Rishikesh...Beyond Rafting!

Okay, so let’s face it, most of us still know little about Rishikesh beyond the fact that it has recently turned into the rafting capital of the nation. Travellers and adventure enthusiasts are desperate to beat the heat in the white waters of the GRiver Gangesanges; more so is the case with the denizens of Delhi and other North Indian cities. But apart from the raft-rage, there’s much more to Rishikesh - the Gateway to the Himalayas. After a brief introduction of the pilgrim paradise, let’s take a look at some other attractions to look out for in Rishikesh.

For those who have never heard of it, Rishikesh is a sacred city in Uttarakhand which lies nestled in the foothills of the lower Himalayas. Located in close proximity to Haridwar (20 kilometres), Rishikesh is 220 kilometres from New Delhi. Being a place of religious significance, it is strictly vegetarian and alcohol stands no chance amidst the spiritual highs of Rishikesh.

A paradise for the pious, Rishikesh is dotted with domes of ancient temples where pilgrims from all over the world come to seek blessings from the myriad gods and goddesses of the Hindu culture. Being the starting point of the Char Dham Yatra, Rishikesh is a holy haven of the pilgrims with endless possibilities to connect with their spiritual selves. Meditation, Yoga, kriyas and pujas are a way of life in these hillocks around Ganges.

Temple at RishikeshThere are several ancient temples scattered around the Lakshman Jhoola, a 500-feet bridge which spans across the mighty Ganges. Some important places of religious significance are Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Tryambakeshwar Temple and Triveni Ghat, the point which marks the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati. No starters here, but it sure is a chilly dip, especially spine-freezing during the winter months!

For those who wish to venture out and pump up the adrenaline, there are several outdoor activities which include water skiing, mountain biking, trekking and rock climbing at Kaudilya, which is a natural spot for an adventurous uphill climb.  The dense forests that surround Kaudilya also give you a chance to get a glimpse of the wildlife thriving in its natural habitat. What’s more, there are also arrangements for overnight camps with bonfire along the banks of the river.

To sum it up, you must explore a bit more of Rishikesh. There’s as much to explore on land as there is in the white waters of the Ganges.

Hungary, Anyone?

City OverviewNo, it’s not food that I’m going to offer. It’s perhaps something even better.  Let’s take you to one of the most beautiful cities of Central Europe; let’s take you to Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

Forget a building or two; the city itself is an architectural marvel. From baroque and neoclassical to eclectic and art nouveau, you’ll find it all in Budapest. Also known as the Pearl of Danube, the second largest river in Europe, the name Budapest is the combination of two city names, Buda and Pest, which were united in 1873 to become one single city.

A fascinating metropolis where history and modernity combine marvelously, Budapest is home to many museums and enjoys a vivid nightlife like many of its European counterparts.

We suggest five different ways to make your Budapest experience a truly delightful one.

Try some goulash
Tasting local food at any destination should be on top of the must-do list. When in Budapest, do try some authentic Hungarian goulash. Goulash is basically a soup or stew made up of vegetables (mainly potatoes), meat and noodles and it is seasoned with paprika and other spices. One of Hungary’s national dishes, Goulash is easily available in most restaurants in Budapest.

Take a cruise of Danube RiverCruise on Danube River
One of the best ways to explore and admire the beauty that is Budapest is by taking a boat cruise of River Danube. Budapest is basically two cities divided by the Danube and a boat cruise is a great way to enjoy stunning views of both sides of the city.

Visit one of Budapest’s famous baths
When in Budapest, a visit to one of the baths in the city is a must. Budapest is famous for its bath houses like the Rudas Bath and Gellert Baths. Not only are the baths a good way to relax but also help de-stress after walking for hours or recuperating from a jet lag.

Visit the St. Stephen's Basilica
St. Stephen’s Basilica, one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture, is a Roman Catholic Basilica and one of the most important church buildings in Hungary. The church houses the mummified right hand of Hungary’s first King, Stephen. And as if its magnificence was not reason enough to visit, entry to the St. Stephen’s Basilica is free of cost making it a definite must-visit, when in Budapest.

Go shopping at the Great Market Hall
The Great Market Hall or the Central Market Hall is the largest indoor market in Budapest spread across three floors. From souvenirs, Hungarian lace and linen and pottery items to spices, candies and caviar; the Great Market Hall is surely a shopper’s paradise. The market is at its vibrant best on Saturday mornings with local people shopping for the weekend. Visit the market on a Monday morning if you want to avoid crowds.

Of course, your trip won’t (and should not) be restricted to just the above five activities; there’s a lot more that this amazing city has to offer. Go on, discover Budapest and find out for yourself!

Lansdowne - The Perfect Weekend Getaway!

Summer is back and every opportunity to travel to the hills is a charming dream for people in lowlands. With not enough time to plan a holiday, and not enough leaves in everyone’s account, my friends and I decided on a weekend trip to Lansdowne.

Four of us left at 6:00 am on a Friday morning in a friend’s new Maruti Swift. The 250 kilometre route from Delhi - Meerut - Bijnor - Kiratpur - Najibabad - Lansdowne was as fun as it was safe. Though the stretch was largely a single road, it was quite neat and luckily for us, the traffic wasn’t heavy. After some delicious tea and paranthas on the two stoppages we made, we covered the last lap of 40 kilometres of the hills to reach Lansdowne.

St Mary's ChurchLansdowne isn’t a typical Shimla or Chandigarh for you. In other words, it is neither heavily urbanised, nor commercialised. Lansdowne is chiefly a cantonment area, once used by British to recruit and cater to the Garhwal Rifles unit. The old-world St Mary’s Church and some other buildings are fading reminders of colonial establishments in the town, which in fact gets its name from Lord Lansdowne, the then Viceroy of India.

The most spectacular feature of Lansdowne however is neither St Mary’s nor the famed Bhulla Lake that attracts almost every tourist to the town. It is the absolute calm and lazy air that envelops this town, for everyone but the army men!

We checked-in to the Blue Pine Resorts, a property on the top of a hillock. Thought costlier when compared to other hotels in the area, it’s unique owing to its location. In outskirts of the main cantonment area, the resort had but a scarcely populated town around it. The view of the Shivaliks from the rooms and terrace gave just the poise and vigour we were looking for.

View from the resortWe checked-in around 2:00 pm, freshened up and devoured the delicious lunch and fresh fruits at the hotel restaurant. Courtesy the view from my balcony, I was late for the lunch. After that hearty meal, it was time to take a walk in the hills.

The local market on the Mall Road was small but surprisingly well-stocked. The hospitable sellers were happy to provide us with anything we asked for. The momos were quite irresistible, though we were already high on lunch. By 7:30 pm, by which the town and marketplace close down, we were back to our hotel. The hour at the discotheque was though well spent, once we stepped out in the open area, the music and sound seemed quite out of the place.

The next morning, we were up at 5:00 am to see the rising sun. This followed by table tennis, pool and a round of badminton before a scrumptious buffet breakfast. The latter part of the morning was spent boating and capturing rabbits and ducks on the camera at the Bhulla Lake, a man-made lake. From there Bhulla Lakewe drove to Tip n Top, a viewpoint from where one can see views of snow-clad Himalayas, with binoculars of course.

An erstwhile British bungalow converted in to Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam was serving food and beverages in a small log hut in its vicinity. Picture this sight in a quaint hill-town with some drizzle and breeze, and it won’t seem that mundane.

The night was spent rather peacefully strolling in the peripheral wilderness, without the slightest lighting or signal strength in our mobiles. As we left for Delhi after breakfast the next morning, there was an unexplainable energy and positivity in all of us. That, I would like to believe, was the only and best takeaway from Lansdowne.

Angkor Wat – Step Into The Ancient Hindu Land

Main Temple at Angor WatIf only Hindus knew well what lays in the ruins and living of Angkor Wat, I would not be amused if they would stake religious claims on Cambodia. Alas, religious politics cannot be kept outside of architectural heroism in Angor Wat, the eighth wonder of the modern world, present in today’s Cambodia.

Cambodia, the country which had been crippled by the rule of Pol Pot in the 1970s, and dragged into the Vietnam War due to its geographic location, presented itself to be more than landmine victims and tragedy ridden family tales. The spirit of the country is witnessed in the Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world, which was discovered by French explorers as late as 1929.

We planned our trip to witness the enigma called Angor and made Siem Reap our base. Siem Reap is a small yet a truly international city with an international airport and a service industry sustained by the tourism aroused by Angkor Wat.

Temples of Angkor:
The massive and greatest Angkor Wat stands out against any Hindu temple you would have ever seen. Built around the Hindu fable of ‘Samudra Mathan’, the temple is among the few relics which has remained a religious site ever since it was founded. Many other temple complexes show a strong Hindu presence in the region, both Shaivites and Vashnavites, owing to the strong trade domination kings from India had over most of South East Asia at that time, including Myanmar, Southern Vietnam, Cambodia and Sumatra. The Angkor Wat Temple, architecturally oriented to the west, is designed in the form of galleries and ‘South Indian mountain style’ temples, which represents Mt Sumeru - the mountain used for the churning of the ocean of milk. The galleries exhibit carvings from Ramayana and Mahabharata, a true eye tonic for a Hindu devout.

Bayon TempleThough the Angkor Wat temple is more enormous and the most well preserved of the lot, there are also some significant ‘not-to-be-missed’ temples in the complex. The temples in the Angkor Thom complex such as Bayon, which was built by Mahayana Budhhist king Jayawarman VII, and exhibits what looks like a mixture of Lord Buddha and the kings own image on every tower of the temple. 

Other significant temples are Preah Khan and Ta Phrom. Ta Phrom, the most wild of all temples is largely been held together, or damaged, depending on the way you look at it, is a ‘jungle relic’ which tree roots holding together most of the temple walls. The Temple restoration is being taken up by the Indian Government, and the ASI is doing a tedious job in the region. While you move around the complex in your ‘tuk-tuk’ you will see several temples which you may want to stop by and see. Just make sure you do not miss the important ones.

Temples at Angkor WatAs we had allotted a few days for Angkor, we had the opportunity of venturing out of the Angkor complex and going out of town to visit a few more relics. A tiring ride of course in the heat, trust me we were not disappointed even for a moment. Our best endeavour was to visit ‘Kabal Spean’ – which has a thousand Shivlings. The steep climb led us to the most daunting Shiva masterpiece I have ever come across. The site, in the middle of the jungle is a little stream which has thousands of shivlings on the riverbed. These are sculpted on the river bed and are said to represent the ‘sahastralingam’, mentioned in ancient Hindu texts.

After a tired day visiting the temples, the only thing you want is a generous foot massage. You find these all around the city of Siem Reap, but the best and the cheapest can be found in the Night Market of Siem Reap. A relatively small night market in comparison to those of Bangkok, the market is a good bargain if you are looking for ethnic Cambodian souvenirs or just getting a sense of the Cambodian people.

Food and Stay:
By the end of the day we were hungry and our relaxed feet could only take us a few steps ahead. At this time, it is best to walk down a few alleys into ‘Pub Street’ which is a westerner’s world in Siem Reap. The street and its pedestrian walkways host the best Cambodian food and the smooth Angkor Beer. For sea-food lovers, you will find the best of the lot for a mere $2-3 anywhere in Siem Reap. For vegetarians, you will find at least a couple of vegetarian dishes on any menu. Also, almost anywhere we went, the chef is most willing to do a vegetarian version of the food mentioned. Try as many Cambodian treats as you can – they are far spicier than most South Asian meals and suit the Indian palate. You can also feel free to eat from any place; the smallest of roadside stalls are as clean and hygienic as the big hotels. Siem Reap has an array of good hotels, both luxury and budget. On an average, hotel costs are much lower and you can expect to get a good 3-4 star hotel room for about $25-30 per night.

Everything is negotiable, from currency to visa entry. Bribes are common and immigration officers can also fool you with the amount you need to pay – so be well prepared and alert.

How, What & Where Of IPL Cities: Pune

So what’s been new? What’s trending? What has been the talk of the town for the last month? What has caused a flutter and war of words on Twitter? It is IPL (Indian Premier League), of course. The glamorous event that lasts for more than a month and encompasses eight of the major cities of India! No, this is not a blog about the IPL or the cheerleaders (some say they get more camera time than the players!), or the actual gods of the cricketing arena. The focus of this blog is you!

You are a fan. You want to watch the semi finals and the final of the IPL. Chances are you would have to travel to Pune, Bangalore, and Chennai. How would you reach the stadium? Where would you go for dinner? Where would you celebrate a win or mourn a loss? These are the questions that you would like to have answers for and you would get them in this series of blogs.

The first city to be tackled is Pune. Pune is the eighth largest metropolis in India and was also the eighth team to be inducted into the IPL itinerary. Economically, Pune is an important city and is quite prosperous. Despite being a hub of giant corporations and reputed educational institutes, Pune is completely unmarred by the hubris of decadency like other big metropolises of India. Pune is a prime tourist attraction owing to its natural beauty. The outskirts of the city are dotted with forests and hills that provide for excellent trekking, camping, and excursion activities. The climate of Pune is also mild and remains cool for most of the year. Coming back to your IPL holiday in Pune, the first thing you would want to know is how to reach the magnificent Subrato Roy Sahara Stadium.     

How to reach the stadium?

• The first advice would be to start from your location at least three hours before the scheduled entrance timing. This would give you enough time to figure out the route and you can also avoid the rush to the stadium.
•  If you are travelling in a four wheeler, it would be better to not use the expressway. Instead, they must keep left while driving, and take the exit on the left near the Kiwale junction. This exit is the starting point of a service road which reaches the stadium.
•  On a two wheeler, you would do good to use the Dehu Road-Katraj bypass, cross Kiwale junction and reach Mamurdi village road off the bypass.

Killing Time on Off Days

• You can start your off day with a visit to the Panshet Dam. This spot is quite serene and provides for an excellent family outing or picnic. You can also try your hands at some adventurous water sports like kayaking or wind surfing at the recently developed water sports complex.
• If you have the time and the means, you must visit the Bhatgar Dam, 40 kms from Pune. Built on river Velvandi, Bhatgar Dam has one of the highest river dam walls in India. The surrounding area consists of green forests and beautiful landscapes; an ideal place for a lazy outing or picnic
• Depending on the duration of your trip to Pune, you can also plan a trip to two of Bollywood’s favorite hill stations—Lonavala and Khandala. The twin hill stations offer a delighting plethora of hills, greenery, and cascading waterfalls.
• You can take some time out to visit the much acclaimed National War Museum located at the Pune Cantonment. The museum contains the forgotten remains of the various weapons used during the different wars India has had to fight. On display in the museum is a MIG 23 BN that was used in the Kargil War.

Dining

• Malaka Spice- Located in Koregaon Park, this restaurant serves Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese delicacies. If you like a little wine with your food, Malaka Spice also features a well stocked bar.
• High Spirits- High Spirits is a pub-restaurant that is known for its delicious servings of Continental, North Indian, and Mexican cuisines. the only spoiler about this place is the fact that stag enrty is generally not allowed; so, do not forget to bring your girlfriend or spouse along.
• The Village Restaurant- Situated in Hadapsar, this restaurant caters to guests with a penchant for Indian delicacies. Various delicacies such as Mahrashtrian, Gujarati, Nort Indian, Rajathani, South Indian, and Mughlai find their way to the kitchen at this restaurant. To whet your taste buds, this restaurant also serves tangy street foods!

After Match Delights
Your team either wins or loses the match. In either case, a pub would be the place to be for after match delights/mourning. Some of the pubs that you can hit on the way home are:-

• High Spirits
• 1000 Oaks at Pune Camp
• Kiva Lounge
• Apache
• Not Just Jazz By The Bay

If you are looking to enjoy the much reputed nightlife of Pune, here is a list of Night Clubs that would be certain to entertain your this wish:-

• Scream at Hotel Le Meridian
• Polaris at Koregaon Park Road
• Area 51 at Pancard Clubs, Baner
• Lush Lounge and Grille at Dhole Patil Road