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Movies on Europe
Euro Trip:
Madagaskar 3:
European vacation:
Calling all travelers from India for Europe who would love to Backpack Europe with me in august and october for 10 days..For details and registration:http://events.ankionthemove.com/
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Skydiving in India
If you are an adventure junkie,you needn't pack your bags and take a flight out of India.Represent your company or come as an individual,you are sure to have an experience of a lifetime.Enroll for tandem,static and free fall courses.
Skydiving instructors are...
Instructors are highly experienced instructors and expert jumpers who have trained hundreds of parachute jumpers in the past. The experience level varies from 500 jumps to over 5000 jumps. IPF also understands and distinguishes between an experienced jumper and an instructor, they are two different things which a lay man gets mixed up with. All training is planned by instructors. Selection of instructors has been made on merit.All IPF instructors have been former instructors at Paratroopers Training School of the Indian Air Force at Agra for a decade or more.
SKYDIVING IN INDIA..COMMON QUESTIONS FOLKS ASK..
Successful completion of camp in pune from 2nd April-8th April and dhana sagar MP 6-8th June.
Skydiving in Pondicherry: 29June-8th July!
Venue: Drop Zone in Pondicherry Airbase (2.5 hours drive from Chennai / 5 hours drive from Bangalore).
Think of a craft that takes u 10000ft above the Sea Level... And on the count of 3, you jump... Sounds crazy ain't it!!The details for the skydiving in pondicherry are:
Sno
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Type of jump
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Charges
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Remarks
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1
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Static jump Skydiving course with one jump
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18,000/-
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2
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Static jump Skydiving course with two jump
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31000/-
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3
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Static jump Skydiving course with three jumps
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40,000/-
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5
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Static jump Skydiving course with five jumps
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62,000/-
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6
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Tandem Skydive
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27000/-
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Contact me at ankionthemove@gmail.com or call me 9845088909 for the schedule and details.Hurry,only 3 seats left!
"Jane Anjane me hum kai bari aese logo se milte hain jinka nam hame shayad yaad rahe na rahe,rahti hai yaadein kuch un chand baaton ki,jine hum bhula nahi sakte"-Anki S
DRASS,KARGIL:
Drass, the second coldest inhabited places on earth had a certain air of unspoken silence in those days.The troops walked past the hoarding "Drass the second coldest place on earth",the unwelcome glances from the people.Parking in drass was strict with even a 2 minute stopover was at a risk of being interrogated.I out of curiosity asked one of the locals "Drass war memorial,how to go?"This side -> the symbolic silence again.
WHY THE KARGIL VISIT?
Although I had been to Leh before,what made it so special this time was the visit to Kargil.To many people if its religion and mythology that they find interesting,to me its anything that has war-rical significance.I always wonder what's so special about them,yet there is and there will,always be inclination towards those moments unexplained.It runs in the family may be,and it all comes from within.Branded as overtly patriotic,I have grown up listening to my grand dad stories as freedom fighter,listening to dad's pravachan on "Be simple and respect people",we never missed any single republic day or independence day event.As they say certain factors shape up your life,and my life is influenced by many.
KARGIL WAR AND FICTION..
Drass War Memorial is surrounded by Tiger Hill And Tololing range.The war memorial pays homage to soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the Kargil war."The Kargil War" wasn't a piece of such interesting fiction as the recent movie "Mausam" had tried to replicate with shahid kapoor in portrayal of an arrogant air force officer,flying the MIG over the ranges.The next could be a spider man flying I guess.We are talking about real people,real soldiers here..
THE SOLDIER ON DUTY..
Certain explanations are not worthy of attention to many.After numerous failed attempt to woo the least interested aam janta to actually listen to what has bygone,the soldier bore a mixed expression a smiling exterior to "why am i doing it" interior.
If it was just any other museum,I would have hated it.How much I hated history in class X,still have those fond memories of my mother preparing notes on history,and reciting me as a story on a pre-board exam day.Life is full of contradictions,our mind play games we least like.While I hate history,I have an unexplainable fascination towards war,although both are somewhat inter-related.So,when we smiled at him,we saw a sparkle in his eyes as if its been months someone is at least interested.It started with Captain Batra,the Kargil war,the ranges,the guns...a 10 minute walk inside the museum turned out to be of 1.5 hours...here's what we spoke on.
THE CHIT-CHAT
__________________________________________________________________________________
Anki:Where are you from?
Soldier:Punjab
and u...
A:All over India,Delhi now.
S:But originally?
A:Bihar
S:Oh..laloo's state
[We shared a few jokes..and to his knowledge,he knew more about Bihar than I did.I never stayed there for long]
A:Since how long been here..
S:Many years,yahi ab mera ghar hai mam..
A:Really,ap kuch kahani batao apni fir?
S:Chalo me batata hu[nothing beats a first hand experience] and the soldier was more than happy to share few stories of his bravery with us.On how the pitching of tent turned out to be disastrous in the avalanches of snow clad mountain,on how he saved lives,on how the people on other side of the border are just like you and me,except a few.On how much he loves firing guns,the skill that his son has acquired early on..wo army join karna chahta hai and I..
A:and You..?
S:Mam,life tough hai yaha.Me shayad haste haste apko kahaniyan suna du,but life is really tough here.But chalo acha hai,even I'll be a proud father someday.
A:And where does your family stay?
S:They stay back in Punjab,my son and my daughter with my wife.
A:So..you don't miss them?
S:My biwi stays happy with the money I send back,usko akele shopping karne ko mil jata hai.Me bhi khush wo bhi khush.This man certainly was a happy-go-lucky person.
[Suddenly]What's on your teeth?
A:Braces
S:Kyon?I saw another mam with the same set of metal wires on her teeth,is that a style statement these days?
A:No,its just that my teeth was shifting to a little side.
S:Hame to hum jaese hain usi me khush rehna ata hai.Aur shayad apko bhi..rehna chahiye[It reminded me of my father,at that moment but then again..]
A:Yeahh Yeahh
S:Ap kabhi ghar ana hamare punjab..
A:Sure
S:Mam..kuch log hai waha bahar,I have to go
S[To the people]:Drass war memorial is......blah blah blah
A:[It was spoken with such a farrata that I was amused.I asked him" ap din me kitti bari ye same cheez batate ho logo ko".
S:Ap pehli bari ye puch re ho,ni to log yaha ate hain,2 minute sunte hain,photos lete hain aur chale jate hain :)
S:I am just a soldier mam,log sune na sune ye mera farj hai unhe batana
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The vehicle stopped,this time just in front of the war memorial.The war memorial was decorated with flowers and there were many soldiers,all of them busy to welcome the general in couple of hours.This time we didn't have time to share stories.This time we just smiled,and he asked me politely "aap firse?" to which I replied "me yaha ati rehti hu"
The day was as bright as ever.The "just a soldier" busy as ever.
My friend Adit Abraham, an Executive Producer for a well known production house in mumbai, is looking for potential Co-Producers for a commercial Bollywood Film.
The Film is going to be extensively shot in Switzerland. They are attempting the new concept of crowd funding the film, so that it can reach a wider audience. Half of the funding is already in place.
Recently “Peddlers”, also a crowd funded film was bought by Eros Entertainment and is the official selection at Cannes.
Investment: 2 lakh or more
Return On Investment: Proportionate stake in the Film
Film Credit: Co-Producer
Those interested drop in a Message on his fb account. He will then provide you with further details of the Film.
https://www.facebook.com/adit.abraham1
Please do share it with your friends.
This post is an entry to the Dove and Indiblogger 'My beautiful hair story' contest.
My Beautiful Hair Story
My hair,deserves a little love,
My mother's weekly head message
The soft warmth of her hands
On my locks.
My hair,deserves a little venture,
A splashing swim pool dip.
My hair no longer fear,
A bike ride,or a long trip.
My hair,Deserves a little change,
A hair cut,a spa,a tong,a perm.
Sometimes curly,sometimes straight,
Sometimes wild,sometimes mild,
Sometimes long,sometimes short,
Sometimes pixie,sometimes coloured.
Cascading into spirals and loops,
Days of wow and days of oops
My hair,Deserves a little care,
A Dove shampoo conditioner pair.
Because what stays
beautiful is beautiful.
-Anki S.
Having lustrous and healthy hair is the dream of every women.Having thick hair is the dream of every men. In Indian mythology a woman's hair had such importance that they symbolise their honour and pride,Draupadi's hair was of great significance to Mahabharata...after being insulted and dragged into the court by her hair, Draupadi vowed that she won't tie up her hair and would let it remain dishevelled till bhima ties it up with his hands filled with duhshasana's blood!And today Draupadi Hairstyle is back in fashion again : Leaving hair loose, cascading down one's back.Quite an irony!
The main character of the Walt Disney animated flick "Tangled" and the upcoming release "Brave" symbolises the beauty of a free flowing hair.While tangled is long cascading endless tresses,brave is all about wild curls.
And for all the Hollywood divas out there,how much we love Katrina Kaif's poker straight thick hair,Kangana Ranaut's deadly curls and Priyanka Chopra's hairstyle.We love Victoria Beckam and Rihana for the pixie.We also loved Lisa Ray bold and bald.
My Beautiful Hair Story
My hair,deserves a little love,
My mother's weekly head message
The soft warmth of her hands
On my locks.
My hair,deserves a little venture,
A splashing swim pool dip.
My hair no longer fear,
A bike ride,or a long trip.
My hair,Deserves a little change,
A hair cut,a spa,a tong,a perm.
Sometimes curly,sometimes straight,
Sometimes wild,sometimes mild,
Sometimes long,sometimes short,
Sometimes pixie,sometimes coloured.
Cascading into spirals and loops,
Days of wow and days of oops
My hair,Deserves a little care,
A Dove shampoo conditioner pair.
Because what stays
beautiful is beautiful.
-Anki S.
Having lustrous and healthy hair is the dream of every women.Having thick hair is the dream of every men. In Indian mythology a woman's hair had such importance that they symbolise their honour and pride,Draupadi's hair was of great significance to Mahabharata...after being insulted and dragged into the court by her hair, Draupadi vowed that she won't tie up her hair and would let it remain dishevelled till bhima ties it up with his hands filled with duhshasana's blood!And today Draupadi Hairstyle is back in fashion again : Leaving hair loose, cascading down one's back.Quite an irony!
The main character of the Walt Disney animated flick "Tangled" and the upcoming release "Brave" symbolises the beauty of a free flowing hair.While tangled is long cascading endless tresses,brave is all about wild curls.
And for all the Hollywood divas out there,how much we love Katrina Kaif's poker straight thick hair,Kangana Ranaut's deadly curls and Priyanka Chopra's hairstyle.We love Victoria Beckam and Rihana for the pixie.We also loved Lisa Ray bold and bald.
WE WISH..
And every time we envy and compare,we secretly wish for longer fuller and smooth hair.And the reasons are many:
-For healthy hair looks neat.
-Different hair styles make you look different,simple and easy.
-And with every hair that grows, a compliment follows..
-An ugly face cannot be replaced,an ugly hair can be nourished.
Jokes apart,men or women,both desire to have thick shiny black hair.Who would love a John Abraham or Akshay kumar or Shahrukh khan bald?A mow ark can't be sported on a unruly rough hair or even a Dhoni cut!
If I ask any of my fellow indibloggers,a very prompt answer would be "Hair Care=Oil Message" ,most of us in India abide by a weekly almost like a ritual oiling their hair with coconut oil.Shampoo and conditioning comes next.While very few condition their hair,the number is growing with increasing number of women with premature grey hair,hair fall and hair damage.In case of men,its the early balding that's the major concern.
"At times I have unruly hair, but I still love my hair".In last 4-5 years,I have tried pixie,boy cut,streaks,long hair,curly hair,straight hair,coloured hair,layered cut,steps cut,sadhna cut,bob cut,fringes and I am happy.Every cut makes a change to my face.It's the only thing I can experiment with as long as it is there..
To make a change to your hairstyle with less hair damage,and to revive the texture of hair again,my hair mantra is:
-Do not fear the outcome of an hair experiment.The more comfortable you are with you are with your hair the more lovely you look.
-If a chemical treatment has severely damaged your hair,do not panic.Instead apply dove repair shampoo and conditioner with mask and apply curd as a homemade hair treatment.
-Do not go for a color and perm treatment together at the same time.Take a gap of 15 days -1 month between each treatment.
-Regular hair steam with oil and after message,helps in oil absorption and growth of hair.
-To revive back the grey hair,cut the grey hair if you have few and apply mehndi with coffee every month..along with amla oil.
-Color your hair with ammonia free colors readily available in market these days.
-Visit hair spa,but do not expect miracles in a single setting.
Ever since I have started taking care of my hair,there's no turning back,from pixie to long tresses my hair just smiles....and that was the end of my hair problems!
HOW HAIR AWARE ARE YOU?
Find out with the Dove Hair Aware App
WHERE IS HAMPI?
Hampi in north Karnataka is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.A former kingdom of Vijanagara Empire,the place is of Historical and Archaeological importance.Few scenes of Mallika Sherawat And Jackie Chan starer "Myth" was shot in Hampi.It is a popular tourist destination in south India and with Foreigners.Hampi as per google map:
HAMPI : OUR SUMMER OF 69 VACATION
Our quest for nomadic search for something new in Hampi found solace in exploring Hampi in a different way altogether.We call it our summer of 69 vacation,budget friendly,eco-friendly and people friendly.
When was the last time you had taken a vacation without boundries...
Riding on a moped to explore a city,spending hours and hours on the bank of river,splashing water jumping stones..buying triklets,stunts on bikes,fruit off the trees by throwing stones and dancing on the tunes of rajasthan.
This summer,why grow up!
Participants:Anki(Ankita)
Goluz(Gaurav)
Micky(Alok)
Video of Hampi:
HOW TO REACH HAMPI
Hospet is the nearest railway station to Hampi,350+ kms from Bangalore.Many trains and buses ply to Hampi.My first trip to Hampi was a road trip,though the route is not all scenic.This time,we had boarded a train to hospet from Chennai.As there are no direct trains,the route we followed was
Chennai-Tirupati(3,4 hours)-Hospet(overnight)
HOSPET IS NOT HAMPI
Hospet to Hampi is around 13 kms.To reach Hampi,take an auto from Hospet railway station to Hospet Bus Stand.From there the Karnataka tourism red bus(Rs 20) ply to Hampi.Convenient and inepensive.
HAMPI AND MAHABALIPURAM
Hampi bears some resemblance to Mahabalipuram in Chennai,you can also call it a giant extension of Mahabalipuram,while the latter is spread across barely a few kilometers,Hampi is a township of boulders and monuments spread across 18kms.
HOW TO PROCEED FROM HAMPI BUS STAND
Hampi bus stand is the last halt in Hampi.As every other place of tourist importance,we had to face the constant voices of the auto walas "Mam hampi is 18km,impossible to cover by foot,auto lelo,Rs 300 only".We started walking on Day 1,though we all came to a self experienced conclusion that Hampi cannot be covered by foot in a day,because the routes are confusing.
FINDING A MOPED IN HAMPI
At the backside of the bus stand is a road which leads to tungbhadra river.There aren't many shops which provides the bikes,cycles and mopeds on rent.However we found a shop in vicinity,one on the road next to bus stop and another was a gentleman who has few mopeds lined up near the TB river.The one near the TB river was reasonably priced,Rs 150 for a day.With some instructions on how to ride,gyan on petrol,we were set to explore Hampi quite a different way.
OUR MOPED KI SAWAARI
Moped was the best thing that has ever happened to us at Hampi.A bike would have been too fast,a cycle too slow.MOPED gave us the perfect pace to wander around Hampi.Glad we had it .
Just aevi gossip : Loved the movie "Ferrari Ki Sawaari" this weekend...Since we can't afford a Ferrari,moped was gud enough for us :)
WHERE TO GO IN HAMPI
-Queens bath
-Lotus Mahal
-Elephant Stables
-Mahanavami Dibba
-Underground Siva Temple
-Vithala Temple Complex
-Stone Chariot
-Tungbhadra river
-Tungbhadra dam
-The Virupaksha Temple
-Vijayshree Heritage Village Resort
To know more:
Hampi Poori Bhaji Experience,More pics,The crocodile bank side of Tungbadhra river,queen's bath,bouldering in hampi,tungbhadra dam and our rajasthani dance experience and the indian magician,see you next week.Glad you dropped by!
Image:Me,on an underwater walk in Pattaya,Thailand.2009
SEA WALKER,ANDAMAN
An underwater world for a non-swimmer and non-scuba diver,a sea walker is what you will definitely love.Why not try it out at Andaman,just 10 minutes from port blair?India's biggest(1600 sq ft) sea walker with all facilities,and rescue divers!Now take a walk into the deep.
GIANT SPIN,MYSORE
Video: London Eye
London eye,Singapore Flyer all are your favourites when it comes to one giant spin.The installation of Mysore Eye is in the pipeline,and expected to be ready and running by Dasara.The tickets would be Rs 300-400, and you get a bird's eye view of the royal city.Amazing isn't it?
And we thought....India was boring :)
Image Source: Google Images
The Canon or Nikon Dilemma
Gone are the days when cameras were just cameras.To an amateur like me,a camera is still a camera,but the world has changed.So one day,when one of my friends said,"Gal, buy a DSLR",I wasn't shocked.This wasn't the first time someone has said me so,"yaar it's just bloody 30 k,tu itta ghumti firti rehti hai,ek DSLR le le".
Frankly,I cannot call myself an old world sort of,I like to have things as simple as possible.Many a times,my friend adi told me,yaar how can you survive on Nokia 6303,tera network ni lagta and it doesn't suit you.I hardly bother,cauz the purpose gets solved,to talk on phone.I never use APPS and I am not fond of Mobile Games either.With life and its complications,I do not enjoy messing up with 100 keys on cell phone,I envy those who have them,but its rarely a heartfelt desire to go get that model or the phone.Same with the cameras.
Back to DSLR,it took many days or months to actually convince me that I really really need a DSLR,and once I was sure enough,that yes,with the kind of travel I do and the videos I make,It might be of great help,the next step to find out which one?I have sony wx7 digicam with which I take videos and photos and its around 3 years old.How old is too old these days?My brother's 6 month's old cell phone is considered old,so mine one should be aged...Time goes fast these days,of course with the technology.
Sony can be one of the best in terms of digicam,well I am not quite fond of canon and nikon low end cams.But then when it comes down to DSLR,the choice narrows down to Canon and Nikon.Now the question is which one amongst the two.In case of choosing the best digicams,you have the option of comparing the self portrayed pic in each cam at ezone,chroma etc.When its DSLR,it gets difficult as the individual showrooms contain the brands.To make it more simpler,I just posted an FB status message "Nikon or Canon DSLR,suggestions?".
To which I got mixed replies,50% nikon,50% canon..gosh!
Thankfully my brother volunteered to buy a DSLR for himself first,and It gave me immense relief.A first hand experience is always better. He googled and searched the Internet,whole of it,watched the review videos and finally told us Canon 550 D is it.The next morning was our date with camera showrooms,comparing prices,canon 550 D with the lenses came out to be rather steeply priced 38k.In my head "the inner voice kept on saying,anki stop,London return tickets 30k,air Asia 8k return to Bangkok,Melbourne 38k...no ways!",and then I firmly asked my rather stubborn brother happy with his choice,can we do a test click?
Click.Click.Click.
The first look of my face,on the camera was rather not so impressive,it was as good as the picture my digicam takes of me.I told my brother,look this is not going to work,the professionals use Nikon.He annoyingly told me this is not for clicking humans but animals and nature.Well humans with nature and animals doesn't hurt!It might be one of those factors that the showroom was dimly lit,but then there wasn't any other way we would've clicked a pic,how can we buy a DSLR based on the instinct..
Then finally my brother told..
It's going to be outdated in another 6 months,may be we should wait and watch.May be we have a better camera.Maybe we get discounts...Maybe we have better mega pixels,may be we have 3d videos..a list of may beees.
The Canon or Nikon Dilemma was rather funny,I am still confused which is better?Can anyone suggest me a decent DSLR model which clicks perfect human,animal,nature,still,vid all pics,and simple too!
Editor: Ankita Sinha,Gaurav Sinha
Fact File: Bangalore - Hubli - Pune -Mumbai - Daman - Surat - Vadodara - Ahmedabad - Udaipur - Jaipur - Ajmer - Kotputli - Chandigarh -Ludhiana -Jalandhar - Amritsar - Pathankot - Dharamsala - Mandi - Manali - Shimla - Delhi - Mathura - Agra - Jhansi - Jabalpur - Amarkantak - Bilaspur - Nagpur - Hyderabad - Bangalore
Time: 18 days
Total Distance: 8545 km
Date of Start: 30th Sept 2010
Meet the Family : Gaurav Sinha(star driver) ,Ankita Sinha(Sister),Karuna Sinha(Mother),Bijay Kumar Sinha(Father)
Some journeys are insane yet incredibly beautiful. In Sept 2010,my brother came up with a unique idea of driving All India covering thousands of kilometers and by our 11 year old non-AC Maruti 800. We drafted a rough plan, as to how many days it will take, printed a few road maps and finally took the seemingly impossible plunge. Here’s a quick glance on how we did it:
Day 1-2: Bangalore - Hubli - Pune (890kms)
Bangalore-Pune is a long journey and we started early in the morning at around 7:00 AM to avoid traffic at Bangalore outskirts, and cover Pune in a day. The journey from Bangalore-Pune is smooth and took us around 14 hours on a non-stop drive where we stopped at Hubli for lunch and reached Pune at around 9:00 PM. Luckily, our car stopped just in front of our hotel and not in the middle of a highway which would have thrown our plans for a toss. Due to overexertion on the car and after checking it up with the local mechanics they said our alternator need to be fixed, so we had to extend our stay at Pune for one more day. The culture in Pune is predominantly cosmopolitan mostly students, the weather was great. We explored the nearby city mall, and walked around Pune to get a glimpse of the city. End of day2.
Day 3: Pune-Mumbai-Daman-Surat (449kms)
The Pune Mumbai 6-lane high speed expressway is a cakewalk for drivers. The stretch of long non-stop roads along with numerous tunnels on the way made the journey of around 2 hours worth. At a point, there were two diversions - one leading to Lonawala and the other to Mumbai. The hills on the way to Lonavala though much greener bore stark resemblance to the ones around Bangalore, we would have definitely visited Lonavala but our Mom was reaching Surat in the evening so we proceeded towards Mumbai. Mumbai welcomed us with traffic jams. That’s when we thought of heading straight to the unexplored Daman.While travelling to such long journeys, you often witness changes of temperature, quite evitable on the Mumbai-Surat road journey. While Mumbai was humid and hot, Daman was burning.The beaches of Daman are cluttered, dirty and black. The popular beaches "Nagoa","Gogma","Jallandhar" are not really worth visiting.Though we had heard the Diu counterpart is better but then Diu is almost 660 kms from Daman and is on a completely different route altogether. The drive in Daman city is itself very confusing. Gujrat smiled us at Surat next. My Mom joined us at Surat and we were very happy to see her. Surat really isn’t a travel destination for the adventurers but there are some temples nearby and the diamonds and saree of Surat are world-famous. Even though I am not really interested in these things my Mom was very excited. Remember her broad smile on that day, I can safely say that girls will not be disappointed here. It served as a perfect stopover for the night where we did some shopping and went to some popular temples. Next day we would be covering whole of Gujarat.
Day 4: Surat-Vadodra-Ahmedabad(263 kms)
Vadodara has a rich historical background and is the town of educational insitutes.In Vadodara, We visited the Indian railways training institute where my dad was commissioned as an Officer in the railways and then proceeded towards Ahmadabad, Gujarat’s most commercialized township and one of the fastest growing city in India. South east of Ahmadabad is the artificial Kankaria lake, which was near to where we stayed. We visited the temples, Kankaria Lake and the local markets. As we were going back to the hotel which was nearby Ahmedabad Railway Station, we were stuck in the worst traffic jam that we encountered in the whole trip of ours. We were literally stuck for more than 2 hours and we reached our hotel at 10:00 PM in the night, far far behind what we had initially planned.
Day 5: Ahmadabad-Udaipur-Ajmer (525 kms)
Next day we had planned to reach Ajmer by the evening. We had two choices, to go via Udaipur or to go via Chittorgarh. I am not sure whether we did the correct thing or not but we selected the Udaipir route which is more popular. At the same time, I would like to inform everyone that people say Chittorgarh route is very scenic. We started from Ahmedabad at 7:00 AM and reached Udaipur at 11:30 AM. Udaipur palace is no doubt one of the most majestic palaces in India. The city's famous Lake palace sits proudly on Jal Niwas or Lake Pichola.The palace was splendid. We clicked some photographs and then proceeded towards Ajmer and reache there in the evening. Ajmer is famous for the Ajmer Sharif dargah. Thankfully, one of the Imam at the dargah is in the same organization as my father and he organized a fantastic visit of the whole dargah on the same night.
Day 6: Ajmer - Pushkar - Jaipur-Kotputli (274 kms)
Planned: Ajmer -Gurgaon
Reached Ajmer - Charkhi dadri (haryana)
Next morning, we went to Pushkar which is only half an hour from Ajmer city. It is a famous place all over India for its fair as well as the numerous temples. It has the only Brahma temple in the whole country. After visiting some of the temples, we started for Jaipur. We reached Jaipur at 11:00 AM. We thought of spending 3 hours there. Jaipur is bursting with forts, museums and palaces. Famous for the Bandej sarees, we explored the city as much as we could. With such shortage of time and also because I have gone to this city earlier, we only visited the forts from the outside. After taking our lunch,we started from Jaipur at 2:00 PM. Our next stop was to be Gurgaon but when its old Maruti 800 and the light is dim, it’s difficult to find out what has gone wrong. We realized we should have atleast carried one emergency light with us. We were stuck at the highway at around 7 pm and our car just didn't move. The worst part being on the Gurgaon-Jaipur highway particularly at night, getting help from stranger is a pretty tall task. There are lots of vehicles zooming at high speeds which just doesn’t stop and there is no one who is walking who could have referred us to the local garages.With two ladies (my mother and me) and my brother, we managed to find respite in the interiors of Haryana around half an hour drive from Kotputli, our vehicle towed to theirs. The best part about road journeys are the people we meet along. It turned out to be one of the most memorable stays. Village all around, unperturbed by beeps and honks, simple people and great food.
I have never had such a pure dhud(milk) in my whole life and freshly prepared vegies from the khet with the ghee roti.Loved every bit of the experience.Wish we'd stayed there more..But as they say,we had to go!
I have never had such a pure dhud(milk) in my whole life and freshly prepared vegies from the khet with the ghee roti.Loved every bit of the experience.Wish we'd stayed there more..But as they say,we had to go!
Day 7: Kotputli- Chandigarh (310kms)
[Jhajjar-Rohtak-Sonepat-Panipat-Ambala-Chandigarh]
Next morning, we checked the car and we found out that there was no major problem in the car, just one of the wires connecting to the battery was loose! We were relieved and we thought we can skip Gurgaon as we will be coming to Delhi later anyways. We proceed towards Chandigarh bypassing Delhi. Delhi-Chandigarh highway is favorites with delhites.Though our journey was from Charkhi dadri (haryana)- Chandigarh crossing Jhajhar,Rohtak,Sonepat,Panipat,Ambala,Chandigarh.The interior roads in haryana ,at that time ,was broken and many a times not even a concrete road. As the area was flooded a month back, the journey turned into an adventurous bumpy ride with views of flooded villages. A journey of even 10 kms was taking as long as half an hour and our only goal was to somehow connect to the highway, thankfully, Kurushethra was where we connected, and we reached Chandigarh by night.
Day8: Chandigarh - Ludhiana- Jalandhar - Amritsar (242 kms)
Punjab is quite synonymous with Amritsar for the golden temple and Chandigarh for the rock gardens. For us, we just spent a couple of hours driving around Chandigarh and then we started off for Amritsar. Chandigarh-Amritsar at some sections are definitely good with green fields and water bodies like beautiful canals and rivers on the way. Punjab after all means the land of five rivers. The road from Jalandhar was crowded and had bad traffic. We reached Amritsar by noon and went straight to the famous Jalianwala bagh and Golden Temple. Then was the visit to Wagah border to witness the ceremony and I was completely overwhelmed , it’s a feeling I cannot describe. Anyone who is going to Amritsar must visit the Wagah border. Then we visited the Golden Temple at night again and the lighting there was spectacular.
Day 9: Amtrisar-Pathankot-Dharamsala - Palampur (211kms)
The view of the hills along the route is very beautiful and for some time, we felt like we were in heaven. Unlike other hill stations, the road leading to Dharamshala is very very narrow and a very steep climb.Dharamsala is untouched by commercialization hence the beauty is intact. Dharamsala is home to the Dalai Lama. Tsuglag Khang the temple complex houses Buddhist monastery - Namgyal Monatry from where Dalai Lama performs prayers. Famous with foreigners and tourists, we loved the monastery. We had booked hotel at Palampur so we visited the Chamunda Devi temple which comes in between Dharamsala and Palampur.
Day 10: Dharamsala-Mandi- Manali (245kms)
Our next destination was Manali. A special thanks to the Indian military which has built up a long tunnel which has shortened the journey to Manali by about 50 kms. One of the very interesting feature about this trip was the hills on one side and the free flowing river Beas on another with many waterfalls enroute. Every scene was picturesque and we clicked as many pictures as we could. Manali welcomed us with panoramic views of snow laden mountains. We reached Manali at noon and for the rest of the day, visited most of the important tourist places around Manali.
Day 11: Manali-Shimla(248kms)
Shimla Tattapani hot sulphur springs was on the Manali- Shimla route,famous for the healing properties of water and we enjoyed going to the hot springs as well. Mall road is the lifeline of Shimla and we absolutely loved our experience walking down the mall road. I bought some woolens there but you need to bargain hard.
Day 12: Shimla-Delhi(367kms)
Just around 1 and a half hour drive from Shimla is the famous Naina Devi Temple located on the hillock, the road is steep and we got lucky that our car didn’t break down in between. We visited the temple and started our journey towards Delhi. We took our lunch at the McDonald’s and reached Delhi at 5:00 PM. There’s something about India gate in Delhi that's so nostalgic. A must visit for everyone : janpath and the India Gate. Our father joined us at Delhi who suggested us that we should avoid Uttarakhand and Bihar as because of the recent floods the roads were severely damaged. So we decided to cut our itinerary short by going straight to Jhansi.
Day 13 : Delhi-Mathura-Vrindavan-Agra-Jhansi(428 kms)
Mathura, a little town,birth place of Lord Krishna comes in the way of delhi-agra road. After visiting Hari Krishna Janm Bhumi , Vishram Ghat , Dwarkadeesh Temple , Gita mandir, Nidhivan , Seva Kunj and Banke Bihare Temple and crossing fatehpur seekri near Agra,we reached Agra. Agra is famous for Taj Mahal,and it truly deserves the title of "one of the seven wonders of world”. A visit to Agra isn’t complete without a visit to Taj Mahal. We also tried Badia,petha and Jalebi,famous in Agra. Agra is also home to one of the biggest fort in India, the famous Agra fort from where King Akhbar ruled the country. We reached Jhansi in the evening at 6:00 PM. Our parents were tired and we took a well-deserved rest.
Day14 : Jhansi-Sagar-Jabalpur(400 kms)
Next morning we went to the fort at Jhansi which is very well maintained, compact and worth seeing. Rani Lakshmibai, one of the most famous fighter of our country had used this very fort. After spending some time in Jhansi, we proceeded towards Jabalpur. After accumulating lots of dirt in the ongoing road trip, our car gave up at a town known as Sagar. Quite an irony, as there is no sea nearby! But we again got lucky and our car stopped right in front of the mechanic’s shop. He charged only Rs.200 for cleaning the carburetor but it took him more than 3 hours. We were already running very late so we asked him if there is any shortcut to Jabalpur. He said to us there is an alternate route which is much shorter but in between comes a jungle and in a stretch of over 20 kms, there is absolutely no road. We thought we have no other choice because had we taken the longer route we would have reached Jabalpur very late. The road was great for the first 20 km or so but then started the nightmare. Maruti 800 is a very small car and its not meant for jungle roads but we took the risk and plunged into the jungle. We literally crossed little rivers and the tyres gave up after some time. We became quite anxious and changed the punctured tyre as quickly as we could have done. Then came a small bridge and horrible was over. We realized we were extremely lucky as we didn’t had any more spare tyres. We finally reached Jabalpur at 8:00 PM.
Day15: Jabbalpur-Amarkantak-Bilaspur(323kms)
At Jabalpur,we took the cable car over the Narmada River at Bhedaghat from where the bird’s eye view of Dhuandhar Falls and Marble Rocks is amazing. We also did boat cruise at bhedaghat. Of all the road trips we have taken so far,this route is one of the best and most scenic. With flowers alongside the road, the route took us by surprise. In the midway, comes Amarkantak,which is a hill station as well as a famous pilgrimage spot in MP.We visited the famous Narmada temple, the place where river Narmada originates and then we started off for Bilaspur.
Day16:Bilaspur-Nagpur(392 kms)
Lata mangeshkar musical garden at Nagpur is a landscaped garden and lawn. The garden also has the musical fountain. We visited the Mahavir Mandir,ganapati temple along with Lata Mangeshkar Musical Garden.
Day17: Nagpur-Hyderabad(490 kms)
Located in the middle of the Old City, Charminar is a major landmark of Hyderabad which we cannot ignore as the monument is situated right at the heart of the city.We started off from Hyderabad next morning.
Day18: Hyderabad -Bangalore(570kms)
End of the journey. What a great and memorable trip it was!
Sorry guys for very less pics,and no videos..The road trip was way back in 2010,may be next time,we have lots of videos and pics 4 u..Till then happy reading :)
Sorry guys for very less pics,and no videos..The road trip was way back in 2010,may be next time,we have lots of videos and pics 4 u..Till then happy reading :)
Travel Tips:
1)Plan properly (Destination,current road conditions etc etc)
2)Know your limits(Start with small road trips and then proceed to something like this)
3)Don’t panic when in trouble
4)Carry all the emergency items
The All India Road Trip On Outlook Traveller July Edition!
When was the last time you had taken a vacation without boundries...
Riding on a moped to explore a city,spending hours and hours on the bank of river,splashing water jumping stones..buying triklets,stunts on bikes,fruit off the trees by throwing stones and dancing on the tunes of rajasthan.
This summer,why grow up!
Coming soon :Humpi-Dumpied At Hampi.
with Mickey,Gaurav And Me!
18 days,8500 + kms,11 year old non -AC maruti 800 an iconic All india road trip covering states which you would otherwise miss..! From north -south and east to west.
Did you know?Daman is not so good,The stretch from Chd to Ludhiana is amazing,that himachal is not only manali,and that Bilaspur to Jabbalpur mp is a road stretch with flowers,that villages of Haryana are all about nice people we meet.Drive through hills,tough terrains,small rivers,waterfalls,tunnels,land and the sea.
You will Love it!
This summer,why not explore more
Coming soon: The All India Road Trip 2010
Jammu-Leh
Ladakh is my favourite and its been so in my all 3 trips over 3 years.Meet the iconic and repeated road trip..Jammu-Srinagar and around-Kargil-Leh ..Well did you know?The kahwah at dal lake is amazing,that the apples of gulmarg tastes like we had never before,that war memorial at kargil is worth a visit,that Siachen road is off route and not that beautiful.That leh-tibetan market is costly,bargain hard.Save ladakh from being over exploited,it feels sad to see it commercialised so much,I can see the difference in 3 years.Save ladakh going the manali/ooty way.Join me in cleanup Ladakh and Kashmir Eco Friendly drive :)
Journey to The Land of Thunder Dragon
Ever thought of going Bhutan,but cheap!Its easy,all we got to do is backpack and go..
Coming soon:A journey to The Land of Thunder Dragon
Love your country..Go beyond the usual Manali,Leh,Sikkim,Kerala,Ooty,Kodaikanal and Andamans..Explore more!Register for a group or solo travel to any place in India..skydive,bungee jump,social service everything at:You wanna go,we form a group and go! Its that simple.
http://events.ankionthemove.com/
Ever thought of going on a sea plane a la balloooo in talespin or ever thought of those high rollers in India.Well your dream is now a reality.
Take a tour of NCR pride region on the world's coolest machine the Segway PT i2 while becoming a celebrity as everyone watches you cruise by!
Come on a Segway tour through the Nation's Capital and experience all of the great sights the city has to offer. There will be an abundance of photo opportunities of historic buildings, monuments and memorials, including:
* Secretariats
* Rashtrapati Bhavan
* Parliament
* Various scenic beauty surrounding the Ministry buildings on Rajpath
* Amar Jawan Jyoti
* India Gate
Video of segway
What a lovely way to tour delhi..Delhi we need more of these!
Calling it the “Jal Hans”, government-owned Pawan Hans launched India’s first seaplane operation in Andamans with one eight seater Cessna 208 A in Port Blair.
The seaplane can land in both land and water..Awesome isn't it?
Video of seaplane
well..I hope I try both of them soon!What do you guys think,isn't India progressing..we have the best places the best people and the best sports..well if not the best,we are trying to be on par.
Take a tour of NCR pride region on the world's coolest machine the Segway PT i2 while becoming a celebrity as everyone watches you cruise by!
Come on a Segway tour through the Nation's Capital and experience all of the great sights the city has to offer. There will be an abundance of photo opportunities of historic buildings, monuments and memorials, including:
* Secretariats
* Rashtrapati Bhavan
* Parliament
* Various scenic beauty surrounding the Ministry buildings on Rajpath
* Amar Jawan Jyoti
* India Gate
Video of segway
What a lovely way to tour delhi..Delhi we need more of these!
Calling it the “Jal Hans”, government-owned Pawan Hans launched India’s first seaplane operation in Andamans with one eight seater Cessna 208 A in Port Blair.
The seaplane can land in both land and water..Awesome isn't it?
Video of seaplane
well..I hope I try both of them soon!What do you guys think,isn't India progressing..we have the best places the best people and the best sports..well if not the best,we are trying to be on par.
To read all the post on Darjeeling visit
[All About Darjeeling]
GUYS! NEXT BLOG POST WILL CONTAIN DARJEELING PART 2 VIDEO AND THE OTHER PLACES..LAST AND FINAL POST ON DARJEELING DO NOT MISS IT. NEXT DESTINATION IS GONNA BE BHUTAN AND KURSEONG.
CHOWRASTA:"THE PLACE" IN DARJEELING
CHOWRASTA= CHOW + RASTA = 4 ROADS (well that's my guess,but it sounds alike :) and there are 4 roads indeed)
Chowrasta is a very famous joint in Darjeeling.The Mall Road leads to Chowrasta.It's where the old meets young,the travelers meet tourists,city's most happening get together joint.In the morning and the evening there are horses with the gentlemen shouting "Ghursavari ghursavari" while I find it insane to just take a round on the horse in the crowded Chowrasta road.But for kids,its the best bet,specially when their parents do not want their kids to go far.Bache bhi khush bade bhi khush. :)
Chowrasta is surrounded by a horse stable,CCD, police station at one end,and Fiesta,Tea Museum,Liquor Shops,Antique shops at the other end.
WEATHER IN DARJEELING
The weather in Darjeeling in unpredictable.For all the days we stayed,it rained past afternoon almost everyday.Mornings were sunny(in fact its early morning in Darjeeling and late evenings),lunch time was moderate and cloudy,post lunch it would rain,and the night used to be cold.
Note: The three most important thing you will need in Darjeeling is the Umbrella,Shoes and a handy jacket.
Towards the end of Chowrasta is the tourist must visit places list.
TRAVEL AGENTS IN DARJEELING
The travel agents in Darjeeling offer different packages and they are commonly named as 3-point sightseeing,5-point sightseeing,7-point sightseeing etc etc.A 3-point sightseeing (Tiger Hill,Batasia loop and Ghum Monastry) would approximately cost around Rs 700/800 on a reserved vehicle booked a day or two in advance.If you reserve it at the spot the prices might go as high as Rs 1500.Since these places were way too far to be covered by foot,we opted for a shared vehicle(Rs 150/person for 3-point sightseeing).
DARJEELING START OF THE JOURNEY
NOTE: Except Mahakal Temple,Shruberry Park,CR Museum,Gym And The Church,all other places are either an uphill or downhill walk of 10-11kms.If you are with your friends,prefer walking the city as it is absolulety doable.But for elders,complete the destination in 2-3 days as the walk is scenic but quite exhaustive.And in few sectors,there are no vehicles plying without reservation,just in case you get tired and want to return back.
Though the people of Darjeeling are sweet,you can take a lift, in fact one gentlemen driver gave us a lift when he saw us walking at 3 am to the Tiger Hill Taxi Stand.
PLACES TO SEE IN CHOWRASTA VICINITY
1)Mahakal Temple: 8/10
Right at the corner of Chowrasta,just a little walk away is the Mahakal Temple situated at the hillock.You have to climb a few stairs to reach the temple.The temple is small,peaceful and in a way marvelous,we liked it because of the colorful flags in the temple premises.Worth a visit!
2)Church : 07/10
Right in the front of church is the map of Darjeeling.If you are interested in knowing where you are at the moment along with the places in Darjeeling,the map would be helpful.The church was beautiful but was closed on our day of visit and the subsequent days.The locals told us "Sunday ko khulta hai" ..
3)Shruberry Park : 6/10
Well,frankly the place is visiting in the morning wee hours,as the entry from 6-9 is free.The park is very well maintained and cool place for morning walks and jogs.
4)CR Museum: 5/10
Step Aside is the house where the great patriot and freedom fighter from Bengal Chittaranjan Das lived the last one month of his life. Also popularly known as Deshbandhu Museum.
5)Gymkhana
We didnt visit the place,but its very close to Chowrasta just in case.The guard told us "itti dur se ae ho,gym jaoge,vaese kuch haini ander" :P.You guessed it right,we skipped it.
This is quite an interesting site which contains information on Darjeeling with MAPS and description,just in case...
http://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_000024.htm
[All About Darjeeling]
GUYS! NEXT BLOG POST WILL CONTAIN DARJEELING PART 2 VIDEO AND THE OTHER PLACES..LAST AND FINAL POST ON DARJEELING DO NOT MISS IT. NEXT DESTINATION IS GONNA BE BHUTAN AND KURSEONG.
CHOWRASTA:"THE PLACE" IN DARJEELING
CHOWRASTA= CHOW + RASTA = 4 ROADS (well that's my guess,but it sounds alike :) and there are 4 roads indeed)
Chowrasta is a very famous joint in Darjeeling.The Mall Road leads to Chowrasta.It's where the old meets young,the travelers meet tourists,city's most happening get together joint.In the morning and the evening there are horses with the gentlemen shouting "Ghursavari ghursavari" while I find it insane to just take a round on the horse in the crowded Chowrasta road.But for kids,its the best bet,specially when their parents do not want their kids to go far.Bache bhi khush bade bhi khush. :)
Chowrasta is surrounded by a horse stable,CCD, police station at one end,and Fiesta,Tea Museum,Liquor Shops,Antique shops at the other end.
WEATHER IN DARJEELING
The weather in Darjeeling in unpredictable.For all the days we stayed,it rained past afternoon almost everyday.Mornings were sunny(in fact its early morning in Darjeeling and late evenings),lunch time was moderate and cloudy,post lunch it would rain,and the night used to be cold.
Note: The three most important thing you will need in Darjeeling is the Umbrella,Shoes and a handy jacket.
Towards the end of Chowrasta is the tourist must visit places list.
TRAVEL AGENTS IN DARJEELING
The travel agents in Darjeeling offer different packages and they are commonly named as 3-point sightseeing,5-point sightseeing,7-point sightseeing etc etc.A 3-point sightseeing (Tiger Hill,Batasia loop and Ghum Monastry) would approximately cost around Rs 700/800 on a reserved vehicle booked a day or two in advance.If you reserve it at the spot the prices might go as high as Rs 1500.Since these places were way too far to be covered by foot,we opted for a shared vehicle(Rs 150/person for 3-point sightseeing).
DARJEELING START OF THE JOURNEY
NOTE: Except Mahakal Temple,Shruberry Park,CR Museum,Gym And The Church,all other places are either an uphill or downhill walk of 10-11kms.If you are with your friends,prefer walking the city as it is absolulety doable.But for elders,complete the destination in 2-3 days as the walk is scenic but quite exhaustive.And in few sectors,there are no vehicles plying without reservation,just in case you get tired and want to return back.
Though the people of Darjeeling are sweet,you can take a lift, in fact one gentlemen driver gave us a lift when he saw us walking at 3 am to the Tiger Hill Taxi Stand.
PLACES TO SEE IN CHOWRASTA VICINITY
1)Mahakal Temple: 8/10
Right at the corner of Chowrasta,just a little walk away is the Mahakal Temple situated at the hillock.You have to climb a few stairs to reach the temple.The temple is small,peaceful and in a way marvelous,we liked it because of the colorful flags in the temple premises.Worth a visit!
2)Church : 07/10
Right in the front of church is the map of Darjeeling.If you are interested in knowing where you are at the moment along with the places in Darjeeling,the map would be helpful.The church was beautiful but was closed on our day of visit and the subsequent days.The locals told us "Sunday ko khulta hai" ..
3)Shruberry Park : 6/10
Well,frankly the place is visiting in the morning wee hours,as the entry from 6-9 is free.The park is very well maintained and cool place for morning walks and jogs.
4)CR Museum: 5/10
Step Aside is the house where the great patriot and freedom fighter from Bengal Chittaranjan Das lived the last one month of his life. Also popularly known as Deshbandhu Museum.
5)Gymkhana
We didnt visit the place,but its very close to Chowrasta just in case.The guard told us "itti dur se ae ho,gym jaoge,vaese kuch haini ander" :P.You guessed it right,we skipped it.
This is quite an interesting site which contains information on Darjeeling with MAPS and description,just in case...
http://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_000024.htm
