tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77942377705247593432024-03-13T09:27:35.078+05:30A KarthikTravel, Scripts, ExperiencesKarthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-63049241160627696922016-04-07T18:30:00.000+05:302016-04-07T18:30:00.740+05:30Darjeeling Vacation : Queen of the Himalayas (Part 5 of 5)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is Part 5 of this travelogue covering the penultimate day)<br />
(Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - (This page)<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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Tiger Hills<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7794237770524759343" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7794237770524759343" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Day 4 was the exception to our vacation rule. Me and my son decided to go and see the sunrise on Kanchenjunga. Lets never get to asking a person if it was worth waking up at 330 am in freezing winter and braving an hour long car journey...... (Temperatures were 3 deg without accounting windchill)<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xztZfqm93J0/VsnMeb5d47I/AAAAAAAAFv4/j_rEWkHwLfo/s1600/C360_2015-12-28-04-43-07-893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xztZfqm93J0/VsnMeb5d47I/AAAAAAAAFv4/j_rEWkHwLfo/s320/C360_2015-12-28-04-43-07-893.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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To be met by about 10000000000000 people who got there before you and want to be an inch closer.........<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OeTmu-qqSRk/VsnMMWluihI/AAAAAAAAFvo/GBA2FVO6l5w/s1600/DSC_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OeTmu-qqSRk/VsnMMWluihI/AAAAAAAAFvo/GBA2FVO6l5w/s320/DSC_0072.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MoYoLC58KxU/VsnMUdQnWJI/AAAAAAAAFvw/ByuVJR4s3mI/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MoYoLC58KxU/VsnMUdQnWJI/AAAAAAAAFvw/ByuVJR4s3mI/s320/DSC_0024.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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When you can see similar sunrises in Mylapore at 5 am having filter coffee..... (of course while wearing a sweater or shawl to bear the cold 20 degrees chennai winter)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Gz-Ql1H2QA/VsnM0s2I1fI/AAAAAAAAFwE/om87C8YBut4/s1600/C360_2015-12-28-05-42-28-345.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Gz-Ql1H2QA/VsnM0s2I1fI/AAAAAAAAFwE/om87C8YBut4/s320/C360_2015-12-28-05-42-28-345.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><b>Hey wait...... Can you show me this ......</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gIMMpDJvDV8/VsnNq1uhDdI/AAAAAAAAFwY/F0ZPrna6-xM/s1600/C360_2015-12-28-06-23-18-777.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gIMMpDJvDV8/VsnNq1uhDdI/AAAAAAAAFwY/F0ZPrna6-xM/s400/C360_2015-12-28-06-23-18-777.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFdGcVUdytk/VsnNhRbY7RI/AAAAAAAAFwQ/-BxBPXJZfxQ/s1600/C360_2015-12-28-06-22-34-442.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFdGcVUdytk/VsnNhRbY7RI/AAAAAAAAFwQ/-BxBPXJZfxQ/s320/C360_2015-12-28-06-22-34-442.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Yes for all the pain it was worth it - me and my son liked the adventure. Its frankly too cold for women, children, old people - Not worth risking them up for there is also a long walk in the dark, hardly any facilities and too much crowd. (See it on youtube from the comfort of your bed if you are not able to make it here)<br />
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Shopping continued in the morning after we returned. One interesting (BIIIIIIG climb) was the temple there. Unexpected but very nice and has a nice view too. (You can walk it up from the mall)<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Shiv Shani temple</h4>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWkmNJRc1bY/VsnSlZjXv7I/AAAAAAAAFw0/ptQ5bOITV9I/s1600/DSC_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KeJEWU6r18/VsnSpgyVjNI/AAAAAAAAFw8/lPxjepzeaXQ/s1600/DSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KeJEWU6r18/VsnSpgyVjNI/AAAAAAAAFw8/lPxjepzeaXQ/s320/DSC_0075.JPG" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWkmNJRc1bY/VsnSlZjXv7I/AAAAAAAAFw0/ptQ5bOITV9I/s320/DSC_0074.JPG" width="212" /><br />
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Overall a great tip. The next day we left in the morning after breakfast for a flight from Bagdogra around Noon to Chennai. (Please plan a minimum 4 hrs of travel time to the airport)<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Where to eat:</h2>
Mostly we ate at the hotel. Except on the day we came to Darjeeling , we ate in the lodge at Kurseong (see Part 1).<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Kunga restraunt</h4>
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Near the shopping area is a place called Kunga . They serve authentic local meals. Momos and noodle soups are out of the world. They are run by a very nice family. They even suggest what portions would be most correct for you.<br />
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Have a great time. If you found this useful send me which was useful and what was boring so can edit the pages. Also send me your updates to post if you've travelled recently.<br />
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(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-47911982498590109282016-03-31T18:30:00.000+05:302016-03-31T18:30:06.588+05:30Darjeeling Vacation : Queen of the Himalayas (part 4 of 5)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - This page - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7794237770524759343" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Day 3 was more luxurious. Late rising and breakfast and walk up to the "Mall"<br />
The Mall Road<br />
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This is a good place to hangout. Every hill station has one. At the centre they have a short pony ride for kids/adults.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eV8Tq2PHb4/Vsm9VH_8CVI/AAAAAAAAFtc/e5a8klEEFNA/s1600/C360_2015-12-27-10-27-18-744.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eV8Tq2PHb4/Vsm9VH_8CVI/AAAAAAAAFtc/e5a8klEEFNA/s320/C360_2015-12-27-10-27-18-744.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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At the end of the open expanse, there are 2 small streets - each has a shopping area<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7794237770524759343" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6sn2WRPtoSM/Vsm9pUJP-NI/AAAAAAAAFtk/H2vNrxDtTiw/s1600/C360_2015-12-27-11-19-33-249.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6sn2WRPtoSM/Vsm9pUJP-NI/AAAAAAAAFtk/H2vNrxDtTiw/s320/C360_2015-12-27-11-19-33-249.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDwn0ZhcUlU/VsnIoxuGDOI/AAAAAAAAFug/4alWrSYJ1O4/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDwn0ZhcUlU/VsnIoxuGDOI/AAAAAAAAFug/4alWrSYJ1O4/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Theres a tea shop called Nathmulls where you can taste and buy exotic teas. They also have an online system - I found the owner to be very enterprising. (If you are desperate for Coffee , theres cafe Coffee day)<br />
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Our train was at around 1 , so we kind of landed at the station a little early to see the shunting of the rakes. For more information google up DHR (Darjeeling Himalayan Railway)<br />
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<a href="webkit-fake-url://baa79a03-9872-48c7-861e-2e03a8ee91b1/image.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="webkit-fake-url://baa79a03-9872-48c7-861e-2e03a8ee91b1/image.tiff" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WymafpBZyJ0/VsnHWMyYa-I/AAAAAAAAFt0/aBc1IzKPPUs/s1600/C360_2015-12-27-12-46-47-413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WymafpBZyJ0/VsnHWMyYa-I/AAAAAAAAFt0/aBc1IzKPPUs/s400/C360_2015-12-27-12-46-47-413.jpg" width="400" /></a>Only the first 2 stops are covered and then they loop back to Darjeeling. The Batasia Loop offers a beautiful view of the mountains - don't miss it. The gardens etc are very poorly maintained.</div>
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But the train is very very interesting. It is a steam engine and still the same. Difficult to operate but a lot of fun for passengers on a short ride.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6FuEvGYv6YA/VsnITwVQzQI/AAAAAAAAFt8/h_VeNeV8WKU/s1600/C360_2015-12-27-14-46-22-151.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uD6Z3mdjGq0/VsnIVwLd1LI/AAAAAAAAFuE/mz3rcOw5h2k/s1600/C360_2015-12-27-14-46-49-858.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6CQmA-4Bdk/VsnIauGTVuI/AAAAAAAAFuQ/kYD_ZKykS7c/s1600/C360_2015-12-27-12-48-57-635.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8BZg80D1nrg/VsnIkxbi4QI/AAAAAAAAFuY/QG2wst36mxg/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8BZg80D1nrg/VsnIkxbi4QI/AAAAAAAAFuY/QG2wst36mxg/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6CQmA-4Bdk/VsnIauGTVuI/AAAAAAAAFuQ/kYD_ZKykS7c/s320/C360_2015-12-27-12-48-57-635.jpg" width="320" /><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6FuEvGYv6YA/VsnITwVQzQI/AAAAAAAAFt8/h_VeNeV8WKU/s320/C360_2015-12-27-14-46-22-151.jpg" width="240" /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gO_3FBMPauI/VsnIxtpK7PI/AAAAAAAAFuo/QccKfZ2vVcI/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gO_3FBMPauI/VsnIxtpK7PI/AAAAAAAAFuo/QccKfZ2vVcI/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNGakwEigYE/VsnIz4PiBiI/AAAAAAAAFuw/a3H0Dud3QQg/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNGakwEigYE/VsnIz4PiBiI/AAAAAAAAFuw/a3H0Dud3QQg/s320/DSC_0044.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZz4bFbXBQc/VsnI39W9RwI/AAAAAAAAFu4/TpqcgjVcPHs/s1600/DSC_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZz4bFbXBQc/VsnI39W9RwI/AAAAAAAAFu4/TpqcgjVcPHs/s320/DSC_0049.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NiMtze1IMq4/VsnJlBnS2KI/AAAAAAAAFvQ/fFZS_9cvvpI/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTZGLB7EgE8/VsnJxa_BziI/AAAAAAAAFvY/N3RvBKT4yhM/s1600/DSC_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTZGLB7EgE8/VsnJxa_BziI/AAAAAAAAFvY/N3RvBKT4yhM/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="132" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NiMtze1IMq4/VsnJlBnS2KI/AAAAAAAAFvQ/fFZS_9cvvpI/s200/DSC_0041.JPG" width="200" /><br />
They stop at Ghum station for about 20 mins and you can get down to see the Ghum Railway museum <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlWv9e_eXqs/VsnJEde60oI/AAAAAAAAFvE/9PPCfcCkrqo/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlWv9e_eXqs/VsnJEde60oI/AAAAAAAAFvE/9PPCfcCkrqo/s320/DSC_0050.JPG" width="320" /></a>(One more engine and a few cargo rakes)<br />
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(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-91042481620343089502016-03-24T18:30:00.000+05:302016-03-24T18:30:10.930+05:30Darjeeling Vacation : Queen of the Himalayas (Part 3 of 5 )<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Touristy places (The standard tour Day 2 - Continued)</h3>
(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - This is <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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From the Tenzing rock, we went to the ropeway. The queue was about 3 hours long to get in. So we ditched it and went to the tea plantations<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Happy Valley Tea Plantations</h4>
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I expected to see a plantation, a processing factory, some tasting, factory shop for purchases etc. It was a complete let down. They took us to some corner of it where Tourist could dress up as locals and take photos as if they are picking tea.<br />
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It was a let down. To put in context, what Juhu is to Beach after you've seen Marina Chennai. MaPro Mahabaleshwar and Ooty Tea gardens do a wonderful job of showcasing the tea /local produce experience<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Buddhist temple and peace pagoda</h4>
Our last stop was Buddhist temple and peace pagoda. This place is quite interesting. They had some chanting and we were allowed to participate by drumming. See my out of the world pics of Buddha with a natural halo below.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nm6ic7J8SfM/VsmjZERanYI/AAAAAAAAFs4/qYw8Tt8tQHg/s1600/DSC_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nm6ic7J8SfM/VsmjZERanYI/AAAAAAAAFs4/qYw8Tt8tQHg/s320/DSC_0082.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--eK7ydNAr3s/VsmjYDmeKcI/AAAAAAAAFsw/FCK52P1drlk/s1600/DSC_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--eK7ydNAr3s/VsmjYDmeKcI/AAAAAAAAFsw/FCK52P1drlk/s320/DSC_0081.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nm6ic7J8SfM/VsmjZERanYI/AAAAAAAAFs4/qYw8Tt8tQHg/s1600/DSC_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gsNLkCBygA/VsmjfnWxOXI/AAAAAAAAFtE/RYkH_1k0CvQ/s1600/DSC_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-98ZT8g2q3jc/VsmjkayS-yI/AAAAAAAAFtM/FehwG6DtP_s/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-98ZT8g2q3jc/VsmjkayS-yI/AAAAAAAAFtM/FehwG6DtP_s/s320/DSC_0097.JPG" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gsNLkCBygA/VsmjfnWxOXI/AAAAAAAAFtE/RYkH_1k0CvQ/s320/DSC_0091.JPG" width="212" /><br />
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On the way back to the hotel, we booked the tickets for Darjeeling to Darjeeling - I think there a 4 trains that do the round trip every day - 2 are diesel (costing about 650 per ticket) and 2 are steam (costing 1100 per ticket) - Very steep considering that its about 2 hrs, the scenic ride is spoilt by awful illegal constructions throughout the way, they serve nothing or explain nothing - Please try to book in advance - I was just plain lucky. You can try online, but for some reason I could not get any booking.<br />
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Day 3 in next part<br />
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(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-63505230526155050542016-03-17T18:30:00.001+05:302016-03-17T18:30:14.533+05:30Darjeeling on Vacation : Queen of the Himalayas (Part 2 of 5)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - This is <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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We did not do much the day we landed except go for a walk to the mall road. Glenarys was open - so ate some really good pastries (and ugh Coffee). The shop was lit up and decorated for the christmas and new year celebrations (Theres a steep walkable shortcut from the hotel to the shopping area and Glenarys- should take no more than 5~10 mins max!)<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Glenarys (Day 1)</h4>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
The Touristy Places (Day 2)</h2>
I fixed up with the hotel for a standard sightseeing trip - They will organise a Sumo and at a little more an Innova.<br />
Some tips:<br />
1. They will have Tour 1 (with some 7 places) Tour 2 (with some 7 places) and each will cost you about 3K and almost 3/4ths of a day. When you look perplexed at him, they will sell you a combo (the one he always wanted to) with the best of both worlds for about 3000 and throw the Innova as a bonus<br />
2. Try to do Tiger hill on a separate day and not back to back- Sunrise at Tiger hill - the day starts at 3 am!<br />
(B in Bengal stands for Bargaining and I do it too poorly)<br />
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The places we saw were only a few but we had a lot of fun (I believe its not the number of places..... aka Grapes are sour.....)<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Zoo and Mountaineering institute (Same location)</h3>
The first place was Padmaja Naidu Zoo - It was fab. Some of the animals that you've seen on TV actually exist (goes to prove that some reporters actually write the truth!) - Will take you about an hour to warm up, tickle the animals with your exaggerated disbeleif, catch the sun and come out for street shopping<br />
<img height="228" src="webkit-fake-url://4fad63a9-ea05-42a4-8c33-ed8392ad17f7/image.tiff" width="400" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://f930ad97-c222-48e1-b5f3-50d3319ba93f/image.tiff" /><br />
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Wilder animals (other than humans) were in cages.<br />
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The entrance to the Himalayan mountaineering institute is from inside the zoo. Quite an interesting place - Tensing Norgay now has a special place in our family<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zlhQoaTENwQ/VsmeXgMKuAI/AAAAAAAAFsc/VEAhX1Ny2qQ/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zlhQoaTENwQ/VsmeXgMKuAI/AAAAAAAAFsc/VEAhX1Ny2qQ/s320/DSC_0046.JPG" width="212" /></a><img height="320" src="webkit-fake-url://09afad58-ba1b-464b-b74a-fa5d7a2fe1f7/image.tiff" width="277" /><br />
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Once you've seen the museum and are about to conclude there is nothing to it and you too can do it too; the cabbie will take you to training hills. Tenzing rock is the first exercise in Mountaineering 101.<br />
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Thats when you decide, "who wants to do it anyways......"<br />
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(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-36053408448249825852016-03-10T18:30:00.000+05:302016-03-10T18:30:00.888+05:30Darjeeling on Vacation : Queen of the Himalayas (Part 1 of 5)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This winter holidays we planned to go East and had no clue where. From Shillong to Bhubaneshwar, finally settling in on Darjeeling<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7794237770524759343" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sSq6JS9nRFU/VshTRvyqlwI/AAAAAAAAFrU/I_iSyI2GbY0/s1600/C360_2015-12-25-15-07-35-426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sSq6JS9nRFU/VshTRvyqlwI/AAAAAAAAFrU/I_iSyI2GbY0/s320/C360_2015-12-25-15-07-35-426.jpg" width="240" /></a>As usual my plan is for lazy vacationers - It will take 4 nights, provide time for siesta and early morning means 9-10 am. (This rule is flouted for 1 nite - will explain that later).<br />
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This milestone on the way to Darjeeling sums up the mood for the vacation. (It is West Bengal :-))<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
How to get there</h2>
Chennai* to Darjeeling and Back<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(*My trips are usually indexed to absolute origin of the universe 0,0,0 - Mylapore)</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Chennai to Bagdogra (Hop over without changing planes at Kolkata) - Indigo (And obviously returned via Kolkata with a 4 hour wait). </li>
<li>Took a car up there from Bagrdogra to Darjeeling - plan 4 hours! comfortably one way to Darjeeling (including eating for about 30 mins, light traffic jams ). Theres a place called Kurseong thats somewhat midway and is the head quarters of the Darjeeling railway . Just before Kurseong is a restaurant called the Kurseong Tourist Lodge that serves hot food (momos and fried rice etc) . Its an interesting point to lunch at (replete with wooden flooring, an age old bar and self service station). The food is average but hot, so if you are hungry its a great place.<img height="176" src="webkit-fake-url://e0ddb4bb-36e6-42b2-9b49-f95603abb468/image.tiff" width="320" /></li>
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The train line comes alongside the road and its fun to see the steam loco struggle up the tracks<br />
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Most darjeeling roads and places are so chock-a-block, it is best to take a local cabbie. (The hotels can usually set you up for a decent deal)<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Where to stay</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TaFysnXrKPI/VsiNzbsZ0zI/AAAAAAAAFrs/BmlV9oXWWfk/s1600/C360_2015-12-26-09-25-54-181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TaFysnXrKPI/VsiNzbsZ0zI/AAAAAAAAFrs/BmlV9oXWWfk/s320/C360_2015-12-26-09-25-54-181.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from the hotel restaurant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We tried booking ourselves between Christmas and New Year and every good hotel was booked except Central Heritage. Have heard and seen better places. This place is as its name says (a) Central - Excellent location - you can walk to the mall, Glenarys' (a nice bakery and restraunt), Station (about 15 mins) and more (b) Heritage - Really old - stay in the club or premium rooms and you feel it. (c) Decent food for a hill station (My theory is that no hill station can usually get its food right) (d) Good crowd - families with children and quite helpful staff<br />
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The cons (a) Felt cramped out despite taking the premium rooms (b) bathroom fittings were dated - clean but could do with a lot of makeover (c) caught a small mouse (the staff used a glue pad) on one of the nights<br />
(Part 2 - What to do at Darjeeling )<br />
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(Quick Links to the Darjeeling Travelogue : <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of.html">Part 1</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-on-vacation-queen-of_10.html">Part 2</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 3</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas_31.html">Part 4</a> - <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/04/darjeeling-vacation-queen-of-himalayas.html">Part 5</a>)<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Bagdogra, West Bengal 734014, India26.6994242 88.31432840000002226.6710527 88.273987900000023 26.727795699999998 88.354668900000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-21967061712901540682016-03-07T18:49:00.000+05:302016-03-07T18:49:12.100+05:30Neerja : Movie review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Touching tale of the girl-next-door who rose to the calling - beautifully taken - am happy that positive things like this are being filmed. I see a move from values of "extroverted I-me-myself" to "introverted-mindful-intergity" being welcomed by society again. (Bhaag Milka to this)<br />
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Definitely worth watching once.<br />
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<a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt5286444">Neerja (19 February 2016)</a> -<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-49658629312609524702016-03-03T19:00:00.000+05:302016-03-03T19:00:19.418+05:30How to plan a trip to the mystic mountains Tiruvannamalai from Chennai (Part 2 of 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(See <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-plan-trip-to-mystic-mountains.html">Part 1 for How to get to Tiruvannamalai and where to stay</a>)<br />
In this section, we cover What to do , shop and eat<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
3.What to do and Places to see</h2>
These things can be organised around 2~3 days depending on how aggressively or lazily you want to travel<br />
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a.Temple - About 2 hrs to see the temple - best time is evenings as it is less hot (early mornings is a tall order for me and family during vacations)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVef4ef4nRQ/VsBc_5rvMQI/AAAAAAAAFo0/TRVETkxvQSk/s1600/DSC_0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVef4ef4nRQ/VsBc_5rvMQI/AAAAAAAAFo0/TRVETkxvQSk/s400/DSC_0197.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiruvannamalai temple and town - From route to Skandashramam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3h6O5fi2ja8/VsBc2OOuAqI/AAAAAAAAFos/O-58RWFygD4/s400/WP_20150925_18_16_13_Pro.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiruvannamalai temple gopuram at Dusk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3h6O5fi2ja8/VsBc2OOuAqI/AAAAAAAAFos/O-58RWFygD4/s1600/WP_20150925_18_16_13_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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b. Ramanashram - anytime when they are open. There are peacocks and monkeys. Children will enjoy the visit. They also have a beautiful book shop - I loved their note pads<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qT8XYjtpHOw/VsBeZJ7-WRI/AAAAAAAAFpM/nD8umdSAMp8/s1600/DSC_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qT8XYjtpHOw/VsBeZJ7-WRI/AAAAAAAAFpM/nD8umdSAMp8/s320/DSC_0198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zDGZh53Lz5Q/VsBdsNIAGpI/AAAAAAAAFpA/XgidHGT0Qys/s1600/20150926_154923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zDGZh53Lz5Q/VsBdsNIAGpI/AAAAAAAAFpA/XgidHGT0Qys/s400/20150926_154923.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peacocks dancing freely at the Ashramam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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c. Skandashramam - trekking is the one fun part of this trip and is entirely worth it. Carry water if you want. We were not much of a trekking family, but what started as a small climb to the ashram proved to be a very interesting climb. We went up with shoes and were glad we carried it across the Ramanashramam - there were several who went up bare feet too. The best times to trek up are mornings - check the timings at the Ashramam. They close at 6 pm I think and we just made it in the nick of time. Theres a beautiful place to meditate and some caves further down.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2PFBV3h6a4/VsBe3qpMD4I/AAAAAAAAFpg/RUEkpkISSkk/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2PFBV3h6a4/VsBe3qpMD4I/AAAAAAAAFpg/RUEkpkISSkk/s320/DSC_0195.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skandasramam - Trek path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ydrj3I4OBPs/VsBevvLnqYI/AAAAAAAAFpY/Q-cfbTL7PS8/s1600/DSC_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ydrj3I4OBPs/VsBevvLnqYI/AAAAAAAAFpY/Q-cfbTL7PS8/s320/DSC_0180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skandasramam - Meditation rooms</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
d. Gingee fort (Raja Kottai and Rani Kottai) -will take you almost half a day from Tiruvannamalai. The place looks a little desolate from the outside but is actually very well maintained by ASI (Archeological Survey of India) . They collect a small fee but entirely worth it. It is also reasonably crowded so you feel safe once you enter it. (Obviously go during day time 10 am + and return before 4 PM - avoid Noon time climbs) The monkeys are a riot and someone should do something about it - they are a little unruly and sometimes snatch your camera or food packets - Take care<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KAEnF-_WZA/VsBfoSa976I/AAAAAAAAFqA/MFmZS37D9ZA/s1600/DSC_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KAEnF-_WZA/VsBfoSa976I/AAAAAAAAFqA/MFmZS37D9ZA/s320/DSC_0085.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the garden - ASI does a great job</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XWzukP9PTXQ/VsBfqwoAjJI/AAAAAAAAFqI/XCKoRr63n2Q/s1600/DSC_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XWzukP9PTXQ/VsBfqwoAjJI/AAAAAAAAFqI/XCKoRr63n2Q/s320/DSC_0136.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yfdf-sddE2E/VsBgr7AmGEI/AAAAAAAAFq8/20yRnqz5n2c/s1600/20150926_114243.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yfdf-sddE2E/VsBgr7AmGEI/AAAAAAAAFq8/20yRnqz5n2c/s320/20150926_114243.jpg" width="320" /></a>Army Gymnasium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KAEnF-_WZA/VsBfoSa976I/AAAAAAAAFqA/MFmZS37D9ZA/s1600/DSC_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGtIp9gAedw/VsBf0M-Z5KI/AAAAAAAAFqY/LaVsFlPsmEM/s320/DSC_0069.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stables</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrab-39Ow6o/VsBf6A7sqnI/AAAAAAAAFqo/3rJS97UF7_Y/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrab-39Ow6o/VsBf6A7sqnI/AAAAAAAAFqo/3rJS97UF7_Y/s320/DSC_0048.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raja Kottai - From the base</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_SmWIGVw0CM/VsBfxo7BaFI/AAAAAAAAFqQ/zsYgHgdrGN0/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGtIp9gAedw/VsBf0M-Z5KI/AAAAAAAAFqY/LaVsFlPsmEM/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9rga3rm8M1s/VsBf13fRLOI/AAAAAAAAFqg/8W_a7uuEcLI/s1600/DSC_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9rga3rm8M1s/VsBf13fRLOI/AAAAAAAAFqg/8W_a7uuEcLI/s320/DSC_0054.JPG" width="212" /></a><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_SmWIGVw0CM/VsBfxo7BaFI/AAAAAAAAFqQ/zsYgHgdrGN0/s320/DSC_0073.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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e. Girivalam - Not recommended if you cannot walk about 14 kms on concrete road around the temple/mountain.(Mt Arunachal) Usually people plan this in the evening/night. I did not do this round except by car to get a feel for the route, so I don't know how it feels<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H9G-PfV6UWg/VsBgaOD7CyI/AAAAAAAAFq0/DYHSi_Y4lz8/s1600/20150927_133926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H9G-PfV6UWg/VsBgaOD7CyI/AAAAAAAAFq0/DYHSi_Y4lz8/s320/20150927_133926.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mystic mountain - Grows in reverence on you</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
4. Shopping and eating out</h2>
a. Shopping area for local handicrafts - <a href="http://www.smhds.org/index.php">Shanthimalai</a> is a local handicrafts shop in the main road outside Ramanashramam. It was started by Dr. Hugo Maier. The shops nice for an evening out shopping.<br />
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<div>
b. Food at Ramanashramam/Sparsa<br />
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We ate mostly at Sparsa. Their restaurant is good but several people have told us that Ramanashramam is a great place to eat and you can donate whatever you feel like against stay and food.</div>
<div>
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<div>
d. <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/tamil-nadu/tiruvannamalai">Lonely planet gives a lot of eateries</a> - will probably try them on the next trip<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-plan-trip-to-mystic-mountains.html">Post 1</a>: 1. How to get there and 2.Where to stay<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-plan-trip-to-mystic-mountains.html">Post 2</a>: 3. What to see 4. Where to shop and eat</div>
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606601, India12.2252841 79.074695712.2252841 79.0746957 12.2252841 79.0746957tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-42369229091717738772016-02-25T19:00:00.000+05:302016-02-25T19:00:02.371+05:30How to plan a trip to the mystic mountains Tiruvannamalai from Chennai (Part 1 of 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is not a trip that requires a lot of planning - especially from Chennai. Its a whole lot of fun especially for a place that not covered well as a vacation spot (mostly covered as a pilgrimage centre).<br />
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The best time of the year is between End-Sep and Early-Mar (Please try to avoid this place in Summer as it can be burning hot - In fact it is Shivasthalam for Agni too - Arunachal). Try to avoid the time of <a href="http://www.thiruvannamalai.in/tiruvannamalai-temple/tiruvannamalai-karthigai-deepam.html">Karthigai Deepam </a>(Sometime in Dec Jan)<br />
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I cover it in 2 posts<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-plan-trip-to-mystic-mountains.html">Post 1</a>(This): 1. How to get there and 2.Where to stay<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-plan-trip-to-mystic-mountains.html">Post 2</a>: 3. What to see 4. Where to shop and eat<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
1.How to get there:</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dm56-5aZtM/Vr78rZPcBNI/AAAAAAAAFnI/6oLCoKZVXgI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-13%2Bat%2B3.20.16%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chennai Tiruvannamalai Trip Vacation Route map Stay Things to do Places" border="0" height="230" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dm56-5aZtM/Vr78rZPcBNI/AAAAAAAAFnI/6oLCoKZVXgI/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-13%2Bat%2B3.20.16%2BPM.png" style="cursor: move;" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chennai to Tiruvannamalai route options for car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Its about 5 hrs if you drive like me (i.e. slow and enjoying the ride as much as you enjoy the destination) and 3.5 to 4 hrs if you drive fast<br />
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The Chennai Tindivanam Gingee route has bad roads between Tindivanam to Gingee. They have been laying the 6 lane road forever. The Arani Polur road is good and you reach decent speeds - even though it is a 2 lane for most parts (BTW there will be a lot of visitors from Bangalore too as this place is kind of equi-distant)<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
2. Where to stay:</h2>
If you are planning a vacation (and not a pilgrimage) <a href="http://sparsaresorts.com/">Sparsa</a> is a very good place. It has a resort atmosphere and boasts many amenities<br />
1. Cottages 2. Pool 3. Pottery making for kids 4. Milking a cow 5. Spa and a nice garden to walk<br />
You can get a view of the "the mountain" from the resort<br />
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Actually if you plan 2 trips, you can spend a whole day doing "nothing" at the resort - we spent a few days at Tiruvannamalai and hence had time to combine lazing around with the ashram/gingee fort etc<br />
(See <a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-plan-trip-to-mystic-mountains.html">Part 2 for What to do at Thiruvannamalai - Places to see</a>)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIEm7Qy1ms0/Vr8Z8Ek3JXI/AAAAAAAAFoQ/RwIhHPl0HHA/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chennai Tiruvannamalai Trip Vacation Route map Stay Things to do Places" border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIEm7Qy1ms0/Vr8Z8Ek3JXI/AAAAAAAAFoQ/RwIhHPl0HHA/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparsa resort - Pool side</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObRlf7a6PEU/Vr8ZHn4qTmI/AAAAAAAAFnw/GS3KGtPKRXA/s1600/20150927_115812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chennai Tiruvannamalai Trip Vacation Route map Stay Things to do Places" border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ObRlf7a6PEU/Vr8ZHn4qTmI/AAAAAAAAFnw/GS3KGtPKRXA/s320/20150927_115812.jpg" title="" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparsa resort - Entrance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NKbGvc0h66s/Vr8XzCFdxkI/AAAAAAAAFnc/qLaeFr71gnc/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NKbGvc0h66s/Vr8XzCFdxkI/AAAAAAAAFnc/qLaeFr71gnc/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparsa resort - Pottery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OWh8H_1w6Ng/Vr8ZurE5h2I/AAAAAAAAFoE/PEWWBC37mUE/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OWh8H_1w6Ng/Vr8ZurE5h2I/AAAAAAAAFoE/PEWWBC37mUE/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparsa resort - Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNcdDCKiaP0/Vr8Zr3PDx7I/AAAAAAAAFn8/G3faa0cjM6M/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chennai Tiruvannamalai Trip Vacation Route map Stay Things to do Places" border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNcdDCKiaP0/Vr8Zr3PDx7I/AAAAAAAAFn8/G3faa0cjM6M/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparsa resort - View of THE MOUNTAIN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R_t4vSK-SaU/Vr8Yt6CtgYI/AAAAAAAAFno/DSUSTTceWLI/s1600/20150927_074946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chennai Tiruvannamalai Trip Vacation Route map Stay Things to do Places" border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R_t4vSK-SaU/Vr8Yt6CtgYI/AAAAAAAAFno/DSUSTTceWLI/s320/20150927_074946.jpg" title="" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparsa resort - Cottages</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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See Part 2 for Sections (3) What to do in Tiruvannamalai and (4) Shopping and places to eat<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606601, India12.2252841 79.074695712.1011426 78.913334200000008 12.3494256 79.2360572tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-27222830010015782072016-02-18T21:39:00.000+05:302016-02-18T21:39:01.586+05:30Movie: Naanu rowdy thaan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a really long time a Tamil movie - Got bored when trying to sit in one sitting. Average movie<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-91093276895190590742015-07-03T15:18:00.000+05:302015-07-03T15:18:00.581+05:30Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 4 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Phew ... the journey from Jaisalmer to Udaipur(our last destination) is nearly 12+ hours.<br />
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We broke the journey at Ranakpur for an hour.
Ranakpur we saw the Arathi at around 6 pm. It was beautiful. Inside the temple, they still dont use electric lights (Jain temple and they feel it attracts insects) (Another thing that I did not understand was that they did something like an auction at the Arathi for the sponsorship - this explains why people from this area are so good at Business! - even the temple rituals are to the highest bidder!)<br />
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Udaipur was very scenic because of the lake. The Lake palace is organically built over the centuries by various kings and hence one can see different styles in the same building. The tickets were expensive for entry and photography<br />
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We stayed in a hotel called Rampratap. Its a small joint but a unique expeirence. Rooms are clean, service is good and best of all - he has one of the best lookouts to the lake, I dont think many of the other well known hotels can even match this property.<br />
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We drove to Ahmedabad and flew back to Chennai. (Udaipur is poorly connected and very expensive tickets to even Mumbai or Delhi)<br />
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It was one loooong vacation, but worth every bit of road travel Rajasthan roads were good. The much talked off Delhi Ahmedabad highway was a let down though as there was lots of road work and poor roads, very slow traffic at places.<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Udaipur, Rajasthan, India24.58 73.68000000000006424.348977499999997 73.357276500000069 24.8110225 74.002723500000059tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-73657883275185054812015-06-26T18:00:00.000+05:302015-06-26T18:00:01.405+05:30Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 3 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Jaisalmer on the extreme edge was one of the fun places we went to. The hotel we stayed was also great - Fort Rajwada.
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The main fort area was good - glad we went in December - I cant imagine how it would be in Summer.<br />
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The fortress has a full fledged bustling town inside.<br />
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The hotel arranges a evening desert camp/safari where you can ride a camel or para glide. This includes a dinner with a camp fire and rajasthani folk dances<br />
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Jaisalmer, was once part of the silk route and hence, this was home to several wealthy merchants. Each of them had beautiful ornate homes built in the city. Each multi storey building is worth visiting - These are called the Havelis.<br />
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The roads from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer is quite good - but it is mostly through the desert, hence not much to see or stopover.<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com1Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, India26.9157487 70.90834429999995326.8024677 70.746982799999955 27.029029700000002 71.069705799999952tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-81145861463632637532015-06-19T16:01:00.000+05:302015-06-19T16:01:00.130+05:30Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 2 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Jodhpur is en-route to Jaisalmer - When travelling Jaipur to Jaisalmer, just to break the journey stop at Jodhpur :-) . (Jaipur to Jodhpur is probably about 5~6 hrs) <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6jndvXyPUy0/VXr4VRY268I/AAAAAAAAFhQ/obScXz99L7o/s1600/IMG_20141229_104222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6jndvXyPUy0/VXr4VRY268I/AAAAAAAAFhQ/obScXz99L7o/s320/IMG_20141229_104222.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
At least thats my take on the city, in comparison to Jaipur and Jaisalmer. <br />
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Most tourists land up at the new palace - Umaid Bhavan - constructed as late as the 40s and is partially a hotel. The kulfi is good but does not stand up to the architecture or the history of the old fort - Mehrangarh fort.<br />
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Umaid Bhavan (Dont miss the Kulfi in the stall inside :-))<br />
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Mehrangarh Fort
Please dont miss the old fort and palace (if you are short of time to head to Jaisalmer - see just the old fort)<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India26.2389469 73.02430939999999326.0111289 72.7015859 26.466764899999998 73.347032899999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-42591958635539554272015-01-15T19:31:00.000+05:302015-01-15T19:31:00.048+05:30Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 1 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A post after a real long time.
Had a great vacation in Rajasthan. For anyone wanting to travel, December is a great time to travel in Rajasthan (a little cold brrrrr.....) but its better than going in summer<br />
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A typical route could be Chennai-Jaipur (Stay 2 nights) - Jodhpur (1 day) - Jaisalmer (2 nights) - Ranakpur (1 night) - Udaipur(2 nights) - return from Ahmedabad to Chennai<br />
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I shall cover it in 4 posts - Jaipur (Part 1) - Jodhpur (Part 2) - Jaisalmer (Part 3) - Udaipur (Part 4)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><u><b>Jaipur</b></u></span></span><br />
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We went to Albert Hall, Birla temple, on the way to City palace. In city palace, take the regular ticket (the 2.5K ticket may not be required unless you are an enthusiast). A guide can help and can charge anyway upwards of Rs. 400<br />
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<b>Birla Temple</b> - Our start for the vacation<br />
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<b>Albert Hall</b> - The pigeons are fun - they are trained to fly in unison and return - we saw this from outside only<br />
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<b>Amber fort</b><br />
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Please feel free to contact me if you need any tips or clarifications and are planning your trip<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Jaipur, Rajasthan, India26.9124336 75.78727090000006726.4592396 75.141823900000063 27.3656276 76.432717900000071tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-19039956323833954732014-06-06T19:00:00.000+05:302014-06-06T19:00:01.423+05:30Read: Proof of heaven - worth a read<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For no particular reason the second book of heaven in a month. (They both were in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/paperback-nonfiction/list.html">NY times best seller</a> list). This book was racy and readable. If you have read other books on NDEs (Near Death Experiences) this will be a doctors / scientists view of the same - reassuringly consistent!<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-63042059722575897092014-06-04T19:06:00.000+05:302014-06-04T19:06:00.760+05:30Read: Heaven is for real<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/heaven-real-little-boy-s-astounding-story-his-trip-back/p/itmdums4rhdmbhxy?pid=9780849946158&srno=t_1&query=heaven+is+for+real&affid=herrkarthi">book</a> started of well and was quite gripping. Though seemingly a real account of a 7 year old boys near death experience, the book is peppered with stories from the bible and visualization. Fails to capture interest of people who do not know those stories before hand. Can breeze through once...... (new york times best seller for a year!!)<br />
BTW now its a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/movies/heaven-is-for-real-stars-greg-kinnear.html?_r=0">movie</a> too !!<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-26465963151502596392014-05-31T18:04:00.000+05:302014-05-31T18:04:00.103+05:30Read: Quiet by Susan Cain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The book <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/quiet-power-introverts-world-can-t-stop-talking/p/itmdwnnmtma23rtn?pid=9780141029191&srno=t_1&query=quiet+susan&affid=herrkarthi">Quiet</a> is amazing especially if you are or have been with introverts . The world has made being an introvert akin to being a loser. This book explores the reason for introversion, popular myths and misconceptions, dealing with them and their power<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-48496204842186468442014-05-23T19:00:00.000+05:302014-05-23T19:00:01.334+05:30Kumbakonam restraunt: Mangalambika Coffee Hotel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a small joint inside the famous Kumbeswarar temple. Its an ok place to eat - had breakfast. Decently priced. Cleanliness is an issue though<br />
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You can easily miss the joint so here is a pic of the entrance.<br />
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Here is a <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/kumbakonam-sri-mangalambika-vilas-100-and-counting-foodie-trail-114012100305_1.html">Business Standard article</a> on this restaurant too<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com2Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India10.9616945 79.38811320000002110.836983 79.226751700000023 11.086406 79.549474700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-30678125493984383622014-05-22T19:00:00.000+05:302014-05-22T19:00:02.823+05:30Gangai Konda Cholapuram: An architectural marvel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Most people have seen the Brihadeeswara Thanjavur Temple. This temple about 60 kms off Kumbakonam near Jayamkondam is a very similar, well maintained and huge! The shadow never falls on the ground. Here are a few pics. It was built by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangaikonda_Cholapuram">Rajendra Cholan (son of Rajaraja Chholan)</a><br />
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It is maintained by Archeological survey of India and hence this is very well kept. It is also a UNESCO monument.<br />
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Being outside the towns it is not much visited , but if you have a day in Kumbakonam, please do make it a point to visit<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0Jayankondam, Tamil Nadu 621802, India11.2143483 79.36126519999993411.1831973 79.320924699999935 11.245499299999999 79.401605699999934tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-86004671168316584372014-05-11T15:47:00.001+05:302014-05-11T15:47:28.297+05:30Some photos from the Oooty Conoor Wellington trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The mountain railway engine pic<br />
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Some pics of flowers taken with my (new ahem....)Nexus 5
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-28353958967109251252013-12-07T07:34:00.000+05:302013-12-07T07:34:00.158+05:30Haridwar and Rishikesh : A surprise trip // Photosynth a great tool<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Made a surprise trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. Bathed in the Ganges in the famous Har-ki-pauri ghat too. It was a day trip as I had a day off and we actually managed without any need for a hotel booking from Pantnagar.<br />
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BTW, I used the Photosynth app to shoot the Lakshman Jhula temple and must say that both the location and the app rock! (Click pick below)You feel as if you are standing on the bridge and seeing the ganga flowing past you.<br />
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Tips: Leave the car in the parking and walk across in the shortcut with just your towel. Its less cold than you think even in Nov . Hold the rails and it is quite safe if you do. Its refreshing and gives good sleep - so dont plan to drive after a bath in the river.<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com1Lakshman Jhula, Swarg Ashram, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 24930430.1231667 78.3144167000000382.4912931999999977 37.005822700000039 57.755040199999996 119.62301070000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-15349984394086806302013-09-10T19:47:00.000+05:302013-09-10T20:29:06.780+05:30Movie Review: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Inspiring and well taken<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Exceptionally well done movie - very inspirational .<br />
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Somewhat begins to feel like Forrest Gump . We forget that there is an actor there and not a real athlete!
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-23419255014522307962013-07-20T19:30:00.000+05:302013-07-20T19:30:03.467+05:30Mahabaleshwar: Day 3: Strawberry farms direction: Part 4 of 4 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GkX_qbrVcTg/UdmBpZ7988I/AAAAAAAAE_g/dBoKZ0THfbo/s1600/IMG_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GkX_qbrVcTg/UdmBpZ7988I/AAAAAAAAE_g/dBoKZ0THfbo/s320/IMG_1669.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mapro near Panchgani is absolutely the highlight of the Mahabaleshwar trip. Mapro gardens are famous and they run a large restraunt and garden area that you can visit.<br />
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The place serves FANTASTIC wood fired pizzas , mocktails, grilled sandwiches and MOST IMPROTANT, their famous strawberry and cream. It is very professionally run for the kind of crowd they manage and is a nice open air spot to visit and eat.<br />
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You can also buy various Mapro products there. One of the reasons people typically put it on the 3rd day before leaving is so you can buy the stuff and leave (also Panchgani is on the way to Mumbai/Pune so if you want to leave the same day, you could do it too)<br />
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See my 4 posts on Mahabaleshwar below:<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-getting-there-from-mumbai.html">Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar, Planning a vacation, Stay , food etc</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-1-pratapgad-fort-part.html">Day 1. Pratapgad fort direction</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-2-in-and-around.html">Day 2. In and around - Arthur seat et al</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-3-strawberry-farms.html">Day 3. Strawberry farms - 3rd day</a><br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com1Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra 412806, India17.92164 73.65563199999996917.8612085 73.57495099999997 17.9820715 73.736312999999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-68408819419760938302013-07-16T19:30:00.000+05:302013-07-16T19:30:02.101+05:30Mahabaleshwar: Day 2: In and around, Arthur seat et al: Part 3 of 4 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Technically there is a lot to see at this one place - Arthur Seat, Hunter point, Echo point, Malcolm point, Tiger springs, Window point....phew - looks like a lot but is actually a series of view points along a single walkway.<br />
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<i>Warning to couch potatoes: its quite a walk downhill and back up, but my 4 year old did it with a little bit of carrying</i><br />
The best part of this is that it is filled with vedors who sell goodies from ice lollies to vada pav to salads.<br />
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Since its only an hour long drive to this place, you can actually come back and go for shopping in Mahabaleshwar or go to the lake and enjoy the horse rides and various other rides for kids.<br />
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Also, there are 2 places called sunset point and sunrise point where one can get a panoramic view of the sun as it comes up or down the western ghats. (The sunset point is a beautiful walking distance from MTDC if you want to plan it that way!)<br />
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See my 4 posts on Mahabaleshwar:<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-getting-there-from-mumbai.html">Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar, Planning a vacation, Stay , food etc</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-1-pratapgad-fort-part.html">Day 1. Pratapgad fort direction</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-2-in-and-around.html">Day 2. In and around - Arthur seat et al</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-3-strawberry-farms.html">Day 3. Strawberry farms - 3rd day</a><br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com1Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra 412806, India17.92164 73.65563199999996917.8612085 73.57495099999997 17.9820715 73.736312999999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-43203421155790969922013-07-13T19:30:00.000+05:302013-07-13T21:07:04.682+05:30Mahabaleshwar: Day 1 : Pratapgad fort: Part 2 of 4 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The fort is about an hours ride from Mahabaleshwar and is entirely worth it. Pratapgad fort has a steep climb - about 20 mins climb for a first lot of about 100 steps , a few things to see and some restraunts and a second set of steps to the temple and shivaji statue.<br />
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Some tips on your visit to Pratapgad fort:<br />
1.Take caps and arrive early to avoid the sun.<br />
2.The restaurants at the end of the first flight of stairs are better than those in the car park. So plan to eat there<br />
3.A guide kiosk is there at the car park and they charge about Rs 300 and give you receipt too. It is entirely worth it!<br />
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There is a nice place to eat at the end of first flight of stairs . They make pitle and bajra roti. These are hand beaten and hand made on wooden fires. Its very interesting and tasty too.<br />
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They make hot puran polis too! (On wood fired stoves)<br />
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See part 3 of Mahabaleshwar vacation for what to do in and around . See Part 1 for planning your trip to Mahabaleshwar, reaching there and stay.<br />
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<i>See my 4 part Mahabaleshwar travelogue:</i><br />
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See my 4 posts on Mahabaleshwar:<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-getting-there-from-mumbai.html">Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar, Planning a vacation, Stay , food etc</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-1-pratapgad-fort-part.html">Day 1. Pratapgad fort direction</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-2-in-and-around.html">Day 2. In and around - Arthur seat et al</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-3-strawberry-farms.html">Day 3. Strawberry farms - 3rd day</a><br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com1Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra 412806, India17.92164 73.65563199999996917.8612085 73.57495099999997 17.9820715 73.736312999999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794237770524759343.post-60746172802069556112013-07-11T19:30:00.000+05:302013-07-11T19:30:01.906+05:30Mahabaleshwar: Getting there from Mumbai and stay: Part 1 of 4 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar<br />
For most people a vacation plan to Mahabaleshwar will involve how to get there, where to stay, how long to plan and what to see and enjoy. I planned to go from Mumbai by road and it will take between 6 to 8 hrs if you travel with your family and plan to stop often. The route is best via Pune using the National Highway. The best places to Stop are (1) After the Toll naka in Mumbai and (2) About 20 kms after Pune in Hotel Natraj<br />
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The drive is not too great as the frequent lane changes and arid deccan landscape in summer were just ok. There are long tunnels and can be very interesting for the kids<br />
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Stay: MTDC Mahabaleshwar: Very nice place for families<br />
MTDC was a very homely stay and the staff are extremely helpful, especially if you are travelling with family and children. The cottage rooms are ok, though not the best maintained. The newer standard rooms are good. There are lots of monkeys too.<br />
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There are 2 restaurants inside and the food was very good. The "PWD" restraunt where we used to eat had good service too and they serve breakfast lunch and dinner.(Indian)<br />
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There are strawberry and mulberry/blackberry vendors who come and charge about 40 bucks per cup and its quite nice.<br />
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You can even get horserides inside the MTDC<br />
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An optimal way to see Mahabaleshwar is to split it into 3 -<br />
1. Pratapgarh direction - 1 day<br />
2. In and around Mahabaleshwar -2 day<br />
3. Strawberry farms - 3rd day<br />
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This way, if you are with family and kids, you get a break on day 2 and also what you buy on day 3 at the farm(Mapro) can be taken with you back from vacation!<br />
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Mahabaleshwar to Pune:<br />
And yes!, the ride to Pune on the return takes about 3 hours - incase you plan to take a train or flight out of there.<br />
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See my 4 posts on Mahabaleshwar split like above:<br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-getting-there-from-mumbai.html">Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar, Planning a vacation, Stay , food etc</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-1-pratapgad-fort-part.html">Day 1. Pratapgad fort direction</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-2-in-and-around.html">Day 2. In and around - Arthur seat et al</a><br />
<a href="http://tildekarthik.blogspot.com/2013/07/mahabaleshwar-day-3-strawberry-farms.html">Day 3. Strawberry farms - 3rd day</a><br />
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Pics from my trip:<br />
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PS: What puts you off is the rip off guys do at the entrance of Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar saying they are collecting a toll. Those are fakes and not authorised by the government.<br />
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Karthik Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475167156603691919noreply@blogger.com2Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra 412806, India17.92164 73.65563199999996917.8612085 73.57495099999997 17.9820715 73.736312999999967