Travel Blog by Medhavi Davda - from India
Adventure Travel ~ Experiential Travel ~ Solo Travel ~ Responsible Travel
Namaste! I'm Medhavi Davda.
I travel to Evolve..
In Nature, I confide..
I find my calling in the Himalayas..
In the Oceans, I meditate..
Ex-Techie, with 9.5 years of experience in Software Industry, I had started my career as a software engineer working with TCS, Infosys and IBM. Throughout my school days and along my corporate career, I constantly worked on taking my passions forward to quench my hunger to explore. Sports, Dancing, Trekking, Backpacking, Scuba Diving, Paragliding have already been ticked off my infinite list of priorities. I’ve been carrying passion for sports and adventure since my early years; been a national level Badminton player and held on to the title of Corporate Badminton Champion of Pune for 5 years. I started my journey with dance with diploma in Kathhak and then got myself trained in various dance forms like Hip-Hop, Jive, Swing, Salsa, Waltz, Jazz, Cha Cha Cha, Tango, Bachata, Kizomba over the years
I had my first encounter with Himalayas at the age of 16, during a high-altitude trek and since then “I left my heart in the Himalayas”. I found my “Nirvana Moments” in the mountains. I always found reasons to run away to the Himalayas, even if it was to catch a glimpse of snow-clad mountains on a weekend. The more I trekked through these beautiful, snow-clad, tough mountains, the more I got away from modern materialism. I no longer have the desire to own a fleet of cars, and I'm detached with the idea of stocking exclusive brands in my wardrobe. Trekking changed my attitude towards life and I learnt that happiness comes from doing things that you love, and not from owning things. I have made it a point to give away things that I don’t need. I have stopped buying things I don't need. I started scaling heights with each successive adventure and I conquered myself with each of my climbs:
- Roopkund Trek, Uttarakhand, India - 4800m
- Chadar Trek - Frozen River Trek, Ladakh, India - 4200m
- Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, Kashmir, India - 4200m
- Markha Valley Trek, Ladakh, India - 5200m
- Stok Kangri Summit, Ladakh, India - 6110m
- Mount Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia - 3726m (2nd highest active volcano of Indonesia)
- Auden's Col & Mayali Pass Expedition, Uttarakhand, India - 5490m (most dangerous pass in the Garhwal Himalayas)
- Kalindi Khal Expedition, Uttarakhand, India - 6000m
- Garuda Peak, Uttarakhand, India - a technical peak at 6000m
- Everest Base Camp & Kala Patthar Trek, Nepal - 5555m
- Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India - 4300m
- Mera Peak Summit, Nepal - 6461m
- Kilimanjaro Summit, Tanzania, Africa - 5895m (highest peak of Africa, seven summits)
- Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal - 4130m
While traveling, I also discovered my AQUADDICTION. I discovered Scuba Diving during my first island travel to Lakshadweep and eventually got my self certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver. I feel myself to be extremely privileged to know about an entirely different world that remains hidden from the rest of the world. I've explored the under waters of:
- Kalpeni/Kavaratti/Minicoy Islands, Lakshadweep, India - Discover Scuba Diving
- Gili Islands, Indonesia - SSI Open Water Diver course
- Havelock Island, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India - PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course
- Nha Trang, Vietnam
- Koh Rong, Sihanoukville, Cambodia
- Neil Island, Andaman & Nicobar Island, India
- Phuket, Thailand
- Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia
- Sharm El Sheikh, Red Sea, Egypt - PADI Specialty course - Enriched Air Diver
- Laamu Atoll, Maldives
- Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Maldives - PADI Specialty courses - Deep Diver, Digital Underwater Photographer, Night Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy
After Mountains and Oceans, I also got a chance to touch the Skies through my adventures. Paragliding, which initially seemed like a scary adventure to me, now keeps me motivated to take off from bigger heights. Relearning physics through adventures is the best thing that has happened to me. I'm in the process of getting certified as a Club Pilot after going through:
- Elementary Pilot Course - Nirvana Paragliding, Kamshet, Maharashtra, India (2-3 mins solo flights from 45 meters)
- Intermediate Pilot Course - Nirvana Paragliding, Kamshet, Maharashtra, India (10-15 mins solo flights from 250 meters)
In 2015, I was working irregular hours, spending maddening hours on calls resolving technical issues, and ordering unhealthy food. My healthy lifestyle which has been a corner stone of my existence since ever took a massive beating. Something inside me clicked and I utilized all of my pending leaves to celebrate my Birthday in the Andaman Islands, dived with sharks, returned to my desk and submitted my resignation. I then went on a backpacking and trip to South-East Asia (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) for 5 weeks.
On my return, I gave away most of the things I owned in Pune, packed only the basics in my car and drove all the way to Himachal Pradesh. My only possessions are - my car, my trekking and snorkelling gears, my badminton kit, basic electronics, few clothes and toiletries. I have been living minimalistic and it feels liberating to me. I lived in remote places of Himachal Pradesh (Bir, Spiti, Kinnaur and Tirthan Valley) for 1.5 years to experience life from a different perspective. This humbling experience helped me satiate my curiosity about life existing in more ways than what we have been conditioned to believe.
Travel has fascinated me since childhood. I have traveled extensively in India before exploring international destinations. My idea of travel is backpacking in some remote location, away from the cities and crowd, be disconnected from the internet and mobile devices and live the way the locals do. Or go trekking and diving to experience the pure and pristine beauty of our planet.
Exposing myself to the heights of mountains & depths of oceans during Adventure Travel helped me build a strong connect with nature and a deep concern for the environment. I actively promote reducing negative impact on nature and human life through Responsible Travel and I keep doing my bit to be kind to the environment in my regular life. Solo Travel instilled deep sense of responsibility and awareness, making me into a conscious human being. Traveling helps me learn & introduce natural ways of living to my idea of a healthy lifestyle. I learnt to broaden my mind through my travels!
I'm in a quest to make a living out of my passions, lead a healthy lifestyle, and Experience life in different places across the globe.
