Time to pickup my backpack again… 
(oops! I forgot that I have a separate travel blog now!)
You know, after a while, especially if you are backpacking alone, your backpack transforms into a living being. I’m not crazy, but the other day I discovered myself talking to someone. But who? there was nobody around me! Wait a minute. Oh no! I am talking to my backpack! 
It is your friend and companion, and it will listen to everything you have to say. Initially full of fresh, clean smelling clothes, it soon starts getting filled with smelly fragrant socks that have been used for 2 days. Although I am a neat-freak, I cannot resist an occasional urge of lazyness and I simply dump stuff into it in a haphazard manner.
My backpack is the sexiest female I know and she is pretty experienced too! She has a military black-green (makes others green with envy) color, plenty of straps and pockets and provision for size adjustments. Those adjustments are useful if someone else wants to use it.
You probably guessed. I don’t share my women (my bike, laptop, backpack, etc.) 
The best thing about my backpack is that she is very flexible and never complains. I dump her on dirty roads, sit on her, use her as a pillow, put her in plastic bags during flights and things like that but never I hear a groan. Ofcourse I make it up by carrying her on my back and hugging her tightly when I am defensive. I also sleep with next to her whenerver I am on a train or bus. She loves me unconditionally indeed.
My backpack has several compartments. I stash my dirty laundry in the smaller compartment at the bottom, but in few days the dirty laundry is moved to upper (spacious) compartment. I carry plastic bags because I get terrified by the mere thought of putting my used socks and used underwear together. There is another section for documents, a section for toiletries, watter bottle, sleeping bag (if I need) etc.
They say ‘there is a woman behind every fool man’ and I can provide visual evidence of truth of that statement.
I am excited to travel with her. Bye bye from both of us. For next 2.5 weeks, we (her name is ‘Roku’ (roh-kuh) btw.) will explore the himalayas in Bhutan.
seeya!
Raw Material:
|
Priyank.com mixed blog, travel, photos, blah blah… |
Step One:
Step Two:
Step Three:
Finished Product:
| Personal blog | < < >> | Travel blog |
What the hell is he trying to say?:
This website so far was a mix (cocktail) of personal blog, travelogs, pictures, photos, and everything else I could find. One fine day (obviously, it wasn’t in St. Petersburg) I sat down to think (yes that happens too!) the purpose of my blog and I was left with a clueless expression on my face. I therefore decided to carve out the Travelogs as a separate blog before it took over rest of my blogging. Note: I had started blogging on June 5, 2007.
This means that all you chums who have blogrolled me will have to update their links. Sorry guys!
Personal blog: http://priyank.com/weblog/ (Feed remains)
Travel blog: http://priyank.com/travel (New Feed)
Or simply link to Priyank.com
I expect this streamlining to yield miraculous results, a fortune perhaps.
always,
Priyank
To the wonderful blog readers of Mumbai,
We are thinking of organizing a blogger’s meet on Sunday, November 16th somewhere in Thane / Mulund area. I live in Dombivli so this location is quite convenient for me (LOL) and people of central, harbour and some of western suburbs.
This is intended to be like a blog-family meet and we do not expect loads of absolutely random, unfamiliar faces (there are mainstream blogger’s meets for that kind of socialization.) So if you can make it that evening, please RSVP by Friday (November 14th) to my email address, and we’ll all get in sync
mail at priyank dot com
I guess you are surprised by this constant use of ‘WE’. hmm…, since I am only a non-resident Mumbaikar, this whole affair is spearheaded by Nita.
cheers,
Priyank.
Здравствуйте!
I still cheat when pronouncing this word (zdravstvuyte झ्द्राव्सत्वुअीच), it means ‘Hello’ in Russian.
Quick update: Russia was fantastic, eventful and full of friendly people. I fly to Mumbai, India tomorrow. I can’t wait to see my motherland (after 2 years!)
Walking on, where else but, the Red Square
- I soaked Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and many Golden Ring cities. I acquired some religiously, architecturally, historically, bureaucratically, culturally, etc. significant knowledge.
- My Russian is perfect. People mostly understand my baby Russian, for eg: ‘I-want-go-Moscow-train, where-buy-ticket?’ The trouble arises only when they reply in grammatically complicated Russian.
- Everything is exorbitantly expensive. Medium coffee and a slice of cake would cost upto 250 Roubles, or $10. I don’t just have a hole in my pocket, but my entire pants are gone. (Any request for photos will be ignored.) I couldn’t buy new ones because the costs are crazy.
- I mostly couch-surfed in Russia, i.e. stayed in homes of people who were willing to host. It was a wonderful (almost unbelievable) experience of hospitality. Only 3 days out of 3 weeks did I stay in hostels.
- Non-spicy meat eating (morning, noon and night) will come to an end and I am looking forward to eating vegetarian food again. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed food each and every day (which will be displayed here in delightful pictures). But after 26 years of vegetarianism, imagine 3 purely meat-only weeks.
- Finally, yes it was completely safe, and I had almost no problems whatsoever. After you get used to everyone turning their heads and examining a darker non-Slavic foreigner (to the point that I looked at a mirror all the time to ensure everything was okay) and after the cold, expressionless Russian glance is broken, people will go out of their way to help you.
Thats all for now, I will write more and visit my blog-mates once I am settled in Mumbai.
Пока! (paka पाका: ‘bye!’)
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