05 May

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 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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Leaving Munsyari – The long drawn route

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So with full gusto, I rev-ed the engine and started back amid beautiful landscapes, away from the thoughtful and calm gaze of Panchachuli, the peak which was in the back yard of our stay. The journey from Munsyari to Birthi was spent gazing at mountains, standing tall and quite, looking at the occasional habitat along side the road with Pahadi folk wearing black topis, half jacket over long shirts and pajamas and throwing infectious smiles as they go through with their daily chores. Because of rains, the road was not in its prime so we were a tad cautious; but there was an natural desire to drive a little faster and be able to reach Sattal, which as per our friends from Pahad was not a realistic goal.

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Our Trip to Kanatal, Uttrakhand

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We were on a 8-10 feet mud track with the rock face on one side and a steep fall on the other side of the track. One of the kids in our group was playing. While running around the child fell and tumbled down the fall. The child’s landed onto bushes growing at the side of the mountain and the child was lying on the bushes. One of the instructors immediately went down with the help of a rope and carried the child back up. The child was in a state of shock and all of us were shaken up too. However the child was perfectly fine physically. We went over to a local doctor who examined the child and reconfirmed that the child was fine. All of us thanked almighty for the grace and agreed to be more cautious. Although shaken we wanted to move forward.
We were back in the camp by 5:30 and were raring to take up many other activities. There were a range of activities including Burma Bridge rope crossing, a ropes course, and a range of sports including football, cricket, volleyball, etc.

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