06 Jun

पिण्डारी ग्लेशियर यात्रा- तीसरा दिन (धाकुडी-खाती-द्वाली)

By Neeraj Jat

ग्यारह बजे हम खाती गांव पहुंच जाते हैं। सुन्दरढूंगा और पिण्डारी दोनों घाटियों में खाती से आगे कोई गांव नहीं है। इसकी यही खासियत इसे एक समृद्ध गांव बनाती है। पिण्डारी, कफनी और सुन्दरढूंगा तीनों यात्रा मार्गों पर खातियों का ही वर्चस्व है। ये लोग कुमाऊं-गढवाल की परम्परा का निर्वाहन करते हुए अपने नाम के साथ गांव का नाम ‘खाती’ भी जोडते हैं। मान लो मैं खाती गांव का रहने वाला हूं तो मेरा नाम होता नीरज खाती। गांव के सभी लोग ग्लेशियर यात्रा से ही जुडे हुए हैं हालांकि आधुनिकीकरण की हवा भी चल रही है। हमारे साथ चल रहे बंगाली घुमक्कड का गाइड देवा और हमारा पॉर्टर प्रताप सिंह भी खाती के ही रहने वाले हैं। आगे रास्ते में हमें जितने भी लोकल आदमी मिलेंगे, सभी खाती निवासी ही होंगे। एक बात और बता दूं कि सुन्दरढूंगा ग्लेशियर जाने का रास्ता यही से अलग होता है। सुन्दरढूंगा जाने के लिये रहने-खाने का सामान ले जाना पडता है जो खाती में आराम से मिल जाता है।

Hello Wembley, Hi Freddie – Day 7

By Shubham

The moment we reached the station I zipped out, making a run for the stadium, dodging people left & right, while mom followed closely panting behind. The stadium could clearly be seen from the station, but the speed with which I was sprinting did not exactly allow me to take my eyes off the road and the people on it – yes, the ones I was dodging – and so I couldn’t soak in its beauty, magnificence and all at that time.

Iceland – the forgotten heaven !!

By SilentSoul

When Indian travelers go to Europe, the prime target is always Eiffel Tower of Paris, alpine meadows of Swiss or Rome or Venice or London or Keukenhof at the farthest.    Iceland is not even known to many Indians. It came to news mainly when its volcano erupted during summer of 2010, causing major disruption in air traffic across Europe, bringing many airlines to the brink of bankrupcy. 

Tynemouth: Sand, Sea, Castle & More

By Vikas Kapil

Just two or three stations before Tynemouth, through the metro window itself, I got the first glance of the sea, the great North sea, blue as sapphire. And when a person, who has spent most of his life in Delhi, which is 1100 km away from the nearest sea, gets a glance of the sea – He has every right to open his eyes wide.

Dhaari Devi – धारी देवी (उत्तराखण्ड)

By SilentSoul

So one night the head priest was awakened by someone and he saw Mother kali standing near his bed, eyes red with anger. She asked the priest to stop sacrificing the animals in her name, otherwise she would destroy his family. The priest woke up next morning in high fever and trembling with fear and announced “No more Balis” in the temple. The locals were infuriated as nobody believed his dream ! But seeing the adamant priest, who himself was enjoying the bali meat, they decided that the sacrifice will not be done at the temple but at Bhairon Gufa, 1 Km ahead the stream. So this Kali temple became the first sacrifice free temple of Devi in Uttranchal. I leave your own mind to judge the story as per your belief.

Trip to Harrods

By Shubham

It being a Sunday, the place was kinda full, but the fullness of it did not take away the splendour, grace, elegance & overall beauty of the place. There were beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, antique looking furniture was scattered everywhere and there were, of course, beautiful mannequins in windows. The décor of the place somewhat varied from section to section. The toys section was done in tones of cheer, with streams of holly adding to the gaiety, while the fragrance section was done up in subtle tones, so that the focus was totally on the brands displayed.

A trip to Narkanda – Sangla – Chitkul – Kalpa – Jalori Pass

By Pradeep Narayan

After crossing the dam towards Sangla, condition of road was not very good and it was narrow too, however it was fun driving through this chilling route along with green Baspa. My wife and son were also lost in this beautiful valley but my 13 yr daughter was alert enough to remind me to blow the horn at every blind turn which I think is advisable while driving on hills. Before reaching Sangla my kids were excited enough to peep the scenic beauty through the sunroof.

Kali Mathh -काली मठ

By SilentSoul

Kali Mathh is the only hindu temple, where they dont worship any pindi or any idol or photo. It is only that hole which Kali caused, which is worshipped here. All Shaktas at least once in their life, visit this place, specially Bengali Shakta followers. Even if you do not have deep religious appetite, the place is so beautiful, untouched by tourists and civilisation, that it would be a mistake not to have visited there by anybody loving Himalayas.

So in a wintery Feb,2010 I fixed programme with my childhood friends, Pradeep, Awasthi and Vijay to be ready for a surprise visit ! We started from Delhi early morning around 5 am and crossing the usually jammed roads, in the fastest way possible and reached Haridwar around 9. Taking a quick dip in Ganges, we continued our journey uphill and next stop was at Devprayag. You all know it is from Devprayag that the name Ganga starts, after Bhagirathi meets with Alaknanda. We stopped for a while for “Pind-daan” of my father who died 2 months before.

Paranthas & Steaks at Taste of London, Regent’s Park

By Shubham

Regent’s Park at Central London is one of the Royal Parks of London. It has Regent’s College and the London Zoo in there. It is the largest grass area for sports in Central London and offers a wide variety of activities, and has many cafes and restaurants.

Some evenings in Paris..

By Sanghamitra

..we walked through the Latin quarter region stumbling upon artistes making portraits and abstract arts in the middle of the streets..met a charming old lady with her souvenir shop who without even being asked proposed us a group photo..witnessed a wedding with the bride and groom posing for their wedding albums…

Venice: City of Dreams

By Naveena Israni

The buzz of the place, sparkling water, numerous boats, quaint buildings – all combined to create an image like nothing we had seen before. Venice is enchanting, romantic and iconic, bustling with life yet crumbling and ghostly. Everywhere we looked, it seemed like we were inside a painting or a film set arranged around picturesque canals.

London Dungeons & Stuffing Up

By Shubham

…a half hour walk through the gruesome parts of the history of the city of London. The plague, Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, The Fire of London etc’s scenes were created by the actors, and of course, the props….

1 Thinairexpedition The adventure of driving to Leh and Pangong from Kargil

Really nice Asif. I am going to Leh–Ladakh this June, feeling excited already
2 B Chandramouli Experiencing the temple town of Puri, Oddisha

Hi. Thanks for sharing your experience. Kindly share the Panda's contact details on my email id and also the dakshina that can be paid to him.
3 Shivani शिव खोडी – SHIV KHODI

What a wonderful blog, written very precisely and informative. This blog will definitely help me to plan my trip to shivkodhi.
4 sunil kumar गौरी से वो मुलाकात व इकाकुला का हसीन समुद्र तट !

Very well written about Bhitarkanika .
5 rjnivah Andaman and Nicobar – Around Port Blair

Really enjoyed reading this detailed Port Blair itinerary—it nicely captures both the sightseeing and relaxed moments like Wandoor beach and Chidiya Tapu. The mix of history, nature, and local experiences…
6 armaan Andaman and Nicobar – Around Port Blair

Really enjoyed reading this, it feels like a well-paced and genuine travel experience rather than just a checklist. The mix of relaxed beach time, museums, and a bit of trekking…
7 Abhinandan Sharma Delhi to Nepal in my Honda City!!

Great post. Planning to take my Honda city there soon. Was not sure if i can take a sedan there.
8 Abhinandan Sharma Delhi to Nepal in my Honda City!!

Great post. Planning to take my Honda city there soon