Tafri

Beautiful London & Natural Dublin

2020-12-31T04:05:00.001-08:00

London Diaries

Absolutely loved the city. Watching a city is most fun when you see it while walking and London makes you walk a lot otherwise metro/bus is always an option!

Places to See
London Eye
Big Ben
Tower Bridge

London Eye

Tower Bridge

London Eye

Breakfast @ Bill's Holborn

Famous Streets/Places Around

Ireland

Must have: Guinness
Note: Taxi does not accept card so keep Euros in hand

Places to See
Temple Bar (Chill at night)
Cliffs of Moher( 1 day trip starts early morning- getyourguide.com)

Food
Italian(Must have) - IL Vicoletto
Umi Falafel

Cliff of Moher

Shepherd's pie on the way to CoM

Singapore Diaries

2018-12-08T04:03:00.000-08:00

Singapore Diaries

Travel options
Very well connected by metro

Places to see

Marina Bay Sands - Pool on 57th floor
Santosa Island
Merlion Park

Famous Street
Orchid Street

Famous Merlion

Santosa Island

Orchid Street

Singapore flyer

Laser show- Marina Bay Sands

Pool@57th Foor

Travel Diaries : States

2017-12-22T06:50:00.001-08:00

Trip to States
Intent of this blog is to give you pointers based on my experience :)

West Coast of America

The West Coast or Pacific Coast is the term for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

Universal Studio , Los Angeles

Golden Gate Bridge , San Francisco

California
Los Angeles

Disney
Universal Studio (my preference)

San Diego

Sea World (Must see if you love to see dolphins , kiwis and what not !!)

Las Vegas

San Francisco

Santa Cruz Beach
Alcatraz Island
Pier 39
Union Square
Golden gate Bridge

70 Mile Drive
Googleplex , Mountain View
Stanford
Shopping @ Great Mall

Arizona
Grand Canyon- Rim Tour

Seattle - Space Needle

Grand Canyon

Florida

Peninsular Florida is the southeastern most U.S. state, with the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Nicknamed the “Sunshine State,” it has hundreds of miles of beaches. Miami is known for its Latin flavour and influential arts scene, as well as its nightlife, especially in upscale South Beach. Orlando is famed for theme parks, including Walt Disney World.

Florida -Miami

Key west (Place for awesome drive and water sport)
Ocean Drive (Party place)

Orlando - Disney World (Family Time)

KeyWest (Drive and Water Sport)

Ocean Drive - The Party Place

Disney World

East Coast of America
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York metropolitan area, the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world.

Places to see when you are in East Coast

Times Square NYC
Atlantic City , also called Mini Vegas of East Coast
Statue of Liberty , NY
Manhattan Skyline
Wallstreet , NY
Food in NYC
Niagara Falls

Keep a check on weather as it is really cold in NY

Statue of Liberty

Manhattan Skyline

Times Square

Hyderabad Diaries

2015-12-04T08:18:00.003-08:00

Recently I got to visit Hyderabad. Though it was a short trip but it was a different experience of a domestic trip after a long time.

During the weekend , I got some time to visit the city. So , I started my day with Golconda Fort which was surprisingly pleasant and I would have enjoyed more in a group there and a better weather. Right at the entrance , there is this gate where you can hear your echo and will see people clapping.

After that I headed to see the very famous Charminar right in the middle of a busy market place famous for bangles and pearls.

And then I visited around the Hussain Saga lake. Though I was not there for the show but in the evening there is a laser show which is one of the tourist attraction of that place.

Hussain Sagar Lake

Next day , it started early as bus to Ramoji goes from Madhapur @ 7 AM. If you have seen Universal Studio then you might find it just as Indian version. But if you have not , then it is worth a visit.

You will find rides, live stunt show , magical show , movie show on one hand , children rides and beautiful parks. I loved the vintage bus ride which takes us through some sets. New attraction for now was this bird park where you will find hundreds of beautiful birds chirrping. In the night there is even a closing show after which there is a parade and then you go home !

Note that buses from Ramoji leaves at 8:30 PM and as day started early it was pretty long day so be prepared and if you visit all the places you will end up walking a lot so wear your comfortable pair for shoes !!

In my subsequent visit , I got to experience fine dining experience in 19th century royal palace called Taj Falaknuma Palace.

Highlights

Charminar
Golconda Fort
Hussain Sagar Lake
Ramoji Film City
Taj Falaknuma Palace

Food to try in Hyderabad

Biryani (specially for Non Veg)
South Indian at Chutneys
Famous Fruit Biscuits @Karachi Bakery
Live Ice cream @ Cream stone

Suggestions

Explore Uber etc. over Auto

Bali ,Indonesia Trip - Why should Boys have all the fun !

2015-02-07T00:01:00.004-08:00

Beautiful Bali

Highlights of the Trip

On Arrival VISA

1 INR = 204 IDR as of 2014

Water Sports - Scuba , Snorkeling , Parasailing , Jet Skiing

Beaches

Surfing

Rafting

Spa and Massage

Unlimited Fun !!

Tips

Carry few Dollars for On Arrival and Departure tax
Get currency conversion done in Banks as the private shop owners might cheat you
Carry wraparound skirts when you go to temples.
Tanah Lot market is reasonable one when shopping for souvenir

And the Journey Begins ...

To escape from scorching heat of June in Delhi , we , gang of five girls , decided to have fun a trip in Bali. We did good amount of research while planning the trip and had a great experience in the end !

Sharing our experience for helping you plan the trip.

And on top of it , we boarded "Malaysian Airlines" to get started for a fun filled adventurous trip!

Places to see and Things to do

Ubud (Local Sight Seeing)

Visited Ubud art villages, Ubud Market and Ubud Palace along with

Barong and Keris Dance
Rice terraces at Tegallalang Village
Tirta Empul or Spring Water Temple
Monkey Forest Ubud
Puseh Batuan Temple

First Day in Bali was more about experiencing the local art , dance and the temples. Make sure you are not carrying any food items in your bag while going to Monkey Forest , those monkeys won't spare you otherwise. One of them sat on my head and took my hair band from my head.

Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Barong Dance

Puseh Bataun Temple

Monkey Forest

Mount Batur - an active Volcano ( Early Morning Trek for the Adventurous and Sporty folks)

Bali Mount Batur Sunrise Trekking (3:00 am)

The trip included early pick up at 3 am, 2 persons local trekking guide, light breakfast and drive back to hotel

Day begin quite early @ 3 am to leave for Mount Batur. It was absolutely dark and windy when we left for the trek. There were just 5 of us and 2 guides and it was quite adventurous with all of us having a torch in our hand and bags on our shoulders.

Mount Batur is an active volcano located at the center of two concentric calderas north west of Mount Agung Bali , Indonesia.

Fun on the trek !

Sun rise @ Mount Batur

Food Dishes to try when traveling to Bali

I strongly believe in trying out famous local food of the place you visit while traveling like Mumbai ka vada pao , kolkatta ka puchka , momos in Leh etc. Perhaps one of the main dishes that defines Balinese cuisine and is also a favourite throughout Indonesia is Nasi Goreng. In its simplest form, just stir-fried rice, usually mixed with a range of different spices, such as garlic, tamarind and chilli and sweet soy sauce to lend it a unique and delicious flavour. Though there are many variations, it is usually combined or served with egg, as well as meat, vegetables and sometimes salted dried fish.

Bali Coffee Agrotourism

Here we saw raw coffee beans on the tree which are later processed and finally we tried different kind of coffees.

Water Sports and Rafting - Real FUN !

Parasailing

Scuba Diving

And rafters are ready !

Rafters under the water fall

Beaches

Uluwatu Temple

Dreamland Beach (White Sand Beach) - Calm ,Quiet and Lovely place to be !

Dreamland Beach

Temples and Lakes

Bedugul (Bratan Lake)

Buyan Lake, Tamblingan Lake and Munduk Village

Tanah Lot Temple

Tanah LotTemple

Shopping , Spa ,Massage and Party !

Leh- A Trip to Unending Adventures !

2013-10-07T10:31:00.001-07:00

When I used to view the photographs posted by my friends who had been to LEH or in fact PANGONG I used to envy them & the love for such a scenic beauty used to grow every time I used to see those pictures and used to wonder if this place is so beautiful in the picture , how amazing it will be to feel it in real !

One day my friend called me and asked if I would like to join her for a trip to Leh. For once , I took it as a joke and said oh yes let's go now ! ... Later realized she was serious .. She suggested that we go there for 2 days .. Though it seemed very short trip to me but still I thought better go there even if it is a short trip..

After asking other folks and reading blogs we found that when we go to such a high altitude we need a day at least to acclimatize ourselves which is even more necessary when one goes there by air. Checking out availability dates we finalized it as a four day trip where in we planned to visit Nubra valley , Sham valley and Pangong lake.

Two weeks before trip date we realized we should pre book Hotel and after talking to one of the travel agent we booked Hotel and Scorpio in advance.

Also , we sent our ID proofs to the agent in advance so that Permits can be created in advance.

And the 3 IDIOTS headed for LEH !!!

Day 1
Reached Leh ,took rest until 5 in evening after which we went to see Shanti Stupa , Leh Palace and visited Leh market.

Our partner in Journey :)

We did not feel any breathing problem in general (none of the three). However when we were walking uphill , we felt breathless like while climbing stairs.

View from Shanti Stupa

Shanti Stupa , Leh

Day 2

After resting for a day , we were all energized to get started for the journey and we left around 9 in the morning for Nubra valley via Khardungla

Based on our experience, I will suggest to eat light food before leaving as the way to Nubra is curvaceous and make sure you carry the relevant medicine to avoid Vertigo or motion sickness. ALso carry water bottles and some candies along.

Khardung-La

Khardung-la is topmost motorable peak and it is not advised to stay there for longer than 15 minutes keeping altitude and oxygen level in mind.

On the way, we also visited a Monastery near Deskit village.

Crossed beautiful valleys and river ....

Later, in the afternoon after crossing beautiful valley and river view , we reached Nubra valley , had lunch in our Hotel and rested for some time . In the evening ,we went for Double humped camel safari.

Day 3

Capturing the view again ,we headed back to Leh and before we could reach Khardung-la , snow was all there on the road and military people were busy clearing it - Hats off !

Saw snow fall during the way back and this was the first time I actually saw snowfall !!!!

Due to snow and convoy , we were there at Khardung-la for 2.5 hours - yes that is the same place where we were supposed to stay for not more than 15 minutes ..

Snow laden Khardung-la

We reached back Leh at around 4 in the evening and after having our favorite quick lunch - 2 minute Maggi :P , we left for Sham Valley which was not curvaceous at all :)

On the way to valley , we saw Magnetic Hill - refer to Wikipedia for its magic :P - Car appears to be moving uphill(against gravity) by itself even when in neutral.

Magical Magnetic Hill ;)

We also went to Pathar Sahib Guruwara , had langar there and then saw Confluence of Indus and Zanskar river ...

Confluence of Indus and Zanskar river

Day 4 - Plan to see the beautiful Pangong

On day 4 , all of us were ready and excited to see the most beautiful lake Pangong , same lake where scenes of 3 idiots were shot.

Moment we reached the permit point we got to know that due to snowfall and that day being 2nd October , no one is being permitted to go to Pangong.

Waited there in a hope that they will clear snow but in the end were disappointed to know that we can't go there.

We had our flights booked for next day morning and were coming back to our Hotel in Leh all quiet and sad that we would not be able to see Pangong TSO.

But one of us was adamant to see it and with such low network connectivity and by calling our friends in Delhi , we got out flights cancelled and booked another flight for day after in a hope that next day we will be allowed to go and see Pangong.

Day 5 - Awestruck by the Pangong TSO

That night we kept calling Police station to ask if it snowed that last night. We were hoping that it did not snow. Until 12 it did not snow and then we slept.

After all the efforts and risk of postponing our travel paid off , we could see the beauty. Time flew like anything at Pangong. All in all , it was worth the risk !!

3 Idiots in charismatic Leh

From planning to execution , Leh trip was indeed an unforgettable experience !!

My Philosophy and Excursion to Vrindavan

2010-01-26T05:17:00.000-08:00

This one is philosophical !!

Sometimes life offers you two paths and you have to decide your way ! I was confronted with the same question where I did not know whether I should be contended be whatever I have got or should I always keep yearning for more and more . I think contentment is good for short term but eventually you got to better yourself . But then one may say what is the point you are always struggling . My take is that if you are doing what you like , it is not a struggle then . Then you yourself wanna fight for it and you like fighting for it .

Moving to my peregrination to Vrindavan . Though I am not a religious person . By religious I mean who worships regularly .So,day before yesterday I went to Vrindavan ..one place where whenever I go I feel quite peaceful .
There is something special at that place . As soon as you enter you see a beautiful statue upfront .We reached this place at around 1 ..timing when the main temple is closed and it reopens at 4:30 . We asked the localites there what else can we see by that time . They told us about Nidhivan , Kadam ka ped , yamuna river . After having some chatpata spicy snack (kachori ,dhokla ,golgappa) we left for Nidhivan ..

After Nidhivan , went to see Yamuna,kadam ka ped and were back to main temple where devotees were waiting for main door to open ..One thing about this place to be careful about . You got to be careful if you wear spectacles or carry some fruit/sweet . Monkey here dont lose any chance to grab them ! One thing I don't like about this place is their logic of offering ambrosia (prasad) to ones who offer them money as so called "chadhawa " . So this time I and my brother asked for it without offering anything . It was hard for us but we managed it finally :) .