From the Editor – The Incredible Journey of a Phone

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Last year in September, I was really happy. One of my most precious dreams was coming true. I was in a tour bus that was travelling through the misty, green highlands of Scotland. We were looking out at the mesmerising terrain of the Isle of Skye, the island where even today, no one locks their doors or cars at night. It was the third day of my 5-day trip. We had just visited a cemetary at the top of a hill and a general sense of calm had descended upon the occupants of the bus. Several dozed off as the sun made a brief appearance. It was the perfect time to call my parents. So I reached inside my pocket, the phone wasn’t there. I knew at that instant that it was lost. But I still kept searching inside my handbag, my rucksack, hoping to prove my intuition wrong. The search, however, yielded no results. In the bus full of strangers, I suddenly felt lonely as hell…

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Iceland —Snow Saga

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The hot summers (+15 Deg C) had gone and slowly the winters were setting in. I was waiting anxiously for the goddess of snow to decorate Iceland, like a new bride. The Sun was becoming paler and had lesser shining times, coming out leisurely and running away hurriedly.

Now let us see the beauty of those places of Iceland, about which I have already explained in my earlier posts…. a different view of Iceland in winters.

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हरिद्वार एक दिन एक रात

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दिल्ली से हरिद्वार एक दिन और एक रात , एक एक्सप्रेस प्रोग्राम था घूमने का। जिसमे हर की पौड़ी ,मनसा देवी और चंडी देवी के दर्शन सम्भव हो पाये ।

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Gokarna – Story of Ravana

Gokarna – Story of Ravana

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Gokarna also has an mythological significance which attracts pilgrims. There are a lot of stories about Gokarna, but the most famous one is the story of Ravana and the Atmalinga.
Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka, received the atmalinga from Shiva after he had performed a penance at Mount Kailash reciting self-written Shivatandavastotram. Shiva instructed Ravana that the sacred atmalinga should not be placed on the ground as it would establish itself where placed on earth. On his way back to Lanka, Ravana stops for his evening prayers at Gokarna.

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A short write-up on Digha

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Known for the beauty of the beach and the special sea-side food hubs, Digha is a wonderful visiting paradise for the visitors. Tourists mainly spot two places, the old Digha beach and the new Digha beach.
New Digha is much much more crowded compared to the old Digha. And as expected we visited both the beaches.

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क्रिसमस @ कमरुनाग

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रोहांडा पहुँचकर सबसे पहला काम था, खाली टंकर (पेट) में पेट्रोल (खाना) भरना ताकि लगभग 12 से 13 किलोमीटर का सफ़र बिना किसी अवरोध के पूरा किया जा सके. हालाँकि बाली के मन में शंका थी की कँही पेट्रोल (खाना) ख़त्म न हो जाये, इसलिए थोडा साथ रखकर भी ले चले. यहाँ से शुरू होता है पैदल यात्रा का असली रोमांच. शुरुआती सफ़र थोडा थकाने वाला जरुर था, जिसकी पहली वजह थी रोहांडा में खाया गया भरपेट भोजन और दूसरा कारण थी अप्रत्याशित खड़ी चढाई. खैर जैसे – जैसे आगे बढते गए, प्रकृति का घूँघट उठता गया और कुदरत के कुछ शानदार नज़ारों नें थकान को छूमंतर कर दिया. इस पर बीच में कहीं – कहीं पर हल्की – फुल्की बिखरी बर्फ के निशान इस बात की पुष्टि करते प्रतीत हो रहे थे कि हो ना हो झील पर थोड़ी बहुत बर्फ तो देखने को जरुर मिलेगी, जिससे हमारा उत्साह और जोश दोगुना हो गया. बीच – बीच में दूर कहीं चोटियों पर पड़ी ताज़ा बर्फ और वो हसीं वादियाँ हमारी कल्पनाओं को पँख दे रही थी, ऐसे में किस तरह हमने आधे से ज्यादा दूरी मजे – मजे में तय कर ली थी, पता ही नहीं चला. ऐसे में एक बात अचंभित करने वाली यह थी कि अभी तक के पूरे रास्ते में हमें किसी आदमजात के दर्शन नहीं हुए थे, जबकि देव कमरुनाग को पूरे मंडी जिले का एक प्रमुख आराध्य देव माना जाता है. ऐसी चर्चा करते हुए हम चले ही जा रहे थे के अचानक, शांत घने जंगले के बीचों – बीच किसी जानवर के दौड़ने कि आवाज़ ने पलभर के लिए रोंगटे खड़े कर दिए

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Mussoorie..Queen of hills.

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This story is about Mussoorie, and the destination on it way like Crystal World water park, Har ki Poudi, Malsi Deer Park Dehradun. It covers Company garden and Mall Road of Mussoorie. I hope it will win your heart.

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Jaipur : Chokhi Dhani and Sightseeing

Jaipur : Chokhi Dhani and Sightseeing

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Finally it was time to have food and it was so sumptuous that we forgot to click the images. There were 5 kinds of vegetables, 3 kinds of chapattis, curd, sweets, desi ghee and I don’t know what else. After meal my only thinking was that if they fed so much then for some extra charge they should also provide a bed so that one can sleep then and there if felt so. But indeed it was a bad idea even I can’t imagine people sleeping and burping at this beautiful place. So, I scolded myself for such a bad dreaming and we came out more than happy, filled till neck, and started the engine to find a bed as soon as possible.

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Ghumakkar Insights – Let’s Go Birding!

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As you will make your inventory of these 20-30 birds you will learn a lot about birding. Then wherever you travel- from Himalayas to the Sea, from desert to the forests, cities or villages, just get out of your hotel in early morning and take a small walk to look for local birds. There is always some nature walk-easy to moderate to difficult- near most of the places. Many places keep a check list/photo list of birds found in and around. For example, Anil Farm House in Gujarat had a Board pinned up at the reception showing the birds which prompted us to take morning and evening walks along the river to look out for birds, although it was not a birding trip. Similarly we spotted Eurasian jay while trekking at Chaukori, while Asian paradise Flycatcher was spotted while boating in Saattal. As you start birding your eyes and ears become adept at observing birds wherever you are. Then of course there are specific birding sites and sanctuaries where an organized birding trip can be very rewarding.

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यमुनोत्री में ग्लेशियर

यमुनोत्री में ग्लेशियर

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यमुनोत्री में उस शाम केवल मैं ही अकेला पर्यटक था, समुद्र तल से 3200 मीटर से भी ऊपर। मेरे अलावा वहां कुछ मरम्मत का काम करने वाले मजदूर, एक चौकीदार और एक महाराज जी थे।महाराज जी के साथ दो-तीन चेले-चपाटे भी थे। मैने रात में ठहरने के लिये चौकीदार के यहां जुगाड कर लिया। चौकीदार के साथ दो जने और भी रहते थे, एक उसका लडका और एक नेपाली मजदूर।

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Ranthambore

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Ranthambore tiger reserve was organizing its annual animal census in the nation park and was looking for volunteers. Initially we thought that it would be just like a jeep safari in Jim Corbett National Park and would be fun to count the wild animals for a national level census.

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