Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

There are some books which are light and heavy and the same time; the grammar is simple and words and the sentences are easy to read but the thoughts are prolix and pertinent. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is one such book. Rating this book would be a sin, and i would instead recommend it to all; especially to those who are confused - confused about spiritualism. And even if you do not believe in spiritualism, read this book, for it explains some of the most beautiful things which are fundamental to many relationships in our life.

This book tries to reflect on certain facets of life and spiritualism, without directly providing solutions to them, it does not sound very pedantic or didactic at the same time; and hence is one of the MUST reads. The story is NOT about BUDDHA; dont be mistaken by the title. The plot is that of a young boy who tries to discover himself and things around him and in the due course, like a snake shedding its skin, keeps transforming and experiencing different phases in his life.

Born in a brahman family, he leaves his parents searching for the 'TRUTH' in his life:

A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. Dead to himself, not to be a self any more, to find tranquility with an emptied heard, to be open to miracles in unselfish thoughts, that was his goal. Once all of my self was overcome and had died, once every desire and every urge was silent in the heart, then the ultimate part of me had to awake, the innermost of my being, which is no longer my self, the great secret.

His pal Govinda joins him in his journey and they leave together. He spends his adolescence with the samanas in the forests. The curious and restless mind of Siddhartha questions everything and they also question the life of the samanas and their path towards achieving the TRUTH.

He has lived for sixty years and has not reached the nirvana. He'll turn seventy and eighty, and you and me, we will grow just as old and will do our exercises, and will fast, and will meditate. But we will not reach the nirvana, he won't and we won't. Oh Govinda, I believe out of all the Samanas out there, perhaps not a single one, not a single one, will reach the nirvana. We find comfort, we find numbness, we learn feats, to deceive others. But the most important thing, the path of paths, we will not find.

Siddharta meets Gotama(Buddha) during his journey and questions him on his teachings with utmost respect:

but the uniformity of the world, that everything which happens is connected, that the great and the small things are all encompassed by the same forces of time, by the same law of causes, of coming into being and of dying, this is what shines brightly out of your exalted teachings, oh perfected one. But according to your very own teachings, this unity and necessary sequence of all things is nevertheless broken in one place, through a small gap, this world of unity is invaded by something alien, something new, something which had not been there before, and which cannot be demonstrated and cannot be proven: these are your teachings of overcoming the world, of salvation. But with this small gap, with this small breach, the entire eternal and uniform law of the world is breaking apart again and becomes void. Please forgive me for expressing this objection.

Gotama does reply to him as a true teacher and informs him of true intentions of his teachings and their goal.

But be warned, oh seeker of knowledge, of the thicket of opinions and of arguing about words. There is nothing to opinions, they may be beautiful or ugly, smart or foolish, everyone can support them or discard them. But the teachings, you've heard from me, are no opinion, and their goal is not to explain the world to those who seek knowledge. They have a different goal; their goal is salvation from suffering. This is what Gotama teaches, nothing else.

Siddhartha and Govinda part ways ; Govida decides to stay with Gotama whereas Siddhartha proceeds to discover more. Here comes the crucial phase in Siddhartha's life wherein he meets Kamala, a courtesan in a city with whom he spends a few years in the riches and also has a son.  Siddhartha leaves Kamala again and spends the rest of the years with the ferryman in the river. The ferryman is the second most important character in this story, who teaches many aspects to Siddhartha by adopting the River as the source of inspiration; the river manifesting itself as a teacher and guide from time to time. 

The Last chapter of the book, aptly titled Govida, who is the protaganist's pal, is probably the crescendo of the entire performance. Siddharta meets his pal and the dialogue is very intense sprouting different thought processes in the reader's mind. Every paragraph in this chapter is a box of gems; and i would like to quote a few of them here.

"When someone is searching," said Siddhartha, "then it might easily happen that the only thing his eyes still see is that what he searches for, that he is unable to find anything, to let anything enter his mind, because he always thinks of nothing but the object of his search, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed by the goal. Searching means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal. You, oh venerable one, are perhaps indeed a searcher, because, striving for your goal, there are many things you don't see, which are directly in front of your eyes."

Siddharta goes onto explain about the 'Truth' in the life to Govinda:

he opposite of every truth is just as true! That's like this: any truth can only be expressed and put into words when it is one-sided. Everything is one-sided which can be thought with thoughts and said with words, it's all one-sided, all just one half, all lacks completeness, roundness, oneness.

When the exalted Gotama spoke in his teachings of the world, he had to divide it into Sansara and Nirvana, into deception and truth, into suffering and salvation. It cannot be done differently, there is no other way for him who wants to teach. But the world itself, what exists around us and inside of us, is never one-sided. A person or an act is never entirely Sansara or entirely Nirvana, a person is never entirely holy or entirely sinful. It does really seem like this, because we are subject to deception, as if time was something real.

And here comes the 'Anbe Sivam'(Love is God) moment, wherein Siddhartha hints at Buddha(God) in each one of us:

The world, my friend Govinda, is not imperfect, or on a slow path towards perfection: no, it is perfect in every moment, all sin already carries the divine forgiveness in itself, all small children already have the old person in themselves, all infants already have death, all dying people the eternal life. It is not possible for any person to see how far another one has already progressed on his path; in the robber and dice-gambler, the Buddha is waiting; in the Brahman, the robber is waiting. In deep meditation, there is the possibility to put time out of existence, to see all life which was, is, and will be as if it was simultaneous, and there everything is good, everything is perfect, everything is Brahman.

I have always believed in symbolism and Siddhartha uses the same instrument to teach Govinda on the essence of the different spiritual paths and goals.

I did it without any specific intention. Or perhaps what I meant was, that love this very stone, and the river, and all these things we are looking at and from which we can learn. I can love a stone, Govinda, and also a tree or a piece of bark. This are things, and things can be loved. But I cannot love words. Therefore, teachings are no good for me, they have no hardness, no softness, no colours, no edges, no smell, no taste, they have nothing but words. Perhaps it are these which keep you from finding peace, perhaps it are the many words. Because salvation and virtue as well, Sansara and Nirvana as well, are mere words, Govinda. There is no thing which would be Nirvana; there is just the word Nirvana.

Quoth Govinda: "Not just a word, my friend, is Nirvana. It is a thought."

Siddhartha continued: "A thought, it might be so. I must confess to you, my dear: I don't differentiate much between thoughts and words. To be honest, I also have no high opinion of thoughts. I have a better opinion of things.

To thoroughly understand the world, to explain it, to despise it, may be the thing great thinkers do. But I'm only interested in being able to love the world, not to despise it, not to hate it and me, to be able to look upon it and me and all beings with love and admiration and great respect.

Do read this amazing book and let me know of your comments. The book is also available in Gutenberg.

Reading List for the next year (or two)

I would ideally like to read all of these books in the next one year or two, in no specific order; there are more to the list, but i would be happy if I am able to finish these first :)

1. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - Edwin A. Abbott
2. Tertium Organum - P. D. Ouspensky
3. Sidhartha - Herman Hesse
4. I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou
5. The Color Purple  - Alice Walker
6. Illusions - Richard Bach
7. The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
8. The Republic - Plato
9. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
10. Blood Brothers - M.J.Akbar
11. Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
12. Full Moon - PG Woodhouse
13. Barbarians at the Gate -  Bryan Burrough and John Helyar 
14. How the Mind Works    - Steven Pinker
15. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain - Oliver Sacks
16. The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery - D.T. Max
17. Man and His Symbols - Carl Gustav Jung
18. The Diaries of Franz Kafka
19. Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia - John Dickie
20. Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld - David E. Kaplan, Alec Dubro

(I have the ones in bold, and need to buy the rest! And yes, i do accept gifts :) )

Kumaon Chronicles

Prelude or How it all Started

I was looking for possible options wherein one could relax, eat some good food and also have a cheap vacation by hitchiking; of all the options that i had and given the month of March(wherein Leh would be closed), i preferred to either hit the beaches or the mountains. We had a great vacation in the Andamans a few months earlier and preferred this time to visit the mountains. Now it was - either the western ghats or the Himalayas; and without any doubt the option swung towards Himalayas. We first booked the flight tickets to Delhi from Bangalore and then decided to research on the possible options. Shimla/Manali, Sikkim, Kumaon and Garhwal were possible options - I preferred to go to Kumaon or Garhwal; and then cornered in on Kumaon as I had been to Garhwal earlier.

The region was now decided, and then started the aspect of researching the TODOs and the MUST-SEEs in this region. We had a pretty good idea of the entire region by our research and decided on a rough itinerary spanning 7-9 days. During our research, we tried to find out travelogues done in public transport and shared-taxis, but got no results; also my posts in IndiaMike did not gather sufficient response on the same subject. Most of the travelogues were by those who had hired a cab on a rental basis of 1300-1500 INR per day and went around the region. This would suit and be economical if you are going in a group of 4-6, but not for a couple who were on a budget trip. Now I decided that we SHOULD necessarily try to roam most of the regions in buses/shared-taxis and then use a private cab only as a last resort.

Our trip was beautiful and we had a great time in the mountains. A couple of days were long, and spent on the road, but otherwise the tranquility and serenity of the entire region was something that would be etched in our memories for a long time.

I have tried to make this travelogue as detailed as possible, and have captured most of the points. Do leave a comment if you need any further assistance in planning your travel. To reiterate, we had a great time going around in buses and shared-taxies, and am sure that if you plan your vacation well, then you can have an even greater experience in the mountains.

Read on...

Day-1, Saturday, 2-Apr-2011  - And we Start
Left home at 9:30 am to reach the airport by around 11:40am and then boarded the flight at 1:45pm to arrive in Delhi at 4pm. The pilots were kind enough to announce the scores at regular intervals, and the passengers were equally enthusiastic in cheering when a wicket had fallen. During taxiing, i came to know that Dhoni had dropped Ashwin for Sreesanth (dooom!).

Airstrip @ Bangalore

Caught the Volvo which is available just outside Terminal-1 to Connaught Place; but the conductor forgot to stop the bus at CP and we ended up at New Delhi Railway Station, which was a blessing. Being a holiday and also a day when whole of India was glued to the TV and radio sets for watching/hearing the match, most of CP was closed. We went to Paharganj and roamed around for sometime and had tasty alu-chat and sandwiches and washed them down with thick lassi and sugarcane juice(each of them costs just 10-15 INR). Many shops were closed due to the cricket match, and those that were open, were listening to the commentary. There was a HUGE cheer with the entire street erupting whenever India got a wicket. I loved it! We then spent sometime in the Ramakrishna Ashram, immersing ourselves in the calmness. The Ashram has a beautiful garden with different varieties of flowers.

Caught a metro then to Chandni Chowk, roamed outside the Old Delhi Railway station for sometime and had our dinner in one of the eat-outs. The places to eat outside the railway station are not very neat, and hence do not indulge if you are very keen on hygiene and cleanliness.

Spent the next few hours in platform listening to the commentary; India's position looked very bleak and I had given up the hope of winning. The train arrived on the platform, and the match was getting even more crucial. People were using their mobile phones as modems and streaming the matches in the laptops whereas some had the radio commentary on phones in the loudspeaker mode. Dhoni hitting the winning six caused a big roar and all the teens in the train formed a mini-train and started cheering and shouting. It was a high-adrenaline environment. The Old Delhi skyline saw some fireworks. We retired for the day soon.

Day-2, Sunday, 3-Apr-2011  - We have arrived!

We reached Haldwani around 4:40am.  The bus stand at Haldwani is just half a kilometer(or less) from the railway station. We started the first leg of our journey with a hot cup of tea and then boarding a bus at 5:30am. Haldwani to Kausani ride lasts around 6-7hours, going via Ranikhet and Someshwar. You get to see beautiful landscapes all throughout the journey; but dont expect to see any snowcapped mountains - that happens only after you reach Kausani!

Enroute we stopped at some village for tea and breakfast. We had some tea and bread pakoda; I saw many buying sweet packets; and on speaking to them , i found out that it is called as 'bal mithai' made out of mawa(a kind of flour). One of the most important things in travel is sampling the local cuisine, and one should not miss it especially when it comes to sweets(La Dolce Vita). I bought a few of it. There are two variants of this sweet - one with the small sugar balls on top of the raw chocolate looking bars, and one without the sugar balls. I liked both of them!

Inside the Bus, enroute Kausani

We reached Kausani around 12.30pm and checked into our room at Uttarakhand Hotel. Had to bargain the rates from 700 INR to 350INR per night. The room was in the first floor and had direct views of the Himalayas without any obstructions. The room was clean and had a TV and hot water in the morning (7-10am). I was pretty happy to get a good hotel at such a rate (good omen!). We dumped our luggage and had lunch at the Garden restaurant which is just opposite to the hotel; though the food was good, it was over priced and was oily. We rested for sometime and then walked to the Anasakthi Ashram which is just a kilometer away.

The Mad Hatter, View of Kausani

It was one of the most beautiful evenings that i would cherish for a long time. The first evening in the mountains after a really long time and the chill winds was a refresher; like a fresh lime-mint on a sunny day. We roamed around the Ashram for sometime and then a hot cup of tea was perfect for the cold evening. I did not carry a sweater along, but the chillness in the air was wonderful, giving the occasional goosebumps. At 7pm, we congregated for the evening bhajans. I had expected a usual set of old people who would sing some old patriotic and devotional songs; but things were different(and thats the fun of travel - you get to enjoy what you never had expected). We started off with around half a dozen people of all ages, but soon the entire perimeter of the prayer room was full. We had people from Rajasthan, Delhi, Saurashtra, Tamilnadu(us) and Bengal. we sang some patriotic and devotional songs, but the diversity was wonderful. The Bangla family that had participated was wonderful, and i heard the 'Dhano Dhanye Pushpe Bhara' song after almost a decade! The Rajasthani family sang some nice folk songs, which i did not know earlier, but the tone and the melody in it gave me the goosebumps. We ended with the National Anthem being sung by everyone, and i did not feel like stepping out of the prayer room.

The way back to our hotel room was dark, but the thoughts of the songs and the 'unity in diversity' thoughts gave us the company all throughout. It was then that we stumbled on Aradhana restaurant near the Junction(which ended being our abode of good food for the our remaining stay at Kausani)

Day-3, Monday, 4-Apr-2011  - Kausani

Not many days does one get up early in the morning and gets to see the stunning views of the mountains and birds chirping all around. Morning was cool and the mountains looked pale blue; but as the sun rose, so did the magnificence of the Himalayas; the morning rays striking the peak of the Trishul was like the increasing resplendence of the God's ornate face when the 'arati' is done and the chirping of the birds was like the priests reciting the mantras to wake up the God within all of us. The grandiloquence of the entire view and the accompanied aura was something that cannot be compared with anything else. The mynahs and the other birds chirped continuously; the beautiful sounds only to be broken by the occasional tractor which passes by. Sipping a hot cup of tea and watched the Sun's rays continuing to strike one peak after the other; Trishul on the left and the Panchuchuli on the right; and slowly the entire range was shimmering in golden orange.

The morning dance was shortlived , spanning only for an hour or so, and by around 7pm, fog had set in, only to see the outline of the himalayas. Nevertheless, the beauty was to be cherished forever and the magnificence was everlasting.

View in the morning from Kausani

After hot aloo parthas at Aradhana Restaurant we caught a bus to the tea factory which was just a 10minute ride away, and then returned in an hour or so. There is nothing great about the Tea Factory - probably, it was due to the fact that none of the operations were underway when we went; it should probably be a nice experience to see the tea leaves go through all the stages of 'development' finally to end up as a simmering hot cup of tea ;)
Sun was bright thoughout the day, but it wasnt very hot. Evening was the time to stroll around and enjoy the landscapes and immerse oneself into the beauty that transcends everything else.

Day-4, Tueday, 5-Apr-2011  - From one Heaven to the other : Kausani-Baijnath-Chaukori

We stayed to witness one more beautiful morning of mind numbing sunrise and the snow-capped peaks. And then, we started from Kausani post breakfast at the Aradhana restaurant at around 9am. Got a bus to Baijnath.Almost all buses which go via Kausani, go to Baijnath.

Baijnath(also called Vaidyanath) is a small cluster of temples by the Gomti river. It lies between Kausani and Bageshshwar in what is called as the Katyuri valley - it was once called as Kartikyapura as it was ruled by the Katyuri dynasty during the 12-13th centuries. There are idols of different gods and goddesses, but the main temple houses Goddess Parvati in a beautiful carved black stone. It is believed that Lord shiva and Goddess Parvati were married here. The temple architecture is  characteristic of the Katyuris i believe, as the one at Jageshwar is also similar. The idol of Parvati looked very similar to the design of the idols at Belur and Halebidu(not sure how the Hoysalas and Katyuris knowledge-shared!) The Gomti river was pretty dry when we visited, but i hear that it gets filled up during monsoons. The small lake formed from the river houses loads of fishes - some as big as 3-4 feet!

The Mad Hatter @ Baijnath

We then caught another bus to Bageshwar and then after the lunch there proceeded to Chaukori.  we had to get down at Kotmanya to proceed to Chaukori; got a shared-taxi and after a 15minute ride we were in front of the KMVN at Chaukori. KMVN rates were high(700-800 INR) and then we got a decent deal at Hardik resort for 300 INR a room. There was no one except for us in this resort! The resort's assistants were nice and helpful. We then went for a long walk around the neighbouring hillocks and exploring the rundown structures at the hill-tops. Evening set in fast and the assistants at Hardik got us some hot rotis and dal.

KMVN cottages in Chaukori

View of the Himalayas from Chaukori

Day-5, Wednesday, 6-Apr-2011  - How we got stranded and ended up having a great time : Chaukori-Berinag-Guptadi-Patal Bhubhneswar-Guptadi-Raigarh-Ganai-Rampur.

Have you felt a bucket of hot boiling water getting cold in matter of seconds - well thats what happens in Chaukori! Preferred to have the breakfast at KMVN; the views from KMVN were great, though by the time we finished , around 9:30am, sun was bright and the panchuchuli range was again covered with fog.

Chaukori is a nice little place where there are hardly any people or shops. There are a handful of hotels and some amazing neat views. Chaukori is the perfect place where you just want to laze around or probably read a book. You get to hear *only* the chirping of the birds. We finally bid adieu to this beautiful nice place in hopes of revisiting it again sometime in the future.

We caught a shared-taxi to the neighbouring town of Berinag and then caught another one till Guptadi. Guptadi is a small junction from where roads branches off to Raigarh and Gangolihat. Patal Bhubhaneshwar is around 6km from Guptadi. We were again lucky to get a connecting shared-taxi to Patal. 

Patal Bhubhneswar -  This awesome cave is believed to be as old as the Earth itself. It has been mentioned in detail in 103 chapter of manaskhand of "Skanda Purana". The first human who entered this cave was King Rituparna of Surya Dynasty during the tretayuga. It is said that during his visit he had encountered several devils and 'adisesha' himself acted as his guide. In Duapar yuga, this cave is rediscoverd by Pandavas. In Kaliyuga, Adishankaracharya consecrated this cave and since 1191, the priests have been performing rituals here and people have been visiting here both for worship and for wonder. For worship in this cave priest(Bhandari family) came from Kasht(Bhandaris) are appointed by Chand Dynasty King. At present 18th generation of Bhandari Priests are doing all the religious  ceremonies along with Rawals, Gurs, Dsaunis, Duapas and Bhuls.

We rested for sometime outside the caves and then after a mediocre lunch in one of the hotels there, proceeded onto Guptadi. While we were waiting for the connecting taxi to Jageshwar from here, someone (who happened to be a Youth Congress Secretary) gave us a lift till Raigarh. It was already 2pm and then we caught a connecting cab till Ganai. The driver told us that we would easily get cabs from Ganai to Jageshwar or Bade China from where we could continue, but hardly did we know that he tricked us. On reaching Ganai, we were told that no transportation was available post 3pm to anywhere on the route to Bade China. we waited till 5pm and got no shared taxis. One of the guys who was travelling with us and was waiting for the connecting bus/taxi was the son-in-law of a farmer(Mr.Singh) in the village of Rampur which was just a 10minute ride from Ganai; he invited us to stay with them if were not to get the transportation. After some careful deliberations, we accepted his offer and then reached Rampur in a cab which was to go till Sheraghat.

Wheat fields of Rampur

His house was a nice two-storeyed one by the road. We gave us a small room on the first floor, which was neat, albeit filled with flies. We got some great views of the mountains and the green wheat fields. I could see and hear a stream at a distance and was told that it was the Sarayu river. The farmer's daughter offered us some tea and then we went for a walk along the wheat fields and rested near the banks of the Sarayu river for sometime. Prayer was being offered in the small village temple which was built by the bank. There were a few ladies who were plucking some dried plants and also a few who were breaking stones along the river bank. It was a beautiful tranquil evening and the sun was slowly setting down. Happened to see that mustard was being grown along with wheat - guess this was due to the beneficial aspects that each plant casted on another. By the time we came back to the house, it was dark. Rested for sometime and when we heard the knock on the door, we realized that it was 8pm!

The family offered us dinner - ghee coated phulkas, egg gravy and amazing alu-mutter along with the thickest curd serving. The curd was made out of buffalo milk and the purity was beyond comparison; we had to literally slice the curd. Mr.Singh told us that they dont ferment milk to get curd, but instead they keep it in some vessel which automatically converts the milk into curd.

Onion seeds

Day-6, Thursday, 7-Apr-2011 - Another long day on the road : Rampur-Bade China - Pithorgarh road-Jageshwar-Pithorgarh rd-Panunwala-Almora-Bhowali-Nainital
 
Early morning view of the mountains from the terrace was a treat and i could hear the Sarayu river clearly, along with the birds. Quickly packed our bags and the daughter of Mr.Singh brought us fresh buffalo's milk and some dosa(this was like dosa, but made in the local way - was made of rice flour) and potato-peas curry(from last night). As we were quiet heavy from last night's dinner we did not have it(i had a piece of the dosa) and then conveyed our gratitude and then moved on.

Got a bus from there to Bade China. I had to sit in the front seat and the 2 hour ride was pretty rickety and a little dusty. I had a small gas cyclinder right next to me, and the thoughts of it bursting right under my foot sometimes gave me the chill in the spine. Nevertheless, it all went fine and the bus driver made us alight just before Bade China, near a junction which forks to Pithorgarh. We were told that we can get buses/taxi from here to Jageshwar and dont have to go all the way down to Bade China for this - and hence saved another 8km ride, i.e, 15-20minutes of travel. After a quick hot masala tea, we got a bus to Pithorgarh road which would drop us 2km away from Jageshwar. One of the locals informed us that it was pretty difficult to get the connecting bus/taxi from Pithogarh Road to Jageshwar , and we might be lucky if we get one. Luckily, we got a lift in one of the cars which was run by a hotel there and got down in front of the temples after a 10min ride which goes through dense pine/deodar forests.

Jageshwar temple (Jyothirlingam)

Jageshwar is considered to be one of the 12 Jyothirlingams in India. 'Jagesham Daruka Vane' is the line from one of the slokas that lists the 12 jyothirlingams. The cluster of temples was consecrated by Adi Shankaracharya and houses few gods and goddesses. There is an eternal flame(diya) which has been burning for centuries inside the sanctum-sanctorum of the main Shiva linga. The temple campus was pretty small for its importance as a Jyothirlingam site; the crowd was also very less(handful of them!) and after a quick darshan and lunch at one of the hotels by the road we departed from here.

We again got a shared-taxi from Jageshwar, got down at Pithorgarh Road and then went onto Panunwala for the connecting ride to Almora. At Almora, we had to haggle with a few taxi drivers for the ride to Nainital and finally settled at 85 INR per head to Nainital. The driver was extremely nice and inspite of the dusty and really bad roads, we managed to reach Bhowali at 4:30pm and then got a bus to Nainital and reach Tallital by 5pm.

After a nice alu-chat(cannot be beaten by the one at Paharganj) and tea at one of the eat-outs in Tallital, we walked all the way from Tallital to Mallital, the walk being broken with the usual hotel checks et al. Light drizzles and strong winds welcomed us in Nainital. It was beautiful to see tides formed in the lake and the drizzles, which lasted for a few minutes; it was a welcome shower. Finally, checked into a room at Kohli Hotel. (Tallital and Mallital are the two ends of the mainlake at Nainital. Tallital is the end closer to the bus stand, whereas Mallital is on the other end; Malli is closer to the Market. You get cycle-rickshaws from either ends to the other for 8 INR). After giving some breather to the legs, we came out for a walk along The Mall road, indulging into another bout of street food and window shopping, and finally retiring after having dinner at Macchan Restaurant.

Street Food @ Nainital

The view of the lake and the entire city from the balcony of the Kohli was nice. The Bada Market and the hanging electricity cables gave way to the lake and at the distant end one could see the lights of the shops and houses at distant Tallital twinkling.

Day-7, Friday, 8-Apr-2011  - Zoo, Boating and Roaming in Nainital

Had a sound sleep only to get up at around 8:30am; and after the breakfast we walked towards the Nainital Zoo. The road next to Alkas leads to the Zoo. Its a nice walk upto the zoo; though you have to be in good shape to make the ascent. Prefer to go via the road than taking the steps if you are walking, its always advisable to use the ramp for ascent than the stairs. I was visiting the zoo after almost 3 years and i was as excited as a kid visiting a candy store after a long time. After watching the pheasants, it was the tiger in the cage - it was highly unkempt and there were loads of flies in the cage. It was disappointing. We roamed around from cage to cage watching the different species of birds and canids, leopards and the deers.

Peocock dance @ Nainital Zoo

Thats not a sponge ball! @ Nainital Zoo

Blackberries @ Nainital

After having finished most of the cages, we walked down via the stairs and then proceeded on for lunch. Post lunch, we walked and lazed near Mallital and then tried our legs at pedalling the boat. The boat ride costs 100 INR for an hour; you can also opt for an oared-boat in which case i think you have to pay some more to the oarsman. We preferred pedalling. It was a beautiful, clear afternoon and the occasional cool winds were refreshing. We roamed around the market area and bought some candles as memorabilia. After having some light street food, we preferred to go back to the room to give the legs some rest. We retired pretty early after having dinner at Embassy.

Nainital Lake

Day-8, Saturday, 9-Apr-2011 - Sight seeing in Nainital and Departure.
The Kohli guys did not appreciate a late checkout(not even by an hour!); and we preferred to checkout by 10am after a quick breakfast, as I did not feel comfortable leaving my luggage with these guys. We then hired a cab for the local sight seeing tour, which would last around 2.5 hours and would cost 400 INR. This also helped us in killing some time and also keeping the backpack with us. I did not have any great expectation from this sight-seeing thingy, but the tour happened to be a good one with some really great views. The 2.5 hours just whisked by. The driver(Hitesh:9758163407) was nice and he did not make us hurry at any of the places.

Cave Garden

We started off from the Cave Gardens,and then onto Khurpatal and then some intermediate view points(like Lover's and suicide), Himalaya darshan and then Mango Point.

Khurpatal is a small turquoise green lake and has a village next to it, the whole of Nainital gets its vegetables from this village. It was a beautiful view.

Khrupatal

Mangopoint, View of Nainital (shaped like a Mango)

Try out the shooting which is offered at some places - for 20 INR you get to shoot 10 steel pellets at bottles which are places a few meters away, and is fun(i hit only one out of 5-6 shots!!). The trick is : you have to concentrate on the 'v' shaped mark and then align it with the cursor on the barrel ; and then pull the trigger. The feeling when the pellet hits the bottle is nice, as holding the gun tight without even moving it by a millimeter is quite an achievement.

Bid adieu to the driver and then walked along the Mall Road with stops along the benches by the road and then had lunch at Alka's. This was the celebratory lunch for a successful trip; and then we lazed near the lake for an hour or so, tallying the expenses. I was surprised to find that we were far far below the budget and it called for some more celebration(which we eventually had at Delhi!!). Caught the bus to Kathgodam from Tallital and reached Kathgodam railway station in an hour and 40minutes.

I was surprised to find that the Kathgodam railway station was s00per clean. There were no litters and the station did not smell bad(though there were lot of flies!). The floor was clean and shiny too. We strolled around the station for sometime. The next 3.5 hours were to be spent in the station till we caught our train at 8:40pm. The train was also clean and all the seats were neat. I went and thanked the Station Master for all the efforts in keeping the railway station clean and tidy. I wish all the stations in India are maintained like this - calls for good station masters and also responsible citizens who dont litter the place.

A clean kathgodam railway station

Certificate of cleanness and maintainance to Kathgodam

Day-9, Sunday, 10-Apr-2011 : Dilli Meri Jaan!

We reached the Old Delhi Railway Station at 4am and then moved into the waiting room for the next 4 hours, to get some more sleep and then freshen up to carry on towards Paharganj(yes, again!). Spent about an hour in the Ramakrishna Ashram and then roamed around the market, drinking lassi and sugarcane juice, interspersed with shopping sprees :) . Had lunch at Malhotra Hotel(not good, dont go!) and then caught the metro to New Delhi station and then caught the Airport Express to Terminal-3.

Delhi Metro - Airport Express

The train looks spartan clean and the was an unique experience. This was one of the cleanest and neatest trains i had ever been on. The train runs s00per smooth and was fast; and the entire journey was done in 16minutes (otherwise takes more than an hour in an Auto-rick or Bus)! Costs 80INR per head. Highly Recommended! The Metro train goes to Terminal-3 and then if you want to go to Terminal-1, then you have to catch the Volvo bus or take a cab. The shuttle service from Terminal-3 to Terminal-1 is ONLY available if you had taken a flight arriving at Terminal-3.

Boarded the flight back home and hence it all came to an end!

Bangalore City (think thats Hebbal Flyover)

Expenses (all expenses mentioned are for two people) :
  Total                                     : 21000

  Commute----------------------------------------------
    Bangalore - Delhi - Bangalore(Plane)              :11,800
    Delhi - Kathgodam - Delhi(Train)                  : 604
    Haldwani - Kausani(Bus)                           : 270
    Kausani - Tea Factory(bus)                        :  10
    Tea Factory - Kausani(cab)                        :  15
    Kausani - Baijnath                                :  30
    Baijnath - Bageshwar(Bus)                         :  40
    Bageshwar - Chaukori(Bus)                         :  90
    Chaukori - Berinag(Shared-taxi)                   :  30
    Berinag - Guptadi(Shared-taxi)                    :  60
    Guptadi - Patal(Shared-taxi)                      :  40
    Patal - Guptadi(Shared-taxi)                      :  40
    Guptadi - Raigarh(lift)                           :   0
    Raigarh - Ganai(Shared-taxi)                      :  60
    Ganai - Rampur((Shared-taxi)                      :  30
    Rampur - Bade China(Bus)                          :  70
    Bade China - Pithogarh Road(Bus)                  :  30
    Pithogard Road - Jageshwar(Shared-taxi)           :  20
    Jageshwar - Pithogard Road(Shared-taxi)           :  20
    Pithogard Road - Panunwala(Shared-taxi)           :  10
    Panunwala - Almora(Shared-taxi)                   :  70
    Almora - Bhowali(Shared-taxi)                     : 170
    Bhowali - Nainital(Bus)                           :  20
    Nainital sight seeing (Private cab):400           : 400
    Nanital - Kathgodam(Bus)                          :  68
   
  Accomodation----------------------------------------- 2000
    Kausani(Uttarakhand)                              : 2 x 350 =  700
    Chaukori(Hardik)                                  : 1 x 300 =  300
    Nainital(Kohli Hotel)                             : 2 x 500 = 1000

  Remaining in Food and Sundries

Some Useful Tips and Notes:

1. Prefer to get down at Haldwani than Kathgodam as Haldwani is the transport hub of the entire region. You get taxis and buses from Haldwani to almost every place in this region.

2. The buses halt at Someshwar for almost an hour for the driver to have his lunch; this would be a good time to visit the Shiva Temple - this is considered to be one of the Jyothirlingams. We missed this, as i completely forgot about it.

3. If you are in Kausani and dont visit Anasakthi Ashram and do not participate in the evening bhajan, then you are missing a LOT :)

4. Visit to Tea Factory can be done if you want to kill time; otherwise i did not see anything 'great'.

5. Prefer staying at Uttarakhand or any other hotel near the Kausani junction than KMVN; these are much cheaper and have more options for food. Prefer KMVn, when you have your own transport options and can afford the price of KMVN. KMVN is good, but comes with its own set of trade-offs.

6. We found the food at Aradhana Restaurant to be much much better than the others; this is a small and clean restaurant run by a family(husband/wife and 2 children) and serves good hot food at very reasonable rates. The owner is extremely nice. We ate most of the time here, as he served us food with our requirements(like non-oily).

7. Feed the fish in the Baijnath temple, it just costs 2INR for a packet and helps the local economy in a very small way; and also its a nice view to see the fishes fight to get the pulses(chana) thrown.

8. Hardik does not have the views of the snow-capped peaks but it is a nice calm place which is much cheaper than KMVN; prefer to stay at Hardik and then have breakfast and dinner at KMVN.

9. Visit to Patal Bhubhaneshwar is a MUST if you are vising this region. I can repeat this a zillion times.

10. Before you enter the caves at Patal, order for food(lunch) in KMVN and then proceed, doing this helps, as lunch would be ready by the time you return.

11. Start from Chaukori early, around 7-8am to finish Patal Bhubaneshwar early and then to reach Jageshwar by evening. Or else, halt at Patal or Raigarh for the evening to start the next leg of the journey the next day in the morning.

12. Visit to Jageshwar can be done if you are religious; otherwise the temple cluster looks very much like Baijnath and can be skipped.(Though i believe in the powers of a Jyothirlingam)

13. Kohli hotel was recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide in the budget section and we preferred this to others. But when we went into the room, we were totally unhappy, the room was unkempt and dusty and the paint had come off at many places. The toilet/bathroom was not at all clean. Also, the manager of the hotel and his assistant were quiet curt in replies(not at all freindly) (though the guidebook says that the Mr.Shah is one of the reasons to stay!). Since we were tired, we preferred to stick to this for now and then look for something the next day. But little did we know that we would end up staying both the days during our stay in Nainital in here.

14. Boating in the main Nainital lake is highly recommended.

15. Prefer buying candles from the guy who sits last in the market - in the lane after the Naina Devi temple; he does not have a 'shop' as such and sells stuff on a table; he does not negotiate the price but sells stuff at the cheapest rates of all. Good deal.

16. Visit to Kathgodam Railway station and travel by Delhi Metro-Airport Express are HIGHLY recommended; and dont miss the street food and buying trinkets and other hippie-stuff from Paharganj.


Videos: You can watch some of the videos taken during this trip in here : http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0104A98CAD2B44ED ( will be adding more in here).


Highlights of the trip:
1. Stunning early morning views of the Himalayas.
2. Stay with a farmer family in a village near the banks of Sarayu river.
3. Delhi Metro - Airport Express
4. Anasakti Ashram - bhajans and the aura.
5. A Clean Kathgodam station
6. Walking with a Leopard

Ten days in Egypt

Prelude:
Again, am penning down this travel note after almost a year. There was so much to do in Egypt and so many experiences cherished : i always used to start writing something, then get digressed and then totally forget(not to mention the workload!). But, this is a sincere attempt in capturing some aspects of our travel to Egypt in Feb last year(when it was calm and peaceful with a amazingly beautiful weather).

After thinking a lot about possible destinations for our honeymoon, I zeroed in on Egypt - it had the right mix of Adventure, History and Food; and more than all this , it has a 'civilization' - i love countries like India, Egypt, South Americas which have a 'civilization' - there is so much to learn and experience in such nations.

Then started the decision process of whether we can do this on our own or have to necessarily go via a travel agent. After having researched for sometime, it was decided that a travel agent would be better, as the language was a barrier and we wanted to take it easy(read 'luxury holiday'). And hence after getting quotes from a few travel agents, finally decided on 'The Freelancers'. Unlike my other travels, this one had all hotels, buses, flights, cruises, taxis...almost everything booked in advance! :)

We started from Chennai in the evening and then went to Mumbai(stayed overnight in the airport) to catch the early morning flight to Cairo via EgyptAir.

DAY 1 Monday, February 08, 2010
Reached the Cairo airport at around 12pm and then we were transferred to Hotel Longchamps, a 3 Stars hotel, a  Standard room with  Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Egypt. The room ,though not large,  was clean and neat. Overnight in Cairo

DAY 2 Tuesday, February 09, 2010
A private sightseeing tour of Pyramids of Giza and Sakkara, the Sphinx and Memphis starting at 8am. We checked out of our room before we left for this sightseeing tour, as we had to leave for Luxor by evening and did not want to pay for the room for the day.

Spinx and the Three Pyramids

Sphinx

Not the 'original sphinx' :)

Ramses

In the evening  we boarded the Sleeping Train to Luxor. The train was to arrive at 7pm and was late by 30mins. Nevertheless, the compartment was clean and we were given a 2 berth private cabin with an attached toilet.

DAY 3 Wednesday, February 10, 2010
We reached Luxor around 6-7am in the morning and were then transfered to the Jetty to board the Nile Cruise. The Cruise is the place to get pampared; you almost get to do nothing. Just sit, eat, relax and travel, and Eating is one of the MOST important things. Our stay was to be in the cruise for the next 3 days(and I am sure that i would have gained atleast 5 kgs during this period).

The Cruise operates sight seeing tours, and they let you know of the plan when you board and also daily in the morning once and in the evening, if you have to wake up early. 

DAY 4 Thursday, February 11, 2010
ON the cruise, eating, relaxing and the sight seeing tours.

Cruises waiting on the Nile River

DAY 5 Friday, February 12, 2010
Again a day, when the cruise guide takes your around.

Hatshepsut

At Karnak Temple

made of alabastar

Saturday, DAY 6 February 13, 2010
Today was the last day in the cruise and we were to disembark at Aswan.

We started from Aswan at around 11am in our private car and reached Hurghada around 7pm in the night. The ride was wonderful and we survived a small accident, which would have been deadly if not for the promptness of the driver in applying the breaks. Not gory, but yea, definitely a chill in the spine for a new minutes.

In India, you would see cattles being loaded into trucks and other smaller vehicles, in Egypt, its the Ship of the Desert...everywhere!

A common sight - enroute Hurghada

We checked into our beautiful room at Hilton Hurghada Resort with a  Sea view. The room was spartan clean and the resort looked just amazing.

DAY 7 Sunday, February 14, 2010
Morning was the time to explore the ocean and the bluness of the sea was just too darn beautiful. The perfect sun coupled with the crystal clear skyblue ocean was a treat to watch. Did Kayaking for almost an hour and the post-lunch session was for a snorkeling session in the deep blue waters of the Red Sea.

Red Sea

The breakfast at the Hilton is one of the best i have ever had till date. The spread is amazing, and with a really heavy and late breakfast, you can almost skip your lunch and directly go on for a dinner :) (more weight gains!)

Evening was spent roaming around -a long walk along the length of the stretch of the road that covers all the resorts and shops in Hurghada.


DAY 8 Monday, February 15, 2010
Day was spent mostly along the beach and in the evening we boarded our flight to Cairo.

View from Hilton

Reached Cairo airport and then moved to our room in Horus House. This hotel is in the same building as Longchamps but on a lower level than it. Overnight was spent in the hotel after a  sauntering in the streets for sometime.

Tuesday, DAY 9 February 16, 2010
We  had this day as buffer and used to explore the City of Cairo. We managed to learn the Arabic numerals and managed to roam around the city the whole day on our own. Language is not a BIG problem in the Cairo city, as you might stumble on someone who knows English and can help you out.

We first went to the Museum and then onto the Khalili Bazaar.

The Museum is one of the biggest i have ever seen. I was always enthusiastic about them, and was as excited as a kid who wants to visit a circus for the first time :) There was a long queue to enter and then we managed to get the first view of the ancient rocks and other statues that should have been centuries old. Room after room was filled with ancient relics and remnants of the great civilization. It is a treat to watch the broken sphinxs, the bust of Tutenkhamum, the small pyramids, the statues of Pharoahs, priests, their servants and maids, the empty caverns and the caskets. This is an experience that you have to have, and cannot be explained in words.

And then we roamed around in the streets of Cairo near the Museum and had a quick snack with our broken english in one of the hotels by the street. I forgot what we ordered, but it was different and good...and cheap. Then we took a taxi and reached the Khalili  bazaar. Almost the whole of evening was spent in roaming around this bazaar trying to bargain and buy some souvenirs. If you want to buy an souvenirs for the loved ones back home, then this is the place.I could not find a big difference in price between India and Cairo, but 'Egypt' specific souvenirs(like small pyramids, papyrus etc ) were cheap. You need to bargain a LOT! For eg. if the seller says 100EGP, ask for 10EGP - i am not joking, but the seller agrees most of the times :)

Souvenirs in Khan-e-Khalili Bazaar

Overnight at the same hotel(Horus House).

DAY 10 Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day was spent roaming around the neighboring streets.

Harley Davidson showroom in Cairo

And then, like all good things, this tour came to an end and we boarded our flight back home.

Expenses (for two) :

• Mumbai - Cairo by EgyptAir : 40,000
• Package Cost of 10 days tour: 1,02,000
• Food: 10,000
• Miscellaneous : 5,000
• Sports : 10,000
 

Verdict:

• A must visit place for any traveller
• You need to bargain a LOT in the market.
• Do not go during the summer months, prefer oct-feb.
• Do visit Hurghada - its a really nice place and the stay at Hilton is cheaper than a stay at Leela in Bangalore. Red sea is clean and is the best place for snorkeling/diving.
• Cairo is a nice place to walk around on your own. Its safe too. I wish they had walking tours!
• Try out the local cuisine - we liked this dish called Koshary and my wifey makes it even now :)
•  Cruise is not a must, but if you want to relax, then its a good bet. You eat the best and also the sight seeing tours are nice. Recommended.
• For those who like History/Civilization, try to read up stuff before you go there - helps a lot
• Almost all the hotels where we stayed were nice and were value for money. Would recommend Longchamps and Horus House.
• Travelling in the Sleeping train is also nice and a must. (I love trains!)
• We didnt do Abu Simbel and Alexandria - For Abu Simbel you need to catch the early morning caravan and almost have to reserve 2 days for this, and also costs a bit. Do this if you have the time and dough.
• You might be interested in the hotel air balloon  - we did not do this; its quiet expensive but i think its one of its kind of an experience(which i miss now). Floating over the pyramids and ruins should be a great experience indeed.
• And one more important thing : Egypt is a Tips nation,  i.e, you have to tip/baksheesh almost everywhere. So if you are taking a bus from the cruise which takes you around and bring you back, you have to tip the driver, you have to tip the taxiwala, you have to tip the guide(on top of his service-a charge which you pay for the cruise); if you are taking a taxi from airport to the hotel, then you pay the charge and top of it a tip!!! sigh! I think this is totally upto you. I did not tip much. So carry suitable change, if you like leaving tips :)

Perfect Vacation : Andamans

We did this trip to Andamans way back in Sept 2010 and never got a chance to blog about it.  The itinerary, useful notes and trip suggestions follows.....

We did not plan much for this trip except for booking the flight tickets and 2 days stay at Havelock. In fact, if you are planning for a travel in India, I do not think you have to book anything well in advance anywhere unless+otherwise you are visiting a top tourist destination during a peak season. I am sure you will end up something nice with your adventurous spirit and the diversity that is present in India (I love this Country!).

 Leave Bangalore for Chennai by Bus at 10:30pm.

Day 1 [Sept 4]
Reach Chennai by 5am. Go home, quick bath etc. Proceed to Chennai Airport. Morning flight at 10am to Port blair from Chennai in KF red. Reach PB around 11:30am. We could only see a white carpet outside our window ; terribly overcast. I had certainly opined that this vacation was going to be a total washout due to the rains; but , on an optimistic, we hoped for the best. It was drizzling when we got down from the flight at the Port Blair airport. Took a taxi from PB Airport to the jetty. The ticket counter at the jetty closes at 12pm, and we just missed it; but the guys told us that we can always buy the tickets on the ship. The Ship departs at around 2:30pm. Luckily got the tickets onboard.

You get to sit in a big hall in the ship which is a little damp with no proper air circulation - though there are fans , but they cause more noise than the airflow. We went to the deck and sat there till we reached Havelock. The nice wind along with the beautiful landscapes is a treat to watch. It was surprising that the air did not contain much moisture - i mean, the saline air which kind of clogs your brain when exposed for atleast an hour or so -- that was not present!

Reached Havelock around 5:30pm. We had booked our stay at Emerald Gecko for the next 2 days. Placed our bags in our beautiful bamboo hut and went out for a stroll. It was already a bit dark. Had an amazing meal at the Gecko's bistro.

Note : Sun sets in this part of the world quiet early and it is always nice to venture out early in the morning and retire early too. Plan to get up around 5am and sleep around 8pm.

We also enquired about scuba diving and were advised by the Gecko guys to approach Dive India which was just a walk away from Gecko

Day-2 [Sept 5]
Got up at around 5:30am and went for a nice stroll along the beach at Gecko. The high-tide was almost touching the boundaries of the Gecko resort. The morning tranquility along with the sound of the waves lashing on the trees along the beach was nothing less than nirvana.

Then we proceeded to Dive India - those guys had asked us to come around 7am. We also had a sumptuous breakfast at Dive India (the tea sucked a little though). The dogs at DiveIndia - Sam and Frodo - followed us. They were two adorable darlings whom i cant forget so easily. We hardly heard them bark even once, and they loved the coconuts and its water, so much so that they followed us and stood next to us when we had our own share.

DiveIndia guys made us wear the scuba gear and took us to Elephant beach which is around 20min ride in a fast boat. The ride was enjoyable and weather looked promising with hardly any clouds around. I forgot their names, but the two instructors from DiveIndia were excellent. They were extremely freindly, and i felt as if i knew them for ages. After a quick round of introductions and hand signals underwater, we were to experiment in the waters with the gear on.

The initial view underwater was good (not great though); the water was a little murky, but i could see the various dried corals. A few minutes of experimentation and the instructor took us in...deep in. The view was AMAZING. The murkiness had vanished and the water was clean! I wished i had a underwater camera to click the pictures!

After a 45minutes underwater dive, where we went 12-15m deep it was time to return back to the surface. DiveIndia guys had our snacks and Tea ready; and after a few click-sessions and snacks it was time to return back to the water and float around...float float float!

We returned back around 10:30-11am and we could see the low-tide in action, with the water having receded by almost 200-500m from the coast line. The dried corals and the rocks of Havelock were visible now. Havelock's ocean floor is not smooth and i had cut my foot the previous evening when i ventured without any caution; but the virgin beaches are worth ogling ;)

We returned back to Gecko and after a shower, we rented out a scooter and had a nice meal at one of the restaurants there. Went around and then proceeded onto Radha Nagar Beach. This beach is one of the best in Asia(and in the world). I did see some photos of this beach without any tides, but when we went, i guess due to monsoon, there were gentle waves. The beachline was long and there were only a handful of people there. Almost no litter, but lots of dried up leaves on the sands. The whole of evening was spent here.

The dinner at Gecko was awsum. They did not have a great spread for vegetarians like us, but the pasta that we ordered was luscious with a beautiful taste and smell of the spices. The paneer butter masala along with the rotis was pretty heavy for dinner, but when something tastes nice, you dont think about your stomach much :)

Day-3 [Sept 6]
Wake up at 5:30am. (Trust me, but it was as if 7am in the mainland! )
Swim in the silent waters at the Gecko , breakfast at German Bakery. Come back to hotel , packed bags. Lunch again at German Bakery, then leave hotel and reached the Havelock jetty by 1pm. Leave Havelock at 2:45pm and reach Neil by 4:30 pm. Checked into Tango hotel.

Since it was already 4:30, we quickly went on for a stroll along the beach. The beach here contains loads of sea-shells and there we went again collecting them. The ocean floor here too is not smooth and you can see the rocks and dried corals popping up from the waters. Though the hotel guys told us that the were 'swimmable'  beaches on the other side of Neil Island (we werent much interested).

Splunking..Splunking

It was getting dark fast and we strolled till the end of Neil Island to a place called Sunset Point. There was absolutely no one around and we could only hear the waves. The ocean floor was smooth and the waves were pretty powerful. The slight overcast along with the orange rays from the sun was beautiful. It was getting dark fast, and we hurried back to the hotel. By the time we reached the hotel, it was completely dark.

Sunset Point at Neil Island

The next few hours were spend in the restaurant overlooking the beach in the hotel at Tango. The food wasnt great at all. Retired early to sleep in that unventillated room ;)

Day-4 [Sept 7]
Getup at 5am. Stroll along the beach.The mornings here are beautiful and a stroll along the beach is mandatory. Collected a few more sea shells.

Reach the Jetty at 8am and then catch the next ferry to PB.

View of the Neil Island from the Jetty

Neil to Port Blair in the Ferry starts at 8:30.  We again preferred to sit on the deck than settle in the dingy cabin. Reached Port Blair by 10am. Checkin into Ashiana Hotel near the Jetty. I would highly recommend this hotel - the rooms are clean and well ventilated; and the owner is nice too. We accidentally stumbled on this hotel when our autowala suggested this. The hotels' proximity to the neighboring market and also the quietness was good. We then relaxed for some time in the hotel and then strolled along Aberdeen bazaar, had lunch at a hotel. The sun was bright, but it was not too uncomfortable for a long walk. We did not perspire much. We then proceeded onto Cellular Jail and the Rajiv Gandhi park.

Place where the prisoners were chained and belted/caned

Gallows at Cellular Jail

Cellular Jail

Evening was spent roaming aroud the streets and trying to find someone who would arrange a plan for us for the next day.  We wanted to do Baratang Island and stumbled on an agency who had tickets for the next day.  Evening snacks at Gagan restaurant(near the clock tower), packed dinner , reach back hotel and retire for the day early as we had to get up pretty early the next day.

Day-5 [Sept 8]
Getup at 3:30am and start for Baratang Island at 4am. The bus picked us from from our hotel and thus we started our day. It was raining continuously. The ride to Baratang Island is adventurous and you get to view the indigenous tribes of the land while going through the forest sections. One is not supposed to be in touch with these tribes, and hence the bus goes full throttle when the driver sees any tribes near the road. Also, he shouts 'jarawa!jarawa!' which is the name of the tribe and all the people in the bus get excited. Inspite of the instructions, a few lunatics threw chocolates and other eatables at them. If you are visiting this land, please see to it that you dont appreciate such behaviour. The tribes do not know plastics etc and we dont want to endanger their lives.

Then on, we stopped at a place(forgot the name) to board a ferry to reach the other side of a river. Though the distance between the shores would be hardly 300, the time taken is close to 20-30minutes. Its a slow float across the river. Then we board small boats in batches of 15-20 and were served breakfast on it. The ride along the mangroves was enjoyable (and i think this was the only highlight of the day, otherwise, it was pretty much uneventful).

You visit Limestone caves and then the Mud volcano. The Mud Volcano site looks like a place where some building construction recently took place - do not expect any sort of mountain or hillock here, its flat land with hardened clay.

Limestone Caves

Elephants helping move the logs

Back to PB city by 5:30pm. Lackluster Dinner at Annapurna Cafeteria and retire for the day.

Day-6 [Sept 9]
Sleep well in the morning and board flight at 12pm for Chennai. Reach Chennai at 2pm.

And thus a vacation, which was feared to be a total washout, happened to be one of the most memorable and beautiful ones. (I still remember Frodo and Sam and there does not exist a day when i don't think about them).

And, by the way, i think 6-7 days in Andamans is good enough to cover most of the places and have a good spread between adventure, relaxing, beach bumming etc. This can probably be extended by another few days to cover a few more islands etc, but again, this depends on totally on the time schedules that you might have. ONe big factor would be on how you are going to plan your island hopping as some islands need that you come back to PB for going to any other islands.

Also, prefer the time form just after monsoon till Jan end. I heard from the DiveIndia guys that the weather changes are affecting the corals and many got dried and washed last year, so try hitting this paradise as soon as possible.


Expenses (For two): 40, 000 INR approx (or less)
Travel:

• Blr-Chn (bus)                 500
• Chn-PortBlair(air)      17050
• Chn-Blr(bus)                  720
• PB airport to Jetty         100 
• PB to Havelock             390
• Havelock to Neil Island 390
• Neil Island to PB           390

Accommodation:

• Havelock, Gecko, 2 Nights -2*1250 = 2500
• Neil Island, Hotel Tango, 1 Night =  400
• PB, Ashiana, 2 Nights -2*350 = 700

Sundries:

• Food                6000
• Sports              7000
• Misc                 2000