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April 2012 Issue

Ahmedabad Based 1st Travel e-mag

Did you Missed the Earlier Issue of Travelloholic

Travel Magazine

October 2011

Ko Phi Phi Don

Amazing Thailand can be explored visiting Ko Phi Phi Is-

land, Be ready for a virtual exploration if you are going to read.

Jambughoda

Conversation with the nature at Jambughoda can be felt

if you are ready to talk to nature

Dholavira

The most ancient city of Asia; A place built 5000 years

ago.

November 2011

Ladakh

Super Natural Beauty on the paradise called Earth. Lad-

hak is one of the place still uncovered by many travel freaks.

Zainabad

The real Kutch experience where you can enjoy peace

with interesting sight seeing spots

Seychelles

Unexplored Paradise; collection of 115 inner and outer

islands, if you are a water lover, this place is for you

December 2011

Jordan

Ancient Wonders, Modern Luxuries: Favorite with those who follows

Rann Utsav

The Celebration of Life, unique manifestation of varied

cultural ethos of the region. Opportunity to explore white Rann

Himachal Pradesh

Mini Switzerland. Unlock facts of cool winds; Khajjiar,

Chamba, Dalhousie.

We have saved memories for you

have some glimpse here

Japan The Land of Rising sun

Ages ahead in tourism freaks the place. Tourists get attracted from the beauty of technological

world

Explore Indian Forest Adventure vs Nature. Are you ready ?

Heritage city —uniquely Heritage

Maldives Always Natural

come face-to-face with some of the most incredible beaches in the world

A Beautiful Scenery Matheran The only

hill station where vehicles are banned

Kerela the cool blue Arabian Sea on the west

and the marvelous western ghats.

January 2012

February 2012

Switzerland Its Fun to be here

Consider breaking your holiday with natural beauty, plan a fun at your holidays...

Fasnacht The traditional festival full of colours and events

Hampta Pass — Adventurous Great Himalayas

March 2012

Editorial

End of the World? Are you ready for it ? Will the world end in 2012 ?

May be, thats why I want to travel more and more !! Just in case. What I know for sure is that from last decade many travelers has shown their interest to explore unseen places, transformation from budget to luxury need of travel raise the foundation to step further ahead.

The hardest time for the travelers is now as they have so many options to explore different countries with limited leisure time, but at last Travel is still on.

Welcome Summer To celebrate the release of hot days we have Ahmedabad in our travel bag. Enjoy a new tune vacation at a city known for best to live in India. This issue talks about in-out of traveler visiting Ahmedabad, India. Whether a Business Traveler, On a vacation with family or friends or backpackers; we have so much for everybody. You are Welcome !

A request to Amdavadi‘s; take a little time off to visit your own beautiful city.

Editor – in – Chief Manish Asnani

April

In this issue...

Destinitions

05 Heritage

Dada Hari Vav

19 Night life New taste of night life in dry state

Travel Stories

25 Journey to Wonderland

Hardik H Chanpura

29 Dev Bhumi Harsh Doshi

35 Pushkar Jai Govind Meena

39 Trip to Gir

RJ Ayush

43 Jaisalmer Anjana Gaba

More Stuff

Live Interview 21

Travelloholic People 23

Cover Story

01 Ahmedabad The city of hope

P01 Ahmedabad

P05 Shaking minarets

P35 Pushkar

P05 Heritage

Travel — The City of Hope

Ahmedabad

Travel — The City of Hope

Ahmedabad

01

Ahmedabad is one of the most important cities of India‘s state of Gujarat, located on the banks of the River Sabarmati. Along with Peace of Humanity It has always been an important business center where good amount of

trade and commerce takes place. It is the center of the textile industry in India which has earned it the name of the ―Manchester of the East.‖ Ahmedabad is titled as Best City to live in; has created sense of Tourism, Business Tourists are seen in the city which than explore beauty present in different parts of Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad, also called the walled city which has a lot to offer. It is perhaps one of those Indian cities which are combination of unique blend of Muslim and Hindu cultures. For the ones fascinated by heritage architecture, this is the place to be, with numerous awe-inspiring mosques, forts, havelis, temples, synagogues, and the very famous Sabarmati Ashram. River Sabarmati divides the city into old and new city. West of the river is the new city, with innumerable malls, shopping plazas, gardens, colleges. East of the river lies the old city, the walls now in ruins, but housing some very imposing ancient structures. The people of Ahmedabad mostly speak Gujarti, hindi being their second language. They‘re simple, warm, helpful,

and honest. Ahmedabad is also a reasonably safe city for tourists and women.

On the South eastern s i d e o f A h m e d a b a d Kankaria Lake is place where you can spend atleast half a day with kids. There is a beautiful toy Train- The Swarnim Jayanti

Express. This train takes you all around the periphery of the lake. There is a hot air balloon f r o m w h e r e y o u c a n see a glimpse of Ahmedabad from an height of 300 ft. There is boating and other adventure activities in the lake along with food stall etc.

Parking is easily available outside the Lake.

Ahmedabad is a thriving city that has won a good reputation and recognition in western India, excellent and inspiring places in and around the town, Ahmedabad has turned to be an excellent tourism destination.

03

There is lot to be

explored if you travel

through the City —

Ahmedabad.

List of must see

places in around the city # Juma Masjid

an attraction composed of Inspiration,

stunning beauty and strong religious

factors. # Jhulta Minara

the mysterious mechanism behind this

building

# Iskcon Temple

Temple is a stunning example of where

you can find mental calmness, clarity

and touching spirituality.

# Hatheesing Jain Temple

a stunning and regal construction made

entirely of white marble. For worship

#Gandhi Ashram

extremely spiritual and religious history

and importance, but it is also the biggest

tourist attraction in Ahmedabad

# Akshardham Temple

highly regarded as one of the most becoming constructions and landmarks of the entire city.

The Akshardham Temple is a true gift of Gujarati architecture, making absolutely amazing and

awe-inspiring use of craftsmanship and sandstone carvings

# Bhadra Fort and Teen Darwaza

The marvelous Bhadra Fort has been used for centuries to bring people together for Republic and

Independence Day celebrations

Visit the regal and majestic Bhadra Fort and set your sight on one of the most famous and rare

attractions of the world!

Old Stock Market of Ahmedabad

Kalupur Tower of Ahmedabad

05

The Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, so named after the holy river Sabarmati, situated on the river‘s banks is such an example. This site no longer functions as a working ashram but as a museum and an institution whose aim is to preserve and propagate the legacy of the Mahatma. Hundreds of visitors, both foreigners and locals, with

curiosity and feelings of devotion arrive here and feel inspired and enlightened.

The Jhulta Minar also known as 'Shaking Minarets' is one of the most ancient and unique structures of Ahmedabad city. These minarets are a part of the Sidi

Bashir mosque and have three storeys, girdled by carved stone balconies. The primary attraction of this monument is the vibrations and swaying motion due to its free suspension in the air. It is a must watch for all, from kids to

adults and even for architects. Can be visited between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. There is no Entry Fee for visitors.

Law Garden of Ahmedabad is a public garden nestled in the heart of the city. The garden has been named as Law Garden because of the Law College situated adjoining this place. This garden provides one with innumerable recreational options like music, theater, rides for kids and a great variety of Gujarati foods like Khaman, Khandvi, Dal Dhokla to name

but a few. The place is also renowned for the market located outside which is famous for handicraft goods and traditional Gujrati outfits. One can visit the park any day of the week between 6 AM to 8 PM. There is no entry fee

There are myriad places for entertain-ment & recreation in Ahmedabad.

There are multiplex cinemas, where you can enjoy yourself with full mood of celebration .

The music lovers can check out the fabulous classical Indian music and

dance concerts that Ahmedabad keeps hosting every now and then. Thus, entertainment Is not a problem in Ahmedabad only the need is to change your taste of entertainment while exploring

07

Panch Kuva

Astiodia Darvaja

Raipur Darvaja

Sarangpur Darvaja

09

With its trees, open layout and proximity to dearness in the city there is a beautiful place known as Amdavad ni Gufa (Ahmedabad‘s Cave), The cave is fascinating to explore from inside and out, the interior being decorated with paintings by MF Husain.

Many travelers are seen across the place — an art gallery which periodically holds exhibitions by artists from Ahmedabad and beyond. around the edge of the gufa — Zen Cafe is one of the most popular and relaxing hangout spaces in the city.

One of the most prominent prayer places of Muslim community, Jama Masjid was built by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1423. The mosque is made of yellow sand stone and signifies the Islamic and Hindu Art.

The strong structure of Jama Masjid consists of 15 domes that are supported by 250 pillars with numerous entrances and the tomb of the Sultan Ahmed Shah is on the Eastern entrance.

The tallest landmark of Gujarat, Neelkanth Patang – A revolving restaurant is now established as the Icon of Ahmedabad. Patang is serving multi cuisine delicacies at the height of 221 ft. It has seating capacity of 110 pax. The restaurant is operating from 11:00am to 3:00 pm& 7:00

pm to 11:00 pm. On the first floor a beautiful river facing café is providing quick bites and a wonderful place to rejuvenate. First of all the concept of revolving restaurant makes it a unique experience for those who

haven't done it in the past. specially continental food is im-maculate. And the very cordial, courteous and polite with a top-ping of great interior. Must visit Place in AHMEDABAD

11

Sarkhej Roza is a small city that depicts the early Islamic

architectural culture in southern-western part of Ahmedabad.

It houses a cluster of monuments dating back to Mughal reign,

including a mausoleum and a mosque. It also serves as a

platform where three distinctive worlds- royal, religious and

social co-exist.

The grave of three others rulers are housed here, namely Ahmed

Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and his grandson,

Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II. At the center of Jama Masjid,

there is a marble-paved courtyard containing a central

water-pool. At the North side of the mosque, relics of Mohammad

are kept in a cupboard.

The palaces and tombs form part of the royal world, the mosque

constitutes the religious realm and the tanks and pavilions have

given rise to the social world. The dargah is one of the largest in

Gujarat and is open for all.

Sarkhej Roza opens daily from 9 AM to 6 PM for tourists and the

entry is absolutely free.

It also includes the Koran written on sandal and deerskin. Even

today, thousands of Muslims offer their prayers at the mosque

and there are many shops near the Masjid. You can visit the

mosque on all days of the week from 5 Am to 8 PM and today

Jama Masjid serves as one of the favorite tourist spots of

Ahmedabad.

13

Situated in the Asarwa district, roughly 3km northeast of the city centre, the Dada Hari-ni Vav is one of the most beautiful step-wells. We advise you to arrange an auto-rickshaw for the round trip, as the step-well is not on a main road, and it might have been difficult to find one to bring us back without a bit of a walk.

The step-well is surrounded by the coal yards of Ahmedabad, and the approach does not look particularly promising. It is, though. A wide and very long flight of steps leads down into the ground, and it is impossible to see the bottom. As you walk

down the steps, shafts of sunlight fall on the intricately carved pillars supporting the side walls of the well.

Dada Hari Wav - colloquially called baoli or wav, Dada Hari Wav is a stepwell constructed by someone from the harem of Sultan Begara. This deep step well has galleries all around and at its ground level a portico. Today too it feels extremely cool inside it even during peak sum-mers. Sadly facing neglect but one can only imagine its resplendent glory

and coolness in times gone by.

Visit in the late morning, when the light is at its best for viewing the carvings. The well was built around 500 years ago by Sultan Bai Harir. The carvings, however, were done by Hindu stonemasons. Stone figures decorate the walls and fine carvings of flowers, trees and rather shapely figures continue right to the bottom of the well.

It is an amazing sight to look up at the blue sky above and be surrounded by all the carved pillars. At the very bottom of the now dry well, the walls are cylindrical in shape with mock balconies carved into the sides and yet more exquisite carvings on the walls. Just beyond the step-well is the mosque of Bai Harir. Either walk along the fenced top of the well or follow the footpath along the ground. The mosque

is actually two buildings and both have suffered from earthquake damage in the past. The remains of the two minarets can be seen in pieces scattered around on the ground. Shoes are left at the small gate and it is advisable for women to cover their heads when entering the prayer room as the mosque is still in use. The interior is not especially interesting but the carving on the exterior of the two buildings is beautiful. The warden will lead you up a very narrow spiral staircase which once led up to one of the minarets and on to the roof. Here you get a good view of the step-well and the coal yards!

15

Sidi Saiyed-ni-Jali is a unique feature of Ahmedabad. It is found in Sidi Saiyed Mosque, opposite Electricity House, near Lal Darwaja area. This elegant mosque was built by Sidi Saiyed in 1573. The Jalis are in rear wall of the mosque. The Jalis have fine carving design in geometrical and

interwined tree and foliage, palm and parasite motif.

Such Jalis are found no where in the entire world. A silver replica of this Jali is available

in the market. It is used as a gift to the guests and visi-tors as memory of their visit.

Simply amazing craftsmanship! The place so lively all times of the day, with worshippers and tourists, all coming together to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the mosque.

Adalaj ki vav. located approximately 10 km away from the city center of Ahmedabad. It is 5 story step well, though the lower floor is closed and you can't see any water there. There are bats in lower areas as it is humid and cool but except for the batty smell, it is perfectly ok. It is constructed in Indo-Islamic style architecture. There is Intricate carving in the well

structure. Four small rooms with oriel windows decorated with minutely carved brackets are provided at the landing level, at the four corners. This is one of favorite and busiest points in Vav for picture clicking, if you want to click your picture here then wait for your turn. Vav has nice garden around it and you can sit here. If you like this then must visit "Rani ki Vav" in Patan, which is biggest and better then this

Mangaldas ni Haveli is located in the heart of the historic walled city of Ahmedabad. It is estimated to be over 200 years old and it originally belonged to a Nagar Brahmin family It is one of the finest examples

of carved wooden architecture typical of that time.

17

Mukhwas

Mukhwas (mouth fresheners) is an integral part of every Ahmedabadi household. A cluster of shops in Manekchowk area sell a variety of Mukhwas made of different ingredients. You could try Jalaram Mukhwas as well as it is famous for its mukhwas in Ahmedabad.

Travellers do come across Manek Chawk, it is famous for Jewelry in day time and food at night. This is the only market open at late night.

A good place to start is the Ghandi Cold Drinks House in Khas Bazaar after a saffron milkshake or a ginger soda. Then head east up Mahatma Ghandi (MG) Road towards the Teen Dawarja. This is a huge stone gateway with three

arches and detailed, carved Islamic inscriptions that spans the road. Traffic passes through the central arch while the two side arches are a bottleneck of small stalls selling hair ribbons and cosmetics. From here, the street widens and market stalls vie with the traffic for space on the road while the pavement is cluttered with items from the shops.

Nightlife in Ahmedabad Manek Chowk is a colorful bazaar in the old city where crowded, narrow streets are packed with stalls and shops. The Bazar has everything

in junk food that you can think of, right from ganthiyas, to Indian Pizza, Pao Bhaji, Dosa, Navtar Samosa, Kulfi, and chaats. Ever heard of Ice cream Sandwich, Pineapple Sandwich, Cadbury Sandwich or Cadbury Pizza.. Well if you haven't heard of any of these then it seems your trip to Manek Pizza And Sandwich Center is due also Do not miss to Check out the Italian Pizza, Pineapple Sandwich and Cheese Chutney Sandwich, Its best to go there in a group so that you can try everything,

nothing on the menu here is worth missing out on This bustling open square near the center of the city functions as a vegetable market in the morning and a jewellery market in the afternoon, the second biggest in India, at an apparently 3 million rupees of annual turnover. It is most famous, however, for its food stalls that start to emerge around 8 in the evening, with various local street snacks and goodies. The best thing about the markets in Ahmedabad is the lack of any

hassle. There are no touts, the streets are clean, and the people are genuinely friendly.

19

What’s on Mr. Sanjay Shah’s mind.. An exclusive interview with the Managing Director of

Flamingo Transworld Pvt. Ltd. by- Jithin Ponnattil

Q. Let’s begin with the journey of Flamingo

A. The journey of Flamingo began in the year 1997, it was started by my wife Mita Shah, In those days

corporate ticketing was maximum, in corporate ticketing you have to give credit periods, but we at Flamingo decided that we won‘t be giving any credit to our customers.

Q. Don’t you think the decision of not giving credit facility will hit back Flamingo A. In those days the market was filled with bad elements. There were some corporates who would take credit facility and never repay, we observed this trend that‘s why we stayed away from credit facility. So eventually out ticketing business folded, because there were many players who were giving credit facilities, so obviously the credit seeking customers would go for other players. But this has helped us in getting our staff trained to give maximum service to those customers, who are not

concerned with payment but are concerned with end to end service. So, in the year 2000, after 3 years of Flamingo we started tour packages with Malaysia tour. We realized that the next 10 years belong to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, because those destinations are affordable along with lots of entertainment value.

Q. How is Flamingo different from others A. The general outlook of travel operators are of money extractors, whatever commitment they make they would never fulfil, we decided that our only policy will be honesty; we are committed by any word put forward by our employees. Q. At this juncture where is the future of travelling A. In 2000 we said that the next 10 year belong to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Today we say that the next 10 years belong to Europe. First and foremost the visa regulations have eased, secondly it offers natural scenery, culture and architecture all of it an affordable price.

Live Interview

Q. How much you would rate the word of mouth A. I would rate it 100%, we don‘t do advertisements it‘s all word of mouth. Q. As per you the people of Gujarat, visit a destination depends on the value for money factor or is it the romance for the place which drives them A. It‘s definitely the value for money factor, because the people are not aware about the places, we have to guide them on the basis of there said and unsaid needs. Q. What is the value Flamingo adds to one’s tour A. Most of the people are not aware of the place they wish to go, I tell them the places you could visit in a given country and peculiarity of the places. Sometimes people tell us not to wake them up before 9 because they are on a vacation, I tell them if I don‘t wake you up how I can show you the world, if you don‘t want to be awake you shouldn‘t have been here. So we take up an advisory role as well, we advice them on the basis of the occasion for which the tour has been planned.

Q. What is the focal point of Flamingo A. Our focus is on Knowledge, we provide knowledge to the people, to our staff. People of Ahmedabad have tons of money, but they don‘t have knowledge of the places, where to go and how to go. So we show them the world, I always say our competitor is not SOTC or ThomasCook, our competitor is the Nokia Phone, the Palio car, the big marriage function people organise. My challenge is to tell people instead of buying a car why

don‘t you take your family to a trip to Europe, which is a life changing ex-perience. Q. What’s your stand on the trouble faced by Kingfisher Airlines A. It‘s very unfortunate being a tour operator you pay deposit prior to 2 month. Then all of a sudden the flights have been cancelled. There‘s very little we could do in such a dynamic scenario. But if you ask me I would say today the best bet is aviation, because the technology is improving with the introduction of A 380, the operating cost would reduced by almost 50%. Q. Finally if we ask you to forget about the cost factor, which destination you would prefer for your personal tour A. If value for money is not a major factor, I would go for China, because the people of China are very down to earth, no matter if the person is of lower class, middle class or higher class, people have respect for each

other, the whole notion of mutual respect for each human being, is very enchanting.

Live Interview

21

Travelloholic People

Hello I am

Hiren Jogani

‘I love Travelling

and I am very

Passionate when

it comes to

Photography, I

capture the world

through my lens’

Message to readers

There is no rule to rule the

life..just be happy and keep

smiling everyday.

See You at

http://hirenrjogani.blogspot.in/

Travelloholic People

23

Journey To Wonderland

- Hardik H Chanpura

Hi guys, It‘s Hardik here from Toronto. I want to share my experience of Wonderland that I have visited last month. If you have been to Essel world in Mumbai, you can have a rough idea of Wonderland. It‘s just more advanced, bigger and has more rides.

Now I‘ll begin with my journey of Wonderland. We four guys went together and my uncle dropped us off at the gate of wonderland. It‘s really fun if you have a bunch of people with you on the places like Wonderland. On the front gate we show a big line of ticket windows as they were all selling different types of packages, some had season passes, some had single entry group tickets and we got confused for the right window to go. Just at the same time one of the guard saw us just standing there looking

confused, he came over and helped us for tickets. At the entrance one will be checked thoroughly and your hand will be stamped by a tattoo just like in a dance club. As we entered the park, there was a big fountain in the front and rows of beautiful small buildings on the both sides of it, having different kind of shops like Starbucks coffee, Pizza Pizza and other gift shops. There was a very high towering mountain at the end of the fountain, which looked like the mountain in the logo of Paramount pictures. We got maps of wonderland and planned our whole route through wonderland as it contains more than 200 attractions (including games) in eight differently themed areas, you need to be well planned to finish all major attractions. Some of the themes are Thrill rides, Family rides, Kids Area, Live shows and Splash works. We started our tour with small thrill rides as we didn‘t want the ultimate excitement from the beginning. We planned to take only some of the rides because it‘s not possible to go through all rides in a day. Some of big ride had big lines, so we had to wait for 30-40 minutes for our turn nut it was worth to wait. I would like to give you some information on the rides that we enjoyed in Wonderland. WindSeeker was the newest arrival and it was fun as it‘s a 30-story tall swing ride. Towering over Canada's Wonderland, WindSeeker will give riders a

spinning view of Wonder Mountain and Splash Works. It can go up at the level of 301 feet.

Travel Story — Best of October

Travel Story — Best of October

25

Drop Tower was another cool ride. On Drop Tower, riders sit on a high-speed transport lift that travels over 16 feet per second, 230 feet in the air. The ride will take guests on that height and release them; one can imagine the thrill in dropping at more than 100 km/hr for 23 stories. Behemoth is the Canada‘s tallest, biggest and fastest roller coaster ever. It takes you up 230 feet and then sends you speeding down at a 75 degree angle of descent with speeds reaching 125km/hour! It has a track length of 5,318 feet. It was the most wonderful experience I ever had in my life; we decided to come back at the end of the day to sit in this coaster again.

It were only some of the rides we had visited, there were many others like Stunt coaster, Dragon fire, Flight deck, Mighty Canadian Minebusters, Psyclone, Riptide, Shockwave, Sky rider, The bat, Time wrap and many others, I can‘t even remember all the names. We didn‘t realise when it was 3:30 pm. We all were hungry like hell so we went outside for lunch as the food available in the park was 2-3 times costlier than normal price. It‘s a good option to go outside to have lunch especially when you are on a budget. Yes, you can re-enter the park by showing the tattoo on your

hand. We went to Subway across the street and each of us took a combo of a foot long sub, chips and coke. After 4:30 pm we came back in the park and went straight to the water rides to cool off. We went to all the water rides one by one; at the end we just had fun in the wave pool. It was then around 7:30 pm. We got out and dried ourselves. After that we decided to go again in the Behemoth and couple of other rides again.

At the end of the day I went to Xtreme Skyflyer, in this ride you have to buy a ticket. Me and one of my friends bought the tickets and went for it. Xtreme Skyflyer is Canada's largest free-fall swing. On Xtreme Skyflyer riders control their own ride experience by pulling the rip cord and initiating a 170-foot power flight that takes riders through a breathtaking pendulum swing, soaring a mere six feet above the ground! Drawing its inspiration from skydiving, riders experience weightlessness and speeds of more than 100km/hr. In the night at 10:00 pm, we were at the main gate near the mountain. We show Starlight Spectacular, it‘s a light show. This show was dedicated to 30th birthday of Wonderland, it was indeed a spectacular show. After that show we went outside on the street and my uncle picked us up. It was an indeed thrilling and memorable experience of my life. I would

strongly recommend to visit wonderland to all.

27

* Harsh Doshi is a Human Resource professional

working with Mundra Port & Special Economic Zone Ltd., Mundra-Kutch, Gujarat (India). He is fond of traveling &likes to visit new places. Harsh has trav-eled extensively in North & West India including ar-eas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Hi-machal Pradesh, Delhi & NCR, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

This article is about my experiences during my recent family holiday visit to Uttarakhand-the abode of Gods, the land of celestial beauty. This trip was planned and organized by ourselves; without any travel agent; and it took me lot of research through internet & some of my local friends from Uttarakhand prior to finalizing the dates / schedule; as it is very important as to what time of year you plan your visit there. This visit gave us an

opportunity of truly enjoying the beauty of nature by stopping anywhere & everywhere we wished to enjoy this amazing north Indian destination. On 13th June 2011, we took the morning flight from Vadodara to Delhi. We had already booked ourselves from Delhi to Haridwar through De-hradun Janshatabdi train. We reached Haridwar by evening & went straight to Shri Chintamani Parshwnath Jain Shwetambar Mandir on Rishikesh Road in Bhoopatwala area in Haridwar & decided to take rest for the evening.

The long awaited trip of Uttarakhand began with the first rays of morning sun next morning. We had also booked ourselves a cab for our trip; and the driver came to pick us up early in the morning. Uttarakhand, formerly Uttaranchal, is a state located in the northern part of India. It is often re-ferred to as the Land of Gods (Dēv Bhūmi) due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship.

We went straight to Dehradun from Haridwar. The road to the Doon Valley from Haridwar passed through Rajaji National Park with greenery on both the sides of the road.

Dēv Bhūmi Uttarakhand

-Harsh Doshi

Travel Story — Best of November

Dehradun is the capital city of lovely recently formed state of Uttarakhand and is famous for its scenic grandeur and beautiful surroundings. Located in the Shivalik hills, merely 54 km from Haridwar, the greenery of the dense forests and scenic beauty of the place are simply wonderful. Besides being a travel destination, the city is also known for public schools, IMA and other national institutes. The places worth visiting in Dehradun

are Sahastradhara, Tapkeshawar Temple, Chandrabani, Tibetan Temple, Robber's Cave, Santala Devi Temple, Lachhiwala, Tapowan, Rajaji National Park, Dakpathar and Malsi Deer Park. First we went to visit a friend who had helped us make the local arrangements including the taxi in advance. We decided not to waste much time in Dehradun; so, after lunch, we went around the city seeing the schools, national institutes, temples etc. en-route and finally stopped at the Malsi Deer Park which is located in the outskirts of Dehradun on the way to Mussoorie. After the Malsi Deer Park,

we continued for Mussoorie. One may also take the opportunity of paragliding in this region on your way to Mussoorie. We also visited a fa-mous Shiv Temple on the way. The view of the Doon Valley from the top was splendid.

Travel Story — Best of November

29

Kedarnath was the next destination in the Char Dham circuit. We again traveled the whole next day and reached ―Gaurikund‖ by the evening. Vis-iting temples that came on the way & stopping by the natural beauty of the mountains & valleys was a routine practice during the entire journey. Gaurikund is the last stop till where the vehicles can drive; beyond which one can walk the way or hire a khachhar for around 14 km to go till Kedar-nath. Helicopter services are also available for the same. We hired khach-hars for all of us & began our journey early next morning. The atmos-

phere went on becoming colder as we moved towards the holy shrine. We also took a halt on the way where I discovered that Gujarat CM Narendra Modi & Maggi hold a very high repute at such high altitudes as well ! Such was the beauty of the place on the way to the Kedarnath temple with greenery on hills all around and distant snow covered mountain caps, in the laps of the mighty Himalayas, that I could almost associate it to a scene of Hollywood movies. I am sure had the director of movies like ―Jurassic Park‖ or ―The Lost World‖ seen this place; they would have shot the movie here only. Towards the top, the entire area was covered by thick fog, so much so that visibility was not beyond 2m in distance. The pilgrimage spot of Kedarnath is devoted to Lord Shiva. The present structure of Kedarnath temple is assumed to be more than 1,000 years old. Kedarnath is one the twelve ‗Jyotirlingas‘ of Lord Shiva.

As we had started for Kedarnath early in the morning, we were back to Gaurikund early in the evening with some time left with us before it got dark. We started our journey towards Badrinath with an intension of taking a night-halt at Chopta. Chopta is a beautiful place, an unexplored destination; with very few lodges with bare minimum infrastructure facili-ties available. The scenic beauty on the way, the thick forests, the view of the valley & the surroundings is charismatic, awesome & marvelous.

Next morning we enjoyed Chopta & set out for Badrinath. Badrinath is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimages and an important destination in the Char Dham circuit. It is located between the mountains of Nar and Narayan with River Alaknanda flowing peacefully beside it.

Near Badrinath, is the last village of Indian Territory – ―Mana‖, a few kilo-meters beyond which is the international border with China and ―Bhim Pul‖-a bridge built on Saraswati River for Pandavas by Bhima. We also had a privilege of having snacks from the last shop of Indian Territory! One thing I observed during the entire trip to the Char Dham was the presence of Gujaratis in huge numbers everywhere and all around. That evening we stayed at Srinagar. On our way to Rishikesh the next day, we went to Devprayag, where Alaknanda & Bhagirathi rivers meet; and is known as Ganga from here. This is also a sacred pilgrimage centre and is

considered the second most divine confluence centre in India, next only to Prayag. Rishikesh is considered to be one of the most sacred cities in In-dia, amidst the beautiful Himalayas and piously intercepted by the mystic Ganges. This place is considered to be the sacred spot where one can at-tain salvation. Some of the places in Rishikesh worth visiting are Bharat Temple, Neelkanth Mahadev, Laxman Temple, Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula and Swarga-Ashram. One can also enjoy yoga and adventure sports such as river rafting & trekking over here. We strolled around in Rishikesh &

had our lunch at the famous Chotiwala restaurant along with a boat ride in this most unruly, turbulent and fierce form of Ganges. That evening we came back to Haridwar & took rest.

31

Haridwar is considered to be one of the seven most sacred & holiest places as per the Hindu religion. It is also famous for the Kumbh Mela celebrated here once in every twelve years. Lot may shrines;

temples & ashrams are located here. Non vegetarian food & alcohol is completely prohibited in Haridwar.

In the morning, we performed puja at Shri Chintamani Parshwnath Jain Shwetambar Mandir; after which, in this last leg of our trip, we visited the Chandi Devi & the Mansa Devi temple at Haridwar located at separate pin-

nacles. Rope way facility is available to reach at these places. After the temple visits, we went to Har-ki-pauri, which is one of the most revered ghats on the banks of the river Ganga. The reflection of golden hues of floral diyas in the river Ganga is the most enchanting sight in the twilight during the Ganga aarti ceremony. I also took the holy bath in the revered Ganges at Har-ki-pauri before the attending evening aarti which was the most unforgettable experience of our trip. One really needs to be there and attend it to feel it.

In this visit of Uttarakhand, we enjoyed, gained and discovered a lot. We had also planned to visit Nainital, Almora, Ramnagar, Jim Corbett National Park and the famous Valley of flowers; but due to paucity of time, this did not become possible. Look forward to going back to the Dēv Bhūmi !!!

Feedbacks on this article are welcome on harshdoshi888@aol.com

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There is a saying that there is always dark below the lamp. Till now I

have traveled through out India but how come I missed Pushkar Fair and I

live in Jaipur. So, I decided to not to miss this time.

Pushkar Fair is the annual five-day camel and livestock fair. It is

celebrated for five days from the Kartik ekadashi to Kartik Poornima, the full moon day (the 15th) of Kartik (November–December) inHindu calendar. The full moon day is the main day and the day, according to legend, when the Hindu god Brahma sprung up the Pushkar Lake, thus numerous people swim in its sacred waters.

I planned a 1 day trip, I left Jaipur at 5.00 AM and reached Ajmer at around 7 and another 45 Minutes to the holy town of Pushkar. It was the

second last day of the fair and a day just before the main bath of Kartik ekadashi. So all the buses were leading to Pushkar.

Pushkar Fair is amazing congregation of happy villagers in their colorfull

attire, tourist enjoying the spread of colors, photographers with big

cameras want to capture those spread of colors and loads of business man

(from girls offering heena painting to most modern technology of hot air

baloon)

My one Day short photography minipedition yielded good results.

Pushkar

- Jai Govind Meena

Travel Story — Best of December

Travel Story — Best of December

35

37

I am really grateful for this opportunity to share my experience visiting the GIR NATIONAL FOREST a couple of years before. I was planning to visit

the santuarty since quite a time and then the opportunity landed across me where I and few friends decided to spend the weekend exploring Juna-gadh esp. Sasan Gir. Gir National Forest, established in 1965, is spread over a sprawling 545 square miles (1412 km²), of which the National Park only stakes claim to a small part of the area. It is 40 miles (65 km) southeast from the historic town of Junagadh on the southernmost tip of the Kathiawar Penisula. So as discussed we booked our stay at the govt lodge, we later came to know that our room was the same where the acting legend Amitabhji stayed during the promotions of Gujarat tourism. 3 of us in our 20 something were eagerly waiting for the dawn to break as we were to go for the much awaited safari ride.( None of us slept that night discussing what to expect the day after) I wish I could said that but the reality was that we were so exhausted that none of us could keep our eyes open ;).

The Next Day: The Guys in Moustashes As we were told the GYPSY(an open vehicle not to be taken literally) came exactly on time 6:00 am .. I guess they know what expectations are, and that they should not be broken. So we took a short gypsy ride to the gates of Sasan Gir and were greeted by two men in moustaches oh no was it uniform .. yaa two men in uniforms I distinctly remember though they also wore moustaches and beautiful smiles. It was like we were on top of a

roller coaster ride expecting free fall. ―Aaj toh wapas zinda aana hain boss‖ were the words that I spoke to the guys with smiles, moustaches and uni-form with a salute and guess what!! they started laughing. The feeling that laughter instilled was of pure FEAR. Time for Free Fall. Let the ride begin. The Ride: This jungle is mine. The gates opened for us to enter the Jungle where ASIATIC Lions rule the

fear already instilled in our hearts we had no option but to accept what na-ture had saved for us. We drove along a narrow kacha rasta eagerly hop-ing to catch some action ready to shoot the Lions and the other creatures

The Trip to GIR national Forest

Meet the King

RJ Aayush,94.3 My Fm

Travel Story — Best of January

For the first twenty minutes nothing happened the road remained safe, jumping at every small movement in the bushes expecting that a huge monsterly Lion to jump out of them but nothing happened Rabbits, Deers, Nilgais, a cute looking girl in another gypsy that was supposedly going back to drop her safely back to the city. I think as humans we are all impa-tient and we lost all excitement in those twenty minutes.. But remember the jungle tests your patience..

Travel Story — Best of January

39

After twenty minutes of driving on a road

that tested our back-

bones we came across an open space

and there they were

soaking sunlight. Sit-

ting as if the they

knew that the jungle

is at peace.

For that certain period

of time we only stared, gazed and

drooled at the king of

the jungle. Our Driver told us that he knew

that we will be seeing

lions today as it was a cold night yesterday

and lions generally

like to get some sun in the early morning.

We let him take the

credit for it as we did

not care about it. We

were just amazed at

the way something can be at such peace

in a place which we call JUNGLE.

The fear vanished and for the next 10 min-

utes we noticed every

movement of the king its yawning, its

stretching.

We took a turn back to the gates with the

same smile that the

guys with moustaches had happy that we

made it alive out of

the JUNGLE

The King: Worthy to Rule.

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Travel Story—Best of February

A Night under the Sky of Jaisalmer

With Renok Adventure

- Anjana Gaba New year 2012 was around the corner, and as predicted by the

Nostradamus & the Mayan civilization, it to be the last year of Human civilization on this Planet, for once I decided ―Better to celebrate it in a grandeur manner‖. This conceded with the invitation from Renok Adventure to go for a Desert Safari Expedition, and I have to still discover Rajasthan beyond Jaipur and more importantly its rural & mystical roots. The Journey: I took every possible mode of public transportation to reach my destination Jaisalmer, an adventure covering 1300 + Km over the road & the Train. This is the time; you see the True Indian, Helpful, humble yet

noisy and at times rowdy. (Need to write, a blog on the road journey of Sole woman traveler in India)

The Road: Jodhpur to Jaisalmer road is only barren land, though there are few eatery joints for the tourist. On the way, one can see some solar energy Panels and Jasialmer being the last town on the border; one cannot miss the army vehicles all the way of different regiments.

The First View: Slowly the barren lands changes into the golden dunes &

far in the dunes stand the fort of Jaisalmer. The fort reminded me of a

handsome, smart tall guy; it‘s difficult not to fall for his charm. I forget

about the tiredness & the long Journey, I wanted to discover the magic of

the Jaisalmer fort.

Surprise in the bag: My friend from Renok Adventures was on the bus stop

to receive me, as soon as I got down – I requested Kapil & Jai for the tour

of this magnificent fort. Jai & Kapil smile in tandem, and told me ―Lady,

you are staying in fort‖. I was jumping with excitement. We drove in 4X4

vehicle till the fort gate and walked into the pathways of this ancient fort.

My next surprise was the fort is a civilized town and home for the big

population of this small city. We saw many handicraft shops, many locals

dressed in the colorful cloths roaming around and then on the chowk of the

fort, I saw local traditional dance troop. My Journey to from the barren

land to the most happening place was just starting.

Travel Story—Best of February

43

I was escorted to a traditional hawali in the heart of the fort; this was small haweli in comparison to others but no less in its traditional look, rich carving on the walls and traditional furniture all over the place. This was first time; I was staying in a historical monument and prices weren‘t of five star. The budget & the family hotel were available.

It was still early morning, my stomach yearning for the food. I asked, what can I get fast and I was given option from the traditional Rajasthani to the English breakfast. . Thanks to the firangi crowd, Indian has got so much choice in breakfast, and I took my chances with the Pan Cake, The risk was well paid.

I took a leisurely bath and after some rest decided to discover the street of the Fort. The fort was full of accommodations for the tourist and people from all over the world were arriving in the city to celebrate the New Years.

Time for Desert: Before even I started my journey, people were asking where are you heading ―Sam or Kuri‖. Fortunately or unfortunately I didn‘t knew the name of the dunes I will be visiting, But one thing I was sure with Renok Adventure I will be visiting anything but commercial , In nut-shell, The time I have known Jai & Kapil, they haven‘t planned or executed anything in a commercial place.

We started our journey to one of the village on the western end of the city. After some 50 miles or more, we reached our base village called Kanoi and greeted by Salim & Dau, in the terminology of Renok adventures they are our ―CEO‖- Chief experience officer. We were introduced to our camels with some basic instructions. I was allocated the camel called ―Papu‖

First ten minutes While I was never afraid of any beast, but haven‘t ridden anything but a pony. Well, as soon as camels got up, my heart started

beating fast and I shut my eyes tightly. Everyone had their laugh on me, it was another few more minutes and I got used to the camel, and Mr Papu got used to me, and then everything followed a pattern.

The way to Dunes: While we were on our way to the desert, our CEO Salim told us the places we will be covering in next 1 ½ days. On the way we crossed several villages , some populated some deserted and he told us the story about them , how sixty seven villages of the ―Paliwal‖ went away in the night to save the grace one of the village man‘s daughter, how some of them are cursed by some saint, He was a interesting story teller.

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Before we know, Day 1 was about to come to an end – We travelled more than 15 Km on this day, and reached the dunes and we reached our desti-nation ―Mitiayala dunes‖. There was no one there, except eight of us - Few Indian and Few Firangis.

The sun about to set in another half an hour, needless to say the dunes were looking beautiful and we ran in them like a wild child. With our cam-eras around our neck and lil instruction from Jai, we started capturing in beautiful play of the light in desert.

In some time, one of our fellow traveler Podwal got the football from the pacaking, and there started an interesting game of hustle & bustle over the football , and this time no one minded pushed around. And when it was too dark to see the ball, we went back to the camp sight.

We were waited by a nice aroma of Tea and delicious pakoras by the bourn

fire. The desert was cold, and tea worked like magic drink giving us

warmth and energy.

The ice was already broken by the football game & odd incidents of day 1 , now was the time to share the experience of other journeys made by us, Firang like Raches (south Korean)were backpackers in country and they have been to more places in India , then any of us, before any of us knew the dinner was ready.

It was the after dinner time, we were joined by Salim & Dau , it was time to share their stories. These people usually cater to the foreign tourist only, and the full of quotes & anti quotes from them. They became camel rider in their childhood only, have never gone to school yet proficient in English better than the city people.

After everyone got over with their quotas of stories and incidents, Salim accompanied with Dau came with the dholak and turned from camel rider to a folk singer. We need only an excuse and we started dancing to folk tunes of Jaisalmer.

High on music & fun quotient, Jai & Kapil K decided to shoot a fraud video on ―how to find rum in desert‖…something of this was about to come true

very next day!!

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Day 2 : We were woke up by rising sun, Rache open the tent curtain to get the full view of rising sun. I saw Jai, Kapil, Kapil K, John and few others with their cameras and taking the beautiful pictures. On the other hand, I decided to laze around in the tent only, and finally got out for tea .

We packed our bag and started our journey for day two, it wasn‘t long we were riding our camels, rather than going in the caravan they started going in different direction and grazing on local plant. We got lil tensed but Salim told us not to worry and we releaxed on his words but at the same time he taught us the tricks & method on controlling our camels.

It was before noon, we reach a village called ―Lucknow‖ (not to be con-fused with Lucknow, capital of UP). The villagers invited us for cup of Tea and the woman chatted with us. The women of the village stood out because of their jewelry and clothing. The children village were playing with camels, and riding bare back. The village had a sparse population as we were nearing the no man land & border of India & Pakistan and also there was hardly any income in these villages.

The best view of this village was the walls covered with the mud and the camels with their beautiful covers.

From there we rode our camels to the well. There were almost 4-5 wells at this point, camel riders got busy in pulling the water, while we got busy in getting the Jujube (ber) from the trees, we were throwing sticks, stones and whatever came handy just to get few sweet bers. From there, we walked on to the next dune.

This dune is called ―Laxman ka Tila‖. We were on our camels, got down at the mid of the dune. We looked for a place with shadow, we got none and after some search , we got a patch of place shadowed by a higher pit of

sand. The boys were back with their football and 2 of us Rache & Me , we got to the chit chatting. Lunch was some time away, when we were graced by a visitor – MR Mishri. Mishri was from next village and was carrying a polybag and approached the men in the group and offered them beer. We were stunned, there was hardly anyone around and this man was going on foot to different place and offering beer and other liquor for a premium pricing. Men thirsted from sun & game of football agreed to buy few and joined us on chitai (floor mat for seating) and at this point Salim got us hot

snacks as well. After a leisurely lunch and belly full of lunch we decided to go ahead.

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We weren‘t far from our destination and the New Year‘s celebration. It was another 2 hours before we reached the final dune and this time we were greeted by the folk dancer (Kalbila) and singer (Mangania).

They helped us to settle the camp and once we got our refreshment, Manoranjan(Program) begins with the singing. While we started enjoying the music, slowly it got to the higher pitch and woman dancer started the dance.. It wasn‘t long, before all us started dancing with them.

It was after mid night we decided to call it a day, and while Manganiar & Kalbila went to their home, we went to our camp for a sleep.

That how, I welcomed 2012 dancing & singing surrounded by the sand dunes of Jaisalmer under the beautiful moonlit sky and wouldn‘t mind even if this is the last year of planet.

A memory always to cherish!! And lastly how can I forget to say thanks to

my friends at Renok Adventure – Thank you Jai & Kapil.

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Contributors:

Editing - Manish Ashani

Designing - Prashant Patil

Ahmedabad Photos - Hiren Jogani

Support - Bhavin Patoliya

Pushkar Story - Jai Govind Meena

Uttrakhand Story - Harsh Doshi

Jaisalmer Story - Anjana Gaba

Gir Story - RJ Ayush

Wonderland Story - Hardik Chanpura

Live Interview - Jithin Ponathil

Live Interview - Sanjay Shah

Travelloholic People - Hiren Jogani

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