In our recent trip to Malaysia we also visited Langkawi, the island resort of Malaysia. Langkawi it seems comprises of about 90 small islands. We took the evening 1610hrs flight out of Kuala Lumpur (KL) by Air Asia. The flight was on time and the plane was neat and clean.
We got our luggage very fast and proceeded to a counter for rental cars. There were three people and didn’t know if they all belonged to the same company or not. We bargained for a cheap car for three nights. Initially he quoted MYR180 for a small car. I requested for the smallest of small cars and also cheapest of them and finally negotiated for a price of MYR140, pickup at about 5.40pm (arrived from KL at about 5.10pm) till morning on the fourth day (3 nights). The system there is they will give you with some petrol and you give back with about the same. Easy money for the agency!!.
We went out after paying MYR190 (Includes MYR50 as refundable security deposit) and a man gave us the keys and showed a car, we had to really look hard to find it as it was so small. He gave us general directions to my hotel, the Citin Langkawi.
The car started pretty easily but made a lot of noise through out the journey, almost as if some parts may come loose. Don’t complain, I asked for a cheap car, didn’t I? It had power steering as well as power windows so was happy. We made a wrong turn and had to take corrective action after renewed driving instructions.
We arrived at the hotel within about 30 minutes, the ride was easy as it is almost a straight road. The hotel was right on the main road on the left side. The map did help. We wanted to check-in and then take the luggage so got off the car and I tried to lock on my side. The key turned a little and felt as if the key is made of paper, a soft touch. The metal key twisted in my hand as if a flexible sheet of metal. I tried to turn it back and to my horror found the key break into half. Luckily my wife didn’t lock her side of the car and could manage to take the luggage out.
Called up the agency and told him about the incident and expressed my displeasure at the type of car he gave us. He was trying to justify and told me in clear words that what else any one can expect in a cheap car!! I didn’t know cheap means that anything can break or come off at anytime, especially something important like a key. Thank God the steering wheel didn’t come off in the cheap car.
The agency sent me another car after an hour. It looked neat but no power steering. Drove around Langkawi for the next two days and had difficulty especially in parallel parking without the power steering. It was like driving a truck.
The good things about driving around in Langkawi are the roads are very good and petrol is CHEAP. And this time this ‘cheap’ petrol was for real and nothing got broke and not adulterated etc. So cheap always doesn’t mean cheap as in low quality. We paid MYR19 for 10 litres of petrol.
Hiring a car at the airport was the best thing to do as there is no public transport in Langkawi (At least we didn’t see any) and driving is easy with good roads and being a small town.
On the last day of the trip to Langkawi we just drove to the airport, called the agency and a guy came to take the keys. After inspecting the car for any damages (they didn’t do it before giving) paid back my security deposit of MYR50. That was it. It took us two minutes for the guy to appear, 1 minute to handover. It was a neat arrangement. The lesson learnt is to never ask for a cheap car next time, you may end up with four wheels instead of 5 (I mean the steering wheel may come off!).
Parking is free after 4.30pm, so literally we never paid any parking fee as we moved around mostly in the evenings
Friday, July 29, 2011
I was imprisoned in Malaysia!
I was imprisoned in Malaysia!
It is indeed a fact, I was imprisoned while in Kuala Lumpur. It was for a very short time. The time was about 10pm while everyone else was either sleeping or about to go to sleep. Poor me, was imprisoned with no help, especially as I can’t speak Malay except greeting some one “good morning” or “good night”. These two sentences wouldn’t get me out of the situation.
The date: 22nd July 2011.
Place: Near Masjid Jamek in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia.
Crime committed: Attending nature’s call after 10pm
I and my wife went to Malaysia on the popular LCC airlines called Air Asia. The fare was dud cheap. The return flight from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur (KL) costed us just 5000/- INR. Of course not per person but for both!! Otherwise why would I call it cheap. By the way LCC stands for Low Cost Carrier.
It was a spot decision to book these flights without thinking. This was because such cheap tickets get sold out in no time. We were lucky to get these for July 2011 (booked about 8 months back). As such there was no time for proper planning on routing and dates. We booked ourselves for a trip to Langkawi too from KL. We had to check-in and out a number of times into hotels.
As the fare was so low we also tried to do the same with hotel accommodation and chose Citin hotels both at KL and Langkawi. They were good (I mean quite neat and simple), they reminded me of the Etap hotels in the Europe. At KL we stayed in Citin Masjid Jamek for the simple reason that the hotel is a minute’s walk from the Metro station. The hotel is situated right behind Little India shopping arcade and adjoining Masjid Jamek.
The flight Air Asia D7 2507 was very good, the seats and the interiors were quite clean and bright. The outside and the inside of the craft we see a lot of red color making it look bright. The flight arrived before time and we rushed to catch the Skybus (operated by Air Asia) to KL Sentral. It is an hour’s journey passing through green patches of coconut and palm trees making it a cool welcome to the country. At KL Sentral we took a cab to the hotel and paid him MYR20.
The lobby of the hotel was jam packed with people checking out and checking in. It seems to be a very popular hotel. The time around 8 or 8.30 am and worried as the check-in time is 12noon. Luckily Adilla was at the reception, the girl I spoke to a few days before and she obliged us by allocating a room (but with a connecting door, which I didn’t want). She said she will move me out next day. Early check-in at no extra Cost!!. The staff were nice to us.
See how I made you read all this keeping the suspense. You wanted to know about my imprisonment.
It was 22nd July (we were moved to room#804). After long hours of shopping and a late dinner we arrived at the hotel after 9.30pm. I went to the toilet to relieve myself and to change into
night dress. After relieving myself and changing my pyjamas, when I tried to open the door, it wouldn’t open and to my horror found that there was no lever to turn the latch. It got locked and nothing to operate. So frantically called my wife for help. She didn’t have anything on the outside to operate it either. She called reception.
10 minutes passed and no one came. She again called, they said that the maintenance guy is on leave!!. 10 more minutes passed and no one came, so she called and shouted at them. They sent the security guy ( a guy from Punjab). A hefty guy, powerfully built and tall but without any ideas. He tried a lot, almost hammered his way in. I had to warn him about the glass door. My wife passed a small scissors through the small opening between door and the wall. It didn’t help There was a window at the far end and even if I went out the window I didn’t dare to cross over the next window at the 8th floor. I always wanted to do paragliding – definitely this was not the way. The security guy passed on many box nut spanner bits and one of them fitted on the latch spindle with the help of toilet tissue. I forced it tight and turned, Voila! The door opened to my relief. That’s how it happened. I was locked up for more than 40 minutes against my wishes. Luckily my next flight was 18 hours away.
Next day I had the lock removed totally, lest some one else will be imprisoned! And possibly no one is sharing the room. God help them. I wonder what I would have done with out a phone and if I was alone in the hotel locked up like this. I will cross the bridge when I come to it. May be I will always carry my mobile phone to the toilet!
Read more on Malaysia trip in the other articles being published shortly.
It is indeed a fact, I was imprisoned while in Kuala Lumpur. It was for a very short time. The time was about 10pm while everyone else was either sleeping or about to go to sleep. Poor me, was imprisoned with no help, especially as I can’t speak Malay except greeting some one “good morning” or “good night”. These two sentences wouldn’t get me out of the situation.
The date: 22nd July 2011.
Place: Near Masjid Jamek in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia.
Crime committed: Attending nature’s call after 10pm
I and my wife went to Malaysia on the popular LCC airlines called Air Asia. The fare was dud cheap. The return flight from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur (KL) costed us just 5000/- INR. Of course not per person but for both!! Otherwise why would I call it cheap. By the way LCC stands for Low Cost Carrier.It was a spot decision to book these flights without thinking. This was because such cheap tickets get sold out in no time. We were lucky to get these for July 2011 (booked about 8 months back). As such there was no time for proper planning on routing and dates. We booked ourselves for a trip to Langkawi too from KL. We had to check-in and out a number of times into hotels.
As the fare was so low we also tried to do the same with hotel accommodation and chose Citin hotels both at KL and Langkawi. They were good (I mean quite neat and simple), they reminded me of the Etap hotels in the Europe. At KL we stayed in Citin Masjid Jamek for the simple reason that the hotel is a minute’s walk from the Metro station. The hotel is situated right behind Little India shopping arcade and adjoining Masjid Jamek.
The flight Air Asia D7 2507 was very good, the seats and the interiors were quite clean and bright. The outside and the inside of the craft we see a lot of red color making it look bright. The flight arrived before time and we rushed to catch the Skybus (operated by Air Asia) to KL Sentral. It is an hour’s journey passing through green patches of coconut and palm trees making it a cool welcome to the country. At KL Sentral we took a cab to the hotel and paid him MYR20.
The lobby of the hotel was jam packed with people checking out and checking in. It seems to be a very popular hotel. The time around 8 or 8.30 am and worried as the check-in time is 12noon. Luckily Adilla was at the reception, the girl I spoke to a few days before and she obliged us by allocating a room (but with a connecting door, which I didn’t want). She said she will move me out next day. Early check-in at no extra Cost!!. The staff were nice to us.
See how I made you read all this keeping the suspense. You wanted to know about my imprisonment.
It was 22nd July (we were moved to room#804). After long hours of shopping and a late dinner we arrived at the hotel after 9.30pm. I went to the toilet to relieve myself and to change into
night dress. After relieving myself and changing my pyjamas, when I tried to open the door, it wouldn’t open and to my horror found that there was no lever to turn the latch. It got locked and nothing to operate. So frantically called my wife for help. She didn’t have anything on the outside to operate it either. She called reception.10 minutes passed and no one came. She again called, they said that the maintenance guy is on leave!!. 10 more minutes passed and no one came, so she called and shouted at them. They sent the security guy ( a guy from Punjab). A hefty guy, powerfully built and tall but without any ideas. He tried a lot, almost hammered his way in. I had to warn him about the glass door. My wife passed a small scissors through the small opening between door and the wall. It didn’t help There was a window at the far end and even if I went out the window I didn’t dare to cross over the next window at the 8th floor. I always wanted to do paragliding – definitely this was not the way. The security guy passed on many box nut spanner bits and one of them fitted on the latch spindle with the help of toilet tissue. I forced it tight and turned, Voila! The door opened to my relief. That’s how it happened. I was locked up for more than 40 minutes against my wishes. Luckily my next flight was 18 hours away.
Next day I had the lock removed totally, lest some one else will be imprisoned! And possibly no one is sharing the room. God help them. I wonder what I would have done with out a phone and if I was alone in the hotel locked up like this. I will cross the bridge when I come to it. May be I will always carry my mobile phone to the toilet!
Read more on Malaysia trip in the other articles being published shortly.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Roaming the land of Gods - Uttarakhand
Roaming the land of Gods – Uttarakhand
It is an inevitable call from within that you can’t ignore but concede. A call to do a ‘yatra’ in the hills. Year on year, we get ready to roam the land of Gods – Uttarakhand. A divine place in the lap of the majestic Himalayas. We had been visiting different places in this land but yet we feel our desire to explore further is never diminished. There is so much to devour that one life may not be enough to see it all.
June 10th, 2011 was the date for this year’s exploration. Me and my wife (by now she too has become an ardent lover of this beautiful land) set off early in the morning with somewhat a fixed itinerary viz., Delhi-Pauri-Nauti-Gwaldam-Mandoli and back. The idea was always to visit the places “off the beaten track”. I am sure that not many people would have heard about these places, some of them may not exist on even a Google map!!
The road was surprisingly very good with the new Toll Road covering about a 100kms and the rest of the road being fairly good. There was too much traffic due to the pilgrims going to the Chardham yatra. We reached Deoprayag (the confluence of rivers Bhagirathi and Alakananda) and filled up our car tank at the petrol pump. Here the attendant told us the road from Deoprayag to Pauri is a better road than the route via Srinagar so we opted to do the same. A few metres away from this pump one can find a deep U-turn to the right, leading to a rough steep road going down the hill. This continued even after crossing The Ganges for about 3kms. The road became better later but for next 20 kms the surface was not good. Also there were places where it looked like some land slides keep happening. It is indeed dangerous to come this way. From a village 20kms short of Pauri the road has become better so was relieved. We seem to have taken the wrong road to approach the GMVN TRH at Pauri as we had taken a long time to reach it winding up and down after reaching the town of Pauri.
It is an inevitable call from within that you can’t ignore but concede. A call to do a ‘yatra’ in the hills. Year on year, we get ready to roam the land of Gods – Uttarakhand. A divine place in the lap of the majestic Himalayas. We had been visiting different places in this land but yet we feel our desire to explore further is never diminished. There is so much to devour that one life may not be enough to see it all.
June 10th, 2011 was the date for this year’s exploration. Me and my wife (by now she too has become an ardent lover of this beautiful land) set off early in the morning with somewhat a fixed itinerary viz., Delhi-Pauri-Nauti-Gwaldam-Mandoli and back. The idea was always to visit the places “off the beaten track”. I am sure that not many people would have heard about these places, some of them may not exist on even a Google map!!
The road was surprisingly very good with the new Toll Road covering about a 100kms and the rest of the road being fairly good. There was too much traffic due to the pilgrims going to the Chardham yatra. We reached Deoprayag (the confluence of rivers Bhagirathi and Alakananda) and filled up our car tank at the petrol pump. Here the attendant told us the road from Deoprayag to Pauri is a better road than the route via Srinagar so we opted to do the same. A few metres away from this pump one can find a deep U-turn to the right, leading to a rough steep road going down the hill. This continued even after crossing The Ganges for about 3kms. The road became better later but for next 20 kms the surface was not good. Also there were places where it looked like some land slides keep happening. It is indeed dangerous to come this way. From a village 20kms short of Pauri the road has become better so was relieved. We seem to have taken the wrong road to approach the GMVN TRH at Pauri as we had taken a long time to reach it winding up and down after reaching the town of Pauri.
Lovely purple flowers in front of Tourist Rest House at Pauri
It was a pleasant stay at Pauri, the rooms were fitted with wooden flooring, a clean bathroom with Geyser (for hot water). We had been here a couple of times before and we used to get a panoramic view of the Himalayas (Unfortunately due to heavy clouds we couldn’t see any Himalayan range). The food was tolerable. Through out our trip we were drinking bottled water. An expensive necessity, tip for travelers is to stock your car with either a 5 litre or two litre bottles.
It was a pleasant stay at Pauri, the rooms were fitted with wooden flooring, a clean bathroom with Geyser (for hot water). We had been here a couple of times before and we used to get a panoramic view of the Himalayas (Unfortunately due to heavy clouds we couldn’t see any Himalayan range). The food was tolerable. Through out our trip we were drinking bottled water. An expensive necessity, tip for travelers is to stock your car with either a 5 litre or two litre bottles.
Fairly Large town of Pauri – view from TRH
So far: Day 1 was travelling, Day 2 was at Pauri and Day 3 we started for Nauti.
Day3: Left for Nauti at 730am. Before we left Gurgaon I got a message on a travel forum that there are heavy rains in Uttarakhand which means possible landslides and it almost frightened me off. I was told that there has been a landslide between Srinagar to Rudraprayag which sometimes delays the traffic for hours. This landslide keeps happening every year and has already started happening. I was debating on taking the route via Khirsu to join the Rudraprayag route after this landslide place but was advised against it due to very bad road condition. So took the road via Srinagar and hoped for the best. When we reached that dangerous point we were relieved to see that the road was clear and some one was managing the traffic on both sides by alternating the flow. Right when we started on this patch a SUV tried to over take me to get there first and forced me to stop suddenly only to find a taxi Qualis rammed into my car fender.We did not stop as we would have put a lot of people under tension (who are eagerly waiting to cross this dangerous stretch) so proceeded on.
The journey upto Gauchar was uneventful and stopped at the GMVN TRH for breakfast. Had some Aloo Paranthas and Coffee. Used the restroom. Bought some vegetables, fruits and started back on our last lap to our next destination – NAUTI. We were advised by the Manager at Gauchar that at Karnaprayag there will be 3 roads and was to take the middle one. This led us to the city of Karnaprayag and while we were enquiring the route to Nauti a policeman told us that one of his staff is going to a village on the same route who will help us. So we picked him up and proceeded. After a few kilometers we take a right turn to Nauti. The road was just OK and very narrow. At certain places the surface was also bad and had a doubt if we could drive to Nauti. We ventured ahead with some encouragement and support from my wife. Through these winding and narrow roads we reached the GMVN TRH. The TRH is situated on the hillside going down the hill from the little market.
The TRH is in an isolated place with 6 double rooms on the first floor and a 10 bedded dormitory in the ground floor. The Kitchen and the dining hall were located at he GF. We were the only inhabitants both a plus and a minus. Minus as it is a bit scary being alone and so far from home. We loved the room with a huge verandah. The whole place was ours so made it even better. The rooms and the place were kept unusually clean, we couldn’t find a speck anywhere.
So far: Day 1 was travelling, Day 2 was at Pauri and Day 3 we started for Nauti.
Day3: Left for Nauti at 730am. Before we left Gurgaon I got a message on a travel forum that there are heavy rains in Uttarakhand which means possible landslides and it almost frightened me off. I was told that there has been a landslide between Srinagar to Rudraprayag which sometimes delays the traffic for hours. This landslide keeps happening every year and has already started happening. I was debating on taking the route via Khirsu to join the Rudraprayag route after this landslide place but was advised against it due to very bad road condition. So took the road via Srinagar and hoped for the best. When we reached that dangerous point we were relieved to see that the road was clear and some one was managing the traffic on both sides by alternating the flow. Right when we started on this patch a SUV tried to over take me to get there first and forced me to stop suddenly only to find a taxi Qualis rammed into my car fender.We did not stop as we would have put a lot of people under tension (who are eagerly waiting to cross this dangerous stretch) so proceeded on.
The journey upto Gauchar was uneventful and stopped at the GMVN TRH for breakfast. Had some Aloo Paranthas and Coffee. Used the restroom. Bought some vegetables, fruits and started back on our last lap to our next destination – NAUTI. We were advised by the Manager at Gauchar that at Karnaprayag there will be 3 roads and was to take the middle one. This led us to the city of Karnaprayag and while we were enquiring the route to Nauti a policeman told us that one of his staff is going to a village on the same route who will help us. So we picked him up and proceeded. After a few kilometers we take a right turn to Nauti. The road was just OK and very narrow. At certain places the surface was also bad and had a doubt if we could drive to Nauti. We ventured ahead with some encouragement and support from my wife. Through these winding and narrow roads we reached the GMVN TRH. The TRH is situated on the hillside going down the hill from the little market.
The TRH is in an isolated place with 6 double rooms on the first floor and a 10 bedded dormitory in the ground floor. The Kitchen and the dining hall were located at he GF. We were the only inhabitants both a plus and a minus. Minus as it is a bit scary being alone and so far from home. We loved the room with a huge verandah. The whole place was ours so made it even better. The rooms and the place were kept unusually clean, we couldn’t find a speck anywhere.
TRH at Nauti and my faithful car
From the verandah we could see the Nanda Devi mandir and at a distance we could see the Shiv mandir. We gave all the vegetables to the cook and ordered our lunch menu. After lunch I gathered some energy from the potato dish and walked to the Nanda Devi temple only to find that it was closed. I was advised by the locals that I can walk from the back side to enter the temple premises. Went and took some pictures, it seems that the Pujari comes only in the mornings. Had darshan with out the pujari and returned to the room.
From the verandah we could see the Nanda Devi mandir and at a distance we could see the Shiv mandir. We gave all the vegetables to the cook and ordered our lunch menu. After lunch I gathered some energy from the potato dish and walked to the Nanda Devi temple only to find that it was closed. I was advised by the locals that I can walk from the back side to enter the temple premises. Went and took some pictures, it seems that the Pujari comes only in the mornings. Had darshan with out the pujari and returned to the room.
Famous Nanda Devi Temple from where the Raaj Jat starts every 12 years
Life here seems to be slow and time seems to have stopped as such. Nothing is happening, so we walked to the tiny so called market. To our surprise we found that there is actually a State Bank of India and also a Post Office. There are about 20 shops.
When we arrived at the TRH I felt that the right front tyre is a bit flatter and was wondering what to do at this remote place. The staff at TRH told me to my relief that there is a tyre repair shop. The shop keeper told me that all is well and nothing to worry.
Life here seems to be slow and time seems to have stopped as such. Nothing is happening, so we walked to the tiny so called market. To our surprise we found that there is actually a State Bank of India and also a Post Office. There are about 20 shops.
When we arrived at the TRH I felt that the right front tyre is a bit flatter and was wondering what to do at this remote place. The staff at TRH told me to my relief that there is a tyre repair shop. The shop keeper told me that all is well and nothing to worry.
We walked around for a while and returned to TRH. In the evening we enjoyed the view from the verandah and saw Nanda Gunti mountain. We can only get a small view of the Himalayas and that is Nanda Gunti. It is nice to spend hours sitting in the verandah and breathing fresh and clean air. Back home it will be a luxury to expect it.
Nanda Gunti Mountain as seen from TRH at Nauti
The routine repeated the next day, the day being interrupted y occasional rain. During the walk in the market we found several people playing carroms and at one place right on the side of the road they were playing it on an elevated stool all players in standing position. What an intense passion for the game!. Did our sports authorities explore this area to find the champion?
It started raining in the night and I was hoping that the road will be almost as good on my return trip.
Day 5: Started the journey to Gwaldam at about 8am after a simple breakfast. Luckily the road surface did not deteriorate due to the night rains and we made good progress to Simi and then to Tharali. On the road from Tharali to Gwaldam at one place the road was bad and even though we were driving very slow at snail’s pace heard a big thud when the ground stuck the underbelly of my car. I always thought that Honda Civic has the biggest ground clearance but invariably the car gets hit by stones. Nothing we could do except pray that no damage is done and it was so. Lucky once again.
The whole journey is very good as the road runs along the Pindari river all through, some times very close to it and some times at a great height. The scenery is good and the winding road went past two more villages viz Narayan… and Thal. Suddenly we come across a bend in the road and to the right we see SSB Training centre (Sahasthra Seema Bal) and after a few minutes drive arrive at the Forest rest House at Gwaldam. The entrance is to the left and amidst small shops. There was a gate which was locked from inside and we hailed a person doing some gardening. Later we found that he was the care taker of the FRH. We were a bit tired after having driven about 500 kms from Gurgaon.
The FRH was kept very clean and neat. We were given a suite with two bedrooms, an enclosed verandah and a beautiful bathroom. The verandah had a table and sofas to relax. The double bedded rooms have a dressing table, an antique looking cupboard with double beds and to our liking a fireplace!!. My wife loves such a place and she did.
The routine repeated the next day, the day being interrupted y occasional rain. During the walk in the market we found several people playing carroms and at one place right on the side of the road they were playing it on an elevated stool all players in standing position. What an intense passion for the game!. Did our sports authorities explore this area to find the champion?
It started raining in the night and I was hoping that the road will be almost as good on my return trip.
Day 5: Started the journey to Gwaldam at about 8am after a simple breakfast. Luckily the road surface did not deteriorate due to the night rains and we made good progress to Simi and then to Tharali. On the road from Tharali to Gwaldam at one place the road was bad and even though we were driving very slow at snail’s pace heard a big thud when the ground stuck the underbelly of my car. I always thought that Honda Civic has the biggest ground clearance but invariably the car gets hit by stones. Nothing we could do except pray that no damage is done and it was so. Lucky once again.
The whole journey is very good as the road runs along the Pindari river all through, some times very close to it and some times at a great height. The scenery is good and the winding road went past two more villages viz Narayan… and Thal. Suddenly we come across a bend in the road and to the right we see SSB Training centre (Sahasthra Seema Bal) and after a few minutes drive arrive at the Forest rest House at Gwaldam. The entrance is to the left and amidst small shops. There was a gate which was locked from inside and we hailed a person doing some gardening. Later we found that he was the care taker of the FRH. We were a bit tired after having driven about 500 kms from Gurgaon.
The FRH was kept very clean and neat. We were given a suite with two bedrooms, an enclosed verandah and a beautiful bathroom. The verandah had a table and sofas to relax. The double bedded rooms have a dressing table, an antique looking cupboard with double beds and to our liking a fireplace!!. My wife loves such a place and she did.
Forest Rest House at Gwaldam
The days were a bit warm but nights were very quiet and cold calling us to use the thick ‘rozai’ provided. The care taker here is also the unofficial cook and he made us fresh meals and we enjoyed them. One day we had chicken curry. All the dishes he made were delicious, my wife tells me that everything tastes nice to me when I am amidst the Himalayas. That is true to a great extent.
I used to sit out most of the time watching the hills, the mighty Deodhar trees or the occasional monkey brigade who visited the premises as if their own place. They act almost like humans especially taking care of the young ones and cuddling them.
In the nights we used to walk up and down the path in front of the FRH and enjoy the cool air and some times gazing at the stars. Back at home we could hardly see any stars due to pollution.
Whenever the skies are clear we used to walk down to the gate of the SSB training center from where one can get a beautiful view of the Himalayas. Right next to the FRH is a pond with colored water (never got cleaned I suppose) but from a distance gives a beautiful picture of the FRH. This was the picture which prompted me to come to Gwaldam the first time, but unfortunately we mistook it for the GMVN guesthouse and had to settle to do without it. This time we made sure we stayed at the FRH.
The days were a bit warm but nights were very quiet and cold calling us to use the thick ‘rozai’ provided. The care taker here is also the unofficial cook and he made us fresh meals and we enjoyed them. One day we had chicken curry. All the dishes he made were delicious, my wife tells me that everything tastes nice to me when I am amidst the Himalayas. That is true to a great extent.
I used to sit out most of the time watching the hills, the mighty Deodhar trees or the occasional monkey brigade who visited the premises as if their own place. They act almost like humans especially taking care of the young ones and cuddling them.
In the nights we used to walk up and down the path in front of the FRH and enjoy the cool air and some times gazing at the stars. Back at home we could hardly see any stars due to pollution.
Whenever the skies are clear we used to walk down to the gate of the SSB training center from where one can get a beautiful view of the Himalayas. Right next to the FRH is a pond with colored water (never got cleaned I suppose) but from a distance gives a beautiful picture of the FRH. This was the picture which prompted me to come to Gwaldam the first time, but unfortunately we mistook it for the GMVN guesthouse and had to settle to do without it. This time we made sure we stayed at the FRH.
Clouds covering the mighty Trishul as seen from GwaldamDue to the monkey menace we had to keep the front door locked all the time, anyway who stayed indoors? Every day we used to go for a walk into the village with its shopping and the bus stand. There are many dhabas serving the popular Chinese and there was one fairly large restaurant serving local sweets including the ‘bal-mithai’, a blackish brown milk sweet topped with small sugar pills.
On the ninth day we left Gwaldam for home and planned to stay at Srinagar. We made good progress and went to Gauchar for a quick bite and drink. We were lucky to find the road near the landslide clear and we could pass through with ease. The only problem through out the journey was the traffic. A part of the road between Rudraprayag and Srinagar was one way which made it easy to drive. We cross the river Alakananda and join the main highway after a steep U-urn to the right.
We reached Srinagar in the afternoon and checked into a double room with Air-cooler. The room is just OK but we didn’t bother as it was for a few hours till morning. We had lunch at the restaurant.
The food in the night was terrible as they served the samefood so a bit stale. We could not eat and we didn’t pay either.
The market is busy and the GMVN TRH was full with pilgrims either going to or returning from the Chardham yatras. To douse the bad taste after the dinner we walked to a nearby shop and had ice cream which was good. There are many dhabas and the one just opposite to the TRH looked good.
On day 10 we had coffee in the morning, had bath and left for home. The road was patchy between Srinagar and Deoprayag but later was good.
We stopped at the Dosa Plaza and ordered Dosas and coffee which were terrible. The place looked very dirty. On the way back we bought very good mangoes almost whenever we spotted them so ended up with about 10Kgs, later we found that the fruits tasted really nice being fresh from the gardens.
Weaving through the Delhi traffic arrived at Gurgaon at about 1830 after having driven exactly 1100kms.
The car behaved very well only I had scarred the under carriage going over a bad road hump.
We had a good time away in the Himalayas and look forward to another one soon. Both of us are a bit tired due to long hours sitting in the car.
Well it is worth roaming the land of Gods, so what if we are a bit tired!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
World Environment Day
World Environment Day – Plant a tree towards a greener, cleaner World
Three people planted 7 plants .
A small step for a man and if every one participates it could be a Giant leap for Mankind!!. Remember Neil Armstrong’s words on setting his foot on the moon.
World Environment Day, WED in short started off in 1972 as a global annual event to celebrate positive environmental actions. This is one of the biggest and widely celebrated events towards a better environment. Though these activities go on continually around the globe, 5th June of every year is designated as WED. A day to stimulate awareness among various sections of public, get people together to take some initiatives towards a greener world.
Being a resident of the millennium city Gurgaon was delighted to know from the Organization called “IAMGURGAON” that in August 2011 we the people of Gurgaon will be planting 5,00,000 saplings. It sounded an aggressive goal but unless you aim high we wont achieve much. This reminds me of my management days’ BHAG in short for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. That worked very well for me. Hope it does help us making Gurgaon renamed as Green City.
To help in this endeavor, me and my family got up early on the morning of 5th June 2011 and with the help of DLF horticulture team planted 7 saplings in the park in S-Block of DLF Phase III of Gurgaon, India. I was very happy to hear that DLF has offered to water these plants and maintain them..
Hello IAMGURGAON, now you have to only plant 4,99,993 plants in August.
I read an article about shortage of clean blood in India due to lack of participation by public in Voluntary Blood Donations. The article said that in India, if every man (used in general sense to depict human being) were to donate ONCE in their life there will be no shortage in the country. On the same analogy if every man plants a tree imagine what the world would look like GREEN!!
Today three of us planted 7 trees, imagine what we can achieve in Gurgaon with an estimated population of over 10 lacs (The figures could be much more).
Gurgaonites, let us make it happen, let us make the dream come true – Green and Clean city. Pick up a spade and a shovel, plant a tree and nurture it
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Revisiting Har Ki Dun
Revisiting Har Ki Dun
There was a miniscule of a mention in the local newspaper about a “Talk on a Trek to Har Ki Dun” at the India Habitat centre. Such a small news for a such a mega trek.
Having done the trek recently to this “God’s Own Valley” I still decided to listen to this talk. Why? You may ask. It is because the talk is to be by “Young Senior’s” as they are aptly called. All of the small team of three veterans are above the age of 70!!. The youngest was 72 years young and the oldest at 78.
It was incredible to listen to their trek details. More than the actual route and the description of the place, the attitude of the team to muster energy and do this arduous trek is remarkable. One of them, the 78 year young veteran had been doing regular walk of 3 hours a day and never skipped it. It is a lesson to be learnt from him. Keep fit.
One of them started trekking at the age of 76, so folks it is never too late to do anything. They are all industrialists and had been on many a treks together – the three musketeers they call themselves.
We, the younger group in their 60’s should take this as an inspiration and start atleast a walk if not a trek. And all the younger folks don’t even wait, start trekking. It is such an adventurous sport, so rejuvenating. Added to this is the benefit of seeking the various planets and their satellites. The skies are so clear, void of any pollution and you can clearly see the stars and the milky way. Take a good binoculars and you can spend hours gazing at the beautiful stars in the galaxy.
It was worth the trip to the Habitat centre for the talk. I am planning to do something similar in Gurgaon if there is an organization like The Himalayan Club to sponsor.
With three cheers to the trio.
There was a miniscule of a mention in the local newspaper about a “Talk on a Trek to Har Ki Dun” at the India Habitat centre. Such a small news for a such a mega trek.
Having done the trek recently to this “God’s Own Valley” I still decided to listen to this talk. Why? You may ask. It is because the talk is to be by “Young Senior’s” as they are aptly called. All of the small team of three veterans are above the age of 70!!. The youngest was 72 years young and the oldest at 78.
It was incredible to listen to their trek details. More than the actual route and the description of the place, the attitude of the team to muster energy and do this arduous trek is remarkable. One of them, the 78 year young veteran had been doing regular walk of 3 hours a day and never skipped it. It is a lesson to be learnt from him. Keep fit.
One of them started trekking at the age of 76, so folks it is never too late to do anything. They are all industrialists and had been on many a treks together – the three musketeers they call themselves.
We, the younger group in their 60’s should take this as an inspiration and start atleast a walk if not a trek. And all the younger folks don’t even wait, start trekking. It is such an adventurous sport, so rejuvenating. Added to this is the benefit of seeking the various planets and their satellites. The skies are so clear, void of any pollution and you can clearly see the stars and the milky way. Take a good binoculars and you can spend hours gazing at the beautiful stars in the galaxy.
It was worth the trip to the Habitat centre for the talk. I am planning to do something similar in Gurgaon if there is an organization like The Himalayan Club to sponsor.
With three cheers to the trio.
Tughlakabad Fort Visit
Tughlakabad Fort Visit:It was the death anniversary of the Great Mahatma Gandhi. A day to remember. It was also a Sunday, 30th Jan 2011. Felt like a walk, a long walk but with a purpose.
Thanks to a news item in the Timeout magazine I came to know about the heritage walk at Tughlakabad fort.
It is a common nature NOT to visit interesting places when they are very close. There is this feeling that as it is so close we can visit it at anytime, but this ‘visit’ never happens. Tughlakabad fort is one such place, right in the middle of the capital city of Delhi but never visited it in the last 25 years I had been here.
The Heritage walk was organized by India Habitat Centre and the lead was Mr Sunil Raman, a freelance journalist. Me and my friend joined the group at 3pm at the fort. It was quite a big group. Surprised to see so many people being interested in revisiting history.
The entrance is majestic and the fort from inside looks huge with its boundary walls not because it was forming the most part of the ruins. They used rubble masonry, consisting of rubble type of stones with mortar. We walked along the wall to a “baoli” a step well. It was very deep but no water. There are a few such wells in Delhi, the one in Mehrauli was neat and magnificent. 
There were only ruins of the so called residential buildings. Unfortunately not much about the place is known as there were no records in history. All the documentation ever talked about was about the ruins of Tughlakabad fort. Nobody wrote about the fort in its original form.The Fort was built Giyasuddin Tughlak, a governor of Turkish origin. He reigned over the western provinces in a very prominent way. It was between 1321 and 1325 AD, that Tughlakabad was founded, 8 kilometers from the Qutab. They say that after 5 years the place was never used again. There are theories that it was abandoned due to lack of water but not authentic. According to certain legends, Tughlakabad was devastated due to the curse of a religious leader, sufi saint named Nijamuddin. There were eleven rulers from the Tughlak dynasty but only the first three generations were interested in architecture raising mosques, , madrasas and laying canals
Across the road (earlier a water causeway) is the tomb of Giyasuddin Tughlak. It was a very simple construction with out much of art work. This tomb seems to be in good shape and well maintained.There seems to be no efforts being made to maintain this place. How can Government do it if they charge a pittance as entry fee of Rs5/-. This may be a rouge to get more visitors. I think the interested will come irrespective of the entry fee (within reasonable amount).
On the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi I should have been at the Rajghat, instead I was at the Giyasuddin Tughlak’s tomb. But as you know Rajghat is so near so can visit it any time.
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