Religious Rishikesh & Historic Haridwar

Hi,

This is a deviation form previous posts on some adventure or leisure trips to Chandigarh or Andamans. However, during our trips to Haridwar & Rishikesh, we did start feeling the hidden adventure.

Its a 4 hours drive from Delhi. With an in-between short stop over at Roorkee, you can really enjoy a glass of lip smackingly good Lassi! Once we reached Haridwar, it was hotels galore that dot the town in every nook and corner. We chose to stay in the town, nearer to the Ganges. An evening Aarti (Prayer) & lots of mandir darshan is what will keep one occupied through the evening here. The Aarti is specially a one to witness with the entire crowd hoarding small diyas (oil lit lamps) & chanting the melodious prayer. Not to forget in the least, the gushing waters of river Ganga gives our hearts an eternal peace and a sacred serenity.

Once done, we visited a restaurant amidst the hustle bustle and settled down for some relishing food. Well, its a small walk from here to our hotel. Way back we also sip in some hot tea!
Early morning its time to head for a temple atop a mountain - Mansa Devi. A thrilling trolley ride makes this one a memorable trip. Once done with our prayers, we head down, to be back to the hotel.

Our next destination being Rishikesh. A breathtaking view of river Ganga gushing through the sloped place in all its splendour. River rafting is usually carried out here, but we couldn't venture into it. After our visit to several small temples, we had a great sense of history of this place and how the temples came into being.

Thronged by foreigners, the place has quite a few small shops shelling out many precious gems stones, books, clothes, antiques etc. A Govt owned shop is a trusted one for gems and precious stones shopping.

The Laxman Jhula is what I eagerly awaited. If the weather is cold, windy and wild, its a complete thrill to be crossing the Laxman Jhula, for under such a situation you keep worrying about the bridge swinging constantly and river Ganga flowing in its full throttle!!! : )

Well....then we had a small knee length dip into the icy waters, to feel the sacredness of Ganges (and of course to wash off our sins!!!) : )

Ideal way to gain some spiritual peace and a divine connect with God and his glory!
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Charming Chandigarh

Hi,

Yet another "Once upon a time"... we visited the city of Chandigarh in October 2007... I guess C is associated with this city, as after visiting it you'd want to call the Charming, Calm & Cleanest City : )

Of course, its not a tourist destination per se... however the well organised & calm roads (unlike the other cities with a completely havoc wrecking traffic) provide for pleasure drive. Evenings can be spent at the lake which is quite well visited by locals and visitors alike.

Rock Garden is a must see, created out of unwanted and waste stuff like broken switches, cups, saucers, bangles, pebbles etc. A good attempt at rather carving out an amusement out of nothing rather than let the waste glorify yet another garbage dump!.... You ought to see it..... A pic is uploaded right here....






Well, if you happen to be in Chandigarh, do not afford to miss the best (I wanted to say Super Best) hill resort - Timber Trail. A complete heaven. The good thing about this mini hill station resort is that you don't have top whirl round and round trailing one of those huge mountains, by the end of which most people are in a giddy feeling.... You just have to take one or two small whirls..and there you are....at the entrance to the resort. Then take a trolley up to the actual place....and have a time of your life reaching there : )

The resort is a splendid place to spend a day with family and friends. Peaceful, cool, serene, clean are just few words to describe the feeling. The resort is a lavish one and has quite a few sports to keep you occupied....

Down below through the mist and fog is the vast view of Chandigarh city. Just relax in the arms of serene mountains and bask in glory of that dim yet snuggling warm sun.




















Well, as for the details of the place, all i can say is that it takes one to one and a half hour drive from city. Climate is cool.

Amazing Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Hi,

Once upon a time in November of 2007, there was a Prince and his wife who travelled across the sea to reach a beautiful Island called Andaman & Nicobar Islands.... The rest is not history but a splendid Geography!

Our Tale: Well, it is an eternally beautiful, peaceful and enchanting place, almost a dreamland (actually a dream island!). If you have seen Goa, Chennai beaches & may be some more Indian beaches across East or West Coastline of India, you haven't yet sen anything! Andaman & Nicobar is turquoise (ly), navy-blue (ly) & greenly coloured by way of its flora fauna(in this case the sea life!)....

We had been here for our honeymoon...a delayed one...but it seems for good reasons! The breathtaking backdrops served the perfect view for our mushy hearts... : ) Adventure voyages (albeit short - 4hrs max), Warm people, crystal clear waters & some good food...built up to a great honeymooning : )

Snorkeling will definitely bind you to this place forever, for the unimaginable and unseen sea life accessed through this activity is something you will never forget.... Fishes, sea Anemones, Coral Reefs, Sea Cucumbers, Clams.....the list is endless and colours are something you just can't imagine.

And of course another incident that will always scare me through my life is when I started swimming all by my self (post snorkeling) ... and left the life saver tube behind with my hubby and the guide..... although I was nearing the shore...but somehow i started getting scared seeing nothing below and started drowning....Had it not been my guide (Mr. S Kumar)... I don't know what would have happened....He saved my life! :) .... And there onwards, I dread doing such antics myself! : )

But yes, barring this one experience....It was a trip to Heaven and back.... Literally!

And so after a mushy and romantic trip tale... just wanted to give some other details...

Go on...plan this place for sure....

About it: A&N islands are a group of around 360 smaller islands, in the Bay of Bengal

Getting there: Flights / Ship from Kolkata and Chennai

Climate: Tropical 

Staying: We stayed at the Eco Palm Grove Resort (But that proved bit far and travel inconvenient from main city of Port Blair). Better option is to take up hotels around Aberdeen Bazar, optimum one being the Light House Residency

Food: Veg food easily available, Heaven for Sea-food foodies, Anything that you desire to eat is available (Yes getting a hot cup of tea made from fresh milk is quite a problem, so either opt for regular skimmed milk or go without it : ( ...... )

Stock up on: Sun Blocks, Shorts, Slippers, Goggles, Small handy bag, Cap & Lots of Enthusiasm (Surely you'd hoard it seeing the place!)

Must see Places: Corbyn's Cove Beach, Havelock Island (has the world's 7th best beach Radhanagar beach & Elephant beach for snorkelling), North Bay, Ross Island, Viper Islands, Wandoor Beach. Also see the sound and light show of Cellular Jail, the fisheries museum: Samudrika, the Chatam Saw mill.

High Point:Very warm & honest people, Clean and unspoilt Turquoise beaches, small wonder island : )

The guide we had for snorkeling at North Bay was excellent! Provided us with every small detail of the place and the activity! Don't miss on this.

Need more reasons? .......................... Then just go there!