Embark on an Unforgettable Adventure: Exploring the Majestic Lion and Safari, Johannesburg

I was in Johannesburg towards the end of June 2023. The weather during this time of the year is very pleasant and was perfect for a Jungle safari.

King of the Jungle!

Alila Fort Bishangarh

We have been planning to visit Alila Fort Bishangarh for a while and finally the stars aligned on our son’s second birthday.

Bishangarh Fort

Day 5 and 6: The Mighty Pangong Tso

Trip to the Pangong Tso was an overnighter Day 5 & 6 from Leh. The route we took from Leh  was through the Chang La - The world's second highest pass.

"Mask On" - As the world resumes the new normal

Its doesn't matter how hard you fall or how many times you fall - what matters is how many times you fell and got back up! Rocky Balboa said so.

This unprecedented times that hit the world in 2020 will go down in history like a phenomenon. 

This period is actually a true test of who you really are. Now read the first line of the post again.

How much can you push yourself to what breaks you? Lockdown made me realize there is so much time that we have at hand and it actually gets wasted. 

In my case it is laziness and then it is sufficient to open a lot of boxes as an empty mind is a devils workshop. I have tried to adopt the following 

• Stay occupied - pick up a hobby if you don't have one already
• Exercise
• Be productive
• Keep your cool
• Stay focused
• Stay calm but don't stay at rest
• Sleeping is good - don't oversleep. Anything that gets overdone is harmful
• Get a balance
• Keep communicating with your folks
• Stay put - be open to ideas - fail fast - find it fix it

This probably will become a way of life and world will resume the new normal with "Mask On."

With hope that the effective vaccine reaches all in a timely manner...take care of yourself, stay safe and healthy!

Day 3 & 4: Nubra Valley Through Khardung La

Recalling my drawing book as a kid. Drawing of a landscape always meant mountains in the background, trees at the foothills and a river - something that I am sure all of us have drawn at least once in our life. It became a reality on this trip. It was as if the image came alive from my drawing book. As I am writing this, selecting pictures that do justice to what the eyes saw is very tough. It happened on the Day 3 of our Leh trip.

Straight out of the drawing book - 1

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

So, Burj Khalifa - Check!

As of August 20, 2020, The Burj Khalifa stands the tallest building on the Blue Planet.

work-in-progress

Leh Diaries - Day 2 - Patriotism, Dharma and Nature

With the Hall of Fame, Pather Sahib Gurudwara, Magnetic Hill, Indus Zanskar Confluence and Spituk Monastery, day 2 in Leh for us had in store a remarkable combination of adrenaline and solace. Here goes...

Zanskar (Left) Indus (Right) Confluence (Sangam)

With an action packed day ahead of us, we started early and reached the first destination - The Hall of Fame. It is an Army Museum that showcases the valor and achievements of our armed forces. Walking through the displays and artefacts is an adrenaline gushing experience. There are stories of ultimate sacrifices done by our soldiers to protect the motherland on the walls of museum. As I am recalling the stories while writing this, I am getting goose bumps. They are the real saviors - I salute them!

Darjeeling

Most of the visitors to Darjeeling spend no more than two nights at this hill station and then move on to either Gangtok or other locations. But we decided to be in Darjeeling for six nights and took the hill station on foot. Yes!

Kanchenjunga peaks

When you hear Darjeeling, what comes to your mind? Whatever be your answer, I am here to say its much more than that. Darjeeling has 80+ tea estates, Toy train (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Kanchenjunga (world's third highest mountain), India's first cable car system (rope way), a zoo (with rare species including snow leopard), Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Monasteries and a lot more. At this point, I must also admit that the place needs significant administrative attention to ensure the hygiene and maintenance of the hill station.

Traveling Mantra from Clicktouring

I believe traveling improves you as an individual, it increases your awareness and helps you learn to adapt and improvise.

To all of you I ask - how many places have you traveled? And do you have a mantra to be followed on those trips? (please comment)

Below is what I have been doing and I look forward to hearing your style.

Don't mess with the clock
Recheck the timing of your flights/transportation one last time and set a reminder on your phone. Don't go by your memory, make sure that you see the timings of the next flight one more time and set a reminder. Then reach airport/train station/bus stand early. I have had bad dreams of missing my flight. Don't let it become a reality. Also pay attention to the difference in the time zones while looking at the clock.

Leh Diaries - Day 1 - Shanti Stupa

In this blog, I am going to cover what can be done in Leh on Day 1. In Leh, you are at a height of ~3,500 meters (11,480 ft) with significantly low oxygen per breath. At this height, altitude sickness can hit you irrespective of you age, sex or physical condition. Hence, it is recommended that you acclimatize your self on the day you reach Leh. Irrespective of what time you reach Leh, it is highly  recommended that you rest at your hotel for most part of the first day.

In case you are taking the road to Leh, your body gets acclimatized naturally. Still taking rest is recommended and it only helps in preparing for what Leh has to offer.

In our case, we landed early morning in Leh and checked in our hotel by 7am. Post a long rest, it was time to head out in the second half of the day. On the list were the Shanti Stupa and Leh City Market.

Main Budha and The Stupa

Leh, Finally!

When you ask a biker about his dream ride, 10/10 bikers would say a trip to Leh. Being a biker myself, I have been planning for this since 2007 and finally in the May of 2018, I along with my wife finally managed to fly to the mighty Leh. There is some bit of convincing (my better half) left to do this on the two wheels. Hopefully that will happen soon.😇

Romance, thrill, danger, action and tranquility - Leh has got it all. Whatever the eyes can see appears to be naturally photo-shopped.

As I sat down to capture this experience, I was short of words. There is so much to express! 

More on Leh coming soon... 

P.S. This one is very close to my heart and has a dedicated chapter. Watch out for this Ladakh chapter on my blog for more feeds.

Once upon a time in Cluj-Napoca - Impressions

"Welcome to Transylvania - the land of Dracula," Sergiu (my colleague) said. The city's history dates back to centuries and has several architectural masterpieces spread across. While roaming through the city, you are never too far from a church OR a museum OR a park.

Cluj-Napoca from Hotel Belvedere

Transfiguration Church

Biserica Înălţarea Domnului

Oktoberfest 2017, Munich

I am one of the lucky souls who got a chance to witness the grandeur of this once in a year event - THE OKTOBERFEST.

Picture says it all - ONE WAY people! (P.C. Girish)

When I imagined the sight of Oktoberfest, I was expecting a street in Munich bursting with people, food and drinks all around. The actual sighting was not so different except there was no street – it was a huge open ground with a lot of people, drinks, music, food and GIGANTIC RIDES!

First things first – It’s a 16-18 day event majority of which is in second half of September and runs until the first weekend of October each year. It takes place every year at a huge open space near the train station Theresienwiese.

One day in Munich

"WOW, you will be in Munich! Take a hotel near the airport, hire a car and just drive on the Autobahn," a friend of mine suggested. Too bad, I just had one day and had to prioritize several other attractions over the Autobahn.

M for Munich

So, what all can you do when you are in Munich for just a day apart from enjoying the Bavarian beer?

Taj "The Mind-blowing" Mahal, India

As of 26 January 2017, one of the 7 wonders of the world included "The Taj Mahal." For this one, without telling you what you all know, let me just say that this monument is simply mind-blowing.

Taj "the mind-blowing" Mahal

Masroor Rock Cut Temple - The Indian Sphinx

When I looked at the rock cut complex for the first time, I was able to locate a sphinx like structure in the center. It had a replica too which was destroyed during the earthquake in 1905.

The Masroor Rock Cut Temple - Can you locate the sphinx like structure?

 If you take a look closely at the center, you can locate a sphinx like structure on either side of the Thakurdwar (entrance). 

The Charging Bull of Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City

"The Bull's head is lowered to the left and the bull has taken the pose to ravage anything in its path."

They say it symbolizes prosperity and aggressive financial optimism. My first look at the Charging Bull made me feel as if some one has paused as action movie. 

Taming the beast

The sculpture by artist Arturo Di Modica is made of Bronze, about five meters long from head to tail and weighs 3,200 kilograms.

Fun fact: Tourists love to rub the bronze balls of Wall Street's Charging Bull statue as it is believed that it will bring them good luck.

Manali, Valley of the Gods

Being one of the most famous hill stations of the country, Manali also known as "Valley of the Gods," offers a bunch of adventure activities such as paragliding, skiing, river rafting, horse riding, etc.

Manali's Snow Capped Mountains

Good to know: Manali is named after Maharshi (sage) Manu, who recreated human life after the great  floods.

Mathura, Gokul and Nandgaon

So it began as planned. Early in the morning, along with my in-laws, I and my wife started for Mathura from Gurgaon.

Laddoo Gopal

We took the Sohna road to the KMP (Kundali-Manesar-Palwal) express way on to Palwal - Mathura. The expressway is very smooth and this being the rainy season, both the sides of the road were very scenic.

The Empire State Building, New York

King Kong's very own the Empire State Building got its name from the nickname of the state - New York, the Empire State.

The Empire State Building - A distant view