Your time as a caterpillar is over; stretch your wings and fly
As a child I grew up with the dreams of becoming "Materialistically successful "! When those uncles and aunties would ask me what I want to do...
Gems of Parvati Valley: Kasol and Manikaran
From the lap of the mighty Himalayas to the laid-back town of Bhuntar, Parvati River with its sublime surrounding and it’s aura of tranquility has converted the...
That kid from Spiti
We went to the highest post office (also a home to a wonderful family) in the world which was situated in Hikkim, roughly about 15,000 feet. As...
Melancholic delight
Chandratal Lake, Spiti Valley
Spiti brings to mind these lines from one of Pushkin's poems-
"'Tis time, my friend, 'tis time! the heart to peace aspires...
For long now it...
Kong Thong: A Tribal Village Where They Have Tunes Instead of Names
Who are we? How was the first society? Which was the first language? Aren't words and languages made out of random noises?
Why do our names make sense?...
Nubra to Pangong Lake via Agham-Shyok
Pangong Lake and Nubra are two gems on Ladakh’s crown while what used to make it tough was crossing KhardungLa top for Nubra and to come back...
The Hugs of Himalayas
The Hugs of Himalayas I felt in the midst of the white snow,
Reaped inside me the warmth it cast!
The warmth of the white fur that surrounded its...
The Winter Kuari Pass Trek - An Anecdote
'All’s well that ends well'
You know the things about the Himalayas?
When you are up there amidst the mountains and the chilled winds, the narrow passages and the...
Tungnath – Among the clouds
Flying high in the sky and nestled among the clouds are the Himalayas. So calm, muted, and soft in the lapse of which anybody is forced to...
LEH-LADAKH :The Dream of Many, The Opportunity for Some, The Reality for a Few
"Once a year go someplace you've never been before - Dalai Lama"
This is the first time I am penning down my travel experience and what could possibly be better...
Escapade in Himalayas
After mundane routine of office to home and home to office at Mumbai we decided to take a break and escape into geographically far away and different...
Path Less Travelled – Kareri Lake Trek
"The truth is, I can never die. For I will be in everything and see you in everything and watch over you. I am your reaction in...
The last trip
Decades later
When the distance would have faded and the memories evaporated,
I will come again
To stand at this place, to breathe in this air, to relive everything that...
The Kasol Coming
The Kasol Coming
Little did I know about the place where I was about to step into, a new journey, a new start to self realization and most...
The Best View Comes After The Hardest Climb
Roopkund Lake || Final Summit Push || 25 May 2017 || 15750 fts.
It was the final summit push day and the entire trek was to be on...
Humble and Happy in Himachal
There is a reason why the first snow fall embraces the mountain who stands tall with its highest peak and patiently awaits its coming. But we often take perseverance and...
Landour – A Longing in Retrospect
I last visited Landour towards the end of winter in 2014. For the last three years, I have only longed for another visit to this cantonment town...
Khirsu: Hidden gem of Pauri Garhwal
Surfing the net for a weekend getaway in the lap of nature away from the humdrum of routines of Delhi life, I came across Khirsu. Situated at...
Sundakphu – A Place Above the Clouds
Sundakphu, 3636mt above sea level, is a nature's paradise, a place above the heavens. The soothing view of the sea of clouds beneath is a treat for...
An ode to BRO (Border Roads Organisation)
"Life is a Journey. Complete it" - read, one of the captions of a yellow Milestone on the roads of Ladakh.
I was besotted by this profound line...
My Travel Diary: Palchan
Moving from Kasol, Palchan is around 86 kilometers by road. Palchan village is located in Manali Tehsil of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is situated...
An Ordinary Ladakhi Tale
Please don’t kill me for the title! But to be honest, all the blogs and notes that I have read talks about people’s experiences and trips in/to...
Walking down memory lane
It was the summer of 2009, when I had visited Manikaran for the very first time as a child and the effect it left was that of...
Indigenous India
After arriving in Delhi I met a very friendly man from Kashmir called Ishak. Just by chance he gave my rickshaw driver directions to the hostel I...
Nako Village
Nako Village is located near the Indo-China Border in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is situated in the Kinnaur Valley Which is among one of the most beautiful...
Meghalaya: The abode of Clouds
My first trip ever solo trip was to 'The abode of Clouds' also called Meghalaya by Indians. A state so small but so rich in culture. A...
Man and nature unite!
How often do we see man made miracles and natural elegance join hand in hand? Well, you have to visit this place to witness it for yourself.In...
Roopkund Lake Trek – A Myriad of Mystries
Trek to Roopkund Lake
Experiences are felt on many levels. Everything we see, hear, smell, touch and taste are mixed together into a cocktail within our infinitely wise...
Deoria Tal- An Exquisitely Serene Lake in the lap of the Himalayas!
Deoria Tal was never on my wish list.To be honest, I had never heard of a place called by this name in Uttrakhand until I overheard the...
Kuari Pass – A Gateway to Heaven
Sigh! I breathed heavily once again and wiped the beads of sweat off my face. My bag-pack was getting heavier by the minute. Lack of preparation for high...
A Journey Through The Alluring Emptiness – Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2 – THE GUIDING LIGHT
EN ROUTE KAZA, HIMACHAL PRADESH
5TH SEPTEMBER 2016
MONDAY, 20:00 HRS
… CHAPTER 1 – LOST AND FOUND …
“Reaching Kullu doesn’t seem feasible now…I don’t think I...
Satse – back to old times of mother’s childhood memories
During every summer holiday, I always visit Domkhar village (my maternal house) which is 60 km away from my village and 12kms from main city of Leh....
Universe is a balance of sins and beautiful things
I Woke up early on a sunny winter morning to explore the beautiful Nameri National Park. (Nameri National Park is located in the foothills of the Eastern...
Road to Tawang….
Tawang is a small hill station in the Himalayan mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Situated at an altitude of 2,669 meters, it's a place of chilling winters,...
Kedarkantha Trek : Changed into a tougher goal than it is!
Kedarkantha Summit : Our Trekking Journey
====================================
They say that - When the going gets tough the tough gets going..!!
Myself, along with a traveller friend of mine, reached Sankari...
Himalayan Paradise
From the moment I set eyes on the Indian Himalayas, I knew it was going to be a spectacular trip. Paradise beckoned with uncountable snow capped peaks...
Nathula travel Diary
Considering one of my best road trips, I must admit that it was Nathula pass. Nathula pass which is located at Indo China border (eastern Himalayas -...
Wanderlust in my soul
This line from Tennyson's "Ulysses", always comes to mind whenever I set out on a trip.
"I cannot rest from travel; I will drink life to the lees".
Few...
The Middle Land- 1
There are few plans one make which no matter how much you try to materialize, always falls apart at the last moment. For three years, I...
The Land of the Dawn Lit Mountains
When does Kaziranga ever disappoint?
The drive to Tawang, Arunachal from Dhemaji via Tezpur, Assam was one of my hardest yet most rewarding ones. The 8 districts spanning...
Meghalayan Musings: A Photo Essay
From barren lands began the search for greener pastures and green they were. Blue skies engulfed by giant, tufty clouds flowing fluidly over valleys of undisturbed hills,...
A Journey Through The Alluring Emptiness – Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1 – LOST AND FOUND
KAZA, SPITI VALLEY
8TH SEPTEMBER 2016
THURSDAY, 14:00 HRS.
How the hell am I going to make it? Is it even...
Tosh – Kutla – Buda Van – Pulga | A weekend getaway
We felt truly blessed when the weekend coincided with the New Year’s Eve. We rushed to the hills for a beautiful beginning of the coming year. On...
As trekkers return to Uttarakhand post-lockdown, COVID-19 caution makes for a quiet season in...
Anu Jain, a 54-year-old engineer, was among the first group of trekkers in Uttarakhand this year, after the state government relaxed travel norms to ‘unlock’ the tourism...
Meet Mountaineer Krushnaa Patil And Be Inspired By Her Summits
While the field of mountaineering in India has undergone a sea change with a new generation of young mountaineers scaling summits zealously, back in 2009, there were...
Chandrashila: A Trekker’s Paradise
The last night was cold. EXTREMELY cold. There was no hot water in the morning. We were only one degree and a teaspoon sugar away from turning...
From Dharamsala to Darjeeling, 12 Indian hill-stations you can fly to right now
It’s not the easiest time to plan a holiday, but here’s taking one little pain-point away: we looked up the top Indian hill-stations that you can fly to...
2 wonderful new books take armchair travelers to the Himalayas
“Till the summer of 1904 if one had been asked what was the most mysterious spot on the earth’s surface the reply would have been Lhasa.” So...
Leh Ladakh – Adventure of a lifetime -Travel Vlog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7yaqwMQeHw&lc=z22ke3s4cu3ujryyu04t1aokg00wxhocjym2j5ha532xrk0h00410
A couple of months ago I decided to go on an adventure. Disconnected from the world, little did I know that these eighteen days would change the...
Albedo Effect: Dust Blowing from Asia and Africa is Melting the Snow in the...
Dust may be a substantial factor aiding the snowmelt in the Himalayas. The term albedo denotes reflection strength. Pure white snow, with high reflection, has a high...