11 Nov

Inside the aircraft

Reaching London, Stay at Hornchurch

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I took a video of the landing on my iTouch, & I have got to admit – it was quite awesome. We cleared customs quite quick & decided to eat breakfast before proceeding to Mausi’s place (for the benefit of the newer reader – she is my mom’s Mausi’s and is henceforth referred to as everyone’s Mausi). We reached the lounge, & the first thing my mom did was to run in for a massage. I decided to take a quick shower before breakfast & so I strolled down to the not-so-little cylindrical shower rooms, in no rush whatsoever as I was quite content with life as it was and wanted to savour every moment of being in London. By the time I came out, my mom’s massage was done, & so we had some hash brown, toast, scrambled eggs, sausages & salamis together. Afterwards, I generally lounged around reading all the sports sections in every newspaper, before we left around 9:30 am GMT.

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Paradise on Earth-Jammu and Kashmir (Part 2)

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These floating pieces of land are used by the landowners to do some kitchen gardening and are bound to the floor of the lake through a long pole. The boatman informed us that often these floating pieces of land are stolen in the stealth of the night and the police are left with no alternative but to register a case of ‘stolen land’!

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pink rose

Srinagar’s Scintillating Gardens- A Photolog

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Days flew by and now the trip’s over.We had loads of fun & here in this post I’ll be sharing the best pics of the journey! They are none other than of flowers (tulips, roses etc.) of the very famous gardens of Srinagar i.e. Mughal Gardens, Shalimar Gardens & Chashmashahi etc.

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राजस्थान यात्रा: भाग २ (बीकानेर)

राजस्थान यात्रा: भाग २ (बीकानेर)

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खैर हम पहले अपने होटल गए क्योंकि सब लोग ४-५ घंटे की सड़क यात्रा के बाद थक से गए थे और कुछ खाने पीने की ज़रूर दिखाई दे रही थे| होटल एक हवेलीनुमा मकान था, जो कि बाद में हमने देखा कि वहाँ आम बात है| किसी रिटायर्ड सरकारी अफसर का घर था जो कि उसने होटल में बदल दिया था| ये एक अच्छा व्यापार है बीकानेर में जहां यात्रियों, खासकर, विदेशी डालर यूरो वाले, की संख्या ज़्यादा है और लोकल लोगों के लिए ये पैसा कमाने का अच्छा ज़रिया है| होटल बहुत सस्ता तो नहीं था, करीब १५०० रुपये प्रति रात डबल बेड के लिए (घुसलखाने के साथ) लेकिन ठीक-ठाक था, सफाई ठीक थी और ऊपर एक रेस्तारेंट भी था जहां से नजारा काफी अच्छा था| लेकिन जिस बात ने हमारा पहुँचते ही मूड आफ किया वो ये थी कि स्टाफ विदेशी लोगों में ज़्यादा मशगूल थे और भारतीय ग्राहकों को नज़रंदाज़ कर रहे थे| इस बात को लेकर हमारी थोड़ी कहा-सुनी हुई और फिर स्टाफ का रवैया एक दम बदल गया| रात को खाना खा-पीकर हम बिस्तरों में घुस गए क्योंकि अगले दिन कई सारी जगह देखने जाना था|

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Kesaria Balam Padharo Mhare Desh- A Journey through the majestic “Blue City”, Jodhpur

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The grandeur of the city is difficult to baroque in words, the wide roads, the glimpse of the unique architecture, the hospitality of people; everything is entrancing to transport one back to the ancient Rajput era. The popular song, “Kesaria balam padharo mare desh….” epitomizes the true spirit of the people of Jodhpur who inspite of being proud of their lineage and cultural heritage welcome everyone to their city with an equal amount of humility and love.

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The ghats of Benaras – a place like no other

The ghats of Benaras – a place like no other

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Numerous invaders came, ruled and left. All of them tried, in their own way, to superimpose their own ideas, their beliefs on the land they had conquered. Yet, in the end, they had to retreat, vanquished by a spiritual force that was beyond their comprehension. The all-knowing Ganga, unperturbed by such delusions of grandeur,  gently flows along these blessed ghats as she has been doing since the beginning of time.

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Visit to Somnath, Dwarka and Nageshwar Mahadev – Part 2

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The legend behind the distance is the annoyance of Durwasaa Rishi, who cursed Rukmini that she would remained separated from her husband as she had not offered the Rishi the water which she took while pulling the Chariot of the Rishi, and hence this temple is said to be located at a distance of 2 kms from Dwarkadheesh’s temple.

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On Cloud 9 ! Skydiving in Dubai

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I put on my eye gear, tied my hair tightly and let Ellis attach me to his harness. We were waiting for our pilot to sign us when we would reach the 12,000 ft mark and as he waived a Thumps up….Oh F***, we have to jump now….NOWWWW!!!!!!….we crawled our way to the entrance of the plane, I could see the Palm Jumeira view and he said Jump….I bent my knees, jus couldn’t think anything and I jumped….we both jumped together, the freefall was amazing, the cool air dashing my face. Was I flying?? Have I reached heaven???? Is this really happening??? Am I a bird???? Wait wait wait….I was so shocked by the whole experience, so stunned by the beautiful views of Atlantis and Palm Jumeira and the lovely infinite blue and green ocean…..its just like a different world….Mind blowing !!!!!

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Kashi – a spiritual sojourn

Kashi – a spiritual sojourn

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Kashi has temples everywhere, a dozen of which are important; hundreds of smaller ones  crop up in unexpected places: along the river bank, in cul-de-sacs,  under trees and in various nooks and corners of its byzantine lanes. The origin of some is lost in antiquity, some of them are less than a century old but the holiest of them all, the Vishwanath Temple is the cynosure of Hindu pilgrims. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas (manifestations of the Lord as Light) of Saivism.

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Shri Gajanan Maharaj Shegaon / शेगांव- श्री गजानन महाराज परिचय एवं मंदिर दर्शन

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इस श्रंखला के पहले भाग में मैंने आपको परिचित कराया था महान संत श्री गजानन महाराज के पवित्र स्थान महाराष्ट्र के विदर्भ क्षेत्र में…

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