Oh Mon Diu!

The most unfortunate part of Diu is that it's appalingly hard to reach. Direct flights are available only from Mumbai. From Delhi it can take up to 2 days to reach Diu by flight. From Ahmedabad one only has the option of a Non A/C bus which takes roughly 11 hours to reach Diu. Not fun! Not fair. If anyone wants to develop this as a tourist spot someone needs to take a serious look at the connectivity. For a state that's 40 degrees all year round a non AC service is just bad business sense. Diu is called the 'Europe of Gujarat' but it's harder to reach than the real Europe. Our journey, which began with a 15 hour train ride from Delhi, took about 26 hours one way. So do the math, over 2 days to do Delhi-Diu-Delhi. With no light, poor ventilation and a thick velvet covering all 6 sides, the bus compartments were only slightly better than a coffin.i have travelled coach most of my life but travelling 'coffin class' was a whole new experience.

Now that that's out in the open as a fair warning for the world, here's the good part: Diu itself is surprisingly clean, blue and serene. The beaches arent crowded at all. The resorts are super affordable yet charming and chic. A family or group of friends can easily make birth here and spend a quiet time. But that's about it. The most popular activity here is reading a book while lying in a hammock. Diu is certainly beautiful but also a serious snoozefest. All one can do here is drink, eat and swim all usually within the resort itself. That's hardly worth a travelling time. If a swim in the wide, blue ocean is desired wait till the crowds thin before you strip down to your swimsuits because most people here are partial towards swimming in saris or rolled up jeans. so an actual bathing suit will certainly look out of place. My friend was convinced that my cotton sundress would inspire the locals into naming the beach after me.

Essentially Diu is pretty and clean. But it's not exciting or exceptional and most importantly, not worth the travel time. Unless one is coming in from Mumbai it's expensive and incovenient. Diu's union territory status really does it in. The roads have not been left at the Lord's mercy and no convenient connections have been developed. To put it simply, there are tons of better options in India which have superior beaches, activities, history and connectivity.

Early in the day we head out by auto to the main city for a city tour. On the way we passed a dolphin jumping about in the water. It was right next to our hotel but apparently they're more active early in the morning and we actually missed most of them. So, the POA for tomorrow is certainly waking up at the crack of dawn for an au naturel dolphin show. Our auto reached the Diu Fort, which is very pretty and has a lot of character. The lighthouse of the Fort was a great vantage point from where to see all of Diu easily. From there we could see cliffs that reminded me distininctly of Wales. Truly, India has it all. The Fort was the best part of Diu. The following trips to a church, a museum, a manmade waterfall were all extremely underwhelming. Definitely would not bother with them again. The other great part of Diu was clearly Jalandar Beach. In stark difference to Nagoa, Jalandar was quiet and very private. It was spotless and only 2 people were peacefully sunbathing there. Quite clearly we made a mistake by staying in Nagoa instead of Jalandar. But that's why i mention it; so that people who read this know better.

Another thing people should know is that people shouldnt come here during the peak season. During winters, beach towels carpet Nagoa's sandy beach. And around Diwali half of Gujarat invades Diu to mar its best trait - unadulterated serenity.

Maajha Ma.

My friends studying in NID and MICA would strongly disagree but Ahmedabad isn't exactly an exciting place. The roads are big and the people are kind. But when one of the top 3 things to see in the city is an ancient grill, you know you're in trouble.

As we were being roasted by the October sun and underwhelmed by the sights and sounds, Sabarmati Ashram proved to be the saving grace of the city. It literally is like an oasis in the concrete desert. Gandhi's charkha, his room, his legacy were more moving than one ever expected. One could easily sit there for a while and enjoy its suspended-in-time atmosphere. The literature of the museum was conspicuously biased. But that was neither unexpected nor off-putting.

The only other thing i liked in the city was the Night Heritage Walk from Mangal Rai's Haveli. Maneuvering through aggressive scooters and lazy cows the group goes on a 1 hour walk through the old city region. The old haveli and the subsequent centuries-old temples, havelis, poles etc. that one comes across are stunning and oddly fascinating. The dark alleys and intricately carved buildings make for excellent shots.

Shopping is interesting in Ahmedabad. The top places for products in local styles are Law Garden market, Sanskruti and Teen Darwaza. Sanskruti is an upmarket, expensive but high quality showroom, in Panchvati. Law Garden Market is a night market which is set up at 6pm daily on the sidewalk outside the Law Garden. The last is also an outdoor market but unlike Law Garden, this market it is open all day and well into the night. Law Garden and Teen Darwaza markets are both hard to miss. They're chaotic flea markets with tons of scope for bargaining. The products are super colourful often bordering on costume-y and tacky. But with a bit of patience one can find stylish pieces. Many of these pieces can be altered into cool skirts, shirts etc with some imagination and a talented tailor. Watch out for ripped and damaged pieces.

Kalpesh the bun maska guy is a youth icon of the city. The young guy sets up his table at 3am near NID and sells different types of spreads on buns. There's usually a sea of students at his stall all night and he makes more than most college graduates. He shuts shop at about 7am by when he's collected the latest gossip on most NID-ians. Who's flunked what. Who's dumped whom. Kalpesh knows everything. His other field of knowledge is bikes. The guy has bikes, parts and accessories from Paris, Australia, America and all. His collection would put Jay Leno to shame. A truly interesting character and all round nice guy to meet. His success has inspired many other me-too bun maska guys. So make sure you find Kalpesh and not a wannabe. The crowd ordering The Jadoo Bun would point you in the right direction.

good places to stay:

Riverfront. $20 Budget

Sarovar Portico: $70 Medium

House of MG: $110 Luxury

Places to eat: Swati hotel, Aghashye, Kalpesh bun maska.

Me in Mcleodganj.

i'm not a hill person. but, if there is such a thing, i'm certainly a McLeodganj person. Most hillstations, to me, stand for pretty but monotonous scenery. abused land and exploitative people. But they say all love is exception making. And for me, McLeodganj is that exception. It's spritual, happy, kind, pretty and content. it's everything that's missing with the regular world these days.

there's tons to buy, and even more to eat. every cafe and menu is tempting enough to convert even a lifelong weight watcher like me. But then there's the Tibetan herbal tea to jog your metabolism. I personally found the self proclaimed 'Pema Thang - paradise for pizzas and salads' highly overrated. too oily for me but my colleague found it fantastic. The tibetan cafe on the corner of the fork leading to Pema Thang is good for the ambience and beverages. Staff is sweet and prices are cheap. All proceeds are used for the welfare of Tibetan refugees. gobbling down good food while stocking up on good karma; what more could one want? Bean cafe is a good place to order tibetan food but also have indian and italian dishes as a backup. Lessons for Tibetan food can be found in many homes and cafes. They're advertised boldly enough. So, pardon me if i diet another day. it's easier in Delhi.

There are 3-4 really great hotels to suit every budget there. The Bhagsu hotel is the himachal tourism hotel. simple, big and mostly clean rooms. Prices start at 1100 with 30% off during off season. Pema Thang hotel, right opposite Bhagsu, is a cute place with backpacker budget but better amenities. a local youth is seen playing the guitar and singing their daily. plenty of backpackers carrying yoga mats to keep you company. earlier on the road are the natraj and surya hotels. natraj is like the middleground between pema thang and surya. The standard of poshness as well as the prices descend exactly in the order of location - Surya, Natraj, Pema Thang. Rooms at Surya can go up to 6000 a night. Not worth it to me. Because the same views and roughly the same decor is available for much less at the others. Maybe if one is travelling with a family, it's suitable. But not for fukra travellers who want to hang out with fukra travellers, the kind Mcleodganj is all about. A few great but out of the way places for people to stay in would be two superb homestays called Santushti and Om Mahal. Santushti comes with its own pool and a smashing cafe and bar. really extra-ordinary given the location. Om Mahal on the other hand is more cultured and sohpisticated. The owners of the house are the local royalty and politicians. they're thick with the dalai lama himself and his holiness has personally gifted them countless things over the years. their knowledge can go a long way in helping people get face time with the mesmerising nobel laureate.

Unfortuantely, i have heard that in this year's peak season there were 7-hour traffic jams. So, i understand if some people disagree vehemently with me or find me to be biased about McLeodganj. But i would still urge such people to give it another shot and avoid being following the herd heading for the hills, every summer.

what's the point of a getaway if everyone is going that way?

Rampura. Yes, Rampura. The moniker doesn’t conjure up the most exotic and exciting visuals but that’s precisely why Bill Shakespeare asked “what’s in a name?” The town and its majestic fort are all the wonders that you never see coming. Rampura is the reason someone said “F the GPS!” and took the broken path over the beaten one. Yes indeed, reaching Rampura isn’t easy. The roads, if I may take the liberty of calling them that, for 100 kilometers are bare and rough. It’s quite a bouncer if you’re coming from Delhi or Agra’s pretty cool highways. But that’s it. When the worst part of your experience was a few bad roads, then you’ve probably had a great holiday. And if you can’t handle a few rough patches, then an off-the-map location would probably not suit your taste to begin with. Pity, if that is the case. Because you’d really be missing out on a real hidden gem; one of the actual places that make India, !ncredible India.

For a young population that’s parched for new, fresh weekend getaway options, Fort Rampura is a wonderful find. Less than 7 hours of driving time from the capital is the fort at Rampura. It has all the charm of a bygone era, preserved beautifully but without the commercialization of a branded hotel. The 700 year old fort is massive and, depending upon your love for solitude, you can spend hours exploring its endless wonders. A walk through the old moat, which now serves as a mustard field is enchanting during winters. When the fields are draped by bright yellow mustard flowers it is imperative to run through them and recreate your own Yash Raj moment. The Palace is filled with living rooms which are more like museums. They house countless and priceless artifacts, rugs, furniture and more. The animal heads used as trophies and tiger skins weren’t particularly to my liking. But the complete works of Shakespeare in its miniature form certainly was.

We unfortunately stayed only the one night at the fort. But in just that short time we fell head over heels in love with it. Had the most unusual and unforgettable experiences during the stay, which included driving a tractor! Just a ride on the tractor is a bumpy, crazy experience but driving one is simply amazing. What silly Lamborghinis we keep chasing all our lives? I’m telling you, tractors are the way to go. The village market was an amazing place to see the local shopaholics in action. The colourful, unique faces and shops almost blew the brain of my photographer friend. We came thisclose to having his brain splatter all over the potato sacks. Fortunately, it never came to that. Sitting by the Pahuj river in the evening was just the right mix of lazy and silence. The only sound we heard was of skipping stones.

Still planning a trip to Nainital, are we?

The disconnected heart of India.

There's complete truth to the fact that sometimes hype kills the product. But turns out that it's also true that joy is infectious. At least, that's what i found out when i went to the uber famous Khajuraho temples. Expecting to be underwhelmed, as i usually am by things that are uber famous, i undertook the journey from Delhi to Khajuraho, for work, might i add. The journey took us to first to Jhansi and then, to this unsuspectingly divine place called Alipura Palace. The Palace is about 300 years old and staying there was an unforgettable experience. The royal family that has been calling the Palace their home for generations, recently turned it into a heritage hotel and homestay. The step taken to save it from dilapidation and neglect turned out to be a boon for travellers like me; travellers who take the unbeaten path and have rarely seen the face of a map. Today, people come here looking for solitude, uncommercialised beauty, and the aura of a bygone time. Most people have only heard about the Palace through "friends or friends of friends." This keeps the number of visitors low and preserves its peaceful sanctity.

The journey to Alipura is not the easiest. One either has to drive two hours from Khajuraho's airport or one and a half hours from Jhansi's train station. It's really a pity that most of Madhya Pradhesh's beauties are suffering from the government's neglect. Lack of airports, distant train stations and even pathetic highways. It's like a proper attempt at self-sabotage. Little wonder, the people of MP can't stop envying the high priority given to their counterparts in Rajasthan. But, what's a broken road or two for those who revel in finding such hidden gems, which are sprinkled all across our amazing country.

Leaving the Palace, where we were treated like royalty and like family, we headed out towards Khajuraho. The temples, it turned out were absolutely exquisite. The carvings and the creations will leave you most impressed, if you can ignore the giggling group of teenage boys. The thing that left me most mesmerised by the temples was that there's more to them that the famous erotic carvings. really. If you look beyond the carnal carvings you'll find a deeper message, which the creator tried to convey through his chisel and stone. i dont wish to be mistaken for some deeply philosophical know-it-all. Quite honestly, I just figured out the complete meaning behind the temples courtesy the daily light and sound show, held at the temple. The narrator of the show is thee Amitabh Bachchan. And to go beyond a superficial appreciation of the temples, it is imperative to attend the show. The temples, are actually divided into three sections - the Southern, the Eastern and the Western. Most people turn back from the main complex/Western section itself, usually because they're completely unaware of the other two's existence. Although, not nearly as expansive or grand as the western complexes, the other two are also wondrous in their own right. One complex is dedicated to the Jain teerthankaras and clearly, here, one wont find any erotica decking the walls. they're the most unusual Jain temples one can see and are calmingly beautiful in their own right.

like any other tourist destination in the world, Khajuraho too comes with a smorgasbord of souvenirs to choose from. You'll find plenty of locals trying to coax you into buying Kamasutra Cds, books, t-shirts and other kinky keepsakes. It's actually the kinky keepsakes that make for the best mementos. Brass bottle openers, cheeky key chains, marble statues and much more, inspired by the temples' unique draw, are sold all over the city. There are some real funny and naughty key chains one can buy by the dozen right outside the Jain complex. From personal experience i can say that they were the most appreciated back home in Delhi.

The heart of India, as the ads would peg it, Madhya Pradesh is huge (how poetically appropriate). There's a lot to see here. so much in fact, that its lesser known, unheard of treasures remain unheard of. Alipura, i hope isn't one of them. i also hope that the government does more to facilitate tourism in MP; more than just making ads with catchy soundtracks.

Ni hao Beijing!

Ok. So I was showing off my linguistic skills just a wee bit. But as far as Cantonese is concerned all I know is “Ni hao” = “hello”, “ni hao ma?” = “how are you?” and “shishye” = “thank you.” That’s it. So humor me a little. You learnt something in the process didn’t you?

When I was almost dragged to Beijing I was pretty jaded and bored. Had just quit my job and thought, “hell! It isn’t one of those places I have been dying to see, but it’s a holiday. So, whatever.” And so I end up in Beijing, a city that took me completely by surprise.

It was around Christmas time. The temperature was between 3 to 5 and I was sure I would freeze my booty off. But as it turned out, the season was the highlight of our trip. We got to see, the aptly named, Great Wall covered in snow. The winter sun was at its peak, the jet-setting tourists were in another country, and we had The Great Wall almost all to ourselves. Even the jaded part of me was melted by the rare sight. I, like the rest of the world, had seen innumerable screensaver-style pictures of the Wall. So I doubt I would have been as moved if we had gone during tourist season. In fact I am certain I would have come back with typical postcard pictures from a foreign holiday. Instead I was treated to rarely seen vistas of the Badaling (no jokes please) area, which is where The Great Wall is located. The Wall is actually 75 kms North-East of Beijing and on the way we went to the Sacred Way and Ming Tombs.

The Sacred Way is a long stretch lined with statues of the royal priests, knights, animals and other things that were considered important to the Kings. Sort of like the equivalent of being buried with the things you love. The Kings are buried along the endless path and we didn’t bother making the supposedly 30 km long walk. A short drive from the Sacred Way are the Ming Tombs. This is large area with an underground site where many items from the period have been preserved. There’s also a museum here which displays the lavish costumes, jewels and more of the Mings. Reminded me A LOT of Indian Maharajahs and our museums.

In fact, this wasn’t the only time I found china similar to our country. It’s similar in many ways like both countries are historically very rich. You can’t turn around without bumping into a grand monument. Like if you want you can cover all the historical sites in Beijing in 1 day. The overwhelmingly beautiful Forbidden City, which is about a 2-3 km long walk, is connected to the Tiananmen Square. So as you exit one massive monument you enter another. As you walk away from Chairman Mao’s painting you head towards site of the student massacre. I really wanted to stand in the middle of the road and get a picture clicked ala the tank-stopper style. But clearly, that wasn’t going to happen. Our walk took us to The Temple of heaven. This is essentially a huge garden with a traditionally styled temple. You cannot go inside the temple but its history is rather fascinating. History has it that the King who built it, was rather arrogant and thought himself above the Gods. So instead of painting the topmost layer of the temple blue, which was a sign of heaven, he had it painted red, the colour of Chinese royalty. Soon after the temple’s completion, lightning struck it and the King feared he had offended the almighty. The temple was immediately repainted. And as you can see for yourself today, it is as blue as the sky above.

When the Kings weren’t busy crossing Gods, they were living it up in the Summer Palace. The palace is right on the edge of Beijing and is simply heavenly. There’s a huge lake embraced by mountains perched upon which stand the palace and a temple. When we went the lake was frozen solid, and personally, I think that added to its beauty. There’s an enormous marble boat which stands still on the lake. It’s actually so massive that it cannot be moved. Smaller boats are very much available for a ride around the lake.

A recent addition to China’s history-making character is the Bird’s Nest Stadium. It’s quite unique and intriguing. A classic example of how the country likes to do things differently. There was a frozen lake next to the stadium as well. And standing on it to have pictures clicked, made some people yell out funny things at me. Perhaps they were asking me to “Get off!” or for all I know maybe there saying “nice shoes!” The people often seem like they’re yelling for some baffling reason. Even the shopkeepers who are trying to persuade you to buy their VL bags (sic) seem to be cross with you, which they clearly aren’t because they’re giving you a big, warm smile. A little baffling.

But I suppose that’s china for you. Baffling but somewhat familiar. And a paradise for shoppers and particularly knock-off lovers. But that’s another blog and I’ll save it for another day of avoiding writing headlines. If you read till here, Shishye. If not, meh! Look that up in slang.com.

Repeat after me, Port Blair is a waste of time. Head for Havelock by the first ferry.

Ok. Maybe I'm being too harsh. The thing is that Port Blair is a city. And it has all the things a city of its size can offer – museums, tacky souvenir shops and seriously shady bars. But, the one thing it offers that no other place in the world can is The Cellular Jail. Whether you're a patriot or not, you should not miss visiting the memorial. In the morning you can tour the entire complex. It’s gooseflesh time when you see the rug-sized cells these inmates lived in. And sometimes even died in. It is a lot to absorb. Everyone around was touched by the experience, some more than others. There are a few multilingual shows in the evening that take you through the history of the complex. An audio piece with sound effects and intense narrations from the likes of Om Puri and Tom Alter bring alive the evocative stories of Cellular Jail and its inmates. I studied history in college and still had no clue that Andaman and Nicobar was not just occupied by the British but also the Japanese. Just one of the things I picked up in the hour-long show.

We also picked quite a bit of the dirt cheap alcohol. Thanks to which Port Blair is more like Port Blurry, not that I’m complaining. The next blurry morning we drove down to Corbyn's Cove. We made the journey in a jeep, which we hired from the hotel. Bikes, cars and even minibuses are easily available for hire. The beach isn’t too far - seven kilometres from the main market, if I remember correctly. Easily available auto rickshaws are also a good option. The 10 minute trip will lead you to Corbyn's. The stretching beach was beautiful and deserted, save the 2 or 3 families on either side. It was clean, had changing rooms and not too many people. It wasn’t swimmer-friendly because jagged stones covered a majority of the shallow sea’s bed. Yet, if it wasn't ridiculously hot we would've stayed longer.

Our next stop was a beach called Wandoor. The place turned out to be quite far and the way was extremely confusing. On hindsight, we should've hired a cab with a cabbie instead of just grabbing our old jeep again. It took a while but we got there and I believe it was fortunate that we took our own sweet time in getting there. Because if we had reached earlier, we would have been severely cramped for space. I say this based on what a very sweet and friendly nariyal paniwala told us. Apparently the man had sold over 1000 coconuts just that morning. Now, I don't know if we were plain lucky or if he was spinning stories for our benefit. But apparently thanks to the heat, the crowd had started thinning around lunchtime. And by the time we reached, what we saw was a bare beach complemented by a bright and sunny sky as it went through brilliant hues of blue and pink, just before the sun set. Between lots of sky gazing we did a bit of snorkelling and considered going to the Jolly Buoy. But an amused local told us that the island isn’t open to tourists after 2PM. So there! The decision was made for us. Wait a second. Did he call us tourists? He did. Dang!

In case you are fond of things like boating you can stop over at the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park on your way to Wandoor. If you get there in the morning, you can charter boats or join other groups to journey to Red Skin Island and Jolly Buoy directly. Now, don't go expecting any white sand beaches and stuff. But Wandoor is peaceful, clean and beautiful. I mean, there wasn't a single other group in sight which was fantastic.

If you can handle feeling like a sardine, then you can take a jam-packed ferry to Hudson Bay which is, if I remember correctly, is on the absolute other end of the island. The journey is long and rather uncomfortable. But it culminates into a fine afternoon of snorkelling and swimming under still, glass-like water. Now consider yourself warned – the tsunami caused a lot of destruction all over the islands. As a result, there are no changing rooms, no real restrooms, and other such amenities. In other words, a bashful girl like me had to go to the other end of the beach and change in broad daylight, praying hard that no one sees her. Till date I have this sinking feeling that one day I’ll find a tourist video of myself online. For the sake of timid people like myself I hope things would have changed by now.

But besides these few islands, there is very little to do in and around Port Blair. There’s next to zero shopping places, unless you consider buying tacky shell lamps, shopping.

Next stop, Havelock. That's where the truly majestic beaches wait for you. In Havelock there are three main beaches – No. 3, No. 5 and No. 7. Now, don't be so quick to judge them by their names. Even if they had corny names like golden sand, satin beach or a cool one like Bondi, they'd still be beyond beautiful. And you'd still be at a loss for words while describing them.

The resort at 7 is designed such that it's one with nature and extremely eco-friendly. Even the "hotel rooms" make you feel as if you're a part of Lost Season 3. They give you all the amenities you need but in the form of luxurious tree houses. The silver strip at Beach No.7 makes you realize that doing nothing is sometimes such a luxury. But it's not entirely nothing. If you wish to tear yourself away from the water, though I wouldn’t understand why, there are yoga lessons, hiking, cycling etc to keep you stimulated. Yoga lessons aren't available all year long, which turned out to be a bummer. Besides that, there's scuba diving at beach No.3, which gives just an unforgettable view of the marine life there. The reef and corals at Havelock are considered to be one of the world's most mesmerizing. I haven't globe-trotted enough to say that for a fact. But a group of Australians there told us that and I have absolutely no reason to doubt their words. Fishing is another way to unwind just like my favourite activity - lounging by the beach with a yellow umbrella in a tall fruity drink. You can even try kayaking and sailing to nearby islands. We missed out on that due to unfavourable weather. Well, that and the lack of sailing skills. Just talking about the place is making me questing why I ever came back.

And yet, I'm a concerned in sharing the experience. Because before you know it, it'll be flooded with tourists and lose its charm of being one of the world's last undeveloped islands. I truly hope not. I plan to go there again in spring. When yoga lessons can be arranged.