Culturally rooted and yet deeply modern, Dubai is the perfect holiday spot for families, honeymooners and even a group of friends. Be it a short stopover between flights or a proper long vacation, this guide would help you to have a memorable Dubai holiday.
When to Visit
The best time to visit Dubai is between the months of November and March, when the climate is the most pleasant. However, as this is the peak holiday season, expect the city swarming with tourists from all over the world. If you want to save yourself from the crowd and also save some money, plan your trip during the summer seasons between April to October. However, the temperature can be quite high during this time.
Where to Stay
When it comes to accommodation, Dubai has everything from budget to luxury hotels. If you are planning to stay in Dubai for a long time, AirBnB is also a good option.
How to Travel
Taxis are the quickest way to travel in Dubai. However, if you have time in your hands and want to save money, the Dubai metro is a reliable and efficient way to travel within the city. Local buses are great to travel to most of the popular locations.
What to Eat and Where to Eat
When it comes to food, you are spoilt for choice in Dubai. Right from the local Emirati cuisine to Indian, Japanese and European, there is rarely a cuisine on earth that you would not find in the city. Although you have several options, do try the local Mediterranean cuisine at least once during your tour. As for where to eat, there are endless choices here too. Depending on your budget, you can eat anywhere from small restaurants and food courts to quaint cafes and high-end restaurants in the city.
What to See and Do
Dubai thrives on tourism, and the city strives to make it interesting for the tourists by adding unique and thrilling places and activities to it, almost every year. Some of the things that you should not miss in Dubai are as follows.
Burj Khalifa: Apart from being the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa has broken several world records and is worth the visit. Containing 162 floors in total, the Burj Khalifa is home to high-end restaurants, a 5-star hotel, luxury apartment complex, corporate offices and two observation decks. You can book your tickets online to avoid standing in queues.
Desert Safari: For the most authentic Arabic experience, going on the Dubai desert safari is necessary. The desert safari is a mix of thrilling adventure, good food and fantastic entertainment. You can choose amongst evening, morning and overnight desert safaris.
Dubai Museum: There is so much more to Dubai than its shiny glamour, and to know more about it, you must visit the Dubai Museum. Located inside the Al Fahidi Fort, the Dubai Museum takes you back in time when the city was a simple fishing village.
Dubai Mall: One of the largest malls in the world, the Dubai Mall is the epitome of shopping, entertainment and great food. Apart from the 1200 retail stores, Dubai Mall Aquarium, KidZania Dubai, Dubai Ice Rink, the food court, etc. are some of the other popular attractions of the mall. Do check out the Dubai Fountain Show that happens every day from 6 PM to 11 PM (every 30 minutes), right outside the Dubai Mall.
Dubai Miracle Garden: Spread around 72,000 square meters, the Dubai Miracle Garden is the largest flower garden in the world. You would find more than 109 million flowers here arranged in beautiful and unique designs.
Dubai Frame: The largest frame in the world, the Dubai Frame is strategically placed so that you can see the old Dubai from one side and the new and modern Dubai from the other. You can get your Dubai Frame tickets online to avoid standing in line.
Few other places that should be on your itinerary include Kite Beach, Dubai Creek, Dubai Marina, Bastakiya Quarter, Jumeirah Mosque, etc.
Conclusion
Dubai is one of the finest Arab city, where the old blends beautifully with the new, making it ideal place for a holiday.
Disclaimer: *Contents of this story is Authors personal views and presentation.
**Photos from the guest Author / Google
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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. 1st 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 1st 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.
It was the occasion of our 2nd 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 1st 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.
7th 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.
Mumbai Airport
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 1st 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.
Lipsmacking Taste
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. 🙂
Bhutan BorderRiver Kameng
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.
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 1st 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 1st snow of my life. I could not stop myself and ran down the stairs, which led to a frozen lake called Sela lake.
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 1st 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. 🙂
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 / coffeeand 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.
Panorama from Jaswant Garh
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.
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!!
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.
27 years old, 15 countries, 8000+ miles, 11 times circled the globe, 700+ hours, 23 mountains hiked, 9 different time zones..and the list goes on!!
Jet lag — That’s the 2nd most common word in my life.
Over the years I have been traveling to different countries on business or tourist/pleasure while sometimes just to escape the reality and find my focus.
While some people think travel is to : pack all the essentials, just hop on the plane, put your phone in the airplane mode, take that cozy blanket, put on your favorite movie and enjoy glass of fine vintage Château Côte de Baleau Grand Cru.
For me, travel= magic. So quick summary of the things I learnt from my travels :
1.You meet interesting and unforgettable people :
Once I was flying from Munich to New York, and met a very interesting student. She was quite intrigued by the book (Murder on the Orient Express) I was reading. I asked her name and then she introduced herself. As we continued to talk for the next few hours, she told me about her life, how she left everyone to pursue her dreams and how she is working as a part time bartender to make sure she pays her bills and completes her education. While I could see some hesitation in her voice, I was also impressed by her determination to be better in the life.
Life is not “bed of roses”, but how many do you think are determined to make it better every day?
Just 2 months back, I was flying from Shanghai to New York ( business class) and met an investor, must be in her 50’s. While she was happily enjoying her wine, after 50 minutes into the flight, we started talking and that’s when she shared her “grand perspective” towards life and startups. While she had few hiccups as an investor previously and on the personal front due to her marriage yet she never bogged down. I shared few start up ideas, why I thought it can be next the “big thing” and to what level it can succeed or fail. She asked me to send her a business plan. Just few days back I sent her the plan with an empty feeling that she must have forgotten me. I have always been a person who cared about time and details, she replied to me after 3 days and I was completely amazed by her detailed feedback. I thanked her later!
2. You find your “why”
There was a point in my life when traveling wasn’t just a hobby but a therapy. I called it my “inflection” point and it helped me in finding my why. I found myself and it made all the difference in my life.
3. Started writing a book
I have always been an avid reader (completed reading my 457th book recently). Having met so many people in my life and been through so many experiences, I started writing a book ( which I’ll publish soon). Experiences ranged from going on date with an absolute stranger — discovering different “kind of personalities” — an emergency landing — hitchhiking in a new country at 3am — — hiking with different group of people — camping with strangers— drinking wine with guys I never met in my whole life — diving 10 m deep in the sea — — ending up getting hitched for fun in a chapel in the Vegas and many more…
4. You feel “unstoppable”
Someone said it right that if you are feeling over confident, hike a mountain because mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence. Till now I have hiked 23 mountains and that created all the difference in my personality. One such place where I exhausted myself was “Pinnacles in Borneo”. Sharp blade like rocks ( pic below) tested everything I had in me. I cried with happiness when I completed the hike after 9 hours of climb and descend. It made me feel “unstoppable”.
Pinnacles
5. Humbleness and Grateful
More than 8 billion people on this planet from different countries, religion and cultures. Different cuisines, celebrations and colors, I have experienced it all and I cant be more grateful. I became more open to people’s opinion, appreciate the fact that different people react to the same situation in a different way. In short I became more acceptable to the fact that I can be wrong in someone’s opinion and can be idolized in someone else’s mind. Having met so many people I learnt how to be grounded and be a better listener even when I’m talking. Everyone has a story, perception of reality, opinion, experiences and thoughts. There is no right or wrong opinion.
6. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things
Travel allows you to experience living in conditions that you never thought you could survive. But you will. Only when you step out of your comfort zone, then can you really push yourself to your limits and discover what you can achieve. Now whenever I feel I cannot do something, I replay those moments when a task/situation seemed utterly difficult and the way I accomplished it.
“Your strength lies in all those things you completed which once deemed impossible”
7. Finding the way on your own after getting lost.
Ever got lost? No phone, no maps, language barrier, no one to help? Take a deep breath and look around. What do you feel? I felt like wandering on my own.
There is nothing like being lost in Rome where every street corner has another spectacular sculpture; or being lost in Brussels where every neighborhood has a cluster of bistros or bakeries.
By the end of the day, I explored more than I planned. Some one said it right :
“Not All Who Wander Are Lost”
8. Knowledge and fearless mindset
I faced language barrier many times especially when I was in China and Korea. So I learnt Mandarin and Korean. Life is full of adversities and I’m not new to such situations. Bus broke down? Train delayed? Road block? Severe food poisoning? Lost your way? It’s okay, slow down and find an alternative way out.
Many times I asked myself “What’s the worst that could happen?” and that’show I developed a “fearless mindset”.
9. Living the moments
This one is my favourite. I was just out of my cocoon and in Singapore. Like any amateur traveler I was clicking the beauty Singapore has to offer. A European guy was watching me. He came to me and said something I’ll always remember. He said “ Sometimes we are so engrossed in capturing/clicking things that we forget to live the moments and beauty the place has to offer”. He was right! From that time on, I started living in the moments and in my perspective it’s beautiful!
Living in the moments
“An amateur traveller tries to capture everything amazing in his/her camera whereas a mature traveller live those amazing things and moments”
Oh did I forget to tell you about the spectacular vast and infinite “ Sky views”?
( Pics I clicked)
View from Plane
Why I wrote this post? Some day I’ll be 80 years old and still be traveling. When I’ll look back, I will read this post again and say to myself “The journey is more beautiful than the destination” and I lived every moment of it.
**** This is my first post, apologies if you find any error/mistake. And, if you like it and want me to write more posts, please don’t forget to “like & comment” because your appreciation would motivate me***** 🙂
Keep traveling !!!
Love Naina 🙂
Disclaimer: *Contents of this story is Authors personal views and presentation.
**Photos from google
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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.
Back in Aug 2017, a fantastic Monsoon Saturday. It had been almost a year since I started my professional stint after completing my Chartered Accountancy studies and for obvious reasons I wanted to go somewhere. Did not know where but I wanted to spend some quality time with myself. Three days back I came to know about a travel company called “Unexplored Bastar” who plan trips to Bastar, a tribal district in state of Chhattisgarh. Since, then I could not think anything else but to go and explore my state. The biggest hurdle for me was to convince my mother that I will be safe in the wild trek and can take care of myself. Yeah, I was 25 but my mom thought I was still a kid who still needs her to be around him.
It was 4:30 PM on 12.08.2017 and suddenly from nowhere I decided that I wanted to go. I informed my boss that I need a day off and handed over my work. Bought a new pair of shoes from a nearby shop and reached home at round 7:30 PM. Phew !! my mother was all set to spoil my this plan like every other plan, but this time I was rigid and convinced her with all emotional blackmail and all possible tricks which I learnt during my entire life. Finally, my friend and myself boarded the bus at 10:00 pm to Jagdalpur. My friend felt asleep as soon as he hit that “sticky ragzine’s seat” and I started to enjoy my first solo trip.
We reached Jagdalpur at 5:00 in the morning and immediately went to the office of Unexplored Bastar. At the office Dheeraj introduced me to Mr. Jeet Singh Arya, Founder of “Unexplored Bastar” and some other team members. After this formal meet and greet all guests/travellers along with team of unexplored bastar departed for Farspal village, a small village in Dantewada District.
We pitched our tents in beautiful valley of Dholkal and greeted by hand made bouquets and some local delicacies.
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Once done with the food we all geared up for experiencing this thrilling trek. We were a team of around 25 travellers accompanied by around 15 members from Unexplored Bastar. These members were from farspal village only and they had thorough knowledge about the trek and terrain. They told us that there are 10K varieties of butterflies in this forest. We had to trek 8 kms uphill to reach “DholKal Ganesha” . Initially it seems like a cakewalk but at the end trek becomes a bit tricky.
The Terrain to the Temple
There were many small problems while trekking including sudden rainfall and within seconds’ sun was at its full throttle but in the end, we made it to the peak. After trekking for around for another 45-50 mins we finally reached the Ganesha Idol and believe me people this was one of the best moment of my life. It took me some time to breath the fresh air and realise that I was there, completing the trek.
The Ganesha Idol was around 3ft in height, 3000 ft. above ground level and it is said that it was built around 11th century during the period of Nagvanshi Dynasty. Idol has many serpents covering the body of Ganesha.
We spend some time at the hilltop, worshipped Lord Ganesha , decorated him with flowers and offered prasadi, lived that moment completely and then went ahead for our next destination i.e. Surya Temple. Surya Temple consist of a flat rock and it is said that first light of after dawn falls on this rock. We were told by our tour guide that when light falls on this flat rock , it is reflected on the idol of Lord Ganesha and a magnified view of shadow can be seen on the mountain behind. Due to bad weather, we were unable to experience this unique natural phenomenon.
We came back to the base camp at around 4pm and were served with evening snacks, which were very good and tasty. At around 6:30 we all gathered around for campfire and enjoyed local folk song.
That’s how happy I get when I am on a trek !!
During a casual chat Jeet Bhai, told us that there is immense potential in CG to develop as a tourist state but due to negligence of Govt. and also we as a people of CG never ever thought to travel our own state. He (Jeet) and his team not only developing a fan base for state of CG but also providing employment and training opportunities to local tribal people. Generally, it is assumed that CG is a state of tribes and is dominated by Naxalites but it definitely a lot more than that. After this trip, I promised to myself that I would take measures to travel often and explore CG and India more and more. Unknowingly Dheeraj and Jeet bhai created a difference in my life, thanks to them.
Love !!
Akash Sharma
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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.
When traveling, one of the objectives is to make the most of the time and to return home with the feeling of not having lost anything in the newly discovered city. It’s a complicated task, I know, so I’ll give you a hand with this selection of the 8 things you can do in Barcelona. If you have many on the list you can always come a second time.
Walk to discover the city:
Barcelona is a big city, but it is perfect to witness beauty while walking. Forget about a day of the subway or the tourist bus and re-cross it by giving nice walks and wandering around the roads. You can choose to visit the most important buildings and parks of the city such as Citadels, Joan Miro Park or Montjuic castle, but there is also a Barcelona that does not come in the guides. We encourage you to go up to Horta, to know the charm of the Saint Andreu neighborhood, to see a side of the lesser known Example and enjoy unique panoramas.
Go to concerts:
Barcelona has plenty of live music venues such as Razzmatazz or Sala Apollo, but it also has wonderful concert halls. The Gran Theatre Del Liceu is a splendid survivor decorated with gold leaf, luxurious red carpets and lots of ornamentation. Check the schedule since the tickets are not always as expensive as it may seem and is a place worth a visit.
On the other hand is L’Auditori, an elegant space with capacity for 2,400 spectators that not only program concerts of classical music but also jazz or world music. The Palau de la Musical Catalonia’s is famous for its modernist architecture and the number of activities it hosts. Barcelona also hosts various festivals from Primavera Sound to Barcelona International Jazz Festival, Sonar and Cruilla, and others.
Gaudi and Modernism:
Undoubtedly, one of the tourist attractions (and also for those who live here) is to admire the modernist architecture and the works of Gaudi in particular. You can find several examples of his work throughout the city, whether civil or religious buildings. The most famous is the Sagrada Familia, impressive on the outside and inside; The Park Guell, a place almost of the story that emulates an English garden or the Pedrera, but do not miss the opportunity to visit other buildings of Gaudi that sometimes occupy a smaller place in the guides.
Discover the Barcelona of the young Picasso:
Picasso remembered Barcelona as beautiful and brilliant, a city where he spent his first years. Follow the steps of the genius by visiting the regions that marked his youth. Walk along the street of The Queen Cristina and then cross to street number 3 (street of Merce) where his family lived, although the building was destroyed. If you need to stop on the way, get closer to Ells 4 Gats, a place where artists of the time met for dinner parties, dinners, and art meetings. Finally, visit the Picasso Museum, a gallery that houses
the works of Picasso’s formative years.
Try the seafood cuisine:
Nobody should leave Barcelona without trying their seafood cuisine. The city offers Rias de Galicia, in Poble-sec and Cachitos which is famous for its fantastic variety of fish and seafood. Cal Pep, in La Born, is known for its three-phase, a mixture of fried chanquetes, squid and shrimp and exquisite noodles. In La Barcelonnette, you will find La Mar Salada and Can Sole with fresh fish and seafood every day.
Climb the mountain of Montjuic:
The Montjuic Mountain is perfect for strolling through trees and having a great view, but it very costly to access… There are facilities that were built for the 1992 Olympic Games, including the Palau Saint Jordi or the telecommunications tower designed by Santiago Calatrava. Those who have more energy and climb to the top of the hill will find the Olympic Stadium and the Jardi Botanic at its feet, Plaza de Espanya is the most popular entrance to the mountain, and you can also take advantage of the Pavello Mie’s van der Rohe and the Caxias forum cultural center.
Bath in the Mediterranean:
Barcelona has a little more than 4 kilometers of beaches in which to stretch the towel, plant the umbrella smeared with cream and put the backpack to a good collection is a good choice. With just a few minutes by train or a short drive, you can visit other coastal towns with dream beaches. The Mediterranean is a gift!
Approach the sky:
Even if you are not a loyal believer, you should visit the magnificent churches of Barcelona for pure artistic and architectural pleasure. Saint Pau del Camp is a rare example of Romanesque architecture with a fantastic cover-up and superb pathway and the elegant Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar is perhaps the best example of the survived Catalan Gothic architecture and is a place of peace up to the atheists. The Gothic religious building par excellence is the Cathedral of Barcelona, dedicated to Santa Eulalia, the
patron saint of the city. The majestic Gothic with a monastery is famous for its 13 white hollows.
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Its unique five-story exterior is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas
The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen since they had to obey strict “purdah” (face cover).
Windows (Jharokha) has colorful panes so it will light the hallways with different colors.
Stay tuned for our upcoming story on Garadia Mahadev – Grand Canyon of Rajasthan
Story & Pictures by Utkarsh
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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. 😦
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
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Yatripandit 