http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Lonely-Wanderer/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Lonely Wanderer en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:56:55 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:56:55 +0000 While Delhi experienced its hottest days we my companion and me decided to go on a short weekend to a place called Dakpathar which is off the main tourist route but could be a nice getaway if you are looking for some quiet moments. You can also avoid the ldquotouristsrdquo heading toward ldquohill stationsrdquo to cool their tempers. My first encounter with such ldquotouristsrdquo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Dehradun/blog-310476.html After trying couple of hotels I knew names of I finally settled for a guesthouse situated at the end of the road near old Kasauli overlooking the valley below. The owner proudly told me that when sky is clear I could see Chandigarh from the terraceAround 5 PM Kasauli was enveloped by the monsoon mist. It was pretty beautiful sight watching mist trapped in pine trees. I rested for sometime before http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Kasauli/blog-132757.html I will begin my journal with my snow experience which I had last year in December. I loved being near some of the highest peaks in India when I visited Joshimath and Auli. My journey to Auli was one of the most arduous one considering that it takes more than 12 hours on narrow and winding roads with hair pin bends making me close my eyes with my friend 8211 a veteran on these roads since he be http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Auli/blog-968.html Almora is not your usual hill station. While Shimla Mussoorrie and Nainital have a fixed kind of travel menu Almora has rich mix of culture history and sightseeing to offer.These mountains are associated with the best memories of our race Here therefore must be one of centers not merely of activity but more of calmness of meditation and of peace and I hope some one to realize it said S http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Almora/blog-1052.html As the mercury begins to shoot up in the plains of the north India Paharon Ki Rani Queen of the hills Mussoorie becomes the favorite cooling place for the people who want a break from the scorching heat.This popular hill station was established by an Irishman by the name of Captain Young little over 169 years ago. This growing town has changed over the last decade due to the overload of 8216 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Mussoorie/blog-1082.html They call it India8217s Lake District. And it8217s really not an unfair reference because Nainital district of the Kumaon region in Uttaranchal is dotted with beautiful big and small lakes.Nainital city itself is situated around a beautiful lake called Naini jheel. It8217s this pretty setting which makes Nainital a hot tourist spot especially for honeymooners who enjoy the view of the lov http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Nainital/blog-1109.html I live in Indian capital New Delhi which is known for it8217s historic monuments. Yet I could not find time or urge to visit them for so long. When I finally got chance to visit one of the monuments Humayun8217s Tomb in connection to a story I was doing I was floored by the marvelous marble structure. I visited it again with my friend from USA. Here I am sharing my impression of this mo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-1128.html I was staying at a beautiful cottage in Jeolikot near Nainital when my hostess suggested that I must visit Mukteshwar if wanted to enjoy the true Kumaoni mountain air. So on my second day in Kumaon I planned to visit the place which was made famous by the legendary shikari Jim Corbett who killed a maneating tigress in 1929 responsible for hundreds of killings there. He truly loved this place. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Mukteshwar/blog-1156.html Shimla has been called the Honeymooner8217s Paradise in north India and is the biggest hill station in India. I had never been to Shimla until last year when I finally decided to visit the summer capital of British India.I took Kalka Mail train from Delhi to Kalka. After an overnight journey I reached the sleepy little station of Kalka around 5.30 AM in morning. From Kalka I had one of the most http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Shimla/blog-1287.html It was my first morning in Shimla. I woke up with the sound of tap dance being performed by a family of monkeys on the tin roof of my hotel room. When I got morning sunrays into my room in Delhi I always pulled the curtains because I can never sleep with so much light. But here it was different. Who wanted to sleep when a beautiful morning was prodding me to get out of my bed So first rays of w http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Shimla/blog-1387.html In May this year I decided to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath. On the way I had to stay for a day in Dehradun because a friend who had promised to give me ride up to Rudraprayag 8211 the place from where one gets vehicles for Kedarnath had some work there. Since I had a full day to roam around I decided to visit Sahastradhara a popular picnic spot some six kilometers away from the city.Dehra http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Dehradun/blog-1473.html It was that moment again. After working for couple of months at an IT magazines group I finally decided to quit because it was not giving me anything remotely close to what I call creative satisfaction. When I am in such a state of mind I usually head for some hill station to rejuvenate myself and indulge in some chintan thinking about my future in my yettotakeoff writing career. My usual co http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Kasauli/blog-3118.html