The stringent restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the contagious coronavirus have virtually brought the whole world to a standstill. The lockdown period is doubly hard for those who had chosen travelling as a vocation.
Indu Krishna, the brain behind travel group 'Escape Now,' explains how she is overcoming the pangs of staying at home following the 21-day lockdown in the country.
Even before the national lockdown was announced there were restrictions in Kerala. At that time, Indu's greatest relief was that she could travel to Kochi. Though her hometown Eramalloor is in Alappuzha, there was easy access to Kochi and she used to travel quite often between Eramalloor and Kochi. But she had to forgo her escapades to Kochi after the government tightened the travel curbs. The last time Indu stepped out of her house was to Kakkathuruth or Isle of Crows on the backwaters in Alappuzha.
The initial three to four days of the national lockdown were really suffocating for this avid traveller. Kochi is part and parcel of Indu's psyche as completed her studies there.
"I can't have a sound sleep if I don't visit Kochi. Just imagine my situation during the lockdown. It's very unsettling for people who love travelling to be confined to their homes. There were numerous travel plans in the months of April and May but the pandemic poured cold water on the plans," says Indu.
The first three to four days were nerve wrecking and the state of mind was something akin to alcoholics suffering from withdrawal symptoms due to lack of liquor, she adds. Indu killed time by watching movies and listening to music. But that, too, became monotonous for Indu who slowly started to step into the front yard and sat on the steps of her family pond like she used to in her childhood. The land surrounding Indu's house is full of tress and when boredom strikes she used to walk aimlessly through this green foliage pretending that she is in a forest.
"I started fishing which I used to do as a child. I love to re-create my travel experiences in my house when I badly miss travelling. Barbecue was a constant at night during my travelling days and I started to grill food in my house," she notes.
Indu also tried her hand at cooking and tried new recipes without wasting any provisions and essentials. She also utilized the time to catch up with her old friends, who always carped about not getting her over phone.
"I am planning to start a travel blog as I love writing rather than filming places. There are plans to go on a road trip with friends after the lockdown is lifted. I want to travel to Leh in Ladakh which is one of my favourite places. Every year I used visit Leh which has rugged valley and mountains. And the first journey will be to Leh after the lockdown is eased," Indu asserts.
More travel plans should be chalked out to visit never-seen places that are on the bucket list, she says. Indu is optimistic that these hard times, too, shall pass and everything will be normal as ever.
'Escape Now' is a travel platform that exclusively caters to the travel aspirations of women.
