From Gobindghat a trek of 14 km brings us to Ghangaria a tiny settlement located about 3km from valley. For those who trek occasionally taking a mule or a pony is the best idea as the path is narrow and steep and filled with the mule dung, which fills in the air and hit your nostrils real bad. It seemed as the journey will never end, but for the first timers remember patience is virtue. The valley starts near a gorge over the Pushpawati River and is spread over an area of 87.5 Sq. Km and is 3,250 meters above the sea level, with no human settlement in or around the area and prohibited for animal grazing too, its fragile beauty compliments the Nanda Devi National park which is all rugged with the mountain wilderness. An accidental discovery by Frank S. Smythe an English mountaineer, who was lost while his way back from an expedition to Mt. Kamet, was declared a National Park in 1982 and now is a World Heritage Site.

This place gives you all the reason to become an escapist from the daily challenges of the busy city life. If you are ardent nature’s lover, you can find solace here, the chromatic florid picturesque and the mild fragrance of the abundant flowers mixed with the air can soothe you to the core. The pleasant coolness in the weather makes the whole experience exquisite in itself. Gazing the burst of bright colors and hues, while taking a quiet stroll, enjoying the quietness around and taking in the purest form of oxygen in, feeling the squeaky and clean air patting your cheeks, the crystal clear water, tastes like mineral water so clean that we were not reluctant to fill our bottles for our way back.
The hard experience of the journey that seemed eternal and taxing was all ignored once you reach here; all you have with you is the rejuvenated you, amidst the flowers and the meadows and all this beauty can be captured digitally and cherished forever.

Photo Credit:

There is a huge parity when compared with rest of India. Should I say that it may be a culture that can not be identified with. The Indian ways of living, the festivals and food may have gained all the popularity and adulation in the West but this part of India is still to find its niche and recognition. Even people like us who are staying here in India are not able to gel easily with the people hailing from this part of the land. Even when talking about the festivals each tribe enjoy their own sets of festivals and mostly they celebrate the harvest and cultivation with different dance forms but there is also some religious emotions woven in the secular form of festivities.

These seven states were basically different tribes which came into origin when India had its freedom from the British; otherwise most of the tribes were independent before that.
Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram form the family of the Seven Sisters but still are so peculiar in their own. As my traveling continued my fondness to this place kept on growing. The civilization has its own way of living and most of the countryside is untouched is devoid of the concrete jungle like scene.

Meghalaya one of the states – means land of clouds. ‘Megha’ in hindi means clouds and ‘alaya’ means place to dwell, and the place is the same as the name suggested. Meghalaya hold such a romantic beauty that it’s really not easy to erase it off from your cerebral cage. Somehow the senses and the spirit seems to be bound to this place as if there is some kind of spell done on you, but then its all worth to be in the pristine beauty. The state of Meghalaya is believed to be the home of dances and music, each tribe eulogize and celebrate their own set of festivals where they actively partake to enhance the festive spirit. Mostly the festivals of Meghalaya spin around agriculture, which being the prime occupation of the state people. The major themes of the festivals are to offer prayers to the Supreme Being who is known by different names in different dialects.

Behdienkhlam – the festival name sounded like some alien name to me initially and still it seems tongue twister to me. But this is one of the most sought after festival here in Meghalaya and the celebration commence during the month of July which is also a monsoon season here in India.

There are hills named as Jowai and Tuber of Jaintia. The people staying here have this festival where the religious ceremony basically worshipping the elements of nature as Gods and Goddesses and to constrain and impede the evil forces, which are the demons that attack the local people with deadly disease, called Plague. Now the truth is that because of the humidity and moisture in the air these kinds of diseases infested them and were dreaded by the local. Till date this diseases is considered as the craftsmanship of demon and they are believed to be driven off by beating and thrashing the rooftops of the households with the bamboo poles. Phew!! This seemed to be quiet a bit of a workout.

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” This is one of the philosophies of the resident of Meghalaya.
The typical tribal dancing can be enjoyed at a pool called `eit nar`. At the end of this grand celebration a fight takes place for a large stripped beam by two groups of men. They bunch up in a place known as Aitnar and sing and dance simultaneously to the tune of pipes revealing tremendous emotions when the Rots and wooden posts are brought in the pool. They are lucky if it rains, because then the day is regarded as extremely auspicious.

After this the people unite to a place also known as Mynthong in their best attires to witness a ceremony synonymous to Football. This game is also known as the Dad-Lawakor. The contest is generally held between the Northern and the Southern Groups of people and it is believed that the group that wins would get a Bumper Harvest on the following Year.

This colorful festival of Meghalaya is in fact a thanksgiving festival celebrated during the season of spring all over Khasi hills. The beautiful maidens adorn themselves in traditional finery and men-folk in vibrant colored costumes participate with much enthusiasm in the traditional dance to the accompaniment of drum beats and other musical instruments. The diversity has many faces and this festival is one of its kind. Proud to feel and witness this side of India.

Photo Credit:

A group of school friends, we were on our journey to Cape Reinga the Northeast spot of New Zealand North Island. Our way went through spectacular Bay of Islands – a tourist Mecca with numerous leisure activities. We simply couldn’t miss it! We arrived late in the evening, and after checking-in  we all went to the local pub. Around midnight a host announced a karaoke competition, a good prize was promised for the best singer, the crowed was the one to judge.The first girl sang out of tune, but the crowed gave her warm support, next  lady sang “Black Velvet” amazingly good, then there was one more contestant and after her my friend Marcella inspired by previous singers or by certain amount of beer decided to sing as well. She sang rather good and was met well by the crowed. After her there were no more volunteers, so all participants were awarded with free tickets to local leisure activities. Marcella got a pass for parasailing and I couldn’t be more happier for her aseptically as parasailing ride was tailored to carry two people at once. We couldn’t wait until  the next day.

In the morning we arrived to the pier, a boat with 10 people and a crew  was already waiting for us, so we ended up to take the last turn. All this waiting and watching other fellows soaring high in the sky, made me quite uneasy. I was breathlessly waiting for our turn and making up suitable excuses to pass on. Meanwhile brand-new parasailors  were landing one by one, looking and feeling happy. They kept saying that all fear vanishes once you are up in the sky, that the view is magnificent and that there is nothing like it.

Ok then,  I decided to overcome my fear and got ready for promised excitement. I tried not to panic and trust professionals. It’s our turn. We’re vested, strapped, hooked up and ready to go. The harness formed a seat around us, so all we had to do is sit and enjoy. The last moment instruction – to stand on your feet while landing. One, two, three, Go! Wow!  I never knew I can fly so well!  Effortlessly, gently! Just me and Marcella in the air, soaring like to birds high in the sky. It’s wonderful, peaceful, surreal. We sailed above the see, enjoying a spectacular view of numerous islands, endless ocean and the sun. It’s beautiful!  We were up and down in the air experiencing almost a free fall and then taking off high in the sky again. 15 minutes went too fast, we were about to land, but all we wished for was to carry on with our thrilling ride. It was fun I’ll never forget.

A voyage to sunny Ticino – a canton in Italian part of Switzerland – was a dream-like get-away. A feel of neighboring Italy was everywhere – Italian language, cousin and architecture  yet swiss hospitality.  The place named Lugano Paradisso was claimed to be a paradise on Earth. Surrounded by mountains and set on a lake -  Lugano is a blooming cozy town with mediterranean flavor and highest number of milliners per square meter in the world. It’s not surprising -  chic and easy-going lifestyle merged in picturesque Lugano. Rich-looking buildings, narrow sidewalks, villas and cathedrals nestled on sugar-loaf hills rising from the lake. Numerous fishing villages steeped around the hills drowned in blooming flowers promised a romantic experience.

And it hadn’t took a long time until a romance began. A boat trip to Gandria – tiny fishing village stretched along the lake – made it a Day! I loved the place immediately -  empty narrow streets, deep blue lake waters and warm terra cotta houses. We hiked the hill in search of promised Botanical Garden. After taking several wrong turns, we finally caught a sight of  Lost Eden -  an old villa, owned by a rich man long time ago and turned into a public sightseeing, welcomed us with countless sub-tropical plants, inviting terraces and splendid view. We were wondering around the garden – it was a rich blend of plants and art forms, around every corner there was a statue of resting Buddha, an African warrior, a temple or a fountain. Intrigued  in a dreamlike environment we were rushing to see what was behind next turn. After discovering all hidden treasures we spent next hour sitting on terrace overlooking paradise. Finally fed up with sights viewing we were starving  for a real meal. Lazy we left the Garden and headed to the lakeside restaurant. I happened to try a local fish speciality and it was the best fish I had ever tried! After lunch we thought about walking back to Lugano along the lake side, but tired and lazy we decided to take a boat.

To fully appreciate Lugano – the “Rio of the Old World” -  it’s a must to see it from above. We couldn’t miss it so in evening we took a funicular from Lugano-Paradiso which rode us up to the top of the mountain San Salvatore.  Complementing esthetic pleasure with gastronomic, we had diner in the restaurant on top of the mountain. While enjoying excellent food and astonishing  panorama we were busy planning the next day. It would have been nice to explore Villa Favorita and then have a meal in Piazza della Riforma and after that perhaps make a tour around old city. Yes it would all have been  nice especially if we would have an extra day Well, maybe next time!

The love for adventure and sports can be overwhelming for you when reaching to Auli is concerned. The nearest metro is Delhi, from where we have to get to Joshimath (5000 ftt above sea level) at 483 km. From Joshimath to Auli is another steep climb, about 10,000 ft. This journey to reach Auli was enough to justify the decision to go there.

The cool new cable car ropeway is the sole way to reach up there, connecting Joshimath to Gorson, above Auli. This cable car journey is the most amazing thing, as moving above the kingly pines of the Deodar forests, and the feel of dangling in the midst of the sky and the earth, where reaching the sky is still difficult and the ambition to reach back the earth can be excruciatingly taxing, so I just had my fingers crossed till I reached there. But this cable car becomes like a usual thing for you in just the second trip; as an 800 m long chair-lift connects the lower and upper slopes, making it easy for the skiers to reach up the slopes.

The world class performance is what you can expect when in Auli; this was something which came to me like a surprise. There is a state-of-art 500m ski lift imported from France and also a special snow beater, to make the snow smooth enough for skiing, imported from Germany. Many new skiing slopes have been created and snow guns are installed by the sides of the slopes to provide world class slopes incase of inadequate natural snowfall, as SAF winter games for 2010 were held here. The wind velocity is curbed by the forests on the slopes are of great help.

The administration has the one of the best infrastructure here. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam organizes many courses in skiing, for beginners and experienced skiers commencing from the end of December.

A week course in skiing cost round about $135/- (about 6000 Indian Rs.) and a two weeks course (14days) will cost $255/- (11500 Indian Rs.). These courses not only include the lesson fee but other basic prerequisite when in a new place, like accommodation, food, ski equipment, chair lift fee, it seemed to be pretty okay for me. More other special packages are designed by the organization, which specialize in adventure tourism, which is a great way to pep up the adrenaline junkies, as nothing can beat the awesome feel of cold wind whipping in your hair and teasing your cheeks, when the flying down the steep slopes. But in case if you are into tamer kind of adventure, then same slopes can be used for snow-boarding or just taking a simple snow walk.

When on apex of the slope, the breath-taking view of the peaks of the Himalayan range offers the beauty of places untouched by men. The peaks like Nanda Devi, Dronagiri and Neelkanth all make a magneficient view. Auli is a relief for those who want to run away from the psychic and nerve-wreaking city life, as it is devoid of fast food restaurants, hoardings or signs that obscure the view, as Auli is near to the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, which is declared as the World Heritage Site by the U.N. thus is a protected site.

Families with kids have developed a great love for Auli as it somehow cuts you from the not so good adventure of the city life and snow is perfect for building snowman and getting in snowball fights, replacing the play stations and televisions as a mode of entertainment. Many, who have a bug for exploring, have a dozen of trekking routes for the same. And then gathering around the wooden stoves called bukhris or around lit bonfires is what you will be asking for at chilly nights and marvel the silence that wraps the place. Not fond of silence? Then being a part of the traditional Kumaoni dance will be a brilliant idea.

And with all these goodies that Auli offers, we should not mind the limited hotels and dining options it has. You will not find any place to shop for, and no souvenirs to buy for people back home. But carrying a digicam with you will ensure that you will take back lot of precious memories of serenity, snow, unspoiled nature, adventure and soaking in the mental relaxations.

The school occupies five fabulous historical buildings located in the beautiful Albert park right in the heart of Auckland city. After couple of hours of intense studying we used to go to the Albert park for lunch, to cool off on fresh air under the trees and carry on with never-ending conversations. The school is equipped perfectly for language learning. The cozy learning center with all sorts of facilities – audio and video, internet access and a friendly teachers always ready to answer your questions – is not only a great place to study but also a hot spot to hang out, have a cup of coffee, read a magazine or watch a movie and of course chat with friends.

School offers various courses, it is also possible to organize private classes tailored for your needs. There are not more than 12 students in a group and groups are also well- mixed to keep the learning process interesting for everyone. My choice was IELTS exam-preparation course, and after that BEC. This way I hit two targets at once – improved my english level and certified my achievement by prestige paper. It helped me in future studies and career opportunities. At the same time many students came to New Zealand to spend relaxing holidays and make new friends, so their choice was the course of general english which didn’t involved examination at the end.

The school staff are high class professionals. There are the courteous  counselors and administrative personal who are ready to help you solve a problem of any kind, then there are friendly english teachers who make the learning process as efficient and enjoyable as only possible, and finally there are the fun and hip social programme managers who organize all kind of exiting activities and entertainments. All together these people made my stay in New Zealand as comfortable as I never could imagine, starting from airport pick up and arrangement of accommodation, helping with all kind of questions related to visa extension, opening bank account, insurance and so on.

The school arranges an accommodation on your chose. In my case it was a host family, lovely Liz and Patrick an old couple and their fury cat Simba living together in a cozy house in the North Shore. The host family eased  my transition to the new environment and enriched emergence to the Kiwi culture. Plus there’s always someone ready to help

Whenever you’re in a new place you inevitably start feeling home seek. But in New Zealand I simply hadn’t have time for that, being busy with digesting immense mass of experiences falling upon me. I plunged into school-social life and get lost in Auckland’s entertainments. After classes there was always an exiting social programme. We went sailing, did some sports and explored Auckland and its sightseeing. My first trip with a school was to the Piha beach. But the most unforgettable were pub crawling and boat parting.

While the intense social life mingled with no less intense studying the time run extremely fast. The last weeks before exams everyone got tense and occupied with studies. The teachers were great! I didn’t even realize, how I found myself at threshold of examination class confident and well-prepared. 4 hours to do your best, and then you are free. Relax and breath-out. Examination week is also a graduation week. Some friends were going back home, but some definitely stayed to explore the beauty of New Zealand. It was hard to say goodbye to teachers who became my dearest friends too. It officially was end of an era. What’s left – numerous photos, a fat note-book with contacts from all over the world, recognized certificates, unforgettable memories and the ultimate bound to the school we happen to spend the time of our life.

The railways are the best way to commute, helping you to remain kinda fresh by the time you reach there. There is a daily overnight train from Delhi till Kathgodam Junction (The Delhi Kathgodam Ranikhet Express no. 5013; leaves Old Delhi station at 22:45 and arrives at Kathgodam 6:15 am; the return train is no. 5014, leaves Kathgodam at 20:45, arrives in Delhi at 4:45).

Trains from Delhi and any other destinations should arrive at either Kathgodam or Haldwani. From where you are supposed to take a taxi, which will first pass through Bhimtal, the town nearest to the ashram, continue to Mehragaon (5 km further), 3 kms farther there will be a fork in the road turn left for Sattal Estate. Sattal Ashram is 1.5 km past the estate, on a gravel road. This drive should take between 1-2 hours. If you are already in the Nainital area, inquire about local buses to Bhimtal, and then they will take you there.

I have tried the train and the roads as well to reach the Ashram. The train as mentioned is an overnight journey, and is a safe mode as compared to the road journey. But you can catch the excitement when take a taxi till the Ashram. Though the journey via roads is more exciting but dangerous (almost no barriers on the road side). The roads go in circle around a mountain and you can feel the pressure in your ears as you reach the higher altitude. The pine and oak trees get agitated when wind tries to make way through them, giving that hissing sound. But the Mother Nature is drop-dead gorgeous. Really. The bus cannot go down to the main estate, so take you knapsacks on you back and march along the red soiled make a-way- kind of road. Your legs and feet might beg for mercy, but this march is worth its each step it takes. Better still go slow, that way you can buy more time to hog on the charismatic view.

This is the Mecca for adventure and sports people, and Rome for religious people. The best landscape for mountain biking, rock climbing, night trekking, nature trail, backpacking, angling, kayaking, rafting, rappelling, river crossing, bird watching, swimming, boating and night camping in the deep jungle.
Suicide Rock is one the most popular climbs here, and the Burma bridges attract thrill seekers interested in making a daring river crossing. Even if you are not prepared for this high level drama of adventure, the untouched landscape will give you a bite of mild rush of adrenaline. The estate is all surrounded by forest and you go anywhere – uphill or downhill, adventure will find you. One of my trips was during rainy season and mind you those blood-sucking leeches are so smart that they penetrate through your leather shoes. Bad!! In this adventuresome place there are no cell phone signals, which leave you with nothing but just to rely on your senses, because who can trust friends nowadays… ☺ but if you are the lucky one who have trustworthy friends, then also, please rely on your senses…. do not depend because the experience you take back home are always with you and are your own.

The sober lot of people should never get disappointed. The solace and peace that is offered to you by this Ashram is doubled with the nature’s explicit beauty. The silence can be heard. The quietness is sometimes deafening. The cricket sings choruses and sometime sings in parts, all to their glory. The early mornings are perfect to meditate. Somehow we just get lost in the beauty, which is so gracious and splendid. The twilight when shows up on mountains and on tree tops, feels like the perfect way to celebrate God’s creation. The Chapel is also there, totally in sync with Indian traditions. It does not have pews arranged or a grand alter. The ashram provides you with the mats, to sit on the floor.

Not to forget food is simple but good. But they expect you to wash your dishes on your own, which we never mind as this how you enjoy the adventurous or your spiritual journey.

Address: Sattal Christian Ashram
P.O. Mehragaon
Distt:Nanital – 263132
Uttarnchal – India
Phone: 05942-247058 / 247355 / 247029

Photo Credit:

Well, I don’t know about you all but for me describing the ruins, the chaos, the compressed ambience, and tapered streets all in a go can sound like a mess, until I laid my eyes upon the deserted vastness of the deserts and the city that stands like a guarding angle to this parched sandy land – Jaisalmer.

From the beginning the vastness of the fierce sea and the smoothness of the snow, covering the land, has always evoked some kind of energy in me. The water filled sandy sea shores are always kind of romantic and fun filled. And the same goes with the white caped land. But what’s with the water devoid sandy land??? It never bothered to excite my thoughts. It s not that my aversions to desert was kind of hate thing or no- not – all type feeling, but then you know there are places you are not in love with neither you hate them… it was fine…. but then it was kind of ‘run of the mill’, you know okay kinds. It’s confusing, but I hope you will understand.

While, the plan to attend the Desert Festival of Jaisalmer held each year in January (this year it was on 28th to 30th Jan 2010) was not mine, but I had given my nodding, somehow. Doing my homework on Jaisalmer and its fest was a cakewalk. All described it as the golden city coz it’s made of yellow sandstones, “Jaisalmer” means “the Hill Fort of Jaisal” and is named after its founder, Rao Jaisal[1]. Being a major tourist spot in Rajasthan as the city fort is built on a hill named Trikuta. Then it’s surrounded by number of Jain temples and many Havelies (big homes of the financial affluent families). Then the Jaisalmer Fort is a must to watch as there are more than 5000 families still living inside the fort, that buzz with the normal humdrum of life. That’s kind of exciting.

I suppose India and its culture is synonymous to Rajasthan and if being more specific then to the Deserts. And then that is how the government of Rajasthan tapped this idea and got many events organized locally to mark itself on the World map.

There is another Desert Festival that is also organized in Bikaner another city of Rajasthan, but what makes the Desert fest of Jaisalmer unique, was a quest for me.

Going to Jaisalmer is no way bothersome. Railways are the best things, and if your pocket allows you, you can also take ‘Palace on Wheels’- a palatial train that is really resplendent.

‘All that glitters is not gold.’ And I hoped it should have been. When we reached the city it just was awesome. I was instantly in love with its golden attitude till death. No doubt it was quiet warm during the month of January, but that was a relief to us somehow. Stealing us away from the bad cold that was in rest of the world.
Walking to the city proved Jaisalmer to be an offbeat city. The lanes are so narrow that you have to walk in a queue, but then we only felt like that. The locals went zooming on their bikes; the cows coolly pass by you, the dogs carelessly drowsing, but that is the essence of the city. It’s just not like the other Indian cities at all, quiet different because nowhere can you see a fort with families still living in it. Common roofs, helter-skelter steps leading to small terraces, beautiful architecture, stunning carving on the walls, windows, its actually uncommonly luxurious and yes inviting, certainly to me.

Evenings are really cool; all the credit goes to the sandy hills, as the desert and the Jaisalmer is a part of the Thar Desert. Evenings were the most sacred moment for me as refreshing they were, they brought the best on the nature’s canvas. Nature always had a multicolored facet for me, but then never figured out that it can be mono-coloured, and still be captivating.

You know how will I describe this as- during the day city from the distance is like the amber colored light baked brownie, which is always inviting, and as the sun kisses good-bye, the evening glazes the city just like you will glaze that light baked brownie with honey. It sounds enticingly yummy!!!
As already read about the Havelies we decided to visit them the next day, as this day in its self was quiet gratifying. The Gadsisar Lake and the Sam Sand Dunes are the major tourist attractions of Jaisalmer.

The next day was the 28th of Jan, the commencement of The Desert Festival. The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation creates a Tourist Village, which has nice tents and huts, and good clean bathrooms. We got a travel agent to work all the arrangement for us, and he delivered what he promised. The event is like a big fair, like a platter, which has various sports, contests, Rajasthani food, and its dazzling handicrafts all in one place.

It’s a good way to keep us handsomely occupied. Since this fair was a 3-day affair we decided to tour the havelis after the lunch, because we wanted to attend the desert fest which starts from a lake spot called Gadisar, a manmade reservoir, constructed by Raja Gadsi Singh, in the later years Maharaja Garisisar Singh rebuilt and revamped the lake.

Walk able distance from anywhere in the city, it’s located towards the south of Jaisalmer city and the entrance to it is through a superb and artistically carved yellow sandstone archway, known as the Tilon-Ki-Pol.

This lake in winters is a paradise for the rare migratory birds too. So we reached here after our breakfast. The commencement of the fest is with a glossy procession. The time to assemble at this lake was 9- 10 a.m., which we did, but then the whole thing kind of started quiet late with some bandwagons, dancers, bagpiper etc. It looked like the whole city was going gaga over the show. This was supposed to be the first meet of the fest and then after 1p.m the local Rajasthani cuisine is to be served, like dal, bait, churma, gatte ki sabzi. A good lunch. They charged us around rs.100 for that which is quiet okay. Meanwhile the procession has already left from the lake site and was supposed to go through the entire city. Well we were not a part of it. As per our plan we went to check out the havelis, which are called after the name of the past owners like Patwon-Ki-Haveli, Salim Singh Ki-Haveli, Nathmal Ji-Ki-Haveli. Well to me the architecture and the carving was almost the twin of other buildings. It was nice though. But what amazed me were other things you hardly find on the charts. Our guide was a good fellow (thanks to our stars) who took us to a village, which was deserted by its residents overnight due to atrocities of local Dewan (Officer Incharge). They say cursed had befallen that village and now nobody can live there forever. Another cool thing was the Shiva Temple, which is about 30-40 km on same way as sand dunes. Once on full moon night there is an old Cobra snake called Nag Dev (Snake God), which comes out of the temple wall to drink milk. I don’t know how true it is, but the locals claim that they are a witness to it.
The sun was fierce around that time. We all we tired of walking all that marathon distance, and I wanted to enjoy the splashy richness of the place, by sitting somewhere, so the gang decided to get back to our own tents, where we reached late evening.

The other two days were no walk and all play… ☺ we were taking the rest of the days easy as all of us decided to unwind our selves in the fest. It s a good idea to just relax and loosen up in the festivities going on. Just roam around hither and thither, without rushing to check out places. Check out the people here, their lifestyles, their clothes, their excitement when a foreign tourist take their snap, then their handsomely lengthy moustaches, (a long and upward moustache says of bravery and honour and a drooping one means surrender and shame), their colorful turbans, which add a zest of bright colors, in the otherwise so parched and barren landscape.

The high fashion pageant here is the Maru-Shri (Mr. Desert) competition and the turban-tying contest. A real crowd puller, it’s a great fun to watch. In the turban-tying competition and tug of war, Indians competes with Foreigners.

Another competition, they named it as Moustache Moustache’ where the prize is given to the man with the longest moustache.

The main thing, which I just did not mention, is the Camel… he is an ugly looking, long necked, huge, deliberately lazy looking animal. I don’t want to be mean or anything, but then this is how it looks, really, I know its not his fault either. But on a serious note he has been faithful to the locals here, since ages and that’s a good enough point for me to ignore all the under-dexterity that he has. These camels participate in various events like the Camel race and Camel polo (Game of Polo is part of almost all the Rajasthani events as it’s the official royal sport here). What I like the most is the camel ride. Its not that I never had a chance to ride a camel, I did, but each time the excitement is same as ever. The completely ignorant expression that these camels give you, while you are taking a ride is so funny, and you become looking funny when you just try not to fall when these camels rise and sit.

The Kalbelia dance was another great thing. It is a sect in India who wears all black clothes and big chunky jewelry, but there dance performances are really phenomenal. The folk artistes performing on the sand dunes take the enhancement to its crescendo.

We were, just strolling, sightseeing, doing camel rides, and checking out the typical puppets, and their shows, the dances and the song and good food.

It was fun to be there. The best of it was the unconventional layout of the city and the golden beauty of the desert. It felt surreal, the dryness was in the air, the sand dunes were playing with the wind, and all together it allured us fully, and yes I was entrapped in that deserted beauty, that may be not for anything else, but just to gape at the desert can be my reason to return here.

Photo Credit:

Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is an ancient monastery and a holly place, a historical monument and a museum, and truly a unique creation of human genius. Stretched along the Dnieper river, Lavra’s golden domes look like ancient heroes in shining helmets. This amazing architectural complex is included in UNESCO World Heritage List.

Lavra translates from Greek as Grand Monastery and “pechera” means cave in old Russian language. According to historical manuscripts a monastery was founded in the caves. Established in 11th century the Lavra rapidly became a major center of Old Russian culture and a stronghold of the Christianity. The great number of famous engineers, architects, craftsmen were working on the Lavra construction over centuries.

The Lavra is like a small town with numerous wonders. The cathedrals and bell towers of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra differ in decoration styles with miraculous ornaments, fresco painting, iconostasis and hand-carving details, each reflects an impressive monumental character and represents a miracle in itself. The Lavra underground labyrinths – the Near and Far Caves and old underground churches with wooden iconostases attract millions of tourists all over the world. The Lavra museum exhibits the invaluable collection of early printed books, and jewelry made of precious metals and stones.

If you admire Orthodox Church Architecture and ancient art works, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is absolutely must be seen.

Photo credit: