I was returning to Parvati Valley in 2018 after a year long hiatus; chiefly because of the crowds that I’d seen around Kheerganga on an earlier trip. I must have thought of Kalga though when a trip was planned with friends. When we boarded our HRTC Himsuta Volvo from Delhi to Bhuntar, there was no…
Jageshwar Dham Temple in Uttarakhand
While returning from remote Jhaltola, we had taken a short break at the unbelievable Patal Bhuvaneshwar caves. I was on a hitched ride with a couple and at the start of the day could never have imagined making it to Jageshwar! They were going to Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary via a different entry point and dropped…
Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal : Lakes of Kumaon
It was the summer of 2015 and I was in Kumaon’s Lake region where Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal lake are located. These pretty lakes all lie in close distance of each other and make for a welcome change from Nainital’s crowds. I’d arrived in Bhimtal after taking a ride from Almora and over the course of…
A Walk to Pulga Village, Parvati Valley
One of the days at the homestay in Kalga, when it was nice and sunny we decided to walk to the nearby villages of Pulga and Tulga. The distance was hardly 30 minutes away and the path was mostly downhill. Before reaching Pulga, we came across a small bridge from where we joined the main…
Kalga Village – 21st Century Shangri-La
Kasol was teeming with tourists and we were glad to have arrived in Barshaini in a bus. The clouds had laid down their welcome on a platter and it duly began raining; and for good reason too – we were inadvertently hiking to Kalga village! The original idea was to trek to Kheerganga but ominous…
Serendipity and Adventures on the Chamba-Bhaderwah Road
‘There is no bus on the Chamba – Bhaderwah road after Langera. How will you go after that?’; remarked the HRTC guy on the phone. Even the daily bus from Pathankot to Langera had come as a pleasant surprise, and had made me feel confident about travelling on this hitherto forbidden route! While I knew it…
Cherry Blossoms in Nagaland, India
After a lucky ride to get to Pfutsero in Phek district (what? where’s that!) of Nagaland, and sleeping soundly in the tourist home, we were roaming around town. I’d spotted a nice green valley and we were all keen on just walking around and knowing more about life in rural Nagaland. Then someone threw the…
Heritage Walk : Churches of Old Goa
I was no stranger to Goa; having studied college in Pune and Bombay. On one of those trips, it was a pleasant surprise to come across some old churches around Panjim (Panaji). I was instantly reminded of the Portuguese history of Old Goa and waited for a opportune chance to explore the Churches on a…
Spending a Night Among the Clouds – Komic Monastery, Spiti Valley
Himachali locals say that I should be given a permanent citizenship in Himachal Pradesh! And when it comes to Lahaul & Spiti, my love knows no bounds. I’ve been guilty of not making individual blog posts on the high altitude villages of Spiti Valley but its never too late to start and I begin with Komic…
A Day in Patnitop : Memories & Photographs
Keeping the long weekend in mind, we had pre-booked our train from Jammu to Delhi. I was travelling with a friend and hence Patnitop seemed like a convenient option to spend a day. Even though I wondered with the availability of accommodation options, we still took a chance and randomly arrived in Patnitop around 1…
Sustainable Rural Tourism in Garhwal, Uttarakhand
For the uninitiated, Uttarakhand is divided into two regions; Kumaon & Garhwal. As some of you might know, Garhwal has been grappling with a problem of migration to the cities. So much so that it is not surprising to come across entire villages that have been abandoned in search of livelihood. And this is where…
Stunning Beauty of Umngot River in Dawki & Shnongpdeng
It was already 3 in the afternoon. The days end early in the north-east. Not one vehicle stopped for what seemed like an eternity. Then a cab slowly came to a halt; I ran toward the driver. I asked him ‘Dawki’; he didn’t understand it. Turned out that he knew neither hindi or english; but…
