Kolkata

Trip: Delhi > Kolkata > Delhi

Kolkata was a brief official stay but that was never a stopper to explore its riches. From the roadside food to rumbling Howrah Bridge, anything and everything is recommended at Kolkata. More you explore more it intrigues you.

Tram system@Kolkata

The slow tram system, unique to India, fairly represent the casual approach of native Kolkataite. Travel fares are probably the cheapest in world.Our walk to and back from office brought us face to face with the college street area. Poor here are not very poor but their number is significantly more than other cities - an evidence of communist influence in their socio-political life.

Prices are dirt cheap@Kolkata

The other end of this spectrum was Victoria Memorial down south of Hoogly. Placed adjacent to a man-made lake adds to the charm of this massive marble structure. Our early morning expedition (which was an effort given we were around Park Street last night at 12 midnight) bestowed riches here.

Victoria Memorial@Kolkata

Next on list was of course Howrah Bridge and we made sure to cross the entire stretch end-to-end for some experience. The busy cantilever bridge was huge and even shaky. This engineering marvel has stayed the test of times and so we were not to worry.

Howrah Bridge@Kolkata

We were recommended Park Hotel area for dinner plans. Park Street is home to modern food joints and pubs in Kolkata while several areas like Esplanade and College Street have plenty of small restaurants serving local delicacies. We ended up at Barbecue for Chinese and it was worth the money.

Mysore

Trip: Bangalore > Ramnagaram > Srirangapatna >  Mysore >  Bandipur >  Mudumalai >  Ooty >  Coonoor >  Bangalore

The royal city of Mysore awaited us in its splendour. We had covered Ramnagaram and Srirangapatna the same day. We knew that special lighting is arranged for the Mysore Palace on Sundays and we were right on time. Staying at Prateek's cousin's place we started for the Palace at 7. By the time we reached the place was buzzing up with an amalgamated crowd of locals and foreigners.

Mysore Palace is lighted on Sundays

Venice

Trip: Copenhagen > Venice > Naples > Copenhagen

Happy couples walking hand-in-hand or laying comfortably on long boats (gondolas) would consider this island a heaven. Venice is not for loners. Even the fascination of sauntering through congested alleys and artful bridges does not compensate for the loneliness a bachelor feels in this ancient city of romance. 

Waterbus system@Venice

Rome

Trip: Zugspitze > Pisa > Rome > Vatican City

The original idea was to cover the five points of the cross decribed in Angels & Demons. However at 3PM the three of us were only checking into a hotel room. It was walking distance from Station. We now had exactly 24 hours in Rome  By 4 we had a definite plan which was bit different from the original one. Colosseum was the closest and hence we found ourselves walking towards the grand structure in no time.

The Colosseum@Rome

Pisa

Trip: Zugspitze > Pisa > Rome > Vatican City

Its 8 AM. I am walking on a lonely street that leads to the Tower of Pisa. Something is wrong. There is a tall building few hundred metres from me that looks tilted. As I walk closer it looks as if the tilt is increasing.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Paris

Trip: Paris > Nice > Monte Carlo > Antibes > Cannes > Paris

Paris has a charm that attracts wanderers and tourists alike. While the fashion capital of Europe may prove expensive, one has little choice considering the fact that Eurotrip without Paris is inconceivable.

The Eiffel Tower@Paris

Kanheri Caves

Trip: Delhi > Jaipur > Udaipur > Ranakpur > Ahmedabad > Mumbai > Davangere > Chitradurga > Bangalore

To have something like Kanheri in the middle of Mumbai is incredible. The place reminded me of Ajanta which by co-incidence I visited 5 years ago with Bhaiya only. It was a warm afternoon of June when we visited Borivali National Park. In terms of location, it is almost at the backyard of Bhaiya's home.

The first impression of this place is that of few remarkable structures carved out of rock. The is a giant statue of Budhdha in the very first cave. However this part is just a warm-up. What lies beyond these is unimaginable. There is a bridge which one needs to cross. A monsoon river flows below it during June-July. Taking a flight of stairs, the entire area is visible. The view is unthinkable. 

There is chain of small and large caves built up in ancient times for the 'bodh bhikshu' is visible. The planning is another amazement. There is a common mess,  a sitting place for the senior most monk, a series of wide caves possibly constructed as a guest house. Then there are 100s of caves of varying sizes built on both sides of a narrow gap.

At the top, there is large area with smooth slope where, I was told, people come at evening and find peace in the middle of the commercial capital city.

Humayun's Tomb

Bhaiya was in Delhi. We had to go somewhere. We thought why not Humayun's Tomb. Its close. Its a popular heritage site. Most importantly, in our more than 10 years of stay in Delhi we never visited the place before. So I called upon my cousin Animesh and the three of us ventured on a short exploration.

Isa Khan's tomb

Taj Mahal

 Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Bharatpur - Mathura - Vrindavan

• Given the walk around and marbles that reflect heat, it is best adviced to visit Taj Mahal in Winters. The access roads are blocked for half mile where you need to park.
• Foreigners are charged 20X more than Indian nationals for entry fee. The amenities are almost non-existent and if you go on a weekend, be ready to go through a crawling crowd.
• Book a hotel nearby for a glance at night. People plan their visit on a full moon to see the white marbles glow in the dark.

Taj Mahal is magnificent - a structure unmatched in grandeur across the globe. A rich history and an exquisite location at the banks of Yamuna makes The Taj Mahal a wonder among wonders. My friends who had come from UK were insisting for The Taj. Hence we started early morning in August at 5.30 AM for Agra. Shaun and Nicola were the ones I was giving company. The highway is pretty smooth but the key to trip to Taj Mahal is starting early. We reached Mathura by 8 AM. There is a McD on the highway where we had our breakfast. 

Taj Mahal, Agra 

Delhi

Delhi is the heart and capital of India. The royal facades of Lal Quila and ruins of Tughlakabad Fort are enough evidences of the legacy of this ancient city which has now tranformed into a modern cosmopolitan megacity. Humayun's tomb and Qutab Minar are the kind of landmarks on the busy roadside that very few cities can boast of.

Qutab Minar@6 AM

Delhi is, most importantly, the gateway to north India. There are five exits from Delhi for a traveler as numbered from 1 to 5 in the map below.