Around The World

Sandakphu

2020-02-23T13:33:00.001+05:30

Sandakphu Trek

Sandakphu is the highest peak in West Bengal, India. It is can be visited as trek as well as by road in 4 by 4 jeep. The article covers the following

Geography
How to reach
Local Contact for bookings- Masterji
Join Trek company - Everything is taken care off from start to end.
Do trek on our own with local guide.

Local Guide
Pros - Do the trek on your own with local guide
Cons- Do the trek on your own with local guide

Things to remember
Day wise details of the Trek path followed in our trip

The trek continues to Phalut for another three days, but we visited the place in Mid of May month and were recommended to conclude our climb at Sandakphu.

Geography

Sandakphu is the highest peak of Singhalila Ridge in Darjeeling district of West Bengal and lies on India-Nepal Border. It is located in the Singhalila National Park. One of the Base camp for the trek is Manebhanjan. Manebhanjan is approximately 1 and half hours drive from Darjeeling, one of the famous tourist destination in West Bengal, East part of India.

How to reach

Sandakphu can be reached by

Air - The nearest airport is Bagdogra. From Bagdogra airport you need to take a taxi to the base camp Manehanjan. The taxi needs to be hired from the airport taxi stand. Payment needs to be done at the taxi stand and officer will provide you a pink color reciept. Since its approximately 1.5 hours away from Darjeeling the major tourist center, they will charge you additional amount. We were charged around Rs 2500 in May 2019 for WagonR taxi.
Road - You need to take a bus to Darjeeling. From Darjeeling you can get shared taxi to Manebhanjan - approximately Rs 50 per head.
Rail - Reach Silliguri railway station and then take a taxi to Manebhanjan or Darjeeling.

Day 1 - Manebhanjan base camp

We took early morning flight from Bangalore and reached Bagdogra airport around 10 am. From Bagdogra airport we took direct taxi to Manebhanjan. The route to reach Manebhanjan is same towards Darjeeling. You will start enjoying the mesmerizing views of Himalayas after an hours drive from the airport. We had small halt and had some breakfast at a local joint. Slowly we will start following the Darjeeling Mini Railway tracks. Once we reach Simana Bazar, the taxi took a left turn for Manebhanjan. The right side road leads to Darjeeling. The last ATM of SBI is located at a village few meters ahead of Manebhanjan. It is advisable to take halt and withdraw cash if you are doing the trek on your own. We reached Manebhanjan at approximately 1 pm.

We were shown our room and served hot lunch comprising of potato vegetable, rice and daal.
The rooms are cozy and has attached bathroom. They provide warm and thick blankets.
Most of the rooms in this area are budget accommodations and one should not expect luxury accommodation till you reach Darjeeling or Siliguri.

Masterji introduced us to our guide. Neema , who was young lad and Masterjis ex-student.
At evening, we went around the market and explored the local school and its playground.
There are many shops where you can do last minute shopping before starting the trek, basics like toothpaste, soaps, biscuits, etc. Some shop offers, trek bags, shoes, ponchos etc.

There are few local eateries, where you can relish momos, noodles, tea, pakoras etc.
We enjoyed tea, noodles and bhel at a local shop and returned back to Masterjis hotel.
We were served hot freshly cooked food for dinner. We had hot water bath before going to bed. Please note during the trek, we have no facility to have bath till we reach Gurdum.

Day 2 - Manebhaijan - Chitrey - Meghma - Tumbling

We woke early morning and got ready and guide came to receive us.
Masterji had informed us that the guide will be carrying two trek bags,but the guide informed us that it will be only one bag. We had carried two bags at night we reduced unwanted things and fitted everything in one bag. The extra luggage was kept at masterjis place. The extra luggage has to be picked up on your way back.

We started our trek. Few meters ahead, there was Singhalila forest department check post. We had to share our personal id and make entry in the register with our details and emergency contact numbers.

Note: Tourist are not allowed to make entry in the forest alone as chances of one getting lost in the jungle are high.

Chitrey village is at distance of 2 to 3 km from the forest department office. This part of the trek is very steep and difficult. The steepness gradient is approximately 8 to 9 and is good to check your calf muscle strength. Our guide took the shortcut route which is even steeper and takes you through the pine forest. One can take a cab from Manebhanjan to Chitrey and avoid the difficult part of the trek.

Once we approached Chitrey, we were greeted by pleasent sight of holy shrine surrounded by coloured flags hung on strings. It's a perfect photography spot and you forget all the body pain for a moment.

We had breakfast at a small hut and proceeded ahead. Our guide took us through lush green slopes and at times we were almost walking through the clouds. It was one of the amazing experience in this trek. At one point, we were walking on the ridge with valley on both sides. Suddenly strong wind came blowing all the clouds towards us and we were deeply enthralled. As if we were walking in the clouds.

After walking through the forest for another 4 to 5 km, we reached the village Meghma at approximately 1 o'clock in noon.

The sight of Meghma village will make you fall in love with it. The landscape perfectly fits in the 1/3 photography rule and is every photographer delight. We had our lunch at one of the local huts. One should bear in mind that enroute day time food menu will be omlete bread, noodles soup or noodles. As it was day one, we relished the noodles and omlete.

At 2 pm, We started the trek to Tumbling, after hearty wholesome meal. The weather was warm and sky was clear.

Funny fact - our son insisted to wear his thick jacket and gloves. We had held him back from wearing it from the morning.

Miracle happened and within couple of minutes, the entire area became foggy. Cold wind started blowing. We immediately had to remove our jackets, gloves and caps etc.

Later we came to know from locals, that it becomes windy and foggy by 2 pm. So it's advisable to start the trek early morning.

We reached Tumling at 4 pm, and checked into the hotel. We were offered a spacious room and we happily jumped inside the cosy blanket. We were called for teanand we joined others in the dining area. Luckily we asked about the room rate and to our surprise it was almost 2.5 times of what we were quoted by Masterji.

We had carried only Rs 22,000 and we were in a fix. There are no ATM available enroute. We moved to a smaller room with not so good view as we wanted to manage with what amount we had carried with us.

We were joined by YHA group in the same hotel. Everyone gathered outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of Annapurna Range. It was cloudy and we were not able to see much. However it proved to be good introduction session with the team.

After tea and snacks, we decided to stay in cost blanket for sometime.

Dinner was served at 7:30 pm. We had dinner and crashed in bed.

Day 3: Jaubari, Garibas Kalipokhri

We had breakfast and started the day early at 7:30 am. After few meters, we hit forest check post. We were supposed to make entry and buy tickets of Rs 100 each.

It seems there are two routes to reach Kalipokhri

1) through Jaubari to Garibas - 5 to 6 km

2) through the forest to Garibas- 7 km

Our guide Neema took us through Jaubari village. We were walking along the edge of mountains and were surrounded by valley on one side. It was clear sky day and weather was pleasant. Three kilometres down the line, we hit a checkpoint of Indo-Nepal border. We are supposed to make entry in the register.

On our way we spotted few wild horses chasing each other on the trail.

Once we reached Jaubari village, we were greeted by herd of jet black piglets. It was a sight to remember.

After talking a small tea break at Jaubari, we took left turn and started walking down the hill. The road is full of small rocks and one needs to carefully put each step ahead. We were wondering how four by four wheeler traverse this road and one four by four wheeler came and proved us that it does cross the road without any problem.

As the road came to an end we spotted, mobile towers and Indian army camps. Our guide informed us that we have reached Garibas. He asked us to take a small break and some snacks at small hut. We sat on yaks skin inside the hut and had our tea and veg momos. After the short break, we were all prepared to climb the 3 km steep climb. It consists mostly of curved steep road through the forest. This is the second out of three difficult secsions in the trek. As per multiple articles found on net, propability of spotting red panda is high in this region. We did not spot any red panda but we're happy that we completed it in approximately 1.5 hours.

I regretted, not practising inclined walk on treadmill. And going ahead made a point to do it twice a month atleast.

At the foot of the hill was small hotel in hut which offers lunch. By now we had reached our saturation limit of eating Maggi noodles but had no option.

We finished lunch and started walk again. We were happy to know that the road was flat most of the parts, but it was another 7 km to complete before 4 pm and reach Kalipokhri.

We were walking along the border of mountain with valley on another side. My 9 years old son was exhausted and was wondering if he would complete it. I wanted to maintain a steady pace so I continued walking ahead. We could spot white roderderons on the way.

Ultimately, we reached Kalipokhri at approximately 2:40 pm. We were joined by trekking group of Trek the Himalayas towards the end.

The View of lake at Kalipokhri is amazing and it's first sight also tells you - No more walking or climbing for the day.

We started taking pictures of the lake and suddenly, the clouds started pouring in from no where. In splits of seconds, the lake was invisible and it started raining. We ran towards the lodges and selected one with indoor toilet facility. Most of them at Kalipokhri had detached toilet.

We had snacks and relaxed for a while. Later we had early dinner and crashed in bed immediately.

Day 4: Sandakphu

After having a heavy breakfast, we left Kalipokhri. The distance to Sandakphu is approximately 5 to 6 km.

First 2 to 3 km relatively flat road and the later part is steep and comprises of the third difficult part.
On the way we spotted some yaks grazing by the village.

Frist 2-3 km road is mix of few villages. Since it was month of May, the roderderons at the lower parts of the trail had withered. As we approached Sandakphu, we started spotting few roderderons on this road.

We reached the foothills of the steep incline and took a tea break. Our guide recomended us to eat something ifnwe were feeling hungry as there is no food source until we reach the top. We were able to enjoy sight of a pet mountain goat while having the tea.

After the break we started our climb. Initially it was set of steep steps. The density of Rhododendron bloom increased as we climbed them.

By now my son was equally tierd and was walking along with us. There were times when we were walking on a ridge with valley on both the sides. One side filled with dense clouds and other filled with dense forest of coniferous trees. Nature at its best.

After taking several short breaks, I was about to break down. To encourage us our guide Neema showed us the mountain top with few hotels sprawling on it. We some how pulled ourselves to the top.

As we reached the milestone - SANDAKPHU - 0 KM, each one of us were in hurry to take snap shot of that memorable moment. There was a fleet of 4-4 wheeler approaching the peak at the same time. We were super excited that we could make the top before the 4-4 wheelers.

And we did it just in time by god's grace. We could spot the fellow trekkers down the mountain steep still climbing their way up.

As we reached the top, my husband finalized the hotel room with view of Annapurna Range. We checked in hotel and suddenly, it started raining heavily. Later in evening, we went to the view post to get view of the Annapurna Range and realised that both trek groups had left quiet late and experienced hails. It had rianed hails in afternoon.

It was too windy and we were stuck in the view post for 15 to 20 minutes. We were fortunate to meet Indian army soldier in the view post and he informed us that the skies are clear early morning from 4 am to 2 pm afternoon. Later it becomes windy and cloudy. So it's advisable to start early and finish the trek by 2 pm. Once the wind speed reduced, we reached back our hotel. We had dinner and went to bed. We were able to spot view of sleeping Buddha - Annapurna Range for a short while in morning at 4:15 am.

Day 5- Gurdum

We had early breakfast and left to our next destination. We were joined by YHA group and Trek the Himalayas group. It's a downhill of 12 km with very few spots of flat road.

We were able to spot roderderons bloom in the downhill patch at last.

As we descended, everyone took a short break. There was a 1 km stretch of dense bamboo jungle, we traced our way through the bamboos on both sides.

We reached the hotel at approximately 1 pm.As the food was getting ready. We very eager to have bath after 5 days of sweating and requested for hot water buckets. After bath, we were served food. The YHA group stayed at the same place and we enjoyed the evening snacks and few games with them. The hotel has a well maintained garden with colorful eye-catching flowers.

At night, everyone danced post dinner. It was fun to be away from home and enjoy in midst of nature.

Day 6: Rimbik and Darjeeling

We were informed by our guide that the next stay will be at Srikola another 4 km downhill. However we came to know that Rimik town is just 3 km away from Srikola and one can take shared taxi to Darjeeling from Rimbik.

As we reached Srikola we could hear the steady flow of river water gushing through the stones.
We reached Srikola at around 9:30 am. Srikola is a small village on banks of the river and is good option for laid back stay at foothills of Himalayas.

Our guide Neema was insisting that we stayed there are it would mean commission for him for the stay. We were keen to reach city. We crossed the bridge over the river and had some heated argument with him and started asking for taxis at local hotels. None of them were ready to provide us taxi details as per their internal rules agreed with guides.

We had to pursue our guide that we will give him his days commission and he lets us reach Rimbik. After walking for another 2 km, we got a jeep who dropped us to Rimbik. We booked taxi to Darjeeling, it started at 12 noon. We had soup and momos for lunch at near by local hotel and waited for taxi.

At the end, we sat in taxi and reached Darjeeling at 5 pm.

That marked end of our Sandakphu Trek.

To summarize we completed 55 km trek in 6 days, with almost 40 km uphill in 4 days.

Masterji - Local Contact in Manebhanjan

Masterji or Mr Chettri is a local resident of Manebhanjan and is retired principal of local school in Manebhanjan. He has a local hotel in his house and provides meals for the first night halt in Manebhanjan. He also arranges the following for the trip at minor commission.

Four wheeler if you opt to go by road
Hotel stay at enroute locations
Local Guide for trek

Note - The commission is minor amount which will be passed on to him as good will from the expenses of the guide, four wheeler or hotel stay.

Why I would recommend Masterji.

Master means teacher, in Hindi, one would add ji while referring to someone with respect. Since he is retired as principal of local school, he knows most of the local guides and drivers. Most of them have been his students. So it's a safe bet to get the bookings done through him.

Local guide for trek

There is a local guide office where you need to do the full payment. We did our payment at evening. It's approximately Rs 2500 for 5 days. This is standard rate which will be displayed at the office.
Your personal details and route etc are registered at this local guide office.

Pros of hiring guide

The guide will help you carry one trekking bag and be your porter during the journey.
The cost of the trip is reduced by 30% if you go on your own with guide instead of group.
You can leave early morning and trek at your own pace. If you are i a group, you need to follow the group timings. There are always people in the group who are late for no reason.

Cons of hiring guide:

The guide will try to ensure you stay at certain accommodations are they have their commission.
Its fun to be with a group and do some group activities. In case of natural calamity its safer to be with a group.

Things to remember:

Masterji quoted, that the porter will carry two bags. However it's only one bag which porter carries for you.

As per details available on internet, the room rate was approximately Rs 200 per person per night. I had confirmed with masterji. However when we reached Tumling, we realised the room rates are approximately Rs 500 per person per night. Plus food charges. So carry cash along with you.
Last but not the least, the hotel owners only accept currency notes without a single crease. So ensure that the cash you carry is newly printed notes.

Astronomy Camp with Vijay Kapoor

2019-12-14T02:10:00.000+05:30

Astronomy Camp with Vijay Kapoor

Astronomy camp is the latest buzz word in parenting circle. It had been quite some time, we were planning to attend an astronomy camp. Ultimately we decided to attend one with Vijay Kapoor in Feb 2019 at Chiguru Farm.
This article covers the following topics

Astronomy Camp

Misc

Vijay Kapoor

Vijay is a multi talented personality. He is an astronomy enthusiast, Photographer, Artist, marathon runner, etc. The list is endless. By profession Vijay is an IT Professional.

Vijay runs astronomy camps in Chiguru Farm on weekends. He has hosted a telescope in Prestige Shantiniketan apartment complex multiple times on multiple astronomical events such as eclipse, bloody moon, planets spotting etc.
Vijay ventured into astronomy 5 years back. He has completed few short course from various international Universities.

Best season for planets and star gazing:

Ideally from November to February as the skies are clear.
However, there are few very clear nights in Summers also.

Location

The astronomy camp is conducted in Chiguru Farm, Bilikal Forest, near Kanakpura. This place is approximately 70-80 km drive from Whitefield Bangalore. And takes around 2 and half hours from Prestige Shantiniketan, Whitefield to reach by car.

Chiguru Farm

Chiguru means tender, fresh leaves in Kannada and is an apt name for an organic farm venture. The Chiguru farm is owned and run by Raghu who has ventured in organic farming after a successful career as an IT professional. The place was a banana plantain farm initially. Raghu has converted the place into multi crop ( vegetables, crops and fruits) farm which can yield multi seasonal crops throughout the year. Raghu has hired local cooks to preserve the identity of the local culture. This also helps the local villagers with side income.

Accommodation:

Rooms:

Chiguru Farm has few rooms available and they need to be booked in advance.

Tents:

Most of the participants opt for tent stay for the astronomy camp. Vijay provides you tents, sleeping bags, tent mats/bed and tent lamp at very nominal cost. We owned one tent for many years and had never used it in India. Our 9 years old son was very excited to unfold & setup tent for the first time. So we had carried our own tent.

Things to carry:

Light jackets as it becomes cold at night and the farm is surrounded by wilderness.
Shorts or three fourths for day time and full pants specially for kids at night.
Set of clothes to change for next day
Light snacks for munching if any
bottled water is provided at the farm. However you can carry your own supply
Medical kit and medicines if any
Torch
Toothpaste and tooth brush and other toiletries.

Lunch and pottery session

Previous evening, Vijay sent us pictures of the telescope and other apparatus packed in case. My son was super excited to see the telescope. It is recommended to leave Whitefield Bangalore at around 10 am. As we crossed electronic city and entered the rural area we could see many farms and small villages. The camp begins at around 1 pm in noon, with a sumptuous organic vegetarian lunch. We being hardcore non-vegetarian, were a little skeptical about the vegetarian food option. However, Raghu and his team of cooks proved us wrong. Some of the local kandadiga savouries were finger smacking good. Post the lunch, we strolled around the farm for sometime. Then Raghu took us for tractor ride around the farm.
We had a brief pottery session, where a local Potter helped us make small clay pots on the wheel. Kids were all excited and they started mingling easily with each other. Needless to say also along with the dog and it's puppies in the farm.

Tent and Telescope setup:

Around 3:30 pm, Vijay asked us to assemble in the open ground and gave us a briefing on tent setup. He demonstrated the same by hosting his tent. In less than an hour or so all tents were setup. Vijay started his Telescope setup. As expected the kids started hovering around him. He was patient and explained us in simple words, what each part ment and it's importance in the telescope. He also explained us how the telescope uses the geographic location ( latitude and longitude details) are entered in the telescope. This helps the telescope find location of the stars and planets automatically. It was quite interesting. This was followed by hot pipping cup of tea or coffee.

Sunset point

At around 5:30 pm, we along with Raghu marched towards the sunset point. It's at relatively higher altitude within the farm. We could see the sunset, amongst the banana plantain. Raghu continually updated us on his research and day to day struggles in organic farming in India. Many of our myths on organic products, were demystified by Raghu.

Astronomy quiz and campfire

Vijay conducts an astronomy quiz for kids and adults later in the evening. It is a basic quiz for kids to understand what solar system, planets and other heavenly bodies are all about. He also uses this time to brief the team members about the days plan. The list of expected planets and stars spottings and their tentative timings. We were informed, that we will be able to see moon and it's crators at night 10 pm. Later around 5 am in morning, we would spot Saturn and Jupiter. We were little concerned, if the kids will get up at 4:30 am. However the kids proved us wrong later.

After the quiz, Raghu setup the campfire and we enjoyed some fire grilled onions, sweet potatoes, corns and pineapples. This was followed by sumptuous, organic vegetarian dinner.

Star gazing at night and early morning

Around 9:30 pm, we assembled near the telescope in the ground. Vijay set up the telescope to view the moon and it's crators. Parallelly he had also set up a camera on tripod, to capture the star trail. We could see the moon's surface and it's various crators clearly. He also explained us about the multiple star constellations. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and we had to wrap up the sigthing after some time. We all woke up at 4:30 am, to watch the planets. Luckily the sky was clear and we could see Jupiter and Saturn. Then Vijay focused on the planets rings and few spots. It was an enlightening experience for us to witness crystal clear images of planets literally at a hands distance.

Glimpses of the moon's surface through Vijay's telescope.

Jupiter

Mars

Milkyway

Saturn

Star trail

A star trail is a type of photograph that uses long exposure times to capture the apparent motion of stars in the night sky due to Earth's rotation. A star-trail photograph shows individual stars as streaks across the image, with longer exposures yielding longer arcs. Camera Setup and Processing: Follow these steps to try this method:

You will need to turn on your camera's Long Exposure Noise Reduction setting.
After doing so, focus your lens per the steps in the Focusing Your Lens at Night Section.
Next, select your composition and try an exposure time between 30 seconds to 3-4 minutes with an ISO of 600-800 and take multiple picture. Approx 2 hrs. Or more. More time .... Better trail.
Software to Stack all captured pics: StarTrails. Very easy to work on StarTrails software.

Deep sky photography

The basic process for capturing deep-sky images is this: You shoot multiple, long-exposure photographs with your DSLR through a tracking telescope mount. You then combine the images together to improve the signal to noise ratio. For more details please connect with Vijay or join relevant Astronomy Event.

Morning farm visit and breakfast

Next morning, few of the enthusiastic team members, got up to witness the sun rise at 6 am. I was laying around in the tent for some time. I woke up with fright when I realised, the farm dog was trying to approach the tent.

We were served tea and coffee. Later, we went for farm walk. Raghu explained us the various crops and his strategy to have multi seasonal yield to reduce the risk of natural disaster to crops. He also showed us various organic insect repellents used in the farm. We spotted few birds as well. We were also given tour of the organic fertilizer shed. He also explained why they had placed the borewell and natural water collection tank at lower altitude within thr farm. All these things were well planned and thought through. The kids enjoyed swinging on the banyan tree. We savoured the idli sambhar for breakfast and called it end of the day at farm. There were few farm grown organic products for sell.

Living Root Bridge and Rainbow Waterfall Trek

2019-12-07T18:05:00.000+05:30

Living root bridge Rainbow waterfall trek

Living Root Bridge Rainbow Waterfall Trek

Living Root Bridge Rainbow Waterfall trek lies Cherapunji, Meghalaya, is one of the natural wonders of Meghalaya, India. As the name suggests, they are built from living or hanging roots of the banyan tree or similar. These bridges were built by locals to help them cross the valleys. Now they have become the latest tourism attraction.
The article covers the following

Other Miscellaneous items

Geography

Trek gear and things to carry

Food and accommodation near Double Decker Living Root Bridge

Return to Sohra in evening

Geography

The bridges are located near small village Nongrita,Tyrna, Meghalaya,a an hour's drive from Sohra or Cherapunji. The distance is about 21 km. While it is one of the budding tourist attraction, there are very few stay options near it. Most of the hotels are located in Cherapunji or Sohra.

Trek gear and things to carry

Light sports wear - tshirt and shorts
If you are visiting the place in winter, you might need a light jacket.
Sport shoes or trekking shoes
Caps
Sunglasses
Raincoat or ponchos if it rains
Swimming wear and clothes to change - If you decide to enter water at the double decker bridge, natural swimming pools or the rainbow waterfall.
Sunscreen lotion
Water bottles - there are many streams on the way and water bottles can be refilled.
Dry snacks , yoga bars, chocolates,.khakra and dry bhel.
Food - there are many food joints available on the way till the living root bridge. These joints are run by locals and serve basic food items like maggi noodles, omlete, bread omlete, cold drinks, bottled water etc.

Single Decker living root bridge

Just after you have climbed down approximately 1000 steps, you will come across single decker living root bridge. It is to your left and one might miss it, as it is located behind a house. There is a nominal tourist fee of rs 50 which one needs to pay.

One day trek to living root bridge

If you plan to visit only the Double Decker Living Root Bridge, then it would take around 4 to 5 hours. I would not recommend, hiring a guide to the living root bridge as the route is pretty straight forward. However, if you do feel generous and want to generate some local employment then it's good to hire a guide. We left early morning at 6 am from our hotel in Sohra as we wanted to cover the rainbow waterfall in the same day. It is approximately 5 hours trek each side along with breaks at each spot. Total duration amounts to 10 hours.We reached the entry point at around 7 am. There are local people available as guides, it makes sense to hire them if you are planning to visit the rainbow waterfall. As at couple of places, the route leads to two roads and it becomes confusing. Since it's one day tour, it's recommended not to loose time, figuring out the route. The guide charges around Rs 800 for Rainbow waterfall. Needless to say, one needs to bargain.

Rainbow waterfall trek

I would classify this trek as moderate difficult simply not due to the distance. There is a twist to it. Usually all treks start from bottom of the hill and we climb up reach the top by mid of the day. Later we climb down. However in this case, the topography is exactly opposite. We climb down reach, reach the living root bridges. Walk around flat surface for some time and then again climb up last 1.5 km to reach the rainbow waterfall. While going back, we will initially have climb down up to the living root bridge. Then comes the difficult part, the last leg from the living root bridge is a steep climb of 3000 steps. This strainous exercise happens when you are completely tierd by end of the day.

Several bridges through the valley

Even though the name of the destination is living root bridge, one needs to cross sevaral wired bridges through the valley. Few of them are firm and couple of people can walk over it at a time. However there is one, which is barely made from long iron bars or strips and only one person can walk through it at a time.

To add some special effects, these bridges start vibrating in the same frequency as that of your foot steps. So you are compelled to walk slow and in one rythm. Later while heading Rainbow waterfall, the local villagers were building a bridge and we had to cross the river on a make and shift bamboo sticks bridge. There were places where we also had to climb small cliffs with help of some roots of the trees besides it.

Double Decker Living Root Bridge experience

After walking down the steps for approximately 2 hours, we reached the Double decker living root bridge.The double decker living root bridge is build over a small stream of water flowing between the valley. We were the early birds and were able to take photographs of the bridge with out much crowd around. There are small fish available in the stream flowing bellow the bridge, people usually let their feel loose in it and enjoy a free foot massage. Some people also enter the stream and have a refreshing fresh water bath. Usually those who only visit the living root bridge, usually spend an hour or two around the bridge and return back to Tyrna village.

Food and accommodation near Double Decker Living Root Bridge

The stream and current tourism attraction has attracted many houses around it. There is a small homestay available near the double decker living root bridge. I would recommend this stay only for adults who are used to basic budget accommodation. Usually people will come on first day and have a halt at the home stay. Next day they proceed ahead to the rainbow waterfall. If you are going along with kids then it makes sense to plan a one day trip.

Rainbow waterfall

From the double Decker living, we left for the Rainbow waterfall. There are few turns through the small houses and one football ground which are confusing. Either you hire a guide or check with local villagers before proceeding. Else you would get lost in wild. After few meters, the path is full of bridges and wilderness with no trail of humans on the way. There was one bridge which was under construction. We had to climb down the mountain cliff (10 to 12 feet), cross the river over make and shift bamboo sticks bridge and again climb up mountain cliff with support of some tree roots. An adventure to remember, I must admit. The trail follows few steep climbs and we reached the rainbow waterfall at 11 am, after trek of another 1.5 to 2 hours.

The glimpse of Rainbow waterfall is stunning as you see the gush of deep blue water falling from height of 20 meters or so down the pool. There is a yellow stone located just below the waterfall. It glows like a golden rock, when sun shines on it. On the way, we were able to spot a lot of flora and fauna. Wild mushrooms on the dead wood log was an sight to behold.

We also spotted some black and purple butterflies on the way. Some unique ferns and lots and of green vegetation on the way.

Note: The color of the water in rivers, streams, waterfall etc changes based on the season. Scenery similar to the pictures in blog, is available in months of September to January. Later when monsoon starts, the water becomes muddy.
The base of the waterfall is not easily accessible. Some adventure enthusiast youngsters had climbed down cliff to the base of the waterfall and were bathing in the waterfall. I would not recommend the same to all. We had dry snacks while enjoying the view of the waterfall from top. There is a small shop which sells soft drinks, chips and biscuits. We started our way back after sometime.

Natural swimming pools

The swimming pool is formed by accumulation of water in hollow cavity along the river. On our way back, we had a pleasure to soak ourselves in natural water swimming pool. The water was very chilly and it took us some time to be comfortable. Since we were on a day trek, we spent approximately 30 minutes over there and moved ahead.

If you plan to stay over night then one can leave your luggage at the home stay near the living root bridge and enjoy bath here late afternoon.

We had maggi for lunch at the living root bridge and proceeded ahead for the day. The last climb of approximately 3000 steps was strainous as we were already tierd.
Approximately at 5 pm, we reached the Tyrna village.

Return to Cherapunji or Sohra

The through traffic from Tyrna village to Sohra stops after 5:30 pm, for safety reasons. As visibility in this area is low due to foggy weather in evening. So one needs to plan the living root bridge visit accordingly.
We came across two Asian lady travellers, who had booked a taxi in morning from Cherapunji. The taxi driver had dropped them at Tyrna village in morning and went back to Cherapunji. Since the driver didn't return in time to pick them up, they had requested a drop from us. One needs to keep also be aware that local transport like buses etc is not available in the evening time. Luckily the driver arrived and drove them back to Cherapunji.

Madhugiri Fort Trek

2019-11-16T16:59:00.002+05:30

Madhurgiri trek is a one day trip from Whitefield, Bangalore. The trek lasts for approximately 2 hours to 3 hours.

Geography

Madhurgiri is a small village in Tumkur district. It lies to south Eastern Karnataka. It gets the name from the monolithic rock hill named Madhurgiri. Madhu means honey and giri means mountain. It is around 130 km from Whitefield Bangalore.
The Madhurgiri hill is second largest monolithic rock in Asia. Monolithic means single rock structure.

Logistics:

There are two options available

Single day trip

In case, you are short of time and have a day to spare then start early in the morning at around 5 o clock. Have an awesome breakfast on the way near Hebbal.Reach Madhurgiri village by 9 am. The trek would get get over between 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Leave Madhugiri and have an wholesome lunch a late lunch at Kamat on the highway.

Weekend trip or two days trip

Start early morning, reach Madhurgiri by noon. Check in hotel in Madhurgiri and relax. After lunch, stroll around the lake near Madhurgiri village. Enjoy karokle ride if available. Spot some migratory birds nesting near the lake. Next day start the trek early morning by 6:30 am. The trek would get over around 10 am. Head back to Bangalore. Enjoy lunch at Kamat on highway.

I was fortunate to experience the trek two times. First time, in September 2018, we were group of four ladies on two wheelers, a Scooty Streak and Activa.
Myself, Meera Velankar, Deepa Pawar and Madha Joshi. We stayed over night and did the trek early morning.

Recently, in Nov 2019, I visited again Madhurgiri in a day trip, with an enthusiastic group of trekkers from Prestige Shantiniketan appartment complex in Whitefield Bangalore.

MeeraVelankar

Meera Velankar of pedalmummy.com is a well known cyclist and sports enthusiast. She arranges treks and cycling one days tours around Whitefield for adults and kids. Meera along with Swarna Prabhu from Prestige Shantiniketan had arranged the Trek to Madhurgiri on Nov 2019 first week.

Can we do the trek on our own without a trek group ?

Yes. The trek can be done on your own without a trek group. It is recommended that you form a small group of three to four people either friends or family and visit the place. It's always advisable to hire a local guide. The Hotel Manjunath Comforts at the base of the Madhugiri fort can be contacted few days before the trek. They can arrange a local guide. This guide is usually a local resident, who knows the fort well. There are few difficult patches in the trek where you would need some expert help for the first time. Also as the name suggests, the fort is infested with honeybee nests and spotting of bear is possible. I have seen few videos on YouTube where solo travelers have climbed the fort on their own.

Recommended Trek Gear

Comfortable sports wear or trek gear.

Sports shoes. I would recommend not to wear treking shoes or the one with plastic sole. I had a bitter experience first time as I slipped at spot. It had rained the earlier day and some parts of the monolithic rock had small streams flowing downstairs. My shoes slipped in one such area and I was about to roll down my way to the base of the mountain. Luckily I held myself to the railing and our guide Siddhu came to my rescue.Half way through the trek, it's recommended to remove the shoes and walk bear foot as the hill becomes stiff and bear foot gives a good grip.

Bag - carry a small sack bag with minimum one litre water, snack bars, chocolates, some light snacks.

Sun protection - cap and sunglasses are recommended.

Mom's Scooty experience:

I had earlier done a Scooty trip to Masinagudi forest with my husband. Females only Two wheeler trip was on my wishlist for a long time. In September 2018, along with the Dare Devil girls gang, we decided to achive this feat on one of the weekdays. It was fun to ride the two wheeler on Highway and gave us much needed adrenal rush. It also allowed the four mother's to break free from our day to day activities for two days and just be on our own. I would definitely recommend others to do a small trip similar to this once in a lifetime.

Silk cocoon cultivation

Karnataka state is famous world wide for cultivation of good silk fabric. The silk thread is produced from silk worm cocoon. Once you take a left on the National Highway at Tumkur,we were able to spot few silk cocoon breeders near Madhugiri town. These are usually circular baskets of 1.5 meter diameter. The villagers sometimes keep them outside their house. The moths are spread around on the circular basket to form the cocoons. Once the cocoons reach a particular size, they are removed from basket and the tread is detached. The old lady was courteous enough and showed us the process.

Evening near the Madhugiri Lake

In our first weekend trip, we decided to explore the local area and reached the lake near the village. There was no concrete road leading to the lake and we were skeptical of exploring the area. We could spot some fishermen fishing in the karokle. We dared to venture in the wild. The fishermen had just pulled back their nets and finished collecting their days catch in a karokle. We could spot some nesting birds on the other end of the lake. We were also able to hear a lot of frogs crocking in a shallow pond. It was a perfect time for sunset. The mirror image of the Madhugiri fort in the lake at the sunset was cherry on top of the cake. What a perfect way to end the day. Later we went to the village did some shopping at local shop, loaded our self supplies for next days trek - fruits, milk and bread butter etc. We had dinner at local joint and crashed into bed.
Note - Madhurgiri being a small village do not expect high end shops and restaurants. The village will meet your basic needs.

Madhurgiri trek difficult parts:

To begin with the trek is sort of easy with stones steps. With 25% of the trek over, the monolithic rock begins. For the next 25% of the rock has steps carved in it and is supported with railing. The first difficult section come the mid way when person has to lean on both the hands and walk sideways. It is as good as doing push up and walking sideways on a steep. The second difficult section lies almost at the end where the rock is inclined at and angle of 70 degrees. This puts your calf muscles and quadriceps at test. If you do not exercise regularly, you are bound to experience major pain next day. After my bitter slipping experience, I always prefer going with the guide no matter what someone thinks of myself.

Things to do on the top :

Once you reach the top, one can sit and relax for half hour or so. The fort remains are in dilapidated condition however kept clean. You can sit in shade and enjoy the snacks. There are no shops or vendors, you need to carry snacks and water. There are no toilets, one has to answer nature's call in open. The scenic view of the Madhugiri town and near by villages will keep your camera lenses occupied for sure.
As per locals, people carry raw food and cook on top of the hill and have a one day picnic.

Photo Session and fun parts in Madhugiri Fort:

A picture says million words. There are many places at the Madhugiri Fort where you can pause and take picture along with a breather.

Stay options in or around Madhurgiri:

If you opt for two days trip then it's advisable to stay at Madhurgiri near the base of the fort. As it will help you kick start the trek early in morning. There are two basic hotels available Manjunath Comforts and Akshay comforts. Both of them are at walkable distance from the start point of the trek. We stayed at Manjunath Comforts, during our scooty trip in September 2018. Otherwise there are multiple hotels near Tumkur on the highway. However it's an hour's drive from the Madhugiri fort.This would probably delay the trek early morning.

Picture Credits :
Moms on Scooty - Myself. Deepali Pawar, Medha Joshi, Meera Velankar
Group Trek - Myself, Nayana Dongre, Prakash Upadhya, Satya Chekuri, Khusboo Jain and Team.

Meghalaya

2019-11-01T07:42:00.001+05:30

Meghalaya is a state in the East of India. In Sanskrit, Megh means clouds and Alaya means home or adobe. As the name suggest it is Adobe of clouds. It is surrounded by Bangladesh to south and west. To the north is Assam. After nearly completing most of South of India and a maiden trip to Himalayas, we decided to set our next target in Eastern India.

Suggested Itinerary

When to visit
How to reach and travel around
7 days of Meghalaya

Cherrapunji or Shohra (local name)
Living Root Bridge and Rainbow waterfall trek
Dawki and Shnongpdeng River side tent stay and water activities
Shillong - One night stay

When to visit

Meghalaya will have beauty of its own in each month.

Best Season

The best months to visit Meghalaya are from September to January. During this time, the weather is favorable for outdoor activities. Peak season is from November to December. It is ideal for people in Bangalore to visit Meghalaya during Dushera school holidays which falls during September or October.

Other months

Meghalaya experiences a lot of rain through out the year and is famous for recording highest rainfall in the world. And it might not be recommended to travel and do activities in rainy season. However many people visit the area to experience it.

How to reach and travel around

The nearest airport is Guwahati in Assam. Shillong is around 3 and half hours drive from Guwahati. Cherrapunji is another 3 hours drive from Shillong. We took an early morning 6 am flight from Bangalore and reached Guwahati around 9:30 am. It is recommended to hire a taxi or car for Cherrapunji as getting local transport to tourist spots is difficult.
Drive options -

Self drive car - Zoomcar is available near Guwahati airport. They arrange pickup from the airport and drop to airport. One needs to drive through Khasi and Garo Mountain range, the road has a lot of twist and turns. If you are not used to it then, it is recommended to hire a rental car with driver. The road quality was extremely good in the month of September and we were able to easily manage. There are times when it becomes suddenly cloudy. This might prove to be dangerous in the dark.
Rental cars with drivers - Many options are available on internet.
Buses - There are buses available till Shillong from Guwahati airport as well as Guwahati city. After a night halt at Shillong, you can start early morning for Cherrapunji. However the taxi hired from Shillong will be available only till Shillong and one needs to take bus to Guwahati airport and its not worth the effort. If you are on tight budget then only opt for it.

Tips

It is advisable to leave for Cherrapunji early in the morning. Till 10 am to 10:30 am maximum, as it becomes cloudy in the evening near Cherrapunji. Else take a halt in or around Shillong city.
There is a lot of traffic near Guwahati airport for an hour or more till we hit the national highway so plan the travel accordingly both ways.

Cherrapunji or Shohara (Local Name for the place)

After approximately 6 hours drive and couple of breaks we reached Cherrapunji at around 7 pm. It is recommended to have an early lunch near Guwahati airport before you set off for the journey. On the way we experienced bad traffic and road jams in Guwahati near the highway and near Shillong.
It was a mesmerizing drive through the lush green mountains of the Khasi range. On the way before Shillong, we hit the Umiam Lake view point where we took a tea break.There are many small shops which offer tea, biscuits, boiled eggs and omelets. Couple of good restaurants on the way.
Once you approach Cherrapunji, one can spot a lot of local shops selling fresh pork meat. We did not try it however I have read multiple recommendations for the same.
We reached around 7 pm to the hotel in Cherapunji. There are multiple options available as per your
budget. We always prefer medium budget hotel with freshly cooked food. So we choose La Kupar Inn. The hotel manager explained us the next days itinerary with local hand drawn map.
Day 1 - Cherrapunji or Shohara Sightseeing

Mawsmai Caves - mall caves down south east of Cherrapunji. We reached there around 10 am. It is small limestone cave with stalactites and stalagmites formations. Water drips from the ceiling of the cave and the minerals remains in the water are left behind and form various shapes. It takes about 20 -30 minutes to visit the caves. One has to pay minor entry fee.
Seven sisters waterfall - After a short drive from Mawsmai caves is the seven sisters waterfall. It is more of viewing point on the road where one can see seven waterfalls over the limestone cliff. There are stalls for tea and local snacks. We spent some quality time over there.
Nohkalikai Falls -We headed to Nohkalikai waterfalls then, it is towards the center of Cherrapunji town. It was bright and sunny and in few minutes, we were surrounded by clouds all over. My nine year old son was super excited. We parked the car and walked towards the viewing point. The view of the valley and waterfall was blocked as there was light wind and we were among the clouds. It was different experience altogether. My son was running in the clouds and trying to feel them. There is open space behind the viewing point and we decided to explore the nature in the mean time. It was fun to
walk in the grass meadow with clouds all around us. After some time, the weather became clear and we were able to spot the waterfall.We had our lunch at the restaurant near the viewing point.
Arwah Caves - The caves are 2-3 km near the Cherrapunji bus stand. After the main entrance, you need to drive alongrough road for about 1 km to reach the parking lot. There is minor entry fee person. Then you need to walk along trail for another 1 km to reach the cave entrance. Half way through you will have option of taking the short but difficult trail else you continue on the longer and easier trail. If you are physically fit then only take the shorter trail. While walking along the trail you will feel as if you are in the Aztec Jungle surrounded by different kind of trees and ferns etc. At the entrance, we hired guide at nominal fee. It is recommended to hire a guide as the cave is lighted half way through. If you want to explore the remaining part it is advisable to do it with guide. The guide showed us multiple fossils of fish and other sea creatures on the walls of the cave. At the end of the cave there is octopus shaped stalactite.It is recommend to keep a torch or mobile phone light on. Some parts of the cave you need to crawl through so wearing shorts is recommended. On our way back we took the shorter trail and it gave me major physical training goals to improve on.
Dantalon Waterfalls - After our endearing stunts in the Arwah caves, we proceeded ahead to the Dantalon Waterfalls. Its 30 to 40 minutes drive from the place. We reached there by sunset and enjoyed our evening tea by the waterfall. Since it was month of October, the water flow is less and the tourist were able to walk through the place. We enjoyed clicking pictures along the scanty water flowing in between the ridges. Later we explored the remote area to the right of the waterfall. While returning back we were able to take few sunset pictures. Recommendation - If you have a spare day, then its a good picnic spot. Many locals had carried food and other basic necessities and were enjoying their day out at this place.
A peaceful sunset over the top of Khasi Garo Mountains marked the end of our Day 1. Please stay updated for Living root bridge and Tent stay next to Umngot River near Dawki.

Valley of Flowers Trek

2019-06-15T10:50:00.004+05:30

Valley of Flowers

Valley of Flowers is a valley located in Himalaya mountain range in Uttrakhand, northern state of India. It is a also known as Heaven on Earth due to mesmerizing beauty surrounded in the laps of the nature. As per the old Hindu scriptures, it is known to be Heaven where the Gods used to reside.

I wanted to do a solo trip to enjoy freedom and to be myself. After a lot of brain storming I decided to go for trek. At the same time I was looking for some place to visit in the month of June to August.
My search drilled down to Valley of Flowers and I choose India Hikes as the trekking company. Simply because my niece had been with them. There are many other trek companies who conduct similar trek. One can do the same trek on your own.

Haridwar or Rishikesh- Start of trek - 1 night stay recommended
Govindghat - Base camp - 1 night stay
Trek to Gangaria
Trek to Valley of flowers
Trek to Hemkund Sahib - optional
Trek to back to Govindghat

Haridwar or Rishikesh

Once you decide to do the trek, you need to book flight tickets.
Option 1 - Flight to Dehradun - Ideally you can get a flight to Dehradun. From Dehradun, you need to reach Rishikesh.
Option 2 - Flight to Delhi - Reach Delhi by evening. One needs to reach the Old Delhi station or bus stop. Delhi Metro service is excellent and it consumes very less time. Taking a cab is time consuming and not recommended. Catch night train or Bus to Haridwar.

It is recommended you reach Haridwar or Rishikesh one night before and stay there in a budget hotel which is near the station. In the evening one can enjoy the Ganga Aarti on the banks of River Ganga.

Govindghat

If you are going with trek company, the transport to Govindghat will be arranged and has to be paid separately. Everyone has to report at 6 am at the Haridwar Railway station. The group is split into multiple cabs and usually takes of by 6:15 am. There is a halt for breakfast on the way.
The moment we cross Rishikesh, the cab travels through the valleys of Himalayas. The cab takes you through a road which follows the flow river Ganga. There are moments when one feels we have reached a celestial place. Specially when you see clouds hovering over the River Ganga flowing in between the lush green Himalayan mountains. On the way you witness RudraPrayag, KarnaPrayag and finally VishnuPragay. Prayag means confluence of two rivers.
Our team was lucky, as we didnot experience any landslide during our to journey. If things go as per plan, one reaches Govindghat the basecamp approximately in evening around 5 to 6 pm.
Govindghat is the last town which is accessible by motorable road to Valley of flowers and forms the basecamp. We were asked to check into the hotel usually budget accommodation. Mobile signal is rarely available for Airtel and Vodafone. BSNL connectivity is available. The town offers small shops and gives you last chance to buy any essentials before the start of the trek.
We had dinner around 7 pm and our trek leader oriented us. We had a brief introduction round. We were provided health cards, to measure our BP and oxygen readings for the following days.
Note - One can keep their extra stuff and clothing at the base camp. It is always recommended to carry minimal luggage for the trek.

Trek to Gangaria

Next day morning, we had our breakfast and were ready to leave for the trek at 7 am. The trek company arranged cab drop to Poolna which is 4 km away from Govindghat. You can hire mules, palkhis to reach the top. It is 9 km climb distributed with partial climbs and descents initially. Later part is complete ascend. There is a lot of through traffic on the narrow path in both directions. At times you will come across a group of mules racing ahead. This will scare you initially as if they are going to bump inside you. There are trekkers marching in both directions. After 4 km of gradual ascend and descends, we reach mid point of the days trek and valley, where we spot first stream. The team took a break for tea and lunch at this place. Everyone in our team was excited to take pictures in front of the breath taking stream and our trek lead kept on pursuing us that there will be more on our way. As people say - Yeh Dil Mange More. After a lot of persuasion, the team started moving ahead. This was climb of another 5 km, with most of it ascend. Many places it wide road build of stone steps. There were sporadic streams which ran across the route. We had to walk through them.
We reached at Gangaria at around 4 pm. I was among the last few people to reach the destination.

There was two friends from Gurgaon, who had kept me as bench mark. They used to speed up and take frequent breaks in between. The moment they used to see me in visibility they started walking again. Our tour guide Kripa identified the pattern and addressed it in the next break. Ideally, during trekking one should not take frequent breaks and continue with a steady speed. As you trek, the muscles warm up. If we take frequent breaks, the muscles will get injured.
We were welcomed by sight of few tents,lush green meadow, and helipad in between it. They were surrounded with mountains on the other side of the valley and everyone was stunned as usual with the surrounding beauty. Yes, we had our photo session. Our team was asked to walk further as the hotel was located in between the Gangaria village. Mentally, I had already reached Gangaria and each step taken to reach the hotel was way to difficult and exhausting. As we approached the village, the path started become more and more narrow. This place was full of mules as it is the start point of the Valley of Flowers trek and Hemkund Sahib. We had to some how navigate ourselves through the mules, their excretion.
Gangaria is a small village, located at the base of Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. This village is operational from May to October every year. Later part of the year it is closed for tourist and public. As the place is completely covered with snow. The local villagers from around, will move to Gangaria in summer to provide various services to tourist visiting both the destinations. There are hotels, small restaurants and some grocery and medical shops available at the village.
At last we reached our hotel. We were welcomed with the tea and snacks. The rooms were allocated to everyone. This was followed by blood pressure and oxygen readings for everyone. Later in the evening, we went to see the documentary on Valley of flowers in the Government Library. This documentary en-lighted us with details of various flowers and herbs available in the valley and their medicinal usage. I had read about this place being called as Heaven as per the Indian legend of Mahabharata. I will definitely agree with it. The Amrit - Health Potion, being the extract of all the herbal medicines available in the valley.At night we were served dinner. We met another group of India hikes who had just completed Valley of Flowers that day. As per them the valley was completely crowded with a lot of tourist as it was 15 August Bank Holiday. After some general discussion we marked the end of the day.
I felt accomplished at the end of the day, as I was able to climb this route. After having a complete sedentary lifestyle, I had lot of health issues, I had decided to take up this trek. It proved to be life changer and eye opener both. Most of my immediate health issues have been slowly taken care off.

Trek to Valley of Flowers

We had wake up call at 6 am. This was followed by tea and a heavy breakfast. We were asked to carry our essentials, poncho, fleece jacket and lunch along with us. The Valley of Flowers is a protected forest by the Government of Uttrakhand, India. No commercial activities are allowed inside the valley. So those who are visiting the valley without trek team should take packed lunch on their way. Ensure that you carry enough water, as there are few streams on the way.

Mules are prohibited in the Valley of Flowers to protect the valley and the endangered species of flora available in the valley. However, one can hire human porters who will carry weight up to 80 kgs in a basket on their back.
We started climbing big cement steps for about and kilometer and half. There were lot of mules parked on the way and we were informed it is common route to Hemkund Sahib. Later we took a turn to left for Valley of Flowers. A small board is kept with the directions to Valley of flowers.
There is a Forest department office, where we had to submit our name and contact details. Our trek guides bought entrance tickets for us. After a kilometer of walk, we came across a magnificent stream. We had to cross the stream on a bridge. One could feel the small droplets of water on our cheeks as we were walking on the bridge and later for few minutes. It was our unofficial photo break.This was followed by a steady ascend along the mountain range for 4 km, with uneven stone steps. Some places the stones were missing and we had to be double sure before placing our feet on it. The path was very narrow at places and allowed single person to walk through. Our guide showed us the peak on the opposite side where Hemkund Sahib is located. It was our next days trek destination.Slowly we were able to spot the valley at distance. It seemed the valley had pulled a quilt of lush green color with candy pink flowers embroidery. Our speed started increasing as we wanted to reach the final destination as soon as possible. We were lucky to reach the valley on a bright sunny day and were able to enjoy it to the fullest. We learnt from our guide that previous day, the valley was full of fog and visibility was very low. If you do plan to visit the valley on your own, it is advisable to keep buffer day.
We had our lunch break on huge cliff at the entrance of the valley. The valley spreads across 5 to 6 k from the entrance. One can spot an glacier at the end of the valley. Our guide spotted various flowers and herbs and educated us about it. People were busy clicking pictures and enjoying the surrounding beauty. We walked inside the valley for about 3 km to visit the grave of Lady Joan Margaret Legge, a botanist who lost her life conducting botanical studies in the Valley. We spent some time over there and then started walking back. While returning back, ensure to fill your water bottles as there is no water source for next 4 km. On our way back, the excitement was less. I reached back the Gangaria at around 5 pm. I was 3rd last to reach the base camp but yet happy that I was able to make to the valley of flowers. Once the team reached the hotel, we had a muscle stretching session.
Someone informed that hot water bucket was available and many of us opted to have a hot water bath. We had tea and snacks. Later everyone settled on the terrace to have a riot full Mafia game.

Once it was dark, we were called downstairs for dinner.During dinner we interacted with the other group who had completed Hemkund Sahib today. We learnt that there were two casualties in the group. Two girls had felt unconscious and were provided with Oxygen supply. Everyone was curious to know the details of the next days trek including me. A couple informed that they were the last to reach the Hemkund Sahib peak at approximately 1:30 pm and were able to reach back by 5:30 pm. The entire team was held up at the Hemkund Sahib till 2 pm for the casualty.
I had done my calculations and was all set for next day.

Valley of Flowers Trek Video - Courtesy Rajkumar Singhai - Indiahikes group Team member.

Trek to Hemkund Sahib

After a heavy breakfast and packed lunch, we left for Hemkund Sahib approximately at 8 am. It is advisable to leave early as its a steep climb of 7 or 8 km at a stretch. The path is made up of huge stone steps and steep cemented road at some places. It is famous Sikh pilgrimage and one can expect a lot of pedestrian traffic along with mules and palkhis. The initial path was the same as yesterday. I had by now guessed, that I will be among the last few people in the group. The steep climbing for past two days had taken a toll on my legs and I had started losing hope on myself. After completing about 2 km, I was barely able to pick up my legs and pull myself ahead. Our Trek guide Raju Da was surprised to see me in that state. After sometime he started pursuing me to take mule and reach the top. I handed over my sack bag with essentials to him and started dragging myself. Later our trek guide Kripa joined me. I was joined by Niranjan from our team after a kilometer. I was happy to have some company on my way. Usually I was able to catch up with the team during breaks, but today I was lagging far behind. It was foggy through out and we were barely able to see the surrounding mountains. I was constantly asking Kripa the number of kilometers left and calculating the speed and time needed to meet the 1:30 pm target. As per this target, I was sure I will be able to make it. At 11 am, when only 2 km distance was left, Kripa had lost her cool on me. I was about to tell her my calculation and justify my speed. But I just kept quiet and continued. At last i reached the peak at 12:30 pm. All my team members were eager to see me. By the time I reached the peak, it was all foggy and had started to rain. Later I came to know that no one in our team was able to get view of the Lake due to fog. Everyone in our team was praying for clear skies, till I reach the top. However it did not happen. Once I reached the gurudwara, many of my team members came and congratulated me for my feat. As most of them had thought it would be impossible. Deepti served me hot tea and later some dal. We visited the gurudwara and started the descend. It had started raining and visibility was quiet low. Temperature had suddenly dropped and it had become very chilly. We had to pull out our fleece jackets along with the ponchos. Climbing down the path was not difficult but manageable. I was among the last few to reach the hotel.
Evening we had snacks and then as usual everyone joined at the terrace to have fun. Dinner was served and it was time to pack up and leave to Govindghat - base camp the next day. Our Trek lead acknowledged everyone from the support team for their great efforts. And thanked the team members as well.

Trek back to Govindghat

The day started with heavy breakfast and we moved out at 8 am. Since it was descend at most places, it was an easy task. I kept on walking at constant speed. The excitement among the team members was less. Everyone was eager to reach Govindghat before it rains. Most of us had planned to leave immediately on the same day for Haridwar. Landslides in the Gharwal area are unpredictable and will hold you back for day or two till the road is cleared for traffic. So we wanted to cover maximum distance the same day. We reached Pullna by 11 am. I was super excited to be board the first cab back to Govindghat. At last I was not among the last few in the team. We had lunch at the Govindghat Hotel. We visited the Gurudwara near by and left for Haridwar. Plan was to spend night on the way at Karnaprayag and leave early morning to Haridwar. Fate had something else planned for us. Yes the landslide !!!

Tirthan Valley

2019-01-02T23:16:00.003+05:30

Tirthan Valley

Multiple times during our trip , Tirthan Valley in Himanchal Pradesh India, reminded us of our Switzerland trip. Tirthan Valley is still untouched and serene place to visit in Kullu District of Himanchal Pradesh. You will be surrounded by snow clad peaks, rivers and the Himalayan mountains. Best time to visit will be from April to Early June.

While planning our trip to Himalayas, I consulted a travel agent who recommended me Tirthan Valley to enjoy nature instead of Shimla or Manali.

Our itinerary was as follows

Chandigarh
Fight from Bangalore, One night stay and road trip to Shimla. Visit to Rock garden and shopping in Sector 17.

Shimla
2 nights stay with visit to Kurf. In earlier days, tourist used to vouch Shimla, Kullu and Manali for beauty and nature, however the beauty of these places is nowadays hidden behind cluster of hotels.

Tirthan Valley

Located near Banjar town of Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. Tirthan Valley is gateway to Great Himalayan National Park.

Manali
2 nights stay. One day visit to Gulaba and then paragliding at Solang Valley.

Location

You need to drive in direction of Kullu or Manali. We drove from Shimla early morning and it took us around 6 to 7 hours. Just before the tunnel to Kullu there is right turn which will guide you to Banjar. The road narrows down to one lane as we take the turn and one has to plan the journey in day time.

Hotel Stay

I had consulted a tour agent and was recommended Hotel Trishala Resort on the banks of the river Tirthan. The resort is managed by a young chap Manu Negi. One can directly call him and do the bookings. There are lot of options available on the banks of the river in the Banjar village based on your budget and liking.We had very comfortable stay.The rooms were little smaller to accommodate two adults and one child, however there are many things to explore around and outside so we are inside the room only at night. It barely made much difference to us as our focus was to enjoy nature.

The stay was very comfortable. They also provide heater in the room on request.
The food was delicious and home cooked. They server breakfast and lunch at eating place which is built inside the river bed on the rocks. Sipping hot cup of tea early morning almost sitting in the river bed in Himalayas raises the experience bar to different level.

We reached the hotel in evening, we were welcomed with hot cup of tea and some snacks. We strolled around the river bed. This was followed by dinner.

Choi Waterfall Trek

Next morning, after the breakfast at the river bed, we proceeded ahead to Choi waterfall. This is approximately 2 - 3 hours trek which will lead you to waterfall. On your way one can enjoy beautiful views of the Himalayan mountain Ranges. And try your shutterbug skills. Midway the local villagers have arranged food stalls to take care of your hunger and thirst needs.The waterfall is result of melting snow from the surrounding snow clad peaks. Believe me, chill will run up your spine, the first time you put your leg in the water. There is another 10 feet water fall few meters away from the main where few school kids were sliding down in the pond below. This was guided activity with proper head gear. My son did not try it as it was too cold. However he did slipped and fell down in the icy water while trying to take a snap in the main water fall.
It is advisable to carry some light towels to dry your self and quick snacks along with you.

Walking along the river bed

After a sumptuous meal and evening tea, we decided to walk along the river bed. We were followed by the resorts dog. After half km walk along the bed, there were some areas which were marked inaccessible by the villagers and we had to climb up. One of the villagers recommended us to cross the pedestrian bridge and explore the opposite side of the river bank. This was mainly dominated by small houses surrounded by vegetable farms. We could observe the villager busy with their evening activities like cutting grass for cattle or picking up vegetables for dinner. Even though the entire landscape looks pretty beautiful and compelling, it is very difficult to walk along those foot paths carved by local villagers. We noticed, a shepherd boy climbing up quickly to the mountain peak to bring their herd of sheep. It was fun to watch him with binocular, climb the difficult mountain terrain with help of simple wooden stick. This compelled my husband Abhi to explore the mountain early morning. He dared and completed the trek next morning from 5 am to 9 am. Some of the places were very slippery and scary as per him. However the views were amazing.

Great Himalayan National Park Trek

It is a 2 days trek in the Great Himalayan National Park. As per feedback of other fellow tourist its worth it. We gave it a miss as we were doubtful if our 7 year old son would be able to cope up with the cold temperature. I definitely repent it. And do plan to complete it some time later.
The Trsihala Hotel team will have their people as escorts. Accommodation is in tents and food etc is well arranged.

How to reduce vacation cost by 30 percent

2018-12-12T02:00:00.000+05:30

Plan in advance and reduce vacation cost.

Many people wonder, how we manage to have more than two long vacations in a year.
If you make early vacation plans w.r.t. Air tickets,Hotels and Rental Car / Self Drive car, then you pretty much save on 30% of cost.
This enables you to sponsor the third trip in the same cost.

Cost comparison -

Timeline	3 months before the trip	2 weeks before the trip
People	For family of 2 Adults and child	For family of 2 Adults and child
Cost	Rs 1 Lakh	Rs 1 Lakh 30 Thousand
Airline Cost	30 Percent Cheaper	Increases by 30 percent one month before the peak season.
Hotels Cost	30 Percent Cheaper with more availablity	Less availablity of better deals

Now assume, If you plan out two vacations - it costs you approximately Rs 2 Lakh per year. Compared to Rs 2.6 lakhs which is 30% cheaper.

Tentative cost increase timeline

Air tickets

During vacation time, air tickets become costlier just before 4 to 6 weeks. There are plenty of websites for the booking flights makemytrip.com, cleartip.com,goibibo.com, etc to check on

Hotel booking

Since most of the hotels are available its easy to find the best fit at moderate prices.makemytrip.com , cleartrip.com , bookings.com , tripadvisor.cometc

Rental car and self drive cars

You get cheaper deal and better options of vehicle bookings. Given the fact that rental car and self drive cars options are available plenty in India as well. zoomcar.com, revv.co.in etc

Vacation planning Tips -

Finalize on the travel destination. I usually prefer visiting two to three near by places or cities. As hanging around one places is boring after 3 days or so.
Air Tickets -

Check out which destinations have airports available. If there is no direct airport then you need to make choice between near by city.
Considering 2 to 3 days at each intermediate destination arrive at end date of the journey.
Once start and end date is finalized, proceed ahead with booking the air tickets as they become to costly week on week.
Discounts -

Check on websites of your credit cards to avail any discount.
Usually I prefer to book tickets upfront and avoid deals which involve 10 % discount on Monday. Chances are high that you forget buying ticket on Monday. Its general observation, that tickets price increases on Monday morning.
May websites show cheaper price till the last minute and add GST just before you enter the card details. Ensure to check the total price just before that.

Car Rental Local Travel -

Self Drive -If you prefer taking self drive car then booking that takes second priority. As options are lesser. When you finalize the deal look into the following aspects

Finalize the route and calculate the kilometers. Add 10% buffer to it just incase you deviate from the plan.
Check if the rental includes petrol charges
Tip - Take a chance and book a smaller car. Many a times we have got upgrade to a bigger car.

With driver rental car - If you are opting for rental vehicle then there are multiple options available and can be done at leisure. When you finalize the deal, ensure the following

Route is finalized with the operator
Per day charge should include car rental, petrol and per day allowance of driver.
If the route involves hopping multiple states, then ensure the road tax etc is included in the final cost.

Hotel Booking -

Immediately proceed ahead booking the hotels.
Please don't forget to check the Check in and Checkout time. That might save you a days hotel rent.
Peak Season bookings

Many hotel booking portals like makemytrip.com , cleartrip.com , bookings.com , tripadvisor.cometc show the rooms of your preferred hotels sold out.
As the demand is more, the hotel operators prefer having direct bookings.
They avoid putting rooms on these portals during the peak season.
In this case, it makes sense to book the hotel directly.
You can proceed by paying nominal advance amount.

Do your research on trip advisor for hotel reviews.

Have you planned your reusables ?

2018-12-02T20:47:00.001+05:30

An unusual question though. With the month of December approaching, one would ask "Have you planned your vacation ?". However have you really planned your reusables ? is an unusual question to ask. I would stress all my friends to keep the following two things on priority with the month of holidays approaching.

1) Have you planned your vacations ?
2) Have you planned your reusable as well ?

Usually, when you are out for vacation in India, daily at least twice you will come across tea vendor. This tea vendor will hand over you one time use cups. If you are family of 3 and are on vacation for days, you will create a land fill worth 42 cups. A step in time saves nine.

I will recommend you to carry reusable cups for each family member. Rinse the cup immediately with water once you have finished the drinking the tea or coffee. The cup can be washed at the end of the day with soap.

Being matured human being living on earth, you are taking one step ahead in making Earth a better place to live.

I have planned my reusable cups, have you done your bit?

I am back !!!!!!

2018-09-10T22:40:00.002+05:30

After a long dormant period or a pause. I have decided to write again.
Too many things happening on personal front, motherhood and its responsibilities had eaten up my time. If you think i had stopped traveling, that not true. Some how I was not able to figure time to write.
I might call it dormant stage however I was very much active in this time frame.

Travel

Within India

Rameshwaram - Kanyakumari and Varkala Trip
Chandighar, Shimla , Manali and Tirthan Valley Trip
Costal Karnataka - Jog waterfalls, Tarsi, Malpe
Kerala - Munna and Thekkady trip
Lot of weekend gateaways to Masinagudi and Vythri
Last but not the least the trek to Valley of flowers Trek. This trip and the entire process to enroll and be eligible for it has changed my life significantly for sure.This experience also compels me to start my blogging once again.

Outside India

Singapore - Mainly for my son to experience the theme parks. Since he was approximately 5 years old we thought better visit a near by destination. Plus few relatives.
Kenya - Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara
China and Japan Trip - This is my first trip in so many years with tour and travel company.

Artistic

I also indulged myself into painting once again. Completed few bottle paints to begin with. Gifted a couple of them on request. Did dot painting. Few cute baby quilts with lots of embroidery

Professionally

I completed 4 certifications. Two of them were significant - PMP and Six Sigma black belt.
It was difficult for me to fiddle around with job, house responsibilities and motherhood.
I wanted to spend time with my son and motherhood always over powers other desires. I know many people will have different opinions on it. I can easily say everything is possible if you have someone else to replace yourself at home in tricky situations. By grace of God, I was left on my own to handle it.

Kenya

2016-09-30T21:52:00.000+05:30

Kenya trip Itinerary for week. While there can be many enhanced variations done as per our experience. We initially had decided with the following itinerary.
1) day one reach Nairobi - relax in hotel next to Airport
2) Next day leave for Lake Naivasha - It is 2 hours travel. reach the lake and do the boat trip.
Evening visit to Hells gate national park.
3) Lake Nakuru National Park. Around 1 and half hour drive from Lake Naivasha. Game drive in National Park. return to Lake Naivasha. relax in evening in the hotel
4) Next day leave for Masai Mara early in the monring. Its around 5-6 hours drive.
Post lunch go for Game drive in the evening
5) Hot air balloon Safari early morning followed by Game drive.
6) Next day leave for Nairobi and then relax.
7 Leave Kenya back to home.

Calf drinking mothers milk in farmers house

2014-12-25T16:38:00.000+05:30

One of our numerous trips to Mysore we stayed in resort near Ranghantitu Bird Scantuary. We decided to relax in the evening and show some glimpses of village life to our 4 year old son Smit. Smit did enjoy the calf drinking milk from his mother cow. However his curious questions do make me watch this video again and again in my free time.

First video the farmer is milking the cow.
Later the calf is left with his mother to drink remaining milk. My son was curious to understand where is the father of the calf. We had tough time to explain him that the father of the calf is in farms. Ultimately we had to explain him that mummy is giving food to the baby and father has gone in the office(farm) to work.

Euro Train

2014-04-12T19:25:00.001+05:30

Being great fan of Shahrukh Khan and DDLJ. I had only dreamt about the Euro train journey. I first traveled to Europe -Germany for Siemens assignment in month of April.
My work was based in small village Kamplint Fort, North West Germany. I was almost living dream where only Shahrukh Khan was missing. Suddenly my sweet dream got over and I came to know about the long Easter weekend. It would have been nightmare if I would have stayed in that small village without anything or anyone around for Easter weekend. Most of my team members were located in Munich, Germany.
Somehow the introvert girl in me took decision and I decided to travel to Brussels on my own.
A colleague of mine was located in Brussels with reference of whom I got service apartment for 3 days.
After too much of thinking, calculations, analysis and not disclosing it to any one of my Siemens colleagues - I took bold decision of buying Euro train tickets for 89 Euros. It might sound small amount today. But when i broke this new to all my SISL friends - it was big deal.
After wait of week the day came when i was to step in the Euro train - which had witnessed the King of romance SRK and Kajol in DDLJ movie. Bus from Kamplint fort to Moerse. Moerse to intermediate station by regional train. And then after wait for around 35 minutes the ICE train arrived. My heart was pounding as if SRK was sitting inside the train and as the door opens he will reach out his hand to me. Ultimately I got into the train and grabbed one seat. I was so much excited with the soft cushion chairs, wide windows, etc. The train traveled through the scenic grasslands. Sun was about to set at the horizon and one could see hot air balloon floating in the sky. Yes i did forget to take pictures in this anxiety as i was living my dream.

There was no SRK nor villan but I had to get up from my dream. As i realized that its First class and I had bought tickets for second class. Suddenly I started sweating in AC train. The thought of getting caught by Ticket checker in the First class compartment of Euro train with second class tickets in my hand made me shivers in my spin.
As i was barely 23 years old. After 5 minutes, I took account of the situation. I slowly got up and confirmed with the person sitting next to me - if its first class. Later I took my bag with Traveller cheques and Passport and found out the second class compartment. It was already occupied. After some hunt - I found empty seat. Came back and collected my luggage from First class compartment. For a while, I was still scared that the TC will come and fine me for misunderstanding the difference between two grades of train compartments. Once I was comfortable - I again started enjoying the train journey.
Would recommend travelling my Europe by train if you want to enjoy the scenery at its best.

Vengurla a cleaner and peaceful alternative for Goa

2013-09-21T23:02:00.000+05:30

Vengurla in Konkan/Malvan, Maharashtra, is cleaner and peaceful alternative for Goa. Why not a cheaper ?You might guess - well those who holiday like me for peace of mind will give more importance to the first two adjectives.

Why Vengurla and not Goa

Vengurla is a small town next to the Beach flooded state of India - Goa. The scenery which was available in Goa is also available here. Its just one and half hours drive from Goa. Now you might ask me, Whats different then Goa? The beaches are still clean and pristine. The life in Vengurla is still slow and one can experience yummy malvani or konkani sea food dishes here.

Is this the only reason to visit this place -

Whats more my life partner Abhi is born in this place. Not just that he completed his last three years of school there. So if you think its small town then probably you have to rethink. :D

Jokes apart - our motive was to have 3-4 days beach side vacation. And why not explore unseen Maharashtra being so called proud maharashtrian.

Where to stay

My brother-in-law Amit Suki localite to that area (who is now settled in Kudal (home town) about 40 minutes drive from Vengurla) recommended us to stay in Hotel Gajalee. He being a hard core foodie, we blindly believed him. Its different story that he himself has turned into restaurateur in Kudal - The Coconut.
Gajalee is located at Vengurla Port / Bandar. Can you imagine getting Sea facing hotel and restaurant during peak time of December end for just Rs 2500 per night in A/C Room. Again courtesy Amit Suki we got the best sea facing room. I would say that this place and hotel is clearly under marketed and under rated.

Hotel Gajalee Stay

They have around 4 sea facing rooms. Best part is that the sea facing side wall is just 2 feet high and rest all is transparent window. If you sleep in the bed, one could see the wide spread sea belt of Vengurla spanning in front of your eyes. Some moments cant be explained more in words for that we have digital camera. The rooms are clean and tidy. They have split A/C.

Hotel Gajalee Food

Awesome surmai and pomfret fry, sol kadhi, shell fish masala. They have chicken starters and mains. however we opted for fish dishes.
Since we were accompanied by our four year old son we ordered room service. They have roof top restaurant on the fourth floor which is worth trying out if you do visit that area.
One could hear the sea waves dashing on the rocks of the port and nothing else.

What to do around Vengurla

Sagar Bunglow - A five star government Bunglow on the edge of the mountain cliff near Vengurla Port. If one can manage booking at this place there is nothing like that. As per sources, its rented out to only Government employees. Normal visitors can climb up the steps and view the sunset from doorsteps of this bunglow.

Vengurla Port is one of the favorite tourist destinations for all Konkan / Malvan Packages. The Port road is very narrow. And it becomes packed once the tourist vehicles start flocking in at evening. One can enjoy hot Vada pav or only vada at the local hawkers. This followed by the sweet Coconut savories is cherry on top of icing. We do call it Khopracha Wadi. They also offer junk food such as Mumbai Chat etc. Also Icecream. Our son enjoyed his boiled egg along with us.

Vengurla Light house - Since its cliff edge the government has set Light house on top of it. It gets closed at around 5 PM. Its advisable to visit the Light house in the morning as its less sunny. We completed our morning breakfast of omelet and bread at the Vengurla Port local vendor and started our treking to the light house. Yes after climbing the steep stair cases our son did potty on reaching the light house. We also spotted couple of dolphins jumping in the sea water from the edges of the light house area.

Sagareshwar Beach - The wide stretch of seashore visible from the Hotel Gajalees windows is known as Sagareshwar Beach. As per the localities its not safe to enjoy swimming in these waters. Since there are frequent under water currents in them. This is not safe. However the beach is clean and too good to just sit back and relax.

Patkar High School- Last but not the least Patkar high School Vengurla. Its one of the many schools which my husband has attended, while my father in law was being transferred as banker. I have dedicated one full post for the same.

Local Food joints to enjoy

Caution - Park car somewhere outside the main street of town and walk down the small street. Since parking the car in the small bustling streed is not possible.

Quality Ice cream Parlour - Its home made fresh icecream which you will send your mouths tastebuds back in the childhood memory lane. Do try out for Cocktail - A combination of milkshake, icecream and fruits. Or might be classy Faluda.
Ajobas wada - This is very small room kind of shop in the main street of Vengurla. Was wondering why my husband is praising it so much. Its worth mentioning it in the blog and visiting it too. One would get to taste delicious Bata wada, Sabudana wada and other Bhajis.
Sweets and Savouries shop - One can buy all those items from Konkan - Kokam juice syrup, ladoos etc from this shop.
Misal pav shop - On the way to Sagareshwar beach there is a small food joint which serves delicious misal pav and wadas in the evening.

Elephant Shower and Bath Thekady Kerala

2013-09-05T21:55:00.000+05:30

Elephant ride and Shower is one of the important things to do in Thekady, Kerala, India. Timings for Elephant ride is from 9am to 6 pm. Situated in Avanchal in Thekkady. It is small 10 acre area granted by government outside the forest land. As per locals, yester years poachers are now converted into animal friendly mahots.

Besides Elephant ride and shower there are multiple other tourist attractions in same premises

Spice garden tour
Musical Fountain
magic show
Kathakali Dance
The mahot also asked us about elephant hair - As per the folk lore - Its auspicious to wear Elephants hair in the finger ring.

Bang opposite is the Tribal dance show organized in the evening by Government tourist board of Kerala.

I would recommend you to reach there early in the morning around 9 am to this place. Since its less crowded and early birds always benefit. We were located in the Green court home stay just minutes walking distance from the Elephant ride center.

To do or not to do - Initially I was personally not keen or might be scared of sitting on the elephant. On insistence of my husband and the hotel owner somehow i did agree. Since the hotel owner was local he got us discount of Rs 100 each. The package now priced at Rs 900 each - included Elephant ride, Elephant bath followed by Elephant shower.

The sun rose in the sky and i woke up surely with some butterflies in my stomach. Our son was all excited.

We reached the camp around 9 am. If you are with kids - i would recommend you to carry some snacks for them as this activity takes around 1 hour.

As we were the early birds we were privileged to see multiple elephants getting ready for the days work. Starting with bath, shower, scrubbing of back and ears, some wholesome break fast of coconut tree leaves and rice,. Once the elephant was ready the mahot placed the seat (some kind of bed covered with plastics sheet) on his back. That also included iron rods which will provide you support during the ride.

We were asked to go and stand on the mounting station which is around 1 floor high. Yes, You really feel scared when the elephant approaches near you and the mahot asks you to mount on its back. I was under the impression that the mahot will accompany us on the elephants back. To my surprise, he was walking on the ground. Some how we sat on the elephant and then for first few minutes I was just chanting gods name.

Once all of us were sure that the Ele wont just go mad and run here and there - we all started enjoying the ride. The mahot took us around the square shaped coconut trees garden. The ride lasted for around 15 minutes. At the end of the ride we were allowed to stand with the elephant and take some snaps. I would like to mention this that we were able to enjoy this at our own pace, simply because we reached there quiet early before it becomes to crowded.

Elephant Bath - After completing the heroic deed of climbing the Mount Everest someone comes and asks you to cross the Atlantic Ocean. How will you feel at that time ? Well I had same feelings in my mind when we were asked to proceed to the elephant bath area. Its a small artificial concrete pond where one old elephant was resting. The mahot was cleaning its ears. As per my imagination - we holding a pipe in our hand and spraying water on the elephant. Well, the mahot asked us to change the clothes and get in to the pond. Thank God, our fear to come near the elephant had reduced a little bit after elephant ride. The man asked us to pick up the brush and scrub the elephants body. This reduces the fear in your mind and the elephants doesnt not feel you as stranger. It really did work out. It was really amazing to see how my son sat on the elephants back on his own and scrubbed it.Then came the time for elephant shower - my husband abhi tried it first. Our son was really scared. At the end came my turn. I was quiet confident, all the butterflies in my stomach had gone to collect some pollen on the flowers. I climbed up the elephant back using its leg as foot rest and the elephant showered fresh water with his trunk on me. No words to describe how i felt. Wowwwwwwwwwww....

A definite big YES if you have second thoughts regarding visiting the place. YES do visit it, its fun.

Ranganthitu in Natures Lap

2013-08-24T00:00:00.000+05:30

Destination Ranganthitu - On the long weekend in August we fled away from day to day city life to rest in lap of nature. Another aim was to educate or make our son know about the real India. I am sure all of you are tierd fo the Monday to firday work and want to destress yourself. Well then this is perfect place at 3-4 hours drive from Bangalore Whitefield.

Frist day- Since we started late from whitefield we landed up in Mysore in the evening. So Vrindavan Garden was the only option left for us on that day. My son Smit loves watching the fountains and the waterfalls in the garden. Specially when they get lit up with lights post 7 PM.

Where to stay - Resort Cute While heading towards the Vridavan garden we spoted the resort in the small village near Raganthitu Bird Scatuary - The Cute Resort. It is noting but small piece of farm land converted in to resort. So initially we were skeptical. Since there were not many options left at last minute we did booking in the resort. Next day morning we visited the Mysore Zoo and reached the resort in the afternoon. The everything in the resort was clear and tidy including the rooms. The food service provided in the restaurant was also good. We were quiet impressed with their buffet breakfast.

Evening Activities in farm land near the resort

The resort has small swimming pool. My husband being swimming enthusiast wanted to get into the water. However our main aim was to show our four year old son the Farm land and other domesticated animals so we skipped swimming and moved out for stroll.
Train tracks / Crossing Another of the fascinating feature of the resort - Its bang in front of the railway line. Since our son is avid admirer of Thomas Train he just loved watching trains pass through the paddy and sugar cane fields.
Cattle There were goats, sheep and cattle grazing around. By evening 6 o clock it was time for all of them to return to their shade.
Milking of the Cow I wanted my son to sit on the bullock cart so we decided to walk towards the village. On our way - we spotted farmer couple milking cow. Since its something which our kids will get to see in the current hustle bustle of the city, we decided to stop and show the same to our son. On their permission we started taking video of the same. After milking enough, they let the calf drink the mothers milk. My son was quiet curious watching the baby drinking mothers milk. As per him - Only mummy cow and baby cow were there. However he was trying to figure out where is the babys father. The farmer couple were kind enough to offer us cup of tea from the fresh milk. We did accepted their offer. Their son who was able to speak in English later joined us. He showed us the recently harvested Ginger yield. Also the other spice, fruits and vegetable plants and tress around their house.
Bullock Ploughing the fields The next day morning we had planed to visit the farm land since scenic photographs are best taken in the early morning sunlight. There were some farmers ploughing the fields with bullocks. My son is a big fan of excavator, dump truck, tractor etc machines. He could have never imagined Bullocks ploughing or digging the soil in the farm. So it was good practical knowledge session for him.

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

2013-08-03T12:30:00.000+05:30

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary near Mysore, Karnataka,

India is comparatively one of the unexplored tourist destination in South of India. Its situated near Srirangapatnam or Mysore, Karnataka.
An ideal stop over after Kamat Lokaruchi while heading towards Mysore or Madumalai, TamilNadu. time I happened to visit this place during the Good Friday long weekend. Never heard of Bird Sanctuary, initially I was reluctant to visit the place.

The visit turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The place is full of different coloured birds specially during their mating season from February to June month of the year. Its basically a lake premises covered in midst of dense forest. The Government of Karnataka has declared it as protected area and is maintained by the forest department.

The sanctuary hosts boats in the Lakes. To protect the wildlife, the boats are peddled by the sanctuary men. Use of motor boats is prohibited. The ride lasts for 20-30 mins. It will cost you Rs 50 per person.
The entrance charges and parking are separate.

The various birds/animals spotted were as follows

Home made Paper Mache Ganpati Idol

2013-07-20T21:50:00.000+05:30

Not just the home made ganapati decoration but also the Ganpati idol can be home made.

Ingredients for home made Paper mache Ganapati Idol-

Soaked newz paper for whole night about cup full.
one cup maida aata / white flour
one cup Plaster of paris (POP)
White glue / Fevicol for binding
Acrylic colors
paint brushes
Glitter (optional)
toothpick
Deoderant spays cover as base
Table tennis ball for round shape for stomach

As Last year, I was thinking of making the Ganeshas Idol at home. First thought was for Play dough. However as time passed, new idea of Paper mache idol poped up.

Method
Cut the newz paper in small pieces and then soak it i
n water over night.
Next day - Crush the soaked newz paper in the food processor. It should be pulp.
Mix the pulp with maida and POP. Add little fevicol for binding purpose.

The dough will have consistency of chapati dough or bread dough.
Later shape it into Ganapati Idol. It will be good if one uses Deo sprays cover as base or any other bottles cover as base. Try to make the feet of the ganapati around this cover. It will help the idol stand stable.
To add filler one might use table tennis ball in stomach area.

One can use toothpick as base for the axe in Ganapatis hand. Once the body of the Ganapati is ready, it needs to be dried in the sun for week. Else it will get fungus.
Start coloring the Ganapati idol with brush and acrylic colors. one can use glitter for adding different jewellery items.

The Ganapati is all set for pooja
.

Chinese Fishing Nets

2013-07-13T05:00:00.000+05:30

Chinese Fishing Nets in Kumarakom, Kerala, India is one of means of fishing.
Using local products like fishing nets and Bamboos mechanics fundamentals applied by local fisher men to make their day to day life easy. It is about 20 meters wide and 10 meters in height.
While heading towards Kumarakom from Cochin you need to pass a big bridge over the Vembanad Lake.
One can see lot of Chinese Fishing nets installed on the banks of these shallow water lake.
These nets are lowered using the lever and pulley mechanism for very short time. The fresh catch fish in the low lying backwaters is caught in these nets.

Suchipara Waterfalls Vythiri Kerala

2013-06-29T23:23:00.001+05:30

Suchipara Waterfalls in Vythiri, Kerala India is one the several waterfalls in the Wayanad district of Kerala. This waterfall has water flow almost through out the year as recommended to us by the Local people. We happened to visit this waterfalls in the month of November post monsoon season.

Its around 12 kms from Kalapetta - small district in Wayanad. Even though the distance is 12 kms, it takes around 1 hr to reach the place by car due to the twisted ghats in the hilly region. On the way you can enjoy the tea plantations and nature at its best. The waterfall is open for public from 10 am to 5 pm. Since its The forest department employees are constantly available through out the place.

Tips for Parking and Lunch

On reaching the place, you need to park the vehicle in the parking area. The ticket counter is just next to the parking area. After collecting the tickets you need to walk towards the entrance of the waterfall. Even though the entrance gate looks near, its long walk down the mountain to reach the waterfalls. Therefore its good idea to get some quick food from the road side stalls - egg or 2 minutes maggi, to keep your tummy full.
Important -

Dont forget to book your lunch after coming back.
If you havent carried spare clothes or towels to wipe yourself then its good to buy from the local stalls

The final destination is around 30-40 minutes walk or trek down the steep rocky mountain. One needs to be careful if you are with kids and family. Towards the end you can hear water gushing with full force.
The huge waterfall is pleasant site for your eyes after long trek down the mountain. Like all tourist you also get tempted to enter the flowing water.

Vythiri, Wayanad

2013-06-07T00:00:00.000+05:30

Vythiri, Wayanad is one of the famous hill station in Wayanad, Kerala, India. Vythiri is located on the Western Ghats mountain range. From mountains covered with Eucalyptus trees to tea plantations, it has got the best nature can offer. What more can you ask for - one of the best waterfalls in India. Suchipara waterfalls.

How to reach Vythri =

Vythiri being a 6-8 hrs drive from Whitefield, Bangalore. Leaving early hours is recommendable as one can skip traffic. A breakfast break at Ramangara Kamat Lokaruchi is stomach full. From Mysore you have head towards Gundalpet and then take left. You will first hit Sultan Bakery where you can enjoy lunch.

You will first hit Wayanad, then Kalapetta and ultimately Vythri.

Things to do in Vythri -

Tea plantations
Hiking or Trekking
Spice garden trips
Waterfall - we covered Suchipara water fall
Lake and boating
Spice shopping

Food Special Kolhapur

2013-05-26T08:28:00.002+05:30

Any visit to historic town in India is incomplete without savoring the food specialties of it. Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India is world famous for its Chicken Kolhapuri or Veg Kolhapuri. They form integral part of all Hotels food menu. Interestingly there are many other things which make your taste buds water in Kolhapur.

Sugar Cane Juice
- Sugar cane is one of the major products of this region as its being blessed by black and fertile soil. Once you enter the region, you will be surrounded by lush green fields of sugar cane. One can spot lot of Sugar cane juice maker or vendors on street side. Its prepared by crushing the sugar cane sticks in between two metal rolls. Earlier the sugar cane makers used to make the crusher roll manually.However now with advent of motor machine, this activity is automated.It was fun to show our son how the sugar cane gets crushed in this machine and the juice comes out of it. Something which we might have taken for granted when we were kids. If you do visit Kolhapur dont forget to drink glass full of freshly made sugar cane juice.
White and Red Mutton Curry (Safed / Tambda Rassa in Marathi)
- Since this region has fertile land, there are lot of fields. Historically people have been domesticating goat, sheep and cattle in their fields. As all say, local food is all about what grows in the region. Kolhapur is famous for Goat mutton in two different varieties. White and Red Mutton curry is something which non-vegetarians should look out for in any restaurant. This usually comes in plate or thali, which is accompanied by Bhakri (jwari bread), salad and rice. While in Kolhapur city we had chance to visit the hotel Parakh near highway and enjoy the same dish. It was mouth watering.
Misal
- Hot and spicey Kolhapuri Misal is as famous as pani puri in Mumbai. Its mixture of pluses in onion and tomato gravy. Toped with some farsan and raw onion.

City Palace Udaipur Things to do

2013-05-26T07:40:00.000+05:30

The Things to do or look out for in City Palace Udaipur are as follows:

Mysore Zoo

2013-05-11T12:30:00.000+05:30

Mysore Zoo

Mysore Zoo is one of my favourites of all time. The official website of the zoo is http://mysorezoo.info/
The article covers the following information

Location
Fees and Online booking
Time
Blast in past
Favourites
Pictures

Location

Located in Mysore, Karnataka, India bank opposite the famous Mysore Palace. It has been added to our itenary whenever we cross Mysore just like the Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary.

Fees

Fees of the Zoo are available at the Mysore Zoo Webiste
The tickets are now also available online nowadays.

Time

The zoo opens at 9:00 am and its best time to see the animals.
The parking lot in front of the zoo is relatively empty and its easier to get slot.
If you reach the zoo later half of the day, its difficult to get parking. Then its advisable to park the car in your hotel and come by local transport - auto rickshaw preferably.
You cannot beat the nature, as the animals take a nap in afternoon. So chances of spotting animals active and in action is less.

Blast in past

I had chance to visit the Mysore Zoo while I was child along with my cousins way back in 1989. I always cherished fond memories of my Zoo visit. I was keen to take my son to the zoo when moved to Bangalore, India.

Back in 1989 - this zoo was one of the few zoos in India which had the concept of keeping the animals in open captivity and not in cage. It was and is treat to all kids. Its well kept and maintained zoo. Has lot of variety of animals.

For those who are not aware of the open captivity zoo concept.

The carnivorous and other huge animals are not kept in the cage bars. The animals are kept in open ground. This ground is surrounded by deep trench at least 10 feet wide. This protects the animals from escaping the open captivity.

Some of my favourites are

Sometimes pictures are more worth then words.

Patkar School Vengurla

2013-04-20T11:56:00.000+05:30

There is no place as dear as your school. So does Patkar High School, Vengurla, India is for my husband Abhi. We had been to Vengurla in Dec 2012 on vacation for 3 days. The idea was to relax near sea side.

While passing the road - Abhi always showed us Patkar High School very proudly. He spent last 3 years of school life in it and that makes it his favourite.

Whenever I visit Goregaon, I do find time for myself to go and stand atleast for two minutes in front of the school STHS. Or else atleast pass by school building.

On sunny afternoon after lucnh we decided to relish Icecream and Cocktail in Quality Ice cream Parlour in Vengurla Bazar. On my persuation, Abhi became ready to visit the school. We asked the Ice cream parlour owner if car enters the school premises.

It was almost 2 pm in noon. Both car and us were blessed by suns scorching heat. Again on persuasion both father and son got down to take some pictures. I guess each person experiences a euphoria when he visits his own roots of education or upbringing after a long time. Same was visible on Abhis face.

So called small visit to the school became half an hour affair. Abhi started to explore all sections of his school, the laboratory. The maths classes room. The principals room. Some of the classes were relocated.
Ultimately he took a video of the school area.
After a while one question did pop up in our mind. Why is the school empty in afternoon? Well it was December and kids were enjoying the Christmas holidays.

Our son Smits Reaction - He was not ready to believe that its school. Coz for him school means Teddies with a small playground in front of it. Teddies has sand pit to play. When his father told him about the big play ground in front of the school - his reply was "Its all mud. No sand pit over here."
It was quiet fun to see both of them having argument on whose school is the best.