Best Psychologist in Kolkata

Best Psychologist in Kolkata  Shreshtha Dhar is now available at Thought Craft  In Gariahat at South Kolkata. She deals with psychological issues of all age groups.

Find her clinic at Fern Place

Shreshtha Dhar is best Child Psychologist in Kolkata. She had her MA and M.Phil in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kolkata.

She has been practicing in Kolkata since last 5 Years and she is considered to be the Best Child Psychologist in Kolkata.

She is dealing with different life issues of all age groups.

Find the direction of her clinic below.

Days at Phuket Island – Part 2

Last day was superb at Phi Phi island Tourist boat cruise. After returning from the Phi Phi Island we called a number, shortlisted earlier for the James Bond Island trip. Short listing criteria were, their rates were reasonable and had good reviews. A lady from that company came to our hotel.  We bargained and brought the price little lower and gave some advance to her.  we were happy with the deal, as it was lower than the lowest we got on internet.  

Next day morning we were again picked up from the hotel and went to Ao Po Pier to board the cruise boat. The boat was nice and all of us were accommodated on the upper deck. Lower deck was kitchen and packed with other stuffs like canoe boats and other equipments and kitchen items. Two  small lavatories were there.  On the upper deck snacks, tea, coffee and non alcoholic beverages was sufficient for all of us. The tour guide was very nice and was assisted by two other persons. Guide was English speaking and subtle sense of humor.  Western music was playing and whole ambience was festive.

 Our Tour Guide

 Plenty of snacks and beverages

Nice Ambiance

Lower Deck Activity 

 Lunch Spread

 Longtail boat to James Bond Island

 Lady boy show

Sea on this side was calm and  much more turquoise colored than yesterday 's Phi Phi side.  Overall experience was amazing.   

There were few bouts of rain during our journey and the boat deck had arrangement to cover from all sides my thick polythene and there were no inconvenience whatsoever.

At first we stopped at Panak Island and then to Hong Island at both places we enjoyed canoeing through the lime stone caves and around the rocks.  Boatmen , ours was a young boy were all very well mannered and helpful and showed us and guide us throughout the canoeing in both the places.

After canoeing lunch was ready on the deck.  Very nice spread of different foods, variety of fruits, beverages; there was nothing to complain. everything was so nicely arranged.

While having our lunch, we sailed to James bond island. Since our boat was big, we were taken to the island by a short trip on a long tail boat. This small island itself was really at an amazing location. The views all around the island was spectacular. We hiked a little on a rock to go on top and came down to other side of island.  I can assure your camera shutter will be tired.  We returned to our boat  by same long tail boat after spending an hour or so in the James Bond island. Every moment was worth.

Then we sailed to Naka island. Our boat was kept at a distance from  the shore. This place was safe for swimming and all those who love swimming dived from the boat and had a great time in swimming in Andaman sea. We spent nearly an hour there and our boat then headed for return journey.

During return journey to keep us engaged and entertained the crews of the boat along with the guide performed different entertainment programs, cracked jokes and  lady boy show. It was really hilarious.  We never felt bored and the whole day was so much entertaining and like every good thing has an end, we sailed back to the shore and returned to the hotel by same minivan.

Just don't miss this tour if your are ever in Phuket or Krabi. 

Days at Phuket Island – Part 1

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there was bad traffic jam in Phuket and we reached our prior booked hotel, Naina Resort and Spa at about 2 pm.  People at the reception understands hardly any english, poorly behaved and it took lot of time to check in. They were asking more than one day rent as security deposit, although our booking was already paid through credit card. Later I came to know, it is usual practice in many hotels in Thailand but they were asking too much. We were tired and irritated and the initial experience was not at all pleasurable.

The hotel is away from beach and main activity centre of the beach and that is why I wrote in my previous post to see the map carefully while you book your hotel.  Except for the above bad things, hotel was good. Nice spacious rooms, excellent swimming pool and a wonderful landscape.

Plenty of street food stalls, different budget’s restaurants are available throughout the island and all of them serve good food. It will not be a problem to find food of your taste and budget unless you are too choosy.

Naina Resort and Spa at night

We hired a Tuk Tuk, large one that accommodate 10 persons to go the beach and main activity area, The Bangala Road. It was really lively a real touristy place. Check the video below.

Food we took outside our hotel as we could not  trust the restaurant of the hotel and it was pricey too.

Next day morning we headed for the Phi Phi Island trip, which we booked at airport, with free ride to hotel.

Now few things regarding the booking of Phi Phi Trip:

There are few ways one can go to Phi Phi Island. You can catch the local ferry to Phi Phi – it looks cheap but actually is not. You have to pay island fees, buy your lunch and you cannot see the other places like Maya bay etc cannot snorkel or swim. The next options are speed boats small and large, private or in group. Advantage is  they are faster, you can get down at the small beaches. Downsides are, they are costlier and you have to bear the roughness and rolling of the boat. Our large boat swayed considerably while returning, this part of the sea is rough. We went for the large boat, or they call it cruise boat. It is comparatively cheaper, very  steady and comfortable.

Unless you are going  at super peak season, you need not to book this trip early online, because you can always bargain and it really works. Search different sites offering the trips.  You will notice huge price variations. Believe me almost all the tours are same despite of different prices. There are few parent companies who run the show and rest all are agents taking different commissions. Find out the parent company by seeing the name on the vessel. See and note their rates. They will be the lowest amongst all.  Note their Phone number. Note phone numbers of second and third best too. Reaching Phuket call one of them to your hotel directly and not through your hotel reception. You can also mail them prior regarding this. Now you know the lowest price and bargain hard  but politely with them and fix the tour. This I did for my next day trip to James bond island tour.

We were picked up by a AC mini van from our hotel and was taken to Rassada harbour. It is quiet far from main Phuket town and took about 45 mins.  We were served little snacks and coffee at the jetty and the we boarded the vessel. It was a large cruise boat.  The boat was full of tourists but managed very efficiently and professionally. 

The beauty of the Andaman sea is beyond words. Previously I used to think that the pictures are photo-shopped or post processed…but no they were not. The place is even more beautiful than what we see in photos!

The whole journey to Phi Phi island was fabulous and we reached the island and headed for buffet lunch, which was arranged in the island. Nice spread and food for all tastes were there and plentiful. We roamed around Maya bay and  swim at the beach.  It was beautiful but  a little crowded. 

We saw Loh Samah Bay, Pileh Cove and Viking Cave. Later we were taken to a place they call it coral bay and those interested had nice swimming and basic snorkeling . Snorkeling gear and life jackets were given to all.  Water there was not so clear but overall enjoyable.

From there we sail back to our pier and then was dropped at hotel by the same mini van.

I strongly recommend this trip if you are visiting Thailand. You can avail this trip either from Phuket or from Krabi. We didn’t go to Krabi , I think it will be more serene than Phuket.

Next write up will be James bond Island  tour.. 

Kolkata to Phuket - Our journey

Our flight was at 00:15 hours from Kolkata international airport. It was a spice jet flight. What I learnt, one must do web check in and then just drop your luggage and go straight to the document verification. Physical check in is painful. Standing long in queue and getting seats at the mercy of the staff there. Everything went smooth and we reached Bangkok very early morning and collected our luggage. Here I must mention, if it was a fly thru ticket with a single PNR, we need not to waste time for luggage collection. In such case the luggage automatically goes to last destination.

However, our ticket to Phuket was separate. After luggage retrieval we went for immigration. It was little difficult as none of the airport staff at Bangkok understands English. Later I learn it is better to communicate with them with sign language. It took time but done easily. A small paper slip was given in flight. We were required to fill that up. That was immigration slip.  We didn't know that. We thought that was a feedback sort of paper and ignored. Luckily we didn't lose that. It was again checked in hotels and during exit from Bangkok. So tiny paper!

First thing I did in Bangkok Airport after immigration, I bought a SIM card with internet. Reasonably priced and worked very well throughout the trip. All settings done at the counter. I purchased DTAC card. One word of caution is don't forget to prefix the code for ISD dialling, otherwise it is very costly. I didn't know, only realized after finishing the initial balance so quickly!

Breakfast option in Bangkok airport is plenty. It is not that costly too, but you need to choose the outlet carefully. Our next flight to Phuket was at 9 am. It was domestic flight , so no more official hassle. It was Thai airways. The difference of comfort was evident. We landed at Phuket at right time around 12 pm.

Phuket airport is small. There are few stalls at the exit who books the conducted tours at Phuket. They started offering their rates and if we book with them transfer to the hotel is free! Not bad! But their rates were not good. I knew the rates and its higher and lower range. I bargained hard and they understood I know the rates and lowered their rate to acceptable level. Still a little higher side I booked Phi Phi Island trip with them for the next day and came to hotel by their van. Phuket traffic is also bad. It took more than an hour to reach the hotel.  my next post will be hotel experience and Fifi tour. Read on... 

Hotel Booking in Thailand

Wherever and whenever we travel, actually we purchase time for that destination, by air or train tickets, hotels, insurance and visa. On that purchased time, we again spend to utilize the same. like sight seeing, food, marketing and so on. I just want to emphasize, time is equally, and if not more valuable than the money. Hotel booking is very vital step for any tour. For foreign tours, application of visa requires hotel booking receipt. Nowadays with so many online sites it is possible to book now and pay later. From my experience, I will suggest book as early as possible and keep a separate note and finally cancel keeping only those you ultimately you stay. If you book from different site kindly keep track of all and it may so happen that your card will be charged for those you booked and did not cancel in time. Booking early is important as most good reviewed hotel usually get booked as early as 6 months before.

When booking hotel or any accommodation, you must know what is your plan there. You should not spend lot of time for commuting and spend few bucks in hotel. Time is more valuable as I have said earlier. Almost all hotels' review are available in the internet. Go through those. tripadvisor reviews are very close to reality. See the photos of travellers. Carefully see the maps around and transport available. Open your uber app and see whether Uber is available in that area or not? See the fares of different locations from that hotel. These are the simple things I do when I book accommodation and for me it worked till date.

Same hotel price vary in different websites and on different days. Better not to book non refundable at an early date just for the sake of low price.

We booked all our hotels online almost immediately after the flight booking and changed many times before finalizing. Pay at hotel is good option, otherwise credit card payment few days before check in works well. Always see the cancellation policy before booking.   

Visa and Travel Insurance and Currency planning for Thailand

Once the Flights are booked, we need to do the next steps:

1. Hotel booking

2. Visa

3. Local tours

4. Travel insurance

5. Thai currency

In this post I will tell about visa travel insurance and currency planning

Visa: 

Though for Indians, Visa on arrival is an option, but we were a bit over cautious. It was our first trip outside the country and we have booked a connecting flight to Phuket from Bangkok. Visa on arrival will take some time even if there is in problem and we did the right thing, we realized later on. Initially we enquired few visa agents and then found all of them actually do the visa from VFS global. VFS global has their office in Kasba area in Kolkata and their dealing over telephone, we found good. So we just a month before our journey we applied for the Visa to VFS global directly and everything went smoothly. Some money saved. We got our Visa in time. The Thailand single entry visa is really costly compared to other countries!  

Travel Insurance:

Though not mandatory but I will never travel without this, if I am travelling outside my country. There are plenty of banks and other agencies who offer travel insurance. It took some time to decide from whom we should buy. Rates also vary considerably. We found HDFC ERGO is most transparent dealing in their site and it can be done easily through their site and no telephonic discussions and other hassles. Their rate is reasonable and I know the company, since I have my car insurance with them. So just a week before leaving country, we did that and took the print out.

Currency:

So many options and it need some simple mathematical calculations to decide, which is most beneficial.

Option 1: Exchange INR to Required Baht - Thai Baht is considerably costly in India.. so not an option. We purchased few hundred Bahts only just to cover immediate first day expenses.

Option 2: Carry INR and change to Baht in Thailand - INR does not get consistent rate at Thailand so not an option

Option 3: Use Credit/ Debit cards - Unnecessary transaction charges - may be considered in Emergency.

Option 4: Carry USD and change to Baht in Thailand. - Yes two times conversion but calculations were showing it is most beneficial. Other advantages are: consistent rate, leftover USD we can use in next trip, very few notes to carry. Just to mention 100 USD note has maximum value. So we calculated our expense and carried the necessary amount of USD with us.

Now the question is from where to buy USD in Kolkata?

Before buying from bookmyforex I enquired local money changers at different places in Kolkata and all were costlier. I heard there is a grey market, but was not interested. ookmyforex is a good site and they are transparent and rates are best. You need to produce return air ticket and visa for buying forex. You can buy USD even if you are not going to USA. For  INR 30000 plus you need to pay by draft or bank transfer. Bank transfer is almost impossible in a single day to any new payee for large amount. So bank draft remains the only option for higher amount of money. What we did, we purchased below INR 30000  in each members name and could pay by cash.

Trip To Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok - itinerary and planning

We, two families from kolkata, 7 persons decided to go on our own to Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok on October 2016. It was April 2016 when we decided and decided firmly that no conducted tours and everything we do ourselves.

So first work was to create an itinerary, which should be acceptable to everyone. After long discussion and gathering information from internet we decided to cover Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok. We took help from the itineraries from different tour agencies and then made our own.

The final itinerary was like this:

Day 1: Late night flight to Bangkok from Kolkata

Day 2: reach Bangkok early morning and take a flight to Phuket. Stay at Phuket see beach and market.

Day 3: Phi Phi island tour

Day 4: James bond island tour

day 5: Fly to Bangkok and reach Pattaya by bus  See Pattaya locally and stay.

Day 8: Bus to Bangkok in the afternoon stay at Bangkok

Day 9: Visit Bangkok Zoo

Day 10: Bangkok City tour and late night flight to Kolkata

Day 11: Early morning reach Kolkata

Air tickets were booked first. That time Airasia flights were not available from Kolkata, so we booked return flight CCU to BKK Spice jet . From Bkk TO Phuket we booked with Thai Airways.

I will narrate the whole experience in my following posts... read on

Tips: Try to buy fly through ticket whenever possible, else small delay in flight will worry you. Fortunately our flights were all in right time.

Our Kashmir Trip Travelogue of October 2012

Tips of Kashmir travel

10 days Itinerary of Kashmir travel

Kashmir travel in October

Sunset at the lake

This Puja October 2012 we, two families, went for a short trip to Kashmir valley. This was our first visit  to the valley. Time was very short for us, so we made a plan for ourselves and tried to cover as many places without tiring. This article will help those, who want to  visit the Kashmir valley for planning, cost estimation and of course the practical tips for the Kashmir trip.

Saffron flower

Firstly, I want to emphasize, the Kashmir valley is now absolutely peaceful now and no one should miss the beauty of the valley. I can assure you this will be your life time experience and you will want to visit again and again. This is necessary too. We visited Kashmir in Autumn. They say this is red Kashmir. Chinar trees and many other trees were looking awesome with different shades of colour. 

Two other seasons are Green and White. January to March  is white and April to August is green.

We planned our travel by train, being a employee in the Indian Railways, we travel free in train in India, so it was the obvious choice. If this is not being the case, for the return journey  air is preferable. If you travel both way by air, you will miss the charm of the valley, while going from Jammu to Srinagar.

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Who doesn't know it!

Return by air is better for several reasons:

1.  You will be tired after the trip and will try to reach home fast, while going , this will not be the case.

2. From Srinagar to Jammu, the traffic is unpredictable,(normal time required by car is about 8 hours for approx 300 Km)  you have to start very early in the morning, even though, you have reservation in night train.  This tension can be minimized if you add Vaishnodevi trip on the return, which we did not.

3. You will face horrible experience at Jammu station. Infrastructure is extremely poor. people are rowdy. Being a high official in Railways, it was the worst possible experience even for me!  The station remain extremely crowded, and you will get no place to stand, leave aside sitting somewhere. Please note no porter of Jammu station works after 9 pm. Our train was at 9:45 pm and, we suffered a lot.  

Let us move to our itinerary .....  

Day one: Maha Sashthi 20th October 2012-   We boarded Rajdhani Express from Sealdah at 16: 20 Hrs

At a pandal of Delhi CR Park

Day two: Maha Saptami 21st October 2012- Reached Delhi  at  10: 20 Hrs. We had our rest house booked at Connaught Place. At about 14: 00 hrs, we went to CR park, by Metro and auto rickshaw. Saw the Durga Puja of Kali bari. Had excellent Khichuri Prasad at one of the pandals. Honestly, enjoyed  much more than so called, theme pandals in Kolkata. Puja was like this in Kolkata too, several years ago.  Our train to Udhampur was Sampark Kranti Express at 20:45 pm. 

CR Park Delhi - Coperative Durga Puja

Regarding Udhampur here are some practical points. This is about 50 Kms ahead of Jammu, towards Srinagar. You save time and energy. If you contact your car before hand, this is a nice small station to start your trip. The driver will pick you up from there.   The train also reaches at a very comfortable time between 8:00 to 8:30 Hrs. Cars are available, though in lesser number. Porters are less in number. Always be ready to carry your own luggage. Ramp was there, so no problem if you are having luggage with wheels.

Indian Railway's Officer's Rest House at Patni Top

 Day two: Maha Saptami 21st October 2012- Reached Delhi  at  10: 20 Hrs. We had our rest house booked at Connaught Place. At about 14: 00 hrs, we went to CR park, by Metro and auto rickshaw. Saw the Durga Puja of Kali bari. Had excellent Khichuri Prasad at one of the pandals. Honestly, enjoyed  much more than so called, theme pandals in Kolkata. Puja was like this in Kolkata too, several years ago.  Our train to Udhampur was Sampark Kranti Express at 20:45 pm. 

Patnitop is a nice hill station, close to Jammu. Spending some time there will be pleasure. You may skip Patnitop, if you have time scarcity. We stayed there for a night because, Railways has an excellent Rest House there. There are many hotels  of different categories, you may choose there on the spot, if you wish to stay. Otherwise, give Rs. 50 toll tax and have a round trip of the place in 30 mins , and head towards your next destination, in our case it was Pahalgam.

Pahelgam - By the side of Lidder River

Day three Maha Nabami  23rd October 2012. Our next destination was Pahalgam. As I mentioned earlier, the traffic is unpredictable at Jammu - Srinagar highway, our driver cum owner Zahoor, very nice person,  (Mob: +91 9419729634) urged to start early at 7 am.   Had breakfast on our way to Pahalgam, we reached Pahalgam leisurely at about  3 pm. We had lunch in a restaurant there. Vegeterian  restaurants are common in all these places. We chose a non veg restaurant. The food was good. Oh! yes before I forget, if you are fond of alcohol, collect it on the way to Pahalgam. Strangely enough, no wine shop is there in Pahalgam, possibly because, from here Amarnath Yatra starts. In Srinagar also, though available, it is costlier!  We checked in  an average hotel, as we had to stay there for the night only. What we required was clean beds and hot water in the bathroom and room heaters. The place was really cold, may be 3 - 4 degree Celsius!  In the afternoon in our own hired car we went to the Leeder river bank, deer park and one mandir there. Nature's beauty of Pahalgam is unparallel!  You will always feel no place can be more beautiful than this. God has really created a heaven here.

Chandanwari after a fresh Ice fall

From Pahalgam  you should see few points. 

1. Chandanwari, from where Amarnath Yatra starts, Betab valley ( name from the film Betab), Aru valley. 

2.Baisharan.  

The first circuit can be done by car and will take about 3 hours and second one is Baisharan is by Ponny, another 3 hours. One should stay at Pahalgam for 2 nights to enjoy fully. We didn't have time, so we skipped the Vaisharan for the next time and went for the 1st trip by car on next day morning. You have to hire car separately for that trip. They will not allow your or, outside Pahalgam car for this trip. The rates are fixed. For a Tata sumo for 3 hours  we paid Rs. 1600 for the no 1. trip. Hotel will call the car for you, when you require.

Chandanwari after a fresh Ice fall

Day 4, Vijaya Dashami, 24th October 2012. Though provided with room heater, and there was provision of hot water from a central geyser to the bathroom, we suffered because of power failure throughout the night. I am not sure, whether it is a regular feature, or our bad luck for that day. However, they supplied hot water  in the  bucket in the morning. The morning was so cold, it was impossible to  touch the water. We saw thin layers of ice on the cars standing outside of hotel. Our locally hired car came at 8 am and we saw the points. You can see from the photos to some extent, how good it was after a fresh ice fall though out the night. It worth all the time, money, energy we spent. Everyone forgot instantaneously, the power cut and hardship of last night.  At 12 we checked out from the hotel and headed towards Srinagar.

We had our lunch on the way, near to Pahalgam, in a roadside Dhaba. From there we collected  Dry fruits, Kesar (saffron). On the way we saw the area where cricket bats, made from Kashmir willow, are being manufactured. Purchased one bat for my son. The rate start from Rs. 250 to about Rs. 2500.  According to my son the bat he got is good and same bat will cost much higher in Kolkata. Honestly, for me all looked same.....:)

Drawing room of a Super Deluxe Houseboat at Dal Lake

Reached  Srinagar  at about 4 pm. This is about 80 Km from Pahalgam and took us 3 to 4 hours to reach. We had a Super Deluxe Houseboat booked beforehand. There was three kind of house boats according to decor, position and service. Super deluxe, deluxe and normal. The rates vary accordingly. There are plenty of houseboats. You can always bargain. It depends on which time of the year, you are travelling. One should stay in the houseboat for a night in their trip.  It is really a good experience to stand in the early morning on the balcony and see the shikaras selling  flowers, vegetables to the houseboats. Dal lake is clean, opposed to what I expected. The drainage and sewerage of the boat was very good. It was very clean and was having nice staffs.

Floating snacks bar at Dal Lake

Day 5, 25th October 2012.  Half hour Shikara   ride is Rs 200 and one hour is Rs 300. We had our breakfast at the houseboat itself and went out for a Shikara ride. This is an integral part of your Kashmir travel. Without the ride of shikara, your travel will be incomplete. It is a different experience altogether. So many shops float to you and you float to different shops. Tasted Kawa, the Kashmiri tea from such a floating shop.

Floating Vegetable shop at Dal lake

We had lunch with one  Kashmiri family, local acquaintance,  and at about 4 pm visited the gardens of Srinagar. This is Autumn. Gardens were not very attractive. So we  headed towards the Budgam, where again Railways has beautiful rest house. This is about 20 kms from Srinagar. Since we had the car always at our disposal we had no problem. There are several other points at Srinagar to see. Sankaracharya mandir at the hill top, from where whole Srinagar is visible, and some other places, you can see in J&K web site. We didn't have time so skipped them for the next time. In and around Srinagar, there are plenty of hotels to stay at different price levels. You need not to worry at all unless you are going at terrible peak season (late May and early June). Hotels of all kind of budget are always available.

    

Indian Railway's Officer's rest House at Budgam

Day 6, 26th October 2012.  Stayed at the beautiful comfortable Budgam Rest house for the night and early in the morning at 8 am, today we left for the Sonmarg Glacier. The road condition of the whole Kashmir  is excellent. It took nearly 3 hours leisurely to reach Sonmarg, though we were about 20 km away from the Srinagar. In Sonmarg  also, for the local sight seeing they will not allow your car. You have to hire the car from there. Here you have to bargain. They asked Rs. 4500 for some five point tour. Our driver bargained down to Rs.1800. It took us about 2 hours.  From same point, if you want to go to glacier you can walk or have pony. Walk is very comfortable unless you want to climb at the last part, to the strip of glacier, very unimpressive during this time. 

Walking to Sonmarg Glacier

The pony will take you near (not up to) that strip, rest you have to climb and funniest of all the pony will not bring you down from there, which you have to walk yourself! It is really steep about 50 degrees or, more of about 500 meters stretch, and not worth! Most of us walked comfortably up to the steep part and three of us took pony up to that strip of glacier. Each pony charged Rs. 400 after huge bargaining.  It was about 3 pm then. There was only one restaurant at Sonmarg and they were charging Rs 350 for vegetarian buffet! None of us agreed so we left and had Alu parahtha for lunch that day, again in a roadside dhaba. Returned to the rest house in the evening, boooze.....and had a good sleep at night.

Strip of Glacier at Sonmarg

Day 7, 27th October 2012 Eid - Today our destination was Gulmarg and gandola ride. Today was Eid and our driver said the distance is less and they had prayer time in the morning so will start late. We agreed and had our breakfast at rest house. The car came after 10 am. The road to Gulmarg  was unusually empty. All shops were closed. It was so due to Eid. We reached in about two hours. On the way learned gandola is not running due to Eid. Felt really depressed. Anyway Gandola is only 25% of Gulmarg, rest 75% was there for us. Later I learnt, gandola itself is a fishy affair. Government has no control over its running. Local people's influence matters. All pony walas were very active there. It was there day! Our driver was a nice fellow. He felt for us and managed some how to enter the Gulmarg area. Like the other places, this was not allowed here  for outside vehicle. You have to travel in the gulmarg area by foot or pony. This being a plain piece of land , walking will be a pleasure. However, our driver was smart, and only  wewere the tourusts, travelled inside the gulmarg area by car. Others were on pony or foot. Local cars might be too costly, I didn't see anyone other than us in car! 

Golf club at Gulmarg

It is another lovely place made by god. There are several points in the Gumarg to see. The Golf course, Club, the Shiv mandir, where the famous song “Jai Jai Shiva Shankar” was shot with Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz. One can stay here in hotel. 

A view from Gulmarg

Quickly tour to Gulmarg finished and we tried biryani in a restaurant there! It was a big mistake. The worst food we tasted in our whole trip was that.  

We returned from Gulmarg, little disappointed due to the gondola problem and thought, will do some last minute marketing , as it was the last day of our trip. By 3 pm we were in Srinagar and believe it or not, it was a complete “bandh” like state! Everything was closed! Actually we lost the whole afternoon and went back to our rest house. So, please check for any Muslim festival date, particularly Eid, while you make your tour plan.

Day 8, 28^th October – Day of return from heaven. Driver again urged to start early. We started at 7 am from Budgam. Srinagar is 300 Km from here. If you, hire car from Jammu to Jammu the fare will be same That is Rs. 2500 per day. But if you calculate on daily basis Km wise the fare for today’s travel will be Rs.4500. So, if you plan to come by flight bargain with the car properly. By nature Kashmiris are very nice. They will not loot you in general, though exceptions are there. You need to be careful.

Road was empty due to continuation of Eid festival. We reached Jammu at 4 pm. Taken breakfast in the car with cakes we bought previous day. We had lunch at Udhampur. I will advice to take train from Udhampur to avoid the horrible experience of Jammu Railway station, as I mentioned earlier. You will reach at least one hour early too. At present only Sampark Kranti Express runs from Udhampur to New delhi. For direct train of course, you need to come to Jammu. 

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Rishikesh: An Adventurous-Spiritual Destination

Rishikesh is a small scenic town located in the state of Uttarakhand. Located in the foothills of Himalayas along the banks of River Ganges, this spiritual town is gateway to the Himalayas. Rishikesh means Lord of the senses and is very near to the state capital Dehradun. Being a pilgrimage centre Rishikesh has plenty of temples and places of religious importance and is most crowded for most parts of the year.

Rishikesh is also an adventurous capital of the country. The place invites a number of adventure hungry people with activities like River rafting, Bungee jumping, Rock climbing, Cliff Jumping. Also there are places for camping, artificial beaches, Spas, surfing, bonfire and many more things to do.

Things to do in Rishikesh:

River Rafting: River Rafting is a adrenalin pumping recreational activity using a raft and navigating through the madly flowing river. Rishikesh offers rafting with a level 4. River rafting in India started with Rishikesh only.

Bungee Jumping: It is the most popular adventurous activity. Rishikesh offers bungee jumping from a height of whooping 83 metres, highest in India.

Rock Climbing: Rishikesh offers challenging mountain terrains, hence is a hotspot of climbers and trekkers.

Lakshman Jhula: Lakshman Jhula is a bridge over the Ganga river. It is believed that Lakshman crossed the river Ganges with a jute rope at the same place. The bridge was built in 1939. Adjacent to the bridge is Ram Jhoola.

Triveni Ghat: It’s a bathing ghat along the river Ganga and many people can be seen taking a holy dip in the river here.

There are numerous other activities to be indulged in. Rishikesh attracts a number of foreigners attaining spirituality. The place became famous after Beatles came here in maharishi Mahesh yogi Ashram in 1962. Rishikesh is the Yoga centre of the country. 

Reaching Rishikesh:

By Road: Rishikesh can be easily reached by road by road. It is a 6 - 7 hours drive by Delhi.

By Train: There are trains to reach Rishikesh from haridwar but they a few in number.

By Air: The nearest airport is in dehradun which is 30 kms from Rishikesh. There are a number of flights between Delhi and Dehradun.

Rishikesh is an amazing combination of a spiritual place as well a adventurous capital. Located in a serene valley, it’s a perfect weekend getaway. So, come visit this small town to seek solace and to discover your limits.

Author Bio: Ashwin Sharma is an avid traveller and a foodie. He is currently working with Cheapoair.com. 

The top Wildlife parks in India

Following is a brief listing of the major parks and the wildlife in India


For the Animals:

Kanha (Madya Pradesh): Tiger, deer, most species. Best months: from February to June (closed July to November).

Corbett (Uttar Pradesh): Tiger, mugger, gharial, deer, most species. Best months: from February to May.

Namdapha (Arunachal Pradesh): Tiger, clouded leopard, snow leopard, panther, red panther, gibbon, loris. Best months: from Oc¬tober to March.

Jawahar National Park (borders of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu): Elephant, gaur, leopard. Best months: March to July, September and October. Includes the Bandipur, Mudumalai, Nacarhole and Wayanda reserves.

Kaziranga (Assam): Rhino, swamp deer, wild buffalo, tiger. Best months: from November to March.

Bhandavgarh (Madhya Pradesh): Big cats, deer, bear. Best months: November to June.

Periyar (Kerala): Elephant, monkey, some tiger. Best months: September to May.

Gir (Gujarat): Asiatic Hon, wild ass, deer. Best months: from December to April.

Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh): Tiger, rhino, sloth bear. Best months: from December to June.

Nanda Devi (Himachal Pradesh): Mountain goat, snow leopard. Best months: from April to October,

Ranthambore (Rajasthan): Tiger, jackal, doer, monkey. Best months: October to April.

Kumbulgarh (Rajasthan): Wolf, leopard, fly¬ing squirrel. Best months: from September to November.

Sunderbans (West Bengal): Tiger, turtle, crocodile. Best months: from December to February.

For the birds:

Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur. Uttar Pradesh): Cranes, migratory fowl. Best months: from August to February.

Chilka Lake (Orissa): Wading birds, ila-.mingo, dolphin. Best months: from December to March,

Sarnath - A must see place from Varanasi

History of Sarnath

Sarnath is 10 km North East of Kashi or Varanasi. This is the birth place of Buddhism. Siddharth descended on earth in Lumbini and attained the divine knowledge in Bodhgaya in 528 BC. Sarnath is the place where he first introduced Mahadharmachakra or the eight paths to Compassion, Knowledge and Nirvana. Sarnath was the ultimate seat of knowledge from the 4th century BC to the 12th century.

Once it was abuzz with 1500 resident Hinayana bhikshus dwelling in the 65 meter high viharand 30 monasteries. Sarnath's worldwide reputation is mentioned in the accounts of the Chinese travelers like Fa Hien (early 5th century) and Hiuen~Tsang(640AD). It was known as Rishi pattan—the name derived from the ashram of rishis or sages. Others claim, Sarnath comes from Saranganath, literally meaning: Nathix chief of the Sarangas or deer. Bodhisattva—in oneof the Jataka tales—was once born as adeer and became the chief of the herd.

There are roaming deer in Mrigo Udyan or the Deer Park built in 1956. Yet another opinion is that Saranganath is derived from the abode of Shiva. The relics of the old temple of Saranganath is near the rai1way station. The Shiva Linga here looks like a deer's head. Saranganatheswara is also called Sangheswara Mahadeva.
Buddha's acceptance of the rice-porridge from Sujata, a chamber maid, offended his five disciples who deserted Buddha and reached here in pursuit of religious studies. A sangha was formed with 60 students. Later they spread out in different directions to preach the great religion. The main Vihara was built in memory of Lord Buddha’s meditation much later, during Ashok's reign. The last monastery in Sarnath was built by Kumara Devi, the queen of Sarnath, during 1114-54. But Buddhism was losing its hold in later years. The first onslaught came from the Huns. The exponents of Bramhinical Hinduism like Sankaracharya opposed Buddhism as it reelected Vedas. Later devout Hindu kings also converted many Chaityas in temples. Repeated Muslim attacks during 11th to 17th century razed Sarnath to the grounds. The relics were discovered in 1794 by Jagat Singh, the Dewan of King Chait Singh. The British archaeologists under the leadership of Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham rediscovered the place during 1834— 1905.
 
Places of attraction and historical importance in Sarnath
Chaukhandi Stupa: 1 km south of Dhamek was built in 1555. The stupa that looks like a small hillock has an octagonal pillar on the top of it This is the place where Lord Buddha was given a reception again by his five dissenting disciples. The Stupa was destroyed in the later years. But Akbar renovated it in 1588 and built a memorial to celebrate Humayun's visit to Sarnath. The engraving in Arabic on one of its doors still now bears testimony to the event

Dhamek (the old Dharmachakra) Stupa still stands erect The Stupa was built in a bright fortnight in the month of Ashar. Buddha revealed his first teaching to the five disciples on this particular site. The Stupa underwent renovations for six times. Its area was also expanding during each renovation. The lower part of the Stupa (500 AD) is built of stone, while the upper part is of brick. The octagonal stupa symbolises the eight paths to salvation. The radius of its bottom is 28 meter. The tapering middle part is 13 meter high. With the cylindrical pinnacle it goes up to a height of 31 meter. The decorative patterns on the walls date back to the Gupta period. But the bricks are from the Maury a times (200 BC). The common belief is that the Stupa contains the bones of Buddha.

Dharrnarajik Stupa was built by Ashok in the 3rd century BC to preserve the Buddhist articles. Each time it was renovated, it got its area extended. The main stupa was destroyed in 1794 by the Dewan of the Maharaja in search of the bones and pearls secretly preserved in a green stone casket

The 20 meter high Ashok Pillar was built by the Emperor Ashok during 272—232 BC. The Pillar has Brahmi scripts engraved on one side and Pali scripts on the other. On top of the pillar is a statue of four lions in between dharmachakras, an exquisite work of art The four lions having faced in four directions symbolizing each of them is always guarded by the other three. It was later adopted as the official symbol and seal of the Indian government after independence. The bottom part is engraved with a lion as the symbol of fearlessness, the elephant that came in the dream of Buddha's mother, and the horse and the bull that Buddha rode on his journey toward wisdom. Though badly damaged in the hands of Kutb-ud-din-Aibak in 1194, the Pillar still stands erect. The statue of the lions is in the museum.

Buddha sat in meditation at east of Dhamek. The meditation went on for three months at a stretch. The Gupta Kings built Mulgandhakuti Vihar in memory of the meditative Buddha. Later, in 1931, Mahabodhi Society built a61 meter high Mulgandhakuti Vihar. The great initiative was taken by Anagarika Dharmapala, a Buddhist preacher from Sri Lanka. Resembling Bodhgaya, the Vihar is shaded with trees. The frescoes on the wall, depicting tales from Buddha's life, were painted in four long years by Kosetsu Nosu, a  Japanese painter, during 1932-36. The chief idol is a golden Buddha. The library here has a rich collection of books. The historical peepal tree (288 BC), the Tree of Wisdom is at its east. The sapling wax brought from Anuradhapuram Sri Lanka and planted here in 1931. The altar beneath the tree has an image of Buddha with his Five disciples—Asmaji. Mahanama, Bhaddiya, Oyappa and Kondanaya. Devotees come from distant places to offer worship on the full moon day of November. A small hillock behind the temple has a memorial of Anagarika Dharmapala.

A little at its east is the Chinese Temple. The temple, built in 1939, has frescoes, depicting tales from Buddha's life. The frescoes are painted in the Chinese style. The idol of Buddha is also exquisite. Sarnath also has a few other monasteries—Thai, Japanese and Tibetan. There is also a Burmese Vihara.

The Archaeological Museum has a beautiful garden in front of it. The image of Buddha (5-6th century) is made of sandstone from Chunar. The Dharma Chakra with the four lions, built by Ashok during 273—232 BC is also kept here. There are other sculptures and archaeological finds from the Maurya, Gupta and Kusana dynasties.There are other gods and goddesses of 9-12th century. Besides there is a stone casket, it is believed to have a golden receptacle in it with the last remains of Buddha. The bones were dedicated to Ganga long ago. But the golden container is lost for ever. The Museum is open from 10-00 to 16-45. It is closed on Friday. Opposite it is the Excavation Site.

At South West of the Deer Park is the beautifully frescoed Sree Digambar Jain Temple in memory of Sreyangshanath, the 11th Jain Tirthankar. The bird house, adjacent to the park, is another attraction.

Lord Buddha's birthday is celebrated during Buddha Purnima in the month of Baisakh (May). Devotees come from different places. The entire place turns into a fair ground. Holy articles related to Buddha are displayed.




How to reach Sarnath
Rikshaw, tonga, auto, taxi, bus is available from Godawlia or the railway station. Share auto and tempos are also available from Godawlia and Lahurabir. Buses go on conducted tours. The passenger trains from Varanasi take 20 minutes to reach Sarnath, The station too is beautiful.



Places to stay at Sarnath
UPSTDC Mrigadaba Tourist Lodge. Ph: (0542) 2595965,
Golden Buddha Paryataka Abas Griha,
Bbia Rest House,
Mahabodhi Guest House.
Burmese Vihar
Restaurants  / Food at Sarnath
There are many canteens around. Rangoli Garden Restaurant is the best beyond doubt.
 

Staying in Sarnath is not necessary. Go by your own by mnay available options or, avail a conducted tour and come back on Varanasi on the same day.

Other places to visit from Varanasi





 
This article is originally 

published in Travel India and India Study Channel