Indian Paradise - Himachal Pradesh

• by Ankita jaswal

Himachal Pradesh is the land of god and goddesses; it’s not only rich in culture but also rich in terms of greeneries and vivacious breath taking views. It was a short trip planned by me and my cousin, as soon as we done with our college exams. Himachal has always been our favourite place in India for having a family time or fun time with friends. It was a 5 days short road trip, from Delhi to Mcleodganj via Dharamshala to Palampur. We had a diesel car, which was the plus point for us in terms of expenses and as because of that the trip didn’t cost us much.

Mcleodganj the heart of dharamshala is famous for its Bhagsunag fall. There is a narrow stair case to the temple out there and the similar staircase leads to the waterfall.

It was just an incredible view. The quality of air over there was so serene and refreshing. And the weather of course completely unpredictable, but believe me that is the best part about it. Sudden rains are very common thing, when the chilled air hits your body it just feels amazing. It makes you feel like you are in paradise. After spending the whole day in mcleodganj by exploring few more places over there, we left for dharamshala. Returning back to dharamshala from mcleodgunj was a memorable journey, as we happen to forget the direction but because of that we landed to this beautiful place Kakeri Lake. It was a treasure, one could not imagine what nature holds on every second road and you never know what next exiting thing is waiting for you. We took a lot of pictures stayed there for one night and left on the very next day for Dharamshala. Even the people out there are very helpful, as we asked a tea staler about the right direction and he didn’t had much idea but he actually called 3 more people to help us by guiding towards the right direction.

The first destination in dharamshala was Dalai Lama Temple. The temple has been built in a very appealing manner and one could actually feel the purity. After that we explored the market and rested for one day. Spent quality time with each other and relaxed as the road trips at times become to tiring because of the zigzag roads. And finally on the next day we were all set to leave for pamplur. It just took us an hour to reach there but it actually felt like few minutes because of such smooth roads that one can’t even find in Delhi. One can easily make out that they have entered the palampur area when one starts getting the aroma of tea and can see tons and tons of tea garden around the road side. We reached the hotel (baroga heights) on time and relaxed for an hour and so and then left to explore much places around by walking. No worries, no pollution and just calmness, what more to ask for. Palampur is like mini Switzerland. The view is pleasing to eyes as well as soothing to heart; I’m sharing the picture below the content which will actually help you guys to trust my words. A must visit place. It’s new every time. Each time is a different experience.

Find a Travel partner and travel buddy to travel together and make your journey memorable using eChutti. Share your trip experience by creating your own travel blog and generate a travelogue to share your trip memories with friends and family.

Chatkaron ka chowk - Chandni Chowk (Delhi)

• by Vrinda Aggarwal

Last Wednesday me and my friends had this crazy idea of literally eating up everything we laid our eyes on. So what better place to eat than the heart of Delhi? Chandni chowk! What started as an exciting yet a little deliberate trip turned out to be something more than that.

After exciting the metro station, we got to check-in in the first place on our To-eat list.Natraj. With your mouth filled with the ecstatic pleasure of desi ghee and that dahi bhalla, the rustling on the road, with no seating and having a meal like that with your friends on a Wednesday morning is a dream come true indeed. With more secrets to share and more memories to make we proceeded from there towards our next destination with a hint of fascination and excitement within all of us. And what better place to top the Natraj other than the infamous paranthe-wali-gali. All four of us decided to order four different kinds of paranthe so we ordered aloo, mixed, gobhi and paneer paranthe. To say that we weren’t satisfied with them would be an understatement. Again seating space was limited but what mattered was the urge to taste those paranthas.so we did. Personally, I loved the aloo ka parantha the most. It was the perfect amount of heavy and when accompanied with chutney, it increased the flavor ten folds. While on our way to our next conquest, we came to the realization that we probably shouldn’t have had those dahi bhallas before. So a little heads up there. We went to ghantaghar to have the nectar of the gods a.k.a. the masala lemon. We finally got to quench our thirst by drinking that and we decided to take a break. Amidst all the moving beings, we four remain still. We just sat there and enjoyed our drink. As dusk descended on us , we decided to call it day with gianis faluda. On the whole the day was well spent but we did not stop there. There were still a lot of places left to explore and as they say “chandni chowk jakar pet bhar jata hai par neeyat nai”.

So this Monday we made yet another plan to visit there but in the late hours because we were visiting Al Jawahar Jama masjid. Due to ramzan, there were loads of stalls. From chicken to mutton they had everything. Mouth watering dishes were calling for us from all the directions. So we finally to Al Jawahar. And boy was it worth it! We tried the mutton korma and its every bits was splendid. All of us sat together and had a good meal and a good laugh.

Though we missed out on some amazing places such as china ram ka Karachi halwa, haldiram’s samosa and yes a lot but there is always as second time. In our case a third time. And yes, there will be.

Connect with tourists travelling to the same destination on eChutti. Make friends withtravel buddies in your city. Share your trip experience by creating your own travel blog on eChutti and generate a travelogue to share your trip memories with friends and family.

Every Mile a Memory

• by Nikita Tevetia
• • 
    

Summer break had nearly came to an end and I had spent the entire summer liking pictures of my friends trips on social media and hoping to go on a trip.My Aunt called up to tell me they are planning a trip to Manali. She asked to join them. Convincing my dad is the most difficult task ever, but me and my brother somehow managed to convince him.

All of us packed our luggage, sat in the car and set out on a family trip to Manali. We had to cover a very long distance of 545 km from Delhi. It had been a long time since I had gone on a road trip. I was filled with excitement. The best thing about going on a family road trip is that is full of fun and also opens a great opportunity to spend quality time with our family members.

We headed enjoying the company of nature. Beauty is hard to define but easy to recognize. There was beauty in variety of flowers, birds animals and plants- many of which were vividly colorful. There was beauty in mountains, valleys,hills and in the skies. In the lap of nature, while enjoying its magnificence, a long and tiring journey too felt pleasant and we finally reached our destination. We had reached around 6 pm the next day. The weather was cool and pleasing.

I believe life in Manali is a bit costly as it is a tourist place. Hotels are impossible for a common man. My dad and uncle are in the armed forces therefore we were lucky enough to get a guest house owned by Ministry of Defense on moderate charges. All of us were tired so we settled ourselves comfortably.

I woke up at 5 am the next morning and went to the balcony. I saw one of the most glorious scenes of the nature-- the sunrise. The world is at its best in the morning. As the sun goes up the whole world seems to become golden glittery. All flowers, trees look beautiful in the light of the dawn. Little birds sat on trees and pleased the ears with their sweet notes. I silently observed the best scenes of nature.

Around 8 am we had breakfast and booked a cab to visit Rohtang pass. Rohtang is approximately 51 km from Manali. As we moved we saw the roads were extremely narrow and slippery and we realized why it has a well-deserved reputation for being dangerous. On the way was waterfall named Rahala and looked amazingly wonderful. It was freezing cold in Rohtang. Even though it was summer season there were long and wide patches of snow which was a real treat to the eyes. This was the first time I was seeing snow. It was soft and beautiful lying on the ground like a white feather. The moment I put my feet on it I slipped and fell. It was really slippery, so it was quite hard to stand up. Snow is one the prettiest things I had experienced. It’s beauty was something which could not be explained through words. I thoroughly enjoyed myself playing snowball fight with my cousins. We made tiny little snowman.The weather at Rohtang is highly unpredictable. On our way back the sky was cloudy and there was moderate rainfall.

Tour to any place would be incomplete without shopping at the local markets. So after having dinner we went to mall road. The market was very crowded and noisy. There were several shops, all decorated beautifully. Big shops looked more attractive. The market is at its peak in the evening and there was great hustle and bustle. As Manali is cool region so shops were full of woolen clothing.

After a long and tiring day all of us went back to the guest house and sneaked into our warm blankets.

Next morning we visited the Hidimba Devi temple which is an ancient cave temple and Rishi Vashisht temple. This temple is popular for hot springs which is believed to have medicinal value.

Manali is a hotspot for adventure enthusiasts where you can go for various thrilling activities like paragliding, rafting, mountain biking, skiing and many more.

We decided to go for rafting. After receiving directions and safety precautions from our rafting instructor we geared up , boarded our raft and set out for our voyage down the treacherous river Beas. We started to slowly drift down the river. The water was crystal clear and almost as flat as sheet of glass. We moved slowly and I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting a more thrilling and exuberant ride. Eventually the current became a little stronger. I was excited and exhilarated. The terrain around became more rocky and rough. The water splashed making all of us completely wet. It was icy cold. Rafting experience was amazing and great.

A visit to the hilly area filled me with inspiration and peace. The days which I spent there offered me a stress free and relaxed life.Finally we returned home filled with the wonder and ecstasy of nature.

eChutti is social networking app to connect with tourists travelling to the same destinations. Publish your travel plan on  eChutti and find travel buddy. Also get best deals on holiday packages and package tours.

THE COLLECTOR OF TREASURES

• by harshita vashishtha

Amidst all the chaos and busy schedule one thing which everyone should do is to take a break from this hustle and bustle of their city lives. We all have become so much indulged in our lives that we have forget to enjoy life. We have forget to “seize our day” planning that we can go on a trip later may be in our 30s but who knows what will be the circumstances at that time. Will we be even alive and what if we are busy at that time too. One thing that I have learned in my 20s is that live life as if there is no tomorrow, explore as many places as you can because you may never know what the future holds for you.

My father is not a travel person. He will go once he is forced to but me and my brothers have a strong desire to travel. Just tell us where to go and we will be there. Well, this is how we are. The most important thing I have gained from my travel experience is that it doesn’t matter which place you go to as long as you are travelling with your loved ones. I have seen my friends travelling with their friends and boyfriends but I like to travel with my family. So this time i planned to go on a trip not with my friends but with my family. And this family included not the people you meet every day but those people you often meet in weddings and other family functions. These were my sisters, brothers-in-law, their parents and their children and of course me, my two younger brothers and one cousin sister.

 Two of my life’s important trips are with these people. One was to Kasauli in august,2015 and the other one to Ranthambore in januray,2016. I live in Faridabad and my sister and her husband in Chandigarh so we first took a train from Delhi to Chandigarh. The experience of the train was not so bad as I expected it to be and time flew away so fast . We reached their house and stayed there for one day . And now was the time when wanderlust struck us all and we all decided to go to Kasauli which is not so far from Chandigarh. So next day we all packed our bags and planned to go to Kasauli with our own cars. There were totally 10 adults and three small children thus we had to take two cars. We had this family resort on the top hill of Kasauli so we decided to stay there.

As every other hill station Kasauli’s beauty is at its best. You feel this serene and calm environment that you seriously forget about any other thing. The only thing that struck you is to hold onto these moments and to feel the calmness and silence of these hills. The wind blowing gently touching your cheeks and hair during the travelling is what you will remember the most. There is truly something magnificent and incredible about these hill stations and best part about them is that you can see the whole city from the above .From the resort in which we were staying we could see the whole Chandigarh from the above. And I know how people often say that seeing the sun rising from the mountains is something that directly touches your heart but the thing which touched my heart was seeing all the lights of the city lightning together among all the darkness of Kasauli . And it was truly magical I wish you all could see it. But anyway, to continue with the story the next thing we did during our stay in kasauli was nothing. We literally did not go to any other place, we just sat, played charades and cards ,and everyone’s favorite table tennis. Even though most of us did not know how to play but we surely tried our best. At last we wandered in the nearby trees and made as many memories as we could. And then there was time to come back to our busy life. It was time to come back out of our imaginary world to the harsh reality and to the same routine. Now the trip officially ended.

 And this is how I am going to sum up my little trip to kasauli : was it everything I hoped for? Yes, it was everything. Will I be happy to go again? Yes, because nothing makes me happier than to make wonderful memories and cherish and treasure them forever.I wish I could tell you about my other trip to Ranthambore but maybe next time. The only advice I would give to everyone is CARPEDIEM and enjoy your life to the fullest. Try to make time out of your busy schedule and go out with your loved ones as long as you have breath and time to go.

When your not in mood to travel solo, find travel partner on eChutti, Online paltform for travel enthusiasts to share travel plan, publish travel blog and join travel clubs of your city. Also get best deals on tour packages and travel tips from other travellers on travel forum.

My Travel Experience: The Magic of Leh Ladakh

• by sandeep singh saini

From pristine untouched lakes to serene and lush hills. From the meditative sounds of the Shanti stupas to the tantalizing local cuisine and views to die for; Ladakh is a once in a lifetime magical experience for all the senses, too amazing to even be fully conveyed via writing

A perfect cocoon of nature and man residing in peaceful harmony, Ladakh has much to offer as long as one remains flexible and adjusting to some of its other not so pleasant factors.

My journey began early. 5 am to be exact. I left from the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport and landed in a completely different environment at the Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport. The temperatures had dropped to a chilly 4 degrees and I was in the center of a 360-degree view of snowcapped mountains. Greeted with friendly smiles and a short car ride later I reached my hotel. To acclimatize to the sudden change in temperatures tourists are asked to not baths or even change clothes for at least 24 hours, not following instructions could lead to a bad headache and hangover. I rested in my room and decided to explore the local markets; The Moti market and the Tibetan market.

A picturesque vision, the markets sell everything from the freshest of vegetables to the famous pashminas of Ladakh. Buddhist masks, prayer beads, woven rugs, carpets and dresses and even handmade jewellery. All at amazing prices open to bargaining! The roadside cafes are a blend of old and new catering to the locals and the very often European tourists. They sell everything from the classic Maggi to ladakhi lemonades and of course some smashing momos! Evening had set and as the skies turned a majestic blue i headed back to hotel. Word of caution. Hotels in Ladakh are very basic. The constant power cuts make it nearly impossible to have a continuous Wi-Fi let alone a signal to even call home. Many hotels, including mine did not have a heater to help the person living adjust to the cold temperatures. Hot water is a luxury and food is a bare necessity. So enjoying the nature and the views is the next best thing for us tourists

The next day began with a light breakfast and a sense of adventure. My first stop for the day: Namgyal Monastery, a place for mediation and inner peace. Hat an excellent way to start the day. Later we went on towards the shanti stupa one of the largest stupas of Ladakh. Lunch was a traditional one with local favorites like ba ba bread and Tibetan stew. After a fairly relaxed evening we had a long and extremely bumpy ride to the khardungla pass. A complete opposite to the previous experiences this pass is not for the faint hearted. The khardungla pass is the world’s highest pass accessible by motors. Surrounded by snow and mountains. On can choose to take a stroll or sit i the cozy cafes with a hot cuppa. After an hour or so of picture taking and taking in the sights e headed back.

Distance of from lace to another is a major reason why visiting many places in one day becomes a challenge.

Day 3 had me feeling fully detoxed as i had had no signal, Wi-Fi or even a newspaper to feast my eyes on. Living in Ladakh allowed me to return to nature and reflect on many things, including life. A good thing once in a while to see where one’s heading. Nonetheless the day i was soon out of the meditative zone as today was the day i had been waiting for. I have one word. Pangong! Pangong Lake is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Leh Ladakh. Fondly remembered as the place where the "3 idiots" movie was shot. We had to start early as the lake is a long drive away and would take up a full day to visit. Caution: the ride is a very bumpy one. Be sure to take regular breaks to stretch and eat and carry neck pillows. But was it worth it? 100% yes. The lake was a magnificent view. A million shades of blue all at once. One can just walk along it, take pictures or participate in the various fun activities like archery or riding a quad bike. It is even more beautiful when seen in person and the history behind it is equally enchanting. Be prepared to be blown away.

Luckily for us, we camped overnight near Pangong lake itself. I would definitely recommend the experience.

Next morning we left to head back to civilization on the way we stopped at some more cafes and stupas before being dropped to our airport.

overall the journey was a wonderful one. it can be enjoyed even more if you come better prepared, with appropriate woolen clothes, some snacks and maybe some friends also. the clear skies and endless road makes one really relax and think about life. the stupas make for some great meditation and of course the wonderful mountains and lakes along with the "3 idiot’s cafe" also bring back some fond memories and stories of Ladakh everytime I remember Ladakh.

I have one tip for you dear reader: once in your lifetime visit this magical place.

eChutti is free social networking app to connect with tourists travelling to the same destination . Publish your travel plan on  eChutti and find travel buddy. Also get best deals on holiday packages and  package tours.

To the Pacific Ocean!

• by Saravanan

Aloha!

It is a Hawaiian word, it mean hello, affection etc.

Warm weather closer to Chennai and it is hot burning sun. Love it! But hate the warm climate sometimes! Volcanoes, beach and more, there are so many interesting things in Hawaii. Kona is the place where the recent volcano eruption happened in Big Island Hawaii. The dry side of Big Island is so dry like a desert and the small village in the dry desert is so cool. Then the view of five volcanoes from the place where we stay and we were saying with my host mom's sister's home in Big Island! We had a great time! My host sister savanna came down to Hawaii with her boyfriend. So, we all stayed in Sally's sister's home at Big Island! So, her name was Gail Lewis and Hilton Lewis. Hilton was working in the W.M.Kech Laboratory and Gail is a career counsellor! They had two dogs I am getting used to like dogs. I got a separate room and mom and dad were in different room. When we were going to Hilo to pick up savanna sister and her boyfriend Resse we saw a wonderful stream flowing like a canal. The water is so clear and it is rushing out from the canal. Aunt Gail and I went down near the stream to take some snaps.

We had a lot of beach time and different beaches everyday And the really good thing about American beaches is that they all had build toilets and a fine road to connect with the beach! And I believe the nearby hotel adopts the public beaches and do cleaning services in toilets and streets there! The beaches were clean and good almost clear water. I did some swimming, but not good swimming. But I was doing a lot of buggy boarding. But after savanna came it was really awesome, she was a great sister and an awesome swimmer. She took me little far from the shore into that wide ocean it was scary but it was amazing, I felt wonderful. The way it works is when big waves approaches I should start kicking then it (wave) carries me to the shore that was a typical buggy boarding working procedure. It was a different experience and enjoyed it a lot.

After few days of that we went to watch the volcanic eruptions. I was so excited it was an expensive trip. We stated the trip so early in the morning and it was raining (always raining in that side of island). But the time we reached the docks the rain stopped a bit, then all the passengers (about 25 to 30 other peoples) were waiting for boat. So, the captain came with the boat, we all got in and it was dark, up in sky and also the water. It's because the captain uses the stars as the navigator to reach the spot it was so much interesting because I only noticed it later than his boat doesn’t have any radar. Due to that there should no light in the boat that means no use of cell phones or camera’s with flash. Atlast, we reached the place and it was mind-blowing. They took the boat so close to the lava and I could feel the heat form sitting in the boat. I saw that lava pouring into the ocean and the sudden smashing of water the lava turns into kind of an ash stone. They also took some water using a metal bucket and it was burning hot. Last but not the least, we took photos and we are started our journey back to the docks. Those waves were really cool, since it was past 7.00 the sun was risen it was wonderful. That’s my first experience of sailing, I loved it. Thank you very much to my host parents.

Then, we came back home, I did some running since we had the rest of the day left and we went to exhibition at the W.M Kech Observatory headquarters. It was once in a year exhibition or more like open house, they had interesting facts and pictures took through the telescope. After that, the next day we travelled to a place called Luau in Kailua Kona in the other side of island, that place was called ‘Island Breeze Luau-He ’Ohana Kakou’ it was expensive as equal to the boat ride where we waited for so long since we reached early and have to wait till they open the check in time. I had no idea about that place; I only thought it’s just a restaurant with the view of Kailua Bay. But, it was a great dinner with only food from Hawaii more specifically only from that island. It was great place we also got temporary tattoos and some tasty drinks (non-alcohol since underage but I believe the martini’s were awesome) And yes, it did include Hawaii dance and people dancing together to different songs and the open view of the sky is amazing. We had a very good time there. The next day we drove to the side of the island where the volcanic eruptions happened few years back from The Kilauea volcano. They turned that entire place where the eruptions happened into a park it's called Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. We also took Uncle Hilton and Aunt Gail. It was a wonderful place and fabulous place for trekking. I enjoyed it to the core and there was another volcano named Mauna Loa which was active. The officials have positioned a camera so that the visitors could get just a glimpse of the lava, it was wonderful. So, after finishing the volcano tour we were searching for a place to have supper (dinner), but most of the restaurants were full. Everyone is hungry and I started to hear noise inside my stomach and mom wanted to go for an Indian restaurant, but we couldn’t find one. Atlast, we found a military hotel, interesting place, they had a very satisfying supper. I liked it, because they had potatoes. (I am a potatoes lover)

After that day I went with Aunt Gail and Uncle Hilton to a trail walk where they used to take their dogs for a walk. It was a pleasant trail, after that on that week Sunday we went to the market. I always enjoyed the Bloomington's Saturday market, but this market was as fun as Bloomington. On another day before going to beach mommy brought some shave ice (a kind of ice where they pour juice kind of thing on top of the ice) it was great. So, it was this day on the Beach-69 after those swimming time and buggy boarding, I was bored and I climbed on a volcanic rock in barefoot with a swimsuit on I knew it was dangerous to climb on barefoot. Though, I managed to get on it safely. It is going to be sunset time and the waves were striking the rocks so strongly and I am standing on top it. It smashed me the first time it was not bad. But the second was the big one; it smashed me to the rock and dragged me. Just imagine volcanic rocks, Oh man! Nothing really bad happened to me on that day, thanks to God. But it scared me a lot and I left the rocks as soon as the next wave hits but left with some blood.

We went to Waipio Valley before sending off sister and Reese to mainland (USA) they came with me while dad and mom took rest. So, this place is amazing trail into those woods and the beauty of the ocean was incredible. We walked down to the shore from a mountain top then we climbed another mountain top to capture the view. It was the spectacular view of the open sea. But one slip from there would have been about 2000 feet travel down before hitting the water. After that we climbed back on to the other side and dropped sister in the airport and we came back home. Before sister arrives, we went for kayaking in an irrigation ditch. It was a wonderfully made. Part of it is natural and rest of it is man-made, it was great. My first experience, I loved it.

Then the day before we left Hawaii, Hilton’s co-worker came for supper (dinner) and surprising it was an Indian family. They were from Trichy and his name was Sam who worked in Europe before started working with Hilton in Kech Observatory. So, he came with his wife and daughter! There are really wonderful people. I enjoyed speaking with them after a long time I spoke Tamil with a person face to face. Then we left Hawaii on that week. This was all happened during my spring break, plus, I extended it for a week so, that it will be worth trip and it was not finished next we landed in Los Angeles, California. To meet my second beautiful host sister Sylva.

Find your travel partner with eChutti. Get travel tips, great offers on tour packages. You can make friends with travel buddies in your city. Find a Travel partner and travel buddy to travel together and make your journey memorable.

To the end of the Earth

• by Samiksha Aggarwal

After my visit to Puri In the year 2012, I became one of those beach enthusiasts who spend their lives waiting for their next visit near the ocean. The fresh fragrance of the wet sand that gently slips through the toes, the wind tickling you, caressing you and the soft waves at the shore that touch you and head back to their origin. What’s not to love? And so, last July we headed to Thailand, a full-fledged ten day tour starting from Krabi, to Pattaya and ultimately to Bangkok.

Krabi is more of a village, but do not let that fool you. The hotels are beyond luxurious (like Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort, the pace we had chosen to stay) and although it was raining for most part of the time we were there, it had its own share of breathtaking sights that the rain had beautified. The incredibly famous seven island tour, where thrilling adventures like cliff diving, snorkeling and diving await you on islands and beaches like the Railay beach and Koh si. The speed boats through which the tourists commute are a great source of thrill and your security is always the priority of the employees although they make it clear that you safety depends greatly on how careful you are.

Soon we found ourselves on a short flight to Pattaya, where our stay was in The Centara Grand Mirage, a beach resort that was so charming that it hurt to leave it behind. The gulf of Thailand, so enchantingly huge, peeked at you from each window of your room and it was almost sad that we had to leave early each morning and come back late each night of the three days that we were to stay there, as Pattaya had so much to offer. One of the many things that I must mention here is the Alcazar show. Thailand, like many other countries has various animals that you can admire. The number of Bengal Tigers that you will find there are hard to find in India itself. However, the Alcazar show is unique in its very nature. Hundreds of men free themselves of restrictive gender roles and don the costumes of women and perform cabaret, leaving you spell bound. And let me warn you, you will not know they are men until you go up to the performers and talk to them, so convincing is their disguise and dance. The show celebrates different cultures of different countries and is highly interactive and entertaining.

If you have been to Kashmir, and shopped at its floating market, Pattaya’s Four Regions Floating Market will remind you of it, except perhaps it will provide you with more options. While a few shops come floating to you, the others are fixed in what can be an antique setting, a place that has a unique charm and that you must visit even if you do not intend to shop. The Coral Island, another destination worth experiencing, offers a plethora of water sports including paragliding. The time spent relaxing under the warm sun with a cool drink in hand watching the water ripple at your feet takes you to another world altogether.

Our last stop was Bangkok, the bustling capital that flourishes due to the sheer amount of people who flock to this place for shopping. Be it the street shops or the malls that are examples of modern architecture at its best, Bangkok has a huge variety to offer. You must, no matter what, keep in hand one day for exploring the markets, the street shops owners will expect you to bargain, so they will give you a high price beforehand. You will easily be able to slice those prices to at least their half. Our stay was at Amari Watergate, which was beyond awe inspiring. Bangkok also has a floating restaurant, a cruise which sails gracefully over water and provides you with live music and lip smacking Indian food and drinks. What really struck me was how beautiful the sea looked at night. Also, every time our cruise passed a hospital, the music turned to minimum and we were asked to keep our voices low, which spoke greatly of the country’s functioning and thoughtfulness. We always traveled via Thai airways and the staff everywhere was courteous and kind, always ready to be of help. Yes, it may be a little troublesome for vegetarians as the people of Thailand love sea food but traditional Indian food is also not very hard to find. The country is tolerant of all religions and the people are courteous. Thailand, a place that has proved to be a wonderful holiday destination over the years, while also not being over the top expensive, is one place that you must catch a flight to as soon as possible!

Connect with tourists travelling to the same destination on eChutti. Make friends with travel buddies in your city. Share your trip experience by creating your own travel blog on eChutti and generate a travelogue to share your trip memories with friends and family.

Visit to beautiful national capital - The Delhi

• by Yashmeet Kaur
March holidays started and we friends just got ready and picked our hand bags to roam in our city, the Delhi. Firstly we decided to go peaceful place Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, situated near Ashoka road in Cannaught place. My family say that every wish is fulfilled there. We reached there by metro. We gave our footwear to shoe minding room which is free service, cover our heads and wash our hands and feet. This beautiful Gurudwara is made of white marble. Then going upstairs, we entered into an elegant golden dome. We bowed down to Guru Granth Sahib resting in a palki and refreshed us with Sabad Gurbani. This golden dome also includes a small room containing a bed in which at night, Guru Granth Sahib is placed inside it and every morning picked out. The Gurudwara also includes a Sarovar. It has been said that when there was small pox ailment, Guru Harkrishan who is the eighth guru of Sikh religion took out the water from building’s well to treat this epidemic disease. Thus Bangla Sahib’s water contain healing powers specially for skin ailments. There was a Nishan Sahib containing tall orange coloured flag considered to be the symbol of Khalsa Panth. Then we gorged ourselves with some karah parashad which was yum in taste. There was a Langar hall downside in which food is provided to every person irrespective of religion, caste, gender. Many volunteers were preparing, serving the food. It’s great to see that any normal person can also do volunteering there. Then we saw their art gallery, library and there were also small houses for many travellers, volunteers who can stay there. There were petty shops outside the Gurudwara. From there we bought kadas.
After that we took an auto from there and visit Mughal Gardens-home of nature. It was located in Rashtrapati Bhavan. There was much crowd and we were excited to see the nature’s creation. As this time their theme was mainly based on lilies but there were varieties of flowers. When we entered after a long checking, we saw beautiful fountains and truly this refreshed us because we got tired on that day due to sunny weather. It was huge place. Lot of flowers were there like roses, lilies. I don’t know much about plants but I was enjoying the nature’s elegant gift on that day. It was glad to see that there was protection around these flowers so that anyone cannot pluck them. We took lot of snaps there.
It was about afternoon timing around 3p.m. and we didn’t have mood to go home. One of my friends suggested visiting Sanjay Van also. We refused to go there because it is considered to be one of the haunted places but we decided to go there at last. It is city forest in Mehrauli so we went there by metro. It was a long way, we all got tired during that journey in that silly forest and nothing was found there like haunted. It’s all superstitions I guess spreaded by foolish people. We also took some silly pictures and nature’s photographs also.
There were still some holidays left. Next day we decided to go an amusement park Adventure island in Rohini. We all had gone by metro. It’s a simple route to Rohini. We purchased tickets. It was a huge place to hang out. Though that day was not much good for us because many rides were closed yet we enjoyed there. After taking all rides, we felt very hungry so we went Dominos which was outside the park itself. Then we went back home. It was not a much tired day.
Those two days were like major missing because those days gave us the freshness of nature, fun with friends, and peacefulness after the busy study schedule.











Find your travel partner with eChutti. Get travel tips, great offers on tour packages. You can make friends with travel buddies in your city. Find a Travel partner and travel buddy to travel together and make your journey memorable.

QUEEN OF SATPURA – PANCHMARHI

• by shreya jain

Nothing is more appealing than to escape the burning heat of Delhi and get relaxed in somewhere cool. It was the month of June when the sun shines at the top and sucks all the desire to live. It was then decided to take break from the heat and me with my other 5 friends planned the best we could and commenced our journey to the rich land of resources-"Panchmarhi".

We collected all the necessary information about the travel like-which means to travel?, where to reside?,where to go and explore and the most important where to eat?.

We begin our journey via train-Delhi to Pipariya. The journey by train was long very long. It took us 18 hours to reach pipariya. Meanwhile in the train all we could do was chat. The long hours past by easy and soon as we shared some sneaky stuff, recalled our mischiefs, played our favourite never ending cards, talking louder than the snores of the uncle beside us. It was one memorable train travel. Immidiately after reaching the railway station,we sat into our cab that my friends arranged by contacting the Sethi Cab Firm. They have there cab accessbility across the country. The Driver was very friendly and helpful. The charges for the cab can be settled fairly as in our case was 700/day. From pipariya, we completed the rest of the journey via road. We reached panchmahri before the dinner time.

Our stay was planned in the "The Valley Hotel". It was 4 star resort and quite fair charges and good services, the only sinking cause was Food. May be other enjoy that food, but we could barely eat it. The very first night was the very last night we ate at our resort. The room we booked was spacious enough for 6 of us. It had a double bed and flat Screen LCD television and the black sofa set. We were lucky enough to be in that room. As the name suggests, there was eye pleasing, breath taking view of the entire valley when we draped the curtains aside.

The very next moring we got freshen up and as suggested by our local driver we ate our breakfast at renowned Maggi Point "Raju Maggi Joint" after that we sat in our very own sethi cab accelerated towards the panchmahri caves. The caves were cut out by the raging water over 2000 years or so. Well it was something different, That cut out and unnoticeable cracks and the engraving have to be the work of mother nature. The caves were mark of ancient times. We clicked number of pictures and spent a good deal of time knowing the stories associated with them. Near by was a small dhabha, where we drank a cup of coffee and bought some chips and cold drinks. After the caves, we headed towards the garden. Well that garden was spread in over 100 of acres of areas. It has more than 796 varieties of flowers and all the necessary information regarding the most unknown flower. The air surrounding the garden was fully enriched with the fragrance of the flowers. You don't need perfume or an expensive scent if you visit that garden. The weather till then was pleasant. Winds were blowing, the sun and the clouds were playing hide and seek, temperature was about 17°C. The atmosphere there was perfect for spending an eveing with your girl friends. We sat there untill the evening and rested on the fur soft grass of the ground talking, expkoring and definitely clicking pictures.

After all that roaming, we were tired and went straight to our hotel. After an hour of rest we went to a restuarant serving north Indian cuisine -"The Pujabi Tadka", which was 10 minutes  walk away. The food was admirably good.

When we were back at our hotel, we sat in the lawn, which had fountain in the midlle and water as cold as it was running straoght from gangotri. There Log Hut sheds all covered with christmas lights blinking were more than romantic than a nicholas sparks book. There were 2-3 benches flowers surrounding the boundaries of the lawn like knights.

The lawn was perfect ending of the day.

The next day we had hard luck. It was raining in the morning, in the afternoon and at night. Rain stopped only for  2-4 hours in the evening. The day was completely wasted over nothing.

When the rain stopped we decided to go through the local market of panchmahri. Residing in delhi the market did not impress us much, we can final all that stuff anywhere in delhi at much cheaper rates. The market was full was casual clothes, wooden showpeices, 2-3 stores of toys and a bakery. Shopping in Panchmahri is not a good idea. We came back empty hands. After having our dinner we came back to our rooms and watched the television for the first time in the hotel and slept some time later.

The next day, nature was quite supportive and it was bright sunny day. That was our last day in panchmahri and our reservation back to delhi were confirmed at 7.p.m. we had to reach pipariya by 6.30p.m. We packed our luggage and our driver settled them in the boot of the car and we said good bye to hotel and began our journey to way back. Enroute, was the most popular suicide point or lovers point whatever so call it, we stopped there. There suicide is said to be the highest point of the panchmahri, well it really was. We saw boys and girls names engraved on the rocks, benches. The sand was of orange and yellow colour. The fences guiding the point were shaking. They were definitely old. The view from there was mind blowing, we could even see the garden we visited yesterday. It was soo quite. We could hear the birds chirping, the trees rubbing against each other, etc. Our driver told us about some famous stories related with the lovers point while we sipped tea from the tea stall.

Afterwards we started our road travel and stopped only around 2.30pm for lunch, at the Narvana bhojnalya seving purely  vegetarian food, 2 hours ways from panchmahri.

We reached the railway station  by 6, took our bags out and thanked our driver for being an amazing guide driver ofcourse.

Till we were sitting on railway platform idle, we recalled the three previous days  and  were happy to increase the pages in our travel book.

.

Connect with tourists travelling to the same destination on eChutti. Make friends with travel buddies in your city. Find a Travel partner and travel buddy to travel together and make your journey memorable. Share your trip experience by creating your own travel blog on eChutti and generate a travelogue to share your trip memories with friends and family.

The Trip to Andaman Islands

• by Sambit Sil

In January 2008 I took a trip to Andaman Islands with my family. We traveled for about two and a half hours n a flight from Kolkata to Port Blair. Though the sea route is cheaper, but it is time taking and uncomfortable.

As you step out of the Veer Savarkar Airport, the pleasant smell of the sea and the clean air will mesmerize one’s soul.We had already arranged for accommodation and transport with a travel agent.

The hotels in Andaman are pretty good. We stayed at Hotel Sea Shell.We had arrived at Andaman at noon and after lunch and a nap we headed for cellular jail which reminds us the horrifying past of the islands and why it was called ‘Kaala Pani’.

It was used by the British to imprison Indian freedom fighters. It had seven wings earlier but now has only three.I was awestruck by looking at the amazing craftsmanship of the jail and it ached my heart to know that people used to spend their lives in those dark cells. In the evening we attended the light and sound show which describes the history of the jail. By the end of it we were all emotionally drained, after knowing what our freedom fighters had to go through.Next, we visited the Samudrika Navy Maritime Museum where we saw shells and mollusks.

On our way back to the hotel It felt so good away from the busy schedule in Kolkata.On our second day, we went to the three islands-Ross, Viper and North Bay. Ross Island was the headquarters of the British during World War — II. Now what remain are the ruins of a church and the British ship designs. The next stop was Viper Island .Our tour guide said that the name “Viper” was derived from a ship that got wrecked near the island. It also had a jail.

Next, the ferry took us to the North Bay which is full of coral reefs. Hardly any humans lived there. It is largely full of dense mangroves and mounds of coral reefs and shells scattered all over its shores. It is also a major destination for snorkeling. There we experienced a ride in the glass boats.

The food in Andaman was much better than what I expected. But what I noticed was the dishes were fairly above the average price in different Indian states. It also had a fair variety of sea food, such as different fishes, crabs and lobsters.Our third day was spent at the Havelock Islands. It was a pleasure to be surrounded by deserted beaches, crystal clear water and collecting shells from the beaches.On the fourth day we took a car ride from our hotel at dawn to travel through the island where the Jarwa Tribe inhabited. Photography was strictly prohibited as the tribals were not to be exposed to technology to keep them different from the modern humans.

The tribals lived on agriculture and cultivation that was done by themselves. They also didn’t wear any clothes, they used animal skins, thus showing how backdated the tribe is.The next we visited the limestone cave. We took a small boat that took us through a small river having mangroves at both side, the view was so mesmerizing that I fell in love with the Andaman.

When we had reached where the limestone caves were, we had to walk a kilometer in a queue to reach the caves, photography here too was prohibited as it was dark inside the cave and flashlight would dry the limestone, no longer making it a tourist spot.After returning to the hotel we went for a little shopping. The tour ended with this.Back at the Veer Savarkar airport, I promised myself that I would be back soon. Andaman’s beauty can not only be seen, but can be sensed in its calmness and serenity. It is a must visit for anyone looking to experience the sea at its best or just looking to take a couple of days off and relax.

Find your travel partner with eChutti. Get travel tips, great offers on tour packages. You can make friends with travel buddies in your city. Find a Travel partner and travel buddy to travel together and make your journey memorable.