A TRIP TO KASOL

After liking the backpacker's link on facebook me and my sister realised that we can think about going to Kasol . It was such a random decision for both of us . I no more regret now. After convincing our parents umpteen times we finally got permission .

So our journey begins with six people , my sister knew them but i met them for the first time and i was the youngest of them all . We assembled at Civil Lines Metro Station , New Delhi which was our meeting point . We all were so excited as we never visited Kasol that too with friends . I seriously needed some break from this sultry weather . Waiting for two hours we finally sat in the bus and it was such a relief . As the journey begins , new people were introduced and our group kept increasing . After chatting amiably for hours everyone fell asleep . But when I woke up in the morning view was totally different such a pleasant day it was .

Kasol is a village in Himachal Pradesh , northern India . It is situated in Parvati valley , on the banks of Parvati River , on the way between Bhuntar to Manikaran . Kasol has recently transformed into a hub for backpackers , it has low population and good climate throughout the year . Kasol in also known as MINI ISRAEL in Himachal Pradesh .

If you notice there is thin wire that connects the mountain containing daily products through some kind of trolley . It is such a herculean task to go up daily just to reduce the time the concept of trolley was introduced , which is great . One amazing thing is that you enter throught 11 KM tunnel which is made by cutting mountains to reach Kasol . I imagined what human hands can do and create such a thing .

As we moved up to Kasol I could feel the nippy air against my skin . After many halts we finally reached our destination . I was totally lost in the beauty of nature . Such a stellar view it was , river flowing through mountains , trees all around , sound of river. Infact , the whole atmosphere was different .

One has to cross this perilous bridge to reach to your camps . Everyone was screeching and scared but it was such a pleasure experience . At night it becomes even more scary as there were no lights one has to carry their torch . After crossing bridge we finally reached our camp site which was marvellous . We were group of six so we took the biggest camp near the pristine river Parvati .

Everyone was so amazed after seeing such a beautiful place . We took some rest and had lunch after that we were told to get ready and leave for Manikaran , which was 8 Km from our camps . On our way, we took snaps and videos of flowing river Parvati .

Manikaran is located in the Parvati Valley , on the river Parvati and 35 km from Kullu . There is some story behind this gurudwara . A man named Manu recreated life in Manikaran after the flood . Also , area is well known for it's hot springs which is natural . People of gurudwara wash utensils , take bath and even cook rice in it. It is quite interesting that on one side of the temple there is cold water on the other very hot . After all , it is natural and hot water is considered extremely auspicious . After that we had 'Langar ' which was so good and mouthwatering too . It is a must visit place .

It was a tiring day . After we reached our camps the ambiance was different as bonfire was lit and it was quite chilly at night . This was how our first day ended .

Next day I woke up early at 6 a.m. and stepped out camp . It was pouring all night and view was breathtaking . Mountains looked even more beautiful . I took out my book and sat river side . I never felt so good reading experience was totally different . I was lost in the story. There was complete silence except chirping of birds and flowing water .

Few hours later , we got ready for trekking . I never thought trekking would be so much fun . We left at 11 a.m from our camps and started walking towards Chalal and Rasol. Trek was easy in the beginning as everyone was full of energy and enthusiasm .

As we move forward , it started becoming gruelling hike . Narrow path with stones , mud , water and lot more . We were at altitude of around 8,000 feet above sea level and has not more than 100 houses . The hike took around 4 to 5 hours . After reaching above view was simply awesome . I never imagined that I would be able to reach here . We were told to get down early as weather was not good and it could be risky once it starts raining . So , we took rest on some rocks as legs were torturing .

We reached our camps at 7 p. m . Everyone was tired after tedious hiking . We saw some people dressed in traditional attire . Well , they were the folk dancers of Himachal . Karayila - which is the most interesting and popular folk dance . In the center the bonfire is lit , which is the source of light and heat . This bonfire is considered very sacred and all performances are held around this bonfire . The entire valley reverberated with the sound of music and joy . Everybody had a great time there. People were dancing and enjoying with folk dancers . Everybody forgot about the pain because of trekking and they were dancing in full enthusiasm , everybody was enjoying.

On last day of our trip we visited the local market and tried some Israeli food in the local cafes. Found some funky stuff like bracelets and neckpieces . Art gallery was major attraction . Everything else was common and available in Delhi .

So , that was the last part of our journey . We reached around 6 a.m at our meeting point . Finally leaving this place and my mind was etched with memories , made new friends . I felt a tinge of sadness that why this journey has come to an end . I enjoyed each and every moment of this trip even the bus journey, met some amazing people . It was an unforgettable experiance . One should definitely take a break a plan a vacation which will help you understand better and you will feel lively . It is better to travel often than having monotonous life . Waiting for next trip !!

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Fort Kochi - A traveler's paradise

• by Reetika Srivastava

Fort Kochi is the embodiment in bricks and mortar, of what every traveler’s dreams are made of. The beautiful vintage houses, the flower decked balconies with French windows, the inspiring wall art, the colorful streets; it truly is every globe trotters’ paradise. It is a sleepy town set amidst the Arabian Sea and the bustling city life of Ernakulam. I went to Fort Kochi for a one day solo trip, but for those of you planning to visit Kerala, I would suggest to keep a few days just for Fort Kochi. I commuted by bus (public transport is pretty cheap and efficient in Kerala), but there are other options like cab and ferry.

Strolling through the stone paved streets, the passing centuries are visible on the standing buildings; which speak in great volumes about the rich history of the place. The streaks of legacies of ancestors passed on to their children are evident in the multitude of ancestral homes turned into hotels, restaurants, art galleries and cafes. It would be of interest to know that Fort Kochi was just a fishing village and this territory was gifted to the Portugese in 1503 by the Raja of Kochi. Since then, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the Britishers have invaded and lived here and left behind a storehouse of heritage.

My first stop for the day was St. Francis Church, which was built by the Portugese but remodeled in 1516 to what we know of it today. It is perhaps the oldest church in India. It is a quaint old building with many encryptions telling stories of its affluent past. The grave of Vasco Da Gama was buried here, before being sent to Lisbon and it lies inside the church. Just outside, there are some vendors who sell fridge magnets amongst other stuff. If your fridge adorns the souvenirs from all the places you have traveled to, this is the place to buy them. Then I headed down to the Santa Cruz Basilica, one of the eight basilicas in India. Boasting of a Gothic architecture, it is a magnificent structure and makes your awe over the fact that this excellence was reached in 1558.

I then took a walk on the beach, with the sun kissing my skin and the saline air in my mouth and saw the Chinese fishing nets, which date back to the 12th century and are the legacies of the first foreigners that set foot in Fort Kochi. By then it was 1:00 in the afternoon, and I was just mooching around in the streets when I stumbled upon the David Hall. It is a Dutch architecture built in 1695 and has been converted into a beautiful art gallery. There is a pretty little café in the backyard and I had their freshly prepared margherita pizza baked in a hearth oven, with ice tea. It was exceptionally tasty and this is one meal I am going to remember for a very long time.

After my yummy lunch, I took an auto to go to the Jew street. Here there are a lot of shops which sell spices, tea, coffee and vintage jewellery and I splurged some money in buying some of these. After which I visited the synagogue, which is a Jewish praying centre (just a heads up, it remains closed on Friday afternoons, Saturdays and Jewish holidays). My day ended with a lip smacking coffee at Pepper House, with a book to keep me company, and what a marvelous day it was!

There are so many other places that one can visit while on a trip to Fort Kochi. I have enlisted them below:

Mattanchery Palace,

Dutch cemetery,

Bishop’s House,

Sree Gopalakrishna Devaswom Temple

And do try out the Dal Roti restaurant if you love North Indian food!

For the cultural buffs and people who love everything pretty, this melting pot of cultures, Fort Kochi, is the place to be.

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A trip to Varanasi

• by Priyanka Tripathi

The date was 7/06/2016 and I was going to Varanasi. I was travelling alone this time. I went to the airport by the ola cab from vaishali and it took me around 1 hour to reach the Indira Gandhi airport New Delhi. The day was beautiful and I enjoyed the company of the cab driver as well.I boarded my flight and reached to Varanasi in 50 minutes.

Outside of the Varanasi airport my uncle came to pick me up. The way from the airport to home was so peaceful and there were fields on both of the sides of the road and I was extremely tired after the flight. Then we reached Sarnath in about 30 minutes by car where I was going to stay. I was so tired that I just ate the dinner and slept.

So finally it was my next day there. I was in Sarnath and the place itself is so famous because lord Buddha gave his first lesson to his five pupils over there so first of all I wanted to visit that temple. It was only ten minutes from my place, so me and my cousins just walked till the place. On the way we went to the museum where are many things to see from the past Buddha age and many old weapons, symbols and all. Next we went to another place known as ‘Khandhar’ which was a huge field and having so beautiful view .

I didn’t want to leave that place. We took some pictures near the monuments as well.

Next I went to the main temple of lord Buddha which was so peaceful at the evening. You can hear the chanting mantras by the monks which is so divine itself. Inside the temple there is a statue of lord Buddha which is made of gold, there are paintings on wall explaining about his life. On the left handside there is the Holy Banyan tree under which Budhha gave teaching to his pupils.It was almost evening but we still wanted to walk so near by there is an ancient temple of lord Shiva. We went there and at that time no one was there except us. We just roamed around the temple enjoyed the cold wind and yeah evening is the best place to go there. After all the roam we came back to our place and slept.

It was my third day and yeah the main reason of coming to Varanasi was to visit its ghats and watching the Ganga arti which happens in the evening . So I left my place around 4pm in the evening with my uncle by a car. Varanasi is such a small place if I compare it with Delhi. On the way I saw many old buildings colleges so many of people riding bicycles and it took me around 40 minutes to reach the Ganga. We can not go through four wheeler vehicles till the ghat so our car was parked 1 km before the ghat from there we had to walk. The street to the Dashashwamedh ghat was so crowded and busy. On both sides of street there are many shops and the place is more like market and when you will get near to the ghat there are stalls of statues of Gods, many handmade handicrafts, all those saints you can see. For going to the Ghat we came down by so many steps. Okay, so finally I was on the bank of Ganga. There the ghats change after 15 meters of distance and the ghat where Ganga arti happens is Dashashwamedha where many south indian women and local peole and foreigners as well can be seen. Little boys sell their toys and all which didn’t make me feel good. Okay so speaking about this ghat honestly the place wasn’t so clean so we just clicked some pictures and sat on the steps to see the Arti. The arti was about to begin and the time was about 7:30. The crowd was just uncontrollable. It seemed like whole Varanasi gathered there and honestly there wasn’t place to even move your legs.And yeah the Arti start and yes it was worth the wait and crowd. The scene was so divine that cant be explained in words. Different people doing things in same synchronization was such a pleasure to watch. The arti took around 30 minutes to get over and after this we left from there. On our way we went to a restaurant which is located at Nadesar called Burger king. We had dinner and went to our place.

It was the next day and still there were many places to see so on this day me and my cousin left early home with a cab to the Benaras hindu university. There is a temple of lord Shiva called as Vishwanath temple which is made of white marble. Okay so this was probably the best place I was seeing in Varansi. So peaceful and there were students in the park studying. Well you can know now how peaceful that place is!

Later on there were many temples left so the next one on our list was the Durgakund where is the temple of Godess Durga and a pond where were ‘Diyas’ all around that, After this I went to the Sankat mochan temple and there you will see monkeys welcoming you from the gate. Its a Hanuman temple and yeah it was much crowded. Well, I was super tired by the end of the day and just slept reaching home.

The next day started and I didn’t overcome with the beauty of Ganga yet so I decided to go to the ghat again but this time a more cleaner and peaceful one so me and my cousin went to the ‘Assi ghat’ which was so quite. I really wanted to go on a boat so we rided a boat and it took us to the other bank of Ganga where was sand all over just like a beach after spending some time there. Later we headed to home but yeah how can I forget to eat that Banarasi Pan so we had one , and honestly guys it was so refreshing that I just ate it all.

It was my last day there and I was coming back by a train. I woke up late this morning and packed my stuff. The train was in the evening and it was the Shivganga express which runs from the Manduadeeh station which was 20 minutes from my place by car.I boarded the train thinking about the beautiful place and people and came to New Delhi next morning at 8:30.

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ODYSSEY

• by Shatakshi Singh

Much awaited day finally came when I accomplished my quest for identity and got a way towards the pursuit of happiness.Certainly,to describe something incorporeal,something which one can only feel never have been so easy,but I run the risk of trying to describe one of my best 'mesmerizing' travelling experience I did so far.In the month of June just after my semester exams got over,I went for a journey to almighty in respect to get their blessings.It was a trip of five days.I'd never been on a long trip.Jammu-the first place from where we started our journey.My family were along with me.Jammu-A blessed land and which is famous for its temples,particularly the Vaishno Devi Temple in Katra which is visited by over millions of people every year and making Jammu the most visited part of Jammu and Kashmir state.

The experience which I felt was phenomenal.The journey to reach Mata Vaishno Devi was not so easy.But as it is rightly said that without hardwork there is no gain.Hence,hard work and the quest to take blessings from Vaishno Devi and abruptly made us more energetic to reach on the top and take blessings from her.The journey was awesome and pleasing with so many people eagerly and enthusiastically moving forward and encouraging others in the process.Meanwhile,the walk towards going to Mata Vaishno Devi provided beautiful sights of the surroundings.It is one of the best place to visit and devotee got the blessings.

The first experience was a worthwhile.Then I proceeded for my second place to worship which was in Amritsar,Punjab and that is ofcourse the Sikhism's holiest site-Golden Temple.

It was my first encounter with a religion apart from my own religion which is Hinduism.This sacred temple welcomes all to enjoy its beauty and spirituality.It was truly a breathless moment.Both the sunrise and sunset are glorious in the premises of the golden temple.I have a immense faith in all the religion.Being Hindu's we worship Lord Ganesha,Krishna,and many more but being a human we respect all other religions too and whenever we get a chance to visit any of the abode of God,let it be called a church,a mosque,a gurudwara or a temple we always try to visit and have 'darshan' of God,the almighty in any form.I strongly felt that all religions stem from the same source whether one belongs to Hinduism,Sikhism,Muslims,Christianity,Buddhism.And the source what matter is only humanity which is inside you.We are one,one human,one family,have one god,one world,one universe.

My last worship ends up in Rajasthan,Ajmer.Rajasthan is one of the prominent state in India which is well recognized for its culture.Among all other places and cities in Rajasthan,Ajmer has its own significance and historical importance.It is located few miles away from the state capital Jaipur and it is also known as the second name of Ajmer.The Dargah Sharif is the final resting place of the great sufi saint-Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moinuddin Chisti.He is also known as Garib Nawaz.He still is in spirit through his blessings and love which one can sense when one is in Dargah,it is believed that no one returns empty handed from his divine abode.

The entrance to Ajmer Sharif is via the Nizam Gate.When I'd entered the main dargah with my family,every corner inside is done up in gold which furnishes the whole aura in grandeur and divinity.Before entering,one has to remove footwear,cover head.You will have to leave your cars a good distance away from the main shrine because as after that point entry of vehicles are restricted This is the time when walking on foot one will be able to see the different colors of Ajmer.The narrow lanes are lively,bustling with colorful bazaars selling a variety of stuff from chaddars and scarves to clothes and food.It is difficult to get near khwaja ji's tomb but it was getting too difficult to stand in the place filled to the brim with everybody trying to do the same.It is surrounded by a silver railing with a cleric sitting besides it.We had given offering and then headed with a feather fan before directing towards the exit gate.As I proceeded towards the exit,I spotted the singers called qawwals,sitting in groups singing qawwallis(sufi hymns).The day we went to dargah was probably Sunday and the best part of this trip was,we were there in Ajmer and in dargah sharif on on the auspicious first day of Ramzan.When my family planned for this trip,that time no one was aware that the day we will be in dargah sharif will be the first day of Ramzan.Just before my exit, moon occurred on the sky everyone got silenced and got started praying to the almighty. It was such a blissful moment.

The magic of the music merging with the soul.It was one of the most overwhelming,emotional,surreal and life changing experience in my life.I discovered my soul culture and I myself felt mysticism,warmth,sensuality,beauty and natural surroundings.Also I ate the most exquisite meals in that land like rajastani cuisine-dal bhati churma.While returning to my home where I live,my mom insisted to take blessings from Balaji Mandir,Salasar and Ikshapurni Mandir,Sardar Seher which is on the same route.

Hence,at the end of my odyssey,I recognized many similar crux in every religion site,whether it is in gurudwara,mosque,temple,church.For instance,before entering shrine removing footwears,covering head,going from every shrine there are multifaceted markets.And the most significant thing what I noticed is that in every shrine where I'd visited it all were embroidered with brimful of gold.So,what I ponder is that instead of becoming stereotypical towards religion why not be the one where you can follow your heart and can understand what you feel it's right.Surely,spirituality can make you sets free to be what you truly are without bowing to anything that doesn't resonate as right with you nor to anyone because we are all one and cherish one god only.It is all up to you to choose what you'll honor enough to make it divine.

Travel has helped me to open up my mind and accepts things the way they are.When you see people diving in extreme conditions and still courageous to survive and tend to stop making excuses for your own life.I will cherish this golden memories for lifetime.Fun,Evasion but above all cultural and spiritual wealth was what I felt in this whole trip.

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Kashmir and the Enchantment

• by mrinal pant

Any form of impact, short-lived or lingering and lasting, depending upon the degree to which it has slashed its way into the smallest tendrils of our minds has the power to change us forever, mostly for the good. And nature is one of those rarified versions of God himself that never fails to impress. Traversing my way to the place legitimized as the paradise on earth, I stepped on to the valley of Kashmir almost 6 years ago and yet the experience is as vivid as it was just yesterday!

Words will fall short to describe the serene, mind-numbingly wondrous beauty of the place. It was breathtaking. We stayed in a sprawling house-boat in Dal Lake. The boat was huge and easily accommodated my family and the other two families that were accompanying us. And to our amazement, our house-boat was named “Navratna”, an eerily shrewd coincidence as the name was in congruence with the number of people residing in the boat, nine. It was a happy accident, let’s just say that. In the evening, we would take a ride in the shikara. Amidst the shimmering waters rippled with constant rowing, there we sat in a beautiful boat, far from discomfiture and deeming ourselves among the lucky few to have witnessed the nature in its finest and purest form. The most wonderful thing was watching the sunset while boating. The sky became an amalgamation of red and orange and its reflection fell on the lake. Moreover, as the sun was setting and we were approaching in that direction, it felt like taking a crimson-y bath in the midst of the limitless sky.

Though we had the option of horse riding our way towards Pahalgham, I decided to traipse in to it because I was scared. Now when I look back, I regret that I missed a golden opportuinity to ride the horse. Well if today I am asked the same, I wouldn’t have to rack my brains this time around, that’s for sure. After all, what is a trip sans adventure?

Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh are considered the USP of Kashmir. It is almost impossible to replicate their amazing beauty. Two vertical columns of square shaped patches, grassed and intermittently decked up with flowers are separated by a pond-ish space which catapults the entire place to the exorbitant heights of seamless aestheticism and organic beauty. The most interesting thing that we got to do there was clicking photographs in Kashmiri costume. It was once in a lifetime moment for me. Well not to brag but I did look stunning :P I wore a red coloured Phiran and adorned myself with a pair of head accessories. Though our visit was only for three days yet we managed to assemble enough memories. And there are places which I did not get to visit which are dying to be checked in my bucket list.

Even after 6 years, my memory of the visit is still afresh. I wish that the place was not marked by violence and unrest and that there could be a way to put an end to this carnage that has long overtaken the paradise, for it is important that the place remain a heaven and not turn into a haven for mentally and psychologically demented terrorists.

eChutti.com is a travel app to connect like minded travellers travelling to the same destination. Plan and publish a trip plan to find a travel partner. You may want to go on a Luxury trip or even a business trip, just publish your trip itinerary, anybody interested in travelling to the same place in a group will RSVP to your trip to join you.

My Travel Experience: The Magic of Leh Ladakh

• by Krishna shukla

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

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Why I love walking tours

• by Bhargavi Prajapati

Maybe it is my age (only in my 40’s, but still!), I have now reached a point whereby ticking off a list of places and things to do are not on my priority list on my holiday. I do my research before I travel and figure out things I would like to see / do and spend time doing them well. I do not like wasting my precious holiday time on things I know I would not enjoy. It certainly has something to do with my profession too. I am in the travel business and to give honest feedback to clients I do have to try out all the sightseeing tours. My friends often comment sarcastically “things you HAVE to do for a living”. Don’t mean to sound pompous, but I do find it cumbersome and needless to say quite tiring.

The one good thing that has come out of these endless inspections, is that I have realised how much I love walking tours. They are quite common these days and they do seem expensive when compared to the regular ‘seat in coach’ city tours, however I have become a big fan of these tours. I particularly like them for the following reasons:

I can decide the area I am most interested in. For example in Paris, I can decide between Marais, Montmartre, Saint Germain and so on. I can do multiple walks over a number of days and just chill after the 2 or 3 hour of walk to soak up the atmosphere in that area. Also, one doesn’t waste their time in Latin Quarter if they are not into Roman history and architecture.

I can also pick the walking tour based on my interests, like in Athens one can pick from food walks, political / historical walks, street art, daily life of the Athenians and more.

You get to walk with an educated and aware local. As per me, the best experience. My husband and I had done a food walk in Athens, he being a vegetarian got hardly anything to eat. But he loved it as he kept asking the guide a lot of non-food questions, which the gracious guide patiently replied. Of course, the organic 99cents olive oil soap bar from a local store was the bonus too.

You burn calories….. he he!

As I mentioned above, some people find them expensive, not me. I find them absolutely value for money. Of course, it all depends on the guide. Like in Toulouse I tried the same walking tour from 2 different companies and realised the stark difference. My travel colleagues thought I was stupid to go for the second walk the very next day, but I wanted to know the difference. I was so glad I did. The second guide, though not a native from the region, was way better. She did not rattle off facts, was smart enough to gauge my response and divert the conversation accordingly. That is what smart guides are supposed to do, gauge the response and be crafty enough to change the spiel. She was brilliant, she knew that and hence charged more. I would pay EUR 10 more to her rather than get bored after 30 mins of the walk and lose my money paid for 2 hours of the walk.

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MYSTIC MANALI!!

• by ADITYA RAMAN

“INDIA”-This five letter word may just sound as a ordinary piece of land to people who haven’t visited it.but,in reality it is a living nationality with people following such cultures and customs which were originated at the time when many of the present-day countries were not born. This tropical country is very hot in summer but still proves its diversity with the very existence of hill stations in the Himalayas.One such hill station is “MANALI” in the lap of Himalayas and considered as a great escape zone from the scorhing heat.

Lovely yellow-orange sun amidst the snowy white peaks

It was a hot summer evening when I boarded my bus from

New Delhi.I stepped into the town of Manali at around 9:30 am in the confused hot-cold cocktail climate after a hilly region drive of 260 kms and a total ride of 670 kms.The thirst of tiredness was quenched by the natural beauty of Manali…Green mountains on one side and fast flowing Beas river on the other side with the view of snow-capped Himalayan glacier on great heights.

My half day city tour began with ‘The Club House’ which is spot of entertainment and sale.There were numerous winter apparel for sale and entertaining activities such as snooker, zorbing ball, haunted house, boat riding, river crossing, etc.

River crossing is adventure filled andfun-filled activity where one is required to cross to and fro by hanging in the rope…..In my mid-way I was dipped in the icy-chilled river which made me shiver from head to toe.good one though.

Next ,I headed to ‘Manu temple’ built for sage ‘Manu’ and is the parent for the name manali.The next visits were more of devotional like the ‘Hadimba temple’ which is built for ‘Hadimba’ – a character from great Indian epic Mahabharat.The evening blessed me with the rain showers!!

Next day was really interesting for an adventure-lover like me…”RAFTING”.

The nitros of the Beas river and the rapids is what makes the white water rafting really incredible!! Sailing the raft for 9 long kms in fast flowing currents with an artistic view of the mountains on both the sides made my day…..<3<3….

Then I headed towards the district capital ‘KULLU’.

The road towards Kullu was actually a photographer’s path…full of beautiful images to capture.. such as the soft & cute rabbits in the rabbit farm, the sheeps gazing in a disciplined manner, the horses in the farm and the lovely apple orchids which is not a common sight in a tropical country like India….Kullu is famous for its winter clothes….especially the ‘shawls’!!!!!!

The third and last day gave me a heavenly pleasure….I got the opportunity to visit the country’s most favourite biking spot--‘The Rohtang Pass’ (Manali-Leh highway).

The spot is actually favourite for the tourists visiting Manali as this is such type of place where they can play with ice and snow. It also contains the origin of Beas river. My experience in rohtang was priceless…At the height of 22,000 ft and in the freezing sub-zero temperatures, every traveller’s heart will definitely melt on seeing the scenic natural beauty over there..The intense beauty freezed me and I was so stuck that I was unsuccessful in taking many photos in Rohtang …One of the interesting things in Rohtang is eating hot maggi .I don’t know about the taste but it will surely give you a taste of life…On my way down I visited the beautiful solang valley which is famous for paragliding and skiing…but unfortunately it was banned on that day L L….And finally, ‘Vasisht hot springs’ ..The name clearly suggests it’s a hot spring where the hot water emerges from the underground…It is also believed to have medical effects..

The trip came to an end and had to bid farewell to Manali…On my way back to Delhi, I had a nostalgic feel about the past 3 days and ran through those images and moments captured by my eye and safeguarded in my brain …Those slideshows of moments kept flashing in my mind again and again with which my heart was in complete love ....I am so glad to share my photos and memories with you!!!...Expecting a new journey again !

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