and there, rather than making a "Bucket List" and waiting ... but ... on second thoughts ... what will I do if I know that I cant survive for long? I do have a lot of things that I would like to do before going down!
Now, why would I not do all that right now? I guess, its a combination of money, responsibilities and expectations. Once u dont have any of these things, I can surely pursue my list :)
In the movie, Edward Cole (Jack Nicolson) is a millionaire and hence funding was never an issue for him and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman). So, for the sake of this post, lets assume that I have enough money ... lets say all the money I can earn in the next ten years, if my career goes in a good shape.
Things I should do:
My first priority goes to my parents. There are three things I would like to do for them:
- Setup my beachside apartment at Kozhikode and deposit a good amount in their bank account, so that they can live a comfortable life with a view of the Sea :)
- But, I doubt they'll be interested in staying over at an apartment. They would like a larger property to keep them busy. I always had a thing or two for Wayanad. Lets say couple of acres and a house @ Mananthavadi or Meppadi. If they find Wayanad too far to travel, may be Muthappanpuzha!
- A comfortable car for travelling around ... say a Honda Civic with a good loyal driver. I know that "loyalty" is something I can never be sure of. But, lets hope that having enough in their bank accounts can buy atleast some "loyalty".
My second priority, I hope will accompany me for all the things I want to do. I'll concentrate on giving her a good time which she can cherish for the rest of her life after I 'kick the bucket'! What says Paaroo?
One more thing I want to do is apologize a person whom I've hurt :( Dont really know what else I can do for her, but I'll surely do whatever I can.
Lets go for the preparations now:
A bike: I'd been a biking enthusiast for a long time, atleast till responsibilities took over and my CBZ started showing signs of senility. I switched over to Maruti Versa then, but deep inside, I've always prefered bikes and the thrills of speeding! To not get limited in the speed aspect, I will go for the fastest available - a Hayabuza :) Well ... people may say that I shud go for a cruiser, suited for long rides, but I've never liked any cruiser bikes (including our own bullets), may be with a possible exception of Avenger. If getting a foreign bike (or getting it serviced here while on a long road trip) is an issue, I may go for Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi or even an Bajaj Avenger DTS-i 200. I believe all these are good compromises between fast light weight bikes and heavy / sluggish cruisers.
Camera and Lenses: Now that I have enough money, I would go for the very best - Canon EOS 1Ds and a slew of lenses. Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L for portraits, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L and Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS for general purpose and then exchange my current telephoto lens, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L with a Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS, so that I can combine it with a 2X converter for a much better reach and Image Stabilization. Am extremely happy with the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L macro I have :) Now, all these lenses and camera would atleast cost me abt 15K US $ (Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS is singly abt $6.5K and thats why I settled for the f/5.6 non IS version for now)!
Bike Trip around India: I will take about three to four months for a trip around India. First being the Bengaluru - Chennai and Chennai - Vishakapatnam leg, which I've already done. Past Vizag, I would like to explore some of the beaches in Orissa, Puri and Konark. Couple of days around Kolkota and I'll head to the North.
Cherrapunji, Kaziranga national park, stops for couple of tribal festivals, Khajuraho temple, a visit to Kanchenjunga, near Darjeeling and a drive along the Leh - Ladakh highway is the minimal I would want to do here. Also, there is a skiing resort in Uttaranachal where I would want to stay back for a few days.
I dont mind skipping Delhi, Agra and Gwalior, since I've been to these places before, but would surely head to Amritsar and visit the golden temple, head towards Srinagar and some places in Jammu (dunno what all is possible here, now) and then to Wagah border.
A few days in Jaipur and Udaipur, may be a camel safari and Bharathpur bird sanctuary would summarize Rajasthan. Next, I would drive around Gujarat, Kuch region till Surat and then along the cost to Mumbai to spend a few days in this happening city.
Here on, its pretty much chartered waters for me. I've already done Mumabi - Pune - Mangalore, Kochi all the way till Kanyakumari. So, I'll head towards Nagpur and then to Chhattisgarh. The places I want to see here is Chitrakoot waterfalls and couple of their wonderful national parks, famous for spotting tigers and other wild cats. Time to head back towards south and I would atleast like to cover Ajantha / Ellora, Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal / Pattadakallu and Bijapur before reaching back in Bengaluru.
Treks to be Done: Time to be back in South and more treks. The places I've missed all this time have to be there in my bucket list :)
- Anamudi: Obtaining trek permission to Anamudi would be a tough thingie
- Agasthyakoodam: Is open only during Feb
- Vavulmala: Vavulmala had been teasing me during my treks to Chembra, Mukurthi and Vellarimala and is surely atleast a four day effort
- Kodai - Munnar: Missed joining a trek organized by Chennai Trekkers, but this one is surely due
- Narasimhaparvatha: Again, this one remained in my list coz of permission issues due to Naxal presence
Vintage India: These were a few things I wanted to see and spend some time with the camera: Jallikkatu in Tamilnadu, the process of Paddy harvesting all the way to sperating rice from Chaffe, a full Kathakali performace right from the makeup stage, a Theyyam/Thira performance (the folk arts in Kerala) and a day with the Fishermen
Treks around Bengaluru: Lemme make it simple ... these are a few places around Bengaluru. I want to trek to all these places and write about it. Ideally I would like to camp on the hill top for whichever places and spend a night under the stars:
- Savandurga: I'd been there once, but was lost en route and spent a night in the jungle :)
- Rangaswamy Betta: I'd been here once, but with a group. I want to glee enough information during a second trip and provide it in my site
- Siddarabetta: Same as Rangaswamy betta
- Madhugiri, Antharagange, Makalidurga, Kalawara Betta aka Skandhagiri, Sivaganga, Devarayana Durga: Never been to any of this. I would want to collect enough information about these places and write about it in my site
Going International: Now, there are a few places I want to be all over the world.
- Paris: One city I always wanted to go! Now that am there, I would also like to check out London and Rome, also pay a visit to Switzerland and the leaning tower of Pizza
- Great Wall of China: Heard that its possible to walk all the way along this. Can I?
- The Great Pyramid: And ofcourse, a trip around and near Egypt to check out the Sahara and sone other famous monuments
- Serengeti National Park: Have seen so many wonderful pictures from this place and is there in my dream list. Would want to spend a few days here and get some good shots :)
- Iguaza and Victoria falls: These are the worlds largest falls and I had been drooling over the picture :) Lemme decide which is better!
- Cambodia and the great temple there ... when I am at it, some other cool locations around Singapore and Malaysia
Adventure Sports: Make no mistake, I have done a few of them already, like Bungee jumping, para sailing ... etc. But, my bucket list has more exotic items like Bungee Jumping @ Angel Falls, White Water rafting in Amazon, Black Water rafting in the caves of Australia, Skydiving and treks in Alaska, Grand Canyon and to Everest Base Camp.
At the end of it all I would return to stay with my Amma Achan and may be try my hand @ farming!
Hmmm ... I know the list has become too long :) I would probably need a lifetime to cover all this! So ... here is my Bucket List.
Now, the tag rule says, I need to pass it on. I wud pass it on to Preethu (ofcourse), Rejilz, Vishal, Saritha and Dhanya! Thanks for giving it to me Devilz, I enjoyed making the list!
