I take a lot of photos when I travel.
Probably too many. 😂
Usually we remember the obvious ones.
The first view. The place we travelled all that way to see. The food. The people. The photo we planned to take.
But recently I went through some of my old photos and started looking at something different.
What did I photograph when the journey was almost over?
Not necessarily the best photo from the trip.
Just something that made me stop, take out my phone and capture it before moving on.
I found three.
And strangely, all three mean something completely different to me.
The Ray — Great Barrier Island, New Zealand 🇳🇿
This was my first time seeing a live ray.
We were at Great Barrier Island in New Zealand. A beautiful place surrounded by nature and scenery that was completely worth the trip.
It was our last day there, and we were simply walking around the island.
Then we saw this.
A ray moving through the clear water.
And it was big. 😂
I remember just standing there watching it.
There was no plan to see a ray that day. It wasn’t something on an itinerary that I was waiting to tick off.
It just appeared.
That’s one of the things I love about travelling.
Sometimes you’ve already seen what you came to see. You’re almost ready to leave.
And then the place gives you one more memory.
For me, Great Barrier Island did exactly that.
The Red Sunset — On the Way to Surat, Gujarat 🇮🇳
This one was completely different.
We were travelling by ferry towards Surat, Gujarat.
It was evening.
And somewhere during the journey, the sky started changing.
Red.
Really red.
I didn’t need to do anything.
There was nowhere I needed to rush to.
I just watched.
Sometimes nature does that.
It makes you stop whatever you’re doing for a few minutes and simply look.
So that’s what I did.
I admired it.
And of course, I took a photo. 😂
No big story.
Just a ferry, an evening in India and one beautiful red sunset.
Sometimes that’s enough.
Christmas in Shirdi ❤️
Then there is this photo.
This one is different.
I spent Christmas with children in Shirdi, near Mumbai.
But I don’t really like calling them “orphanage kids.”
To me, they are my brothers.
And they call me Anna.
Big brother.
That day was a mix of emotions.
We served them food. We brought things for them to eat. We celebrated Christmas together.
There was noise. There was laughter. There were children everywhere.
And somehow I ended up in the middle of all of them taking this selfie. 😂
When I look at this photo now, I don’t first remember what we gave them.
I remember their faces.
I remember the excitement.
And I remember being called Anna.
I’ve travelled to see mountains, islands, temples, sunsets and many beautiful places.
But this photo isn’t really about a place.
It’s about people.
And maybe that’s why it feels different from the other two.
Three Photos
A ray in New Zealand.
A red sunset while travelling through India.
And Christmas with my little brothers in Shirdi.
If you asked me which of these moments I would go back to tomorrow, the answer is easy.
Shirdi.
The ray was beautiful.
The sunset was beautiful too.
But I can see another ray someday. I can watch another sunset.
Spending time with them is different.
I would go back to sit with them again.
Eat with them.
Laugh with them.
Listen to all the noise around me. 😂
And hear them call me Anna again.
Maybe that’s why, out of these three photos, this one means the most to me.
Not because it was the most beautiful place.
Not because it was the best photo.
Because there were people in that moment I would genuinely like to spend another day with.
I started looking through my gallery wondering about the photos I took before going home.
I ended up realising something much simpler.
Sometimes I miss the place.
Sometimes I miss the moment.
And sometimes, I miss the people. ❤️
Just here.
Thana
Beyond The Horizon 🌅
