If you are living an experimental life, things don’t always go as planned. Experimental travels are no different.
Experimental travels are no different.
On 15th Aug. 2016, we decided to go for one more day-trip to Polo Forest.
For past several years, Kavita and I have been visiting Polo Forest quite frequently, at least once per year. It’s a beautiful place and one can enjoy it to the fullest (only) if s/he has any personal connection with nature.
My friends from Rajkot were at my place and this was a good time to visit Polo Forest. Polo Forest looks even greener + fresh + beautiful after the rains.
We were 13 people including 5 kids so this time, I contacted Dalsukh, my point of contact cum guide there a day in advance and asked him to prepare food for everyone.
But this time, something unexpected had to happen.
We started at around 8am and took a break at Gandhinagar for snacks.
We reached Polo Forest Camp Site entrance and to my surprise,w the place was insanely crowded this time!
It was difficult to enter because there are hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people.
This was the first time I saw these many people at Polo Forest. I had seen maximum 15 families together when I visited there in the past.
When you travel in a group, not everyone shares the same agile mindset and know how to make friends with apparently uncomfortable situations so some friends did not want to enter the mess.
So we decided not to enter the Polo Campsite.
For a moment, I felt uncomfortable. Not because of the mess or the decision to go back but because I will need to manage the expectations of the guide / point of contact I had whom I asked to make the food and other arrangements.
Also there I was facing a mobile network problem and the call to the contact person was not going thru.
But quickly I could think of a solution. As soon as I would get the network, I would tell the person to send me his bank account details and I’ll transfer the money for his lost day + whatever expense he’d have made.
I felt good about it. And we drove back to Ahmedabad. We had a late lunch at Ashirvad Hotel near Idar.
Then we saw a good location while nearby: Pavapuri Jal Mandir Tirth.
Beautiful Jal Mandir is located in Idar in Sabarkantha district. It covers about 20000 sq. ft. area and surrounded by Rani Talav. It is linked with 800 ft. long and 11 ft. wide bridge.
We spent some time there and drove back to Ahmedabad.
This time, the experience of Polo Forest was very different from my previous experience. While reflecting on the day, I jotted down some lessons:
- Life is uncertain, learn to consciously deal with it. Our past experiences told us that this time also we will be having a serene, zen-like experience at Polo Forest. This time, it was totally different. Things change and one has to learn to accept it without getting too much uncomfortable.
- Agile actions are better than planning in many cases. When it comes to traveling, I don’t plan much but when you have more people with you, you tend to fall into that trap. I planned, organized a guide + food in advance and it caused me the stress for a moment. I could solve the problem but the solution was agile, not planned! Planning gave me stress, but agility took it away.
- If you have a great company, it does not matter if some experiences, caused by external factors don’t go as expected. Overall we could enjoy a lot. If you just look at the pics, you won’t believe that something unexpected might have happened. That’s the beauty of the relationship with friends.
- Life and traveling are similar. Things don’t go as planned. External factors cause changes that can make you uncomfortable but when there are problems, there are solutions. Believe that!
When it comes to living an experimental life, one has to be ready to embrace anything that comes her way and learn to find solace in the chaos of uncertainty.
