Gokarna - a place to find your solace

 

After spending roughly 12 hours a day in office this week, the code finally went live and one more rough week just ended for us all.

It was a long weekend and we all were sitting at our favourite juice corner in R.T. nagar randomly throwing names of the places around Bangalore where we should head to spend the coming weekend, and I suggested “Gokarna”, and within next 15 minutes we booked our ride and in two hours, 12 of us were in a tempo traveller travelling to the west coast.

The place is about 500 kms from Bangalore and it would take the entire night and even the first half of the next day to reach Gokarna.

But 50 kms from Bangalore, the driver of our tempo traveller started acting weird, he already took 3 breaks and smoked 3 cigarettes and had like 4-5 cups of tea wherever he could find a tea stall. I was sitting right next to him on the very first seat, so I could sense his condition, I asked him for like 10 times if he was feeling sleepy, but every time he replied “no sir, I am fine.” And then he dozed off, but luckily for us, our vehicle wasn’t speeding.

I jumped and grabbed the steering which was slowly drifting to right. By then he also came to his senses, but he knew what went wrong, so this time he didn’t try to convince me, he simply got up and lied down on the floor of the mini bus.

My friend sat on my seat and I took the steering, that was the first time I drove a big vehicle.

It was then I noticed how black was the night, the highway was empty and there wasn’t a single star shinning, probably because of the clouds.

The only thing which was shinning were the reflectors on the tree trunks, and to be honest, it was just because of them that I could figure out which way was the road turning, and mind you, that was the ghat region and with a dark night like that and those road curves going up and down, right and left on every turn, I am thankful that our driver slept on the straight road and not on those curves.

I drove the whole night listening to my rock songs and when everyone woke up, I was sipping my morning tea over-looking the famous jog falls experiencing the worst cramp in my left calf muscle.

It was our driver who got up first. He came running towards me saying how sorry he is for whatever happened, but to be honest I wasn’t angry over him because I just had the most memorable drive of my life.

“Next time, just tell the truth, rather than risking 12 lives” I said to him.

We reached Gokarna at 2pm, and as I could barely walk because of that severe cramp, my friends literally carried me down to the beach, after much loitering around, we got 5 rooms for us, now the question was who will get the rooms, so I along with one of my friend volunteered to sleep on the beach.

The shack we stayed in had these Nepalese guys who cooked the best continental I ever tasted in my life, we tasted almost every dish they had on their menu, and except prawns fry, everything else was stupendous. They even had beer, mocktails and cocktails.

The beach was not too clean and the water was salty, but that didn’t stop us playing in the water.

That night me and my friend slept on a mat on the beach smoking a flavoured hookah which my friend bought with him.

The night in itself was quite eventful.

At first I felt someone trying to get into my blanket, when I opened my eyes it was some drunk guy who desperately wanted to sleep, but his friends just took him away apologising to me for his behaviour.

Then second time, it guess it was early in the morning around 3:30am or may be 4:00 am when I heard few sound “hu..hu..hu!! heya.. heya.. heya!” I woke up and saw my friend sitting next to me looking at the sea. There were 4-5 people who appeared to be dancing right next to the water, it took us a while to notice that they were fishermen pulling their net.

So we slept again.

It was the third time when I felt someone’s giving me a wet kiss on my cheeks. Now imagine you open your eyes and you see a bull’s face 5 inches from you. I almost shit my pants there.

So anyways on the second day, after having our breakfast, we went for a small trek to paradise beach, passing through half-moon beach.

Paradise beach is one another beautiful beach to swim, provided if you are a good swimmer. The beach had 4-5 shacks offering fantastic food, and of course beer.

The trek took us one and half hour, but it was well worth.

We spent the afternoon there gorging on those Russian salads, calzones, pastas and what not...

At 4 pm we took a boat back to om beach, and saw a pair of dolphins swimming next to our boat.

That evening we swam for hours and then drank like crazy because we knew that next day we had to go back to that 4x4 cubicle.

But all in all that was certainly the best trip I ever had.

and somehow I have a feeling that this year will also end on that same beach... ...

 

 

 

KASOL- the HIGH-est point of Himachal (if you know what I mean)

 

 

Situated in the beautiful parvati valley besides the river Parvati is a small village, hidden from the selfish land of money minded people.

A place overrun by hippie joints, cafes, reggae bars and cheap stays is the favourite hangout for those who want to relive the life of the seventies.

 

The moment you step in, you’ll notice all those Hebrew sign boards everywhere serving hummus and pita bread. And it’s doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this place is filled with Israeli tourists in Indian summers, but it is equally famous with Indian tourists as well.

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Things to do:

1. Trek to Malana village, which consumes your 1 full day.

   

2. Trek to Kheerganga is another beautiful trekking route.

   

3. Trek to Tosh is yet another beautiful trekking route.

   

4. Visiting Manikaram sahib early morning, and taking holy dip in hot spring there.

   

5. Get high and spend whole day on the banks of river making art form out of the running water.

   

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How to Reach:

1. If you are going from Delhi, take a bus from ISBT Kashmere gate to Kullu / Manali
2. Get down at Bhuntar
3. Hop on to local buses going from Bhuntar to Kasol.

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Local Food: considering that they have Israelis coming in so the food is amazing. For those of you who haven’t tried hummus and pita, it’s different and neutral in taste which grows on you very fast. Also continental food served there is great there. Checkout the food options here Food in Kasol. Also add some more places which you think people should know about.

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Stay: You have many cheap guesthouses offering you rooms in decent prices. You can roam around before settling for what you like, they have places ranging from budgeted options to big hotels.

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The place is ideal for a 3 day trip if you plan to do a trek, otherwise 2 days are enough.

 

Note: I wouldn’t advise you to travel with kids. Rest is your wish

 

Happy exploring!

 

 

I found a hidden Rajasthan fort

It was September of 2015, rains had already ignored Delhi that year. So with that extended spell of harsh summers almost coming to an end, a family outing looked desperate when you know that coming 2nd October is a long weekend.

 

And with a week to go, all of us started looking for a new destination to explore and relax our minds, that’s when my dad comes up with a place I’ve never heard of – Patan Mahal in Kotputli, Rajasthan.

 

 

I did some googling, but couldn’t find anything much about the place, but since the place was 3 hours drive from Delhi, we took off on 2nd.

 

With almost zero expectations we were blown away by the place when we reached there.

 

It was a sprawling estate comprising of three structures – a palace on the ground, a ruined fort cum palace on the slope of hill on the opposite side and an intact fort on the top of that hill.

 

 

Apart from the palace on the ground, the remaining two structures are abandoned but you can still trek to reach there.

 

The palace on the ground which is now converted into a luxury hotel has a swimming poolsurrounded by a lush green garden with colourful flowers, indoor games like pool table, table tennis, they have their own kitchen garden and a private forest, yes you heard it right, they have their own private forest.

 

The outlook and the entrance of the building is where you’ll fall in love with the place. Once you enter that huge wooden gate, you will find yourself in a courtyard with colonial style furniture and those colonial royal photographs hanging everywhere.

 

 

 

You are welcomed with a traditional welcome drink which would evaporate your travel fatigue.

 

The rooms are brilliantly designed in Rajasthani architecture. That red sandstone and those colourful glasses windows will mesmerise you. Each room has a different layout but the interior is simply breath taking.

 

 

 

They had a separate dining area all together where you have a buffet of Rajasthani cuisine including the traditional kair-sangri, gate ki sabji, lal maas and much more. The chef is in-house and knows his business well.

 

We wanted rooms next to the swimming pool and garden but they were already booked, so we chose the top floor, which was a good decision. After our dinner we sat outside, watching those zillion stars twinkling.

 

 

The place had a different vibe, that alluring silence of the hills, that mild breeze, that smell of sand in the air, the sound of the slightest movement of footsteps of some wild animal afar, that shadow of the fort on the hill top opposite to you. The whole thing just takes you back in the time and you start to think how it would have been in those times, and you just don’t want the night to end. But alas it did.

 

Next morning I started the trek to the two forts on the opposite side and it hardly took me 20 minutes to reach the first one. It certainly was in bad shape with walls crumbling and revealing the secrets of the old times. If any of you wondered how these huge forts, beautiful palaces we built, you should go to this place.

 

 

 

 

This fort has 5 levels. The lowest was an underground level where rain water was stored which was then used for internal purpose of the occupants. The two above that were huge halls for meetings and indoor activities, but was now occupied by thousands of bats. Move with absolute silence if you are there, you certainly don’t want to feel what batman feels standing in between those flying bats around him.

 

Fourth floor is where you enter the fort, moving through those tight rooms you reach the top of the structure from where you could see the Patan Mahal from where you started your climb. This is the place where the king once used to sit and enjoy the music and dance happening one level below him.

 

 

The place had many rooms around the main structures, which is believed to be of those maids and servants that used to work there. It even had a stable area for the horses and elephants.

 

And then there was a huge hall which was otherwise hidden hadn’t its roof been broken. I spent 4 hours looking how to get there, but couldn’t get to it. By then I was so tired and thirsty that I couldn’t gather the courage to trek to the top of that hill for the second fort. So I came back to Patan-mahal and spent the rest of the day in the pool sipping on my beer.

 

All in all it was a nice peaceful getaway from the rat race of Delhi.

 

 

 

 

Article credit: travdiary.com   Dated: 15th July 2016

A foreign tourist should expect this about India

After a lengthy paper work and Visa processing, when any foreign tourist finally lands in India hoping to get enlightened and be mesmerised by the mix bag of culture and diversity. It doesn’t take long for him to realise that he is already 30 years late.

 

For those of us Indians who have been to Singapore or Canada or USA, the first thing you note after coming out of the airport is the cleanliness and the order in which things move in that country. Now just imagine the expectations of a foreign tourist when he lands in India and what actually greets him after coming out from airport.

 

A long queue of taxis

 

 

You will find their owners waiving at you or even try pulling your luggage towards their vehicle as if they know you even before you were born.

Reason: everyone wants to earn, and what’s better than to show them that you care for them.

Good news: You can opt for Ola, Uber cabs in metro cities.

Solution: ignore the ones who are trying to get your attention, because they’re the ones you were warned about. Look for the pre-paid taxi stand, ask any police officer for pre-paid taxi stand and take a cab from there. Because they have to inform the officers who they are taking and where they are taking.

 

 

Slums, Beggars, Filth

 

 

Reason: This is a country of 1.2 billion people with more than half of the country living on Rs 50 a day, so don’t expect to see high-rise buildings and apartments everywhere. Slums are there because it was once a village around which a city has grown now.

Those beggars will surely follow you till the end of land, and giving them money is a punishable offence here. But if you still choose to give something to one of them, it’ll be a matter of seconds till you see yourself surrounded by hundreds of them. So please don’t.

Good news: With “Swatch Bharat” initiative people are realising the dire need of cleanliness, and cities are now becoming more cleaner.

Bad news: Government is yet to ban smaller packaging of food material including gutkha, pan masala which is the major contributor of filth in the entire country.

Solution: Keep your bag safe and ignore those beggars while walking.

 

 

Animals on the street

 

 

Ok, let me make it very clear now and for the last time. This is the land of 3 crore gods and people here are very religious and at the same time very protective about every animal.

So you have to live with it. This has always been the real India and it will always be.

Animals were there all along, roads and cities came later. And we love our animals.

Good news: You’ll experience this for the first time and you’ll miss it when you go back. Take my words on it.

Bad news: You have to live with it, there’s no other way out for you guys.

Solution: Catch them in your camera, show it to your grand kids when you get old.

 

 

Those honking idiots

 

 

Reason: We have the traffic signals and we even have those timers at major junctions for the commuters to save fuel.

Now every time that reverse countdown on that timer goes ...5...4...3...(honk!!)...(honk!!)... honk honk honk honk...

It’s not that we love honking, it’s just the (patience level) + (frustration) + (high stress level) + (heat) + (no traffic sense of people) + (not following of the traffic rules of other people) that comes out from the press of that small honking button.

Good news: it’s normal to honk here. No-one gets offended.

Solution: put in your ear phones and let your driver handle that.

 

 

Wrong side driving

 

 

Well this sure is a problem and you’ll find it everywhere you go in this country.

Reason: Well imagine a class room when the teacher goes out for 10 minutes, or even if that teacher falls asleep for 5 minutes. Same is the case here, we haven’t grown yet.

Good news: You are not driving.

Bad news: even if you know driving, I would not suggest you to do it.

Solution: walk, or take public transport.

 

Touts

 

 

This was the biggest problem for foreign tourists a while back, but since the internet explosion, it is going down drastically.

Reason: Same, who doesn’t wants to earn more.

Good news: it’s going down

Bad news: it’s still not out completely

Solution: Do your research properly before arriving so that you don’t look like a dumb pigeon when you land. And of course it goes without saying, ignore every single one of them, they are the ones you were warned about.

 

 

Haunting eyes following you everywhere

 

 

You might find it odd when people look at you awkwardly.

Reason: most of times it is because of what you are wearing and of course that different skin color, and then they tend to drift away thinking how you came here all this way on your own, which country you must be from, do you even know English, are you married, do you have any loan on your head...

Good news: 99% of them won’t even talk to you only 1% will try to have a conversation with you.

Bad news: it is obvious to feel awkward.

Solution: The best thing to do is not to make an eye contact because that’s what starts a conversation, and even if anyone do start a conversation, don’t get too friendly with them, NEVER get too friendly with ANY of them especially if you are a girl.

 

 

Choice of Clothing

 

 

Reason: You have to respect the rules of the land. Now I know that hot pants are becoming common here in India. But amid security concerns it is advised that you wear proper Indian clothing, which by the way looks more stunning on you than those short pants and tank tops.

Good news: Always remember, a foreign tourists respecting Indian culture gets more respect in return and even unexpected help from strangers.

Bad news: western clothing may bring unwanted attention from unwanted people.

Solution: wearing western clothing or Indian clothing is purely upto you, but don’t wear revealing clothing as it might offend someone’s cultural beliefs.

 

 

Safety Issue

 

 

Just like every country, India too have safety issues, and then there is media which blows an issue so much out of proportion that it generates a sense of fear in every traveller’s mind.

See, if you’re dumb enough to ignore things then you are simply inviting trouble. I can’t list down all those hundred things which you should not be doing when you are travelling in an unknown country. But I can only tell you how to avoid getting in situations like these.

Now listen closely: as said earlier, wear modestly, avoid going out alone at night (usually an hour after sunset), keep emergency numbers handy, dial 100 and ask them for any help, trust GOOGLE and NO-ONE else for directions and places. And most important avoid crowded places especially on days like new-year. God forbid if something goes south, get in touch with your embassy at the earliest.

Good news: It’s not unsafe at all, if you attentive.

Bad news: These things still happen, which saddens me.

Solution: remember what you mom and dad told you about – not to go out alone at night, not to drink with strangers, taking care of your drinks, not to leave your stuff/drinks unattended, trusting absolutely NO-ONE, be home on time, lock the door of your room from inside, keep emergency numbers handy, updating your loved ones about your whereabouts every day... you already know the drill!

 

 

Hygiene

 

 

It has been a big issue for long but things are getting better day by day due to this government’s policies and initiatives. New travellers are also appreciating the work done by the present government. People are now getting more involved in keeping the country clean.

Good news: It’s getting better day by day.

Bad news: dust-bins and public urinals are still missing which make people do what has been happening for so long.

Solution: always keep a hand sanitizer, tissue roll with you, and always maintain your personal hygiene.

 

 

Note: Always pose yourself as “I-know-everything” and “never-mess-with-me” person. Never be gentle and don’t even think once that it would look rude to say “No” to anything. If anyone is persisting, it’s time to get yourself out of there.

 

And god forbid if anything goes wrong, always remember there’s always something that can get you out of trouble. So stay calm and think of all the possibilities which can pull you out from there.

Like:

1. Should you use your embassy name.
2. Should you run.
3. Where was the last police guy/car you saw.
4. Remember a big politician’s name which you can use along with your embassy name.
5. Should you call 100 (police).
6. Should you shout at the top of your voice.

 

This article is written for you to understand what to expect when you land, it doesn't mean that this place is unsafe in any respect.

I've been to many countries myself and to be honest this is the land where you'll find the most generous, the most humble, the most friendly people in the world.

And one more thing, if you plan to eat outside (I mean the street food) I better suggest you to carry your medications for upset stomach. It takes much more to be an Indian afterall.

 

There’s a reason why this land is known as incredible India. Come and experience it!

 

 

 

Article credit: Veer Nehra   Dated: 14th July 2016