Experience of a Life Time!

 I have read it some where that - Travel makes one Modest , You see what a tiny place you occupy in the World! How true and thought provoking. Don't you think so?

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One thing I have realized over a period of time that the kind of happiness, an experience can bring on to the table, no materialist thing can ever bring. And I truly believe that focus should never be on destination but the experience you gain throughout the journey is what matters the most.

Today I want to share my happiness with the world by sharing my most memorable Travel 😊

This was in the year 2016 when Times Group came up with their first ever overnight TSD rally (Bengaluru to Goa) for women with a noble cause of Breast Cancer awareness. I wasn't sure of being a part of this but my better half kind of pushed me into it and I can't thank him enough for doing that. I have made some beautiful memories along the journey. 

Now let me welcome you to the world of reliability rallying also commonly known as TSD (Time Speed Distance) rallying. The word rallying brings about images of incredibly fast driven machines but within rallying there is a class that is not about speed alone and to be frank that was the reason I was part of it. Leaving two kids behind and going for a rally was not that easy a choice. But with family support anything is possible.

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Navigation is an integral part of TSD rally. The route for the course is a secret and you have to use the road book to reach the end. Sounds interesting right..it was indeed. During the course, a speed limit is imposed in different parts that needs to be adhered strictly and along the way secret checkpoints note the time and then compute whether you are driving fast or slow. Penalty points are applied accordingly. The best part is penalties for going faster than stipulated time are double than going slow. The route is covered by the crew to calculate the ideal time. Now this part of the rallying makes it even more exciting and adventurous. There were times when the whole road was empty and we were driving at the speed of 20 km/hr. People passing by were amazed and were starring at us as if we have gone crazy. 

At the start of the rally, each team is handed over a Tulip chart, speed chart and time chart. Tulip chart gives the direction to be followed but with no clear name of the location. So the idea is, you get the route, you get the average speed you need to maintained in different sections of the drive, on the basis of which the navigator is expected to calculate the time needed to reach the destination.  Prizes were organised for various categories like, best decorated car, best dressed team etc. that has made it even more exciting and competitive.Every team wanted to give their best, so we decorated our car and wore identical clothes as if we were twins.

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The rally started 7 AM in the morning and we reached Hubli around 5 PM in the evening. We were exhausted but our whole tiredness vanished when we reached our destination "The Taj Gateway", what a stunning looking hotel with exceptional hospitality.We were welcomed and treated like a VIP and had lavished dinner with all the participants . I made some great friends and spent my most memorable time with them. On the way we interacted with the villagers and spread awareness on breast cancer. That was the intention and sole purpose of the rally , how could we forget that. Villagers were so astonished looking at us and our car but then they were happy to stop by and listen to all our instructions very carefully. We took some pictures with them as well.

If you are wondering where am I in the picture, well I am on the driver's seat😀

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After reaching our destination the most unexpected thing took place-  First I was received by my kids and my hubby who had reached Goa a day before to give me a wonderful surprise, I was almost in tears. And, the second surprise was a spectacular party which was thrown by the Times group in one of the most lavish hotel. We danced our heart out ,as if there was no tomorrow. Well that was not it, we were given lots of goodies which included Hidesign bag , JBL speakers, other merchandise and lot of candies. This was an experience of a life time which I will cherish through out of my life. 

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The greatest legacy we can leave with our children is our experience with the world..so pack your bags and create your own memorable stories! ~ SwatiMathur

@SwatiMathur

“This blog post is written for SpeakEasy Blogging Challenge 2.1 hosted by Ruchi and Dipika”

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