All has started with a failure. Ended with eternal remembering experience.
That was the period when my industrial internship was going to start for the summer. Unfortunately, I got missed with an offering for a company as a Software Engineering Intern even-though I had a high likelihood. As I remember, I have applied for the Instep internship on the same day that I was rejected. A few weeks later, the situation in Sri Lanka was the uncertain cause of the Easter-Attack; Exams were postponed; Requested Instep team to put back the joining date; It gave me some time to prepare other stuff as well as myself.
I got my flight 2 days before joining Infosys. That was my first experience and a little nervous while checking out as there were immigration officers who questioned me a lot. Eventually reached the campus by taxi which was already arranged to pick up me by the instep team. I could not realize first that the campus will be a vast compound of buildings as I arrived there in the very early morning. The Rest is History.
Here, I would mainly focus on the places I loved and had nice/worst experiences in India.
- Karnataka
Bangalore is one of the places where Infosys Pvt Ltd is located in India. Instep interns were accommodated in Employee Care Center inside Infosys campus in Bangalore. It is covered by 81 acres of the area in Electronic city, Bangalore.
The Mysore campus visit was one of the featured tours with our instep interns over 100+ people. Mysore campus is about 337 acres included with lots of facilities within the campus. You need a caravan or bus to reach the canteen every single time to eat 😳. Insane … !!
Bangalore is very famous for its nightlife. People will still hang around even after midnight. This is the town that has the worst traffic I ever experienced in my entire life. If it is raining and you want to get to the airport on time then you ****** up(Based on a true story of my father’s son). `Namma` Metro system will replace these problems very soon as there were ongoing plans while I left Bangalore.
2. Tamil Naadu
Tamil Naadu is one of the south Indian states near Sri Lanka. There are numerous amount of religious places for Hindus. I have visited there on a season called ‘Aadi Sale’ for purchasing. There is no more fun there and I got some serious health issues after returning to Bangalore.
3. Kerala
One of the best greeny paradises visited in my lifetime 🌴. Adhipalli waterfall, Backwater paddling, Kathak dance, Kattan chai, and lagoon Fish are the mandatory things you should experience in Kerala. Allapuzha is the commonplace you would find for houseboats. You could find some Kerala toddy dealers in the middle of your journey in the boats. But it was dead expensive than Sri Lankan toddy.
While paddling, you can find there are houses surrounded by only water. People were fishing themselves and traveling by boat to other places. Much difficult to manage when rain hits.
Kochi is a typical urban place that is the central city of Kerala. You can find some traditional Kathak dance performances in fort Kochi which little far away from the city and the quickest way to reach that was taking a boat jetty from Ernakulam to Fort Kochi. If you are trying to go by bus then you have to cross a tiny island to reach fort Kochi.
Adhirapalli is a famous shooting spot for Indian movies, especially in South Indian movies. If you are taking the bus, then you should know little Malayalam otherwise take a cab. At least you should take two long ride buses to reach the waterfall. But it is worth it. P.S Ravanan was filmed here.
4. Goa
Party people gather and enjoy here. Yes, It is a marvelous place to hang out with your group and get fun. Individual trip to Goa is like eating KFC chicken without ketchup 🥴. You can see ships used for casinos and floating restaurants with reasonable ranged prices. South Goa is calmer than North Goa. You can even use/rent a scooter to wander around Goa as it is the smallest state in India. The local language was Konkani which was spoken by a random person behind my seat and I did not get a single word. There are still some Portuguese people living in Goa.
5. Uttar Pradesh
Prices were on a high spike at when Diwali festival. Waited for an optimized day to fly to Delhi; 90% of intention was about to watch Taj Mahal. Finally landed at Indra Gandhi International Airport. As mine was a domestic, No more deep checkups. Got a one-day tourist pass to travel using the Metro. Initial two days were in Delhi and Agra; Qutub Minar, Akshardham temple, Red Fort, and so on were on the list.
As a result of excessive fireworks on Diwali, there was severe smog around Delhi which made me wear a mask before this Covid pandemic. Booked a bus through Red Bus to Agra. Hurried to sight Taj Mahal cause if it is crowded, photo spots will be missed/queued. If you are keen to know about the historical background, book a guide at the Taj Mahal security entrance. There are lots of scammers around the compound. The wonder of Asia is less visible than my future goals as long as toxic smog is covered. Disappointed, though got some cool pictures.
Before the trip, Delhi to Jaipur Double Decker Express was booked online. You need a passport/employee Id for your name verification while checking in.
6. Rajasthan
Royalty is the highlight of Jaipur which is the capital of Rajasthan. People are very gentle comparing other places visited. Sharing caravan/ tuk-tuk was the cheapest way to sight within the city. Amer fort, Hawa Mahal, City Palace, and Jantar Mantar are the astonishing places in Jaipur within short distance range. Jaipur is called ‘Pink City’ as it has a dominant color scheme of pink for the buildings. Still, a royal family is living in City Palace’s restricted area.
You can find camels on the way to Amer fort straight in front of the Jal Mahal (Water Palace).
After one day in Rajasthan, had to get back to Bangalore. 4 days journey without proper sleep will get you to Dwarka Sector 21 instead of the Airport. Yes. Airport express Metro is the fastest in the metro network and I slept 😵.
“Designed speed of 135 km/h and maximum operating speed of 120 km/h. Travel time is 18 min from New Delhi to Airport and 3 min from Airport to Dwarka”. Only one hour was left for the flight. That was the last shift of express. Managed to took a cab using Uber and paid through Paytm. Sometimes Uber drivers are not preferring cardless payments. Fortunately, he accepted it. Landed back in Bangalore.
There are lots of experiences and fun inside the campus such as flash mobs of our interns, volunteering Living Lab exhibition, gym, dancing water fountains, etc. It was a one-time life adventure. This time instep was completely virtual but never can balance what we had gone through.
Peace ✌️ .
