The new D3100: do I need to say more?

Travel to Kashmir: The place, people, culture and the 'M' factor

I am updating this blog after ages.. not that I have stopped traveling, its just that I have not got the urge to update. May be this is worth writing for the benefit of any potential travelers.

Kashmir- the place:
Breathtaking. One word, nothing else needs to be said.

The valley!

Dal lake..

Lotus lotus everywhere!

Life on the Dal lake.. you can find everything on the lake (literally)- houses, market place, schools... you name it, they have it on the lake.

Evenings are the best. Here's one outside the house boat. Beautiful, is'nt it?

Another one here...

Just outside the Hazratbal Mosque.. pigeons surely outnumber humans here!

Ever heard of water taxis? Yup.. here you will! 'Shikaras' are the means of transport to reach your house boat.

Gulmarg. Snow clad mountains offer perfect spot for skiing, sledging or just playing around...

Pahalgam. The frozen river lidder.

One of the specialties of Kashmir.. the Chinar trees.

Wow.. skiiiiiing...

Can you stand on ice? He can :-)

Fallen leaves during autumn..

The people: I found the people friendly, somewhat impoverished, grappling with untold economic isolation and a tad disappointed with slight of hand provided by fate.. Tourism is perhaps the ONLY source of income for the vast majority of people.

I feel that in any place the undercurrent cannot be hidden for too long. The discontent among the people because of the 2M's- Militancy and Military will have to swing one way or the other.

I can liken the situation to this small story- Suppose you find a venomous snake in your house.. you would probably take the nearest stick and kill it; but if you found that snake in bed with your children, that would be another question. You might hurt your children more than the snake if you try to hit. Tact is more important to take the snake out!

Ashraf miyan.. our Shikara driver.

Military is everywhere. Here you can find them at the Shankaracharya temple.

Gulmarg - the ingenious local people have even opened restaurants on the mountain top!

A local shop.

Just like we have summer holidays, here you get winter holidays! Younis, our guide at Pahalgam is quite serious about studies. He does some part time work during holiday season. His friend Shaukat (not in pic) had plans to finish his BCom. and do an MBA.

Travel to Kashmir: Do's and Dont's, Where to stay , How to go and What to do!
The best season to visit Kashmir is from April to August if you want to see the flowers bloom, visit the multiple parks in Srinagar (Nishat, Shalimar, Chashm-e-shahi) and the meadows of Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Gulmarg. If you are more interested in playing with snow.... visit during December to February.

The best way to reach Kashmir is to take a flight from Delhi to Srinagar. The airport in Srinagar is a tad bigger than a Military airstrip. Dont be put off by the vast presence of the Military. Most army men are kind and helpful. And remember 'touts abound'- ward off from them.

Its always good to register yourself at the tourist center - this is a simple safety measure. You can find the tourist center in Lal Chowk in heart of Srinagar.

Stay- I personally like to experience the local culture- so preferred staying in the houseboat. Hotels abound and usually there is no need of advance booking. Most hotels provide heater (electric/gas based) in room. Most hotels are lined up on the Dal Gate road / Nehru Center.

Houseboats are usually of different classes. They usual categories are Deluxe (most modern) to Class D. Price varies. I gave Rs 1100/night for Bed, breakfast and Dinner for a deluxe houseboat. May be I got lucky as I had the pluck to land up in Kashmir without any prior reservation and got the best deal after reaching Dal lake. The rates are usually around Rs 2000/night for the deluxe houseboat and Rs 600/night for Class D. The other varities (Class A to Class C lie in between).

We stayed in a charming Houseboat Called - 'Jacqueline', a cozy place. Don't forget to use the colloqial heating system - 'Bukari'. The owner Mr Latif, his brother Shakeel and family are gracious hosts. It was a pleasant experience staying at their place. With an experience of over 100yrs in this biz, they play good hosts to the weary visitor.

Jacqueline House Boat reservations: Contact Mr Latif @ +91 9419059546.

The best place to see in Srinagar is the lake itself. Dal lake is probably the most scenic place I have visited till now. No place in US / Europe comes close to the natural beauty and idyllic charm this place exudes.. We had a good experience exploring and enjoying the serene Dal Lake in Shikara driven by Mr. Ashraf (Persian Lefex: +91 9906855928). The other places of interest are the many parks and the Shankaracharya temple.

A day trip to Sonamarg and Gulmarg is a must. Horse rides, sledging and skiing are the popular pastime activities here..

Its advisable to stay in Pahalgam for a few days. This is one of the picture perfect valleys in Kashmir. There are day long horse rides for the visitor to take!

We missed going to Leh (Ladakh district) as the all crucial A1 highway was closed due to snow fall. Do plan to go to Leh for sure!

Do not worry too much about booking hotels in advance at either Gulmarg/Sonamarg or Pahalgam - you usually can get the best ones after reaching there. If you book in advance - you would be forced to stay there, prevents you from staying in the best hotel with the best views!

All in all, Kashmir is indeed heaven on earth. With a little planning, a Kashmir trip could be one of the best and memorable trips for you and your family!

Ciao till next time... Harsha

Go go Goaaa!

Have deep pockets. First advice. Enjai. Second advice.

The one incident that will be etched in memory is the banana ride at calangute. Never have friends who will not give full info... atleast don't have them when you get into something like a banana ride!!!

Being the innocent guy that I am, I never knew that you will be thrown into the deep sea taking a banana ride! Me and Joni (I will introduce the characters along the way) took the ride. Not knowing swimming, moi was totally careful to catch onto the straps of the balloon with all might. Once into the sea- a Km inside, I saw the boat take a 90 degree turn. And what more, right inside went the floating balloon on which we sat! And with it went poor me.. with half a mind to let go of the strap and other half still deciding if this was intended or a mishap.. held onto the strap of the balloon underwater :-)

When I could hold my breath no more.. came out onto the surface. Did I have a good laugh afterwards.. yes sir. Sure did. But, plz plz.. make sure to ask all the stupid questions- like what will happen when you take up something you do not know. Its better to be stupid than scary :-)

Hmm... let me give you a peek into the paradise called GOA now-

Hire a bike when you reach Panaji. Usually costs 200-300 bucks/day. We could only get Activa's for the 2 days we stayed on. Here Aniket aka Bhau, Kiran and moi pose in front of St. Andrews. The forth person in trip Joni is busy taking the pic.

Water sports are famous in Goa. One should not miss out on the popular ones- water biking, banana rides, para gliding, rafting, etc. Usually the main beaches in south- Baga, Calangute, Vagator are preferred ones.. Up north Arambol is the best bet.

Roads are quite un-indian. Reminds me of Singapore- winding streets with no pot holes. Most roads have good sign boards with clear indications.

Old Goa! Heaven. I was half convinced that I should settle here during sometime later in my life. Since my school days, I have been in awe of the old churches, cathedrals. Christianity is my second religion I think. St. Francis of Assisi chapel here-

The chapel of St Catherine- Medival Europe come alive.

At the Basilica of Bom Jesus- Red cathedral with towering minarets.. over crowded, worth a visit to offer silent prayers to one of the great saints- Fr Francis Xavier.

The majestic Fort Aguda. Well preserved. Strategically built with a panaromic view of the Arabian Sea.

Chapora fort- lamentable lack of maintenance. We had a wonderful ride through the Chapora village before reaching the fort. Lined on one of the best beaches in Goa- Vagator, this remains one of the unexplored old beauties..

Back in Panaji- the city takes you into 20th century Europe. The architecture, cathedrals, malls, roads, bridges, everything is so symbolic of the times Goa had seen before being passed into Indian hands. Here Bhau gives out a silent prayer to Mary Magdalene. God save Goa and preserve its beauty!

Well folks, hope you enjoyed the short travel piece. Don't spoil the beauty if you do go there. Afterall if you go to Goa once, you are sure to visit a second, third and a forth time.. Keep the place clean for your own sake :-)

Ciao till next time...Harsha

Yana, Gokarna and Jog

I am updating this blog after quite sometime. I had been to one of the most breath taking places in K'taka in the time gone by..

Abhi, Prem, Sridhar, Manhar, Prabudh and myself went to explore our beautiful coastline.. Malnad area is known for 2 things- beautiful females and beautiful nature spots!

Let me present here a collage of pics.. some of the most breathtaking beaches, water falls and nature spots!

The Yana rock formations: 16Kms from Kumta. A short trek of 3 kms takes you to the rock side.

Careful! don't stamp.. a beautiful insect captured by Abhi..

The tree grown in between the rocks... I loved that tree ;-)

The gang, sans Abhi

Om Beach, Gokarna... Am I in India or abroad? Could find more foreigners than Indians. Lovely blue water..

Water pardy!

Shadow play... Kiran and myself!

This is one of the best sunsets I have seen in my life.. Om Beach- awesome, display of bright colours in the sky.

That is the name of beach-side hotel at Paradise beach. Not for fun is it named Paradise..

Aerial view- Paradise Beach. We tried to trek along the thorn filled hillock nearby. More tiresome than we envisaged.. But as they say, you have to climb the hill to enjoy the view!

Twilight setting in.. no mood to go back (why don't I just buy up some real estate nearby, Bangalore is already over-crowded)..

Where does the water end and sky begins? An artists dream come true..

Can I exchange the boat dear man? He is unaware that we are taking his pic. But, the beautiful sight of Sharavathi river in Honnavar would be etched in my mind.. One day I would want to spend more than just a fleeting glance here!

Jog- devoid of water. But this offered us an excellent opportunity to climb down to the base- a trek which seemed easy but we came to know it is 1.5Kms! (so- all of us were in pitiable condition once we had put in 3Kms trek)..

Picture perfect? Nah... not talking about me, its the rainbow behind. I can assure you its not a product of deft photoshop effort!

With nightfall we were travelling back to Bangalore... 2,500 Rs (approx $63) well spent for a 3 day trip... We had gone in a Qualis. The deparding pic of the setting sun was bringing curtains down on one of the best beach-side trips I have been to!

Well! if you are a nature lover- Gokarna, Karwar and Jog is like Arabian nights come true. Truly magical. I would love to hear back if you know a better place through your comments!

Ciao till next time... Harsha

Shivanasamudra.. nature's fury, nature's beauty..

Shimsha. Bluff. Gaganachukki. Barachukki. These are the different names to this beauty. Don't wanna include too many words to spoil this post. Here you go-

The rapids..

Well guys, there is a river out there... watch your steps!

Just like in life... herd mentality. Guyz... you are on the wrong side of the valley!

Check the mist behind.. akin to a steady drizzle..

Serenity on far side of the rapids..

Hello beauties!

Ciao till next time... Harsha