Why to go on roadtrips

We all love to go on vacations to new places and see new things. But very few take roadtrips for the same to enjoy the journey to your destination and that’s exactly this blog about.

More than anything, roadtrips teach you number of things that you never learn when you take a flight or train to your destination.

2 months back I ventured into ultra-long roadtrip from Mumbai to Himachal Pradesh where I visited Dalhousie and Dharamshala. On this trip I clocked a distance of 4400 kms running across sandunes, snow clad mountains and even a snow drive!.

We all have learn in our childhood that our country is very big with diverse culture and traditions. But experiencing all of it in a span of 2 days is exciting.

How big our country is:

I decided to have a night halt at Jodhpur which lies midway on my journey to Amritsar. Now, Jodhpur itself is at a distance of 950 kms from Mumbai and it took full 1 day – driving time of 15 hrs to cover this distance. After driving so much I realised that I have covered only half the distance.

Different cultures:

Witnessing different cultures is something I enjoyed the most on this trip. It was a Sunday when I started at 4.30 am from Mumbai and at crack of dawn I was somewhere near Valsad. It was amusing to see people across age groups from nearby village gathered on a bridge only to catch up with their friends. And I must say they were having a gala time. Do we even get up that early on a weekend?

After crossing Mehsana, I could see people with their traditional Rajasthani attire with their colourful headgear riding on their bikes with 3-4 people riding on a single bike. Now what excites me here is that I am experiencing all this in 1 single day.

Way of life:

In India, everything is possible and it is called as “Jugaad”. Jugaad plays an important role in the life of people. In Rajasthan, there are bike taxis which is nothing but a motorcycle handle attached to box which can accommodate 4 people. However the rider of this vehicle manages to accommodate almost 8 – 10 people easily. These are the local taxis which is way of life for these people.

Secondly, as I neared Punjab, I could see farmers with huge harvesting tractors carrying their produce. It is rightly so as Punjab is called the granary of India.

Driving in desert:

In this road trip I realised that driving is not only a skilled job but is also a test of mental strength. I was driving on the stretch from Bikaner to Suratgarh a distance of 200 kms. This stretch is completely barren and to drive your car on this barren stretch becomes very tiring and boring. You can imagine driving on a straight road with absolutely no curves and a scenery like below for 200 kms. This is really challenging.

Changing landscape:

It is exciting to see the landscape changing gradually. The best example of this is when I was driving between Bikaner and Suratgarh with barren landscape all across. It was around 2 PM when I reach Suratgarh. Shortly after that I could see few trees on the sides of the road. This gradually changed to lush green fields of Punjab by almost 5 PM. Isn’t this exciting?

Also on the 1st day of my drive, I was driving on the stretch after Ahmedabad where it was a 2 lane road which housed many industrial units along with restaurants, houses etc. Shortly I entered the stretch of Mt. Abu where the roads were 4 laned with proper dividers. It was full of barren hills and the road beautifully curving in between them.

Snow drive:

How can one miss this! It was the most exciting part of my trip. I was lucky when there was the seasons first snowfall on the previous night. I decided that i will get up early in the morning and drive to the higher reaches of Dalhousie to experience the snow. And boy! What a drive it was! My first snow drive. True sense of achievement after the diverse stretches on which i drive to reach here.

On the stretch between Bikaner and Suratgarh, I had decided to myself that I will never go on such long road trip alone again. Looking at the barren landscape I was getting all weird feelings including missing my family back home. I wanted to see the as early as possible.

I infact also enquired the charges if I decided to transport my car back home. But finally I decided that no matter what I will complete this successfully.

A successful roadtrip always gives an immense sense of satisfaction, achievement of doing something which people generally do not venture into.

Finally, do not forget to thank your car adequately because it was only because this beautiful car that your roadtrip was successful.

I am now waiting to venture into my next ultra roadtrip. Still scouting for places and exciting route.

Border tourism

I was casually going through my blogs and took a trip down the memory lane of all the wonderful journeys that I have had. Suddenly a thought struck me. There is something missing amongst these blogs.

The journey which was so close to my heart, that gave me the true feeling of an Indian. I have not written a blog on that trip. How could I miss it!

I was to visit Jammu to attend a private function. Since I was travelling all the way to Jammu I wanted to make the best of it. There were couple of option that I had to choose amongst – Srinagar, Sonmarg, Gulmarg or Amritsar. I had never been to Amritsar ever. That’s it! My destination was decided.

I then started planning what to see in these two beautiful cities.

Jammu: I didn’t have too much time to do sight seeing but I badly wanted to visit one place. The Indo-Pak border at RS Pura sector. The name itself is so exciting. Can you imagine how exciting the place in reality would be.

The road to RS Pura itself is exciting. The distance from Jammu is roughly kms. Once you take the diversion from the main highway on to……. the real fun starts.

The road is straight out of a Bollywood movie. They are full of Sarson ke Khet on both the sides of the road.

Once you reach the border post you come to the reality of how serious the place is and what it is to live in a super sensitive area. You will have to complete few formalities before you are taken inside to visit the actual border. There is a briefing done by the army on the dos and don’t while inside.

Well, you must be getting confused by the term “inside”. Let me explain…..The border outpost is a place where visitors are received and they need to complete formalities like submitting their ID documents, security check etc.

Beyond this point there is a big gate and you are escorted inside the gate by the BSF officials. Approx 100 mtrs from the gate lies the International Border. We can see the Pak Rangers at a very close distance.

The BSF people briefed us on what happens when a civilian tries to cross the border…..and the facts that he told me were absolutely chilling. I am not stating the facts because you really need to visit this place to know them.

Next day started my journey to Amritsar. Once you enter Punjab the whole topography changes. You can see lush green fields on both sides of the road. That’s real Punjab!

Any visit to Punjab cannot be completed without visiting the Golden Temple. We had the opportunity to have lunch at the Gokden Temple. Must say, the food is quite delicious.

Now starts the real fun. Generally tourist visit Wagah Border to witness the daily ceremonies of bring the flags of both the nations down.

I decided to go to a place called as Khalra border which is almost 50 kms from Amritsar.

Accordingly, hired a taxi. Even he was surprised as to why on earth I am heading to Khalra! On the way I could see small hamlets surrounded to wheat fields on all sides. A sight to watch and not to be missed.

Once I reached my destination, I enquired if I can go up to the actual border and got a positive response. My experiment was successful. I witnessed the evening march when both the flags are brought down with utmost respect.

What excites me about this place is the so called foreign country is at an arms length from where I was standing but I cannot enter into that land. The Pakistani soldiers and their civilians were at a stone throw distance but they belonged to a different nation. The fields were the same, yet they belonged to a different nation. I could see a stray dog crossing the border freely and I said to myself…..what a life!!!!

Mahabaleshwar…..the land of strawberries!

I have been wanting to visit the twin hill stations of Mahabaleshwar – Panchgani since last many months. I do recall that in my childhood, a visit to this place was a must to do activity every year.

For my readers located outside India, Mahabaleshwar is located almost 250 kms south east of Mumbai with an altitude of 1350 m above sea level. It is a very popular hill station visited by people across India.

The nearest airport is Mumbai and the best way to reach there is by road. There are plenty of air-conditioned buses from Mumbai so transport is not a problem at all.

The distance between the twin hill stations is approx 20 kms and there is good public transport available for travelling.

Where to stay:

This place is full of hotels, homestays with strawberry farms which can be booked thru any of the existing online booking portals. However I prefer to stay at a place which is unique and has something different to offer. I stayed at Aroma Laterite Chalets which is a new property located on the Panchgani- Mahabaleshwar highway. It’s barely 4 kms from the town of Panchgani. Unique feature of this hotel is that they have their own strawberry farms couple with vegetable farming as well. It’s a fun visiting those farms.

What to visit:

The twin hill stations have plenty of scenic points to visit. These points were named by the British rulers. Popular among them are: Arthur seat, Sidney point, Bombay point list goes on.

Panchgani:

Key attraction of Panchgani is the Table Land. It is a vast plateau on top of a mountain with its expanse stretching almost 6 kms. There is a cave beneath the plateau and is a must visit attraction. The access to the cave is quite adventurous with its steps going around the cliff!

Horse riding is also one of the main attractions of table land.

Residential schools-

Panchgani has many architectural residential schools surrounded with dense trees. It is also dotted with cafes in every corner of the town.

Parsi Point –

Around 2 kms drive from the city centre is the Parsi point. The beauty of this place is that you see the valley of Panchgani and the overlooking back waters of the dam built across the Krishna river.

Mahabaleshwar:

Venna Lake

Venna Lake is one of the famous tourist attraction of Mahabaleshwar town. There are boating facilities however no motor boats are available as the water is being supplied to the town for domestic consumption.

If you are not comfortable rowing the boat yourself, there are professionals who can provide service for an extra amount.

Market:

The main market is one of my personal favourites. It is dotted by gaming centres, eateries, souvenir shops, clothing etc.

One should experience the fun of gaming here.

Old Mahabaleshwar town:

The old Mahabaleshwar town is at a distance of 5 kms from the city centre. This place has a temple of Lord Shiva. Nearby the temple is also the source of River Krishna – one of main rivers of Western and Southern India.

Points:

How can one not visit the numerous points when in Mahabaleshwar.

As mentioned earlier there are numerous points that you can visit, however you have to balance out your time so that you visit the best of the points and not spend too much time in visiting all the points.

I would recommend to visit Arthur seat, Sydney point, Parsi point.

Below photographs are shot at Arthur seat point.

Polo ground:

Not many people visit here. If you are fan for horse riding then place is for you. As the name suggests this ground was used to play polo during the British era.

This ground is now used to ride horses. Again, a must visit for all the horse lovers.

Mapro/Mala’s Agro food tech park:

Mapro and Mala’s are the 2 major players in the food industry mainly into production of jams, syrups etc.

Mapro and Mala’s have a food outlet on the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani highway. They have huge stores filled with jams, juices, syrups and also an in house restaurant.

Cheese Factory :

At a short distance from the Mapro food pro is the newly launched cheese factory. As the name goes, this place is only about cheese. They sell different variety of cheese.

What to eat:

Both the hill stations plenty of variety to eat. Mahabaleshwar is blessed with fresh farm fast food eateries.

Once you are on the Panchgani highway from Mahabaleshwar, there are many eateries that offer tasty farm food.

Not to mention, if you happen to visit during strawberry season you will be blessed to have strawberry fresh cream at any of the eateries.

I have tried my bet to provide you a brief idea of what to visit in this beautiful twin hill stations. Every season has its different charm. It’s a must to visit this place when in Maharashtra.

What unusual to do in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the capital of newly formed state of Telangana. It is also shared by the state of Andhra Pradesh till its own capital – Amravati is developed. However my association with Hyderabad is much earlier than the division of Andhra Pradesh.

I had been to Hyderabad recently as a tourist but the trip was more of nostalgia as I had studied in Hyderabad for 2 years way back in 2004-2006. This was my 1st trip to the wonderful city after a gap of 12 long years.

Today, Hyderabad is the face of IT industry in India and is fast racing against erstwhile IT capital of Bangalore.

Once you are out of the airport you get the feeling of a brand new city who is more than eager to welcome you, either as a tourist or an investor.

This blog is not just about what to visit in Hyderabad. This is about what does Hyderabad has to offer you.

Till date I have not visited places like Ramoji Film city, Salarjung Museum etc and have not regretted it either. Not that they are not interesting but there is much more in Hyderabad that you need to visit and experience.

Places to visit:

Jubilee Hills –

Jubilee Hills is the pride of Hyderabad. At present there is lot of metro construction going around however, 12 years back this place was absolutely serene. The hills house bungalows of famous personalities of Hyderabad. It is worth driving around Jubilee Hills with no destination in mind.

There are nice cafes, breweries that have come up in this area where you can hang out.

Pedamma Gudi Temple –

This temple is situated in Jubilee Hills road no. 55. It is said to be more than 150 years old, this temple took its present shape in the year of 1993.

Pls visit the following URL for more information on the temple.

http://hyderabadtourism.travel/peddamma-temple-hyderabad

Husain Sagar lake –

This lake is the signature of Hyderabad. It is a huge lake in the center of the city with boating facilities. There is a statue of Gautam Buddha in the midst of the lake where you can take a boat ride and visit the magnificent statue. In the evening the statue is lightened up and is a sight to watch.

Outside the lake there is Lumbini Park where there is a sound and light show in the evening.

Places to eat in Hyderabad –

Eat Street –

Eat Street is located on the banks of Husain Sagar lake. It houses almost all India cuisines alongwith fast food. There is a small play area for infants and children.

Chutneys –

Chutneys is a popular restaurant chain and is located across Hyderabad. It is famous for its South Indian cuisine. As the name of the restaurant suggests, it has delicious  chutneys which are a must in any south Indian cuisine.

Rayalseema Ruchulu

Andhra Pradesh is divided into various regions of which Rayalseema is one of them. This region is known for its spicy food especially non vegetarian food. As the name suggests, this restaurants serves food from this area and is famous for non-vegetarian cuisine.

Dwarka restaurant

It is famous for its Andhra meals and is pocket friendly. If you want to experience traditional Andhra meals, it is must to have food here. It is served with a heap of rice, chapati, and 3-4 curries alongwith vegetables etc. The picture below is of the same place but without the rice.

Famous Ice Cream

How can any meal end without any dessert! This is a must visit joint in Old Hyderabad area. It is very near from Nampally railway station and is right opposite to Karachi Bakery.

By the way, Karachi Bakery does not need any introduction which is why I have not included it in this blog. Nonetheless do not forget to purchase your favourite biscuits from Karachi Bakery!!

I have tried and listed out few important places which are generally off the tourist radar. You can always visit popular tourist places like Birla Temple, Ramoji Film City, Salarjung Museum, Char Minar etc.

What unusual to do in Singapore

Singapore is one of the favorite holiday destinations across the globe. It’s prominence in the global market has increased due to its nature of accepting people from different countries and cultures.

However when it comes to tourism, people generally stick to the usual touristy places like the Merlion Park, Universal studios, Singapore Flyer etc.

This blog is about what unusual things you can do while your stay in Singapore. It will ensure that you will see something different that others have not seen.

The blog has been divided into 2 parts –

1) What unusual to see

2) Where to eat which is pocket friendly and also suits your taste buds

What unusual to see

Asian Civilization Museum

The Asian Civilizations Museum is devoted to exploring the rich artistic heritage of Asia, especially the ancestral cultures of Singaporeans. It focuses on the many historical connections between the cultures of Asia, and between Asia and the world. Singapore’s history as a port city that brought people together from all over the world is used as a means of examining the history of Asia.

How Indians started migrating there and became a prominent part of their economy and much other informative and exciting things!

It’s a must visit to learn about the history of Singapore.

URL: http://acm.org.sg/

Esplanade Park

Just a short distance from the museum, you can also visit Esplanade park. It’s a park which is surrounded by trees by the roadside. It’s a good place to spend some quality time with your loved once. There is also a cricket ground where you can see youngsters playing cricket.

Bus and train ride

I would strongly suggest you to take a bus and a train (MRT) ride. It will take you into interiors of Singapore. You may come across some interesting sites, buildings. For this, you can walk up to any busy bus station preferably in the city center and then board any bus with the longest route. Similarly for the MRT ride as well. You can purchase a travel card which allows unlimited rides on MRT and buses till the validity of the card.

A walk on the promenade of Marina Bay Sands

A short walk on the promenade of Marina Bay Sands is a must during your stay in Singapore. You can see the entire CBD with high rises all around. There are few eating outlets overlooking the bay.

Segway tour

You can also take a Segway tour which will cover couple of places in city center like Helix Bridge, The Float, Marina Bay Convention centre etc.

URL: http://www.segwaytours.com.sg/

Where to eat

Telok Ayer Market

This is located in city center between Shenton Way and Robinson Road. It houses almost all South east Asian cuisines – Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, Indian etc. The most important part is that it is very budget friendly.

Everyday after office hours a street besides the market is closed and tables and chairs are laid out on the street to serve street food.

Little India

If you are an Indian travelling to Singapore, then a visit to this part of Singapore is an absolute must. There are departmental stores which sell all Indian branded goods – from pickles to electronics! Also there are many Indian chain of restaurants who have opened their outlet. Saravana Bhavan – a popular South Indian food chain, Kailash Parbat – Serving delicious North Indian food and few other local outlets serving Indian cuisines.

Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay

These are the 2 places where you can grab a drink at peace watching the Singapore river front take its own shape. You also get good food at both these outlets. However Robertson Quay is a bit expensive than Clarke Quay.

1-Altitude

If you want to enjoy the night life of Singapore then this is the place you ought to be. This place is located on the 63rd floor of the building Raffles Place. The view of the city from this place is beyond description. There is a small entry fee of SGD 30 from 6 PM-9 PM and SGD 35 after 9 PM which needs to be paid at the entrance of the building and it comes with a complimentary drink. You can also visit in the evening so that you get a chance to see the views during daytime and at night time.

URL: https://www.1-altitude.com/

Marche Movenpick

Orchard road is a popular shopping paradise in Singapore. There are 2 malls namely 313@Somerset and Orchard Mall. At 313@Somerset there is a restaurant named Marche Movenpick. The restaurant has been designed as a small Swiss village. It is a must visit for eating Swiss Rosti.

Now what exactly is Swiss Rosti? It is prepared out of grated potatoes fried and topped with an item of your choice – Eggs, Chicken mutton etc.

URL: https://www.marche-movenpick.sg/en/our-locations/313-somerset

I believe I have been able to carve out the niche places to eat and visit while in Singapore. More than happy to hear your feedbacks on the blog. Would request all the readers to share it with your friends and families.

Weekend getaways from Mumbai

“Hey, there is a long weekend coming up, let’s head to a place full of solitude and peace”, I tell my wife. “But where”, she asks me sarcastically signalling that there ain’t any quiet places around Mumbai left.

She was right, all weekend getaways are packed with people who are shouting, dancing, drinking etc thereby sending the PEACE factor in RIP mode.

I sat down looking at the map and finding out places where we can find solitude.

“Let’s head down to south along the Konkan coast”, I said to myself. This was a great idea for a perfect weekend getaway!

I started planning for the holiday with respect to the route, hotels etc.

The route: Mumbai – Kolhapur – Amboli – Vengurla – Vijaydurg – Ratnagiri – Ganapatipule – Chiplun – Mumbai.

The purpose of deciding this route was to soak in the beauty of Konkan – tall coconut trees, rice fields, virgin beaches!!

We started early in the morning so as to beat the weekend traffic till Pune and beyond.

Our only break till Kolhapur was a meagre 15 mins for breakfast after Pune. The basic idea of any road trip is to have minimum breaks so that you don’t loose out on time.

We reached Kolhapur – 380 kms by 11 am. We were in the heartland of sugarcane growing region and also where the density of Mercedes is highest in India.

The drive from Satara to Kolhapur is a pleasant drive with sugarcane fields till the horizon on either side of the road.

By this time we were dying out of hunger. Best place to eat lunch at Kolhapur is Hotel Opal. The food here is very tasty not to forget the Shrikhand – a popular desert dish which is famous in this part of India.

You may visit Mahalakshmi temple if you have disposable time at your hand since it is bound to be crowded. We were lucky to get the blessings of the goddess in 30 mins.

Our 1st days night halt was scheduled to be at Amboli – a hill station in the Sahyadris. It is approx 100 kms from Kolhapur. We reached Amboli around 6 pm – it was about to get dark.

However if you happen to reach before sunset, you can visit Shirgaonkar point and few other points nearby.

Next day we continued our journey towards Vengurla. This was the southern most point of our trip. From here onwards we will start driving northwards towards Mumbai and not to mention the real fun of the trip starts.

Vengurla is a nice peaceful sleepy village with full of coconut, cashew and mango plantations.

The best thing about this small town is that you will find people fishing only to pass their time sitting on the makeshift port. If you are there in the evenings you will find fishermen offloading their catch at the port and the same is available for sale to general public. Isn’t that gorgeous!!

As I mentioned earlier, from this town our northward journey towards Mumbai starts.

We had choice of 2 routes to drive towards Mumbai.

1) Mumbai Goa highway – this route is preferred by many people and also not to mention there is heavy traffic on this road.

2) Coastal Road – The Govt has built a new road which runs along the coast. However we did not know as to how good the road is, are there any fuel stations or restaurants etc.

We decided to take the same route since traveling on the road less travelled is in my travelling DNA.

Our next halt was at Vijaydurg, again a sleepy town in the coast. If I have to describe this town, imagine, you are standing on a road on a small hill, below is a narrow inlet of water from the sea surrounded by coconut trees on both the sides and small fishing boats sailing. Does that not sound tempting to you?

Below is the URL for staying option in this small town.

http://www.mtdchotels.com/overview.php?Hotelid=38

This place does not have much to offer apart from soaking yourself in the beauty of the town and visiting a fort which is built on the sea. We had decided to stay in this town for a night.

Day 3 – Today we had to drive to Mumbai. We had to start early morning since we had to cover a good distance of approx 300 kms and also to beat traffic.

Started journey from Vijaydurg at around 8.00 am. We continued on the coastal road heading towards Ratnagiri and onward to Ganapatipule.

The road is absolutely fantastic with zero traffic and sighting of sea/beaches at times. We had a small breakfast halt at Pawas. Ratnagiri is not too far from there.

If you wish you can stop at Ratnagiri to visit the museum dedicated to Lokmanya Tilak – the famous freedom fighter, ratnagiri beach. However I would suggest you to avoid the beach at Ratnagiri as there are plenty of virgin beaches you can visit in this journey.

The road keeps on navigating towards Ganapatipule. Few kms before Ganapatipule, you can see the sea straight down from the road with white sand beaches. These are the Aarey-Ware beaches. – one of my personal favourites.

Ahead of Ganapatipule you will come across the Jaigad creek crossing. You have to consider waiting time of 1 hour to have the car cross by the boat. Reason for such a long waiting time is, there is just 1 boat that goes to either side of the creek.

After crossing the creek, if you are in no hurry to reach Mumbai, you continue your journey on the coastal road by crossing another 4 creek crossings.

Else, you can drive towards Chiplun and head towards Mumbai on the Mumbai – Goa highway.