Travellers and yet to be....

It gives me an immense pleasure to announce that with all your support and blessings my venture "India Khoj" has gone online today 00:00 hours.

Do visit our portal www.indiakhoj.co.in and register to keep update with our products and offers. Also avail the joining bonus points for new registrations.

Looking forward for your continuous support....

Warm Regards,

Team India Khoj

Sunday : 100 Kms away!!!

Hi Friends!!!

Wanted to start this blog with a nice quote, found one

 “Every 100 feet the world changes”

   Robert Bolano

Today’s blog is inspired by the above quote and is again an attempt to bring out the travellers out of our readers and help them discover the world outside their homes, towns, cities etc.

The nature is so varied and offers variety as we walk in any direction. We are amazed as something new, something interesting always crops up. Complimenting to it there are various concepts like Theme Parks, Village Restaurants, Boutique Resorts etc coming up which add to the flavour of experiencing something that does not feature on a regular routine life of a person.

Guys today the title Sunday: 100Kms away is just to make you believe that always we don’t have to travel far away to experience the pleasures of travelling and enjoy nature. No meticulous planning is required to start travelling too. It’s just that you need to break the shackles around your mind and open up to various options available.

Just gather few friends, start early and look for options nearby, small villages with small treks, a dam nearby with a water reservoir and a beach with some shacks around it or small hill with a lake around it. I bet take any city or town across the world, there is an option available 100km around your place.

I will be covering some places around cities in India with the same formula, it will help my friends staying there have an option to explore and you guys can share if you have already discovered places like these around your cities.

On a Sunday instead of gathering with family or friends in a mall and just repeating the routine on a regular basis, it will surely be an excellent option to unwind at a less crowded, naturally beautiful location. Relax, share and spend time with people who are with you and are looking for some quality time to be together. Kids get a new dimension as well, as travelling to new places will start building their travel diary at an early age, and expose them to variety of natural and cultural vividness around the world.

A list of options that I have personally visited on Sunday getaways is shared below, readers in these cities can try these out:

Surat: Ubhraat, Tithal (Beaches), Wilson Hills, Padam Dungri, 

Bangalore: Nandi Hills, Yellagiri, Simsha Falls, Anthargange,  

Hyderabad: Bhongir, Sangareddy Temples, Ramoji Film City  

Bhubaneshwar: Puri, Nandankanan, Dhawalgiri, Khandagiri, Chilika 

Mumbai: Matheran, Khandala, Alibag  

Kolkatta: Sundarbans, Tarkeshwar and the list goes on.....

Do keep reading and sharing your thoughts at info@indiakhoj.co.in and ya enjoy your next Sunday 100kms away.

Cheers!!

Ratnesh

Reach Us to make Your Travel a Memorable One!!!

Hi Frens!!!

Just thought of updating our contact details as Team India Khoj would always like to be in touch with their readers and would always love to take an opportunity to create best traveling experiences for their clients.

Our readers from Overseas : You can get in touch for specialized trips to India and explore what Incredible India has to offer.

For any queries or help please do touch base at:

E mail: ratnesh@indiakhoj.co.in; info@indiakhoj.co.in

Mobile: 08141 939 502, 09137 000 610

Any thought related to travel, that comes to your mind do share it with us and yes if you have a travel story you want to share, most welcome.... Mail it to us with any pictures you want to share, we will put it right here.

Keep reading and help us in making the Traveling Experience get bigger and better for YOU!!!!!

Keep Traveling and Keep Sharing.

Cheers,

Ratnesh

PS: Do look out for a new post on a less traveled beautiful destination soon.

Pilgrimage Tourism : Vaishno Devi, Katra, Jammu & Kashmir

Hi friends!!!

Today I am going to share my thoughts on pilgrimage tourism and a detailed blog on Vaishno Devi, the holy shrine at Katra in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India.

Pilgrimage tourism is a big industry and not only in India but all over the world people travel extensively for performing their religious rituals and visit the holy places. Lot of important places like the holy city of Rome, the Mecca & Madina,  the Golden Temple, Amarnath Yatra, The monasteries in Tibet etc all of them are the examples of Pilgrimage places which attract thousands of tourist all over the year. The belief in the almighty and faith in the sacred places make people travel to various locations of different terrains and weather conditions.

Pilgrimage tourism, no doubt, is a process of soothing your soul and visiting the holy places to worship, but it also brings along with it a tour to various locations which are of natural beauty as well as varied interests like great architectures or adventure spots etc.

Way towards the bhawan

In India, recently I got to visit the holy shrine of Maa Vaishno Devi, in Katra. It is a well known pilgrimage with thousand of devotees visiting the shrine day in day out. The place is located on a hill top and involves a journey of 12kms uphill with various options like walking, horse riding and helicopter services. One of the best and excellently managed shrine boards makes your journey very effortless and comforting. The place is clean and well equipped. Lodging and boarding facilities are excellent. The process of darshan is very systematic and regular development in the region has helped the place grow and keep its pace with the changing modern amenities.

General Info:

You need to get a registration slip at the starting point of the journey; this is a very important process and missing it will lead to restart the journey. After getting the slip we can start our journey up hill. I advise to take proper rest in between and walk as and when you feel comfortable as the journey uphill is tough and very steep curves come on the way. It gives a complete realty check on our fitness levels and makes us believe that the stamina has gone down to a big extent. Once you reach the bhawan, show your registration slip and get the batch number on which you can go into the temple and pray in front of the deity.

Syad baba

Sight Seeing:

If you have decided to walk, coming back would be a daunting task, but that is the beauty of the journey and the blessing of the Goddess makes you complete the journey without hiccups. Once you are done with the yatra, Katra the base town can be explored for shopping and other interests. There are some good sightseeing location situated nearby and can be explored. A beautiful waterfall is located around 30kms from Katra, called as Syad Baba. It’s again a small temple just near a beautiful waterfall falling into a natural pool. After a tiring journey just get into the pool and relax. It will the best way to relax your muscles after a long walk. May be that is the reason it is built there. Mythology brings lots of mysteries along with it.

Local Delicacies & Market:

In J&K first thing that comes into mind are the kidney beans named Rajma or “Rajmash” as they call it in Jammu. It’s a delicious dish cooked in gravy served hot with Rice. Do try them out at a small hotel called Annapurna Dhaba in main market of Katra. The place is also known for its quality and variety of dry fruits and tourists shop extensively for them. A lot of varieties pertaining to Kashmir culture can be found there. Use of kashmiri masala, local onion called “Pran” etc. All have a flavour of their own. The local markets are colourful and boast a range of embroidery garments famous for Kasmiri Kadhai. The stuff is beautiful and a must buy as a memory for the ladies. The list for shopping never ends though. Lets keep moving ahead to another journey ..another destination....

Unconventional Vacations: Nothing official about it!!!

Hi Friends!!!

Another weekend comes and will go past as fast as it can. I am sure you are dropping the burden of worries, and have plans to rock this weekend. The major plans for all guys would include IPL for sure. MI is my pick again for this season, loyalties to the Master, as always.

Coming back to beautiful world of Travel lets discuss today new trends or ways of traveling that add to the time you spend and help you come back with renewed energies and an open mind. The travel industry and the travelers are caught in a mindset now days. It’s the concept of days and nights and itineraries.  Cover as much as you can, value for money etc. This takes you back to your routine life. Running and stressful. Make your holidays short but relaxing. Try to cover more but not making one holiday hectic but try and chip in small breaks and travel more.

As the heading goes want to share some unconventional ways of spending vacations, away from the hectic itineraries and the fixed departures.

Tents for Camping

1.      Camping in the Himalayas: A picturesque view of Himalayas behind you. A serene landscape and amidst the beautiful valleys you find your tent. Wohh...a dream vacation for me. The weather, the atmosphere, the calmness just make you feel you are in a different world altogether. Accompany the same with Trekking, Kayaking, and Rafting for adventure enthusiasts. Nothing like it. Plan and customize your vacation, no hurrying group travels, and no fixed itineraries. Sounds interesting, it will be more than that trust me. Clubbing an IPL match in the evening at Dharamshala...will that add to the fun? You can’t ask for more.

Sky Diving

 2.      Love Flying Experience Go Sky Diving: Ever wondered how the birds fly and enjoy the beautiful nature from their bird’s eye view. Felt like breaking all shackles, have wings and fly in the sky. We all did as kids, but the ones who still have that feeling with them, should try Sky Diving. A growing adventure sport in India helps you learn various other aspects like, team work, learning new skills, developing an alert mind and finally leads to flying. The adrenaline rush of diving from 10000ft and landing with the parachutes is awesome. The training schedules help you learn and the instructors make it safe for you. You need three days and bit of guts to do it. Not eating much of time into your hectic schedule and giving an experience of a life time.

Mountain Cycling

3.      School Buddies Planning a  Get together, Try Mountain Bicycling: Remember the old school days, we as a group of friends cycling to and fro from school. Racing with buddies and arriving in style. The buddies are same but the moments are gone. Today the best way to connect is Facebook or WhatsApp. Bicycling...can’t imagine with friends as city life doesn’t gel with it. Fine just pick up your phones, talk and plan a 4-5 days vacation. Enjoy Mountain Bicycling in the foothills of Himalayas in Kumaon region. Camp in deep jungles or hill top lodges. Get nostalgic and race again with the same friends in the best adventure cycle tracks the country has to offer. Believe me you will spend the best moments of your life and cherish them for the times coming ahead.

Camp Sites

4.      Camping in Jungles with Rappelling & Trekking: A wildlife fan and have visited some sanctuaries before? Try this, away from the regular and monotonous visit to sanctuaries and forest reserves. Leave the conventional ways of moving in the jungle with big vehicles or jeeps and trying to capture whatever you can. I would suggest spend sometime in the jungles. Try activities like trekking into deep forests and spend time understanding them. Activities like rappelling across waterfalls, body surfing in village canals or swimming in river pools. Exciting and never done before stuff, leaves you with great memories and an superb experience.

Moving back after activities mentioned above, will only give you one thought, the next trip is just round the corner. These unconventional outings would enforce the words I stated above that you will be back with renewed energies and an open mind.

Any help or information required to plan any of the above just write in to us at Ratnesh@indiakhoj.co.in. We would be happy to help.

Get unconventional, explore the unexplored.

Keep Traveling and do share your comments and experiences.

Cheers!!!

Ratnesh

Gujarat : Varied Destinations One Culture ( Vol 2 )

Hello People!!!

Hope you guys are having a blast this weekend. Though didn’t want to ask, but to friends from India, how many of you dared to watch Himmatwala this weekend. Salute to those daring people. Anyways coming back to blogs and traveling lets complete the volume 2 for Gujarat today. Summers are on and its vacation time for families. Hope yo

Kutch: It is situated to the North West part of the state of Gujarat, and it is in itself a marvel in terms of tourism and variety. You can experience vividness in the attractions ranging from vast white salt deserts to palaces to bird sanctuaries. You find everything in Kutch. Long back Kutch was a kingdom of its own, with distinct currency, big ports, Kutchi as main language and a vital trade centre. Since then things have changed and the importance and beauty of this place has only grown with time.

We can start our journey with Bhuj, easily accessible from the state capital by Trains and Buses. Train travel time being merely 8hrs considering as an overnight journey. Bhuj as a city hosts some of the beautiful palaces like Aina Mahal (Hall of Mirors), Prag Mahal and a museum displaying the Kshatrapa inscriptions.

Evenings can be spent at viewing the beautiful lake of Hamirsar in the heart of the city and visiting the architectural masterpiece of the Swaminarayan Temple. The white structure is a symbol of peace and tranquility and transforms into a source of renewed energy for tired travelers.

From Bhuj being the main town in the Kutch region you can hire vehicles and travel to other attractions like Khavda Dhordo famous for the white desert and Khalo dungar a hill top overlooking the beautiful ocean.

Rann Utsav: The mention of this festival is of prime importance as if you want to experience Kutch at its helm then you need visit this place during Rann Utsav. The festival organized along with the local authorities by Gujarat tourism is the cynosure for tourists in the month of December in Gujarat. The moonlit nights filled with traditional folk dances, the rhythms of folk music, colorful handicrafts etc are a lifetime experience. The winters accompanied by rich local cuisines make the journey memorable and enjoyable for everyone. 

Do visit the page www.rannutsav.com for dates and other updates on the festival.

Sight of Temple during Janmashtami

Dwarka: The holy city of Dwarka is one of the major pilgrimage in India. As it features in the list of the holy Char Dhams alongwith Puri, Badrinath and Rameshwaram. The Dwarkadhish Temple is devoted to Lord Krishna and is yet again architectural marvel of ancient India. The visit to this place is majorly religious and visited by devotees in huge numbers all through the year. The major temple is also accompanied with various other attractions like Bet Dwarka. Bet Dwarka is again a temple that can be reached through boats and hosts idols of various Gods symbolizing Hindu religion. Apart from its religious significance it is also a place of interest for archaeologists and historians as it provides many excavations sighting trade practices of ancient India.

A relaxed vacation of 4-5 days can be planned to cover this geographically vast region of North West Gujarat. These destinations not only relax and entertain but when you comeback you are rich and more informed about the culture and varieties the state of Gujarat has to offer.

Keep Traveling and yes would end this blog by saying “ Kuch Din To Guzaro Gujarat Main” (lines from a beautiful campaign run by Gujarat Tourism featuring Mr.Amitabh Bacchan)

Do spend some time adding suggestions and comments.

Cheers!!!

Ratnesh