DNAofTravel's Dream Destination 2015 contest sought travellers with the wackiest plans for 2015,we're featuring the best two as promised. Meet 32-year-old Sachin Bhandary our first winner who will travel to 12 countries ranging from Costa Rica to Columbo and will accomplish some really interesting, adventurous and fun-filled feats at each destination...
Realising that it's something I can do either now or never, I have picked 12 countries, where I plan to accomplish 12 missions, each of which will be a about month long, starting this February.
#1 Romancing the Trains in India
I plan to take some of the longest rail routes in the country, including the one from Kanyakumari to Dibrugarh, which is about 72 hrs long, to learn about our country through its lifeline–the Indian Railways. I’m not after anything specific, I’m interested in everything, the people, the sights, the food, in knowing what kind of experience it is when you’re travelling past areas considered naxal zones… I’ll also be journeying on some old trains that may cease to exist in a few years.
#2 Finding Love in Srilanka
In Sri Lanka, my next destination I want to see if the social fabric has really disintegrated or whether it's still possible to find some stories of Sinhala-Tamil friendship.
#3 Scaling new heights in Thailand
Can rock climbing teach me anything about climbing the corporate ladder? I'll tell you once I'm done learning the sport at Railay, Thailand. I’ve picked this destination for two reasons, it’s one of the cheapest places in the world to learn the sport and it’s not only a good place for beginners, but also expert climbers.
# 4 Drumming in Brazil
Staying at the villages of Bahia in Brazil, I want to learn Batucada and understand why the troupe's drum beats resemble the ones we hear during Ganapati.
#5 Overcoming fears and embracing the sea in Chile
I've been afraid of sea since childhood, so much so that I've never tried a water sport. The closest I've come is swimming in a pool. In fact, just recently on a trip to Gokarna, a friend and I were walking by the beach and a huge wave hit us both. Not knowing to handle it, I bruised myself. There was no major damage done, but I've decided it's time to shed this phobia by taking surfing lessons at Arica, Chile.
# 6 Travelling back in time in Machu Pichu
The lifestyle of Quechuas in South America has remained unchanged for centuries, to engage with them and absorb the experience to the fullest, I've decided to use the slowest form of travel from Arica to Machu Pichu (600 km away), walking.
#7 Deciphering the drugs in Columbia
Narcotics have always interested me, not for consumption, but in terms of what it does to people. I've watched several documentaries on it and at Columbia I want to find out about ones we've never heard of and stories people don't know. Is it scary? Not only this but all the projects I'm attempting to so are new for me, so I do have my concerns, I'm just a regular guy, but through this entire experience I also want to discover which of my fears are rational and which ones are unfounded.
#8 Diving to beat the devil in Costa Rica
Again boost my confidence in the seas, I plan to learn scuba diving and mingle with the marine life of Costa Rica.
#9 Eating, Cooking and making Merry in Mexico
Like India, Mexico too has a rich and varied food tradition, but we only know about nachos, tacos and other Tex-Mex foods. I'd like to learn to cook their home food, by living in a large household, and bring back some more amazing aspects of its cuisine as well as lovely stories.
#10 Dancing the Salsa in Puerto Rico
Learning salsa well enough to go to a dance club and secure a dance partner based on skill, is my Puerto Rico dream.
#11 - #12 Cycling the route of comedy's roots from New Orleans to New York
As per my knowledge the roots of stand-up comedy lie in New Orleans, so I'd like to learn a few things from there and to complete my 11th project I'll cycle down the that route stand-up comedy travelled through to reach New York. There i'll go on to do my final project, where I'll be performing at open mics every night for thirty days, using my travel experiences as the content. The hope is that towards the end I bag an opportunity to open the show for one of the great performers.
Why I plan to undertake this crazy journey?
At a personal level I always wanted to do something like this, but the idea is also to encourage/inspire people to look beyond travelling for leisure, and also consider travelling as way to learn and have a more impressive experience.
As told to Pooja Bhula
Read our second winner's story about 'A Voyage on a nuclear-powered icebreaker ship to the North Pole' on: dnai.in/cwyB
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