Vacation – Yatripandit

Guest Post || Adventure to Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) Island by ridhi

I and my partner got married in February 2020. Between mountains and beaches, we agreed upon beaches as our honeymoon destination. After considering all options while surfing on the internet, we both agreed on Andaman and Nicobar Group.

On checking the pictures of that place, we were mesmerized and surprised that India has an island group that beats the beauty of most of the renowned foreign countries. We found Havelock as the most beautiful island in this group. The pristine turquoise water of Radhanagar Beach lined with lush green forest and premium water sport activities on Elephant Beach with jungle treks and exquisite coral life offers a refreshing experience in the natural habitat.

Even if one is not interested in water sports, he or she can enjoy the luxurious resorts along the beachside and have a serene experience of the sea waters. Havelock has now been named as “Swaraj Dweep” Island.

Best Time To Visit

November-March

Places visited

We started our journey by taking a flight to Port Blair. From the Veer Savarkar International Airport, we headed to Phoenix Bay Jetty to reach Havelock Island through Makruzz Ferry. I was very excited to use the ferry as I have never been to one. The ferry is pretty close to the airport and can be reached through any commercial vehicle. We completed the check-in formalities. After that, we walked towards the ferry. Luggage was loaded separately and we ensured to tag our names to avoid confusion while traveling.

The journey through the ferry was full of excitement. The best part was window seats where one can enjoy the motion of the waves. The interiors are designed more like a flight except for water instead of clouds outside the window:D. It is fully airconditioned, has televisions to watch recorded programs, a café to supply snacks, pastries, and beverages. One could easily wander in the Ferry without having to worry about any kind of turbulence.

After about one and a half hours, we reached Havelock Jetty. We checked into Hotel Seashells which had its private beach.

Day 1: Radhanagar Beach

We started our Day 1 by visiting Radhanagar Beach which is the Seventh Best Beaches in the world and its beauty is such that you might wonder how can there be any beach better than this. Radhanagar Beach has both beauty of the beach and lush green forest.

One can swim, enjoy the rushing waves, walk with the loved ones, and enjoy the sunset and take shed in the lush greenery. We had also booked a photographer from VsnapU to get our best moments captured in the best beach of South-Asia.

Radhanagar Beach, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The funny part of this beach is the care-taker of the restroom. One can easily use the restroom and changing room and also avail locker facilities. One has to pay a nominal price of Rs.10/20 to use the restroom and the caretaker keeps yelling “Joota Chappal Dho ke Jaiye” which means clean your footwear with water before using the restroom. I am sure you will laugh when you pay a visit next time when you meet that man who keeps cleaning after every visitor.

In case you get hungry, fruits and snacks are available outside the beach though things are pretty expensive, we preferred to help them in their small business and me encourage you to do the same.

I would love to share the best moments spent there through the perfect shots taken by VsnapU at the

Radhanagar Beach, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

At around 06: 00 P.M. we went back to Hotel Seashells.

Day 2: Elephant Beach

We went through a speed boat. One has to remember its boat name and would be called by not its name but boat name while returning. The Beach has a mobile network issue so take care when the boatman calls you as the Beach closes by 03:30 P.M. I remember our boat name was “Sri”.

Video Link: Speed Boat Ride to Elephant Beach

Elephant Beach is renowned for its premium watersports activities. I thoroughly enjoyed scuba diving and snorkeling at Elephant Beach with my partner. All activities are done under the supervision of professional trainers and you don’t need to worry even if you don’t know swimming.

Scuba is the best way to witness the vibrant marine life of Havelock Island. The captivating views of beautiful and colorful fish, swimming around the stunning corals will surely make you gather moments to add to the album of life. If you are not a fan of going underwater then you can go for a glass-bottom boat ride, Jet Ski or Banana Boat rides.

Elephant Beach, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Snorkeling is a complementary activity with the boat tickets to Elephant Beach. Deep-sea snorkeling is however chargeable. Price varies for all activities and has to be paid in cash instantly. Do not register for too many activities as you won’t have enough time to stay on the Beach.

Shacks have been set up to provide refreshments, fruits, and coconut water.

Transportation

1. Reach Port Blair by air

Havelock Island doesn’t have an airport of its own. One can reach Port Blair by air from various cities. Most of the flights are scheduled for the morning. Port Blair Aiport is also called Veer Savarkar International Airport.

2. Take a Ferry from Port Blair to Havelock Island.

From Airport take an auto/hired car to Phoenix Bay Jetty which is pretty close to the airport. From the Jetty, one has to take a ferry. There are both Government and Private Ferry. The latter one is expensive. Seaplane is also available with seating arrangements for eight guests and offers exciting aerial views of Island landscapes but is a bit expensive. The Government Ferrys are pretty good. All bookings have to be made in advance. Schedule of the two Government Ferrys are given below:

Schedule for Green OceanBoardingArrivalDuration 6:00 AM8:00 AM2 hours6:30 AM9:00 AM2 hours 30min12:15 PM2:15 PM2 hours12:30 AM2:45 AM2 hours 15min

Starting Price RefreshmentsSeaviewEconomy- Rs. 1044/-Not servedNot available in Economy ClassLuxury- Rs. 1103/-Not served Available Royale-Rs. 1692/-Not served Available

Schedule for Makruzz

*Boarding*	*Arrival*	*Duration*
7:15 AM	8:45 AM	1 hour 30 min
8:00 AM	9:30 AM	1 hour 30 min
2:00 PM	3:30 PM	1 hour 30 min

Starting Price	Refreshments	Seaview
Economy- Rs. 1457/-	Purchase from Mak Café	Available
Luxury- Rs. 2008/-	Refreshments served.	Available
Royale-Rs. 3218/-	Refreshments served.	Available

We made our bookings for Makruzz and reached the Jetty through a hired car. The experience from Ferry is a fantastic one with clean and air-conditioned cabins, cafe, window-side Seaview, arrangement for luggage. Don’t forget to properly tag your luggage as the same are boarded separately.

3. Havelock Island to Elephant Beach/ Radhanagar Beach and other beaches like Kalapathar Beach, Vijaynagar Beach and Govind Nagar Beach

Check into the hotel and use any commercial vehicle like speed boat/auto/ hired two-wheeler or four-wheeler/trekking hill to reach the beaches. The best experience is definitely through a speed boat.

Pro-tips

Traveler’s Tips

Mobile connectivity is an issue on this island, so make all bookings in advance.
Keep the tickets handy. Wifi available in hotels also do not work sometimes.
Carry cash as you may not be able to use your debit/credit cards.
As one will be indulged in water activities, do not forget to carry medicines. No medical shops are available on this island.
Carry a water bottle wherever you go. Though coconut water is available after every short distance to keep you hydrated.
Visit the beach as per the timings so make sure you plan in advance. Elephant beach closes around 03: 00 P.M. while Radhanagar Beach remains open till 06:00 P.M.
Carry a bath towel, an extra pair of clothes, a swimming costume, a pair of flip-flops, sunscreen lotion, a hat, sanitizer, and shades. There are changing rooms and washrooms available on the beaches. Comfortable footwear is an added advantage.
People here are very friendly and welcoming. They try the best to keep the beaches pollution-free and the same is expected by us.

Author Bio –
Ridhi loves trying out new foods, seeing iconic landmarks, meeting lots of people, and of course, has a huge sense of adventure. Traveling is one of the best ways to fulfill her need for adventure because so many activities can be considered “adventurous.” Trying out new foods, skydiving, water sports, cultural clothing and salsa dancing in the street can all be considered adventurous parts of her travels. The most fascinating place for her are the beaches. The crystal clear water, roaring waves and lush green forest by the beach is the place where she finds herself at serene.

Part#4–Unleashing Northeast India–Land Of Lama, Rains, Rhinos and Momos by Abhimanyu

Abode of clouds - Meghalaya!

Please excuse me for writing the final part of this journey after a gap of more than a month. Was caught up in adjusting with the “new normal” way of life and remote working.

There were struggles to get the groceries and seamless internet connectivity initially but now it’s all sorted. Meanwhile, I drove down to Raipur from Pune. 1000 kms in 20 hours with a co-driver. It was good fun.

Reading part#4 directly might not be good idea so please click on the below links to read prequels

After spending 2 days in Assam, relishing local delicacies and meeting Rhinos it was time to hit the road again. Simanta was at hotel lobby with his innova, all neat and clean.

This time for a change, we started late. After lunch around 1:00 pm.

Day#7 –

Kaziranga national park to Cherrapunji
Travel time – 8.5 hours
Road Condition – Smooth and well consructed
Stay – Saimika Resort, Cherrapunji

Lunch served to us @Bonhabi was full of taste and spices. Exactly the way we wanted.

The drive was pretty smooth, and we enjoyed the journey through the small villages, finally reaching the mountains from the plains. We stopped at Jiva Pure Veg to refill our tummies and this place is one of a kind. Very hygienic and full of taste. We ordered momos, noodles and some biryani. Reached at Saimika, resort by 10 pm. It seemed to be a deserted place wherein there was a security guard who led us to our twin-cottages (joined from inside).

Entering the cottages, our excitement reached next level. We had a fireplace inside the cottage. I have stayed in many resorts across India, but this was the first time I had this pretty thing inside the room. We asked the security to lit it up for us. Glasses clanged again with malt on the rocks. It was good fun and very relaxing. Woke up fresh next morning and opened the door of our cottage to be mesmerized by the beauty of this resort which seemed deserted yesterday. Resort is built on a cliff in acres of land, all construction is done using rocks which gives an ancient Roman feel to this place. Looked inspired by Harry Porter movie to a fair extend.

We had some quick sandwiches at the restaurant and left the resort to reach the entry-point of trek to famous “living Root Bridges.”

Day#8

living Root Bridges
Travel time – Full day trek
Trek level – Moderate to difficult
Stay – Saimika Resort, Cherrapunji

At the entry point of the trek, you will meet local boys renting Bamboos and claiming to be guides.

My suggestion – Take Bamboos and not the guide. Because our guide named, Risk DID NOT guide us at all. He just kept walking ahead of us creating un-necessary pressure on us to trek down faster. Guide could be useful for getting some pictures clicked for sure.

Started off the hike and reached the,” single decker root bridge” after 1500 steps down hill.

It was tiring but we had some juice left in us so after some rest we moved ahead to the prime attraction of today’s hike – the double decker living root bridge. Another 2000 steps down hill, crossing a river, a few villages, lots of sweating and knee breaking efforts we reached the architectural brilliance, man-made, double decker living root bridge.

There is a stream flowing underneath it and thousands of fishes are waiting to welcome you from a small pond of fresh, crystal clear water.

Fishes waiting to give you a natural pedicure

We spend time relaxing by the pond side and eating the packed food that we carried from Saimika. Pranthas that were packed had lost the taste completely and I suggest to better order Maggie from small shops around the root bridge.

Some wiki gyan for you – A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping. They are common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (Ficus elastica[1][2]) by the Khasi and Jaintia[3] peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau. Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of subtropical moist broadleaf forest between 50m and 1150m above sea level.[4] As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the roots in the bridge can naturally grow thick and strengthen. New roots can grow throughout the tree’s life and must be pruned or manipulated to strengthen the bridge. Without active care, many bridges have decayed or grown wild, becoming unusable. *

*Source – Wikipedia

We had to trek upstairs again. Although none of us wanted to but we did as we had to.

Knees, thighs and back hurted bad but we kept walking and motivating each other.

I will write another post on does and don’t while you take this tiring trek of Living Root Bridges. Finally reached the car parking after 7~8 hours to meet ever smiling Simanta.

Had maggie and tea and ditched all plans to see some waterfalls to reach Saimika resort so that we can enjoy this beautiful stay a little more.

Evening was set with a lovely bon fire outside our cottages where we enjoyed endless chats under the sky full of stars, zillions of them twinkling all night long.

Next morning was a lazy one, got up late and enjoyed our pre-ordered breakfast at the gothic Sai-mika. After quick check-out Simanta took us for some sightseeing around Cherrapunji and Dawki river. The water has no colour and odour is true in the transparent river which flows from India to Bangladesh and merges in Bay of Bengal via Sundarbans. Boating is a must here and if you are enthusiastic like us the do take a dip in the freeazing crystal clear water. Left Cherrapunji by 4 pm for our next destination which was just a night halt for us.

Day#9

Cherrapunji to Umsning, Meghalaya
Travel time – 4 hours
Road condition – Very good and scenic
Stay – The Sanctuary Song Resort, Umsning, Meghalaya

All is well when it ends well. Reaching this serene resort, we thought to ourselves, what a showstopper trip end planned by the curator. Nested in nature’s lap within a forest, small stream flowing besides the resort and NO MOBILE NETWORK available. What else does a metro lad need!!

Some local strawberry wine was bought from the reception, bon fire was lit and the night went on and on till 1 am. Crashed in our cosy beds and woke up with chirps of birds, Trisha was the 1^st one to wake up and got outside to greet the birds singing in a foggy cold morning.

Day#10 was finally here when we had to board our flight back to Mumbai from Guwahati airport, which is around 3.5 hours smooth drive from the heavenly stay on earth called The Sanctuary Song Resort. I leave you with some pictures here as we end this epic journey of a lifetime with a promise to come back again soon.

Reach out to us for any queries about this trip and for planning and booking yours.

#travel-click-eat-repeat

Send your love to us in comments section and by sharing this blog as much as possible.

Meet the star – Simanta – The ever smiling Mawa Man

See you soon again!

Cheers!

Abhimanyu @yatripandit

Guest Post || Recreation And Safari In Tanzania. What You Need To Know When Sending Tourists To Africa by Emma

TANZANIA OR KENYA?

To choose the right destination for an exotic vacation, you first need to know what its features are, what is seasonality, what a destination can offer travelers. Most tourists do not associate Tanzania with a separate destination, they mainly combine it with Kenya.

Recall that we wrote in detail about Kenya here. Nevertheless, Tanzania is not inferior in some respects to its “neighbor” in the geographical map, but somewhere surpasses it. A travel agent can safely offer its tourists Tanzania as a separate destination. Keep on reading

WHY GO TO TANZANIA

Tanzania is not only the largest country in East Africa but also one of the most attractive in terms of its versatility. Your tourists will have the opportunity to combine the incongruous. These are fantastic beaches with white sand of the island of Zanzibar, and lakes (among them the largest lake on the continent of Victoria), and volcanoes located in the mainland, and national parks with beautiful views of Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro and thousands of exotic animals and birds.

Among the undoubted advantages of Tanzania for Russian tourists are the facilitated visa regime (a visa is issued at the border), the lack of time difference with Moscow, the absence of a pronounced seasonality, and security.

This direction is universal: holidays here can be offered practically for any category of tourists. Experts advise against taking very young children (under 5-6 years old) with them but not because of safety issues. The fact is that Africa is a very bright and emotional direction, and young children simply will not be able to remember these truly unique impressions.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A TRIP TO AFRICA: VACCINATIONS, MEDICINES, REPELLENTS

No special preparation for a trip to Tanzania, contrary to rumors circulated on the Internet, is required. Tourists here do not expect any dangers if you follow all the instructions of the guides.

There are no special medical requirements. Pay attention to your tourists that vaccinations, including yellow fever, according to the Rospotrebnadzor, are not mandatory, but advisory in nature.

Those who will be calmer with the vaccine can, of course, do it. Since last year, such a vaccine has been given for life, before that it has been in effect for 10 years. Moscow residents can get this vaccine for free. You can get vaccinated in the infectious clinical hospital №1, city polyclinic №5, etc. Also, advise tourists to undergo antimalarial prophylaxis, it is advisable to use tablets from European manufacturers, or a new Russian drug – coartem .

do not need to be taken from Russia: they are more convenient and cheaper to purchase locally. But the medicines that are necessary for the tourist (painkillers, stomach pains, etc.) must be taken care of in advance and be sure to take a safari tour from Russia with you since there are no doctors in the savannah.

HOW TO APPLY A VISA TO TANZANIA AND WHAT TO FLY FOR

A visa to Tanzania can be issued before departure, in Moscow, or, which is very convenient, get a sticker on arrival at the Zanzibar International Airport or other Tanzania air harbors.

The cost of a visa at the border is about 50 euros, it is issued for 90 days, in Moscow – 60 euros, is issued per day. A transit visa costs 30 euros, its validity is 14 days.

If desired, the direction is easily combined not only with Kenya but also with Mozambique, Uganda, and other countries bordering Tanzania.

Coral Travel tours to Tanzania are formed based on regular transportation (using GDS dynamic packaging technology). Connecting flights are operated daily by British Airways, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Air France, KLM, Flydubai, Turkish Airlines.

Experts advise, if possible, to give preference to carriers that fly through the Middle East. The average travel time, in this case, is 10-15 hours, including connecting.

All Coral Travel safari programs start from the city of Arusha in northern Tanzania, which is sometimes called the “tourist capital” of the country.

SEASONS IN TANZANIA

As for seasonality in the ordinary sense of the Russian tourist, it is practically absent. Highlighted seasons, such as winter and summer, do not exist in Tanzania. The climate of Tanzania ranges from humid and hot in the lowlands, for example, in Dar es Salaam, to hot in the afternoon and cool at night in Arusha.

In general, during the year in Tanzania, it is either hot and dry or hot and humid (“rainy seasons”). There are two such seasons in Tanzania: short, from late October to late November, and long – from late March to May.

At the same time, the “rainy season” is not a reason to refuse a trip, because it does not rain on the wall and around the clock. On the contrary, a trip at this time is a great opportunity to save a lot, since in the low season the cost of a vacation in Tanzania becomes much more attractive.

TO AFRICA ON SAFARI WITH GROUP

Probably the first idea of Tanzania you have already appeared, it is time to determine the details. First, we will consider the popular types of safari programs presented in the Coral Travel assortment, and then we will pay attention to beach vacation options: after all, combined tours combining safaris in Tanzania and holidays on the Zanzibar coast are also very popular.

Tanzania is rightfully considered one of the best countries for a safari in Africa. Her wildlife is very rich and diverse. Here you can find both the famous “Big African Five” (lion, rhinoceros, elephant, leopard, buffalo) and anthropoid apes, there are many birds and there are more than 1,100 species registered in the country.

Tours to the Great migration of the animals are very popular among tourists. Also, safari tours provide an opportunity to see the fantastic nature of Tanzania: Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Park, and other attractions remain in the memory of tourists for life.

To date, the Coral Travel reservation system has more than 20 options for safari programs in mainland Tanzania, in 2019 their number will increase.

It is important to note that the company offers both safari tours with English accompaniment, and guaranteed group excursion programs with a Russian-speaking guide – and this is a unique offer on the Russian market.

SHORT SAFARI TOURS

These Coral Travel programs involve visiting the northern national parks and reserves – Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara. If your tourists want a safari but are worried that for the first time they will not be able to withstand a full weekly program, recommend them a 2-3-day trip to the mainland from the resorts of Zanzibar Island.

In the assortment of the tour operator, there are short tours for two days, during which tourists visit the Tarangire National Park. The evening safari is planned on the first day of the program, and the morning on the next day.

All safari programs are held twice a day. It is very hot during the day, there is no point in a safari since the probability of meeting animals at this time of day is extremely small. The cost of such a trip is $ 585 per person for double occupancy. The price includes 3 meals a day, all transfers according to the program, entrance tickets to the national park, an English-speaking driver-ranger works with tourists.

There is a three-day program with a visit to Ngorongoro. Cost – from 920 dollars per person for double occupancy. The price tag of the three-day program, in which tourists visit the Ngorongoro Reserves and Lake Manyara, starts at $ 1,250 per person for double occupancy. All tours start in Arusha.

LONG SAFARI TOURS IN TANZANIA

If your tourists want to take part in a full-fledged safari trip, recommend them a 6-day tour with a visit to Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. Cost – from $ 1,690 per person for double occupancy.

If tourists want to be accompanied by a Russian-speaking guide, advise them to a guaranteed Coral Travel group program with a Russian-speaking guide. For seven days spent in national parks – Lake Manyara, Serengeti Park, and Ngorongoro Nature Reserve – the supplier asks for $ 2,380 per person for double occupancy.

Note that the distances between the parks are impressive, the parks are at least 3.5 hours from each other. The nature in Africa is amazing and time will fly by, of course, unnoticed, especially since stops are made for photos.

If the tourist still has no desire to go in jeeps, you can offer him a flight on a small plane. However, as practice shows, mainly this type of transport is preferred by individual tourists. We will return to transport a little later, but for now, we will get to know better the main national parks.

Author Bio

Jacklin is the author of the site Easytravel which is about safari travel. She usually travels a lot around the world and almost experienced a lot. Usually people travel a lot to experience different phases of life. So for traveling we need a perfect guide. Here she comes with lots of stuff about various safari travel around countries and also more about travelling around the world.

Part#2 – Unleashing Northeast India – Land of Lamas, Rains, Rhinos and Momos!! By Abhimanyu

Part#2 – Tip toeing – Tawang and reaching Dirang!

We slept over with the Soldier’s stories of peace and altitude and how they live in extreme climate conditions at various posts across length and width of this beautiful Country called India.

@Tawang, the night temperature dipped to sub-zero and 3 layers of cloths, 2 blankets and a heater could brave us through that night.

Hold on, if you have landed to this page directly, please click Part#1 to read the prequel. Do come back here.

Day#3 –

Bumla Pass and Madhuri lake
Travel time – 8 hours tour
Road Condition – Good (Mostly)
Stay – Hotel Mon-Paradise

Woke up fresh and got ready at 8 am after eating some ready to eat poha and upma prepared by Akshata (Chotu). Reached downstairs to find our Chauffer for the day Mr. Tashi.

No, don’t think that Simanta got bored of our poha-jalebi talks and decided to part ways. In Tawang you are required to book a local taxi to visit Bumla Pass and Madhuri lake. Cost is approx. 5000/- all-inclusive and tour duration is about 7~8 hours. I think this arrangement is made to provide earning opportunities to the locals. That’s Good specially for Simanta as he got a rest day to spend with his favourite mawa and probably talk to his family over phone.

Tashi drove a Tata Sumo and could speak Hindi fluently. He had a footballer’s physique, spikes hairstyle and donned Ray-Ban aviators. He played some good music from the 90’s era which we really enjoyed.

Before moving ahead with trip, an important information is that all tourists (including Indians) need an Inner Land Permit(ILP) to enter Arunachal Pradesh border. The fess is about 250/- per person and it can be applied online. Our tour agent got this arranged for us before the commencement of trip.

Tawang to Bumla pass is about 35 Kms and takes about 1.5 hours to reach. The path is so beautiful that you would never want it to end. We visited in February and it was the perfect time as the mountains was covered with magical white fresh snow.

Tashi had to tie a metal chain on the tyres of Sumo to escape skidding on the snow.

Reaching Bumla Pass we were thrilled to the core, only Dev had seen such heavy snow before this day during his visit to Swiss Alps. It was difficult to even walk as the snow was soft, fresh and about 3~4 ft deep or even more.

All tourists were taken to a Army shed and served free hot tea and water for FREE. You are expected to wash your glasses and keep them clean for the next lot of tourist. Before we move further in the day, let me brief you about Bumlapass, histroy and its geographic importance.

Bumla Pass, situated at an altitude of over 15,200 ft is snowbound for almost the entire year due to its steep elevation and presents a beautiful view of the Tibetan plateau. The road to the pass takes visitors through many sleepy hamlets and scenic lakes, making the drive memorable. Elegantly maintained by the Indian Army, Bumla Pass is a must for those who want to see how Indian soldiers protect the borders in the harshest of climes. The road to Bum La is also a historical route, the People’s Liberation Army of China invaded India during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Here in Bum La Pass one of the fiercest battles took place in the 1962 Sino-Indian War. It is the pass from where Dalai Lama entered India escaping from Tibet.

After some tea and talks, one of the army officers took all tourists for a walk towards the border, and while all of us were breathing heavily the siren hooted and we were ordered to march back towards the army shed. It was scary as we thought there is some activity from China’s side but after another free tea and talks later, the officer told us that it was a routine round from the China side and there was nothing to worry about. Let’s go again, he said.

Officer explained us about the meetings that take place every quarter between the two army’s, talks of peace and co-existence, exchange of culture and some gifts from each side. Chinese are tough nuts, he said and guided us back to the Shed. Some pictures, snow fights, another round of tea and bowing down to our soldiers for their courage and bravery later we were all set to visit Madhuri Lake(Sangestar Tso) with our Tashi.

Indian actress namely Madhuri, danced besides Sangestar Tso in koyla movie and since then locals fondly call it as Madhuri lake. Now that’s real swag!

While waiting at Bumla pass, Tashi removed the metal chains thinking they aren’t needed any more. He was wrong, as our cab got stuck in snow as on the way to Madhuri lake.

All of us got down and tried to help but little did we know that our soldier would arrive all of a sudden in a truck and get us moving in minutes. Salute them, smiling and feeling useless at the same time we got inside the cab. Trisha(my wife) started to feel heavy head. Tashi told us it normal to experience this for people from the plains like us. Altitude and extreme sun rays to be blamed.

Right on the turn towards lake, an army officer told us that the road is blocked due to heavy snow. We could not see the lake where Madhuri Dixit danced in 1997. I was 9 years back then and other three even younger. No worries guys, this kinda stuff keeps on happening on roadtrips and hill terrains told our very own Akshata Dixit. 😛

A few minutes later curvy roads, an army officer in uniform asked us for lift and we happily stopped to invite him inside. I think all soldiers have a lot of stories and they are great story tellers as well. He narrated a few to us and then Soldier and Tashi started to talk about current Prime Minister – Shri Narendra Modi. Tashi told us that, he likes Modi very much and trust that only Modi can uplift Arunachal Pradesh. There was no college in Tawang and everyone either dropped out after high-school or had to enrol in other states for studies, but now Tawang has a basic college, told Tashi.

The soldier got us some hot water to drink, which is the best way to beat the altitude sickness. Trisha felt a little better and after some time tashi dropped us to Hotel.

After lunch Dev and Akshata went on to see Tawang War Memorial with Simanta. Me and Trisha decided to rest for a while. Some chai, talks and lying around was what we needed.

After an early dinner in the ground floor restaurant and thanking Raju- the chef for the lovely food we dozed off again. Yes, like how the pigs would do after spending some playfull times in the mud.

Day#4 –

Tawang local and drive to Dirang
Travel time – 9+ Hours
Road Condition – Good (Mostly)
Stay – Gonpalok Homestay

Next morning, it was time for us to bid adieus to Tawang but not so quick. Simanta had some plans for sight seeing and we also have “never say never” attitude. 1^st place was Tawang Monastery. Monasteries are usually serene this was more that just serene. It was surreal. We were welcomed by harmless monkeys and after spending some time in the Monastery, waved goodbyes from young kids wearing Buddhist robes and having books in hands.

Next up was a Giant Buddha Statue, located at an elevated place. We found a small and pretty café behind the statue to spend some good time and have tea and Maggie.

Last up was the Tawang local market, almost all shops sell similar stuff which are woollens, souvenirs, incense sticks, cups/ mugs and footwears. We also got some to get back home with us. I love my dragon printed cup and still have my tea in it while writing this for you.

Our time in Tawang was up and Simanta was ready with his mawa filled mouth and engine thumping. Next destination was Dirang.

Dirang was not in the original plan but last night we decided to alter the plan to ditch Shillong and include Kaziranga National Park. The decision was taken as the travel time to Shillong was too much for a day and we had to celebrate Dev and Chotu’s Anniversary. So, reaching to the next place was very important.

While driving back down-hill, we all admired the innocence and embracing nature of people of the beautiful state called, Arunachal Pradesh.

We stopped at Jang for a sightseeing, you will have to stair down about 200 steps to reach a river valley. Source Wikipedia : Nuranang Falls (also known as Bong Bong Falls), some 100 metres high, is located in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in this part of the country, yet is unknown to many travelers. It lies some 2 kilometres away from the town of Jang on the road connecting Tawang and Bomdila, so it is also known as the Jang Falls. There is a small hydel plant located near the base that generates electricity for local use. The Nuranang river originates from the Northern slopes of the Sela Pass. Just below the waterfall it falls into the Tawang river.

We were hungry and Simanta stopped at Jaswant garh war memorial again. Remember in the 1^st part I told you about the free tea and hot water. This is the same place that serves them. We got some idlis, dosas, muffins and tea. The taste, view and soldier’s passion deserve respect and admiration.

About 4 hours drive and crossing Sela pass again we finally reached Dirang. Do not miss to buy fresh fruits from the shops on the highway side. Dirang is known to produce variety of fruits.

We faced some difficulty in reaching the home stay but when we entered Gonpalok Homestay. We thought, “stay ho toh aisa.” No words can describe the taste of hot pakodas that were freshly cooked for us by the caretaker lady along with hot tea. Later in the evening we celebrated the much awaited anniversary at hotel Norphel Retreat. It was very well planned and organised by our freelancer travel agent. I leave you with some pictures to ponder on and be jealous of us that we did this the trip only a month before the country wide lock down was imposed to tackle Covid-19 spread.

Pet-full aur dil housefull, reaching back we slept like pigs would do after spending some playfull times in the mud. Sure of waking up to sunrise, cool breeze and blue sky – What else does a metro lad need!!

Hope you liked our journey till now! Write some encouraging words in the comments section and share the link with your friends, also ask them to share and comment…

Part#3 coming soon… where we move towards plains from the mountains and see the mighty Brahmaputra river, tea gardens and 1 horned rhino.

Much Love 🙂

Abhimanyu@Yatripandit

Part#1 Unleashing Northeast India – Land of Lamas, Rains, Rhinos and Momos!! By Abhimanyu

Part#1 – Reaching Tawang from Assam via Bomdila !

It was the occasion of our 2^nd anniversary when four Sharmas’ planned to explore North-east, India.

We had a fantastic company of Dev and Akshata who got married a day earlier than me and Trisha in the same month of Feb and year of 2018.

Me and Dev shared room during my 1^st job in Mumbai and we jelled up pretty well for obvious reasons like being Sharmas’ from MP/CG and loving beer. Since we got married almost on the same day, we could not attend each other’s weddings, and this was the chance to cut it by celebrating the anniversaries together.

Tickets were booked in August’19 and we then finalized our itenary during December’19.

We read a few posts and then finally decided to book ourselves with a Freelance travel consultant from Assam.

7^th Feb 2020, finally the day had come when me and Trisha embarked the road in our new Honda Amaze from Pune to Mumbai. Akshata arrange for a safe car parking over a week’s time in Mumbai. It was an early morning flight from Mumbai to Assam, we had our masks on as there was a buzz of Covid19 around the world already. Landed in Assam to find our driver, Simanta and pre-booked Innova Crysta.

None of us had slept last night but there was no sense of deprivation. It was the time to make memories, none of us had been to this side of Incredible India.

I decided to narrate this trip in multiple stories in sequence as it was a beautiful long ROAD trip.

Day#1 – Trip start, 0 Kms

Guwahati Airport to Bomdila
Travel time – 9+ Hours
Road Condition – Good (Mostly)
Stay – Norgay Guest House Homestay

Journey starts from plains and takes you to the mountains. Located on the Foothills of Himalayas, Bomdila could be considered as an entry point of Arunachal Pradesh. Simanta played some asamese music while driving and halted at a random café so that we can have some Momos, maggie and tea. After 1^st stop Hindi music took over Assamese and we were friends with Simanta. He was a character, loved his dose of Indian tobacco(jarda or mawa) while driving and always smiling. Never said no to our demands and was a true host in all senses.

We also got a chance to Enter Bhutan Border, smart Simanta got his diesel tank full as it is cheaper in Bhutan than in India.

As we were driving up-hill the air was getting colder and heavier. We drove alongside a river stream (Kameng river), Simanta told us that it comes all the way from China to meet the mighty Bhramaputra before merging in Bay of Bengal. We will meet Kameng river multiple times during our journey through Arunachal. Just before reaching our homestay in Bomdila we purchased some liquor as it will be helpful in keeping ourselves warm during the course of journey and its cheaper than Goa in Arunachal. 🙂

Homestay was clean and economical, we had to pay extra Rs. 300/- for a room heater. That’s Ok we were happy and rich (as it was just the first day).

For dinner we walked down the stairs and found a restaurant (name forgotten), but please find it right opposite Dragon restaurant. The momos and noodles which they served were the best that we had during the trip. Please let me know the name of this restaurant in comment section. I can eat those momos all my life and die happily.

Pet-full aur dil housefull, reaching back we slept like pigs would do after spending some playfull times in the mud. Woke up to sunrise, cool breeze and blue sky – What else does a metro lad need!!

We were sporting jackets and woolens now. Simanta was ready to drive us to Tawang, the dreamland that I wanted to visit since the time I saw it in TV a decade ago.

Day#2

Bomdila To Tawang
200 Kms (approx.)
Travel time – 8+ Hours
Road Condition – Hilly and average
Stay – Hotel Mon Paradise

Visited the mesmerising and peaceful Bomdila monastery, saw the little monks chanting and praying in sync. The whole atmosphere was so serene, that trying to narrate it here would be loud and might kill the serenity of the place. Check out our youtube video link below.

IMG_20200211_081526 — Nam yo ho !! – Buddham Sharnam Gachhami 🙂

After, seeing the monastery we commenced our journey to the land of Lama. The car was cruising slowing with 2 constants, Simanta’s Mawa and Kameng river running alongside.

The drive from Bomdila to Tawang will always be extremely close to my heart because I was about to experience my 1^st snow sighting.

Sela pass – You beauty!! I had heard that there is silent a kid within every adult, I was unaware of mine till I saw the 1^st snow of my life. I could not stop myself and ran down the stairs, which led to a frozen lake called Sela lake.

IMG_20200211_110713 — Stairway to Heaven

The whole area was covered with snow we were playing, while clicking some pictures on our phones and many many more in our hearts. While we were down near a frozen lake, those stairs which we walked down seemed like a stairway to heaven. God was generous and suddenly it started to snow, we had such awesome experience before we had to run back to the car as it was a hailstorm. My 1^st snow was a helluva experience. Remember the liquor that we bought last night; finally we could do justice to it using fresh snow from the sky..

I even ate some snow. 🙂

WhatsApp Image 2020-04-18 at 10.50.37 PM

Hailstorm turned violent & we had to leave or rather escape from Sela to reach our next pit stop aka Jaswant Garh war memorial. It’s about 22 Kms from Sela and 21 Kms before Tawang.

You must see this video to live Sela Pass a lil more –

A bit insight about the memorial – Jaswant Garh is a famous tourist attraction in Arunachal Pradesh and it is widely visited all year round. It is dedicated to the warrior, Jaswant Singh Rawat who was killed during the Indo-China War in 1962. He was an Indian rifleman of 4 Garhwal Rifles, Uttarakhand and for his bravery; Jaswant Rawat was honoured by a memorial at the post where he fought the Chinese army. This magnificent memorial is well kept at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. A small canteen is run by army personnel offering free tea / coffee and hot water to all visitors to keep them warm in cold weather. It is unbelievable in today’s world of worshiping money as God, where almost everyone is running behind money and becoming rich leaving behind empathy towards fellow humans. We relished dosa and idli in Arunachal at such height, it still have the taste in my head while I write about it. My wife, Trisha loved the patty and muffins.

Last but not the least; there is a small shop from where you can buy jackets, socks, gloves, caps, etc to withstand the negative temperatures of Tawang.

The memorial is surrounded by beautiful valley perfect to gaze on while sipping your unlimited free tea.

PANO_20200211_133335 — Panorama from Jaswant Garh

WhatsApp Image 2020-04-18 at 10.55.39 PM

Hopped back in the innova with happier Simanta, he already had starting chewing mawa.

We reached Tawang in another 1½ hours, the sun sets early and it was almost dark by 5pm when we reached. While, Dev was co-ordinating with the pre-booked homestay owner we had some difficulties in locating the stay. Finally, have found the homestay just to realise that staying there was not a good idea. It was located far away from town in a dark and abandoned area. Girls felt some safety concerns, and we had to honour this being responsible companions. Simanta’s “never say never” attitude and always smiling face helped us find a hotel in the market area. Name of the hotel is Mon Paradise. It was freezing cold, we quickly changed and reached the lobby area with our packed food and theplas. The hotel guys were happy to heat those for us and serve it with dal, egg bhurji and rice which we ordered from them. Sharing our food with a soldier from Indian Army with a lot of border stories was the best thing that we could have thought of in this trip.

Hope you liked our journey till now! Write some encouraging words in the comments section and share the link with your friends, also ask them to share and comment…

Read the part#2 of the story to see Tawang and Dirang from our eyes.

Much Love 🙂

Abhimanyu@Yatripandit

Guest Post || A trip to a unexplored paradise – Shillong by Misha

Shillong is a beautiful, clean and picturesque capital city of the state of Meghalaya, which means abode of clouds.

A lot of natural beauty has been bestowed upon this place and is called the Scotland of East. But I am pretty sure if you happen to visit Scotland sometime, you would not mind calling it Shillong of the West.

No amount of words I write here will ever be able to describe the real beauty and the surreal experience you have when you visit this place. Nature has shown all its love to this place through the beautiful mountains, rivers, forests, waterfalls, lakes and a lot of greenery to witness which is a treat to the eyes.

WHERE, HOW AND WHEN– This capital city is surrounded by the Assam hills which comprise of Jayantia hills, Garo hills and Khasi hills on the three sides and Bangladesh border on the fourth side. The best route to get there is through an awesome road trip from Guwahati to Shillong. It is a four hour drive through and the scenic beauty along the whole trip is definitely worth the drive. The weather is cool and pleasant and the best time to visit this place from October to April.

ACCOMODATION– Being a tourist place, there are a variety of options are available for accommodation but homestays are the most preferred options. Hotels and resorts are also available but homestays provide you the local feel and touch. Although I stayed at the Army Holiday Home, but it is not available to people without reference from an army personnel.

SEEING AROUND– There are a lot of places to visit in and around Shillong. If you love trekking and are a nature’s person, this is just the right place for you. You atleast need five whole days to go around and visit all the places. Savour each moment you spend looking at the magnificence of nature which you will frequently witness when you go around. Every place is worth capturing. I am mentioning few of the places which you should definitely visit.

Dauki– Dauki is a four hour drive from Shillong. You should dedicate one whole day to this place as there are many places on its way which are worth visiting. The drive itself is an experience and you will definitely remember the road trips from the movies Dil Chahta hai and Zindagi na milegi dobara. When in Dauki, make sure to visit Mawlynnong, which is the cleanest village in Asia. This village is immaculately clean and is well maintained by its people. There are various souvenir stores in this village if you wish to purchase something. Apart from this few other places worth going are The Living Root Bridge, which as the name suggests is a bridge made by the people through the roots of a huge old tree on a river. This is bridge definitely worth going to. While on your way to Dawki, comes the Dawki river which has such clean water that you can literally see the bottom of the river while boating on it. But make sure you visit this place before the monsoons hit Shillong, as once the rains start the water becomes muddy and you will miss this once in a lifetime experience. Another place you would like is the India Bangladesh International border. It’s a few kilometers ahead of Dawki.
Cherrapunjee– or as the locals call it Sohra is known to be the place with the heaviest rainfall on the earth. I personally enjoyed Cherrapujnee more than I liked going to Dawki. The main reason being waterfalls. This place has a plethora of such huge and gorgeous, waterfalls that you are awestruck each time you see any waterfall. Every waterfall has a history or a story behind it which make it all the more interesting when you visit these. Starting with the Elephant falls which is in Shillong on the way to Cherrapunji. The rest waterfalls I am mentioning are in Cheerapunjee. Among which the most famous ones are, Wakaba falls, Seven Sister falls, Nohkalikai Falls, Wei Saw Dong and Dain Thlen Falls. Except for the Wei saw Dong falls, rest all the other waterfalls can be easily seen from the top of the mountains. Wei saw Dong Falls is the most beautiful of all the falls I visited and the most difficult to reach too. To reach the deepest level of the waterfall, it is a difficult trek down the mountain. It is not completely visible from the top. But after you reach the lowest level, the beauty you witness is worth the trouble you go through during the trek.

After all the waterfalls, come the Mawsmai caves. Visiting these caves is a thrilling experience. These are long and narrow caves and the more we go inside these, the narrower the passage becomes. And it is just impossible to walk straight in these caves. You have to bend, kneel and at some point even crawl in these caves. If you are claustrophobic, I would suggest you to not go into these.

Shillong- The beautiful city of Shillong is well established on the mountains and the people there are really nice and cordial. There are many places in the city and also nearby which are huge tourist attractions and should be on your list too if you plan to visit Shillong. We started with the Mawphlang sacred Forest which is a wonderful place to visit. This forest is on the outer of Shillong and is spread over a huge area of land filled with beautiful and exotic trees. It is taken care by the the local tribal people, the Khasi tribe. As the name suggests the forest is considered to be a sacred place by the Khasi people, as according to their beliefs, is the place where the kings, in the ancient times would go to perform their scared rituals. Among the many beliefs is one that you are not supposed to bring out anything from the forest. Anything you find there has to be left there. Even the fruits you find in the forest are supposed to be eaten in the forest itself. If you bring out anything intentionally, then it may be inauspicious and may cause you some trouble. This is what the people strongly believe in. Any outsider can easily get lost in the forest and it may become very difficult for them to come out on their own. Hence it is recommended that you take a guide with you when you go to the sacred forest. The local people are the guides and will guide you properly in and out of the forest. The visit to this forest is an unforgettable one and should not be missed at any cost.

On our way back from the forest we went to Shillong peak. This is the highest peak in Shillong and the whole city can be seen from this point. It is splendid experience to witness this. There are small shops on the peak where they serve eatables and also there are shops where the traditional khasi attire is made available for the tourists to dress up and click pictures to make the whole trip more memorable. I would suggest you to experience this. The local Police Bazar was the next place we went to. It is the the main market of Shillong and everything is available here for shopping and entertainment. It is a must visit. If you wish to buy anything then this is the place to visit. Anything you need, you will get here. We ended our day at the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians. Visiting this lovely church was a divine experience. You have to go there to feel it. Photography inside the church is not allowed so unless you see it for yourself; you will not be able to understand how enticing the whole experience is.

My trip ended in the most awesome way. I visited the Umiam lake. Although this lake will be mentioned in a local place to visit in Shillong but it was more convenient to go to Umiam lake on our way back to Guwahati as it is just on the way. This man made lake is an impeccable piece of work. Your trip will never be complete without seeing this lake. Make sure you go boating on this lake. It’s too much fun.

Apart from all these places I am mentioning a few other places which are worth seeing.

Jayantia hills
Double root bridge
Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures
Air force museum
Village of Smit in Laitlum
ML 05 café

These places I have mentioned are only a few of the famous places to visit in and around Shillong. But these are worth mentioning. When you plan a trip to Shillong, these places are must visit places.

Author

Misha Dsouza

Gemini ♊.. Realist.. Feminist.. Dentist 🦷..!!
@misha_aashna my instagram account for the amateur writer in me.
Show your love in comments if you like what I write.

Story

Misha

Edited by

Utkarsh

My Own Honeymoon Package || Bali & Gili Travangan

ITINERARY

Day 1. Bali – Arrival

Arrival in the Denpasar Airport, meets with our representative, and will directly proceed to Hotel. Rest of the day free at leisure by own arrangement.

Day 2. WATER SPORT + 60 MINUTES MASSAGE (B)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning at 09:00am pick up to Tanjung Benoa is a very suitable place for Water sport activities or water sports. Water sports can be enjoyed here include a Jet Sky, Fly fish, and Banana boat.

Afternoon enjoy 60 Minutes massage for relax your body and mind.

Day 3. TRANSFER TO GILI TRAWANGAN (B)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning at 07.00am will pick up for transfer to Padangbai/ Serangan Harbor for transfer to Gili Trawangan.

Arrive at Gili, take Cidomo transfer ( arrange on clients own) and transfer to hotel at Gili Trawangan.

Day 4. FREE AT LEISURE (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning Free at leisure by own arrangement

Day 5. TRANSFER GILI TRAWANGAN TO BALI (B)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning around at 08.00am take Cidomo transfer to Gili Harbor ( arrange by clients on own)

Arrive at Gili Harbor check in at boat counter and transfer by boat to Bali. Arrive at Serangan/Padangbai harbor will transfer to hotel at Bali.

Rest of the days free leisure at own arrangement.

Day 6. HD ULUWATU KECAK TOUR (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning free leisure at own arrangement.

Afternoon at 15.00pm will pick up for trip to the most southern tip of the island: Uluwatu temple hanging on a cliff over a 100 meters sheer drop to the ocean. Within this area, we also have a chance to see the map view of Bali. As the evening approaches, enjoy the Kecak and Fire Dance to enrich your afternoon.

Day 7. BOUNTY SUNSET DINNER CRUISE (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning free leisure at own arrangement.

Afternoon there’s no better way to spend a balmy tropical evening than on Bounty evening Dinner Cruise. As the sun goes down we set off on a relaxing cruise around the harbour.

Cruise Include

· Return hotel transfer (Nusa Dua, Kuta, Sanur, Seminyak, Denpasar hotel area only)

· Welcome drink

· International Buffet Dinner

· Traditional Balinesse Dance

· Live Music

· DJ on board

· Comedy Cabaret Show

· On Board Entertainment

· Duration : 17:30 pm – 20:30 pm

· Boarding commences : 17:30 pm

Day 8. Bali – Out (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning Free at leisure by own arrangement until departure time to be proceed to the Airport.

Package cost – INR 1,20,000/-* Approx. (Ex-Delhi/ Mumba) for a Couple.

If you like the package, please email us or call/whatsapp us on 9975712713, we would be happy to book it for you.

Of-course we would be glad to tweak and modify this to suit your desired trip.

Story by : Abhimanyu@yatripandit

Image Source : Google images

YP Original || Matheran: A no-honking hill station by Abhimanyu

What can be a better escape on a rainy weekend from Mumbai or Pune than Matheran?

Matheran is the only hill station, where vehicles are banned and you can clearly listen the sound of breeze rustling leaves and the sound of the horse shoes. It is the one hill station that is so close by that one can visit it at the drop of a hat. One can commute and explore the hills either on foot or on horseback. This is a perfect place for Digital detoxification as one can call it, to enjoy in the lap of mother nature.

As far as travel to the hill station is concerned, Matheran can be reached by road from Mumbai or Pune via Road or Train with ease.

We stayed at very calm place and fits in budget. It is a heritage building and is about 100 years old. The rooms were very spacious, the washrooms were okay but the food was really good. Even though they do not serve any non vegetarian food or alcohol, still I would say that the quality of food and variety was good.The rent on a weekend for a single night was Rs 3000/- for a double occupancy room, inclusive of all meals.

As for tourist activities, Matheran has about 22 points which are listed below. These were all developed by Britishers.

Important points are Alexander Pt., Rambag Pt, Little Chowk Pt, Big Chowk Pt, One Tree Hill Pt, Belvedere Pt, Olympia Race Course, Lords Pt, Charlotte Lake,Celia Pt (a water fall mouth), Echo Pt., Porcupine Pt (Sun Set Pt), Panorama Point (Sun Rise Pt), Khandala Pt, Madhavji Garden & Point, Matheran Railway Station, Louisa Point, Mayra Point, Pisarnath Temple.

It takes about 3 days to cover all the points and since we had a time constraint we decided to visit only the important places. We decided to visit all the scenic points but if you are an adrenaline junkie, you can try Valley crossing from echo point. High on the hills, when you witness the fog snd feel the cold wind against your face nothing can taste better in that weather than hot maggie and corn. Its advisable to reach back your resort before it gets dark as the hill terrain is not equipped with street lights. So to reach in time, we decided to hire horsebacks with funny names such as hawa hawai. After sound night’s sleep and a delicious morning breakfast we left for Mumbai. Took a Toy train (15 mins journey) from Matheran to Aman Lodge, then shared taxi to Neral and then Local train to Thane and finally back home after experiencing a much needed Digital Detoxification.

It is a calm hill station, with no vehicles at all which makes it peaceful. One only has nature to enjoy and be as adventurous as one wants to be.

Story by – Abhimanyu

Guest Post || Feast Yourself: The Best of What You Can Eat in Frankfurt – by M Taha Khan

Whether during the lunch break or in the evening – food from the buffet has advantages. You can taste as many delicacies as you like for a fixed price, get to know many new delights or eat more of your favorite food. And the offer in Frankfurt ranges from sushi to Mongolian and oriental cuisine to pasta and tapas.

Sushi Circle

Behind the counter of the Sushi Circles, you can watch the sushi master at work, as soon as the little appetizers are done; they drive past you nicely lined up. You just have to grab it. The assembly line holds good sushi in all variations, but also all sorts of other trifles.

Especially recommended is the black seaweed salad with roasted sesame. Who after so much fish & Co on sweets would like to change, also will find it here – because between the eccentric, which you simply take off the tape, depending on your appetite, hunger and mood, also go treats like baked banana or warm, filled with bean curd sesame balls past you. For All, You Can Eat there is a soup included, which you can order just like the drinks at the table at the friendly service. The sushi, also vegetarian, you get here to take away.

Iimori Patisserie

The Café Iimori in the old town of Frankfurt is wonderfully nostalgically furnished; the restaurant on the upper floor exudes the charm of a Parisian salon.

Every Saturday welcomes owner AzkoIimoriand their guests with a well-stocked buffet filled with heavenly delicacies: fresh sushi, Japanese and French tapas and sweet temptations from our own patisserie as green tea tart, apple or chocolate tart. Caution, addictiveness! Please reserve Sundays as there is a Sunday brunch.

Tapas Locas

In the nice pub Tapas Locas with wooden tables and friendly service, you get the little Spanish delicacies every Tuesday night as a buffet presented. Aioli, olives, tortilla, patatas bravas, fish, and meat – here you can feast as much as you like.

The selection of food and matching wines is great, the prices are fair. If you do not feel like having a buffet, you can also order a la carte. Sometimes a musician comes by with his guitar and sings wistful songs from Spain on wine and good food.

Cron at the harbor

An All You Can Eat Brunch Fine Art offers the Cron at the port on every Sunday, as well as on selected holidays, you can have a tasty brunch with friends or family from 10:30 to 16:30. You can choose from delicious fresh antipasti (fish, meat or even vegetarian options), a homemade soup of the day, a wide selection of cheeses and meats with their own bread station and cereal, yogurt as is for a fortifying meal, fresh fruits, and even Italian desserts.

The delicious fun costs € 17.50 for adults, € 8.50 for children from 7 to 12 years. Per person, the buffet also includes a hot drink and a stir or mirror from the menu. If you want, you can order the pasta of the day (5 €) or a fish or meat dish (10 €).

Joe Peñas

The wide range of Fajitas is highly recommended. On top you will find the best what Tex-Mex cuisine has to offer: beef and chicken, seasoned with leaf salad and home-made dressing. There is also a quesadilla, a grilled wheat tortilla stuffed with red onions and cheese.

Also, the traditional appetizer specialty “Tamales Vallarta” (8 €) from the province of Chiapas is outstanding. Served here is a filling of ground corn, fresh vegetables and chicken in a corn leaf coat, which is steamed over a water bath and refined with spicy salsa.

Shangrila

The Shangrila wants to introduce its guests to the diversity of Chinese-Mongolian cuisine. During the week, there is a Chinese lunch buffet, and on Friday and Saturday lunchtime, as well as every Sunday evening, Mongolian cuisine is served with Chinese dishes.

A special feature is the live cooking: You select the ingredients at the buffet, such as crisp-fresh vegetables, fresh seafood, fish or meat and the chef prepares you personally on a 400-degree hot plate stainless steel your Mongolian court in minutes. The finished dish will be served at the table. You will also find here all sorts of other Asian appetizers and desserts.

Rodizio Grill

Originally, only beef was grilled from the South American pampas for the dish “Churrasco”, a kind of spit roast. Today you can find other varieties of meat over the fire in the Brazilian ChurrascariaRodizioGrill. You can choose anything from pork, beef, and lamb to poultry and sausages. With a table lamp, you show the staff, if you still want meat (green) or if your needs are covered (red). The meat can be served at the salad buffet, as well as a side dish of black beans (feijoada), rice, fried yucca root (mandioca) and fries served. This place is especially for real meat lovers!

Kish

Take a trip to the Orient during your lunch break – that’s what the Kish restaurant in Bockenheim is all about. There is a Persian buffet each afternoon with dishes such as lamb and chicken skewers, saffron meat, falafel and vegetarian vegetable dishes with oriental spices such as peppermint, coriander or turmeric.

The lunch buffet takes place daily from 11: 30-15 o’clock. Unusual, but now has proven the payment model: you not only eat as much as you want, you also pay as much as you like and can.

AUTHOR BIO:

This article is written by M Taha Khan. He is a professional blogger and content writer who writes for different blogs as a guest author.

He is a passionate traveler, football lover and a digital marketing executive at Flights to Frankfurt from London.

Disclaimer: *Contents of this story is Authors personal views and presentation.

**Photos from pixlebay.com

If you also want to get featured as a guest author on yatripandit.com, share your story with us on info@yatripandit.com

Please click on the ads which appear on the website. This blog is still very young and growing. If you like the story, do not shy away from reciprocating your love in form of likes comments and sharing on social media

Barnawapara – A not so famous Wildlife Sanctuary

At yatripandit, we believe there should be no boundaries on travelling especially when it comes to jungle and wildlife. It is the only one, out of 543 wildlife sanctuaries in India where you can drive your own car inside the protected area. When we came about this unique fact about Barnawapara, we were already inside our Ford Ecosport heading towards the Jungle.

My younger brother suggested us this trip and 3 of us along with him, left from the capital city of Chhattisgarh, Raipur at 2pm and within 2 hours we were at the entry gate of Barnawapara. The highways are maintained in tint condition and cruising on them gave us great adrenaline rush.

Where to stay: We chose to stay at CG Tourism’s, Hareli eco resort ditching the more famous ones like Muba Resort and celebration. We did not regret the stay and hospitality even one percent and saved some bucks as well. The resort is well maintained, wide spread, and located on a lake side. Its service is fabulous as well and can be booked from various online platforms.

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After getting our room keys and dumping our luggage, we boarded our car and headed straight to the protected area entry gate. A guide, who are usually local village boys can be hired from the entry gate at a nominal price of 300-500 INR. Getting a guide is a must otherwise you might get lost forever in the wilderness(just exaggerating a little more). It was a good 1.5 hours ride on bumpy jungle roads. And we were lucky to spot a sloth bear lazing around by the road side, wild boar and a heard of deer.

Back to our machan like rooms in the Hareli resort, changed and got fresh to have a relaxed time sitting in balcony sharing some talks from our old jungle trips(read about Bandhavgarh and Bastar), laughs, relishing some drinks with freshly cooked snacks and doodling over music. All we needed after that was a good dinner and some nice sleep. The dinner was cooked on demand and was more like a home cooked food. We truly enjoyed every bite of it.

Water body – Life line of the Jungle

Pagdandi

Wild Boar

What to do: Jungle safaris are all about waking up before dawn and in Hareli resort the chirping birds played our alarms clocks. Within minutes we were driving in our Ecosport again and reached the entry gate driving through the fog and mist in no time. Hired a new guide and there we were inside this beautiful jungle which is spread over an area of about 245 sq km in the Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh. Bird watching in Barnawapara is one of the most enjoyed activities. The major fauna of the Barnawapara Sanctuary include Tigers, Sloth Bear, Flying Squirrels, Jackals, Striped Hyena, Wild Dogs, Chital, Sambar, Nilgai, Gaur, Muntjac, Wild Boar, Cobra, Python, Antelopes, Leopards, Chinkara, Black Buck, Jungle Cat, Barking Deer, Porcupine, Monkey, Bison, to name a few. The sanctuary also has a large population of birds that include Parrots, Bulbul, White-rumped Vultures, Green Avadavat, Lesser Kestrels, Peafowl, Wood Peckers and the list can go on and on. We could spot many of these but tiger. 😦

IMG_20170204_080922 — Africa look alike lake

Do not miss climbing to the highest watch tower and observe the forest silently breathing pure and light. That greenery; spread till the horizon is the best treat you can offer to your eyes, tired of laptop and cell phone screens.

When to go: The protected area is closed for tourist during Monsoons(June to Sept) every year. The most suitable time of the year is winters i.e. November to March.

Not to worry if you donot have your own can to offroad, Gypsy’s and jungle safari’s can be hired at the entry gate or Hareli resort can arrange the same for you.

Bidding adieus to this self motorable jungle; we were back again to smaller concrete Jungle(Raipur) in 2 hours and next day to a bigger one(Pune). We captured many memories and pictures. We surely are returning back to this jungle very soon.

Stay tuned for our upcoming story on rules of the Jungle (Which are NOT location specific).

Story by: Abhimanyu

Best Time To Visit

Places visited

Day 1: Radhanagar Beach

At around 06: 00 P.M. we went back to Hotel Seashells.

Day 2: Elephant Beach

Video Link: Speed Boat Ride to Elephant Beach

Elephant Beach is renowned for its premium watersports activities. I thoroughly enjoyed scuba diving and snorkeling at Elephant Beach with my partner. All activities are done under the supervision of professional trainers and you don’t need to worry even if you don’t know swimming.

Transportation

Pro-tips

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Part#1 – Reaching Tawang from Assam via Bomdila !

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