VJ's Travelogues

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A computer guy who loves to travel.

Lunatics on killing Spree
Friday, April 20, 2007

Hi Everybody! This blog is not dead, neither did I stop traveling. Everything in life has a purpose and I was convinced that the purpose of this blog is over. I wasn't sure if I'd ever return to add another entry. I hoped this was not an end, a mere burn out, a hiatus. A couple of days back a bizarre thing happened and then another incident in the subsequent week and it made me write one more time.

These two tragic events were different in nature and proportion; the common thread in both of them however is that they were both driven by a lunatic. The madness of one guy resulted in the death of many innocents. I usually try to keep things light-hearted on the blog, but this deserves serious attention.

I decided to go for a quick trip during the 1^st weekend of April with a friend. We arrived at a decision to explore the lakes of Kumaon because of its proximity to Delhi. It was a memorable trip and I had a great time clicking pictures, trekking, watching people rowing the boat etc. Like all my trips, this too was unplanned and therefore there was no reservation. After spending two splendid days at Sattal, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal, we decided to head back to Delhi. On my return, there were no tickets for Delhi from Nainital. We decided to go to Haldwani and catch a bus from there. Luck still dint favor us as there were no buses that night and we decided to take a shared car till Moradabad and catch the late night bus from there to Delhi.

We boarded a Pilibhit depot bus for Delhi at 1:20 pm. Never did I realize that it was going to be the last journey for some people. I had to sit behind the third row near the aisle as the bus was full. As the bus started, I realized the driver was driving exceptionally fast. I looked at him for a while and then started talking to the guy next to me. The bus was an ordinary bus with very little legroom. So I had to stretch my legs in aisle area. The people around were in deep sleep and my thought process was broken by a sudden and sharp turn made by the bus. Something wasn't right. Going by his maneuvering and swirling, I was wondering either this is an overconfident driver who drives exceptionally well or he is running late. Could he be under the effect of alcohol? My mind shuddered at the thought and then the bus screeched past a sugarcane trolley leaving the sugarcanes slashed and flying in air. I was terrified and extra alert. I looked around – everything was dark and everybody sleeping. I looked at signboards – Delhiwas still 76 kms away. I wanted to walk up to the conductor and tell him to slow down the bus; but he was in semi sleep. I couldn't have walked to the driver and broken his attention at 100 km/hr on a highway. I never felt so helpless in life and was quite restless. Yesterday when I saw this picture of students huddled next to Norris Hall listening to the killer go 'pop, pop' killing 30 people at Virgina Tech, I can understand how helpless they'd felt. They were not in control.

I wanted to get down right at that instant but I thought this too shall pass. I had been to a deadly accident once where my car went turtle and I had to come out breaking the windowpanes and I didn't want anything like that to happen again. I prayed to God to let there not be another accident. I looked out – Delhi was still 67 kms away. It was 3:37 in the morning. Then I saw a lime color mini truck coming from the other side with two young guys sitting in the front and it came too close. I was wondering – can he still swirl this time. Something inside me said, he couldn’t. My body voluntarily flung to the aisle as a reflex. There was a loud impact and everything went black. I experienced glass flying, metal sounds, sound of iron hammering and a few second later, as the metal sounds subsided, I heard loud human sounds screaming for help. This was an accident and I was still alive. I got up thinking I am hurt, I wasn't. I located the exit door and flung it open. As I opened it, I saw a body under my feet. People behind me shoved me out of the door. I immediately thought about my friend. People on the back seats were relatively less injured and they were jumping out. My friend was in the back seat. I started shouting his name hoping he's all right and would respond. He did not, almost all people who were alive, were out. He was inside turning people lying under my seat thinking I am one of the bodies lying on floor. Then he heard me shouting and jumped out. His cheek was bleeding and he had a few bruises but he was in one piece. I asked him to sit in a corner and offered him my handkerchief. I got a few cuts too and bruises in my hands but by and large I was fine. I went inside the bus again. The engine was still revving. The last thing I wanted was the petrol tank to burst. As I went inside, I saw five bodies lying in the front area. With two other guys, I started to pull people out. What I was to see next could be summed as the most terrifying sight of my life. As I tried to pull a body, his hand came off, the skin slipped and bones were visible. We had to drag people holding their clothes. It was a ghastly sight with people reduced to a conglomeration of meat, glass, mud and jelly; it was painful to touch them, leave alone pulling them out. Once we pulled the bodies out, I found my luggage entangled between debris of steel and glass. I opened my bag hoping my camera would be dead, luckily it wasn't. I went to the other side of the bus and tried to take a snap fearing people would beat me that I am taking snaps in this hour of tragedy. My hands were red with blood and shaking as I pressed the shutter. I didn't have the heart to take more. There was no help even after 1 hour of the accident. Nobody would stop his car or bus. It was dark and I had no clue what to do with all this mayhem around me. Fortunately, a bus stopped and we loaded some injured people onto it. When I finally decided to move, there were three bodies lying in such bad state that I had no clue what to do with them. I was sure they wouldn't survive.

At the end of it all, I realized this could well have been avoided. I wish the driver hadn't taken alcohol and lived to see another day. It is a weird feeling to know that the guy you're talking to wouldn't be alive in the next hour. He didn't make it. While Virginia Tech hit all the newspapers and became international news, this will go down as just another stray accident, where a couple of lives were lost.

posted by Vj @ Friday, April 20, 2007, , links to this post

Nanda Devi & the Unsoeld story
Saturday, December 30, 2006

“No photograph can do justice to 13,000 feet of vertical relief,” said Jim Wickwire about K2…..

….and there I was standing face to face with the 2^nd highest mountain peak in the country, The Nanda Devi!! The Nanda Devi stands tall at 25,645 feet after Mt. Everest at 29,035. What I saw was inexpressible and clearly one of the most spectacular and moving sights one can hope to see in the planet. I was right there in front of that awe-inspiring staggering giant structure feeling like a tiny dot against a huge white canvas!
Since Nanda Devi is surrounded by a group of 6-7 peaks namely Trishul, Nanda Ghunti and the Panchuli range (collection of 5 peaks) – that makes its ascent one of most difficult ones. The mountain goddess has cast its spell on many mountaineers and a lot of tragic stories are associated with it. The most heart rending story is that of Willi Unsoeld. As a young man, Willi climbed the Nanda Devi. Enamored with its magnificence and mysticism, he later named his daughter after it. Being the daughter of a legendary climber, it was only a matter of time that Nanda Devi Unsoeld would attempt to climb her namesake. It was an Indo-American joint expedition in 1977 through a new route and after climbing 24,000 feet and being inside a tent due to a stormy day, she developed clots and felt too ill to move and said very calmly, "I am going to die" and died in her father arms. Willie tried to resuscitate her only to realize that she was dead and made the body to rest in an icy tomb there as a tribute to the goddess.

I was extremely lucky that it was a bright and sunny day with absolutely no clouds.As we move towards the higher regions of Kumaon Himalayas, the peaks start to get bigger and clearer.. On the subsequent days of my itinerary, I ventured into the higher regions but unfortunately the sky was overcast. Despite the clouds I felt I could extend my hands and touch the peaks! By this time I had even begun to feel comfortable with the icy-cold breeze that brushed my skin and blew in the direction of the Nanda Devi. I got a feeling of a warm communion with the mighty peak.
Next year I plan to go into the Darma and Gori valleys, Munsyari, Dharchula and on the Pindari glacier trek. Kumaon is a place like no other; its magnificence provides a lifetime experience. The first few photographs are taken from Kausani in the Almora district and the last one if from Chokori in the Pithoragarh district.

I was dormant for sometime and I thank everybody for the overwhelming response and concerned inquiries during my absence. I've a lot to share.Visit the space next week . My year-end trip to the Himalayas, my home, has been a very special one and Iam sure next year is going to be even better.

and as we say goodbye to the year gone by,let me reiterate that Not all those who travel are lost.

posted by Vj @ Saturday, December 30, 2006, , links to this post

Lansdowne & Garhwal Rifles
Friday, September 29, 2006

We don't remember the days, we remember the moments and I re-lived each moment of my past in those 24 hours. It was one of those perfect days and everything seemed so right. The surroundings were the same, the faces were so pleasantly familier, the trees were testimony of the fact that not everything in this world has changed. I spotted the Pine tree next to my house and it felt that it wanted to stretch its arms to welcome me. Under it, I would play cricket endlessly.

Looking at my house almost drove me to tears. It was a half a century old British house with wooden floors and a fireplace. Time had left abrasions in the walls but the grass was as green as ever. I had a strong urge to peep inside my room but I resisted, the house had new owners. I sat there for a moment and it seemed like a lifetime

Ten years is an amazingly long time but this city has perfectly preserved itself. I was so apprehensive when I decided to set out for Lansdowne wondering if it would still be the same as I left it 10 years back.


The city has never failed to surprize me. For a place so beautiful it is a wonder that people have no clue where it is and that is really a blessing in disguise. The town is unspoiled thanks to the cantonment and would easily qualify as the prettiest and the quitest hill station in India.Lansdowne is the base headquarters of the Garhwal rifles. Garhwal Rifles is a well known combat arm of the Indian Army whose recruits are from the upper hills and are known for their hardmanship. Everywhere in the cantonment area you can find green vehicles and army men doing their daily chores. I spotted a platoon of soldiers practicing bagpipers for Republic day and it was indeed a pretty sight. These soldiers undergo rigorous drills which includes running atleast 10 kms a day. This is the only city where you can find armymen playing musical instruments and handling weapons with equal elan and if they are not doing anything, they're removing the moss from rocks and buildings. Majority of trees here have surrogate vegetation on the bark (see the tree in the lake). I guess it is the moisture that facilitates it. It makes such a beautiful sight!


If you love the old world charm of the 19th century, then the place is an ideal getaway. It was founded by Lord Lansdowne in 1887 AD thus being named after him (3rd picture). Lansdowne is at a height of 5800 ft above sea level and as far as you can see, you will find pine and oak trees and if you're the one who wants to go beyond Mussoorie and Nainitaal - this is your ideal hill station as you won't find cars, crowded public transport, game parlours and rikshaws. There are no cinemas, neither ice cream shops.




(to be continued.......)

posted by Vj @ Friday, September 29, 2006, , links to this post

Songsten library
Sunday, August 20, 2006

33rd Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo (617-650 A.D.

posted by Vj @ Sunday, August 20, 2006, , links to this post

The 12 Jyotirlingas
Saturday, July 29, 2006

posted by Vj @ Saturday, July 29, 2006, , links to this post

Letters to the god
Sunday, July 23, 2006

This is an an amazing story of faith .

The temples in the Uttaranchal region have always fascinated me for their sheer uniqueness. I decided to visit at least two of the well known ones situated within a few kilometers distance from Almora.(that’s all I could have managed in a day) I decided to pamper myself and cover the distances in a hired private car!

The Chitai Temple: The Chitai temple was my next stop. It is an amazing temple! This is once again a bell temple like the Jhula Devi temple at Ranikhet. It is difficult to put a count to the number of bells. You can just get an idea from the pictures! The temple of Chitai is dedicated to Lord Golu, a highly revered local deity of the Kumaon region on whom the people have absolute faith.

Lord Golu is also popularly known to fulfill the wishes of his followers. The inside of the complex is full of letters to God written by Lord Golu’s followers! I took some pictures of letters in all kinds of paper ranging from stamp paper to ordinary paper!! They are open letters to Lord Golu, making a wish or in thanksgiving. The letters are tied to bells that the devotees get and hang them in the complex adding to the several thousands of them. I too added mine. I scribbled my note on the backside of one sided paper fished out from my bag and wrote with borrowed pen!!

I faith of the Indian people is just amazing. No wonder that India is a place where the west has begun coming to in search of inner peace and spirituality. It is indeed faith that makes our people go around. The ability to accept things with equanimity is something that I guess faith teaches us.I saw letters from school kids,Local congress party,in court stamp paper ,in english and in german . The faith cuts among all caste and countries.

The Chitai temple was the last place on my itinerary in my four-day travel to the Kumaon region. It marked an auspicious closure to my travels for the time being.

With the blessings from Lord Shiva and Lord Golu, I prepared to leave on my onward journey back to the plains with the resolve that I would be back in the mountains again and soon.

There were some letters written in perfect innocence like the one below, where the lady requests the god to turn her into beautiful women. Well faith can move mountains .I hope god grants her the wish.

My thanks goes to Patrix for making this post visible to a bigger audience .
This post is also featured at DesiPundit :The best of Indian blogosphere.

In the end..I was too shy to ask god anything, while other's reading at it . At the same time I really wanted god to listen to me also ..and I found a way out and quickly ended up writing my wish like this..Iam still waiting to hear from him .

P.S - Somebody sent me this link today,so in case you can't make it to the temple,you can still address god right from the comfort of your home through this site. Email to the god

posted by Vj @ Sunday, July 23, 2006, , links to this post

From Colombo to Almora
Saturday, July 15, 2006

There are times when I think, how wonderful it would it be, if I could just add one more day in my holidays.Doing a regular office job leaves you with very little time and then you have to make the most of whatever you get (read weekends).
My Kumaon trip was such an extended weekend.At the end of 4th day,I didn't want to come back and I asked myself , What if I had just one more day?
The answer is, in that case, I would have actually hit Nepal .I was on periphery of India (Pithoragarh) and Nepal was couple of hours away, 7 hrs to be precise .


Speaking of Almora,Almora is not your usual hill station.Most tourists travelling on this belt seem to go to Nainital, some reach Ranikhet but very few include Almora in their itinerary. Needless to say, a treasure awaits here. I arrived in Almora after a little more than an hour’s drive in a shared jeep from Ranikhet. The first sight of the Almora settlement over a horse saddle shaped ridge of a mountain was a delight.

Almora is a bustling little hill town, Indeed so. It houses the Kumaon University, The Vivekananda agricultural institute,lines of shops that make up a market place, a crowded bus station, a Museum, the Vivekananda Library and every other institution that goes to making a happening town.

Almora has beautiful residential houses, the lawns laden with rich vegetation. There were swarms of bright eyed school children going up and down the mountain road and while I was walking like a tourist with my backpack they were going to school!!

Almora has its fair share of history too. Mr. Nehru was impriosned here. Also,After his memorable work in the West, Swami Vivekananda landed in Colombo on 15 January 1897. During his passage from Colombo to Calcutta, and from there to Almora, he had delivered electrifying lectures at different places rousing the Indian masses from their age long siesta. His " From Colombo To Almora"

I reached Almora just before sunset and after parking at the KMVN guest house, headed straight for the Bright End Corner. Bright End Corner is the “sunset point”

In the town where people flock in the evenings to watch the sun disappear behind the mountains. I must say it was a beautiful experience to watch that happen. I did not fathom that it would last very long but actually the experience transcended beyond the mere setting of the sun. The sky changed its hues every minute thereafter and the sight was not short of a miracle! It was a spectacular transition into a star studded night. I was there for more than an hour admiring natures’ glory.

I also sat and spoke to a lady who had come to walk her pet dog and both were enjoying the sunset when I approached them. The lady is a veteran announcer on the state local radio station. She informed me that this corner was named after Brighton, the Englishman, over time it became popular as the Bright End Corner. People also come here to see the sun rise. I was inspired to note her contentment and her deep love for her town, to her it is the best place on earth that offered everything that a person could ask for, for a healthy living.


She also told me that the town looks out over a fertile terraced valley and four ranges of hills - Banari Devi, Kasan Devi, Shyahi Devi and Katarmal. The Himalyan ranges with the peaks of Trishul, Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot can also be seen from the town.

Swami Vivekanada had this to say about Almora. "These mountains are associated with the best memories of our race: Here, therefore, must be one of centres, not merely of activity, but more of calmness of meditation, and of peace and I hope some one day to realize it." Consequently, Ramakrishna Mission was constructed at Bright End Corner serving as a retreat center.Facing this spot is the Bright End Café on a hillock, a cute but unassuming place serving the tastiest snacks I had in the last two days. The thupka was delicious and so were the burgers! I highly recommend the thupka at Bright End Café to all travelers who go there.I must mention that the KMVN guest house at Almora is also a lovely place to stay in. The garden was blooming at the time with lovely flowers. At the reception area, the hotel sells Uttaranchal tea in attractive gift packs. My friends who got it as gifts found the tea nice and refreshing. It is very light and I loved it too.

Traversing the market place, I was excited to catch sight of the motorbike of two Dutch travellers, Maarten and Ilse laden with their rucksacks.

On the tin box attached to the tail of the motorbike was scribbled the address of their blog. You can check them out at :

http://www.onsplekkie.com/homeEn.html

These guys have travelled all the way from Europe to India in this illustrious bike.It was a chance discovery and I was checking the images after my return to Delhi,when i was caught by their URL and I opened their page. My only regret is that I could not speak to them.I gave them a fleeting glance and they returned a reassuring smile and I knew we're headed in same direction and we will surely meet some other day ,maybe, in a different land.

The world is after all is such a small place,afterall.

posted by Vj @ Saturday, July 15, 2006, , links to this post

Rendezvous with Ranikhet
Saturday, July 08, 2006

"You can live for years next door to a big pine tree, honored to have so venerable a neighbor, even when it sheds needles all over your flowers or wakes you, dropping big cones onto your deck at still of night." ~Denise Levertov .
.

The two-hour drive from Nainital to Ranikhet over miles of mountain road is full of pine trees and step farms.Ranikhet could easily be called the city of pine trees. Every turn on the mountain road presents a picture perfect frame.Each view is entrenched in my mind even now.There is much greenery here ,much more than hills of Himachal pradesh and garhwal himalayas. The land is apparently very very fertile as one can see lot of step-farming happening across all the seasons around mountains roads and that provides a truly spectacular view .This is probably one the best managed and the cleanest hill stations of India .Part of the reason is only serious travel manage to come this far and go beyond and also being an army cantoment,there is lot of discipline.The mountains being in my blood makes the feeling all the more strong and special.

posted by Vj @ Saturday, July 08, 2006, , links to this post

Nainital Nostalgia
Wednesday, July 05, 2006

I am back from my favorite abode on the Himalayas over a four-day trip! I was able to visit five destinations and I start here with Nainital.

I was at Nainital last week after nearly 22 years(I was a kid when i visited it last time and have absolute no memory of it). Nostalgia added to the glory of the little hill town that is to make my visit very special. Nainital is as glorious in the day as it is by the night. A star studded night by the Naini lake with the reflection of the little town deliciously cast on the lake and the atmosphere mysteriously swept by the mist at regular intervals is some of the few images that greeted me as I alighted after sunset one evening. Nainital has a peculiar weather, in that it changes constantly; yet there is no unpredictability as there is an expectation that the sun would hide behind the clouds, the clouds would make a crack for the sun to appear again, the mist would sweep the air, it would clear as well, a drizzle would ensue, and it would stop as abruptly as it had begun…..! It is this peculiarity that makes boating at Naini lake an extraordinary experience.

Boating at Naini Lake

I find the Naini lake an incredible creation of nature. A body of water approximately 1,434 meters by 463 meters at 1.935 meters above sea level with gorgeous hues (the water looks a stunning emerald most of the times) stirs the imagination. Along the periphery of the lake are available many choices to explore its lengths and breadths. From conducted tour on boats to self propelled boats of different kinds to yatches with lovely colorful sails – one can choose. A one hour tour on a self paddled duck (see the pic.)boat (white one with red beak J) cost me Rs. 80/-. Green, violet, yellow duck boats and dragon boats are also available. I tamed my white duck within no time and we had a terrific time in the waters! Initially I thought that an hour is far too much and soon realized how wrong I was. I think I went crazy taking pictures. Here is a bunch for you, there can be no representative picture of this experience coz the experience changes with the batting of the eyelid. As I went around the entire circumference with camera and the lever of the boat in hand and feet on the peddles, I realized that Nainital is very much a secular little town. The mountains on the periphery were dotted with Churches, Temples, Mosques and had Buddhist prayer flags as well. Notwithstanding, garbage can get to be an eye sore – there were a couple of points along the lake which seemed to have been made dumping grounds by the hotels and small industries. It is easy to guess that a cleanliness drive is on at the same time it is not difficult to spot a stray bag of empty packed snacks thrown carelessly by the sides of the lake and the roads as well. It is obviously the tourist from the plains who do it. Where are our sensibilities? Why do people do it? These were the questions that I found I was looking answers for.

The Nainital Zoo

After a gratifying boating trip and a scrumptious lunch, I decided to explore the Zoo. I guess I went to see how a zoo would be on a mountain. I was not disappointed. The layout of the zoo absolutely floored me. It has been organized on different elevations with comfortable stone stairs, a gorgeous blooming garden and lush green bushes and towering mountain trees. Incidentally it is the only zoo in the state of Uttaranchal. One of the objectives of the zoo is “to create awareness about our rich Himalayan fauna among the general public”. The zoo also has an “animal adoption scheme” through which any person or institution can adopt any animal in the zoo by paying its annual feeding expenditure and the name of the person adopting the animal is displayed on the cage of the adopted animal. I was somewhat distressed to see some of the caged animals, however. The birds looked unhappy, so did the monkeys. The attitude of the tourists was unnerving too. Teasing the animals by shouting out loud at them or poking objects at them was a rampant activity despite cautions in print hung by the zoo authorities. A talk with the manager of the zoo solved the problem of teasing for the time being but I wonder how long it would last. The great bear seemed to be the happiest of the lot. He came near the edge of his open spaced cage and gave me several photo opportunities. The big huge thing looked like an adorable stuffed animal on a child’s bed! The leopard was too keen to get himself photographed too! With him I felt I was doing a photo shoot with a model with an air! Photographs

St Francis Catholic Church

On the way to the zoo is the St Francis Catholic Church, a lovely 100-year old Church made of stone. Some of the interiors of the Church have been recently modified and some retain its look from another age. Nainital used be a garrison of the British and some of the old Churches here have been built by them. It still carries the look of a British settlement. Barron, a merchant and an enthusiastic hunter popularized Nainital in the year 1841. He was the first European who took great fancy to this land. Moved by the beauty of the sparkling lake he wrote: "It is by far the best site I have witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles treak in the Himalayas."

This is the time of gorgeous blooms in this dream town. Wherever my gaze went, I could see beautiful flowers. I was able to capture some of the well-tended beauties at the zoo and the lawns of the hotel.

posted by Vj @ Wednesday, July 05, 2006, , links to this post

Refreshing times ahead ...
Saturday, June 24, 2006

Lately office work has kept me real busy. I've been working 6 days a week ,sometimes 10 hours a day.I badly needed a break .The good news is that.I got one or i managed to somehow...

Fountain pic @dehradun ------>

Iam finally heading to my favourite destination --The Himalayas , next week for 4 days . I'll be visiting Kumaon Hills. There is a lot I look forward to .The activities I've planned for the weekend trip are.

1 . Boating at Nainitaal and Bhimtal .
2. Trekking at Almora, Binsar.
3. Capturing Sunrise and Sunset at Kausani.
4. Visit Kumaon regiment and Ranikhet Golf grounds.
5. Visit Chaubatia horticultre indusrties,Kumaon and get some fresh jam and jellies .
(you pick the fruit and they make it for you,right in front of you.Doesn't that sounds exciting)

I'll be carrying a 1 gigs memory card and hope to come back with loads of pictures .
Hard work pays afterall.......

posted by Vj @ Saturday, June 24, 2006, , links to this post

Mystical Mussoorie
Monday, June 05, 2006

My romance with Mussoorie started about 10 years back ,when my family moved to Dehradun . Every morning i'd go to my roof and savour that brilliant strech of mountains .One could easily make out the houses (read hotels) sprinkled between the thick dense green forest .At Night it would look like a million little stars .

<--Spiral Mussoorie road.

It took me some time to muster the courage to go all the way to the top ,on my own .When one moves from the Rajpur Road ,the path bifurcates .Most travellers like to use the first bend but if you leave it and go from the Rajpur village ,it feels like heaven as you can see the beautiful banglows, the Sai temple and the famous rajpur's pakore waali shop which has seen generations growing up.A 100 years back ,people used to stay overnight at Rajpur before moving to Mussoorie.

It takes about 1.5 hour to reach Mussoorie from Dehradun bus station , a cab would take around 1 hr , a personal 2-wheeler would take around 50 minutes and my best time is 35 minutes.There are certain rules that you need to follow, while driving in mountains, the most important being,Never leave your side and horn at every bend.you can spot Malsi deer park on route to mussoorie , where you can easily spot deers and a caged cheetah. On the way up you find beautiful places like bhatta fall ,ITBP academy which has a nice halipad at about 4000 feet.

Mussoorie for a first timer would appear very very chaotic ,claustrophobic and a complete mess.You will find hotels and taxis everywhere.I think it was a failure on government's part to stop those from mushrooming .It is not even good for them as most of them have to wait ,till snow season to find the clients and then they get a chance to charge exorbitant to make up the losses.(A popular hotel-- left pic).This place ranks really high among honeymooners

Places I've seen so far.

Gunhill - Don't go by the name , it has no gun.But you can take a cable car to reach at the top of mussoorie's 2nd highest peak.There used to be a gun there prior to independence ,which used to fired at 12noon so that people could adjust their time.Be adventorous and take the moutains by feet .A 40 minute walk would take you to the top where you can find a beauiful view of snow capped mountains ,on a clear day ( in winters) and a skating rink which is the largest in India

Mall Road - if you like to walk , a walk in this road is must .you can view some beautiful old building a lot of tourist in and around that area .you can find all kind of eatables at road side nuts, corn (right pic) roasted and boiled at Rs 10 which comes from surrounding villages .One can buy local made shawls and woolens at cheap prices along the roadside .It has a history too ,During British time, Indians and dogs were not allowed on the mall road. Motilal Nehru, father of Jawahar Lal Nehru, used to break this law every day, whenever he was in Mussoorie, and would pay the fine.

Kempty Fall- this is a overtly crowded but pretty waterfall.There's a stream that flows through the valley and gains maximum intesnity during the monsoons.13 kms from heart of city

Camel's Back road- I don't know the logic behind the name ,it is a saying that it resembles a camel's hump.well never made sense to me but it is a beautiful walking trek and one can find people walking all seasons .
(<- Coniferous trees --right pic)

The british legacy has left mussoorie with India's best schools. Oak Grove,St. George's College,Wynberg Allen,Woodstock School are among the best schools in the world and their alumni are all over the world and successful.So next time you want a break from the scroching heat of Delhi,move to the Delhi's favourite weekend hangout. Did i tell you ,it is home to children's favourite author.Who knows,a little lazy walk at landour and you might stumble into this old man who happens to be the bond.Ruskin Bond.

and finally ..can a tree be named Majnu or weeping willow , I found it out there this is Salix babylonica .(right pic)I googled the word and found these willows are generally troublesome trees attacked by a variety of insects, have invasive roots and are poor neighbors .makes sense now.Poor majnu

posted by Vj @ Monday, June 05, 2006, , links to this post

I love Dehradun देहरादून
Sunday, May 14, 2006

When do you realize the worth of your city .I guess... when you move out of it ,Unfortuantely.

Tibetan Monastry
at Sahastradhara road ----->

Where's the place where you would find adventure, river rafting, bird watching ,trekking ,mountain biking ,beautiful britiish banglows , wide open mountain roads ,sulphur springs and yes the world famous rice,litchi ,the best indian schools ,Academy that turns ordinary students into gentleman Cadets(IMA),home for retired personnels and tibetan community . There is only one place that offers all and it is Dehradun. Nature has endowed Doon . Although I must confess that things have a gone for a toss in last decade or so owing to poor transportation system and influx of people. but once you move out of the heart of city and hit the Rajpur road .mountians welcome you and nature becomes your playground.


Songsten Library @Sahastradhara Rd

I always wanted to write about it but lately got so busy that i had to almost wait for 1 month.
Was reading the book "MiniBus" by Ruskin bond and instantly liked it ,I always knew him as a children favorite author. a reclusive bachelor and a self proclaimed dehradun/mussoorie lover.Reading it made me slightly nostalgic and I finished it from cover to cover .The author shares a magical bonding with the place and iam sure he's not alone ,there are so many of us .There is some magic about the place that brought him back all the way from England .

People who've spent some time of their lives here, developed a stong bondng and lasting love with the city and find reasons to be there again and again .Amitabh Bachhan,Tom alter, Heinrich harrier, DalaiLama, Karan Thapar,Prannoy Roy are few i remeber now who were part of city and the list in endless there are lot of politicans ,businessman and Bollywood actors studied there. the list is endlessbecuse it is home for India best schools .

Aerial view of Dehradun from
Mussoorie Road height 1200 m---->

I think a lot of credit should go to to Britishers for giving the basic structural layout of the city and it has constantly evolved since then .During British raj, Dehradun used to be the summer base for the Viceroy's bodyguards. In due course of time, it was converted into an excellent centre for education and developed as a military cantonment.they established a number of educational institutions in Dehra Dun, such as India’s first public school,Doon School, Indian Military Academy (1932), and Royal Indian Military College (1922). The Forest Research Institute (1914) ,The headquarters of the Survey of India,was founded in 1767 .

Dehradun is known as the gateway to the majestic Himalayas .I recently got to know while i was reading "Seven years in Tibet" few people know that Heinrich Harrier escaped to Tibet Via Mussoorie (can we call it gateway toTtibet too?) because had he not escpaed he wouldnt have reached Lhasa and history wouldn't have been different.

<----Sunrise at ISBT on my way back to delhi 5:24 am

Dehradun/Mussoorie forms the most famous and beautiful of all Indian twin cities .Others being Delhi/Gurgaon ,Hyderabad/ secundarbad and Mumbai/Pune .But I think both cities have their own individual identities and i would rather call it "Gateway to mussoorie"

I will continue this with a little writeup on Mussoorie if i get sometime this week becuause Dehradun is incomplete without mention of Mussoorie

posted by Vj @ Sunday, May 14, 2006, , links to this post

Tibet, Mcleodganj, Dalailama and more.
Saturday, April 08, 2006

McLo ,here I come...

Mcleodganj ('Ganj' means market and McLeod, a Scotsman.) is truly special city. An impromptu trip again . Till I boarded a bus to Dharamshala , I wasn't sure , if iam going to make it or not .But I knew this was happening, finally.

Mc Lo is known as the Headquarters of Tibetan Government in Exile . This is a picturesque small colorful city throbbing with tourists ,some of the them foreigners and often celebrities (Richard Gere is often spotted here)wanting to explore and spread tibetan culture and buddhist philosophy.

I spent a considerable part of my growing up in lush green picturesque Doon valley and We have lot of Tibetan colonies there (Clement town and sahastradhara Road),They migrated there decades back. I was always fascinated by the Tibetan culture, food (momos and thukpas),markets(I still don't know ,where they get all that stuff from.People say China or Nepal but I seriously doubt that) and their lifestlye .I did foray into their monastries a couple of times and liked the way they offered prayers . So there was always an element of surprize and desire to know more about their culture .

Tibetan monastry near my home @ Clementtown,Dehradun ( pic--->)

As i grew up .I studied about Dalailama ,Heinrich Harrer,Panchen lama's incarnation and eventual escape , about Lhasa ,the lost capital, Saw Brad Pitt in "Seven years in Tibet" and immensly enjoyed it .

I saw them holding protest ralleys at Rajpur road , Dehradun for their freedom struggle , distributing flags .I had a Tibetan friend Tenzing Rapgyal whom i spotted recently in Delhi and we talked about some good times we had together in valley and it felt great .Yes it really did.

Coming back to Mc Lo, these wer few places I was able to discover the little time that I had in my hands.

Dall Lake
This is the one lake that captivated partly because of the greenery of surrounding deodar /pine trees which reflect in the lake water (See the pic, i took). Situated a couple of kms from McLo, this lake is easily approachable ,infact just next to the connecting road. Some consider it as starting point for trekking and this road goes high up in the hills,surrounded by trees on both sides . The greenery of the conical trees and the beauty of the park make this place a very very good picnic spot. Apart from the scenic views, one can also take a dip (I dont recommend though) as there are lot of fishes red,brown all types.There are also a few tea stalls here.So all in all a very very good time guranteed here.

St. John's Church

*Bulit- 1852
*Reconstructed in 1929
*Popularly known as Church of St. John in Wilderness


This is a living example of excellence of British architecture , which also houses a memorial of Lord Elgin, the British Viceroy who died in1963 and also an old graveyard. An old bell hangs down from ceiling . Sorrounding the church are thick deodar trees where one can easily locate the great himalayan black face langoors. One almost looked at me , as if he is going to snatch my camera .this church has some fine Belgian stained glass windows donated by Lady Elgin.There are otherplaces i covered like the Bhagsu nath temple which is a quiet temple with a pool in its vicinity .A visit is considered a must if you go to mcleodganj .

TsuglagKhang complex/The Dalai lama Monastry

Here lies the Dalai Lama's residence, monastery, museum, library etc.It is easily accessible adn everybody around is very warm and collegial.One is free to go anywhere except for Dalai lama's residential areas. Here you'll always find people busy with their daily prayers, It's a joy to see them praying. I must say the way they prey is a good physical exercise and might be the reason for their athletic bodies. Every time they recite a mantra , they bend and do a complete push up of entire body and by the time they finish praying,they would already have done 1000's of push-ups. They slide their body in a peculiar manner (right pic) and have a special robe to protect their palm from gettign bruised due to the fiction caused due to sliding .It's advisable not to ask anything while they're praying adn I must say it is a joy to watch them doing that . Even if you ask them anything ,most of them wouldn't answer as they primarily speak with tibetese with smattering of Hindi and English; their monastic education is entirely in Tibetan.

If not traveling, the Dalai Lama gives occasional public audiences. A huge population of Tibetans ( born after 1959, the start of the exile) live in India as refugees, Majority, more then 80% of which have not applied for Indian citizenship, hoping one day to return to Tibet.

*************************************************************************************

Join the Free Tibet campgain and let's help them in their struggle for freedom.

(Enlarge the pic.. )

posted by Vj @ Saturday, April 08, 2006, , links to this post

The Blue Poppy "Meconopsis betonicifolia"
Friday, March 17, 2006

" Oh my god! that's a blue Poppy!"

" What's so special about it" I asked

I hated the look he gave me ,as he looked inside my camera and told "You probably won't see one again in your life time".

It was raining that day and i was standing next to a treachrous tin bridge when this bright blue flower caught my attention. I covered the lens of my camera with raincoat and clicked this picture. Never did i realize that it's one of the rarest flower in the world ,a hugely popular subject of research in west and also on the verge of extinction . I met a group of Iranian scholars ,who checked my pics and were thrilled to see it and one would go ahead and say "Iam glad i was able to see one in my life." .There were a group of Japenese expeditioners who came all the way to see one ,but couln't find one.

I posted in my online album . 4 people marked it as their favorite picture and a British botanist wrote me a long note about it.

In case you know a little botany or still want to know what it is?

Blue poppy or Himalayan poppy are synonyms. These names make reference to a plant that grows, as you can tell by the name, in the Himalayas, India.

Blue poppy.- It is a perennial herb with hairy, lance shaped, dark green basal and stem leaves. Of the Meconopsis genus this poppy is the most representative and liked one because of it's amazing tones of blue. It can survive very cold temperatures but can't tolerate hot ones. It grows in partial shade. There are 3 species of blue poppies and many hybrids grown in cultivation.

Meconopsis simplicifolia was discovered around 1848. It was the first one to be discovered. This species doesn't get as much attention as the other 2. It is said that it is not being cultivated for unknown reasons.Meconopsis Betonicifolia or Himalayan Blue Poppy was discovered in north-west Yunnan in 1886 and it's probably the most popular and widely grown member. It grows from 3 to 5 feet high and gets stems with 4 to 5 flowers each..Meconopsis Grandis or Tibetan Blue Poppy was discovered around the 1880's in east Nepal. It is the national flower of Bhutan.
Blue poppy legal situation.- this is a controversial subject because there is a famous drug that is extracted from poppies: opium. But what most people don't know is that opium is extracted only form the Opium Poppy or Papaver Somniferum and think that all poppies have this narcotic substance. Although governments do keep a close watch on poppy cultivation so that opium poppy is not grown for illegal purposes.
With that being said blue poppy cultivation is legal and so are the different products made from blue poppy: seeds, oil, flowers, etc.

credit : http://www.poppiesinternational.com/

posted by Vj @ Friday, March 17, 2006, , links to this post

River rafting @rishikesh
Monday, March 06, 2006

Been there,Done that.

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when i say Tee off,Golf Course, Double trouble,Three Blind Mice, Sweet Sixteen, Marine Drive, Cross Fire,roller coaster,The cashflow and the The initiation.I guess most of us would say these are random phrases that have no association with each other but that's not true .These are name of the rapids ,one would find at rishikesh while rafting.Now what are rapids?

A rapid is a section of a river where it loses elevation over a relatively short distance causing an increase in water flow and usually results in turbulence. river gets shallower and rocks get exposed above the flow surface. As flowing water splashes over and around the rocks, air bubbles become mixed in with it and the water takes on a white colour, forming what is called whitewater .

From what i've learnt from Discovery and National geographic channel is that, the best place in this earth to enjoy rafting is the Colorado river(right pic) through grand canyons.Iam sure , if i get a chance to go to US ,then i would visit the place.That's been one of my US dreams ,Another being standing on brooklyn bridge facing towards the Manhattan skyline.Something i saw in so many hollywood flicks,that i can't help but thinking about it.

Coming back to rapids,these can be classified into 6 types

Class 1: An easy, slow-moving current
Class 2: small waves
Class 3: rapids have medium waves with some technical maneuvers required
Class 4: faster current, bigger waves ,very technical and scouting recommended
Class 5: very fast current, large waves and scouting is necessary
Class 6: virtually un-runnable, only attempted by professional racing teams

Roller coaster and double trouble are class 4 rapids and very very dangerous.The waves struck us so bad there,that for a moment it felt the water is going to topple the boat.We were thrown very high in the air .With rocks on the otherside of waves,it seemed like we're going to hit the rocks ,next moment .but i guess the instruction by our rescue technician "left back,right forward","left back,right forward" saved us .Let me tell you here .The raft is divided into two parts .6 people on left and 6 on right. I was the group leader of Left side and the people behind me were following my pedal movements.Left back means people at L.H.S would row towards back and R.H.S towards forwards .that swirls the boat towards right hand side . there are 7 rafting commands.The one we enjoyed most, was "hand on deck and relax".

In the middle we're allowed to body surf , which i must say is a great thrill . Specially for people who don't know swimming and want to know how it feels like . the body suits act like insulators to water and keep you afloat .

The total strech is 26 kms from malakunti ,that's where most people start their journey.and besides rafting one can indulge in cliff jumping,rappeling,trekking,beach volleyball,kayaking .This is one place that brings to close to nature and gives you an experience like never before. unarguably,this is the best way to spend your weekend ,if you happen to be a Delhite.

There is lot more to write.which of course would come later..for the time being ..enjoy the pics and if you ever get a chance to go to rishikesh . don't miss this for your life. It is the best kept secret of the Himalayan hills, now catching the fancy people in India and abroad.Spread over 100 acres.

Specialities :

Ayurvedic massages , yogic exercises ,meditation,sauna,hydrotherapy . Though a little bit expensive but then most good things come with a price tag. This is world's best spa.Officialy declared .Now. that says a lot about it, Isn't it

. Ananda in the himalayas

www.flickr.com

posted by Vj @ Monday, March 06, 2006, , links to this post

Dalhousie,chamba and khajjiar in 2 days flat
Sunday, February 26, 2006

We took an auto from chakkibank railway station to Pathankot(Fare 10rs/head), which is a clean and quite city . There is a big bus station there with buses that cover the whole himachal later i got to know that pathankot is a travel hub. It's on an ideal geographical location and is a meeting point of three states, Punjab, Himacha and Jammu Kashmir. It is used as a base camp for going to picturesque foothills of Dalhousie ,Jammu and Kashmir Chamba, Kangra and the deep Himalayas. We took a bus from pathankot to banikhet (75 rs each)and hired a jeep from there to Dalhousie (100rs).Dalhousie is a a hill station par excellence . Established in 1854 by the British Empire in India as a summer retreat for its troops and bureaucrats, the town was named after Lord Dalhousie who was the British Viceroy in India at that time.

<--This is what caught my eyes in as soon as i got off at Dalhousie in the city centre.

It is situated 563 kms from Delhi and is the gateway to Chamba, the valley of milk, honey, springs and streams.Also a popular spot with honeymooners. It is built on and around five hills. and situated at 6000-9000 feet above sea level. Scottish and Victorian architecture is prevalent in the bungalows and churches in the town. If you love old world charm , victorian buildings (remember movie Black),you're going to find it similar .There are about five Churches and i was able to catch 2 of them

St. Francis Church, Dalhousie - 1894
It has beautiful glasswork and intricate stonework. The architectural design is Scottish.(it wasn't sunday and we're not allowed to go in)

St. Patrick's Church, Dalhousie Cantt - 1909 ( seating capacity for 300 people. )

we're were told that there is a nice spot called Panchpulla or the Five Bridges where the water from a natural tank flows under five small bridges. it was about 2 km from city centre . It took us 35 minutes to go down in the hill but the walk was worth it There was a beautiful monument erected in memory of a soldier. One more thing that attracts tourist there is these shawls and they're priced perfectly . At 500-600 it is a deal. and if you're good at negotiation than you can have it really really cheap. I remember we got so tired coming up that by the time we reached up in our rooms ,we simply crashed on to the bed and i woke up an hour later to find that the party has already begun . Now , here's one thing ,one should know .The best place to purchase alcohol is not himachal(it's quite expenisve there) but the last liquor shop on the border of Punjab and Himachal.That is where every bus /tourist vehicle stop for a while before moving up in the hills. We purchased 4 packs of bacardi/smirnoff and i know it really works like tonic ,when you're in a hill station and everybosy must carry one.Sardi ka pata hi nahi chalta do stiff pegs ke baad

Next day we got up really late and by that time we had already missed the morning bus to go out and there wasn't another for next 3 hours . We hired a cab(Maruti Alto) which was the only other way out and within 90 minutes we were near Khajjiar,which is a small picturesque plateau surrounded by dense pine and deodar forests, is one of the 160 places throughout the world to have been designated “Mini Switzerland”. About 24 kms from Dalhousie; at an altitude of 6,500 ft. above sea level. The moment one enters the picturesque Khajjiar, there is a Swiss sign for ‘hiking path’ which reads “Mini Switzerland”.

Khajjiar was officially baptized by the Swiss Ambassador on July 7, 1992 and as per records, a stone was taken here and forms part of the stone sculpture erected in Berne, capital of Switzerland.

posted by Vj @ Sunday, February 26, 2006, , links to this post

Destination Dalhousie
Sunday, February 19, 2006

This was again a quickfire trip. Manali/kullu was the place everybody wanted to go . The fact that we had only 3 days made the task very tough.I wanted to minimize travel time and maximize the travel comfort. Had we selected manali that would have meant , travelling 12-14 hrs in a car( after 9 hrs in office).I was sure with the bunch of punjabis friends, i was going with. Most of them would be sleeping & drinking the next day.I didn't want the 3 days end up in a disaster So I started looking for an alternative location.

I told them"Dalhousie" is the place . I checked the route and then went to railway website to see the train network and i saw a train that matched out time requirements perfectly. All i remember now was submitting the web ticket and taking printout the PNR number.The tickets were dirtcheap @230 rs each .The journey was from New delhi - Chakkibank( last station in H.p before start of hills).I purchased 4 tickets without asking anybody if they're going or not.I knew i was going even if that meant going alone .Going by train saved us 4000 rs atleast The trip was finalized and we were going the next day,I was sure .

And next day, 2 guys backed out . So we were 2 person and 4 tickets. I started convincing people around and 1 guy who i never expected ,agreed to it.The train was at 8:30 in evening and till 7:20 we were in office (the new guy went his home at got his stuff ready) and we're racing against time in office car. It took us 25 minutes to reach railway station from noida , It really helped that our office driver knew delhi routes inside out and we're in platform no.6 in no time . I took out the camera to catch the view around.

One thing i must confess, train journeys are very relaxing (the legroom) .You hardly feel the stress .The train moved in at 6:30 dot and luckily we got a whole compartment and there were still 2 seats left in our compartment.I took the window and i guess everybody was praying that some beautiful girl would turn up from somewhere and say the most cliched line ."Excuse me , I think you're on my seat" but that was never going to happen .It only happens in movies . Wish real life was that predictable.We're still happy that nobody turned up.Whole place was ours.

If you're travelling with punjabi's you can never be bored for a single minute. There were talks of office politics, the new beautiful girl in HR(pataka), the need for speed game (peer to peer version) they have downloaded on office network and then begin the rounds of adult jokes .I had to see around, if nobody else is listening but punjabi's are loud by nature and they have this " i-don't-care-a-damn " attitude. Eventually i gave up and joined in the party and then Nitin opened his bag and took out a pack of card and that was the first time in my life,i tried to understand and actually played cards (besides the Solaitare ) .

I was trying my best to see if i could capture something in night but it was too dark and train was pretty fast and it couldn't capture anything even in the fast moving object mode and finally at Ludhiana around 2 am the train stopped for a while . immediately got out to find any subject when this idea came on to mind . i wanted to capture the uniformness , the length of train on the right frame and the chaos,people on the station on another half. though i wasn't very satisfied with the result . I had to literally tilt , holding camera in my left hand and the train railing on the right . but i guess , the image could've been a little better , if there were some more people in station at that time. We didn't sleep for a while and didn't let any body else sleep and bang at 4:40 in the morning we're in Chakkibank (H.p). Thanks to indian railways and Laloo.For the first time in my life , i've reached a long distance destination in time . India's surely shining.The guys got off the train and started imitating the chaiwalas. people were amused as they recited chai-chai-chai with unimaginable perfection . The fun was about to begin . We were in Himachal.

posted by Vj @ Sunday, February 19, 2006, , links to this post

Himachal pradesh
Saturday, February 18, 2006

Above ..is my trip to Dalhousie
we're able to make it to chamba,khajihaar,dharamshala,mcleodgan in record time

posted by Vj @ Saturday, February 18, 2006, , links to this post

Hemkund Sahib and Govindham

Day3

We rested in a budget hotel last night and got up early next morning . Took a nice hot bath. A bucket of hot water cost Rs 30 .We got ready and had our breakfast . Now , one of the things that one must know, that every edible item is priced 3 times and nobody's complaining.The simple logic being the height and no transportation system except for the mules , which you can spot everywhere . The population of mules would be roughly 1/3 of humans in the town . We carried 5litres water and bread/jam in a bag (no polythenes allowed in the world heritage site ).There is no food and fresh water available in valley .As we move up from ghangariya, the path bifurcates; it’s 3 km towards the valley and 6 km on the other to Hemkund Sahib. and for every thousand people going towards hemkund ,one goes to the valley. As luck would have it ,we were the only one to go towards the valley that day. It was raining badly and we had an inkling it might, so we carried makeshift raincoats . (costing 30Rs each)

As we kept walking there was a subtle change from the rockey mountians / treacherous bridges What i saw later can't possibly be described in words Today was the day . we were in valley of flowers . Not yet ,but almost .We still have to walk another 3 kilometres. but in the end, all the effort was every bit, worth itBelow are few breathtaking photographs that ,I took . Words can't possibly describe them. No camera , no matter how sophisticated it is , can do justice to the beauty of the place.

posted by Vj @ Saturday, February 18, 2006, , links to this post

Karna Prayag,Vishnu Prayag,rudraprayag,karanprayag &Joshimath -- day1

Day no 1

The path to this enchanted valley is long and hard (takes almost a day's travel) .People take rishikesh as the starting point of this long and arduous journey. We had a sumptuous breakfast at rishikesh and kept enough supply for the day.We had a companion in alaknanda river that runs parallel to the road for hundereds of kilometres and at about 100 kilometres from rishikesh you could see beautiful confluence of ganga river at Karna Prayag and Vishnu Prayag .
At noon it started raining .It came out of nowhere & lasted almost 40 minutes and himalayas never felt so beautiful,so alive .Driver was in hurry to reach Joshimath as it was getting dark. We reach Joshimath at 6 pm, after a backbreaking but breathtaking (and sometimes breathless, when it seems the bus might turtle ) .

Now it was an hour’s bus ride to Gobindghat. It was risky,to say the least but that would have saved a lot of time next day. We can't decide whether to stay at Joshimath or move to Govindghat . We planned to decide it over a cup of tea also I badly wanted a pack of Duracell batteries as i almost took 400 pics (never for a while in 12 hours journey, i was seperated from the camera ) and i was fearing the one pack, iam left with would run out soon.I searched the marketand was told there was only 1 shop where I might get them (Laxmi provison store) .To my disbelief, i was told just 30 minutes back ,a group of british expeditioners had purchased 50 sets .I came back to join the tea and we decided that we would be staying at Joshimath tonight.

The locals referred us to GMVN guestroom which i must stay was nice and cosy at a reasonable price and the best of all , I got to see the climax and eventually India winning the ODI and there were huge cheers and firecrackers in the marketplace . We decided to take a walk in market after dinner and dozed off at 12 in the night

Alternative route


Day No. 2

Theory no 1.
Ok... Now that we have travelled almost 500 kms from Delhi . I thought,It was be a matter of
another 30 kms .Out of which 15 kms would be travelled by bus (1hr) that leaves us around 15 something kilometred to trek from govinddham . So if we could start early, we should be able to make it, in time .

I being the optimist always thought, theory1 holds lot of promise .But the locals said otherwise. they said the 15 km distance being uphill will take 5 hrs . So,you could reach the valley but won't be able to comeback before dark. I decided to give it a go but nobody wanted a date/dinner with himalayan bear in the night.

All we required to make theory no 1 possible was an early start. walk non-stop towards valley and come back running. it looked hard but not impossible and i kept reminding them time is our biggest constraint , But my theory had few buyers.

Theory no2

was to Reach Govinddham by first bus. Attend bhandara in gurdwara, go easily ..take rest then stay overnight at ghangharia(after trekking 12kms) .Move to valley of flowers next day. I had to give in to the majority vote

and then.

All i remember about next day was we walked and walked and walked ...drank wanter.and walked some more. The walk was made memorable by forests of spruce, oak and silver birch and wild flowers . Every time we got tired we saw the sikh followers passby(to hemkund) some of them in thier 80s chanting wahe-guru and we did the same and that gave us instant energy ,we would start walking agian. My theory no.1 proved miserably wrong and we're able to reach ghangaria after 6 hours of journey. I still think, had i stuck to theory no.1 ,I would have made it but then that would surely have meant ..missing all the fun that we did on the way

posted by Vj @ Saturday, February 18, 2006, , links to this post

The Valley of flowers
Sunday, February 12, 2006

Legends associate an English botanist with the discovery of the valley of flowers,who was pleasently surprized to see such lively and vibrant colourful flowerbed all over the valley. Later it was found out that it was spread over an area of 87.5 km and was the largest collection of wild flower species. Hidden from the probing eyes of civilization this is a place like no other.

Pankaj and I had been planning a trip for almost 4 years . Initially ,we didn't have the resources and time and now our jobs and work schedules are so differerent ,that it was getting an uphill task

And then one fine day , I got him on IM and like most of our expedetions, this trip was planned in a jiffy right then. Although ,we were skeptical till last moment,whether we're going to make it but we decided to give it go. So, When Pankaj landed in delhi and went to dehradun, i knew somewhere in my heart this might finally happen this time.So , we decided Dehradun as the initial point for journey.I had to face a strong opposition from my mom but i couldn't have missed it this time for my life.

Pros :
1. We had 4 days of off together.
2. We knew the demography (having had spent considerable part of our lives in hills).
3. We did enough research on it (I almost took around 80 pages of information from net)

Cons:
The flower season was almost but over (Apr- Sept) but if we had to go we had to.

posted by Vj @ Sunday, February 12, 2006, , links to this post

Incredible India
Friday, February 03, 2006

India Travel Blog

Delhi
The crowded, colourful and unruly heart of India.
Delhi is no longer a city of cows stuck in traffic jam, land of snakecharmers and elephants :It is city of dal makhani/tandoori naan,ancient architecture,rich culture and diversity . it gets totally additictive and intoxicating for a first timer .

Delhi is a palimpsest, bearing the complexities, the contradictions, the beauty and the dynamism of a city where the past coexists with the present. many dynasties ruled from here and the city is rich in the architecture of its monuments. Diverse cultural elements absorbed into the daily life of the city have enriched its character. exploring the city can be a fascinating and rewarding experience...

Here I've put some pics of delhi randomly assorted with Jaipur and Agra. Jaipur can easily be catagorized as the one of the most beautiful cities in north India and rightly so and beauty of Taj is beyond words. Would love to shoot it on a full-moon light . just hoping for that day/night.

www.flickr.com

Here are some other travel links which you might want to see .These are external links and are assimilated here . There is no preference , these are few states I like and their respective tourism webpages and relevant information

KMVN
-- Kumaon is a paradise for adventure sports. The sheer variety ranging from mountaineering (Bhagirathi, Chowkhamba, Nanda Devi, Kamet, Pindari, Sahastrataal, Milam, Kafni, Khatling, Gaumukh), trekking, skiing (Auli, Dayara, Bugyal, Munsyari, Mundali), Skating can drive you mad.

GMVN
- This "abode of Gods" include many shrines and places of pilgrimage. Nestled in Himalayas are Char-dhams, the four most sacred and revered Hindu temples, namely, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri; one of the most important pilgrimage of Sikhs' - Hemkund Sahib etc.

Uttranchal --
Blessed with magnificent glaciers, majestic snow-clad mountains, gigantic and ecstatic peaks, valley of flowers, skiing slopes and dense forests, this Abode of Gods includes many shrines and places of pilgrimage. Char-dhams,the four most sacred and revered Hindu temples: Badrinath,Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are nestled in the Mighty Mountains.

Himachal Tourism -- The state with beautiful cities like Chamba Kangra Una Lahaul & Spiti Kullu Mandi Hamirpur Bilaspur Solan Kinnaur Shimla Sirmor

Rajasthan--

Places to Visit
AJMER	JHALAWAR
ALWAR	JODHPUR
BHARATPUR	KOTA
CHITAURGARH	MOUNT ABU
JAIPUR	RANAKPUR
JAISELMER	UDAIPUR

kerala --
Kerala's backwaters and lagoons stretch over 1900 km. Kerala lives along these backwaters. They snake over the state physique, bestowing paddy fields with good harvests, and provide the whole village with drinking water and other facilities. The backwaters refer to the large inland lakes of Kerala. Today these backwaters act as vital water ways for the transport of people and produce. They are often the only link between remote, isolated villages and crowded town pockets. It's an incredible experience to float on these soothing waters in a country craft to absorb this unusual representation of Kerala.

Indian railways

Indian Railways have been the prime movers to the nation and have the distinction of being one of the largest railway systems in the world under a single management.Railways traverse through the length and breadth of the country covering 63,140 route kms as on 31.3.2002, . As the principal constituent of the nation’s transport system, Indian Railways own a fleet of 2,16,717 wagons (units), 39,236 coaches and 7,739 number of locomotives and manage to run 14,444 trains daily, including about 8,702 passenger trains. They carry more than a million tonne of freight traffic and about 14 million passengers covering 6,856 number of stations daily.

INDIAN AIRLINES-- The national carrier of India . he Airlines’ network spans from Kuwait in the west to Singapore in the West and covers 76 destinations – 58 within India and 18 abroad. The Indian Airlines international network covers Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain in West Asia; Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Mayanmar in South East Asia and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives in the South Asia sub-continent.Indian Airlines came into being with the enactment of the Air Corporations Act 1953 and was entrusted with the responsibility of providing air transportation within the country as well as to the neighbouring countries.he Airlines’ network spans from Kuwait in the west to Singapore in the West and covers 76 destinations – 58 within India and 18 abroad. The Indian Airlines international network covers Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain in West Asia; Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Mayanmar in South East Asia and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives in the South Asia sub-continent.

South India Destinations

- Kerala Tourism
- Karnataka Tourism
- Tamil Nadu Tourism
- Andhra Pradesh Tourism
- Lakshadweep Tourism
- Pondicherry Tourism
- Andaman & Nicobar
- Daman & Diu Tourism
- Dadar & Nagar Haveli

more Destinations...

East India Destinations

- Assam Tourism - Arunachal Pradesh Tourism - Orissa Tourism - Jharkhand Tourism - Tripura Tourism - West Bengal Tourism - Sikkim Tourism - Bihar Tourism more Destinations...

West India Destinations

- Goa Tourism
- Goa Places to See
- Destinations in Goa
- Goa Beaches
- Gujarat Tourism
- Maharashtra Tourism
- Maharastra Beaches
- Mumbai Tourism

more Destinations...

Disclaimer -- The information contained in this section of the Web Site has been prepared solely for the purpose of providing information.This section has been compiled in good faith but no representation is made or warranty given (either express or implied) as to the completeness or accuracy of the information it contains. You are therefore requested to verify this information and visit the respective organization,websites for most accurate and correct information .



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ookokl;lth magnificent glaciers, majestic snow-clad mountains, gigantic and ecstatic peaks, valley of flowers, skiing slopes and dense forests, this Abode of Gods includes many shrines and places of pilgrimage. Char-dhams,the four most sacred and revered Hindu temples: Badrinath,Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are nestled in the Mighty Mountains.

posted by Vj @ Friday, February 03, 2006, , links to this post

India travel blog
Saturday, January 28, 2006

Hi ! My name is Vijay Pandey

I've been highly irregular when i talk about my previous posts.So, irregular that i ended up losing my password 3 times in row now.

Here comes the new one ..all charged up and with all the more determination .This one is primarily about my travels in and around the North mountain regions of India, Mighty Himalayas..my home A place in this world i can call my own

posted by Vj @ Saturday, January 28, 2006, , links to this post

Where is vijay pandey now
Saturday, December 31, 2005

Not all those wander Travel & travel & reach the same Place i started from...

posted by Vj @ Saturday, December 31, 2005, , links to this post