The Great Maldives Love Affair

Densely vegetated Islands with picturesque beaches and surrounded by turquoise blue water lagoons – that’s the picture which comes to mind when I think about Maldives. Paradise – the first thought that came to mind on hearing Maldives, and when I further realized that I would be spending my birthday on the largest island resort in the Maldives, I was literally transcended into an ecstatic state of mind. This is how 2017 started for me, with a month long trip to Sun Island Resort and Spa – Maldives, from mid Jan to mid Feb.

Read ‘A memorable birthday at Sun Island Resort and Spa, Maldives’ here.

First glimpse of Paradise

The moment I stepped out of Velana International Airport, I was greeted with soothing views of coconut trees lined up along the road, ferries docked up on the jetty and pristine blue waters everywhere. As my connecting flight to the resort was a couple of hours later, I immediately put my luggage in the cloak room, exchanged some USD for the local currency, Maldivian Rufiyaa and got on the ferry to Male.

Discover Scuba Diving - The First Breath Underwater!

Sun Island Resort and SPA - Maldives is located in the South Ari Atoll - the most popular region for diving in the Maldives well renown worldwide, and has a lovely thriving house reef.  A 5 star PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Dive center – DiveOceanus arranges the Snorkeling excursions for the guests apart from providing the guests an opportunity to learn to dive and experience the true beauty of nature – The Underwater World of Maldives, through the Discover Scuba Diving program.

A memorable birthday at Sun Island Resort and Spa, Maldives

Last year I celebrated my birthday in the mountains in Nainital and I had a wonderful 2016 travelling to as many as 10 places which included my first high altitude trek in the Himalayas among others.

This time I got to spend it in Sun Island Resort and Spa which apart from being a literal paradise also turned out to be the biggest resort in the Maldives. 

Lepakshi - some untold stories

Lepakshi is about 120 KM from Bangalore on the Bangalore Hyderabad highway.

History says , Where the legendary bird Jatayu fell, wounded after a futile battle against Ravana. And Lord Rama said - “Le Pakshi” — ‘rise, bird’ The proud legacy of Vijayanagara Empire at it full Glory. An empire which was the most powerful and richest of its time, not just in India but in the whole world.

24 hours in McLeodganj, India

McLeodganj is a very popular travel destination in Dharamshala. Being just 250 km (5 hours) journey from Chandigarh and around 475 km (9-10 hours) journey from Delhi, McLeodganj has become a hotspot for weekend trips and is frequented by travellers but usually jam-packed with tourists specially on long weekends.

McLeodganj has a lot to offer to all kinds of travellers alike. Triund trek – a 9 km trek from McLeodganj main square; and it is a foodie’s haven with all kinds of foods and cuisines available in the many cafes spread all over the town.

McLeodganj is best explored on foot and to enjoy the city it is recommended to park your vehicle in the parking lot near the bus stop for the duration of the stay .This does two things – Less traffic on the narrow roads and making your effort to keep the town pollution free.

The buses from Delhi usually arrive early in the morning by 6-7 AM which is the perfect time to start a day long food trail in the streets of McLeodganj.

A weekend in Goa for the modern Budget Traveller

Disclaimer - This post contains some affiliate links.So, if you were to book through these links, I would get a small commission at no extra cost to you.After all, I need to sustain my travels somehow.

Goa is a very popular coastal state very close to Maharashtra. It’s barely 600 KM from Mumbai (10 hours), 450 KM from Pune (8 hours) and around 560 KM from Bengaluru (9 hours).Close proximity to these cities result in Goa being the favorite hangout all year long.

The roads are in excellent conditions for all three routes and State transport and Private buses operate daily on these routes and in plenty.

There are a lot of reasons for Goa being a favorite among everyone like

• Goa has it all, from beaches to nightclubs to waterfall to forest sanctuary’s.
• The taxes levied are very less compared to other states and this results in cheap petrol and cheap booze. One can get a pint of beer for as less as INR 25 from a shop and a liter of petrol costs almost INR 5-10 less than other states.

8 things to do in Rishikesh, India - The Yoga Capital of the World

Rishikesh is a city, municipal council and a tehsil in Dehradun district of the Indian state, Uttarakhand. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India. Rishikesh is surrounded by three districts: Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar. It is approximately 25 km north of the city Haridwar and 43 km southeast of the state capital Dehradun. It is known as the pilgrimage town and regarded as one of the holiest places to Hindus. Hindu sages and saints have visited Rishikesh since ancient times to meditate in search of higher knowledge.

Rishikesh also known as the ‘Yoga capital of the World’ and the ‘Gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas’ has it all, from Temples to Adventure sports.

Here is my list of 8 things to do in Rishikesh.

A weekend budget trip to the Queen of Hillstations (Mahabaleshwar)

Mahabaleshwar is a hill station in India's forested Western Ghats range, south of Mumbai, India. It features several elevated viewing points, such as Arthur’s Seat. West of here is centuries-old Pratapgad Fort, perched atop a mountain spur. East, Lingmala Waterfall tumbles off a sheer cliff. Colorful boats dot Venna Lake, while 5 rivers meet at Panch Ganga Temple to the north.

It is a very popular hill station as it is very close to both Mumbai and Pune and is hardly a 2-2.5 hours ride from Pune and around 3-4 from Mumbai. Panchgani is the sister town of Mahabaleshwar and on a lower altitude. The best time for a quick visit will no doubt be during the monsoons as the views will be spectacular and the cool breeze hitting your face is way too refreshing.

The thing about Mahabaleshwar is that it can be done in a day as well or by staying for a night or two and then heading back. Apart from the various viewpoints, the main attraction is the MaproGarden, it has it all, from a good restaurant selling good big pizzas, sandwiches, and milkshakes; to selling counters and tasting booths, it even has a chocolate factory.

Eco Tourism - The need of the hour in India

In the past few years, the travel and tourism industry has been on an exponential rise in India and abroad, primarily because of the vast knowledge sharing happening via social media like Facebook, Twitter. A lot of other factors like better transport connectivity, a rise in luxury budget hotels have also supported the growth of the travel and tourism industry.

A lot of Startups have come up and are offering various perks and discounts to the customer in the form of promotional e cash, flight miles, voucher coupons if the customer books through their website. This all provides a win-win situation for both the company and the customer, and the customer slowly gets bitten by the travel bug.

Once the customer comes out of his shell and starts travelling, he starts exploring the unexplored beauty of different places, becomes an extrovert and starts socializing with the localities and fellow travelers. This unleashes a wide range of possibilities to travel and explore without creating a hole in the pocket.

A week in the Andamans - India's best kept secret

With the rapid growth of the travel and tourism industry and the airlines offering competitive and affordable fares for foreign locations like Thailand, Dubai, Maldives etc., Indian citizens often ignore destinations in India and rather go and holiday abroad.

One such destination which shouldn't be ignored by any traveller or tourist is the Andamans and as Carlo Goldoni has rightly said “A wise traveller never despises his own country."

Andamans has got a variety of attractions suitable for all; be it a solo traveller or a family
.

Port Blair being the capital city is connected to major cities like Chennai, Kolkata via flights and even by sea. It is also the starting point of other major attractions like Havelock Islands and Baratang Islands.

Port Blair

Port Blair itself has a lot of places to visit like Cellular Jail, Chattam Saw Mill, Anthropogical Museum, Naval Museum, Mt Harriet, and Ross Island and not to forget the snorkelling destination Jolly Buoy and Red Skin Islands.