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A little information about Coorg: Kodagu aka Coorg located on eastern slopes of Western Ghats, is an administrative district in Karnataka. Coorg is known for its Coffee. It’s a hilly region where main source of income is cultivation of Coffee. Hence, you can find umpteen coffee plantation estates in Coorg.

We started off with Abbi Falls which is around 7 Km from Madikeri. The roads were long and smooth, no doubt about it and the view they had was absolutely mesmerizing. As you ride away from main city Madikeri, you get to see small paddy fields and occasional grasslands with grazing cows. The roads were windy and had quick surprise turns to say the least. Speed check was priority for us and Mausami had a good control over it. I sat behind her, happily holding my selfie stick, recording the beauty of the roads. Did I mention that I fell in love with Coorg roads?

After Abbi Falls, we headed to main town Madikeri. Let me tell you – driving in Madikeri is also one hell of a task. Wide slopes and long elevations are the real challenges to talk about. Rain and Fog together adds more to your challenge. After a fulfilling lunch at Tiger Tiger restaurant at Madikeri and little bit of Spices and Chocolate shopping, we called it a day. We were tired, but little did we know that a serious off-roading was waiting for us.

Special mention about Tiger Tiger restaurant near by Raja seat. Authentic Kodagu Food, Delicious preparing.

Ok, so I admit that we got lost. Our plantation stay at Suntikoppa was 1km from NH 275 and we took a wrong turn. Wrong turn and we were in midst of coffee plantation with no proper roads but wet mud and rocks. Before we admitted this loud, we had rode 2km inside the plantation. At one point, we decided to turn around and get us out of this scary setup as soon as possible. It was cloudy with no sunlight to guide us and crickets (or more night insects) added eerie sounds to our experience. Just when we decided to turn around a jeep appeared behind us and the driver gave us puzzled look. He barely knew Hindi and English but still he managed to guide us out and towards our plantation stay cottage. This is what I feel is beauty of travelling in Karnataka – People are kind and helpful, and regardless of language barrier they still do their best to help you out.

Next day was the best day of our Road Trip. It was windy, but sunny. It rained hardly for a minute or so, but overall the ride was smooth and breezy. We started from NH 275, towards KushalNagar. Dubare Elephant Camp was the first thing on our mind. NH 275 was the real deal. Long and smooth roads with beautiful turns, these roads gave us the best experience of Road Trip in Coorg. This beautiful highway continued for 15 km until we had to take a right turn.

Way to Dubare Elephant Camp is 7 km right from NH 275 and this is where the real fun begins. A little rough and narrow, this road is long and straight. Did I mention that Cows in Coorg are fearless? They walk in groups, they turn whenever they please and they sometimes decide to rest right in middle of the road. Dodging the daring cows, dodging the potholes, we managed to reach Dubare Elephant Camp by 10:30 am.

After Dubare Elephant Camp, our next destination was Namdroling Monastry(also called as Golden Temple) at Bylakuppe. We were excited to visit this small Tibetian village which was near KushalNagar. Picturesque and serene, Bylakuppe took us to the different world. The huge board read – Welcome to the Tibetian Settlement, Bylakuppe. . Villagers in Bylakuppe were simple and welcoming. We lost track of time and kept driving until we saw a small market. My stomach growled when I saw small roadside restaurant serving Momos. We got tempted and stopped to have our lunch. Delicious Momos and Thukpa satiated our hunger and filled our heart.

After satisfying lunch, we headed towards the Golden Temple. 3km away from the market place, the road to Golden Temple is no less than the road to Heaven. Flanked by lush green mountains, colorful prayer flags, yellow corn field and gushing wind, our journey was more interesting than the destination. Golden Temple was closed for renovation purpose so we only got to explore the surroundings. Nevertheless, we enjoyed every moment of our ride in Bylakuppe.

We picked more Momos and Chowmein to take it back to our cottage with dinner in mind and bid our goodbye to Bylakuppe. Road to Suntikoppa(our cottage) was again pleasing. It rained for a while, but most part of it remained dry. Mausami couldn’t get enough of driving on NH 275, so we decided to skip the cottage and ride towards Madikeri. On the highway, a café called as Big Cup grabbed our attention and we decided to relax over a coffee. By then, it was 6 pm and the wind become cold and wild. It was then we decided to head back to the cottage and call it a day.

Third day was last day of our exploration. We decided to keep it simple – a drive to Madikeri, lunch, some shopping and drop the scooty at Royal Brothers. Coorg did offer more places – Irrupu Falls and Talacauvery, but they were 70+km and driving this far wasn’t our agenda. So, the last day was plain but relaxing. Madikeri greeted us with fog coupled with rain. Imagine riding on sloppy- foggy road while it rained. Nevertheless, the best part of Coorg is enjoying picturesque Karnataka roads.

Tip:
1. While we were doing our research on Coorg, we came across a website called as Royal Brothers who rents Scooty and Bikes in Madikeri. We knew this will be the most economical option taking our Travel budget into consideration. So, the booking was made online and pickup was done from Madikeri. For 3 days of renting, we were charged INR 1500(petrol excluded) by Royal Brothers. We had a good experience with Royal Brother’s service and it is recommended for my readers.
2.If you want to drive a car, opt for Zoom Car which has pickup from main cities like Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore.

Mumbai homes people from different states and culture, yet Mumbai has its own aura. Few things define Mumbai and ‘FOOD’ is one of them. If you are visiting Mumbai for the first time, or if you have never really tasted awesomeness of Mumbai’s street food then you should try these lip-smacking Mumbai street food culture.

1. Vada Pav – Vada Pav is the the identity of Mumbai! It is the vegetarian dish made by stuffing deep fried potato fritters and served with Pav. Walk on the street of Mumbai and you can find vada pav anywhere and everywhere. A quick snack we can say, but it definitely satiate your hunger cravings.
Recommended places to have Vada Pav :
Ashok Vada Pav, Kiti College – Dadar
Aaram Vada Pav – Fort

2. Pav-Bhaji – Best part about Pav-Bhaji is that it can pass as a Lunch, Dinner or quick evening Snack. Pav Bhaji was first introduced in Mumbai in 1850s as a fast lunch time dish for textile mill workers.
Recommended places to have Pav Bhaji :
Sardar Pav Bhaji, Tardeo
Maruti Pav Bhaji, Vile Parle
Cannon Pav Bhaji, CST
Sukh Sagar, Chowpatty

3. Bombay Sandwich – What’s so special about Bombay Sandwich? Well a nicely toasted sandwich with Pudina chutney and smashed potato with topping of veggies of your choice. Nothing can beat this fast but healthy option you can ever find on the street of Mumbai.
Recommended places to have Bombay Sandwich :
Gupta Sandwich, Vashi
Sandwizzaa, Santacruz west

4. Bombil Fry – “Bombil” aka “Bombay Duck” is a fish easily available in markets of Mumbai. Hence, comes the concept of Bombil Fry – Crispy from outside and soft from inside, Bombil fry is must try dish when you are a sea-food lover.
Recommended places to have Bombil Fry :
Gomantak Hotel, Dadar
Mast Malvani, Lalbaugh

5. Misal Pav– A popular Maharashtrian dish, prepared making gravy of sprouts which is later topped with sev and farsan while serving. Misal Pav can go well in your breakfast, lunch and brunch slot.
Recommended places to have Misal Pav :
Mamledar Misal, Thane
Aaswad , Dadar
Prakash Uphaar Kendra, Dadar( Shivaji park).

6. Jhunka Bhakri – Another popular Maharashtrian dish which is traditionally cooked using chickpeak or besan based mix and best served with jowar or bajra bhakri. This healthy, full-filling and cost effective dish is a must try when you are in Mumbai.
Recommended places to have Jhunka Bhakri:
Jhunka Bhakar Kendra, Kalbadevi

7. Falooda – Walk on Mumbai streets and you can find vendors selling Falooda with Ice-cream. It’s a popular dessert on Mumbai streets. Falooda is available in various flavours and is made of milk and dry fruits and served cold with ice-cream on top of it. Though easily available on Mumbai streets, Falooda is recommended to be eaten from specific restaurants which will make your food experience memorable.
Recommended places to have Falooda :
Badshah, Crawford Market.
Haji Ali Juice center, Mahalaxmi
Hotel Shalimar, Mohd Ali Road

CoverPicCredit

Ambiance: 4.5/5
BrewBot has a confusing entrance. At one glance, you get confuse from where to enter the restaurant. Same thing happened with my friends who entered the wrong lane before figuring out the actual entrance. We sat at the ground floor enjoying the India Vs Pakistan match over small TV units installed over the Bar end. We were told that the First floor has a huge screen with match screening on it and the charges are applicable for table. Nevertheless, we were happy sitting comfortably on the ground floor. They also have several board games and UNO to keep the visitors entertain.

Beer: 4/5
We were presented 6 types of Craft Beers for tasting before we could order the glass. Skywalker, Outcider, Draft Punk, Black Mamba, Botwork Orange, Mystery Pale Ale. Choice was difficult – I like Skywalker and Outcider. Hoping to try others on my second visit to the restaurant.

Food: 3/5
When the Ambiance won our heart, Food was little disappointing. They have limited menu which I didn’t feel appealing much and trust me I was super hungry. I went with Penne in Mornay Sauce as I was craving for Pasta since long. However, pasta didn’t spike my hunger not did it satiate me. It was creamy for sure but has loads of Bell peppers along with penne. I don’t mind bell peppers in my pasta, but the quantity added was so much that I forgot I ordered pasta and not bell pepper mains. And apart from Bell Pepper it has no other veggies. Well, I expected few pieces of Broccoli and Mushrooms.

We has also ordered Juicy Chicken Slider which was passable. For me the idea of sweet-bitter taste in this chicken slider didn’t go well.

I hope in future BrewBot will introduce more variety in menu as they have it in their beer.

Verdict: This place is worth spending holidays, sipping their freshly brewed craft beers and playing board games/card games with your clan. Do visit once if you are real fan of Beer and I am sure you will find yourself visiting again.

Ambiance : 4/5

Though small Binge On has enough sitting area at the ground floor and top floor. As soon as you enter this restaurant, you get cozy feeling because of the cane furniture and seating area they offer. Nicely decorated in British theme, this place is perfect for evening tea/coffee and snacks. There was a TV mounted on the wall which telecasted cricket match.

Food: 4.5/5

My friend and I entered this restaurant with coffee in mind. We tried cold-coffee with ice-cream which was good to go for me and Watermelon Mojito was fresh and refreshing. The server suggested us to try their range of sandwiches, so I made up my mind to try Chicken and Mushroom Melt sandwich. I somehow knew that they must be serving delicious sandwiches because the server was confident enough while suggesting them to us. And yes, Chicken and Mushroom melt sandwich was the best part of the evening. Crispy from outside and cheesy, prepared in mustard sauce, the sandwich was lip smacking. Well this was it for a lazy Sunday evening. Best part was that the menu is affordable enough even for college going crowd.

<strong>Serves Alcohol? No

Verdict : I am going to visit this place again, probably to try their other fast food options and salads. You should consider visiting this place to catch up with your friend or to watch Cricket Match.

Now most of us who live in cities and town have forgotten what the night sky looks like. Many of our children have not even seen stars properly, thanks to rising pollution, haze and light pollution. But I kept waiting for an opportunity and the first chance came when I visited Chopta in October for a birding trip. There was a half-moon in the sky and a High-mast solar lamp in the camp provided enough distraction to negate our attempts at long exposure photography. Eventually, me and a few friends walked away from the camp to try our hands at long exposure photography. The snow covered Chaukhamba Range formed a fitting backdrop and despite my shaky tripod, I managed a few decent shots. But that day I realized the value of a good sturdy tripod.

Back home, I was woken up at 1.00 AM by another photography crazy friend. “Today is Amawasya.” He sounded excited, “Lets drive to Yamuna bank for star trails.” At 2.00 AM we found ourselves on the banks of the river as it flowed serenely, forming a natural boundary between the states of U.P. and Haryana. The policemen escorting a high ranking official who was the third member of our gang were slightly apprehensive. “This is the burning ghat”, they complained. “This place might be haunted.” “We will click the ghosts if they come.” I scoffed their fears away. We set up our cameras and aimed at the part where the star were brightest. We got some clicks but then clouds rolled in from west and we had to abandon our efforts.

The next attempt was in December. We drove to the edge of Rajaji Tiger Reserve and set up our equipment on the roof of a friend’s farmhouse. Braving the winter chill, the absolute darkness, the occasional call of wild animals and birds, we tried to create star trails. The extreme cold took its toll and the camera lens kept fogging up making us realize that Star trails are not easy to shoot.

Another botched up attempt at Sattal did not discourage me.

A couple of months back, we thought of trying our luck again and reached a farmhouse in the remotest part of our district. The scenic beauty of the place set in the foothills of Shivaliks enthralled me and I could hardly wait for night to fall. Lady luck smiled and the transformer supplying electricity to the nearby villages burnt out cutting off all ambient light. The stars shone bright as I located the pole star and aimed the camera at it. I tried the wide angle 24mm lens and was lucky enough to catch a shooting star in one frame. Then after a fruitful session switched over to the Fish-eye lens. By the time it was 2 AM and I retired to the inviting mosquito net draped string cot. I left the camera on though. Next morning, when I woke up I realized that at long last, I got the perfect star trail. The later frames had even caught the milky way which was not visible to the eye.

I am now looking forward to catching the Milky Way in all its glory and maybe one day, I’ll be able to do that as well.

About Author: Vivek Banerjee is a full-time paediatrician who is the Managing Partner of Banerjee Hospital in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is also a notable author. His debut novel, The Long Road was published by Cedar publishers in 2010. His present passion is photography, particularly wildlife photography.

1.The Orange Traveller : Eva Rana is from Uttarakhand and working as an IT Professional. She is a runner,a trekker,a traveler. She can be all at once. Hills are her calling and she do two Himalayan treks and a trip to Europe every year.
She loves the sun because it kind of connects her with the meaning of life spiritually. That is why she resonates with the color ORANGE and rightfully call herself THE ORANGE TRAVELLER.
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2. Live.Travel.Click : Yusuf Ratlamwala is a free spirited and light-hearted guy. He loves travelling like most of the young souls today, however he looks at things a little different. He inherited photography + travelling in his genes. However, it was around 5 years back when he started taking photography little seriously after buying his first bridge camera which soon was replaced by a DSLR in couple of years. He has travelled almost 25 states of India with a few left to cover. A year back looking at his Instagram profile he realised that its now time to pen down his travels in form of a blog and that’s when his 3 passions(Live, Travel & Click) took a form of a blog: http://www.LiveTravelClick.com

3. Overrated_outcast : Trishita Bhattacharya don’t call herself a traveler but travelling has been an essential part of her life. She loves visiting different places. The history of the place and knowing about the culture intrigues her. She loves to capture those moments in the form of pictures so that she can show it to the people who are not fortunate enough to travel often. And she capture pictures so that some years down the line, she can go back and relive those moments like they happened yesterday.

4. Bohemian On the Run : Aditi is a Dubai based Indian travel blogger and a freelance travel writer whose work and life hasn’t stopped her from aiming to check the entire world off her bucket list, one country at a time. Her travel stories are based around experiencing the culture of a place highlighting their food and as much as possible jet-setting off to off-beat destinations around the globe with her globetrotter husband. She has traveled to twenty-five countries in the past eight years of her travel experiences and lived in five. Her husband who has already been to thirty countries and has backpacked across South-East Asia and Europe, has been the perfect partner in crime to all their adventures and in creating their travel website and Instagram account to give aspiring travelers an insight of what their life is like on the road away from the comforts of swanky Dubai.

5. MAGIK INDIA : Born in France, Mathini has been steeped in Indian culture since an early age and she is currently based in Rajasthan. Indefatigable explorer, her purpose is to bear witness, in a deliberately positive spirit, to India’s incredible heritage and culture and beyond the usual clichés. If it sparks a desire for people to pack their bags and set off for an Indian adventure, then her purpose will be achieved.

6. Shivya : Shivya Nath at age 23 (in 2011),quit her corporate job to travel the world. She lives a nomadic life, seek adventures off the beaten path, and work on the go to fund her travels.

7. Unravelling_travelling : Traveling is still new for Radhika Sharma. Last year she decided to step out on New Year’s eve and it is then she knew that there is no stopping. She loves seeing new places, getting lost in the lap of nature, meeting new people and exploring the idea of wandering. She feels free, alive and happy. Travelling is source of her unadulterated happiness. The aim of her life is to find happiness in the unknown places and spread happiness along the way.

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Rucha Karve, wife to Merchant Naval Officer and a mother to 5 year old, has set a real example for young mothers. When her husband is off-shore on duty, she backpacks and travels with her daughter, all alone. Together, this mother-daughter duo has traveled places and explored different countries and cities.
Concept of travelling alone with a kid, as your travel partner, really amazed me. I wondered how Rucha managed her travel, while taking care of her daughter at same time. So, here is Rucha Karve answering my curious questions and sharing her experience.

When did you first decide to travel with your toddler?
I have always loved adventure travel. I had been trekking throughout my college days. And then life happened and that part of me got totally left behind. Fast forward to being a mom, my husband is in the merchant navy and is around only a couple months a year. Even when Advika was born this was the case. Even worse was that we couldn’t plan a vacation since his return dates are never certain. When Advika was 2.5 years old, I decided I had done enough waiting. I was skeptical, no doubt, but I took the plunge. Packed the bag and left. Our first was an overnight road trip to Velas. There wasn’t even a spare seat for her in the non-ac traveler. We managed, of course. This is when both of us saw Olive Ridley Turtle hatchlings for the first time. Those little ones waddling away towards the water. It’s an amazing experience. From then on, we’ve been adding links to the chain and never stopping.

Which all places the mom-daughter duo backpacked so far?
Advika and I started our travel with Velas where we saw beautiful Olive Ridley Turtle hatching, then we explored Malvan, Dapoli, Ladakh, Manali, Goa, Gangtok, Harihareshwar, Srivardan, Bangalore, Karla, Lonavala, Ganpatipule, Kolkata and Delhi. Apart from India, we explored few foreign lands – Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi), and Bhutan (Thimpu, Punakha, Paro). We went on animal safaris at Tadoba, Pench, Nagzira and Bandhavgad and also a couple of treks.

What is the most challenging part about travelling with a kid as your “travel partner”?
While travelling with a child, mid journey trouble is “Food”. Not every train has pantry and you can’t find something as common as an Idli or a chapati everywhere. Last year we went to Bangkok, my daughter was 3. We managed mostly with fruits, eggs and bread. While rice was readily available, any accompanying curry was extremely spicy. However now Advika’s accustomed to our travels. Even if we are in a remote village, she adjust with the most basic food.

Next is boredom. Yes, kids get super bored during travel. We had 30hr long to and fro train journey for Bhutan, and it was a test for both of us. Firstly, she doesn’t use phone at all, so that option is scrapped. I had carried cards to play basic games- ludo, colouring. Slowly, kids from the nearby compartment joined in. They started playing with us. We made new friends and shared our food. Got to know about corresponding villages, it was some experience!
Post journey, is mostly the little one not wanting to go to school, but who can blame her?!

Travelling with a kid, what have you learned from this experience?
The first, foremost and most important learning lesson was that children are far more adaptable than we give them credit for. Small worries like soiled clothes, cold or hot weather, availability of preferred food are very small worries when compared to the experience you gain.
Next is that no matter where you go, you will find kind people around you. They will be willing to help you and trying to accommodate as much possible. That their homes might be small but their hearts are really big.

How traveling at early age contributed to your little one?
The dimensions it adds to your child’s (not to mention yours) personality is far more rewarding. Children recall small memories and in this digital day and age, it’s very convenient to help them remember your travels. Besides, the bond we develop is something extraordinary. These experiences that we share have knitted us together further. The questions that she ask – why does Bhutan have prayer flags? The different ways in which different people pray? The lack of electricity in remote areas, the joy of camping by the lake side. It makes them more accepting and understanding of the world around us.

Advika finds happiness in rocks and soil, not missing her toys or the comfort of home. These short bursts of periods, away from our materialistic belongings have brought us close to each other and close to nature.

We’re not staying in the best of places, eating the finest a place has to offer instead we are doing everything on a shoestring budget. We try to stay with the locals, eat their staple food, mingle with their kids, exchange recipes, share knowledge about our traditions. This has all made Advika extremely accepting to the varied natures and cultures of people. We’ve learnt to love all kinds of people, bond with them, share and adapt.

Please give traveling tips to young mommies.
I would say start small. Use public transport once in a while. Take the bus with your child. Start by going to a neighbouring city, exploring neighbouring places alone. Let your child eat the local food.
Pack only what’s necessary and lessen your load. Always have the basic medicines with you. Fever, loose motions and vomiting. Symptomatic medicines are all you need to carry.
Don’t worry about food. Kids are more close to their natural instincts than we are. We eat because we like a certain thing, or because we have company or many reasons other than being really hungry. Kids by themselves understand their need for food. They may or may not want to eat at certain times which is okay. During the ladakh road trip, Advika really didn’t want to eat much and she ended up being one of the very few people who didn’t get nauseous or vomit. So let them be, especially during travels.
No matter which corner of the world you are, fruits or rice is something that will be readily available, so don’t worry.
Lastly, let me tell you, it always works out. Once you start you will simply find ways to get it done. I’m not, for one moment, telling you it’s easy, but I’m telling you IT’S WORTH IT!
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