‘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…
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;…
Slow Travel in Kausani, Uttarakhand
It was the epic year of 2015 and I was still without a permanent home. I’d started exploring Kumaon in the summer beginning my journey from Nainital and was slow travelling in this region as far as Munsyari. I had no fixed plan and reached Kausani after coming back from the Milam Glacier Trek. Kausani…
Chasing Tranquility in Majuli island
I figured that it was quite easy to reach Majuli island from Guwahati and reached Khanapara early in the morning. The locals pointed me towards shared transport from Guwahati to Jorhat and I was pleasantly surprised to find a good seat which cost only 300 Rupees. The route from Guwahati was suggested as the easiest…
A Travel Guide to Pondicherry’s Attractions
Over the past few years of my travelling days, I had barely explored South India beyond the obvious and in 2017 I set about correcting it. It was the last week of September and I arrived at Chennai airport at the stroke of noon. I wanted to head straight to Pondicherry from the airport itself….
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…
