Year 2014-the journey that was!

 

Couple of days late but taking a look back at my year 2014. Facebook already provided an automatic program to review our years, but I find that didn’t have some of the best pictures and updates I had in mind.

 

Here is my year 2014, for those of you interested. This only lists public stuff w.r.t me, my blog and related travel/adventures. It doesn’t include success/failure/events related to my personal/professional life.

Adventures undertaken in 2014: 

1. White water rafting in Kali river- Jan 2014, 

2. Microlight aircraft flying: Feb 2014, 

3. Scuba diving- March 2014.

A balloon ride planned for May was missed as the ride got cancelled [Details]. 

Cars driven in 2014: Drove many of them, some of them for a very short duration, about 2 new vehicles every month, from an old Maruti 800 to half a crore worth Freelander 

1. Merc A Class, (Zoomcar-Bengaluru)

2. Landrover Freelander 2, 

3. Reno Duster RXE, (Carzonrent - Bengaluru)

4. Toyota Fortuner 4x2, (Carzonrent- Bengaluru)

5. Pajero Sports, 

6. Swift, (Carzonrent-Pune)

7. Swift Dzire, (Carzonrent-Delhi)

8. XUV500 W6, (Carzonrent-Bengaluru & Zoomcar Bengaluru)

9. Honda city, (Zoomcar-Bengaluru)

10. Maruti Ertiga, (Carzonrent-Bengaluru)

11. Ford Ecosport (Zoomcar-Bengaluru)

12. Ford Figo (Zoomcar-Bengaluru)

13. Toyota Innova (Carzonrent- Chennai)

14. Maruti 800

15. Merc C-Class (Carzonrent- Chennai)

16. Merc E-Class (Carzonrent - Bengaluru)

17. Scorpio Vlx (Carzonrent - Bengaluru)

18. Mahindra Thar CRDE 4x4 (Carzonrent - Goa)

19. Tata Nano Twist

20. BMW 320d (Zoomcar-Bengaluru)

21. Honda Amaze

22. Toyota Etios V (Petrol)

23. Hyundai i10 and Elite i20

24. Fiat Avventura

Bikes ridden in 2014: 

1 Harley Davidson Street 750, 

2 RE Dessert Storm, 

3 Apache 160, 

4 Pulsar 200 NS

New States explored for the first time in 2014: West Bengal, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh.

New destinations explored: Dandeli, Jaisalmer, Goa, Kolkata, Bishnupur, Amritsar, Dharmshala

International Travel in 2014: Thailand (yes, only one trip, courtesy Thailand Tourism Authority)

Monthly summary:

Jan 2014: Visit to Dandeli, Karwar, Yana, Chikmagalur.

Feb 2014: Stay in Park Sheraton, Chennai, Microlight flying, visit to Kolar, Kendatti, few other places around Bengaluru

March 2014: Scuba diving, visit to Kuppalli

April-May 2014: North India trip, covering Doraha, McLeod Gunj,  Amritsar, Wagah Border, Kangra fort and many more [Full write up]

June: Short ride in Merc C Class, no major travel

July: Thailand, Mysore-Shimsa-Talakad,  Pondy, Blr

Aug: Goa- family trip, Jaisalmer with Suryagarh

 

September: Hogenakkal, Landrover Experience, 

October: Wayanad, Mysore, some offroad events,  

November: Kolkata, Lepakshi (AP)

December: Harley Davidson & Bullet rides, Honnemaradu, Shettihalli

Two independent surveys listed me as top blogger this year… Social Beat * 

I blogged the mot so far in 2014- about 304 posts. Some most commented and most viewed once below in case you've missed them.

Most read posts of 2014:

1. Interstate tourist taxi permit mafia

2. Budget hotel booking website stayzilla.com

3. Mahindra XUV500 w6 review

4. Flipkart replacement experience

5. Kendatti quarry near Kolar

6. Zoomcar vs Myles self drive car rental comparison

7. Audi Q3 bullet scheme finance details

8. AirAsia Chennai-Blr fare analysis

9. Carzonrent self drive rental experience in Pune

10. Drive a merc without robbing a bank

11. Starbucks coffee launch Chennai

12. Ten adventure activities you can try in Karnataka

Most commented posts:

1. Doodhsagar falls by train- disaster waiting to happen

2. Travel Bloggers I met recently

3. Skywaltz- Balloon ride cancelled but no refund 

4. Flipkart replacement experience

5. Skywatch: An evening with XUV500

6. Zoomcar vs Myles self drive car rental comparison

7. Sunset at Mullayyanagiri 

8  Sunset at Om beach, Gokarna

9. Sunset at Dandeli 

10. Tiger temple Thailand- upclose

11. Safety tips for Indian Railway passengers

I thank all my readers, friends and well wishers for their support during the year. Let me see how 2015 goes... No major plans..