Being Responsible Travelers

We love to travel – claim many including yours truly. No no I am not doubting their love for travel. We all seriously love to travel. But how many of us “love to travel” and “love to travel responsibly?” We the blogger or the photographers or thinkers like to say or see things a bit differently – hat ke types. Rather than going there and striking off that place from the “to visit” list; we like to really be there, feel it, be one with it ( however clichéd may that sound to my own ears) Am I sounding too cynical? Because I have seen people do things they donot do at home, when they travel. Admit it, we all have seen that, many of us must have reacted too and what followed might be a story many would not like to remember. I am strictly referring to my fellow countrymen and women travelers here.

So what is Responsible Travel. To sum up what the Capetown Conference on Responsible Tourism in 2002 describes – Responsible Tourism is that tourism which aims at “creating better places to live in and better places to visit”. It must encompass all kinds of tourism related activities to be successful for a particular destination or state that aim at Responsible Tourism.

How do we make sure that we all the indeed responsible people and we are serious about what we do and what we donot do when we travel. Pages after pages can be written on this. I admit I am no authority on Responsible Tourism. However I as a traveler would really like to contribute in my little way to “create better places to live in and better places to visit”. (I know I have repeated, but that’s what it is) 

Here’s what I feel can be considered.



Tourists / Travelers must be more careful and really sensitive towards the local eco system. That habit of dropping everything on the road as you travel needs to be done away with, and done away with forever. You throw plastic packets, tetra packs, water bottles, spit on roads and walls – please for cleanliness’ sake, what sort of a habit is that ! This country is not a dustbin as we would like to treat her. Why while travelling; many have this habit of just rolling down the car window and throw out everything on to the road even in their own cities and towns. All are ok with that as long as their own house remains clean. Please learn to respect this planet, our own country and get rid of this habit. Patriotism cannot be only during cricket matches! Bikers and backpackers on tents and camps must make sure not to leave anything behind except for some wonderful memories.

Can it be more aptly named!

Locals must be aware and strict about their place their surroundings. When tourists go to a place, the whole place changes eventually.  It has lot of positive impact. A whole industry comes up. But the local people must be aware that this industry will remain as long as they respect their own place and be responsible towards it. When one sees someone doing something which may be as small as throwing a candy wrap on road, say it. Make that a habit. I have seen in some places in Leh, there were signs offering to refill water bottles at a nominal cost. That’s such a wonderful initiative. No one has to keep buying those bottles of mineral water all the time. We may not realise, but those bottles are also hazardous.

The Travel companies must draw a line. Certain places are very very sensitive and cannot handle too many tourists. After some Bollywood movies Leh has become a favourite destination for people. That has indeed generated many livelihoods for the locals there. But at what cost? Whole of Ladakh region is ecologically highly sensitive and fragile. The way the tour companies are operating “Mesmering Leh, Rooftop of the world” packages, the day is not far when this will collapse. My heart broke when I saw heaps of beer bottles and empty packets of chips lying in Ranbirpura near Leh town which is now a very popular place for film and ad shoots. I pray and hope the Indus does not go the Ganges way and we need to formulate committees to clean that.

The Government must come up with strict rules for tourism. Boosting tourism in a place, must never lead to destruction of that place altogether.  There must be guidelines keeping in mind the ecology and environment of the place for tourists, hoteliers, homestay owners, cabbies and even tour operators. Since travelling consist of a major part of tourism, use of transport means cannot be done away with. Those may not always be very friendly towards the environment. These complexities exist in tourism. However the right persons at the right places must ensure a middle path with minimum damage to the surroundings.

Whole of Tourism Industry must join hands together for Responsible Tourism. I am using the term “Tourism Industry” a very broad sense encompassing every element associated with it.

Travelers, Tour companies, Locals, Government all becoming one and working towards achieving the aim of creating Responsible Tourism - have I imagined too much!!

But then as John Lenon said “ You may say I'm a dreamer
                                       But I'm not the only one
                                      I hope someday you'll join us
                                     And the world will live as one” 

--- 

A responsible one!

I am blogging for #ResponsibleTourism activity by Outlook Traveller in association with BlogAdda

A memory I am not too fond of

What is the worse travel memory that I have? Honestly I have not thought much about it. But the other day I was reading about The Worst Trip Ever on Natgeo Travel, and it made me think about that too. There have been instances which were not so pleasant. But I don't know why I have never written about them in my blog. Yeah just once I had this really awful experience in Goa ( one of my fav. place) and I wrote about that on Tripadvisor . Here I am today looking back at the one trip which till date my Mom considers as a "very bad trip" and guess what she was not even a part of that trip.


Here is what happened.


It was a school trip. I was in 6th or 7th standard may be. A group of students and 3 teachers were to go to Nagpur from Dibrugarh to take part in some conference / activities by United Schools Organization of India (USO of India). We had practiced really hard for group dance and I was also to take part in Hindi Speech. If I remember correctly the topic was "United we Stand". For us coming from a vernacular medium school (Assamese medium) and from that part of the country where Hindi was not widely spoken; to take part in a speech competition in Hindi was a BIG thing. I practiced and practiced. That was my first trip without parents and family to somewhere so far. We were to reach Kolkata by some train and then from Kolkata get into another train to Nagpur. I do not remember either of the trains names now. My mother was really worried. She met the teachers and told them two hundred times to "take care" of me. In fact one of my batch mate's mother was our teacher and both my friend and her mother were part of the group.
Thus we reached Nagpur without much drama. I took part in group dance and also in that Hindi Speech. I got a consolation prize too :) I came fourth among all those students from "mainland" India where people spoke Hindi more than us. ( That's some consolation for me) So far so good. Now was the time to return. One day all of us went to Nagpur city for sight seeing and shopping. One of the teachers had really gone overboard with her shopping and had 2 bags full of goodies. So when we reached the station to catch Gitanjali Express from Nagpur to Kolkata, we were heavier with more luggage. I am sure if we were to fly, we would have to pay excess baggage. Everyone got into the train. It was a chaos at the station and inside the coach and one bag of that teacher was left behind on platform. She told me that the bag was still outside. I came out quickly to get the bag and the train started moving. My heart skipped a beat and did not know what to do. I just spread my left hand with the heavy bag on my right hand and pleaded to no one in particular "Mujhe chadha do pls" ( Please make me board the train) Someone held my hand pulled me into the train. After few seconds of stunned silence I burst into tears. I did not know where I was, what to do and what will happen now.  I was inside a general compartment which was full with all sorts of things along with people.The people around me made me sit and gave me some water to drink. Then asked me which coach I was booked. I told them my father my brothers all are in this coach. I was scared and wanted to tell those strangers that I was not alone. My family was with me somewhere in this train. I am referring to nineties here. No pager no cell phones. Those strangers were constantly reassuring that since my family is in the same train, in the next station I could go to that coach. I stopped crying and started to pray for the next station to come. When the next station came 2 persons from the general coach took me out and we ran towards the sleeper coaches. From a distance I could see one of my school senior and her father (who was with another school group where he teaches) running obviously looking for me somewhere. I just ran towards them. A quick bye to the strangers and my senior and her father took me back to the correct coach. My teachers and other students could breathe normal only after our reunion which was no less than Bharat - Milap. Later I realized I did not even thank those strangers. My friend's mother's blood pressure had shot up but luckily nothing major happened and I was back. All this while I had the big bag with me. But the teacher whose bag lead to all these drama did not utter a word. Everyone was upset with her. Later things slowly went normal and all of us reached home in one piece.


This was one experience I would always remember. I decided not tell that to my mother and requested my teachers and friends too. Though reluctantly, they agreed. It was much later one day I narrated this to my mother. I was no longer a school student then and had started travelling alone from Dibrugarh to Guwahati. Mother of course was appalled as how could I keep that a secret all these years and let her wildest imagination run wilder and imagined me in all sorts of places ( read red light areas). She was even ready to confront my school teachers after all these years! I calmed her down and made her think of those 2 strangers instead who helped me that day. She is ever grateful and wishes all the luck and happiness in the world for them.


After so many years, that post in NatGeo Traveller made me look back and recall this incident. All the fun and excitement of the trip was overshadowed by this freak incident. Even I could not imagine what could have gone wrong had it not been for those 2 strangers.


Can I confess that whenever someone mentions Gitanjali Express this one memory come rushing back to my mind and I send a silent prayer to those 2 strangers still. But there is always a "what if" that remains.

Gitanjali Express

Our India Travel Bucket List - States & UTs

It's November already and we are just 2 months away from 2016! Oh MG! 2015 went off in a jiffy. I know it's not "that time of the year to look back" yet and I am not exactly looking back. I am looking back and forward too. The other day while casually chatting P & I thought we would make a list of the places we have to go in India. Well that was sure going to be such a H-U-G-E list; so we thought of finding out the states we have not been yet.

The Road always beckons

I took out my "travel notebook" to jot down the names of states within India that we have not been and must make a plan to go soon. No sooner than we started, P declared he had been to ALL the states. Ok, here we don't mean the extensive travelling. For us it meant, atleast one place within that state we had been to. That's not entirely wrong actually. P's work takes him to different places and thus he had been to all the states. It's only few Union Territories that he is left with. So I decided I will note down the States I have not been yet, including UTs.


The List :


STATES ::
1. Arunachal Pradesh
2.Bihar

Walk Roam Explore

3.Jharkhand
4.Mizoram
5.Odisha
6.Punjab
7.Tripura


UNION TERRITORIES::
8.Andaman & Nicobar Islands
9. Dadra & Nagar Haveli
10.Lakshadweep


All the 3 UTs common between P and I.




It was shameful realization that I have not been to 3 sisters from the 8 sisters of the North East India. Arunachal Pradesh is actually just on the other side of the river Brahmaputra from Dibrugarh where I grew up. I guess never paid too much attention to Mizoram and Tripura . Same goes for Jharkhand. Guilty I plead.
I had the chance to be in Bihar about 6-7 years ago when one of our batch mate invited me to his wedding in Gaya. I could not go and thus I am yet to be in Bihar. After planning for 3-4 times to visit Jagannath Temple in Puri when I still couldn't reach Odisha , hence I concluded Lord Jagannath does not want me in his State. But, dear God, this will change and I am sure soon.

Golden temple
(Pic source : http://www.santabanta.com/photos/the-golden-temple/9106064.htm)

Punjab is one state I would love to go. Blame that on my fully filmy inclination that I have such colourful and vibrant image of this State. I had been to Anandpur Sahib and Virasat E Khalsa but let's not count that as being in Punjab. That was just a day trip from Chandigarh. I will strike off Punjab from the list the day I land in Amritsar and go visit Harmandir Sahib.

Going to Andaman and Lakshadweep is a cherished dream of both P and I. We do not want to rush there. We would want to spend some days in these two places. Managing leaves and planning a holiday will take time but we will be there too. Dadra and Nagar Haveli honestly never thought of, but now I feel why leave that place. Let's explore that too.


It is not that in all States we have travelled every nook and corner of the State. Like in UP I had only been to Agra and Lucknow whereas P had been to Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Allahabad. We both have not been to Agra together for that quintessential photograph on the iconic bench with Taj Mahal at the back! I know cheesy; but we both love cheese.

Taj Mahal
(Pic source : http://www.santabanta.com/photos/tajmahal/9012002.htm )

Birthday in Bastar

It all started with a tweet! I tweeted to Chhattisgarh Tourism's official twitter handle ( @GoChhattisgarh ) requesting for an email id to enquire about Chitrakote fall. P and I had been planning to visit this place for quite some time. Mainly for 2 reasons; One : we wanted to be in a place we had not been before & Two and more important; we wanted to spend my birthday in a quiet place just being together. They replied within 10 minutes and thus the ball started rolling.


Few mails were exchanged, we zeroed upon an itinerary suggested by Chhattisgarh Tourism and we landed in Raipur on the eve of my birthday. Destination - Chitrakote Water Fall. The nearest town of Chitrakote is Jagdalpur which lies approximately 284 km from Raipur by road and from Jagdalpur another 38 km beyond is Chaitrakote. Here I must mention the warm welcome that we got from Vikash and others at the Tourist Information counter of Chhattisgarh Tourism Board at Raipur airport. We were welcomed by roses and a hot cup of coffee.Vikash then introduced us to Sushanta who was going to be our driver cum travel companion for next 3 days in Chhattisgarh.


We set off to Chirtakote via New Raipur which is the newly developed town at the outskirts of Raipur city. As we were out of city limits, the landscape changed to green paddy fields with occasional villages / small towns on both sides of the road. We made a stop at Makri Dhaba at Kanker for lunch. We could not help but notice that unlike many places around India, the highway leading to Jagdalpur from Raipur , NH 43 is still not laden with lot of roadside eateries / dhabas. Makri Dhaba served decent food but most importantly it had a clean toilet. This still continues to be an issue while travelling in India.

As you move towards Bastar, the scenery turns greener with big trees adoring both sides of the road. At times the road would be through a forest. Sushanta kept updating that those were the "disturbed" areas.We were slightly sad to see those trees marked out to be cut soon as the widening of the road was in process. The flip side of development!

By the time we reached Jalgdalpur, it was getting dark already. We made a quick stop for a cup of tea and continued towards Chitrakote. As we were getting nearer to Dandami Resort by Chitrakote falls, it was getting darker and our mobile network started playing hide & seek and after a point completely disappeared. Sushanta said only Reliance network worked there. After sometime Sushanta pointed towards a light and said " That's chitrakote fall" We rolled down the car windows. We could hear the gurgling water. He stopped the car near the water fall. I wanted to get down. But P said " Let's check in first and then we will come back." Sushanta said the lights will remain on till 9 pm. It was only 7.30 pm.

The Dandami Luxury Resort is the only option to stay at Chitrakote water fall. There we were welcomed with flower bouquets by Mr. Srivastava, senior tourist information officer and Mr. Thakur, the resort manager. All our tiredness from this long road journey disappeared by this warm welcome. They said that we were booked in Cottage no 1 and assured that we would love that. We came to our room to drop our things. The moment the lights were on and Raju, who showed us our room, turned the curtains away from the window, I and P were awestruck. We could see the fall straight from the room! We dropped our bags in the room and headed to the fall. It was a sight to behold. Chitrakote water fall was in it's full monsoon glory. We could have sat there the whole night. But the lights go off at 9 pm. Reluctantly we returned to the resort.

A priestess at Chitrakote

Next day was my birthday. Both I & P woke up at 5.30am and headed to the fall. We wanted to catch the sunrise. There was no one and since the sky was cloudy, so there was no sunrise too. That did slightly disappoint us; but spending those absolute quiet morning at the Chitrakote fall just the two of us was priceless. Slowly people from nearby places started coming. First the temple priest came to have bath. Then few others. There were women and children too. I have to admit, I am used to being glared at as a woman. I have even seen male guests in 5 star hotels checking out women in the swimming pool. But there the so called " not so developed" part of the country, men & women were bathing together in the river and no one gave a damn.
Chitrakote fall is the widest water fall in India. The river Indravati at this point in Bastar, near Jagdalpur falls from a height of about 98 feet and from a wide gorge shaped like a horse shoe. During monsoon, the water fall covers the entire stretch of the mouth of the horse shoe from left to right banks. The water turns brown as the river carries slit during monsoons. But we heard that during  winter though the water fall gets smaller and less in intensity, the water is clear. There was a small temple as we climbed down near the fall. The deities were made in Dokra. We found that quite intriguing.

When we returned to the resort, an unexpected surprise waited. Mr. Srivastava came to wish me with a bouquet and a gift! My My ! Both P and I were overwhelmed. I could not stop smiling. That was the second best thing to have happened on my birthday. The first one is that we were in Chhattisgarh, a state we always wanted to go. At the breakfast table also Mr. Thakur and all the restaurant staffs came to wish me. If morning shows the day, I was prepared for a wonderful birthday already.

After breakfast we headed to Tirathgarh water fall. This lies approx. 35 km from Jagdalpur. It is inside Kanger Valley National Park. But the park was closed because of Monsoon. Kanger area is the heart of Naxal activities. But trust us, we did not find any discomfort anywhere. It was absolutely safe. Tirathgarh water fall is actually the small tributary of Kanger river called Mugabahar falling from a height of 300 feet in steps. 

Tirathgarh Waterfall



Both I and P were awestruck. The small calm river which we crossed just before reaching the parking point, turns into a milky white water fall gushing down non stop. If Chitrakote fall impressed us, Tirathgarh fall sure mesmerized us. Since we were there in a moth which is officially "not season"  there were not many people. Then we realized when Mr. Saumik from Chhattisgarh tourism told us that mostly we would be the only "tourists" in these places. There is a Shiva - Parvati temple nearby. Sushanta said many people come to that temple. What I liked the best in the temple was the fact that the priest did not insist on a "Chadhawa" or offering even when P said that today was my birthday. He just chanted some mantra as we folded our hands and gave us coconut pieces as prasad. As were returning, we noticed that even though there were rows of eating places most of them did not have the chulah burning. That's because there were not many people coming. We just sat at one place which was selling chips, biscuits and cold drinks and had few cold drinks.

Jagdalpur had another surprise waiting for us. We found a restaurant named "Mayuri". Where else but in a namesake place for my birthday lunch. Regular food though, nothing very special. We had planned to be back at Chitrakote before sunset. We also wanted to stop at the Anthropological museum at Dharampura on the way from Jagdalpur to Chitrakote. This museum provides a glimpse into the history, life style, culture and the diversity of the people in this region. I would say please make a stop at this museum for 10 minutes. You will not regret this.

Chitrakote as a storm approached

We reached Chitrakote well before sunset and realized that there had been a heavy downpour in the afternoon and hence the sky was still gloomy. So no Sunset either! After missing out on the Sunrise, we were really disappointed on missing the Sunset too. But that did not deter us from enjoying the beauty of the Chitrakote water fall which was now almost thunderous. As darkness set in, the sky turned gloomier. That was another magic. People hurried to leave before the sky poured again. P & I stayed back and watched the sky turning into dark grey and then into a dark shade of blue. The water fall looked magical in that light. So what if we missed watching the water fall when the Sun rises and sets. We witnessed it in a different glory; just at the beginning of a storm.

The calm Indravati river

We left only when big drops of rains started falling. We headed straight to the restaurant at Dandami Resort and asked for hot pakodas and tea. The rains lashing the windows outside and inside piping hot pakoda and tea; it was pure bliss. As we thought that the day had gone well; we were in for a surprise at dinner too. The chef, cooked a special chicken dish for us. The food at the resort is very good. We had brought sweets for all the staffs that night. Happy and contended we returned to our room. From our room one can have a lovely view of the fall. Both P & I just sat outside the verandah for sometime and looked back at the day.






It was a day well spent. We were in a place which is known for all the wrong reasons. But nature has blessed this unique state abundantly. Chhattisgarh tourism is doing a great job in promoting their state. As for us, we will be back for sure.

A Weekend Drive and Two chance discoveries!

Monsoon is THE month for Maharashtra. It turns the state into a lush green wonderland with places like Lonavala, Khandala etc coming alive with water falls and the hills / Ghats turning into a very bright shade of green. It is only after shifting to Mumbai I realized the love for Monsoon that people can have. I come from Assam, where rains are abundant. I used to love rain when I was younger. I was always fascinated by the sound of falling rain drops on the tin roofs of our "Assam type" houses. I said houses, because all my relatives, grand parents stayed in such Assam type houses. Gradually after moving out of Assam and staying the hostel in Gwalior, and then flats in Delhi I lost that fascination. It's only after staying in Mumbai, I fell in love with rains all over again.




So as the monsoon was bidding adieu for this season, we went out on a small day drive to Igatpuri. My father in law had been to Mumbai many times. But he had never been out of the city during rains to see how amazing the places turn to be. We started very early in the morning. It was not raining when we started. But as soon as we were out of city limits and reaching Shahpur it started to pour. The drive itself was amazing. We stopped at Krishna's Udupi restaurant for an amazing breakfast of fresh idlis, vadas and upma.

The bridge on Vaitarna river

P was at that area few days ago on work. So he lead the way. We entered Vihigaon. Saw the sign board Ashok Dabdaba but we did not head there as to reach the water fall you need to walk downhill for sometime and my father in law was not fit enough for that adventure. Instead we went further towards the bridge on Vaitarna river. It was beautiful. For us city weary souls the quietness that it offered that stroke the most.

FIL on the bridge on Vaitarna

Then we drove up on the road for sometime towards Upper Vaitarna. But did not go upto Upper Vaitarna and returned as we wanted to go to Vipassana center at Igatpuri.


Myanmar gate at Vipassana Center - Igatpuri



We reached the Vipassana center only to come to know that the center was closed for visitors that day. They allowed entry only till the hall. Point to keep in mind every alternate Saturday the center is closed for visitors. It is advisable to check once before you plan on a Saturday. As we were returning after spending about half an hour there; P just asked the security guard at the gate for his suggestion as where we could go to get a clearer view of the mountains. He said "Railway dam". We drove along the railway track asking people the way. Finally we were there at railway dam. I don't know if it has some other name. But the place is breathtakingly beautiful with a clear water body, lush florescent green fields and am amazing view of the hill. Besides that there was no one else. Only us.

Father in law was exhausted. So he decided to stay inside the car. I & P sat there for a while soaking in the nature, the silence and the breeze. It was a feeling I cannot put in words. You must experience this to feel that.

While going to Railway dam we had crossed one very interesting looking old church. While coming back we stopped there. P and I opened the closed gate and entered the church premises. There was a small hut but no one came out. A dog came running to welcome us. There was an old cemetery. Peeping though the church window we could make out that it was a functional church. The grey clouds, rustling of dried leaves, the curved crosses over graves and an old church dated 1892 - it was a perfect setting for some "para normal" activities. P commented " This is what ghost stories are made of ". We have to admit, we were so intrigued by the church and the surrounding. There was a letter box at the entrance of the church. We thought may be in old days, the church also acted as the post office for the village. Stories we would have loved to hear if got a chance.

The old church

Waiting for his master's mail!

Sometimes just wandering may lead you to places you do not find in guide books. The Railway Dam and the old church were such discoveries. This sure hardens my urge to wander even more!

How I fell in love with Kashmir

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment. May be when I first landed in beautiful Srinagar and was welcomed by that chill in the air or may be even before that when my co passenger offered me his window seat. Not to forget all those glimpses that Bollywood offered. Whatever be the reason, I admit I am smitten by this beautiful state of India - Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu has a family connection now with my sister married there. Srinagar and other part of the state always fascinated me. Last year when I finally landed in Leh, I fell in love with it even more. That's a different story; but for now let me look back when and how I fell in love with Kashmir.

Dal

It was during the Good Friday long weekend  in 2012 that I first landed in Srinagar. Jammu I had been before many times. But that was my very first visit to Kashmir. All thanks to Prim, who is another Kashmir fan and a veteran in the travel business, asked me to join her on a trip to Srinagar during the Tulip season. Thus I was on my way to my first trip to the beautiful Srinagar. But as luck would have it, both of us got different rows and I got a middle seat. The passenger next to me in the window seat was sleeping throughout the flight. It was only when the captain announced that we had begun our descend to Srinagar, he woke up. From whatever I could manage to see from my seat, I could see snow clad mountains at a distance and yellow paddy, small cottage type houses. He noticed me trying to see through the window and asked " First time to Srinagar?" I said " Yes". He very generously offered me his seat so that I could have my first glimpse of the valley from the sky. When I protested; he said " I insist and welcome to my beautiful valley." The patches of yellow paddy down, villages scattered around, snow clad mountains at far and a warm gesture of Kashmiri hospitality 35,000 feet above ground - I was falling in love with Kashmir.

The Tulips

My first trip to Kashmir was, as I mentioned before, to see the Tulip Garden. This is Asia's largest Tulip Garden. On the foothills of Zabarwan Hills and near the famous Dal Lake, this tulip garden is sure a must visit at least once. It opens only during the month of April, when the tulips are in full bloom. The tulip garden is a complete riot of colours. It is as if God himself has spread acres of colourful flower carpets to welcome one and all the valley. I had my first cup of Kashmiri Kehwa (the fragrant Kashmiri tea) there. And then there are the other royal gardens in Srinagar - Nishad Bagh, Botanical Garden, Chashme Shahi, Mughal gardens etc. All are very well maintained and worth a visit. In one of my later trips, I and my other half, spent a whole day moving from one garden to another completely at the mercy of the Auto driver we hired for the day. That day we did full touristy stuff. That's another story. But trust me if anyone is in Kashmir during April, please make sure you go and see the Tulip garden once. You will not regret.

The Bulb

My first visit to Srinagar meant my first ever tryst with Kashmiri cuisine too and for a foodie like me, Kashmir is heaven.  My first meal in Srinagar was at Ah Doo's , an iconic restaurant in the city. It started in 1918 and still going strong. For the first time in my life I tasted Tabak Maaz which is Kashmiri fried Lamb ribs. The Roghan Josh never tasted so spectacular and not to mention Kashmiri Phirni. I loved every morsel. In the evening we had a "light" dinner of many varieties of kababs with Kashmiri naan in a small place where locals were eating. Next day we had been to Gulmarg. There we made the customary stop at Tangmarg for breakfast of piping hot maggi, bread omelette and tea. I am talking about 2012, maggi was still a part of our lives! On our way back from Gulmarg we again stopped at Tangmarg for lunch. This time we had Kashmiri Biriyani. That simple no fancy restaurant served such amazing biriyani that I and my friend both were floored. In my later visits, I relished that most succulent and flavourful Goshtaba at Khyber Himalayan Resort in Gulmarg. But by then I was already a fan of Kashmiri cuisine.
It will be really unfair if I don't mention about the invitation for dinner at a Kashmiri household. Prim had been to Kashmir many times and she has many friends there. One of the families invited us for dinner and served us chicken saagwala with homemade naans. This chicken dish was unlike any Chicken Saagwala that I had before. This was simple, yet there was something very rustic about it and I could still smell the aroma as type the words in my keypad!


My first trip to Srinagar was a short one. But when I was coming back I already knew that this short trip was just the beginning of a much longer fascination. Since then, I had been to Kashmir 3 more times and still have all the plans to go again and again.

Through the flight window!

Dastarkhwan - e - Lucknow - Feasting in the land of Nawabs

Lucknow - For me, the name brings with it lot of Tehzeeb and Aada ( Manners and Elegance/Grace)  and a wonderful fragrance of royal cuisine or to put it more simply the aroma of good food. When P announced that he has some work in Lucknow over the weekend and asked me join him, the aroma of Awadhi cuisine wafted through the streets of Mumbai! And thus keeping the tradition of our sudden weekend trips, we landed in Lucknow late evening in the last Friday of February 2015.






Saturday P got done with his work by evening and we had time till Sunday afternoon; so we decided to make most it and when in Lucknow, you let your stomach make the decisions. First stop - Hazratganj, the most happening place in the city.

Royal Café : This place is a full fledged multi cuisine restaurant. But Royal Café is famous for the chaats; topping the list is the Tokri chaat. This one is very interesting. The whole chaat is served inside a tokri which is edible too. The chaat counter is outside the actual restaurant.

Tip : Avoid the restaurant and eat with the crowd outside.



The famous Tokri Chaat

There we met the steward named John Bell.

As he was moving with a smile from one customer to the other serving orders, clearing the dishes; we got talking with him. He said his grand father had come from Germany and his name was Arnel Bell. Arnel fell in love with an Indian lady in Lucknow and stayed back. John has been with Royal Café since last 9 years. Educated at La Martinere school, this father of a daughter and a son said he loves Lucknow and happy in his place. It was fun watching him work there, smiling and with a twinkle in his eyes.

Tunday Kababi : THE MOST iconic place in Lucknow. Any visit to this city of Nawabs and Kebabs is incomplete without eating at Tunday's. We went to the one at the Naaz cinema lane, near Aminabad. The original one is at Chowk,in the old city.This is where Haji Murad Ali single handedly began this  100 year journey of world Kebab domination!

Tunday Kababs deserve all the accolades that they enjoy. Their famous Galauti Kabab is a riot of flavours and just melts in the mouth. What one remembers is how the flavours of the  160 ingredients that go into creating this kebab reveal themselves layer after layers...wonder how Ghalib or Mir would have described these kebabs in their poetry. We had decided to get Kebabs packed next day for our friends in Mumbai. So we thought of going slow that evening and ordered only one plate with one Ulte Tawe ka paratha. But no true lover of good food can eat just one Galauti there. We ended up ordering another plate with Sheermal. They are heavenly and quite reasonably priced too!

Prakash Kulfi : Walk a bit from Tunday Kababi towards the main market and you have another famous place. Prakash kulfi is known for the awesome, mouth watering kulfis.

The Mughal's Dastarkhwan : There are many Dastarkhwans in Lucknow. All claiming to serve       " Authentice Lucknowi cuisine". For this we took the help of my colleague from Lucknow and went by his recommendation. This Mughal Dastarkhwan is at Lalbagh, opposite Islamia College. This one is the oldest in town. We reached pretty late and when we were finally seated, ours was the last order. We had Mutton chops for starter, Mutton Biryani for Mains and Shahi Tukda for Dessert. Each one of the dishes were very finely cooked. In each place the biryani has a unique taste and feel to it. Kolkata Biryani is very different from Hyderabadi biryani and Lucknowi biryani is again very distinctive from both.

Lucknow is surely a " paradise for foodies". With just one evening and a half day in hand it was not possible for us to explore the way we would have loved to. But it will be really unfair if I don't talk about the lunch that we had on Saturday. It was with a Sikh family residing in the city since last so many years. They made Kadhi Pakode, Chicken curry, Paneer Matar, Chapatis and Veg Pulao for us. The North Indian Kadhi Pakode is my favorite and when I saw that on the dining table I was sure elated. Nothing was over spicy or too oily. Everything was cooked with simple spices but each morsel tasted divine. For dessert, they served a super simple version of the classic Gajar Ka Halwa. It had no ghee, no mawa and no sugar either. Simply garnished with chopped cashew nuts, this is one Gajar ka Halwa I can indulge in without feeling guilty. Incidentally my version of Gajar ka Halwa is equally simple but I do use one spoon of sugar and little oil.

On Sunday early morning we went to Bara Imambara and the old city.We thought of having breakfast somewhere at the Chowk area but could not manage time as we had to get Kebabs and Biryani packed before we check out and head to the airport. Next to Tunday Kababi, there is Wahid's Biryani who serves excellent biryani. We got the biryani packed from there.

The foodie in me fully satiated, I had make a quick visit to the shopping area too. Thankfully the Aminabad market is full of Chikan Kari shops and I did manage to pick up a thing or two too. That was surely the icing on the "Lucknowi cake" :D


PS:-Reasons to go back?
we missed having Makkhan Malai at Chowk and the dahi bhalles...there will be a next time soon.

My Super Six for Leh



27th Jan 2015

It is said that : while coming out if you look back at the Taj mahal; you will be back one day. I have also heard the saying that pick up a pebble from Ladakh and you will be back for sure. I have done both! Success rate of these sayings; I had been to the Taj thrice since 1993 and Ladakh once that too only last year. Needless to say I picked up not one but quite a few pebbles on my way back.


Ladakh had always been on my travel wish list. With so many people visiting and coming back with so many stories; who would not want to go to Ladakh. It's the dream destination for hard core bikers across the country. I am not a biker. But Ladakh fascinated me since I started my career in travel industry in 2003 and its only in 2014 that I finally landed there. While I was always a Ladakh fan, now that I had been to this magical place; here goes my top 6 ways of travelling to and in Ladakh without cutting a big hole into your pocket. These are what we ( I & P) did. Trust me when I say this; budget travel is very much possible here.

Just out of Kargil town

1.Land in Srinagar. Srinagar is more well connected to the rest of the country than Leh. Limited flights to Leh and during the " season" air fares touch the sky. While airfare to Srinagar is also no less, but if planned way in advance you could save a lot. You can always fly out from Leh. The road transportation in Leh will be on the higher side if you are a solo traveler hiring the whole vehicle to yourself.


2. Depending on your fitness level, you can take a shared cab to Leh directly or if you wish to take it slow and go the recommended way; take a shared cab to Kargil. Spend one night there and then next day continue to Leh. The distance between Srinagar and Leh is approx. 435 km.You will be travelling on NH1; one India's best roads and will be greeted by breathtakingly beautiful sceneries in each turning.  This will give you ample time in acclimatizing yourself to the heights. Srinagar to Kargil takes 6 hours and from Kargil to Leh 5 hours. In Srinagar just go to the TRC ( Tourist Reception Centre) previous evening or same day very early morning to catch a shared cab to Leh or Kargil.
The other scenic road to reach Leh is from Manali. I have heard that too is mesmerizing. That's next on my wish list.

Zojila Pass

3. There are tons of stay options available in Leh town. From expensive hotels to simple homestays; you will be spoilt for choice. We stayed at a hotel called Oriental Guest house. Even they have 3 wings with 3 different rates. Wing A and B with simple rooms with attached bathrooms @ Rs. 800 - 1000 and the newer Wing C with wooden flooring and bigger rooms with spectacular view @Rs.2000 - Rs.2500. ( Recommended to cross check the rates as they are revised each year)


4. Don't worry about travelling to Pangong or Nubra valley or any other place for that matter. Walking around Leh market keep looking out for the notice boards put outside local travel agents. They put out notices for shared travel to all places. Travel is also about meeting new people and sharing your stories; isn't it? We shared a cab to Pangong lake with 3 Korean students and 1 girl from Delhi. It was fun and even though we spent the night at Pangong at different places we came back together again.  Besides that you can hire a bike too if you want to ride to these places.


5. Leh is full of eateries suiting all palates. From simple Thukpa to lavish Italian fine dine, you name it you have it. Let me share some of the places where we ate and loved. Café Jeevan on Changspa road. Just be there, sit enjoy relax while gorging onto their excellent food. For Pizzas it is Il Forno. We went there during the day; but during evening the whole place wears a different look. We had dinner once at World Garden Café. They serve super momos and wood fired pizzas. And our last night in Leh we went to Bon Apetit, a place highly recommended for a special evening. The ambience, the service and the food : just perfect for a cozy relaxed evening. We had Khao Suey. They do not serve alcohol. It's a task to find this one though!


6. Ladakh is a highly eco sensitive zone. Please be responsible and avoid plastic or any hazardous material as much as you can. Water is precious in this barren desert. While packaged drinking water is sold in every shop, it is highly recommended to keep on refilling the bottles at your guest house or any place with the sign of " Refil your water bottle here". They charge very nominal. If you are

carrying any plastic or any other such things on your rides or trips; please make sure you bring them back with you. There is no recycling plant available in Ladakh yet. This little place should not be turned into a garbage ground in a few years. This is our responsibility.

Besides these, Ladakh is not the place to show off those hot pants. Please refrain from doing so and respect the sensibilities of the locals.

Leh Palace

I have heard many people who had been to Ladakh say that this place touches you like no other. Something is stirred within and you become a different person than the one you were. Now I completely believe that. The harsh barren terrains of this cold desert, rocky naked mountains, the clear sky, the fresher air, the colourful prayer flags swinging everywhere and above all the simple people living in the extreme conditions; they all touched me like no other place in India. And I cant wait to go back; again and again.

The Khyber you must not pass

2014 was ending in 10 days and keeping up the trend of sudden trips that we had in the whole year, P decided to extend his stay by 2 days once his work was over and I decided to sneak out a leave and join him there. "There", this time, was Gulmarg. P was there for the shoot of the Dewarist Season 4 and the whole team stayed and shot at Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa ; which within 2 years of its existence has been ranked as one of the top Ski resorts in the world. This sure turned out to be one of the most memorable trips of 2014 thanks to the wonderful hospitality extended by the team of Khyber in Gulmarg.




The rooms

From the moment you enter the vast lobby; the warmth of Kashmiri hospitality greets you and each one of the members of the team Khyber makes sure that it stays with you even after you leave. This luxury resort is an experience in itself. Located very near to the Gulmarg Gondola; Khyber Himalayan Resort has 80 rooms 4 Luxury cottages and 1 Presidential Suite; all offering breath taking views of the Affarwat peaks or the evergreen Valley of Gulmarg. We stayed in a room with a balcony overlooking the green meadows of Gulmarg. Though it had not snowed properly yet; there were patches of white from the earlier scattered snow falls.Winter was already setting in, paving the  way for a whiter Christmas and New Year. Since I was there for just 2 days, I decided to make most of it and soak in the luxury that Khyber offers in the midst of  beautiful and serene Gulmarg.




Our room








One of the sitouts

I firmly believe that any resort or hotel , to feature in my personal list of good hotels worth recommending to friends and family, must serve real good food. Khyber sure tops the list in this.With huge glass windows over looking the mountains and meadows; Cloves  is their multi cuisine restaurant offering an array of food from across the globe and Kashmiri cuisine too.  I had one of the best Goshtaba at Cloves. It was perfectly cooked, juicy but really subtle in spices. In fact in all the food, the spices used were never too over powering and I loved every morsel I ate at the Cloves. Add to this the attentive staffs serving each table with a smile; Bilal, Saptarshi, Sajjad to name a few. Besides that, I also had an awesome dosa for breakfast the next morning. I admit I am not at all a Dosa person. Even if I had to have, I avoid the sambhar completely as somehow that ends up ruining the dosa for me. Even in most "authentic" of dosa places, I donot have sambhar. But one fine December morning, I had an amazing Dosa and Sambhar, the signature dish from Southern part of our country, in one of the extreme Nothern corners of the country; thanks to
Chef Chotelal.

Chaikash

The  two evenings that I was there, I spent them doing the same thing. First an hour inside the heated pool overlooking the majestic mountains and after that sipping into a hot cup of Kashmiri Kahwa at Chaikash, the tea lounge. Even though I wanted to, but could not find time to go the Khyber spa by L'OCCITANE . As the spa rightfully claims it "brings to life the changing seasons of Gulmarg with signature treatments where guests are encouraged to choose from a repertoire of home grown seasonal flora which are mixed with natural L’OCCITANE products and fresh Himalayan water to create fusion recipes." But trust you me, this is sure an amazing indulgence not to be missed.  Well for me, I guess this is the reason for me to plan another trip to Gulmarg and Khyber.

On the day we were leaving Gulmarg, all the signs of an impending snowfall were staring at our faces. But alas; we weren't meant to witness  our first  flurry of snowfall that  turns the green meadows into powdery white this time. One more reason to go back.

From Khyber, the Gulmarg Gondola is just few meters away. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around the area during the day with the soft winter sun playing hide and seek amidst clouds. As it was predicted to snow within a day or 2; the Gondola phase 2 was closed for maintenance on that day. P had been to phase 2; just a day ago for shoot. As he vouches for it, this sure is a must in Gulmarg. The ride to phase 2. This time I could go till phase 1 only. I am so convinced that Gulmarg wants me to be back for sure and I know where I am staying.

The wonderful team - Khyber

Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa is a luxurious experience to indulge and enjoy. A special mention of Mr. Jerin Philip, the very welcoming front office manager and ever smiling Aman Dhiman. Actually the whole team of Khyber; it's their warmth and their hospitality which set them apart.

The recognitions