Orchha Fort was in my checklist since I missed it on my trip to Khajuraho. I had heard so much abut this bastion of Bundelkhand rulers that it would have been a tragedy to miss it twice. We left Jhansi Fort around 1 and reached Orchha by 2. Mauranipur, our destination for wedding we were here to attend, was still couple hours away.
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| Orchha Fort |
We took at 8.10AM Gatimaan Express from Nizamuddin and we were at Jhansi before lunch. We were still about two hundred kilometers away from our destination Mauranipur. We were here for a wedding so we had ample time. We booked a cab that will be at our disposal till midnight when we had to take the returning train back to Delhi.
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| Jhansi Fort Entrance |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
Next day we rented a two-wheeler for Wandoor Beach which is an hour away from Aberdeen Bazar. We crossed the airport on the way. It was refreshing to drive along the sea taking in all the greenery and beauty. Wandoor Beach was quiet and welcoming. We just sat the the beachfront and enjoyed the waves.
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| Wandoor Beach entrance |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
Next day early in the day we went for Bose Island where most of the cavalry and all of the British officers used to live during the Raj days. Now most of the buildings are in ruins. It is still a beautiful island with deers roaming freely. We took a ferry from Marina Park Jetty which hardly takes 10 minutes and runs every half hour.
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| Ruined buildings at Bose Island |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
We woke up in the dark not to leave for Port Blair. One visit was left. In the dark we started for Sitapur Beach which is the eastern-most point on Neil Island. We were on the clock. The sun was about to rise in 10 minutes and we were still fending in the dark. Somehow we reached the beachfront only to find a large crowd was already there.
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| Sunrise @ Sitapur Beach |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
Next day we promptly reached Bharatpur Beach at 11 and waited for the tide to rise the water level. Since this is the only beach where venturing into sea is allowed, almost entire Neil was here. We had fun going deep into the sea. We would take multiple trips into the sea and then rest at the sandy beachside.
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| Our second stint at Bharatpur Beach |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
Early morning we went to Vijaynagar Beach which was opposite our resort. We wanted to see a Havelock sunrise. We were not disappointed although half a dozen puppies did follow us back to our resort. They probably mistook us as their mommy.
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| Sunrise at the rocky Vijaynagar Beach |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
Our plan for the day was very simple. Reach the point where the trek to Elephant Beach starts. Cover the two kilometers to Elephant Beach on foot. Return back before dark. There was a small matter of rain that was easing in and out but with our raincoats and helmets we were mostly safe or so we thought. We parked our two-wheeler at a designated parking lot.
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| Muddy trek to Elephant Beach |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
First look of Radhanagar Beach is queenly. The sea opens up with a panoramic view, there is not much crowd and the beach is immaculately clean. That’s not the best part. The best part is when you get into the water. I have not encountered a more perfect gredient anywhere in the world.
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| The queenly Radhanagar Beach |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
Early morning we reached Haddo Jetty to take our ferry to Havelock Island. The ferry was modest and the journey was eventless. We reached Havelock around noon and a cab transferred us to our hotel in no time. Havelock is a moderately sized island so the first thing we did after checking in was to rent couple of two-wheelers.
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| The Blue Bird Resort, our hotel in Havelock |
Andaman’s: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9
It was raining when we landed at Port Blair. By the time we checked out the weather had dried out. This was the story throughout our 10 days stay at the Andamans. The cab pickup however was efficient. We checked-in into our hotel in no time. We had booked the same hotel when we would come back for the return flight ten days later.
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| Marina Park, Port Blair |
We were testing our new car for a long drive and decided to go for Abhaneri which is about 200km from our home in Gurgaon. Google Maps suggested we go via Nuh towards Alwar. We followed. It was a mistake. It took us a good part of morning and afternoon to just figure out where we can get on track. Now with Delhi - Mumbai Expressway open, it takes less than three hours.
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| Chand Baori, Abhaneri |
On our last leg Tungnath Temple was visible from more than a kilometer away. This last leg is straight. It took us about three hours in total to reach the complex. Holy chants and bells were ringing around the temple. Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world and it attracts its due lot of worshippers.
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| Last leg of Tungnath trek, temple is visible now |
We reached Chopta before it went dark. Our hotel was far away from the entrance of Tungnath trek. Because Chopta area comes under military there was no electricity and no network. This was to discourage illegal construction around the base of trek.
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| Details at the entrance of Tungnath trek |
Next day we started afresh for Deoriatal. We had a hot water bath and a good breakfast in our hotel which also operated a well running restaurant. The entrance was right in front of our hotel so we were on the uphill trek quickly.
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| First leg of Deoriatal Trek |
We started early morning from Rishikesh for Sari village. Within an hour we were at Devprayag. I have been to this place couple of times but its beauty never ceases to amaze me. Two rivers, one muddy another pristine, meet here to create Ganges. We stopped and descended down to the point of merger and just stayed there for a while.
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| Devprayag, merging of Bhagirathi and Alakananda rivers |
Rishikesh - Deoriatal - Tungnath
I truly explored Rishikesh on my trip to Deoriatal - Tungnath. We were three of us. An early morning Shatabdi dropped us at Haridwar and then we took a connecting train to Rishikesh. The holy city of Rishikesh has become a base for multiple routes and has grown itself multifold without expanding geographically.
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| View from Beatles Cafe |
We were in Dehradun to attend a marriage. We had the morning to spare and so we searched the internet for what we can do. We saw good reviews of a place mysteriously called the Robber’s Cave. It was enticing enough for us to take a trip. It was a half hour drive from our hotel.
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| Entrance to Robber’s Cave |
Breakfast at The Goat Village was equally tasty. The manager told us to pack some parathas to enjoy at the summit. One of the hotel workers accompanied us as guide. We were the only ones on the trek. The first leg was pleasant. We were able to hit the forest within an hour. Then the challenging segment started.
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| The snow clad trek to Nagtibba |
I have been to mussoorie so many times and heard of Nagtibba so often that it was a surprise when we found ourselves going there on a split second decision. We were drinking tea at the Mall Road in Mussoorie. It was 4PM. We were coming from Kanatal after visiting the famous Surkanda Devi Temple. What should we do now? I tossed in the idea of Nagtibba and in few minutes we were on the way.
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| Beautiful Pantwari Village from above |