Mukteshwar Revisited

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Once we settled down, freshened up, we met the other guests, quite a few from Gurgaon, went around the property and watched the view points. Later, in the evening I went down for a walk and to see the area towards Krishna, and Sun set spots. Guess what? I came across a loosely locked gate, just after Krishna, with a notice “Private-No Entry”. Curious, an Indian after all, I sneaked in. There were no security, no dogs, no one out there. I walked up the private road with my camera.

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An unforgettable to trip to my village in Kangra and other places!

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it just cant be explained in words the joy of driving in rain and that too on Delhi Panipat road.It was raining so heavily that on few occasions the wiper would prove to be futile.It was an awesome drive till Chandigarh, barring few diversions due to construction work going on on few stretches.
After crossing the city we were on the Nangal Una road that road was not bad either but had no comparison to delhi-ambala highway!

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The Berry lores of Kumaon

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Soon after leaving Patal Bhuvaneshwar, we were on a scenic road lined up with shrubs laden with a rich harvest of juicy berries, the golden Hisalu (Rubus Ellipticus), the purple Kilmoda and the red Kafals (Myrica Esculenta). Even the desire to reach Jageshwar well in time could not stop us from taking a break here and there and accepting nature’s bounty of delicious offerings.

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Ranthambore – My Machaan???

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We broomed the place under the tomb with a make shift Jhadoo and sat down; it gave us fantastic view of partly dried lake with deer grazing in the marsh. Amazingly there was no Machaan, to tell you the truth we forgot that it was a must at all the locations. Hours passed and we documented the deer and small carnivorous animals. At sunset, the wind direction changed and I could smell very strong tiger urine as and when the wind blew. It began to worry me a bit due to my experience in jungles watching and spotting tigers; I knew we were in the tiger territory for sure.

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घुमक्कड़ी – कुछ खट्टी – कुछ मीठी ( इस बार विदेशों से)

घुमक्कड़ी – कुछ खट्टी – कुछ मीठी ( इस बार विदेशों से)

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भगत सिंह 22 वर्ष फ्रांस में रहने के बाद भी, गाड़ी होशियारपुर स्टाइल में ही चलाता था… फ्रैंकफुर्त पंहुच कर उसने सीधे हाथ का  इंडिकेटर दिया, और इसी बीच हमारे बीच एक और गाड़ी आ गयी.  जैसे ही हमें सीधे हाथ पर बाहर जाती सड़क मिली, हमने अपनी गाड़ी हाइवे से बाहर निकाल दी… ये सोचकर कि भगत ने कुछ देर पहले इंडिकेटर दिया था….बस यहीं हम पंजाबी ड्राइवरी को समझने में भूल कर गये….भगत सीधा निकल चुका था और हम फ्रैंकफुर्त शहर में प्रवेश कर गये.

हमें न तो ये पता था कि भगत के मित्र का नाम क्या है और न ये कि उसका पता क्या है…. अगर तब तक mobile phones का आविष्कार हो जाता तो हम यूं न गुमते.  खैर हम कुछ दूर चलने के बाद सड़क के किनारे खड़े हो गये और ये सोचकर कि भगत हमें पीछे न देखकर शायद  यहां पंहुच जाये और हमें मिल जाये…पर भगत सिंह को न आना था न आया.

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Himalyan Voyage in Kaleidoscopic Kumaon

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One of my fond childhood memories is a visit to a small town with breathtaking view of Himalayan range. The picture of Snow clad Himalayan peaks rising to caress the sky, clouds hovering over the valley below, changing colours of the sky is still fresh in my mind. I was quite excited to visit Kausani after around 25 years. Has the place been able to preserve the beauty I witnessed then, has it changed its colours with changing world… there were many such questions lingering in my mind.
We were a group of five driving an Alto. Cutting through the dense fog enjoying the fullness of nature we drove through Hapur, Joya, Rampur, Haldawani, Kathgodam and Bheemtal.

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Rain…Rain…Rain…

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We found out that the rafting at Rishikesh was closed at this time due to heavy rains in Uttarakhand. “Heavy Rains” that triggered an idea. Why not enjoy the rain itself and live our childhood again. Why not a bike trip to Rishikesh?

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नागेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग – ईश्वर सत्य है, सत्य ही शिव है, शिव ही सुन्दर है.

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सभी घुमक्कड़ साथियों को कविता की ओर से ………ॐ नमः शिवाय……….इस श्रंखला की पिछली पोस्ट में मैंने आपलोगों को भगवान श्री कृष्ण की नगरी…

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Revisiting Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

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How lucky one can be when one gets to time their conference trips with one of their favorite festivals happening concurrently at a different city, in fact, a different country? Once the conference dates in Vancouver was decided, I waited with bated breath for the official announcement of the dates for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, about 70 miles and 1 hour 10 minutes drive north of Seattle on I-90 (Exits 230, plus minus one). The tulip festival has been my favorite things to visit in Seattle, and every year, I waited for Spring to arrive, heralding a trip to the daffodil and tulip fields.

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Lebanon – Casino, Cedars and Caves !!

Lebanon – Casino, Cedars and Caves !!

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The statue is made of bronze with its hands spread. There are spiral stairs reaching the top of the statue. It is said that the face of the idol, changed direction turning from Beirut towards the christian side, after the civil war where many christians were killed by muslim extremists. Not going into religious faiths, I may still believe it because it is possible due to movement of tectonic plates.

Before, the main statue there is this famous replica of Michelangelo’s celebrated masterpiece, the Pieta sculpture of Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus.

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Dwarka and around / द्वारका – श्री कृष्ण की कर्मस्थली

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यहाँ एक बात मैं स्पष्ट कर दूं की हम लोग ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिरों के बहुत विस्तार से दर्शन, पूजन, अभिषेक करने के इच्छुक रहते हैं तथा ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर के लिए अपेक्षाकृत ज्यादा समय की योजना रखते हैं अतः हमने श्री नागेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर के लिए अगले दिन के लिए अलग से प्लान किया ताकि पहले दिन द्वारका दर्शन बस से भी नागेश्वर के दर्शन हो जाएँ तथा अगले दिन अलग से भी यहाँ आकर अभिषेक और दर्शन कर लें.

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यमुनोत्री में ट्रेकिंग

यमुनोत्री में ट्रेकिंग

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वो मेरी पहली ट्रेकिंग थी। पहली बार समुद्र तल से 3000 मीटर की ऊंचाई पार की थी। पहली बार इतने बडे-बडे पत्थरों को लांघता हुआ चल रहा था। जिन्दगी में यह सब पहली बार देख रहा था मैं। मुझे इन सब चीजों और बातों का कोई आइडिया नहीं था।

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