“hey, Mridulaji, its nice to read such beautiful & informative articles, particularly contents belongs to middle class tourist. …”
Can you blame me if I feel flattered? What I like the best is of course “particularly contents belong to middle class tourist.” I take it as a huge complement. Thank you dear writer.
Just today I was reading this (in Hindustan Times Sunday supplement Brunch) as travel advice in a column called ‘indulge’ by Seema Goswami:
Crease-proof clothes which can be rolled into the tiniest bag make for the best holiday wardrobe (and other such pearls of wisdom). It is followed by a picture of a picture perfect lady on vacation, wearing at least 4 inches of heels and not a hair out of place framing a perfectly made up face.
Try as I may, I can’t achieve that look even for work (don’t even want to), forget about trying to achieve it on a vacation. Cause the places I go, no one gives a damn about my wardrobe. The picture above is a testimony. Apart from my husband, our guide and the bhainse (buffaloes) there was no one else around for miles.
I know, I know not everyone is sirfira (eccentric) like me when it comes to travel but it won’t hurt the mainstream media to climb down from its high horse and write just an occasional article that touches base with the middle class.
Oh! That explains why I can relate to the stuff you write. Vacation is meant to be that way, yea. “the rule is that there are no rules”… hehehe!
What you say makes perfect sense ,I too care least about clothes when traveling .Just 2 pairs of nice comfy shirts and a jeans and that’s it and your article also reminded me of a young punjabi lady walking on heels at Rishikesh Camps on my last visit .It was a painful sight to see how precariously she was putting her foot forward lest she not fall on a rock and she actually twisted her ankle ,I was told.
Looks like there is a bunch of us of the same kind. I always have scattered hair on vacations.But then I have always seen people casually dressed on vacations here in US. Or maybe I just don’t notice. Now I will be on the lookout too.
I was wondering what this post contains, and when I figured, I burst out laughing.You should change the title of this post :))
Of course the mainstream media is all hyped up. 4 inch high heels she would have a terrible fall while trekking. Why on world dont people apply logic. Theres no point blaming the media alone, we guys start looking only if there is an attractive girl shown!!btw, i sent you a mail today, check it out and let me know
Agree 100% Mridula! A lot of travel writing is geared towards the luxury market, I’ve read magazines where the budget level for hotels start at $100, and that does get tiresome after a while. Travel is not only for the rich these days, and the media needs to reflect that. I value comfort above all else, especially when traveling!
i really try to be as open as possible when ti comes to travel. I try to accept that different people will have different perceptions about travel and holidays, and that my way is not ‘right’, just mine.But really- decking up in heels and makeup while travelling is just….weird!:)
tht’s wat i like abt ur blog too mridula. i mean ur travels r sodo-able and not those ‘picture-perfect’ kind.for me even i dont care to live in a star hotel, when the time i only stay at hotel is the night.n wat most of the media gives u is the phone numbers of these star hotels which u can find on the net with just a click.u r crazy n u r better tht way !
I completely agree with that mailer 🙂
I like the tag of middle class as a tourist. The high class tourists mainly aim to have nice vacation in a touristy place, where they will stay in big Star hotels, with swimming pools and a nice view from the window. Bit of shopping and looking through the window in a relaxed mood with a glass of wine. That’s it, rest of the tourists who cares about every nuances of the place are middle class 🙂
wonderful…just saw ur comment somewhere so came to see here..beautiful blog you have i must say..nicely expressed..take care…
Me too neither – I just want to be comfortable. So all I care about is having a good pair of sneakers 🙂 Wont ever risk uneven surfaces, leave alone hills, with high heels ;-)Re Seema Goswami’s article: I read that article, and I didn’t think much of it! And I really wish that newspapers and magazines will carry articles that cater to an average salaried person, rather than glossing over Rs20,000 a night resorts.And the picture is absolutely smashing!!
Dear Mridula,Henry David Thoreau said, ‘Beware of enterprises requiring new clothes’ or something like that. I agree with you 100 percent. Just a few quality items from our friends at Land’s End. HaHaSteve H
I like and agree with your caption. Since the place is splendidly beautiful, a wardrobe won’t matter in that place.
Priyank, thanks.VJ, I have seen that myself so many times a lady on heels and so very uncomfortable!Pooja, do let us know what you observe :)I will let it be if it creates a little bit of confusion :)Sathish, thanks for the honest feedback :)Crystal, thanks for sharing your thoughts.Shakester, I too agree that people travel differently but where is that variety reflected in the mainstream media?Maverick and Prashanth, thanks for the comment. Pijush, I will have to agree with you on this one.Sigma, you are right on target when you talk about those Rs 20000 rooms. Puts me off like anything.Stephen thanks a lot for that quote. I entirely agree.Rcon, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
The ‘budget traveller’ would be a more apt description, perhaps.My personal opinion is that it is such travellers who get the most out their wanderings, because they get a good feel of the life of the common people in the places they travel to, rather than those who spend a packet and yet remain relatively insulated from the lives of common folk at their destinations.Travelling light is an excellent thing to do and I would say that your husband is a very lucky man, for it is often the ladies who contribute the bulk of the luggage.:)
Sidhu, thanks for the wonderful comment, will make my husband read it. He considers three shits excessive on a 7 day trip!