Malls Malls Everywhere Not a Library to be Seen!

The Sahara Mall in Gurgaon

The Mall Culture is comparatively new in India. When I was in college there were no malls in most of the cities. Today, the big ones boast of one too many. On a 2 km stretch of a road in Gurgaon (quite close to New Delhi) you can count four malls. One of them, the Sahara Mall is pictured above. There is the Metropolitan Mall (with a multiplex movie theater called PVR), the City Center Mall (that has a multiplex called DT) right across the Metropolitan and a place called Arcus. The funny part is there is no passenger subway or over bridge between the Metropolitan and the City Center malls and pedestrians always have fight with the motorized vehicles to cross the road.

A Bangle Shop in a Mall

Initially, these malls held some attraction for me. I used to enjoy the visits. They are colorful and a good distraction but now it seems that was at least a century ago!

Mangal Pandey: The Rising- Recently Released Movie

I still like going to the movie sometimes in these malls but on a weekend they get so horribly crowded that all the fun it taken away from the visit. On the weekdays, one has to always weigh the option having fun/sleeping late with feeling sleepy throughout the day in the office.

All Gloss

But otherwise, I have completely lost interest in these places. Why? I find the stuff sold there so overpriced and the hype generated around them huge (I realized this and much more through an excellent book called No Logo by Naomi Klein).

When I realized that more than half the product price inflation comes from advertising and not production costs (Kareena Kapoors and Shahruk Khans and Michael Jordans of the world get million bucks deal and you and I pay for it) I decided to move my shopping to less glamorous places. I also find the glossy images very boring after a while particularly in conjunction with the girt and grime of my daily life.

Still, malls are here to stay in India. In the same Gurgaon, you cannot find a decent playground or public library. But I guess it is a matter of demand and supply.

Manali (Himanchal Pradesh): Beautiful but Crowd and Litter Everywhere!

Manali

Manali is a picturesque small town in the Kullu Valley, in the Indian state of Himanchal Pradesh. It attracts a lot of Indian and foreign tourists, particularly in the summer months. I visited Manali in June 2005 because it is on the way to Ladakh. When rest of the India is buckling under heat wave, Manali is cool and pleasant and therein lays its charm.

There is a rail link from Delhi to a place called Jogindernagar and after that, one has to travel 92 km by bus to reach Manali. We tried this in the year 2002, while trying to reach Bhunter. The train runs on narrow gage. But in summer months, they are horribly crowded and move only by divine intervention. I remember we abandoned the train at Kangra and continued by bus.

By bus, Manali is 16 hours from Delhi. Both government and private operators offer bus services. Government buses are cheap but slightly uncomfortable. Private buses (2X2) are more costly and the seats recline but many of them are in bad shape. Only the Volvo Goldline AC buses look in proper shape but they cost twice the amount of the non AC 2X2 private buses.

The Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa

Manali is full of hotels of all size and shape. As soon as the bus stops at Manali, brokers of all kind descend upon the travelers. One can take their help to find a hotel or walk in any that strikes your fancy and ask for a room. The places that we stayed at are nothing to write home about.

There are many things to do at Manali but we have sampled only a few. Here are some of the attractions that we visited.

The Hidimba Temple: Hidimba is a character out of the famous epic Mahabharata and there is a temple devoted to her. One can take a taxi to the place but one can as easily walk up there. The way is through pine forest and as you come near the temple, you will find people trying to sell all kind of things. I remember an opportunity to get photographed with a Yak or wear a python around my neck! I declined both. The temple in itself is a curious wood building adorned with animal horns and is worth a visit. Remember you are required to remove your shoes to visit Hindu temples.

The Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa: Situated right in the middle of the city is this peaceful Buddhist architecture. It has the ‘wheels of life’ all around it and beautiful paintings and statue of Lord Buddha inside. One can voluntarily donate some money (even small amounts as Rupees 5 are welcome) that is used for maintaining the Gompa. I enjoyed this serene and beautiful place.

The Rohtang Pass

The Rohtang Pass (a little more than 50 km from Manali) lies on the way to Leh. When we had started for Leh at 2 am and when we reached there an hour later, the place was bewitching. As far as the eye could see, there was snow and silence. I passed through it again while coming back from Leh. This time it was 11.00 am in the morning and as far as the eye could see there were vehicles parked all over the place and temporary tents selling food have sprung up everywhere.

The Mall Road

The main market in Manali is situated along The Mall Road. It gets crowded in the evenings in the summer months. One can buy shawls, Kullu caps, shirts or other stuff in this area. I found that prices here are lower than Ladakh. There are many eating joints along this road and one can try these places. Many hotels are also on this road. The busiest part of the town where one can take a stroll but it will not be leisurely. It could be more enjoyable in the off-season months.

Paragliding, river rafting, trekking routes and many other things can be tried in Manali but I have no personal experience of it.

What I do not like about Manali: The place is too crowded for words in the summer months and it makes it impossible to do anything leisurely.

The second thing that completely put me off Manali is the amount of litter strewn everywhere. For this I have to blame us only, the Indian tourists. We Indians take a lot of pride in keeping our houses spotlessly clean but when it comes to streets, we litter with glee. How many times you will see people sitting in a swank car eating potato chips. A little while later the empty packet of chips will be thrown in the beautiful surroundings without a thought. Imagine what will happen to a place that attracts throngs of people? It becomes dirty like anything and yet people will keep on throwing things without a thought. This was the biggest put off for me in Manali.

Those who are trying to go on trekking routes from Manali have to visit it. So, do the people who want to go to beautiful Leh or Lahul and Spiti. There is no avoiding Manali for them. And they will have to go in season only as the routes to other places are open only during those months.

Rajaji National Park: An Excellent Weekend Getaway from New Delhi

Hut Style Accomodation at Rajaji National park

Rajaji National Park is a wild life reserve in Uttaranchal, India. It falls in the lower Shivalik regions of the Himalayas. It is a peaceful and a quick getaway from the capital of India, New Delhi.

We traveled from Delhi to Haridwar in February this year . The name Haridwar will translate roughly as ‘the gate of gods’. We took a night train from Old Delhi Railway Station and reached early in the morning. From Haridwar, the Chilla gate of Rajaji National Park is just 9 km away. But at 5.30 in the morning we could find no buses to the park. The private taxi operators were asking for a lot of money. Then, there is a vehicle called ‘Tempo’ that is a four-wheeler, runs on diesel, makes a lot of noise and moves slowly. We decided to hire it. Later, we discovered that buses run from Haridwar to the park but start only after 9.00 in the morning.

It was an early February morning, and it was chilly on the way. We had to pay Rs. 70 as entrée fee for the vehicle to the park. The Tempo dropped us near a market place and from there we walked for 1 km on foot. The details of various fees to be paid can be tracked from the GMVN Website http://www.gmvnl.com/rajaji_nationalpark.html

We were under the impression that there were many options to choose for lodging at the park. But that is true of the Haridwar city only. At Rajaji National Park, there is only one tourist guesthouse run by a Government Agency, GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam). Though we traveled without any prior booking, during school or public holidays in India, it is better to book an accommodation beforehand. We inquired at the reception about availability of rooms. We were greeted nicely and asked to sit. Then the manager informed us that there are only ‘hut’ style rooms available and the rest are taken. We gladly took the offer. The manager offered us tea, saying we must be cold after traveling so early in the morning. I must say that was very thoughtful of him and contrary to how most of the government accommodations are run in India

Ganga Canal flows through Rajaji National Park

The wild life sanctuary is spread in 820 sq Kms. It is open from 15th November to 15th June and is closed during the rainy season. After the tea, as we were walking toward our hut, we found the grounds of the guest house very well kept and full of seasonal flowers in bloom. A lot of birds were chirping in the tress and generally, there was an air of peace and quiet (disturbed occasionally by loud music systems in cars and people partying in the lawns of the property). In front of us at a little distance the Ganga Canal was flowing. After having breakfast, we decided to catch up on all the lost sleep due to traveling. We woke up in the afternoon and after lunch; we decided to go to the park.

A View from the Park

There are two options for traveling in the park, one, to take a jeep ride and second, to take an elephant ride. Of course, we were interested in the elephant ride. But the person handling the elephant was away for some errand to the city. So, we had to settle for a jeep ride. Again, fee is to be paid to enter the park. We got an uncovered jeep and both my husband and I were standing at the back hanging on to the rails so as to not to lose balance. Very close to the entrance itself, we saw two elephants. As our journey progressed, we witnessed many deer, peacocks and wild boars. In terms of large animals, we did not see much and our driver said February was not such a good month for animal spotting. According to him, summer is much better season.

A Deer Stops in the Tracks

But the two-hour drive through the forest itself was exhilarating. I remember on the ride initially, I was continuously trying to tie my hair as it was coming unstuck from my ponytail. But later, I just let it loose and my fondest memory is of the wind playing on it for hours as I was busy taking photographs (many of which did not turn out well) and not thinking about anything much but living only the moment.

FAQs on Tourism from Government of India Website

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Kids in Village Talluka with a Jeans and Shirt Clad Me!

India fascinates so many travelers from various parts of the globe. I was today searching for some information on the net and stumbled on the site of Government of India FAQ on tourism.

http://indiainbusiness.nic.in/faq/faq_tourism_service.htm

I found it interesting. I wonder what do you have to say about the advice given there. On this page, I am putting just one.

I hear Indians are a more conservative lot especially compared to people in Western countries. What kind of clothes would be acceptable here?

Shorts, minis and tank tops are unadvisable unless you're on a beach. In small towns and cities especially, people may tend to stare if you expose too much skin. Safe clothing would be trousers, peddle pushers, capris, skirts, tops and shirts. India has some good cottons which are trendy and affordable. Buy yourself some. Women could try wearing a salwar kameez which is very cool and comfortable and could even improve the attitude of people towards them.

I am not sure how sound that advice is, particularly the salwar kameez part. Anywhere, when I am traveling on vacation my dress code is jeans and trousers only, as they are comfortable. Till date, I never felt out of place. Even shorts and tank tops are so common in big cities, particularly Malls.

Have a look at the complete FAQ and decide for yourself.

Renuka Lake (Himanchal Pradesh) is a Beauty

The Kalka Railway Station

I would say that Himanchal Pradesh (HP) is one of the best-kept secrets of India. Parts of it are so beautiful and yet not visited by many. Renuka Lake is situated in HP and is one of such places.

Tourism has developed around a natural lake called Renuka (name of a goddess in Hindu mythology) and another one adjacent to it devoted to her son, Parshuram. Renuka Lake is the bigger of the two and having a circumference of 3214 meter. The lake is surrounded by small hills and lush green vegetation. It is an ideal spot for spending a quite vacation, and that is what my husband and I did.

Reaching Renuka Lake is not very straight forward task if you want to travel by state run buses but that is what we did. My starting point was New Delhi and from here we traveled to Kalka by rail and then took a bus to Nahan. From Nahan we took another bus that took us to Renuka Lake. The buses are very basic and leave a lot to be desired in comfort.

The Renuka Lake

We stayed at a place called Devicos Plaza (a place two kilometers from the lake in the village Dadahu) and it is a new and decent hotel. In off-season room rates are up for bargain. The hotel had basic comforts like hot water, nice bed and a TV. Food was provided at the hotel and it had a table tennis table to knock against after the day’s sight seeing.

The scenery around the lake is beautiful with temples dotting the landscape. The walk around the lake is long and beautiful. It can also be done by car but that in my opinion is an offence to the beauty of the place. The smaller lake can be covered in a short time on foot but it has more ducks and fish that can be observed by sitting on the banks.

Another View of the Renuka Lake

On the second day we took a walk (10 kilometers, ascending all the way) that is clearly marked (oops but in Hindi!) and leads to another temple. The task was not to visit the temple but simply to take the walk. Though I was not feeling equal to the task but my husband wanted to do it desperately, so we did that.

I climbed only up to 9 kilometers along a narrow cemented road and decided to wait for my husband there as the road was being constructed after that point. And anyway I was tired by then. That was a mistake. There was a gang of construction workers right ahead of me and as soon as my husband vanished out of site they started throwing verbal comments at me that were not very complimentary.

The Parashuram Temple (requires 10 km of walking, one way)

One sad experience and I breathed a sigh of relief when some 20 minutes later my husband walked back. He was unaware of all this but could see that I was upset. After we discussed it was decided that we would not do this again, me staying behind. Usually people are nice in hill states of India but I learned it through experience that not always and one should take caution. After spending a third quite day by the lake, we headed home for the crowds and the pollution!

Shopping in Leh, India

When I visited Leh in June, 2005 the primary reason was to trek. It could not be as I developed a bad stomach after a few days. We suddenly found a lot of time to spend in the city, and it was not in our original plan.

The markets in Leh are colorful and I often found myself gawking at various display windows or roadside stalls. The problem was, we had made no plans for any significant shopping so we had no proper budget for it. The above photo is of my husband trying to go local!

The thing that fascinated me most was the display of jewelry at the roadside stalls. As a rule I hardly wear any, apart from earrings, but I found the designs and colors so beautiful that I ended up buying two pendants and a pair of earrings. I also had a chat will the ladies selling the jewelry. I feel the prices in Leh are a bit high if you earn in Indian rupees as, they decide it by the value of dollar. If a thing is priced at Rupees 500, it is actually less than $ 10, and this pricing makes sense as there are so many foreign tourist in Leh.

I guess the local Moti Market beats the Main Market Leh hollow in terms of colorfulness. The above photograph was taken there. My husband bought a second hand ‘down’ jacket from here, which we hope to use in our next trek.

The other thing I fell in love with is T-shirts. Without a prior budget allocation I managed to buy four. I am wearing one right now. It is green in color and has two Lamas saluting each-other, depicted on it. My nephews have one where two skeletons are dancing together. I got one for my brother-in-law Amrit that has a dragon on it. My husband has one with the slogan 'Yak Yak Yak Yak Ladakh' with lot of Yak faces on it. For my sis Alka I got a shawl. All this shopping was done in main market Leh. Prices vary from shop to shop, so do not rush into buying.

The above photograph is taken on the Fort Road, in Leh. The most beautiful and eye catching displays in Leh are the curious. The antique pieces look so fascinating and just waiting to be picked. However, on inquiring about their prices, I found them expensive.

Goa in December with a Difference

Along with my husband and two nephews, I trekked in Goa, in the month of December through http://www.yhaindia.org/ (YHAI). The above photo is of the Dudhsagar waterfalls and it is from an era when I did not have a digital camera. Goa is a fabulous place but gets too crowded for words in December. But by trekking, we avoided the crowds most of the time.

I wrote about this trip and it got published at GoNOMAD's website. You can see the story at:

http://www.gonomad.com/alternatives/0508/goa.html

This is my first published travel story and I hope I will be able to write a few more. The best part is GoNOMAD pays for every article it publishes. I am relishing my experience and I thought I would share it on my blog too.

An Attempt to Trek in the Markha Valley, Ladakh and a Story

When we went to Ladakh this year in June 2005, our aim was to trek from Spitok to Hemis, which is also known as Markha Valley trek. After two days of taking rest in Leh, we started the trek. The first day itself, I developed a violently upset stomach. To tell you the truth, I guess the damage was done in New Delhi itself when I ate mushroom Momos in Connaught Place. But generally, I have a very strong stomach and I did not pay too much attention to the rumblings from New Delhi.

So on the first day of trek as we were camping in a place called Zinchen, I was paying many visits to answer the nature's call. My husband was getting worried and he started asking me if we should head back? I wanted to continue. So, we walked for the second day, and I was walking like a zombie. Still, we reached Rumbak and camped there. My stomach was not too well even now. We decided that we would walk for one more day and see what happens after that. The above photograph is from the third day of walk. We started early in the morning from Rumbak to Ganda-La base. We must have walked for at least three to four hours (OK, we walk slowly, locals will cover the same distance in probably less than an hour) and then we discovered just this house, standing all alone in the wilderness. It is at least one hour’s walk from Rumbak (the place has no motorable road, though locals can use a pony) and on the other side, the nearest habitation is at least four to five hours walk away. Again, there is no other means of transport, apart from a pony. Can you imagine living in such a place?

The lady in the picture was working in the field in front of the house. She very kindly posed for me twice and was quite delighted to see her snap on the LCD screen of my camera. Nearby, a much younger woman was washing a few vessels in a stream and a young kid was playing next to her. The tea stall for trekkers on this route was run by a couple of this house. In all, probably they are five people living together (or maybe more, I cannot be sure, but how big can the number be?) in this house, away from everything. I wonder how it would be like.
As, for our trekking the Markha Valley, we had to return from Ganda-La base, a little distance ahead from this house, as I just could not recover from my bad stomach. I was very disappointed but Ladakh is so beautiful and the other places that we visited, made up for the unfinished trek.

On the Way to Rohtang Pass: Traffic Jam

A traffic jam near Rohtang Pass, Manali, India

I passed through the Rohtang pass (a little more than 50 km from Manali) on my way to Leh. We had started at 2 am from Manali and when we reached the Rohtang Pass, an hour or two later, the place was bewitching. As far as the eye could see, there was snow and silence. A narrow road passed through it and I thought I would like to visit it on its own.

I passed through it again while coming back from Leh. This time it was 11.00 am in the morning and I could not recognize the place. As far as the eye could see there were vehicles parked all over the place and temporary tents selling food have sprung up everywhere. The Pass was crowded and as we Indians litter like maniacs, the place was beyond recognition. The views in the distance were still as beautiful but I am not sure that I will enjoy it much.

P.S. I have a new member in my family, a little niece who came on this earth on July 30, 2005. I will be catching up with the internet world as soon as possible.