Salzburg, Austria and Bollywood

 No one can escape the charm of Bollywood. Something that got proved time and again. And this time, I saw it happening in Europe. I could not believe my eyes and ears when a bunch of the amateurs including Indians and Europeans was dancing on some popular Bollywood songs in Salzburg, Austria, just outside the railway station.
 People across the world love Indian music- that fact was proven as the dancing troop could pull a huge crowd. A pure entertainment Indeed!
Check out the link to believe me-
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoOKACvl6Ld/?taken-by=party.trends

Switzerland- Indefinable!

                 
The authentic and unparalleled Swiss natural beauty makes you speechless, literally mutes you for few moments as soon as you land. Your eyes fall short of capturing and mind feels overloaded with the vast beauty. The only moment of being there probably stays with you, nothing more!

A Himalyan excursion-Nainital and its surroundings

 Travelling tale7-A Himalyan Excursion-Nainital and its surroundings


Snow -capped glimpses of peaks,
Chilling blow of breeze in steeps,
Infinite turns and endless beeps,
Fortune of mine,watching falling sunshine,
 Appearing like silver creeks.

My never -ending fascination to wander in hills set me off to explore yet another popular hilly town Nainital(6837 feet),derives its name from Naini peak and Naini devi temple, nestled in Kumaon foothills,Uttranchal.Undoubtedly,Himalayan ranges have their own charm of hilly terrains.

Started off the journey from Pune to Delhi via flight(Jet air),reached old Delhi railway station to wait till the time the train arrives(.Sampark Kranti,3:30 pm)As usual,waiting room was trying to accommodate much more than its capacity, though thanks to McD for opening a joint on platform 1,at least got a decent place to sit ,eat and pass time chit-chatting .Sharp 3:30,a fully packed train arrived at platform number 5....got into chair car compartment to cover some 280 km via GZB-Hapur-Amroha-Muradabad-Rampur-Rudrapur-Haldwani-Kathgodaam.
In fact,a better train, Shatabadi(daily) is much more comfortable(Food+less hrs) option except the fact that it departs very early in the morning i.e 6:AM from the New Delhi
Little did we know that train does not have its pantry;neither does it have any other arrangement for providing food,so passengers were totally at the mercy of  food vendors standing on platforms.As a matter of fact,Muradabad station is the only halt where passengers get chance to get down and have Poori and Aloo...no matter how much you disdain eating oily stuff.....no more options except starving till the last station.
Around 8:30pm got down at Rudrapur city.... As it is certainly not advisable to begin the hilly ride in dark, so people opt to stay for a night either in Kathgodam, Haldwani or Rudrapur.And so did we..........

Day 1:Nainital--Tibetan market----Snow-View point.(rope way)

With bags full of snacks and cold drinks,began driving (10:00am)towards Nainital,crossing Haldwani,Kathgodam ,tiny hamlets and some really bad patches of road,finally reached a panoramic lake in a town surrounded by little abodes,huts and hotels.Pulled out the luggage as soon as saw the board of hill queen palace(resort).
In afternoon,took a bird 's eye view of the Tibetan market(Bhotia Market)full of colorful candles,a good collection of warm clothes and Chinese stuff(bargain hard).Tasted lip-smacking authentic, very spicy and steamy momos at a Tibeten joint...
Having seen the market,decided to take a ride of cable car,starts from Millital which ends at Snow-View  point.Let me tell you it is one of the best experiences one can have over here by enjoying the amazing aerial view of lake and the town.And, of course reaching the top and watching the snow- capped  Nanda devi hills is another out-of- the-world experience.

                                                  Panoramic view from rope way

                                          Snow-Capped peaks of Nanda Devi


Day 2-Saat tal----Hanuman Garhi-----Bheem taal
Plan was to visit another picture and adventure  perfect location, situated in Kumuon hill,popularly known as Saat tal(Seven Ponds) .As soon as i started clicking, camera fell in love with the location(See to believe).Took an enjoyable walk around...
Next point was a beautiful temple with pleasant location around called Hanuman Garhi,with a huge statue of Lord Hanuman, located at some 3.5 km away from Nainital . Next destination was Bheem tal,another immensely beautiful bluish water lake with a rich flora and fauna around.
Dropped plan to visit Jim Corbett,as from the past experience learnt that one has to be extra ordinary lucky to spot big cats over there.Moreover one needs to devote full day for that excursion.
Was not very keen to visit the  Pt.G.B Pant  zoo located on Sher Ka Danda hill either.

                                                 Bluish Bheem Tal

                                                         Greenish Saat Tal

                                                      Serene Hanuman Garhi

                                                   Inside Cave of the temple


 Day3:Bhowali ------Ramgarh----Mukteshwar
Got down at Traveller inn hoping to relish some local food located in Bhowali,home of  Kumaon regiment and Naga regiment of Indian Army.Must say that food did not disappoint .Pleasantly surprised to see a picture of Om mountain(Chotta Kailash) where nature puts its signature in the shape of om with snow....Went ahead for the next destination,Mukteshwar.
 Mukteshwar is  another tourist attraction situated at 7500 feet  where trees are laden with Apples,Peach,Apricot,Plum and other exotic fruits in widespread orchards.Besides,one can always give treat to the eyes by watching spectacular sites of the place.For example Chauli ki Jaali,amazing overlapping cliffs,Mukteshwar Maharaj ji Samadhi temple,a serene ,calm place for spiritual up-liftment on the top of hills,Methodist church architecture and much more.......Spent a lot of time near those ancient cliffs capturing beautiful views of surrounding. Freezing wind was blowing really hard and temperature dropped suddenly.Was badly in need of something really hot and spicy.Spotted few villagers preparing and selling noodles.

                                                                  Orchards

                                                     Primrose resort

                                                       View from hotel room



Booked Primrose resort , a budget friendly place to spend the night amidst hills. The Town packs up as soon as it gets dark,so one can face tremendous problem spotting a place for dinner beyond 8pm.Found a secluded resort Greene Oak with dinner facility.Though the location is too good , but the narrow road and tricky parking sucks..Nevertheless,almost every thing you want to eat or order,is instantly available.Early morning saw a fabulous view of seven ranges wrapped in sunshine and mist.

                                              Army base in Bhowali

                                                          Signature of God

                                             Reception area of Travellers Inn

                                                   Hot,simmering noodles

                                                

                                                   Overlapping cliffs

                                                         Multiple Ranges

                                    
Day 4-     Kainchidhaam----  Ghorakhaal-------Ghanti temple-------Tea garden
 Next day, had standard breakfast of alooo parantha with butter and curd.And set off to explore Kainchidhaam of Neem Karoli Baba.
 The temple is situated on the way to Almora ,became more famous after SteveJobs visited here along with his friend Dan Kottke, in 1973 to meet Neem Karoli Baba.Outside the temple multiple hotels and food joints are situated ,offering almost standard food of the region.
 Tried Sarsoon raita (mustard curd)and Pakoode,Kadi chawal,Rajma Chawal and lemon soda.....a must try.From this point moved to Ghorachal,a picturesque location overlooking Bheem tal, (reminded me  Kodaikanal )with panoramic view of paragliding.1500 rs for  45 minutes....
Very closed to it,Another strange and one of its own kind of temple called Ghantiwala Mandir ,having billion of bells.(At the entrance one will be welcomed  by couple of canines:).Some Bollywood directors used the location for film shooting as well.Worshipers buy bells from outside and tie inside the temple premises to fulfill their wish.
Just at stones throw,a 100% organic Tea garden is situated ,having a sales outlet also.Not very vast,however sufficient to give the idea of tea cultivation...

                                                     Local Cuisine

                                                         Kainchidhaam

                                        
                                                       Ghorakhaal overlooking bhimtal

Day 5-It was time to leave the lovely place with some unforgettable  memories.
All in all,a magnificent place for leisure and supremely blessed with abundance of beauty around.

Travelling tale: 6 Ooty-A Nilgiri Spell

                                                  Ooty-A Nilgiri Spell

The more thee astonish me with thy spell,
The more curious i be to see  out of shell,
The more thee hide to exhibit mystery ,
The more i seek to peep beyond misty,
The more thee pour colors on  sparrows and flies,
The more i run behind to capture image of sky,
The more thee scare with thy sounds ,
The more tempted i be and feels spell bound.....

And my journey continues from the Palani hills to yet another popular hilly terrain Ooty (Udhagamandlam), nestled in Nilgiris , also known as blue mountains, some 250 km away  from  Kodaikanal via Palani-Coimbatore-Mettopalyam.

The journey encompassed glimpses of holy  "Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple",, also known Murugan temple situated in the foothills of Palani, a compose place to worship.......

Source:Google map

Palani Glimpse

 

On the way from Palani to Coimbatore,crossed countless wind turbines lined-up both sides on the Palani-Coimbatore highway and some tomato processing factories with piles of red balls spreading across the stretch .

The idea was to reach the Coimbatore city by lunch time as it takes more than 3-4 hours(175km) to reach from the point we began. Got down at Annpurna to satisfy tongue craving, a popular gourmet among localities with lovely ambience .Ordered meals (thalis) that came with some 10 little bowls carrying curds, vegetable korma, curries, rasam, sambhar, applam, puries and rice..... a must try place..   

 From here, headed towards SH-66, which will take us to our destination (85 km). After 45 minutes, hit a place called Mettupalayam, situated just beneath the Nilgiri hills famous for "Black thunder theme park and Nilgiri Rail's origin point; ready to take one on the ride of  46 km through charming hilly stretches and misty slopes,declared heritage site by UNESCO,started in 1899. One can opt for this popular toy train from this point which departs @7:10 am from Mettupalaym and arrives Ooty @12pm with five halts, total time taken:4:50 minutes.

	See the time table below
	Code Station Name Arrival Departure Distance MTP Mettupalayam --- 07.10 0 ONR Coonoor 10.30 10.40 28 WEL Wellington 10.47 10.48 29 AVK Aruvankadu 10.59 11.00 32 KXT Ketti 11.19 11.20 38 LOV Lovedale 11.39 11.40 42 UAM Udagamandalam (Ooty) 12.00 --- 46

 
         Toy train near Ooty station
 

           Train  on Lovedale station

 

Certainly an experience, must do at least once.

In fact the whole Nilgiri district is divided into 6 talukaas:Ooty,Coonoor,Kotagiri,Gudalur,Pandalur and Kundah,all are  strikingly beautiful in themselves. 

Coming back to my road trip, from this point(Metupallayam) road bifurcates-one via Coonoor and other via Kotagiri. Though both stretches are splendid with nature's grace and man-made concretes, nonetheless i vouch for one via Kotagiri. So this time again opted for Kotagiri's.

Besides, Ooty has been highly commercialized over a period of time, its no more the same which we used to watch in 80's movies.So true nature lovers may not rejoice and appreciate much for being like yet another city with hustle-bustle;thus better choice to stay is either Kotagiri or Coonoor; peaceful,serene places away from deafening sound of horns.Moreover, these town offers cheaper,better and newer options for a comfortable stay unlike Ooty where most of  the hotels if decent, either will do holes in your pocket or if pocket- friendly ,then not decent enough.

So we zeroed in on 2 accommodations for our 4 days trip

 www.velanhotels.com/tcoonoor-index.php(Coonoor)

www.hotelselvaganapathysnest.in/about.html(on Coonoor- Kattabetu road)

(Though another good hotel  orangepekoe was not available, an expensive hotel but unique location,each room opens into a tea garden )

It took some half an hour time to locate the Velan  resort as it falls on a deviated steep narrow alley.But worth every penny and search.....

Day 1. Velen's offers buffet breakfast (both South Indian and American,with amazing aromatic tea/coffee),so enjoyed our morning thoroughly sitting leisurely in the garden next to dinning hall,sipping hot tea, viewing panoramic mist-wrapped blue hills .....

 After this, we moved  to Sims Garden which is just a stone's throw away from the hotel.Fortunately annual fruit  show was going on  for two days,where the entire garden was decorated with the jaw dropping shapes and structures of various animals using different fruits.  (See the pic)

                                 

                                                             Velen's Garden

.

                                                       Amazing fruit show

Having spent almost an hour here,it was time to move ahead towards Dolphin nose point.The road passes through some magnificent tea gardens and colonial bungalows.The place is known for enormous rock formation giving view of Catharine falls(Beware of monkeys)Spent half an hour,clicking pics and watching spectacular spot. And  hollow tummy gave its siren:).Went back to town and ordered meal at Sri Ramachandra lunch home,fairly good food....must try.BTW,getting delicious food in Ooty town is another project.Barring one or two(Nahar hotel)better not to eat there,but try places like Coonoor or Kotagiri.

Spent rest of the time in local market of Coonoor buying local tea and other stuff.

                                   
                                 A little stream of Catharine falls
                                         
                                            
                                              

                                                           Dolphin Nose Point

Day 2.Today our plan was to cover Ooty's famous spots.Began with popular Botanical garden,could not stop appreciating its wide variety of flora and indigenous plants and gigantic trees. I must say that a trip to Ooty would be certainly incomplete without visiting this garden....After this headed to a man made Ooty lake,reminded many Bollywood blockbusters like Karz,Shehanshah,Dewaana mujh sa nahi and many more.One can  avail facilities of peddle boats,row boats and motor boats to enjoy the place more.Also another attraction adjacent to this is a deer park.Drove to the main market and bought some hand-made chocolates,spices and couple of souvenirs. Decided to have lunch here in Nahar Retreat,  one  descent place in Ooty that offers a variety of food with a Victorian style interior.Reached back hotel and called the day.

                                                      Charming Ooty lake

                                                         DEER PARK

Gigantic Trees

                                                      Floral charm

                                                         Vast green meadows

Day 3:Shifted to another hotel Selva Ganapathy Nest ,offering all basic amenities including a restaurant downstairs and  an elevator, situated in a picturesque location surrounded by rolling hills and vast tea estates appearing like green carpets,close to Kotagiri .The highest point of Tamilnadu:Doddabetta(8650 feet) is quite close to  this hotel,so the day began from there only.

               Watching vehicles paving ways through  foggy, dense forest, a five minutes of walk to reach Doddapoint,is an exciting experience in itself. An observatory is made at the top of Doddabetta with two telescopes available for the public to watch vast mountains giving tiny looking view of  hamlets down from up there.Stood there few minutes watching the divine scenery of nature.

Drove towards  ooty town and stopped briefly at rose garden,though not very impressive,however can be visited for a great landscape.Tried Nahar's Side walk Cafe for its fresh pizza.....not bad. In Evening hotel manager took us to the tea factory,just behind the hotel.Narrated the complete process of tea manufacturing and showing impressive and vast tea gardens.

 
   
 

         Walking over clouds in Doddapetta



 

 
 Fascinating backdrop of rose garden

Day 4:woke up bit early as the idea was to reach Pykara lake(35 km) before lunch covering couple of shooting points:Kamraj Dam,Pine forest enroute to the lake.Took NH-67 Ooty-Mysore,the other route to reach Ooty- Mysore and Bangalore,undoubtedly more scenic.

 First got down at a shooting point,packed with  youngsters.Beautiful place!!! Instantly reminded me valley of Kashmir,a plethora of fresh oxygen with vast meadows.Clicked few snaps and moved ahead.Did not get down at Kamraj Dam, only  got glimpses from the car and  moved on.
We were really enjoying the route full of fern tress and mesmerizing  mysterious beauty of nature with cloudy weather.
And finally reached our destination Pykara,a heavenly place with blue green water surrounded by lush green forest, almost with no human population around.First few minutes just kept gazing nature's artwork and felt cool breeze blowing filling lungs with fresh air,then contemplated to take a motor boat ride to feel nature more closely.Well....It was half an hour expensive ride,but worth doing .
 By the way,there is no eatery or food joint around,so either carry packed food or wait till you reach the town

 
            
 

                     Divine Pykara Lake


 
 
 
 
                    Nature's paintings

Day 5: It was time to say bye to this paradise. I  though wished we could have covered few more charming spots viz.Ketty park,Madhumalai national park,Emerald lake,Avalanche lake ,St.Stephen church ...At the same time chuckled,thinking that it serves the purpose of coming back here:).