tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69089945262157790582024-03-28T22:23:31.905+05:30Travelling with RohinMainly my travel experiencesRohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-46968362455459328932024-02-23T12:46:00.002+05:302024-02-23T12:46:11.649+05:30The Rugged West Coast of New Zealand<p><br /></p><div class="entry-content wp-block-post-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content-is-layout-constrained" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "DM Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline));"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-492" data-attachment-id="492" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"9.5","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704340879","copyright":"","focal_length":"41","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6584" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6584/" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6584.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The third leg of our New Zealand journey had us drive from Queenstown, over the mountains to the area rich with <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Glaciers, national parks, adventure sports, rainforests, limestone cliffs, rivers and the wild ocean. </strong>Part I of our NZ travel was the beautiful turquoise Lakes and Mt Cook trail <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">(<a href="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-underline-offset: 0.15em;">https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/</a>)</strong> . Part II was the charming Queenstown and drives from there <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">(<a href="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-underline-offset: 0.15em;">https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/</a>).</strong> I have already written about those in my earlier blogs, the links of which I have shared here.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><b><br /></b></p><h5 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--custom--font-size--normal); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Drive to the Glacier Country</h5><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">As we drove towards <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Wanaka</strong>, I didn’t realise that soon the car would be driving on the highest main road in New Zealand. It is known as the <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Crown Range. </strong>We kept going up and up and it certainly wasn’t a straightforward drive. It was all about hairpin bends and breathtaking views. As a driver I couldn’t enjoy the views as I had to concentrate the maximum and to make sure that if we were slowing down then we needed to give pass to the cars behind us. There were not many places to stop on the way. The topography and scenery had changed from ‘charming’ to ‘rustic’ as you drive on the ‘crown range.’ It must be real tough to drive here during winter with snow and frost. As you pass through Cardrona you also pass the<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> ‘Bra Fence.’</strong> I really don’t know why people would go and decorate the Bra’s on a fence but it looked fascinating. Not many know how this trend started and there have been disagreements over it within the community but the fence remains with the Bra’s.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-494" data-attachment-id="494" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp?w=750" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp" data-orig-size="750,500" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/bra-fence-cardrona-nz-jpg/" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp?w=750" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp 750w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/bra-fence-cardrona-nz.jpg.webp?w=300 300w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="750" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;">The Bra Fence</figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We had already been to <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Arrowtown</strong> but had taken a different route. We didn’t enter Wanaka town but proceeded towards <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fox Glacier.</strong> Wanaka also is known to be a very scenic town with lots to do and many tourists spend a few days here. Looking at the map I realised that ‘as the crow flies’ the distance between Mt Cook and Fox Glacier wasn’t much but as the terrain was mountainous one had to drive all the way round taking hours. We had travelled to Mt Cook from Twizel on first part of our journey and it seemed as if we had left the region way way behind. But on the map it appeared to b e just a jump over the mountain. We didn’t jump over the mountain though we had all the plans of being on top of the mountain as we had a booking for next morning to land on the Glacier and do a glacier walk.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><b><br /></b></p><h5 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--custom--font-size--normal); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The Franz Josef Glacier Township</h5><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We were not staying at Fox Glacier town but 30 minutes ahead at <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Franz Josef Glacier township.</strong> The stop at Fox Glacier was just for lunch. Obviously we were in the midst of glacier region and this also meant that much of the tourists were here for some adventure or the other. Our motel <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">(Aspen Court Franz Josef)</strong> was very nice with large spacious rooms and adequate car parking. There were some restaurants just a short walk away and it so happened that the <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sky Diving</strong> I had booked – their office was right across. Though for actual sky diving we had to drive to a air strip which was 20 minutes away. The sky-dive was the same evening so evening went by quickly as I took part in the thrilling sky dive and rest of the family watched me prepare for it with instructors and then waved to me as the flight took off. Then they came and fetched me from the spot I landed while video graphing my parachute landing. My adventure of Sky-diving is in this blog : <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">(<a href="https://rohinarora.com/2024/01/10/sky-diving-in-new-zealand/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-underline-offset: 0.15em;">https://rohinarora.com/2024/01/10/sky-diving-in-new-zealand/</a>).</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">These kind of small towns have a very relaxed look about them. Normally there is a lot of activity in the mornings as people go for adventure sports & sightseeing and you can see lot of vehicle activity. After 5 PM everyone disappears. People can be found in pubs/restaurants or their motels. Many busloads come from other towns like Wanaka and Queenstown for adventure sports and they go back in the evening. Most residents are associated with adventure sport companies so they retire early to be ready on time the next morning.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">With no pollution and the weather being nice and crisp it was fun to go for an after dinner walk and look at the clear beautiful stars which were shining brightly. Though there were no stars early next morning, it was a lovely walk in the green environment as it was cool and the sky was so clear. I walked to the residential area at the foothills of the mountains enjoying the calmness of the place. Unfortunately the sky didn’t stay very clear for long and the mountains got covered with clouds. This resulted in cancellation of our Heli flight and glacier walk. It wasn’t raining and it was a fine day but as the glacier itself was covered with clouds – helicopters didn’t take off. We did manage to see the glacier from far as we took a hike to the glacier view point. We had hoped that flights would now take off with some clouds dispersing but they didn’t. So we decided to move to our next destination instead of wasting time staring at the clouds. It would have been fun landing and walking on this glorious glacier.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinarora.com\/2024\/02\/23\/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-499" data-attachment-id="499" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="499" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704320010","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.2","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-43.383725","longitude":"170.18556111111"}" data-image-title="img_1016" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_1016/" height="1024" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1016.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 277.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="768" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-504" data-attachment-id="504" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="504" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704350572","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.0052631578947368","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-43.383358333333","longitude":"170.18725555556"}" data-image-title="img_1017" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_1017/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1017.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 277.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="768" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-505" data-attachment-id="505" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="505" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704362534","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00089928057553957","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-43.427736111111","longitude":"170.16793888889"}" data-image-title="img_1024" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=875" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=256" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg" data-orig-size="3009,3520" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_1024/" height="1023" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=875" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=875 875w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=1750 1750w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=128 128w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=256 256w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1024.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 277.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="875" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-502" data-attachment-id="502" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="502" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"9.5","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704329486","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.066666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6571" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg" data-orig-size="4898,3265" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6571/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6571.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 198.656px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-503" data-attachment-id="503" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="503" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704340829","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.033333333333333","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6582" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg" data-orig-size="4898,3265" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6582/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6582.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 198.656px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-500" data-attachment-id="500" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="500" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704341224","copyright":"","focal_length":"22","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6590" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg" data-orig-size="3418,3265" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6590/" height="978" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6590.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 198.656px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-501" data-attachment-id="501" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="501" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704362856","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00031595576619273","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-43.427777777778","longitude":"170.16790833333"}" data-image-title="img_1030" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_1030/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1030.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 885.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" width="768" /></figure></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We would have chosen to stay at the charming seaside town of <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hokitika</strong> but a relative who is a NZ expert advised us to stay at<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Greymouth.</strong> From Franz Josef to Hokitika was a 2 hour drive and it was a good place to stop as it had a very nice city centre near the sea. It was a very pretty town with added advantage of being on the sea shore. We shopped a bit here and then had lunch here. It was nice to sit by the sea and see the ocean going wild. The weather was great. Hokitika must have been much more livelier with more to do in the evening rather than sedate Greymouth but the latter had the advantage of having a lovely touristy spot nearby. It was then time to go to Greymouth and check into another nice motel called the <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Alpine Rose motel.</strong> It was very near the highway and the owner was a lady who was a real chatterbox. The advantage of her being a chatterbox was that she gave us all the information about the town and things to do.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinarora.com\/2024\/02\/23\/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(50% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.5);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-507" data-attachment-id="507" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="507" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704374277","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00024301336573512","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-42.716552777778","longitude":"170.96069444444"}" data-image-title="img_1042" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_1042/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1042.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 429.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 322px;" width="768" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(50% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.5);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-508" data-attachment-id="508" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="508" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704374299","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00011499540018399","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-42.716533333333","longitude":"170.96067777778"}" data-image-title="img_1043" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_1043/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_1043.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 429.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 322px;" width="768" /></figure></figure><h5 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--custom--font-size--normal); font-weight: var(--wp--custom--heading--typography--font-weight); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></h5><h5 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--custom--font-size--normal); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Greymouth and Pancake rocks of Punakaiki</h5><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The Western part of Southern island reminded me a lot of Iceland. Greymouth was a small town and the motel owner recommended a few restaurants to us for Lunch. We went to a micro brewery for Lunch and after relaxing a bit we took off to watch the <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki.</strong> This would be around an hour drive along the coastal road from where we were staying. Before we could see the Pancake rocks, it was the Pancake cafe which greeted us. It was quite crowded. Not being in a mood to have heavy pancakes we entered the park which had been designed to view the pancake rocks and blowholes. The park itself was very pretty and had some very interesting trees. The park was very green and if you are lucky then you can spot a kiwi or two.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Pancake Rocks are a heavily eroded <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-underline-offset: 0.15em;">limestone</a> formation where the sea bursts through several vertical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowhole_(geology)" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-underline-offset: 0.15em;">blowholes</a> during incoming swells, particularly at high tide. They are millions of years old.</strong> I am told that this kind of rock formation is unique here and is different from other kind of erosions which we saw in Iceland or Portugal. What actually was impressive was how beautifully they created this park which would take you to many viewpoints through walking paths. It took us more than an hour to enter from one side and then exit from the other after taking a full round. As it was all cliff area it had a lot of slopes and steps. New Zealand doesn’t charge you for admiring nature and you can donate voluntarily so there were no entry charges.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinarora.com\/2024\/02\/23\/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 664px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-513" data-attachment-id="513" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="513" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704372328","copyright":"","focal_length":"45","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.01","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6624" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6624/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6624.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 442.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" width="1024" /></figure></figure><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinarora.com\/2024\/02\/23\/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-523" data-attachment-id="523" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="523" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704371582","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"125","shutter_speed":"0.033333333333333","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6614" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6614/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6614.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 138.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-519" data-attachment-id="519" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="519" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"9","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704371741","copyright":"","focal_length":"19","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6619" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6619/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6619.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 138.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-517" data-attachment-id="517" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="517" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704371783","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6620" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6620/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6620.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 138.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-522" data-attachment-id="522" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="522" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704371954","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6622" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6622/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6622.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 138.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-520" data-attachment-id="520" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="520" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704372048","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6623" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6623/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6623.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 138.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-518" data-attachment-id="518" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="518" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704372341","copyright":"","focal_length":"31","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6626" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/23/the-rugged-west-coast-of-new-zealand/img_6626/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6626.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 138.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">At 7 PM we reached back and the city centre of Greymouth was like a ghost town. I am sure some restaurants must be open but even if they were – they would shut down pretty early. Some pubs remain open but only to serve liquor. Luckily we found a Chinese place and got the dinner packed.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><b><br /></b></p><h5 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--custom--font-size--normal); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Drive back to Christchurch via Arthur’s pass</h5><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We had breakfast in the room next morning and left for Christchurch after that. The route through the scenic Arthur’s pass takes you from West coast to the East coast. It takes 4-5 hours though distance was around 270 km. We didn’t stop much on the way mainly because it was raining till we crossed the Arthur’s pass. In this rain with the fog hanging low it was again an interesting drive. There is another route called the Lewis pass route but that is much longer. Once again it was an up and down winding motor drive with a lot of view points. There were signs of many skiing centres along the way and these must be busy during the winter months. <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">There were national parks, conservation centres, lakes and mountains through the way. </strong>Many people stay at Arthur’s pass and then do their hiking, skiing or visits to national parks from there. Accommodation is limited in this area.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We had spent around 11-12 days in South Island and it was time to catch the early morning flight next morning from Christchurch to Delhi via Melbourne. It had been a great holiday and with each travel we experience and learn so much. <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The entire country of New Zealand had ‘sporty’ and ‘outdoor’ written all over it.</strong> A child is as enthusiastic about adventure sports just as an old man. It is indeed one of the most beautiful countries that one can visit with great choice of places one could visit. Driving was the best way to explore the country and I would recommend this highly to anyone who visits New Zealand.</p></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-65916955586185092352024-02-16T11:50:00.000+05:302024-02-16T11:50:03.168+05:30Queenstown - A mesmerising town. <p> </p><div class="entry-content wp-block-post-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content-is-layout-constrained" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "DM Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline));"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img class="wp-image-462" data-attachment-id="462" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"13","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704000642","copyright":"","focal_length":"75","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.0028571428571429","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6504" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_6504/" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6504.jpg?w=768 768w" style="aspect-ratio: 1.5 / 1; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 639px;" width="1024" /></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The town was named Queenstown by Gold Prospectors in 1860’s who had invaded this region as Gold had been discovered in the nearby Arrow River. There is a story that Irish settlers named the town after a city in their country. Simply put it is a stunning lake town having a population of just around 30,000. While the main attraction remains <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake Wakatipu</strong> and its changing colours, the mountains of <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">‘The Remarkables’ , ‘Cecil Peak’ and ‘Walter Peak’</strong> looms large over the town. The place has a lot to offer through the year as during the winter it is a very important base for skiing in nearby mountains.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We arrived here in the afternoon of a bright and beautiful sunny day and fell in love with the place right away. It is kind of a dream city where you want to buy a house and settle down for life. Everything was perfect the day we arrived here. The Lake was glistening, the mountains were totally green and the city centre was humming with activity. As we were going to be here for 4 days – we had enough time to explore the area and do a lot of touristy things. The main city centre is attached to the Lake and as that is the crowded area, it was good that our apartment was a 15 minutes walk uphill as I didn’t want the hassle of taking the car and then looking for parking. The apartment had bedrooms, a nice kitchen, a living room and a lovely sit out area. It was well equipped so made things easy for us. At times when we didn’t want to walk uphill at night we could just call an Uber. One day we called in for dinner delivery and had dinner in the apartment at leisure. Breakfast was in the premises itself each day as we had got all requirements from the super-market.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-471" data-attachment-id="471" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704227151","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00060790273556231","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-45.028308333333","longitude":"168.66619722222"}" data-image-title="img_0965" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_0965/" height="768" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0965.jpg?w=768 768w" style="aspect-ratio: 3 / 2; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Upon arrival and immediately after checking in and depositing our luggage we walked down to the market area for lunch and to get the feel of the place. We liked what we saw and were happy that we were here for the maximum number of days during the trip. Being a touristy town it had that hustle and bustle which makes a place vibrant. There were boutique shops, brands, restaurants, open air cafes and that lovely smell of food. Obviously in 4 days one can’t do everything that this town had to offer so here are some of the things which we did.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">Drive to Glenorchy</h3><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Glenorchy is a picturesque town 46 km’s from Queenstown. The drive is rated very highly and is featured by many magazines as one of the lovely drives in the world. It has many stops on the way as you take this curving road and encounter forests, snow peaks and magnificent views of Lake Wakatipu. On the way there are so many places where you can just stop and admire the views or have a nice picnic. We stopped at Bennetts Bluff Lookout and Sunshine Bay for photos but the real treat was at the end of a diversion we took.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-465" data-attachment-id="465" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"10","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704002376","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6523" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_6523/" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6523.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake Moke</em></figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">This diversion took us to <b>Lake Moke</b> which had lovely walking trails and a beautiful lake. It had a camping site and a lot of Livestock. We spent more time here than we had planned as Kapil loved a hike so much that he disappeared in the forests for a long time just enjoying the fresh air and the beauty. Once he was back we continued our journey and after reaching Glenorchy continued towards a place in mountains called the Paradise. This is a gateway to a very famous trail called Routeburn Track trailhead. Then we turned back and had a nice leisurely lunch at Glenorchy. As it is a small town with a lake – it had a laid back atmosphere. As the weather was great there was a lot of activity near the lake. It had been a great drive till here and it was a great drive going back to Queenstown.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">A visit to Arrowtown</h3><div><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-475" data-attachment-id="475" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704193215","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0001610046691354","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-44.928913888889","longitude":"168.73574722222"}" data-image-title="img_0946" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=862" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=252" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg" data-orig-size="2733,3248" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_0946/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=862" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=862 862w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=1724 1724w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=126 126w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=252 252w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0946.jpg?w=768 768w" style="aspect-ratio: 3 / 2; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom;" width="862" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Para Sailing near Arrowtown</strong></figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">This was the real gold mining town next to the Arrow river. It also has Lake Hayes- another beautiful lake in this country endowed with so many lakes. The township came up only due to ‘Gold Rush’ and it remains a quaint little town. While coming here we had to cross mountains and we took a diversion and reached at some mountain top where some adventure sports were taking place like Para Sailing and Kite gliding. I wanted to do it but they said we needed to book it in advance. It seemed very well organised. Just nearby was a cycling track in the mountains and we started walking on it but a cyclist thankfully warned us to stay away from it. The way these guys were cycling on it (including some teenagers) was not something a faint hearted person can watch – leave alone actually take part in this sport where they took those hair pin bends on the rough mountainous track at a great speed.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">At Arrowtown we checked out the museum where Gold Mining history of the region was exhibited. We roamed around the market enjoying the cafes and checking out the boutique shops. I did buy a few Marino wool sweaters and so did others.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><b><br /></b></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">Queenstown Hill walking Trail</h3><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The city has a lot of walking trails and people are always seen exploring the trails. They are of all ages. I accidently got on to Queenstown Hill walking trail as it was not very far from our apartment. I kept climbing and climbing and it wouldn’t end. A couple of girls who crossed me (they were coming down) gave encouragement and assured me that I could do it. And I did. It was hard work but I managed to climb to the top. What I remember from that hike is the smell of fresh air and lovely views of the lake and the city. Trail hikes are an important part of New Zealand itinerary and one must find about the trails and the effort level required in advance to plan the schedule.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;"><br />Milford Sound- The Fjords</h2><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Actually we didn’t do this trip. Most people who travel to the South Island have 2 objectives in mind – visit Queenstown and take a trip to Milford Sound. Though we didn’t take a trip there, I wouldn’t discourage people from visiting these amazing Fjords. I have read about them and seen photographs. Had we driven, it would have been a full day trip as one way it can take 4 to 4.5 hours. One can take an organised tour or do that trip where bus takes you one way and you fly back the other way. This is expensive but may be worth it. At New Year’s time Milford sound is known to be very crowded with parking and other hassles. Devicka and I have been to several Fjords in Iceland and Norway so we had decided to include the west coast in our itinerary instead of this trip.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">The New Year’s eve</h3><div><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-481" data-attachment-id="481" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704059491","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"80","shutter_speed":"0.02","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-45.032658333333","longitude":"168.65886111111"}" data-image-title="img_0880" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_0880/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0880.jpg?w=225 225w" style="aspect-ratio: 3 / 2; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom;" width="768" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Getting warmed up for the New Years Eve</em></strong></figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">This was fun !The town centre next to the Lake is where the action is. Being so far East in the world it was a good feeling to usher in the New Year before much of the world did. The setting couldn’t be better. There was a lot of crowd but very well behaved crowd. Drinking was not allowed in open but you could go into any bar or restaurant and have a drink. We roamed around and saw the beautiful sunset and then went to a restaurant for our dinner. The city was revved up by the time we came out with some great music by live bands. Next to the Lake and mountains in great weather it was just fun, fun and fun. There were multiple events happening at different places but it was the music and the live performance we stuck to. There were pop up stalls and most places were open till late. The dessert places had long queues and there were long queues to enter nightclubs as well. At stroke of midnight there were spectacular fireworks over the lake. It was such a lovely evening.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">Golf in Queenstown</h3><div><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinarora.com\/2024\/02\/14\/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-478" data-attachment-id="478" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="478" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704118866","copyright":"","focal_length":"1.57","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.00064391500321958","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-45.042625","longitude":"168.67024166667"}" data-image-title="img_0929" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_0929/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0929.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 277.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="768" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-477" data-attachment-id="477" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="477" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704113753","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00013399437223637","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-45.046463888889","longitude":"168.67520277778"}" data-image-title="img_0909" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_0909/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0909.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 277.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="768" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-479" data-attachment-id="479" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="479" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704115451","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.000125","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-45.045963888889","longitude":"168.67491111111"}" data-image-title="img_0921-1" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_0921-1/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0921-1.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 277.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="768" /></figure></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">1st January 2024 – the first day of the year had a perfect start for the year for Kapil and me as we drove to Queenstown Golf Club for a game of golf. It was indeed the most picturesque golf course I have ever played in. The Royal Spring Golf Course in Srinagar is another spectacular course that I have played in. There is another golf course called the Jackspoint but this one was closer. You had great views from almost all the holes and the colours of Lake Wakatipu appeared to be even deeper turquoise from here. It was hard work carrying the golf set and going up and down the hills but it was so fulfilling. We went to the clubhouse after the game for a well deserved beer.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">The food</h3><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">At the edge of the market is a hamburger shop called the <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fergburger.</strong> At any time during the day or night – from the time it opened to the time it shut, it had a queue of about a hundred people.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We keep eating New Zealand lamb chops everywhere in India but hardly saw it on the menu of any restaurant there.<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> ‘Pedro’s house of Lamb’</strong> promised much and had a great menu but it remained shut through our visit. Owner must have gone for a holiday.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The Indian and Chinese restaurants were very popular as they were open till late. There were some good places like F<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">lame Bar and Grill, Public Kitchen and Bar, The Grille, Boardwalk etc</strong> but their kitchens used to shut down latest by 8 or 8.30 PM and most needed advance booking. There was a good <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Irish pub called Pog Mahones </strong>where I enjoyed a few pints of Guinness beer a couple of times.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large); line-height: 1.4; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: left;">Adventure Sports</h3><div><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinarora.com\/2024\/02\/14\/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 664px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-487" data-attachment-id="487" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="487" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 14 Pro","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704309558","copyright":"","focal_length":"9","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.0010050251256281","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6710-1" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=768" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://rohinarora.com/2024/02/14/queenstown-what-a-lovely-city/img_6710-1/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=768 768w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=113 113w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6710-1.jpg?w=225 225w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 885.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" width="768" /></figure></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Queenstown is a place where people do all the fun stuff like speed boating, Bungee jumping, para sailing, kite gliding, sky diving etc. We didn’t any of this stuff here but booked for sky-diving and helicopter landing on Glacier & Glacier walk from here. They had a lot of agents here and they provided comprehensive information. Sometimes you can get good deals also. Most important thing is to have courage to participate in adventure sports. The Skiing slopes are not too far away so their winter tourism mainly is all about Skiing.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">As we were driving to Franz Josef Glacier township at the West coast as our next destination from here, it made sense to do all this stuff there. I have already written about my skydiving experience at Franz Josef Glacier. The link is : <a href="https://rohinarora.com/2024/01/10/sky-diving-in-new-zealand/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-underline-offset: 0.15em;">https://rohinarora.com/2024/01/10/sky-diving-in-new-zealand/</a></p></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-28466705929957233662024-02-15T13:14:00.006+05:302024-02-15T13:14:44.308+05:30New Zealand South Island - Journey begins from Christchurch<p><br /></p><div class="entry-content wp-block-post-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content-is-layout-constrained" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "DM Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline));"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-427" data-attachment-id="427" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"13","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703761670","copyright":"","focal_length":"120","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.0055555555555556","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6463" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6463/" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6463.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake Pukaki – flanked by snow mountains.</em></strong></figcaption></figure><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Though we landed in Christchurch the intent was not to spend too much time here but move on the very next day. We hadn’t carried any food item and our shoes were clean so there was no problem at the Airport as their authorities are very strict about these things. Airport shuttle at NZ$ 10 per head along with luggage was very convenient way of getting to the hotel.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">I had an impression that Christchurch being a large town would be coming alive in the evenings as it was summer holiday season. Surprisingly the town shuts down pretty early as shops shut down by 5.30 PM and though we were staying in city centre at Muse Art hotel, there was not much to do in the evening. It actually looked dead. Some pubs etc remain open but their kitchens also shut by 8 PM. You can get dinner at some Indian or Chinese restaurants or some Burgers somewhere if you are lucky. Much of the action shifts to <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hagley Park</strong> in central Christchurch with joggers, walkers and cyclists doing what New Zealanders love doing- being outdoors. The park is huge and they have a golf course there as well. It was summer time so the days were long. There had been massive earthquakes in Canterbury area which was devastated in 2010 and 2011 and which flattened much of the city. It took them a long time to recover.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">The coastal town of Akaroa near Christchurch is very beautiful but we could not adjust our itinerary to visit it. Akaroa is a port town having French influence and has a massive Volcano. We would have certainly visited had we spent another day in this area.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">I had booked a Land Cruiser Prado so that we could comfortably drive the south island with our luggage . I booked it through <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">booking.com</strong> and the car rental company was called <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">‘Yesaway.’</strong> I had also bought insurance in advance but next time it may be better to take insurance from the rental company as then you don’t have to pay anything in the event of a mishap. Rental company was very near the airport so Devicka and I went by bus and picked up the car and got it to the hotel for luggage to be loaded. There were 4 of us so we had luggage and this car was a great choice. Besides Devicka and me, Devicka’s sister Alka and brother in law Kapil were our travelling companions. It is so good to travel in a small group as you can do so much more and enjoy a lot together. With the car all loaded – we were soon on our way.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-431" data-attachment-id="431" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703757715","copyright":"","focal_length":"67","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.0055555555555556","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6454" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6454/" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6454.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake Tekapo</em></strong></figcaption></figure><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mt. Cook or Aoraki </strong>is the highest mountain of New Zealand and is very popular with hikers and adventure sports enthusiasts. On a clear day it can been seen from very far. The area has very limited hotel accommodation so we had booked a motel in Twizel for 2 nights. Twizel was a good choice to stay as it allowed us to explore all the Lakes and Mt Cook region. It is around 300 km’s from Christchurch and takes around 3.5 hours to reach.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We were not too far from Twizel (around 60 km) when the road took a bend and the stunning <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">‘Lake Tekapo</strong>’ came into the view. You actually gasp when you see it for the first time. The colour was so deep Turquoise that one falls in love with it. This colour is attributed to fine rock-flour (glacial silt) which is suspended in water. We spent a couple of hours here having lunch and walking around the lake. It was such a fine start to our journey. Twizel was in proximity to the three beautiful alpine lakes (Lake Tekapo, Lake Oahu and Lake Pukaki). Twizel has a small city centre and it had restaurants and a supermarket within walking distance from the motel. It had a nice breakfast place just opposite the motel so it was all very convenient. We had beer and late lunch in a nice pub and explored the area in the evening and made arrangements for the dinner knowing fully well that things would shut down by 8 PM.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-444" data-attachment-id="444" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="image" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png" data-orig-size="1024,682" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/image-5/" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/image.png?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinaroracom.wordpress.com\/2024\/02\/08\/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-439" data-attachment-id="439" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="439" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703758070","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.0055555555555556","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6455" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6455/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6455.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 156px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-438" data-attachment-id="438" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="438" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"9.5","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703758506","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6457" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6457/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6457.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 156px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-445" data-attachment-id="445" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="445" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703776295","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00022502250225023","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-44.004652777778","longitude":"170.47781388889"}" data-image-title="img_0738" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_0738/" height="768" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0738.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 156px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 208px;" width="1024" /></figure></figure><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Around Lake Tekapo – the cafes and the church</strong></em> <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;">of good </b></em><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">shepherd.</em></strong></p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></em></strong></p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We drove the next morning towards Mt Cook (45 minutes drive), stopping at the beautiful Lavender farms. We don’t get to see such farms in our country so it became a good long stop here. The road to Mt Cook national park was really beautiful. Much of the way was drive along the stunning<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Lake Pukaki</strong>, which has a backdrop of mountains. This is also a deep turquoise alpine lake. You cannot help but keep stopping on the way to click pictures.</p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinaroracom.wordpress.com\/2024\/02\/08\/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 664px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-436" data-attachment-id="436" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="436" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"9.5","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703827292","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6471" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6471/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6471.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 442.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)); bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; scrollbar-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); scrollbar-gutter: stable both-edges; scrollbar-width: thin; width: 664px; will-change: transform;">The Lavender farms</figcaption></figure></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-446" data-attachment-id="446" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.5","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 13 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703855077","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.7","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00067204301075269","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"-43.716755555556","longitude":"170.10324166667"}" data-image-title="img_0767-1" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_0767-1/" height="768" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_0767-1.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom; width: 667px;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">The scenic hooker Valley trail with snow mountains and suspension bridges</strong></em></figcaption></figure><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">As luck would have it the weather turned cold and windy as we reached Mt Cook national park. Then it started pouring. It just wouldn’t stop raining. This area is known for walking trails and most popular is the Hooker Valley trail which takes you near Mt. Cook and has 3 suspension bridges. I decided to do some part of the trail and set off on the wet slippery path and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was not the only brave one. There were some small children as well braving the elements. I did more than half the trail and crossed 2 suspension bridges before turning back as I was all soaked and cold.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We were staying in a very conveniently located area and the motel was called <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">‘Mountain Chalet Motel.’ </strong>We had another lake in our neighbourhood and this was an artificial lake called<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Lake Ruataniwha.</strong> We spent time around the lake in the evening and then watched the sky full of stars. Lake Rutaniwha was formed due to construction of a Hydro-Electric project and now used for recreation sports and the area around it is used for picnics. Twizel town itself came into existence because of this project so that workers could live here, and was supposed to be demolished after the project was over but as township had developed the government decided to let it carry on. I would definitely recommend a stay here for those who are visiting the south island as it is a very convenient base for a lot of touristy things. Twizel must be very popular stopover as all hotels and motels had ‘no vacancy’ signs hung outside.</p><p class="has-small-font-size" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: min(max(2.25rem, 6vw), 4.0625rem); font-weight: var(--wp--custom--heading--typography--font-weight); line-height: 1.2; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Journey to Queenstown</h2><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 17px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Twizel to Queenstown is just 200 km’s. The intent was not to do this journey quickly but to soak in all the sights and views on the way. We were staying 4 days in Queenstown so had enough time to explore that side of the island. Lake Oahu is soon after you take off but you have to turn inside for several km’s. Then another point to visit are the clay cliffs which takes you for several km’s parallel to highway.</p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinaroracom.wordpress.com\/2024\/02\/08\/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(50% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.5);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-447" data-attachment-id="447" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="447" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703837588","copyright":"","focal_length":"57","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6486" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6486/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6486.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 214.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 322px;" width="1024" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: calc(50% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.5);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-448" data-attachment-id="448" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="448" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"13","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703912070","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6487" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6487/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6487.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 214.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 322px;" width="1024" /></figure></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Then resuming the journey you have to cross Lindis pass which gives you a desert like feeling. At every opportunity one can get off the car at designated places and admire the views.</p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":217502176,"permalink":"https:\/\/rohinaroracom.wordpress.com\/2024\/02\/08\/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 664px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-451" data-attachment-id="451" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="451" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"13","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703915815","copyright":"","focal_length":"26","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6500" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6500/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6500.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 442.667px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)); bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; scrollbar-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); scrollbar-gutter: stable both-edges; scrollbar-width: thin; width: 664px; will-change: transform;">Lindis pass</figcaption></figure></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">As you approach Queenstown you start getting the feel of a hill station as the road climbs up with hairpin kind of bends and everything becomes very green and lush. This is much in contrast with the dry and brown Lindis pass.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">New Zealand is all about adventure sports and thrills. AJ Hackett Bungy Company was crowded as Bungy jumping centre was just before Queenstown and there were many participants. I didn’t go for Bungy jumping but did something called ‘zip lining’ over the river to get my first taste of the adventure sports for the trip.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-453" data-attachment-id="453" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4.5","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS R6","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1703943366","copyright":"","focal_length":"65","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.001","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="zipping-4" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg" data-orig-size="3408,2272" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/zipping-4/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/zipping-4.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Zip Lining at Bungy Jumping Centre</em></strong></figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">There are many things you could do on the way. There are many vineyards and wine tasting is very popular. Some wines are extremely good and famous. There is also a place called Cornwall where you could do <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">cherry picking</strong>. Through the way we saw lovely farms and a lot of livestock. The valleys we crossed on the way looked heavenly. There were very pretty hotels located in very scenic places. <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Driving here was a pleasure and not a pain as it was all so lovely with fields, rivers, mountains and miles and miles of natural beauty.</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">At around lunch time on day 4 of our NZ trip we entered a city which is considered by many as the most beautiful in the world. Queenstown.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">We spent 4 days in Queenstown and explored the neighboring cities . We did quite a bit in this lovely city including the New Year’s eve. Queenstown needs a full write up so will write about it in my next post.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);"><br /></p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: min(max(2.25rem, 6vw), 4.0625rem); font-weight: var(--wp--custom--heading--typography--font-weight); line-height: 1.2; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: var(--wp--custom--gap--vertical); max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);">Our Holiday Group</h2><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: calc(2 * var(--wp--custom--gap--baseline)); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size); text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-457" data-attachment-id="457" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"10","credit":"Rohin","camera":"Canon EOS 550D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1704000882","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6514" data-large-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=1024" data-medium-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-permalink="https://rohinaroracom.wordpress.com/2024/02/08/new-zealand-south-island-twizel-mt-cook-and-the-lakes/img_6514/" height="682" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=1024" srcset="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=2046 2046w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=150 150w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=300 300w, https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6514.jpg?w=768 768w" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;">Our group – Alka, Devicka, Rohin & Kapil</figcaption></figure></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-29259144661908844712024-02-14T13:25:00.000+05:302024-02-14T13:25:09.172+05:30Sky Diving in New Zealand<p></p><p></p><div class="editor-editor-canvas__post-title-wrapper edit-post-visual-editor__post-title-wrapper" contenteditable="false" style="color: #3c434a; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 4rem; outline: 0px;"><h1 aria-label="Add title" aria-multiline="true" class="wp-block wp-block-post-title block-editor-block-list__block editor-post-title editor-post-title__input rich-text" contenteditable="true" role="textbox" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2327; margin-bottom: 0.67em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0.67em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_6710.jpeg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/img_6710.jpeg?w=470" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: inherit; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom; width: inherit;" /></h1></div><div class="is-root-container is-desktop-preview is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content-is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content is-post-only block-editor-block-list__layout" style="color: #3c434a; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; outline: 0px; position: relative; user-select: none;"><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="6388e7bc-4353-4c36-aaa3-2e587608c984" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-6388e7bc-4353-4c36-aaa3-2e587608c984" role="document" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 664px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text;" tabindex="0"><div class="components-resizable-box__container" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex-shrink: 0; height: auto; max-height: 1934.36px; max-width: 1450px; min-height: 26.6809px; min-width: 20px; outline: 0px; position: relative; user-select: auto; width: auto;"><div style="outline: 0px;"></div></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="fecd4f34-0527-426d-b193-9220c0342a9d" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-fecd4f34-0527-426d-b193-9220c0342a9d" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There couldn’t have been a more exciting start to 2024. I am not talking about the golf I played on the first day of the year at the stunningly beautiful course located on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and flanked by mountains at Queenstown, New Zealand. I refer here to what I did a couple of days later at the Franz Josef Glacier township set in the picturesque west side of the southern island of the country.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="c5b5f3a1-d248-4bb4-9714-7498c5a51afb" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-c5b5f3a1-d248-4bb4-9714-7498c5a51afb" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Jumping from an aircraft is sure to bring the adrenaline rush to anyone. I was no exception when it came to Skydiving, considered as one of the most <span style="font-weight: 600;">extreme sport </span>in the world. I had been undecided about doing it when I reached New Zealand. On the first day of the year I had made up my mind not to indulge in this sport in which you had to jump from an aircraft from an unimaginable height and go into a free fall till parachute is opened. It was the idea of <span style="font-weight: 600;">free fall</span> which scared me as I started thinking of falling from a sky for 40 seconds as being similar to that feeling which you get on a <span style="font-weight: 600;">roller coaster with stomach churning and heart sinking</span> to an extreme depth. Yet-just 2 days later I was on a plane from which I was being asked to jump from 13000 ft. I still don't know how this thought transformation came about but I am glad I conquered this mental fear and enrolled for the dive.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="2f86d38d-5640-45f2-8bfc-fad53fb6d80d" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-2f86d38d-5640-45f2-8bfc-fad53fb6d80d" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was all very well organized. I had made an online booking so just went and registered at their office which was right across our hotel at the scheduled time. We were taken to an airfield nearby and in the shed there was a lot of activity happening as instructors were instructing the skydivers and support staff were getting them ready. I also joined the process and then waited as I was in the 2<sup>nd</sup> shift. This meant that the aircraft would go with a load of skydivers and come back for the second shift in which I was to be included. I would have preferred the first shift as one doesn't want funny thoughts to creep in while waiting.</p><figure aria-label="Block: Gallery" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block has-nested-images wp-block-gallery block-editor-block-list__layout is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex blocks-gallery-grid columns-default is-cropped" data-block="7d00346d-a5b8-4bbb-a305-89a3c8d697cd" data-is-drop-zone="true" data-title="Gallery" data-type="core/gallery" id="block-7d00346d-a5b8-4bbb-a305-89a3c8d697cd" role="document" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 664px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text;" tabindex="0"><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="e4a358c0-dc30-42c8-a702-69c368bf6760" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-e4a358c0-dc30-42c8-a702-69c368bf6760" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_0991.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/img_0991.jpg?w=768" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 263.104px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197.333px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="341dfdc4-72c2-4aba-a3aa-ffabfd61c14c" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-341dfdc4-72c2-4aba-a3aa-ffabfd61c14c" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_0980.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/img_0980.jpg?w=768" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 263.104px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197.333px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="3a11ca96-5305-4953-b20b-b909b1c87718" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-3a11ca96-5305-4953-b20b-b909b1c87718" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_0972.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/img_0972.jpg?w=1024" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 263.104px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197.333px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="cadc06b8-e4c0-43d6-832a-0bb1cc6ec590" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-cadc06b8-e4c0-43d6-832a-0bb1cc6ec590" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_6707.jpeg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/img_6707.jpeg?w=768" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 885.333px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure></figure><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="bbf5a873-c880-4b62-9813-f4e7252e2e3d" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-bbf5a873-c880-4b62-9813-f4e7252e2e3d" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I might have been in the 2<sup>nd</sup> shift but once in the aircraft I was told that I would be the first to jump so I had no chance to observe anyone while the others watched me carefully as we kept climbing and climbing till I was told that it was time. We had reached the desired height of 13000 ft.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="15a969b7-a219-460f-a97b-e596ebd884d0" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-15a969b7-a219-460f-a97b-e596ebd884d0" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The aircraft shutters were opened and I sat on the ledge with legs arched under the aircraft with hands holding the harness on my shoulders and then the instructor asked me to gently push out and I did not knowing what to expect once I was out of the comfort of the aircraft.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="80298678-5a48-48bb-8c78-cbf2413b4ced" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-80298678-5a48-48bb-8c78-cbf2413b4ced" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I did not hurtle down as I had expected but seemed that I was being blown by whooshing wind. I didn’t even feel that I was going down. It seemed strong wind from below was preventing gravity from doing its job. A tap on the shoulder by the instructor meant that I could leave the harness and spread my hands like an eagle. And I was suddenly flying and feeling exhilarated with the breathtaking views of snow covered mountains in front of me. The instructor turned me around a bit and the vast Pacific ocean was all there. The hands were really cold and apparently I was going down at the speed of 120 mph though I just didn’t feel it. Did I scream ? Yes-I did. But I couldn't hear myself as the sound of wind was all that could be heard. I could feel the gushing wind on my body while the eyes savored the views. I was flying !</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="e745126e-03ae-4770-ac1b-ffdc8ac11a7d" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-e745126e-03ae-4770-ac1b-ffdc8ac11a7d" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Then the parachute opened and we descended to the landing area. Everything suddenly became calm and silent and we made large circles as we descended. The instructor kept teaching me how to maneuver the parachute and take large rounds till we made a perfect landing. The entire thing had lasted 15 minutes from the jump to the landing but it was those 40 odd seconds of free fall which were most exciting.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="1b4d86cb-a1e7-4d4f-84cc-116c36c819bf" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-1b4d86cb-a1e7-4d4f-84cc-116c36c819bf" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rest of the evening I could not stop talking and thinking about the experience. I was so happy that I found the courage to do this jump. It will remain one of the most cherished memories of my life.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="731146dd-1864-4619-a3e8-f1bf6f3390b9" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-731146dd-1864-4619-a3e8-f1bf6f3390b9" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not surprisingly at night my mind went a couple of years back when I had gone under the sea at Havelock island which is a part of the Andaman & Nicobar islands. The comparison became inevitable as Scuba diving is also considered as an extreme sport.</p><h2 aria-label="Block: Heading" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block has-text-align-center wp-elements-0 alignwide wp-block-heading rich-text" data-block="deea5e66-9ef3-4ec3-988b-61f08413a24f" data-title="Heading" data-type="core/heading" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-deea5e66-9ef3-4ec3-988b-61f08413a24f" role="document" style="color: #1d2327; font-size: 48px; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 1128px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; text-align: center; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Scuba Diving in the Andamans</h2><figure aria-label="Block: Gallery" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block has-nested-images wp-block-gallery block-editor-block-list__layout is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex blocks-gallery-grid columns-default is-cropped" data-block="436c4bd2-7a68-405c-bd31-9f805ffa8a62" data-is-drop-zone="true" data-title="Gallery" data-type="core/gallery" id="block-436c4bd2-7a68-405c-bd31-9f805ffa8a62" role="document" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 664px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text;" tabindex="0"><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="23cf9c4a-d12c-4302-a3f9-8603449e859d" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-23cf9c4a-d12c-4302-a3f9-8603449e859d" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is gopr2800.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/gopr2800.jpg?w=1024" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 148px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197.333px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="23112dc4-276c-41a9-96ec-f04064ef9e26" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-23112dc4-276c-41a9-96ec-f04064ef9e26" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is gopr2811.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/gopr2811.jpg?w=1024" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 148px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197.333px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="da541559-c7c6-4513-b8aa-672b5346c945" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-da541559-c7c6-4513-b8aa-672b5346c945" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is gopr2863.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/gopr2863.jpg?w=1024" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 148px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197.333px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure><figure aria-label="Block: Image" class="block-editor-block-list__block wp-block size-large wp-block-image" data-block="9adacdbe-6cc2-4e9e-b3f9-9a5c1be96edc" data-title="Image" data-type="core/image" id="block-9adacdbe-6cc2-4e9e-b3f9-9a5c1be96edc" role="document" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*.66667);" tabindex="0"><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is gopr2886-1.jpg" src="https://rohinaroracom.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/gopr2886-1.jpg?w=1024" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 498px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; vertical-align: bottom; width: 664px;" /></div><div class="components-drop-zone" data-is-drop-zone="true" style="border-radius: 2px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; inset: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; position: absolute; user-select: text; visibility: hidden; z-index: 40;"></div></figure></figure><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="41998664-8e6d-4353-9022-24ad75f78ba2" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-41998664-8e6d-4353-9022-24ad75f78ba2" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Going Scuba diving had been a great and unforgettable experience. The feelings during the scuba diving was totally opposite to what it was during the sky diving. </p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="ff884ee0-23fa-4594-ba93-1d4fac7412a3" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-ff884ee0-23fa-4594-ba93-1d4fac7412a3" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In skydiving it was adrenaline rush and feeling of being liberated. During scuba diving as I had plunged meter by meter under the sea water I had felt calmer. While sky diving, it is the sound of gushing wind that is omnipresent but under the water it is the sound of your own breathing that helps you concentrate. You cannot breathe naturally and have to be dependent on the oxygen cylinder tied at your back. I remember being trained for an hour so that you get accustomed to breathing from your mouth. Once this fear dissipated and I felt comfortable breathing, I was mesmerized by the underwater marine life. It was so very beautiful swimming in the midst of array of colours and underwater life. The fish were of unimaginable shapes and colours and even the giant octopus looked so docile. There were so many species that I could not identify. Were they even fish ? The time I spent underwater was around 40 minutes and it felt that you had been transported into another world with the inhabitants living a different kind of life from what we know of life. As I said earlier- it was a whole new world.</p><p aria-label="Block: Paragraph" aria-multiline="true" class="block-editor-rich-text__editable block-editor-block-list__block wp-block wp-block-paragraph rich-text" data-block="b7f9e547-533d-459b-b44c-65e1784c36b6" data-empty="false" data-title="Paragraph" data-type="core/paragraph" data-wp-block-attribute-key="content" id="block-b7f9e547-533d-459b-b44c-65e1784c36b6" role="document" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 664px; min-width: 1px; overflow-wrap: break-word; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I am glad I had gone under the sea then and I am really kicked that I jumped from the plane now. Given an opportunity I think these are the kind of experiences everyone should jump at.</p></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-59312914693721637022023-03-23T21:10:00.001+05:302023-04-07T22:35:38.662+05:30Goa is becoming a foodie's delight. <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkNFyYfx367y1BKtXmK6AUJxVmOEXI4icXhp160y-vfPlagWh0I2ZKkyaVuM6w5oaYsZAqXi8INo6kMX55dCPhNf43md8Zd6WJaCvYKPJuOsDEXpl2bV6ShnRiiOTAliw2d-s05oJdaHajmekooVaRcRIw-qWcWWp09IPwHdnuC4KZpTHludpmdw0Tg/s4032/F0C9A57F-4B31-4343-B203-92984572D149.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkNFyYfx367y1BKtXmK6AUJxVmOEXI4icXhp160y-vfPlagWh0I2ZKkyaVuM6w5oaYsZAqXi8INo6kMX55dCPhNf43md8Zd6WJaCvYKPJuOsDEXpl2bV6ShnRiiOTAliw2d-s05oJdaHajmekooVaRcRIw-qWcWWp09IPwHdnuC4KZpTHludpmdw0Tg/w640-h480/F0C9A57F-4B31-4343-B203-92984572D149.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Yazu at Candolim Beach. Calamari and Palms & Sands are next door. </b></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">A lot of people from outside Goa bought property in Goa for residential purposes during and after Covid 19 set in. Apartments mushroomed all over the state and so did luxury Villas. Assagaon, Porvorim, Siolim and Reis Magos had some super duper Villas. Some of them were super luxurious with a view of Arabian sea and all amenities like gym and swimming pool within the premises. This resulted in many more restaurants coming up in Goa and many of them had Delhi or Mumbai background like </span><b style="text-align: left;">Soul Fry, Jamun, Mustard and Olive. </b></p><p>During this trip of Feb 2023 we were there for just 4 days so one can't really go to too many places. Basically we stuck to North Goa and each meal was at a different place. It all started with <b>Yazu</b> which happened to be part of <b>Marquis hotel at Candolim</b>. Marquis is a nice hotel with beach access. Next to it is 'O' hotel which has a casino so gamblers love to stay there. We were staying in <b>Chalet Balnear </b>next to the restaurant so it was very convenient. Yazu serves Pan Asian food and is very popular and as it is beach facing, plays some good music and has excellent food. It gets full 5 PM onwards as many come here for sundowners and then stick around. Those who drive here from some distance can drive into the lane and park at Marquis hotel so it becomes convenient as otherwise parking can be a big mess. Even for lunch it becomes a very good destination as one can take a few dips in the sea and then start off with Beer/Cocktails. Another great Pan Asian restaurant in the vicinity is <b>Wok n Roll </b>where we normally go but decided to check out other places during this trip so gave it a miss. Wok n Roll is on the road which goes from Taj Aguada to Aguada fort. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sun-downers</h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYcy8NfKIJWIDlHRRKZ24dBEXRtxlRTGDAuz1wSGMczuLsXJG3AJl8VxT8VjsjdGjYrkwuTybL2xzIENPsyfgjN_TgorDr1eG7mIyYzDE83fInVKL9ITGjWmJJlqHhNoi3LLvAWKsOorMA0qNKN5ZWcru2v5yFRVDKkcBPxDx_uIHHu4vdQPO7yr_9g/s1280/2AB979F5-8693-4F35-A092-2D1402A80126.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYcy8NfKIJWIDlHRRKZ24dBEXRtxlRTGDAuz1wSGMczuLsXJG3AJl8VxT8VjsjdGjYrkwuTybL2xzIENPsyfgjN_TgorDr1eG7mIyYzDE83fInVKL9ITGjWmJJlqHhNoi3LLvAWKsOorMA0qNKN5ZWcru2v5yFRVDKkcBPxDx_uIHHu4vdQPO7yr_9g/w480-h640/2AB979F5-8693-4F35-A092-2D1402A80126.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We were fortunate to witness these kind of sunsets from our Villa</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEUyL4XyGPk60r_Vv52J6_qDGnk7zkhGo71fJDenla0lzgUldQ1IK3NdS96rvIc34dcQguQsBsgZo5WCfCvzE1uKkyOrijYMTzvw31Ik_VNu3TqdcoJdP5KNE7ypam5vjIL47OeJDWQZN6udULIpTgr5h6D84c3EfWQxcs0YJIaU7tUIGlId1yG3iTg/s1600/DACBE098-FD15-4733-9ADC-0DF5F8E48780.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEUyL4XyGPk60r_Vv52J6_qDGnk7zkhGo71fJDenla0lzgUldQ1IK3NdS96rvIc34dcQguQsBsgZo5WCfCvzE1uKkyOrijYMTzvw31Ik_VNu3TqdcoJdP5KNE7ypam5vjIL47OeJDWQZN6udULIpTgr5h6D84c3EfWQxcs0YJIaU7tUIGlId1yG3iTg/w225-h400/DACBE098-FD15-4733-9ADC-0DF5F8E48780.jpeg" width="225" /></a></p><p><b>Sun-downer hours</b> seem to be the most popular time on the beach. Most people find the beach too hot in the day time to venture there so they wait for the sun to lose its intensity. The beach comes alive after 4.30 PM with loads of people in the sea and a lot of walkers and joggers trying to lose their calories with the lovely sea breeze blowing. One would have thought people would go for tranquility at this time but on the contrary it is the loud music which takes over the entire beach belt. Staying so close to the beach - it was impossible to take a nap once the music started with sun-downers and each shack belting out numbers which had 'loud' written all over it. This is happening on all the popular beaches of Goa. If you go towards Vagator and Anjuna - it is difficult to get a place in places like Antares and Thalaasa at around 5.30 PM. Thalaasa (Specialises in cocktails and Greek delicacies as it is owned by Greek couple) has moved from little Vagator to Siolim but still remains popular.</p><p>The <b>Palms and Sands</b> had a common wall with our villa so our loyalty lay there and owner was decent enough to send us our prawns and chili chicken to our place while we sipped our drinks sitting at our sea-side verandah. It was imperative that we had one meal there at the restaurant itself and we did that on the penultimate evening. Food and ambience was good and the sound of sea waves crashing onto the beach was soothing as thankfully the loud music ended once the sundowners left. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">A trip to Morjim</h3><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtayY8GbbdxPv-Ezr6YBsaDpyB6gZQ1VKwQk4ABSy3kMZSdGtHm4Mg8QpuTv4hdj1M0VN9RNwdUWnJiDwwK8JRuaO1z0eMYhE4PTXz1hzgWlRqK-gqqacbxAknrga23-htp0qLutnh4J6_wE-plLISFO4OWUwZCh8jN4_70m-U_VZ6I4WlZDxH3XpT9A/s4032/80545E45-9494-4579-A4DD-D068F2A10C81.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtayY8GbbdxPv-Ezr6YBsaDpyB6gZQ1VKwQk4ABSy3kMZSdGtHm4Mg8QpuTv4hdj1M0VN9RNwdUWnJiDwwK8JRuaO1z0eMYhE4PTXz1hzgWlRqK-gqqacbxAknrga23-htp0qLutnh4J6_wE-plLISFO4OWUwZCh8jN4_70m-U_VZ6I4WlZDxH3XpT9A/w640-h480/80545E45-9494-4579-A4DD-D068F2A10C81.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Newly opened Blue Turtle at Morjim</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieshkHWgi7hb7OH0jO_LBWlfLzAHhsZhBPZ4mOOrU_n4yozKxTOVO_5CiO8Qd9F2L6S-BKi4i_y14UrkQzDLAVyP0ysTgG5v-OqJ5s-KNpGmpe-VQ7QysGzjjrIzHqIYrql8nF0Oo-h4hE4-WKhk-Adm1La0WayQrK1ogucJPdCqG8iJ-x6WtD3FukAA/s3765/11D338F4-6680-4F23-9DC8-0D05ECDEE4B1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2344" data-original-width="3765" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieshkHWgi7hb7OH0jO_LBWlfLzAHhsZhBPZ4mOOrU_n4yozKxTOVO_5CiO8Qd9F2L6S-BKi4i_y14UrkQzDLAVyP0ysTgG5v-OqJ5s-KNpGmpe-VQ7QysGzjjrIzHqIYrql8nF0Oo-h4hE4-WKhk-Adm1La0WayQrK1ogucJPdCqG8iJ-x6WtD3FukAA/w640-h398/11D338F4-6680-4F23-9DC8-0D05ECDEE4B1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Blue Turtle. It has beach access. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Lazy Goose at Nerul Bridge and Toro Toro at Baga</b> are very popular places with live performances of musicians on certain days. The owners of these restaurants have recently opened another restaurant at Morjim. Morjim is further North from Anjuna and after crossing Siolim and Chapora river you turn left towards Ashwem and Morjim. <b>Morjim is known as 'Turtle Beach' </b>and while there are many shacks on the main entrance to the beach - many nicer restaurants have opened up further down the beach. In the past we always would go to the main beach and sit in one of the shacks there next to the water. We never found good food at any of those shacks. </p><p> <b>Blue Turtle restaurant </b>is a well laid out restaurant and is quite upmarket with a nice view of sparkling sea. It is a bit away from the main beach area which I have mentioned above, We had gone there for lunch and after a dip in sea I was given a nice towel so I could take a shower. It is a multi cuisine restaurant which had a decent menu but unfortunately we could just have a few drinks here as we had 3 youngsters with us who decided that they wanted to go to a more happening place. At around 1 PM Blue Turtle was just waking up. Diners and musicians had not yet come in, while in a shack nearby the music was blaring and there was full party atmosphere. The youngsters went there and asked us to follow once I got back from my swim. They were turned away from there as it was more of a hippie type joint and they said that they didn't have a table for 7 people. I think they didn't want us. By this time we had also walked out of Blue turtle. So now we were tired and hungry but had no place in mind to go for lunch. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1ogA9Pzy13q0smZbeEajO9MxxcaypKOvOv8qXeC8rniz4WB9dK_3C6yVo8WZmQAXoTQpqErL5-4-QE7r11krRkoYru5s1zaiNuF6zOtryatn1Jsz5AtnrDLy24tpdkWApQoCKb68uynFMuUfVtijGY9H0LNdMTB7itl3ofTKyJHh9Bm8jjm8pYzyhQ/s4032/D4052B3B-45DF-4762-8E9E-3AA89A353847.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1ogA9Pzy13q0smZbeEajO9MxxcaypKOvOv8qXeC8rniz4WB9dK_3C6yVo8WZmQAXoTQpqErL5-4-QE7r11krRkoYru5s1zaiNuF6zOtryatn1Jsz5AtnrDLy24tpdkWApQoCKb68uynFMuUfVtijGY9H0LNdMTB7itl3ofTKyJHh9Bm8jjm8pYzyhQ/w480-h640/D4052B3B-45DF-4762-8E9E-3AA89A353847.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Felix at Anjuna. Many such quaint but classy places have mushroomed in the beach belt.</b> </td></tr></tbody></table><p> Amongst the several restaurant names that Karl had given us <b>'Felix' </b>was one of them. Karl was the owner of Villa where we were staying. He had also recommended <b>Prana Cafe, Amber and Riverside.</b> For some reason we chose Felix at Anjuna. It turned out to be a nice lunch place with seating outside in verandah under the trees. The place was charming as it was an old Goan house with Bar and pool table inside the house and seating outside. When we wanted to have a drink, a young lady came to take the order and introduced herself as the mixologist of the restaurant. I don't think Feni was on the menu. No sure actually but I had a cocktail which promised much by its name but delivered little. Food was more of cafe type of food with limited menu but it was nice. We generally enjoyed the ambience and feel of the place. I got nice grilled butter garlic jumbo prawns along with my cocktail so I was happy. Good part is that all of us enjoyed the afternoon there. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Zh5loj-3t8uoisK3oC6lSi-F42TXT3vbaitq10bNoYJUu6QnliisMtGbE75HbVofq5p2s6IqAsbA7b-4ZczZYePsV3eLc2JOb0Ud-tOLnC0JC1cPn-AiwwpRE_3tpXfNGFNJU-vhzafM3QFqQtjezHnUjgLb-syJ4tORWvkp6GYHP0hwF25sk2ut5w/s4032/1A18252F-BC1D-4E0D-9151-DDABD092C9D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Zh5loj-3t8uoisK3oC6lSi-F42TXT3vbaitq10bNoYJUu6QnliisMtGbE75HbVofq5p2s6IqAsbA7b-4ZczZYePsV3eLc2JOb0Ud-tOLnC0JC1cPn-AiwwpRE_3tpXfNGFNJU-vhzafM3QFqQtjezHnUjgLb-syJ4tORWvkp6GYHP0hwF25sk2ut5w/w300-h400/1A18252F-BC1D-4E0D-9151-DDABD092C9D7.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>My Jumbo prawns in butter garlic. </b></td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"> Goan Food and Fish Thali</h3><p>If someone wants to have good Goan food then for several years <b>Ritz</b> was the most popular place. Ritz is in Panjim and the place gets crowded. I have actually seen long queues there. One of the main reason for such popularity was the pricing they had. They have opened a few branches and one of them is in some mall. They have tried to be upmarket and now you get all kinds of food there - even butter chicken. <b>Starlight cafe in Arpora</b> near Baga is another place where the locals go to enjoy genuine Goan food at a very reasonable price. For fish thaali we have been going to <b>The Fat fish</b> at Arpora for several years but the place has become so popular now that most times they run out of fish thaali. A couple of times we went to their Anjuna restaurant for thali.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhB28KJiAlJn-o61ZD52K9dWcqg8munA0SiPOjd5JVME4RRteExXwpp98aItvpeFhGorws2zT_EPsmut985r6cum4s5r_nyEwACLdp402Hv8McF-YoGC-1fjfxF84p1PI6O2WfiLZlkygq5TizLE_tgUaY43DV4C-UbL5G8N6P8-2W97IlTPM1WO7idw/s4032/9F7D12ED-35F5-494D-BD26-E485EEC86B32.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhB28KJiAlJn-o61ZD52K9dWcqg8munA0SiPOjd5JVME4RRteExXwpp98aItvpeFhGorws2zT_EPsmut985r6cum4s5r_nyEwACLdp402Hv8McF-YoGC-1fjfxF84p1PI6O2WfiLZlkygq5TizLE_tgUaY43DV4C-UbL5G8N6P8-2W97IlTPM1WO7idw/w480-h640/9F7D12ED-35F5-494D-BD26-E485EEC86B32.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fish Deck is a great alternate to Fat fish. Great fish Thali here. </b></td></tr></tbody></table><p> Another place near Fat fish is the 'The fish Deck' which also has nice fish thali. We did think of going to <b>'Anand seafood restaurant'</b> and made an attempt also but as always it was totally packed with 40-60 minutes waiting. Anand is a simple shack near Anjuna (on the main road itself) and they serve great sea food. Crabs and prawns are awesome here and the owner takes pride in the fact that he doesn't have a fridge so each day he gets fresh catch. Similar to Anand is <b>'Vinaayak'</b> and that too is very popular. </p><p><b>Soi</b> at Candolim is a better option for those who like a bit upmarket place. It is next to Sinq nightclub (Near Taj Village). It serves very good Goan food and has a fairly elaborate menu. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQE9HkIQjNAWabsjxbjKrlkk91MBY80ZeCwc3f9XVleWmp8koyIWPlnPKldhWmVdFN1BuZqGI7eJf3diZj-l4fscqV_GoxWYongWo7dEdthr-TjEgPXT6FYKV5XsI_Q527ALkIS8Xny0Vq39JPVK26Qdn2cEqE_3g4uQrHiN8lLMfX3Avm-cm3JNQow/s4032/F7B01419-41EE-4589-9E9A-99A6331484A6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQE9HkIQjNAWabsjxbjKrlkk91MBY80ZeCwc3f9XVleWmp8koyIWPlnPKldhWmVdFN1BuZqGI7eJf3diZj-l4fscqV_GoxWYongWo7dEdthr-TjEgPXT6FYKV5XsI_Q527ALkIS8Xny0Vq39JPVK26Qdn2cEqE_3g4uQrHiN8lLMfX3Avm-cm3JNQow/w300-h400/F7B01419-41EE-4589-9E9A-99A6331484A6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Good Goan food near Taj at Candolim</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>All these places have a large fish thali with Rava fried fish, fish curry, prawn curry, crab curry, 2 vegetables, rice etc. Many a times I have taken recommendation from the hotel staff and eaten home cooked fish thali at some small joint. That is a basic thali costing around Rs 120-140 but really tasty (a bit spicy also). It doesn't have so many things but it is normally very good. </p><p>Though Goans make some very good <b>Cafreal (Pudina/mint) and Xacuti (Coconut)</b> based dishes, I particularly like their beef chilli fry which is dry preparation with lot of onions, potatoes, tomato and green pepper. Those who don't eat beef can have chicken chilli fry. </p><p><b>Beachside Restaurants</b></p><p><b>Calamari bathe and binge</b> was also just a 5 minute walk on the beach from where we stayed at Candolim. It starts getting filled up around 2 PM and then people get in the mood after a few drinks and keep dancing till the time band decides to play. It has indoor as well as outdoor seating and you can get leg massage also while relaxing and sipping beer. Beach is right there so for me it is swim, beer, prawns, swim, beer and Pomfret ! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKGlWPc_SLggPlosB5M4QHVnrAqAn1harYs0Oz5o61b1Y-XDRUFRwpMI9jwO4KCspX110dHLNIYIMYi5I8UIHN6w9JMGOIC_93Uk_JSx_FwHi5tG1sPKqDAQtxNRVH1zjm8tPwkyox3FTk-mMPngqgMcqbuNZqEM_vYiTOKlwvxDRmrhNa9wdlHRLWQ/s4032/A77AF248-66FC-421C-93AD-36D4E4ADD116.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKGlWPc_SLggPlosB5M4QHVnrAqAn1harYs0Oz5o61b1Y-XDRUFRwpMI9jwO4KCspX110dHLNIYIMYi5I8UIHN6w9JMGOIC_93Uk_JSx_FwHi5tG1sPKqDAQtxNRVH1zjm8tPwkyox3FTk-mMPngqgMcqbuNZqEM_vYiTOKlwvxDRmrhNa9wdlHRLWQ/w640-h480/A77AF248-66FC-421C-93AD-36D4E4ADD116.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calamari has become expensive but people have money to spend. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi5QluCKxDJqRF4rrgXN8Pk5SgLJulZbVGF5bfSp8LvL9O-394vA5JkZhOvbX3O4Mb7yjMMlPVc01q0dxQlxV2PY9sW0RNaXsTDPwy8ThZE34g9cMrUOS8rBvroYipY8WJYlQHcR2GjzDzD5Z4UKbUswsrrIeen8XFOueQiZQ0jkSGLOLJ5tGgE9qFA/s4032/6FDDFE8C-C145-4AC1-957D-57FD11A40970.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi5QluCKxDJqRF4rrgXN8Pk5SgLJulZbVGF5bfSp8LvL9O-394vA5JkZhOvbX3O4Mb7yjMMlPVc01q0dxQlxV2PY9sW0RNaXsTDPwy8ThZE34g9cMrUOS8rBvroYipY8WJYlQHcR2GjzDzD5Z4UKbUswsrrIeen8XFOueQiZQ0jkSGLOLJ5tGgE9qFA/w300-h400/6FDDFE8C-C145-4AC1-957D-57FD11A40970.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tandoori Pomfret at Calamari</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pousada on the beach at Calangute is another good place for lunch but now they have started charging cover charges which we found steep. I was also recommended <b>Pisco by the beach at Anjuna</b> but couldn't make it there. <b>Olive at Vagator and La Plage at Ashwem</b> have great ambience and are very upmarket. Both these places are crowded at lunch time. The place I enjoyed a few years back was 'Marbella beach resort' near Ashwem. They have lovely white beach beds and you can very well spend the full day there. I have never really stayed in Ashwem and Morjim as I like the evening atmosphere of Candolim so prefer to stay this side. </p><p>We were surprised that <b>Britto's at Baga</b> wore a deserted look at peak dinner time. Perhaps people want to try new places and this was such time of the year that all restaurants are open so people have more choice. We got a nice table on the beach and the lights on the shacks starting from here and going all the way to Taj Aguada looked very pretty. Food wasn't too great this but it wasn't bad either. I had some chilli prawns for starters and yellow daal fry, naan and beef chilli fry for dinner. Earlier parking used to be an issue here but now there is a large paid parking just 5-10 minutes walk away. </p><p>There used to be a time when trip to Goa meant 4 main restaurants -<b> Ritz, Brittos, Tito's and Souza Lobo. Now we have Tuscany Garden (Italian), Banyan Tree(Thai), Wok n Roll (Pan Asian), House of Lloyds (Steaks) and many others which I have mentioned above. </b>Panjim has some very famous restaurants but we never manage to go there. </p><p>Trip was over soon after it started as 4 days go by very quickly. Hopefully we will go once more this year and try out 5-6 new restaurants which we haven't tried earlier. But with me you never know as it may be South Goa next time and it will be time for <b>Martin's Corner, Fisherman's wharf and Chef Avinash Martin's new offering 'Caventa Goa !' </b></p>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-52395415650296775662022-08-17T13:32:00.025+05:302022-08-17T15:28:38.956+05:30Da Nang and Hoi An - Vietnam<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wJEsuWb4BsSoZuzwHwOM9cCmrRRUxfPPNpZbVq-YnEQ6Mc_pc5wBUxjgU3cQ-ltObM_fOBTODw-xugMpEvGPH5YTODMY9rf3BXXVlBTrZVt7YKAFnAx1jLuxvHGqkwWSF-h_I1g3nayXkou6pWAj3uRC6YP9DhQG9RA0uyAmuTCRfTkaXtCGgtScag/s4032/D924DBE8-026D-46F5-B0AD-E0B58EE65D18.jpeg" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wJEsuWb4BsSoZuzwHwOM9cCmrRRUxfPPNpZbVq-YnEQ6Mc_pc5wBUxjgU3cQ-ltObM_fOBTODw-xugMpEvGPH5YTODMY9rf3BXXVlBTrZVt7YKAFnAx1jLuxvHGqkwWSF-h_I1g3nayXkou6pWAj3uRC6YP9DhQG9RA0uyAmuTCRfTkaXtCGgtScag/w583-h530/D924DBE8-026D-46F5-B0AD-E0B58EE65D18.jpeg" width="583" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golden Bridge stands 1400 m above sea level at Baa Na hills</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: large; text-size-adjust: auto;">Important things to do before you go to Vietnam</span></h3><ul class="ul1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;"><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Find rules about vaccination, RT PCR and make sure that these are complied with. In any case one should always carry vaccination certificate and no harm in getting RT PCR test done. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Ask your travel agent to fill up the Air Suvidha declaration and ‘check you <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in’ <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>a day before you are coming back. Or one can do that oneself on phone/laptop. Just keep pdf copies of vaccination certificate on your device. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Carry a spare phone and buy a sim card on arrival ait airport with a few phone calls and 3-5 GB data. I bought a 3 GB Sim and it cost around Rs 650. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Best app for taxi is GRAB in Vietnam. Download it with new Sim card and ideally link it to a credit card. I had a forex card so I linked it to that. Grab was a boon - very nice cars and would arrive in no time at all. Made life very easy. But you can pay by cash as well. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Other radio taxis like Mailinh or Vinasun are also good though more expensive than grab. It was easy getting taxi’s from everywhere. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Vietnamese Dong can make you nervous as exchange rate is 1 USD = VD 24000. My formula for converting Dong to INR was - delete last 2 zeroes and divide rest by 3. So 10,00,000 or 1 million Dong would become 10000/3 = 3333 INR</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It would help if you make a day-wise rough itinerary. You don’t have to follow that but it will help you get organised and making changes becomes easy. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Vietnamese eat very low salt and chili diet. Salt you can always get but carry chili flakes with you to make food more interesting or show them picture of chili in soya sauce to get it. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Language is a problem so best would be to use some kind of translator on mobile. Once you have data on phone- it becomes easy. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It takes just about 4-5 days for E Visas to come. Better to apply for e visas rather than visa on arrival. </span></li><li class="li2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The Vietnam Airways counter at Delhi was managed by Air India personnel. Most inefficient staff there could be. Their check in process was extremely slow and painful. They confirmed to me that luggage was booked through to Da Nang. I did not trust them and checked conveyer belt at Hanoi (The transit airport). Sure enough - our luggage had been booked only till Hanoi and it was on the belt. </span></li></ul><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></h3><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;">An introduction</h3><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Vietnam is a top travel destination in Southeast Asia. The country receives an average of 6 million tourists each year - visiting the country for its affordable tourist destinations, archaeological sites, historic cities, beautiful beaches, and amazing culture.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the East Vietnam Sea – to the east.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;">While Hanoi is towards the North and Ho Chi Minh city is towards the South - Da Nang is somewhere in the middle. It is Da Nang which was our destination for this holiday.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">There is not yet a direct flight between Delhi and Da Nang. It is expected to start soon. We had done Hanoi, Ha Long bay cruise, HCM (Ho Chi Minh) city along with Cu Chi caves & Mekong Delta and beach resort of Nha Trang a few years ago. At that time we skipped Da Nang as the reviews said that you need 4-5 days in Da Nang and there wasn’t enough time. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Links to my previous visit to Vietnam :</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">https://rohin-arora.blogspot.com/2019/01/vietnam-diary-i-hanoi-and-halong-bay.html</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">https://rohin-arora.blogspot.com/2019/02/vietnam-diary-ii-nha-trang-ho-chi-minh.html</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Arriving at Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi</span></h3><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Our flight arrived in Hanoi at around 10.30 PM and we had booked a small hotel in the vicinity called Paragon Noi Bai hotel & Pool. As mentioned above, we were lucky that we checked the conveyor belt and found our luggage as we had been told that we should collect it at our final destination- Da Nang. The hotel car picked us up and kept the kitchen open for us to have something to eat before crashing out. Our flight was next morning so it was a matter of spending the night only. Hotel was a basic place in a lane quite near the airport, but rooms were clean and Air Conditioned. We had a windowless room but we didn't think about it as it was a matter of spending a few hours only. An Indian honeymooning couple who had arrived by the same flight as us were most disappointed that they were given hotel of this quality in a 'package' that they had booked from India. The hotel car dropped us to airport in the morning to catch our flight. I don’t know if the honeymooning couple continued staying here or checked out the next morning. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Sheraton Grand Da Nang</span></h3><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">From the reception area of the hotel the view was beautiful. We could see a very long swimming pool joining the infinity pool and then the sea almost merging in it. This is perhaps the largest swimming pool I have seen in any hotel. Even the luxury hotels in tourist destinations like Goa, Jaipur etc make very small pools which get over filled by guests making everyone uncomfortable. They should look to make larger pools as most people on a holiday like to swim if weather is conducive. There were mountains on the one side of the sea.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXwpyLhW1rVRwUVS1sCtX0JFCeurg15ddJYqoAQ8sqCSmpJ8fmT4A_UvAGKth81u8sr_Eihmm0KRRPFxC1EqgmtRkB4VNn_J9uU87lCVNXm3VWb2-DZyArY60HdLpoDlsdFZ9uiLAcKU5kFwTdquua0XbaH7lg-EJQswItVK_iVnwSZU2uzFjq5LCUA/s4032/CAE69516-775E-40D7-9A26-892C30D35EF7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXwpyLhW1rVRwUVS1sCtX0JFCeurg15ddJYqoAQ8sqCSmpJ8fmT4A_UvAGKth81u8sr_Eihmm0KRRPFxC1EqgmtRkB4VNn_J9uU87lCVNXm3VWb2-DZyArY60HdLpoDlsdFZ9uiLAcKU5kFwTdquua0XbaH7lg-EJQswItVK_iVnwSZU2uzFjq5LCUA/w480-h640/CAE69516-775E-40D7-9A26-892C30D35EF7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swimming pool was never ending and the infinity pool almost merged into the sea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> It was cloudy and it all looked divine. We were ready for our 4 day holiday. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It wasn’t long before I was in the pool. For me doing laps in a pool is a way of relaxing and stretching. It really refreshed me after all those flights. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Sheraton Grand was a huge hotel with nice rooms and villas. I liked the view from my room as it faced the Bay area. The hotel had 3 great golf courses in the vicinity and I was told that 'Dragon golf' will book a game for you and even hire out golf clubs. I decided to keep golf at abeyance till I made a trip with my golfing friends. Hope that happens soon.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Hoi An - The lantern city</span></h3><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUURuaYAPVNQO7teqzFe84p33USIBBMEwlMjKJvQpTIuvw6icWwSaHze_KvL4GMNXMjfIb3zJz1k3qBZBC77_3V-7BT50JwpJ4p9e3-0qxfZW6N5ELNduA7METCxGJ7KGjE-OrZCxMAHCC8LZ_T3w932PGulDywymYFyxmlyVBq3AhgB7egbMTSzt_g/s4032/67CCC069-0F15-4199-A958-B79759996944.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUURuaYAPVNQO7teqzFe84p33USIBBMEwlMjKJvQpTIuvw6icWwSaHze_KvL4GMNXMjfIb3zJz1k3qBZBC77_3V-7BT50JwpJ4p9e3-0qxfZW6N5ELNduA7METCxGJ7KGjE-OrZCxMAHCC8LZ_T3w932PGulDywymYFyxmlyVBq3AhgB7egbMTSzt_g/w640-h383/67CCC069-0F15-4199-A958-B79759996944.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bon River is full of boats with Lanterns. It is a spectacular sight. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></div><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Devicka and I are not the ones to waste time. We were on way Hoi An after relaxing for an hour. Hoi An is a small town next to Da Nang known for its old town and the lanterns. Old town has small shops selling a lot of traditional stuff but the specialization is in garments and shoes. They have excellent variety of fabrics and can stitch anything for you in a few hours. They even make shoes of your size once you like the design in 2 hours ! If the order is good they will deliver it to your hotel. Bargaining is a way of life here. They also have a night market. We roamed around for a couple of hours and saw the streets come alive as the sun set with beautifully lit lanterns. Many shops were selling the lanterns as well. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1eAP2Tmw1fkxbwd6HeHq4zIqf5RgApFZyr_LuqSom_nme8azvsfaL0u7lzCnnpo4utFKYYy3FXIY83tFNikaUBzTDM361s3vIH6QScc-AmXSmFUlb_sSi_CiB_bJ_lXxXGfDvvJK0vVJocv3BRuPxsNH-WT2k50muWQ5m10i8bEHcm3ZtUZhQjAASA/s4032/52999561-7DF4-4D9D-97C1-7856FFF5B506.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1eAP2Tmw1fkxbwd6HeHq4zIqf5RgApFZyr_LuqSom_nme8azvsfaL0u7lzCnnpo4utFKYYy3FXIY83tFNikaUBzTDM361s3vIH6QScc-AmXSmFUlb_sSi_CiB_bJ_lXxXGfDvvJK0vVJocv3BRuPxsNH-WT2k50muWQ5m10i8bEHcm3ZtUZhQjAASA/w480-h640/52999561-7DF4-4D9D-97C1-7856FFF5B506.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lantern shops</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We walked till the famous covered Japanese bridge and then turned to where the real action was. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BZvKnmczkxZ1v_zv0gHwNz8SlXvkC9WVWYJ0NesQIMPgY8kdkUaUGMbPb9bo9edQCHNF3LpkCME3wkpRlg8jpNAbPmrsDfoUAXuORMktYKlkLcMwXoNihcG1KINumErKzAAqdGIuJejgouNy_C5OVhQ7aTDDfVLjWqCsuB0ghzhaivJVWUmOQ1_NPw/s4032/8F6CF7F5-F020-480F-BAC4-8A9C7A5AF1DB.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BZvKnmczkxZ1v_zv0gHwNz8SlXvkC9WVWYJ0NesQIMPgY8kdkUaUGMbPb9bo9edQCHNF3LpkCME3wkpRlg8jpNAbPmrsDfoUAXuORMktYKlkLcMwXoNihcG1KINumErKzAAqdGIuJejgouNy_C5OVhQ7aTDDfVLjWqCsuB0ghzhaivJVWUmOQ1_NPw/w547-h640/8F6CF7F5-F020-480F-BAC4-8A9C7A5AF1DB.jpeg" width="547" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Japanese Covered bridge, Hoi An</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The river front was bustling with activity. <b>The boats in the river Bon</b> were covered with lanterns and there were hundreds of them crisscrossing each other. It was a spectacle worth watching. We preferred to watch the boats and the activity rather than go boating ourselves. There were bars and restaurants on the other side of river and we needed to rest our feet and sit down so we sat in the <b>Tiger bar</b> which advised people not to be pussies but be a Tiger. Tiger of course happens to be a famous Beer brand. We had a few drinks with grilled pork as snack before walking and exploring the area for another half an hour or so. Entire area was lit up and the place had some real positive energy which reflected in the crowds. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Dinner was at famous riverside <b>Morning Glory Signature</b> famous for <b>sizzling pepper beef, snapper with mango , and fish in caramel sauce. </b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> It was huge restaurant cum bar with outdoor, indoor and rooftop seating. </span>As I could only eat one dish I chose the sizzling pepper beef and was happy at my choice. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Baa Na Hills</span></h3><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LooThNIGgRPin_nSTKuolD4XEWU5sru4cPXqPcaOtnNN47uLi-bEIoxk5ZvzjUCoITYkSbOFfvDLwNUraBNkHecS_4kxkYEgfYHJ1ULe4anlPpkjPSJt6plNAe_5RgAUN_Usji8XBQGwqybC2_7S7O-Qk9jqtV2QZsEVfy67F9uHpyjUgoYkPVSqyg/s4032/DA51BC83-A99C-41DC-90AE-F3C01D600BDC.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LooThNIGgRPin_nSTKuolD4XEWU5sru4cPXqPcaOtnNN47uLi-bEIoxk5ZvzjUCoITYkSbOFfvDLwNUraBNkHecS_4kxkYEgfYHJ1ULe4anlPpkjPSJt6plNAe_5RgAUN_Usji8XBQGwqybC2_7S7O-Qk9jqtV2QZsEVfy67F9uHpyjUgoYkPVSqyg/w300-h400/DA51BC83-A99C-41DC-90AE-F3C01D600BDC.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></div><div><br /></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><b>The hands bridge known as the golden bridge</b> has become the main image for Vietnam tourism. I found this ironic as for a country endowed with such natural beauty - a man made bridge has been projected as the most famous landmark as far as tourism is concerned. Actually this is not a bridge over some river or crevasse. It has been made on a mountain and for people to access it, they have to travel out of Da Nang, <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>buy tickets, go up on the <b>longest ropeway</b> in the world and then cross the famed bridge on their feet while admiring the beautiful view below . On holidays and weekends the crowds throng the place and it is difficult to even cross the bridge. Vietnam has a bustling internal tourism . International tourists are very few now due to restrictions imposed during Covid19 and visas not being issued.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8LQptc-QQF4QaRh567mt90fEQr0Q9Bh117smttQrYBZVOFhKOMjQn04JDPZUETeb7ndrpQaEAEhRGBKaRbi27sy48-ncSU8lsctlE8-Ks1sPOpcQVoeWlt7rPSSSbAArT7SfrqoOwSGIPKmeFbzZ0m9XRNydHdnO3C1PsxcMVA8AVVM_5F38Sn2Jkg/s4032/B076E9AE-52FA-4393-9AB2-D303F22998FD.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8LQptc-QQF4QaRh567mt90fEQr0Q9Bh117smttQrYBZVOFhKOMjQn04JDPZUETeb7ndrpQaEAEhRGBKaRbi27sy48-ncSU8lsctlE8-Ks1sPOpcQVoeWlt7rPSSSbAArT7SfrqoOwSGIPKmeFbzZ0m9XRNydHdnO3C1PsxcMVA8AVVM_5F38Sn2Jkg/w480-h640/B076E9AE-52FA-4393-9AB2-D303F22998FD.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge Buddha statue at Baa Na hills can be seen from miles</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">After breakfast we had planned to go to <b>marble mountains</b> but as weather prediction looked good and it was a weekday - we called for Grab cab for <b>Baa Na hills</b>. It takes a good 45 minute ride to reach the base of hills from where you can buy tickets. ( If going on a weekend or in Vietnamese holiday season- buy tickets online.) Our driver was good, he knew English and he asked us to call him when we were ready to go back. We used him a few times including our drop off to the airport early in morning. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNaJ-42cx0556SEWuVuZrc5I2LCqq9i6z0b0OlBbwOtNaKarDy8MsN9tVuDrgvvMe92t0wROzDezH5ApEXag3wdSy7J66eFe95cIWRExy__V6Cvy1E-vz8AhErbgOgyP9TnVkfcXVBtbOmsqIoWaXmTXSHpgj6t-KNwX8ZGo7QhKU8tZkbGdhDF4chw/s4032/ABEFED5B-BBFA-40BE-83CE-1C2D77338CB5.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNaJ-42cx0556SEWuVuZrc5I2LCqq9i6z0b0OlBbwOtNaKarDy8MsN9tVuDrgvvMe92t0wROzDezH5ApEXag3wdSy7J66eFe95cIWRExy__V6Cvy1E-vz8AhErbgOgyP9TnVkfcXVBtbOmsqIoWaXmTXSHpgj6t-KNwX8ZGo7QhKU8tZkbGdhDF4chw/w640-h480/ABEFED5B-BBFA-40BE-83CE-1C2D77338CB5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Cable Car as you go up the Baa Na Hills. </td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Baa Na hills was good fun. The cable car was picture perfect. Near the base was a sprawling Baa Na hills golf course. Up there at the top they had made good gardens, a huge Buddha statue and eateries. Then you go further up on another cable car and you reach their Fantasy world with an amusement park, restaurants, shows etc. I had a major thrill coming down at full speed down the mountain on Alpine coaster. Lot of construction activities are going on in Baa Na hills. We will hear a lot more about it as new facilities come up. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-tljytcYJCA0IrNnpr-XBsvD4-i1YZUfW2o1uHjetfn3W6eAH_igAdYvmTYIk8eRXja2Mui_zXaEbwse1VuU_lnm-YFf79LZIn8UvN1Zafm1cMNdPI_rW9OY_Fy59Obw-4btiTc1cUSJaB9uKR5Z0jjnw_9OcOwVYmz70bU4TDKKAHN5EISRsBb8Sw/s4030/5FA58B60-448C-49E7-86D8-D329B79702C8.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3022" data-original-width="4030" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-tljytcYJCA0IrNnpr-XBsvD4-i1YZUfW2o1uHjetfn3W6eAH_igAdYvmTYIk8eRXja2Mui_zXaEbwse1VuU_lnm-YFf79LZIn8UvN1Zafm1cMNdPI_rW9OY_Fy59Obw-4btiTc1cUSJaB9uKR5Z0jjnw_9OcOwVYmz70bU4TDKKAHN5EISRsBb8Sw/w640-h480/5FA58B60-448C-49E7-86D8-D329B79702C8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun coming down the mountain at great speed on Alpine coaster<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It was almost 5 in the evening when we reached back. People normally go in the morning and come back late at night. I guess soon they will expand the entertainment area and add hotels and convention centers. I was soon in the sea followed by the pool. In an hour I was all relaxed and ready for second innings of the day. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">My Khe Beach - The activity Centre of Da Nang</span></h3><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKTSQcUDFQcQknb5y87U3jvROvylqe-L_Xo53Q1kjUO16D9z5kGORFnPGevicnjh-y-pGLbfHNNwGrka4acdxLZflX3R8JeWpigMEAnis5Fl4Ic25XszyZCRflsHuSGDoieGrWJBxbeVdWOpsfOwuM2_yJ8qP6Tr9PHfhGu9pdUF-5z1lqfEbBerg-w/s4032/B61F97BB-7AD6-4961-8FD3-43C88E453FDE.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKTSQcUDFQcQknb5y87U3jvROvylqe-L_Xo53Q1kjUO16D9z5kGORFnPGevicnjh-y-pGLbfHNNwGrka4acdxLZflX3R8JeWpigMEAnis5Fl4Ic25XszyZCRflsHuSGDoieGrWJBxbeVdWOpsfOwuM2_yJ8qP6Tr9PHfhGu9pdUF-5z1lqfEbBerg-w/w640-h480/B61F97BB-7AD6-4961-8FD3-43C88E453FDE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Khe beach is broad & clean and the bars/restaurants are pretty good</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><b>My Khe beach is the main beach of the city.</b> It is a lively beach area which has a road passing through which divides the beach from the high rise hotels. On the side of the beach are bars and restaurants and the beach itself has beach beds and games like volleyball. If you stay in one of the hotels you can choose a sea facing room and to visit the beach you just have to cross the road. Most of these hotels are good with sky bars and restaurants on top floor and swimming pools & spa. Advantage of staying here is that you can come down by elevator and you are in thick of action. Restaurants, Bars and Spas were all walking distances. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BYC-9o6NS_4BkVk7ZreeDMMIysLYtydH2jaR9Xac68eVtf1u1eHn2AkW6s2Wzo9vgB3LEyhhwnsEe6Fzzo497rSaH-9JZgBo9pzwb19-y_p6a3DTLzP8_w-ImELPMwJv4KxbK2XqT2qOlgdm_hoYWki2WACsJ_88CKktp2y3J2xbO0wFvlHr9SzMAA/s4032/BF7592BB-99D5-41E4-A531-02A3EDD72244.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BYC-9o6NS_4BkVk7ZreeDMMIysLYtydH2jaR9Xac68eVtf1u1eHn2AkW6s2Wzo9vgB3LEyhhwnsEe6Fzzo497rSaH-9JZgBo9pzwb19-y_p6a3DTLzP8_w-ImELPMwJv4KxbK2XqT2qOlgdm_hoYWki2WACsJ_88CKktp2y3J2xbO0wFvlHr9SzMAA/w480-h640/BF7592BB-99D5-41E4-A531-02A3EDD72244.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are many good hotels opposite My Khe beach and they are reasonable and good value for money</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">In Sheraton and other top hotels like Hyatt and Melia they have excellent facilities with low rise rooms, huge swimming pools and dining areas and they are on the beach but to go anywhere you had to get a cab. There was nothing interesting outside the hotel so one had to venture far to do anything. A hotel next to My Khe beach called the Premier Village looked good as you could walk to nearby places. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3U2puqNjEuUeFegRz04j8OgVC7qw62Ss2DSbcz944mlissdi4hyDmD07wwae2iN_eCN7lHeK7N28t1dRThr8-jjfLwAtmjGUOLo4U66us6pSySrvEqekXIkf-C1Wbql8dwDer7dinvDeEoJWJ8HUqd_iu8RHlxvB5MPpyZxOVT1pN1o4SPDiImsNTg/s4032/7F440B7F-F266-4622-88BB-327BEFB386AB.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3U2puqNjEuUeFegRz04j8OgVC7qw62Ss2DSbcz944mlissdi4hyDmD07wwae2iN_eCN7lHeK7N28t1dRThr8-jjfLwAtmjGUOLo4U66us6pSySrvEqekXIkf-C1Wbql8dwDer7dinvDeEoJWJ8HUqd_iu8RHlxvB5MPpyZxOVT1pN1o4SPDiImsNTg/w640-h480/7F440B7F-F266-4622-88BB-327BEFB386AB.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the city from 21st floor of the Sky Bar</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Evening on day 2 was spent at a beachside restaurant with the sound of waves and restaurant music and then we crossed the road to hotel Belle Mason which is famous for its Sky21 bar & restaurant. We strolled in that area observing the locals and watched how they selected the seafood from aquariums to be cooked - and then it was time to call it a day. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The Marble mountains </span></h3><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltf0OTDlOFhIGAUjil4h6YrcYIoo8N0HnQzXol_RwbDVbE4t2UofS72_j4l4FNIV7Y97v5KISOvKSTaCErovPNEZPm47XDQYMLk6O562KjGwGFEZymvCFjEmaGlWU7MTYYvOKP1CzaLWLYL91SOAuKKWJruNZML25FYOUUEgEpqhD0a35-MBxsHeq5g/s4032/7908D96C-BDB2-423C-9BAC-A8114BF4A46C.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltf0OTDlOFhIGAUjil4h6YrcYIoo8N0HnQzXol_RwbDVbE4t2UofS72_j4l4FNIV7Y97v5KISOvKSTaCErovPNEZPm47XDQYMLk6O562KjGwGFEZymvCFjEmaGlWU7MTYYvOKP1CzaLWLYL91SOAuKKWJruNZML25FYOUUEgEpqhD0a35-MBxsHeq5g/w480-h640/7908D96C-BDB2-423C-9BAC-A8114BF4A46C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caves of Marble mountains have Buddhist shrines in them.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></div><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The first 2 days had been perfect as it had been cloudy and cool. We woke up on day 3 to a bright morning. Much too bright to our liking. The sun was sharp and from the room even the beach sand looked hot or so I imagined. We could see the Marble mountains from the hotel. Named after 5 elements - these 5 mountains are made up of marble and limestone. Immediately after breakfast we decided to go to the Marble mountains. Thankfully they had an option of going up by elevator. Even then there were loads of steep uneven steps to go up and down to reach several caves and Buddhist statues. The atmosphere up there was very religious with chants of hymns reverberating everywhere on the mountain that we had climbed. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXEX-sc5WuB9aXT22l7jlC9dhtTSkLfpgqaQSeVRaPrbgWciDswc4N2KjArzOXHyro05Vo3ZHaYf-nusEaP7cAM9SBtbJpIsYbqW-faEkurHNeC92oGQo7PS6hpKppP522oM19sNflk6Y6eaTwnJrZ4jY6Z4S757tTK8favewqY-ukl4R8TvWyDrWBg/s4032/167A6303-C9C1-4DDE-90DD-E6F98D31F840.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXEX-sc5WuB9aXT22l7jlC9dhtTSkLfpgqaQSeVRaPrbgWciDswc4N2KjArzOXHyro05Vo3ZHaYf-nusEaP7cAM9SBtbJpIsYbqW-faEkurHNeC92oGQo7PS6hpKppP522oM19sNflk6Y6eaTwnJrZ4jY6Z4S757tTK8favewqY-ukl4R8TvWyDrWBg/w480-h640/167A6303-C9C1-4DDE-90DD-E6F98D31F840.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These steps of Marble mountains are tough to climb. During rains they become slippery.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It was hot and we were exhausted as we walked in all directions exploring the caves and shrines and then all the way down till the bottom. We were tired but not defeated. I had a solution of getting rid of this tiredness and immediately I called a Grab cab and we reached a very famous spa called the <b>Herbal Spa.</b> (herbalspadn@gmail.com; whatsapp (+84) 0901825789). They have 2 spas near each other and they were both occupied for next couple of hours. We walked again under the blazing sun till we found another spa which looked good. It turned out to be fabulous.<b> A 90 minute Vietnamese traditional massage with hot stone therapy cost approximately Rs 1500 each and it was most satisfying.</b> The girls used a lot of elbows and knees and it was most refreshing though a bit strong on the back at times. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the place though it was walking distance from a large restaurant called the Tokyo. Unfortunately Tokyo gave us terrible food and it was the beer that saved the meal. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Once again it was time for afternoon siesta and to decide what to do in the evening after my customary swim. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy06maNk145wMGuGDTWwX0ruflfrAfKPZeEmjuugNLxxx0Eu_icjpnt4cqNvwQQmA2xTwhvi47NU7Vi315C_qVf9821eq16wULVJ0fhg9QH678jvlHlNDLkJWg3cfGoQXBeqYQEAvQ_UiHb28j-40-1HutIKfqW6oqfEkZKiRfq59aJDhsOZNRiDXPBg/s4032/7DF1C5E2-74C5-4C96-BCCE-5FDDDFB506B5.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy06maNk145wMGuGDTWwX0ruflfrAfKPZeEmjuugNLxxx0Eu_icjpnt4cqNvwQQmA2xTwhvi47NU7Vi315C_qVf9821eq16wULVJ0fhg9QH678jvlHlNDLkJWg3cfGoQXBeqYQEAvQ_UiHb28j-40-1HutIKfqW6oqfEkZKiRfq59aJDhsOZNRiDXPBg/w640-h480/7DF1C5E2-74C5-4C96-BCCE-5FDDDFB506B5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dragon Bridge on River Han</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It was time to go to <b>Han river and the famed Dragon Bridge</b> in evening. The area around the Han river is called Hai Chau and could be termed as city centre of Da Nang with famous markets like Han market and Helio night market. We had gone there after sunset as didn’t want to go in heat so there was no point going towards Han market as it shuts early. Instead we roamed around the night market of Son Tra as we waited for the dragon to blow fire. On Saturdays and Sundays the area comes alive, the bridge is shut off and thousands gather all over the place to witness dragon blowing fire at 9 PM. I was more fascinated to see the number of the people than the show itself. I guess people need some entertainment. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTkhVs5tO_QlnLYxJTW6HgThpoiD1r1nXuIMo4HGBcH2g0x0CLmg7blwpUHPnrAGavpjv9DVBBFzu5LqwXooSGSVS9R3CV9DHMdRtCZoPGPvPkUVEwAYXUEbJ1i_vssl2hyp4f2I5aqgAfp4SY2EK-09T3oWIC9oJ0xHYAOzBbaGE0-cW3m8LEVbKFQ/s4032/4AB52DEB-7EBC-4D74-9A25-3A33803E4CE4.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTkhVs5tO_QlnLYxJTW6HgThpoiD1r1nXuIMo4HGBcH2g0x0CLmg7blwpUHPnrAGavpjv9DVBBFzu5LqwXooSGSVS9R3CV9DHMdRtCZoPGPvPkUVEwAYXUEbJ1i_vssl2hyp4f2I5aqgAfp4SY2EK-09T3oWIC9oJ0xHYAOzBbaGE0-cW3m8LEVbKFQ/w640-h480/4AB52DEB-7EBC-4D74-9A25-3A33803E4CE4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next to the Dragon Bridge is the Son Tra night market</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This area also has several good restaurants and <b>Olivia’s Prime Steakhouse (olivia@oliviasprime.com; +84908163352) </b>was on my list. The steaks and chops were superb and they had a great collection of wines. A place worth dining in if you like this kind of food. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The final day of our holiday</span></h3><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wks8r6zgBNgDcPuLVrd-jtEWzaVeeQg3RBPyVHkyYD6Xdb4VOGDCiOlcgsZ1EvALRUPEn-nj4oypO8bU77g7Fa0RsOGihdvdH8CFQ2Y7tVW39wjBiXxuVRRBo9nChfAVW1FAgL9rUG-ntI-t4Y7k-XputnFyrUJawxufT0hJb5j1eYhkv_-N3Op8gw/s4032/9B66A643-95B2-4B70-A3D7-292E941099A5.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Wks8r6zgBNgDcPuLVrd-jtEWzaVeeQg3RBPyVHkyYD6Xdb4VOGDCiOlcgsZ1EvALRUPEn-nj4oypO8bU77g7Fa0RsOGihdvdH8CFQ2Y7tVW39wjBiXxuVRRBo9nChfAVW1FAgL9rUG-ntI-t4Y7k-XputnFyrUJawxufT0hJb5j1eYhkv_-N3Op8gw/w480-h640/9B66A643-95B2-4B70-A3D7-292E941099A5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hoi An Old Town</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Devicka wanted to go to Hoi An again so we were back there but this time in morning hours. She wanted to buy a few things so we explored the old town at leisure and then as it got very hot - we went to <b>‘The Deckhouse’ which was a beach club at An Bang beach.</b> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo_7Tgy4tODbgDOSUoTkvUKWfGZjjeO_BVQHSJTvnKMN4cOAzNjEqlrYjf1IJdeRz_sXWgw4XzRuLV2Kj3GR3M9jT99YnmW8jvTGF7XkawjQ6FO9fHARbyKOtC0URnMQEILnvwXSOpe_wwEgiJYibkeR1U7cqSieJBqpnp7PGIS72eXB9xled7vGmqg/s4032/25870E83-95DD-4718-9BFE-1A90FCA8F836.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo_7Tgy4tODbgDOSUoTkvUKWfGZjjeO_BVQHSJTvnKMN4cOAzNjEqlrYjf1IJdeRz_sXWgw4XzRuLV2Kj3GR3M9jT99YnmW8jvTGF7XkawjQ6FO9fHARbyKOtC0URnMQEILnvwXSOpe_wwEgiJYibkeR1U7cqSieJBqpnp7PGIS72eXB9xled7vGmqg/w640-h480/25870E83-95DD-4718-9BFE-1A90FCA8F836.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach side of 'The Deckhouse.' </td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This wasn’t far from Hoi An. There were several beach clubs in a row and it was a great place to relax near the sea with some great music playing. I would intermittently go for sea swims and then come back and savour sea food and cocktails. Here we saw several tourists from Western world. I will do more beach clubs the next time I go as it is the best way to spend afternoons. Many beach clubs become nightclubs at sunset and are open till 2 AM. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLRxJw2hmEctg6eHU6Z1KH7rSDlKqTHJk48-p6QqDf1Lb9NN5vey8w9qzxNSNGLTltzBbf2UDCI1ejcWhCDoZ7cUChabB0AOuak7orwdfn170WxyUK4x9rE2f3hNw9q1S5QvGHy31bbsR_-EtICKqDQNYF2-WdHi_43bqBdmG92BDjGV2AmYknRbgGg/s4032/DB36697D-555D-4BD1-B71C-DF732386DC77.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLRxJw2hmEctg6eHU6Z1KH7rSDlKqTHJk48-p6QqDf1Lb9NN5vey8w9qzxNSNGLTltzBbf2UDCI1ejcWhCDoZ7cUChabB0AOuak7orwdfn170WxyUK4x9rE2f3hNw9q1S5QvGHy31bbsR_-EtICKqDQNYF2-WdHi_43bqBdmG92BDjGV2AmYknRbgGg/w640-h480/DB36697D-555D-4BD1-B71C-DF732386DC77.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing at the beach club called 'The Deckhouse.' </td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We went for massage in the evening to My Khe beach area and walked at beachside till we came to ‘4U’ beach bar and steakhouse. A leisurely evening was spent there. We had an early morning flight the next day so didn’t stay here till very late. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLhGaBuVlhdKpZRlE9z9YLTslL5Yz3N6dd61YpDpd9dFzI9PAKeg6eOOXnnTPkpKrs-9zl_dSdTYXoMjI1YNtoa5pHcvkUPx2zb_LFpFGf-BEA6c6CK3Y_oE4IgqkeA2KnYIhwFAD3RZne_HLVmPDuoJ1aAVz6Cys432r9_EBn7PYqkL58PFBACyL8A/s4032/7C81D10A-BF69-4329-A494-DFBC08A07B2F.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLhGaBuVlhdKpZRlE9z9YLTslL5Yz3N6dd61YpDpd9dFzI9PAKeg6eOOXnnTPkpKrs-9zl_dSdTYXoMjI1YNtoa5pHcvkUPx2zb_LFpFGf-BEA6c6CK3Y_oE4IgqkeA2KnYIhwFAD3RZne_HLVmPDuoJ1aAVz6Cys432r9_EBn7PYqkL58PFBACyL8A/w480-h640/7C81D10A-BF69-4329-A494-DFBC08A07B2F.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Khe beach has some real good places to chill</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It must be clear by now that for Devicka and me a holiday cannot be just checking into a luxury hotel and just stay put enjoying the hotel facilities. We were staying in a fantastic hotel but were out twice a day and other than breakfast and a few snacks we didn’t eat at the hotel at all. I did use the pool and the beach every single day and it was lovely getting up in the morning to get a lovely view of the sea from room. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">During the time we were in Da Nang I think we did justice to the place. </span></p><h3 style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span>The food we had during the trip</h3><div><br /></div><div>Well, we didn't have any Indian food while in Vietnam. We did see a couple of Indian restaurants but didn't venture near it. I was comfortable with all kind of food while Devicka is a bit conservative in her food habits so she stuck to things like fish n chips, lamb chops etc. Chicken dishes were very few and it was mainly seafood, pork and beef. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7aqDgz1-l5kAarml0J3psWfCD9MnGGxixhQhXWr4a-syPAD3mRV58jbQN-0nw3zv7oV5T4D__54uUZrhExpDrIh5PDQG2_4yT6cRmUFapik96rfwcjnzQLgTValo4crpN5U-AIeNL2bkpH6uFU9-x0H_96xBYtoqkX19ZZm0fEEK428LbWfhXGN-zg/s4032/6835AA51-BACD-45EE-A28B-93D2223F864D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7aqDgz1-l5kAarml0J3psWfCD9MnGGxixhQhXWr4a-syPAD3mRV58jbQN-0nw3zv7oV5T4D__54uUZrhExpDrIh5PDQG2_4yT6cRmUFapik96rfwcjnzQLgTValo4crpN5U-AIeNL2bkpH6uFU9-x0H_96xBYtoqkX19ZZm0fEEK428LbWfhXGN-zg/w400-h300/6835AA51-BACD-45EE-A28B-93D2223F864D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are many mid level restaurants like this which locals love.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBB8qbwpYwrjIXxdtyagECh4s3faM2DfeRLjFD5Gcu28WQwhUf563dnYHUpCGJuNk7TeqTrFRj72p9bpPDLuCSx35a2o3CU81tkzaakBGSagu_6aQn4hHhJcM0tfBWRswHYOo6WdsIKHOgL_V6LImIr45euarTQdk1EpIVsgWIgueHmhJhhTSKvzK4iw/s4032/2A99CFC4-E27D-493C-A35B-1F2711BE3E28.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBB8qbwpYwrjIXxdtyagECh4s3faM2DfeRLjFD5Gcu28WQwhUf563dnYHUpCGJuNk7TeqTrFRj72p9bpPDLuCSx35a2o3CU81tkzaakBGSagu_6aQn4hHhJcM0tfBWRswHYOo6WdsIKHOgL_V6LImIr45euarTQdk1EpIVsgWIgueHmhJhhTSKvzK4iw/w300-h400/2A99CFC4-E27D-493C-A35B-1F2711BE3E28.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great choice of Seafood to select</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9somy8XkGXFPyrIC1ay-McR5W0rwufmXhI-EIdy8g-5dUZIIrwb3-p-ahzqArZ6UpZziLuKDaLmIv7JvjYWjobsukP7c_xs-BYVuZz5UUSEXfy0D8q-4npLs_U-Y_gI_WFbRvQhvFosyJ1pIQKyI88uJUZqxlC4Re0MixKhLiMNoyf1o2Hb3BhnOByQ/s4032/3F118926-B0A1-42B6-9C5A-ED3F9B30FF7B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9somy8XkGXFPyrIC1ay-McR5W0rwufmXhI-EIdy8g-5dUZIIrwb3-p-ahzqArZ6UpZziLuKDaLmIv7JvjYWjobsukP7c_xs-BYVuZz5UUSEXfy0D8q-4npLs_U-Y_gI_WFbRvQhvFosyJ1pIQKyI88uJUZqxlC4Re0MixKhLiMNoyf1o2Hb3BhnOByQ/w300-h400/3F118926-B0A1-42B6-9C5A-ED3F9B30FF7B.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite dish - Pho - Noodle soup with beef</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAf8GwhPQbCqhUl-3HqbHgbs9xqtve9OICJZeKjIQoymUCDHhqtoljSd2D0UEeaVtwYQabxhHWFL5ikvLLuTjBQDeAGDVRlSJ-Ou8D-amn0NC7W54pWQxX7Gj3BBuH9gVZWtIL5JxymBh4ljskaurmy3qxcyVVgy8Erv1zsvOhaRebEDDr3SdTSz_xQ/s4032/8DAB3B6F-F656-4C0A-9632-D0CAB7D100BA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAf8GwhPQbCqhUl-3HqbHgbs9xqtve9OICJZeKjIQoymUCDHhqtoljSd2D0UEeaVtwYQabxhHWFL5ikvLLuTjBQDeAGDVRlSJ-Ou8D-amn0NC7W54pWQxX7Gj3BBuH9gVZWtIL5JxymBh4ljskaurmy3qxcyVVgy8Erv1zsvOhaRebEDDr3SdTSz_xQ/w300-h400/8DAB3B6F-F656-4C0A-9632-D0CAB7D100BA.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prawns were a plenty</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Md0ZdcZYLmY_uswUjZgYkgq12Z2YYxxTyTjAH4tYZuWy-mrAoXr9SKjpVg9L8sRP_paiXbZRbdHPFKv6lTD65baX9o0LBOt8zyVSp-eq2AR3PRRt9ju7es6CSW3lKvWYy0ot5aHLlW5slwCjaU-Ka6rkSZ-V-qlggsvuG7-k6-MFPm9LsY9mcdfmYg/s4030/328C1B0C-0233-4172-89EC-8F5D7DA4DCA8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3022" data-original-width="4030" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Md0ZdcZYLmY_uswUjZgYkgq12Z2YYxxTyTjAH4tYZuWy-mrAoXr9SKjpVg9L8sRP_paiXbZRbdHPFKv6lTD65baX9o0LBOt8zyVSp-eq2AR3PRRt9ju7es6CSW3lKvWYy0ot5aHLlW5slwCjaU-Ka6rkSZ-V-qlggsvuG7-k6-MFPm9LsY9mcdfmYg/w400-h300/328C1B0C-0233-4172-89EC-8F5D7DA4DCA8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 different type of Steaks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnMmdzWNGzug8SR-ArFtIxaWiURGRQLcyGdavzlETLI_gYqk5PoDYo8eWyNKDRsz0Hu2fBag8m9MeOka7IEHEFT8BbfMNdgdAu1N6ZscS1yk67JAhE2q8to1EZkUxPNZonAi0pPVmNK7dZkgYk35JlCU2uZ8HCbm0M326XG5iOMxEEeBqA0q_80iXgA/s4032/B64E3860-26DC-4AA7-AB2C-9224C53CCF12.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnMmdzWNGzug8SR-ArFtIxaWiURGRQLcyGdavzlETLI_gYqk5PoDYo8eWyNKDRsz0Hu2fBag8m9MeOka7IEHEFT8BbfMNdgdAu1N6ZscS1yk67JAhE2q8to1EZkUxPNZonAi0pPVmNK7dZkgYk35JlCU2uZ8HCbm0M326XG5iOMxEEeBqA0q_80iXgA/w300-h400/B64E3860-26DC-4AA7-AB2C-9224C53CCF12.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burger at our hotel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6TssvHTeSl_UzlqBU19BjmWAjiBNZGROM_EumodKYOHTuh5k511ajmV7zgNUW3JrZ4zheLKgzQwR3C_ngh8s-H1wAt44XJcnfJZZxMbFqDv000EBVnOJ_WZ4Gl-cDCdC-MDwBYq2t3o2lffVnJradkh7CBaT1HLe8GHLP9uhO4CFD6DLfJ5N-pxeRw/s4032/F39F6F82-6B1A-4767-90F4-3D3B8A40090E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6TssvHTeSl_UzlqBU19BjmWAjiBNZGROM_EumodKYOHTuh5k511ajmV7zgNUW3JrZ4zheLKgzQwR3C_ngh8s-H1wAt44XJcnfJZZxMbFqDv000EBVnOJ_WZ4Gl-cDCdC-MDwBYq2t3o2lffVnJradkh7CBaT1HLe8GHLP9uhO4CFD6DLfJ5N-pxeRw/w300-h400/F39F6F82-6B1A-4767-90F4-3D3B8A40090E.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devicka lived on Lamb Chops</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_2TK6Ye38fKshgQY-LHjmnDEI4_dzp3PnOVoFAhPE9vxAoFaRabzq8sZ_xMs5btipidj46wM3yHdyyXZA0ljMe-jE0nuSXjdUbvMuE-176MKxKy35wAUgRKQ81X25U8rf_FlbpyW0aMbDwXlwKQGbViNpZDMV2S4IgYz6VT4mqDgf8TEAnkCQbEROw/s4032/DD10A1BE-EAFE-4266-9152-0A5F8C002AAA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_2TK6Ye38fKshgQY-LHjmnDEI4_dzp3PnOVoFAhPE9vxAoFaRabzq8sZ_xMs5btipidj46wM3yHdyyXZA0ljMe-jE0nuSXjdUbvMuE-176MKxKy35wAUgRKQ81X25U8rf_FlbpyW0aMbDwXlwKQGbViNpZDMV2S4IgYz6VT4mqDgf8TEAnkCQbEROw/w300-h400/DD10A1BE-EAFE-4266-9152-0A5F8C002AAA.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scallops with onion and tomato<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZQ7Wmlwc6TPVpaDj6D7B0bQHMcAv6b6OlVUpQHhOK4m7J9g7JUoCKcJ0K91BYD9AyDMrK_hbAeYntkWw6og' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-22662044912373640432022-04-13T12:50:00.028+05:302023-03-15T11:03:53.089+05:30River Rafting in Ganges<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtb-IL5LvC6iUB1HI9kcx0lTeqkdVj316DhkL4qdpZg1-WpqpBG2wnsJatH0WteH3u9r0rLmS70dlEz10lRQS8po-4G1tH0wZQQhxHNWyBtNUTwDqk-jCsNhy8cnxQrn_MGGoe8k59XQABIjJZp7vRpuK1UfCOIkLuUZ7rsvUX6p5wIAAVT1nYA_97w/s4032/CE612831-9470-4974-AA6E-89E7824289BF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtb-IL5LvC6iUB1HI9kcx0lTeqkdVj316DhkL4qdpZg1-WpqpBG2wnsJatH0WteH3u9r0rLmS70dlEz10lRQS8po-4G1tH0wZQQhxHNWyBtNUTwDqk-jCsNhy8cnxQrn_MGGoe8k59XQABIjJZp7vRpuK1UfCOIkLuUZ7rsvUX6p5wIAAVT1nYA_97w/w640-h480/CE612831-9470-4974-AA6E-89E7824289BF.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rishikesh at Night</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>It became sort of an addiction. This was around 25 years ago when I was introduced to <b>'Snow Leopards Camp'</b> at Rishikesh. Rishikesh is a religious town at the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of river Ganga. The river comes down from the mountains, crosses Rishikesh, flows under the legendary Laxman jhoola and then reaches the holy city of Haridwar. The climb of a few hundred km from Rishikesh can take you the famous Badrinath. </p><p>Just above Rishikesh at a village called Shivpuri, the government had given a few companies to set up seasonal camps on the beach. These were adventure sports companies and specialised in river rafting, rock climbing and Kayaking. Snow Leopard was run by Ajeet Bajaj (popularly known as Baggage) though there were several other camps, I heard mostly about Snow Leopard and another one nearby run by a gentleman called Yusuf. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Snow Leopard Camp</h3><p>Ideal weekend rafting trip consisted of leaving Delhi at 6 AM on a Friday and reaching the camp at Lunch time. The same afternoon you were initiated into river rafting with a detailed briefing, some practical training and a short rafting trip in some small rapids. Saturday morning after breakfast you were taken upstream on cars and did some really breathtaking stuff which included <b>a grade 5 rapid called 'The Wall.' </b>Wall was not for the faint hearted and many a times the raft would flip over though luckily it didn't happen with us. After afternoon rest you could Kayak, go swimming or just laze around. Each evening there was a bonfire where snacks were served and you had to carry your own booze. Food was fabulous and the cooks were great. Bonfire time was fun time with singing, dancing and and some talented guys from the camp played guitar and other instruments. Baggage himself was quite good at all this and was a perfect host. he had recently got married and on our next trip he gave us the news of his daughter being born. Then in 2018 I read that Ajeet and his daughter Deeya became the first father-daughter combo to climb Mt Everest together. Before that Ajeet had become first Indian to Ski to North Pole and complete the polar triology (skiing to North pole, South pole and Greenland Ice cap). As Deeya and my children were studying in same school in Gurgaon, I saw him often during school functions. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgB_SNZ0gV4omHmpfVK9FmCaLB-yuvCts_HwPBmE6Os4dYhu0Kd4qBTQPzcy9AiiK88ngD7AXfn6j-eYvq7JC_bsoQefDLU8r-NZIC8I4G5f-esBt8-wPuq_Ltll_eCQ3HXn4RVh4S1Dz_M41jf1P4ed70qxO4pHnuR_GZ2yc6q-Nq6AG_cTxIbQ0Pw/s1024/PHOTO-2022-04-13-12-02-17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1024" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgB_SNZ0gV4omHmpfVK9FmCaLB-yuvCts_HwPBmE6Os4dYhu0Kd4qBTQPzcy9AiiK88ngD7AXfn6j-eYvq7JC_bsoQefDLU8r-NZIC8I4G5f-esBt8-wPuq_Ltll_eCQ3HXn4RVh4S1Dz_M41jf1P4ed70qxO4pHnuR_GZ2yc6q-Nq6AG_cTxIbQ0Pw/w640-h412/PHOTO-2022-04-13-12-02-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIHCyqshPC-ppjKLOLb1EDx40Nz095R5bQKZRJj1w_mXlmvEqFFnXXOtaRusUdwKhR_zLhGY53tk84EWrH4qVIjlIoBjwjNuidWATXBF368LLskwjlSyPH6fNAYtmHopIP95jr0r6KZ6GwJCDSGY7VghPhXWgFFqBI7B1nJdSypHEFaluWHPBtCaS6Q/s1024/PHOTO-2022-04-13-12-02-03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIHCyqshPC-ppjKLOLb1EDx40Nz095R5bQKZRJj1w_mXlmvEqFFnXXOtaRusUdwKhR_zLhGY53tk84EWrH4qVIjlIoBjwjNuidWATXBF368LLskwjlSyPH6fNAYtmHopIP95jr0r6KZ6GwJCDSGY7VghPhXWgFFqBI7B1nJdSypHEFaluWHPBtCaS6Q/w640-h426/PHOTO-2022-04-13-12-02-03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Snow Leopard Camp at Shivpuri around 20 years ago. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>The camps were not tiny. They had many tents and once we had a full Danish embassy crowd sharing the beach with us and at another time it was the crowd of a famous PR agency. Everything was kept very clean and they had started installing those modern toilets with incinerators. Safety while in raft was of paramount importance so they had trained professionals. Each time we met someone from abroad also who specialised in adventure sports and had come to experience rapids of Ganges. At one of the trips we met Strangway Orridge (Strang) who flirted shamelessly with my cousins and their friends. Well, they flirted with equal tenacity so me as a 'big brother' had no option but to keep out of it. Later I got to know that Strang was in DU hostel at same time as me and we had many common friends. We still meet occasionally whenever there is a get together of common friends. </p><p>The last day(Sunday) we started from the camp on a raft and did many rapids like 'tee off', 'golf course', 'club house' , 'return to the sender' and 'roller coaster.' Not only did you get drenched during these rafting trips but many of us were allowed to jump in at certain places and body surf in the river along with the raft. It was exhilarating and exciting. You could see tall mountains and greenery on all sides as you floated on your back in cold water. Talking of cold water, I got a bit excited seeing two lovely looking Danish ladies in their Bikinis diving into the river at 7 AM. Not to be left behind - I tried emulating them not realising that the water consisted of melted snow and the Danes were accustomed to such cold. It took me an hour in front of coal fire and several cups of tea to thaw after that ! </p><p>It used to be fun lying on cool sand at night along with friends or cousins and watching the sky full of stars. Once we were taken to a haunted house nearby and it was fun to watch girls scream and shout as the staff of the camp made haunted house come alive. </p><p>For some reason the rafting trips stopped. I really don't know the reason. We must have gone last 20-22 years back. All this changed a few days back. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Rishikesh 2022</h3><p>It was a holi weekend and I thought of going out of NCR. Talked to a few friends about a visit to Rishikesh and they seemed excited. I had booked a couple of apartments at <b>'Aloha Apartments'</b> on instinct a month or so back so we needed one more apartment and luckily we got one. I called them up before our visit and took their recommendation for a river rafting operator. So river rafting was also fixed before we got there. Aloha hotel is bang in the middle of Rishikesh on the banks of Ganga and attached to it are apartments which are rented out. The hotel is strategically located as all rafting ends at the beach next to the hotel and even though it is bang in the middle of the town, it is a quiet place as a lane takes it away from the crowds of Rishikesh. </p><p>The highway upto Meerut was a dream and crossing Delhi was also very smooth early in the morning due to the fact that it was Holi. What we didn't realise that all restaurants and dhabas would also be shut throughout the way. But we were carrying enough sandwiches & food and did manage to find a place for some paranthas and tea. It was the last 4 km's to the hotel that were a nightmare and took more than 2 hours. </p><p>The cops had shut the route from the side of Laxman Jhoola probably due to festival so only one road was available and that was fully clogged. Indiscipline of several drivers ensured that we remained stuck for couple of hours. </p><p>I remembered the time when we could not leave Rishikesh as <b>agitation for creation of state of 'Uttranchal/Uttarakhand' </b>was in full flow and on one particular day of the month the agitators used to block traffic as it was a monthly anniversary of the day when police had brutally assaulted the agitators. Sensing trouble Ajeet stopped us from going back to Delhi and looked after us that day and allowed us to leave only at 2 AM when the roads looked trouble free. The agitation finally paid off as Uttarkhand comprising of hilly areas of UP became 27th state of India in the year 2000. </p><p>There was not much to do as we reached the hotel. It was time for some late lunch and a nap before we went to the lawns to witness the 'Ganga Aarti' conducted in hotel's premises. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFlURaXwCUNikDpkAt8r_60aek8fSzIq5DSS_7rLC8FGSWlflAAkg503NccIgBM8YQZ-AuvuQjbn4yMiJ6oxfm6-mbyXHUgogaYBOEodmNtOXR_mcnWd7aYt1RZv5CFBU0RXoDnP-iLFt9A6mZnuxv00fZXUilnDZ25u83vW0whcOKNm79LCgvyPShA/s4032/3E997D5F-4F55-4730-BF10-AE63E62C1B32.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFlURaXwCUNikDpkAt8r_60aek8fSzIq5DSS_7rLC8FGSWlflAAkg503NccIgBM8YQZ-AuvuQjbn4yMiJ6oxfm6-mbyXHUgogaYBOEodmNtOXR_mcnWd7aYt1RZv5CFBU0RXoDnP-iLFt9A6mZnuxv00fZXUilnDZ25u83vW0whcOKNm79LCgvyPShA/w640-h480/3E997D5F-4F55-4730-BF10-AE63E62C1B32.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Aloha</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The view was gorgeous as we could see the Ganga flowing downstream and the last of rafts ending their journey at the beach nearby. The lofty mountains enveloped us from all sides and it was a good change from the flat topography of Delhi. While the afternoon had been hot even in March, the weather changed dramatically after sunset and the cool breeze floated around. <b>The evening Aarti in the backdrop of Laxman Jhoola</b> was soothing and added spirituality to the trip as most people from our group attended along with several hotel guests. It also added colour to the dusk. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQVX3n9gBsA10AnwuTuLJShUJaEyfJOuWInjDcP_x-5emFLG-Sh6BCOJPr_yWUpyyZYVK1Paqhen_AI-S8t5bBTI_y5vGXbDvYIV5W6zzIpZNLkTA_-efkdVjX3g-Wiq38Tj4yiQet7yISc05wME6M-rny_SSDIMpFO0bzQ_Aj9X7SmZDqEkgdPpL7Q/s4032/DC2EC30C-A865-4E41-86F0-D4FEEE89D936.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQVX3n9gBsA10AnwuTuLJShUJaEyfJOuWInjDcP_x-5emFLG-Sh6BCOJPr_yWUpyyZYVK1Paqhen_AI-S8t5bBTI_y5vGXbDvYIV5W6zzIpZNLkTA_-efkdVjX3g-Wiq38Tj4yiQet7yISc05wME6M-rny_SSDIMpFO0bzQ_Aj9X7SmZDqEkgdPpL7Q/w640-h480/DC2EC30C-A865-4E41-86F0-D4FEEE89D936.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From the hotel itself we could see unrelenting traffic on the winding roads of the mountains. The long queues remained long till late at night. We were told that each weekend it was like this and this weekend it was even more due to long Holi weekend. This is happening at all hills now due to narrow roads and ever increasing vehicles. Local tourism has also seen a steep climb last decade or so. We got the message to stay where we were and have dinner at either our own hotel or somewhere around. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>River Rafting in the Ganga rapids</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfuy_0yyw6g30Fr9obj9zTamyl1AaUpp2cGyU-wuAGXT7AfPt9A4aVpfGAU2eVUlon2xRTS7ctFYxg8blRaaY9-DAHppPXX0u1cyeF-BNNXR_bJXHh72ZujXr-S2y1OOZGXlG4m7yTlJj_tMbn2CvwmCKTGNrRkZri8h_AK6aU1u6zfO1OLqGzRMlrA/s4032/125AAA78-9FDD-46A9-9A26-C44408E49765.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfuy_0yyw6g30Fr9obj9zTamyl1AaUpp2cGyU-wuAGXT7AfPt9A4aVpfGAU2eVUlon2xRTS7ctFYxg8blRaaY9-DAHppPXX0u1cyeF-BNNXR_bJXHh72ZujXr-S2y1OOZGXlG4m7yTlJj_tMbn2CvwmCKTGNrRkZri8h_AK6aU1u6zfO1OLqGzRMlrA/w640-h480/125AAA78-9FDD-46A9-9A26-C44408E49765.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our river rafting group with our instructor and guide Anil</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Devicka and Renu chickened out ! So it was 7 of us who finally ventured along with our guide/instructor Anil. We drove in a vehicle along with our raft upstream towards Shivpuri village. Shivpuri is where 'Snow leopard camp' used to be situated. NGT has removed all camps from the beach and this has deprived the rafters of the great experience of living in the tents on the beach and rafting twice a day and doing all sorts of things like Kayaking, jungle hikes, bonfires etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not only the camps were great fun and living on water a great experience- they were manned by some good caretakers and chefs. The guides/instructors were experts and sometimes many would come from abroad and learn about Ganga rapids while giving us a good time by maneuvering the rafts expertly through rapids. It was fascinating to see the experts coming expertly on Kayaks upstream through rapids. The first thing that I did at that time after going back to Delhi after our first trip was to watch 'River wild' starring Meryl Streep as it was all about rafting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amongst the rafters in our group I was perhaps the most experienced having done this 8 times over 3 trips. Our instructor Anil was good. The first rapid is a gentle rapid called the 'Shivpuri rapid.' It basically acclimatizes you to the water and raft before the more serious rapids come along. So we go over this rapid and I tell everyone not to worry. And then guess what happens ? The most experienced rafter out of the lot gets hit by a wave and he goes toppling into 'Ganga Ma !' <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(I tried uploading that video here which shows how I went toppling into the river and how I was brought back on the raft. Special mention due for Nandita Kochhar who held me tight by the life jacket so that I stayed near the raft and did not drift off ! ) Unfortunately am unable to upload due to some technical funda.) </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rest of the rapids were exciting and exhilarating. 'Return to the sender ' and ' The Golf Course' being most challenging and most fun. We were all drenched but that didn't matter as at some point we did jump into the freezing water and surfed along the raft. Sanya (my daughter) felt that it was the most exciting thing she had ever done. Each one of us loved being on the raft and in the water. And when Renu and Devicka saw the videos - they felt relieved that they had chickened out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think we will have to this again sooner this time as at my age I don't think waiting 20 years would be wise !</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjKNs-CtBPF1Ybu6URLc0usVLBj305sXT8RNEGHLWRK7C2TLqu-y9MnjsV-ZUgaTVCpTYSAsajN2YHEI4AP8i_arpzkLoo8uci0hSJ8goqugCYXzDKRI8EOXyQhQffshSDe47Ew4Q3o78M9E5562CBy-EHFT-L8Vir2natIore04NA8A5gdlRmL9DHA/s4032/02D913B6-B7DC-4664-A842-C1E3FA39F785.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjKNs-CtBPF1Ybu6URLc0usVLBj305sXT8RNEGHLWRK7C2TLqu-y9MnjsV-ZUgaTVCpTYSAsajN2YHEI4AP8i_arpzkLoo8uci0hSJ8goqugCYXzDKRI8EOXyQhQffshSDe47Ew4Q3o78M9E5562CBy-EHFT-L8Vir2natIore04NA8A5gdlRmL9DHA/w480-h640/02D913B6-B7DC-4664-A842-C1E3FA39F785.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanya and me getting ready to raft</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCj8BcYQEudy853OqyF21_Bso7F817dQWQL4dqyPWYfu7b--cF4gIejiskbDo7m9BddG1KB3Q_iU2ZDN2CTTnPFlulwsJ7JI1APV1MnmTRuSR7pJF8nMj_MmlqUPBZIm-ZYHO8CVPQ4JfERDypbLBdYg0Xd6GIKuimuR1i7EHXqX3b4u7RNNFxsOZHVQ/s4032/C6634525-9BCC-43D8-A7CB-ECF16D4DA6C7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCj8BcYQEudy853OqyF21_Bso7F817dQWQL4dqyPWYfu7b--cF4gIejiskbDo7m9BddG1KB3Q_iU2ZDN2CTTnPFlulwsJ7JI1APV1MnmTRuSR7pJF8nMj_MmlqUPBZIm-ZYHO8CVPQ4JfERDypbLBdYg0Xd6GIKuimuR1i7EHXqX3b4u7RNNFxsOZHVQ/w480-h640/C6634525-9BCC-43D8-A7CB-ECF16D4DA6C7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our rafting Group - Madhave, Rohin, Bobby, Sunil, Isha and Nandita. Sanya the photographer is missing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-4878008137748298632022-01-27T12:28:00.000+05:302022-01-27T12:28:03.975+05:30Drive to Orchha, Khajurao and Panna<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKgpIy5bD_KvIMbKA9a6b8hOkTs_mj0tEOcdMONkDO1A5j6X-tJ2kJMzOn-YFRmjYLRF1FBfX8koKLng6oHWA9aHx2RAppj7Zj9-cFb-OF-rRh97LvAHY1ZT-_6M9XdBxyi0Sgl6eYrJKL--bc7LZI13oimWJLPSPStjNLkQxVIbyZpWLHr3-AIC1jsQ=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKgpIy5bD_KvIMbKA9a6b8hOkTs_mj0tEOcdMONkDO1A5j6X-tJ2kJMzOn-YFRmjYLRF1FBfX8koKLng6oHWA9aHx2RAppj7Zj9-cFb-OF-rRh97LvAHY1ZT-_6M9XdBxyi0Sgl6eYrJKL--bc7LZI13oimWJLPSPStjNLkQxVIbyZpWLHr3-AIC1jsQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temples of Khajurao at night</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Journey Begins with Agra</h3><p>For some reason the impression in mind was that Madhya Pradesh is quite far from Gurgaon. But when I checked , Gwalior was just 310 km's from home. So if one starts early in morning and crosses Delhi before rush traffic starts one can get to Gwalior in less than 6 hours. So ideally Gwalior should have been the first stop but we couldn't leave early morning on 24th December as Devicka and I both had work till 2 PM so we left home at 3 PM. Instead of Gwalior we decided on Agra as our night stop and took the Yamuna Expressway. Reaching Noida took a long time even in afternoon but once you are on Expressway - it is nice and smooth. So we started from Haryana and then went through UP, Rajasthan and UP again till we reached Madhya Pradesh. </p><p>Marriott Courtyard is a hotel I am familiar with in Agra as early in the year we had a school batch reunion there. My friend Trevor had got us a great deal with the hotel and we had decided to stay here both ways. Its a nice and comfortable hotel and we were there just for the night as we checked out at 7.30 AM the next morning, had a quick breakfast and strong coffee and we were on our way to the temple city of Orchha, bypassing Gwalior and Jhansi. It's kind of funny when you stay in Agra and don't do any sightseeing. The city is full of historical treasures and no matter how many times you visit this city, you will always find some historical monument or garden which will surprise you. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Temple town of Orchha</h3><p>We had studied Orchha in history but recently a friend had recommended the town which used to be the capital city of Bundela Rulers in 15th century. He had described it as a nice and calm town on the banks of Betwa river known for its fort and exquisite temples. The town is also famous for its 'chattris' or 'Cenotaphs' which actually are the memorials for departed Bundela Kings. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq-Shox4EgMCTasp8DngQpc0ChzixIks6GZXV7wQ2JLUf_dnEhhTiFmlzvwxx9yaPZqqnJ6T0so6cIPsK_IFeApu6Fyc2XXiIPIC4rGAfeHlM5nNI2DLHxbzV6ymIWPQFwxcz3zfvb--6M9vNDgz_V3YboPp9KAos3WDJuKcTiJY5v9xDlJYbpLiBovQ=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq-Shox4EgMCTasp8DngQpc0ChzixIks6GZXV7wQ2JLUf_dnEhhTiFmlzvwxx9yaPZqqnJ6T0so6cIPsK_IFeApu6Fyc2XXiIPIC4rGAfeHlM5nNI2DLHxbzV6ymIWPQFwxcz3zfvb--6M9vNDgz_V3YboPp9KAos3WDJuKcTiJY5v9xDlJYbpLiBovQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chattris (Cenotaphs) are spread over a large area with nice gardens on the banks of River Betwa.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We were in Orchha in less than 5 hours and realised that what I had booked was tented accommodation next to the Chattris very near the river. Devicka wasn't too pleased to spend a night in tented accommodation on a winter night but she didn't have a choice as the other hotels we had tried to book had all been sold out. So it was time to take a round of the town and visit whatever it had to offer. </p><p>Everything appeared to be in vicinity of our 'Orchha resort.' We didn't even need to take out our car from hotel parking. Chaturbhuj temple stands out as it stands so elegantly and tall and you notice it as you walk down a few hundred meters. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is known for one of the tallest Vimana amongst the hindu temples. You have to climb several uncomfortable steps to reach the temple but it has some nice architecture and the views are pretty good. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIUx58PEtE4RKtck1eXHUIjLVAiXSmFY9AXY_BIODp4g57bQgUtMS7b0SHx-Ot-X0mcYUkSGpNlfvbFcfFUXiFB-O1-98k4qu9SGG7TmMysHW5qgv-bNPriqstXq_5n2SVWSN11K-DCu3j0bX7nA9lWsruufi71g2SjcLXTDJ-Pv7pQds1HJZD_qrqMg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIUx58PEtE4RKtck1eXHUIjLVAiXSmFY9AXY_BIODp4g57bQgUtMS7b0SHx-Ot-X0mcYUkSGpNlfvbFcfFUXiFB-O1-98k4qu9SGG7TmMysHW5qgv-bNPriqstXq_5n2SVWSN11K-DCu3j0bX7nA9lWsruufi71g2SjcLXTDJ-Pv7pQds1HJZD_qrqMg=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chaturbhuj Temple at Orchha</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Next to Chaturbhuj temple is the Raja Ram temple which has a long story dedicated to it. But important thing is that this is the only temple in the country where lord Ram is worshipped as a King. As we entered the temple we were asked to go out and come in the evening as it was the resting time for the King. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijUxDAlu7ReFchHmKW3Ur-zzEIDHIWpOsBMbRhvJzbBlM1pIbDvrrBEg5jy-XILrX3e0lpgoqAtWaMyAMI7WPF4vxbXkfxmTGv9Glom5dazTi_g3ETW_GyPiOdaKpYE79_npzDBybwt86GOYfPnn8x3qqi4tueT8L7f6CWN3TaIchTTmfHG3ryVeItug=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijUxDAlu7ReFchHmKW3Ur-zzEIDHIWpOsBMbRhvJzbBlM1pIbDvrrBEg5jy-XILrX3e0lpgoqAtWaMyAMI7WPF4vxbXkfxmTGv9Glom5dazTi_g3ETW_GyPiOdaKpYE79_npzDBybwt86GOYfPnn8x3qqi4tueT8L7f6CWN3TaIchTTmfHG3ryVeItug=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tented accomodation at Orchha Resort was just under the famous Chattris. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Before visiting Orchha I had no clue about what kind of town it was. I had expected a more spread out city than what it actually turned out to be. The Chattris and the Chandrabhuj temple were really very nice and the gardens in which Chattris were located were spread out and it was nice and peaceful sitting on a bench surrounded by the history. Betwa river flowed next to it. We did enjoy sitting there under the winter sun and a photo shoot of a newly married couple with all the poses and drama kept us amused. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwJqTcgd7-gNC3KyTDIhJ2WsJIVNwMd0FM7YkJtZxCJ2T7UAFZc17UJNC5ybJOUPHCBP8OGy6DQ2VeERBt1jlLJlPCtJ9sWq2LhCaWoOtfT14yxjH7OWSPU5zHfCfRnlCSTGwrUHYv9PUvmLH9PXbJ2MQVv-Kmf7XJJguaTQ940FXfVLmHMK6yi7MDwA=s1440" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwJqTcgd7-gNC3KyTDIhJ2WsJIVNwMd0FM7YkJtZxCJ2T7UAFZc17UJNC5ybJOUPHCBP8OGy6DQ2VeERBt1jlLJlPCtJ9sWq2LhCaWoOtfT14yxjH7OWSPU5zHfCfRnlCSTGwrUHYv9PUvmLH9PXbJ2MQVv-Kmf7XJJguaTQ940FXfVLmHMK6yi7MDwA=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Orchha Fort. It has a palace built specially for Mughal Emperor Jehangir</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Last year during the Rajasthan road trip we had seen enough forts but this was an opportunity to see a fort built by Bundela kings. It was quite different from the Rajasthani forts and a full wing had been made for the Mughal emperor Jehangir as Bundelas always tried to remain in good books of Mughals. It's another matter that Jehangir spent just one night in the huge palace and it remained locked up for all the other time. <b>We had a terrible guide so not much knowledge was gained from him but there was a sound and light show in the evening which lasted an hour. </b>That told a lot of stories about the Bundela Kings and was quite useful for our knowledge. Besides that the fort and buildings looked quite nice all lit up during the show. </p><p>While we were here as a tourist who had come for buildings, architecture and history - majority visit the town as pilgrims. So the quality of the crowd is what you typically find in temple towns and most of them had come in big groups in chartered buses. </p><div style="text-align: left;">We were woken up early by loudspeakers at 6.30 AM warning people not to swim in Betwa river and stay only on the edge of river and not go deep. These must be real enthusiastic people who were swimming in cold water when temp was 6 deg C. Now that we had got up early, we dressed up and left for Panna immediately after breakfast. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Panna Tiger Reserve</h3><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh17CWkAYp1YKUNOUCErKbf1zTrkOIOiGxHsOpslH4eQ2KvnjXNXU9hPsf1k_Cq0SX5POpSrsJVxRT-guCTUAQO-QPMsJ5whVgu_3sJDFt9L13IZxQ5DJNRn6i69L6JGe5xaKJp_6AZ7EI1D6UL0CvLlbf_KhE8I6UomE0Osu5Vf01GaXKgww0iYe6CCg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh17CWkAYp1YKUNOUCErKbf1zTrkOIOiGxHsOpslH4eQ2KvnjXNXU9hPsf1k_Cq0SX5POpSrsJVxRT-guCTUAQO-QPMsJ5whVgu_3sJDFt9L13IZxQ5DJNRn6i69L6JGe5xaKJp_6AZ7EI1D6UL0CvLlbf_KhE8I6UomE0Osu5Vf01GaXKgww0iYe6CCg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safari Time<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>It was around a 3 hour drive to Ken River Lodge from Orchha. Panna town is still 40 minutes drive from here but we had come for the wildlife sanctuary and not the town. Madla Gate is the best place for safari and our bookings for afternoon safari was from here. Madla is right in the beginning of the reserve and it was just 10 minutes drive from our hotel. As number of jeeps allowed to enter are restricted, one has to book safari much in advance from MP forest website and then come to the office of Madla gate to pay for a jeep and guide. Hinauta is another gate for Safaris and that is 15 km's away and not too popular. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Ken river lodge was a nice resort with the river Ken flowing under the resort. We had a nice view of the river from our cottage room and from the restaurant Deck. After checking in we spent some time on the banks of river and it was real nice and calm. The river Ken flows through the Panna reserve and has a lot of crocodiles. All meals had been included in our package and they were happy to serve coffee or sandwiches at any time that we asked without charging extra. It was nice having a hot cup of tea and pakoras after we came back from our Safari as the evening had become chilly. It was then followed by a documentary about some past Tigers of Panna. Another good thing about the hotel was that the food was very similar to home food with no extra masalas or oil. We enjoyed the time we spent here. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGtMyU9H1Wba5ORdHJc0hTqL0i_Bt-MeOMOOmtJYeKPqUI6rwd4LLzFmpJ2A-HOacOPvz77P2ZE3MWe8Z8fuG-tLI-OBnTvWXZDNlhu4bJkueey0uT4iYfhqKJQsswFuTHtnpIeFKCRA97r5KCPgNB0frv0DRTtKlv7LjZjdtOYTnV9yFYwShM1HLMZg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGtMyU9H1Wba5ORdHJc0hTqL0i_Bt-MeOMOOmtJYeKPqUI6rwd4LLzFmpJ2A-HOacOPvz77P2ZE3MWe8Z8fuG-tLI-OBnTvWXZDNlhu4bJkueey0uT4iYfhqKJQsswFuTHtnpIeFKCRA97r5KCPgNB0frv0DRTtKlv7LjZjdtOYTnV9yFYwShM1HLMZg=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken River flows through the entire forest</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Panna is popular but Bandhavgarh is much more popular. Bandhavgarh is another 4 hours drive from Panna and its difficult to get safari bookings at the last minute. Tiger and Leopard sightings are much more common in Bandhavgarh. So after 2 hours of roaming around in the jungle we thought that we should have gone to Bandhavgarh. It had been many many years ago that we had actually seen a Tiger in natural habitat and since then many visits to Corbett or Ranthambore had been just blanks. It is then that the elusive 'Kanha' suddenly got up from his camouflaged position in a muddy pond and started walking majestically. Kanha had some problem in his eyes so was nicknamed Kana (One with a single eye vision) by the guides and forest staff. But the director of forest advised them not to use such derogatory term for this majestic animal and renamed him Kanha - a short form for Kanhaiya. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSjLzgd_k4IuHlE1yrrb-EYz6cWhyNxw4nx3-GRMK4Xrajsxn29B4nPYEPtwOKnkuD5YXHSYE4vDVyja_ohzT8gW_5SjE5ZkXap__iBi4u9OK5Cu3HwsryzdPh8PitvQeK6C9189R67qk3yCZy2t3JWTVoFPVCG2S4ZX7JcdhHVo1Fzo79fOp47ANgSg=s1280" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="1280" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSjLzgd_k4IuHlE1yrrb-EYz6cWhyNxw4nx3-GRMK4Xrajsxn29B4nPYEPtwOKnkuD5YXHSYE4vDVyja_ohzT8gW_5SjE5ZkXap__iBi4u9OK5Cu3HwsryzdPh8PitvQeK6C9189R67qk3yCZy2t3JWTVoFPVCG2S4ZX7JcdhHVo1Fzo79fOp47ANgSg=w640-h326" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kanha on prowl</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When King of the Jungle walks - the world follows. News spreads fast and all the jeeps came rushing to the spot. It became one big carnival with happiness all around as sighting had been achieved. Soon the tiger disappeared in bushes and people wanted to get out of jungleas they had seen what they had come for. No one had any interest left in Langoors, Neel Gais, Deer or any other animal. The evening before there had been Leopard sighting in the forest so it was good for all the tourists who had visited on these two days. </p><p>Panna is known for diamond mining but much to Devicka's disappointment, the permission from government is required for visit to the mines and that takes time. The evening at the lodge was spent in front of a bonfire with drinks and sadly due to the pandemic not much socialising happened between the tourists. Our next destination was Khajurao but that was very near so we had enough time on our hands in the morning to explore the areas around. It was a beautiful drive with forests on both sides as we drove towards the Panna town. On the way we stopped at Pandav caves and falls which were very nice. Apparently the Pandavs had spent some time of the 'vanvas' here. There was no water in the waterfalls and the falls only get active during monsoons. We saw some pictures which the guide showed us and the area really looked beautiful with the falls in action. Tiger sighting is not very common here but the Tiger does come by once in a while and the guide did show us a few pictures. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC8YHpSxHBe8JNu8tfuC_aczFWWrM0nqMkkkgsuTXLxfEhUHTXEmdXf8Ds4dp7faFewBc9B_jI1S4s_JjoSCuXgkyfTlUwJp3PF2JfB7F_NiumK4KzSzHa-Y-KHK04qnlNces0VdrioMPuexhfroWr77SoYziiTSwC_kHmih_So0bftUZwnOes7a4uMA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC8YHpSxHBe8JNu8tfuC_aczFWWrM0nqMkkkgsuTXLxfEhUHTXEmdXf8Ds4dp7faFewBc9B_jI1S4s_JjoSCuXgkyfTlUwJp3PF2JfB7F_NiumK4KzSzHa-Y-KHK04qnlNces0VdrioMPuexhfroWr77SoYziiTSwC_kHmih_So0bftUZwnOes7a4uMA=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Pandav Caves</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Panna itself was a small congested town with narrow lanes but it boasts of some really pretty temples of Bundela era. The Baldeoji temple is actually inspired by Roman architecture and has a gothic feel to it. There were other temples like 'Jugal kishore' and 'Ram Janki' etc and we visited them quickly before heading the same route we had come from, as Khajurao was situated between Orchha and Panna.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg55QB4P1MC5jXMl_4YjLtoVTMNi-HsbMZVjfjS-KTTnGN8a-7cgI9PCz2cbLfcli6839ynkrnX_wqoZ7NcZ-jgAdv5kKYr-D5DTYfUT0xylxJ2Invy9F_l18i1fB4bMA6z3MbZBNDVq1zJOusIEvJw6hg2yk29e4fZfgHDLodYngRueXp4bTy8B7CMIw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg55QB4P1MC5jXMl_4YjLtoVTMNi-HsbMZVjfjS-KTTnGN8a-7cgI9PCz2cbLfcli6839ynkrnX_wqoZ7NcZ-jgAdv5kKYr-D5DTYfUT0xylxJ2Invy9F_l18i1fB4bMA6z3MbZBNDVq1zJOusIEvJw6hg2yk29e4fZfgHDLodYngRueXp4bTy8B7CMIw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Khajurao and its magnificient temples</h3><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXKDL_N21hQGfkmy04BuDY9NHRvkUX78ANxXJj5QZgFwhax2BrKEbu0kRLvpodXLf4px2RjCKvIHXAW8CbTnLe88qqIwO56T9n01AEJUJkqWd9DPx_TDJ9PX-51mFVU87BZ6HMSpCEvqweixVpd4bvuF2S9R5Qq3njkQRroueoMry1TfycT1inY7HCrw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXKDL_N21hQGfkmy04BuDY9NHRvkUX78ANxXJj5QZgFwhax2BrKEbu0kRLvpodXLf4px2RjCKvIHXAW8CbTnLe88qqIwO56T9n01AEJUJkqWd9DPx_TDJ9PX-51mFVU87BZ6HMSpCEvqweixVpd4bvuF2S9R5Qq3njkQRroueoMry1TfycT1inY7HCrw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I liked Khajurao. The road leading to the city was nice and broad. It was just around 20-30 minutes from the Panna Sanctuary. On our route Khajurao turn came first and then then Panna sanctuary and then Panna town. We had decided to do Panna before Khajurao so drove back to Khajurao. The avenue did not have Khajoor (date palms) trees or any exciting stuff. We crossed the swanky new Airport terminal which has remained shut with no flights in last couple of years due to Covid. We checked into Clark's hotel at around noon before driving to the 'Western group of temples' further down the road. Clark's had huge grounds and it was a great property for walks, jogging etc. All the other famous hotels like Chandela etc were also similar with low rise buildings and lot of grounds. They were on same road near each other. It so happened that my friend Anjani was also visiting Khajurao at the same time with his family. We had studied together in same school and then were room mates in College in Delhi. So we met up briefly for a drink in evening and met up each other's family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Built by Chandelas around a 1000 year ago these temples of Khajurao are famous for the erotic images they display. As you enter the complex gates, the maintenance of the place catches your attention. It is all very clean and serene. The temples are spread out over a large area and the lawns were beautifully maintained. We took a guide for Rs 1600 but it was really worth it as he was quite knowledgeable and had the requisite patience and style to impart his knowledge. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6W__gBprILbEjl2UWVoAkTR9fwRyk9h27SHMUj-mW7Z3jFunHVxTBX_zHtqe9enPJpQYpH8D76jQZ6ZNI04crF3wROwkbACwPZmKkbG7mhJ2dZfsT0zy61YiZQhYSIJtiSKbDMk8oqgNMiraYFFdgOn1X6Q6X72tqrMEN9UOsiHAOgI_uA037eeqAfw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6W__gBprILbEjl2UWVoAkTR9fwRyk9h27SHMUj-mW7Z3jFunHVxTBX_zHtqe9enPJpQYpH8D76jQZ6ZNI04crF3wROwkbACwPZmKkbG7mhJ2dZfsT0zy61YiZQhYSIJtiSKbDMk8oqgNMiraYFFdgOn1X6Q6X72tqrMEN9UOsiHAOgI_uA037eeqAfw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It soon became apparent that though the erotic images were an integral part of the intricate work presented by great workmanship, they remained just one part of the entire concept of 'day to day life' of those times. What has been displayed in the temples are gods and goddesses of those times, the way people dressed, the way people worked, the way people celebrated, the way armies lived and the way people had sex (natural and unnatural). War, peace, alcohol, fashion and sex is all depicted very clearly and beautifully. To depict what they did a thousand years ago in such a fashion shows the thinking of the rulers of those times. The guide also emphasised on the Hindu way of life at those times which is depicted in all those beautiful temples. The temples are all tall and built on huge platforms - perhaps to protect them from floods or other natural elements. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkWP27Emz3i5wd7ambOReExcdqicPsziKFSOFfMOXqbfjDyolNSUHnsxf9-Wps8gkMR4wtFXypOX19c4R5m1A1KVuQ2LS1GZ1OBJuPoTVpE6mrZQF0SPfho-5119MiF0c1aFFU6O3KEqGeeXyjFzwyC8DhCXIp_3c11_fnSuRRvVsx8QjMgnUMRCIt-A=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkWP27Emz3i5wd7ambOReExcdqicPsziKFSOFfMOXqbfjDyolNSUHnsxf9-Wps8gkMR4wtFXypOX19c4R5m1A1KVuQ2LS1GZ1OBJuPoTVpE6mrZQF0SPfho-5119MiF0c1aFFU6O3KEqGeeXyjFzwyC8DhCXIp_3c11_fnSuRRvVsx8QjMgnUMRCIt-A=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Army sepoys having sex with horse. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>One temple has been left outside the gated complex for people to pray and all others are well maintained inside the complex. So this makes the complex exclusive and it is not the religious tourist but tourist looking for history who visits Khajurao. With the Covid - there are no foreign tourists now and the domestic tourists have also dried up. The lawns inside the complex are beautiful and the atmosphere is nice. One can spend a lot of hours in the complex. Due to the holiday time a few people were there otherwise the guide told us that not many visitors come nowadays. </div><div><br /></div><div>The temples got saved from invaders for several centuries as after the Chandela dynasty, the temples almost ceased to exist as they got hidden in thick forests. For almost 800 years no one knew of their existence otherwise I doubt if the invaders would have left them intact seeing the kind of work there was on them. It had Hindu gods and goddesses and also the explicit sexual carvings which would not have been tolerated by the North Indian rulers who ruled between 1100 to 1900 AD. </div><div><br /></div><div>The visit to Khajurao had been long overdue and I am glad we could do it. It's a trip which we all must make to learn what India was all about more than a thousand years ago. Pictures speak better than manuscripts and Khajurao temples are all about pictures. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-72896480813791790392021-11-18T11:05:00.001+05:302021-11-18T11:05:36.479+05:30The Andamans Travelogue<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KYX_Let5OoOTvSbccREt3t2p6gGSMV7-b1WxEeHThst2yyRVuknYNj4NwnjG9tTMZ8aQCVA2rceUmHYuVNdQsOd1TpmFTzqQf2CpWlx5Z1AWsNlTxQUfTn_rtVc7XRJdSzuoLhpCebWn/s3648/GOPR2886.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KYX_Let5OoOTvSbccREt3t2p6gGSMV7-b1WxEeHThst2yyRVuknYNj4NwnjG9tTMZ8aQCVA2rceUmHYuVNdQsOd1TpmFTzqQf2CpWlx5Z1AWsNlTxQUfTn_rtVc7XRJdSzuoLhpCebWn/w640-h480/GOPR2886.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming with the fish in lovely waters of Andaman Sea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Look at the world map and you may find Andaman & Nicobar islands as a few dots in Bay of Bengal. They appear to be closer to Thailand rather than India. The island of Phuket in Thailand is just 600 km from Port Blair - the Capital of A&N. For those in North India, reaching Thailand was simpler than reaching Port Blair as there was no direct flight and one had to go via Kolkata or Chennai. </p><p>I suddenly discovered that there was now a direct Air India flight at 5.30 AM to Port Blair. It was time to take advantage of Diwali break and discover that part of India which is barely visible on map. </p><p>Getting up at 3 AM is always a challenge and more so just 2 days before Diwali when we got home at midnight after a pre Diwali dinner. But it was worth taking a direct flight otherwise we would have had to leave an evening earlier for either Chennai or Kolkata, spend a night there and then leave for Andamans the next morning. This is because the flights from and to Port Blair only upto a certain time and only during daylight. This perhaps is the schedule during Covid restrictions. </p><p>The other challenge was to spend the time between 9 AM to 2 PM. This is the period between the flight landing and Ferry taking off to the island of Havelock. Port Blair has limited tourism potential so Havelock and Neil islands are preferred by tourists. Once again the ferries are limited nowadays due to Covid restrictions so one has to book well in advance. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Cellular Jail (Kaala Pani)</h3><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3yF8Oq7tkuj4sKui4x-Vn09HE7CPAGrDYKlBH5uCl5IrmpH8s0ZXilqJ8vaLwen7P5A2QSk1LpS4ukfhiBuaHrH8WVHTpN37mRXwFXJNxycFiYt9kEIPYMB7gcO6SyTY-E7W-IgfpjW5/s4032/IMG_6204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3yF8Oq7tkuj4sKui4x-Vn09HE7CPAGrDYKlBH5uCl5IrmpH8s0ZXilqJ8vaLwen7P5A2QSk1LpS4ukfhiBuaHrH8WVHTpN37mRXwFXJNxycFiYt9kEIPYMB7gcO6SyTY-E7W-IgfpjW5/w480-h640/IMG_6204.JPG" width="480" /></a></p><p>We did well to spend much of this time at the infamous Cellular prison which had been constructed by British to break the bodies and spirit of Indian freedom fighters. An hour or so at the prison gives you the feel of how tough the life was for the inmates here and how badly they were treated. Port Blair was then known as Kala Paani and horror stories about the treatment of prisoners by the warden David Barry have been documented by many historians. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQJ62M1fI93pH6KelNacJ_flWIYY9ka-v4fW0GGpVgUFuMGLcVhyphenhyphencsbRTnWZcb9BPBA7SCtS6LPN5WXjghKxPF2EUfsfqOsVtbs5lGM7q0G6o8iNg0Pm7z0WL2vo3O5IunjCeA4gU_QnD/s4032/IMG_6208.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQJ62M1fI93pH6KelNacJ_flWIYY9ka-v4fW0GGpVgUFuMGLcVhyphenhyphencsbRTnWZcb9BPBA7SCtS6LPN5WXjghKxPF2EUfsfqOsVtbs5lGM7q0G6o8iNg0Pm7z0WL2vo3O5IunjCeA4gU_QnD/w480-h640/IMG_6208.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cells of cellular jail</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Cellular Jail also has an open air 'light & sound' show in the evenings</b> which we were fortunate to see a few days later when we returned from Havelock. It really is worth going for this show as the history comes alive the way it is presented. They have a similar show at Ross island which is a ferry ride away. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR8IDmZ26pWrURVjlWqbAVEVty4fJcjeFKZ4BwqnasjZ-cZFe56JXkZChX4k93XxFb2ab18cwus2d0PPDxIioxHR-a_kWE-LkWjEplazHb0-h7ZjMQqAfhBRzZrVlBz8jSIibtFcOnidk/s4032/IMG_6343.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR8IDmZ26pWrURVjlWqbAVEVty4fJcjeFKZ4BwqnasjZ-cZFe56JXkZChX4k93XxFb2ab18cwus2d0PPDxIioxHR-a_kWE-LkWjEplazHb0-h7ZjMQqAfhBRzZrVlBz8jSIibtFcOnidk/w640-h480/IMG_6343.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound & Light show at the cellular jail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We also spent some time at Anthropologie museum which showcased the lives of several tribes of the islands including the <b>Jarawas</b>. The other tribes of prominence are the Onge, Shompen, the Great Andamanese, the Sentinelese and the Nicobarese. These tribes still exist. </p><p>I had booked <b>Makruzz ferry</b> which runs Catamarans between port Blair, Havelock and Neil islands. Port Blair did have a proper ferry terminal and one has to reach an hour early for check in's and for documentation. Havelock had no Ferry terminal so one has to wait in sun or rain or whatever the weather has in store for you. There are other companies also which run ferries but at this time the services were limited. The government run ferries are of high capacity but very slow. All the ferries were full so please do book the transportation well in advance if you do plan to visit the islands. There are many stories of people missing their flights as transport from an island to Port Blair was not available. It took us around 2 hours to reach Havelock and finally to our hotel at around 5 PM. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Taj Exotica - Radhanagar Beach</h3><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLd9ZPXUePLwXaAXzCF1_ZkUVrhi9Y4cgmhVYRNNhfhduGjhz0NQ7SlTy5fSUV7aQ-6mVc_VHNGqm8yvlGk9WiBdBCr8kkLb5Xk7y85rzPTKPQybA5Du9LFfa4obCHHW0xzNBnYDXW8HC/s2048/IMG_6246.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLd9ZPXUePLwXaAXzCF1_ZkUVrhi9Y4cgmhVYRNNhfhduGjhz0NQ7SlTy5fSUV7aQ-6mVc_VHNGqm8yvlGk9WiBdBCr8kkLb5Xk7y85rzPTKPQybA5Du9LFfa4obCHHW0xzNBnYDXW8HC/w640-h480/IMG_6246.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our room at the Taj. Each chalet was 1600 sq ft</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Being so much in the East but following Indian standard time (IST), it becomes dark at Havelock at 5 PM. Once it becomes dark - the beach becomes out of bounds. Taj Exotica turned out to be a superb property. Spread over 46 acres , each chalet was huge, luxurious and surrounded by lush green gardens. The resort had a nice gym and an Olympic sized swimming pool. Our chalet was considerably a distance away from the reception and activity area so we had to call the golf cart each time we had to venture out otherwise it was a nice 15-20 minute walk in the evenings and mornings. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FuEZ-BmHiyNA-Mw20wqFnAHUZVvk4Qf2p2uzOHVZ9QeXLS3pEWIvo8ExSG5XhCLHeN1n4Qx98-ec4Qy9wes6UQk848wF-CInYBH7RD7ogMEKGbeGnD23SWrcoJTSHo07aWE83l8A0lOR/s4032/IMG_6230.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FuEZ-BmHiyNA-Mw20wqFnAHUZVvk4Qf2p2uzOHVZ9QeXLS3pEWIvo8ExSG5XhCLHeN1n4Qx98-ec4Qy9wes6UQk848wF-CInYBH7RD7ogMEKGbeGnD23SWrcoJTSHo07aWE83l8A0lOR/w640-h480/IMG_6230.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome drink at the Taj</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>One got a very nice feel of being amidst the nature while staying at Taj. The trees were beautiful and the birds were extra chirpy. I spent an hour in the pool doing the laps on the first evening itself before we went for Devicka's birthday dinner at the restaurant. Our friends Sukrit and Arati along with their son Aditya came over for dinner and it became a mini party. They were staying at Sea Shells which was on the other side of island on another beach. Place they were staying at was in close proximity to all the scuba diving centres and as they had come mainly for scuba diving, it made sense to stay that side.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxZo0lsD2zxWCpST3gm4Vhp0Ym4XNM4QxgrcJD3Fx9rWbWo_knB_wyZ61U8oop-C5VNIaaYV_9Lb3yrsK7fVjp_80lbMGbC8GuAfP1DxMBqjhoolNykKNBW1YXwCgThBw73u-ckF0IVeM/s4032/IMG_6242.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxZo0lsD2zxWCpST3gm4Vhp0Ym4XNM4QxgrcJD3Fx9rWbWo_knB_wyZ61U8oop-C5VNIaaYV_9Lb3yrsK7fVjp_80lbMGbC8GuAfP1DxMBqjhoolNykKNBW1YXwCgThBw73u-ckF0IVeM/w640-h480/IMG_6242.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devicka's birthday </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Next morning after breakfast it was time to hit the beach. The beach itself was as pristine as it could be. The sea water had different shades of turquoise and the sand was white and soft. What makes the beach very special is the forest cover and the huge trees through which you have to walk to get to the beach. Radhanagar beach has been voted as one of the finest beaches of Asia and though it was not a very long beach, it is very scenic and hordes of people come to watch sunset here. On the first day we went to the beach, the sun was very strong and the reflection from the white sand made the day even brighter. It was good to cool off in the sea water. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcAn5H5ASeTUZcsZ3QyCEjsaBPC0qMq_oDuFpBJsCmD8yZ5wTVEqd9W3mIWEsSFgB4NOZAA7tjg6o_GCy7rN7W8IDSG7RI_xDsTdol6vFCBGpUfyeK74F2w7jcuBgZDNrzwd6Ec3LnsWw/s2048/IMG_6253.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcAn5H5ASeTUZcsZ3QyCEjsaBPC0qMq_oDuFpBJsCmD8yZ5wTVEqd9W3mIWEsSFgB4NOZAA7tjg6o_GCy7rN7W8IDSG7RI_xDsTdol6vFCBGpUfyeK74F2w7jcuBgZDNrzwd6Ec3LnsWw/w640-h480/IMG_6253.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft sand and quietness at Radhanagar beach outside the Taj Exotica</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We went out for lunch with Sukrit and Arati as they were leaving back for Gurgaon via Port Blair but in the evening we were back on the beach. Taj served us snacks and tea while we watched the sun go down. During the morning hours the beach had been empty but for some hotel guests, but now in the evening, many people from other parts of the island had come to visit the famed beach and watch the sunset. There were no shacks or restaurants so it was just beach ,water and sunset. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0YWUZ55wFocAnJvdqNGQqNuIHuv94s6CmaHOyrbicR-AF0G-e1PnQaO5JhrVqu2lg4dWPHP_Y-1hEABEhgjlEz1QwAM9yoLxKomcpetXZY-hEkNjreOrNW7KO1LOuwUpHHV6zpNrwvGp/s2048/IMG_6276.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0YWUZ55wFocAnJvdqNGQqNuIHuv94s6CmaHOyrbicR-AF0G-e1PnQaO5JhrVqu2lg4dWPHP_Y-1hEABEhgjlEz1QwAM9yoLxKomcpetXZY-hEkNjreOrNW7KO1LOuwUpHHV6zpNrwvGp/w640-h480/IMG_6276.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Radhanagar beach. Really beautiful and serene. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Barefoot Resort - Radhanagar</h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoXyjn-fF5mfg33F6yrzXGoiBQkhLtFupoXoNmbGe4OiwpECXFK6xu2c5zjy5MH7YBFUnaN7VRmCnTyFYcwtcGw9Q5w57Nu0Pf26jFlWSJphxCTSh0-FqdXmZosZ-8QHUIEb8VTBmL4b8/s2048/IMG_6289.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoXyjn-fF5mfg33F6yrzXGoiBQkhLtFupoXoNmbGe4OiwpECXFK6xu2c5zjy5MH7YBFUnaN7VRmCnTyFYcwtcGw9Q5w57Nu0Pf26jFlWSJphxCTSh0-FqdXmZosZ-8QHUIEb8VTBmL4b8/w640-h480/IMG_6289.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Cottage at Barefoot resort. They had stilted villas also. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>After 2 days of luxury living we moved to another very popular resort on the same beach called the Barefoot resort. It was very different from Taj and had a totally rustic feel. I had meant to book the villa on stilts but had got booking for a cottage as villas had been sold out. These cottages were a 10 minute walk from main area and it was unnerving in the dark as there were no street lights and one had to take a torch. It wasn't easy as due to some rains the path was slushy and slippery. One evening Devicka took a wrong turn and got lost and was very scared as there was just forest all around and extremely dark. The hotel also didn't have much to do in evenings after dark as it had no gym or swimming pool. So one evening I went for a massage which I thought was over priced. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbcC2kbSh7yrUrEymQr8H4zckNtv62bsBUnddHV3sxdOs6uG3Gs6ZHHU1EPJpv7V-OXL2AhJH7PBYTeJiCOdaaqy9YFv8hZEoUaDhr0xnxC8mlFuiosVncEzFiZAGKbSNvr5legzxrnit/s4032/IMG_6330.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbcC2kbSh7yrUrEymQr8H4zckNtv62bsBUnddHV3sxdOs6uG3Gs6ZHHU1EPJpv7V-OXL2AhJH7PBYTeJiCOdaaqy9YFv8hZEoUaDhr0xnxC8mlFuiosVncEzFiZAGKbSNvr5legzxrnit/w480-h640/IMG_6330.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path going to the beach from hotel. Imagine how it must be at night. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Once you got used to such things, it was a nice place and you even had to take off your footwear to go to reception, bar, restaurant and activity area. Once again beach was right next door through the forest. It's a kind of place which grows on you and after a day I was very comfortable. </div><div>Diwali evening was a bit of a dampener as the resort had nothing planned and being a dry day they were not even serving liquor in the bar or restaurant so one had to stick to the room and enjoy one's own tipple.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5x0eCTqCOLiHIl87EkCd8EffxDTnu_AYbvtBQ2XOxouQdZEtOfV0FkMpGAQTx2V_k21EZSAmMZZCfHBMqDSjsnMRqejQuOhGgDaDdlgyR3TBOOUMMYj_SaC09UBRXk4lexBETAgbY06y/s4032/IMG_6295.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5x0eCTqCOLiHIl87EkCd8EffxDTnu_AYbvtBQ2XOxouQdZEtOfV0FkMpGAQTx2V_k21EZSAmMZZCfHBMqDSjsnMRqejQuOhGgDaDdlgyR3TBOOUMMYj_SaC09UBRXk4lexBETAgbY06y/w480-h640/IMG_6295.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diwali Lights</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Barefoot had another resort which was scuba diving centre at beach number 3 which was around 15 minutes drive from where we were. That is the main scuba diving belt. As there was not enough time to do a full PADI diving course (which takes 4-5 days) I decided to do a<b> 'Discover Scuba diving programme.' </b>I have done snorkeling a few times but never done deep sea diving. It was time for a new adventure. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Scuba Diving</h3><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3kNLWJdLIC0N4f17lsfdj0R2wqKrWxe-YWs_0HzJACCq8NDad5lzBCbk0DylOMOD0Orz16FhcvGWEtfPqeWz7nvzYC9a4by3XrZquWiqHgwAfwpLr8FEyCu52NL1r2BPlbbCeLnHUyyA/s3648/GOPR2800.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3kNLWJdLIC0N4f17lsfdj0R2wqKrWxe-YWs_0HzJACCq8NDad5lzBCbk0DylOMOD0Orz16FhcvGWEtfPqeWz7nvzYC9a4by3XrZquWiqHgwAfwpLr8FEyCu52NL1r2BPlbbCeLnHUyyA/w640-h480/GOPR2800.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reverse dive with full equipment</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The day started early as I was transported to beach number 3 to Barefoot Scuba resort. There was a lot of paperwork and disclaimers to be signed before training for the dive started. They had a good team who patiently over the next hour or so trained us in shallow beach water. Breathing was the main issue and there were other things like extracting water out of mask and replacing your breathing nozzle if it were to drop while in a dive. Then it was time for the real thing as you get into full gear, get onto the boat and move towards a reef with marine life. We have seen it all in movies so now it was time to do a backdive into the water with full equipment and then with the help of the trainer get deeper and deeper into the water. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Equalising the pressure is done at each meter of submergence as that is the most critical process to adapt to increasing water pressure. Soon one becomes comfortable, breathing from mouth through nozzle is not an issue and equalising the pressure is routine. Then you enjoy those colourful fish which dance around you. The Scholl of fish envelope you but ignore you as they move towards their destination. The <b>octopus</b> was the highlight - so large and so flexible. It merged itself to the reef and became as if it were part of the rocks. The large fish and the small were all around and they were so pretty in this blue sea. A 10 meter dive for 50 minutes was a kind of dose I needed to ensure that I do several more dives in near future. I am already waiting for Thailand and Phuket to open to pursue several more dives in that region. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6Ruofr0Ia8Lok0el-ARJuFmhqLVPoF4BD3GcPsIVIlG3VlhKuG-plTKGZ2W4BJKS5upUG-QyLt-DgjJGoRoif9wh7utzRjI3mw-k0Ywji2RHLu0yoMhpKYGg0SaiJWpYvMReQ8fIixba/s3648/GOPR2907.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6Ruofr0Ia8Lok0el-ARJuFmhqLVPoF4BD3GcPsIVIlG3VlhKuG-plTKGZ2W4BJKS5upUG-QyLt-DgjJGoRoif9wh7utzRjI3mw-k0Ywji2RHLu0yoMhpKYGg0SaiJWpYvMReQ8fIixba/w480-h640/GOPR2907.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underwater meditation </td></tr></tbody></table><h3>Life on Havelock Island</h3><div>We didn't spend enough time in Port Blair for me to comment on it. Havelock was a couple of hours away by Catamaran and looked lush green as you approached the island with dense forests everywhere. As you drove towards the hotel you could see dense and green forests all around with very little signs of big hotels or tourism on the way. It appears that just 15-20% of island is open to tourism and rest of the place appears untouched. Vijaynagar beach or beach number 5 has quite a few hotels but as you drove towards Radhanagar, the habitat became less and less. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_a9crfhKx57P6SMh-71jkiBPdfehGZ5US6GTaWfz3vxLysUH6FMwOGJkZcS8Dusjr5Zgf3FcKT5g_tT_arIKiwF_E0g6UY0yWEgFtP63owHVPlWCKzxWoPjsqKACctf52HWK7q0lvYYk/s2048/IMG_6227.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_a9crfhKx57P6SMh-71jkiBPdfehGZ5US6GTaWfz3vxLysUH6FMwOGJkZcS8Dusjr5Zgf3FcKT5g_tT_arIKiwF_E0g6UY0yWEgFtP63owHVPlWCKzxWoPjsqKACctf52HWK7q0lvYYk/w640-h480/IMG_6227.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is kind of greenery you see from the car as you drive around the island</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Not far for Radhanagar beach was the trekking path leading the the famous<b> 'Elephant beach' </b>known for water sports. Many go for this interesting hike. As far as public beach is concerned, the <b>'Kala Pathar'</b> beach is very popular and as it is a shaded beach with lot of trees - it is quite comfortable to sit and enjoy the sun and sea. We didn't see any upmarket shopping or restaurants as we drove around the island. Most of small shops like vegetables, fruits ,chemist, grocery etc are in vicinity of the ferry area.</div><div>So basically there is not much to do on the island. I believe they don't even have a liquor shop. Once it becomes dark the people stay in their hotels and enjoy the facilities. During the day they go to some restaurants and beaches. </div><div><br /></div><div> Talking about restaurants........here is what we experienced. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Restaurants at Havelock</h4><div><b>Taj</b> had its own multi cuisine restaurant near the sea. It was decent for breakfast but didn't have too much to offer for other meals. So after our morning time at beach we went to a famous sea food place called <b>Anju Coco</b>. Unfortunately they didn't serve any beer so we moved on to another known place near the sea called <b>'Something different.</b>' The place was huge and had a library as well. You could see the sea as you dined and the sea breeze cooled you. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkUX2AQ6arrIlozJIeEOgJN3lbWw6TVNmffC-3o4GXQwIgG9TowPBT0jb0m-ZSD5jNX2j3X4bpqUCkmI0BtpdlQ8oGGU3QCEbeQ1PZOKk5RKYocbIKHhZ2eyTE4Hd9kTmzGHlYDMOIxH5/s4032/IMG_6340.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkUX2AQ6arrIlozJIeEOgJN3lbWw6TVNmffC-3o4GXQwIgG9TowPBT0jb0m-ZSD5jNX2j3X4bpqUCkmI0BtpdlQ8oGGU3QCEbeQ1PZOKk5RKYocbIKHhZ2eyTE4Hd9kTmzGHlYDMOIxH5/w640-h480/IMG_6340.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The restaurant had nice books to read and good food.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The owner was friendly and would take photograph of guests and then print them out and gave to them before leaving. More important - they served good prawns and served chilled Beer ! We ended up going to this place a couple of times. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAb6hFQteSsx8uPgzRa4q9nVIt90AJkB-2byWRWU6YuYcxn6vy7-706jxVsLw2wi-B2xDE6866kd76P8mNtiJEntTfNn16H_OyKqgcLCq4DQNZ8DXqDDWt2DCF4diF-QYB3XLJfiqHMmp/s2048/IMG_6337.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAb6hFQteSsx8uPgzRa4q9nVIt90AJkB-2byWRWU6YuYcxn6vy7-706jxVsLw2wi-B2xDE6866kd76P8mNtiJEntTfNn16H_OyKqgcLCq4DQNZ8DXqDDWt2DCF4diF-QYB3XLJfiqHMmp/w480-h640/IMG_6337.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lane takes you to the restaurant from here. They provide free pick ups and drops<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Our restaurant at <b>Barefoot resorts</b> served decent food but when I asked the manager if they served good prawns - he produced wonderful Tandoori Jumbo prawns which were huge and wonderfully marinated and cooked. That was our last night at the resort so we couldn't repeat any such order. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUjOgtppSWs2gg9IJHyklbeIlpIo26fIsWXiJ9jXO_RB80VD0j3qKeJR6o5tbhGaNlAMREWYKjB7kymaoKIzAl0TIXvCx4P_Hn0iKFGZojYQKFZkWzaPUKBuYHYhw8VHuvV-7HkhzXQEV/s4032/IMG_6327.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUjOgtppSWs2gg9IJHyklbeIlpIo26fIsWXiJ9jXO_RB80VD0j3qKeJR6o5tbhGaNlAMREWYKjB7kymaoKIzAl0TIXvCx4P_Hn0iKFGZojYQKFZkWzaPUKBuYHYhw8VHuvV-7HkhzXQEV/w480-h640/IMG_6327.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tandoori jumbo Prawns at Barefoot</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Someone recommended <b>Jalakara</b> - a boutique hotel nestled in the hills amongst the beautiful trees and greenery. They had a smallish restaurant and that's why the manager hesitated to book a table for us but he relented. The food variety was limited but it was a nice place to sit and have lunch. </div><div>We saw several hotels and restaurants near the popular beach number 5 (Vijaynagar beach) but didn't have time to go there. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJcWB5iwIaHCvzrBSP7BzpcVh_RGcHV_anp9fpG3b32UrwjfKjpbfRkPdclESBTFrmhD5hF_EXM0TF0p8-FxjmtJaRysuzemI9xKH9S9j746v7cBDHZDUuzd5s8Xjbtb-RZljIyns2KX2/s2048/IMG_6305.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJcWB5iwIaHCvzrBSP7BzpcVh_RGcHV_anp9fpG3b32UrwjfKjpbfRkPdclESBTFrmhD5hF_EXM0TF0p8-FxjmtJaRysuzemI9xKH9S9j746v7cBDHZDUuzd5s8Xjbtb-RZljIyns2KX2/w640-h480/IMG_6305.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Charming Jalakara hotel on top of a hill. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We did visit the popular<b> 'Amaya' at the Sea Shells at Port Blair</b> on the way back on the last night of the trip as it was next to our ITC Welcome hotel. The place was jam packed and quite happening with loud music and lot of holiday atmosphere. We didn't find booking there so were happy to be back to the quietness of our sea facing restaurant at ITC. It had been a great trip and next morning it was time to fly back to the Delhi pollution which had increased manifold due to Diwali crackers. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jmx8lURq491yDPT3mKQUl6dxrb6KfBnD3HuSJsCDib3QxHyPzGJl8nsrsdwUNKMOIQZeHnHg123SIgMwHAv4Mxl17MoWYcb8vBP33ADKs6VDvEX6z1bdKIRWQWZ7Yj77RZoCDWjr9y26/s2048/IMG_6345.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jmx8lURq491yDPT3mKQUl6dxrb6KfBnD3HuSJsCDib3QxHyPzGJl8nsrsdwUNKMOIQZeHnHg123SIgMwHAv4Mxl17MoWYcb8vBP33ADKs6VDvEX6z1bdKIRWQWZ7Yj77RZoCDWjr9y26/w640-h480/IMG_6345.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast view from Port Blair ITC Welcome Hotel. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-52258611681256587522021-01-23T09:43:00.002+05:302021-01-23T09:43:50.252+05:30Goa 2021 snippets<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUN1Iyd7E_ha6RtS2wpgxMiZUhRhECj0mbJzJpDZPaih7bIGC_XkC4oeiOJVr1XXoPAQYM3vvnnu5zRw_WrA90oU-Fi0mU_FmykgGoXB-Z-WQ1cURuhyphenhyphen2B0HKTsR7O6HJlPWoo8OH1zYi/s640/0C7CF158-A9F4-4541-A51D-B9C5612474F5.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUN1Iyd7E_ha6RtS2wpgxMiZUhRhECj0mbJzJpDZPaih7bIGC_XkC4oeiOJVr1XXoPAQYM3vvnnu5zRw_WrA90oU-Fi0mU_FmykgGoXB-Z-WQ1cURuhyphenhyphen2B0HKTsR7O6HJlPWoo8OH1zYi/w640-h640/0C7CF158-A9F4-4541-A51D-B9C5612474F5.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what attracts me to Goa. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> - The year 2020 saw us taking no flight at all. The world had come to a standstill. The year 2021 started with a flight on January 1 itself in the morning. Destination was the beach city of Goa. In these Covid times it is sensible to play a bit safe. Slightly expensive ticket is what we booked so that a change was allowed by airline in the event of non travel. Hotel booking was also left for the last minute. But bookings were done before we left Delhi. One can't leave these things for too late. </span></div><p></p><p>- Safety mattered. We decided on no check in luggage. Didn't eat anything in the aircraft but did so before boarding. We used the covid preventing material (PPE kit) provided by the airline. There were many who would keep taking off their masks but the crew was rightly strict with them. One felt reasonably safe during the journey.</p><p>- Dickens came to pick us up at the airport. He is the guy who has been providing me self driven vehicle while in Goa for last decade or so. His cars are generally in good condition. This time also he gave a new Swift vehicle and promised me that next time it will be an 'automatic.' He has progressed quite a bit in this last decade and seem to be now owning a few cars. </p><p>- We decided to stay a night in South Goa. <b>'Beleza by the beach' at Colva beach</b> was our first destination. It is just a 30 minute drive to Colva from Dabholim Airport. It was a sensible decision as North Goa was buzzing with lakhs of people who had come for new year. South Goa was nice and sedate. Hopefully many would leave North Goa for their homes by the time we reach there the next afternoon. </p><p>- We stopped by at restaurant called <b>'Fishka' at Betalbatim</b> on the way. It appeared to be popular restaurant in these parts. It had a nice decor and good atmosphere. Food took a long time coming as the place was full and staff was unable to cope up with the new year crowd. Food was average but I wouldn't judge it just on basis of one crowded day. </p><p>- <b>Beleza by the beach</b> turned out to be a nice resort. The rooms were on one side with spa, pool, bar and a restaurant. Our room overlooked the green farming fields. On the other side - which was a 5 minute walk from the room - there was an outdoor cafe which overlooked the Colva beach. Approach to the beach was directly from here. They also had sun beads lined up for the guests. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiVwdYS64Ld5zw_ARq7nhT-0ZXwcvjqxSb6VotBzmScKEmmDH6vFpvdXL6gW-ITen20OvlFW4PZqoyR6Gh3xmkUnY8BWyl9hTGQWOWR8iAogxu4kvnHcShZkoQDZeyrycf2Sd_Ht4NVNX/s640/IMG_4776.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiVwdYS64Ld5zw_ARq7nhT-0ZXwcvjqxSb6VotBzmScKEmmDH6vFpvdXL6gW-ITen20OvlFW4PZqoyR6Gh3xmkUnY8BWyl9hTGQWOWR8iAogxu4kvnHcShZkoQDZeyrycf2Sd_Ht4NVNX/w640-h480/IMG_4776.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming pool is near the rooms at Beleza by the beach. At this time the pool was shut due to Covid19</td></tr></tbody></table><p>- There are several nice restaurants in south Goa coastal belt. There are several good restaurants at Margaon/Madgaon as well. Prominent restaurants are <b>Martin's corner at Betalbatim, Fisherman's wharf at Cavelossim and Mickey's at Colva.</b> There are others like <b>Joecon's</b> near Taj exotica and the famous <b>Zeebop</b> at Utroda which we have frequented in the past. The 5 star hotels are a plenty in South Goa and some of them boast of very famous restaurants, so there is no dearth of good restaurants and food in South Goa. <b>The ITC Grand hotel</b> has really a good Indian & an Italian restaurant. The temptation was to go to Martin's corner for the lively atmosphere and their <b>chilli crab</b>. But as we were here just for a night so decided to enjoy the cafe at our own hotel. The bar was at the centre of cafe and music was good. Food was pretty decent. They did make good fish with Rachaedo Masala and Devicka was happy with her grilled chicken breast. It was an enjoyable evening under the stars.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRvmNYBI0AOPQa76G5sEYrpyMGhrCaKG3-T8pfAjcopC3W1ma-pn3sNm9dZywLXDa3vW1RDdLligbtM7eEzxpDtK04JvAaRBkxTz-FZedX9qLtLWlXG00NLdNNkguh2GncOwy_Tt7TUVb/s640/IMG_1089.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRvmNYBI0AOPQa76G5sEYrpyMGhrCaKG3-T8pfAjcopC3W1ma-pn3sNm9dZywLXDa3vW1RDdLligbtM7eEzxpDtK04JvAaRBkxTz-FZedX9qLtLWlXG00NLdNNkguh2GncOwy_Tt7TUVb/w640-h480/IMG_1089.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the room. Very soothing. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>We started the morning with a walk on the beach, followed it by breakfast and then I spent a couple of hours at the beach - mainly swimming. Devicka spent this time at the spa. It was then time to check out and leave for North Goa. </p><p>It took just a little more than an hour to drive from South to North Goa at this time of the day. The gigantic structure (Bridge) over Zuari river is coming up fast which would join the highway and that would further connect to the the new cable stayed bridge commissioned over Mandovi a couple of years back. The idea is to have seamless travel from the Airport to North beaches and from Karnataka to Mumbai. It's a great feeling driving on the new Mandovi bridge - it is very high and very elegant. It looks very pretty at night when it is beautifully lit up. </p><p>- <b>The 'O Resort & Spa' at Candolim beach </b>is a long hotel starting from the Candolim beach road to the beach. It has a casino at the entrance so remains popular. Direct access to the beach was our reason for choosing this hotel. There were hordes of guests checking out when we reached for check in. One guy was asking his wife to go back so he could stay for a few days more and gamble a bit more. Apparently casino was providing him a free stay. Casino's know the sources and their deep pockets which provide them of revenue. </p><p>- As you exit on the beach side, the very popular <b>Calamari bathe & binge shack/restaurant</b> was just on the right. At around 2.30 PM the restaurant was full but we managed to get a table. The place was buzzing with tourists and the crowd was upmarket. The music was superb and everyone seemed to be in a mood for fun. There was dance, laughter, cocktails, wine and relaxation. No guest wore any mask or seemed to have heard of 'social distancing.' It appeared from the behaviour of people that at Goa 'Covid19' was also on vacation. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlDRrbgmEaCT5dLGQ2r4DjbAAxQ9CGggbG7lsdI89t8zYtJzROtTh-pKLa3bC_jQqGKW1Ui5eVuTI3u4B2594budBCnKhPi5-TptRhcPncfJ0fIQqSd1OUMIlV5_aqN7CjGi-5DGVlsxS/s640/IMG_4783.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlDRrbgmEaCT5dLGQ2r4DjbAAxQ9CGggbG7lsdI89t8zYtJzROtTh-pKLa3bC_jQqGKW1Ui5eVuTI3u4B2594budBCnKhPi5-TptRhcPncfJ0fIQqSd1OUMIlV5_aqN7CjGi-5DGVlsxS/w640-h480/IMG_4783.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calamari bathe and binge. One of the most popular shacks of North Goa</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>- I have always found the food at Calamari to be good without being exceptional. This is a place where people come for cocktails and atmosphere. The beachfront location helps a lot. You can also lie down on their beach bed and get a foot massage done. Many who come for lunch leave at 6 PM and many who come for dinner are asked to leave at 2 AM. Many come for sundowners at around 6 PM and leave after dinner. When you are on holiday - the time has no value. The place has energy in it and it can be felt as you sit there sipping your cocktail and watching people talk & dance. </p><p>- <b>Candolim is a very popular beach of North Goa.</b> There is one long beach which comprises of Sinquerim, Candolim, Calangute and Baga. It starts from Taj Aguada and ends beyond Brittos at Baga. So the beach is one long seamless coastline but has 4 names at different places. This belt is famous for beaches, food, nightlife and roadside shopping. I like staying on this beach as it offers a lot and keeps you busy. One can always walk out of the hotel and go for roadside shopping. The holiday lane opposite the Le Meridien leading to the beach has some really good roadside shopping as well as some high end restaurant like A Reverie. There are some big stores like Newton's and Delfino's which stock groceries, clothes, liquor and whatever you may require. People often come for a longish period and they either own houses in Goa or they hire an apartment for a couple of months. They can get all their groceries from Newton's. Newton's has a very good variety of liquor. The Calangute junction itself now has hundreds of shops and restaurants. No wonder they say North Goa is lively. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP0uyKlSS2wqo2eAUqafOrUFMNHmwOHwkvrgn6xM49JDhEJfmh_DtO9q8OhiSl0WKvgs4Kmz34KkZ5_yQBQy_IuTitoz2oehqvq8WG-pOO1PxB8446ZBHMVhbpm4YMvjbdK0hNqsd2N8f/s640/IMG_4804.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP0uyKlSS2wqo2eAUqafOrUFMNHmwOHwkvrgn6xM49JDhEJfmh_DtO9q8OhiSl0WKvgs4Kmz34KkZ5_yQBQy_IuTitoz2oehqvq8WG-pOO1PxB8446ZBHMVhbpm4YMvjbdK0hNqsd2N8f/w480-h640/IMG_4804.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A roadside stall at Candolim</td></tr></tbody></table><p>- On our fist evening at North Goa we took a walk on the beach from our hotel to Taj hotel and back. I managed to swim a bit as the sun went down and then we were asked to get out of sea by the life guard. After a shower we took a stroll down the Candolim road before settling down for dinner at another popular restaurant called the <b>Fisherman's Cove</b>. This roadside restaurant seems to be always busy. They have expanded as well and still remain full. The service is super quick. I like prawn sizzlers they make so one visit per trip has become a norm. As the evening progresses the music becomes louder and DJ does well to get participation from the audience. </p><p>- Indians prefer to crowd the beaches in evening rather than morning/afternoon. The sun is a bit too harsh in Goa during that peak sun period. It can really burn you. I am a beach lover so we find a shack with adequate shade and while Devicka orders her pineapple and coconut water and reads her book, I spend an hour or so in the water. Then it is my time to order prawns in Richadeo masala or butter garlic and chilled beer. This happens day after day. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-t2t3oPnywGt3a5CWYSKhpjulwpmQIA1h7AsZBqPz2MqAxIcMNbjGmJptgRpi5w0wCjfPNva2mF6L5dMS5x3aZkiUiINuO1jQ-LOuwkCGOxqXjw_EK5yPZKXxhGr8qYaXIqx4GZmQbEN/s640/IMG_4788.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-t2t3oPnywGt3a5CWYSKhpjulwpmQIA1h7AsZBqPz2MqAxIcMNbjGmJptgRpi5w0wCjfPNva2mF6L5dMS5x3aZkiUiINuO1jQ-LOuwkCGOxqXjw_EK5yPZKXxhGr8qYaXIqx4GZmQbEN/w480-h640/IMG_4788.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisheman's hut is near Calamari and is quite popular. This is also open for Lunch and then shuts late at night. The afternoons are quiet at the beach. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmAcgXjnBtCykvshg2PnOB23XqK2BdVfkPYPE9hpxqLQxBM4r9bxidCJPsIsUdBSgC2nWJq_5x4rQM0iASzVqqamFK5HF62-5wHM1O3KJ6qqWpvSPI-b0pB-VjMUZ_00biiKEs7VWZCPe/s640/IMG_4785.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmAcgXjnBtCykvshg2PnOB23XqK2BdVfkPYPE9hpxqLQxBM4r9bxidCJPsIsUdBSgC2nWJq_5x4rQM0iASzVqqamFK5HF62-5wHM1O3KJ6qqWpvSPI-b0pB-VjMUZ_00biiKEs7VWZCPe/w640-h480/IMG_4785.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is the evening time which attracts the people to the beach. The atmosphere is lively with people swimming, jogging or just enjoying sundowners at the shacks.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Afternoon/early evening is siesta time in Goa. Most things shut down other than food places. It gives us also time to recuperate from the sun and sea tiredness. But before that it is lunch time and we headed for highly recommended <b>'Lazy Goose'</b> restaurant under the Nerul bridge. It was riverside setting with great live music and loads of Sunday crowd. The food was really good here. Butter garlic prawns spanish style and the tandoori pomfret was exceptional. It was a good place to discover. On this trip The Lazy Goose gave us the best food and the best atmosphere. Highly recommended !</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWT6qSszDb9Cs7Ck1BrInpXmvYaMQhRq4rNLbi-4-AVAXrB5e3wE7RuayeRRrPXKW5LFQ3Y8-4-EenHOchHu6teclkzU8OOWXUt9IIk0xvabdEQqQo94Wu9HxDiG0EjDvvlrBKNVkkWS2G/s1200/Lazy+Goose.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWT6qSszDb9Cs7Ck1BrInpXmvYaMQhRq4rNLbi-4-AVAXrB5e3wE7RuayeRRrPXKW5LFQ3Y8-4-EenHOchHu6teclkzU8OOWXUt9IIk0xvabdEQqQo94Wu9HxDiG0EjDvvlrBKNVkkWS2G/w640-h480/Lazy+Goose.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lazy Goose under Nerul Bridge is just 5 minutes drive from Candolim. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>In the evening it is time to take another long walk and then decide where the dinner would be. Our room doesn't have too much artificial light so I like to go out as soon as possible. <b>Wok & Roll</b> near Fort Aguada is another favourite restaurant owned by a friend's brother Allwyn. The Pan Asian fare is tremendous and the pork ribs are really delicious. Crab, lobster or prawns in different asian sauces taste divine. Unfortunately we can't order too much variety as there are just 2 of us. It is a nice and spacious restaurant and in a remote corner where there is peace and quite. Near the restaurant is the famous <b>nightclub Cohiba</b> which comes alive when we had already left after dinner. There are other nightclubs as well. <b>Tito's at Baga was the first to start the trend of nightclubs and I still remember those long queues that used to form outside its entrance. LPK</b> is a bit away but they have pickup and drop facility. <b>Sinq</b> is very near the Taj. Much crowd is swarming at these nightclubs as people have been deprived of these activities since a long time. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzqerx9jz5OUIhyiSx7Xh9PQFf4YRCLW9x8gS_UAReuU5EcjCtyfwMfJUQZ57t7ihb0KQW8vvQ32Zb274dSoIo5V1HIRlo_9I1yHmB4_HMCG58rcq3XXj3y8SBwqKL_gxdoI85TV5JtrO/s640/IMG_4807.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzqerx9jz5OUIhyiSx7Xh9PQFf4YRCLW9x8gS_UAReuU5EcjCtyfwMfJUQZ57t7ihb0KQW8vvQ32Zb274dSoIo5V1HIRlo_9I1yHmB4_HMCG58rcq3XXj3y8SBwqKL_gxdoI85TV5JtrO/w300-h400/IMG_4807.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special Ice Cream at Wok & Roll</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpYuJqpz7V9VbqprYpuDjeg2D87YcNRJz6UxCs786VeBX6r6H6s0uPPiXCtbiXVgbaEFUQnUekpBJaQVL44uepoRtEGOzFdLXJ5yCLZ2Ze2aKn-nixjZ9FUgk650upv2cbtYQJEOKcaH4/s640/IMG_4805.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpYuJqpz7V9VbqprYpuDjeg2D87YcNRJz6UxCs786VeBX6r6H6s0uPPiXCtbiXVgbaEFUQnUekpBJaQVL44uepoRtEGOzFdLXJ5yCLZ2Ze2aKn-nixjZ9FUgk650upv2cbtYQJEOKcaH4/w217-h400/IMG_4805.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ribs at Wok & Roll are one the best that I have eaten. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>- Next morning we try out a new cafe called the <b>'Cafe Candolim .'</b> We had gone to have breakfast at the lovely 'Chocolatti' but it appears that it never opened after the lockdown. Cafe Candolim was quite nice and gave great breakfast. Breakfast was included in the hotel package but Devicka decided that she didn't want to eat there as no covid19 precautions were being observed. So we discovered this new place. The egg I ordered had an interesting name called <b>'Anda Ghotala'</b> which comprised of scrambled egg, spices and minced meat. It was quite a handful start to the day along with Lavazza cold coffee.</p><p>- <b>Fat Fish</b> is another restaurant which remains extremely busy. It is on way to Arpora from Baga. I love their fish Thali. After our usual morning at the beach we headed for Fat fish only to see a long queue. We also overheard that they had run out of fish and chicken thaalis. But we were presented with a solution. The restaurant incharge informed us that they had opened another large restaurant at Anjuna beach which was around 15 minutes away. He confirmed that fish thaali was available there. So we drove to this new branch of theirs and it was pretty impressive. The thaali was available and was as good as ever. It comprises of a large pc of Rava fry fish and accompanied by gravies of prawn, mussels and crab along with vegetables. Its quite a meal. They have a lot of open space so it would be nice to sit out in the evenings. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLcm5aCYr-JgaoUARfnwYfya39NUqnjB3B2wFfXxuVzPCMBmd9EnvG_rK0fbzPBEMEHqiY_K4Yi5Lj8QS83B_VTsf-7fSzRAn9jceNeOLcqojNwyaPAAJUwtY0_etS95-rWS3FHGzOAzQ/s640/IMG_4814.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLcm5aCYr-JgaoUARfnwYfya39NUqnjB3B2wFfXxuVzPCMBmd9EnvG_rK0fbzPBEMEHqiY_K4Yi5Lj8QS83B_VTsf-7fSzRAn9jceNeOLcqojNwyaPAAJUwtY0_etS95-rWS3FHGzOAzQ/w640-h480/IMG_4814.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fish Thaali at Fat Fish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvqkZyVz4KwpCyAMA3xuuq1hMeQ3fnuQztZbl4yjeTosDBRfgdIQzM5yDFNBhqiozdQg7qqtWR6r-WEMuMgY5PlmO4KZuVg63P1Nb2kIFAlQn0JF_2Bv5zrs9sFiN0IaNz-tl1IlUEcnu/s640/IMG_4815.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvqkZyVz4KwpCyAMA3xuuq1hMeQ3fnuQztZbl4yjeTosDBRfgdIQzM5yDFNBhqiozdQg7qqtWR6r-WEMuMgY5PlmO4KZuVg63P1Nb2kIFAlQn0JF_2Bv5zrs9sFiN0IaNz-tl1IlUEcnu/w480-h640/IMG_4815.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New Fat Fish restaurant at Anjuna</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>- As we sat in the hotel lawns in the evening, one couldn't help noticing a couple of mismatched couples. By mismatched one means the man to be a pudgy 50 and the companion to be petite 20. It soon became clear that the companions were the companions just for this holiday. Things are happening in India !</p><p>- <b>Taj holiday Village is the most famous and popular hotel of North Goa.</b> It is quite spread out and has cottages as accommodation. Their Thai restaurant is called the<b> 'Banyan tree'</b> as it is next to a 300 year old beautiful Banyan tree. Our last evening was spent here in very romantic settings. The food was as good as ever and the place had a lot of calmness about it. There was some party going on at Taj and music could reach us sitting at the other end of property. The music was good so no complaints.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMoW2S_J9f9AneDv0JWgC08DtO0JMoQPE2DkzluOc-bTDosh_uSs0gtjyy4pbL8BoXr1ym1Dfvll1UwboRYOXHhYXyYWJLMJD1u-U_ktZK3mCuiBPvEkMqdsuEufjJWtzkNeWdtbgygRe/s640/IMG_4828.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMoW2S_J9f9AneDv0JWgC08DtO0JMoQPE2DkzluOc-bTDosh_uSs0gtjyy4pbL8BoXr1ym1Dfvll1UwboRYOXHhYXyYWJLMJD1u-U_ktZK3mCuiBPvEkMqdsuEufjJWtzkNeWdtbgygRe/w480-h640/IMG_4828.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 300 year old Banyan Tree at Taj holiday Village. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It was time to go back home now after a 4 day trip. For me it was a successful trip as I could spend a lot of time on the beach, in the sea and at some lovely restaurants. This is what Goa is all about for me. Dabholim Airport is always quite messy even though they had built new terminal buildings a few years ago. This must be the only airport without a single restaurant where one could have a meal peacefully. There used to be a restaurant earlier but they have shut it down. So coming early was a waste of time. We could have stopped at Sheela restaurant near the Airport for lunch instead of looking at chaos at the kiosks serving food. So if you are hungry after check in and security, then one has to stand in a long queue at one of the crappy kiosks. So if you want something to eat or drink to sustain yourself before the flight - then forget the social distancing and fight for your idlis or biryani. </p><p>After a lovely trip like this I think we deserved a better send off. Goa requires a much better airport than what it has. </p>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-33662240850075536592020-12-01T15:18:00.000+05:302020-12-01T15:18:40.703+05:30Rajasthan - A Royal drive. Part IV - Kumbhalgarh & Udaipur<p> Jodhpur to Udaipur journey could also be called a journey from Marwar to Mewar. Shortly after starting from Jodhpur, the entire topography changed. Desert was left behind somewhere. We were soon amongst greenery, cultivation, forests and beautiful hills. At one point when our google map decided to make us cut through some villages and agricultural fields instead of highway - it seemed we were in some hill station. This was quite remarkable as I never thought Rajasthan would have this kind of topography and greenery. This was also the first time during the trip when we found the roads to be not good as several times the highway was through the crowded villages and many a times we encountered narrow and broken roads. </p><p>When we started from Jodhpur, our intent was to go straight to Udaipur. On the way I saw a signboard showing a diversion for Kumbhalgarh. I asked Devicka if she wanted to visit Kumbhalgarh. She was quite indifferent but had no objection as long as I was driving the vehicle. I promised her that it would be a quick visit but the question one may ask is - having seen 3 major forts in last 4 days and several palaces, why did I want to visit another fort ? </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Kumbhalgarh Fort</b></h3><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTeQ3Mmt2FcQtkhISVSRXfb-MxQEIlKn3zgBpgaBmES8qbwFwPCrM8_A4g95q0bGy8xwjpHyQrbHkpLldWqNMFJDbSBYJdlUmYZuChfQrKTQBkxzrdVCLwYnwdn8gljuR9r2IWLm6Yq8m/s2048/IMG_6035.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTeQ3Mmt2FcQtkhISVSRXfb-MxQEIlKn3zgBpgaBmES8qbwFwPCrM8_A4g95q0bGy8xwjpHyQrbHkpLldWqNMFJDbSBYJdlUmYZuChfQrKTQBkxzrdVCLwYnwdn8gljuR9r2IWLm6Yq8m/w640-h426/IMG_6035.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kumbhalgarh fort is 3600 feet above sea level. It is on top of a hill. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For those who haven't heard about Kumbhalgarh - it is no ordinary fort. It is built 3600 feet above sea level <b>and has the perimeter wall of 36 kilometers ! This is second only to the Great wall of China in terms of length.</b> In terms of fort complex - it comes just second to the famous <b>Chittorgarh fort.</b> Being so close to this wonder - there was no way I was missing out seeing it and touching it. It also happens to be the birth place of legendary <b>Maharana Pratap</b>. Inside the fort there are 360 temples and out of them 300 are Jain temples. There are famous gates like <b>Ram Pol and Hanuman Pol</b> and most prominent tank is Lakhola tank. We spent just 40 minutes at the fort. From Ram Pol you can see most of the buildings and that is how beautifully the architects have designed the fort. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYDjzVmL2tYbrS-gUAg90g08KEGuYR9cJgPKpb4HL-LXHryxl19KHNjLkf-7newJP14netLWLzrft1agMlZPVaCbi2Er4N1ortIQHI5stjOLX7RnswdMohs2BCwFvKQcka_CJI59VkQPs/s2048/IMG_4535.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYDjzVmL2tYbrS-gUAg90g08KEGuYR9cJgPKpb4HL-LXHryxl19KHNjLkf-7newJP14netLWLzrft1agMlZPVaCbi2Er4N1ortIQHI5stjOLX7RnswdMohs2BCwFvKQcka_CJI59VkQPs/w640-h480/IMG_4535.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Ram Pol<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLJ-Xwfn80gqSdfsKZTZkjywQbEnWhVpdyNTO7RzlpFUaWoympbxzFXQX7IMNmUSkvhQioaU8RanJSh4_woI1WkHCl6pToxE1whYAO13LMeS4RX1QL5QJzpRQWGJQFUXgz7U8yuBlpLLb/s2048/IMG_4537.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLJ-Xwfn80gqSdfsKZTZkjywQbEnWhVpdyNTO7RzlpFUaWoympbxzFXQX7IMNmUSkvhQioaU8RanJSh4_woI1WkHCl6pToxE1whYAO13LMeS4RX1QL5QJzpRQWGJQFUXgz7U8yuBlpLLb/w480-h640/IMG_4537.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are plenty of temples inside the fort. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>While we were driving up the hill and going towards the fort, at one point the fort suddenly comes into your view. The view is breathtaking. I had to park the car on the side to appreciate how majestic the fort looked and how its wall kept going on and on till it disappeared into the horizon. That image will stay with me for a long time. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbrbZjMyPV3Cb6FOFTm8zfaZRVDHnpOKCAdBRzm1No1_CMTGYPg0IMjXvgRMQ9KMQrJQh2wmfeYwd9gpQIR5CXNendf7uCv8l3YaX6Pj1tifQtX1qLiYIOag-_6yv0A-axSafMyKWxrtO/s2048/IMG_6036.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbrbZjMyPV3Cb6FOFTm8zfaZRVDHnpOKCAdBRzm1No1_CMTGYPg0IMjXvgRMQ9KMQrJQh2wmfeYwd9gpQIR5CXNendf7uCv8l3YaX6Pj1tifQtX1qLiYIOag-_6yv0A-axSafMyKWxrtO/w640-h426/IMG_6036.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Length of wall is second only to the great wall of China<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Udaipur and Lake Palace</h3><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6Jz5zjO-Ua2M3aKJ9fHlvtNfx9UCW9WZm__gVTS8gIjzgIzTcN3IDwWjmlruwXnwpqG4NgQ6iJ6nfbtCc8Y_my-dvnvtrjiYuXt7IAsudcN79EBOlY8QtF24-ICSBJmUSoT43q6E9J6y/s2048/IMG_4555.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6Jz5zjO-Ua2M3aKJ9fHlvtNfx9UCW9WZm__gVTS8gIjzgIzTcN3IDwWjmlruwXnwpqG4NgQ6iJ6nfbtCc8Y_my-dvnvtrjiYuXt7IAsudcN79EBOlY8QtF24-ICSBJmUSoT43q6E9J6y/w640-h480/IMG_4555.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Palace hotel glistens in bright sunshine. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLcEjgN5r-QyIYijoC-te3vknwXwhymplCSWQAUMNFbuBf2T8dtBcJ3jQviCm8s4RyjXqzzz-qLjvZY8q4epfDytv4JEgAHAjhBUizEfzz4_ff1jdqTfSRI10LuWi5CG9IfLMmrLK5OxB/s2048/IMG_4570.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLcEjgN5r-QyIYijoC-te3vknwXwhymplCSWQAUMNFbuBf2T8dtBcJ3jQviCm8s4RyjXqzzz-qLjvZY8q4epfDytv4JEgAHAjhBUizEfzz4_ff1jdqTfSRI10LuWi5CG9IfLMmrLK5OxB/w640-h480/IMG_4570.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jharokhas. Perfect place to sit and listen to music. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qWoPCqbhfaGj6IYeDxRs6hvpv1dpou8qtz89Nlfujr2-VJE5tIif5Cj-X6OBfX3MH4qKaFVon0XPdxfzVGcX8ntEBF-pir6lXImxqAlsBXaac3xw6PI7EI5OiiNg8tB2G_5Jud0yBn9J/s2048/IMG_4580.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qWoPCqbhfaGj6IYeDxRs6hvpv1dpou8qtz89Nlfujr2-VJE5tIif5Cj-X6OBfX3MH4qKaFVon0XPdxfzVGcX8ntEBF-pir6lXImxqAlsBXaac3xw6PI7EI5OiiNg8tB2G_5Jud0yBn9J/w640-h480/IMG_4580.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Palace at night</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LxJ_h9Vu_Tz8reRoH4r2ioPBdDhi8oVqC5HTbSkj5jREfy2W9zhdS3piw6P4t8ZuXkhuNosz9x93azOimiqZagUzEo8XLifxIupBzRfhH76uIqvznKL0dZX6_5KswYWM1cWK6fC6bNlB/s2048/IMG_4569.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LxJ_h9Vu_Tz8reRoH4r2ioPBdDhi8oVqC5HTbSkj5jREfy2W9zhdS3piw6P4t8ZuXkhuNosz9x93azOimiqZagUzEo8XLifxIupBzRfhH76uIqvznKL0dZX6_5KswYWM1cWK6fC6bNlB/w640-h480/IMG_4569.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the palace there are some beautifully landscaped areas. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><p>Someone had warned me that the charm of staying in Udaipur is to live around the Lake Pichola. I had booked club Mahindra but at the last minute decided to stay at a hotel which I had been seeing in the films since childhood. Lak Palace hotel is in the middle of Lake Pichola and the only way to go is by boat. There are many luxurious and world class hotels around the lake like Oberoi's Uday Vilas and Leela palace but my mind was set on Lake Palace which is run by the Taj group. Many Hindi films have been shot here and I think James Bond movie 'Octopussy' was also shot here. </p><p>The city of Udaipur was quite messy and to reach the lakeside the streets were narrow and very crowded. I wonder how those large tourist buses reach the hotels. Taj has a place where one could park the car and hand over the luggage. The view of sparkling white Lake palace in the middle of Lake Pichola is a lovely sight. The city palace had shut down by the time we moved out after lunch but it was nice walking in that huge complex as we walked towards the old town. It had a very rich and historic feel about it. The old town had interesting shops and at times it was difficult to imagine that the shop which seemed innocuous from outside would turn out to be so large and have such exquisite handicrafts and other stuff. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra-IUBBugPYub7Vf33Wm_71HkVZJ4OeW51AbvG_Eknr5m2yPuO3ODxW7jur41uC5Fe5TRM31mAOmiDD-Fo5ZltT3ulrhBJxZV_Hy2AX2oJhWrAoD4HIHqeJ7cElsy04cg0W2M3Y-BOhyphenhyphenh/s2048/IMG_E4558.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1744" data-original-width="2048" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra-IUBBugPYub7Vf33Wm_71HkVZJ4OeW51AbvG_Eknr5m2yPuO3ODxW7jur41uC5Fe5TRM31mAOmiDD-Fo5ZltT3ulrhBJxZV_Hy2AX2oJhWrAoD4HIHqeJ7cElsy04cg0W2M3Y-BOhyphenhyphenh/w640-h544/IMG_E4558.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome with chattri and this was followed by rose petals from the roof. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Staying at Lake Palce was very refreshing. They gave us a great welcome and chef urged me to have local delicacies. I had earlier during the trip had the famed<b> 'Laal Maas'</b> but that had too much chillies. The chef here prepared the same dish for me having all other spices required for flavour but cut down the chillies. It was amazingly tasty. Then next morning for breakfast I devoured their<b> Pyaaz kachoris and daal kachoris</b> before leaving. These are special dishes of Rajasthan. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxebMCrydHZsbT7gfoiagbAs37f8i_HLL9pIXGU2UGLaZDcCHq2mF-chJq9eWWvH9QbomesT91hFJIR1-qcSOx1CwWa52_j9MW-YUIqzbHyZa7qb-vkzToS81occKNd34kG5Q0xAmg1l8/s2048/IMG_4591.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxebMCrydHZsbT7gfoiagbAs37f8i_HLL9pIXGU2UGLaZDcCHq2mF-chJq9eWWvH9QbomesT91hFJIR1-qcSOx1CwWa52_j9MW-YUIqzbHyZa7qb-vkzToS81occKNd34kG5Q0xAmg1l8/w480-h640/IMG_4591.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous Kachoris of Rajasthan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Once we got back from the walk to the old town it had become dark and the Lake Palace looked very nice lit up. We went up to the roof and sat for a while as some classical music ( Baansuri) was being played there. It was very serene. Our room was lake facing and one could see the city palace from there. So, relax is all we did at Udaipur. This was good as we had been travelling quite a bit last few days and this was a good respite from all the hectic activity. The hotel was not very large but it was very charming. Taj had its own boats so one could go boating and enjoy the lovely November weather. <div><br /></div><div>We left hotel the next morning after breakfast. Our next stop was to be Pushkar near Ajmer which was around 6-7 hours drive. Going directly home would have been too much driving for one day. As we got out of Udaipur there was a sign saying 'Chittograh - 98 km's.' Devicka looked at me as if to say ' Don't you dare..................' and we both started laughing. <b>Chittorgarh and Mount Abu would have to wait for another trip. </b>But we did stop on the way to buy some stuff from Arts & Crafts store. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">To Pushkar and then back home</h3><div><br /></div><div>The famed <b>Pushkar</b> was extremely dull and dead as normally it is thronged by foreign tourists. In their absence, the place looked real moribund. Their famed cafes and restaurants were all shut and the shopkeepers seemed to be doing no business. Even the lake looked very lifeless. Normally at this time of the year - just before Diwali - Pushkar is supposed to be a very happening place. In normal circumstances, the really popular Pushkar Mela with all the camels and all would have been around the corner as it normally starts around Novemeber 17th. We took the round of the lake, visited the famous Brahma temple and drove back to our hotel. We were leaving for home the next morning and looked forward to tell all stories about the trip to our daughter who had decided not to come with us. It was also Diwali time so its always nice for family to be together at this time. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-19394238877927264432020-11-27T11:30:00.031+05:302020-12-18T13:29:54.234+05:30Rajasthan- A Royal Drive. Part III-Jodhpur, the blue city.<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxnBYxS8g0MNz5zmXE1o1wuyfdsoNBJJFAaFEDTmD6DXmfSF9dBhIV312tcCPxn8n5Y-FGHPRy7eVIMMuY_xeBlzsGQdUk720dpYdqW5eioFlN9vBsibEWCxXKO-6RXcY5VgyuaL5i1iI/s2048/IMG_6031.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxnBYxS8g0MNz5zmXE1o1wuyfdsoNBJJFAaFEDTmD6DXmfSF9dBhIV312tcCPxn8n5Y-FGHPRy7eVIMMuY_xeBlzsGQdUk720dpYdqW5eioFlN9vBsibEWCxXKO-6RXcY5VgyuaL5i1iI/w640-h426/IMG_6031.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodhpur is also known as the Blue City. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><b> 'Zubeidaa' movie was released a few years ago.</b> Directed by Shyam Benegal this film is about a small time actress Zubeidaa Begum who marries King Vijayendra Singh who is already married. King Vijayendra and Zubeidaa are later killed in a plane crash- which was hinted as a sabotage. The movie was written by the famous film critic Khalid Mohammad, who happens to be Zubeidaa's son from her first marriage. Vijayendra Singh of the film is based on Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur who plunged into politics after the Maharajas were deprived of their power after Indian independence. Much of the film is shot in Jodhpur and showcases the fort, palaces and opulence of the Rathore family. Hanwant Singh's son is now the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur- Maharaja Gaj Singh II. </p><p>Jodhpur has beautifully been presented in a 10 episode 'Bandish Bandits' on Prime video. The entire setting is at Jodhpur and the series has classical music as main theme but has a lot of things in it to keep everyone interested. Naseeruddin Shah plays an important role in this story but it is the mesmerising photography of the Mehrangarh fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace, the desert and the blue city which excited me as I watched this series after coming back from the city. </p><p>Rajasthan may be one big state now but it was not so before independence. Each big city you know about in the state had an independent ruler with full army and designated territory. At times each province was enemy of another but sometimes they were friends with other Royal families having matrimonial relationships. Most of these royal fiefdoms were friends with Mughals and later with British. This helped them to survive and continue with their lavish lifestyles. </p><p><b>So far we had traveled to 2 big cities - Bikaner and Jaisalmer.</b> Each had its own rulers in past and each had a huge fort. They had often fought wars with each other. While Bikaner fort is totally conserved and is under a private Trust with a lovely museum, Jaisalmer has a living fort and unfortunately it is slowly crumbling. </p><p>We left Jaisalmer after an early breakfast for Jodhpur. From the golden city we were driving to the blue city. Dominated by Brahmins, Jodhpur initially had Brahmins paint their houses blue to distinguish themselves from others as they were considered to be superior caste. The journey was smooth and soon I realised what Devicka had been talking about when she had said that 29 years ago when she had driven from Jodhpur to Barmer and back, it was all Desert and dunes on the way. We could see the huge dunes but they were not of soft sand but had hardened and become large hills and they had a lot of vegetation on them. This was result of more rain in this region and irrigation facilities provided due to Indira Gandhi canal. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVc9Kk7aIVudH_Nif-KeG3lppDrAfn1hpvBNl2e3XcmJ7bCC939R8JAP1Sw3b9xHpTWawNWmAjY7GiuUXR99FlwcOD_g_yL0wPZnf14OAokklRPUDwZPqpAb6LAwmfpT0MIzVnGrB0zM4T/s2048/IMG_4527.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVc9Kk7aIVudH_Nif-KeG3lppDrAfn1hpvBNl2e3XcmJ7bCC939R8JAP1Sw3b9xHpTWawNWmAjY7GiuUXR99FlwcOD_g_yL0wPZnf14OAokklRPUDwZPqpAb6LAwmfpT0MIzVnGrB0zM4T/w480-h640/IMG_4527.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traffic was generally smooth but sometimes we had to wait for our dear camels to clear the way.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We did the distance in good time and had reached Jodhpur city in 3.5 hours. So instead of going to the hotel we decided to make the imposing Mehrangarh fort as our first destination. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Mehrangarh Fort</h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2yFVVZgA679uDHeXVxjxTzS7kTNPLFAYHThPpw8aGT9-KNZIagMKdF6bnG2mNzPCrkuilZQf04s2XFEKyvibYeDUdc1wo1qHGtmjVfhMLkFWSmzumLfQHdrp1qZ58hTfSdpkNYSBU-ba/s2048/IMG_6018.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2yFVVZgA679uDHeXVxjxTzS7kTNPLFAYHThPpw8aGT9-KNZIagMKdF6bnG2mNzPCrkuilZQf04s2XFEKyvibYeDUdc1wo1qHGtmjVfhMLkFWSmzumLfQHdrp1qZ58hTfSdpkNYSBU-ba/w640-h426/IMG_6018.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fort is on a hill so attack on it by clandestine was almost impossible</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Mehrangarh fort is under a private Trust run by Maharaj Gaj Singh II. It was built by Rao Jodha in fifteenth century on top of a hill. It has several gates and each has a history. Gates were considered important as they were there to thwart the enemy. Some gates were built to commemorate the victories over the enemy. Wars with Mughals and other states such as Bikaner and Jaipur resulted in several canon shots being fired at the fort and you can still see those marks on the walls and on the gates. Cars were going right till the entrance of the fort but we were asked to park 300 m below as the top level parking was for officials and guides. We had to pay for entrance and the guide at the ticket counter and it was a smooth process. The guide was quite good and spoke very good English. He gave us all the time and answered a lot of questions. We spent more than two hours at the fort . Inside the fort also one has to walk on steep slopes so one must wear comfortable shoes. The museum was outstanding and much of it is thanks to Maharaj Gaj Singh who has donated his personal artefacts to the museum as it is run by his Trust. The museum is divided with displays of Textiles, arms and armour, paintings, decorative arts and publications. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NJhVF0LBtLsS5FmTvOtSot2FIyfbcYE0RS2DESwbPdQRzebiCjOmdlK57MincfAwdLiu_SWGNteh5iSEVezrXevxf6Vts6-Vg6fcO4UxV7WQV0OlL8WupGsjEQSTkvTFZgkH5pt9Fzrd/s2048/IMG_6025.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NJhVF0LBtLsS5FmTvOtSot2FIyfbcYE0RS2DESwbPdQRzebiCjOmdlK57MincfAwdLiu_SWGNteh5iSEVezrXevxf6Vts6-Vg6fcO4UxV7WQV0OlL8WupGsjEQSTkvTFZgkH5pt9Fzrd/w640-h426/IMG_6025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This golden Palki and many other items from royal households are exhibited in the museum</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMF5LPlwO892tEyU_6LhUQB9pVyTkFIoIcD0MzFqOOM06ep7ALBDhcSsVr43cDkzXSLH2iLM_xpEzedf5zHsuGHSTU4LpvHElLH4AdJoyBpw_n0QIQa64VoqLHJAyHJkjnT5f3TvyoMnk/s2048/IMG_6027.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMF5LPlwO892tEyU_6LhUQB9pVyTkFIoIcD0MzFqOOM06ep7ALBDhcSsVr43cDkzXSLH2iLM_xpEzedf5zHsuGHSTU4LpvHElLH4AdJoyBpw_n0QIQa64VoqLHJAyHJkjnT5f3TvyoMnk/w640-h426/IMG_6027.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jaswant Thada as viewed from the Fort</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are some lovely views from the fort. <b>Jaswant Thada glistens in bright sunlight</b> as it is white. It has a museum of Marwar rulers and is known as Taj Mahal of Marwar. On the other side you can see majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace - now a hotel run by Taj group. It is owned by Maharaja Gaj Singh who has a museum in the premises and his living area in complex. Other than that you can view the blue city from the fort. All this looks quite lovely. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m88SKtUVoq0HOR-UTlAoCD8cBU8UqjYlRMV_yF5t9QHSe8oaGwNJK5xIHxHr_R43Fyq_bttjBj42tEfGY1lcfiF3eXoCc5DGhwnqCAax20BEdCaQJlpfPH1eEyEmpD2uMCHsjiTQ6Ryw/s2048/IMG_6023.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m88SKtUVoq0HOR-UTlAoCD8cBU8UqjYlRMV_yF5t9QHSe8oaGwNJK5xIHxHr_R43Fyq_bttjBj42tEfGY1lcfiF3eXoCc5DGhwnqCAax20BEdCaQJlpfPH1eEyEmpD2uMCHsjiTQ6Ryw/w640-h426/IMG_6023.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being maintained by private trust - fort is well looked after</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jai Pol (Victory gate), Fateh pol, Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal and many other such exquisite places inside the fort gives you some idea about the splendour in which these Royals lived. The fort also has Chamunda Devi temple where many were killed and several others were injured in a major stampede in 2008.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnrY4bZ4Dy-bzb27XZ_r31696B-oQx27w5Jfs89OEFsYoAxLGu51ZrKVXitMfqq2wEbvXkNQi_09hcBZmys_Pb0vfJeU6Ef2oBnuA70UuX93EPofKtSTVVavWwfa79QnJj1tFfAfZ7YTr/s2048/IMG_4501.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnrY4bZ4Dy-bzb27XZ_r31696B-oQx27w5Jfs89OEFsYoAxLGu51ZrKVXitMfqq2wEbvXkNQi_09hcBZmys_Pb0vfJeU6Ef2oBnuA70UuX93EPofKtSTVVavWwfa79QnJj1tFfAfZ7YTr/w640-h480/IMG_4501.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famed Phool Mahal<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN7zxEU4aWha6nViTcyc_gMgfhzPkNlobaJqFszyMm5ilycqiSMtjVsAdtf3TTMSfZH2j4DluOLcu2oUySjNrhyphenhyphenlxFnOOKiWjdxuJtFUs7PGxa4HO-c9mwbnYQk8FA-H21aTsJYp94GLu/s2048/IMG_4499.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN7zxEU4aWha6nViTcyc_gMgfhzPkNlobaJqFszyMm5ilycqiSMtjVsAdtf3TTMSfZH2j4DluOLcu2oUySjNrhyphenhyphenlxFnOOKiWjdxuJtFUs7PGxa4HO-c9mwbnYQk8FA-H21aTsJYp94GLu/w480-h640/IMG_4499.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheesh Mahal - the palace of mirrors</td></tr></tbody></table><p> The shop at the exit of museum was quite interesting and was not too expensive so we picked up some mementos from there. We had earlier thought that we would visit the sadar bazar near the clock tower for some mementos but then gave up the idea as we didn't want to go into a crowded place. It was well past 3 PM so we had lunch at their cafe. Food was good there and the chicken I had was made in Rajasthani style but thankfully it wasn't full of chillies. As the fort is run by a trust, the facilities were quite good and toilets etc were very clean. </p><p>It had been a sensible decision to visit the fort before going to the hotel. The hotel called Pratap Bhawan was a big Haveli like structure a bit outside the town on the other side from where we had entered Jodhpur. Had we gone to the hotel initially it would have wasted much of our time. Time was of essence as we were in Jodhpur also just for a day. So we didn't spend much time in the hotel and were off again after a nice bath. We were off to the top hotel and palace of Jodhpur for drinks and dinner. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Back to the city</h3><p>The road leading to Umaid Bhawan palace is quite upmarket. There are many top stores and restaurants there. Devicka wanted to check out some ear rings so we stopped on the way at a top jeweller's store. Next we went to the famous <b>Lalji handicrafts</b> but the shop was shutting early as lack of tourists had made business dull. We found another shop nearby and spent some time buying some mementos before I lost interest and walked into a men's garment's shop called the <b>'Monarch Garments.'</b> By the time Devicka walked in I had decided that I wanted a Jodhpuri suit from here. Now that we were in Jodhpur - might as well buy a Jodhpur style band-gala suit from here. So fabric was selected, measurements taken and order was placed. The Jodhpuri suit arrived by courier a week after we came back from our holiday. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">An evening at Umaid Bhawan Palace</h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18U56ywKNTx5FDKFQ1Asm-oN6kUSw-4IJRBmq8dEZN_q3cKjijhA8rMDld7nH6EQ97P60nxc7OfAuI27r-iJF_5FGYjmD0SWCS0E15O0X3A9hb6PSmo9NgFqyjdvJnxr5D00NRUlAU7m9/s2048/IMG_4512.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18U56ywKNTx5FDKFQ1Asm-oN6kUSw-4IJRBmq8dEZN_q3cKjijhA8rMDld7nH6EQ97P60nxc7OfAuI27r-iJF_5FGYjmD0SWCS0E15O0X3A9hb6PSmo9NgFqyjdvJnxr5D00NRUlAU7m9/w640-h480/IMG_4512.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Umaid Bhawan at night. Building similar to what you find in Lutyen's Delhi</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I was warned that the hotel may not allow outsiders ( those not residing at the hotel) due to Covid19 precautions. Umaid Bhawan hotel is rated as one of the top hotels in the world and is run by the Taj group. My friend Suman solved the problem by contacting his friend who is the CFO of Taj group. I got a call from the hotel and they confirmed our dinner reservation. I would have been disappointed had I not been able to visit Umaid Bhawan Palace. </p><p>The story about construction of Umaid Bhawan palace is similar to that of Bara Imambara at Lucknow. Asaf ud Daula had constructed Bara Imambara complex so that workers get employment during famine in Lucknow. In 1920's the Maharaja of Marwar - Umaid Singh, to help the farmers who were facing drought and famine for 3 years, commissioned building of this palace. The architect was Henry Vaughan Lanchester who was a contemporary of Edwin Lutyen. You can see similarities in buildings of Delhi built by Lutyen to Umaid Bhawan. The sandstone exterior and the domes are some of the similarities.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaBPqx-1I6Q8vSN-9pCXJN-UGb5p4GEtwdGPWPVzf1GiRkt3t6ovZsEnRb5DVwkbsSO3FqpY9F0SzJHX6jq_ptnxlhJ4R1o9rnLAbQ3HqdXW1RyPZ_uc4Rcs1upcIWNq1hYG_CoI58ejB/s2048/IMG_4514.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaBPqx-1I6Q8vSN-9pCXJN-UGb5p4GEtwdGPWPVzf1GiRkt3t6ovZsEnRb5DVwkbsSO3FqpY9F0SzJHX6jq_ptnxlhJ4R1o9rnLAbQ3HqdXW1RyPZ_uc4Rcs1upcIWNq1hYG_CoI58ejB/w480-h640/IMG_4514.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lobby under the dome was very impressive and had soothing live music </td></tr></tbody></table><p>In 1971 the palace was converted into hotel by Maharaja Gaj Singh. Maharaja himself stays in the complex. A part of the complex is a museum which was shut due to Covid19. It is a lavish building and very rich from inside and has 347 rooms. The hotel has huge grounds and all the facilities possible. The evening we were there, a big party was happening in the lawns and seeing all the fancy cars parked it seemed that all the rich and famous of the city were there. The bar was shut so we sat in the dining room and had our drinks, snacks and dinner there. As certain amount of cover charges had to be paid I ordered a couple of single malts. We didn't have anything fancy for food as snacks were quite filling. The party music made the atmosphere lively. It was a nice relaxed evening and it gave us that feel of being in a very Royal place. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQK0m3y3iUFBq8K-1_8rU4TUkr5P1uqG965QiQqECKSlr1CNk_zUQzxeG6CUvQwTzBSfFj4t6vulp_aBez5MzjhBqBMcu7_2W_vVpnmmdBIr6MGeuPT3stDc_klkjxV27EDoXWCT2lNPb/s2048/IMG_4516.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQK0m3y3iUFBq8K-1_8rU4TUkr5P1uqG965QiQqECKSlr1CNk_zUQzxeG6CUvQwTzBSfFj4t6vulp_aBez5MzjhBqBMcu7_2W_vVpnmmdBIr6MGeuPT3stDc_klkjxV27EDoXWCT2lNPb/w480-h640/IMG_4516.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Umaid Bhawan lawns all decked up for the party</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We could have avoided Jodhpur as Devicka had been here a couple of times for work several years ago and had told me that there wasn't much other than Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada and Umaid Bhawan Palace. But to me it made sense to spend a few hours here as drive from Jaisalmer to Udaipur would have been almost 10 hours. I liked spending the afternoon at Mehrangarh fort and evening at Umaid Bhawan palace. It also gave me satisfaction of visiting the venue of the national award winning film Zubeidaa which starred Karisma Kapoor, Rekha and Manoj Bajpayee. As mentioned earlier, each city had its own history, its own rulers and its own forts & palaces. Jodhpur of Marwar region also had its uniqueness. It is an important city of Rajastahn and I am glad that I visited it. And I also got my Jodhpuri suit also from here !<div><br /></div>The same evening IPL final was going on between Delhi and Mumbai teams. Though heart wanted the Delhi's young team to win, Mumbai proved much too strong for them. We watched the match after reaching back at our hotel and then started preparing for another drive the next morning. Destination was the lake city of Udaipur but on the way we decided to take a diversion. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-60158300015974081212020-11-22T19:30:00.000+05:302020-11-22T19:30:29.267+05:30Rajasthan - A Royal Drive. Part II - Jaisalmer<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcfs8AvcKqpXUcfw-DJb4k98g_xguOzUjIteQ20jhyphenhyphenPGr7RKSlOfOxoET4_scID0PgiExg7TKrFKaYGZizEV52qENw3NsxsuxRqlSREX8mxs4_qQFA3lJLy4ho-cOZUUfuUCUuagHoR-U/s2048/IMG_4412.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcfs8AvcKqpXUcfw-DJb4k98g_xguOzUjIteQ20jhyphenhyphenPGr7RKSlOfOxoET4_scID0PgiExg7TKrFKaYGZizEV52qENw3NsxsuxRqlSREX8mxs4_qQFA3lJLy4ho-cOZUUfuUCUuagHoR-U/w640-h480/IMG_4412.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>When you imagine Jaisalmer, an image of sky with golden hue with camels in desert come to mind. Perhaps this was some advertisement at some time but that image has stuck. I actually thought that as we will get closer to Jaisalmer while driving from Bikaner, we will get those rolling sand dunes and desert all around. There were no rolling dunes and though terrain was rough and sandy - there were quite a few green trees and vegetation. Closer to Jaisalmer some people were actually farming on what would have been barren land a few years ago. The Indira Gandhi canal (formerly known as the Rajasthan Canal) which starts from Harike Barrage which is a few kilometers below the confluence of Beas and Sutlej rivers in Punjab has a big role to play in changing the lives of millions in several regions of Rajasthan. </p><p>The scheduled driving time between Bikaner and Jaisalmer is 5 hours but with empty roads and no tea breaks - we arrived in 4 hours at our hotel. It was a nice drive and as mentioned above I was quite surprised to see considerable amount of greenery and some full grown green trees. Before we entered the city we were welcomed by the sight of a gigantic fort perched on a hill. And as we were approaching the city - the presence of armed forces was very evident in the area with prominent <b>'Jaislmer war museum'</b> building standing out. The border with Pakistan is not far away <b>and Longewal is where the famous battle was fought in 1971 as depicted in J P Dutta's 'Border.'</b> A friend who is a senior officer in Indian Army did offer all help if I wished to go to the border but then I didn't have the appetite for another 2 hours of driving one way just to be near the border. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9anf8MLL6YbT9WgPTPP006tah9N3pRT-jvfB7ZKNJQzTVt8UORNW9uA4-wlJmbs5eil5IVO0aAxz58EXzmlzKNqFLm5D7IO7xy_jRtjkFz63AiGsUUQ1qp5_YvhYYftufx1wsLdCPJgwj/s2048/IMG_5971.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9anf8MLL6YbT9WgPTPP006tah9N3pRT-jvfB7ZKNJQzTVt8UORNW9uA4-wlJmbs5eil5IVO0aAxz58EXzmlzKNqFLm5D7IO7xy_jRtjkFz63AiGsUUQ1qp5_YvhYYftufx1wsLdCPJgwj/w640-h426/IMG_5971.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jaisalmer fort can be seen much before you reach the city</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG5nEwvEVWx2AjZaWy5_tHxa1R3Mt4COLdbZlkAqJZ8_QF2R1r8KFghBkDjK_l13nWzYSYiyS570EEWR_CKNLD1GzJCqgUfbAFK2kk6Rz7hXwfxeMtuKsMLC9QZuQlk9ZlWOlIcdz-Gis/s2048/IMG_5972.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG5nEwvEVWx2AjZaWy5_tHxa1R3Mt4COLdbZlkAqJZ8_QF2R1r8KFghBkDjK_l13nWzYSYiyS570EEWR_CKNLD1GzJCqgUfbAFK2kk6Rz7hXwfxeMtuKsMLC9QZuQlk9ZlWOlIcdz-Gis/w640-h426/IMG_5972.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armed forces are an integral part of this region due to proximity to the border</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Thar Desert - Sam Dunes</h3><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUXoacpMesoAHzUdO-Yw7tkgiIQf1tUjNj9UQQEfdb3vtcKuKht1ePausHGb9eeeImlVxU3vEdAKTtrfw3OCm-ZfKhE9hCmUg9kP72Zb7fIlSlS7-YnVJk6CIdFI9L7LpxNYwA5sYc_ch/s2048/IMG_5976.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUXoacpMesoAHzUdO-Yw7tkgiIQf1tUjNj9UQQEfdb3vtcKuKht1ePausHGb9eeeImlVxU3vEdAKTtrfw3OCm-ZfKhE9hCmUg9kP72Zb7fIlSlS7-YnVJk6CIdFI9L7LpxNYwA5sYc_ch/w640-h426/IMG_5976.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a Desert Camp. There are hundreds of camps like this near Sam Dunes but suffering due to Covid19</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As usual we didn't waste time and the travel desk of the hotel asked us to reach the camp at Sam dunes (pronounced 'sum dunes') which was an hours drive for camel and jeep safari. I was astonished to see hundreds of camps in that area. As you approached the camp area, guys on motorcycle would approach you for giving you deals to join their camps. Many of the camps were huge with several tents for accommodation. But where was the desert ? I couldn't see the dunes or desert anywhere. The jeep safari guy did take us to the dunes nearby and it was not a very large area of desert. It wouldn't be even half square km ! What would be happening when all camps were functional ? There must be chaos and it must be dangerous as well. The area was just too small to be called a desert. How did it accommodate so many people, jeeps and camels ? You certainly could not get lost in this desert or see mirages. But the jeep ride was fun as we were taken up and down on those dunes and often the steep descent would make us have our hearts in our mouth. </p><p>Many camels were being managed by children and we were told that they were experts. When asked why they didn't go to school the reply was that all schools were shut due to covid. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8GIclCiLm4TLl132Og1P_PfP2c1zydIjwrmwuBXCMD_wks-GPBSBKIwryPQhv4tcJgKYL5c2Eymu-kU3MEqAMtvGjgIAM-m0dKsBKyNgi0hYHoxWIIamVFi0plwuRZahSR-5pXsCmpqB/s2048/IMG_4403.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8GIclCiLm4TLl132Og1P_PfP2c1zydIjwrmwuBXCMD_wks-GPBSBKIwryPQhv4tcJgKYL5c2Eymu-kU3MEqAMtvGjgIAM-m0dKsBKyNgi0hYHoxWIIamVFi0plwuRZahSR-5pXsCmpqB/w640-h480/IMG_4403.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Dunes may not spread for miles but a camel ride gives you a feel of being in Desert</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wKNIjmrrSwz0f0qA1S76BnxC-c5NOpRLSdV4I-Da97R00OI1YpfWeYNta9Z6Ybq1tHX-99BPmpS4wXVzb5envzJSwiW9MYKtRj8QNdmHU4xt9LrbVj-eVC3zkFvL_kbyMaoHeXpoeC4Y/s2048/IMG_4397.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wKNIjmrrSwz0f0qA1S76BnxC-c5NOpRLSdV4I-Da97R00OI1YpfWeYNta9Z6Ybq1tHX-99BPmpS4wXVzb5envzJSwiW9MYKtRj8QNdmHU4xt9LrbVj-eVC3zkFvL_kbyMaoHeXpoeC4Y/w640-h480/IMG_4397.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeep Safari is thrilling and from the hollaring that you hear, it is evident that people were asking the drivers to drive fast down the dunes and then screaming with excitement. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>The camp owner wanted us to stay for the cultural show and dinner but we declined the invite. We had tea and pakoras while the folk dancers practiced. Unfortunately there would not be many people to see the show. This area was without any street lights and it had become pitch dark so we navigated our way through the deserted area in pitch darkness till the main road and then sped off to our hotel to have our dinner there. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvpTJM10wcCyHkg3SfwlDy5IEjDB1RL7mbWXJsAu5QDPlrucM92yn10DO7zLe_2NEZBPb0Y37RSOeM7Ec6TdoEQ8LrcAu-Z6UiUeyUwKYdFRWEXqoQ9RC-HLMoVCAI1qaUpOU2dThYtZp/s2048/IMG_5980.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvpTJM10wcCyHkg3SfwlDy5IEjDB1RL7mbWXJsAu5QDPlrucM92yn10DO7zLe_2NEZBPb0Y37RSOeM7Ec6TdoEQ8LrcAu-Z6UiUeyUwKYdFRWEXqoQ9RC-HLMoVCAI1qaUpOU2dThYtZp/w640-h426/IMG_5980.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once in the Sam Dunes you do get the feel of Desert.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Gadisagar Lake</h3><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFtFXEh5FcZTxnwREbKNT7SMOg3ztg0JR7HjY4v_RZxEfyLeOfIcxOqmiQMeGvl3F5GmGuAMjup4ZSIzGEi9MzciMtFCohwm36JMyY4rFuQ9yZbds-W1-zh0Jht90eq-Q0towsgQmlbZb/s2048/IMG_4426.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFtFXEh5FcZTxnwREbKNT7SMOg3ztg0JR7HjY4v_RZxEfyLeOfIcxOqmiQMeGvl3F5GmGuAMjup4ZSIzGEi9MzciMtFCohwm36JMyY4rFuQ9yZbds-W1-zh0Jht90eq-Q0towsgQmlbZb/w480-h640/IMG_4426.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We were staying at Club Mahindra resort which is located in total isolation near Jaisalmer airport. Other than the airport there is nothing around for miles but for desert. This airport also is hardly functional. The city was 10 km's away and it didn't take much time to reach there from the resort. The resort arranged a guide for us and he met us at Gadi Sagar lake. This lake is very special for a city which has serious water scarcity. The banks consist of several temples and shrines and it also has lovely view of Jaisalmer fort. The famous Gangaur festival is held here each year. It was the only source of water during olden days and was a man made reservoir. It was rebuilt in 14th century by Maharaja Garisisar Singh who revamped the whole reservoir. It has a lot of history associated with it and the maharajas and royals used the areas with chattris for their pleasure and to cool themselves. An interesting story is about a top prostitute Tilon who commissioned a gate here in 1909 known as Tilon-ki-Pol. Not finding this appropriate, it was decided to bring down this gate but Tilon was much too smart and commissioned a statue of Lord Krishna on top of the gate. No one dared to break down the gate after that. Tilon-Ki-Pol with lord Krishna atop still welcomes you to Gadi Sagar Lake. <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Jaisalmer Fort - A living Fort</h3><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAO1gE5jcMvKbxr9NIZOA3PTALnNMJn0fMsBNG6nVf3jJW4QoSJsrsbyYfKZmjOnaZ3uxRnV9E16Q5rLktg6LrhmXTSVN2EPfxgaX-tVdk8Zl5pg9DnT9-yhWeccXW3goTTWpKMQrndwk/s2048/IMG_5995.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAO1gE5jcMvKbxr9NIZOA3PTALnNMJn0fMsBNG6nVf3jJW4QoSJsrsbyYfKZmjOnaZ3uxRnV9E16Q5rLktg6LrhmXTSVN2EPfxgaX-tVdk8Zl5pg9DnT9-yhWeccXW3goTTWpKMQrndwk/w640-h426/IMG_5995.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is the last of India's living fort with thousands of people still living inside. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jaisalmer Fort is a place where the whole city lived for centuries. As it glistens in the bright sunlight it is also known as <b>Sonar Qila (Golden fort)</b>. While in the last 50 years the city has spread outside the fort, the fort itself continues to be a living city with houses, temples, shops, cafes, hotels and restaurants. People live here like they would live normally anywhere except that houses and lanes are tiny. Some areas remind you of slums. I have seen and lived inside the Dubrovnik fort in Croatia but that is very upmarket and touristy. Living condition in Jaisalmer fort seemed to be basic. It was built in 1156 and has 99 bastions around it. The temples inside are beautiful and the Jain temple is a big tourist attraction. The Jains have a history with Jaisalmer going back to the silk trade route. I learnt more about Jains on this trip than at any time before. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkyLqpnMV044rBkDjQWe9xiaB-aO7deHq6sWi94-B04QZtiMjWRL_MTHnXSB9aGqNrbbUXp-VPbQJtbMTkJKW7KsN9DGC9QBUFrs1Xc-nwVSTHrfDVuoV7k1kqBrHzPxBGfW7FsdDkGUj/s2048/IMG_4444.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkyLqpnMV044rBkDjQWe9xiaB-aO7deHq6sWi94-B04QZtiMjWRL_MTHnXSB9aGqNrbbUXp-VPbQJtbMTkJKW7KsN9DGC9QBUFrs1Xc-nwVSTHrfDVuoV7k1kqBrHzPxBGfW7FsdDkGUj/w480-h640/IMG_4444.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The facade of the jain Temple<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ON3QMwzlFnOAgpvaLlYEFklpfFmH6P26cLAOd_SjQtHnPiP6BBUAglI8hFR_xqY_DkqNIyCMnHl-ztgCduDf9p966Gxg4zA_0wg_UJsrL6t_jDr1-L_XnP5Sf3CJuHxL6Dlp-S1ArmKN/s2048/IMG_4434.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ON3QMwzlFnOAgpvaLlYEFklpfFmH6P26cLAOd_SjQtHnPiP6BBUAglI8hFR_xqY_DkqNIyCMnHl-ztgCduDf9p966Gxg4zA_0wg_UJsrL6t_jDr1-L_XnP5Sf3CJuHxL6Dlp-S1ArmKN/w640-h480/IMG_4434.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jain Temple inside the fort<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHN40ZaaMzy4REfbdC8VYbpvfAVgy8HiEDaJ9M0kWs4oa83KVZV2kKpqmsbDD1deLgX28dZFcm82puUcym9TZ1AjL856qEyviczDO5Q3_msh5LHLrJBfOWcCQ49_acKzJoGK6gUgY_3du/s2048/IMG_4443.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHN40ZaaMzy4REfbdC8VYbpvfAVgy8HiEDaJ9M0kWs4oa83KVZV2kKpqmsbDD1deLgX28dZFcm82puUcym9TZ1AjL856qEyviczDO5Q3_msh5LHLrJBfOWcCQ49_acKzJoGK6gUgY_3du/w480-h640/IMG_4443.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ceiling of Jain Temple<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b>UNESCO has declared the fort a world heritage site</b> and the conservationists call it a crumbling fort. It was built at this location due to so called prophecy of Lord Krishna which was narrated to Rawal Jaisal by a sage in 12th century. The fort was built at a time when there was hardly any rain in Jaisalmer. Over the years the rains have increased and water is accessible to the residents of fort through other means as well. Indira Gandhi canal has made water accessible to the city and much of it gets pumped inside the fort. The water goes into the faulty sewage system and percolates down to the foundation which is not at all prepared for this moisture. This is not good at all as this is causing the fort to move and crumble as foundation is collapsing. How long it will last we don't know but the only way to save the fort would be to evacuate it and that seems very unlikely to happen in near future. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRypemQB3kuQW2Em3OqBUXbzzstDQG3yjxM6mwSf8cIqfo9qGkpmWxEFh8OvmDpRdq4uCPzZh_pcrGgvQs8mnPDDDY2WZHXTfKBOcpA91pZP-JmexonHyAIR7e5KcyIssye52ceRBp5-J/s2048/IMG_5997.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRypemQB3kuQW2Em3OqBUXbzzstDQG3yjxM6mwSf8cIqfo9qGkpmWxEFh8OvmDpRdq4uCPzZh_pcrGgvQs8mnPDDDY2WZHXTfKBOcpA91pZP-JmexonHyAIR7e5KcyIssye52ceRBp5-J/w640-h426/IMG_5997.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaisalmer is known for its yellow stone from which houses are built. It gives a look of Gold to this city. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Patwa Havelis & The Jewelers Hub</h3><p>The Patwa Havelis nearby built by the rich Patwa have amazing intricate work. It is a cluster of 5 havelis built in 1805 and it took 55 years to complete first haveli. Each haveli has five floors and each floor has a large suite. The idea was to first make a floor for each of his son's and then a haveli for each son. So rich was the Patwa and had so much clout that our guide described him as 'Ambani' of that time. Yet, they were not given land on the hill but some land down in the city so that their havelis didn't overshadow the fort and buildings in the fort. These Patwa havelis are now taken over by the government but one of them still have residents living. It is very rich from inside as well as no expense was spared to do inlay work. The more you look at the craftsmanship the more you tend to appreciate it. Patwa Havelis remain to be one of the top tourist destinations of Jaisalmer. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Pkmb5mxffS7o9LpfggS05wYbSxerfi58T-UYmHdwYjdjOGXs26Oau706_4XZfdWAtc_Aqatr7FYbDkdZXmVuQDlMS6QYqK0cMxhBB5Rej55-EaS6rtn7srO0mFQxoe1ATNWVsJNQJ62R/s2048/IMG_4459.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Pkmb5mxffS7o9LpfggS05wYbSxerfi58T-UYmHdwYjdjOGXs26Oau706_4XZfdWAtc_Aqatr7FYbDkdZXmVuQDlMS6QYqK0cMxhBB5Rej55-EaS6rtn7srO0mFQxoe1ATNWVsJNQJ62R/w480-h640/IMG_4459.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the beautiful work at the facade of Patwa haveli. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3Pqf8nBjlLh2dsDNmRcOoH5xz311nu8f5NFyBmM99TdBhdN9XbhA8lkzeuXC_03_bBP4jyfnhjCrJH79KoNIEgczAJ1TGyvoJgdFOdm0wMMxQBFpSi8a-WSkxB3Y8eXcCRqbAfa9DBcB/s2048/IMG_4464.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3Pqf8nBjlLh2dsDNmRcOoH5xz311nu8f5NFyBmM99TdBhdN9XbhA8lkzeuXC_03_bBP4jyfnhjCrJH79KoNIEgczAJ1TGyvoJgdFOdm0wMMxQBFpSi8a-WSkxB3Y8eXcCRqbAfa9DBcB/w480-h640/IMG_4464.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of haveli</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Very near the Patwa havelis is the Sonar lane where the jewelers live and work from home. It is a famous lane and even though these jewelers supply their wares to the shops, you can buy jewelery directly from them. The Jeweler we met said that his family has been in this business since time immemorial. They had been the official jeweler for the royal family. As you walk down the lane you can see the Sonar's at work at their homes. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc_GVQ4O0J_SvIW9CYYxrR6-cEZJFNl7CMvFolnv8XxxcP-AyRoLmanFIcSB173hFHUgLvDx2YNSYMAzR9R8ZkPDN105kqwMYi-B2RUPrmSankiP1uQ7EbbWlattu736cMe6iecTaRZBK/s2048/IMG_4470.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc_GVQ4O0J_SvIW9CYYxrR6-cEZJFNl7CMvFolnv8XxxcP-AyRoLmanFIcSB173hFHUgLvDx2YNSYMAzR9R8ZkPDN105kqwMYi-B2RUPrmSankiP1uQ7EbbWlattu736cMe6iecTaRZBK/w480-h640/IMG_4470.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeweler at work</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUutamQMobb18GGLhoUKLBpBoFu9FmxoBGkCxpXgvgStsgCbwMbMY96byLgM0F8mto5b_HHL1IpvmlxmotiAuDgZx1MpnSjRgbQDUFYxB8UGqRmKU2Gl3SeylMBUxJGdtSs2meXDtMWSTj/s2048/IMG_4473.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUutamQMobb18GGLhoUKLBpBoFu9FmxoBGkCxpXgvgStsgCbwMbMY96byLgM0F8mto5b_HHL1IpvmlxmotiAuDgZx1MpnSjRgbQDUFYxB8UGqRmKU2Gl3SeylMBUxJGdtSs2meXDtMWSTj/w480-h640/IMG_4473.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devicka trying to select Jewelery</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />Our last evening at Jaiselmer</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Many restaurants have shut down due to lack of tourists. The guide recommended a restaurant and I promptly ordered the famous Rajasthani platter of <b>'Daal, Baati & Choorma.' </b>I always have this whenever I go to Jaipur and it was thanks to my boss during CA days Mr K S Mehta that I have developed taste for this. Baati is full of ghee and to add to it they give extra ghee. But combination with their panchmel dal (Dal which is a mix of five dal's) and choorma (this is sweet tasting) is quite tasty. What you see in this snap is 50% of the meal as I shared the platter with the guide. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_58BwpFTUTOKwkq1itUqO0DVR29mjEOosZ_4l_3B6IG77ca7C2CBWRm7rcnPGr1Yd2lbSePbr_T57CsWagGRt2sgJ4qh08OT2AkEjE85nagILEmQZoEGoYfwkwBFZ3Bx4yCcxfEnGnPqH/s2048/IMG_4475.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_58BwpFTUTOKwkq1itUqO0DVR29mjEOosZ_4l_3B6IG77ca7C2CBWRm7rcnPGr1Yd2lbSePbr_T57CsWagGRt2sgJ4qh08OT2AkEjE85nagILEmQZoEGoYfwkwBFZ3Bx4yCcxfEnGnPqH/w480-h640/IMG_4475.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoyed the local food of Daal, baati, Choorma</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>As guide was telling me how Jaisalmer was once a sea and how geology had evolved I ended up buying Habur Fossil glass from one of the shops. Habur village is near Jaiselmer and the Habur stone is famous there and is said to have magical medicinal properties. Now each morning I sip water from that glass in which water is stored overnight. Will let the world know if I see any change in myself due to this special glass. </div><div><br /></div><div>A friend called from Delhi saying that we must visit Tanot. He said that this would give us the real feel of rolling sand dunes and desert. It would also give us a chance to visit the famous Tanot temple. The story is that during 1971 war Pakistan tried very hard to blow up this temple but could not do so and even the bombs which landed in the temple compound did not explode. We were to leave Jaisalmer the next morning so unfortunately there was no time though I would have loved to drive in the middle of real desert. Instead we took a trip to Bada Bagh. </div><div><br /></div><div>The light had faded as we reached Bada Bagh and looking at those beautifully carved chattris as the sun was setting was very special. On the other side were the windmills which generate power for the city. </div><div>Bada Bagh was made so it could be an oasis in the desert with a dam and a reservoir. Then rulers started making chattris with carved pillars in memories of erstwhile rulers of the area. The overall effect is tremendous and I wish we could have spent more time here but we were not allowed as the Bagh was shutting down. I am glad that we did drive here and could experience the sun go down behind the chattris. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzQsmN5V-nI9GufckRHSdRJwAGuOGt-eb0Ttj1xyCIL5oLRvuc-ootm6zwuvSoOXKAZXXkxX1MASjfTrFpjO4CvHf6yBA9SbS3mq7kE0l2J8f4L9LB3eQoLrmXO32BXYJlYPlxsx_xzPU/s2048/IMG_4477.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzQsmN5V-nI9GufckRHSdRJwAGuOGt-eb0Ttj1xyCIL5oLRvuc-ootm6zwuvSoOXKAZXXkxX1MASjfTrFpjO4CvHf6yBA9SbS3mq7kE0l2J8f4L9LB3eQoLrmXO32BXYJlYPlxsx_xzPU/w640-h480/IMG_4477.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bada Bagh Chattris<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs65S49u0bkwEZ37Ubz8SNgzv4RmFh8ap0J8h9fIxF_p8QFNrKpBPVaj-3SgYSQcEkJAsgm3R14ojfBrQimYaFOCE-UvYQKG9woZGQm-pN1NbZB9_MGo-nSDXFKEvEM5pnr82I58VOexgN/s2048/IMG_4476.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs65S49u0bkwEZ37Ubz8SNgzv4RmFh8ap0J8h9fIxF_p8QFNrKpBPVaj-3SgYSQcEkJAsgm3R14ojfBrQimYaFOCE-UvYQKG9woZGQm-pN1NbZB9_MGo-nSDXFKEvEM5pnr82I58VOexgN/w480-h640/IMG_4476.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdaWiehbHI-HkMBeg1X6oLikqss5ZLGdqReaQMPUJ43XzCRY_DnU4vL7rNJQ4zj7qlr78G6ax6SUdyw2w7GIQla-tm_rn95XOzLIXPtr4ybosO6vZPtBkY8eKhH-v-Rl4kzrj6Bx7iJtg/s2048/IMG_4481.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdaWiehbHI-HkMBeg1X6oLikqss5ZLGdqReaQMPUJ43XzCRY_DnU4vL7rNJQ4zj7qlr78G6ax6SUdyw2w7GIQla-tm_rn95XOzLIXPtr4ybosO6vZPtBkY8eKhH-v-Rl4kzrj6Bx7iJtg/w640-h480/IMG_4481.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windmills at work as the sun goes down </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once again it was time to drive back to resort in pitch darkness but the distance was not much. In these Covid times one just could not be casual and spend the evenings loitering around the markets and interact with the locals. It was time to be careful and staying safe. We enjoyed being in Jaisalmer very much and meeting locals and learning more about their ways of life would have been interesting. <b>Kuldhara</b> (A prosperous village which was abandoned overnight) on way to Sam dunes also has several stories associated with it, which only locals can explain. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next morning it was time to move onto our next destination. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next destination was another fascinating Rajasthani city called 'Jodhpur.' </div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-57634721980022496892020-11-18T12:18:00.001+05:302020-11-18T22:04:12.762+05:30Rajasthan - A Royal Drive. Part I- Bikaner<p> Driving through Rajasthan was something I had always considered but didn't think it will happen. The impression was that Rajasthan was overhyped and hotels there during the season were over priced. But the trip happened and initiative surprisingly came from my wife Devicka who happens to be a reluctant traveller and hates long car journey's (and matter of fact long plane journey's). The covid 19 lockdowns and confinements had got to her as well. In these covid times she didn't want to travel by air to anyplace so Rajasthan worked out to be the frontrunner for our road trip. So at the crack of dawn on the Saturday preceding Diwali we loaded my Toyota Fortuner with our suitcases and were on our way. </p><p>Some thought had gone into the itinerary but even I could not fathom at that time that we would cover Bikaner, Jaiselmer, Sam Dunes, Jodhpur, Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur and Pushkar in these 6 days. Rajasthan is a large state and the itinerary we ultimately followed did involve considerable mileage to be covered as it encompassed much of the state. Did we stress ourselves in doing so much in so little a time ? Not really. On the contrary I would say it was a nice and relaxed trip and we returned feeling rejuvenated and happy. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Journey to Bikaner</h3><p>Over five hundred songs were downloaded on my ipad for the journey. This was besides the thousands it already had in its memory. Soft drinks, water and poori-aloo were all tucked away for the first leg which was expected to be 8.5 hours long and culminated at Bikaner. Diesel gauge showed that the car could travel for 800 km without refueling and effort had been made to learn how to maneuver the spare tyre so that it would not give any trouble if I needed it for the way. From Gurgaon the google map showed that best way would be through Najafgarh in Delhi and then back to Haryana via Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, Hisar etc before entering Rajasthan. Midway through the journey we decided to take a break for a cup of tea but then also decided to have a parantha at one of the dhabas. Tea was sugary and milky but was needed after 4 hours of driving. It was the white butter on crisp tandoori parantha which was worth the photograph. During the entire trip this was the only meal that we had on the highway. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWl-g8x42FMlbqUTSwzgtCB38lQB1R5GCYOjJWOZbe1kJS5iH2mEeU4HoGwoYulUPjQthPScyM7Una6_0YQbPSWR9SMbJ8-eQ_pFHS8vlPZEayZxSqWTD7YKn6naZIm50BOLeQIqOU12X/s2048/IMG_4338.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWl-g8x42FMlbqUTSwzgtCB38lQB1R5GCYOjJWOZbe1kJS5iH2mEeU4HoGwoYulUPjQthPScyM7Una6_0YQbPSWR9SMbJ8-eQ_pFHS8vlPZEayZxSqWTD7YKn6naZIm50BOLeQIqOU12X/w480-h640/IMG_4338.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Butter !</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Hisar was the last major Haryana town before we reached Rajasthan. Hisar is known for steel industry and for some reason the google maps took us through the city. I don't know if the city has a bypass or not. As soon as we crossed Hisar, the topography started changing and the landscape started becoming dryer and harsher. The dhabas sort of disappeared and civilisation became scarce. It was fun driving through this rugged terrain in bright sunlight with some great music playing.</p><p> Contrary to expectation, most of the highways were just two laned but the roads were good (meaning - no potholes !) and not too many vehicles were on the highway. But as the car would reach 90 km/hr it would start wobbling. This was disconcerting as it was taking the pleasure out of driving. And just 2 hours before destination- a truck forced me to get on to gravel path and a stone must have pierced the tyre as it burst. Luck was with us as this didn't result into some kind of catastrophe and thankfully we found someone to help us with changing of tyre and as we reached Bikaner - I not only bought a new tyre but got all the tyres balanced. It did take more than an hour of our valuable time but eventually it was worth every minute. From then on the vehicle would glide over the roads smoothly at whatever speed. The wobble became a history and driving became pleasurable. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Our Bikaner hotel - Narendra Bhawan</h3><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorFWIR5HxmZ8eL3xB8EUlFsZs_YpYdEzCZ2Vnr1FUDlXgy8XHE_mQBVMaz2t0dNYGLP0vb-8jVLOJKfcPdrbuafSwu-Uo3giMSz1IHu2n9mSldwxQ2uhU4_teuzd1DHJbVv3QY3hVdADE/s2048/IMG_4381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorFWIR5HxmZ8eL3xB8EUlFsZs_YpYdEzCZ2Vnr1FUDlXgy8XHE_mQBVMaz2t0dNYGLP0vb-8jVLOJKfcPdrbuafSwu-Uo3giMSz1IHu2n9mSldwxQ2uhU4_teuzd1DHJbVv3QY3hVdADE/w459-h300/IMG_4381.JPG" width="459" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvvd4p9L5mc6fVStxUUm1VPSaJiWjKFy5NRXBSqJ5MsONAAb5IohSZzHzPC6WRl1hvhjxptC0ykVSTyWrRFX0Ib8wyvkdwq2bGRxw_RIzPJ3YLX7PYAKdPsu_8Ugnzhyphenhyphen7T9dWyb615qoX/s2048/IMG_4340.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="We were greeted by this friendly dog" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvvd4p9L5mc6fVStxUUm1VPSaJiWjKFy5NRXBSqJ5MsONAAb5IohSZzHzPC6WRl1hvhjxptC0ykVSTyWrRFX0Ib8wyvkdwq2bGRxw_RIzPJ3YLX7PYAKdPsu_8Ugnzhyphenhyphen7T9dWyb615qoX/w480-h640/IMG_4340.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were greeted by this friendly dog<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>King Narendra was the last king of Bikaner. Narendra Bhawan was his house and is now a boutique hotel. Not far from here was his palace called Laxmi Niwas palace which also is a hotel now with some great artefacts. Narendra Bhawan was very impressive with pink sandstone building and had a typically Rajasthani look full of jharokhas. Verandah had a bright red piano and yellow Jaiselmer stone had been laid on the ground. Photographs, books and artefacts made this long verandah very attractive. They had a bar, restaurant , a spa and a lovely rooftop infinity pool. It was the only place where pool and spa was operational but water was too cold for me to think of a dip. As tourism is almost non existent currently, we got a very good price for staying in royal surroundings. This perhaps is the biggest plus of the state - that you can live where Maharajas used to live and identify with the opulence associated with the royal families. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pictures of Narendra Bhawan</h4><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt6FARNNZcau51JO3ySpKjWdZzuz6Gcm6hfKWNKgAM_EmvdOjxvPJxDbniIjYAbxQc9K-hM8vapHxctVjIvzo5XXGEnngnPvaMH7GFem5hCPRIIhwugMXYf9CMo-WYhnnAOr7K1HrboFK/s2048/IMG_4345.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt6FARNNZcau51JO3ySpKjWdZzuz6Gcm6hfKWNKgAM_EmvdOjxvPJxDbniIjYAbxQc9K-hM8vapHxctVjIvzo5XXGEnngnPvaMH7GFem5hCPRIIhwugMXYf9CMo-WYhnnAOr7K1HrboFK/w480-h640/IMG_4345.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Piano catches your attention the moment you enter<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJKtL547R9LYvO6G39pzBYmGgu2LVzFRtJ8FEgcU4rR46M0PjH8GEVFL3gqWu86XeHJbAuONvC4JcdekD_1CRElB5I-5tfOnane8F4QEtV09dcn0OExTuNPVzN4Rvw3KFVOzOSIfJfMkO/s2048/IMG_4344.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJKtL547R9LYvO6G39pzBYmGgu2LVzFRtJ8FEgcU4rR46M0PjH8GEVFL3gqWu86XeHJbAuONvC4JcdekD_1CRElB5I-5tfOnane8F4QEtV09dcn0OExTuNPVzN4Rvw3KFVOzOSIfJfMkO/w480-h640/IMG_4344.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The artefacts and the books all belong to the king</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBA2vz1Kk66SC1HQZxoMSIObcS1lDui6-dBMzgF8qZsCc-L5UL_VbAGcBN7-4ucHxCQLZuD2Fwy5AlRhIhWhXfFaValk9A-Bjn1MIntp6i5zZN07exbrmQssk6UwpbndzrAU7pJMWvcdU/s2048/IMG_4343.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBA2vz1Kk66SC1HQZxoMSIObcS1lDui6-dBMzgF8qZsCc-L5UL_VbAGcBN7-4ucHxCQLZuD2Fwy5AlRhIhWhXfFaValk9A-Bjn1MIntp6i5zZN07exbrmQssk6UwpbndzrAU7pJMWvcdU/w480-h640/IMG_4343.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This area as you enter the hotel makes you feel like royalty</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3RE51btiiaGQfR0wReeb9OlmxFhduVyPqprv0AJe8Fz9aWFeoQULKg9GFAqWIa5P0NF5ptKmVzGvpSBtI4m4LujG_RSzBk9zl5GUHSpwCFp_5ssPwgH4JAlAeGf_i8S-pfgV_eRdCggC/s2048/IMG_4342.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3RE51btiiaGQfR0wReeb9OlmxFhduVyPqprv0AJe8Fz9aWFeoQULKg9GFAqWIa5P0NF5ptKmVzGvpSBtI4m4LujG_RSzBk9zl5GUHSpwCFp_5ssPwgH4JAlAeGf_i8S-pfgV_eRdCggC/w480-h640/IMG_4342.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sit out area</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">A vintage car was parked near the entrance for good effect and we were welcomed by a very friendly dog. The lawn area outside the verandah was perfect for drinks and dinner and before driving off to Junagarh fort we booked a table there for dinner. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Junagarh Fort</h3><div><br /></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5mD1-fs7kYm2LaiV734v-5axsOXq4FzemGkm8f6vNtJa61C7UBbHNmKMFALur61z2NQ_-m3mxRBQ7IlAoeX8krwV733IXW8wt4X3lKY2Vq3Q4Zk1wjTWkldgXOS61VoDQTLxjd36ttOX/s2048/IMG_4373.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5mD1-fs7kYm2LaiV734v-5axsOXq4FzemGkm8f6vNtJa61C7UBbHNmKMFALur61z2NQ_-m3mxRBQ7IlAoeX8krwV733IXW8wt4X3lKY2Vq3Q4Zk1wjTWkldgXOS61VoDQTLxjd36ttOX/w640-h480/IMG_4373.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>We were certainly not lazy on this trip. The forts and museums shut down early during winter so we barely had time to check in and freshen up before we were on our way to historical Junagarh fort. One could drive till inside the fort as parking was there so much time was saved. A friendly guide met us there and as he had contacts with all the personnel of the fort, several doors were left open for us till after the closing time. </p><p>I do know some history of Jaipur and Alwar but other than that there is not much about Rajasthan that I know other than from films like 'Padmavat' . The rulers of most states of Rajasthan were friendly to the Mughals as well as to the British. Most wars they fought were amongst themselves (Bikaner vs Jaiselmer or Jodhpur vs Udaipur etc) and Junagarh fort has a unique distinction of never falling to an enemy. This is astonishing as Bikaner is quite flat and not on a hilltop so invading armies did have an advantage. This fort is now a lovely museum with one of the best armory collections. The zari work on clothes exhibited is astonishing. The fort itself has very high quality of workmanship. The fort was built in 1594 by Raja Rai Singh and was known as initially known as 'Chintamani.' We spent around an hour at the fort but ideal time would be around 2 hours. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIF4eipnsk8iIKNDWajNMf_J3_Qg-gzK0fYkgfnsFzAGsveJkjnuMbUwheMf363Bh1kTO5vzBekcuYY3csuc9GpD555WVsNgvdgb6AxO7rBPUBvhRGjNlERHYYvaedAL1_NSx8snaW6rK2/s2048/IMG_4364.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIF4eipnsk8iIKNDWajNMf_J3_Qg-gzK0fYkgfnsFzAGsveJkjnuMbUwheMf363Bh1kTO5vzBekcuYY3csuc9GpD555WVsNgvdgb6AxO7rBPUBvhRGjNlERHYYvaedAL1_NSx8snaW6rK2/w480-h640/IMG_4364.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of intricate and expensive art work and engraved work has been done.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNJBX2FTqDBZHK__R27QUhMqC3csVv3WWcChR0PY0R5lNy43nRv-HWtL4cbRoxLG77hjwwd4sh5LJxd1gexVND-oCl5MgzeXvzW2BLxyQIwKh3ze2H9terDUWTm7TRk4WIz5Vfk5MdcYM/s2048/IMG_4372.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNJBX2FTqDBZHK__R27QUhMqC3csVv3WWcChR0PY0R5lNy43nRv-HWtL4cbRoxLG77hjwwd4sh5LJxd1gexVND-oCl5MgzeXvzW2BLxyQIwKh3ze2H9terDUWTm7TRk4WIz5Vfk5MdcYM/w480-h640/IMG_4372.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYka5vEBzfKpjNCnPpQeBLOi2R09GlyyRpVBh8wLh39dm2IUs2Zk1J3IfMqRuwe5Y77vjqJN5UP5JOh9XKxD1ByMONBNP3uKcX6Zurce54Pgwuv4qx4mvAJz2JVcYf9P59qMJV95Q373l-/s2048/IMG_4350.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYka5vEBzfKpjNCnPpQeBLOi2R09GlyyRpVBh8wLh39dm2IUs2Zk1J3IfMqRuwe5Y77vjqJN5UP5JOh9XKxD1ByMONBNP3uKcX6Zurce54Pgwuv4qx4mvAJz2JVcYf9P59qMJV95Q373l-/w480-h640/IMG_4350.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lot of work has gone into the flooring and Jharokas</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfvSzZ5kuSfBcRoR-JEKipUHXsgxLDgtFS19D4RgFcFvSHyUYKUj7UqZVtHQG7uUeSsHZkpZmiv86OV_ZpcvVqT4Pc5bzH-i9XxBCj8M9faUyyKDeBGfjnvgWVfXlqh6OpMqZRvlFJm6U/s2048/IMG_4353.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfvSzZ5kuSfBcRoR-JEKipUHXsgxLDgtFS19D4RgFcFvSHyUYKUj7UqZVtHQG7uUeSsHZkpZmiv86OV_ZpcvVqT4Pc5bzH-i9XxBCj8M9faUyyKDeBGfjnvgWVfXlqh6OpMqZRvlFJm6U/w480-h640/IMG_4353.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was quite breathtaking<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2O7fFvj8KUhXQcqzzPMmWttZ2H8GGPxdh2V-DbdU5Icrq89FHP793O9fUWCnm800j2xY-7oZa3JCT-xaQbB34CaNLUchGPDjRRkGj-oZ24ACpFu5hSsgDjv_DnWbcUAGpykk50K7I-Xg/s2048/IMG_5960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2O7fFvj8KUhXQcqzzPMmWttZ2H8GGPxdh2V-DbdU5Icrq89FHP793O9fUWCnm800j2xY-7oZa3JCT-xaQbB34CaNLUchGPDjRRkGj-oZ24ACpFu5hSsgDjv_DnWbcUAGpykk50K7I-Xg/w640-h426/IMG_5960.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">workmanship on floors, walls, doors and roof is top class</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTNP5CAbuTBpvLEE7WYH44Fc6KwPW5EuQ8pN_VQNgE401BBry9Z2BKiG_qnpWXt_JHfVuB1zV3oMkho4bKbcDaoezyegvPJ3r7kNlBcvCLaLDfrF7xYOlTt4oteTVqfF8_Mlqb1z1SEIt/s2048/IMG_5952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTNP5CAbuTBpvLEE7WYH44Fc6KwPW5EuQ8pN_VQNgE401BBry9Z2BKiG_qnpWXt_JHfVuB1zV3oMkho4bKbcDaoezyegvPJ3r7kNlBcvCLaLDfrF7xYOlTt4oteTVqfF8_Mlqb1z1SEIt/w640-h426/IMG_5952.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fort has verandas, Jharokas and intricate jaali work. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPhBPrhL7WDhNROKDut5O8GIO9McYNM9iSTzVDem0KOWDcHKoIQ0Kc3jCUIJlnW7pg81mGtAz00UjbuzGKtvbsWrFYLjMaKWfISd0nKlshV9Zl8sDE0i5HUiKd1wUsu3fOHLq7fKLLhE-/s2048/IMG_4356.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPhBPrhL7WDhNROKDut5O8GIO9McYNM9iSTzVDem0KOWDcHKoIQ0Kc3jCUIJlnW7pg81mGtAz00UjbuzGKtvbsWrFYLjMaKWfISd0nKlshV9Zl8sDE0i5HUiKd1wUsu3fOHLq7fKLLhE-/w480-h640/IMG_4356.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such beautiful work has to be admired. Worth travelling miles to watch. This is the famous phool mahal of Junagarh Fort<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">The evening </h3><p>We decided to take a walk in the market which was not very far from the fort. Bikaner is known for its sweets, bhujiya and Kundan jewellery. I did have chaat at Bikaner mishtaan bhandar and Devicka tried finding some kundan jewellery but with not many people wearing masks we felt unsafe in that crowded environment. We looked at some havelis from outside but then decided to call it a day and considered hotel to be a better option. The Lalgarh palace was also nearby and the Royal family still stays there though much part of that has been converted into heritage hotel. Going back to hotel was indeed a better option as I had my drinks and dinner in the open air dining area. We were to travel to Jaiselmer the next morning so I was already looking forward to the 5 hour road trip through the desert. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6gUho2QsASAlQr3XarRSezJw6UsL6OJRllDPnDC1UFXm4M2n_OGfLfUUg9of3gJWDo9BRDjeAUzJ6g6d0SO69Gg2AF-_ZGBpZe2XaA8UKAdeFv6Q8HboD001RJIxqdJg9i7D2pt-Cl0i/s2048/IMG_4376.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6gUho2QsASAlQr3XarRSezJw6UsL6OJRllDPnDC1UFXm4M2n_OGfLfUUg9of3gJWDo9BRDjeAUzJ6g6d0SO69Gg2AF-_ZGBpZe2XaA8UKAdeFv6Q8HboD001RJIxqdJg9i7D2pt-Cl0i/w480-h640/IMG_4376.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dinner under the open sky was pollution free</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Bikaner is not a very popular destination as tourists normally give it a miss. We visited Bikaner as drive directly to Jaiselmer was too long. Those who go to Jaiselmer often go via Jodhpur. My recommendation is that Bikaner must be visited as Junagarh fort is exquisite with a wonderful museum and the hotels like Narendra place, Laxmi Niwas palace and Lalgarh palace are affordable royal places to stay a night or two. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-71622552219612583852020-07-10T14:55:00.013+05:302022-05-19T12:40:25.352+05:30Mango the King<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j0AZrfPFz4bCp_HDwEZr8LJhNRMa9suexprqS9irxWX1OE159xiXIGS0gJHobbZJ3fP815rlMzJP182G1QFlum2-nL6xCouKlM5-cmmZXqqXeprNvO478wdeNeSNiPFgOnsnlJKyuSBB/s1600/A8A11917-8F37-436C-9548-71274A5FB265.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="282" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j0AZrfPFz4bCp_HDwEZr8LJhNRMa9suexprqS9irxWX1OE159xiXIGS0gJHobbZJ3fP815rlMzJP182G1QFlum2-nL6xCouKlM5-cmmZXqqXeprNvO478wdeNeSNiPFgOnsnlJKyuSBB/s640/A8A11917-8F37-436C-9548-71274A5FB265.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alphanso -the king of mangoes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It was quite
mind boggling actually. At Talkatora stadium in Delhi, many many years ago ( I am actually talking about 1990) I
was taken to a mango fair/festival by a friend. It was early July and I was
stumped at various varieties of mango. <b>They said more than 200 varieties were
on display.</b> They were of all shapes and sizes and some were real funny looking. You could taste many for free and buy a lot as well. The arena smelt of - guess what? Mango ! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Some Pakistani
varieties were proving to be very popular , probably because of our fascination
for the food habits of our not so friendly neighbours. As tasting was free, families had arrived in full force starting with grandparents and going down to toddlers. They were busy devouring whatever they could lay their hands on. It was indeed a
fascinating experience and to think that I have not visited the fair again even
though it is an annual feature would be surprising considering that I am quite fond
of mangoes, but it was the mess that put me off. People had eaten mangoes and thrown all the skin and seed on the ground. It wasn't an attractive sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I<b>ndia grows 1500 varieties of mangoes and 1000 commercial varieties,</b> so the
figure of 200 should not have been very surprising. But effectively
we taste around 8-10 varieties of mangoes each season so we are familiar with
those only. But no fruit is discussed and eaten as much as Mango in India and once the season ends, it is kind of a deja vu. You get back to apples and bananas and the mango hangover remains. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Having been
born and brought up at Lucknow, mangoes were a plenty there. <b>Malliahabad</b> was just
30 km’s from there and Malliahabad is the prime region for mango cultivation
and most popular mango here is the <b>Dusherri mango</b>. As you drive from Lucknow to
Malliahabad you cross Kakori and go on Hardoi road. Kakori is famous for those
kababs which melt in your mouth and also for the train robbery during India’s
quest for independence in 1925. As you approach Malliahabad, you get fascinated by thousands of mangoes hanging from the
trees. You actually want to stop and pluck them off the branches. My first impression was when my dad had taken us there when I was around
7 years old and I could not believe seeing so many mangoes hanging from trees and ready to be plucked. At many farms ripe mangoes
had been plucked and neatly assembled on the ground like a neat bed – I just went and lay on
top of them. It felt divine.The farm owner had soaked some mangoes for us in a bucket and he
told us that we could eat as many as we could. He gave us quite a few as gifts as we left. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhmPqx3M-ADHv6j98gIT5SJRu7Qx8c7jblC34TBWVKwlxRdGr4aq-PPsbFH3bGvsdndnx2Xkbj_A6BtYhFqbF-Y5bk6otxD0GaP5yajpZoGtUohZkRHjf1em8GYAKhPJxOrnmW-WjkalD/s1600/A8E94887-1524-424C-8858-722FA162E000.jpeg" style="clear: right; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhmPqx3M-ADHv6j98gIT5SJRu7Qx8c7jblC34TBWVKwlxRdGr4aq-PPsbFH3bGvsdndnx2Xkbj_A6BtYhFqbF-Y5bk6otxD0GaP5yajpZoGtUohZkRHjf1em8GYAKhPJxOrnmW-WjkalD/s400/A8E94887-1524-424C-8858-722FA162E000.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mango Man of Malliahabad with his trophies.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Kaleem Ullah
Khan was awarded Padma Shri in 2008 and he is known as the ‘mango man’ </b>of this
region. It’s said that he has grown 300 varieties of mango on one tree. This seems quite unbelievable but is apparently true. Dusherri is a small village near Malliahabad and the mango has made this village famous. The mango tree which started all this is still there and is still revered and belongs to the ancestors of Nawab of Oudh.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">My school friend Dharam Raj Singh has farms at Hardoi near Lucknow and he keeps posting pictures of certain exotic varieties of mangoes which bare never seen in the market. Some of these he grows at his farms and some he gets from the farms of his other farmer friends. Unfortunately he has not sent me any mango variety so far so I can't comment on the quality he produces. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn37ZOefalacZY1Tof3lhsktzR9JNoo9SFFx5f-mL0CAyl629ve8Ilqc7o30WN3ste-LEy_nGhZW2UzbPxpmI9jsqSkV4uZrd-MhQOz66PVCQE_X4rlvS5ephapFcHBkYzbdonoYfUnOgd/s1600/0DE72770-CB36-4DBA-A2DB-ACD5692A5D63.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="621" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn37ZOefalacZY1Tof3lhsktzR9JNoo9SFFx5f-mL0CAyl629ve8Ilqc7o30WN3ste-LEy_nGhZW2UzbPxpmI9jsqSkV4uZrd-MhQOz66PVCQE_X4rlvS5ephapFcHBkYzbdonoYfUnOgd/s400/0DE72770-CB36-4DBA-A2DB-ACD5692A5D63.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tree has seen 300 varities</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Alphanso is
known as the king of mangoes. </b>The King ! Ratnagiri in Maharashtra is known to be centre
for this mango. (Trivia: Dawood Ibrahim was born and brought up in Ratnagiri). It's said that name Alphanso is derived from Afonso de Alberquerque, a Portuguese army General. Portugese introduced grafting on mango trees which produced the tasty varities like Alphonso. We have enough Alphanso’s available now in Delhi during the season but earlier this was not
the case. It was mostly exported and was limited to a few regions of Maharashtra. Only the elite of Bombay used to buy it. Some enterprising person who cultivated Alphanso at Ratnagiri had
started to ship his crop to different parts of the country and also abroad. He
priced it quite reasonably at Rs 600 including courier charges. His company was called <b>Bangoes</b>. I started
ordering on his website and a beautifully packaged box of 12 mangoes would
arrive with instructions how to store them and only when ripe, keep them in
fridge. Alphanso in most exported variety of India and the best come in April
and May. This is good as the other mango which comes in these months is <b>Safeda
</b>– and I am not too fond of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But you can’t ignore Safeda as it starts in
April and is available till July. That is a real long innings so we will give it the award of man of the match. The best of it is from mid May to end June. It is fleshy and sweet. As Safeda is the first mango of the season people get very excited seeing it and
often get disappointed initially as it is not as sweet as the appearance looks
like. It is really bright looking and large sized. It grows in taste as season progresses. So while everyone was stuck with
one variety during May and June- I was enjoying Alphanso also during this time, thanks to Bangoes. Alphanso goes brilliantly well with vanilla Ice cream and in different
puddings. The flesh is bright yellow and looks so attractive when cut and served. <b>My favourite remains the mango trifle which is made out of bed of vanilla sponge cake and layered with Alphanso mango, vanilla ice cream with some custard, mango juice and a dash of rum.</b> My wife Devicka makes it very well but it is I who gobbles it up at each meal and then get scared of the weighing scale. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mango trifle being chilled. Alphanso mangoes were used in this instance giving it the brightness of the colour of mango that can be seen in the picture</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">In one of the foodie groups someone had sent a photograph of their favourite breakfast - the mango sandwich. I must say it looked pretty cool though I haven't experimented with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Bangoes also took orders
for <b>Kesari mangoes.</b> Kesari is mainly from Gujarat but Bangoes cultivated it at their farm. It is also called Gir Kesar as it is grown in foothills of Girnar in districts of Junagadh Amreli. I could only enjoy this unique flavoured mango once as they
have a very short growth window and that time of the year is normally my annual
vacation. Bangoes still does this and sends mangoes but now we have Alphanso's available in all good supermarkets and other fruit shops so that unique charm has gone out of ordering from website. Once in
Bangalore I went to a tourist park where mango fair was being held and saw several variants of Alphanso’s. I can’t actually vouch that they were Alphanso’s but they were pretty good. And
they were so cheap that I wanted to pack them and courier them to Delhi. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Alphanso may
be the king of mangoes in India but it is the <b>‘Red Mango’ or the Miyazaki mango of Japan
</b>which is known as most luxurious fruit in the world. And there is a purple
mango as well which is cultivated in Indonesia. So, we do have competition.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Mango from Japan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The famous poet <b>Mirza Ghalib </b>was quite obsessed with mangoes. In several of his letters to his friends he would request them to send baskets of mangoes. There are a few couplets he wrote about mango and there is a tribute to the fruit in his famous poem called the <b>'Dar-Shifat-e Ambah.'</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It would be unfair to say that people love the sweetness of mangoes only. The mango chutney, mango pickle, Aam ka panna and mango jam are some instances of tanginess and sourness of the fruit the adaptation of which are available to us through the year. Mango pulp is even used to make the famous drink Rooh-Afza. Our club normally has a one week mango festival and each day some different pudding is prepared and served which include the very popular <b>mango souffle.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There is a mango called Neelam which is very popular in Hyderabad and is sold in much of South India along with Raspuri but hardly makes an appearance in North so I have not much idea about it. <b>Raspuri from Karnataka must be good as it is called the Queen of mangoes </b>and sold in abundance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The colour
on fruit carts change from yellow to green as <b>Langra makes an appearance at the
end of June. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Benaras or Varanasi is
where this variety is grown and it is a real fleshy mango with some sharp
fibrous pulp which some people don’t enjoy as roughness touches the throat. <b>It was apparently grown by a lame person in Benaras so got the name of 'langra.'</b> I personally like this mango and this also goes very well with Vanilla Ice
cream. Just cut into small cubes and mix with vanilla ice cream and it is
delicious as its tangy sweet taste complements this combination. Dusherri and Langra
make appearance almost at the same time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> You will often see them on same cart of the seller. I normally intend to buy one variety but this year crop has been so plentiful that fruit seller manages to convince me to buy a few kilos of each at very cheap price. The car smells so mangoish after these mangoes remain in car for a couple of hours. Delicious !</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Langra, Dusherri and chusney wala aam make appearance almost at the same time from end of June. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Somewhere along the way ‘Totapuri’ also makes
an appearance in north India but doesn’t appeal much to us. It is mainly sold in Andhra, Karnataka and TN. My mom used to be very
fond of those small <b>‘Dinga’</b> mangoes which are juicy and have very little flesh and are meant to be sucked of their sweet juice. These are really small and very yellow and make an appearance in July and disappear also very fast. On the fruit seller's cart they do look tempting as they contrast between green colours of Langra and Dusherri. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Mango Shake
with Dusherri </b>is another favourite of mine with crushed ice and mixed well in
mixie. I find some similarity in taste between Alphanso and Dusherri so both
are good for milk shake but dusherri is better. It might be fattening but as no added sugar is
required, it is difficult to resist this temptation. Dusherri can be very deceptive as it appears to be a bit undone from outside but you may find it over ripe inside. For almost 20 -25 days this mango floods the market in North India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Alauddin Khilji </b>may not have been able to lay his hands on Padmavati but he made sure that he had mango with each meal. The almanacs say he was passionate about this fruit. Mughals are known to have a soft spot for the fruit as Akbar created an orchard of 1 lakh mango trees near Darbhanga in Bihar. Jehangiri is an expensive mango which carries Mughal empror's name till this date. Shah Jahan loved mangoes from Mazagaon so he had daily couriers travelling all the way to him with his favourite fruit. In 1687 as Mughal army laid siege to the fort of Golcanda, Abul Hasan tried to bribe mighty Aurangzeb with gems, jewellery, money and Mangoes ! <b>And Sher Shah Suri is said to have given the name to 'Chausa mango' from the name of town in Bihar just as he defeated mughal empror 'Humayun.' </b> Chausa is large yellow mango which comes from Bihar and UP in July and stays put till mid August. I love this mango though some find it very sweet. I find the taste very addictive and it has a large seed but still it is fleshy. Actually I wait for Chausa as it is my favourite mango. The flesh is yellow with some golden hue. It has aroma, look and taste. Chausa is also very popular in Pakistan and is grown in Mirpur Khas Sindh in Punjab of Pakistan. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When talking about mangoes I always remember the fruit seller who used to come to our colony during my childhood during peak summer and used to tell me '- 'Bhaiya - I am charging you not for the mango but only for guthli (seed). He would then make a loud announcement in a sing song manner for the full colony to know that he had arrived. ' Aam le lo Aam, sirf guthli ke daam ( Take mangoes from me and I will just just charge for the kernel/seed and not the mango). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As I mentioned earlier, this is a fruit which is most discussed and eaten in India. There are many arguments regarding which is most popular or most tasty and each person would be correct according to his taste preference. <b>According to me the Alphanso may be the king of mangoes but mango is definitely the king of all fruits. </b></span><br />
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-90072239875913180962020-06-05T09:52:00.002+05:302020-06-15T22:51:11.357+05:30Covid lockdown diary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two months of Lockdown -Aatmanirbhayata</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound of silence - Basketball courts under l ockdown at Park Place</td></tr>
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<b>- </b>One pleasant March evening PM came on TV and shut down entire India for 3 weeks without any notice. He used quite a few fancy sentences but in nutshell he asked everyone to stay where they were for 3 weeks. He said that together we will defeat Covid19 in 3 weeks. This started a two month journey for all Indians. It was a journey in which travel was prohibited.<br />
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- The immediate thought that entered the mind was about the welfare of my father who had left for Lucknow just a few days back and was staying alone. Mom had passed away just a few months ago and at 82 - how will he manage without the house helps coming and giving him the meals and refreshments ? A matter of great worry indeed.<br />
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- A lot of negative thoughts were meandering inside the mind during the first few days. But dad managed to get their RWA to allow the maids and they managed to reach his complex regularly to give him meals. So this was a big relief.<br />
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- However the overzealous Association which manages our apartment complex in Gurgaon made complex rules but in short they prohibited everyone to even get out of apartment. No one from outside was allowed to come into the complex . It's a small mercy that they didn't disconnect the lifts and fitted in us some GPS device to keep a track of our movements.<br />
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- The first day the obedient guards wouldn't even allow us to take out our dog for relieving to the pet area. When we threatened them that we would have no choice but to make them relieve themselves in corridors - better sense prevailed and permission was granted. They did try and come up with some weird rules like you could take them only so many times for so much time. Even my pet must have thought they were joking.<br />
<br />
- Some people wanted exercise so they would just go for a short walk to the park downstairs. It is then we realised what being paranoid means. Some paranoid residents clicked their photographs and sent them to cops. Next day onward the cops got the license to barge in the condo gates with blaring sirens to arrest anyone in the parks and on roads. Not satisfied with this they started driving on the grass of the park brutally destroying it with their heavy tires. Often they would hide somewhere to catch anyone who would break rules. It reminded me of movies I have seen about Stasi (East German police during communist era). Stasi persecuted people on the basis of other people spying on their own.<br />
<br />
- Just as the lockdown started, news came that thousands of migrants had collected at the borders of Delhi. The Government and administration had not foreseen this catastrophe as milling migrants collected on borders and Anand Vihar Terminal. With no employment and no food to eat, all they wanted to do was go home to their villages. An evacuation exercise had to be undertaken just a few days after the lockdown was implemented. Social distancing went for a six. Even then the government didn't foresee the shape of things to come.<br />
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- We had shifted to an apartment from a three storey house just a year back. Initially we had missed the house due to the space it had offered compared to the apartment with limited storage and circulation area. But in the given circumstances, this appeared to be the best decision we had taken. The apartment was compact and easy to clean. One didn't have to worry about electricity, water supply and cooking gas supply.<br />
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- As what happens in many of our households, we have a team of people coming each day to make our lives comfortable. <b>Besides a 24 hour maid, we have a car cleaner, a cook, a maali and a cleaning maid who come in.</b> Lucky for us the 24 hour maid had come back from her home in Delhi just a couple of days before the lockdown. Life would have been tough without her as she is a jack of all work without being master of any. The cook, maali, car cleaner and cleaning women went on a long paid leave.<br />
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- We had always thought that America would remain safe. It was afterall the most powerful nation on earth. <b>President Trump made sure that covid spread like wildfire there.</b> He didn't believe the medical experts or the scientists and refused to change his policies. New York became the epicentre while the president kept up his ante against China and WHO. He withdrew all WHO funding and took decisions which ensured that cases in America kept growing - and so did the deaths.<br />
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- TV news announced that members of <b>Tablighi Jamaat</b> (An islamic missionary movement) had congregated at Banglewali mosque in Nizamuddin in Delhi during the lockdown. This congregation of 5000-9000 happened right under the nose of Delhi Police during the time when public gatherings had been prohibited. Malls and cinema halls had been shut down in middle of march. South African cricket team had been sent back without having played a minute of cricket. <b>It's very strange that the cops who were implementing each government order with iron hand did not notice a huge gathering of thousands for days just 100 meters from their police station. Everyone was appalled.</b><br />
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- <b>Being a hardcore non-vegetarian</b> it was difficult for me to survive just eating the vegetarian food made by a makeshift cook. Fortunately <b>Modern Bazaar </b>continued supplying raw chicken, mutton and fish and the quality was good. Most people I talked to in Delhi, Gurgaon and Lucknow were surprised that we were getting non vegetarian and that too at normal price. I decided to make an attempt at cooking though in last 30 years all I have made are instant noodles, sandwiches, eggs and tea. I opened the iPad and looked at mutton curry recipe on you tube. It looked doable.<br />
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- Some workers of my factory sent an SOS message that they needed money to survive. I could only pay them somewhere they could reach without hassles. This was just a few km's away but I needed a curfew pass. I applied for a curfew pass online giving the reason as 'payment of salaries.' Next day I received a reply in which they rejected the pass and said ' This is not an important activity.'<br />
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- It was time to get into a routine. I started some stretching exercises each morning and evening. It felt good. Once in a while I would go down 19 floors and then come up - all by stairs. I started feeling fit.<br />
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- <b>Booze shops </b>were not initially shut after lockdown as liquor came under the 'essentials' category. I had in any case bought a case of Whisky and a case of Beer before lockdown. That was a smart thing to do. Soon all booze shops shut down and didn't open for almost 2 months. When they opened after 2 month's in Delhi - the queues had to been seen to be believed. Had they kept open liquor shops, government would have got much needed revenue and people would not have become so desperate.<br />
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- Some TV channels upped the ante and Tablighi Jamaat controversy became a totally different story. <b>Many of these Jamaatis who had been evacuated from the mosque tested positive. </b>Many had left for other states and countries . Many disappeared in thin air. Several of those who got tested in different states were found to be positive. Due to them the virus spread in many places. <b>At one point it was estimated that 33% of cases in India were due to Jamaatis.</b> Then the stories started coming of them deliberately infecting health workers and spitting on them. Many such stories came out and no one bothered to check the authenticity of many of the stories. Tablighi Jamaatis in the eyes of India had become the most hated sect of all times and which alone was defeating our war with Covid. They themselves had to blame for it.<br />
<br />
- The best part of my apartment is the direct view of the <b>DLF Golf course.</b> I have been a member there for the last 20 years and visit it 4-5 days a week for some sport or activity. So during lockdown we couldn't play golf but I could certainly stand on the balcony and look at the greenery and the bunkers. Some satisfaction at least.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI5pV0MmJPP8iEnPH8_c7bXt-X1bnSdo4HEwTLj-_QXqC4SDYcx2G4aiV52wb6ea1dnSPB6vTxIMagRCBesN33IgBeflqAzkMsTvMQQkGtfgMpm2a5GfJRJQIhaOg6xTtJApMLQklUWYl/s1600/D0849F10-8638-4798-AC2B-CFD70DADACAC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI5pV0MmJPP8iEnPH8_c7bXt-X1bnSdo4HEwTLj-_QXqC4SDYcx2G4aiV52wb6ea1dnSPB6vTxIMagRCBesN33IgBeflqAzkMsTvMQQkGtfgMpm2a5GfJRJQIhaOg6xTtJApMLQklUWYl/s640/D0849F10-8638-4798-AC2B-CFD70DADACAC.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
- The weather remained good in April. I could still run up and down the stairs. Pollution was low and sitting in balcony became a habit. It is easy to get into habits one realised. An afternoon nap became an important part of life.<br />
<br />
- My coach at DLF Golf academy Anitya Chand started imparting some online golf lessons. He would teach us to chip, putt, drive and more importantly how to draw or fade from behind a tree. Sitting at home there was no tree in front or a real golf ball to hit. So for a few days I practiced with something called a golf fan in the living room but then lost interest. In golf as in all sports you need to practice in proper environment.<br />
<br />
- <b>The government would come out with a few guidelines every few days and then would get busy amending them and issuing explanations about them. </b>Bureaucrats got muddled up in their own rule making. Cops wouldn't understand any guidelines and they would beat up anyone who would venture out - even to find food. Images of cops beating up hapless poor started appearing in media and social media with greater frequency.<br />
<br />
- I called up someone I know and he said that he was stuck in another town. He had gone for a day's work but lockdown forced him to stay there for more than a month and a half. His family was in Gurgaon and the hotel he had gone to had closed down. Some colleague had helped him out to get accommodation and money. There were many stories like this. Many had got stuck abroad. Students had got stuck in Kota. Some had driven for short holiday to hills & couldn't come back. At least he could afford it. <b>No consideration had been given to any aspect before this treacherous and inhuman decision had been taken to close down the country at 3 hours notice. </b>No planning had been done and to me it appears that it was done at whims and fancies of just a few without any consultation.<br />
<br />
- I didn't have my computer and passwords at home so could not do any online transfers etc. So, again I applied for curfew pass so that I could go to office and get my things. I had to make online payments of salaries and also pay some cash salaries. Once again my request was rejected.<br />
<br />
- Cooking turned out to be bliss. Browning the onions, putting masalas, roasting the mutton, adding gravy and making it tasty was something which I got right by following instructions. The mutton curry turned out to be perfect. My debut at cooking was successful. I had done it.<br />
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- We have a lot of Japanese nationals staying in our condo. Most of them managed to fly out to Japan after a couple of weeks of lockdown as for them surviving here in such restriction became impossible. Their government helped them in flying out. They just wanted to go home. Just like our migrants.<br />
<br />
- Strangely our Government kept comparing our covid cases to that of Europe and USA. I could at that stage understand that perhaps our lockdown had prevented the infections to spread but how do I understand the figures of low death rates ? Was our medical care and government hospitals better than those of France, Germany, Italy and USA ? At this stage no one compared our cases with those of ASEAN countries. Let scientists figure this out why our death rate is lower than that of advanced countries.<br />
<br />
- TV became an important part of our lives. There was abundant choice with Netflix, Prime Video and Hotstar. With news channels getting drabber with each passing day by giving covid statistics and obsessing with Tablighi's - it was time to choose a series which would go and on. <b>Homeland at hotstar </b>was perfect with 8-9 seasons and hundreds of episodes. To break monotony there were some hindi serials and movies. Internet and TV became our lifeline. I also started watching the cooking channel.<br />
<br />
- Whats app has groups and large groups have varied opinions. Most groups I was part of were heavily partisan towards the PM and government. In a sense that those who were partisan were more vocal. They were oblivious to harsh lockdown, crashing economy, migrant crisis, police atrocities etc. They found solace in fact that by locking down the country, the government had kept them safe and we were better off than most countries. Some of us had a differing view. Arguments on whats app became part of life though it resulted in my BP going up often.<br />
<br />
- Back to curfew pass. Desperation was mounting. I had to pay salaries but govt again rejected my pass. But they also passed a diktat that if employers don't pay salaries on time, legal action will be taken against them. So I did what I should have done in the first place. Picked up a phone and called someone influential. The curfew pass arrived on my phone within 30 minutes. Yeh India hai meri jaan !<br />
<br />
- Many people were doing good work. Aparnaa Laxmi - my junior in school lives in the same apartment complex. She has always helped the downtrodden and in the alumni magazine which I edit, I had done an article on her a few years ago. She painstakingly took support of many people including my wife Devicka to collect and distribute rations for hundreds of families. Thankfully all over India there were good citizens doing what was required to be done.<br />
<br />
- I became the official Non Veg cook of the house. I produced some amazing mutton, chicken and fish dishes. Some friends and internet helped me with recipes. I was extremely proud with the look and taste of 'Bhuna 'Gosht'. We kept getting supply of raw non veg from Modern Bazaar.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMaS7BrzvwWZvtt5eV7J50B3vQ5lINwOLHBTvMyI2w-FAsUovI0gIncwlKb9uDtncFhKC6tgRnpFoh1v0wALm_1gOA19eO6mehIjORTCBX1FqrD37Towpl8uxu5MBTSLGQoeQvgv3L8k0/s1600/8B42A3B3-FE39-4C51-B711-A92F5F8E717B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMaS7BrzvwWZvtt5eV7J50B3vQ5lINwOLHBTvMyI2w-FAsUovI0gIncwlKb9uDtncFhKC6tgRnpFoh1v0wALm_1gOA19eO6mehIjORTCBX1FqrD37Towpl8uxu5MBTSLGQoeQvgv3L8k0/s640/8B42A3B3-FE39-4C51-B711-A92F5F8E717B.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br />
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<br />
- Some people who were to be paid in cash came clandestinely to office. I asked just a few to come and they could collect for others. Indian government is under some false impression that cash is non existent in our economy and only digital and bank transactions work. The workers (migrants) informed me that they had received no help from government so far . For them social distancing was out of question as 6 people shared one room and there was one toilet for 20 people. They just wanted to go home at any cost.<br />
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- Having learnt photography a few years ago I have a good tripod, DSLR camera and lenses. I set up camera on the terrace and tried to master low light photography. I got bored of clicking the same landscape from different angles. Got frustrated with terrible results of low light pictures. Eventually the iphone and pixel 2 pictures seemed better.<br />
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- People got very innovative and started having drinks with friends and parties over zoom software. It would soon be a trend.<br />
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- The credible thing about the lockdown was that there was abundant supply of vegetables, fruits and basic ration. Things like Ice cream, chips etc took time to be replenished but most things were available. <b>We had Needs Supermarket</b> within the complex and <b>Le Marche, Foodhall and Modern Bazaar</b> not too far away. Cops had become a bit lenient and allowed us grocery shopping a little distant away as well.<br />
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- On the work front things were not good. Orders were getting cancelled and no money was coming in from foreign buyers. Many fashion chains filed for bankruptcy. Unfortunately my buyer also did the same leaving us high and dry. I made an online application to make fabric masks from the thousands of meters of fabric with us due to cancelled orders. It was rejected.<br />
<br />
- The covid numbers were increasing so PM appeared on TV again and asked everyone to light up diyas, torches and candles for 9 minutes at 9 PM sharp. These strange numbers must have been advised by some astrologer. Crores of us followed his advice but covid numbers continued to climb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRNqsRjew_NPJwzmCye1TILidYdDQ34bSLtgW8RIUgMXHkrM7tmH1rsvlJDXvcWOc_HqSIsuLB7YuUbNF6HRAgNxPsdEV_j_yEvxU5URGd6tgR-Ljx1hfEqa_8qFFNC2CEClXSE-rPjRf/s1600/E9F37ABB-2345-4B56-B6EE-507DC79E7FCC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRNqsRjew_NPJwzmCye1TILidYdDQ34bSLtgW8RIUgMXHkrM7tmH1rsvlJDXvcWOc_HqSIsuLB7YuUbNF6HRAgNxPsdEV_j_yEvxU5URGd6tgR-Ljx1hfEqa_8qFFNC2CEClXSE-rPjRf/s640/E9F37ABB-2345-4B56-B6EE-507DC79E7FCC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 9 PM we did light up the diya but did not extinguish it after 9 minutes. </td></tr>
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<br />
- I decided that I didn't have much to do so started cleaning the AC filters and ceiling fans. I just hoped that I wouldn't fall down the ladder as no one had any desire to go near the hospital at this time.<br />
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- Central Government announced lockdown 2 and issued guidelines. My state government made guidelines based on central government's guidelines. My RWA made guidelines based on state government guideline issued by District Collector . The guidelines basically stated that everyone has to continue staying indoors even though bureaucrats made it into a 3 page guideline. So much drama for nothing.<br />
<br />
- Ministers came on TV and praised themselves and the government. They told us how they have saved millions of lives. They informed proudly that everyone was getting adequate food and lot money in their bank accounts. <b>A few million either didn't watch TV or didn't agree with these ministers. In scorching heat they started walking back to their villages.</b> Many died walking while many died in accidents. Many truck drivers and buses started packing these migrants as sardines in their vehicles and charging each person upwards of Rs 5000 each. Government still remained in denial and refused to start trains to ferry them home.<br />
<br />
- Days kept passing and we came down to lockdown 3. I got permission to work with 33% workers after trying to fill online form for one week. Either their website wouldn't work or the software had problems. But finally I managed.<br />
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- Summer arrived with a vengeance. Temperatures in May touched 47 deg C. Tennis opened in our complex and golf course opened with many conditions. At least one could go out to the golf club and hit a few balls in the evenings.<br />
<br />
- Businesses were collapsing but no industrialist or banker spoke out against this draconian lockdown except for Rajiv Bajaj. I heard his full interview. This guy is so articulate with such clear thoughts that I am impressed. His company will achieve a lot more unless he suddenly starts getting income tax and ED notices.<br />
<br />
- <b>The central park in our complex came alive in mornings and evenings as our RWA allowed restrictive walking. </b>People came out of the confinement of their apartments and started walking and jogging. Unfortunately many felt that virus phase was over and neither would they maintain distance nor would they wear masks. They had just got of jail and didn't care about parole conditions.<br />
<br />
- Work was still in doldrums as whatever orders were remaining could not be executed properly as labour had run off to the villages. <b>Beginning of May, the ruling establishment had realised that migrant crisis was not someone's figment of imagination so they reluctantly agreed to ply the trains so that migrants could reach home. Then we had the usual Central vs State tussle. Borders would get sealed and unsealed. No one knew what was happening. </b><br />
<br />
- PM came yet again on TV and announced a financial package of 20 lakh crore. He also asked us to be Aatmanirbhar ( Self Reliant). I wrote the figure on paper but got muddled up with zeroes. Over the next few days our FM tried explaining in details what these figures were and where the money was being spent and how this would take care of poor and small industries.She refused to break it down into fiscal, monetary and imagination numbers. <b>Luckily I have finance background so understood that government was telling people and businesses of India - 'Hey guys, thanks a ton - You are on your own !'</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>- </b>Aatmanirbhar jokes and memes ruled the social media for some days. Then officials decided to do something so they banned anything with remotely foreign from the canteens of para military canteens. 1000 items were banned. Message was simple - why do you have to use made in India Colgate if you can make do with swadeshi ‘Patanjali.’ Make in India policy went for a six.<br />
<br />
- The government had shut India completely when covid cases in India were around 500. 1.35 billion people were locked up for 2 months to defeat the virus. As the figure reached 2 lakhs on May 30, government felt everyone was safe and mission was accomplished so proudly announced unlock 1.0.<br />
Now we can go shopping, have a haircut, get house helps, play golf, play tennis, open offices and even have day parties. Bureaucrats still don’t want us to go out after 9 PM so there is curfew at night. It is said that it is at night that devil gets activated !<br />
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-63144067217507332142020-05-20T15:20:00.000+05:302020-05-20T15:20:31.009+05:30India Vs Pakistan WC 2019 - Old Trafford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the gates of Old Trafford the atmosphere was more than buzzing. </td></tr>
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It is time to go back a year to relive the WC 2019 match between India and Pakistan at Old Trafford Manchester. It was the match which was the toast of the World Cup with several Indians and Pakistanis travelling from their country to watch. This was a match which had a House Full status month's before the the event. As a gentleman from ICC admitted to me during the Australia match -'This is bigger than even the finals.'<br />
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It is strange that I did not write about this exciting event a year back. Actually on returning to India we were soon upon Semi's and Finals. Semi's broke India's heart and Finals broke the world's heart. For a long time all other matches were forgotten. WC finals at Lord's was rated as the most exciting ODI ever. India Vs Pakistan took a back seat.<br />
<br />
We landed at <b>Manchester</b> from Dublin after a lovely week there. Decision to visit Ireland had been taken at the expense of the match versus New Zealand. It was the best decision as this match was washed out. This was the craziest summer in England in a long while with incessant rains all over. Several matches got washed out. Ireland was cold and cloudy but rain did not disrupt our merry making there. While delving into several pints of Guinness and enjoying some amazing pubs and rock bands - our mind was far away at Manchester. Rain forecast was being checked everyday and consensus at that time pointed towards a washed out match. And so it seemed with the tarmac at Manchester airport totally wet as we landed on the afternoon before the match. It was damp, it was cloudy, it was gloomy and things just didn't look optimistic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It had been raining since the morning on the day we reached Manchester</td></tr>
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In a couple of hours things started changing. Clouds disappeared and we had bright sunshine. People came out and pubs became full. Our hotel <b>'Roomzzz Manchester city' </b>was in heart of the town. It was next to Chinatown and had a nice pub called '<b>The Old monkey' nearby </b>at princess street. It was a perfect place to discuss the modalities of next day's match over some Irish Whisky. Our Dublin hangover was still there. Staying next to the Chinatown demanded a luxurious Chinese meal which we had had at an upmarket <b>Yang Sing</b> restaurant near the hotel.<br />
<br />
<b>My dear friend Murali Kartik (former Indian player and now a prominent commentator)</b> had also arrived at the same time as us and as he had played for Lancashire county, Manchester had been home for him many years ago. We got to know quite about the city of Manchester, its sweet spots and about Old Trafford cricket ground from him that evening. He made sure that all our seats were together so one could enjoy the match to the fullest. The cricket ground is next to the Soccer stadium of the historic club <b>Manchester United.</b> We intended to go there after the match to get a feel of the famous football club. We never got a chance to do that.<br />
<br />
Excitement woke me up early on the morning of the match and I immediately went out to check the clouds and prospects of rain. It had rained at night but it was just about cloudy in the morning. There were many Indians in our hotel who were there for the match. Fingers crossed we reached the stadium an hour before the match and the atmosphere was just amazing. It was a sea of humanity at each gate and slogans of <b>'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Pakistan Zindabad' </b>were reverberating everywhere. It was blues and greens everywhere. Tickets had been sold much in advance but people had come without tickets also hoping to find some at a premium. Sale and purchase did happen and many found their way inside.<br />
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Security had been very lax at London but here it was more stringent but not 20% as bad as Feroze Shah Kotla. Bags, food etc were allowed inside and scanning was quick. As we entered the stadium and climbed the steps to our stand, the excitement could be felt. Toss was lost by India and they were put into bat. Discussion was - Will the ball move ? Will our openers be able to handle the Pakistan quickies ? Will we miss Dhawan ? <b>Will Rohit perform ?</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking our presence at the ground</td></tr>
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Well, he did perform. He scored 140 runs and looked good for another 60 till he got out to a loose shot. But after initial carefulness he was totally in command and even we would be surprised to see his score gallop as he didn't appear to be in such a hurry. Rahul played a competent innings and Kohli did what he does best when batting with Rohit - gave good support and scored 70+ . Mohd Amir looked good and bowled well taking 3 wickets. India looked for a score well beyond 350 but the rains came and momentum was lost. We finally scored 336 - which appeared to be a good score. But was it good enough ?<br />
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Around the 47th over when rains came I went out to get something to eat. This was a big mistake. Entire population of the stadium had come out and it was chaotic with people trying to move but just couldn't. I couldn't go forward nor could come back. There were just too many people and it was frightening. It took a long while to get out of this logjam. I missed India's last four overs due to that but was thankful that there had been no stampede and generally people were well behaved.<br />
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It appeared that ratio of India to Pakistan spectators would have been 60:40. We were right next to the Pakistan pavilion. Pakistani spectators didn't have much to cheer during India's innings. Rohit Sharma and his innings had made Indians extra buoyant. We were all flying high - cheering lustily and gulping down beer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was there</td></tr>
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While coffee and Beer was available at many points - for food one had to walk to the main square. Each stall was well organised but had long queues. Many had brought their own paranthas or sandwiches from home. A few people were collecting the Beer glasses. Why are they doing it as they are clearly spectators I asked ? Well, for a Beer glass one had to give a deposit which was refunded at the time of return. Most people didn't care about this refund. So for many others it became an opportunity to earn a few Pounds !<br />
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A very important thing happened when Pakistan started batting. This could have had a huge repercussion on the result had the match run close. But as Pakistan middle order capitulated and match became one sided, this event was easily ignored. India's star opening bowler who could swing the ball prodigiously in English conditions -Bhuvnehswar Kumar- broke down in his 3rd over. India was a bowler short in this critical game. But as if by miracle the part time bowler , Vijay Shankar, who was given the ball to complete the over picket up the wicket of Imam ul Haq. The roar must have deafened the downtown Manchester.<br />
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We then saw two highly rated youngsters <b>Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam</b> in the middle. In next few months Babar Azam has established himself as one of the top batsmen in the world. They were very good and kept the score board ticking. The scoreboard ticked so much that they kept pace with DL run rate. With the skies becoming dark, things wern't looking too bright anymore for India. It was time for Pakistan spectators to come alive while we watched the match nervously with the head constantly moving towards the sky. The time when the entire stadium cheered in unison was when the sun came from behind the clouds and shone brightly for a couple of overs.<br />
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Kuldeep then bowled a magic ball. The ball turned from outside off taking Babar Azam by surprise and hit the stumps. Babar Azam b Kuldeep Yadav 48. I have watched the replay of this ball several times since then. The match turned and Pakistan collapsed. Fakhar Zaman also went soon after. <b>From 117-1 they suddenly became 129-5.</b> As Pakistan pavillion was next to where we were sitting, we could see the Pakistani players going to the wicket and soon coming back with heads bowed. The manager and support staff sat there holding their heads as Indian fans became delirious. One actually felt sorry for Shoaib Malik as he went off the first ball. And suddenly one could see many more beer glasses in our stand.<br />
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Pakistan were 166-6 in 35 overs when rains came again. The match was virtually over. The stands became empty. It was now an impossible target for Pakistan - they had to score 136 runs in 5 overs. But die hard fanatics like us remained in the stadium till India were declared winners. These 5 overs were fun overs as my neighbour kept shouting to Indian players on boundary to have mercy and let Pakistan score more runs. This of course did not go down well with handful of Pakistan spectators who could do nothing but grind their teeth.<br />
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By coincidence it was a Pakistani cab driver who drove us back to hotel. He was full of praise for India and captain Kohli. He was anguished by the team Pakistan had sent. We tipped him well.<br />
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We needed to celebrate that evening and thousands of Indians had the same intent. Bookings could not be obtained in good Indian restaurants so we decided to take a chance at <b>'Dishoom'</b>, the well known Indian food chain restaurant. Kartik used his charm on the hostess and she did produce a table for us after a short wait. It might have been a fancy upmarket restaurant but when someone gave a call of - Bharat Mata ki - the entire restaurant stood up to a thunderous 'Jai!' Everyone then toasted to the victorious Indian cricket team. They had made all this travel worthwhile for all of us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebration Dinner at Dishoom, Manchester</td></tr>
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-69911354318787397012019-08-28T12:18:00.001+05:302019-08-28T12:18:32.855+05:30Galway - A gateway to Cliffs of Moher<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cliffs as seen from the Ferry which ran parallel to it for good 45 minutes</td></tr>
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Galway was the next destination mainly as it was the Gateway to the Cliffs of Moher. I had read that main things to see towards Galway in Ireland were the Cliffs, The Doolin Village, Connemara and Aran Islands. The Ring of Kerry was a little distance away.<br />
It was a nice and pictureque train travel from Dublin to Galway. The train started from Heuston Station at around 10 AM and we were in our hotel at Galway by 12.40 PM. The tickets had been booked on Irish rail website (www.irishrail.ie) from India itself and once at the station, we had to put in the booking code to get the tickets from the ticket dispenser.<br />
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The train station was just 10-15 minutes walk away from our 'Residence' hotel. <b>The hotel was bang in the middle of all the action as they had their own popular pub called the '1520' in the middle of Latin quarters. The pub was actually that old - set up in the year 1520. </b>The rooms were above the pub and though this area was very busy, noise was not that much at night. The entire street was full of pubs and shopping and one could go up and down the street till the famous landmark <b>'The Eyre Square' </b>several times a day. The park at Eyre square is actually called the John F Kennedy park due to admiration that people of Ireland have towards the ex American president.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1520 Pub</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our evening would start from 1520 pub and then we would go and explore other pubs. </td></tr>
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<b>My first impression about Galway was that of a vibrant little town full of music and culture.</b> Each pub had some great music bands playing and you could say that music was in the air. It was in the pubs and on the streets and the crowds were participants in joining them during popular numbers. The spontaneous dancing and appreciation kept the musicians going till late at night. Galway is just the holiday town that you could wish for. It has a lovely pedestrian only cobbled street which is full of pubs, shops and restaurants. It all looks very colourful and bright. There are many excursions you could do from the city and the river and sea are all close by.<br />
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There are 2 festivals which are extremely popular and people travel from different countries at that time to join the fun. In July each year is held the <b>'Galway international arts festival'</b> and in September it is <b>'Galway international Oyster festival.'</b> It was not surprising to learn that Galway will be the European capital of culture in 2020 and is considered to be the cultural heart of Ireland.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The street would be for shopping during the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But would be taken over by revelers after dusk. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music would be the highlight of any pub. Popular groups would attract much appreciation. </td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Aran Islands</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7FmkdrPrHRsVu2l3VhDv17vg8TN83uIx1QbIuIj8h11AyQxIn4NjyQ-Vk9JePHUR7yHLERMVrTuAVuonECH9BfzZuOYZkj_zUZialH4E92jCa1hDYvfy7nRpLYBM6peXekWRhY2ue8PJ/s1600/IMG_3308+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7FmkdrPrHRsVu2l3VhDv17vg8TN83uIx1QbIuIj8h11AyQxIn4NjyQ-Vk9JePHUR7yHLERMVrTuAVuonECH9BfzZuOYZkj_zUZialH4E92jCa1hDYvfy7nRpLYBM6peXekWRhY2ue8PJ/s640/IMG_3308+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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UK was having a very wet summer with a few WC cricket matches being washed away without any results. Ireland was also expected to have similar weather. But we did have to do what we had come to do so we booked a day long trip to Doolin, Burren, Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. We kept fingers crossed for rain to keep away. The early morning pickup didn't suit many in our cousins group but then they had no choice in the matter. We were picked up from hotel at 8 AM, transferred to a bigger Bus with several other tourists and set out for a lovely drive towards the village of Doolin. The scenery was breathtaking and one felt like asking driver to stop to admire the landscape at several places. Several tourists do come and live in Doolin and reading their description about the stay is very interesting as they are literally cut off from the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ob5p9a5tb-GzB8VwcsIFkm44XvnGSyRdkQLFAXTXgfh_kIU48hNpBeS5RNSFhqfesi9ugzsX2_CXT2DATHj77SFXrn_ClxKZF5p0FMha_EbP6YuSSISGvUdcbRB7oPbx2Km3gI45f4D1/s1600/IMG_3338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ob5p9a5tb-GzB8VwcsIFkm44XvnGSyRdkQLFAXTXgfh_kIU48hNpBeS5RNSFhqfesi9ugzsX2_CXT2DATHj77SFXrn_ClxKZF5p0FMha_EbP6YuSSISGvUdcbRB7oPbx2Km3gI45f4D1/s640/IMG_3338.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aran Islands were really picturesque and charming</td></tr>
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It is on reaching <b>Doolin </b>at the ferry station and getting off the bus that the 'cold' hit us. I was personally not fully equipped for it as my jacket didn't have a cap to cover the ears, and that is where the cold winds were hitting. As the ferry got delayed we decided to hide inside the bus till it was time to board the Ferry. The Ferry took us to the smallest of <b>Aran Islands</b> located in the middle of <b>'Wild Atlantic Way.'</b> We walked a few hundred yards on this scenic island to get to a pub to have a drink and an early lunch as we were recommended by our guide to take a ride on a tractor trolley around the island. This was a wise thing we did but it was still pretty cold as we sat in open and admired the island and its landscape. The good thing was that it wasn't raining and there was some evidence of sun trying to break through.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8ZsWxrMOLpEN04ajIPamygntaLUXB3IHdikPn3LE5J2qJZrfKc2_4M-FueG0i8eLGrsdJ4u_PdMqU5wGk3sSQ6y9ft7RkfRD5MK1Kl_whkzyz1J3LQvTZpO90tOvk2y-Hm7ivyYfGIrv/s1600/IMG_3325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8ZsWxrMOLpEN04ajIPamygntaLUXB3IHdikPn3LE5J2qJZrfKc2_4M-FueG0i8eLGrsdJ4u_PdMqU5wGk3sSQ6y9ft7RkfRD5MK1Kl_whkzyz1J3LQvTZpO90tOvk2y-Hm7ivyYfGIrv/s640/IMG_3325.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of information about the island, its culture and its people was imparted by our driver of the tractor trolly</td></tr>
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This island called <b>Innis Oirr (Inisheer)</b> had a population of around 300 people and it had a limestone landscape. A castle on top of a cliff and a shipwreck sight are the highlights. But for us the highlights were the millions of rocks neatly piled up looking like labyrinth of mini walls as you can see in the picture below. These walls were all over the island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3Yru9avV72VCIu54aQiGrU8YG1uVNfG5MkQwui6KDHLpuREmSPjlQKr1CaF5VJ2c8e1yCrY1EqIxTetUtusbOrv3D8b_yJF0wZvGCu_Gx3WpOeWxq754QAzXMdgqzD7HTB9m9wfkWZuV/s1600/IMG_3324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3Yru9avV72VCIu54aQiGrU8YG1uVNfG5MkQwui6KDHLpuREmSPjlQKr1CaF5VJ2c8e1yCrY1EqIxTetUtusbOrv3D8b_yJF0wZvGCu_Gx3WpOeWxq754QAzXMdgqzD7HTB9m9wfkWZuV/s640/IMG_3324.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture has the shipwreck as well as the loose stone walls</td></tr>
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Our tractor trolly driver explained to us that this was a way to create arable land on rocky windy islands. According to an estimate the 3 islands having an area of 18 sq miles have a whopping 1500 miles of these walls !<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "freight pro" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 19px;"> </span>Sheltered from the wind due to these walls, the small scraping of topsoil stayed in place and began to accumulate—a process helped by the islanders drying soil-enriching seaweed on the walls. <br />
We spent a couple of hours on this island enjoying the beauty and hiking a bit - then it was time to get on to the boat for the visit to the cliffs.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">The Cliffs of Moher</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highest point of 214 meters where O'Brian tower is located. </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">They looked really magnificent standing tall in Atlantic ocean as our Ferry moved towards these <b>14 km long cliffs which go up to a height 214 meters.</b> We were all on the upper deck of the boat to look at this magnificent sight for which millions visit this part of the world each year. Thankfully some sun was out and temperature had reached a sort of comfortable 11 deg C. These cliffs are again a geological wonder formed over millions of years on the mouth of rivers which deposited their stones before entering the sea. While several films have been shot here and used the cliffs as the rugged background - the famed <b>Harry potter and the half blood prince</b> was also shot on the cliffs. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cliffs are not just rocks and stones - the area above is lush green full of cows. </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Having had a good view from the ferry as we ran parallel to it for quite some time, we were transferred to a bus on shore which climbed up the cliffs to the visitor centre. From there one could walk to the highest point at O'Brian tower for the best views. At this place you can spend a day hiking to different parts of the cliffs. The visitor centre had all the necessary information about formation of cliffs and from there we got the must needed snack and hot coffee. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my brothers Kunaal and Amit at the cliffs</td></tr>
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By the time we reached back to our hotel it was 7.30 PM. It had been a long and tiring day but the sights had been wonderful. It was then time to freshen up and start our evening pubbing at the 1520 bar. The guide on bus had given us names of several good restaurants of Galway so we decided to go to a place serving Chinese and Thai food. After visiting a few pubs - we were lucky that the restaurant agreed to give us food as we reached well past their last order time.<br />
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A relaxed last day</h3>
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The plan was to visit <b>Connemara</b> and a few other famous places but my family absolutely refused to get up early to go anywhere. A consensus was built to enjoy Galway on the last day. We had seen enough beauty, the cliffs and the islands. No one was in a mood for anything strenuous or organised.</div>
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So we got up late and roamed all around the city and also walked the <b>Salthall promenade</b> - the 2 km walk ending at the famous wall which you are supposed to kick as per the tradition. We saw the sign board of <b>14 merchant families known as 'Tribes of Galway'</b> which had ruled Galway a few centuries ago. We had pints of Guinness, tried a famous sea food restaurant <b>'Mc Donag's</b>' and went shopping at big stores located around Eyre square. In the evening we tried some more pubs and settled down at <b>'The Quays'</b> which was having the best band that evening. The bar man introduced us to several Irish whiskies as our Irish whisky experience had been limited to <b>'Jamesons'</b> till now. Actually the bar man at 1520 had also been introducing us to some Irish whiskies so during the trip besides Jamesons we had<b> 'Tullamore', 'Dead Rabbit', 'Teeling' and 'Red breast.' </b>The bar man told us the story about the rise, fall and resurrection of Irish whisky. Once upon a time it had 60% of world share which dropped to just 1% in 1980's with almost all distillers closing shop. However, since the year 2003 the Irish whisky is booming and the growth is phenomenal. It is a comeback story which must be studied in detail.<br />
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Our Irish trip thus ended as we took a bus to Dublin on Saturday to get to Manchester for India vs Pakistan game on Sunday morning. We took the bus and not the train to Dublin as bus was going directly to Dublin Airport. <b>Instead of coming back to Dublin we should have actually taken a flight from Shannon International airport which was closer to Galway.</b> At the time of booking I didn't know that Shannon was a good international airport and it was so near Galway.<br />
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It didn't appear from outside but Dublin was quite a large airport. We really had to walk a lot inside the terminal to get to our gate. With the Irish holiday done, sitting in the flight to Manchester there were just 2 things I was wishing for at that moment : </div>
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1) that the rain keeps away from the big match the next day, and</div>
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2) Hope that India wins the clash for which we were so enthusiastically travelling. </div>
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E mail: rohinarora@gmail.com</div>
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Twitter: @arorarohin</div>
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Instagram: rohinarora</div>
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-88863301841704735452019-08-23T15:40:00.002+05:302019-08-23T15:40:57.104+05:30Dublin - A city of pubs and music. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The street is full of lively pubs including the famous Temple Bar</td></tr>
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<b>The Visas and low cost airlines</b></h3>
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<b>James Joyce</b> had made Ireland popular with his writings about the country and much of tourism for several years to Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland was attributed to him. To go to Ireland (southern Ireland) we Indians require some planning and the UK Visa automatically doesn't give us the privilege of just hopping across the border. But we don't really need a separate visa as there is a category called <b>BIVS (British Ireland Visa Scheme)</b> which allows you to take Visa of either one country and visit the other as well if it is stamped BIVS. This was started for Indian and Chinese visitors in 2014 and is subject to condition that the country from which you have taken visa would have to be visited first before going across to the other country. Northern Ireland is of course part of UK so no problem there. Important thing is that if you do wish to visit both countries with one visa then you have to make a request at the time of application.<br />
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We left for Dublin the day after India played Australia at the Oval at the World Cup Cricket match. We had a few days before the next match at Manchester - a<b>nd that was the big match of India vs Pakistan.</b> We had planned to spend 5 days in Ireland before flying out to Manchester and this turned out to be a reat decision. We had no issues with our BA flight to Dublin but my cousin Amit and his wife Shikha had a tough time as they were flying <b>Ryan Air</b> and as they had not checked in online - they were imposed a heavy penalty ! The authorities wanted a printed boarding pass for stamping. Even boarding pass on mobile was not good enough. So, paying more than 100 Pounds to print 2 boarding passes did hurt a lot. This is how these low cost airlines work. </div>
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O'Connel Bridge</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several Bridges across river Liffey makes it easy to walk around the town</td></tr>
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As we landed in Dublin, realisation hit that GBP were no longer accepted in this part of the world which we relate so closely with Britain. <b>Euro</b> was to be the currency for the next few days as South Ireland was an independent country and was part of EU. We were booked into <b>Arlington hotel O'Connel bridge</b> and as the name suggested the hotel was situated just by the famous O'Connel bridge. The bridge is constructed over River Liffey and we soon realised that just by crossing the bridge and entering one of the lanes opposite side to our hotel we would be in the famous pub district of Dublin - which housed very many famous pubs including the famous <b>'Temple Bar.'</b> If you are planning a visit to Dublin, make sure that your hotel is walking distance to the Temple Bar. This will ensure that you are close to almost everything relevant in Dublin.<br />
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O'Connel bridge has a unique feature - its length and width are of same size. A gentleman photographer named <b>Arthur Fields popularly known as the 'The man on the Bridge' </b>had this obsession about photographing pedestrians on O'Connel bridge. He took around 1,82,000 pictures of pedestrians crossing the bridge between 1930's and 1980's. We crossed the bridge several times a day and were content with our own selfies. </div>
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The famous Temple Bar </h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The decked up Temple Bar</td></tr>
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<b>Temple Bar was actually Temple Barr once upon a time.</b> 'Barr' was the raised estuary sandbank or a 'sea wall' built by the owner Sir John Temple to save the house from the river Liffey. While Temple Bar prides itself of having a rare collection of 450 great whiskies from around the world, there is a buzz around the place which you can't ignore. From the exterior the bar doesn't seem too large but once inside you you can move from room to room and go up and down the steps to get the feel of different sections. It is pretty large and decor is quite interesting. A corner is even dedicated to Sir James Joyce, the famous son of Ireland and as mentioned earlier - a famous author . As the evening progresses the l<b>ive bands come alive</b> and you can have a drink while listening to some great music. You can make yourself comfortable in any part of the pub. Many musicians from all over the world travel to play in Temple Bar and one can get a schedule from the web. The service is pretty good and if you engage one of the waiters when the time is not so busy, you can get a lot of information from them about the country and its culture and the history behind several famous Irish proverbs.<br />
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The music floats out from all the lanes as music is part of the culture of Dubliners. You don't have to go to the Temple Bar - there is abundant choice around the place with famous pubs like <b>Porterhouse, The Quays bar, Foggy Dew, Stag's head and Auld Dubliner. </b>Dublin may appear to be a smallish city but it has 666 licensed bars. <b>The oldest pub here is known as the 'Brazen head' </b>and it was opened in 12th century. Much of the pub culture could be from the fact that Dublin boasts of the youngest population in Europe. As you roam around the city - this shows.<br />
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Guinness is everywhere</h3>
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As you go around the city which is set around the river Liffey, you will see bars everywhere and you will see those pints of dark bubbly drink in several hands . This is a drink which is most popular in Ireland and it's called <b> 'The Guinness.' </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After roaming around the town and 7 storeys of Guinness Storehouse - a Pint was well deserved. </td></tr>
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Along with the Temple Bar the most famous tourist attraction of Dublin is the <b>'Guinness storehouse.' </b>This is a 7 story structure which explains the history of the beer and the brewery's founder Arthur Guinness. A lot of information is imparted about the process of making this beer and importance of the quality and sourcing of ingredients - <b>' water, barley, hops and yeast.'</b> The charges to enter are not cheap - I think it was around Euro 18.50 per person. The interesting part was a bar offering several flavours of guinness for tasting and a room in which Guiness advertisements down the ages are exhibited. The storehouse did offer a pint of Beer with each ticket at one of the several bars inside the facility including the rooftop 360 degree bar called <b>' the Gravity.' </b>The Gravity offered some lovely views of the city and the beer here was nice and fresh. But there were several other bars at lower levels as well where you could redeem your coupon. Guinness in Ireland tasted divine and most of us were soon addicted to it. No wonder Dublin produces a whopping 10 million pints of Guinness per day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Gravity Bar</td></tr>
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We would have been content to just roam around the streets near our hotel but now that we were in Dublin, we wanted to tick all the boxes. So we took a hop on and hop off bus. It took us around some famous places like <b>Ha'penny bridge, St Patrick's cathedral, The Dublin Castle , Trinity college and the popular for shopping- Grafton street.</b> Authors such as Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) are all from Trinity college which we saw from outside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasting our time waiting for hop on hop off bus. </td></tr>
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The bus kept going up and down the Liffey river crossing some bridge periodically. Most touristy things were located close to each other and very central. Actually most of it was near our hotel. One could have just walked to most destinations. In several cities now I have had bad experience with the hop on hop off buses. In the mornings you see many buses on the streets but by afternoon they suddenly disappear. It's frustrating waiting for these buses and the same thing happened here as buses wouldn't come for long intervals and outside the cathedral we waited for almost an hour. Similar thing had happened in Sweden, Barcelona and Paris with me so maybe it is time to look for some other method of sightseeing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Cathedral</td></tr>
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<b>'Dublin Mountains Way</b>' was recently voted as one of the most scenic routes in the world. It stretches 25 miles and covers mountain trails, country paths and rural roads. There are several other short trips from the town and if you can hire a vehicle, it becomes even better as everything is very scenic and green at that part of the world. But we had prioritized a visit to <b>'Cliffs of Moher' </b>and the famous village of Doolin. For that we had decided to spend a few days at <b>'Galway.'</b> So it was time to leave Dublin just 36 hours after arrival . We had done quite a bit at Dublin in just 36 hours including visiting about 10 famous Irish pubs. For the time being it was time to travel to Galway by Irish Railways and check out whether all the good things written about Galway were true or not.<br />
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-29930421851496202222019-06-28T13:59:00.001+05:302019-06-28T13:59:23.261+05:30The Oval fun- India vs Australia World cup match<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took advantage of our first row seats. </td></tr>
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The schedule for ICC cricket world cup 19 was announced in April 2018 and without any delay our planning for summer holidays 2019 started in right earnest. We targeted India's matches against Australia and Pakistan as they fitted nicely into our slot and the entire 2 week trip revolved around these 2 matches. So, in June 2018 sitting at a seaside pub at Split, Croatia, my cousin <b>Kunaal </b>and I firmed up the idea, and itinerary for June 2019 was more or less finalised over a few pints of beer.<br />
Going by our past standards - this would be a less complicated trip. Normally we do a lot of countries and lot of cities in a short span of time. We decided to fit in <b>Ireland</b> between the two matches and a relaxing 3 days at <b>Lake district</b> after the Pakistan match. But as we landed in London, the thoughts were on cricket and only cricket. Ireland and Lake district was somewhere in distance.<br />
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<b>London</b> was nice and cool on the morning of 8th June as we landed there. Just a day before we were braving 46 deg C in Delhi. The match against formidable Australia was on Sunday 9th June at the Oval. I was staying at South East London for the two days before embarking on Ireland leg. In this part of London there was hardly any enthusiasm for cricket. Most people I talked to didn't even know that there was a thing such as ICC cricket world cup happening in England.There were no billboards and no flags indicating anything about the tournament. I hoped that closer to the venues things would be better.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Tibbet Test</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All roads led to Keenington Oval on the morning of June 9 2019</td></tr>
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As I boarded the tube to Oval from London Bridge early in the morning, the entry of several enthusiasts in Indian blue colours started the excitement. With each station more people entered the train - all in blue. Coming out of station into bright sunlight with the Oval stadium glistening on the left - the street leading to it was full of revelry. Indian flags fluttered in the hands of Indian supporters and vendors were doing brisk business selling flags, T Shirts and caps. There were hundreds of Indians around me walking to the stadium but they talked differently. Most were born and brought up in England and were British citizens. But they were here to support India. Many would support India even against their country of residence - England. In 1990 a term called as 'Tebbit test' or 'cricket test' had become very popular. A conservative MP by the name of Norman Tebbit felt that sub continental immigrants supported their native countries rather than England during a match of cricket. So he suggested 'cricket test' when a cricket match between sub continental team and England was being played, the idea was to check whom these immigrants were supporting. This he suggested should be the criterion for grant of citizenship. This came to be known as the 'Tibbet test' and thankfully for the Indians and Pakistanis in UK, it was never implemented.<br />
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The Kennington Oval</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian team could never complain of lack of support</td></tr>
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The Oval cricket ground is the home ground for <b>Surrey county team</b>. It has boasted of having great players like <b>Barrington, Laker, Edrich, Pieterson, Hobbs, Alec Stewat and Mark Ram Prakash as its team members.</b> Our very own <b>Murali Kartik</b> played several seasons for Surrey so Oval was his home ground and he was very much at home here being familiar with each stand and each corner of the stadium. It is thanks to the efforts of Kartik that Kunaal and my dream of watching cricket in England during this world cup had borne fruit. He was our host and his hospitality was 'top class.'<br />
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We entered the stadium from the <b>Hobbs gate</b> and the crowd had grown in size and was extremely loud and vociferous. Chants of <b>'Jeetega bhai jeetega - India jeetega'</b> reverbrated all around.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The names of county winning Surrey teams</td></tr>
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As we crossed the open area and reached the corridor leading to our gate, we were in the middle of cricket history as the history of Surrey is ubiquitous on each wall and each gate. The portraits of great players adorn the walls and their championship record is there for all to see. I don't know how others feel - but I felt very special to be in the midst of all this history. India's first test victory in England in 1971 had been at Kennington Oval and not to forget that masterly 221 by Sunny Gavaskar at this ground in 1979.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was house full at the Oval and 99% of support was for India</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Game</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our host Murali Kartik was busy with his commentary and other assignments but would come over often to see if we were comfortable</td></tr>
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As we climbed a few stairs, the ground came into the view. It was a stunning view. The ground was lush green and sky was bright blue with a few clouds. The stadium was totally packed and all you could see were the Indian supporters. Not a single yellow shirt could be seen in the crowd. In India we are used to seeing all this in a bit of haze and dust - but here it was like watching HD TV telecast. A roar went up as Virat won the toss and then it was time to have fun as India played brilliantly to score 350+. The Indian player's pavilion was just on our right and the view of the game was very clear from where we sat. My cousin Amit was arriving from India but his flight had got delayed. Ours were the first row seats and as Amit's seat was empty a girl from behind came and sat there. She was extremely enthusiastic and a brilliant dancer with all the right movements of body. So impressed was Kunaal with her that he asked her to occupy this seat for the entire duration of the match and when Amit arrived - he would be relegated to the back bench !<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Time for Beer</h3>
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If there was one thing for which there were no long queues - it was the frothy beer being sold at the Stadium. This was because there were so many of the counters for Beer. The glasses they were served in were nice and attractive with logo of ICC world cup. They took a deposit for the glasses but I got one home for remembrance. The queues for food were long and luckily I carried a credit card as Oval was a no cash zone that day. For <b>fish and chips</b> the queue meandered and meandered and it would have taken an hour so we compromised and had sliced duck roll which was quite nice and we could get back to our seats without missing the cricketing action.<br />
People started drinking beer early and they had lots of it the whole day. You could smell beer sitting in the stands. The result of all this was there to see as post lunch it was difficult to get inside the crowded toilets !<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Go India Go </h3>
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India won the match comfortably though Aussies did put up a good fight. When the Aussies started scoring the arena became silent. The fours and sixes were not applauded but an Aussie wicket was treated with loud cheers and frenzied dancing. One felt sorry for Aussies as it was as if they were playing against India in India. We left stadium well after the match was over and all formalities had been completed. The Oval station was crammed so I went for a long walk and took the tube from some other station.<br />
The first stage of the trip had been completed successfully and it was time to fly out to Dublin the next morning for a 5 day trip before India took on Pakistan at Manchester.<br />
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-61736341104474958192019-02-14T12:44:00.004+05:302019-02-14T12:44:35.658+05:30Vietnam Diary II - Nha Trang & Ho Chi Minh city<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In 1975, after America's withdrawal from Vietnam, the communist forces took over the southern city of <b>Saigon and named it Ho Chi Minh city. </b>Ho Chi Minh remains the biggest hero of Vietnam and his rebel organisation Viet Cong fought the French for many years and then fought USA tooth and nail which forced American forces to leave Vietnam- all bruised and battered.<br />
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Ho Chi Minh city lies in the South of the country. We didn't want to just visit the big cities but wanted some flavour of Vietnam from small cities and towns. Three beach towns are very popular. <b>Da Nang</b> perhaps is most popular and glamorous. Da Nang is where the golf tours from India go. It is a beach resort with some magnificent upmarket resorts. Not very far from Da Nang is <b>Hoi An</b>- a city known for its old town architecture, french colonial buildings, a very well preserved ancient town and the <b>famous lanterns.</b> To go to Hoi An you have to travel to Da Nang and then take a cab to Hoi An. To enjoy Da Nang and Hoi An you need time. We didn't have much time so decided to bypass these towns and instead traveled to the beach town of Nha Trang.<br />
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Nha Trang- The beach resort town</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nha Trang- a view from our room.</td></tr>
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Nha Trang on South China sea has a lot of offer. It has a huge coastline with nice beaches, and mountains on the side.It has a lot to offer as far as corals and marine life is concerned. You can see Buddhist temples at different places as you drive around. What I found most fascinating as we drove from the airport to the town was the construction happening all along. Massive resorts, golf courses and amusement centers seem to be coming up not very far from airport. These all are almost along the coast. As you cover distance, the construction of these resorts seem infinite. The Golf courses seem particularly tempting. Nha Trang perhaps will be a force to reckon with in a few years as far as luxury tourism is concerned. It has a good airport, great coastline and good infrastructure - the most important things that a luxury tourist demands. I think that in a couple of years the town will be on international tourist map in a big way.<br />
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Vietnam Airlines had delayed its flight so we reached Nha Trang later than what we had planned. The revised flight schedule was known in advance so we didn't waste any time at the airport but morning was spent window shopping at Hanoi. Hanoi is turning out to be the manufacturing hub for American brands and you can see these brands being sold in hundreds of shops in downtown Hanoi. With trade wars between USA and China taking a toll on China exports to USA, the Vietnam government has stepped up to take the manufacturing responsibility by empowering the small scale sector. I wish our Indian Government had done the same.<br />
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<b>Hotel 'Nagar' at Nha Trang</b> was well situated and in the middle of everything. The balcony of the room gave a panoramic view of the beach and the sea as we were on 19th floor. We walked to the beach and saw a lot of happening bars and restaurants there. Each lane had many massage parlors and foot massages appeared to be very popular. The look was similar to what we had seen in Phuket 25 years ago.<br />
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We took a walk in the Phu Dong park and decided on Louisiane Brewhouse & Restaurant for dinner. It was a huge place near the beach and had a swimming pool around which tables were laid. It had a large bar and indoor seating as well. Live music made the place lively. The wheat beer was delicious and I loved the Vietnamese food they served. This was one of the best meals that I had. Otherwise my staple diet in Vietnam had been their delicious beef soup with noodles.<br />
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We took a longish walk inland after dinner exploring the lanes and by lanes and settled down for an hour of foot massage before calling it a day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louisiane Brewhouse & Restaurant</td></tr>
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It was just as well that we had walked a lot and got acquainted to the area, as the next morning we got up to a very wet and stormy day. The mist covered the sea and visibility was very low. Thankfully we had not booked any excursions for the day or had any concrete plans. So, it turned out to be day of forced relaxation with a leisurely breakfast, Vietnamese massage, and lunch at the top floor of the hotel sitting next to the swimming pool. It was fun swimming while the rain continued relentlessly. It relented late in the evening and there was not much we could do at that time other than a long walk again and the ever welcome foot massage. Nha Trang may be famous for mud baths, snorkeling, diving and island hopping but for us it was just a place where we chilled out for a day and a half.<br />
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Ho Chi Minh City</h3>
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If you think that Hanoi had a lot of 2 wheelers then Ho Chi Minh city will surprise you. The streets are flooded with 2 wheelers. People are very comfortable eating their meals, talking on mobiles and taking care of their children while riding. There are millions of two wheelers and it shows everywhere you go. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel was near the river. Next to the Sky Deck. </td></tr>
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Our hotel was bang opposite the Saigon sky deck. <b>The Silverland Charner hotel </b>was a nice hotel in the middle of everything. It had a lot of cafes and restaurants nearby and the river was just a short walk away. On the other side was the pedestrian street which was preparing for the New Years eve. The entire town was decking up for the big party and seeing the population, I am sure it must be a hell of a party. The hotel had a nice swimming pool and a spa. They served complimentary evening tea with delicious snacks. The prawn pancake that they served me was out of this world. We walked all around the town and the legs were dead tired by the end of it. The best solution for this is to enter one of the omnipresent foot spa parlours. The legs and feet become as good as new after a good massage. </div>
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<b>Saigon</b> was capital of Republic of Vietnam till 1975 when the Communists from North Vietnam captured it and named it Ho Chi Minh city after their biggest hero. The name 'Saigon' is still visible in many places. Most of the war with Americans had happened near Saigon in Cu Chi and Mekong Delta area. Paul Hardcastles song '19' released in 1985 describes as an average US soldier age to be 19 when sent for this disastrous war. Most died before turning 20. Going to South Vietnam and not visiting the combat area would have been like missing out on history. It was time to visit Cu Chi tunnels.<br />
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Cu Chi tunnels</h3>
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A couple of hours by bus brought us to the famed Cu Chi area. Another couple of hours more and we would have been in Mekong delta. On a warm day, I am glad we avoided the Mekong Delta as it became progressively hot as the day went by. Cu Chi area can also be approached by the speed boat as Saigon river runs all the way to the famed war area. We had chosen Kim Travels and they were pretty good. We didn't go for the boat ride but just chose a simple bus tour called the 'Half day Cu Chi tour (luxury).' The group had limited people so it was more comfortable than the large buses. Our guide was entertaining and knowledgeable with good sense of humor. I learnt a lot about Vietnamese lifestyle while talking to him en route to the tunnels.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjsa6T61WSbv6FeqysiFGtJ1wx_A1Ak2L16CmvsszLvmBga6NyysrzvmOzT9KyBxXhqWHq-UjTIPU4GFrG5OjMkWqR367ZNLnruc74ft7heCy6DG8kC8LVCR_oueYivtq1rHTKYf_EFw8/s1600/IMG_20181229_105045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjsa6T61WSbv6FeqysiFGtJ1wx_A1Ak2L16CmvsszLvmBga6NyysrzvmOzT9KyBxXhqWHq-UjTIPU4GFrG5OjMkWqR367ZNLnruc74ft7heCy6DG8kC8LVCR_oueYivtq1rHTKYf_EFw8/s400/IMG_20181229_105045.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jungles of Cu Chi</td></tr>
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It becomes easy to imagine what war must have been like once you reach the place. The claustrophobic tunnels and the network of tunnels of hundreds of miles underground going up to Cambodia is quite a marvel. They say the network is 250 miles long under the ground. All this was in thick jungles which are not friendly to outsiders at all. The ingenuity of Viet Cong to develop this underground system with different levels of tunnels and the way ant hills were created to facilitate oxygen in deep tunnels is quite remarkable. I did enter the tunnel and crawled for around 30 meters. Some ladies ahead of me panicked seeing the darkness and stuffy tunnel and they had to be evacuated. It was tough crawling in the tunnel and it seemed never ending. Some youngsters were not satisfied with just 30 meters and they went for more while I was relieved to see an opening from where one could get out. Mind you, these are clean tunnels which have been now tailored for tourists like me. I shudder to think how the network must have been created and how the Viet Cong soldiers spent hours and hours crawling in these narrow openings. It must be great determination and resilience to take on USA army through the Guerrilla tactics and escape through these narrow tunnels. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCKNYemuwOiOZJPgPSqfO8TOI7nrXJ5aZ97407-wTSuFP4uwlxnDUMKoLwmC7Mzk3RzgFOtMP0Bc4N9vyEy1_yWrHBlsP6Q4S5Uqein0SIi_FoE4rtlX_3s1RtV9HRM9hxGGg4uC65VXA/s1600/IMG_20181229_114933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCKNYemuwOiOZJPgPSqfO8TOI7nrXJ5aZ97407-wTSuFP4uwlxnDUMKoLwmC7Mzk3RzgFOtMP0Bc4N9vyEy1_yWrHBlsP6Q4S5Uqein0SIi_FoE4rtlX_3s1RtV9HRM9hxGGg4uC65VXA/s400/IMG_20181229_114933.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tunnels can be entered from here..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6396Jj9lz_fDnPuC9Hc2NjveJ_QZOoZZ-cZZVROkhXKKwDeZV2I6gYc_LSoA4BxpJjN26d7MyjUc-hT3EM2JaHCEKkOe1i9i2n__gSmWols532PT8rYEXuSG4yHSHA-iRpcF5SQBFiiE/s1600/IMG_20181229_115506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6396Jj9lz_fDnPuC9Hc2NjveJ_QZOoZZ-cZZVROkhXKKwDeZV2I6gYc_LSoA4BxpJjN26d7MyjUc-hT3EM2JaHCEKkOe1i9i2n__gSmWols532PT8rYEXuSG4yHSHA-iRpcF5SQBFiiE/s400/IMG_20181229_115506.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But many a times from such camouflaged tiny spaces.</td></tr>
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One has heard a lot about the lethal American chemical <b>'the orange agent'</b> and how it was used to destroy jungles and humans. One has heard how the traps were laid to incapacitate the young American soldiers by Viet Cong. All this was in front of us here and one could feel the tragedy of the Vietnam war by visiting the Cu Chi tunnels. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Back to the city</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpUmKXGiNVvlJC5Vxfr-3xJTS-wjPeWXkFF6rDA9wotGOKBwbdC_hsRIatK9jfowjaWoheymYVKeHnu3QITUJlv9PX5q7S5JkFesugjuPLfMVv8rUzyv6g_dLDK4vCT1b1vCk_GFrAdoV/s1600/IMG_20181229_135354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpUmKXGiNVvlJC5Vxfr-3xJTS-wjPeWXkFF6rDA9wotGOKBwbdC_hsRIatK9jfowjaWoheymYVKeHnu3QITUJlv9PX5q7S5JkFesugjuPLfMVv8rUzyv6g_dLDK4vCT1b1vCk_GFrAdoV/s640/IMG_20181229_135354.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The food stalls and eating area of Ben Thanh</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqC2PqNKECSFdngQGQ7rJ7h1UfF4O2AqfUHW-I2SpG9yacT1-_YzEebRvZgdMZsg6N4UZdY76Fj6CInPD6YASuThCmCkME2z4c1sonrQoS3WN9G3PjqgK-76a1ErMPWncPionVpg86ZCs/s1600/IMG_20181229_143846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqC2PqNKECSFdngQGQ7rJ7h1UfF4O2AqfUHW-I2SpG9yacT1-_YzEebRvZgdMZsg6N4UZdY76Fj6CInPD6YASuThCmCkME2z4c1sonrQoS3WN9G3PjqgK-76a1ErMPWncPionVpg86ZCs/s640/IMG_20181229_143846.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souvenir and spice shopping. </td></tr>
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We got dropped at the famous touristy Ben Thanh area on the way back. It had a lot of activity with a huge food market where we had lunch sitting with thousands of people. The shopping area was nearby to buy souvenirs, fabric, coffee and nick knacks. </div>
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The markets in Vietnam are full of cafes and the people of Vietnam do spend a lot of money on coffee. Their coffee is pretty famous so I did pick up a couple of packs. It was our last evening in Vietnam so we just strolled the streets and spent time with locals on the pedestrian street. The city was getting prepared for one big New Years eve party 2 day hence. But for us it was time to fly back home. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K42dOqoCYZ1t5PJ-ft8hwvgRVfs91HUxr-HBeYqd-DVYR0Gbo8aB4BKRHFAffGvy6AnA6oKjqujyTrloEHLG89T82U2F39rUVxndt38FhfVCx8Xggy83G4XezaCon9-tNqz4bVffS7Br/s1600/IMG_20181229_213549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K42dOqoCYZ1t5PJ-ft8hwvgRVfs91HUxr-HBeYqd-DVYR0Gbo8aB4BKRHFAffGvy6AnA6oKjqujyTrloEHLG89T82U2F39rUVxndt38FhfVCx8Xggy83G4XezaCon9-tNqz4bVffS7Br/s640/IMG_20181229_213549.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pedestrian street at Ho Chi Minh City</td></tr>
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-88859663974104443192019-01-09T13:06:00.003+05:302019-01-09T13:06:54.711+05:30Vietnam Diary I - Hanoi and Halong Bay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Noi Bai Airport at Hanoi is as swanky as any airport in the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highway leading from the
airport to town is also top class with the glittering, lit up,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and colorful suspension bridge<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the Red river as the icing on the cake. It
all gave an impression of an advanced country till the cab turned right after
the bridge and we were in another world all together. It was suddenly as
chaotic like back home. </div>
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<b>The oriental suites hotel</b> on this particular day was
inaccessible by car as it was the time for weekend market. All roads had been
taken over by the vendors so we had to disembark and walk a few hundred yards
to reach the hotel. The weekend market as the name suggests is held from Friday to Sunday and is a night market where all kind of things are sold. Clothes, bags and electronics are most popular and often you get good stuff at bargain prices. The night market lends a festive air to the entire area . Once in the room, thankfully we were insulated from the
activities outside. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x1Pd24KuxGp_g0iXuwXDtdpYbvTUjvTgJqdSMO-D0mjUNxWmBU9FPfoTFoHiQvlHUNvrN82ALeLArQlOU0TS7lHWKIMtR2XqKOOj6cgREjMONVWKbM2m0RjMl3Oo9VTLqjDXE0Gm22dD/s1600/IMG_20181223_204720+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1518" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x1Pd24KuxGp_g0iXuwXDtdpYbvTUjvTgJqdSMO-D0mjUNxWmBU9FPfoTFoHiQvlHUNvrN82ALeLArQlOU0TS7lHWKIMtR2XqKOOj6cgREjMONVWKbM2m0RjMl3Oo9VTLqjDXE0Gm22dD/s400/IMG_20181223_204720+%25282%2529.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hundreds and thousands thronged the old quarter around the lake during the festive season.</td></tr>
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<b>The Hoan Kiem lake (The lake of the returned sword) </b>was just a stone throw distance away so
we immediately moved towards it. As the night market was just outside the
hotel, we moved slowly inspecting the wares and understanding the conversion rate
of currency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a serious issue as
a million Vietnamese Dong equals around $40. For dear wife, I had to convert
from Dong to Rupee at each shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
certainly was no easy task. For the entire week, my mental calculator had to be
kept alive wherever we went.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaJ7UWFup4tG8ZmY_O3aPMAcEDI1ci3qYMViWDKGsLHMXrIEKodj6VSYO-sw1vlqWAjcIa4xmiVeAq8KBwAOmLCuPgDQb7Zfk0FCC4jmKHBXKJYjuknnjYrER4yGCELJtVJiTlbjbiSRl/s1600/IMG_20181223_203525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaJ7UWFup4tG8ZmY_O3aPMAcEDI1ci3qYMViWDKGsLHMXrIEKodj6VSYO-sw1vlqWAjcIa4xmiVeAq8KBwAOmLCuPgDQb7Zfk0FCC4jmKHBXKJYjuknnjYrER4yGCELJtVJiTlbjbiSRl/s640/IMG_20181223_203525.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Huan Kiem lake with the Turtle tower on an island. </td></tr>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a Sunday
evening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Christmas was round the
corner so it seemed that the entire town<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>had chosen this area<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at the old
quarters for revelry. I have not seen so many people on the roads ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like a sea of humanity all around the
lake. The buildings were lit up, the lake looked charming , the vendors were
doing great business, music played from different places<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and restaurants were packed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The lake itself was an attraction and most activities were happening around it. The lake has been associated with many legendary stories. On the other side of the lake was the Jade Island with a temple and the island was connected to the shore by a very charming, red colored wooden Huc Bridge. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeqdvxWprKwdmHP22P7PMjmGBD3N_hs5QLpVCZb70pORYk1dt28uN3zw9U9mrFQ7HoQJGrHb954oNmrZJkVsWk2sJzevZyuSDe9rExivy2_zdeCBeZ38Ktjg94Zzq8JEQW0M7KVyaS8Jr/s1600/IMG_20181223_202104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeqdvxWprKwdmHP22P7PMjmGBD3N_hs5QLpVCZb70pORYk1dt28uN3zw9U9mrFQ7HoQJGrHb954oNmrZJkVsWk2sJzevZyuSDe9rExivy2_zdeCBeZ38Ktjg94Zzq8JEQW0M7KVyaS8Jr/s640/IMG_20181223_202104.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This building and the buildings around it have a lot of nice restaurants and cafes. </td></tr>
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The introduction to Vietnamese food was also good as our
hotel had recommended Ho Guom restaurant for dinner. Set on the fifth floor, it
had a pretty view and the food was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It was important to have the first Vietnamese meal in a good restaurant as it set the tone for the entire week. We tried quite a few things on menu and all the dishes were pretty good. For the desssert we went for ice cream to a vendor near the lake. It was the curiosity that took me there as from the crowds thronging there it appeared that the ice cream was being given out free ! </span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqYs-h7sKS7foGY4zbOr_RISoE9WWc6v3oWzZLhtnuODA1no9ci6QXnj-KTl09keWL7Gwc4yQa0JApJ_wBoI0jDL-dGlGslsj-3ULhE0WMpuLW7OGO7Y_90Dyx1WDaFwpVJQWrFYk5Tun/s1600/IMG_20181223_212945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqYs-h7sKS7foGY4zbOr_RISoE9WWc6v3oWzZLhtnuODA1no9ci6QXnj-KTl09keWL7Gwc4yQa0JApJ_wBoI0jDL-dGlGslsj-3ULhE0WMpuLW7OGO7Y_90Dyx1WDaFwpVJQWrFYk5Tun/s320/IMG_20181223_212945.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Ha Long Bay</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mqvaR6hwnK9DHdcHjRJOIhth6oLrF9abD4C8-sTVgAZl4KV6yXaF_jj4GrKFtZuCxm_4NFMfywYRyU8Z99OgqiSO-wGYWcBWRj-6XH9hKdwiv93HejuG2024L7oEP3y1L5KEyJidPC2C/s1600/IMG_20181224_173155+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mqvaR6hwnK9DHdcHjRJOIhth6oLrF9abD4C8-sTVgAZl4KV6yXaF_jj4GrKFtZuCxm_4NFMfywYRyU8Z99OgqiSO-wGYWcBWRj-6XH9hKdwiv93HejuG2024L7oEP3y1L5KEyJidPC2C/s640/IMG_20181224_173155+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Many tourists I met had similar itinerary to what we
followed in Hanoi. Arrive on day 1 and roam around the old quarter. Get picked
up for Halong Bay cruise on day 2 in the morning, while leaving most luggage in hotel. Day 3
return from Halong Bay and do touristy things in evening. Leave the city on day
4. <br />
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We reached Halong Bay in around 3 hours and finally boarded
our boat around noon. <b>Signature cruise</b> had just 16 rooms so the number of
people were restricted to 32. Rooms were well appointed and each room had a
Jacuzzi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Halong Bay in North of Vietnam, not too far from China border is
a natural wonder having 1600 limestone islands which look like cliffs. Folklore
has many stories about its existence but I prefer to go by what geologists say.
It felt great sitting down in the balcony and watching these islands pass by.
Even better was to lie down in Jacuzzi and doing the same. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQf2MEUVBrt7g09HlGmCFD-F-ihjE3oSIf1EPuFpGvdUAugVAbf1zy5no-HpfBJsNdkrsJ9OvfS1JuA0Ye_DAk-bp6IZ4Cr_6lAtfqOJJ9AlyyWz6lHTDow9YrLEThOztX0S_Qx-cxjjaR/s1600/IMG_20181224_140454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQf2MEUVBrt7g09HlGmCFD-F-ihjE3oSIf1EPuFpGvdUAugVAbf1zy5no-HpfBJsNdkrsJ9OvfS1JuA0Ye_DAk-bp6IZ4Cr_6lAtfqOJJ9AlyyWz6lHTDow9YrLEThOztX0S_Qx-cxjjaR/s320/IMG_20181224_140454.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacuzzi with a view</td></tr>
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The boat sails but not that much. It takes you between the
islands so you could enjoy the beauty but you are not taken too far from the
coast. As the sun sets, the limestone cliffs look even more lovely. We sail between them and at times almost touch them. The music reverberated from several large boats nearby as it became dark. Our boat was much quieter. </div>
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As it was Christmas eve, there were fun and games on the boat and food
was good. A special session of games was conducted after dinner and Santa Claus was kind enough to give me a gift as well. There were people from South Africa, Sweden, USA and quite a few from India. Early next morning we got up before sunrise and it was good fun with Tai Chi on the upper deck at sunrise. A visit to a
natural limestone cave on one of the islands followed and it was similar to what I have been to in South Africa and Australia. Yet, this natural phenomena with stalactites and stalagmites never ceases to impress you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlIwejbIWjX15FpJNlgxmdjSMWKW3O_lj7OHirkaCmMVWATew2VMrdCu5IfeNnTuaRq-xQ0FKyysLu-kONbv4KdgSsoZWff6voZZtuloM09dU51c1az2mbZDXP_wofrN7__RJJ9VZxYKo/s1600/IMG_20181225_073202+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlIwejbIWjX15FpJNlgxmdjSMWKW3O_lj7OHirkaCmMVWATew2VMrdCu5IfeNnTuaRq-xQ0FKyysLu-kONbv4KdgSsoZWff6voZZtuloM09dU51c1az2mbZDXP_wofrN7__RJJ9VZxYKo/s640/IMG_20181225_073202+%25282%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Limestone Cave</td></tr>
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It was then time for brunch, disembarkation and back to
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd93rz2ncz_qEFs2IqE3cnCcT-YZMyhDs16xzKYgl8pz_w4qqvvKB9x2V2RiH8X9pDRoiI36eQt9G4W2bf9ZvwSg8ngIhOwNzJ8C3o1o4bVj46uqB05oO98sPjKGk5yWj-M6VjE6kiljr/s1600/IMG_20181224_192420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd93rz2ncz_qEFs2IqE3cnCcT-YZMyhDs16xzKYgl8pz_w4qqvvKB9x2V2RiH8X9pDRoiI36eQt9G4W2bf9ZvwSg8ngIhOwNzJ8C3o1o4bVj46uqB05oO98sPjKGk5yWj-M6VjE6kiljr/s640/IMG_20181224_192420.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating XMas aboard the boat with fellow travelers.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Back to Hanoi</h3>
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Hanoi looks different during the day. The French culture is
much too evident in the buildings as French ruled Vietnam for more than a
century. They actually ruled Vietnam from 1887 till 1954 when they were
defeated<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the first Indochina war of 1954. The communists then took over the northern part of the country resulting in division of the country between north and south. Then started the American war in the 60's. More about that later in part 2 of the blog.<br />
<br />
The traffic is
even more chaotic than late evening as people go for work on 2 wheelers. Two
wheelers are omnipresent everywhere. They are there on the roads, pavements and they try to squeeze through any given space. Riders have breakfast while riding,
they talk on phone incessantly and for them pedestrian crossing or traffic
light has no meaning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is your duty to
move out of the way as be assured - these riders will not apply the brakes just
because you happen to be on the way. <br />
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There were hundreds of garments and souvenir shops in old
quarter. The branded jackets, shoes and t shirts looked pretty impressive. You
have to bargain a lot and that could be tiring. I don’t know if these 'North
Face' jackets were fakes or ‘export surplus’ but as I said – they looked pretty
impressive. </div>
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We had enough time for Vietnamese massage and then sampled the street food on the food street. Walking, or trying to walk on the food street was itself an experience. It was full of locals and tourists. They served everything and anything and the food was accompanied by your choice of drink.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hc-dONVj6hyphenhyphenA-qYRmV79OHREONXC54SZX5tj2Dn8iLAWrT1fmh-LuiJUkqByT2Mjx5mvERNOT4royOXvCVcoIdYLbiNgaamQt_5zw_MqorUzbY5O3nlAE54yGP02RLAdp_jrQiIBBxKo/s1600/IMG_20181225_220215+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hc-dONVj6hyphenhyphenA-qYRmV79OHREONXC54SZX5tj2Dn8iLAWrT1fmh-LuiJUkqByT2Mjx5mvERNOT4royOXvCVcoIdYLbiNgaamQt_5zw_MqorUzbY5O3nlAE54yGP02RLAdp_jrQiIBBxKo/s640/IMG_20181225_220215+%25282%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The food street at Old quarters.</td></tr>
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Pho (Soup) with either chicken or Beef with spring onions, coriander and sliced onions was most popular. Bun Cha (Grilled meat with rice noodles) is eaten at any time of the day. You may want to eat at the local cuisine at the food street sitting on tiny stools or you may prefer to go to a proper restaurant elsewhere. But one thing is for sure - the trip to Hanoi is not complete if you don't walk through the food street in the evening !</div>
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<br />
rohinarora@gmail.com<br />
Twitter: arorarohin</div>
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-90535149303609926872018-07-27T14:24:00.000+05:302018-07-27T14:24:21.952+05:30Dubrovnik- the tourist attraction of Croatia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuiIMcyVDcMxh5w1d8_1kbVD4X5uskMqQ5cTLn19p4YqKPw-E70QSChbl_LkvgC60ghjUJsnnGjJ8e-HUSD4nFmvxLqfhbB-b3PBBt2Q4DTU2Y65dMJBASZVeIVCzYXCBa_iObSLcwdLP/s1600/dubrovnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="674" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuiIMcyVDcMxh5w1d8_1kbVD4X5uskMqQ5cTLn19p4YqKPw-E70QSChbl_LkvgC60ghjUJsnnGjJ8e-HUSD4nFmvxLqfhbB-b3PBBt2Q4DTU2Y65dMJBASZVeIVCzYXCBa_iObSLcwdLP/s640/dubrovnik.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik took about 3 hours. It stopped briefly at two islands including the famous Korcula. Korkula looked stunning and perhaps would be traveled to by us on our next visit. As mentioned in an earlier blog, we had earlier booked a night at Korcula as well but then decided against it as our itinerary was getting too hectic.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR7-nJoX7mDrmOe2akkVyXRA9LgoqP3k2j09lxuZc2PK8VY8rAnkBbffoiloC2vnFRtcLKBSjW6VZlaaHfEcKjXxZMDkSkY_r8I0ggup-aXiXI_OlmHswFOsm6bWmP_ZYKxnRu1nSQrXp/s1600/IMG_20180618_101251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1158" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR7-nJoX7mDrmOe2akkVyXRA9LgoqP3k2j09lxuZc2PK8VY8rAnkBbffoiloC2vnFRtcLKBSjW6VZlaaHfEcKjXxZMDkSkY_r8I0ggup-aXiXI_OlmHswFOsm6bWmP_ZYKxnRu1nSQrXp/s640/IMG_20180618_101251.jpg" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The island of Korcula- photograph taken from the Ferry</td></tr>
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From the port we took a cab to the <b>Pile gate</b> of the old city. The google map showed us that we had to enter the fort to get to our apartment. We went in a little way inside as well but it didn't seem probable that we would be loving inside the fort so I went to re-check with the tourism office a hundred yards away. The lady handed me the map and assured me that our apartment was indeed inside the walled city and it was a good choice that we had made.<br />
<br />
Our plan was to spend 2 days in the Old city and then travel to the neigboring country of Montenegro for a day. We were to spend another day in a different part of Dubrovnik before catching the flight home. The plan worked pretty well except that we didn't actually needed to go to Montenegro. It had similar look and feel like Dubrovnik. Earlier that was also Yugoslavia.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2Oa6zmav4Wb6TofolM9tJD4j1nd640tdyj4O9ETEQOuLkWidqVlKWPQiu4uARe8280yBBDoIlYg63nA0zNb4gD03Xie7Cgs32mhXOjxQHyGEvYFeh1pu1tFSykRVUYEPIZmRkRjZ5k-W/s1600/IMG-20180619-WA0058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2Oa6zmav4Wb6TofolM9tJD4j1nd640tdyj4O9ETEQOuLkWidqVlKWPQiu4uARe8280yBBDoIlYg63nA0zNb4gD03Xie7Cgs32mhXOjxQHyGEvYFeh1pu1tFSykRVUYEPIZmRkRjZ5k-W/s640/IMG-20180619-WA0058.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During our entire trip we didn't need to buy water as Slovenia and Croatia has excellent tap drinking water. </td></tr>
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Once inside, the avenues opened up and we were indeed inside a fortified city. It was an imposing fortified city with tourists, restaurants, churches and nightclubs.There were many lanes and till the last minute we were surprised to find something new or the other. The city had history written all over it and we found our apartment just as it started to pour. <b>Apartment Festa</b> on second floor was in the middle of all the action. It had some great restaurants as you came down the steps and it was bang in the middle of the fort. It was a luxurious apartment with all facilities including air conditioning. Yet, we couldn't hear anything from down below so no sounds disturbed our night sleep. The owner was nice to give us all relevant information about the area and the next morning sent us some real good apple pie for breakfast.<br />
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We decided to rest for a while after lunch as it was pretty warm. In the evening we decided to take a walk on the rampart. For this one had to buy the tickets and climb some steep steps. Even after 6 PM the sun was sharp and it was quite hot. The views from the rampart were lovely and it gave a great view of inside and outside the fortified city. It took one full hour to walk on the rampart all around the fort. It started getting cool at that time as sun finally decided to start going down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJHjzGSey2FXJUxiTblAf9nODHlkbq9fQPD-6FcuySM2IyZiVK10-mpn9EjYfFwK3sUUyjHeyyllNzZBTInr8ymBg2TVDywaBprDjarJCZm_S6D-mq9zD4iFDImM_A0jLUBVmAMgRVgER/s1600/IMG_20180618_183034+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJHjzGSey2FXJUxiTblAf9nODHlkbq9fQPD-6FcuySM2IyZiVK10-mpn9EjYfFwK3sUUyjHeyyllNzZBTInr8ymBg2TVDywaBprDjarJCZm_S6D-mq9zD4iFDImM_A0jLUBVmAMgRVgER/s640/IMG_20180618_183034+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From top of the Old Town, this is a great view of Lokrum Island</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZOXXQwPuiedvK97t8c4LeXIcdqz928ehbIxelZEVK5H1EiASp-VZEvgtlpHtfp-hcbd_3ixHAMQ3jDCy5FztxLtGY9vIX-Llcu9hgQpGEDU2DqGPRDGsJpVPDT8ce7hyphenhyphenp_re3urbQoR9/s1600/IMG_20180618_183906+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZOXXQwPuiedvK97t8c4LeXIcdqz928ehbIxelZEVK5H1EiASp-VZEvgtlpHtfp-hcbd_3ixHAMQ3jDCy5FztxLtGY9vIX-Llcu9hgQpGEDU2DqGPRDGsJpVPDT8ce7hyphenhyphenp_re3urbQoR9/s640/IMG_20180618_183906+%25282%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Dubrovnik is now a favourite destination for <b>cruise ships</b>. During the day the entire old town is buzzing with tourists led by their tour guides. The restaurants remain extremely busy and there is a great buzz all around. Ice cream seems to be very popular here as you will see a cone in hand of almost every third person. Souvenir shops do great business. Evenings are more relaxed and fun as only those living here remain. The old town looks pretty stunning all lit up and the churches look spectacular. <b>Normal clothes chains like H&M, Mango etc are conspicuous by their absence in the entire area. I am not complaining as I saved a lot of money due to this. </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Town at night</td></tr>
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At Dubrovnik we were joined by my cousin Amit and his wife Shikha so it became a nice big group. A day earlier they had travelled to the city of <b>Mostar at Bosnia and Herzegovina</b> for a full day tour and also seen the famous <b>Stari Most (The Old Bridge).</b> The Old Bridge was a 16th century Ottomon Empire bridge which had been destroyed during Croat-Bosnik war. It had been rebuilt after the war in 2004.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family group at the Old Town. </td></tr>
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The next morning we took a short boat ride to the island of Lokrum and spent some time hiking and swimming. Once again the water was great to swim in . There were some good places for drinks there but nothing much for lunch so we came back to the main Dubrovnik.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice cool water at Lokrum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2svA0lxgxsNKa8aaX61d4mSYPitoUOWAN4IbfRAqR8JEq1kRiHtTawECt65vhTQA0ksvC402_ZrT305xBtTlAO3iOwLR3qeyLV0kibFeKKEEVtw2WBuyB7Sgd9B03FO8nIZ3cipPOAcMX/s1600/IMG_20180619_134746+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2svA0lxgxsNKa8aaX61d4mSYPitoUOWAN4IbfRAqR8JEq1kRiHtTawECt65vhTQA0ksvC402_ZrT305xBtTlAO3iOwLR3qeyLV0kibFeKKEEVtw2WBuyB7Sgd9B03FO8nIZ3cipPOAcMX/s640/IMG_20180619_134746+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rocky beaches</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family fun</td></tr>
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There is enough to do in Old Town if you want to do something. In the evenings the <b>'Buza Bar' </b>perched on a cliff is very popular. You can watch people Kayak and swim as you sip your drink at sunset. One does have to climb many steps to reach this place.<br />
The Gatsby restaurant is pretty good but they don't seem to be a fair organisation. They had put up a poster offering 15% discount for dinner but when we asked for the discount they back peddaled and said that discount was only for advance table booking !<br />
The Above 5 rooftop was great fine dining place. The One & Only restaurant was great for sea-food. There were some lovely moderately price restaurants for breakfast all through the old town but the one outside the gate on the waterfront was very nice. I am forgetting the name.<br />
<b>Restaurant Steakhouse Domino</b> just under our apartment was my favourite as it served delicious lamb chops and juicy steaks. The taste still lingers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnF66126zWWlHo260XPPEnd6KlgzpXuGVS4efuNCioShJXLcyOaGDG1QKzty-XSIPQBQQeteAApoNxSM6NdUjGfgRWJ3rNrLzmtsnb-teUEMCulWdwm_raUgMkICTIf8hoRbcKdDQ98rTX/s1600/IMG_20180619_203254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnF66126zWWlHo260XPPEnd6KlgzpXuGVS4efuNCioShJXLcyOaGDG1QKzty-XSIPQBQQeteAApoNxSM6NdUjGfgRWJ3rNrLzmtsnb-teUEMCulWdwm_raUgMkICTIf8hoRbcKdDQ98rTX/s640/IMG_20180619_203254.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Buza bar- perched on a cliff. </td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Montenegro </h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmzuO231m8DfJ9DThF0T-BnCPjnrQIFtB-gtdsZ89QqDMl7XUAhbRsgMSrl0umTkzzIzfpR-ATit-joYpGtN0xvc4aukFljX83khOZY36i86tg4_5Vm4qdnyfx39J0D5xJjZg_Gdd7-55/s1600/Montenegro+COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="883" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmzuO231m8DfJ9DThF0T-BnCPjnrQIFtB-gtdsZ89QqDMl7XUAhbRsgMSrl0umTkzzIzfpR-ATit-joYpGtN0xvc4aukFljX83khOZY36i86tg4_5Vm4qdnyfx39J0D5xJjZg_Gdd7-55/s640/Montenegro+COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kotor - Views from the apartment</td></tr>
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Going to Montenegro meant piling up all the luggage in a large vehicle and going through immigration etc. The Van was comfortable and accomodated all 8 of us and all our luggage. The same guy got us back the next day. <b>Kotor</b> was pretty and we had great views from our apartment. The drive itself was very pretty as we got a view of Dubrovnik from the top and then followed the coast once we reached Montenegro. Thankfully immigration did not take too long and queues at border were not as long as they are said to be. The apartment was a little away from the Old Town so in the evening we took a cab for the Old Town. But for lunch we walked to a nice place on the waterfront but the walk itself was not too comfortable as it had become too hot. I am used to playing golf in 44 deg C, but this kind of heat was something totally different. At the old town things were quiet. It was a weekday so the atmosphere was not very vibrant and I was actually missing the hustle and bustle of Dubrovnik.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Other side of Dubrovnik - Lapad</h3>
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Our last day at Dubrovnik was a big day for Croatia as they took on the big boys <b>'Argentina' and Lionel Messi</b> in their final group match.For our last night we were staying at <b>Lapad Peninsula</b> away from the old town. On reaching here my first thought was that nothing is around this place other than the houses. The caretaker of the apartment assured us that there is a lot of activity around and for lunch she got a restaurant vehicle to pick us up. As we walked back after lunch we realised that there was quite a bit to do here. So, early evening we went down the hill and soon enough landed in one of the most lively promenades of Croatia. Things were being set for the big match later in the evening. A long walk took us past the beaches and onto a path along the sea on a cliff. There were all kinds of restaurants here and many of them were really the upmarket fine dining ones. It was a lovely walk and we could see the beaches clearly where the kids were in total action. Thankfully we stayed a night in this area otherwise we would have thought that Old Town is Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik is old town.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoiO4tz39-xNahpAciRHNxzIZJhNbSCOdKDPKkPxf0qj3FfwUWHOOT43iaMiI3rO3BhVMNIKTKq-sn8T7r8wS_6FeemjzTM8wwybj6TEAPVz6G927f7VJqUqlyIyJdkYoQLXefYu3EpjH/s1600/IMG_20180621_193924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoiO4tz39-xNahpAciRHNxzIZJhNbSCOdKDPKkPxf0qj3FfwUWHOOT43iaMiI3rO3BhVMNIKTKq-sn8T7r8wS_6FeemjzTM8wwybj6TEAPVz6G927f7VJqUqlyIyJdkYoQLXefYu3EpjH/s640/IMG_20180621_193924.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We walked along the sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Lapad</td></tr>
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But it was a night when football dominated everything else. Big screens were all over and we managed to get a nice table at an open air bar from where the match could be seen at close quarters.<br />
We had been in Croatia for long enough to fall in love with the country and it's people. Our loyalty and support was for Croatia. Well, they stunned the mighty Argentinians with 3 goals. As everyone celebrated, we also celebrated with them till late at night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewcf_UCQmCj8VZZW05nZYN3DfEbRHMBiMaQmil0dRy11IwyYVYeUYhfsQsk4J-whtNrGcJ03SfGWNfG7VIRfcS4Bh2FR4ofCXtO7ptdv1v0Eo-ka-V5GBLCQqmo9DqL38nyepUm2Gs12-/s1600/IMG_20180621_215930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewcf_UCQmCj8VZZW05nZYN3DfEbRHMBiMaQmil0dRy11IwyYVYeUYhfsQsk4J-whtNrGcJ03SfGWNfG7VIRfcS4Bh2FR4ofCXtO7ptdv1v0Eo-ka-V5GBLCQqmo9DqL38nyepUm2Gs12-/s640/IMG_20180621_215930.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kunal and Devicka celebrate Croatia's victory over Argentina, </td></tr>
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We left for Airport very early the next morning as our flight was at 7 AM. Most Croatians must have got up late that morning after the whole night of celebrations. Our Van driver to Kotor had been very reliable so we asked him to pick us up in the morning.<br />
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We had been away for 14 days and these were once again an unforgettable 14 days. Slovenia and Croatia were both lovely and a good holiday keeps you fresh for many months. This holiday hopefully will keep us fresh for a year at least !<br />
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E mail: rohinarora@gmail.com<br />
Twitter: arorarohin<br />
Instagram : rohinarora</div>
Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-28282357426784423352018-07-25T13:15:00.003+05:302018-07-25T13:15:59.673+05:30Hvar - The fun island of Croatia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hvar waterfront with blue night sky</td></tr>
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<br />As our Krilo fery approached Hvar, one could see a beautiful island with a lot of fortification. The island must have been susceptible to attacks by enemies being strategically located in Adriatic sea. Its only upon reaching here did I realise what a fun place this was.<br /><br />The Catamaran journey from Split is around 90 minutes and some rides stop at<b> Brac</b> on the way. I had heard a lot about Brac and the sandy beaches at Bol there but our destination was Hvar so we stuck to that. Normally people go to Brac, Hvar or Korkula as these are the most popular islands in this area. The port at Split was next to the city centre and the port at Hvar was also next to city centre. So this meant that all the action was happening here. The best restaurants, nightclubs, buildings etc were all here. </div>
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<b>Hvar is not a very large island in Dalmatia on the Adriatic coast but it is beautiful. </b>Luckily for us our accommodation had stunning views of the Adriatic Sea and Pakleni islands. We had actually booked ourselves a night at Hvar and a night at Korkula. But then better sense had prevailed and we decided to stick to one place. You do need a couple of days to get a feel of a place and start enjoying the city. Constant travelling with luggage wastes too much time. Many people just visit these islands as a day trip so the roads and markets are filled with day trippers. In the evenings, once they leave, the place is more fun. I wouldn't advise anyone to take a day trip here. Evenings are the fun time here. </div>
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We hired a cab to take us to the apartment and the cab took a circuitous route making us think that we were far away from action. But that wasn't the case as walking distance to city centre was our standard 15 minutes as walking paths are very conveniently constructed.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Apartment with a view</h3>
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<b>Apartment Marinka Viskovic</b> had an excellent location up the hill. Our apartment was 3 floors up which was a struggle with the luggage but once we opened the door of terrace, the breathtaking view made us forget everything else. The owners offered us nice cold beer and we sat there relishing the cold beer and watching the deep blue sea. The supermarket was not too far so we purchased some grocery for breakfast for next morning. The beach and sea was hundreds of steps below so we walked down looking for a swim and some place to have lunch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqzP2pGZa09o8WhJ8JdnZtiOjcmkQUPabdaYyy-_pEbZRZZZxuCFz8MkX_93ipv-grpFxPMF-3-rE4A75omRbR3F-Px_22TblUzEOXu2y3zulEoRJl3Ze8BtkcKUXarxZwtytQvblkdX1/s1600/IMG_1091+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqzP2pGZa09o8WhJ8JdnZtiOjcmkQUPabdaYyy-_pEbZRZZZxuCFz8MkX_93ipv-grpFxPMF-3-rE4A75omRbR3F-Px_22TblUzEOXu2y3zulEoRJl3Ze8BtkcKUXarxZwtytQvblkdX1/s640/IMG_1091+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from apartment. Pakleni islands are all spread out in front of us</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiRlDoiwQBnUGEmQ2g2OI10KzL3UsGUWr3_wfUslAYqq5DJ8wn0fJRm38Pjd26uU8LPu1HaL4wGt-wqHtbzkwibgEw3WEhjL_YlELYV5_3dQqbvLFRuGfkQnuHuXvHXIT0SoMrmAs8G9n/s1600/IMG_1094+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiRlDoiwQBnUGEmQ2g2OI10KzL3UsGUWr3_wfUslAYqq5DJ8wn0fJRm38Pjd26uU8LPu1HaL4wGt-wqHtbzkwibgEw3WEhjL_YlELYV5_3dQqbvLFRuGfkQnuHuXvHXIT0SoMrmAs8G9n/s640/IMG_1094+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a place to have breakfast 1</td></tr>
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It was fun jumping into cold water and many were doing it. There was a restaurant but it was only serving drinks and snacks. It was occupied by boisterous group celebrating a friends' bachelorette. So we walked to other side where we could see a large restaurant and hear the music.<br />
On reading the signboard I realised that we had reached the famous bar called the Hula hula. I had read a lot about it on travel sites. This was a lucky break as it turned out to be so near our apartment.<br />
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HULA HULA</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of Hula Hula from our apartment at 6 PM. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hula hula at around 3 PM</td></tr>
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It was around 3 PM and the place was more or less full. The atmosphere was relaxed. With great difficulty we did get a place to sit. Actually this place is famous for sundowners so many throng here after 5 PM. The table we got was also reserved for someone for 5 PM. Then 6 PM onwards you can see people walking towards the bar from all directions. They stay on till small hours of morning.<br />
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We enjoyed the music, swum in deep blue sea , had some nice cocktails and lunch. As the evening progressed, the music got louder. From our apartment we had the clear view of Hula Hula and in the evening we could see that the place had become totally packed with colourful people and there was loud music, dancing and a lot of noise. It was the kind of noise which indicated that people were having fun.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Hvar City</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The port, restaurants and shops are all in a very compact area. The fort is lit up at night. </td></tr>
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The winding path got us to Hvar city in 15 minutes. Weather had become nice and cool and we saw the imposing structures of <b>Fortren Fortica, Hvar Cathedral and Franciscan monastery</b> as we walked to where the action was. The owner of our apartment had given us names of same famous bars and restaurants. The fort looked imposing on top of the hill and looked lovely lit up at night.<br />
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We didn't go to other areas like Stari Grad but spent the evenings at Hvar City centre. There was a lot to do here and as it was a compact place, everything was happening in the lanes and by lanes around the waterfront.When you are in place like Hvar, the things you concentrate are drinks, food and clubbing. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Soccer Fever</h3>
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<b>Croatia was playing Nigeria that evening</b>. The big screens had been put up in parks and in restaurants. The national dress of red and white was omnipresent. The expectations of Croatians were high from the team lead by <b>Luka Modric. </b>As we walked from our apartment to the waterfront through the old city, the big screens were going up all over. There are many open spaces and parks where the atmosphere had started becoming stadium like. Restaurants expected to do roaring business that evening and it seems everyone was waiting for 8 PM. Frankly speaking, I doubted if they would make to the knockout stage as they were in a tough group. They scored 2 goals that night and the sound of cheering reverberated from the whole town. The match got over at around 10 PM, the local time and then the fireworks lit up and the whole town got into a party mood.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrations after the victory</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The thrill of Boat</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kunaal and Kartik on the wheel</td></tr>
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Near the Hula Hula bar we met Anthony who was in business of hiring out boats. I wasn't too keen on it but my cousin Kunaal was adamant that he wanted to zip around in a speedboat. Anthony gave us training for an hour. Parking the boat and saving it from ropes and corals seemed to be the most difficult part. Kunaal and Kartik took training on the wheel while I listened to the instructions. We also learnt controlling the speed, maneuvering and anchoring.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7xX3rcKd2ijcOWwXzSJSAoD94_eBydBIBf588LW8vwYDpBcz07e3X-PcfUnW_QUtQi4nBthF_xDo_cNNzXvHrKQbrLn2TwHi_iP4cpkfotOADqW-M-GeZddzsTz_WjTm-k5tRPwI_q5j/s1600/IMG_20180617_140447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7xX3rcKd2ijcOWwXzSJSAoD94_eBydBIBf588LW8vwYDpBcz07e3X-PcfUnW_QUtQi4nBthF_xDo_cNNzXvHrKQbrLn2TwHi_iP4cpkfotOADqW-M-GeZddzsTz_WjTm-k5tRPwI_q5j/s640/IMG_20180617_140447.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devicka and me enjoying the boat ride.</td></tr>
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Then we were off in bright sunshine and sparkling deep blue water of Adriatic sea. We passed several luxury boats with good looking people on them and we passed big huge boats whom we referred to as 'bullies' as they would drive us away from their path. The ride on boat was thrilling and exhilarating. Even though the sun was hot, the cool breeze hit our face with sprays of water. We crossed several islands known as the Pakleni islands and decided on <b>Palmizana</b> to stop for lunch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQxhP-PPr2_Pxm0PV9-RNSCUHcYuJDSTLoMqZ9s4vRRaJrEORj8VI5hLI-F-ptbD7SU5TZpF2NNTcbPUDLJt6ndyWtARlndV8roAXXLNoU_mwx_jLkPnrmbKEXwQrWlhq5rzaQDF4U3cX/s1600/IMG_20180617_153255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQxhP-PPr2_Pxm0PV9-RNSCUHcYuJDSTLoMqZ9s4vRRaJrEORj8VI5hLI-F-ptbD7SU5TZpF2NNTcbPUDLJt6ndyWtARlndV8roAXXLNoU_mwx_jLkPnrmbKEXwQrWlhq5rzaQDF4U3cX/s640/IMG_20180617_153255.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxed atmosphere at Palmizana island. </td></tr>
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The bite of the Sea Urchin</h3>
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Anchoring was successfully done after dropping the ladies on jetty. We jumped into the water after anchoring to get to the shore and just as I was about to climb up, the hundreds of thorns of a sea urchin entered the top of my foot.<br />
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It was painful and it was troublesome but luckily I found a sweet waiter at the Italian restaurant who got me first aid and told me not to worry as those thorns would come out in a week or 10 days. I did worry as I didn't want an injury or septic foot in the middle of a holiday. Many locals advised me to keep pissing on the affected part ! That was the local remedy which apparently had been tried and tested. We had a leisurely lunch at the island and it was tough finding a place as all restaurants were packed. Then climbing onto the boat was tough while it was anchored so Kunaal and Kartik did that job ( all those who watched this process were thoroughly entertained) and brought the boat to the jetty to pick us up.<br />
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We returned the boat to Anthony in the evening. I think this was a day which all of us enjoyed very much .The idea of pissing on my foot did not appeal to me so I dipped my foot in hot water for quite some time and my daughter Sanya was kind enough to take out many of those thorns very patiently. Though I was troubled a bit by this for next few days, but it was not something which would spoil the holiday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmmnkHXLfZbOVagb-2GVpew-7KhZQecoM9MKkhtNuBBY92fNNSan2xxmUtHYwwnHu1vFO_pz-m0IBTrOqgs_rDHnolefqatXNNvmh3ja-yFgY_ejGODQ1HJr_h0DJkMdWj2hRCOPMwVJA/s1600/IMG_20180617_200117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmmnkHXLfZbOVagb-2GVpew-7KhZQecoM9MKkhtNuBBY92fNNSan2xxmUtHYwwnHu1vFO_pz-m0IBTrOqgs_rDHnolefqatXNNvmh3ja-yFgY_ejGODQ1HJr_h0DJkMdWj2hRCOPMwVJA/s400/IMG_20180617_200117.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr Sanya in action !</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Vibrant Evenings</h3>
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The crowds begin to gather at the Kiva Bar at around 7 PM and by 10 PM, it is impossible to enter the bar so most people stand outside. The cocktails are at a special price and their 'Tequila Bum Bum' is most popular. I wanted to see the atmosphere so I waded into the crowds and it was fun having a cocktail for which you had to fight so hard.<br />
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Kiva is just one of the pubs in this bustling town. Hvar is a place which doesn't sleep during the summer months when tourists throng here for partying. I have already written about Hula Hula Bar.<br />
When you walk back at night from the town to the apartment, you find many youngsters in inebriated state not knowing where to go.<br />
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The Archie's bar, The Atelier and Veranda were some popular places but <b>most popular place for the nightlife was the Carpe Diem beach.</b> Just outside the Carpe Diem restaurant, there is a place from where you get boat taxis to take you to this island which comes alive after 11 PM and you can drink and dance the whole night long.<br />
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We did go to many places in Croatia but if I were to go again and spend a few days in one place, Hvar would be that place. Just loved it.<br />
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EMail: rohinarora@gmail.com<br />
Twitter:arorarohin<br />
Instagram:rohinarora<br />
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6908994526215779058.post-54100230007153169372018-07-17T12:07:00.000+05:302018-07-17T12:13:22.579+05:30Split, Croatia- Beginning of our Adriatic journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SPLIT- A lovely city on Adriatic coast</td></tr>
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For most tourists fun in Croatia starts when they reach the Adriatic coast. This Dalmatia region is reached by crossing the barren range of mountains called the Dinaric Alps. We had been on our holiday for 6 days now and it was time to hit the coast and enjoy Dalmatia. Once again it was a dream drive from Plitvice till we reached the highway. It was raining so it was cold and everything looked more green than normal. At least it gave us a chance to wear some warm clothes that we had carried all the way from India.<br />
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Once we crossed the long tunnel on highway A1, we had crossed over to the coastal area after crossing the Dinaric Alps and the sun shone bright. Much too bright I thought. It was as if we were now in different world. The Adriatic sea looked breathtakingly beautiful as we got a view from the top as the road meandered towards the sea level. As we didn't stop for a long break on the way, we reached Split in around 3 and a half hours or so.<br />
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<b>The Prestige Lux apartments</b> were very comfortable and located in residential area. It was around a 15 minute walk from the waterfront and <b>Diocletians Palace</b>. In a slightly different direction was the <b>Bacvice beach area</b> which was a walk of around 10 minutes. Thankfully all rooms were air conditioned and the apartment had a good kitchen .Immediately on checking in we walked to the waterfront and had our lunch. Beer was very welcome after a long drive and it was pretty warm here. </div>
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We liked the look of the place. The Adriatic sea was gleaming on one side and and we could see the old town on the other side as we had our lunch. In between there were several restaurants. There was something of a festive area which normally happens when tourists are in abundance and the atmosphere is relaxed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family at the beach</td></tr>
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In the evening we walked to the beach. The water looked tempting and and we sat down as the sun went down. There were many restaurants but most were closing down for the day. Only some places were serving drinks with nice music and a couple of them had dinner up to 9 PM. There were a couple of nightclubs as well which must I assumed be coming into action after 11 PM. This was obviously a place one had to come to spend the day so we walked towards the old town.<br />
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<br />The Diocletian's Palace</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Old Town</td></tr>
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I think this Palace became famous as <b>Game of Thrones</b> was shot here and that brings in many tourists here who take guided tour called the 'Games of Thrones tour.' The tour also includes several other spots around Split where the shooting for Games of thrones was done.<br />
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This palace was built by Emperor Diocletian of Rome after his retirement in the fourth century. These imposing Roman ruins survive till today and spread over 30000 square meters they are what are known as the Old Town of Split. The palace is around a hundred yards from the waterfront and between the old town and the waterfront are hundreds of restaurants. This place bustles in the evenings when the soothing breeze keeps you cool and energetic. One can sit on one of the several benches and enjoy the sea breeze. My cousin and I bought some scotch from one of the shops and they gave us disposable glass as well. That was a fine way of sitting on the waterfront with the Old Town right in front and hundreds of tourists milling around.<br />
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With the <b>world cup football starting and Crotia making a fine winning start</b>, there was a lot of enthusiasm. Many restaurants had put up big screens but not many at that time had expected Croatia to perform the way it finally did.<br />
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The old town itself has walkways, church, restaurants, fancy shops like Zara , H&M, Mango and several souvenir shops. The battered walls have a complete city inside with people including tourists living inside.<br />
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Bacvice Beach and around</h3>
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We are used to long sandy beaches in India. Even Thailand has those lovely beaches with soft sand. In Split they were all rocks. So much so that I had to buy those shoes so feet could be protected from the rocks. Yet people would find spots and would lie comfortably on the rocks after spreading the towels. In some places there were sandy beaches as well but they were pretty small. </div>
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We had started our second day in Split by walking down to the beach after breakfast in the apartment. It was interesting to see swimming pool ladders going into the see from walkways. The entire Adriatic Sea was our swimming pool. It was clean, deep blue and extremely tempting. There were diving boards as well. It was all very interesting for us. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1MTWu0sT-Qv94JjlcxBAeXMHKmhNdWcoDwqSyXxc1ZYcL13o2FqiID09jbc_3lDo3EI_vRPSJcO7uSI0vnqs8sL366BXo8fbzLXaPGWoPwapFxpUTcDKJ9c1m9OHgx1H6hnPnR8S7dDz/s1600/IMG_1072+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1MTWu0sT-Qv94JjlcxBAeXMHKmhNdWcoDwqSyXxc1ZYcL13o2FqiID09jbc_3lDo3EI_vRPSJcO7uSI0vnqs8sL366BXo8fbzLXaPGWoPwapFxpUTcDKJ9c1m9OHgx1H6hnPnR8S7dDz/s640/IMG_1072+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We did the right thing in choosing a nice restaurant and then spend many hours there. They have some good sea food and good variety of Salads, Pizzas and Steaks. Many a times I jumped into the fresh cool sea and enjoyed swimming in deep blue cold water. The children and my cousin also kept swimming and then they went to try out jumping from the top of rocks. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could jump into the Adriatic sea from diving board.......</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or you could jump from natural rocks .......</td></tr>
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Things to do around Split</h3>
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We had begun to climb up to Marjan Hills but Devicka felt it was a long hike and it was a hot day so we gave up the idea after walking up for a while. One has heard good things about this pine covered hill which is considered to be a symbol of Split. Maybe we will do it during our next trip. I am told that views are spectacular from there and one can spend hours exploring the place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could go up the steps like these to reach Marjan Hills or could take a cab. </td></tr>
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We were in Split for 2 nights and for the town itself, these 2 days were enough. This is because we had no intention of taking a day trip. Many people just do the coastal trip so they sometimes do things like <b>Plitvice Lakes as a day trip</b>. Another option as mentioned earlier is the Game of thrones trip. We were further going to the island of<b> Hvar and then onto Dubrovnik</b> so didn't feel the need to go to any island for a day trip. The popular day trips from Split are : </div>
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1) Plitvice Lakes national Park - I have written a full blog on this park. http://rohin-arora.blogspot.com/2018/07/plitvice-lakes-national-park-stunning.html</div>
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2) Trogir - A charming city 30 minutes away by bus. </div>
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3) Sibenik - It takes about 90 minutes by bus. It is famous for its Cathedral and Fortress. </div>
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4) Zadar - This takes around 3 hours. Famous for the organ which plays when the wind blows. This sea organ combines winds and waves to create music. </div>
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5) Island of Brac -An hour or so by Ferry. On the southern part of the island is a city called Bol which is thronged by tourists as it has long sandy beaches. </div>
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6) KRKA national park - The trip can be combined with Sibenik. People love this place as it has lakes and waterfalls just like Plitvice Lakes. <b>The biggest advantage here is that in several places you can jump into the water and swim near the waterfalls.</b> At Plitvice, entering the water was prohibited. The pictures of Krka that I have seen are stunning. It looks as good as Plitvice. Another advantage is that it is accessible by bus. Will plan a trip on our next visit. </div>
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<b>Transportation</b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Split Behind in Catamaran</td></tr>
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The Bus station is right there - near the waterfront and next to where we get the ferries and Catamaran. So, going to the above stated places is very simple and convenient. The train station is also there itself. If you want to hire a car - those car hiring places are also near the bus station. This is where we had left our car. <b>One think to be noted is that if you take car from one city and leave in another, there are extra charges for it. One also has to take special car or permission if you wish to drive to Bosnia, Serbia or Montenegro as they are separate countries. </b>The Company we had hired the car from was called the Enterprise and their offices were conveniently located. The cars we took were in good condition.<br />
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Split and Dubrovnik have proper Airports so internationally they are well connected.<br />
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The Ferries we took on this trip were of a company called <b>Krilo (Krilo.hr)</b>. Another popular company is <b>Jadrolinja</b>. From Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Zagreb(Croatia) we had taken a train ride crossing country borders. From Zagreb we had hired a car and drove to Plitvice and then to Split.<br />
Now our next destination was island of <b>Hvar</b>.<br />
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Things were working well and all our accommodation, itinerary and transport arrangements so far were good. Now we looked forward to Hvar which is called a party place and is one of the most popular islands in the world.<br />
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E Mail: rohinarora@gmail.com<br />
Instagram: rohinarora<br />
Twitter: arorarohin</div>
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Rohin Arorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06526051847635596107noreply@blogger.com0