Sat Tal (India): October 2010

I've just come back from an amazing weekend get-away near Delhi.

The place is called Sat Tal (Hindi for seven lakes). It is located near Nainital in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand state. It is 350 km from Delhi and 20 km from Nainital. The main attraction of the place is that you can stay in a tent on the hills and do adventure activities near the main lake.

There are two ways to reach Sat Tal - by road and by rail, of which rail is the better, less tiring option.

• Road: The route is Delhi, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gajraula (stopover to eat), Moradabad, Rampur, Kathgodam, Sat Tal. Be prepared for unpredictable mammoth traffic jams on the way, especially at Rampur and railway crossings. Internet says the road journey takes 7 hours, but 10-11 hours is more like how it actually works out. There's a McDonalds drive-through at Gajraula.
  
• Rail: Convenient night train (Ranikhet Express) from Old Delhi railway station to Kathgodam (30 km from Nainital / Sat Tal), and back. Taxis to Nainital and Sat Tal are readily available from Kathgodam.
  

We could not get the train tickets, so we hired a 10-seater Tempo Traveler and went by road. We were a group of seven people from office. We started on Saturday at 4am from Gurgaon, picked up some friends from Delhi, and eventually reached Sat Tal at 4pm, asking our way around as we neared the destination.

We were too tired when we reached there, but were blown away by the first view of the camp where we were to stay. We had booked the Sat Tal Birding Camp (they have a nice website). It is a set of 5-odd tents pitched on opportunistic flat clearings on the mountain slope. Hence all tents are not at the same level - the dining tent is perched at the top, and you have to climb down to the lodging tents. The tents themselves are amazing - very spacious, housing comfortable double-beds with mattresses, wooden chairs and tables, bed-side tables and lamps, and attached washrooms with hot showers and clean loos. More importantly, they have electricity and charging points. The camp site is 4 km uphill from the main lake.

Although it was already evening, the staff was very prompt in serving us a sumptuous lunch. The caretaker was very helpful in suggesting the activities we could do during our stay. We headed to the lake as it grew darker and colder. We hired paddle boats and soaked in every bit of the one hour we were there in the still, dark, murky water of the lake. We were the only tourists around at that time. The vendors near the lake offered to cook pakodas with tea for us, but we were too full and too tired. So we returned to the camp. On our request the caretaker arranged a bonfire for us. After spending a few hours there we headed for dinner late at night and then retired to our tents to get some precious sleep.

To our surprise we managed to wake up early next day - this usually happens in the mountains. After tea, we trekked down to another small lake close to the camp site. The lake was full of fish and we took a quick swim in its icy cold water. There was a small fresh water stream running nearby where we spent an hour. There was also a flower nursery adjacent to the lake where vans were being loaded with flowerpots to be taken to Delhi.

We trekked back to the camp for breakfast and checked out by noon. The caretaker informed us that we could do some adventure activities near the main lake within the 2-3 hours we had at our disposal, so we headed there. Vinod is a known guy in that area who takes visitors for rock climbing, rappelling (just the reverse of rock climbing), kayaking and river-crossing (well, more like lake-crossing). Due to lack of time we decided to skip kayaking and did the other three. Near the rock climbing site we spotted a huge tree that had fallen into the valley but had been held mid-way from falling fully by other trees. So we invented this adventure-activity of our own by walking on this tree a la tightrope. One slip and we'd have landed in the deep ravine below!

After an exhilarating couple of hours at the adventure stuff, we headed back to Delhi in the afternoon. We reached home late at night.

Overall, the trip was a great experience, though it could have been less tiring had we taken the train. I have bittersweet memories from this trip that will last forever.


Expenses:

Tempo Traveler (taxi): Total running 800 km @ Rs. 15/km
Taxes: UP state tax Rs. 500 per day, Uttarakhand state tax Rs. 500 per day
Camping: Rs. 2000 per person per day incl. all meals (Sat Tal Birding Camp)
Boating: Paddle boats (4-seater) @ Rs. 190 for one hour
Adventure activities: Rs. 150-200 per activity per person
Bonfire: Rs. 350

Overall expenses: Rs. 5000 per person

Mumbai, Goa, Pune (India): September 2010

Why would anyone go to Goa in monsoons beats most people.

Are you most people?

A full-blown family vacation had been due for quite a while when we decided to visit my uncle in Pune in early September. My brother and I took a week off from office and began searching for what we could include in our Pune trip. When you search for "monsoon tourism" destinations in India, the first few places on the list are all around the Mumbai-Pune belt. These include Matheran, Lonavla/Khandala, Bhandardhara, Malshej Ghat and Mahabaleshwar. Outside this zone, the other monsoon destinations include Konkan, Western Ghats and the Malabar coast, which roughly translates to Goa and Kerala.

This made life easy for us - we drew up a circuit to cover the whole Mumbai-Pune zone. The map looked somewhat like this (approx. distances from Mumbai):


The only fixtures on the itinerary till now were:

Reach Mumbai on Sunday morning by train from Delhi, and,
Fly back from Pune to Delhi next Sunday.

Everything in between was fluid (we're talking about monsoon tourism after all, ain't we!) We had not finalized how we were going to travel to our selected places, and where we were to lodge. This is one luxury you enjoy in off-season - too much pre-booking is not required.

Two hours before the train's departure as we were finalizing the places to stay at Matheran, Bhandardhara et al, Mom expressed her wish to go to Goa as she'd never been there before. Suddenly the idea of visiting the half-dozen destinations which we had shortlisted started appearing tacky to us - Goa is just an overnight train journey from Mumbai/Pune and has the sea. We chucked our destination map and decided for Goa.

The train journey from Delhi to Mumbai was enjoyable. Rajdhani train stops at just 4-odd places on this 1500 km route, and they keep on bringing stuff to eat all the time.

We reached Mumbai Central station at 8am (this station is different from Mumbai CST aka Mumbai VT which is 8-10km from Mumbai Central). We got our train tickets to Goa for the same night through one of the travel agents lurking around at the station's reservation counter. He said he'll use some VIP quota option to help us beat the waiting list of passengers and will charge Rs. 300 per person for this 'favor'. We agreed but did not get our seat confirmation right away even after paying the chap - he asked us to wait till the boarding chart is prepared 2 hours before departure. We were annoyed and asked him to reverse the deal - he hadn't told us anything about having to wait for the confirmation. But he was adamant that he'll get us the seats. There was precious little we could do but to take his word and wait till evening.

We had the day at our disposal in Mumbai, so after breakfast at the unique McDonalds-Rajdhani combo counter at the Mumbai Central station, we headed out to Gateway of India. (Now in case you are unaware, this latter Rajdhani is a very famous restaurant chain serving Indian food. It has nothing to do with Rajdhani the train, except for the common name.)

Situated on the edge of the sea, the aptly named Gateway of India is a sight to behold, what with the majestic Taj Mahal hotel located right across the road. It is hard to imagine that this place was the site of the unfortunate Mumbai terror attacks just a couple years back.

We decided to take a regular ferry to the Elephanta Island from the jetty at the Gateway of India. This one-hour ferry ride was absolute pleasure. The ferries have a capacity of over 50 people; the lower deck is covered while the upper deck is open to the sky. They charge Rs. 10 extra to let you climb to the upper deck. It rained heavily for some part of our ride and everyone came to the lower deck during that time.

I saw countless ships - some of them the largest I've ever seen - happily anchored at a distance from the shore. I wondered how the Coast Guard kept an eye on the activities of all of them, the sea-route being so notorious for smuggling activity.

The Elephanta Caves were great. It takes a bit of an effort to climb to the caves from where the ferries are docked. The whole ascending path is lined with souvenir shops and a couple of eating places. I bought some carved stone elephant souvenirs to mark my visit to the Elephanta Caves. The basic concept of the caves is that they've been carved out of a single rock, including the pillars and the sculptures of Lord Shiva, which all stand defaced today. They say the Portuguese did it. I'm not sure if I'll buy that.

We spent a couple of hours at the overcast Elephanta Island and ate roasted corn which was surprisingly sweet. I wasn't getting any mobile signal there and was getting edgy to know if the tonight's tickets to Goa had been confirmed. I let out a sigh of relief as I checked the Indian Railways website on my mobile on nearing the Gateway of India shore and found our seats confirmed. The agent hadn't lied after all.

We did a vintage Victoria chariot ride from the Gateway of India to Colaba market. We munched on the famous Bombay bhel-puri (crispy puffed rice garnished with ultra-spicy sauces, chillies and onions) and grabbed some quick dinner before heading back to the train station to board our 11pm night train to Goa. This time, it was the Mumbai CST station which is known for its Victorian architecture.

The night journey to Goa was peaceful and we woke up to the beautiful lush-green surroundings which the Konkan railway runs through. Madgaon is the biggest train station of Goa, but we de-boarded a bit before at Thivim which is up north of Madgaon and hence nearer to the North Goa beach of Calangute where we had planned to lodge. This was deja-vu as I had done the same drill three years back when I visited Goa with friends in Christmas - I've written about that trip earlier on this blog.

We took a taxi from Thivim to Calangute. There's a big pre-paid taxi stand outside the Thivim station, though we opted for a taxi outside the pre-paid union as this guy was willing to get us to Calangute cheaper. Maruti Omni van is the most common type of taxi in Goa.

During the half-hour long drive to Calangute, we saw more shades of green than we had ever seen before. It was as if the vegetation was celebrating every drop of rain that fell from the sky. Occasionally we saw paddy fields and small ponds along the way, overflowing with water. The dark gray road meandered through the greenery and we wished the drive never ends. Soon we arrived at the familiar-looking market of Calangute. At this very moment my colleagues in Delhi were arriving at their familiar-looking office desks. Gosh, did I ever have a better start to a Monday morning!

A friend of the brother-in-law of a friend of my father (whew) owns a hotel adjacent to the Calangute beach. This was the place we were to lodge at. There were very few tourists and the hotels had slashed their prices by more than half, and we got an even higher discount owing to our acquaintance. The hotel had a swimming pool too, so my brother could finally learn swimming.

Over the next three days we visited many beaches beyond Calangute - Baga, Anjuna, Vargator, Candolim, and Miramar. The first four are within 10-15 km of Calangute while Miramar is down south, in the capital Panjim.

'Natural' is a very famous ice cream brand of Mumbai. Their ice creams are creamy in the true sense and contain real fruit pulp. I rued having missed in Mumbai. But lo behold! I was elated to find out that they've opened a parlor right on the Calangute beach, one minute away from where we were staying. Add that to the list of reasons why you should stay at Calangute when you visit Goa.

We walked down in the rain from Calangute to Baga with our umbrellas. The rains in Goa are funny and fully tropical in character - they'll happen all of a sudden with shattering intensity, and then stop as suddenly, like someone just shut down the hose.

Baga's highlight was the prawn-curry rice I had at Britto's restaurant which overlooks the sea. The serving was huge and I had a bloated tummy for the rest of the day.

Anjuna's famous Wednesday flea-market was closed for the monsoons. We were told it opens around October. We visited the rocky side of the beach instead of the sandy one.

Vargator was unique in its own sense. It features a high cliff from where you have to climb down to reach the sea level. It isn't exactly rock climbing; there are smooth tracks that lead down to the shore. This beach was my personal favorite on this trip, though you get bored after an hour or so.

Candolim is where the Aguada Fort is. This fort is strategically built as it is open to the sea from three sides. Goa's Taj hotel resort is located on this beach, and my idol Vijay Mallya has a villa, called the Kingfisher Villa, next to it. There was a rusting, old ship docked at this beach which our driver told us had been there for the last 10 years, polluting the beach. The next day this stuff was in newspapers - the court had asked the government to remove the ship from the beach.

Miramar beach, strictly not to be confused with the one in Florida, is a different sort of beach located in Panjim. It is more like the Juhu beach in Mumbai. I didn't like it much after all that I'd seen.

For friends back home, we bought some, rather a lot of cashews, which are Goa's specialty. Fenny, a hard drink made from fermented cashews, is more famous than the cashew itself. I hate its taste and we did not buy any.

There is one thing you should NOT try at Goa. I'm not talking about weed. Do not take the "river-cruise" on the Mandovi river in Panjim. Our driver who had more or less become our guide, suggested the river-cruise to us and we bought the tickets. Several companies operate such cruises and they sell tickets at cashew and wine shops throughout Goa. During high season in December, these tickets sell for a premium. The idea is that they put you on a boat, then dock a little distance away in the middle of the river, and start playing loud music to which you are supposed to groove for an hour. Only, the music tends to get on your nerves and they serve preposterous amounts of diesel fumes for free, from which you have no escape - you're in the middle of the river, remember? They also show some "traditional Goan performances" which is actually a real shady, cheap show on the lower deck. You can escape to the open-air upper deck but can't sit there. We realized what we had gotten into in the first ten minutes of waiting before the boat set off. We called off the adventure and de-boarded. It took a lot of water and fresh air to wash diesel fumes down our throat. Our ferry ride to the Elephanta Islands was a trillion times better.

With our mixed bag of experiences, which were all excellent apart from the river-cruise, we bid adieu to Goa and boarded the overnight train to Pune the tickets for which I got booked through a local travel agent, through the same drill as in Mumbai but with greater amount of trust this time.

The remaining two days of our trip were more of a family affair. My uncle is an astronomer and before Pune he lived in Nainital at the UP State Observatory campus. Several of my summer vacations as a kid have been spent there gazing at the Moon's craters, Mars' surface and Saturn's rings through huge telescopes. He's now working on theories of the formation of the universe - the Big Bang and related whiz stuff - at the University of Pune. He showed us around his office complex and it looked more like a space museum. They've grown carpet grass on the roofs where they have cocktail parties.

We went to the Laxmi Road market for some purchasing the old folks had to do. The market reminds you of Delhi's Chandni Chowk, minus the fabulous eateries of the latter. The Ganpati festival was about to begin in Pune and the streets were heavily crowded. The fervor with which Maharashtrians celebrate Ganpati is outstanding. I also found some time to visit a good friend who lives in Nigdi, which is to Pune as Gurgaon is to Delhi.

We flew back to Delhi on Sunday noon - this was the only pre-planned thing we'd done since arriving in Mumbai one week back.

Do I think we should have done the more monsoon-famous Matheran, Lonavla etc. as planned originally in place of Goa? Naah!! Goa is at its natural best in monsoons, and it is neither as crowded as in December nor as deserted as people say it would be in this season. I've seen Goa at Christmas, and I've now seen Goa in monsoons. I can't really say which one is better - it's apples and oranges.

Some approximate costs:

Delhi to Mumbai train (Rajdhani): Rs. 1800 per person
Gateway of India to Elephanta Islands ferry: Rs. 150 per person (return trip)
Mumbai to Goa train: Rs. 1500 per person
Thivim to Calangute taxi: Rs. 300
Monsoon hotel rates in Goa: Rs. 1500-2000 per room (with swimming pool, non-5-star)
Beer can in Goa, 500ml: Rs. 38 (Rs. 70 in Delhi!)
Goa day taxi, 80 km limit: Rs. 1000
Goa river-cruise: Rs. 150 per person
Calangute to Vasco da Gama taxi: Rs. 700
Goa to Pune train: Rs. 1000 per person
Pune to Delhi flight: Rs. 4000 per person

Agra (India): April 2010

I just concluded a different kind of weekend trip - I went to Agra with my parents and two more families, both the uncles being schoolfellows of my father. I've not gone for such big fat family trips since my childhood, but the old fellas wanted to catch up and I wanted to see Agra. I'd seen the Taj Mahal once before on a school trip when I was 10; I had hazy memory and no pictures of the same.

We booked a 10-seater Tempo Traveler (a sort of mini-bus; google for pictures) for the road trip and rolled off on the morning on Saturday. We started at my parents' place in Delhi and went via Gurgaon, in order to pick up the two uncles & co. The logical route from Gurgaon to Agra is via Palwal in Haryana, which we decided to take. The road condition turned out to be poor and the traffic was bad, making the journey long and tiring. A better way would have been to go back to Delhi from Gurgaon and take the conventional highway route to Agra, even if it meant doing 50-odd extra kilometers.

We stopped for lunch en-route at Mathura (The Status restaurant at the Brijwasi Hotel located near the State Bank office - fabulous food, peaceful decor) and reached our hotel in Agra (Royal Residency, located on the Fatehabad Road opposite the TDI shopping mall) after noon. The heat was overpowering and we decided to rest for a while before heading to the Taj Mahal. We didn't realize when it struck half past five and we were left with just half an hour to dress up and get the entry tickets for the Taj. (Entry tickets are sold till 6 pm and visiting hours for the Taj are till 7 pm). We reached the ticket counter seconds before its closing time and managed to see the spectacle of Taj at sunset. Outside, the Taj looked majestic at twilight, while the inside hall of the Taj was dark and the zillion sweaty, loud-mouthed tourists were frantically taking pictures with their camera flashes, blatantly ignoring the signboards forbidding photography inside the hall. I was appalled to see what one of the greatest monuments of our country had come to. I did not venture inside. We had some food at McDonalds at the TDI Mall opposite our hotel before calling it a day. I dozed off early while the old timers kept chatting late into the night.

The next day was more like my kind of tourism. The group wanted to end their Agra sojourn right there and head to Fatehpur Sikri (50 km from Agra - famous for the gigantic arched doorway 'Buland Darwaza'). They also wanted to visit the Lord Krishna temples in Mathura and Vrindavan on their way back to Delhi. I'd no immediate interest in these places; besides, my Lonely Planet India guidebook told me that I'd a lot left to see in Agra, so I split from the group there. As I headed out alone I had the familiar energy and the spring in the step of a lone traveler. An autorickshaw driver proposed to take me around to the places of my interest scattered across the crowded city for Rs. 250. I took the deal.

I visited Mahtab Bagh (a Mughal-style garden that presents a great view of the back side on the Taj Mahal from across the Yamuna river), Itmad-ud-Daula's Tomb (build on the same concept and as symmetrically as the Taj Mahal but one generation earlier), and the Agra Fort (the gorgeous and mammoth fort of the Mughals). Just when I was beginning to trust my autorickshaw driver who patiently waited outside these places as I took my time clicking hundreds of pictures, he took me to a couple of shops which give commissions to these drivers for bringing tourists. I sensed it and did not buy anything from there, and the driver refused to take me to the shops I'd heard about as being special to Agra (for instance the Panchhi Petha shop which is famous of its sweets), citing no knowledge of those shops.

Incidentally one of my good friends from college was hosting his brother's engagement party in Agra the same day, so I briefly dropped by to say hello before boarding my 4 pm bus to Delhi. The state tourism's air conditioned buses leave the Idgah bus station in Agra for Delhi every hour and they do not issue tickets in advance. These are not Volvo-style coaches; there are only two per day of the latter (called the 'Swarn Shatabdi' service) - one leaves in the morning and the other at 3 pm.

I reached Delhi at 9:30 pm and was back at my place in Gurgaon in another hour.

Key expenses:
Tempo Traveler: Rs. 8500 for the trip (approx. 600 km)
Hotel in Agra (Royal Residency): Rs. 1500 per room per night
Entry tickets for the monuments: In the range of Rs. 5 to 30
Sightseeing by autorickshaw: Rs. 250
Bus from Agra to Delhi: Rs. 220

Dharamsala, McLeodganj, Triund (India): December 2009

We decided to celebrate the New Year in the popular and scenic hill station of Dharamsala/McLeodganj, located in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. McLeodganj is 9 km further from Dharamsala and is the bigger tourist center of the two. It also houses the Government in Exile of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Number of travelers: 9

The itinerary:
Day 1: Take night train from Delhi to Pathankot
Day 2: Take a taxi from Pathankot to McLeodganj early morning, spend the day in McLeodganj (New Year eve)
Day 3: Head for a trek to Triund (9-10 km from McLeodganj), stay overnight in Triund
Day 4: Trek from Triund to Laka, then head back and reach McLeodganj by afternoon
Day 5: Take a taxi from McLeodganj to Pathankot, take the night train back to Delhi
Day 6: Reach Delhi early morning

Our train from Delhi to Pathankot was delayed by a couple of hours due to fog, though we didn't mind since we had booked the swanky first class compartment. The privacy of the compartment ensured that we could crack stupid jokes, laugh aloud and dance around freely. We missed this fun in our return journey since we could not travel first class.

We reached Pathankot early next morning. Considering our large group size, we were thinking of hiring two taxis from Pathankot to McLeodganj, but were happy to spot big vans lined up at the station to ferry upto 10 tourists at a time. The ride takes around 3.5 hours and is generally pleasurable, however there's a catch - the cabbies treat Dharamsala and McLeodganj quite differently, even though they are just 9 km apart. We were unaware of this and made a deal till Dharamsala for Rs. 1500, however when we asked to be dropped at McLeodganj the taxi charged us an extra Rs. 400, that too after much bargaining (a discussion which one of us cheekily videotaped! We laughed at the video later.)

We needed to look for accommodation since we hadn't booked any in advance. McLeodganj's main square looked quite crowded, so we went 2 km further ahead to Bhagsunag (commonly called Bhagsu) and took a nice hotel with a large terrace on each floor and an excellent view - that of the destination of our planned trek for the next day. Prices were around Rs. 1000 per room (we took 4 rooms), though there was a fallout while checking out four days later when the owner backtracked from the quoted price. The issue was settled amicably after a few heated discussions.

As planned we spent the day roaming around the main square. We had an amazing lunch at the McLlo restaurant, which proudly features a photograph of Pierce Brosnan enjoying a meal at the restaurant. The pastry shop right below the restaurant made for excellent dessert. Then we visited the main temple complex, which is attached to the residence of the Dalai Lama. It wasn't crowded or overflowing with security personnel like we had expected. Later in the evening we had wild New Year celebrations with drinking, dancing and hookah (which we had brought along from Delhi) that ran pretty late into the night. This put our next day's planned trek to Triund at risk, since we had to start early morning and no one seemed to be in a mood to wake up before noon. However we did manage to pull ourselves up together, even if it was after our guide Ricky said he would call off the trek if we delayed any further!

The trek to Triund was tough - it is not your regular mountain kachha track that you'll walk along to reach to the top. It is filled with boulders of all shapes and sizes and is quite steep at times. We did not find any snow on the way. We burnt more calories in those six hours than we did in the whole year, and it showed in the way we devoured food on a wayside cafe. The owner of the shed was kind enough to share a few puffs with me and I was then at peace.

The destination, Triund, is a flat ridge which overlooks the Dhauladhar mountain range - named so because of its permanent white, snow-covered slopes. From Triund the Dhauladhar mountain looks tantalizingly close; you feel you can touch it with a little extra effort. We reached the destination in time to catch the sun set over the horizon and to witness the visual spectacle of the gradually setting sun making the Dhauladhar mountains change color from shimmering white to golden yellow to supernatural red. What a start to the new year.

Triund has no electricity other than a few solar-powered lamps. There are no hotels, though a couple of sheds (brick-walled with tin roofs) are present, one of them run by the government (the Forest Rest House). You can choose between the sheds and the tents which the couple of tea stalls stationed there rent out to tourists. Our guide Ricky made arrangements for us to stay in the private shed (the one not run by the government). We took up four rooms here too. The shed owner arranged for a bonfire and piping hot dinner. There was utter darkness and freezing cold. Rum helped us survive the night and we woke up to bright sunlight next morning.

Not all were interested in trekking further to Laka - the snow line. Three went ahead with Ricky and six, including me, headed back to McLeodganj. We reached back by afternoon and had a much deserved hot shower. Going out in the evening for dinner seemed out of the question and we ordered room service. (By the way, we had retained our hotel rooms in McLeodganj (Bhagsu) when we spent the night in Triund since we had left our luggage in the hotel.)

Next day we did some shopping for folks back home - yak wool shawls, souvenirs and plum wine, the local specialty. Then came the highlight of the trip for me - it rained! Mountains, winters and rain - the land of Monks gave me my salvation. It must have snowed in Triund - guess we missed it by one day!

It rained the entire way as we did the usual 3.5 hour downhill journey to Pathankot. From there we took our night train to arrive back in Delhi early next morning.

Key expenses:
Return train tickets (Delhi-Pathankot-Delhi)*: Rs. 2000 per person
Taxi from Pathankot to McLeodganj: Rs. 1900
Hotel (Spring Valley Resort - Bhagsu): Rs. 1000 per room per night
Shed in Triund: Rs. 500 per room
Guide: Total Rs. 1500 for the group
Taxi from McLeodganj to Pathankot: Rs. 1500

Total expenses per person: Approx. Rs. 5000

Photographs are on my Facebook page.

*Note: Another way of traveling between McLeodganj and Delhi is by bus - Volvo night buses ply between the two destinations and take around 12 hours one-way. You can book the bus tickets from the main square in McLeodganj (below McLlo restaurant) - it costs around Rs. 800. Personally, I'm not a big fan of bus rides in mountains, or otherwise.

Manali to Leh on Bicycle

I salute these guys. You are my inspiration.

http://www.bodenseepeter.de/2007/09/01/manali-leh-2/

One day.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Pictures

Here is the trip's photo album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=139478&id=597905358&l=d6d1a7643c

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 10 of 10

Patiala to Delhi

Home run

We woke up late to the scent of Aloo Paranthas and Halwa being cooked in the kitchen. When you play ungettable your loved one wants you even more. This is exactly what the Aloo Parantha had been doing for the last ten days. We devoured the heavy breakfast and felt at peace.

Then we went sightseeing with our local friend who showed us houses of some friends from college and office, some palatial bungalows, the State Bank of Patiala's headquarters, the National Institute of Sports and the Thapar Engineering College.

We left for Delhi at mid day. It was very hot and humid. We thanked the person who invented air conditioner for cars.

I reached my place at around 7 PM after a brief tryst with Delhi's traffic. Parents were happy to see me in good shape. I distributed the stuff I'd bought along from Ladakh and Srinagar.

After a 10-day vacation of the kind many dream about but only a few embark upon, I feel a sense of achievement. This is probably the closest I'd go to the elements. I can now watch the Tata Safari's famous 'Reclaim your life' advertisement with a been-there-done-that look on my face.

Until next time!

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 9 of 10

Srinagar to Patiala

Today was all about covering kilometers.

One of my friends from this trip hails from Patiala. We had decided yesterday that we'll try and cover the 500 Km distance between Srinagar and Patiala in one day and will start early morning to accomplish this. We had given standing instructions to the driver to wake up early for we'll be ready with our luggage at 5 AM. When the driver knocked at our hotel rooms at 5:30 AM, our rooms were resounding with our snores.

We got ready and packed quickly and left without breakfast. We could see how Srinagar looked like a military zone in the morning with army men with red flags and sniffer dogs patrolling every nook and corner of the city and the outskirts. It was scary enough for us to not stop anywhere for tea. Later we came to know that the ongoing holy Amarnath Yatra was the reason for such heavy security, to keep the terrorists at bay.

Between Srinagar and Jammu is a place called Pida which is famous for its dhabas serving Rajma-Chawal (rice with red kidney beans curry). We had a heavy brunch there and moved on.

The Jawahar Tunnel separates Jammu from Kashmir. Drilled through the huge mountains, it is of utmost military importance and at 3 Km long it is among the longest tunnels in Asia. It is a standing example of man's persistence to tame Nature. We felt proud as we passed through it, though it reminded us a bit of the Delhi Metro's underground route.

We took a turn around 40 Km before Jammu and bypassed it by going through the Samba sector of J&K. This way we saved around 2 hours of Jammu's traffic.

After a few kilometers at Pathankot we hit a massive traffic jam. The locals had blocked the road demanding water. They would let go only after some water tankers came from Jammu to rid them of their misery. It was ironic since it was raining at the time. However our daring and skillful driver managed to take the side lane and cross all the mayhem almost unnoticed. At one point some women saw us driving past and they picked up stones threatening to hit our car. We stopped briefly and drove on when they were distracted elsewhere.

After that the journey was quite uneventful and we reached Patiala amidst heavy rain at 9:30 PM. Aunty had cooked a sumptuous meal for us which we downed in no time. The trip was almost over now and we had to head back to Delhi tomorrow.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 8 of 10

Sonamarg to Srinagar

Today we saw first hand why Kashmir is called Paradise on Earth.

We woke up early and decided to take Sonamarg’s famous pony ride to the Thajiwas Glacier. We were told that the ice had mostly melted, but the place is famous for its views of the slopes and the stream rather than the ice. The cottage caretaker arranged ponies for us at Rs. 300 per person for a 5-6 Km round journey to the glacier. Before that we had a quick breakfast at the guesthouse’s cafeteria.

As the ponies slowly marched ahead from the cottage, the beauty of the valley started unfolding around us, trying to prepare us for the spectacular climax of the journey. The ponies had to cross a gentle stream on the way where they halted for a minute for a well deserved drink of water. On more than one occasion I thought I’d fall off – the track was so precarious, but the ponies did a good job.

The beauty of the place where the ponies took us is hard to put in words. It comprises of a gushing white stream running down playfully from the ice cap of a distant mountain, which turns more gentle as it flows into a slightly sloping lush green valley. We were standing in this valley along with a herd of sheep that were nibbling on the grass. To this add some mist and a gentle, cool breeze and voila, you have your very own Paradise on Earth.

A handful of tea shops have come up at this place who do a brisk business selling tea and Maggi noodles. Small wooden bridges have been built at many places on the stream making both the banks easily accessible. Water is too cold even to touch, leave alone drawing up your pants and sitting down with feet dipped in the stream.

We spent almost an hour there when it started to drizzle. It was time to head back from this paradise to our car at the guesthouse and move on to the next destination – Srinagar.

Srinagar is a two-hour drive from Sonamarg. The road runs along the Sindhu river for the most part. We reached Srinagar in the afternoon, the last 7-8 Km of the drive being along the Dal Lake. The first view of the lake isn’t the best of sights – the surface is covered with algae and hyacinth, and the water stinks of rotting vegetation. We saw a large earth-mover engaged in removing the sea weed from the lake.

Fist thing to take care of on reaching Srinagar was to get accommodation for the night. We inquired at a few hotels on the Boulevard Road by the Dal Lake including the J&K Tourism Development Corporation’s hotel; however they all were quite expensive, charging up to Rs. 2000 for a double room for a night. We consulted our Lonely Planet guide book and finally took two rooms for Rs. 700 each at the Dhum Dhum Hotel located at one end of the Boulevard Road. The price of this low tariff is the noisy street facing the hotel. Soon after taking the rooms we went out to see what Srinagar has to offer.

The people here are a proud lot – they do not think very highly of other tourist places, especially those located in the same state, like Leh. On more than one occasion we were told how barren Leh’s mountains are and how the people there do not deserve the tourist money and attention they get. We, of course, loved Leh and were not very appreciative of such comments.

We shopped for some souvenirs at the J&K Government’s Art Emporium on the Boulevard Road. Then we went for a Shikara ride on the Dal Lake. Shikara is a typical Kashmiri boat – a Shikara is to Srinagar as a Gondola is to Venice.

This boat ride was also an amazing experience. Although the water was infested with sea weed and hyacinth, the views and the serenity more than compensated for it. Even the smell of the water was a part of the experience rather than a deterrent. Of course it could be a problem if someone decided to stay overnight in one of the thousand houseboats lined up in the Dal Lake, but for a one hour Shikara ride it did not matter so much. The person paddling for you will generally take you to one of the shops on the ‘floating market’ – a group of boats housing local merchandise and souvenirs. Surprisingly these shop-boats are equipped to accept credit cards, a facility which even some land-based shops do not have in Srinagar.

As for the houseboats, they are a popular camping place for tourists who do not wish to stay in the regular land-based hotels. A typical houseboat has four double rooms, a common living room, a television, and electricity. Food is prepared on the boat as per your order, and Shikaras can carry you ashore for Rs. 10. A general annoyance is the saffron and souvenir vendors who keep stalking you in their own boats. They do not spare the tourists taking Shikara rides either.

After almost two hours in the lake and purchasing some stuff from the ‘floating market’, we went for dinner. We savored the famous Mutton Rogan Josh – a Kashmiri dish made from lamb’s meat. The vegetarian dishes were not so great though.

We had heard that Srinagar closes down by 8 PM; however today the markets at the Boulevard Road were open well after 9. We took an auto-rickshaw to our hotel and now plan to leave for Patiala early morning tomorrow.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 7 of 10

Leh to Sonamarg

Sonamarg is located between Kargil and Srinagar.

We started at around 7 AM from our guesthouse in Leh to try and reach Srinagar by evening. It generally takes 10-12 hours to cover the 400-odd Km distance. Kargil is the midpoint.

The road was excellent as we started. We reached the Gurgudwara Patthar Sahib, a Sikh place of worship made and maintained by the Indian Army. It is among the world’s highest-located Gurudwaras at 12 thousand feet.

We had a great breakfast at Khalste, around 100 Km from Leh. We reached Kargil at noon, however we did not stop there. 40 Km from Kargil is Drass, the second coldest inhabited place on earth after a town in Siberia. Though at this time of the year and the day, the temperature was high enough to keep us comfortable in T-shirts. Here we also sighted Tiger Hill, from where intruders from across the border were famously flushed out by the Indian Army in the battle of 1999. Markings of the 10th anniversary celebrations of this victory could be seen on several mountain slopes.

We were 40 Km from Sonamarg when we realized that we were out of fuel. The next gas station was only at Sonamarg and we were still to cross the treacherous Zozi La pass. We asked for diesel from an army camp but could not get it. Then we tried asking the trucks passing by, offering to purchase it from them at a higher price than market, before finally getting 10 liters for Rs. 500, almost double the market rate. This exercise consumed an hour and we thought it prudent not to go on till Srinagar but stop a few kilometers before at Sonamarg.

Sonamarg is a heavenly place with lush green mountain slopes with herds of sheep and horses grazing, and a gentle white stream running across the valley. The famous Hindu pilgrimage, the Amarnath Yatra, also starts from a place close to Sonamarg. As a result there was heavy military presence in the area since these pilgrims are often a target of terrorists.

The main market of Sonamarg is exceedingly small and the large guesthouse of J&K Tourism Development Corporation occupies the centerstage. We went straight to its office and a friendly old man showed us our options to stay for the night. We took a luxury cottage up on the mountain slope for a discounted price of Rs. 1800 for the night. The cottage had two spacious bedrooms, a drawing room and a kitchen. One of us is a tea freak and he was overjoyed to see the stove where he later made his own tea, the way he likes it. We had a filling dinner down at the market. We also bought some tasty Kashmiri apples.

We were happy to have stayed at Sonamarg since it would have been very late if we tried reaching Srinagar today, plus we would have missed the sightseeing at Sonamarg which we plan to do tomorrow.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 6 of 10

Leh / Khardung La

Two of us woke up at 6 in the morning to make a quick trip to Khardung La pass – the highest motorable pass in the world. It lies 40 Km from Leh and falls en route to the Nubra Valley, which itself is about 110 Km from Leh.

The other two, which included me, woke up late and went out for breakfast and some internet surfing. We had been cut off from the world for a good 5 days now; I wanted to know how my stocks were doing. Internet is surprisingly fast here in Leh, but the charges are quite high – Rs. 90 per hour of surfing. I surfed for about half an hour and was glad to find that the world was still in place, my stocks hadn’t dipped, I hadn’t been fired yet and the Facebook friends who liked me till last week hadn’t changed their mind.

We roamed the market for a while; as we asked for the newspaper from a book store, the lad proudly presented the newspaper from two days back, saying this is the latest edition to hit Leh.

Our friends were back from Khardung La by noon and we sat down to figure out a good way to spend the rest of the day. Rafting in Zanskar was one idea, but we were already late for the day trip. We tried to inquire about some massage centers so we could rejuvenate. We were told that such parlors are now banned in Leh because of some shady activities that were being run under the garb of massage. We thought damn, we’re too late.

However there is one rejuvenation center being run in a hospital under the supervision of doctors. It is a joint venture between a meditation center in Leh and some doctors from Kerela specializing in Ayurvedic therapies, including a whole range of massages. The center is located 12 Km from Leh.

After a light and refreshing day today and an excellent last three days, we decided to move on from Leh tomorrow morning. Plan was to head back to Delhi via Srinagar. We heard from a few people that Leh to Srinagar could be done in one day instead of stopping at Kargil for one night en route, which we had originally planned. We are thinking of giving it a try and have packed our stuff.

Adios Leh, you’ve been just like a dream.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 5 of 10

Pangong Lake (Leh)

A most extraordinary day indeed. We saw the craftsmanship of Mother Nature, cooked noodles on our grill near the most remarkable lake in the Himalayas, risked drowning while crossing an angry gushing stream, and our taxi almost toppled while negotiating a steep diversion from the blocked road.

Agenda for the day was to visit the Pangong Lake, 150 Km from Leh. Permits are required to go to the lake, as also to the Nubra Valley via Khardung La pass. We got one from an agent at one of the several adventure tourism shops in Leh for Rs. 170 per person. The permit is a single page with names of the tourists and the validity period (ours was 4 days); you can visit Pangong and Nubra with the same permit. You need to carry multiple copies (8-10) of the permit since the authorities keep a copy at each checkpoint.

We started at around 8 AM from our guesthouse. There is a small police post at Karu where you need to stop and get the permit checked. There is no clear signpost asking you to stop there, but it is necessary and you have to watch out for the place – it is located right after you take a left from Karu towards Pangong.

The road is good for the most part. You cross the Chang La pass en route, which is the world’s third highest pass after Khardung La and Tanglang La. However there is one really rough stretch where vehicles often get stuck, and it is aptly named the Pagal Nullah (mad stream). It is a point where water from multiple streams floods the road during the day. The water comes from melting ice and the level rises as the day progresses. It is usually very tough to cross after noon. Pangong Lake lies only a few kilometers beyond this spot.

The driver was somehow able to cross the stream and we reached Pangong around 1 PM.

The first glimpse of the lake was enough to make us forget our sore backs from the 5 hour journey. It was just like we had seen in the hundred photographs of the lake before coming here. The lake is located right in the middle of barren mountains and runs for 130 kilometers. Its water is salty, crystal clear and a lovely shade of blue. It looks its best when the sun is shining brightly, just as it was when we reached there.

After savoring the unspoilt beauty of Pangong for a few minutes, we took out our bar-be-cue grill from our taxi. A few minutes later a bowl of Top Ramen noodles was simmering over the coals we had bought yesterday. We were living the dream.

After a great couple of hours at the lake, we headed back to Leh. This meant we had to cross the Pagal Nullah again; only this time, the water level would be higher. We got off the car when we reached the stream which allowed the driver to easily cross over. But this meant that we had to cross the stream on foot now. Three of us were able to somehow tread the strong current and cross the highly uneven pebbled bed of the stream. However one of us was stuck and was finding it tough to wade through. Water seemed to be flowing down in increased volumes every minute and we were losing breath quickly in the rarified air. We made a sort of human chain finally allowing our friend to cross the stream. We required a few big puffs from our oxygen cylinder after this adventure.

Further on, the road was blocked by heavy machinery for repairing the road. The only person who could operate the machine was away. To bypass it we had to use the diversion – a steep slope by the side of the road which joined the road a few meters down. We thought it unwise to keep sitting in the car as it performed this maneuver. As it started moving down the rough slope, the rear tyres lifted off the ground. We pushed the car down from the rear and it managed to roll down without toppling over. Oxygen puffs again.

We reached Leh in the evening, signing out at the police posts where we had made a register entry while coming. After a light dinner we retired to our guesthouse. Today’s events had left some of us very tired and we called off our tomorrow’s trip to Nubra Valley. At most we could see the Khardung La pass and come back. This journey would be an hour and a half one side, compared to a five hour one-side journey to Nubra (via Khardung La).

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 4 of 10

Leh

Now I can boast that I drove an Enfield Bullet motorbike for the first time, in Leh.

We had a good night’s sleep and woke up hale and hearty. After grabbing some random breakfast we packed our stuff and shifted to the bigger guest house we had booked yesterday. Soon we were ready for our relaxed day in Leh.

Leh is a small town and motorbikes are a popular means of getting around. I took an Enfield Bullet on rent for Rs. 500 for the day. The bike was not in the best condition but I got used to handling it in a while. I’d never driven a Bullet before – it is 500 cc of pure muscle and is damn heavy. Plus, the brake and the gears are oriented opposite of the regular motorbikes. It is not easy to tame the beast on plains, and here I was trying to reason with it on the slopes at 12 thousand feet.

Of us four friends, only two drive a motorbike. We two went off zipping around the Leh streets while the other two went sightseeing to monasteries in the taxi. We had lunch at the Summer Harvest restaurant – a place recommended by Lonely Planet for its Chinese fare. The food was good indeed and the servings were huge. We could not last half of our main course.

We roamed the markets of Leh the entire afternoon and shopped for some local specialties. In the evening we headed to the Shanti Stupa. This experience was so sublime; we did not feel like coming back from the place. The view of the entire town with the mountains for background was more spiritual than just pleasing to the eyes.

We then saw the Leh Palace, a forsaken building rising above the town which doesn’t exude the grandeur of a palace but does make you feel like a king when you look at the whole town from up there.

After frolicking around a bit on the bike we returned it to the rental shop. After dinner we retired to our guesthouse. On our way back we luckily got some coals from a road-side vendor of bar-be-cued mutton. We plan to use it to cook Maggi noodles at Pangong Lake tomorrow. Amen.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 3 of 10

Sarchu to Leh

I had thought that I would have a sound sleep since we were so tired with all the traveling yesterday. However altitude sickness got the better of me and I could sleep only intermittently and kept turning in my bed. A gust was blowing outside and the tents fluttered violently. The tethers did a good job to keep them in place all night.

I woke up with a bad throbbing headache, the kind you have after a night of heavy drinking. I’d to gather all my strength to get ready and go to the kitchen tent for tea. As I left my tent I saw the view around our campsite for the first time. It was breathtaking – we were in the middle of nowhere with huge barren mountains all around and a smooth straight road extending from infinity to infinity on either end. The tents looked so meek surrounded by the gigantic creations of nature. The breeze and the view eased my head a bit and I downed a hot cup of tea in record time.

My friends weren’t feeling very well either – they’d also had a sleepless night in the rarified air at 14 thousand feet. We force-fed ourselves some breakfast, loaded our luggage back on the taxi and left for Leh. We were all apprehensive about the Tanglang La pass we needed to cross in order to reach Leh – at over 17 thousand feet it is the second-highest motorable pass in the world.

The road from Sarchu to Leh was in an average condition with some rough patches. For instance, one of the bridges we crossed was barely hanging there. We got off the car and had to direct the driver to cross gently and precisely over the surviving girders. Then at one place our car got stuck in a pool of icy water on the road and we had to remove our shoes, get down and push the car with all our might to get it out. The lack of oxygen did not help either.

Between Sarchu and Leh lie two spectacular stretches of land – the Gata Loops and the More Plains. The 21 Gata Loops are formed by the winding road that climbs up one of the mountains to the Nakila pass. More Plains is a flat, barren stretch of land that lies after Pang. Though very dusty and rough, it is still a welcome break from the atrocious twists and turns of the mountain track. It reminds you of Arizona where they test rocket cars and watch them break the sound barrier.

More Plains give way to a steep climb to the Tanglang La pass. By this time we were getting a bit acclimatized to the high altitude. Armed with this and the thought of our nearness to our destination, we gathered the courage to come out of the car and click some pictures at the pass. We watched as some taxis drove by without stopping and taking the chance. A group of motor bikers arrived there in an exhausted state with the look that they could go no further. Somehow, we survived.

After Tanglang the going was great – we had to cover only a couple hundred kilometers to Leh and the journey was all downhill.

The surroundings change spectacularly as you enter Ladakh. You have the first sighting of the Indus river. Houses begin to appear with small cultivated farms and gardens. Behind them are the barren, brown mountains with not a shrub on their steep slopes. We relished every moment of our first contact with civilization after almost two days.

Our mobiles started catching a signal as we entered Karu, about 40 Km from Leh. We informed our families of our successful tryst with the Himalayas and altitude sickness. Some friends were jealous to know how much we had seen and enjoyed in the last two days.

The weather now was quite warm and our jackets and sweaters started coming off. We reached Leh in the evening to find tourists roaming around in t-shirts and shorts. The first thing to take care of was arranging a guesthouse. We asked around to find no vacancies since it was peak tourist season in Leh. Finally we found a small guesthouse in one of the hidden alleys where we took two rooms at a cool Rs. 400 per room. The rooms were tiny but well furnished with carpets and wooden furniture. We found a bigger guesthouse a small distance away that had livelier rooms with a great view, priced similarly. However there was no vacancy for the day, so we booked it for the next three days.

We took hot bucket bath and went out for dinner at Il Forno, a rooftop restaurant famous for its pizzas. The place was packed and we had to wait for a table. The food was good, though we could not eat much as our appetite was still shriveled. We went off to sleep directly after. No travel was on agenda for tomorrow and we could wake up as late as we liked.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 2 of 10

Manali to Sarchu

A tiring day indeed – we covered a lot of ground today.

It generally takes two days to cover the 500 kilometers between Manali and Leh. We left Manali at around 8 AM and took the Manali-Leh highway to try and reach Sarchu (approximately midway) by evening via Rohtang Pass. A number of taxis and tourists were headed with us, though only till Rohtang. Day trips from Manali to Rohtang are quite popular and these tourists usually head back to Manali in the afternoon.

The moment we left Manali, the scenery started unfolding around us. Grass-covered mountain slopes looked great with the numerous tiny purple, pink and yellow flowers mixing magically with the green. The road is not particularly wide and the ascent is slow and treacherous. We got stuck in a bad traffic jam and reached Rohtang later than we’d have liked.

Rohtang is a highly commercialized place where the first thing that strikes you is the pervasive smell of horse poo – people generally go sightseeing around Rohtang on horses. Rohtang itself doesn’t have much to offer sans some nice views of the surrounding mountain peaks. We didn’t spend much time there and hit the road again.

Thankfully the traffic almost vanished since not many venture beyond Rohtang. However the road was in a real bad shape and progress was slow. Next stop was Keylong which is the official stopover point for government buses going to Leh. However if you are not traveling by bus it is advised to cover more ground and camp at Sarchu for the night. It means around 120 more kilometers but a more relaxed second day when you head to Leh.

We had a quick lunch at Keylong. It was late afternoon and we were already quite tired, but the restaurant owner advised us to continue our journey to Sarchu, citing friendlier road condition ahead. He also had a fantastic map which gives the altitude of all key stations between Manali and Leh along with the road distance, in the form of a line graph. I’d been thinking of drawing a similar map myself for this post, but now I’ll directly post the picture of the map I took there.

To reach Sarchu you have to pass the Baralacha La pass which is pretty high in altitude. We had our first feeling of altitude sickness when we got down to take some pictures there. We felt dizzy and thought it best to move on fast and complete the descent to Sarchu. It was getting very cold and we crossed the first camps at Sarchu at around 8 PM. Sarchu is only a small campsite with no concrete structures, no electricity and no mobile phone signal. The camps are solar powered and the few light bulbs glow only for a couple of hours in the evening. We took two double tents which were furnished with beds, blankets and had a small washroom at the back. They usually charge around Rs. 2000 per tent, but we got a discount since not many tourists were around. Dinner was served in a large common tent in the fashion of school mess.

It was pitch dark and we couldn’t see what was around the campsite. However, the sky was absolutely clear and I could see the maximum number of stars I’d seen on a single night. Pity it was a new moon night, otherwise the night time scenery would’ve been visible and most likely amazing.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 1 of 10

Delhi to Leh

We started from Delhi at around 5 AM in our Toyota Innova taxi. We were carrying an unmanageable number of bags for luggage, but the carrier on our taxi’s roof proved to be a life saver. We even stuffed along a bar-be-cue grill – if we’re able to use it on our trip, it’d be a dream come true.

We had breakfast at Karnal and then we headed for Manali via Ropar. It had rained heavily in Delhi a day before, but today the sun was upon us with a vengeance. The heat and humidity were draining.

We reached Kullu in the evening, and on our way from there to Manali we stopped at a fantastic place where some tea stall owners had placed chairs and tables in the stream running along the road. One could sit there with feet ankle to knee deep in the fast flowing cold water, and relish omelettes, Maggi noodles and tea. It was a great respite from the heat and the fatigue of a long day on road.

We arrived in Manali around late evening and went straight to our guesthouse. We relaxed for a bit and went out for dinner at the Mall Road, the main marketplace of Manali. The guest house, owned by the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board, was a bit distant from the Mall Road; since our driver had already dozed off, we hitched a ride with a friendly chap of the Indian Army who dropped us at the market. The tourist season at Manali was over; I didn’t see any traffic of the kind I’d heard stories about.

I was visiting Manali for the first time, and I’ve to say it was a big let down for me. After all the hype I’d seen build around this hill station over the years, I was expecting a bigger show than Nainital or Shimla. But no. The shops were boring and the food sucked. This was after I ate at one of the more famous Manali restaurants – the Original Sher-e-Punjab. God knows how they’re in business ‘since 1972’, with that food and that service. The popular ‘4-in-1 Softy’ ice cream sold across the road tasted like cough syrup. But then perhaps I’m noticing these things because the tourist season is over; the mass hysteria of peak season in May-June would probably mask these flaws and such rants.

It is now past 1 AM and I’ve to wake early in the morning and head for Sarchu. Hope the weather and food is better tomorrow.

Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009

Vehicle: Toyota Innova taxi

No. of people: 4 + Driver


What was planned:

Trip duration: 16-26 July (11 days)

Planned itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Sarchu (midway between Manali and Leh), via Rohtang and Baralacha La passes
Day 3: Sarchu to Leh, via Tanglang La pass
Day 4: Leh – shopping, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh – day trip to Pangong Lake
Day 6: Leh to Nubra valley, via Khardung La pass, night stay in Nubra
Day 7: Nubra – sightseeing, back to Leh by evening
Day 8: Leh to Kargil
Day 9: Kargil to Srinagar/Gulamrg/Pahalgam, visit Sonamarg en route
Day 10: Srinagar to Jammu
Day 11: Jammu to Delhi

Estimated length of journey: 3000 Km

Expected budget: Rs. 20,000 per person


How it materialized:

Trip duration: 16-25 July (10 days)

Actual itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Sarchu (midway between Manali and Leh), via Rohtang and Baralacha La passes
Day 3: Sarchu to Leh, via Tanglang La pass
Day 4: Leh – shopping, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh – day trip to Pangong Lake
Day 6: Leh – rest
Day 7: Leh to Sonamarg, via Zoji La pass
Day 8: Sonamarg to Srinagar
Day 9: Srinagar to Patiala, via Jammu
Day 10: Patiala to Delhi

Actual length of journey: 3250 Km

Total expenses: Rs. 15,000 per person

Neemrana Fort, Rajasthan (India): May 2009

This trip resulted more out of the urge of an early-morning long drive at high speeds with open car windows than our curiosity for the Neemrana Fort. As such, we did not study the destination very deeply and rolled off at 5 AM from our place in Gurgaon.

The fort is located around 100 km from Gurgaon, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The direct route is to drive 90 km straight from Gurgaon to Shahjahanpur on the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-8), and then take a right turn. The locals don't know it by the name Neemrana Fort, so just ask for the 'quila' - Hindi for fort.

Actually the building is not just a fort; it has been made into a plush hotel with room tariffs ranging from Rs. 2000 a night to upwards of Rs. 20,000. So it is known as the 'Neemrana Fort-Palace', quite like Udaipur's Lake-Palace. They say one of the luxury suites here is Kate Winslet's 'most favourite room in the world'.

We reached there around 7 AM and saw a number of cars parked on the slope leading to the fort's gates. The number plates read Delhi, Haryana, UP - Neemrana Fort is indeed a popular weekend getaway for Delhiites who come here for a day's stay to revel in its glittery beauty by sundown.

As we were parking our car, a staffmember of the fort-palace, clad in traditional copper-colored kurta and white pyjama approached us and told that all rooms were booked and the fort opens for visitors at 9 AM. Plus, entry is not free - you need to pay Rs. 500 per person and can stay inside till 4 PM. If you wish to have breakfast in the fort, that'll be another Rs. 400. Likewise for lunch.

Waiting for two hours till 9 AM and paying Rs. 500 just to take pictures did not sound like a fun thing to any of us. So we decided to turn back after clicking some pictures from the outside and exploring the surroundings for a bit. Though we did agree that it could be a good holiday idea to book a room at the fort-palace for a Saturday and swim away to glory all night in the fort's fantastic swimming pool. But for now, this was not the plan - we just wanted a long drive, and a long drive is what we got.

On our way back we did the amazing 'breakfast menu' at McDonalds in Manesar (20 km from Gurgaon on NH-8). There we met the G.O.D.S. - 'Group of Delhi Superbikers' - a gang of around 15 men who probably zip on the NH-8 every weekend on their Ducatis and Hayabusas, and stop by at McDonalds for breakfast. You know what could be a good tag line for McDonalds? "Try our fabulous Breakfast Menu. Even the G.O.D.S. are lovin'it."

India - First Impressions!

If you want a straight-from-the-heart account of a foreigner's first few weeks in India, visit http://marianaintheworld.wordpress.com. This blog belongs to Mariana, my Brazilian friend who arrived here in India in the beginning of 2009.
(The blog is in Portuguese and posts are Google-translated into English.)

Lansdowne, Haridwar, Rishikesh (India): February 2009

Lansdowne (Lancedown) is a small hill station in Uttaranchal – perhaps the closest one to Delhi. I and my colleague Amar were looking for a weekend getaway and this little-known scenic town looked like a good option.

It is located 250 km from Delhi, in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. Considering the manageable distance we initially planned on hiring a car for the trip but had a last minute change of plans. The Indian Railways online booking system might not be the most user-friendly, but I’ve slowly gotten good at using it. So we booked return tickets from Delhi to Kotdwar, the closest rail head to Lansdowne. The train was Mussoorie Express.

Our train left Friday night at around 10 from the Old Delhi Railway Station and catching it on time was a story in itself. Leaving our Gurgaon office at 7 PM, we needed to pack. Then we had to buy a memory card for the camera for which we parked our borrowed car in a tow-away zone outside the mall, ran like maniacs between showrooms before finally buying a 2 GB card and accidentally getting billed for an 8 GB one through credit card, realizing the mistake only much later. And then the taxi we had booked for the train station did not turn up. Thankfully the station is now connected by metro rail, so we took a painful ride on a packed minibus to the Dwarka metro station. Briefly stopping at Amar’s place for dinner, we managed to board the train, barely though.

After a (thankfully) uneventful eight hours we were happy to finally reach Kotdwar early next morning. I can’t say the same for a German backpacker who disembarked with us. To give you a brief background:

Mussoorie Express goes from Delhi to Najibabad where it splits into two. One part takes you to Dehradun via Haridwar, while the other set of bogies heads to Kotdwar. So when you board the train at Delhi, you need to make sure you are in the right bogie. The German had apparently missed this and landed in Kotdwar instead of Haridwar. Anyways, the angels that we are, we negotiated with a taxi driver to take her to Haridwar (100 km from Kotdwar) for Rs. 400. Pity she never gave us her phone number.

Kotdwar to Lansdowne is a 41-km uphill drive and Jeeps ply between these two for a standard Rs. 400. You can also take shared 10-seater Jeeps for Rs. 40 per seat.

The drive to Lansdowne was lovely with the morning sun playing hide and seek from behind the pines. The local river ‘Khoh’ faithfully accompanied us halfway to Lansdowne offering some fascinating views. The road was smooth for the most part except for a few bumpy patches. It was much colder than we expected; we were told it had snowed a fortnight back in Lansdowne – a rare spectacle.

In one and a half hours we arrived at Lansdowne’s centre, the Gandhi Chowk. We – or rather, I – had the famous gigantic Aloo ka Parantha (fried Indian bread stuffed with potato) for breakfast at the Mayur Hotel. There we also met a funny character – a little brat of a boy who’d show tourists around the toilet and recite a story of how he was being paid half of what he was promised by the hotel owner and how he fed his family from the tips he earned from the tourists. No, we did not tip him – we had done our good deed of the day by helping that German girl.

‘Retreat Anand’, the jungle resort we had booked in Lansdowne, lay 3 km from Gandhi Chowk, connected by a motorable but kachha road. The taxi charged Rs. 150 to take us there. In fact, the taxi charges in this area were fixed with no negotiation possible – Gandhi Chowk to resort was a flat Rs. 150, and to Kotdwar was a flat Rs. 400.

The resort reception was open-air. As I signed the check-in register, I noticed the last tourists came here as long as 10 days back. Whew, our very own Hotel California?

We got a ‘deluxe’ cottage for Rs 1000 a night, after an off-season discount. After some rest and light breakfast, we moved out to trek the hills with a crude map of the area drawn by the resort manager. So we weren’t surprised when we lost our way soon and started charting our own territory. We crossed a stream with big, round boulders and freezing water. Our initial plan, had we come by car, was to carry a grill with us and do a bar-be-que near such a stream. It’d have been heavenly.

While returning to the resort we sighted some local children playing cricket in a small, flat clearing. We joined them and were surprised to see their knowledge of cricket – the urchins carried nicknames of cricketers from across the world. So Amar came to be their Harbhajan and I became the bespectacled Vettori. We played for a while and took ‘team photographs’.

After lunch at the resort we went downtown again to Gandhi Chowk to check out the local attractions – the Bulla Lake and the War Museum. Lansdowne is a cantonment area maintained by the Garhwal Rifles regiment of the Indian Army. Perhaps this is also the reason for its striking cleanliness compared to other hill stations.

We had planned to stay two days in Lansdowne, but ran out of things to do on the first day itself. Lansdowne proved much smaller and lonelier than we anticipated. Plus, the jungle resort was starting to get on our nerves – it was super-cold, dead silent, the food was bad and outrageously high-priced. It was as if the staff was saying from behind that pretentious smile – “the nearest shop is 3 miles.. you want something cheap and tasty? Go, walk through the jungle and get it.” So we decided to get moving and spend the spare Sunday in Haridwar-Rishikesh. (For the uninitiated, Haridwar and Rishikesh are important Hindu pilgrimages located on the banks of the river Ganges, where devotees descend in thousands to take a dip on sacred dates determined by the lunar calendar.)

We set off early in the morning to Kotdwar from where we took a bus to Haridwar. This two-hour bus ride through the ‘jungle route’ was more intense than racing a wild camel in a sandstorm in the middle of Sahara. There is a ‘highway route’ as well to Haridwar, though the ‘jungle route’ is a lot shorter. At either end of the dusty jungle patch were beautiful little villages which afforded a peep into north India’s agriculture-based lifestyles and ecosystem.

We disembarked at Haridwar from where Rishikesh is around 30 km. Blue-coloured three-wheelers (called ‘Vikram’) frequent the route. They charge Rs. 30 per side on a sharing basis and Rs. 250 if you book the full vehicle. We took the latter option.

From thereon we did the routine – a dip in the holy Ganges, lunch at Chottiwala (near Ram Jhula, Rishikesh), and the evening Aarti at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar. We also visited a Gurudwara which holds significance as the first checkpoint on the way to Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage. Everything done, we had a couple of hours to spare before our train left, so we engaged in a spiritual dialogue on religions and beliefs by the side of the Ganges.

The trip was almost over, but there was a twist in the tail. Our train reservation to Delhi was from Kotdwar and here we were in Haridwar. The train was the same – Mussoorie Express, but our bogies coming from Kotdwar were to join with the train only at Najibabad, one hour distant from Haridwar. So we boarded the train and explained the situation to the ticket examiner. He raised concerns but was more cooperative once we expressed our willingness to pay for the un-reserved ride from Haridwar to Najibabad, whereafter we moved to our reserved seats and had a sound sleep. We woke up to the hustle-bustle of Delhi early next day, and had all the time in the world to go home, get ready and drive to the office.

Though our 2-day trip was far from the calm, serene, relaxing weekend getaway we had planned for, in retrospect I feel that it would have been incomplete without all these surprise turns.



Expenses:
Delhi-Kotdwar one-way rail ticket (AC 3-tier): Rs. 350
Kotdwar-Lansdowne taxi (jeep): Rs. 400
Lansdowne downtown to jungle resort taxi: Rs. 150
Forest resort cottage (Deluxe): Rs. 1000 per night
Bus from Kotdwar to Haridwar: Rs. 50
Three-wheeler from Haridwar to Rishikesh: Rs. 250
Getting lost while trekking, playing cricket with locals, a bumpy bus ride through the jungle, and a spiritual discussion by the Ganges: Priceless.

You can view the pictures from the trip here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106318&id=597905358&l=5acf1c05ea

Zenith Waterfall, Maharashtra (India): July 2009 (Planned)

I love waterfalls. One of my fantasies is to jump from the edge of a steep rock into the plunge pool of a waterfall. Amen!

I've found some information about a waterfall near Mumbai. It's called Zenith Waterfall, located 90 Km from Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Nearest railway station is Khopoli and is well-connected with Mumbai. I'm planning to visit the place this Monsoon season. I've seen some pictures and they look tempting. The link for one travel account is:

http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travelogues/659-maharashtraslashamazin-waterfall.html

It looks like a crowded tourist destination, but I still need to check out. I'll post the details once I make the trip myself.

Patagonia (Chile): June 2008

Patagonia forms the southern part of Chile, referred to as 'sur del mondo', south of the world in Spanish. I had the opportunity to spend a week-long vacation there last month. It was last week of June and hence in the middle of the winters. There were not many tourists around.

I started from Santiago and took a flight to Punta Arenas, the second-southernmost city of the world, next only to Ushuaia of Argentina. The flight lasted 5 hours and had two stops in between.

There are regular transfers to the city center, Plaza Muñoz Gamero, via taxis and buses. Several hostels are located around the center and I took a room in the hostel El Calafate. You may like to refer to the Lonely Planet guidebook on Chile/South America for a bigger list and addresses. The room cost me 8000 Pesos (16 US dollars) for a night.

Punta Arenas is a small, delightful town with helpful people and adventure gear shops. Lomit's is a big, happening restaurant. I ordered a chicken burger with 'Shop', a popular local drink of beer mixed with Fanta. I was also intrigued by the number of hair salons in the city; I got a nice haircut at one for 5000 Pesos.

The Plaza Muñoz Gamero features a statue of Ferdinand Magellan, the great Portugese maritime explorer who navigated the channels around southern Chile and Cape Horn. The Straits of Magellan and the Magellan Clouds are named after him. It is customary for sailors to kiss the foot of the 'Patagon', a giant Patagonian inhabitant sitting below Magellan in the statue.

The main attraction of Punta Arenas is the centuries-old cemetary which has the graves of some of the earliest settelers in the region. I can't read Spanish but I've heard the inscriptions are quite heartfelt and touching.

Near the cemetary resides a German family that makes cholocates in-house. They sell from their home under the name 'Norweisser'. These are amazing chocolates in a variety of flavors.

From Punta Arenas, I took a bus to Puerto Natales up north. It was an amazing 3-hour ride on a straight highway running through the infinite, unending, yellow Steppe grasslands. With only our bus on the highway and utter silence all around, it was a transcendental, spiritual experience.

I arrived in Puerto Natales late evening where dense fog, frost and bitter cold welcomed me. I had to take a cruise ship from there, which would navigate through the fjords of Patagonia along Chile's coast, northwards to Puerto Montt. This service is run by Navimag; they also offer southbound and glacier cruises.

I had booked the cheapest ticket - 390 dollars for the 4-night trip, all meals and bed included. Luckily due to the off-season, I got an upgrade to a 1000-dollar cabin with private bath. We were only 20 passengers on a ship with a capacity for 200.

The following 4 days were truly memorable - I get nostalgic even as I write about it. The first two nights went well; the sea was calm and the wind, though strong, was bearable on the deck. On the third day it started getting bad. We had to cross a stretch of the open ocean as the last leg of the course. However the weather gods seemed to have different plans. The captain of the ship told us he had never navigated in such conditions before. We were advised to take sea-sickness pills considering what awaited us in the open ocean. I decided otherwise - I wanted to experience it once at least. We waited before steering into the ocean, but seeing no respite coming, the captain took the plunge. The ship tossed wildly - the panels of cupboards went crazy, doors were banging, it was total chaos. The stomachs were now complaining. Not many came down to the hall for dinner that night. I wanted to climb on the deck, but it was so impossible. The wind would've thrown me into the ocean which would then happily swallow me without leaving a trace. I'm glad I listened to my mind and not my heart that night! The captain, during the rough night, carved out a lovely sculpture out of soft wood, depicting the ship caught in the storm.

The next day we woke up (with body-aches) to a calmer sea. The wind was still strong and we faced a delay of one day before finally docking at the lovely Puerto Montt. The ground was still swaying beneath our feet!

We 20 'voyagers' developed an amazing camaraderie during these 5 days. The gloomy weather outside was forgotten among wine, poker, chess and pictionary games. We exchanged our Facebook contacts and plan to remain in touch.

Puerto Montt is also a lovely, small port city. The main plazas and the bus terminal are built on the waterfront. I took a flight back to Santiago the same day. All included, I'd spent around 800 US dollars on this vacation.

This week-long trip was a lifetime event for me. It felt like I met myself somewhere along the way. Don't remember where.

Goa (India): December 2007

22-26 December 2007

Four of us friends started from Delhi for a Christmas vacation in Goa. Direct flight to Goa was quite expensive, and direct train was fully booked. So we decided to take a flight to Mumbai, and from there, a train to Goa.

We reached Mumbai late in the evening. Two more friends were to join us for the trip from Mumbai; we stayed overnight at their place. Early next morning we boarded the train to Goa. The track is part of the Konkan Railway zone which is famous for its tunnels and scenic landscapes along the way. After a long 8-hour journey we arrived at the Thivim station, which is probably one stop before Vasco da Gama, Goa's main train station. It was around noon.

Once in Goa, we had to decide on a place to stay. We ruled out Panjim as it was far from the main beaches, although cheaper. We decided for Calangute beach which is a hip, crowded beach in north Goa. It took around one hour by taxi from Thivim to Calangute. We got down at Calangute Residency, a hotel run by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation. The hotel was full, so we inquired around and took a single dorm-style hall at a 'shack', small restaurant-cum-hostels built along the beach on sand. Owing to their location right on the beach, these shacks make good business selling food and drinks, in addition to renting out sun umbrellas and beach chairs to the tourists.

After settling down in the hall, we went for a dip in the ocean. The afternoon was quite hot, in contrast to Delhi's cold winters. In the evening we went out for dinner and later hired a car for the next day. It was a red, open air Maruti Gypsy exuding classic charm!

The next day we had breakfast at the shack. This is one of the best things to do in Goa - having breakfast on the beach in the warm sun with waves gently lapping your feet. Fresh fruit juice and omelette were amazing. Cheese sandwich was also good. We also ordered paranthas with butter.

We then took off for south Goa in our Gypsy. We drove almost 70 kms southward to reach the Palolem beach, crossing Panjim in the midway. The Palolem beach is completely different from Calangute. It is curved, with whiter sand, and lined with Palm trees. The beach is dotted with a number of nice restaurants. Palolem is perhaps more popular among foreigners as compared to Calangute. We had a heavy lunch at a beach restaurant and stayed in Palolem till evening. The Gypsy developed a snag and we returned to Calangute by late evening after spending an hour getting it repaired at a petrol station. We went out for dinner at a lovely place in Calangute with candle-lit tables and good service. A great thing about Goa is that even the fancier places offer cheap drinks!

We retained the Gypsy for the next day. It was the day before Christmas and we had heard a lot about Goa's Christmas eve parties on the beaches. After breakfast at the shack, we headed for the Agwada fort (of Dil Chahta Hai fame). We had a great time there photographying. We met my cousin there who had come to Goa with his friends, from Pune. They had hired motorcycles instead of a car. They told us that they had booked a cruise party for the night at Panjim.

We headed to Old Goa after that and saw two churches (right opposite across the road). Then we went to a beach in Panjim which had very coarse sand and a quite unique landscape. We returned to Calangute after enquiring about a few cruise parties that we did not find very interesting. Calangute was a let down as well - the organized indoor parties were very expensive, and the beach parties at the shacks were too crowded and noisy - with all men. We found a quieter bar with a group of people enjoying a nice party. We had a good time there with them.

Later in the night we had dinner at a Punjabi dhaba near the Calangute Residency. It was quite cheap, and the only one serving at that hour (around 12:30 am).

Next day was our last in Goa - we were to take a train back to Mumbai in the evening. So we stayed in Calangute and enjoyed watersports through the day. I liked the banana ride the most - I took that twice. Parasailing was uninteresting. Later we shopped for Goa's specialties - Port wine and rum balls (chocolate balls marinated in rum).

In the evening we hired a black Scorpio for Vasco da Gama train station. The hour long drive was sheer delight with old bollywood disco songs playing all the way.

The overnight train from Vasco da Gama reached Mumbai early next morning from where we took a flight back to Delhi and reached home by afternoon.


Expenses:
Delhi-Mumbai return flight: Rs. 5000
Mumbai-Goa return train ticket: Rs. 500
Taxi from Goa's train station (Thivim) to Calangute beach: Rs. 500
Dorm accommodation at the shack: Rs. 2000 per day for the hall
Car rental: Rs. 1500 per day, petrol extra
Food and drinks: Rs. 1000 per person per day, maybe less

The total cost of the trip was between 10 and 15 thousand rupees per person.