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| Schönbrunn Palace Gardens |
Kipling Trail runs from Dehradun to Mussoorie. It’s an old route that was once trudged by the shepherds before the Old Mussoorie Road took over. The trail is still there although less traveled. We booked a beautiful cottage near Chamsari that overlooks this trail. The cottage was part of a resort that stood next to a waterfall. It was a perfect getaway for our golden retriever Leo.
We planned on a whim. We were looking for an outing with our pet golden retriever Leo and found a highly recommended AirBnB called Red Roof Homestay in Barog where we booked two nights stay. Barog is less than 7 hours from Gurgaon. We did not want to test our Leo for longer travel for our first trip together.
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| View from our bedroom |
We were in Jodhpur for a day to attend a wedding. Jodhpur has become famous for lavish destination weddings. However ours was a modest one. Our direct flight from Delhi landed on time and we were settled for a brunch at our hotel by 11. At 12 the Haldi ceremony was scheduled which we did not want to miss.
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| Main exhibition building @ Mehrangarh Fort |
Phuket has the best of both the worlds. Families can plan vacation in and around Phuket while loners can stay for days around Bangla Street and not get bored. We were on a boys trip but we did both. It was a seven day planned itinerary that we were following that included Krabi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Phi Phi & Phuket.
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| Sunset @ Patong Beach |
Koh Samui is for party and leisure. The island brims with vacation air. Adjacent Koh Phangan island has become the biggest full moon party destination which attracts more and more tourists to this bustling town year over year. We were here around such a full moon party and witnessed the grandiose night unfold.
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| Fireworks @ Haad Rin Full Moon Party |
Krabi was a stopover. There are few attractions in Krabi although if you include day tours of Phi Phi and Hong Island you can actually plan a three day itinerary. We were here for just a night and so we decided to make the most of it without planning anything far.
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| Ao Nang Beach, Krabi |
Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
Upper Waterfall campsite belonged to another world. It was below minus 10 degrees here. Everywhere we could see there was snow. It took some effort just to change clothes and settle in our tents. We were finding it ridiculous to come out and have lunch. Few things are mandatory on a trek and that includes not skipping a meal.
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| On way to summit, a view of our Upper Waterfall campsite |
Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
We reached our next camping ground called Dhanderas Thatch half past noon. By now almost everything in our view was white. We were told to refresh ourselves for lunch after which we will go for a small trek sideways and practise some snow gliding which was a needed skill to navigate the other side of summit.
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| View on the way to Upper Waterfall, our campsite is visible |
Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
From this night onwards there was neither any electricity nor network. It was just us bantering in the dark while trying to sleep in an alien environment. Tiredness cocooned us into deep slumber in some time. Next day we were as fresh as ever and started with spring in our legs. I still remember this day as the most beautiful of the trek. First came the forests, then a ravine and finally a winding stairs to flatlands at the end of which was our camping ground.
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| The ravine on way to Saruwas Thatch |
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| 15279ft @ Rupin Pass |
The road from Nubra to Leh is picturesque. Add to that the promise of seeing the expanse of Pangong Lake, no wonder we were thrilled. The road conditions are not very good because firstly it’s not strategic and secondly there is a road expansion going on around Pangong. We still enjoyed the long hours on the road as the landscape kept changing.
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| Frozen Pangong Tso |
We started at 9 for Nubra and reached Khardungla by 11. At a height of 18000ft, Khardungla is a major tourist destination. For the first time we were among the snow capped hills. It was time for a hot cup of tea and a lot of photographs. We took photos in all permutations and combinations before starting downhill for the Nubra Valley.
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| Khardungla Pass |
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| View of Leh from Shanti Stupa |
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 |