06 Jun

AN ANNUAL DATE WITH OOTY

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We stuck to our usual route of  Tiruppur-Mettupalayam-Kotagiri route for the onward journey to Ooty  and the Ooty-Coonoor-Mettupalayam-Tiruppur route for the return journey. The Kotagiri route has very little traffic, even in peak season and hence a much more enjoyable drive.

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From Kolkata to Mandarmoni Beach (December 2009) – Road Review and Trip Report

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Kolkata has a lot of places within the proximity of 4-5 hours that could be considered as ideal places, for thoroughly enjoying weekends with total peace of mind far away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded city. One of them is the Mandarmoni beach which is around 180 KM from Howrah and is arguably the longest drivable beach in India. Located very near (within 30 KM) to the famous Digha beach, Mandarmoni is very easily accessible and reachable from Kolkata.

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Ghumakkar inspired trip to Renukaji

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Darkness soon settled in as the lake waters caught the last rays of the fading sunrays and it was time to get back to the hotel. We pedalled to the shore and receded to our hotel and anchored ourselves on the terrace. Darkness coupled with the sounds of the forest was mesmerizing. We had a warm interaction with another group also chilling out on the terrace and junior had an awesome time playing with the big friendly pet dog of theirs. Relaxing was the ‘mahamantra’ of the tour – our mantra materialized into genuine tranquillity.

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Vaishno Devi Yatra – A Pilgrim’s Progress

Vaishno Devi Yatra – A Pilgrim’s Progress

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Even appointments with gods come with privilege. A pilgrim with VIP pass could bypass all number and answer his/her calling with a privilege which a poor barefoot pilgrim couldn’t even dream of. An Amitabh Bachhan has more easy access to god than a mere “Nikhil Chandra”. Perhaps gold is a precious metal even among gods…who knows why the world is the way it is.

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Kanha Tiger Reserve: Call of the wild

Kanha Tiger Reserve: Call of the wild

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Like in party after eating every crap we go for some delicious, mouth watering sweets, so here in the similar fashion I am going to present you the king of the forest, the nocturnal, the royal, the BAAP of everyone, when he walks on green carpet peacocks stop dancing, sambhar left their doshas, languor’s stick to their branches and few lucky like us start clicking to their heart content, the tiger.

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यमुनोत्री यात्रा- हनुमानचट्टी से यमुनोत्री

यमुनोत्री यात्रा- हनुमानचट्टी से यमुनोत्री

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यहां मुख्य मन्दिर के बराबर में ही एक गुफा है। इस गुफा में सालों से एक महाराज जी रहते हैं। वे कभी नीचे नहीं जाते, सर्दियों में कपाट बन्द होने के बाद भी। अकेले ही रहते हैं। कहा जाता है कि नीचे जाना तो दूर, उन्होने कभी सामने बहती यमुना को भी पार नहीं किया है। कुछ भक्तों ने उस गुफा के सामने मन्दिर भी बनवा दिया है। महाराज उसी में रहते हैं, खुद बनाते हैं, खाते हैं। बाद में अगले दिन मैने उनकी फोटो लेनी चाही तो उन्होने मना कर दिया। तो मैने उनका फोटो लिया ही नहीं। आज जब कोई नहीं दिखा तो मैं उनके पास ही पहुंचा –“बाबा, आज रुकने के लिये कोई कमरा मिल जायेगा क्या यहां?” बोले कि मिल जायेगा, अभी थोडी देर सामने खडे होकर कुदरत का मजा लो।

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Lebanon – Baalbek & blue river

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So there was Baal Temple, there was Jupiter, Fire, Moon, Mars and other temples which were there before Romans and before pheonician re-built them ! I was thinking was it some distorted form of Shakta tradition of Sanatan Dharam, which was followed here, because in Shakta tradition, Fire and other planets were worshipped and sacrifices of animals or even humans were present then.

Our guide was a Syrian and he explained so beautifully in perfect English, all the aspects of Baalbeck, quite patiently and in details.

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यमुनोत्री यात्रा- दिल्ली से हनुमानचट्टी

यमुनोत्री यात्रा- दिल्ली से हनुमानचट्टी

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अब मुझे कम से कम नौ घण्टे तक देहरादून में ही रहना था। समय बिताने के लिये मैं सहस्त्रधारा चला गया। चूंकि रात का सफर था, यह सोचकर मैं सहस्त्रधारा से वापस आकर देहरादून रेलवे स्टेशन पर खाली पडी बेंच पर ही सो गया। शाम को सात बजे सोया था, आंख खुली साढे दस बजे। वो भी पता नहीं कैसे खुल गयी। मन्द मन्द हवा चल रही थी, मुझे कुछ थकान भी थी और सबसे बडी बात कि मच्छर नहीं थे।

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Lebanon – Paradise lost !!

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Once upon a time… there was Lebanon which was called “Paris of Middle East”…and then something happened and the Paris and Pearl of the Middle East.. changed from heaven to hell…. Let us have a look and see what Lebanon has to offer now for Ghumakkars !

It was 2004 and I boarded Air India flight from New Delhi to Dubai for my journey to Lebanon.

The coastal plain of Lebanon is the historic home of a string of coastal trading cities of Semitic culture, which the Greeks termed Phoenicia, whose maritime culture flourished there for more than 5000 years. Ancient ruins in Byblos, Berytus (Beirut), Sidon, Sarepta(Sarafand), and Tyre show a civilized nation, with urban centres and sophisticated arts. Present-day Lebanon was a cosmopolitan centre for many nations and cultures. Its people roamed the Mediterranean seas, skilled in trade and in art, and founded trading colonies. They were also the creators of the oldest known 24-letter alphabet, a shortening of earlier 30-letter alphabets such as Proto-Sinaitic and Ugaritic.

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A Swiss road trip..

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“I’m afraid of heights”…I mumbled. He gave me a WTF look.. Are you kidding? He probably wanted to ask. He was not wrong. Here I was going to jump off the cliff in few minutes. how the hell was he going to believe that I was actually scared of heights…it’s not the height. It’s the steep downhill slope.. I can go uphill and probably reach heaven like Juthisthir did.

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A Little peace and quiet…

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If one is resides in any of the blooming cities in India, one would realize the importance of peace and quiet. Whether it is the constant buzzing of the phone or of the doorbell, there is hardly any time in one’s existence which is peaceful and quiet.

I am a frequent traveler but my travels are generally part of the business tourism category, always rushing from the hotel to the conference Center and back. It is generally a day or two that I get to spend in the city that I am in. But this time I was hell bent to get a decent holiday even if I had to drive close to 600 KM for it.
A small village, by the name of Chafi is the Center stage of this travel. It is close to 10 km from Bhimtal, which is close to Kathgodam, the nearest rail head and also the pretty much, the starting point of Real Mountains, the Himalayas.

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