Do you think Internet overexposure kills the essence of travelling ? Kanaad : Couldn ’ t agree more . Vulnerability brings out the best in you .
Prakhar : There are two sides to Internet research : you need it to some extent to get a cursory idea of what you are doing , but you have to be very careful about where you draw the line . We did not get into too much planning before the trip .
Did you try couchsurfing and crowdfunding ? Prakhar : Yes , we met some nice and helpful people through couchsurfing during our journey . Accommodation and eating out in a new city can be expensive , and couch surfing can cut that by more than a half . It is a great way to know like-minded locals and get a taste of their lifestyle .
We also tried crowdfunding , but no luck . I would ’ ve thought that in a country where community festivals are crowd-funded , it would be easy to source money for the trip . But we have obviously not yet warmed up to collecting chanda digitally .
How did life in the big towns and villages contrast as you moved along ? Prakhar : Fearing that I might generalise here , I think people in all the big cities have started behaving more or less the same . We lead the same lifestyles , use the same apps , order the same food , wear the same clothes , and do the same jobs . There really is no individuality . On the other hand , smaller towns and villages have a unique soul and nervous system of their own .
We spent a lot of time in fishermen communities , spice markets , tea estates and banana farms . In towns like Tondi or Kappad in Kerala , you would find local kids fishing or swimming . And in a place like Mypadu in Andhra Pradesh , long stretches of beach were covered in fish spread out for sun drying . For me , these things were other-worldly and exotic .
Alshaar : But irrespective of where we met them , people were generally very welcoming and cooperative . For instance , a tourism officer around Balasore in Orissa helped us understand the coastal destinations of the State better . Later that week , a food vendor in a village south of the Chilka Lake struck a conversation with Kanaad over lunch . He was so fascinated by the idea of our trip that he walked an extra mile to converse with us and even got a picture clicked with Kanaad .
Give us a shopping tip Prakhar : Don ’ t buy what you cannot afford .
Kanaad : The most valuable lesson I learnt was from Alshaar : Always start from half the price . You ’ ll get to master all the tricks when he comes out with his book titled , “ How to Bargain – 101 .”
“ Capture the moment for others ” or “ experience it for yourself .” How did you tackle that conflict ? Alshaar : I was the only one carrying a DSLR along , and I too had my Walter Mitty moments where the experience was so intense that I forgot to take photographs . But our followers were waiting for social media updates , so we shared as much as we could .
I think people in all the big cities have started behaving more or less the same . We lead the same lifestyles , use the same apps , order the same food , wear the same clothes , and do the same jobs . There really is no individuality . On the other hand , smaller towns and villages have a unique soul and nervous system of their own .
Kanaad : I think this negativity around clicking photographs is overblown . Click pictures because you were there . Don ’ t go there to click pictures . And never ever just click pictures . Look , hear , smell , taste , touch …
Interesting meal memories Alshaar : Our visit to Borra caves in Andhra Pradesh coincided with the shooting of a Telugu film . By the time we were done clicking pictures , lunch had been served for the crew . Just as we turned to leave , someone called out , asking us to help ourselves . It was a lavish spread of vegetables , lentils , fried snacks and a truckload of rice . We
48 Travel Secrets monsoon issue 2016 travelsecretsmag . com