Folks, below is the commentary of my short visit to South Africa in Feb 2010. This was an official visit for 3 weeks and I got to explore the countryside only during weekends. Hence my trip details will be no means exhaustive. Still a couple of pointers and some photos to share with the readers of www.ghumakkar.com and an humble attempt to enrich this wonderful site.
Ready for a long drive
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Its was long time I been deciding on getting on to some beach destination for 3 days with my family. I began to prepare my itinerary for weekend tour to Ganpatipule. I called up my friend Shanker who joined me along with his family. We decided to drive from Mumbai to Ganpatipule.
We wanted to visit Mandu but were not able to find the appropriate mode of transport – since the train reservations need planning much in advance, and the distance warranted more time than what one can get in a day if we go by the road, ‘No travel during the Night’ rule stays. So if we break the journey, which place do we do it is another question, and initiating enough to look for alternate destinations. So after multiple back-and-forth, and often animated, conversations from Europe (too cold) to Singapore (C’mon) to Bali (too expensive) to Kerala (lets drive down, flying is so routine), we finally decided to stick to the road, our favourite. Plans made, it was to be a one-halt drive. A couple of nights at Shivpuri, the prospects of which as a travel destination suddenly grew manifold (so much to being an optmist) and then we drive to Mandu. FromDelhi, Shivpuri is 430 odd KMs and then Mandu is another 450.
The cabin of our green elephant welcomed 4 adults and a 4 year old. We set out on a non-foggy but a bit smoky morning with a lot of spirit (no pun intended) to the Heart of India.
Total Distance – 925 KM
Driving Time – 18 hours
Quality of Tar – Brilliant, Good, Poor. Overall – mixed.
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Ahem! After a lot of avoidable delay caused due to laziness or de-motivation, here’s the 3rd contribution of my Himalayan sojourn. Sleepless night, early morning drive – tiring! gang (three of us) started form Gurgaon to Dalhousie, which is blessed with enchanting beauty, a certain tranquility of its ambience and the serenity and sacredness of its culture. All the parts of Himanchal that I visited are stunning nature’s wonder; however there are few places that stand out from the rest. Not as crowded or commercialized as Shimla or Manali, Dalhousie is a delightful quaint little town.
An evening in ... Dalhousie
