Anki On The Move: July 2013

Jumpin Heights:Bungy Jump,Interview

8:38 PM

The Jumpin Heights team gets candid with Ankionthemove about all things BUNGY and the journey with Jumpin Heights so far......!!!

Living at risk is jumping off the edge and smiling at your guts on the way down;
Jump Master Martina, of New Zealand, caught in action herself!

Follow them on
On Facebook:Jumpin Heights Facebook Page
Website:Jumpin Heights Official Website

A Brief on Rahul Nigam, the founder and MD, Jumpin Heights

Rahul Nigam is an alumni of National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He served in The Brigade of Guards.

He always dreamt of getting extreme adventure sports into our country. It is because of his thorough research and liaison that the Extreme Adventure Zone has come up in Rishikesh.

His main focus has always been on providing safety by implementing world class standard operating procedures, use of best equipment and having the best trained crew (Jump Masters from New Zealand).

Thanks to Rahul Nigam for taking the wonderful initiative on making Bungy happen in India and thanks to the alumni of Jumpin Heights and Brig Singh for the conversation.

The journey of Jumpin heights and how it all began?

A group of daredevils at Jumpin Heights
India is not known to follow best of the safety standards in the field of adventure sports. Thus it became a challenge which initiated our journey to set up Extreme Adventure Zone with international safety standards in India. Search to select best of the activities for the zone started in 2006.

Is the jump worth the thrill or are there certain risks involved ?

Have guts...!Then Jump

Extreme adventure activity gives the adrenalin rush only because of the risk factor. Safety comes from Experienced Crew, Intensive Training and high degree of Discipline. Bungy jump is a once in a life time experience and each jump is treated as First Jump by the crew.

The initial hiccups and how did you overcome…

In spite of the initial hiccups,the sheer determination paid off.
Jumpin heights celebrates 3rd anniversary

It took 4 years to seek sanctions/permissions from various departments of the Govt. It was sheer grit and determination on our part to have succeeded in getting approvals and setting up this venture.

Your greatest achievement so far ?

Jumpin Heights in Media

Our greatest achievement has been to have set up the world class infrastructure and run the site safely for 3 years. It is great to see people coming to do Bungy jump from all over the country. Some are travelling from the NCR or even Chandigarh to do only Bungy jump and go back.

The best words of appreciation (from jumpers who have jumped with you)?

Your mind is Nirvana

(a)"I can now die in peace. Thanks. Bungy was great fun"

(b)"Nirvana,Nirvana..Gautam Budha attained it under a tree, I went closer to it with Jumpin Heights"

Does Bungy jump/Swing/Flying Fox happen all year around ? Any age-weight limitations?

Don't forget to collect your Dare to Jump certificate

The site is closed during monsoons(16th Jul to 30th Sept). Minimum age is 12 years and minimum weight is 40 kgs. For Bungy maximum age limit is 45 years and weight limit is 110 kgs.

Apart from Rishikesh which other destination in India holds a potential to be an interesting future bungy jump site ?

We are still exploring various hill stations where tourists come for adventure.

If there’s one social cause you’d love to contribute to in India, what would that be ?

We are already supporting rural health care in a small way. We organize fortnightly medical camps in the local area.We have also employed number of local youth to work with us.

Your venture is an inspiration for many people who want to chase their dreams and do what they like even if it is out of their league. What would you like to say to them ?

Follow your heart and believe in yourself. “Darr kea age Jeet hai”.

Your vision of extreme adventure sports in india ?

When bungy is for everyone

The site also has asia's longest flying fox which you can enjoy with your family and your friends

To give an international experience of a safe Bungy to Indians at an affordable price

Your opinion about the performance of girls/women at Jumpin Heights ?

Girls from all over the world are showing higher grit and determination in extreme adventure activities. Even in Bungy, very few girls have backed out as compared to their counterpart. The number of girls visiting Jumpin Heights is rising each day.

International

Scotland:Live,PhotoEssay

4:15 AM

Scotland Revisited:The warmest Hi once again

Dear Dairy,

It isn't always that all your senses are tempted to and played with again.But I consider myself lucky.The things I missed last time in Scotland in April was the ones I was head on,in this trip.The previous posts were as:

A warm "Hi" from Scotland - Live Blogging
UK,Scotland:Visas & Flights (includes video)
Top 7 offbeat things to do in Scotland
A traveler and not a tourist: Scotland(includes video)
Food and Scotexpo 2013
Backpacking Scotland

Many of my folks have asked me "What is there in Scotland and why should we go there at all?".But today I let the pictures speak for themselves,Scotland isn't just one of the many trips,it is special.

And what more than one year to the next Common wealth games to celebrate with.Let's begin..the journey has just started and I am hear you tell you the untold stories of Scotland.The destination which you must have only seen in dreams..and wondered where?The answer lies here,yes everyone,just here.

Anki S.
Loch Lomond,Scotland 10:50 PM,26-07-2013

Me cycling,at the Chris Hoy Velodrome,the official Commonwealth 2014 Games venue at Glasgow.You can try your hand too.It's incredible because these are unusual bikes which you have to

ride on slant circular tracks.The higher you paddle,the more level up you go!

Scotland has great welcoming ambiance,sweet people and cool music.

The above picture @One year to go Commonwealth celebrations

There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail.This one's straight out of my hotel window.Would you want to settle in a place like this?

Where history meet contemporary. Each museum is decoratively created where even if

you ain't fond of history you can spend almost a day or two admiring the awe-inspiring sculptures architecture and beauty

There's music in the landscape.

The amazing countryside which creates a melody.

Watch the video below to get an insight for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2014

That's it for today.If you have been to Scotland share your most beautiful memories and I'll publish it in my next blogpost..

Cheers folks :)

Adventure

Hot Air Ballooning:India,Photos,Videos

9:17 PM

A popular travel blogger "Mridula" writes in her journal in Oct 2010 Rajasthan Trip "Skywatch Friday- Colors against the Blue Blue Sky"and pens it down as "I was listening to my voice and I can hear the excitement in it".Watch her Hot Air Ballooning videos here : Take Off Up in the air

My first Night Flight in Singapore

Such magic is done by the balloons that the world beneath look small,smaller than you think.I have had my first ballooning night flight in Singapore which was an impulsive trip in 2008,and the views from above where no less than Google maps.Let's see a super cool video 5th Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2013 to witness the cutest hot air balloon on earth

Hot Air Ballooning is a comparatively new sport in comparison with other sports.But the popularity of the sport is growing at its own pace.Recently Darjeeling,Pench and Jammu Kashmir are new additions to Hot Air Ballooning hot destinations.

Hot Air Ballooning in Gulmarg,Image Source: Travelnewsdigest

Let's take you to the most recent development in this field:

Off Road Adventures, Darjeeling:

In an interview with Sangay Sherpa of Off Road Adventure,Darjeeling,he tells us

"It's been 4 years we are into paragliding and 2 years into hot air ballooning in Darjeeling.To avail these sports,one must have normal BP and his weight should be more than 40kg. We also have paragliding pilots with more than 100 flying hours and we are soon to launch solo Paragliding courses in October.Till now we provide tandem flights or joy rides and tethered hot air ballooning ride.The mountain terrain is such that we cannot have a free without ropes ballooning ride in Darjeeling.We are a popular adventure sports company in Darjeeling and our motive is to popularize adventure sports in this section of land.We also arrange adventure courses of 7 days for school children of age group 8 - 18.For those who are looking for alternate ways of staying in Darjeeling,we provide camping options at Tiger Hill.We conduct 7a 7b national championship rock climbing for professionals.The cost for a tandem paragliding in Darjeeling is Rs 3000.For hot air ballooning its 1500/- per person for 10 people and 15000/- for a solo flight."

IISM, Jammu & Kashmir:

Gulmarg has been attracting world-wide skiiers since long,and now to the addition of adventure sports in Gulmarg is Hot Air Ballooning.The director of the Department of Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir, Talat Parvez,says

"In a bid to add new dimension to adventure tourism, we have started hot air ballooning. The successful demonstration took place and we are using it on a safety mode and it has been properly anchored. The pilot hails from Rajasthan and is well trained. The tourists by sitting in the hot air balloon will get to witness a panoramic view of Gulmarg from the sky. We hope that this becomes a regular feature for Gulmarg so that tourists who come for entertainment and who come to see snow should get an opportunity to see the snow covered valley. We are expecting large number of tourists".

The cost of Hot Air Ballooning according to IISM website is Rs 5000 for 5 days and the session runs from Aug - Oct.

Skywaltz, Rajasthan:

The most popular of them all is Skywaltz.SkyWaltz is the first company in India that has been licensed by the government to do ballooning on a commercial basis.Started in 2008, Skywaltz provides soaring hot air ballooning experience over Jaipur,Pushkar,Ranthambore,NCR & Neemrana. The cost of one 60 minute flight is approximately Rs 10,000.After the completion of the flight,you get Certificate of First Flight, duly signed by your pilot.Balloons are flown by highly experienced international pilots from the UK and USA.

Balloon Club of India,New Delhi:

The Balloon Club of India in New Delhi organizes hot air balloon safaris, as well as the India International Hot Air Balloon Mela in November each year. It's a balloon fair where joyrides are possible.

Tiger Ballon Safaries,Various Location In India:

Tiger Balloon Safaries offer commercial ballooning experience at various parts of the country including Pench and Gurgaon.They also offer festival flights at Pushkar Fair,Jaisalmer Desert Fair,Nagaur Fair,Hampi festival and Suraj Kund Crafts Mela.The cost per flight is Rs 12000/-

For my own adventure,I might be on a seaplane next in Scotland :).

Hope you liked the article.Hoping to see amazing comments

Bihar

Bodhgaya:Rural Bihar,Photos,Videos

5:54 PM

The popular and not-so-popular Bihar

All previous posts on Bihar:

The ploughing of field is as equivalent to workout in a gym. But its fun!
I trembled to recollect my past visit."Serial blasts rock Bodh Gaya temple" was the traumatic news in my morning newspaper few days back .I refuse to digest the news. Slowly and patiently, I opened my laptop and searched for my folder "Bihar”. The pictures reminded me of fond memories of the holy land as if each and every place was coming as a flashback in my head. The only question was "Is it as the same before and after the blast? Or have things changed?"Are religious places now targeted as vulnerable attack sites or as victims of god's fury? Who do we seek support of? I didn't have an answer.

Didn't know before my search that it would take me to someplace this beautiful

In the last article, we discussed on how I intentionally decided to track my roots. Little did I know that the Bihar which I had in my mind has changed long back. Surprisingly not many dare to go and explore this land, hoping that they might just be kidnapped or taken away by goons. Tourism runs low except Bodh Gaya. Yes, Bihar is solely known for Bodh Gaya world over.

Mahabodhi Temple,Bodhgaya

Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment in this famous and religious land. The last blogpost contained my journey to single seated ropeway in Bihar and to Nalanda. This time we literally ploughed the fields and walked through the mushy land of water to discover the hidden gems of rural Bihar.

So let's get a little dirty, and enjoy the rest of the trip! But before we do I have good news for all of you:

"I will be part of ‘One Year To Go commonwealth games2014 event' starting next week. Another adventure ahead.....and many more stories to come".

The video on Bihar

Rural and Remote Dona, Bihar

The view from my window,mindblowing isn't it?

I woke up to the most beautiful morning I have ever seen. I didn't wake up to brush my teeth this time as usual, I woke up to view the mist clad scene outside from the small window of the hut partially opened. The view was as a painting "two three huts, fields ranging infinity, cows on road, one or two jeep passing by". The feeling of being disconnected to the outer world and yet deeply connected to nature was as sweet as fresh nectar.

Dona isn't very far from Nalanda,Rajgir and Bodhgaya. Rajgir to Dona is 45 minutes. The village Dona is named after Dronacharya from the epic Mahabharata. It's interesting how the epic gels with the modern. In spite of my fear over the road connectivity I found roads to be just perfect.

The greens are always a therapy,it brings an instant smile

That morning when I woke up I didn't have any hidden agenda. Last night, I had the yummiest chicken ever prepared on chulha in Dona. Even though the electricity wasn't there at night, I never felt the need to have it. We chatted half the night below the twinkling stars and a lantern. It was amazing to know how people live. And more how people live so simple. I was amused at their level of happiness and satisfaction. I was bowled over by their hospitality. The chicken I had was incomparable, I felt like licking my fingers till morning. It had the scent of coal and wood. For the first time I had more than 4 chappatis to this homely made fresh and soft chicken and all under one roof in Dona.

Farming of the Indian paan

Once you are in a village, what do you think you can do?For most of the urbanities including me, we tend to confuse exploration with a mere googled plan. But alas! we had no plans. We set out to discover, this time we didn't have honks or beeps to stop us or a fixed plan to cater to. Me, my cousins, my mom, my brother and my mamaji along with the bhaiya who used to work for us before and now stays there, we all set for a journey I wanted to be part of since long but never got chance. Some say group travel isn't fun anymore, but I prefer it to solo. I don't mind solo travel which I have done a lot of times before, but over the years I realized it’s the people who you can celebrate with, is much much better.

Like this particular place would have been a little boring had it been done alone, but with a group the muddy fun just got exaggerated to the levels unimagined.

Getting wet, dirty and muddy in Dona Bihar

The only way to get to the other end.Dip in!

If you get one day to take a mud bath, would you love it or would you stay away ?If you get one day to cross fields without your chappals, would you still be with me ?

Field fresh

But if I say if you get one day to cross fields and fields and fields and plough the field and go in the paan fields along the small ponds where they say is home to the snakes or cross the small divided lines which separates one field from another without slipping down in all the muddy panoramic views around, you might consider.

This dip of water isn't that bad,is it?

No, you should. The feeling of walking with those bare feet in the fresh mud and finally giving up to just jump in the water to cross is unbelievable. The feeling of local villagers shouting and starting at you for your bemused muddy expression is laughable. The feeling of those same a minute back giggling villagers posing for you, is inescapable. That's all we live for isn't it ? The simple pleasures of life.

Dona village also contains a very ancient temple with a pond in front where it is believed that whatever you ask for is given. I wish..I just get to travel the world; I hope my god's listening.

India

Kolkata Traveler's Meet

7:46 PM

Previous two successful traveller's meet: Delhi Travelers Meet & Bangalore Traveler's Meet

According to the recent study by BBC "Bengalis make up at least 60% of India's 400 million-strong domestic tourist traffic".According to IBN Live "Bengalis are the most widely-travelled people in this country and one of the most travel-crazy races in the world in terms of budget tourism, spokesman of the Indian Tourism Fair (ITF) Debashis Chatterjee told PTI" and according to me "For generations and beyond Bengalis have been part of this great travel community who travel with their Kaka kaki chacha chachi friends family and even siblings.Budget travel it seems is there birthright.Born creative and imaginative,they find ways in hardest of situations emerging as a winner in most of the territory unknown.Be it in Sikkim,Kashmir or Kanyakumari you would find an enticing and chatty bong connection."

So much so that a travel blogger "Poonam Parihar" in response to my post on twitter says

Sadly,we do not have many such events in Kolkata.I have lived half my life in this super friendly,chatty,safe and cheap city and even now the phuchka in Kolkata compares to no other.Kolkata is under-rated.If Delhi and Mumbai are the metropolis,Kolkata always escape the eyes of those who compare but honestly I feel Kolkata is a land of creative genius with tremendous potential in every field.A land where every other person is either a painter,or a writer or a singer or a dancer or has been one.One cannot define Kolkata just as a one-stop photographic opportunity during Durga pujo which no doubt lights like a land of glittery holy shimmers but is much much more.Once you live you would know.

So in the name of noble cause of uniting all those who travel to the all others who would love to travel alongwith,here's presenting Kolkata Traveler's Meet on 24th August at the award winning Tea cafe at Sarat Chand Bose.

I have conducted two previous Traveler's meet in Delhi and Bangalore and have made many friends.Some of them are travelling together and some of them are sharing their travel stories simultaneously.Idea is to interact,play games,listen to your travel stories,share some snacks and destination together and get set rolling for the next adventure!You can get in your guitars,tabla or even as petty as your homemade travel scrapbook!We'd love to see...

You can get the details on other two traveller's meet here:
Delhi Traveler's Meet:A glimpse Feb 2013
Bangalore Traveler's Meet:A glimpse Dec 2012

Ah..random performances that touch the heart@Delhi Traveler's Meet

Bangalore Traveler's Meet on Deccan Chronicle

If you love the idea,join us for the fun.Here's how:

ARE YOU A MEMBER OF MEET-UP.COM ? ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS A RSVP "YES" TO ATTEND.

Meetup.com Event Invite ,

OR

SIMPLY MAIL ME YOUR CONTACT DETAILS,NUMBER OF PEOPLE ATTENDING AT ankionthemove@gmail.com WITH THE SUBJECT LINE "KOLKATA TRAVELER'S MEET"

OR

MAILING IS A BORE! WHY NOT FILL UP THE REGISTRATION FORM BELOW WITH THE DETAILS

SIMPLE ISN'T IT ? HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE SOON :)

Canada

Toronto:CN Tower,Museums,Photos,Videos

2:08 AM

Toronto : Alive and Contemporary
To view all previous posts on Canada,click here: Canada all posts

Where every point of view is beautiful @ On top of CN Tower

It's the magnum opus of CN Tower being woven continuously to this day in the landscape of truly cosmopolitan Toronto that I try to play hide and seek with but it appears from wherever I travel from.With Toronto,comes surprises.If you have been thinking where I had been all the while,let me tell you 1) I was holding onto my sweet and famous Canadian Georgian Hills Icewine and wondering if I should save it or just drink.If I drink I wouldn't be left up with the apple flavored frozen grapes made wine which of course I wouldn't be getting in India.One of the souvenirs I bought.There are many other small little things I bought.We'll discuss souvenirs later

The Canadian Ice Wine is not only famous but rich in taste

Can you spot something else?

My Canadian Tee-Shirt ;)

2)I was busy penning down my Canadian stories and realized there are so many that not even a book would be enough. 3)I thought I would edit the video guide first,but believe me this time I took 90 shots,yes 90 hd shots and editing will take time.So if you haven't watched my sweet and lovely 30 seconds Ontario trailer,click here:

And last but not the least,if you do feel jealous of my Canadian Endeavors,do not forget to write words of gossip(for ladies) and suggestions(for men) in my comment box.You could also help others by sharing your recommendations and stories.And before we proceed "LET ME TELL YOU WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER TRAVELLER'S MEET VERY VERY SOON IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CITY THAN BEFORE -ANY GUESSES?"

Our stay and how we did Travel @ Toronto

The stylish Hotel le germain at Mercer Street was centrally located to the iconic CN Tower and the busy market area.We had a pleasant and comfortable stay on all 4 days at the hotel with the continental breakfast.If you do wish to stay there(which I would recommend) you can walk around Queen's Street,China Town and even CN Tower which are at very close vicinity .We also have WiFi facilities in the hotel.

Ah..my cosy room @ Le Germain

The best way to get a general glimpse of the roads which was the first thing we did was to take a tour by the Toronto Bus Company.We got a chance to visit some of the interesting neighborhoods like Chinatown, Kensington market, Bloor-Yorkville,Queen street west and St. Lawrence Food Market.The summary on how to do Canada on your own will be put up in the last blogpost where we will over transport,budget stay and best places to cover.

The iconic CN Tower @ Toronto

You can't escape CN tower when in Toronto

CN Tower is Toronto's most famous landmark and probably most seen landmark.Holding a record for the world's tallest building and free standing structure for 30 years since its completion in 1976,it provides the view of the city that is second to none.It takes just about 58 seconds to be on the top of the tower at 147 stories.

The observation deck @CN Tower
The top of the tower isn't just the tower but an observation deck(from where you can look down 1222 feet glass),360 degree revovling restaurant and an edge walk if you dare(I found it a little costly for me $175 bucks for hanging on the edge,but I think that'll be worth the experience)

Dare you go! @ CN Tower
Museums that ain't boring but lively @ Toronto

The only word that comes to my mind when I think of museums is "Yawn,no way!".But of late,I have started liking the international ones.After Scotland,it was Canada's turn to showcase me the best of Museums.Adam(our tour guide,and editor of Dine) told us about the strinkingly interesting architecture of Royal Ontario Museum so we thought "May be".But we entered the museum we were like "Wow!Height of incredibleness".

Royal Ontario Museum,Toronto:The "ROM" as it is known to the locals is a crystal shard inspired design that not only transforms the museum but the whole of Bloor Street.

Have I missed the battle?Let's practice at ROM :)

Starting with the prettiest to not so pretty doll section,to the gladiators section where we dressed up as primary school fancy dress gladiator attire and swords(oh..It was heavy,I wonder how they used to fight) to the world of crystals to the egyptian history to even dinosauras. There are 4 different floors with 4 different themes.At 12 o' we had Gladiator show at Ground 0.ROM has stolen my heart and I would recommend it to everyone who visits Toronto.It's one hell of a museum.Timing 10am - 5 pm

Moving ahead of ROM is the Bloor Street East.Along the same road are the many designer shops you might want to have a look at."Winners" is one shop which I would recommend buying designer upcoming fashion wear on sale. Moving ahead we passed through the line of designer cars on both side of the road.

The cars we drive say a lot about us.How about this one?

Would you want to take one home(pic inset)?I wish I could.From convertible to batman cars to the vintage cars everything was on display.The beauty of Toronto is the theme of celebration changes everyday.Today was cars,tommorow could be something else.

Bata Shoe Museum,Toronto:How many pairs of shoes/sandals do you keep at home?4-5-6?Imagine 4 floors dedicated to two little lovely feet.

These are real shoes.Period.

Yes! A museum on shoes,sandals,chappals and a stunning collection of more than 12000 footwear.Some won by celebrities and some part of 4500 years of ancient history.Timings 10 am - 8 pm

Art Gallery of Ontario:The AGO features an impressive art collection you might like.Timing 10 am - 5:30pm

Gardiner Museum:The gardiner museum contains more than 2900 ceramic work from Europe,Asia & the Americas.Timing 10am - 6 pm

That's it for today.I hope I bought you bundles of creative museums you might have thoroughly enjoyed. Tomorrow we do some shopping in Toronto,discover food joints and do some cycling in the Toronto islands before we proceed onto the beautiful town of Niagara on the lake.