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.

4 books by Indian Authors inspiring Adventure and Wanderlust

Being a bibliophile and a travel aficionado, I started searching frantically on Amazon for some quick reads by Indian Authors and I was more than delighted to go across the options. After going through all the options available on Amazon, I shortlisted these four titles. All these four titles are based on different themes and carry a unique message.

The best part, all these titles are under INR 200, so go ahead and experience these well written journeys as they are sure going to inspire the traveler hidden within you.

These books are perfect for fellow Wravelers – Wanderers and Travelers inspired by Wanderlust.

1.  When The Road Beckons – Ravi Manoram (INR 145)
2.  Born Again on the Mountain : A Story of Losing Everything and Finding It Back – Arunima Sinha (INR 176)
3.  Bucket List of a Traveloholic – Sarika Pandit (INR 163)
4.   Worth Every Gasp : A Lone Woman’s Journey in the Himalayas – Anamika Mukherjee (INR 81)

              

McLoedganj for the budget traveler

McLoedganj 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, McLoedganj has become a hotspot for weekend trips and is usually jam-packed with tourists on long weekends.

McLoedganj has a lot to offer to all kinds of travellers alike. There’s Bir Biling – The paragliding capital of India ; roughly 70 km away , Triund trek – a 9 km trek from Bhagsu ; and it is a foodies haven with all kinds of foods and cuisines available in the many cafes spread all over the town.

McLoedganj 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.

Being a traveller’s paradise the town has a lot of budget hotels ranging from INR 500 – 2000 per room if booked in advance and dharamshalas. Dharamkot is a better location as it is a bit away (1-1.5km) from the Mall Square and the view of the mountains can be enjoyed from nearly all the rooms in Dharamkot. The plus point of the town being a traveller’s paradise is that there is WiFi in almost all the cafes and none of the café owners force you or pester you to leave the café or vacate your table because you have paid the bill. For all the bibliophile's, order a cup of hot chocolate or some peach Tea and read a book all day long without being bothered by anyone. That my friend is true relaxation and rejuvenation.

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.

A scenic High Altitude Trek to the Moon Rock (Chandrashila)

"Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before." - Dalai Lama

But as luck would have it, Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek is my 5th such outing (somewhere I've never been before) since Jan 2016 starting from Nainital in Jan, Corbett in March, Mussorie and Rishikesh in April.

Initially it was my brothers wish that we both to go on a trek in the vacations, but ultimately the whole family ended up going for the trek.It was indeed a pleasant change and a different sort of vacation together considering that last time we had gone on a long family vacation was to Andamans long back in 2010.

As this was going to be our first trek we did a lot of research on different websites regarding the different treks in Himanchal and Uttarakhand and ultimately decided on Deoriatal Chandrashila Trek considering that its a easy - moderate trek, considered ideal and best suited for first timers and also a bird watchers paradise.

Now that we had decided the location, we researched further as to which hiking company to choose from.We narrowed it down to Trek the Himalayas and India Hikes and ultimately chose India Hikes, and I must say, it was indeed a good decision.

4 places that should be there on every Foodie's list for the McLoedganj Foodtrail

Someone has rightly said “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” and this was proved true when we went to McLoedganj in October 2015 to do nothing but to Eat and Relax.

Mcloedganj is a foodie’s paradise as it has so many good eateries to offer with a variety of cuisines, such that one can’t have it all. The place has everything Indian food, pizzas, Tibetan food, Italian food and what nots.

Had read about a lot of places and dishes to eat before going, was disappointed with some and was more than delighted with some. Everyone should go on a food trail in Mcloedganj at least once and satisfy their taste buds.

1. Clay Oven

Clay oven is a quiet café located just 100 m from Mall Square on the Dharamkot Road. This place is a hidden treasure with down to earth staff and very relaxed seating. They have their own WiFi like other restaurants and one can just sit and relax endlessly in this café. In a span of 2 days ended up here more than 3 times at different times. The rates are super economical and the quantity is more than justified.

Thukpa

a.       Thukpa

Undoubtedly the best thukpa in town.The serving was more than generous. Taste was spot on and dint need to add anything else to make it better. The best part about thukpa is that it fills up your stomach fast and at the same time gives nutrition as well as it has a lot of veges in it.

b.      Cheese Omlet with Tibetan Bread

Cheese Omlet with Tibetan Bread

We had a hearty breakfast here with Cheese Omlet, Peach Tea, Oreo Shake, and Tibetan Bread with peanut butter on our table. Indeed it was a King style breakfast. A breakfast in Clay Oven should definitely be on every foodies to do list.

2. Carpediem

Had the best Pizza of my life in this place. The seating is very relaxed and people from different countries and background were sitting, enjoying and having a hell of a time. The French fries is also a big hit in this place.Turned up here and had pizza and thukpa as well. The thukpa was not that good as compared to Clay Oven, but the Pizza was simply the best. The yummy taste still linger in my mouth.

The best PIZZA

3.Tibet Kitchen

This is more of a restaurant than a café. It is always full and there is a waiting. That itself bears testimony that how good the taste of the food is. Unlike other cafes, you can’t sit here and relax, it’s more of a hush hush affair. This place has a lot to offer.

a.       Thentuk

Flat noodles served in a soup like dish like thukpa. Thukpa has long noodles, and thentuk has flat noodles. That’s the only difference between the dishes. It was something new for me which I enjoyed thoroughly.

Thentuk

b.      Momos

Tibetan cuisine is incomplete without momos. The filling was very good but it was a bit spicy. If you wasn’t to enjoy momos, it’s better to have it on the road as they are homemade and the taste is very different. Spending INR 100+ on momos in a restaurant is definitely a waste of money.

c.       Noodles and Fruit Beer

The hakka noodles were good and tasty and with just the right amount of spices. Fruit Beer and Peach Beer was something which went very well along with the food.

4.Street food

Any food trail is incomplete without exploring the street food options, and Mcloed has a lot to offer. Be it Bread omelet, maggi or momos, this place has it all. One should also try the cakes and pastries from the bakeries which are in abundance.

The yummy bread omlet

McLoedganj has a lot to offer to everyone with different experiences every time one visits.