Travelogue Across Hemisphere | Bhupender Gupta

 

I am a person who loves to travel, so much so that I take up any opportunity to pick up my travel bags! The past couple of years has made travel a very distant dream. Even the small and necessary trip that we have to take is filled with fear and uneasiness. The health and safety of the kids and us-parents have taken top priority and we have practically stopped taking long trips unless it is really needed.

And then, this book came up for review. I have reviewed quite a few travelogues and this one proved to be a bit different from the rest. The main thing being-second person narrative! I have been looking for such books and this one literally dropped on my lap!

At a Glance:

Physical or mental, good or bad, pleasurable or otherwise, the writer’s endeavour should be to pen in such a way that the reader vicariously experiences the writer’s own experience. The success of a writer presumably depends directly upon the degree at which they are able to achieve this crucial objective.

Neither has Bhupender an artistic background nor is he a photography aficionado. But destiny arguably is unpredictable. It sometimes has unplanned ventures to peruse. So probably during one of his regular evening drives from office to home the beauty of the sunset inadvertently captured his imagination, engendering feelings that he says were more romantic than his real romantic encounters.

Fascinated with the waves of the sea caressing over the the sand, part of it sinking in and the rest going back to the sea only to return with same vigour, plausibly prodded him to discover a new meaning for courage. He looked up at the sky to realize the incredible vastness of nature that he was part of it now.

Saddled himself with a camera, tripod, paper and a pen, and off he goes globe-trotting. To click the little fairylands in the world and collect the scattered jewels of incredible places only to share them with you.

A captivating read indeed for both, avid and armchair travellers.

My Review:

This is a book based on the author’s travel across the hemisphere – India, New Zealand, and the USA. Told over 8 chapters, the vivid description makes you want to jump on a train/flight and take a trip immediately! The second-person narrative makes you feel like you are walking down those beautiful cities and exploring the cultures and cuisines!

The beautiful pictures that accompany the narrative are eye-catching and add a nice touch to the description. Every place has been described so well and interesting details mentioned just way the locals would show you around the place. The author has even mentioned the ticket prices for the rides and other places he has visited which gives us an idea of how much they would cost and how worth it all was.

Reading through the picturesque locations and the spectacular views made me crave a much-needed vacation, especially now more than ever. The first thing I wanted to do when I started reading got on the Interislander and enjoy the three-hour ride! It is on my bucket list now!

The author’s emotions are well penned. Be it enjoying the marvelous views or the fear while booking a trip to Kashmir we can sense his mood and feelings.

When I finished the last page of this book, I had a feeling of traveling with the author and visiting all those lovely places. So pick up this travelogue that is written in a very simple yet captivating manner and sit back and get ready to travel the globe from the comforts of your home!

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