Nils

London Journals – Part 1

London, Travel / By / August 22, 2023

A 6 day London Travel Story

All of my international trips bar one have been for work purposes. I take some extra time apart from the working days to enjoy the place to myself. But the trip to London was only the second time that I traveled for leisure. The only one other time was on my honeymoon in Maldives. But London was sort of solo travel – so it was really special. I say sort of because I accompanied my husband on his work trip – he worked while I enjoyed London solo to my heart’s content. Evenings and weekends, though, were a couple’s trip.

There’s so much to do and see in London that I ran out of time! My own itinerary was tailored to what I like but I will suggest alternatives for some places I know are too customized i.e., fandom based. So without further ado, here’s my London travel story.

London Baby!

Friends fans will understand the header above – Joey exclaiming when he visits London. My feelings and excitement was similar. My husband and I arrived in London early evening on a Saturday. After reaching our hotel, dumping our luggage and freshening up, we went out to meet a college friend of ours. The evening turned into night as we chatted, reminisced about college and made plans for the next day.

Passes - Which one?

Passes make sightseeing cheaper, within budget. The cost of a pass is lesser than the entry for all attractions put together. Also there are jump-the-queue facilities and other offers on dining as well. There are different kinds of passes available:

  • London Pass – day based, includes 90+ attractions along with Big Bus, river cruise, walking tour, hotel drop off services. £ 89 for a 2 day or £ 98 for a 3 day pass.
  • Sightseeing Pass – day based, includes 55+ attractions along with special offers like bicycle tours,  HOHO bus tours etc. £ 74.40 (2 days) or £ 99.20 (3 days).
  • Explorer Pass – based on number of attractions, includes about 60 attractions. £ 34 (2 choices), £ 49 (3 choices).
  • Oyster Card – travel card for London underground, buses etc.

My trip was broken into 2 parts with a day in Cork, Ireland. So, taking the day based pass wasn’t feasible since, once activated, the pass would be valid for continuous days. Also the cost for a 6-day pass was too high. Upon several calculations, I took a combination – a 3 day London Pass along with an Oyster card and a 3-attraction Explorer Pass.

Royals and Magic

Buckingham Palace

Day 1’s plan was just 2 places / attractions. First was, what else?! The Buckingham Palace. We made sure to be in time for the Changing of Guards ceremony. It was an hour long event, very interesting to experience. The on-duty guards at the Buckingham Palace hand over their duties to the new shift inside the palace grounds and do a parade round the street in front before leaving. It involves horses, marching bands and swords! I felt lucky to have seen it because that was the last day of the year when it was being held, after which the Queen would shift to her winter residence.

Tip: Change of guards ceremony is not held everyday, and there have been changes due to Covid. Please check this website before planning your trip.

After the ceremony, we booked tickets for the tour of the palace. We managed to get the last tickets (!!!) for that year’s palace tour! 

Tip: The Palace is open to visitors for only ten weeks in the summer, so be sure to check the dates before planning your trip and book tickets accordingly.

We had some time on our hands before the tour so we walked around the neighbourhood, upto London Bridge. We saw the London Eye, the Big Ben – then under renovation, Westminster Chapel and the Thames. Just walking around a city gives a feel for the vibe of the city and I loved it. For lunch, we had the quintessential english dish – Fish and Chips! Sadly, it was just average.

Lunch done, we walked back to Buckingham Palace for the tour. The Buckingham Palace is one of the few working royal palaces today. It is the headquarters of the Monarchy as well as the home of the Queen. We got a glimpse into the Queen’s residence – the Throne Room, the Ballroom, the Grand Staircase and various other State rooms and some part of the magnificent Royal Collection. It takes close to an hour to do the tour; to complete, wander the gardens and do stop at the shop for souvenirs.

Tip: Photography is prohibited inside but one can take pictures from the gardens of the palace building as well as the from the outside when you are done with the Changing of Guards ceremony.

Apart from the Palace tour itself, one can also visit the Royal Mews where lies the historic coaches and carriages as well as the working Royal Stables. The Mews is responsible for travel arrangements of all the Royal family members. We unfortunately had to skip this due to time shortage.

Tickets (not included in any pass): £ 30

Harry Potter Studio Tour, Warner Brothers

Then, it was time for the best part of my London trip – I’m saying this unashamedly – the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden. I was there for 4 hours but was still left wanting for more. There was so much to enjoy there – its a must for any Harry Potter fan. There’s Diagon Alley, there’s the Forbidden Forest, the dormitories, wand lessons and what not! I have written a whole post about this part of the trip. Check it out here. https://nilsaroundtheworld.com/potter-mania-warner-bros-studio-tour-london/

 Tickets (not included in pass): £ 49.95

All The Cool Places

Tower Bridge

This was a Monday so it meant work for the husband while I set off to ramble around London. My first stop of the day was the Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge is London’s defining landmark – the bridge with 2 towers and a span that opens up to let boats through. Established in 1894, it is a bascule (opens up in 2 parts) cum suspension bridge with twin walkways at the higher levels connecting the 2 towers.

As part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition Tour, I went up 206 steps to the North Tower. There was a short film about the Tower telecasting on the screen. Then I walked across the bridge over the glass bottom walkway! It was scary; it felt like I was stepping into the deep waters below! The views from up there are wonderful – the whole vista of London city with the Thames flowing calmly in between. Upon reaching the South Tower on the other side, I walked down the steps to reach the Engine Rooms below. The Engine Rooms are from where the original steam engines were operated to draw up and lower the bascules. It was very interesting indeed.

Tip: There is a shop after this at the lower level, you can buy some interesting mementos here. Pass holders get discounts on items in the shop.

I took a walk around the area after my Tower Bridge tour along the Thames bank, enjoying the sunshine and having an ice cream cone. I sat down at a random bench and just soaked up the day as I gazed at the river and the boats. Then I took off walking again towards the St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

The Hop on Hop Off (HOHO) Big Bus Tour is a way to see all the city’s prominent and some not so prominent areas and attractions in a sort of bird’s eye view. It also helps plan your itinerary in more detail. This day, I boarded the Big Bus at the tail end of my meandering walk – from the Cathedral stop. That’s the beauty of the HOHO bus – I could get on at any point and get off at any other one as per my wish. The bus took me throughout the city as I learned about the city’s as well as the different monuments’ history through the very interesting live commentary on board.

Tip: There are 4 routes of the Big Bus which take you through the various areas – Central London, (Red) West London (Blue) etc. Choose the route accordingly or you may take them all. Ask about which bus it is before boarding at any stop.

Self Walking Tour

I got off the bus at its London Bridge stop. This part is the self-guided walking tour. I saw (and walked over) the London Bridge – is isn’t falling down!, the Monument – a tribute to the Great Fire of London, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. I ended the day with some memento shopping near the area. Then it was dinner with my husband and his colleague at a cute little pub in a small alley near our hotel.

Tickets (without Pass)

  • Tower Bridge: £ 10.60
  • Big Bus: £ 31.20 (1 day)
  • HMS Belfast: £ 22.70
  • London Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square – Free

Half Day Tour of Landmarks

Covent Garden, Millennium Bridge, Borough Market

I started the day with collection of my passes; I had booked all of them online. From there I walked to my first stop of the day – Covent Garden. It was a lively market with variety of shops, so colourful. I checked out a few shops – chocolates, perfumes, tea. In the end though, I didn’t really buy anything. I did walk around and enjoy live music being played. I had such a good time.

Next stop – Millennium Bridge. This is a pedestrian bridge which I liked because of its intriguing design. It is connected on one end to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern Museum on the other. It makes for very Instagram-worthy photos.

Last stop on my half day tour was the Borough Market. Borough Market is one of London’s oldest and largest market. I read about this on a blog and was immediately interested. It lived up to ,y expectations and then some! There are foods of various cultures and cuisines – from raw fresh produce to cheeses to delicious hot food. The smells were amazing. I had this lip-smacking yummy sandwich made of spit roast porchetta. I left with the happy smile of a well-fed person.

That was it for the first 3 days of my London trip. On this 3rd day, my husband and I took a flight to Cork for his work purposes. We were there for the next day when I went about enjoying Cork. Read about it here.

For the second half of my London trip, watch out this space for The London Journals – Part 2.

Onto Cork we go

Trek to the Moon Lake – An 8-day Lahaul-Spiti Experience – Part 3

Asia, Himalayas, India, Travel / By / April 23, 2022

The year – 2019. The place – Himachal Pradesh. The travelers – my husband and myself.

We had just reached the campsite for penultimate day’s stay in Chandratal. Read about the first part of our trip and our journey to this place here in Part 1 and Part 2.

After lunch and rest, began the final leg of our trip.

The Mini-trek

Chandratal – “taal” meaning lake – is situated at an elevation of 14000ft and is a holy lake. It is a mountain lake – nestled at the base of and surrounded by mountains. We started our trek towards the lake at around half past three in the afternoon by following a path just behind our campsite. We walked through grass covered hills, flowers here and there and were greeted by sheep once. Through it all we had the nippy mountain air and the gorgeous Himalayas as our guide.

Up and down through arcs and troughs we went until suddenly we realized we were lost! We were supposed to have reached the lake by now but we didn’t seem to be even close. There were no maps – Google or otherwise – to help us. So, we backtracked a bit till we could see the vehicle-road below and then followed the trail parallel through it. Finally, finally, after we had crested a small hillock, we could see the lake from above! What a wondrous sight! Hues of green and blue merging with each other and the white-peaked mountains all around.

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Chamdratal!
Chamdratal!
Us :)
Us 🙂
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In Panorama

Tip: Vehicles aren’t allowed right up to the lake. There is a particular point upto which vehicular movement is restricted after which one will need to hike to the lake. We took the more meandering and circuitous trekking route to the lake. The more conventional route is via car to the last point allowed for cars and then the small walk.

In the light of the setting sun, we hiked back to the camp via the road route. We were greeted by tea and maggi back at the camp. Ah, bliss! Once dark, the temperature dropped to single digits and we were left shivering. So we quickly ducked back to the dining camp for hot soup. Barely an hour later, we had our dinner and then we were ready to bunk down.

Day 8: Chandratal to Manali

At the crack of dawn the next day, we had to start for Manali. We started off after a quick tea consumed standing up and with our breakfast packed. The reason for this was the melting of glaciers as the day wore on. With the rising sun, the glaciers melt and overrun the road thereby making passage difficult. Guided by the Chenab River this time, we drove on, sometimes between walls of snow higher than our car, sometimes right by the gushing river and sometimes with the mountains up close to us. We stopped for lunch at Chhatru – hot paranthas with achhar – and then were quickly back on the road.

At Chhatru

We faced trouble in paradise shortly after lunch. Our car broke down! Amidst mounting tension, our driver and we tried to think of ways to reach Manali. Eventually we got a lift in a car whose driver was a friend of our driver – thank the HP drivers’ community.

Our one stop before Manali – Rohtang Pass. At the snow clad Rohtang, we stopped to admire the view but declined from playing about in the snow. We made it to Manali late evening. Evening was spent on a leisurely walk through Manali’s mall road and we returned to our hotel after dinner at the mall.

Rohtang Pass

Final day: Half day Manali trip & Return to Mumbai

The next day was a relaxed one to “recuperate” from our vacation. Just one small visit to the Hadimba Devi Temple where we offered our prayers in gratitude for our trip. A little bit of shopping and we were ready for our return to Mumbai.

Hadimba Devi Temple

The amazing adventures of Spiti

While it may seem like a hectic trip with one night at each place, in reality there wasn’t any running from one attraction to the next. Spiti is all about the journey, the scenery and the company of loved ones. There is no mobile network (except for BSNL, I’m told) and so it is refreshing change from social media, work and news. Spiti is a place to just be, to absorb the beauty and bounty of nature.

Tips for Spiti:

Some other places to visit in Spiti are:

  • Chitkul
  • Kibber (known for snow leopards)
  • Losar

You can change the itinerary to just pass by some of the places and/or to stay the night in the ones we passed by eg. Dhankar or Nako.

Best time to visit: Pre-monsoons to winter are the times to visit but as per me, best time is the pre monsoon where you can enjoy the desert mountain scenery to its utmost. Monsoons are a little dangerous with respect to roads while winter can cause heavy snowfall thereby blocking out some of these places entirely. And, all white may be a different kind of pretty but will not give you the effect of the “desert” beauty.

Weather: During pre monsoons, weather is cool to chilly during the night and warm during the day. In Chandrataal though, due to the winds, it is chilly during the day and quite cold during the night. Suit up accordingly.

Best way to travel: By car, in a group so that expenses are divided is the best way to travel.

Expenses: We had medium budget stays in some places and some basic ones. Local food mostly vegetarian with eggs was what we consumed. We, a couple, traveled by car so that cost wasn’t shared. Our cost for the trip was around ₹75,000. For a larger group – optimum 4 – this will be lesser.

This is a jewel of Himachal, plan your trips soon!

The Spiti Way – An 8-day Lahaul-Spiti Experience

Asia, Himalayas, India, Travel / By / April 18, 2022

The year – 2019. The place – Himachal Pradesh. The travelers – my husband and myself.

One of the most scenic and traversed routes in the Himachal is the Spiti and Lahaul Valley circuit. It takes a minimum of 8 days to cover the bare essentials of this gorgeous trip; ours was of 9 days. It is somewhat of a hectic trip but being surrounded by nature’s serene beauty, it didn’t feel that way at all.

The Route

Spiti and Lahaul valley is dotted with numerous villages along its entire route; however we chose our circuit based on distances and locations we wanted to visit most and were feasible in the time span we had.

Our final route, starting from Shimla via car was:

Sarahan – Kalpa – Pin Valley – Nako – Tabo – Dhankar – Kaza – Ki-Kibber – Langza-Komic-Hikkim and finally the star Chandratal Lake! We ended our trip in Manali via Rohtang Pass.

Some of these were small villages we visited enroute to our final destination for the day while the rest were our night stops in major (relatively) towns. While most people do the circuit the other way round – from Lahaul to Spiti – we chose to do it the Spiti-Lahaul way.

The Valley

Lahaul and Spiti is the desert of the mountains. Nestled among The Himalayas, it is an area which receives minimum rainfall; in fact, rainfall is actually harmful to majority of the region. The two valleys are separated by Kunzum Pass or Kumzum La. The average elevation is around 14000 ft. which gives it pleasantly cool weather during the summer and monsoon seasons and biting cold during the winter.

The arid desert mountains of Spiti

Preparations

Conveyance: Spiti can be reached via air, bus or car. The best way to travel though, is by car. One can get to enjoy the scenery of the land and the mountains while traveling in a car. We hired a car from Chandigarh (start) to Manali (end) to cover the entire circuit; this was done with references online and then via phone.

Bookings: We only booked our hotel in Kaza for 2 nights’ stay and that in Manali for 2 nights. The rest of our night halts were on the advise of our driver who guided us to the best places to stay in locally.

Our transport for the whole trip

Itinerary

Day 1: Shimla to Sarahan

We flew from Mumbai to Chandigarh on an early morning flight (read: inhuman hour) and then took a cab from Chandigarh to Shimla. After a quick lunch in Shimla, we started off.

Here onwards started our trip – from the Shimla district. While our initial plan for the day’s pit stop was Narkanda, we finally drove further on to end our day at Sarahan. It was night by the time we reached so we freshened up and just crashed for the night.

Day 2: Sarahan, onto Kalpa

The next day dawned bright and clear. We woke up early to poke around Sarahan a little bit and to look at the views. Sarahan is known for the Bhimkali Temple which is the home of the revered goddess Bhimkali. We offered our prayers and receives blessings from the goddess for our onwards journey.

At a tiny eatery nearby, we had a breakfast of Maggi and momos and we were ready for the day. We started for Kalpa, driving along the Sutlej River to enter the Kinnaur. The gushing river, the tall mountains and the greenery along with the cool weather made for such a pleasant journey. After all, it’s the journey that matters!

We reached our day’s destination in the early evening. After we put up at our hotel, we set out on foot to explore Kalpa.

KALPA

The three main attractions in Kalpa are:

  1. Narayan Nagini Temple
  2. Hu Ba Lan Kar Monastery
  3. Kinnaur-Kailash Range

We visited the beautiful monastery and paid our respects but unfortunately the temple was closed. We admired the beautiful pagoda style architecture and the splendid view of the mountains from the temple’s courtyard. After a leisurely walk around the village, we returned to our hotel.

Over hot pakodas and tea, with a view of the gorgeous Kinnaur-Kailash range, we spent our evening chatting away. It was such a relaxing day – an idyllic location, comfort food and great company.

Tip: Other things to do in Kalpa –

  1. Visit Sapni Fort
  2. Go to Roghi Village
  3. Hiking to Chaka

Day 3: Kalpa to Nako & Tabo

Once again, we had an early start to the day. In the hills, that’s the way to be. One hot breakfast later, we were on our way to the Spiti Valley. Driving through gorgeous mountain scenery, still following River Sutlej, we were enchanted. At Khab Sangam, we stopped for tea and to stretch our legs. This was the confluence of the rivers Sutlej and Spiti. We broke off to the left to finally enter Spiti Valley. Here the river was more voluminous and deep – the lifeblood of the valley.

NAKO

Our first stop in Spiti was Nako, where we reached in the afternoon. We stopped here for lunch and for Nako’s most famous atrraction – Nako Lake. This mountain lake, surrounded by trees is considered to be a scared lake by the locals. We spent a serene hour sitting at the lake and admiring the beautiful surroundings.

Tip: Other things to do in Nako is to visit the Nako Monastery.

TABO

Soon it was time to get back on the road to our sojourn through Spiti. In the early hours of the evening, we reached Tabo. This charming town was our halt for the day. Eager to explore the town, we quickly dumped our stuff and took off walking. Soon we came upon a path taking us up a hillock overlooking the town and set upon it. Huffing and puffing our way up, we reached the top and sat down on a rock to look at the wonderful panorama in front of us. Cute little houses interspersed with greenery nestled at the foot of the Himalayan mountains – what a sight to behold. We sat there till the light faded away and we returned to a sumptuous dinner at our hotel.

Tip: There are actually some caves atop that hillock and the more adventurous person can venture inside but we opted out due to tiredness and the imminent darkness.

On the way to Tabo
On the way to Tabo
Desert deer
Desert deer
Views from atop the hills in Tabo
Views from atop the hills in Tabo
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Day 4: Tabo, onwards to Dhankar and Pin Valley

TABO Pt. 2

Today held something exciting for me – I was going to go on a mini trek. But before that, there was Tabo to discover to our heart’s content. After breakfast in the quaint little dining room of our hotel – wooden benches and floor seating -, we went walking around Tabo.

The Tabo Monastery is over 1000 years old! It contains hand painted murals, painted tapestries, scrolls etc. The monastery grounds contains other structures built of clay and mud, and there are collections of flat stones which the Buddhists amass for good luck. The stones are inscribed with their prayer – “Om Mani PadMe Hum”.

There’s also a newer monastery – Chorten – which is a modern brick structure and more colorful and sporting and beautiful stupa. We couldn’t enter this one though, because it wasn’t open yet.

From there, we took a walk down to the river bank where the Spiti river flowed gaily. We did some shopping of prayer flags, artefacts and such. Then came the time to start our day’s journey – onwards to Dhankar. It was noon by the time we reached.

Dhankar!

My Spiti story continues in the next part, coming soon! There’s so much still left, keep an eye on this space.

The Highest Ground – An 8-day Lahaul-Spiti Experience Part 2

Asia, Himalayas, India, Travel / By / April 18, 2022

The year – 2019. The place – Himachal Pradesh. The travelers – my husband and myself.

We were on Day 4 of our trip. Read about the first 3 days and the first part of Day 4 here.

Day 4 Continued...

DHANKAR

Immediately on arriving, we embarked on our hiking quest; destination – Dhankar Lake. It usually takes about 3 hours total to complete the trek. We needed to climb up one hill, and go down the other side where the lake lay and then come back the same way. It was high afternoon and extremely sunny and hot, so we carried supplies like water and biscuits. We crested the hill, saw the lake from afar and then made our way back; all in less than 2 hours.

The trek itself was a satisfying one; the amazing scenery, the adrenaline high and the adventure was wonderfully enervating. But, the lake was a let-down to be honest. There was barely any water and one lone stupa guarded it. This, plus the heat and hunger, prevented us from going all the way down and so we made an early escape. Back down, we had lunch in a blessedly cool eatery and recharged our batteries.

Tip: Post monsoons, the lake would be lovely and should be worth a visit. Carry sunblock and hats, shades and wear comfortable shoes for your trek. Water is of course of utmost importance.

After lunch, we visited the Dhankar Monastery. The monastery is built on a clay mountain outcrop, finely balanced and overlooking the confluence of Spiti and Pin river. It almost looks as if its teetering on the edge of the whole mountain! In the monastery, we were served tea which came long with some stories of the gompa and its monks and then guided through the monastery itself.

Dhankar Monastery on the top left corner of the settlement

We restarted our drive after lunch towards Pin Valley which was to be our halt for the day. As always, the stunning scenery was our companion. Our driver advised us to stay the night at Mud village, and then visit Pin Valley the following day. Accordingly, we traveled to the small Mud village. We walked around to enjoy the beauty of nature – there were the mountains, the Pin river and a small half frozen waterfall. We put up at a homestay in Dhar Pilsur on the outskirts.

Day 5: Pin Valley, Key, to Kaza

PIN VALLEY

Early the next morning, after a breakfast of local breads and eggs, we visited the Kungri Gompa (Monastery) to see the festival held there. There was an hour of dancing by the monks in colorful costumes – the devil dance. Outside, the locals were selling various handicrafts and homemade items – like egg noodles, gloves, socks etc. The whole affair was fascinating! This was the Tsheshu Fair, held across all monasteries in Spiti, turn by turn.

After we had enjoyed the festival, we started our day’s journey which was to end in Kaza. Our first stop after Kungri was the Key (or Kye/Ki) monastery located in its namesake. Perched atop a hill, the Key Monastery was beautiful and the whole picture it presented with the brown mountains, blue river, green fields and white clouds floating above was absolutely stunning! We toured the place thoroughly and looked around the area, simply savouring the solitude and nature’s gifts.

Next stop was for lunch in Chicham Khas and then finally onto Kaza in the late afternoon, where we were to stay for the next day as well. Rest of the day – evening and night – was spent in exploring around in Kaza, some shopping and dinner with live music. Vacation goals!

Chicham Khas

Day 6: Langza - Komic - Hikkim

Today was to be a half day trip from Kaza to the nearby villages of Langza, Komic and Hikkim, each of which were known for some reason apart from their pretty locations among the Himalayan mountains. First up, Langza which is known for its giant Buddha statue situated on the mountain top overlooking the valley beyond. When we went there, the statue was undergoing restoration works but we could still see the magnificent statue of the serenely seated Buddha gazing down at us. Langza is also known for its fossils which one can find if they went on an expedition.

From there, it was a quick drive to Komic. Komic, at over 15000ft, is the highest village connected with motorable road. One of the highest monasteries in India is located here. We went inside and offered our prayers at the monastery and the head monk gave us his blessings with a shawl adorned with their prayers! At the “world’s highest restaurant”, we had maggi and tea to refresh ourselves before moving on to visit our next and final stop.

Next up was a fun place to visit – Hikkim. While it is lower in altitude than Komic, Hikkim plays host to the highest post office in the world! This post office is still functional though I think a lot of its mail is outgoing – from the highest post office to various parts of India. We too did the same; we sent postcards to our parents back home in Kolkata. It gave me a thrill to drop those postcards into the box.

After this, it was time to return to our base location, Kaza. We had a late lunch at Hotel Deyzor; an amazing local Spiti dish – the thentuk. In the evening we chances upon some people we had met in Dhankar and had a lovely time chatting to the group and then retired for the night.

Day 7: Kunzum Pass, Chadrataal

CHICHAM & KUNZUM LA

The next day, on e again, we were up early. One hot breakfast later, we continued on our Spiti voyage to the final destination – Chandrataal Lake. From Kaza to Chandrataal is the most stunning scenery I had ever seen or would see. This mountain desert with its bare faced slopes with spur-like outcrops and the Spiti river meandering in between, is unbelievably beautiful. I ran out of adjectives eventually.

One of the most exciting event of the day was crossing over the Chicham bridge. Chicham Bridge, connecting the villages of Kibber and Chicham is the highest bridge in Asia. It stands over a gorge over 1000ft deep! It literally gave me the shivers looking down into the gorge below. Earlier, villagers used to travel via buckets on rope suspension! Can you even imagine?

Our next stop was the Kunzum La (Kumzum Pass). Located at a height of about 15000ft, Kunzum La connects Spiti Valley to Lahaul Valley. Some truly magnificent sights awaited us here. Snow capped peaks all around and the wind whipping hard at us. We paid homage at the Kunzum Stupas and prayed for a safe journey ahead.

CHANDRATAL

As we entered Lahaul Valley and journeyed northwards, the weather started getting cooler and we could see snow gathered by the roadside. By early afternoon, we reached this day’s last stop. We were going to do camping! That is to say, we would stay the night in camps amidst the mountains, near the Chandratal. The tents weren’t as basic as the ones during my trek. There were proper beds with bedding, toilets and even a chair and table in the tents along with gas lamps! Then there was a communal dining tents with tables and benches for meals. We had our lunch upon arrival and then we were off. We were going to trek to the lake!

Tip: We did the booking for the campsite via phone after online research. Ours was Parasol Camps and it is closest to the trek trail.

Camp!

Follow the remainder of my journey in the upcoming post – Part 3 of the Lahaul-Spiti experience. Keep an eye on this space.

E-commerce and Travel

Travel / By / January 23, 2022

How E-commerce helped in my travel plans & arrangements

We 90s kids have straddled the technology timeline. On the one hand we have seen and used all things manual/physical, while on the other we have seen the tech boom – advent and advancement of mobiles, computers and last but not the least: E-commerce.

Why E-commerce?

Once upon a times, we stood in lines for everything – from groceries to tickets to clothes. With the arrival of technology, everything is at our fingertips. Convenience is our utmost requirement in our busy, work-filled lives and that is where E-commerce comes in.

Innumerable products and services brought to our doorstep by a few simple clicks on our tiny phone/computer screens. In the area of travel as well, E-commerce has helped immensely.

Read on to see how I use technology to make my travel plans and arrangements easier.
When do I not use E-commerce?! it is inbuilt in almost all aspects of my travels. Gone
are the days of toil, when we stood in line at the crack of dawn to book train tickets and then
too wasn’t guaranteed reservations on our chosen train. Rushing to shops to purchase all
travel accessories and necessities is also of days bygone.

computer, desk, typing-1867758.jpg

How has E-commerce helped me?

Here are all e-commerce platforms I use.

First step - booking train/flight/bus tickets:

Online! Various platforms area available and we can choose and compare prices/availability before buying tickets.

Sites I use: MakeMyTrip, Yatra, RedBus, IRCTC.

Pic credit: Pinterest

Second step - hotel reservations:

Online! Again, various sites allow us to search for desirable properties to stay at during our vacation. We can select based on required criteria like nearness to airport/city centre, good area, budget/cheap etc.


Sites I use: MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Booking.com

Next steps - Travel goods:

Online! Be it luggage or clothes gadgets or medicines, anything we need for traveling purposes, we can and do buy online.


Sites I use: Amazon (it is my to-go site!), Myntra, NetMeds, etc.

Special mention:

Even though these aren’t E-commerce sites, these are app/sites which have made life so much simpler.

Google – for all research during a trip planning.

Google Maps – I would literally be lost without it, this is my one true friend in navigation and looking up bus/train timings, restaurants etc.

Zomato: For selection of restaurants or dhabas I aim to have my meals in.

which one?

I trust E-commerce sites based on:

  • Their reputation – achieved through reviews.
  • Range of products / services.
  • Customer service
  • Transparency of return policy.

Thus are chosen the above-mentioned sites.

While some things are best done offline, there is no denying that E-commerce has made
life simpler and has let us conserve our valuable time and energy. E-commerce is here to stay!
Do let me know how E-commerce has helped you and which ones are invaluable to
you.

This post was written for Blogchatter’s Featured Campaign #ECommerceBuildsEconomy.

The Incredible Food Journey of 2021

Food / By / January 3, 2022

“Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness” – Auguste Escoffier

2021 was a year of opposites for me. I could not travel to a single destination but the reason for that was one of the happiest ones. Of course there was the pandemic, but 2021 gave me one of the biggest moments of my life – the birth of my son.

Pregnancy restricted my movements and my travel plans so there are no travel stories for this year gone by. However, I was happy to do stay at home, nurturing and waiting for my little bundle of joy. For that, I can’t thank the universe enough.

I also launched my self hosted blog – a lot of hours and effort went into setting that up but I am so immensely happy to have done it.

But 2021 was a year of gastronomic delight! Bringing you my incredible food journey of 2021.

Visiting a couple of fine Dining Establishments

Thank you Bayroute, Pa Pa Ya and The Sassy Spoon!

Home Made Delicacies

Thanks to my sister!

Some were a result of my love of cooking…

Oredering in

Thank you Bijoligrill, Aromas, Poetry, Theobroma and ofcourse Swiggy & Zomato!

Baby Shower Feast

Thank you – Ma and my aunts and cousins!

I also participated in Blogchatter’s A2Z campaign where my theme was “Food of The World”. Read posts on the theme here.

The Naperville Photo Diaries

Chicago, Travel, USA / By / December 31, 2021

On the trip that I visited the Shedd Aquarium on, I stayed with one of my oldest and dearest friends. She lived in a small town outside Chicago, called Naperville. I spent 5 days there living like a local almost. I visited the local grocery stores, Walmart, eating at local establishments and driving – or rather being driven seeing as my friend was the one driving – into Downtown and exploring the local sights.

Naperville, founded in 1831, has a population of around 150,000 and is located on the banks of the DuPage River. Presenting my photo diaries of Naperville.

House of the Aquatic Beings – Shedd Aquarium, Chicago

Chicago, Travel, USA / By / December 16, 2021

I have been fascinated with fish since childhood; I used to have pet goldfish and guppies. I tended to them – tank cleaning, feeding, water changing, the works. Their colorful selves and fluid movements attracted me. But all I ever knew and saw were these personal fish tanks at people’s homes or some semi large ones used as decorations. I never knew such official aquariums housing millions of sea life even existed. Until I saw a tiny portion of the Dubai Aquarium and was stunned.

The first and only one that I visited full fledged is the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago when I took a trip to Chicago to visit my friend and went for a Chicago sightseeing day.

On The Shores of Lake Michigan

The location of the aquarium itself is a stunning one – on the shores of the beautiful Lake Michigan. The day was a gloriously sunny day with gusty breeze from the lake. We did try to book tickets online but unfortunately that was only available for Chicago residents (at that time atleast or we were looking in the wrong place?) and we stood in line. The wait wasn’t too long and we bought were soon inside.

Tip: Tickets can now be booked online here.

The Amazing Diversity of Sea Life

The aquatic ecosystem is so diverse and astounding! The Shedd Aquarium opened my eyes to the truly enthralling world of underwater. There were seahorses and sea-dragons with transparent paper thin fins and bodies, corals housing plethora of organisms, jellyfishes, seawater fishes like angelfish, clownfish, freshwater fishes like paddlefish, sturgeons, starfish, octopus, and many many more.

Then there were the shellfish, turtles, sea otters, sea lions and the reptile section – which I did not visit because I am terrified of them, unlike my childhood! There were those utterly cute creatures – penguins! And, last but not the least – sharks! – feared but revered.

The Whales and The Dolphins

Two of the best parts of the visit though, were the Beluga Whales and the Dolphin show. The beluga whales are cared for by dedicated staff of the Shedd Aquarium. It was such fun watching them frolic around and play and interact with human beings.

The Dolphin show was about a 10-15 minutes’ show where trained dolphins danced to music, showed their tricks and entertained us in general in tandem with their trainers. It was such a remarkable event!

Beluga Whale

The 4D Show

There were a few 4D experiences to choose from – we chose the Coastal Predators show. It was a novel experience where, apart from the realistic feel using 3D glasses, the chair vibrates, there’s water squirting, wind blowing – all to create that full lifelike atmosphere.

Care and Conservation

Shedd Aquarium takes the conservation of nature and care of creatures very seriously. At the time of our visit, the aquarium had several larger-than-life sculptures made entirely of plastic waste from oceans! The aim was to raise awareness of the harmfulness of plastic and just how much we are polluting the ocean – home to these magnificent creatures.

They also:

  • Rescue and rehabilitate animals – turtles, belugas, penguins
  • Contribute towards research which benefit these creatures.
  • Have an animal response team who work with conservation partners.

Find more about their efforts here and here and here.

Map of Shedd Aquarium

I am doing my bit by raising awareness through this post via Blogchatter’s Cause A Chatter campaign.

The Dream Trip to New York Part 2

New York, Travel, USA / By / November 22, 2021

Major part of Day 1 in New York was spent in touring Statue of Liberty and  Ellis Island. Read about my experience here.

Brooklyn Bridge

I decided to go to the Brooklyn Bridge as the first destination of my explorations. It was almost a 20-minute walk during which I just took in the sights and sounds of New York and did some people watching. It was fun!

The iconic Brooklyn Bridge stood before me in all its glory and majesty. The bridge is a suspension bridge which connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. I took pictures of the bridge, regarded the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines from a different angle than the morning’s and watched the high-speed traffic on the lower tier of the bridge.

Walking halfway across the bridge in the last rays on the sun, fatigue and jet lag set in and as dearly as I wanted to walk the whole bridge, I just couldn’t. I turned homewards.

Tip: If you are a biker (cyclist), you can take (guided) bike tours which are included in the NY pass.

Day 2

Highlights of New York

Next day was to be a big day – I was trying to capture all of my heart’s desire about New York in 1 day! There is so much to do and see and experience, I knew this would be impossible, so I simply chose what I called – the highlights of New York!

Madame Tussaud’s

First up, I had to collect my New York Pass and guide. I wanted to start with the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour to move from one attraction to another. HOHO bus tickets were free with the NY Pass so I headed to the nearest stop. As it turns out, Madame Tussaud’s was the closest HOHO bus stop, so I decided to tour the museum first.

The hour or so spent there was so much fun, going around the wax figures – from living people to dead legends, from royalty to scientists. To be honest, some were not such a good likeness but most of them were so astonishingly real and detailed that you’d think they were about to move. It’s marvelous and a must-visit for all.

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9/11 Memorial and Museum

Emerging onto Times Square, I gazed up at the skyscrapers and just couldn’t hold in my excitement – I was in Time Square in New York!!! I just turned round and took it all in. After soaking up the atmosphere, I climbed onto the HOHO bus and traveled to my next stop – the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

On the way, the guide on the bus relayed interesting facts and history about New York City – old and new. Like, the new part of NY was planned and hence laid out like a grid – avenues and streets whereas old part of NY – south of SoHo (meaning South of Houston), is more haphazard and doesn’t follow any such pattern.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is located at the spot where the original World Trace Center used to be. It honours the people killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001. The memorial consists of two reflecting pools set in the footprints of the Twin Towers and a plaza of trees, including the Survivor Tree. The museum relays the events of that fateful day and the horrific tragedy through artefacts, videos, some surviving structures while also conveying personal stories of loss and memories. It was with a somber feeling that I left the museum.

Empire State Building

Lunch was delicious lasagna at this cute little restaurant. Post lunch, I walked to my next destination – the Empire State Building. This iconic building is mainly and office building, but its fame is due to its Art Deco architecture, its height – before the WTC, it was the tallest building in the world – and mainly because of its observation decks.

It has 2 observation decks – on the 86th floor and on the 102nd floor. With my pass I had access to the 86th floor deck and that’s where I headed. The ride itself is exciting one – via elevator – nearly half a km. above the NY streets. Once there, I was treated to amazing panoramic views of the entire city of New York, its boroughs, the Hudson and the skyscrapers that distinguish the Big Apple.

Tip: The 102nd floor is not included in the NY pass and access must be purchased separately. But I can recommend the 86th floor is not to be belittled.

Central Park

After I had my fill of the NYC skyline, it was time to return to the ground – literally. I was now going to visit another iconic NY attraction – the Central Park. Traveled by bus – guided by Google Maps – I reached the park in the early hours of the evening. Lush foliage, abundant greenery and neat pathways greeted me.

With no particular aim in mind, I roamed around the park and enjoyed the fresh air and more importantly the wonderfully alive and vibrant atmosphere of the park. Groups played music, people danced, others simply strolled while yet others lay on the grass to absorb the last rays of the sun. Unbeknownst to me, I had made my way to the heart of Central Park, the famous Bethesda Fountain. With its Angel of Waters statue, it is a lovely sight indeed.

Tip: If you are a biker (cyclist), you can take (guided) bike tours which are included in the NY pass.

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Times Square and Rockefeller Centre

From the park, I headed back towards my first stop of the day – Times Square. I wanted to experience it during the night-time and oh, was I right?! During the late evening, it was a different ambience there altogether – it was fun and party mood. Times Square is glorious in the night – all lit up with smorgasbord of colours, sights, sounds and smell!! I just fell in love with it. It would have been nice to share it with someone though. I walked around for a while, snapping pictures and just being.

Finally it was time for my final attraction of the day – the Rockefeller Center! What I was headed for was the Top of the Rock observation deck. I rode the glass sky shuttle to the Top – the 70th floor, which is actually 3 stories of open-air observation deck! I was presented with a stunning 360-degree panoramic view of New York at night. I was mesmerized, I went round just gazing out from the outdoor deck at dazzling view in front of me. It was late at night and I had actually had to wait outside for my slot, but this was so worth wait! A worthy end to my day in New York.

Tip: The New York Pass has to be presented at the Box office to convert into tickets as per available slots. I had a late slot available at 10:10PM. The pass also helps skip the general line at concourse level.

Times Square in the Evening
Views from Top of the Rock

Eating and Shopping in New York

That night, I had a hot dog – with mustard and ketchup – from a stand in true NY (read: Hollywood) style. There is no dearth of eateries in New York, any and all kinds of cuisine is available. I had Italian, Mexican (yummy tacos), American obviously (burgers, pancakes) etc. So don’t be shy and eat your heart out.

There are gift shops available at all attractions to get your mementos. While I did buy magnets, keychains, pens etc. I also bought some fantastic costume jewellery at this shop I spotted near my hotel. The shop said “everything must go!”. I went in and just went a little bit crazy at the offers and the variety of goodies. Suffice to say, I bought a lot. So be sure to keep a lookout for such deals.

On My Next Trip…

I know that I barely scratched the top of the jewel that is New York. While I was supremely happy with my time there, I know that I will surely return again. And on my agenda are the below, which you should definitely do if you, unlike me, have 2 more days.

  • Visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) – this iconic museum which holds 5000 years of art history from all around the world.
  • Visit The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – it has world famous collection of modern and contemporary art including van Gogh’s The Starry Night.
  • Do the Rockefeller Centre Tour – apart from a Top visit, there is a tour of the rich art, design and architecture of the building.
  • Walk the Brooklyn Bridge end to end.
  • Browse Bloomingdales (not going to buy anything but still!)
  • Be an audience on one of the late night shows – they were giving tickets near the Rockefeller Centre but unfortunately I didn’t know the scene at night for a solo woman.
  • Walk The High Line – elevated park and walkway created on former New York Central Railroad on the west side of Manhattan.

Tip: There are also a ton of walking, bus, ferry tours available on the Pass which are highly interesting, be sure to check them out and choose as per your taste. I just know, there’s something for everyone in this versatile and ever-embracing city!

The Dream Trip to New York Part 1

New York, Travel, USA / By / November 22, 2021

Watching all these TV shows (Friends) and Hollywood movies (You’ve Got Mail, Serendipity) and reading about it in books (Shopaholic series) has always made me yearn for a trip to New York. There was so much I wanted to see and do – to me it represented the ideal place which represented all things American. In 2018, I was presented with an opportunity to make this dream trip come true. I was to go on a work trip to Austin but I arranged to arrive 2 days earlier in New York out of my pocket so I could finally visit this city.

Only A Day and A Half

Considering flight timings, hotel check-in etc., my time in New York was actually a day and half. As such, I had very little time to visit all the places I wished to. I planned carefully, checking distances between places, prioritizing what I wanted to do most and researching passes vs. direct tickets.

Finally, I chose to buy a 1-day New York Pass, and separate tickets to the Statue of Liberty. The reason was, that New York Pass did not cover the entrance into the Statue, only entry to the island and also because I wouldn’t really have 2 full days to consider getting a 2-day pass. This combination was much cheaper.

Tip: Pedestal access tickets including the ferry and access to Ellis Island Museum was $18.50 and the New York Pass was $124. Check current price for the former here or here and the latter here.

New York Pass w/ Guide

Day 1

Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island-Brooklyn Bridge

Mini Disaster Averted

My destination for the day – Statue of Liberty! I used the metro, to travel to New Jersey. Google Maps helped me find the approximate location of the ferry, but I got lost locating the boarding point. I stood for a while at a spot I assumed to the location but turned out to be incorrect. Even though I had arrived with almost 30 minutes in hand, time was slipping away. Having finally found the correct place, I waited for the next ferry.

Here I realized that this ferry was a 2-minute one to take me across the water channel to the main ferry building from where I had to board the final ferry to Ellis Island/Liberty Island! Anyway, the smaller ferry soon arrived, and I reached the Ferry Building with minutes to spare. I frantically ran to convert my soft copy to a physical ticket and then to the ferry boarding gate, boarding just in the nick of time!!

Ferry Views...

Ellis Island

The first stop of the New Jersey ferry was the Ellis Island. The Ellis Island is where millions of immigrants first entered the United States of America, and this was where they were processed. The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration depicts this history of America and is also a tribute to the nation’s past.

The museum has 3 floors of exhibits which document immigrants’ experiences as well as the general history of immigration. There are various rooms like Registry Room which is a huge hall where the initial processing was done, Dormitory Room where the immigrants stayed, Treasures From Home where possessions of immigrants from their homeland are displayed and so on. I took an audio guide which helped me through my whole tour through the museum and America’s very interesting and rich history.

Statue of Liberty

As I reboarded the ferry which now turned towards Liberty Island, I could barely hold in my excitement. In a few minutes, the famous lady in green holding aloft a burning torch came into view. The Statue of Liberty was gorgeous up-close! As I stared up at the statue, I admired it for its might, for its significance and for its beauty.

I had booked my Statue of Liberty Pedestal Access ticket online via Statue Cruises a week in advance. This was a mistake because I waited until the last moment and hence couldn’t get a ticket either for the Battery Park ferry (in Manhattan) or a ticket for the Crown access. I could only get the pedestal access via New Jersey ferry.

Tip: Never leave it until the last moment to book tickets for pedestal and crown access. Book atleast a month in advance to get your desired tickets.

After landing on the island, I made my way to the statue, where I had to pass several security screenings before being granted entry. Once inside, I climbed hundreds of stairs (did not count), to reach the pedestal level of the statue. At the pedestal – feet of the statue – I visited the Museum where the history of the statue was laid out – from its emergence to its being gifted and to its final construction and place at the entrance to New York.

Tip: There is an elevator available, but it is only for senior citizens and physically handicapped. So be prepared for a long walk up numerous stairs.

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Pedestal level views
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At the pedestal level
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Edouard de Laboulaye, a Frenchman, conceived the idea of a monument of liberty to be gifted to the US. Auguste Bartholdi, a young sculptor took on this opportunity to create a modern-day Colossus. The statue was assembled in Paris, foundation work was done on Bedloe’s Island (later renamed to Liberty Island), and the statue was finally dismantled and shipped to New York. 21 years after conception, Liberty Enlightening The World stood in New York Harbour. It was declared a national monument in 1924.

After touring the statue museum and learning about its origins, I made my way back down and just strolled about and toured the Liberty Island. I had my lunch – burger, fries and cola! – and also visited the gift shop to buy some mementos. It was a sunny day and the views of the Hudson and the New York skyline just made my day. It was a charming sight.

I finally left via return ferry to Battery Park in Manhattan. Since it was still daylight, I decided to do a bit of exploring on foot.

Tip: To know about current visiting rules in the light of Covid-19, please visit their website here.

My evening adventures and highlights of New York visit the next day – all coming up in Part 2.

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