Destinations

It was at 3,800 meters out in the open where not another sign of life could be seen that we were camping at for the night. Our companions, our guide and helper, who made our adventure possible for us were running around while we were sitting cosy in the sunlight. Even, the blades of grass in the distance were all covered in snow. We had reached at the top of Sunderdhunga at 12:30 in the afternoon while the sun was still shining. But, a few hours later, the fog and mist came down. It was in this mist that we spent the rest of the day…watching the sunset? No way! The mist wouldn’t budge and fog wouldn’t lift. But as soon as the sun set, the mist cleared and we sat down on a stone wall, put together by the past trekkers for a small kitchen area, watching the moon rise and shine. We were all huddled around the fire where our evening khichri was boiling. We knew that tomorrow morning, when the sun would rise from behind the mountains that would light up the 6000+ meter peaks that were surrounding us, it would be spectacular and all this hardship would make sense. After dinner when the fire outside was doused, we all snuggled up inside the tent. Even though, it was warm inside, we could still not get our feet to be warm enough. Vikram and I covered ourselves with all the warm clothes we had brought. All our thermals, mufflers, gloves were stuffed at the bottom of our sleeping bag but we still woke up from time to time with cold feet. When even to snuggle, be inside the tent  and sleeping was challenge, the nature called. To attend the call of the nature in this ass freezing cold …

When was the last time someone didn’t care about who you were but simply welcomed you in their home? When was the last time someone gave you your space in his own physical space? When was the last time someone said, “Tell me more” and got all excited about your new idea? When was the last time someone said everyone is invited and actually meant it? Seed Snehal If you haven’t experienced any of this in a long time, you haven’t met Snehal yet. Snehal is a man who identifies himself with dreams, his or others that’s why he calls his abode – ‘Sapney farm’. A breathing ground for dreams that the world claims it doesn’t need his farm is the oasis of freshness, an asylum to protect the ‘new’, in a world where the usual and the obvious have banished the new and unusual. But of course, I wasn’t aware of this. All I remembered about Snehal was a man who is the owner of the Kofibar in Auroville. There is something unacceptably commercial about ventures claiming to be non-commercial and for the good of all that keeps me away from them therefore, the idea of staying in a commune on a permaculture farm with people from “who knows where” for a week somehow did not appeal to me. We arrived in Auroville after 10 days of Vipassana in Chennai. We headed straight for our favourite glass of cold coffee at Kofi Bar and met with Snehal and his friends there. The evening ran into night and as we returned after a late dinner, it was already pitch dark at the farm. Unable to see a thing, we held each other’s hand and were led to our hut. The two level bamboo hut was a dream come true. It was the first …

Luang Prabang was great but journey from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng was boring and everything in South East Asia was turning about to be lukewarm! Then God ventured in. At Vang Vieng while all the passengers on the tourist mini-bus got on the tuk-tuk at “whatever you quote” price of the tuk-tuk driver, Valerie and Andrew were the only ones who with a copy of “South East on a Shoestring” decided to walk it to the town. “Well, we don’t know where we want to go so we can’t get on the tuk-tuk”, Andrew said sounding hesitant. The truth was nobody who was on the tuk-tuk knew where they wanted to go and it was past 10 in the night. “Well, if they can walk it, so can we,” thought the budget traveler in us and we got off the tuk-tuk. Just as we got off, we saw the girl with the aviators (Valerie) and the unusually tall and awkward guy (Andrew) returning to the tuk-tuk. We thought they were returning to take us with them. That would be very friendly. (In hindsight, we think they returned because they realized to walk alone in an unknown town at night when you don’t know where you want to go was a stupid idea and that is why no one else was doing it so they decided to take the tuk-tuk. But the fact that we were off the tuk-tuk following their lead gave them some strength.) Our first question to them was, “Do you know where we need to go?” and their response “errrm…no.” Was that the life changing moment of our life or what. Neither of us knew where we were headed (but we got someplace beautiful alright.) What followed later was a tuk-tuk ride to the town at …

We started our walk from Connaught Place at the legendary Wengers where we dug into a yummy strawberry pastry and drank up Keventer’s iconic milk shake as we waited for everybody to join. If Connaught  Place was this crowded, then Old Delhi was something to brace yourself for, we realized. Then we threw ourselves in a crowded Metro carriage and stepped out at Chandani Chownk station where our walk started. Below are our three stops on the food walk. To view the food album click here. 1. Paranthe Wali Gali – Not difficult to get to, anyone in Old Delhi can guide you to Paranthe Wali gali. Make your way through the saree selling shops and fancy lehenga displays to arrive on a narrow alley with rows parantha selling shops. The only catch is that paranthas are like deep fried stuffed puris. My Past experience with these paranthas left me with unpalatable taste but Mansi had tasted more than one paranthas in this gali and took us straight to  Pt. Gaya Prasad’s. We tasted everything from Okra stuffed paranthas to Rabri Paranthas. Nimbu parantha emerged clear winner but I still can’t get the taste of Mawa parantha off my mind. Thanks Mansi, this was the best food find ever. Expense: 7 paranthas amongst four people Rs. 4oo. If you keep walking straight ahead zig zagging through tiny lanes you come across halwaai operating for generations and the Kachori Wala who has his own website. Talk about old meets new. We had appetite to save for kebabs and korma. But Mansi was more than tad bit hurt by the absence of regular Daulat chaat hawkers around the area. It took time for sulking Mansi to return to her spirits but soon she was leading us around another web of tiny streets …

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How can any food itinerary around Istanbul be complete without trying the iconic dessert of Turkey, Tavuk Gogsu. It is a must try for any foodie heading to Istanbul, for where else do you get to try a dessert with chicken breast? Vikram was a little apprehensive about this one, I have to confess. But there was nothing that would keep me from hunting down and ordering this unusual milk pudding. My search for the dessert took us to Taksim Square. Walking up and down the Istiklal Avenue we decided to stop at the very busy Saray Muhallebicisi. This multi-level cafe, restaurant, sweet shop was bustling with activity as the waiters moved around clearing tables and bringing delicious desserts to hungry tourists. When the cinnamon dusted sweet was brought to the table Vikram & I exchanged glances. Who was going to be the first to try? Coming from a country where most desserts are purely vegetarian made without eggs or gelatin, chicken was a leap. We both eventually tried. Its taste was distinct with a punch of stringy chicken in rabri almost like coagulated kheer with shredded chicken. I wouldn’t say we loved the dessert. It is still quite an oddity in my mind. I don’t think we are ever ordering it again but I feel better traveled after having tasted it after all how often do you come across a dessert with chicken.

If Laos is the Hammock Republic, then Si Phan Don is its capital. 4000 islands consists of many big and small islands the major ones amongst these are Don Khong, Don Khone and the Don Det. Here is all that you need to know about Si Phan Don before you get to Don Det or Don Khone. Getting there: Your hotel in Vientiane can book you a direct package trip to Si Phan Don which will cover bus changes, transfer and the last mile boat ride. An overnight bus from Vientiane will take you to Pakse. From Pakse you will switch buses to get to boat harbor from where a boat will take you to the island you wish to go to – Don Khone or Don Det. Accommodation: There are several box type bungalows as in tiny huts on the river, mostly with shared bathroom and a restaurant run by the guest house owner in vicinity. These places although cheap are mostly run down and dirty. To find the cleanest one would be bit of a struggle. Since they are plentiful with nothing special to mark them out, there is not much information about them online either. Getting around: The island roads are unpaved, mud roads. With things far apart, cycling or sometimes a boat ride is the best way to go around and go sight seeing. Food: The food in Si Phan Don islands is plain simple. Expect the usual Lao laap, fried rice and noodle soup. There are no Western options on the menu. But the preparation and taste is a notch better than . There is just no point in writing a ton of places you could eat in here because the choice in not varied. You get similar food at similar looking places and similarly charged …

Getting to Laos may sounds more complicated than it is because there are no direct cheap flights from India to Laos. To save money, you could fly in and out of Bangkok. Laos has a land border with Thailand, which several travelers cross on a daily basis, however, Indians do not get a visa on arrival for Thailand if you do not have a flight ticket for your onward journey and the VOA issued is valid for a single entry. However, all the complications can be put to rest if you get a prearranged multi entry Thai visa that covers the length of your stay in Laos so that you can leave Thailand and return via the land border, saving you lots of money. The visa for Laos is available on arrival for Indians. All you need to know about Visas for Laos is here. You could fly into Vientiane from Bangkok. Most flights offer packages which means you get flown to the Thai border town of Udon Thani from where you board a bus or car that brings you into Vientiane. There are several flights everyday and is a good options in terms of saving you money and time. You could also take a train or bus from Bangkok. The bus takes around 14 hours and costs about THB 700 from Khao San Road. The train takes about 1000 THB. If you want to add adventure to your trip you could head to the North Thailand and take a boat out to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai. The boat could take multiple days and takes you through Laos country side on the mighty Mekong. This way you get to Luang Prabang first and can make your way down to exit out of Vientiane to Bangkok.

Your travel trail in Laos will be determined by where you enter from and how many days you have. Here are a couple of itineraries we suggest for Laos. There are no must-sees in Laos just hotspots for relaxation and quiet days in hammocks. But if you must must ask, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang are our must-go destinations in Laos. Vientiane to Luang Prabang in 5-7 days: Fly into Vientiane from Bangkok, spend a day exploring the Phat Luang and Buddha Park. Head to Vang Vieng which is about 4 hours and tube down the Nam khok river or caving. From Vang Vieng, head to Luang Prabang which is another 6 hours away to soak in the colonial past of Laos. Luang Prabang to 4000 thousand island in 10-14 days: Most straightforward itineraries around Laos is to enter via Luang Prabang. Spend a couple of days lounging in its French style cafes and bakeries before heading to Vang Vieng for a couple of days. Then, you could head to Vientiane for a night or two. If you have another week at hand you could move to 4000 islands. To return you would need to get back to Pakse for a flight to Vientiane. The bus would be long and arduous. It may just be better to proceed to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap to fly back to Bangkok.

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