It was  the day of Friday....... that was my last exam in the evening shift, I actually didn't have any idea about  answers so i decided to go Ajmer and Pushkar. But i had only 500, so i chose to go by train without ticket.

After exam i suddenly went to my room and took my bag along with 500 bucks to grab my college bus so that i can save my money up to  railway station.Then i found there is no train route for ajmer, so i caught train for Agra. I reached there at 11:00 pm then i found there is a train after 15 min...i ran towards the  train as fast as i can and what i saw that was disasterous.. the general bogie was full packed at that time i thought of quitting my program.. but then i saw the huge chaos was running towards the luggage bogie so i also chose that way to complete my trip.

That was the most hazardous condition for me , i sat on the floor with a company of more than 100 people then a TC came to us asked for the tickets but by the god grace i saved myself anyhow. at 4:40 i reached Ajmer station in a completely f##*ed mode. My legs were not working i was totally out ,then i took a cup of tea and some snacks to boost my energy level.

after all of this i went to DARGAH SHARIF during the first NAMAAZ of the day, that was impeccable and i loved that feeling, dhai din ka jhopra is good thing to see with mesmerizing anna sagar lake, the view is amazing. Then i moved to Pushkar, i found desert in pushkar which is the starting place of Thar desert. The soothing and mesmerizing  voice of birds near the ghats relaxed me the most and there is an amazing market in the pushkar to visit and taste some good food of rajasthan.

After visitng almost every place i checked my pocket and still i had 300 rs so i decided to go by bus because i was totally exhausted. And like this i completed my trip in just 35 hrs without any knowledge of parents and friends. That was amazing experience and everyone should visit these places once. Keep traveling. 

Sachin

3 hrs from Chennai, a small city at Tamilnadu having full of temple.

One day trip is enough. You can hire cab or auto to cover most of the temples in one day, as they say there are 108 temples,so be selective on that.

There are local trains from Chennai will take Rs.40 approximately per person

Stayed September 2015, traveled with family

ExoANDAMANS NEVER SEEN BEFORE PICTURES..

Its now showing at a Facebook Account near you..Come..watch..Like and comment about it.. :D

Assorted pics of backwaters and beaches from Alleypey..Marari and Kochi.

The fascinating Indian state of Uttar Pradesh boasts a long and colourful history reflected in its delectable cuisine. Of the many culinary influences that have shaped the food of the state, perhaps the most famous are the cooking techniques and experimental recipes favoured by the opulent Mughals, the maharajas who nursed a predilection for all things rich, decadent and creative. However, the cuisine of Uttar Pradesh was more affected by the influence of the Nawabs, the rulers initially appointed by the Mughals, who took culinary creativity to new heights of innovation. As a result, Uttar Pradesh offers an extensive menu of dishes that run in a similar vein to the heavily spiced fare of the Punjab and the deep flavours of Kashmir. Just as in these states, the cuisine of Uttar Pradesh embraces meats in a variety of forms. However, vegetarians certainly won’t feel excluded, thanks to the list of vegetable-based options that have been a firm part of the culture of Uttar Pradesh for centuries.

Vegetarian classics of Uttar Pradesh

We all crave a little comfort food at times and in the state of Uttar Pradesh, it is Arharki Dal which offers a warm hug in a bowl. An everyday dish of the state, packed full of protein and nutrients, it is well-known for being easy to make as well as delicious. Lentils provide the bulk of the dish whilst tomatoes, ginger, onions, garlic, green chillies and cilantro are also integral to the recipe. Spices such as cumin, turmeric and red chilli add a fragrant exoticism to the dish – just the aroma to provide some comfort on a cold winter night.

A unique vegetarian option in Uttar Pradesh is BhindikaSalan, a tasty recipe based on the popular ‘bhindi’ vegetable, an ingredient otherwise known as ‘okra’ or ‘ladies fingers’. This flavoursome dish involves frying the bhindi in hot oil and addinh it into a curry created from tamarind pulp, tomatoes and plenty of chopped red and green chillies. This fiery flavour is livened up further with cumin and mustard seeds, killing the concept that vegetarian food ever has to be bland.

Another popular vegetarian curry said to have been developed in Uttar Pradesh, is the heartyAlloRasedar, a dish based around chunky potatoes, spiced to perfection and mixed with other vegetables.

Wholesome potatoes are a key ingredient in a number of filling vegetarian dishes, as is rice, one of the staple ingredients of India as a whole. The specialty dish AllahbadkiTeh

ri is a rice-based recipe combining a selection of seasonal and locally produced vegetables which could include cauliflower, green beans, potatoes or carrots with fluffy basmati rice and a smattering of mouth-watering spices.

The famous ‘brinjal’ or aubergine is also a popular vegetarian ingredient in Uttar Pradesh. Known for its soft yet firm flesh, aubergines make an excellent addition to a curry. Additionally, they can be stuffed with a mixture of onions, cloves, sugar, citrus juice, chilli and spices – these vegetables make the perfect vehicle to showcase a range of tasty Indian flavours.

Indian cuisine is one of the most vegetarian friendly cuisines in the world. See for yourself with a visit to one of London’s best Indian fine dining restaurants.

An unexplored Tiger Reserve of Bihar... With lots of surprises..

Dharavi, one fantastic place it is, busy making mumbai a better place to live for others by living in between the garbage, the civiized people throw around, and support themselves instead of complaining.

And this trip was an eyepoener, as it broke my perceptions about Dharavi, which is one of the largest small scale industrial cluster in India, contibuting to around 700 million USD a year. Though most of the people were living in a much miserable condition, they were more happy than most of us who has a proper bed to lay our heads on.

And our guide, Mr. Razzak Shaikh, who is a resident of Dharavi. Though unfortunate to complete his studies, I wondered to hear him speak english so fluently that I felt ashamed of myself, being a well groomed person and one who stumbles! In the whole tour, he never tried showing how worse the conditions get there, but instead he made us see the people living there as heroes, who tackle these situations.

And I sincerely recommend everyone who happens to come to Mumbai, to take a tour of Dharavi.

As I stepped into the hallowed city of Prague, I was conflicted; my mind was in an inexplicable state of turmoil. I was battling between whether it really was the real life or just fantasy. I had never seen something so beautiful, so exquisite. The chapels, the bridges and the gardens, the cobbled streets and the sharp spires, the magnificent castles and the unobtrusive courtyards, the beer halls and the artsy cafes; everything had me rapt. I was baffled. How could one city possibly have so much versatility? I began to question all of my life choices. Why hadn’t I visited this place before? What took me so long? Why had I deprived myself of this slice of heaven? The questions continued to flow just the way the Vltava River was flowing in all its glory. And my heart was gradually melting away.

Kafka’s muse and Kundera’s object of affection, Prague has evidently had a lot of love bestowed upon it. Perhaps the only city in the world that can make Paris feel a tad bit insecure, Prague is dreamy and eccentric at the same time. It is a maze and getting lost in it isn’t really a bad thing because every turn holds a pleasant surprise for you. There is so much to see and so much to do. Right from exploring the many facets of the Old Town to keeping up with the modish Nove Mesto; from understanding the elegance of art noveau to being haunted by the imposing Gothic architecture; from soaking into the mesmerizing tunes of Drovak to tapping your feet to the catchy music belted out by a humble busker; from chugging down mugs of golden Pilsner to coming to terms with the fact that devout Czech monks brewed the best beer, everything about Prague is a happy revelation. There's something about it. The Czech capital is like a personification of the most intriguing yet the most mysterious form of poetry.

Prague is deeply entrenched in history and its love of art is ubiquitous. So is beer which essentially is the elixir of life, if the Czechs are to be believed. The city of a hundred spires is cosmopolitan, but also has a strong affinity towards the yesteryears. It is ever-changing, yet in its own charming ways, reminds you of an era gone by. Every single day in Prague is a celebration of life and love. If I were a poet, I would pen a hundred odes to it.

"Everywhere is walking distance." - Steven Wright

It all started with a dream. Dream to travel and explore the world which is different than the usuals, unlike the cities and chaos in which we live in.

Me and my old friend, Vaibhav, from my college times always used to talk about going for outings, travelling some places and trek the mystical mountain ranges of sahyadri's. It is often said that the journey starts from a single step. This was the first step towards our dream and some how a plan was formed for a trek to kalsubai peak. Kalsubai peak is regarded as the highest peak in maharashtra, also as the everest of maharashtra. Some how two more guys got interested for this trek, Manoj and Prathamesh(bunty), they were Vaibhav's friend. We all were excited for our maiden trek and that too for Kalsubai peak which is highest among sahyadri's.

The Journey

• Day 1 (10th July 2015)

The journey actually began at home, packing necessities for the upcoming trek. Wind-cheaters as it was monsoons, home made food, ready to eat food, snacks, biscuits and whatever came to our mind as it was our first trek and the excitement was endless. We all left our home around 10pm and the futher action was to gather at Thane railway station to board the Mahanagari Express(11093) which was to arrive there at 00:48hrs. Then we met at Thane railway station and introduced ourselves to each other except Vaibhav who knew all from both ends and we waited for train...

• Day 2 (11th July 2015)

The train arrived on time, we boarded the train and managed seats in general compartment. As it was a short journey of about 100kms and to save money we preferred general section. Kalsubai peak falls on the border of Igatpuri under Ahmednagar district, so the nearest railway station was Igatpuri railway station and hence we concluded to through Igatpuri for Kalsubai peak. Kalyan station passed and after little sturggle in general compartment as the time passed we reached Igatpuri station at aorund 03:00hrs in the morning. 

It was all foggy out there on the station even as we headed towards the main road it was the same. We asked some private taxi's for bari village which is the base village to Kalsubai peak, but their demands were much higher than the people demanding dowry. So we asked a man who was nearby railway station for ST bus depot which was half a kilometer from railway station but due to heavy fog we couldn't decide where to head.

The first ST bus was at around 05:30hrs, so we thought of waiting at the bus depot and take rest for a while as we have whole day journey ahead but mosquitoes ruined it all. We headed on the main road and went towards railway station and back again, we were wandering the streets like idiots still it was fun because its not everyday you get to enjoy such climate. Some how time passed and people started to gather at bus depot and most of them were youngsters who were also headed towards kalsubai peak for trekking. We felt great as there were many others who were headed for the same. The ST bus fare for bari village was around Rs.40 and it took us aorung 50 minutes to reach bari village. At 06:20hrs we reached the base village of kalsubai peak i.e. bari village.

As soon as we get down the bus at bari village there were locals offering services like tea, poha and other snacks. We didn't waste our time and went to a stall on our way had tea and poha there, i ate two plate poha as i was damn hungry and the excitement drained some of my energy but now we were ready to go.

We started our ascend at around 07:10hrs, at start we walked through the village crossed some house's and then we had to cross a small waterfall too. The comes the muddy patch and as it was monsoon and raining most of the times, we slipped often still enjoyed that part too. Some how struggling and motivating each other we reached towards a small plateau on our way, there were many trekkers already resting at that point so we thought its an good idea to relax for while as we really needed rest. We clicked some snaps and chatted to our newly made friends on our way.

We resumed our ascend and faced some muddy patches in between and then there comes our first ladder. Couple of ladders passed and then we encountered the massive rock patch, it was tough to climb those rocks but we all did great and it was fun too. Then again another plateau with much needed break and we felt our stomach being empty again its time to eat. We had parathas and some snacks then decided to move now. As we climbed up the fog got thicker and the wind was heavy too.

At last the final ladder and we crossed it and headed toward the temple but the strong winds made it almost impossibe to move near the peak section, some how we reached the temple on top of kalsubai peak. That feeling of accomplishing something which is beyond your limits and on your first try is just amazinnnggg!!! We sat there admired the beauty of nature as we were so close to it, the feeling was heavenly. Then we did darshan in temple and clicked some snaps on top and started our descend.

We were among the first one's to reach the top and the numbers of people heading down was very low as compared to people coming up. So we had to wait for people to cross the ladders and then get down, it was frustating. Still we managed to get down as fast as possible and we descended in an hour as the fog got cleared and it was afternoon the sun was shining bright.

We halted near the first waterfall which was close to village and started cleaning up ourselves, as the water was clear and looked good we washed our hands and face too and changed our clothes too as there was no one peeking. After cleaning ourselves in fresh and cool water we felt fresh and that was the time for lunch. We were so hungry that the whole lunch box was finished in minutes, no body had the time to speak but eat. 

Then we started our return journey and took a private taxi which costed us Rs.60 per head for Kasara railway station. Every one slept during our way to kasara railway station. Some what in an hour we reached kasara railway station. Luckily CST local was there we took tickets and headed toward our home.

Tips

* During monsoon take extra pair of clothes.

* Reach there one night prior or reach early in morning so you can start early with less crowd.

* Carry biscuits or dry snacks(dry fruits etc).

* Pack lighter, go further.

5 Days in LA Suggested Trip Itinerary:

Day 1 - Santa Monica Pier, Shopping/Dinning at 3rd Street Promenade, Venice Beach and spend the evening at Getty Centre. The Getty Centre is only open until 9pm on Saturdays. At the Getty Centre you will get 270 degree view of the city and it is perfect for sunsets

Day 2 - Start your day at Newport Beach. During the summer time there are various cruises offered to nearby islands or whale watching can also been fun depending on the season. Late afternoon, head to Queen Mary for a self guided tour. The last entrance is at 4:30pm

Day 3 - Universal Studios ! You will need one full day at the Universal Studios. Weekdays are good if you want to avoid long line ups, however the theme park is open late on weekends. Be sure to take the behind the scenes tour of the studio. Discounted tickets are available at Costco and admission is included in 4 day GO LA pass purchased at Costco. If you are traveling without kids, be sure to hit up one of the night clubs on Hollywood Blvd (please check the reviews).

Day 4 - Spend the morning at Hollywood Blvd. Interesting places to check out include the Dolby Theatre (where the Oscars are held every year), TCL, Hollywood & Highland, Walk of Fame, Souvenir Stores, Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not and various other museums. You can also get a 30 minute guided tour of the Dolby Theatre. Various movie premieres are also held at Dolby Theatre. Hollywood Blvd is a very happening place with live entertainment around the clock. There are also various celebrity houses on the Hollywood Blvd, be sure to get a map to find out who's staying where. In the afternoon you can sign up for one of the tours, we took the Redline Beverly Hills Celebrity Tour. It was a two hour guided tour and we totally enjoyed it. Our guide took us to viewpoints where we can get good views of the city and Hollywood sign. He pointed out the celebrity houses in Beverly Hills and took us around the rodeo drive (where the celebrities shop and dine). Most tours end by 5 pm, you can spend the evening at Hollywood Blvd checking out museums, watching shows or even hitting up one of the night clubs. Another great option is to head to Griffith Park and Observatory to enjoy great city views and for some stargazing.

Day 5 - If you are really into movie, sitcom, and TV show productions - I would recommend the Warner Bros Studio tour. The tour is approximately 2 hours and add another hour for viewing exhibits. For the nature lovers, an early morning sunrise drive from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara on Pacific Central Highway (PCH) is high recommended.  The non-stop drive is approximately 2.5 hours by the ocean. However, there are various stopovers including the seal beach, hearst castle, etc which can turn this into a one day trip.

Other suggestions:

1. Accommodations: We rented a private studio on Sunset Blvd through Airbnb. It was central to everything we wanted to do in the city with spectacular views. The link below will give you $30 off your next airbnb rental:

www.airbnb.ca/c/sk930?s=8

2. LA GO Card Pass - Includes admission to major attractions. Its a great money saving option, depending on what you plan to do.

http://www.smartdestinations.com/los-angeles-attractions-and-tours/_d_Lax-p1.html?pass=Lax_Prod_Go

The best starting point to reach Pondicherry is Chennai. The entire road trip on the ECR(East Coast road) is a beautiful experience. The ECR has lots to offer while you are driving towards Pondicherry. Along the ECR you find Amusement parks, Resorts, Lakes, Beaches, Farms and what not. Pondicherry was an unforgettable experience and so was the drive on ECR. You also cross the holy town of Mahabalipuram also called Mahamallapuram. It is one of the prominent heritage sites of India. The stay in Auro Ba cottages, The sight seeing of artisans crafting the beautiful ornmanets, The sunset at the paradise beach, the silence at the Matri Mandir, The adventure of water sports and forest walkways in Auroville town. The dining on the promenade, the lunch at the special Surguru hotel and the shopping on the street. Pondy was great to me!!!

Travelling through the NH4 to reach the most frequently visited tourist city was awesome with great landscape on either side of the road.

The major sport activity in Rishikesh is White Water Rafting, the most in demand adventurous water sports in India. It has grown to a well-liked and adventurous spot for white water rafting enthusiasts as the place offers a ravishing experience of medium to very tough and rough rapids in the regions of River Ganges.

That sounds a perfect holiday in the foothill town of the Garhwal Himalaya, Rishikesh, which is also popular for its pilgrimage and yoga centers.

It was month of May that we bunch of friends decided to take the experience of White Water river rafting. So, We hired a tempo traveller (as we were 10 people) from Delhi. It was 6 hour drive from Delhi.

We left early in the morning around 4'o clock and reached Rishikesh at 10'o clock. As soon as we reached, we were taken to our camps as per our tour package. The location of our stay was stunningly beautiful. What a location it was, Tents @bank of holy river, open & blue sky, bone fire in the night with your awesome friends.

The camps were quite nice, just what one needs for a rafting trip. Toilets are also quite decent. The place houses with double occupancy, and it gets really hot inside those tents. So always a better idea to sleep outside under the skies! It costs around Rs. 1500 per person for a 2D/1N trip including breakfast, lunch, 1 stretch of rafting & Dinner.

Later in the afternoon, we started our Rafting from Marine Drive to Shivpuri which took 2 to 3 hours to cover around 11km and it includes Some of the most popular rapids. Rafting is safe for non-swimmers as well but the deal is not to panic. Yes, you will not feel any ground beneath your feet when you are in water, but take the plunge and enjoy the current. It was really a ravishing experience & we loved every bit of it.

Tips:

Except monsoon, which stretches from mid June to September, water rafting in Rishikesh is in huge demand. From February to May and from October to November witness the highest number of rafters onverging here from all over the world.

Note: The rest of the photos from this post can be found on my blog.

All you hear about Ladakh tourism is Pangong Lake. Is it really that beautiful? Is it worth the hype?

There are moments in your life when you’ll experience an epiphany. A life changing experience, when you know just what you’re going to do next.

That isn’t what happened to me. I’ve long since come to terms with the fact that even if Sartre descended for a day to help me figure life out, I won’t know what I want to do next. But if it’s going to happen to any of you, it’s highly likely to happen at Pangong tso (lake). For others like me: the visit will leave with you a moment of deep solitude and peace; one that will stay with you every day for the rest of your life. A moment to go back to, to help you get through rough days.

Lazy days by Pangong Tso

The lake, made famous by the movie 3 Idiots attracts many tourists from all over the world. It was my first weekend in Ladakh, and all of us volunteers were equally excited to go check it out, [Read this to know more about what I was doing in Ladakh] especially before the road closes due to the snow. (A statement I heard over and over again from people trying to discourage me from travelling to Ladakh in October which is off-season. Like I said, don’t listen to people).

5 of us set off on this expedition to discover it for ourselves.

Pangong is at a height of 14,000 ft. above sea level and to get there, you go through Chang La pass at 17,000 ft. to get there – the third highest pass in the world. Travelling this route during October infers freezing your butt off. Having packed that morning at 6 a.m. in pitch dark, I carry only my camera, candy, toothbrush, wallet and all the warm clothes I had – not nearly enough. Pangong lake is about 6 hours away from Leh town, about 6.5 hours for us from SECMOL. Our taxi is an Innova and our driver Motup-ji (M:+91-9419177843), a jolly old man who refused to part with his cap.

Chang La, the world’s third highest pass

Fluff at Chang La

The landscape from Leh to Pangong changes dramatically and constantly. If you think orange grass can only be found in Spain, and gigantic boulders only in the Grand Canyon, you aren’t looking close enough. The charm of Ladakh in the Fall is unparalleled; a hidden secret. The boulders lurk high above you, the waters shine all the way down and the grass changes constantly from a bright orange to yellow and then to a red and green.

Sakti village, overseen by the grand mountains

We stop for lunch on our way, at Himalayan Café in the town of Tangste and, since it’s off season, it’s the only restaurant for miles. This is also the town where the driver disappears for a bit to vet the permits for foreigners (Rs. 700 each, and can be secured only in pairs). Sans exaggeration, this place has the best coffee you will ever drink. I do not say this as a coffee-starved person in Ladakh, but take my word for it. The best coffee, and the fluffiest bread omelette.

The rest of the route from here is spattered with more army camps, hilarious B.R.O. (Border Roads Organisation) road signs, horses grazing peacefully in the sun, and no sight of human life. My favourite kind. The scene is something out of a movie. No, seriously. It’s an exact replica of the famous scene in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, with the wild horses running past the car. Horses munch away on orange grass; ponds gleam clearer than glass, reflecting the harsh sun and the blankets of snow on the mountains around. There’s a nip in the air, but it’s still not worth closing the windows for. The sight is unreal, and we aren’t even there yet!

The first sighting of Pangong lake is dramatic, preceded by the sight of a gorgeous, enchanting swamp. There’s fine, beach-like sand around now, and the mountains are more barren.

Driving past Pangong Tso

You might not even realise you’ve spotted the lake, unless you have your eyes peeled for purple water.

As we pull up closer, I don’t know what hit me. When we draw a lake as kids, we use one blue crayon for the water, a yellow one for the sun and brown for the mountains. If you witness Pangong Tso for yourself, you’d have to write to Crayola (or Faber Castle, yes) to manufacture about 20 more colours.

Shades of Pangong Tso

Mentally, you can try dividing the colours into different strips, but soon you lose count. There’s blue and green and purple and red blending to form colours you’ve never seen before, and I’m not sure you will again. The lake stretches far beyond your eyes can take you. We later find out that India only holds 30% of Pangong lake. 70% lies on China’s side of the border! Pangong is a rare salt water lake, formed as the sea water got pushed up while the Himalayas were forming.

The first village along Pangong is full of restaurants named after characters from 3 Idiots. Pangmik, the second village is the best one to stay at. We pick Barma Homestay, one of the few that is still open in off season. A small, cosy room for 5 cost us Rs. 600 pa per night, including dinner, breakfast and tea.

We’re in time for sunset at Pangong lake. Don’t make the “tourist”mistake of making a day trip to this place. We cross paths with a solo traveller who had planned on returning, but simply couldn’t get himself to leave this evening as planned.

View from Barma homestay

The experience of sitting on the banks of this lake – the water splashing up, the tiny pebbles crunching under my feet just enough to add to the music, and the sun slowly sneaking down behind the brown mountains, casting a perfect reflection onto the multitude of blue below it – is exhilarating. My writing flows even as my hands freeze. The mountains are perfectly reflected onto the water. The setting sun gives them the illusion of floating on water.

Seeing such beauty will do something to you. It inspires you to write, to feel the music playing through your headphones, to see the beauty in the words you’re reading. I wrote 7 letters, heard out my entire playlist, read until the light was out and simply lay there in the freezing cold refusing to let go of the moment. A herd of sheep passes and a blur of white reflects onto the water amidst the clear black silhouettes of the trees. The stars begin to twinkle We retire to a delicious home meal of dal, steaming rice, mixed vegetables and hot cinnamon tea. Lots of it.

Writing by the lake

We then venture out to try night photography for the first time. It wasn’t as successful as later in the trip (More on that later) but here’s my very first photo attempt of capturing the Milky Way.

The galaxy above

You run out of wishes to make on the numerous shooting stars. A deep feeling of content sets in. And cold too, inevitably.

The night is windy and freezing, about -5°C, the water slight wavy. On a still night, you can see the reflection of the sky, with a million stars beaming up from the water. It snows on the mountains on tonight, and on our way back, the same clear white mountains we had passed just yesterday are shrouded in a blue haze. We sit up late into the night, talking about what brought us there, about life and drugs, the students, Kung Fu Panda and our plans (or lack of) once we got back to reality. The laughter rings through the quiet night.

A fresh bout of snow

6 a.m. Sunrise. A surreal experience. The water is clear at first, then a turquoise, a sea blue and finally navy blue. As I meditate over the hour, the sun rises and with every other wave, the water changes its colours in front of you. It’s breathtaking.

Pebbles at Sunrise

Back at the guesthouse, everyone is up and we spread out to read and warm up with cinnamon tea. Bread omelette is served up with toast and jam.

We then visit Shooting Point. This is the spot where the famous last scene of 3 Idiots was shot.

Shooting point at Pangong

Here’s why you should never come to Ladakh in off season. Who wants to be stranded by a mesmerising lake all by themselves, right? Hear nothing but the sounds of sea gulls, enjoying a sunny day out on the lake, and the occasional wave breaking against your feet.

Don’t get me wrong. Off season travel meant that the travel agent we were relying on shut shop and left without telling us, and sure, the cold can get under your skin. But if you take the chance and wander in these parts around Fall, you can actually feel the colours seeping over you, as you sit and ponder what you must have done right to even get here.

Reflections

We lie there for hours. Each of us pick a different spot, from where we see a whole different view of the same lake and the same snow capped mountains watching over, puzzled at us. After a while, even the sea gulls warm up and move in closer. My book,Notes To Myself, takes on a different meaning.

A Walk to Wonderland

Serenity. I cannot help but feel slightly stunned by the beauty of the sheep, goats, donkeys and horses grazing in the orange grass in the bright sun with dizzying, winding water streams all around. With every passing moment, I wonder why I booked a return ticket. It reminds me of my favourite line by Pico Iyer, “Travel allows you to bring stillness into the motion and commotion of the world” (The Art of Stillness).

More stories and photos can be found on my blog: Walk to Wonderland, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.