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Final Leg – Langkawi

19 Apr

Langkawi is a small Island located 1 hr flight from KL. Our Flight landed by 9 PM – and were in our hotel by 9.45 PM – its a 30 min drive. The Westin Langkawi is a wonderful property – located close to the Jetty and the Fair Mall its a beautiful property with excellent service. Rates are reasonable – our rooms were priced at $160 / night (April is off season , May the rains start – peak season is from Oct to Feb) – rates for food was also very reasonable – 1/3rd of what the Westin Gurgaon charges. It has 3 large pools – the main pool , a kid pool and a rock garden pool. A Lovely Spa called the Heavenly Spa. A centre for water sports and a Kid Activity Centre. 3 Restaurants – one with live music at night at the lobby level. A beautiful floating Pagoda in the sea where you can host private parties.  All +ves for the Westin and I am glad we chose this over Datai and Andaman – these are nice properties but located at the north west corner of the island very far away. The only challenge at the Westin was the beach – it was OK – Sand was grainy and coarse and the sea was far away exposing marshy rocks –  no comparison to the beach at Sheraton Krabi or  the Park Hyatt Goa.

Best places in Langkawi

A tropical duty free island – its a UNESCO Geo Park. A small island (but 3 times as large as Singapore) – you can cover this comfortably in 3 days. Here is how we paced ourselves

Day – 1

Morning session 9 – 2 , was a drive to the Cable Car, A trek to a waterfall (not much water this time of the year) – and a drive past some beautiful golf courses and a quick stop at the Datai , a 5 min halt at a small but very clean Indian Temple and  lunch at the Indian Arabic Restaurant at Fairview Mall.

Cable Car

Trek to waterfall in Cable car

View from the top of the Cable Car Ride

Beautiful Nature

Elephant Ride (Same areas as Cable Park – they also have a 6D movie)

Elephant ride in cable park

 

Day – 1 : Second Half : 2.30 to 5.30 PM  High speed drive past Mangroves – Kite Feeding , Bat Caves.

The speed boat travels at 90 Kmph – zips past miles and miles of mangroves – and on the way we crossed an area for kite feeding and entered caves full of bats. The drive reminds you of Phantom and the Denkali isles – just that the river is free of Piranha. What added to the fun was sudden rain as passing clouds drenched us for a few minutes.

Best Mangroves forest

Day – 2 was spent entirely in Snorkelling / Diving / Swimming – a Yacht ride to an island – 1 hr away.

Best Island in Langkawi

Anvi was brave enough to try deep sea diving and she did a great job of it – not once but twice going as deep as 50 feet into the deep blue sea – she claims to have seen amazing flora and fauna including a wide variety of coral reefs.

sea diving in deep blue sea

 

 

Places near langkawi

We were back by 5 PM and spent the evening in the lovely hotel having a peaceful dinner and watching the sunset over the beautiful island. Sun Rise at 7 AM snd sets by 7.30 PM.

westin langkawi

Day – 3 our flight was in the evening at 7.30 – so we had the whole day to ourselves – but we had covered almost all of Langkawi – barring the wildlife park. Its a 20 min drive from the Westin and we reached at 10 – a small but homely wildlife centre it houses amazing birds and a few animals – no tigers / elephants / leopards etc. Kids love the place – its neat , clean and very homely – being off season was almost empty – and that added to the charm.

Amazing birds in wildlife park

Beautiful birds

 

amazing birds

 

Peacock in wildlife park

 

The place is full of beaches and water sports activities – so if thats your interest its all over the place. I believe there are some great treks to the rich forests – but all that needs more time.

We check out at 2 and head for a late lunch – and then we leave the hotel by 5 PM for our 7.30 PM flight to Bangalore Via KL.

That brings to an end one more amazing 10 day holiday. SE Asia is beautiful, affordable, efficient – and there so much more to see. I can now start planning my next holiday and I have a big list to choose from – Maldives , Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Bhutan , Bali …… let the good times continue.

All the photos of the Blogs / FB were taken on the amazing iPhone 6 – now there is no need for a camera the iPhone 6 beats most amateur cameras hollow.

Places near langkawi

 

 

 

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Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) in 3 days

16 Apr

KL airport is small, empty and efficient – drive from the city is fast – 45 min (50 Km distance). Our flight from KL reached Siem Reap in 2 hrs at 1.15 noon , there is a 1 hr time lag , so we leave KL at 12.15 and reach Siem Reap at 1.15.

Siem Reap Angkor Wat

 

Basic Facts of Cambodia 

Cambodia borders Thailand – a lot closer to Bangkok – the country has a lot of similarities with Thailand and at one time both regions were ruled by the same kings. Cambodia still depends a lot on Thailand – the city of Siem Reap gets all its electricity from Thailand.

Cambodia has two main cities – the Capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap the gateway to Angkor Wat , separated by about 350 Km ( driving is 6 – 7 hrs, flight preferred).  A developing country that was under French control till the early 50’s. Between mid 70’s to early 90’s the country was wracked by internal civil wars – Pol Pots Khmer Rouges trying to create a Communist state – millions perished. A sense of calm and peace has come as recently as the late 90’s. (Formerly Cambodia was called Kampuchea)

The country was under French rule till the 50’s – and French is the second language. I am told that there is a lot of French Influence and old buildings visible in Phnom Penh – but not much in Siem Reap.

95% of population is Buddhist. Locals are Khmers – but many Chinese also.

Arrival & Visa 

Cambodia provides Visa on arrival. We got ours from India. There is an eVisa option also. (This is preferred as with large tour groups your Q at the airport may be long). I had read that US Citizens did not need Visa – but was proved wrong – so we had to get my daughters Visa at the airport – costs 30$. There is a ATM right there – they accept US dollars. If you are applying for Visa on arrival – keep a passport photo handy. The country actually has USD and Cambodian Real as the currency options – don’t convert your USD at the airport. 1 USD = 4000 Cambodian Reals , all ATM’s dispenses USD and its accepted freely everywhere. The Airport is small, you can clear Immigration in 15 min collect your luggage and reach the hotel in less than 30 min. Flight landed at 1.15 afternoon  and we were in the hotel before 2.15.

Stay 

We stayed at the Chateau d’ Angkor La Residence – a small boutique hotel in the centre of the city  with 28 Suites (12 single BHK Units and 16 Double BHK Units). It has a lovely pool and a nice garden. But no Gym. Friendly staff who struggle with english – one restaurant that serves Continental, Chinese and local cuisine – many Veg Options. We had a spacious 2 bedroom suite (over 1500 sft) – pool facing – 2 Bedrooms, Large Hall, Dining and a Kitchen. Its like a service apartment with a cooking range, fridge, pots & pans etc – all of this for  $110/day, including free Wi Fi and Breakfast. Perfect place for families to stay. The hotel helps coordinate all your tour plans and even helps you to book tickets for shows. There is no dearth of Hotels from 5 star properties to boutique hotels in the city  – the city thrives on Tourism. From Hyatt to Soffitel to numerous quality brands – they all dot the landscape.

Food is also not a problem – enough options for vegetarians including a few Indian Restaurants – we dined a lot at the Curry Walla (That is located on the main road Sivutha Blvd) . Our breakfast buffet was full off fresh tropical fruits. You see them all over town and even on the roadsides. Coconut water is also available everywhere. For the ambitious – lots of non veg varieties – Dog meat is a delicacy and we even spotted roadside vendors selling Pig Tongue.

Tropical Fruits

City

The city is small – you can cover almost any part of the city in 5 – 10 minutes by Tuk Tuk. This is the local auto powered by a bike – it can easily carry 4 people. The main area of the city is one big road that has shops , a small mall, restaurants – about 1 Km in length , it ends at the Pub Street a happening place full of restaurants and bars. Nearby is also the Old Market with lots of Souvenir shops. Everything is reasonable priced – dinner for 4 is about $ 30, a Tuk Tuk Ride is $ 2, a foot Massage for 30 min is $ 3. Well planned well laid out city – feels like a modern one, nice roads, good footpaths, well lit , no garbage , safe.  We were here during the New Year celebrations – Thai & Khmer New Year is on April 14th – coinciding with the Indian Calendar. The City was crowded and happening – but there was space for all and we never had a challenge getting stuck in Q’s or a Road Jam. People understand basic english – but when you head for a Tour take a Guide.

Tuk Tuk Ride

What We Did

We had 3 days so we spaced ourselves well and covered the following. The Hotel has packaged options – about 10 of them and you can pick and choose. A day trip inclusive of Car/Van , Guide, Lunch will be about $ 150.

Day – 1 : National Museum, City Tour , Walk down Old Market & Pub Street , A Family Foot Massage

Day – 2 : Early morning Sunrise Visit to Angkor Wat , Visit to 3 more Temples , Lunch , Back in room by 3 PM. Swimming at the hotel. Leave at 4.30 for some shopping, strolling , Dinner, visit the Apsara Dance Performance from 8 to 9 PM

Day – 3 : Some more temples , Visit to a Butterfly Park , Back by 3 PM – , Walking in the city from 4 – 6, Dinner , Visit to the Cambodian Circus from 8 – 9.30 PM

Tourism in more detail 

You come here to see Angkor Wat and the old temples. Most of the temples are in bad shape – ruins. Built between 900 – 1200 AD by the Hindu Kings – the temples are mainly dedicated to Shiva. Angkor Wat is dedicated to Vishnu. There are 100’s of temples and they are in clusters – you can see 4 – 5 in a day. After some time it gets boring. In comparison the Indian temples we see at Badami, Belur – Halebid, Tanjore, Khajuraho are in excellent shape. The Temples in and around Angkor Wat lack the level of intricate design and sculpture that we see in Indian temples. You will see a lot of engravings from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and surprisingly a lot of Samudra Manthan depictions. To be frank – I was disappointed with Angkor Wat. Its a bit like the Mona Lisa at Louvre.  I think its very well marketed and positioned.

All the temples were built between 900 & 1200 AD – are made of Bricks, Sandstone or Laterite.The temples are in bad shape – some restoration work is in progress and even the Indian Govt and ASI is involved in a few of them. But its going to take a long time to get them in shape. Our local guide painstakingly explained that a lot of damage was done by Hindu Kings to Buddhist temple – but stayed quiet on the damage done by the Khmer Rogues and Buddhist kings to the Hindu Temples. Almost all the Shiva Lingas and Hindu statues are broken , shattered or dismembered. I was reading about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rogues – being communists they vandalised the temples and caused severe damage to these ancient temples. Lots of references to Hindu Kings having gone from S india and built these temples – but the guide and the locals give all credit to Khmers – there is no history of Hinduism there – it must have gone from S India – the temple architecture similarity and the name of the kings show that – but sadly no mention of this ( Neither do the history books in Indian schools talk of this – Sad)

You can buy Tickets for 1 day ($ 20) , 3 days ($ 40) or 7 days. Good to buy the 3 day Ticket – gives you access to almost all the temples. Tickets are Cash only. Children below 12 are free. Your photo is printed on the ticket – so the family needs to go for getting the tickets. Angkor Wat temple is best seen at Sunrise or Sunset. Its large – and would have been a spectacular sight in its heyday. Its massive – located next to a large water body. A large boundary wall and a Green walkway to the main building – we took the rear entrance as the main one was very crowded. Budget 90 Minutes

Angkor Wat temple

National Museum – A good start to your tour would be from the National Museum. Its a lovely museum, well maintained, and describes the history of the Khmer Kings and the design construct of the temples – there are many informative Videos. Full of Statues of Shiva, Vishnu, Buddha, Ganesha, Devis – although all of them have features very different from what we see in India. This is the only place where we get to see numerous statues of the Buddha with a Naga on the top of his head – the more I look at the culture here – get the feeling that the Naga’s were probably a class of people from Eastern India / Thailand / Cambodia. And Apsaras were the women from the Naga  community (The Apsara tradition is very alive in this country – more of that later)  – Budget 90 Minutes

National Museum Buddha statue

Other Temples that are worth visiting are in the Angkor Thom Cluster – very close to Angkor Wat. Visit the Bayon (Temple of faces) , Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider Fame)  & The Elephant Terrace. You can cover the temples in Angkor Wat and in Angkor Thom between 8 & 3 PM.

Angkor Thom Cluster

Bayon (Temple of faces)

35 Km away to the north are a few more temples – one of them the Banteay Srei  – dedicated to Lord Shiva made of red sandstone this stands out among the rest. Inscriptions in the monument give it the original name of Ishvarapura – the city of Shiva. Although small – Its the jewel in the Khmer architecture Its in slightly better shape and has outstanding quality of cultured decor. To me it looked a bit like the Shore Temples at Mahabalipuram.

The drive is also nice along the country side, past the villages with small shops.

Banteay Srei 

The Kings and the ministers  who built these temples all have Hindu names – Jayavarman , Indravarman, Suryavarman , Yashovarman…. They must have had some connections to the Chola’s or Pallavas from the South – some of the temple architectures does look similiar. S India had a lot of trade with SE Asia and its possible that Trade led to India Kings coming and ruling.

South Indian Kings

Most temples are well designed around a large rectangle. A outer wall , a lot of greenery inside – takes you 10 – 15 min to walk thru this greenery , an inner walk , a water body as a moat and then the Temple.

Greenary

On the way to Banteay Srei we visited a beautiful butterfly park – called the BBC (Banteay Srei Butterfly Centre) its not in the normal tour guides itinerary – we happened to see it on the way and stopped by – its a lovely place to spend 45 minutes. For more photos and details on the butterfly park visit http://atomic-temporary-14030268.wpcomstaging.com/2015/04/15/butterfly-park-en-route-to-bantay-srei-siem-reap/

Beautiful butterfly park

Two other must do activities

Visit the Apsara Dance – there are many shows happening in town , we attended a classy upmarket one at the Angkor Village Resort. The show starts at 8 PM and runs for an hr. Nice dance depicting ballets from the Ramayana and some local dances. Tickets are normally including dinner – we took an option without dinner for $ 12 / person.

Apsara Dance

Visit Phare – The Cambodian Circus – This is not a  circus. Its a dance , drama, ballet – depicting the story of Cambodia before and after the Khmer Rogue / Pol Pot Civil Disturbance. Program is orchestrated by an NGO with youth from broken families. These children are nurtured with skills in art / dance / gymnastics. Its a unique program that depicts the story through painting , dance , gymnastics. The expressions are wonderful and the whole event is mesmerising – its fun with a deep theme. Tickets are $ 18 / person

(http://www.pharecambodiancircus.org/circus/)

The Cambodian Circus

There are lots of massage parlours in town , they are very affordable but the quality of massage is Ok – no comparison to Thai Massage.

What else could we have done 

There is a large lake – called the Tonle Sap , this is supposedly one of the largest lakes in Asia and spreads across 3 countries. You can go here for boating , seeing the floating market etc. You can do trips to the country side ( But we visited in summer when it was dry and arid). There is a waterfall and some carvings on rocks on a  river bed – again at a distance of 30 km – but this is also best seen after the rains when the water fall is gurgling and bristling with water.

Kbal Spean  is an Angkorian era archaeological site on the southwest slopes of the Kulen Hills to the northeast of Angkor in Siem Reap District. It is situated along a 150m stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean River, 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the main Angkor group of monuments. The site consists of a series of stone carvings in sandstone formations carved in the river bed and banks. It is commonly known as the “Valley of a 1000 Lingas” or “The River of a Thousand Lingas”.

Overall – a lovely trip. Siem Reap and Cambodia is a must visit – its very different from Singapore/HK/ KL/ Bangkok. Its easy on the pocket, food is not a problem and its close by. People are nice, soft spoken. Its a trip where you can have fun, learning  and in 3 days understand the culture / tradition of a new country.

3 days flew past – weather in April was not too hot – between 28 & 35 degrees. Mornings and evenings are cool. The peak tourist season is from Oct to Feb. April is the hottest month and the rains start in May.

We are now all set to take the 3rd leg of the tour to Langkawi – our flight departs at 2.15 PM today – looking forward to the Westin at Langkawi. 

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KL – Siem Reap – Langkawi : 1st Leg

12 Apr

SE Asia is great for holidays – its close – very reasonably priced and the quality of service is excellent. This year we planned a 9 day holiday across Malaysia & Cambodia – 3 nights at KL, 3 Nights at Seam Reap and the last 3 nights at Langkawi ( back to Malaysia). This was the best itinerary ensuring that we did not waste too much time at the airport.

As usual I had my holidays for April planned by January end. Getting a Malaysia Visa is easy – all you need is the hotel booking and Tickets. Cambodia is Visa on arrival – but we still got it done from India. Udaan is a new agency in Bangalore that does Visas for all countries – they are efficient and I was happy with their service. I got my tickets from MakeMyTrip (Disappointing service) and did the hotels on my own.

MH 105 is a very convenient flight from Bangalore to Malaysia. Leaves in the afternoon at 12.15 and reaches KL at 18.55 in the evening. Bangalore airport is empty at this time. The flight was also empty , we whizzed past immigration at KL and were in our car by 19.30 – its a 60 min drive to KL city – about 50 Km  freeway traffic as we zipped past and reached our hotel the DoubleTree Hilton by 8 PM. Lovely hotel – great service, nice rooms, good food – we were surprised to see Indian Options at dinner and breakfast (Breakfast had Idli, Dosa, Vada, Sambar, Chutney, Puri , Chole etc) – rates are reasonable and comparable with 5 Star Hotels in India. We had booked two rooms for the 4 of us and I was able to use my points to get a 50% reduction.

DoubleTre Hilton is centrally located at Ampang – a 10 min walk from Petronas Tower. And that was our first stop the next day. Getting a ticket for the ride up the worlds tallest twin towers can be dicey during the rush tourist season. We took a precaution and got the tickets from the Concierge by paying a 50% premium – but when we visited the next day we found enough tickets available at the counter. Normal tickets are about  88 Malaysian Ringitt (1 Ringitt = 16 INR approximately). The ride up takes about 45 minutes – and is worth the effort. You go all the way up to the 86th floor observatory and get a peaceful 15 minutes to view the city.

Petronas Tower

The Petronas Tower also houses the Suria Mall – a large luxury mall and the Petronas Science Centre. The KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre) is a small walk away and that houses the Aquaria – all of this can easily take you from morning 10 to 3 to cover. I guess we were fast – most people would have spent the whole day here . The Science centre is wonderful – very interactive and the kids enjoyed it. I would rate this better than the science centre at Singapore. The Aquaria is nice – but the one at Bangkok was better. We had lunch at the Suria Mall food court – and were pleasantly surprised to see a Saravana Bhawan Counter there.

Petronas Science Centre

Around 3 we took a cab and headed to the Bird Park – its a 15 min drive (everything in KL is 10 – 15 min drive) and Taxis are very reasonable. (A small tip – the Blue Taxis are Executive Cabs and they charge you double what the regular red ones charge).  The Bird park is very well maintained and houses a wide variety of Birds – over 2000. Its a must see – budget 90 minutes. Close to this are the Botanical Gardens, Butterfly Garden , Orchid Garden and the Planetarium. We visited the Orchid Garden – it was not in full bloom. By the time we reached the Butterfly Park it was 5.30 PM and they were closing for the day. The lakes and Botanical garden also looked nice and inviting – but it had been a long day, the humidity was tiring and the park and lakes looked inviting but lonely, the sky was getting cloudy and we could sense the evening showers of the Equator were round the corner – we decided to give it a pass and headed back to the hotel.

Peacock

A quick shower and some rest and we were ready to leave by 7.30 PM – and now we made the mistake of the day heading to Little India for Dinner. Noisy, messy, the place was sad – and the food at Saravana Bhawan was equally dissapointing – it was dirty, AC not working , no water in the washroom- clearly you can avoid this place in KL.

I am told that there is a place called Masjid India – where a Sangeetha and Saravana Bhawan is located – hope thats better, did not get the time to check it out.

Day 2 – kept an alarm at 5 – but the Jet lag hits you (KL like Singapore is 2 1/2 hrs ahead of India) so even at 7 its like 5.30 in India – and it does take a few days to get used to this lag. After a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel we headed out to the MRT. The Ampang station is a few minutes walk from our hotel.  We wanted to go to the Batu Caves – its  a 450 Million year old Limestone Cave formation that is home to a lot of rare flora & fauna. It also houses a temple of Lord Karthik – or Muruga. Malaysia has a lot of Hindus – 8 % , many of them Tamilians who came here 200 – 300 years back as traders and plantation workers.

Batu Caves is just 15 Km from KL City – and we could have taken a Cab for 50 Ringitt (750 Rs) – but we wanted to try out the MRT. We changed two Trains and reached the place by 11 AM. Walked up the 270 odd steps to the Murugan temple – this is very Indian – crowded, noisy, a little dirty.

Murugan temple

On the way back we took a guided tour of the Caves – these Caves are a research site an are home to some very rare species of animals not found anywhere else in the world. Its a well organised trek that takes you about 2 Km into 3 caves – the last one is pitch dark. There are massive limestone formations – caves are full of Bats, scorpios, millipedes, cockroaches, spiders and even snakes. Fortunately we saw many of them but none troubled us.

Caves

On the return we took a cab that took less than 45 min to reach KL and went straight to the Times Square Berjaya Mall – a big busy crowded mall. This has shops for the middle class. A few hrs here and then we headed to Sogo – which is a lot nicer. And finally we were back in the hotel by 6 PM. A few hrs of rest then a lovely dinner at the Italian restaurant by the poolside. A meal for 4 in a lovely 5 star hotel costs you less than INR 4500 – thats a lot cheaper than what you would pay at Bangalore. Through the 2 days I realised that KL is actually cheeper than Bangalore. The cost of Petrol is 50% , food is cheaper, cabs are cheaper – and the city is world class.

Times Square Berjaya Mall

We head to Siem Reap for the 2nd leg of the tour tomorrow – our flight is at a convenient time of 12 Noon and will reach Cambodia in an hr. Seam Reap  promises to be exciting – a visit to the world famous Angkor Wat temples has been on my list for long. But more of that later.

We will come back to Malaysia – Langkawi in 3 days, but for a minute what else could one do at KL. Not much at KL – but yes there are few places 2- 3 hrs drive away that attracts tourists – these include Genting Islands (Most people told us to avoid), Melaka – which looks like a nice place, Putrajaya, Cameroon Highlands , Kuala Selangkor Fireflies, Berjaya Hills & Port Dickson.

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Rustic Soulitude – by the River

30 Dec

A gurgling river, chirping birds, a himalayan cliff that rises majestically a few thousand feet – and no sign of humanity. Some places cannot be described by words they need poetry. Soulitude by the Riverside is one such place. A place that is black and white – a place you will love and give a perfect 10 and want to come again and again or just say this is not my kind of place. I give it a perfect 10.

A sister property of the Himalayan Soulitude this one is very different. 7 rooms , designed in a rustic and elegant style, it feels like a modern day Ashram for its peace and tranquility but comes with all the modern amenities that one could think of in a  5 star hotel. The best of both worlds.

Located at 4500 feet, you can reach the place only by trekking 2 Km along the river. A beautiful Trek – the hotel sends porters to the pick up point to carry your luggage.

Rustic Soulitude by River side

Its bright and sunny and 30 minutes later you reach the hotel to be welcomed by friendly staff and a bright well lit, well designed hexagonal lobby. Warm and friendly this is also the TV Lounge (TATA Sky) and the reading room. In this remote corner of nature Wi Fi works and the whole place is operated with Generators. Remember you are in the midst of a forest , with the river Kalsi less than 25 feet away.

Hotel with beautiful lobby

The rooms follow the same theme, large , spacious, well lit , facing the river – Rustic but super comfortable and functional with all the amenities you could think of. Bed warmers and heaters and a Kashmir style fireplace keeps the room warm. There is no carpet and central heating and at night the temperature drops, there is a nice cold breeze from the river. So good to be dressed in multiple layers as you head to bed. We stayed on Dec 30 and the temp varied from a high of 20 in the day to almost Zero at midnight.

Best rooms

The other units that comprise this unique resort are the dining room and a Yoga Hut on the river bank. They also have large stretches of kitchen gardens where they grow a wide variety of herbs and vegetables to meet the needs of the kitchen. Food is royal and sumptuous – served in brass plates, Indian, very rich, very filling – ambience is Rajasthani. Every single thing used in the hotel needs to be carried from 2 km afar – so the more you become self dependent the better it is.

Yoga Hut on the river bank

But the jewel in the crown is a trek to PariTal (The lake of the fairies) – a short 20 min trek its along the river and you need to be nimble to cross boulders along the entire stretch. Its a nice trek best done after 10 AM when the first rays of the sun start to wriggle out. You can spot a lot of monkeys climbing the vertical ledges of the cliff and if you are lucky you can see barking deers and maybe a panther or leopard sun basking on a ledge. (We did not see them but yes at night we heard the barking deers)

As you reach Pari Tal you hear the sound of the gushing waterfall beckoning you and the first sight of the Tal is divine.

Emerald green crystal clean water swirling in a large pond, fed by white water rollicking down the slope with a sense of purpose. The chirping sounds of the bird die down in obeisance to the beauty of this spot and as you stand alone you can sense peace, tranquility and joy in every pore of your body. You experience nature at its best. This is the place where you want to come and sit to find answers to life’s problems, this is the place you want to sit hand in hand with your soulmate, not utter a word but yet have a deep connect. This is the place to meditate. To be with yourself. To Recharge. I wish I could have stayed for hours.

Emerald green crystal clean water

This place is unique. Soulitude in Himalayas is marketed well and has become a perfect family getaway. But the DNA of Riverside is very different. This is not a place for noisy kids or large groups. Its a place to come alone or with people very near and dear to you. There is no commercial element here – No Yoga , No massage – just you and nature. I have travelled a lot and I am constantly searching for offbeat locations – but I don’t think there is anything like this anywhere in India. It targets a specific clientele – who will keep coming again and again. Kudos to Manish Chandra the owner for having created this beauty. Its a lot of of passion and investment of time and money to manage a property like this with these high standards.

We had no plans to spend a day here – our booking for 4 nights was at Soulitude in the Himalayas. It was a sudden impulse that I requested for the last night to be spent here and fortunately rooms were available. Planning a family  holiday in the last week of Dec to the foothills of the Himalayas can be stressing – flights / train need to be on time (Fog), kids should not fall sick, nobody should trip and bend an ankle or fall sick, lugging around 5 suitcases with lots of woollens – is all a project in itself. And I am so happy that on the last day of a wonderful holiday I could find my dream location.

Soulitude in Himalayas

And as I was sitting on the rocks with the water lapping my feet I recollect the words of the guide at Mukteshwar and how he defined God (Bhagwan) – Bh for Bhumi (Earth) , Ga for Gagan (Sky) , Va for Vayu (Air) and N for Neer (Water) – our ancestors knew it – elements of Nature and Fire is all it takes for a happy peaceful lives. In the name of development – We just messed it up.

Points to note 

1. Website , http://www.soulitudebytheriverside.com

2. Distance from Kathgodam 60 – 90 min , 35 Km , Tavera costs Rs 1500

3. Summers can be hot – 30 degrees + , winter mornings and nights are very cold, rains heavily in Monsoon

4. Travel light – and wear good trekking footwear

5. With family – best to do 1 day , solo – you decide , at least 3 days I would recommend

6. Distance from Soulitude in Himalayas – 30 Km , 60 Minutes, Its a small detour from the way to Sattal. We left Himalayan Soulitude at 10 , finished our Visit to Sattal and were at the Riverside property by 1.30 in the afternoon

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Himalayan Soulitude in December

29 Dec

Always on the lookout for offbeat locations it was by pure chance that I bookmarked “ Soulitude in the Himalayas” many month back. The minute I visited the website I knew I wanted to go there – and that’s what we did for the Christmas Holidays this year.

On a cold winter day the flight to Delhi landed on time at 20.40 and we were in the Lemon Tree hotel near Anand Vihar station by 10 PM. This is the best place to stay if you have a 615 AM Shatabdi from Anand Vihar Junction to Kathgodam. Delhi was a cold 2-degrees but we made it well in time to the warm comfort of the Shatabdi Executive class. The drive from Lemon Tree to the station is less than a Km – 5 Min . The train was on time and we reached Kathgodam at 11.30 AM. A 45 km drive up the hills and we were in the hotel by 1.15 in time for lunch.

 Himalayan Soulitude

Soulitude in the Himalayas is located at Village Gagar, in Ramgarh Town, Nainital District. Located at 7200 feet – it’s a small homely hotel with 10 rooms nestled along a hill slope with amazing views of the Himalayan peaks (Trishul, Nandai Devi, Panchachauli and Nanda Ghunti….) from every room.

Best rooms in Himalayas

There are 6 rooms in the main building, a cottage with 3 rooms and one Suite. Rooms are designed very aesthetically and are warm, vibrant and welcoming – the type you see and say “ I wish I had a house with rooms like these”. With room names like Blessed, Nirvana, Awakening, Quietude, Peace, Bliss, Joy, Delight & Celebration. Many of the books were on Ramakrishna Paramhansa  – you can sense that the owner and designer have a strong spiritual connect and this hotel is run more out of passion and pride than for making money. Room rates vary from 6 – 12K/ night in peak season and include breakfast.

The kitchen serves delicious food through the day – Indian & Continental- very tasty, very homely. Decent spread that includes Soup, Salad, Multiple dishes, 1 Non veg & Dessert. The service is excellent. (Food is Buffet and room service is limited, meals are priced at Rs 750 / person) The main building has lovely warm places for people to sit down and read books, and chat over a warm fireplace. You can even enjoy your drink (But BYOB). The hotel has Free Wi Fi that Zips and excellent phone connection with 3G.

Best rooms

Hot water is available 24X7 – there is no central heating but they provide heaters in every room. In Dec it can get real cold with night temp close to Zero – so do be prepared with thermals and multiple layers of clothing. Tata Sky connection is available in common places – not all rooms have TV. Nirvana Suite where we stayed had one. Lots of Books and DVD’s – to spend your time in the evenings.

It’s a 6 Acre property on the hill slope and they do have a small garden that the manager told us is  a riot of colors in spring and includes many fruit trees like Apple, Kiwi, Cherry, Almonds, Apricots, Walnuts and Plums. The garden is on a terrace – so limited walking space.

After you have enjoyed the rooms, hospitality and food – there is a lot to be done in this area. Gagar is a small village and not a commercial hotspot like most hill stations. Here is what you can do

 Gagar in Hill stations

Devi Temple Trek (3 1/2 Hrs) A nice trek to the top of a hill that is at 8000 feet. Takes about 75 min to reach , level 2 trek ( Since it had snowed recently there were stretches of ice and slippery black ice). At the top you get an amazing view of the Himalayan Mountains. You also get to meet a Babaji – Yogi Ranganath who stays alone and manages a beautiful Shiva temple. He belongs to the Nath Clan and his abode is very close to the cave where Garg Rishi meditated. The baba was a wonderful person and offered us Ginger Tea. His meditation room with the fire “ Dhuni” made the room warm and spiritual. If you leave at 10 AM you can be back in the hotel at 1.15 for lunch. We loved this trek.

Mukteshwar Trip (5 – 6 Hrs) Its 30 Km away but takes well over an hr along the hill roads. On the way we crossed an apple Orchard – the season is June – July so all we saw now was dried trees in a snow covered mountain.

Mukteshwar Trip

Mukteshwar has some nice views of the mountains and a Shiva temple (some say its 5000 years old) where supposedly the Pandavas came and prayed to deliver them from their sins. Mukteshwar rocks also provide an opportunity for Zip Lining and Rappelling for the courageous. We had lunch at a lovely place called Nirvana – great food, reasonable priced – free Wi Fi, now who would expect that in Mukteshwar when even in Bangalore you don’t get free Wi Fi. ( Nirvana is located about 30 min from Mukteshwar on the way back to Gagar)

 Mukteshwar rocks

Sattal – 7 Lakes ( 3 – 4 hrs , best done on the way back to Shatabdi / Kathgodam) – This located on the way from Gagar to Kathgodam – so it may be a good idea to include this on your way back as Shatabdi leaves only at 3.45 PM. Again a 30 Km drive that takes about 75 Min. A set of 7 lakes named after the characters in the Ramayana – 5 of them are connected. They are crystal clean and the long 1 hr boat ride across them is serene. Fortunately last week of Dec was off-season and we had the beautiful lakes to ourselves. Finish the boat ride and enjoy the Rajmal Chawal / Kadi Chawal Lunch in the small neat stalls – but beware of monkeys – one of them snatched away a pack of chips from my daughter.

7 Lakes in Sattal

 

Other Treks in that locality  – Forest trek 2 Hrs, Mahadevi Verma Cottage Trek – 2 Hrs. Given the season and recent snowfall we stayed away from these as the paths were slippery.

Nainital (6 – 7 Hrs) – The famous hill station of Nainital is located just 30 km away – A 60 – 90 min drive. Like most famous hill stations it is commercial – we stayed away. But if you are interested in a Cable Car ride, Monastery , Shopping ( bakery, namkeen, candles, woollen clothes) , Boat Rides – do check it out. Nainital is also on the way to Corbett so if you are planning a stay at Corbett you will cross Nainital.

Day Trek to Riverside – The folks at Soulitude also recommended a day trek to their other property – Soulitude by the Riverside , an amazing property on the Kalsi river. We stayed there for a night so more of that in a separate blog. I strongly recommend that you spend a day here – but if you are not its a must that you do the day trip, the property is peace and tranquility embodified and the highlight is a lovely pool called the “Pari Tal”

Tea Gardens and “Bell Temple” (2 Hrs) – you can also do a short trip to a local govt Tea garden and visit a Bell temple nearby. Start at 4 PM and end by 6 PM. The tea garden is small – nothing in comparison to what you see in Darjeeling or Conoor. But the ” Bell Temple” is unique – you can hang a bell and pray for your wish to be fulfilled.

Soulitude by the Riverside

Other lakes like Bhimtal, NaukuchiaTal are also short drives of 60 – 90 minutes. (For those from the South – Tal means lake – and all these places are named after the beautiful lakes located there)

We enjoyed our holiday thoroughly and I am sure the lure of the Himalayas will draw us here once again. Maybe in a different season when the flowers bloom or the Apple orchards are brimming with fruits. I am looking forward to that.

Other Important Tips 

  • For booking your car in advance you can contact Nafees ( 9412963653) or Madhusudhan ( 9756930090) – drop from Kathgodam to Soulitude is about Rs 1500 – 2000 depending on Tavera / Innova. Day trips vary from Rs 600 for a few hrs to Rs 1500 for the trip to Mukteshwar. Book cars in advance.
  • Shatabdi reaches Kathgodam at 11.30 AM and leaves at 3.40 PM
  • Roads get shut when it snows – for at least 24 hrs. the road from Soulitude to Mukteshwar sees a lot of Snow in Jan / Feb. From Kathgodam to Soulitude the road is open almost all the time.
  • Locals say that it Snows from Jan – Feb almost 8 – 9 times – Snow in Dec is rare. Although this year it snowed on Dec 15th.
  • A 3 night at Soulitude in Himalayas (Gagar)  and 1 night at Soulitude in Riverside is recommended. Do the Riverside on your way back – its at 4500 feet and a small detour on the way back to Kathgodam from Gagar.
  • 3G connection is available across all the places / roads.
  • Get good walking shoes – all the treks need shoes with grip. Hotel provides trekking sticks.
  • Arm yourself with creams and lotions for dry skin – and also some sun creme , at 7200 / 8000 feet the sun in the day can be harsh on your skin resulting in sun burns
  • In winter the treks and drives start only by 10 – 1030 AM. Days are sunny in dec with bright blue skies. At night you can see a sky studded with stars. Our room had a sky light and it gave an amazing view of the sky from your bed.
  • Even the walk from Nirvana to the main building is a small steep trek and can tire you out initially.
  • We had great family time – but being a group of 2 – 3 like minded families would have added to the fun.
  • http://www.soulitude.in, For all details and booking. Plan your travel well in advance – the place gets sold out months in advance. Payment is 100% advance

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Kashmir Holiday

16 Apr

 “Gar firdaus, ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.” If there is ever a heaven on earth,

its here, its here, its here. 

Anyone who has seen Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) would have dreamt of visiting Kashmir . We finally translated our dreams to reality and spent 9 days in Kashmir on a family holiday. Yes we were a little concerned about safety especially with the recent Afzal Guru incident  – but it turned out to be a wonderful and memorable holiday and we all agree with what Firdaus & Jehangir say about Kashmir. here is a quick planner with tips on how you could go about planning your holiday.

Day 0, Fri – Evening we departed Bangalore at  1845 to Delhi and  spent the night at a small rustic place close to the airport at Anand Niketan called “ Inn at Delhi”  – its basically a B&B with the owners staying on the 1st floor and about 5 rooms in the G Floor. Its basic and functional, close to the airport, good for a one night transit stop.

Day 1 & 2 , Sat / Sun –  Delhi to Srinagar is a 1 hr 25 min  flight and as you land you can see the lovely valley surrounded by snow capped mountains. We reached at 12.35 and the cars were ready to take us to Gulmarg. Known as the Skiing capital of India its about 60 Km from Srinagar and you save 30 min if you drive straight from the airport rather than the City. We covered this journey in about 2 hrs . The 1st hr was regular road (You can stop at Mirch Masala for lunch , its about 45 min drive from Srinagar airport) the last 60 min was a climb up the mountain – not too many hairpin bends , easy climb to 8830 feet (Ooty  is about 7000 feet). On the way you cross Tanmarg (The drivers may stop here and ask you to rent Snow Shoes & Jackets – but please refrain, there are better shops in Gulmarg). Gulmarg is a small town and is famous for its Cable Car (Gondola) rides. The cable car rises in two stretches  and the final height is about 12,200 feet. Tickets for each section is to be bought separately  and they cost Rs 400 for 1st stage and 600 for the 2nd stage. The cable cars are small and can accommodate 6 people – takes about 8 Min to reach level 1. The level 1 landing point has many shops / activities ( Skiing , Snow Biking etc) and can keep you busy for 60 – 90 minutes.  Level 2 is the peak – windy & cold ( It is closed at times if the wind speeds are very high). Gulmarg has a lot of snow even in April ( we had over 4 feet) and temp is cold – 0 to 10 Degrees, so be armed with thick jackets, Thermals , gloves and socks. Helps if you have a nice shoe with thick rubber soles (Woodlands Type)  – that way you can avoid renting the rubber shoes. Avoid walking on snow in normal shoes.

Holiday at Kashmir

The Q for tickets for the Gondola ride can get very long – we were lucky as our Travel agent had organized for the same. Most people do a day trip to Gulmarg so it gets very crowded from 10 AM to 5 PM. We stayed for 2 nights and the kids spent a lot of time in the snow near the hotel. We stayed at a lovely place called The Vintage – nice comfortable hotel with about 40 rooms. We had selected a suite so it was very comfortable, excellent heating and the food was great (Don’t miss the Kashmiri Pulao packed with dry fruits) . The only challenge was the walk from the hotel to the Gondola ride – its a 3 km walk , you can take a sledge or walk. The sledge is a wooden cart manually pulled and did not look very comfortable. There are good hotels near the cable car (Khyber  & Highland Park) – staying there can save you the walk.

The Vintage

There are limited places to see  – and being an army camp most places are out of bounds for travelers. We had a relaxing easy 2 nights , 1 1/2 days – but I guess a night stay was probably enough to cover the place.

Day 3, 4, 5 , Mon / Tue / Wed 

Post Breakfast we left Gulmarg on Mon morning and headed to Srinagar , reaching the Dar – E – Salam hotel by lunch time. Its a lovely hotel on the banks of the Nageen Lake (A part of the Dal lake) – 14 lovely rooms , a lovely garden , and Shikara rides right from the hotel, it actually looks like a colonial mansion. We consciously decided against big brand hotels and the service and comfort of small boutique hotels was excellent all through our travel.

Nageen Lake

Srinagar is famous for  3 Things  1. Lovely Mughal Gardens 2. Shikara Rides 3. Boat House . We had planned our trip in April so that we could see the famous Tulip gardens. The garden is open for a month every year around end March to end April. Its a very pleasant sight to see row after row of colorful Tulips. They say Amsterdam is Tulip city but in April you can get the same experience in Srinagar.

Lovely Mughal Gardens

Right next to the Tulip garden is the Botanical Garden. Close to this is the Chashme Shahi and Pari Mahal ( Palace built by Jehangir for his daughters) . If you plan well you can cover all these spots in the morning and head for lunch to the newly opened Taj Vivanta that is close by on the top of a hill. Food is good but the view of Srinagar and the Tulip garden from the top of the hotel is better. So yes the lunch may be  a tad expensive but reason with yourself that some of the cost is apportioned for the view. The Botanical Gardens is very well maintained ( would probably rate it at par with the one at Ooty) and during the sunset you can get some brilliant photos.

Taj Vivanta

The other famous gardens are the Shalimar Gardens & the Mughal Gardens. You may get bored visiting so many gardens but do ensure that you visit the Badaam Vari (Almond Garden) – as the name suggests its a garden full of lovely almond trees. Of all the parks we visited I liked this the best , we were there at 930 AM and the park was empty. vast expanse of well maintained gardens and lovely trees and you just felt like lying down on the grass and spending the full day. With such lovely gardens in Srinagar I wonder why they call Bangalore the city of gardens ? Srinagar is a lovely city – broad roads , nice pavements , limited population , fresh air , and a lovely view with mountains all around.

Almond Garden

Talking of Almonds – Kashmir is the best place to buy Almonds, Walnuts , Saffron & Pashmina . They are cheaper here by 50%. 1 KG of Walnut that costs Rs 1600 in INA Market Delhi is just Rs 600/- in Srinagar. And  so is the Mamra Badam . Pure Saffron costs about Rs 200 / gm . So remember to keep some space in your bags to get back a lot of these for you & your friends. The pashmina stoles start from Rs 1000 ( 30% Pashmina) but the pure ones can be as high as Rs 3500. Yet they are a fraction of the price that you will pay in Bangalore – so all the Gujju’s & Sindhi’s reading this blog – here is a great business opportunity for you.

After you have walked around the parks do try out the Shikara. The Dal Lake extends all over Srinagar across nearly 45 Sq Kms. All along the lake you have Shikara – costs only Rs 300 / Hr. It  can accommodate 2 Adults & 2 Kids, but try and stay 2 to a boat gives you that much more space to stretch & relax. The Shikara will winds its way through the lake talking you to floating markets , lotus ponds and many more interesting places. You will also see many houseboats. Most people do spend a day at the houseboats – we decided against it. It does look cramped and damp, its stationery and one worries about how they handle their sanitation – and the only way to reach the boat house is by the Shikara. The boat houses come in different varieties – and rates vary from Rs 1000  to Rs 6000 / night.

House Boats in Srinagar

What else to do in Srinagar – you can visit the Hazratbal Mosque, the Temple of Shankaracharya (Hilltop Temple, that requires a 30 min walk up some 300 steps) , take a balloon ride, and visit the Dargah of  Sheikh Abdullah . Also do visit the Lalit Ashok hotel. This is a royal palace of the Dogra King converted to a 5 Star Hotel. It has lovely lawns and a beautiful garden overlooking the rooms. Its a lovely hotel and we spent some time here over lunch. The weather is lovely – a pleasant 10 – 20 Degrees. Bright & Sunny.

Shankarachariya Temple

Distances in Srinagar are small and you can cover the city easily in two days. The river Jhelum flows close by so you can always venture out for some treks. Shops are open from 7 AM to 10.30 PM – so there is enough time to shop late in the evening. There is a central market area which has a lot of lovely shops. No malls / No Pubs / No bars – so nightlife is non existent. Some people take a day off and head to Sonmarg – but if you have been to Gulmarg , it may not make sense going to Sonmarg.

Day 6, 7, 8 , Thu / Fri / Sat

After 3 lovely days at Srinagar we headed to Pahlgam on Thu morning. Pahalgam is 92 Km from Srinagar and takes about 3 1/2 hrs. Half the ride is thru dusty roads and small villages on the way you will see many farms growing Saffron . After the midpoint (Anantnag) the scenery gets beautiful . The Lidder river flows with joy and purpose and both sides of the roads are full of yellow dancing mustard fields. On the way you will cross two famous points – Avantika which was the capital of the Hindu king in 800 AD , you can see the ruins of a large Shiva & Vishnu temple on the main road. A little ahead a small detour can take you to the Markand temple – one of the rare Sun temples in India. Not a very impressive structure but its unique that the same complex has a Gurudwara and the Sun temple. It also has a natural rapid .

Lidder River Pahalgam

Pahalgam has the best scenic beauty of the 3 places. Lofty snow capped mountains , Lidder river and some amazing spots – its been the scene of many a film shoot. One of the valleys is named Betaab Valley and even the recent Shah Rukh Khan movie ” Jab Tak He Jaan” was shot in Pahalgam. We stayed at the lovely Pahalgam Hotel – a 90 year old hotel that has been the venue of many a film shoot including Khamoosh. The rooms are very spacious (we again had a lovely Suite) and the service / Food is excellent. The Hotel is located on the main street close to the Taxi Stand.

Pahalgam Hotel

Around Pehelgam there are three main areas to visit

1. Betaab Valley & Chandan Wadi – this is the route taken by the pilgrims who trek to Amarnath ( Pahelgam is the base camp for Amarnath Yatra , you can get a helicopter ride from here also). Betaab Valley is 12 Km and Chandan Wadi is 16 Km from Pehelgam – a lot of snow in Chandan Wadi so Kids can have round 2 after Gulmarg. The scenery is enchanting as you see the snow melting and flowing into the river gushing by.  Budget 2 – 3 hrs for this visit. Cab rates are cheap and an Innova costs Rs 1300/-

Betaab Valley & Chandan Wadi

2. Aru Valley – 11 Km from Pehelgam takes about 45 min. Nothing much to see here . the drive  is scenic . One you reach the destination you can take horse rides to see some scenic spots. Innova rents for Rs 800/- for this trip.

3. Horse Ride trek to Baisaran , Dabian & Kashmir valley.  This is a must do. The horse climbs up & down steep slopes riddled with boulders and its scary as it walks on the edge of deep ravines. To cover all the 3 places will take about 3 hrs. This area is called Mini Switzerland and is a must visit. Yes the Horse ride can leave you sore the next day – but its worth it. Priced at Rs 700/- but you will give a very generous tip at the end of the trip.

Kashmir Valley

The Pahalgam hotel overlooks the Lidder river and sitting in the garden  drinking Chai & pakora is itself a moment to cherish. The hotel provides Buffet Breakfast , Lunch & Dinner – but I would strongly recommend the Restaurant right in front of the hotel for Lunch – Called Dana Pani , its a nice restaurant run by a Sardar and serves excellent N Indian & S India dishes. After many days we were thrilled to eat Idly, Dosa & Curd Rice here. Overall food all across Kashmir  was superb – most places were pure veg , the challenge if any was that the food was too rich and towards the end we started requesting for simple dry non gravy Sabji.

Imp to note that in both Gulmarg & Pahalgam you can use only local cars – the cars you get from Srinagar need to be parked in the hotel.

On Sat we left Pahalgam after lunch and headed back to Srinagar, reaching the Dar E Salam hotel by  4.30 PM.

Day 9,  Sun 

After an early breakfast , we headed back to the Airport and reached Bangalore Via delhi by evening. Security at the Srinagar airport is very strict so plan to reach 2 hrs in advance. Security is visible all across – gun toting CRPF is seen every 1 km in the roads , most of the large buildings the forts , cricket stadium etc have been taken over by the army / CRPF / BSF – local residents are clearly upset with ASFSPA.

That concluded a wonderful trip to Kashmir , and we all will savour the sweet memories of this lovely land and its soft spoken beautiful people for many years. Its indeed a  beautiful state and as I read the book on my return flight ” Tragic Hero of Kashmir – Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah” by Ajit Bhattacharjea I could not but help feel sad at the broken promises made to them. What added to the fun in the trip was the company of Jayshree & Family – its always good to have like minded company when on an extended holiday.

wonderful trip to Kashmir

The trip cost us a fraction of what we would have spent if we had travelled to Switzerland ( 9 Nights 10 days for about $ 2700 – Excluding airfare). This included suite rooms for 4 ( always helps to have a suite when you are a family of 4 with lots of luggage), an Innova at your disposal all through the day , breakfast and even dinner in some places. Entry fees for most attractions were a pittance – 5 to 10 Rs / person.

We owe our thanks to Ketki Kapoor from Hopp Worldwide for helping us with all the bookings. We had planned our trip nearly 6 months back – so we got excellent rates. The itinerary was smooth and not rushed – its always good to have some extra time to budget for kids falling sick or a rainy ( snowy) day so any of you planning a similar trip do feel free to reach out to Ketki – contact details are below.

Ketaki Kapur Pantle (ketaki@hoppworldwide.com)

Hopp Worldwide Excursions Ltd

F44 Bhagat Singh Market
New Delhi 110001
Ph- 91 11 43780000
www.hoppworldwide.com
www.luxuryescapes.in

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Palace on Wheels – Great way to see Rajasthan

16 Apr

Palace on Wheels is a luxury train  operated by Indian Railways and Rajasthan Tourism. Its been around for 30 years. The trip is organized with precision and every activity happens punctually on the dot. We took a trip on this fabulous train between April 4 & April 12, 2012. Information here will be of help to future tourists.

What is the duration of the trip ? 

The journey starts on Wed evening at 4.30 PM and finishes the next Wed morning at 7.30 AM. Its a 7 night journey. And the itinerary consists of Jaipur – Ranthambore – Chiitorgarh , Udaipur, Jaisalmer , Jodhpur , Bharatpur & Agra.

Where do you spend the night ? 

Nights are spent on the Train. The days are used for sightseeing. On certain days we cover 2 cities – Ranathambore & Chittorgarh was covered in 1 day and so was Bharatpur & Agra.

What are the facilities in the Train ?

The Train is designed like a hotel. Each coach consists of 4 cabins – each cabin has two single beds ( few cabins also have a additional berth) – and an attached bath with western style toilet, shower , wash basin. There is limited storage space in the cabin (one small cupboard). The Coach also has a common lounge area. It has wall to wall carpets including the vestibule areas. Cabins have channel music.

Each Coach has two attendants – who are available 24 by 7. They keep the place spotlessly clean , change linen , serve you snacks , tea coffee and breakfast in the morning. They also collect laundry twice a week and return it within 24 hrs. These guys always have a smile on their face and their service is truly exceptional.

What are the other facilities on the train ? 

They have two dining rooms ( where they serve a 5 course elaborate meal) , a Bar ,  and even a Spa. The quality of food and service is exceptional. The bar is a little pricey ( One drink can cost Rs 750) – so is the Spa (A foot massage can put you back by Rs 2500)


Is there TV in the Train ? 

Yes – in the Bar. Not in every coach. During the journey you don’t miss the TV – and you realize that its good family bonding not to have a TV

How many people on each Train – and how many Indians ? 

Our Train had 108 people – only 12 Indians ( We were only the Indian Citizens). Most people are elderly 50 +  as this is mainly a visit attractions tour – not an action holiday.

How did they organize the day tours ? 

At each station they had organized excellent AC buses. In total 4 buses. The 108 people were split into 4 groups. Bus rides were short – no longer than 20 – 25 minutes.

 The coaches are excellent and provide unlimited water bottles from coolers. The buses are safe and you can leave your bags and misc items inside without worry. Ditto with the coach – there is no need to lock anything , you can be rest assured of safety.

Even on a sunny day ( we visited in the 1st week of April and temperatures in Jaisalmer were over 40 Degrees Centigrade) the tour guides plan the travel in a manner that you don’t spend more than 10 minutes in the heat. Rest of the time is within the forts , palaces , museums – or by the side of cool lakes & gardens.

Are the tours rushed and is there a deadline on time ? 

No they are not – there is enough time to see all the places at leisure. The organizers take care of getting access thru special entrances , all the tickets are purchased before hand – so no Q’s.

Where is lunch provided ? 

Most days lunch is in some fort , palace or a luxury 5 star hotel. You can relax for nearly 90 mins over a peaceful lunch with a fabulous spread.

All meals have a good mix of Continental and Indian dishes ( N Indian – don’t expect Sambar, Rasam & Curd Rice on this trip)

What is served for breakfast ? 

Breakfast is served in the coach – Lounge area by the attendants. Mainly Toast , Omlette , Bhurji,  Cereal , Masala tea , Coffee , Fruits – however on two days they serve Parathas & Idli.

What are the sights covered ? Which are the most impressive ones? 

They cover all the major sights. Mainly palaces , Forts , Museums , Gardens. In terms of activity there is a Elephant ride in Amber Fort at Jaipur, Camel Rides in Jaisalmer , Van / Rickshaw rides in Ranathambore & Bharatpur, boat rides at Udaipur. They cover all the important and not so important sites.

 

At Chittorgarh you can see the light & sound show and at Jaisalmer they organize a cultural evening with dance and live programs and dinner in a 5 star hotel.

Do you get to see Tigers at Ranathambore – what time do the tours normally start in the morning ?  

We were not lucky – as usual all we saw were deers , birds , an Alligator. You can see over 50 species of birds at Bharatpur. The tour in Bharatpur is on a rickshaw – and the driver is your guide.  The jungle trips start at 6.15 AM – most other days the trips start by 8.30 – 9 AM. So you need to be up by 6 finish breakfast – bath ….. – since most tourists were foreigners this worked fine , and we being early risers this suited us well. On Most days you are back in the train by 6.30 PM. ( Jaisalmer you are back by 1030 PM)

 Do you get any time off for shopping ? 

Nope – they do take you to govt. approved pricey stores that sell carpets , bedsheets, handicraft etc – but no street bazars ( there is a security risk with so many foreigners, even the platforms where the train is parked is blocked with security and sniffer dogs)

Other points that may be of help ? 

The bathrooms come with towels , toiletries , Geyser etc. (No health faucet only toilet paper). Train hardly has any kids – there were the 4 kids from our two families and one more 10 year old – good to go as a group of two families – that way you can have an entire coach to yourself for one week.

The Train does not have Wi Fi – but the 3G connection is good all throughout ( better than Bangalore – even in remote Jaisalmer)

The stations in Rajasthan are neat and spotlessly clean (Bharatpur & Agra were dirty, crowded and infested with flies)

Whats the cost of the Trip ? 

Its priced in USD – but you can pay in INR. Price depends on time of booking. We paid 3.2 Lacs for 2 adults and 2 kids ( 3 tickets since kids below 12 are 50%) – this was 6 months in advance – however our friends who booked a few months in advance paid 4 Lacs for the same no of tickets.  This was off season rates ( rates drop from April 1st – peak season is Sep to March, train does not operate in May , June , July)

There is no way you can cover 3000 KM across 7 locations in 1 week – think of the hassle of changing hotels every night and traveling by an Innova or Tempo Traveller over long distances – to cover the same by road would take 12 days at least and would be a lot more strenous. ( yes you may save on cost). There are no hidden costs – you can do the whole trip without spending an extra rupee ( except the Tips at the end of the trip, and some shopping)

If you compare the cost with a 1 week holiday in HK / Macau or Singapore – its not way off. Its unique , you get pampered and treated like royalty – and its an holiday you remember for life. We strongly recommend it.

 Is this the only train – or are there others like this ? 

There are quite a few Luxury Trains in India – the Rajasthan Royal is a newer train that runs a similar circuit – but does Khajuraho & Varanasi ( they exclude Jaisalmer) – then there is one that starts from Bangalore and the Deccan Odyssey.

Palace on Wheels is a 30 year old Train ( been renovated twice) – while the others are relatively new .

Any negatives ? 

At times you can get a little claustrophobic – the cabins and alleys are small – so a big 6 footer may at times yearn for some fresh air. There is no Gym in the train – with so much of food across breakfast , lunch & dinner you tend to feel heavy. You do walk in the day – but not much. WE did manage to get some walk along the Train platforms at night ( The platforms are blocked with security & sniffer dogs – and the Train is nearly 1 Km long)

 For any further information drop me a mail at vak_1969@yahoo.com

We booked our journey thru Heritage India Journeys – Abhay Kumar  (abhaykumar@heritageindiajourneys.com)

The contact at Rajasthan Toursim – Pallavi Sharma ( pallavi.sharma@tlt-tours.com)

www.theluxurytrains.com 

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Trip to Himalayas with my daughter

4 Jun
 
A trip to the Himalayas has been on my agenda for a long time. It finally happened in May this year when I took off for 9 days with my daughter.
Day – 1 : We reached Delhi from Bangalore on 20th May and stayed at the Ginger hotel opp the railway station. Ginger is located next to the railway station – neat rooms for Rs 1000/ night. We took the Shatabdi from Delhi at 6.50AM and reached Haridwar by 11 AM. The drive to Rishikesh was less than 45 minutes. Haridware & Rishikesh are hot in May and the temeperature was in the 40’s.
Day – 2 : We stayed at the Vasundhara Palace ( Great hotel – 2.5 K / night) and post lunch did a quick tour of Rishikesh – Laxman Jhula , Shivananda Ashram, Walk along the Ganges and finally the Arti. It’s a crowded city and the Ashrams are concrete jungles. It was dissapointing and not what one had expected.
Day – 3 : The next day we left after an early breakfast and drove to Harsil. Its a long drive all along the Ganges – we left at 7.30 AM and reached Harsil at 6 PM. Stopped at Uttarkashi for lunch. Drive was hot – though we were at about 1500 M in the Himalayas. The mountains here are dry all the way to Uttarkashi and the landscape changes post that. Good restaurants are rare – but you can find Maggi in all the small tea shops. Uttarkashi has a few restaurants – but they are OK on cleanliness and service. Too many dams have killed the bubbling Ganga and in many places especially after Tehri the Ganga is like a thin stream.
On the way to Harsil we stopped by a hot water spring at Gangnaini. Water is boiling hot – but again the facilities are poor and not clean. Harsil is a beautiful place – has limited hotels and you end up staying in camps – right on the banks of the river Ganges. We stayed at the Caravan Camp – but little ahead was the Char Dham Camp which had better amenities. The view from Harsil is spectacular. Food at the camps is hot & decent but basic. Days are pleasant ( full sleeve shirt during day) but nights are very cold.
Day 4 : Harsil to Gangotri is a 2 hr drive. Beautiful scenic drive , we are pretty close to the China border and see the Jat Ganga ( a tributary to the Ganges flowing in from Tibet) flowing thru a deep gorge. This also has the highest river bridge in India. We reached Gangotri by 9 AM – crowd was sparse and we could complete darshan by 10. The water here is freezing and its amazing to see people taking bath. Thats the power of faith. We could hardly dip my hand in water for a few seconds to fill a pot with pure Ganga Jal. The trek to Gomukh is a 1 day affair – it’s about 18 Km’s and can be done in 1 day. Not very steep – but the area has no shops – so stock yourself with water / food if you plan to do this trek. The glacier is receding and some say you need to go to Tapovan beyond Gomukh to see it.
We drove back to Uttarkashi after having lunch at Dharali and reached by 4.30 eve. The Char Dham Camp at Uttarkashi is a wow. On the bank of a gushing Ganges the tents are well equipped with electricity , western style bathrooms. Excellent food is served and hot water is available. the camp is green and looks like an ashram from the Ramayana / Mahabharata days.
Day 5 : Since there are no TV’s at the camp – we slept early and woke up by 5 AM. We were on our way to Gupt Kashi by 7 AM. There are two routes to reach Gupt Kashi and we ended up taking the longer one – reaching Gupt Kashi at 6 PM. ( The route Via Kirti Nagar takes lesser time) That was a long tiring 11 hr drive with hardly any restaurants en route. On this route you can spot the Mandakini river.
The Kedar camp at Uttarkashi was also spectacular. Great view and excellent service. The next day morning we were up early and left for Phata – a 15 Km drive from Gupt Kashi. Pawan Hans and another Pvt operate run Helicopter Service to Kedarnath from Phata. the ride takes less than 10 minutes each way and lands at a 10 Min distance from the temple. It costs 8000 Rs (Cash Only) and includes a special VIP darshan pass. The helicopters carry 6 people and run every 10 min. Book in advance since they get sold out.
Kedarnath is a small hamlet in the Himalayas , surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Most people trek the 18 Kms ( steep climb) and it could take you a day to make the journey To & Fro.
We had a great darshan and were back at Phata by 11 AM. Started off for Joshimath and drove thru some beautiful spots. Chopta is beautiful and the forests here abound with wildlife – especially the Musk Deer. Again limited restaurants and you need to manage with Maggi. We reached Joshimath at 5 PM and stayed in a small hotel. Joshimath is a crowded town at 2000 metres and is the base camp for Badrinath.
Day 6: The next day we set off for Auli – a picturesque hill station at 3500M. There is a cable car from Joshimath that reaches Auli in less than 20 minutes ( drive is 14 Kms). Auli is a beautiful Ski Resort – you can see snow capped mountains all around you. We took a small trek ( walking for 3 hrs in this altitude is not easy) and climbed a small mountain from where we could see the Nanda Devi clearly. The cliff lodge at Auli is a RCI property and a proper 3 star hotel with all amenities. My daughter finally got to eat pasta here.
Day 7: We left for Badrinath at 5.30 AM the next day and reached the temple after a 3.5 hr drive. The distance is less than 50 Kms but it’s a narrow road that is very crowded. The Q at Badrinath was like Tirupathi and it would take us 8 Hrs to get Darshan. There is no concept of special pass or VIP tickets and we had to pray from outside and return.
After lunch at the Sarovar Hotel – we left Badrinath at 11 AM and reached Rudraprayag at 5 PM. We drove along the Alaknanda ( a river which originates from near Badrinath). Stayed at a small hotel in Rudraprayag.
Day 8 : Next morning we left Rudraprayag and stopped at the Prayag ( confluence of the Mandakini & the Alaknanda) – its a beautiful site and you can walk down right in front of the merging point. We then drove along the Alaknanda to Dev Prayag where the Alaknanda merges with the Bhagerathi to form the Ganga. Dev Prayag to Rishikesh is a 2 hr drive ( 70 Kms) and we were back in Rishikesh by 11 AM. Enroute we stopped by at Shivpuri – which has over 70 camps for white water rafting.
We had lunch at Vasundhara Palace and took some rest at the Ganga Hotel before we boarded the Shatabadi back to Delhi at 6 PM.
Day 9 : After some sightseeing at Delhi left for Bangalore
A quick summary
1. The Himalayas are majestic and rugged. The cliffs are almost vertical.
2. End May is the best time to travel – come June the rain start and along with that the landslides. The Helicopter service to Kedarnath is also closed during June / July
3. We had a Innova and a Guide with us for the entire trip. The whole trip from Rishikesh cost us 75 K – inclusive of food / hotel. ( Excluding the Helicopter ride)
4. The camps are great – especially the Char Dham Camp & The Kedar Camp.
5. Drives are long – the Innova is very safe , but rarely can you exceed 30 – 40 kms / hr
6. Days are pleasant – no need to pack in too many woollens. Even at gangotri & Kedrnath all you need are full sleeves. Nights are very cold.
7. Food is decent at the camps – en route could be challenges. No curd is available across the route – so you have to manage with Roti / Dal / Sabji – no curd rice.
8. You can see snow at a close distance in the mountains – but to reach the glaciers or the snowy mountains is a 1 – 2 day trek.
9. Credit Cards do not work – we saw an ATM at Joshimath that worked , but the SBI one at Uttar Kashi had no money. So carry cash
10. Our entire trip was arranged by a Rishikesh Based company
Garhwal Himalayan Explorations Pvt. Ltd, Rishikesh (Uttaranchal) India. Their proprietor Rajeev is a thorough professional. He also runs a beautiful camp at Shivpuri and can arrange for white water rafting / treks.

Contact Details of tour operator  :  0135-244 22 67,  244 26 67, 243 34 78, Cell No : + 94 120 50 478,  9758164778 ( Rajeev ),  + 94 107 97 790 ( Krishna). www.thegarhwalhimalayas.com  or  www.thehimalayas.in

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