2013 – It was the best of years, it was the worst of years.
***
We started the year on a high note and welcomed 2013 on Lanzarote’s secluded beaches. Savi and I saw tons of active and nascent volcanoes and went for hikes on volcanic rubble. What’s more, we had food cooked on a volcano for the first time in our lives – it got us really excited 🙂 Lanzarote was all about stumbling on geological oddities, hidden beaches, and local tapas bars.
In February, we flew to Dubai. Skyscrapers and malls don’t fascinate us in the least, so we were hell-bent on discovering the ‘other’ Dubai, one that is ignored by the media and most tourists. Savi and I spent our time perusing endless rows of colourful spices, sampling sweet Arabic dates, off-roading in a sturdy 4×4, and camping in the desert.
We welcomed Easter Break with open arms and decided to drive along one of England’s prettiest routes. The road trip from London to Cornwall needs to be experienced to be believed. Tiny villages populated with rustic cottages and tea rooms dot the scenery. We spent the holiday complaining about the English weather (0°C in April, seriously?), devouring dozens of Easter eggs and Cornish pasties, and exploring Cornwall’s fishing villages.
Can you guess what we did in May? We succumbed to our friends’ threats (err encouragement?) and FINALLY started our travel blog, Bruised Passports. Before we knew it, we had fallen head over heels in love with blogging and sharing our adventures with all of you *does a little dance* 🙂
Soon after, we hopped over to Berlin, one of our favourite cities in Europe. Berlin’s laid-back vibe and subversive street-art had us swooning in no time. We spent our days hunting down works by street-art masters, discovering some really cool music, and exploring its beer gardens and vintage markets.
We shot a number of grungy outfits for the ‘Wears’ section of Bruised Passports. In fact, Savi managed to rope me in for a shoot and we shot our first post on Men’s Fashion in Berlin. Aah fun times…NOT! 😉
May is a happy month. It’s Savi’s birthday. We celebrated her birthday by going on a cruise holiday with her favourite people – her family. I’ve known Sid and Savi’s mum and dad for 16 years now, so they’re all very dear to me. We had an amazing time hopping from port to port, lounging on our ship’s decks, indulging our passion for fine-dining, and staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the expansive ocean.
In June we re-visited Rome for a few days. Savi busied herself with tales of gladiators and mysteries of the crumbling walls of the Colosseum while I was on a mission to find the best pizza in town. What can I say, that’s how we roll 🙂
As always, Savi got away with wearing some crazy looking shoes in Rome. Don’t believe me? I have visual proof 😉
As Audrey Hepburn famously quoted: Paris is ALWAYS a good idea. We couldn’t have agreed more. In July, Savi and I pranced across the Channel Tunnel into the romantic alleys of Paris with Gowithoh. Fluffy macrons, crusty baguettes, and endless walks by the Seine defined our days while evenings were made complete by drinks with close friends, panoramas of Paris, and partying with locals at Sacré-Coeur at midnight. It was our nth trip to Paris but it was on this trip that we discovered a secret abandoned railway line in Paris, explored the quirky neighbourhood of Belleville, and FINALLY made it to the Palace of Versailles.
The madness continued in Spain. Savi’s brother, Sid accompanied the two of us on an epic road trip through Spain. We started in Malaga, Picasso’s birthplace in Southern Spain, and drove 1500 kilometres along the coast to Besalu, a tiny town in Catalonia.
We spent our days partaking in Spain’s annual ferias, drinking copious amounts of sangria, getting squashed (pun fully intended) at the world’s biggest food fight, sunning ourselves at Costa Brava’s stunning beaches, and hunting for Spain’s famous sunflower fields and medieval towns.
We celebrated my birthday in September with a travel-themed birthday cake (what else?!)
In October we flew to the little island nation of Mauritius. Now, the mere mention of Mauritius conjures up images of pristine beaches and turquoise waters. So we packed our bags expecting decadent beaches and ornate hotels. On reaching Mauritius, we realised that it isn’t just about the luxury. Mauritius offers an extremly vibrant mix of culture, food, and adventure sports. From unique water sports to rugged mountainous drives, rum tastings to spicy Creole food, biking around tiny fishing villages to walking with lions, Mauritius has it all. Don’t be surprised if you find us packing our bags for Mauritius again in 2014 🙂
This year ended on a somber note because our world was shaken in October. We lost Savi’s dad to a sudden stroke. Losing a parent is always tough, but it has been exceptionally hard for Savi because she was extremely close to her dad – he was her friend, confidante, mentor, and guide. It’s been a couple of months and Savi’s only beginning to get back to her normal self, thanks to the support of our incredible family and friends. We’re working on getting her smile back 🙂
This incident has forced us to come to terms with the unpredictability of life and made us even more determined to travel the world and collect experiences instead of material possessions. Savi gets her travel bug from her dad, who was Bruised Passports’ staunchest supporter. We will continue to record our journey on Bruised Passports in the hope that he is watching over us.
This year might not have been a good year for us (far from it), but we’re very grateful for the friends we made, places we saw, and things we experienced.
We hope the New Year is full of health and happiness for all of you. We’ll be back in 2014 with loads of adventures, offbeat places, bohemian fashion, culinary gems, and general madness 🙂 You can subscribe to Bruised Passports on Facebook and Twitter to follow us on our travels
How was 2013 for you? Good? Bad? Tell us in the comments below
Love you guys . Have a great 2014 . Keep posting . You inspire people to travel .
Yay – if that’s true, our work here is done 🙂
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss Savi. I have a motto (that is tattooed down my back) “Live the life you love to live”… Nothing reminds us more than that than a loss of someone we love. Best wishes for 2014 lovelies and keep living it like you love it x
Thanks Delia. I love that phrase – it’s one I must keep in mind in the future 🙂
Savi, sorry to hear about your loss and I can really not imagine how hard you must be struggling to get your normal self back. Keep up the courage girl! Looking forward to more of your fun, ‘mad’ self in 2014.
Thanks Shireen. With warm readers like you, I’m sure Savi will be back to her crazy self in no time 🙂
Wow what a fantastic post, you took some amazing photos and got to visit some great places. Hope you have a great New Year xx
Thanks a ton Jessica – Happy New Year to you too 🙂
Here’s to hoping we meet up again in 2014!
I’m pretty sure we’ll bump into each other in one part of the world or the other – looking forward to it 🙂
What amazing photos! I am sorry to hear about Savi’s loss. 2013 was the year we became parents, so a good, if a little tiring year!
Thanks 🙂 Aah congratulations to you two – it must be so rewarding to see your li’l one grow up
So sorry to hear about Savi’s Dad, hope that 2014 is a brilliant year for you both xx
Thanks a ton Laura – we’re keeping our fingers crossed for 2014 🙂
That’s an amazing birthday cake. wow!!! never seen one like it and I think you both had an amazing year. Cheers to this one and looking forward to the next. God bless
Vid fell in love with his cake – he didn’t want to cut it 😉
Dear Savi
checking your Facebook page has grown upon me as a habit in the last one year or so. Gorgeous places, great food, great places, happy faces, beautiful u and ur partner…your blog has it all. I had been a lil concerned the last one month or so thinking how come you have been so awfully quiet in the last couple of days or so. and then today i read this post here by Vidit.
Losing a parent can be the most painful thing in the world. You will be in my prayers. Please be strong. And get that gorgeous gorgeous smile back again..i m sure your father too is waiting for that million dollar smile somewhere
BEAR HUG
Sugandha
Dearest Sugandha – thanks for leaving such a warm note for us and being such a great friend. Much love, Savi
Such a beautiful and interesting nice review
Thank you 🙂
I just have to say Savi looks amazing all the time.
Such style!
Hats off.
Thanks Sofie – I must show Savi your comment 🙂
Loved reading through the post. I’m sorry for your loss. Hope Savi gets her smile back soon and we see her beautiful smile again in pics here.
I get my travel bug from dad too. He would just take me and my brother for a drive on weekends. And whenever me and my brother get together we go for drives (long or short). This year was tough as me, brother & sis-in-law are in final year of medical post grad studies. And the looming exams are making world gloomy and stressful.
But few days back I was reflecting on my year, and the thought that came to my mind was,”I saw at least four new places inspite of hectic schedule. It was a good year!”
A prayer for all the travelers, that they explore the most beautiful unexplored places, and have safe travels. Amen! 🙂
New places always mean a good year 🙂 All the best for your exams – hope you come out with flying colours
I’m happy to read that you’ve found the strength to write about the loss of your dad. It’s such a very sad thing to lose a parent, and something that is difficult to recover from, especially one that is so dear. Take solace in knowing that he’ll be traveling with you both and cheering you on from above.
Safe travels and hoping our paths cross in 2014.
Vid made me read the post you wrote about your mum Leah. It was only then that we found strength to write about Dad. So thank you – you’re an inspiration in every way possible 🙂
WOW what an amazing year for you – you must have seen some amazing sights I can’t wait to see what you get up to in 2014!
Thanks for following us Sarah. We’re waiting to find out what 2014 has in store for us – travel, food, and fashion is definitely on the menu 😉
Thank you Savi & Vid for your amazing blog and for sharing your adventures in such a fun way. You are a great inspiration to newcomers in the travel blogging world and I hope we can discuss the subject together soon!
Savi, me deepest sympathies to you and your family throughout this difficult time. I have had to go through this myself so sending you all my support.
May 2014 be wonderful to you both!
Aww Catherine thanks a ton for saying that. We’re so happy to hear you enjoy Bruised Passports – looking forward to interacting more with you in 2014 🙂
What an exciting year and so very colourful! Beautiful images!
Thanks Erika. The credit goes to Vid’s photography 🙂
WOW! Amazing post! Love it…
You two are such a happening couple…God bless you…Lucky you!
love
http://www.meghasarin.com
Thanks Megha 🙂 Glad you enjoyed our compilation
I’m in love with your blog! I don’t know if I’ll every be able to afford to travel as much as you two. No matter, you’re making the pangs go away a little. I’m sorry about your father Savi, I hope that you get better soon.
Thanks Neer. Save, save, save, and travel. If you WANT to see the world, you WILL see the world 🙂
I am so happy I stumbled upon your site and have enjoyed reading about
your travels in 2013. Looking forward to 2014. Happy New Year from the
USA!
Thanks Cheryl. We sincerely hope you continue to enjoy Bruised Passports in 2014 🙂 You can follow our travels on Facebook too https://www.facebook.com/BruisedPassports
2013 was good. Can’t say I loved it, neither did I hate it.
Thanks to both of you for evoking that wanderlust bug in me.
This year, I plan to take a little time off from my work schedule, and travel for almost a month!
Savi I’m really sorry to hear about your father. Lots of love to both of you, to get past this.
Looking forward to seeing some really nice post from you guys.
xox
Head2Heels
Thanks great Roxanne. Drop us a line or two to tell us about your travels – we would love to hear from you.
Ahhh guys this is a fab post, you have had a memorable year. All the best for 2014!
Lots of Love Helen X
http://www.allthebeautifulthings.co.uk
Thanks Helen. Hope 2014 is a great year for you too 🙂
Dear bruised-passport holders..
2014 shall be a year of hope and journey , destination and journal; and most importantly faith that no matter how close or far you might be from your home ;the love of your friends and family shall travel with you.
Look forward to hearing from you guys about the experiences waiting to be cherished.
Love
Shikha
Thanks Shikha. Happy New Year to you too. Hope 2014 is jam-packed with love and happiness for you 🙂
We’ve loved following your adventures in 2013. And look forward to doing so in 2014. Of course, if you ever come to Gran Canaria, you know who to look up.
That goes without saying Matthew – we must catch up in person 🙂
You take amazing photos! And wow – you’ve visited so many places in 2013! So inspirational. Would like to THANK you for including amazing outfit posts in the wears section. I feel like many travellers often tone the beauty down. I’m a girly girl like Savi and I’m so inspired by the constant mix of bright colors and class. Beautiful style!
And so sorry about your dad, Savi. That must be the toughest thing to go through. I can’t even imagine… Lots of thoughts! Hope you’ll get a better 2014. Can’t wait to follow you!
Hope our roads will cross one day – you’re such an inspiration!
Thanks for leaving such a warm message Celia. I really do hope our paths cross in 2014 🙂 Meanwhile, I hope you continue to enjoy Bruised Passports
I saw this post a little late.. Savi and Vid, Is’s really an amazing blog the two of you started, I actually feel that I am on a virtual trip and it relaxes me a LOT 🙂 I love the way you pen down your experiences. 🙂
Savi, very sorry to hear about your loss. It must have been such a tough time for you, but you said it right that your Dad will always be watching over you. Loved ones never actually leave, they are always with us. Hope you have a great 2014 🙂
Thanks a ton Ramya. You might enjoy reading the blog but we always look forward to reading your comments on our blog posts 🙂
Love your blogs. So informative.
Thanks Lyndell 🙂