The rapturous crowd had just been silenced. The warrior looked fierce and scary in the red mask ringed by five human skulls; he twisted and twirled as he danced. My hair stood on end in anticipation; there was pin drop silence even amid the chaos around. I instantly knew I was witnessing something special while…
Category: Monsoon
Samode Village : A Day Trip from Jaipur
It was as unplanned as something could be. Arvind Bhai of (Jaipurthrumylens) had an invite for Dal Baati Choorma at a function in Samode and since we had discussed visiting Samode Village numerous times, I instantly said yes when he asked if I was interested in going! Not that Dal Baati Choorma wasn’t reason enough…
Backpacking in Wayanad : Top Offbeat Experiences
After detailed explorations of the mountains in North India, I’d set my sights on slow travelling in South India. It was by pure chance that I started off with visiting the most popular state tourism-wise that side, Kerala. I’d arrived in Kochi and the need for some cold weather had automatically led me to the…
Darcha to Padum Trek : Diary Entry of Day 1 & Day 2
There are some incidents that are life changing, and the extent of their magnitude may not be known at the moment when you are actually in the midst of it. But the memories keep surfacing long after the deed is done. And the Darcha to Padum trek (Lahaul to Zanskar) has been a monumental journey…
Wanderings in Lahaul : Gemur Gompa (Monastery)
It had been a strange sort of a day. The sun had played hide and seek till the afternoon and the clouds had their way thereafter. I was acclimatising in Keylong, and was exploring monasteries of Lahaul (Lahul) for good measure. It must have been good fortune that day, because I had already seen Wanderings…
Celebrating a Traditional Festival in a village in Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh
After years of travelling through my favourite state in India, Himachal Pradesh – and witnessing many festivals in different seasons; I finally got lucky to attend a traditional village festival in Kullu Valley. I had reached a small village in Sainj Valley after changing a few bus rides and special buses had been started to…
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…
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…
Wanderings in Lahaul : Trilokinath Temple
It was turning out to be an epic trip of sorts. On this sojourn, I had entered Pangi Valley across Saach Pass and after exploring this forbidden region had reached Udaipur in Pattan Valley (Lahaul). In more unforgettable adventures, I had totally fallen for Miyar Valley and after missing the only bus of the day;…
A Quick Travel Guide to ‘Pink City’ in Jaipur
Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur is no stranger to tourists. It is most preferred destination on the popular Golden Triangle Circuit (Delhi-Jaipur-Agra). Jaipur has the distinction of being North India’s first planned city; but it was not always the burgeoning metropolis that it is quickly transforming into. Even in the present day, the original ‘walled city’ of…