THE QUEEN OF SATPURA: PACHMARHI

We were a group of 4 people going to explore Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh India. From Delhi we went to Jabalpur, where a family friend was posted. We stayed with them for a day. From Jabalpur we arrived in a local train to Pipariya Railway Station.

From Pipariya we took a cab till Pachmarhi. Uphill climb begins moment we leave Pipariya. It’s a beautiful drive till Pachmarhi. There are some viewpoints on the way to Pachmarhi itself.

We arrived at the MP Tourism cottages we had pre-booked. The whole complex was beautifully done and quite spacious. We got a cute one bedroom cottage with a small verandah outside and a courtyard inside. Overlooking the cottage was a large garden area. It was a fantastic accommodation we all loved. Almost all the cottages in the row were occupied. For food there was a huge dining hall and alternatively, room service was available too.

Climate in the month of March was just awesome. We preferred to chill around within the complex on the first day. Second day, we hired a tourist guide and gypsy to take us around for sightseeing. Thick forest cover surrounding the town is home to many rare varieties of plants. Pachmarhi is better known as Satpura ki Rani ("Queen of Satpura"), a valley of the Satpura Range in Hoshangabad district.

Dhupgarh is the highest point (1,350 m) in Madhya Pradesh and the Satpura range. We had never seen such expanse with rich foliage, views and waterfalls before. Several sites with religious and mythological significance were dotting the entire area. For days, we felt like being in the heaven.

We learn from the local people that several dignitaries constantly visited Pachmarhi for health and wellness. Tourists visit Pachmarhi throughout the year. Apart from accommodation options by MP Tourism, there are several private hotels, mostly situated in market. Places of tourist interests are Bee fall, Silver fall, Pandava caves, Dhoopgarh, Handi kho, Jatashankar and Gupt Mahadev temple. This is the second highest peak. It is a pilgrimage site with Lord Siva's temple at the top. There is a Chauragarh fort there built by the king Sangram Shah of Gond dynasty. It is also a very well known spot for sunrise viewing.

Overall, Pachmarhi is a must see for all the travel and adventure seekers. It is one of the lesser known hill stations in India.  

THE FINEST WEEKEND GETAWAY FROM DELHI: LANSDOWNE

A friend of mine had mentioned to me about a place in Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand India. We decided to check it out. We started early in the morning at 6 from East Delhi on a cab. We were 4 of us husband-wife and 2 kids.
Early morning drive gave us clean entry till Meerut. Before starting our journey we had done our homework online on the route to reach Lansdowne. Little before Meerut we got alert as we had to take a right turn towards Bijnor and not head straight towards the Meerut town. We found the landmark easily and got on the right track.

Meerut-Bijnor-Kotdwar route wasn’t very busy but for some specific high population density pockets. Tractors and other slow moving vehicles were definitely a bottleneck. But overall the route is fine and traffic flows smooth. It started raining in the month of May. Though the sight was unusual but it made the journey interesting.

After crossing Bijnor green on both sides of the road suddenly brings smile on your face as it is something every city dweller craves for. We reached Kotdwar at 9am. Here, we decided to have some tea and snacks before beginning the uphill drive to Lansdowne. Kotdwar is a busy town with erratic traffic.

Immediately after a rest of around 20 minutes we headed towards Lansdowne. As the hilly roads meandered through the rich foliage we were getting elated with in connect with natural surroundings. Many jeeps and SUVs passed along carrying local population. We stopped at a roadside tea stall to breathe in open greens and enjoy a hot cup of tea. Soon we reached our destination- GMVN TRH at Lansdowne at 10am. We were made to sit at the reception for around 15 minutes till they were getting our family suite ready. It is a well maintained GMVN property at a very nice location. Our family suite had very good view from the window.

We immediately ordered some breakfast. There is a kitchen that only serves made to order food to the guests. Though the choice and variety is not much, food tasted quite home made.

After a heavy breakfast, we decided to go visiting some nearby locations. We went till the BhullaTaal. All of us enjoyed boating there and some nature walk. Climate was wonderful, neither very cold nor hot. Ideal climate for long walks. From here we drove till the market for lunch. There were a couple of restaurants in the market serving all kinds of food. But the quality of food was substandard compared to the price they were charging. We thought, it’s ok at a location like this.

We came to our room for some rest as it was a tiring day. At 7pm we ordered our dinner as the cook had asked us to place orders atleast 3 hours before dinner time. We again decided to go for a long walk. TRH staff advised us to go till the Durga Temple that is built and maintained by the army cantonment. We walked down till the temple. It was an amazing temple, very neat and clean. We sat in the temple for around and hour and walked back. It was dark when we were walking back to our guesthouse. There were very few people being seen on the road. We lost our way but an elderly gentleman guided us through. On the way we encountered some stray dogs barking at us but they proved harmless.  We came back to our TRH at 10pm.

As we came back, we informed the cook to serve us food. We asked for room service as we were very tired. The temperature had gone down and we were shivering by now. Post dinner we tired souls pulled up our blankets and fell off to sleep.

Next morning we decided to cover remaining site-seeing of the hill station. Post our breakfast we started our journey further uphill to the TIPINTOP. On the way we stooped at some old and new church buildings. TIPINTOP is the highest point at Lansdowne and throws up breathtaking views of the Garhwal hills. There is a GMVN guest house located even here. Some tree houses are also on offer. We had some snacks at the canteen and lots of site seeing. From here we went to the military museum.

Evening we came back to our guesthouse. Again ordered our dinner, took some rest and decided to walk till Durga temple. On the way we were feeling sad as this was the second night we had booked for and next day we had to check out. We came back and spoke with the manager to extend our stay in the same room for another day if possible. Fortunately we got the room for another day.

Next day on the advice of the TRH Manager we went for a trip to Tarkeshwar Mahadev, around 45 kilometers from our TRH. The drive was beautiful. The place has a small temple surrounded by tick deodar trees. We saw some young people coming over to this place for picnic and excursion. It was a gem of a place tucked away in the hills. We wanted to stay back here overnight but there were no accommodation available. So we had to leave by 5 in the evening. We came back to our rest house and called it a day.

This short journey to a nearby place from Delhi, about 4 hours easy drive, is unforgettable. Best part about Lansdowne was being a military cantonment, the whole area was neat and clean. No security issues and tourists can indulge in long nature walks anytime without fear. We found Lansdowne the best weekend getaway destination. It is a place for those who love quiet, natural surroundings for a holiday.

7 reasons to go visiting Patnitop J&K India

1. 

Patnitop, popular hill station in north India is well connected by national highway and the nearest rail head Udhampur. 

2. 

The beautiful hills are a part of Shivalik ranges and the River Chenab flows close-by.

3. 

The beautiful meadows and breathtaking view of the mountains enchant all visitors. The joy of Paragliding and High flying can be experienced from the take off points at Dwariyai and Natha Top till Kud (landing area). 

4. 

20 kms from Patnitop is Sanasar, its name synonymous with adventure tourism. Sanasar offers a range of activities like Paragliding, Camping, Trekking, Abseiling, Rock Climbing and scenic nature walks.

5. 

After winter snowfall Skiing begins, during the winter months from November to February.

6. 

Its an anytime of the year visit destination. Climate remains excellent even in the hot Indian summers

7. 

Good accommodation facilities available for all pockets

7 FACTS TO KNOW FOR A TRAVEL TO BIKANER

Bikaner is a sleepy district town in Rajasthan India carrying history of about 600 years of its existence. 

The neat and clean town with good roads and friendly people offers many forts and temples for visitors to behold and appreciate the Rajputana heritage. 

Junagarh fort is a marvel created, added and maintained by Suryavamshi Raghore Rajputs. 

It's one the finest forts in Rajasthan well kept, maintained with display of weapons, arms and artillery used in medieval warfare. The fort lends a character to the town. 

There are other forts like the one where the current generation of the royal family lives and part of it is turned into a heritage hotel. 

There are other medieval structures too, created with classic domes, arches and the jaali work. 

Apart from seeing and understanding these Rajputana heritage there is nothing else to do in Bikaner. 

2 days trip is sufficient to cover all the areas of tourist interests in Bikaner.

 

Binsar : Hills, Greens & Complete Peace

When it comes to travel for a holiday, I tend to look out for hidden jewels on this planet where I can find greenery, salubrious climate, peace, solitude, open sky with clear vision of heavenly bodies, birds chirping, animal sighting etc.

I am always on a look out for such places in India. Somebody told me Binsar in Uttarakhand to be one such place. I did some basic research over the internet. Got a vague India of the place and decided to pack bag with my family for a long weekend along New Year to Binsar. We saw enough of pictures and information on the net and all of us were very curious to see and experience it in real life.

We made online reservations in the KMVN Rest House at Binsar for our accommodation and reserved our seats on Kathgodam Shatabdi from New Delhi.

Train journey started from Anand Vihar Railway station in the morning at 6:15 AM on December 30, 2015.  The Kathgodam Shatabdi coaches were a little disappointment for us. They were old and the washrooms were not very clean and tidy. Yet we thought at least there is train that will help us reaching Binsar much before sunset. We reached Kathgodam right time and without wasting time booked a cab (tavera) till the KMVN Binsar.

The driver was familiar with the route. It’s a picturesque drive from Kathgodam to Binsar. We passed by Bhimtal on the way. We reached Almora and found it overcrowded town with cluttered houses built without planning. After about 4 hours of drive we reached our destination KMVN TRH. It’s a beautiful property with basic room amenities but excellent location and architecture. We stayed on the ground floor. The TRH had a big terrace attached for viewing Himalayan ranges.

Himalayan views from the terrace were just awesome. The ranges changed colours with sun setting down on it. It was a beautiful display of colour on the mountain ranges. We are just awe struck at the view; we had never ever seen such display of colours in the sky. It was a just out of the world experience. Though the chilly wind was cutting through our ears, eyes and nose, still none of us wanted to go back to the rooms.

As the sun was setting down chirping of birds and sound of animals made us a part of the Mother Nature. We had never seen a paradise like this on earth before.

Buffet dinner was served to the guests at the dining hall. Food was pretty good considering the lonely place we were at. We had a sumptuous dinner and came back to our rooms.

The TRH had no grid line. So electricity supply was through solar panels and it was scarce, only for 2 hours in the evening. We were handed over candles by the TRH staff for emergencies. So, post dinner we chatted for a while and went to sleep early as were very tired with the journey from Delhi.

Next morning we woke up before the sunrise and headed straight to the terrace. Sunrise through Chaukhamba, Trishul, Nanda Devi, Shivling and Panchachuli mountain ranges were mesmerizing. The play colors by the nature on the snow clad mountains were awe inspiring. Only around 2500 meters above Nainital, Binsar is perhaps one of the most scenic places in India. We were served morning tea by the TRH staff on the terrace.

After breakfast we decide to move to watch tower located around 2 kms above the KMVN TRH. It was a natural walking trail. The whole trek had deodar trees, ferns, flowers and foliage on both sides. Deep trenches were scary. We climbed up to the watch tower. Again the view from the tower was out of the world. All through the trek we did not find even a single human soul. Even at the watch tower only were there. We were keen on animal spotting but there were none except some lagoons.

We came back from the watch tower for lunch. Post lunch we took our cab for a tour around the wildlife sanctuary.

Next morning we were asked by the TRH staff to go downhill and leave the 

place as soon as possible. They had received intimation on a heavy snow fall. We were told that the snow fall in winters get so heavy that the routes get blocked and people get stranded for days. It takes months to clear out the snow. So we had no option but to move out of Binsar. But the Binsar memories are still etched in our heart and mind. We do plan to visit this place once again. This time in summers to experience a different weather and different flora and fauna.

MANALI :  A must visit family holiday destination

Manali is a complete package of hills, flowing river, greenery with excellent accommodation options to choose from. It's a place to relax, walk around, indulge in activities around and chill out. The destination throws up something of interest for every age group. Families with 3 generations can be easily seen holidaying in Manali.

White water rafting in Beas river is truly awesome. Novice and beginners too can go for the rafting here.

Uphill to Rohtang pass is again becomes a memorable experience as one gets to see snow even in mid summer in India.

For those who have more time there are several detours from Manali. A visit to Kasol via Kullu is a must. Kullu is a delight for shoppers of shawls, overcoats, jackets etc.

In peak holiday period it gets crowded in Manali. Still it remains the most loved family holiday destination in India.

Dual purpose one destination : Puri

Puri offers pilgrimage to Hindus as one of the four sacred Dhaams and sandy beach acts as a topping on the ice cream. Add the accompaniments like sea shell artefacts, Applique work samples and other handicrafts on the way to Puri from Bhubaneswar; it makes a complete holiday for the entire family. People of all age groups feel blessed at the Lord Jagannath Temple, enjoy the sunset at the beach. Host of food stalls frying sea fish, crabs, prawns is a treat in true sense of words. The experience at Puri is truly sublime with several ancient temples attracting hoards of devotees from all parts of the country. Pandas at the temples do try and fleece the newbie.