One who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

Lonavala Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:22:00 +0000

Quote of the post: "The place to get, set and wet that covers lusk green carpet surrounded by shawl of clouds and flowing waterfalls alongwith mist." - Quote about Lonavala - Sachin Kumar Gupta
Lonavala - Jab bhi man ho chale aana. :)
Lonavla is a hill station in the Pune district. Around 64 km from Pune and 96 km from Mumbai. Both the Mumbai - Pune highway and Mumbai Pune express highway pass through Lonovala. Lonovala and Khandala are twin hill stations on the Sahyadri range, around 622m above the sea level and a popular holiday destinations during the monsoons.
This time my monsson express reached to Lonavala, This place is good round the clock of a year. But when the year clock moves to the month of July-August, it started being greener. and as the time goes on, It becomes the most amazaing place to enjoy and picnic with family, friend, and loved ones. Specially during the monsoon, people come here for the natural beauty, many waterfalls, lake, forts, and lusk green area all around.

Bushi Dam: A perfect place for picnic, zig-zag paths, and during the monsoon season, continuously flowing water. If you are expert, you can also swim across the lake. It is approx 5 KM from Lonavala railway station. You can enjoy the whole walk from station to Bushi dam being set & wet at vairous waterfalls along the way enjoying fresh-minded views. We were been to this place on Sunday, The *-wheelers were throughout the way like the bee-house (Madhumakhi chatta) Mumbaikers and Punites are crazy about this place, keeping the road jam packed during Sat and Sunday.

Lion Point: We reached to Lion point after coming back from Bushi Dam. I couldn't perform photographic sessions due to much fog. Though from here deep valley can be enjoyed during open sky. Sooner it started raining and hot snacks needed at this time to our toungue. This place is good to have snacks, Samosas, Khachodi, tea etc etc. After that we moved towards Lonavala lake, and have some good photograhs on our way.
Lonavala Lake: Lonavala Lake is surrounded by natural scenery, about 1.6 km from the town. The lake dries up during the winter months. The lake is also called as the monsoon lake. It is believed that it is the originating point of the river Indrayani.

Ryewood Park: Ryewood Park & Shivaji Udyan; This is an extensive garden situated in Lonavala. The garden covers a lot of ground and it is full of tall trees. There is an old Shiva temple in the park. The garden has plenty of place for children to play.

For me, This place holds one of my most memorable moments spent with my family (specially nearby Pune). After that we move towards Khandala, another nearby hill station.

San Francisco Flight View

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:52:00 +0000

I departed back to India from Seattle. My first flight Seattle - San Francisco got delayed, and plan to quick visit to SF also vanished. I already exausted during this Seattle trip having just good time visit to Blake Island. But something better yet to come that day. Though It was too much cloudy and rainy.

As soon as my next flight SF - Frankfurt take off, I take advantange getting window seat, and clicking some snaps. One snap of flight reflection over the clouds is good upto some extent and the snaps having the dense cloud blanket over the San Francisco city. As I go through some of the other SF websites and came to know that fog is the regular features of San Francisco summers.

Sooner My eagle eyes got the glimpse of Golden Gate and SF - Oakland Bay Bridge. I have taken some of the videos over these bridges, and clicked some snaps in addition quickly. The timings of the luggage cruise crossing the Golden gate bridge add beauty to the sky view of Golden Gate bridge picture. After zooming I found that many boats were crawling at the same time, seems like the dots in the pictures. Another is the bay bridge (also known as "James 'Sunny Jim' Rolph" Bridge), has one of the longest spans in the world. It has 10 lanes (5 westbound on upper level, 5 eastbound on lower) for carriers.

SF is also famous for its hills. There are more than 50 hiils within city limits. Some of those hills [Names unknown to me] can be enriched in these pictures. During the further flight, I also enjoyed cloud thunder and lighting. Most of the time the nature was playing hide and seek game with no cloud - dense cloud.

I would say, This flight was like the helicopter tour of San Francisco city, Golden Gate, and Bay Bridge. It seems that I was rejuvenating the live google maps from the flight window. Now its time to relax, have snacks and small chat with beautiful air hostess serving :-) and way to India via Frankfurt.

Other Places visited in USA:

Endless Landscapes ... Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA.

Night Life at Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Day Life at Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Universal Studios Tour, Los Angeles, California, USA

A snowy trip to Leavenworth, Washington, USA

Boulder Dam - Hoover Dam, Arizona - Nevada Border, USA

Tillicum Village, Blake Island Tour, Seattle, Washington

Tillicum Village, Blake Island Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:03:00 +0000

This is a 4-hour adventure to Tillicum Village on Blake Island State Park from Seattle waterfront. Blake Island, is a Washington State Park accessible only by boat. On the northeast end of the island is Tillicum Village, a showcase for Northwest Coast Indian arts, culture, and food.

We booked the tickets over the phone with Argosy Cruise, $79.95 per person. We arrived at Pier 55 directly from the office. The adventure begins with an Argosy cruise on Puget Sound to Blake Island having relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery during the 50 minute cruise.

Upon arrival you will be welcomed by a path strewn with white clam shells bleached by the sun and greeted with an appetizer of steaming clams in nectar broth. The Visitor experience includes a greeting from Tillicum Village employees costumed in Northwest Coastal Native tribal costume.

Inside the longhouse, guests can watch the whole Chinook salmon are cooked over an alder-wood fire on cedar stakes in the traditional Northwest Coast Indian style. Your meal is served buffet-style and includes a menu of Traditional Indian-style Baked Salmon. Fresh fruit salad, Assorted Melons, Grapes, Strawberries and Pineapple, served with a Strawberry Honey Dipping Sauce is the option for vegetarian other than wonderful combination of wild and regular rice, cooked to perfection with onions, garlic and a fragrant vegetable stock. I liked it, Atul and Sumit didn't.

Tillicum Village Menu:

Steamed Clams in Nectar

Traditional Alder Baked Salmon

Signature Northwest Stew

Wild Grain Harvest Rice

Warm Whole Grain Tillicum Bread

Field Greens Salad

Tri-Colored Bean Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad

Northwest Dessert Treat

Coffee and Tea Service with the Meal at Tillicum Village.

As you finish your meal, the lights dim while the myth and magic come to life in the spellbinding performance featuring the Tillicum Village dancers. Tip: Try to grab the front seats, so that performance can be enjoyed and captured closely.

Prior to the return trip to downtown Seattle, time is provided following the performance where visitors may have the opportunity to visit a gallery featuring regional Northwest artwork, watch a totem pole carving demonstration by Native Americans, and walk along the beaches and trails of Blake Island. People used to come here in Summer season for camping and relaxing with nature as well. The beautiful Mount Rainier can be enjoyed at the evening.

The cost of $79.95 (non-refundable) includes a one-hour narated trip on Argosy cruise, clam appetizers upon arrival to the island, a Chinook salmon feed, and entertainment, Native American-inspired dance show, exploration time on the island and the return cruise to Seattle.

So if you are in Seattle, It can be a one time go trip to Blake Island to enjoy marine camping park with five miles of saltwater beach shoreline providing unobstructed views of the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle skyline.

Every Girl wanna to be...

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:33:00 +0000

First of all, A very happy friendship day to all my loved ones and friends. It is right by said, that the expansion of FRIEND is true in itself, [F]ew [R]elations [I]n [E]arth [N]ever [D]ie. Even though it is intensionally expanded. But I like this. So this poem is for all my loved ones and friends:

Every girl wanna to be my life.

But don't know why!

don't know why!

Besides me, every girl wanna to be lie,

I am not telling a lie.

No lie.

Every girl wanna to be my side.

I wanna this to be avoid.

I don't hide.

Every girl wanna to meet me at night.

Its very tough and tight.

Give me some light.

I love light.

So every girl wanna to have some fight.

I don't have any right.

No right, No fight.

Every girl wanna someone my type.

I don't want any hype.

No hype.

Even someone shows me the knife,

I don't want to be wipe,

Save my life.

Even pretty lips calls me anytime,

Be it day or night.

be it nine or five.

Jesus! I am still alive.

Save me with all this talk & jive.

Even those lips wanted to kiss me.

The more they miss me,

more they wanted to kill(ss) me.

Every girl wanna to be with me at tea/Coffee-time.

But I don't feel fine.

Really not fine.

Every girl wanna to be my wife.

But don't know why!

don't know why!

Thanks God for my life.
Every girl wanna to be my bride.

So, I cried.

Still I am single,

ya still single.

So every girl wanna to be mingle.

These are the words from the poet inside me,

It's nothing about me.

Nothing about me.

- Sachin Kumar Gupta (Sach)

Other Poems: Blink of an eye Parameters Differ What is itch

Happy New Year Home Sweet Home Life is Beautiful About You

Khandala - Meet Your Forefathers

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:34:00 +0000

The place named in famous Bollywood song, "Aati Kya Khandala". It is really the place to ask someone special :) "Wanna come Khandala with me (aati kya khandala)".

There are places in the world, you can't pen their beauty, this is one of those places. To really enjoy the place, you have to be here specially during monsoon. The proof are the images below.

It is the perfect holiday destination and famous for honeymoon and romantic vacations in India. The place can be easily accessed from Pune or Mumbai through Mumbai-Pune expressway. During the monsoon season, The place wears lusk green carget surrouded by clouds alongwith eye-loving views. This hill station fulfills the reqiurements of all kinds of tourists having good hotels.

It was our family trip from out of the hustle and bustle of Pune city. This area we covered after our Lonavala visit. Here is the best place to adore the natural glory, and can meet and feed your forefathers, the point named as Monkey point. The entry fee of this garden is just 5 INR.

It was the best time, and the nature was playing hide and seek game. So the other side of the hill was completely invisible sometime, hiding all its waterfall and lusk green beauty. Other than this there are many nearby treks for trekkers. You can also enjoy during sunrise and sunset times. You can see many people watching the glory of the nature, from this hill, over looking this Mumbai-Pune expressway.

What to bring from Khandala:

You can't carry nature with you. But you can capture those moment. So from Khandala, you can have a different varieties of coconut, peanut, til, chikki, tasty powder etc. Nearby place, Lonavala is famous for Chikki. Beware of any artificial colors and flavours while purchasing it. You can always taste it before purchasing.

Saras Baug - A Stork Garden, Pune

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:31:00 +0000

As everyone knows, During monsoon season, every place nearby (or within) Pune is like a bed of roses. So my monsoon express have a local stop this time, named Sarasbaug. Saras Baug lies at a distance of approximately 1 KM from Swargate, Pune. We followed the roads from Magarpatta, Hadapsar to Swargate, then to Sarasbaug.
The lush green lawns of the Baug, along with its blooming flowerbeds, attract tourists and devotees of Lord Ganesh from all nearby places. Outside the park, the environment is like a small fun fair, which include small fun rides, jumping, magic shows, and many more for chidren. There are many other juice corners, icecreams stalls, and fast food restaurants nearby to serve visitors and devotee's hunger.

Pune Saras Baug is also quite famous for the Ganapati temple (Shree Sidhivinayak Temple) situated inside its premises. At the entrance (there are two entry/exit points) of the sarasbaug, you can get worship stuff (garland, coconut, peanut, fresh flower, grass, holy thread bla bla...), to present the Lord Ganesh. The temple is perched on top of a small hillock and provides an amazing view of the surrounding areas (specially during monsoon). Most of the time, there is quite long queue, to have a glimpse of lord Ganesh from front side. There is a small museum, where some of the idols of Lord Ganesha are available for display.
The place where the park now stands was once occupied by a small lake. However, the lake got dried up and was later developed into the Saras Baug. Inside the lake, Now a days many fish can be seen. You can enjoy feeding them from very near as they move in the groups. In the garden (baug), you wouldn't find many (or sometime any stork) saras. If you are coming here thinking of that only, you would be disappointed.

The park is frequently accessed by joggers and walkers, in early morning as well as evening. There is no entry fee for this Sarasbaug (Stork garden in Pune) Saras Baug is quite popular as a picnic spot among families and can be easily reached by bikes or auto rickshaws. There is nearby 2 wheeler and 4 wheeler parking area.

There is a bridge to cross the road connected to the premises of Sarasbaug. From the top of this bridge, another beautiful Parvati Temple can be seen, which is just 4-5 KM away. The place is more crowded during Ganesh chaturthi and holy festivals at time to time.

Another family visit to Katraj - Snake Park, Katraj, Pune
Coming soon... Monsoon Express to Lonavala with family ...

Katraj - Snake Park - RG Zoological Park

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:57:00 +0000

Welcome to the Jungle of Pune!

This is most attractive [Just to write!] and crowded [It is, due to most people come here for other purposes rather than enjoying zoo] tourist place in Pune, being one of the best snake parks in the country.

This snake park is home to a variety of snakes and other reptiles like crocodiles. This park also has a library, which provides lots of information about snakes and other reptiles. The place is known as Sarp Udhyan (Snake Park) and Pune Zoo among Auto-walas and nearby people. The zoological park is also famous for wildlife research centre. It is located on the Pune to Satara road, near Bharati Vidyapeeth Campus. It can be easily reached from Swargate bus stop.

In the park, you can enjoy watching monkeys, vulture, eagle, peacock, snake, crocodile, tortoise, green Iguana at the left way after entrance. While at the right turn, bear, leopard, white tiger, deer, antelope, jackal, wolf, elephants are the main animals. Inside the park, you can enjoy boating (manually driven) for 2 (specially) or 4 people, the place known as Katraj Water Sports Centre. Tickets can be purchased from nearby boating ticket booking office. At the time, when I visited the place, the charges were:
4 seat Boat 100 INR. [For 20 minutes]
2 seat Boat 80 INR. [For 20 minutes] There is also a canteen and plenty of toilets for the easiness of travellers. I like the map of the park, so that it can be easily traversed covering all the area. So after entering the park, take extreme left or extreme right, and the middle way, meets the boating and water sports area. The main attractions of the udhyan (park) are, a king cobra, white tiger, green Iguana, and the plenty of jumping deers. This park is good for animal lovers, family and specially for children. Though couples can easily search the couple of places for the Parrot-Maina talk as usual. :-)

Address: Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, Katraj
Timings: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Sale of tickets up to 5:30 p.m. only)
Note: It remains closed on every Wednesday.
Katraj Snake Park Entry Fee: Adult (10 INR) Child (5 INR) Foreigners (25 INR)

There are discounts for school students during wildlife week (1st to 7th October - 2 INR), only if accompanied by teacher.

You can get bulk of fresh air within this small money, alongwith some exercise (jog), being connected to nature. Latest Rajiv Gandhi Zoo timings can be seen at the entry gate itself. On a regular basis, some festivals (e.g. Nagpanchmi) and programs also organized to spare awareness and correct information about common myths about this dreaded species.

I would rate this place just 4 out of 10, but I enjoyed being with whole family for the first time in Pune.

Coming soon... Monsoon Express to Lonavala Khandala with family ...

Purandar Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:54:00 +0000

Quote of the Post:

Dhanya Ithli Maati, Dhanya dhanya haa 'Purandar'

Ithe Janmle 'Shambhu', Raje shaurya dhurandhar

- About Birthplace of Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Purandar)

The Monsoon express just arrived at pune, and it is raining daily since last one week, a bit or more. This was an arbitrary first trip after monsoon of this year. We started late approx 11 am. It was cloudy and expected to shover. We approached towards Purandar fort by our bikes, feeding food to our bikes. We had our brunch at Prashanna Dhaba (Happy restaurant).

Saasvad is the first checkpoint, where we have to turn to a classical Indian muddy roads, where the bike's tire have to undergo the stress testing. On our way, the road was blocked due to a giant tree falling down the roads spreading its wings. But it was surprised to see that Indian police, traffic system, and crane were quick enough to reach timely at somewhat remote area. In the meantime, We got the green signal from policeman to cross this crowded place. But our fellow Tara bhai couldn't catch that signal, and remain deadlocked till the time tree has not moved to road-side. As we (Anish & me) were already the other side of Tara-Pardeep. So my eagle eyes :) catch a beautiful temple and informed Tara - Pardeep to take next right turn just after this incident spot.

It was Changavteshwar Temple, (around 1-1.5 KM away from Saadwad, turn towards Purandar Fort). It is very old temple, contains very old history, being re-incarnated now. The temple have unique encarvings, designs and patterns. Some example of light decaration lamps are adorable.

After that we proceeded towards our final destination - Purandar Fort, 4,472 ft. above the sea, approx 35 KM away from Pune. There is a junction point, where one road address towards Balaji Temple and the another to the Purandar fort through spiral curvy roads. Pune-Narayanpur bus is also available to reach up to the base village, Narayanpur.

This area is under army hold and at the gate, The timings shown as 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. As soon as as you come more in, you will easily get to know, where is the parking spot. We explore some of the parts of this fort, mostly ruined. Inside one big hall, You can see the map of Purander Fort - Purander Smiriti Mandal.

This place is the birthplace of Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Shivaji's eldest son). The fort has two levels, lower level being machi, and the higher level known as Ballekilla. The surrounding of the place is really tranquil and serene and would like to be more greener, when monsoon express will boost-up in the month of July-Aug-Sep. We tried to capture high jump snaps, and managed to get some after some retakes. You can also enjoy some snacks and the drinks at the local shop.

So, Pack-up your shoes to start with Pune monsoon express.

Other Forts nearby Pune-Mumbai:

Kashid and Murud Janjira Fort

Sinhgad - The lion Fort

Rishikesh

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sat, 01 May 2010 19:30:00 +0000

Rishikesh, The world capital of Yoga, is one of the holy cities in India. It is known as the gateways to the Himalayas and the starting point for traveling to Char Dhaam pilgrimage - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. It is the place where river Ganga leaves the Shivalik mountains in the Himalayas and flows out into the plains of North India.

It has many yoga (meditation) centres attracting thousands of devotees, pilgrims and tourists thoughout the world. Rishikesh is ideal destination for religious, wildlife, nature and adventure lovers. Prominent band, The Beatles composed nearby 48 songs during their stay at Rishikesh.

Triveni Ghat: It is believed that three mountain streams flow together on this spot making the ghat(bank) more sacred, and famous all over. The Ganga Aarti performed at dusk at the Triveni Ghat is popular with visitors. Anyone can enjoy the holy ritual - releasing tiny oil lamps on flower bedecked leaf boats and let them float down the river. The depiction of Geeta Saar is eye-catching specially at the eve, where Lord Krishna explaining Geeta to Arjuna at the lighting chariot. Another one is the prototype of Shiv-Parvati being at Himalaya. Nearby is the Rishikund or sages's pond.

Ram Jhula: This bridge is similar in appearance as Lakshman Jhula. You can enjoy the boating near Ram Jhula and have a bathe at the nearby ghats. Geeta Bhawan is the oldest temple in the nearby area. The famous Indian epic the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are scratched here on the walls. It also houses an Ayurvedic dispensary and shops selling khadi and religious literature. Similarly Parmarth Niketan is another most renowned temple and ashram in this area. The ashram organises excellent Ganga Aarti, hawan and other proceedings on the Parmarth Ghat at every evening.

You can also have lunch and snacks at the famous Chotiwala, who run their restaurants in a funny and innovative way presenting some Chotiwala person at their gate. You can enjoy a plesant 2 km walk from Ram Jhula to Lakshman Jhula alongside flowing and breezing Ganga.

Lakshman Jhula: It is an iron bridge, made over river Ganga. It is said that Lakshman crossed Ganga on juite ropes between the place where this bridge is built. The bridge offers a magnificent view of the Ganges, greeting you with the cool breeze from the river. You can also feed the fish in the river below from the bridge itself, the fish gather at the place where people drop food for them. Similarly you can feed gram (chana) or peanuts to the friendly monkey nearby.

Two temple at one end of the bridge, adds beauty to it surrounded by green mountains. One of them is famous Tryambakeshar Mahadev Temple (13 Floors). One can reach "Neelkanth Mahadev Temple" from here through trek or through zeep, situated 12 KM away. It is a popular place for rafting for different levels. It is also a center for hiking and backpacking.

There are many holy societies, Ashram and ghats exist and developing. You can directly get auto from Lakshman Jhula or Triveni Ghat to Haridwar. You can also visit the Panch Tirth within Haridwar.
At this closing note, Har Har Gange!

Haridwar - Gateway to the God

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:23:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "The more you dip in the Holy Ganga river, the more you will desire to dip." - Quote about Ganga and Har-Ki-Paudi - Sachin Kumar Gupta

Goddess Ganga invited us to Haridwar. I am not a preacher, but according to Hindu religion, It is said that whenever you go to any holy place with open heart, that is direct call from the almighty God. :) Haridwar itself stands for Dwara of Hari (Gateway to God).

The Panch Tirth (Five Pilgrimages) within Haridwar are, Gangadwar (Har-Ki-Pauri), Kushwart ghat, Kankhal, Bilwa Parvat (Mansa Devi) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi). Lords arrived here in different avatar(forms) and converted Haridwar as celestial and immortal land.

We have visited the place when Maha Kumbha Mela (celebrated every 12th year) was at its eleventh hour. Millions of pilgrims and devotees congregate here from all over the world to celebrate the holy event.

Har-Ki-Pauri (Footsteps of the Lord):

As per Hindu scriptures, Few drops of nector (Amrit) fell over this ghat(bank) when the nector jug was carried by Gods after Samudra manthan. Other holy places are Ujjain, Nasik, Allahabad where drops of immortality spilled over from the pitcher, where the Kumbha Mela is celebrated once every 3 years in any of these 4 places and after a period of 12 years. The most sacred spot where the nector fell is considered to be the Brahma Kund at Har-Ki-Pauri. It is said that ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganga, is equivalent of washing away one's sins and wrong-doings to attain Moksha and heaven. People used to take round of the temple during bathe. The holy water of this sacred place is carried by pilgrims for solemn occasions.

The evening "Aarti of Ganga" is the most awaited event at this place. The whole atmosphere during that time becomes the centre of attraction as well as admiration. People chanting mantras, ear-loving sound, floating fire-lamps, flowers with different colours, all hands in air, and above all its reflection in the holy water makes it eye-catching. The other nearby places are the Temple of Ganga, Asthi Visarjan Ghat, Haricharan Temple, Brahma kund, Birla Tower.

Kankhal:

The place is most known for Daksheswara Mahadev temple. The mythological story about this place is that Daksha Prajapati, son of Lord Brahma performed a yagya and deliberately didn't invite Lord Shiva. Seeing this Sati (Lord Shiva's first wife), daughter of Daksha felt embarrassed and burnt herself in the fire of the yagna kund.

King Daksha was then killed by the demon Virabhadra, who was born out of Lord Shiva's anger. Later the king was brought to life with goat's head by Shiva. You can directly get auto (transport) from Har-Ki-Pauri, Haridwar to this place.

Chandi Devi Temple (Neel Parvat):

On the eastern bank of River Ganga, On the top of Neel Parvat is the temple of Goddess Chandi, 4 KM away from Har-Ki-Pauri. It is said that two local demons Shumbh-Nishumbh (who captured the kingdom of heaven) were beheaded by Goddess Chandi, after which this place known as Chandi Devi.

It can be reached by following the trekking route or recently introduced rope-way cable car (Udan-Khatola) service. We taken the ropeways to the God (Udankhatola) service and enjoy the scenic views of Ganga river and Haridwar. The point where ropeways service exit, has two ways, one to Chandi Devi and the other to Anjana Devi temple. (Mother of the monkey-god Hanuman) The temple is open between 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Mansa Devi Temple (Bilwa Parvat):

The temple of Mansa Devi is exactly opposite on the bank of River Ganga, on the Bilwa Parvat. It is said that Mansa and Chandi Devi, the two forms of goddess Parvati always reside close to each other. Mansa Devi literally means the Goddess who fulfills desires (wishes). Same as chandi Devi, this place can also be reached by rope-way as well as trekking route using stairs. This time we proceeded with the trek and enjoyed the pictsquare view of Har-Ki-Paudi alongwith the Ganga and Haridwar at various stops. It is one of the three such Siddh Peethas (where desires get fulfilled) located in Haridwar, the other two being Chandi Devi Temple and Maya Devi Temple.

Other Places and Temples in Haridwar:

ShantiKunj Haridwar, a serene and tranquil place, is a world in itself. BharatMata Temple, Mata Lal Devi Ji Temple, Sri Ram Temple, Shivanand Dham, Paavan Dhaam (The temple of Glass) are the temples worth to watch from ShantiKunj to Har-Ki-Paudi way. Many consciousness camp, holy preaching, spiritual campaigns, celebrations and festival like events happen throghout the year at this place.

Get, Set and Go to the Gateway to the God (Haridwar).

- Jai Gange!!!

Kashid and Murud Janjira Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:33:00 +0000

After a long time, Our team finalized to enjoy a weekend. (Some couldn't come at the eleventh hour due to their personal reasons), but we managed to execute our plan successfully. Thanks to Shaju and all enthusiastic people for travel like me.

We decided to go to Kashid Beach and Murud Janjira Fort and prepare the plan one day back. We started early in the morning approx 6 a.m. Murud Janjira is approx 200 KM away from Pune. We followed via Mumbai Pune Expressway - Khopoli - Pen - Alibaug - Kashid - Murud. Our first stop was the breakfast point at Mumbai Pune expressway, where we have a little breakfast, which two of us (including me) puked out near Alibaug. After that, we reached Kashid beach as per our execution plan.

Kashid is a small place but attracts the people residing in Mumbai, Pune and nearby regions for weekend vacations. Kashid is famous for its white sand, blue seas, green mountains (greener during monsoon), rivulets (small river) and paddy fields. We enjoyed some time under the sun, have the horse-cart ride near the sea. Having one friend (Zabi) knowing Marathi was beneficial throughout our tour.

Some of us scrabble their names in the sand with effects :) After that we move forward to Murud area, that is approx 20 KM away, which have good hotels and has many good places for sea food lovers in this region. We have our lunch there, that was satisfying. In the way, We viewd (Kasa Fort and Murud Janjira Fort). The view covering the beach and the fort in the sea is eye catching. Janjira fort was our next spot.

Murud Janjira Fort: It is beautifully constructed in the sea (not beautiful now as most of the area is converted to ruins), but still it is worth to watch. The name may have derived from the Arabic word Jazeera (meaning 'an island'). Some people also named it as "JAL JEERA" (Fort in the water). You have to go through sail-boats to reach this fort. I wouldn't be inking more about the history of this fort.

We reached here when the sun was just above our head. This was the most hilarious part of the day, when we were boating towards the fort from the beach, as the high tides bring water three times inside the boat. You can see the thrill behind the specs of Shaju, Anjali and Shweta holding their nerve and the tightly hands being almost at the end of the boat.

The entrace is not visible till the time you reach in front of the entry stairs of this fort. While being on the boat, it reminds the song "Ye Jo Desh Hai Mera" from SRK acted "Swadesh". I captured some video with this song in its background. The sailer sails the boat technically using the wind direction and boat-curtain applying boat balance at the same time.

The entrance fee is 20 INR (Including to and fro ferry ride). The guide fee is 30 INR (per person.. also depends on, How many people are in your group to get the discount) Though they wouldn't narrate much, but the benefit you will get with them is to cover most of the part within that time span. They also said, If you are not in the same returning boat (or missed that), you have to give them 800 INR to get on the other boat.

Other than that, the fort has 4 mosques and 1 temple in it. At the middle of the fort, there is sweet water (I would say soft water) that is strange in itself as the fort is build in the sea area [No need to mention sea water being salty]. The guide told us that there is an underground natural spring (Water fountain) below the sea level.

From the top of the fort, You can see every part of the fort. At this point, wind keep on chatting with you, but you will like it even being it hot. From this fort, you can watch another fort (Padamdurg Fort, now known as Kasa Fort), that is not accessible to general public and requires special permission from the Navy.

In the rainy season, The fort remains close (mainly June-Sep mid), as the sea level increases, and there are much higher tides. Again we returned to the Kashid beach to have some sea-sports and enjoyed till the sunset. For the time being we have a cup of tea and relaxed here.

During our return, We play Antaksari (All language songs singing) throughout. Thanks to all - Zabi, Shaju, Anjali and Shweta who made this weekend trip more enjoyable. [Missing other team-mates who couldn't manage to make this somehow]

Wanna to have a look to another Fort nearby Pune-Mumbai "The Lion Fort"

LILA (Lost In Los Angeles) Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:02:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "You will say - UH LA LA LA, and will Lost in Los Angeles." - Quote about Los Angeles by Sachin Kumar Gupta

From our Grand Canyon tour, We approached towards the Entertainment capital of the world, The city of Angels, LA (Los Angeles). We entered the city of Hollywood, LA, largest city in California and second largest in US after New York city.

We reached at the Rajat's friend home, who was half drunk, present at some other friend's house. We have a big chit-chat among us with many short stories of Rajat's school-college days. Later on we proceeded to our hotel. Its already to late in night, and another busy day was on our cards.

In the morning, We had the breakfast and have a round of golf course of our hotel. As everyone was in ready to go, we approached to the Universal city. In the way, We catch the "Hollywood" sign and Bevery Hills, place of movie stars' home, and spectacular sightseeings.

Welcome to Hollywood: The whole area, "Universal Studios Hollywood" includes Theme Park, Studio Tour, CityWalk, Cinemas, and Concerts.

The City Walk: There is no entry as such to city walk, but the place offers everything for each age group, Be it any season or any reason.

Then we move towards the most watchable (reason to be) tour in LA, Universal studios. The lines (even being too many) were so long, that I never expected, bigger than the ticketing system for railway reservation in India.

Suggestion: Better to purchase the ticket online.

House of Horrors: The first place where we entered inside was house of horrors. So be prepare to meet some scary character. But to really enjoy it in thrill sense, roam around the house alone, not in a group.

Universal Studio Tour: Go behind the scenes and get to know and see, How Hollywood magic really happens. Hundreds of blockbuster movies and television shows have been filmed here at Universal Studios including:

TV Shows as: The Unit, Desperate Gousewives, Heros, CSI, House, Ghost Whisperer and many more.

Movies as: Angels and Demons, War of the Worlds, Bruce Almighty, Spider-Man 2, Psycho, Jurassic Park, Apollo 13, Cast Away, Fast and Furious 4 and many more.

Many of the sets are always in production, and in use.

Simpsons Ride: This Krustyland theme park was really fun with thrill. Once you get to the ride and locked in the chamber. The thrill ride ends only at the end. You can't stop yourself without screaming, ooohing, aaahing and laughing throughout the ride. You will get the surprises one after another like flying nowhere, underwater, skywalk, breaking the roller-coaster, hitting from the big sphere, hanging in the 3rd world.

There were many more rides and shows as:

Revenge of the Mummy thrill coaster

Jurassic Park - The Ride

Shrek 4-D

Waterworld

Terminator 2: 3D

House of Horrors

The NBC Universal Experience: Get to see the Oscar statue on display. Get to sit with "The Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien (New wax figure of the star). In the display, There were dinosaur maquettes from Jurassic Park film series, miniature moon and Space Capsule from Apollo 13 and many idols as main attractions.

BackDraft: I get the chance to feel and see the live heat and sparks effects and high temperature blast with excitement.

So, After this we walked out the most visited place in LA. You are also ready to move some other page now or place visited.

Las Vegas, Nevada, Day Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:43:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "The place where luxury has no limits" - Quote about Las Vegas, Nevada by Sachin Kumar Gupta

The city has various theme cities like - NewYork-NewYork (NY), Paris (France), Venice (Italy), Luxor (Egypt) in its container. The city has adopted a fabulous super-rich culture of grand hotels, royal casinos, fine restaurants, and residential properties, that's why you will see the city with the prefix as 'Fabulous' at most of the souvneirs, gifts, T-shirts.

I got the time to visit Las Vegas with my amdocs collegues during christmas holidays. It was a herculean task for me to summarize the whole Vegas Trip, in a single post. Also it was a hard nut to crack to in/exclude the snaps from the pile of snaps, we have taken during our LV trip. Even I always given emphasis on selected snaps, so that the post reader / album viewer shouldn't get bored of that. So, I have given the city visit a binary flavour, In the day-light and during the dark-night. It is also a co-incidence that I am publishing this article on a binary date 10/01/10 (10th Jan'10).

So here begins the day-light in Las Vegas. Enjoy Dark-Night in Las Vegas here.

As the city glitters during the night. The same way, It is most happening during the day. The Las Vegas strip have so many grand places, hotels and Casino, that you can't cover in a single day. We also couldn't. Some of the places, hotels and casino we covered during our day.

NewYork-NewYork: The city is themed as Newyork. It is the biggest city (Themed city) in Las Vegas. Casino remains running 24*7 in Las vegas. In the NewYork NewYork city, You can enjoy the big roller-coaster as well.

Madame Tussaud's: If you want to have wax experience of celebrities, actors, politicians, personalities. This is the place for you. Please check the timings as well.

The Venetian: Yes! You have arrived in Italy. You will say for sure. Explore the artistic masterpiece of beauty, grace and vision of Venice, the city of canals in Las Vegas.

Bellagio: Another extraordinary architecture. Every luxury is only steps away. This shows the super-rich culture of Las Vegas. The lavishly casino inside is truely open-mouth. Wowww...

The bellagio fountains add four moons to its unforgettable beauty.

Many Las Vegas dream events executed at these unmatchable places.

Paris: Paris Las Vegas, hotel and casino, is another theme based city Paris, France situated in Las Vegas Strip. The place also contains a replica of Eiffel Tower, that is eye-catching.

Other than these, we adore the un-perplexed beauty during the day, like the places, Mandalay Bay and The Hotel, Caesars Palace, Casino Royale, Treasure Island, The Mirage, Flamingo and many more on the Las Vegas Strip. If you see these hotels and Casinos, It seems some of them have structure like a marvelous marble book.

Want to visit Las Vegas, Nevada, Night Life as well.

Explore another: Journey to Hoover Dam

Have a look to most famous Grand Canyon Tour, Arizona [From Las Vegas]

Las Vegas, Nevada, Night Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:45:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "The place where luxury has no limits" - Quote about Las Vegas, Nevada by Sachin Kumar Gupta

The city that never sleeps. The Las Vegas strip is the louder, lively, bigger and brighter than anywhere else. Many of the largest hotel, casino and resort properties in the world are located on the world famous Las Vegas Strip. Nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms. The strip is inked as "All-American Road". It is approx 6 KM long.

So here begins the dark-night in Las Vegas. Enjoy Day-Light in Las Vegas here.

It started with our arrival from Seattle late-night. We got the Hummer, our throughout trip Humsafar (companion). We got re-freshed, throw our luggage at our hotel, and roam around the Las Vegas Strip. The Las Vegas Strip (Map taken from lasvegasphotoimages.com) covers the places like, Luxor (Pyramid shaped with sky-talking light), The Hotel and Mandalay Bay (Golden Hotel), Tropicana, NewYork-NewYork, Monte Carlo, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Mirage, Flamingo, Casino Royale, Harrah's, Venetian, Treasure Island, WWF Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Stratosphere and many more.

Soon we parked our Hummer at Newyork-Newyork Casino, and take round of the this hotel and Casino. Throughout the Casino, There were many gaming tables like, BlackJack, Roulette, Poker and some non-unstandable games for us as well. Other than that there were many slot machine games as well.

Las Vegas, is not just for the gambling, There are many renowned events happening throughout the calendar year. Many famous bands, groups, artists perform live here. So, Don't forget to get your copy (Monthly events in Las Vegas) from the airport or your hotel.

Enjoy the StratoSphere, the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. You will experience the extreme thrill and rides. Even after listening about these thrills, I got goosebumps. During the night, You can also enjoy the refreshing Bellagio fountains. Though, We missed it due to its timings.

Many of the Hollywood movies and TV series have been filmed in these hotels and some are still in execution. If you have extra bucks :) to spend (For sure other than in Casinos), You can have splendid helicopter tours over the glittering Las Vegas strip. (Night Tours)

Have a look, to one of the natural wonders of the world place, most famous Grand Canyon Tour, Arizona. [From Las Vegas]

Explore another nearby place, A Journey to Hoover Dam.

Want to enjoy a Day-Life in Las Vegas.

Grand Canyon, Endless Landscapes...

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "Endless Landscapes... The Almighty need a 450*30*2 KM^3 cuboid to fit this grand natural resource." - Quote about The Grand Canyon - Sachin Kumar Gupta

Grand Canyon is known for its visually stunning size and intricate and rainbow (colorful) landscape. Grand Canyon is listed in one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

After the Hoover Dam, we proceeded towards Grand Canyon West Rim. In the way, we have Joshua trees throughout the journey. These trees are fast growers for the desert. I would say that the place is heaven for the photographers, as you will get the rainbow mountains, panoramic views, river, fauna and flora and ancient american culture.

The early mornings (sunrise) and evenings (sunset) are really pleasant and soothing at this place. Even during winter, You will get the snow at these intricate mountains as well. Other than sightseeing tours, the magical place offers many things to do in Grand Canyon - like sky-walk, hiking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, running, and specially popular helicopter tours.

Points of interest at Grand Canyon West:

•Eagle Point: Home of the Skywalk, Skywalk Cafe, Creations by Native Hands gift-shop, Native American performances, authentic Indian village and spectacular views of the Grand Canyon.

•Guano Point: Panoramic view of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, walking trails along the rim of the Grand Canyon, Hualapai barbecue and mining artifacts.

•Hualapai Ranch: Cowboy demonstrations, shows, horse-back riding, overnight cabins and wagon rides.

Note: No personal electronic items/camera are allowed at the skywalk.

As this was the christmas day and due to the various stops in our way, we missed to get the skywalk tickets (They stopped selling tickets before time). We got the Hualapai Ranch pass and visited that area in the meantime. The whole area was filled with Cowboys of Arizona and a handful of visitors at that time. We had our supper there. We tried our hands and eyes at bows and arrows.

Soon, the best moment of that day was coming soon. The sunset... Grand Canyon changes its colors within those finger counted minutes. Each layer of the rocks have its different color, depiction of the flaming mountain. We captured those moments in our disk as well as Cam disk.

Now it was time to depart to Los Angles, as another busy scheduled day was on our cards.

Have a look to another nominee of the Seven Natural Wonders of The World - The Majestic - Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Journey to Hoover Dam

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:10:00 +0000

Hoover Dam, one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, is named after Herbert Hoover, the President of the United States. It is situated on the border between US states of Arizona and Nevada, in the Black Canyon of the Colorado river.

It was the 25th Christmas morning. We had our junction point at Las Vegas, where we stayed. We 5 [Hum Paanch - Four friends along-with our Hummer humsafar] departed from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon.

Hoover Dam was our first official stop. It is approx 50 Km away from Las Vegas. Due to scenic beauty, We have to stop our Hummer at various points as well. It was a pretty sunny day, more than expectation, as during December clouds and rain don't leave you away. But still it was damn cold outside. After placing our hummer at ambiguous parking slot, we walked around the Hoover Dam.

We spare some moments at various cam click places. There is another bridge construction going on over the dam as well. The downstream view from the Hoover Dam, shows the colorado river, power stations and power lines.

I would say, Guided tour wouldn't be preferable here unless you are more interested in deep history and its construction. There is an exhibit, food stuff at the dam as well. At the time of its completion in 1936, It was both the world's largest hydroelectric power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. The power distribution is allocated to US states of California, Nevada and Arizona.

There were many helicopters flying above our head at time to time. As people used to have helicopter tour over the Hoover Dam. (Sometimes combined with Grand Canyon Helicopter tour). Now it was time to approach towards our final destination of the day - Grand Canyon West Rim.

A snowy trip to Leavenworth, WA

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "Take the LEAVE aNd enjoy the WORTH place to visit." - Quote about Leavenworth by Sachin Kumar Gupta

It is the city in the heart of Washington state; often known as German town. I was here in the month of December, so it was a bit cold here. Sorry, not a bit; Full Byte or can say in KB in terms of cold, and will increase as December ends :)

We decided to visit the Leavenworth this weekend. It is approx 3.5-4.5 hrs drive from Seattle. (Depends on atmosphere and road conditions) The 'throughout year lighting town' becomes in its peak during Chrismas timings. GPS really helped us a lot to reach the destination. We feed the source and the destination in the GPS system. GPS keep us pinging at time to time for directions, re-routing, and overspeeding.

During our journey, the sun was playing hide and seek game. Sometimes it hides behind the snowy mountains, sometimes within the clouds and at last it set for the day. On our way, We saw freezing river alongside the mountains. If you would be visiting this place during a sunny summer day, chances are that you can also have a glimpse of the reflection of the mountain in the river.

As it was 2-2 (My way of too much) cold, so we have coffee break (Extra Hot) at Cle Elum. We sipped it a to z. In the meantime, another sweet sipper volunteerly asked for our group snap. Thanks to her, because at the end, we realize that this was the only group snap throughout our trip.

Then we proceed towards our final destination, As soon as we entered, we saw some deer here and there. Twinkling lightings started as we entered to the city. Then all of a sudden we heard choiring some prayer. This is the most happening place in Leavenworth full of restaurants, shops with unique gift items, many events and activities all the time. All the current events and activities can be checked here.

It was the perfect time, People in Father Christmas and Santa's dress were roaming around, blessing and greeting people. Everywhere you can enjoy twinkling houses, shops, trees, banks and most of the places in Leavenworth. After roaming all around, it was time to have dinner. We got delicious (after a long time) Pizza served.

You also have a chance to see over 5000 types of nut-crackers - The Leavenworth Nut-Crackers Museum. It opens 2-5 pm ; May - October (Daily) and November - April (Sat & Sun)

While returning we thought that we would be the only owls on the way back in this chilled night covered with snowy roads. But we were wrong. There were many owls like us. If you are just away from the city, It seems like the colored stars are flashing just over the Leavenworth town. We were not relaxed during our return journey, seated upfront, As we need not to take the nap due to snowy night and road conditions with open eyes. So, upto some extent it was an adventure trip as well, As you never know, when the car can skid in the snowy roads.

On this Note, We finally leave the worth place to visit "Leavenworth", and back to Seattle.

HOHO Tour Continues...

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:55:00 +0000

So here continues the Dublin HOHO (Hop-On and Hop-Off) bus tour. For the previous first part, Please Click here. (If you have missed it.) The next stop is the most visited and most time consuming stop of the tour, but it is worth and not to be scaped.

Guiness Storehouse: I would name it - Dublin's Pourfect Pint :)
Guinness Storehouse is a 7-story building, symbol of the brewery history and offering this world famous beer. This home of Guinness introduce you the making of each and every pint. As the guide introduced us that this building is designed in the shape of a super-duper pint of Guinness that contains 14.3 million pints, if it is full. At the ground floor you can watch a copy of original lease signed by Arthur Guinness on 31st December 1759 for a period of 9000 years. So Guinness is celebrating its remarkable 250 years of its rich heritage.

We get to know the full step by step process of Guinness brewing. You will also get a chance to taste the pint in the Tasting lab. I do. At the 5th floor, We enjoyed many funny and innovative advertising campaigns of Guinness. When we reached at the top of the 7th floor, Gravity Bar, experienced the complimentary pint of Guinness. From here you can enjoy 360 degree view of the dublin city while relaxing. All the city's main monuments and buildings can be located from here.

Irish Museum of Modern Art: Hop On - Hop Off bus just took 5 mins from Guinness Storehouse. The museum is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and depiction of modern and contemporary art. The entry to the museum is free. (Tuesday to Sunday). Several exhibitions, Museum's own collection, award winning education and community department are the museum's main attractions.

Kilmainham Gaol: The visit to the gaol includes a guided tour and audio-visual presentation. Though now a days it is a museum. Many Irish leaders were detained here. Many films have been shooted at this place. Also a music video for U2 have been captured in Kilmainham gaol. It holds Irish history in itself alongwith some hangings.

Wellington Monument: It is built in the memory of the Duke of Wellington, a Dubliner, who defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo.

Phoenix Park: It is said that Phoenix park is the largest city park in Europe. Though most of the area is the sky-view grasslands. But It also covers the official residence of Irish President and Dublin Zoo within it.

The Spire: It is the tallest structure in Dublin city center, also known as Spike.

I couldn't get time to visit National Museum of Ireland, just have a look from outside. St. Stephan's Green Mall is always overcrowded due to shopping and on street shows within area. I have mentioned here the top-notch visiting points during HOHO tour. Other than that you can visit many places as per your likings and as per your tongue taste.

Have a look to "North Coast and Malahide Castle" tour in Ireland.
Majestic Tour in Ireland - Ireland West Coast Tour - Cliffs of Moher.
Dare to Tour - An unique Experience: Dublin Ghost Bus Tour.
Dublin City Center - Dublin Night Life - Dublin Cultural Night.

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:46:00 +0000

If you wants to enjoy the Dublin city in one day, then Hop on - Hop off will be the best option to opt. Just have the first round through Dublin double decker bus at the top sightseeing. The goodness of the tour is, you can hop-on, hop-off as many times as you wish during the whole day.

Tour started with the widest and most happening street in Dublin - O'Connell Street. You can watch the the Spire of Dublin, James Joyce statue, statues showing many Irish hero. GPO (General Post Office) also belongs to the same street with impressive Greek-Roman architecture.

Trinity College: Founded in 1592, Trinity college is the oldest university of Ireland. The college building itself represents the accumulated architectural riches of nearly three centuries. The college is guardian to one of Ireland's most treasured possessions, famously the 9th century "Book of Kells".

Temple Bar: It is situated in the heart of city center known as Dublin's Cultural Quarter. You can enjoy the great variety of restaurants, bars, live music venues, clubs and the greatest selection of Cultural activities in Dublin.
Dublin Castle: This castle built in 1204 by King John. The state apartments, undercraft and Chapel Royal are open to visitors and there are regular guided tours. The outer walls are impressive worth a look.

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia and The Viking World: CCC known as Dublin's oldest building. It include the medieval crypt, a magnificent church treasures, and the tomb of Strongbow, leader of the Normans. The Cathedral is linked to the Dublinia and the Viking World. It is one of the city's most popular heritage centres which explores the history of the medieval city and Viking world.

St. Patrick's Cathedral: The National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland (Anglican) community in Ireland.
Remaining HOHO Bus Tour, in next part.

... To Be Continued

Have a look to "North Coast and Malahide Castle" tour in Ireland.
Majestic Tour in Ireland - Ireland West Coast Tour - Cliffs of Moher.

Dare to Tour - An unique Experience: Dublin Ghost Bus Tour.
Dublin City Center - Dublin Night Life - Dublin Cultural Night.

Dublin Cultural Night

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:53:00 +0000

The very first thing to visit in Dublin is no doubt, the lively Dublin city center. The very first day after office, I catch LUAS (train from Sandyford to St. Stephans Green). Soon we covered the fashionable Grafton street, sweet Molly Malone, Trinity College, Parliament of Ireland, Liffey river, Bachelors walk, shopping street Henry street, O' Connell street within 2 hours.

Then the next day also we visited the city center. But Temple bar streets were the attraction of that night. If you come to Dublin, you can't escape this place, and enjoy the night life in the bar, pubs and restaurants with music and entertainment.

It is said about Ireland, that you wouldn't find any two bars with the similar structure or plot. If you are in, you will forget the time and can miss the LUAS. At the time when I was in Dublin, Guinness was celebrating its 250 remarkable years.

The best night in Dublin - Dublin cultural night: I was lucky enough to be there during that time. Though I was a bit late but still manage to cover many places during that time-slot. It includes on street shows and comedies, Original print gallery, lively Temple bar area, Art center, people choring within the cathedral, Irish Film institute, Dublin Writers Museum, National Photographic Archive, Dublin City Gallery (The Hugh Lane) and many more all across the streets of Dublin city. The most impressive thing was Francis Bacon Studio at Dublin city gallery.

Original Print Gallery, Dublin City Center

People inside a photographic archive during Dublin Cultural Night

Its not rubbish, Francis Bacon Workplace

Dublin Writers Museum, Dublin, Ireland

Have a look to "North Coast and Malahide Castle" tour in Ireland.

Majestic Tour in Ireland - Ireland West Coast Tour - Cliffs of Moher

Dare to Tour - An unique Experience: Dublin Ghost Bus Tour

Ghost Bus Tour, Dublin, Ireland

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "Some buses look pretty from outside, may scare you, when you are actually in." - Quote about Dublin Ghost Bus Tour - Sachin Gupta

Before coming to Ireland, I decided to visit world's oldest unique Dublin ghost bus tour. It was in my 'to visit' list after majestic Cliffs of Moher. I combined this tour with the Dublin Hop on - Hop off bus tour to save some euros. Ghost bus is the eye-catcher to all pedestrians all around. It is decorated suitably inside and out with dark and curtained window.
Let's make you all uncomfortable because you are entering the world of Dracula written by great Irish novelist Bram Stoker. As you enter the double-decker bus, You will be welcomed with ghost music and haunted tunes with mild light.
Before bus started, a skeleton pop out near the stairs of upper deck of the bus. The one who was nearest, screamed. Its good to have screamers to enjoy with the dark romance of the city of gaslight ghosts and chilling legends.

Our bus started, and a man comes with a rat that rounds over our face, that was our guide. It really on our skin goosebumps and some of us screamed again. It was a wizard feeling, though I know it was not a original rat.

Through the route, the guide told us about the origins of Dracula, Bram Stoker, and some famous Irish scary stories along with some quiz. During the tour we have two stops, where we saw body snatching at St Kevin's Graveyard and most haunted 40 steps.

St. Audoen's church and the 40 steps: This is one of Dublin's best kept secrets, few people get to pass through the ancient gates of this most haunted place. It is the place where the apparition of the "green lady" has been reported for generations. Though some people reported and claimed some strange images in their cameras as well.

During the end of the tour, lights go out completely and guide narrate another gruesome story. and then.. then.. a sprinkle of water, shivers our whole body with goosebumps.

Note: This tour is neither for children under 14 years and nor for nervous breakdown people.

Have a look to another adventurous Cyprus undersea walk experience.
Ireland West Coast Tour - Cliffs of Moher

North Coast and Malahide Castle Tour, Dublin, Ireland

On the edge of the Majestic Cliffs

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Quote of the Post - "The one day tour that covers majestic mountains chatting with seashores, greener landscapes touching the blue sky, Burren karst area alongside Atlantic ocean, fauna and flora, historical castles, tranquil rivers, and through-out the tour eye-soothing views. What could be better than this." - Quote about Cliffs of Moher tour, Ireland - Sachin Kumar Gupta

Limerick, Cliffs Of Moher and Burren Tour From Dublin : Outstanding Natural Beauty
Cliff of Mohers, This place was in my 'to visit' list, when I was planning to visit Ireland. You can book this tour either by extremeireland.ie site or through cliffsofmoher.com. I booked this tour online just 2 days back and secured my slot. The place is more impressive than you see over this site.

I reached the Suffolk Street Tourist office at the Dublin city center, from where the tour departs at 6:50 am. We found a funny guide-driver. Throughout the tour he keep telling Irish stories, Ireland history, and more about the tour places. The place was in the list of contenders for the New Seven Wonders of the world. We were also lucky due to the fact that we got the sun grace as well in the month of September in Ireland for such a long time :)

In the way we had our irish tea, breakfast, snacks and juice. We saw the Mel Gibson's Brave Heart battlefields. We pass through the Obama's grandmother village, where everyone is relative of Obama now, they used to say like that, as our guide told us.
Limerick City: Our first stop was King John's castle and then travel through the streets of this historic city on our way to Co Clare. We had a chance to see the Limrick city stadium in the way. The golf fields here are known as the most difficult zig-zag tracks.

Cliffs of Moher: We walked along these famous majestic landmarks. It is stretch for 8 KM and upto 220 meters in height above the Atlantic Ocean.
O Brien's Tower: This is the tower, from where we can have 360 degree views. The panoramic views to Golfs field to the city, Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The twelve Pins and the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop head to one end.
Doolin Village: While returning from COM, it started pelting and the environment was breezing. Then we proceed to scenic charming Doolin village for our lunch after an exhilarating walk.

The Burren Code: After lunch we moved towards the karst region of the Burren. We stroll the amazing flora and fauna that grows in this special ecosystem and nowhere else in Ireland.
Corcomroe Abbey: This monastry was founded in a remote village in the late 12th century.
Galway Bay: Alongside Galway bay, we have our group photo stop at Dunguaire castle in Kinvara. As the sun was setting, we departed back to Dublin city center.

I would say, This traveller friendly trip is not to be missed, if you are coming to Ireland for holiday.

Have a look to "North Coast and Malahide Castle" tour in Ireland.

North Coast and Malahide Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "Castle surrounded by pretty gardens and wonderful views from the Howth summit is the speciality of the tour." - Sachin Kumar Gupta

It was a mixed cloudy sunny day. It was not a planned visit. I was planning to visit the Dublin city as holding Dublin city VIP Pass, but in the meantime I changed my mind and asked the driver for the Dublin North coast and castle tour. As the bus for north coast and Malahide castle will depart within 10 mins.

Before visiting the Malahide castle our bus roamed around the city center with live comentary. In the way we saw some georgian designed houses and many historical and famous person's buildings.

Guided tour of Malahide Castle: It was both a fortress and a private home for nearly 800 years and is an interesting mix of architectural styles. The house is furnished with beautiful furniture together with an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the National Gallery. It shows the lavish lifestyle of olden times. The whole area is surrounded by parkland and pretty gardens. The surrounding parks used for sports grounds, including a cricket pitch and several football grounds, golf course, tennis courts, and for modern children's playground.

Note: This tour includes the Malahide Castle entrance fee.

Coastal drive to the fisihng village of Howth: Then our bus moved to the seaside village - Howth, a fishing and yatching port. Following the Howth railway station, we reached the summit point known as Howth head, a huge rocky mass block, was our next stop. The panaromic views of Dublin bay and Wicklow mountains can be seen from here. The view is renowned as one of the world's great seascapes. A tiny island known as Irelands Eye can also be seen from here and just a boat trip away from here. I remember! I make all travellers wait for a while. Thanks God! I got another route back to the bus before the lady guide who went to search me.

North Bull Island: While returning back to the Dublin city center, we have glimpse of 5 KM long Bull Island. The island connects to Dublin city by a wooden road bridge. It is now a nature reserved and bird sanctuary area.

The whole tour was approx 3 - 3:30 hrs.

Tour Fee: Adult 25 Euros; Student/Senior 22 Euros; Child 12 Euros.

Daily 10 am and 2 pm.

Time goes on and on

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:15:00 +0000

Quote of the post: "Your belief of 'Life is beautiful' will make it more beautiful" - Quote about Life by Sachin Kumar Gupta

Time goes on and on.

Why it is so -
It take more time than a lifetime,
to know each & everything about life.

Time goes on and on.

We spent our time, thinking of present & future,
and these present days become the part of our beautiful life,
and then our beautiful golden olden days.

Time goes on and on.

When we entered the school and have to do home work,
anyone scold us. We weep and echo-
The mother's lullaby time were great,
and rock & roll all around the bed was pleasant to all.

Time goes on and on.

During the adolescense times,
We struggle to get our own identity, and think of what to do in our life. We resemble-
the childhood, playful times, cartoon & school days.

Time goes on and on.

When moving to young adulthood,
We strive for job, love and success. We thought-
the time spent with our friends were unforgettable.

Time goes on and on.

When proceeding with married & professional life,
We feel more responsible & have task of transmit values of culture through the family. We consider-
the life so far was like a bed of roses.

Time goes on and on.

At the edge of retirement time,
We fear of stagnation & ill-health. We recall-
the (g)olden times of happy married, parental and work life.

Time goes on and on.

At the eleventh hour of our life,
We fear that the Titanic of our life is going to sink. We reminisce-
the life trip so far & happy days.

Time goes on and on.

Why it is said -
"Those were the best days of my life."
The olden days used to be the golden days.
Isn't it the life is beautiful?

-Sachin Kumar Gupta (Sach)

Other Poems: Blink of an eye Parameters Differ What is itch Happy New Year Home Sweet Home

Sinhgad - The Lion Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin Kumar Gupta) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Quote of the Post: "We have gain the fort, but lost the lion" - Shivaji mourned when he heard that his general (Tanaji) has been killed in the battle. so it named as Sinhgad.

It was another S(F)unday. We didn't executed any plan so quickly. We decided to visit the place around 11 am after our sleep, and we were set to go at 12 noon. On one hand Swine flu was increasing by leaps and bounds in the city and another it was time for grand celebration of Ganesh Festival all around.

Our journey started from Magarpatta city, and our first stop was Khadagwasla Dam. This is just 20 km away from Pune in the way to Sinhgad fort. The dam is major water resource for Puneites. Sinnhgad road alongside the dam is a picnic place, specially during the monsoon. Don't forget to enjoy the sweet corn.

Now Its time for Indra to add beauty to the place. Mild rain started and we proceeded towards Sinhgad, the lion fort. The place is like a bed of roses for all nature lovers, poet, trekkers, photographers. It is just 30 km away from Pune city. To reach Sinhgad foothills from Pune (to & fro) is pretty easy. You have plenty of options as by PMT buses, your personal bike, car, zeep etc.

You will get a point, from where you need to park your vehicle, and start trek. It is about 2 hour including some small breaks (Though you can prolong your trek by . You will find local snacks to eat & drink as Onion bhaji, Chaas(Butter - milk), limbu-sharbat (neebu-paani or Lime juice), corn. Just at the start you will get the Pune Darwaja (Pune Gate). At the start there are stairs and then you can explore the places. The breezy air and pelting rain creates the atmosphere as an icing on the cake.

There are many points all around as - Wind point, Daaru Point (Drink point), Lover's point, Tea point, Suicide point, Shoot points, and P :) point. What's your point dear!

Thanks to Tara & Rajesh who initiated this plan, Mrunal who provided us his bike, and Nitesh who invited us for dinner. Later on, we enjoyed Tambola at Nitesh home.

So, Gear-up your vehicle. This was my first trip near Pune. More to come...