Rendezvous With French Alps & Annecy

There goes a saying “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
Nothing could be truer for my friend and me when we decided to explore a quaint town of France called Annecy. 
Thanks to my subscription to various blogs and websites such as "Places to see before you die" or "Must visit places in your bucket list" "10 most beautiful villages in the world".... so on and on... (you get the idea).. my friend and I were mesmerized by the pics of Annecy that we saw on Google.
Yes, go ahead... Google "Annecy" images and you will know what am talking about!

Our trip to France was more about exploring the beauty, nature, and just soaking in the local culture rather than tick off the "to see places". Hence, we zeroed on this place, after Paris, as our second stopover. 

From Paris to reach Annecy - took the TGV till Lyon - from Lyon another train till Annecy.

The trains in France are spot on time. Not even one minute late! unbelievable for us.

Usually for transit, there would be ten minutes in between to change the station and we would always wonder what if we missed the train! but the ticket sale counter would always tell us that you wouldn't and it's fine. Only to realize later what they meant. It's smooth, convenient and efficient.

From Lyon to Annecy - am at a loss of adjectives to be used. We were in the train and hence, could not capture the pics.. there is a huge vast never ending mountain lake... where you see the boats sailing, people doing various water sports... better than one's imagination or any movie! We crossed this lake to land in Annecy and start our search for locating the B&B with which we had made the booking. Oh boy...was that some task! Apparently the hotel was a little away from the main town.. that is Hotel "Ace Annecy" had limited bus services .. what an ironical name! 

We figured our bus won't arrive for another 40 minutes or so... and that gave us time to take a quick walk of the village. It's quite a small one, and in 30 minutes one should have walked through all the lanes... Hotel Ibis is right in the center of the town and a good choice to stay if one is planning Annecy. The town is pretty, the day we landed was a local music festival and a lot of young guys, gals were sitting around with their guitars .. singing, playing music. While at few food joints, in their outside sitting area, rock bands with mini sound systems were performing. It was very lively and seemed perfect with the river flowing right in the center of the town, people laughing, playing music .. surrounded by beautiful flowers and greenery... no matter where your eye went. 

We had to step out of a live dream to concentrate back on reaching our hotel. Turned out the bus we were waiting for didn't go the route we wanted to. We decided to check with more bus drivers there.. and it was quite a scene. In no time, we had these three to four bus drivers, all with their maps out... talking in rapid French.. discussing how to help the two "oh so lost girls". For some reason, since we were enjoying watching their conversation so much, and music in the air that we too weren't taking the taxi and letting it be. After a while, they mutually agreed and packed us on a bus. They didn't even charge us! that was super sweet... and after 3km.. dropped us on this bus stop, from where we were supposed to walk only a bit.
Turned out .. it was almost 1.5 km walk... we lugging our luggage.. yet not sure if we in the right direction... got again helped by some locals. I think .. two people lugging their luggage...with mixed emotions of laughing, crying etc.. in the middle of nowhere do stand out! Some guys from the neighborhood who were out chatting helped us with the address and by calling the hotel for exact location details. Seems we were on the right path. All quite a tussle.. but it was fun!

On reaching, were more than happy to find that the place was really nice. Compact, neat, clean and perfectly comfy. Thumbs up for Hotel Ace Annecy. Once you figure the bus routes.. its super easy and fully recommended. If you plan Annecy and this hotel, just ask them to mail you the right bus numbers. 

While checking in... we had the "secret destinations" moment. Girl At Reception (let's call her Nelly) 

Me: "Hi, Can you help us with what all one can explore here in Annecy."

Nelly: "Ah, which part of Alps you want to explore?"

Me: "Alps!!! you mean we are near the Alps!"

Nelly (gives me and my friend one long funny look): "Yeah, you came to Annecy for that."

Me: "No, we came for the village!" (then rapid mumble) "We knew Alps is nearby but not this near! I mean...we didn't think much... we thought we will figure out once we reach... and blah blah" 

Nelly: "Oh then, then you can explore the church, the market, and walk to a small mountain nearby"

Me: "No, No, tell us about the Alps!!"

Nelly (opens a big huge map): "Ok, let me see... where can you go... you are here only for two days, and one for the village and in the other half day...hmmm.. let me think..."

My friend & I (in chorus): "Forget village, we will cover that... tell us the best part of Alps that one can go to"

Nelly gives us some options... and then we are like if you had a day where would you go..

She confidently points to a dot called "Chamonix Mont Blanc"

Now, that is a name my BFF had texted me while I was in Paris .. that I should definitely explore. I had looked at it briefly on the internet and after seeing it a part of Alps.. had really not considered.. as I was like.. I am not even going towards the main Alps.. this won't be possible in this trip.. and Viola.. here it was ... in front of me.. 

Needless to say... the first thing the next day we did was ... take the train to Alps! 

Place from where changed train for Chamonix

Again we had to change two trains to reach Chamonix Mont Blanc. The second train was a tiny one that goes slowly but quite uphill. Had the toy train sort of charm. While crossing the Alpine town of Annecy and entering Chamonix - we were again struck by the lifestyle of farmers there. Merc, BMW, plunge pools for every house, the tiny villages yelled out riches. Such a stark contrast to our countrysides! feels sad...pinches one to the core... but a truth of this sort usually does that.

Chamonix is surrounded by Italy, France and Switzerland. No wonder the moment we landed, we found the place to be quite touristy. Buzzing with tourists, every corner we thought we heard a different language, quite a few shops had great collection, great place to buy souvenirs - the kind you will not find easily except in an Alpine town - such as horn whistle, carved knives fit for a Viking collection and awesome cool stuff... which sadly we couldn't buy any due to shortage of time.
This is a place for at least one night stay for sure! don't miss that if you head here. Had we known - we would have planned accordingly. A day trip does no justice to this place.

We were surrounded by cable cars! After strolling through the town, we decided at end moment - why not... let's do it! The tourism office after realizing the "short" time we had, suggested us the nearest one - which turned out to be Le Brevent. They told us to take the road uphill and to be fast to make it! Get Set Go time for quick good uphill exercise.

Le Brevent Station

Again amazed at the efficiency with which they work. It took us a moment to gather how they operate as once you punch in the ticket, getting on the gondola lift is your own task. In India, we are so used to people helping at every step, and here we were taking off from the platform to this car cabin in air, meant a small jump... we looked around if hopefully we are doing it right! to realize that was the only way... things running by themselves. That's what technology is for.. after all!

Journey to Le Brevent is in two parts. One gets off from gondola lift at Plan Praz 1999m to get onto another cable car which takes one to 2525m.

When one changes cable cars midway - the halls of the stations are lined with historic stuff which is really something. To see vintage pics of men and women exploring these heights when one didn't even have good protection from snow or roads made. To reach these heights in wooden cars.. almost akin to sleds makes you wonder on human spirit!

To amaze one more - some people start the trek from Le Brevent to walk all the way to Aiguille while some end there and while some are passers-by. When we visited - the summit seemed under construction and a small portion could not be accessed. However, we barely noticed that, as we went around the summit and soaked in the panoramic view of Alps. Cannot be put in words.

We were so lost in Alps - and my travel partner who excels in missing trains, buses, flights... for a change saved us! She was like "Hey, what time is the return train" only to realise we have 40 minutes to make it!. and we were at 2525m lost in the beauty of the Alps and Alpine lakes!
And then the cable car wouldn't leave the summit till its full - we were in soup! ran non-stop from the base of the station to Chamonix railway station. Needless to say - again a sight! we had kind people stepping on the side and giving way to two (decently) crazy running girls ... well well.. we did make it. I bet, had we also not.. we would have cried a bit on missing it.. but might have stayed a day more there happily... who knows.
Chamonix has lovely food, even loads of good veg options as apparently it's quite a busy town and frequented by people from all over the world. A must stay place for at least two days!

The next day we explored Annecy before taking the train and landed doing my fav activity - explore the local grocery market.

Apparently every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, there is a market where the locals come with their produce. It has a very old world charm to it. It being a Tuesday, we were lucky to have experienced it.
Post that, we bid adieu to Annecy, but can say this safely, a piece of heart got left with Alps. Will visit that part again someday! 

History Bylanes: Nalanda & Bodhgaya

What would you do if you have a business meeting in Bihar - Patna that ends Saturday evening and your flight back home is only next late evening. My one and only trip to Bihar made me face the dilemma of spending Sunday in a boring (though) best hotel there! or head out to explore the city. 

Bihar is a place where at any time I found very few females out side on road, and a single girl alone was kind of rare. It could be a wrong observation or right... I decided not to take a chance of exploring Patna alone - but see if anything is close by. A little search on net told me of nearby Nalanda University and Bodhgaya. My eyes popped out on my search - as I never thought I could ever be anywhere near the ruins of Nalanda in my life.

A quick check with the hotel people told me it's doable - I can catch my flight in time only if I start early by 6 am. How excited I was! The feeling was similar to having a wish (you never imagined) come true. 

Along with my colleague, started early morning - the first stop was to be Nalanda. 

The distance was approx 80 km from Chanakya Hotel - however, the driver told us that it will take approx 2 hours or more to reach there. This was confusing as the terrain is plain - though we were made wiser once the journey started. The roads to such an important historical spot were full of pits, small narrow unkept roads...hence the time taken despite the less distance. Very disheartening! people from across the world come here and to have the driver tell us, that it is one of the good roads in the state!

At Nalanda Entrance

My fascination with Nalanda has been since childhood. Been brought up on stories of ancient India, Chanakya, golden era of Indian civilization - my mind had Nalanda as the ultimate, mystical destination for knowledge and learning. It has been mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang, acknowledged as one of the world's first residential university that flourished from 5th cen. AD to approx 1100 AD. Known for its impressive architecture and brilliant library - the university attracted students from as far as Japan, China, South East Asia, Greece, Persia, Tibet and many other countries. To more on this, please Click Here

Dormitories from top 

Walking thru the monastery.

What a systematic layout! Also as per Wikipedia - Nalanda had three main large buildings. One of The main building was Ratnadadhi, meaning the Ocean of Gems. It was nine stories high and housed the most sacred manuscripts. The towers were supposedly immense, bejeweled & gilded to reflect the rays of the sun! What a fascinating fact... stuff of what real good stories are made of!!

Stupa at Nalanda

This beautiful bell right outside in the gardens of Nalanda Museum is a Dharma Bell and is a gift from BuddhaDharma Foundation.

Thereafter, we moved to Bodhgaya - it was another approx 2 hr drive. At entrance of Bodhgaya, one doesn't feel one is in India - as everywhere you see banners of Japan Support. Wherever I turned I saw  - funded and aided by Japan flags / banners and no doubt the place was better kept than others in Bihar! Here the pavement, entrance was better, neater. Its now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Bodhgaya is a site of pilgrimage and in the top four sites of importance to Buddhists. This is the place where Lord Gautama Budhha is said to have attained enlightenment. The Mahabodhi Temple as the guide told us was buried under layers of sand and mud, and was excavated only in late 19th century by Sir Alexander Cunningham - the same man who is also responsible for Harrappa excavations.


The entrance of the temple is marked by Ashoka Symbol - Emperor Ashoka is said to have visited the temple 250 years after Lord Buddha.

The weather had become cloudy and indicated rains when we reached there which was quite pleasant. The temple as you can see below is quite like a pyramid, typical of Gupta architecture. The place dates as back as 250 BCE, however, temple's current structure is believed as to be 5th - 6th Cen. AD construction. Many other structures like stupas, railing around the temple are older than that - dating around 1st Cen. BC or older. In 2013, the tip of the temple was covered with gold as gifted from the King and devotees from Thailand. (The pic was taken in 2011) The temple is completely made of bricks and is one of the oldest brick structure to have survived in India.





The main sanctum, as you can see, doesn't have the image of Buddha with folded hands. The right hand here is shown touching the earth - this pose is representative of the moment of his enlightenment. It is also known as "Bhumi Sparsha" Mudra - symbolic of determination, confidence and steadfastness.
Again as usual, it was difficult for me to get away from here. It's a place where you feel the peace and the history. Yes, the history too! the whole area has a pulse of ancientness that is hard to miss.

Inside the temple, there is a lotus pond, and the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.

There was a Sri Lankan team of approx 100-150 people visiting when I was there. A single leaf of the tree is considered a relic by the devotees - one is not allowed to pluck the leaves, so one stands for hours waiting for the air to make one leaf drop!

Apart from the lotus temple, the temple has beautiful stupas around, walls inscribed with Buddha's life incidents, and a row of stones known as Chankranama, this is the sacred spot right next to the main temple, its believed that wherever Buddha kept his feet, a lotus sprung up. I tried matching the steps on the side, my colleague with me was around 6 ft. tall, he could match the steps but still fell short by few inches... so Lord Buddha had to be really tall!

Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira were contemporaries. Although as per history, they never had a chance to meet, the guide showed us a carving around the walls of the temple that shows Lord Mahavira seeing lord Buddha as a child. This is a recent drawing, and can be an artistic expression.

Thereafter, we headed to airport before making a final stop at 80 ft statue of Buddha. Due to rain, could only take one quick picture.

Bodhgaya and Nalanda are beautiful places - and despite there isn't much one can do in Patna - I would not mind revisiting it for going back to these places. Better roads and better infrastructure from government would have helped in making it a top tourist destination for historical enthusiasts. However, should you be around the place, take out time to visit the old lanes of Indian history.

Weekend Getaway: Jaisalmer!

Who would ever think that Jaisalmer could be a weekend getaway from Delhi! this bizarre idea wasn't mine but of my friend... We had 3 days to go anywhere (Sat, Sun, Mon) and she came up with this idea as she had been to Jaisalmer before.
In my head Jaisalmer was the other end of Rajasthan....very far! which takes ages to reach...
A suggestion that was just perfect... as despite my umpteen visits to Dubai - I haven't had the pleasure of walking through sand dunes.

So off we went in April end - we realized taking a train from Old Delhi Station is the best way to reach Jaisalmer. The flight to the nearest airport is followed by at least 4 to 5 hr drive - which takes the same amount of time spent in reaching the destination.

We left on Friday noon (half day from office!). The train doesn't have any pantry - so please pack up food. Comesum people come and sell food thalis before the train starts - but better to carry home food if possible.
Old Delhi Station also boasts of a McDonald right inside the station. Apart from pantry, its a comfortable train and usually follows the time table - which can be a rarity in India. More or less 90% on time - so no worries there.

On the way, my friend told me that Jaisalmer is also known as "Golden City" as all the houses there have a yellow-golden tinge to them. We also discovered that the whole city is now a World Heritage Site.

On the way, early morning the train stops at Pokhran. Pokhran famous for its nuclear tests - was a name which we were simply excited on seeing. The train stops here for a while and one can get tea and snacks here.

We reached the place Saturday morning and people from Suryagarh Hotel were there to pick us. If you thinking Jaisalmer - think of no other hotel. Its a delightful hotel - that's just 20 minute drive from the station.
http://www.suryagarh.com/

It was a delight to arrive at the hotel - built in shape of a fort, very pretty, fabulous architecture and tastefully done rooms. With just 2 nights there - I would have been happy to just lounge around the pretty hotel.

After few hours of resting and post lunch, we headed to the "Sam Dunes". The locals call Sam as Sum as in Hindi. Sam Desert is a part of Thar Desert and is the area where we see the dunes.

We did not book the Desert Safari with the hotel or any other company. We wanted to go there and explore the place ourselves. In hindsight it was a very good decision as a typical safari is marked by - camel ride, ethnic dinner and dance show with time constraints. We decided to explore the desert ourselves at leisure.

The hotel cab dropped us from where the safaris start. The place had a lot of camels and camel carts.
They charged us only 100 each for one camel and one camel cart till the sunset point. Before we could be happy we realized we have been made a fool - as sunset stop is just fifty steps away!!!
Well - once there we made a deal with the cart guy - that he shows us around the desert, all the points that make a safari at only 700 INR odd. We used the cart as the dumping site for our bags and ran after the cart exploring the sand dunes on foot. It was a pleasure and a good workout climbing the dunes and hopping from on to another.

Sunset over the dunes is majestic

If you see any artists roaming around volunteering to play for you while you sit in desert. Please stop them to play for you, esp if you see some one carrying double flutes. Its an art that is dying. The double flute or as its called "Algoja", "Alghoza" has a strong loud sound and is a sheer delight to listen to! After a little search I found that this instrument was also quite prevalent in Punjab, though this is the first time I came across it. and its loud sound was perfect for desert setting.

A clip sharing our experience on desert:

The artist playing for us told us that only a handful of people are left who can play this instrument as it takes 10 to 11 years of practice to master it and one has to start early in age. I do not know how correct or false this info is - but in case you like the sound and want to hear it more.. check Rajasthani Algoza

The next day started early with exploring the hotel. They have pet peacocks and birds which they leave in their gardens in morn. It was fun to view them with my friends daughter.

After breakfast, we started the day early to avoid the day heat - as the mercury was soaring up to 43 to 45 degrees during noon in end April there.
We started with the lake - which till a few years back the sole source of water for whole city. Its a quick visit - however, outside the lake we found another fantastic artist.

Sorry for the inverted image in Video:

He played it so well! I even bought a CD from him of his own work recorded in a studio. Wow, an artist selling his own work outside a lake... what talent we have in India. Again he had the same sad story - very few people left with this art. The instrument used is Ravanhatta, a very ancient musical instrument - considered to be used by the great Ravana to please Lord Shiva.

Thereafter we went to see Jaisalmer Fort - don't take any autos, just walk till the fort from the parking, its a very small place. The main temple inside is quite pretty. Apart from the fort, we saw Patwon Ki Haveli - a quick round there was good, after this we headed to Lodurva, the old capital. It has a beautiful Jain temple which I found quite exotic.

It's a new construction, as in has been recently rebuilt using bright yellow sandstone.

We were able to finish our trip through the city by noon, and in the evening we enjoyed a wonderful cultural evening organised by the hotel people. I wish I had the pics and the video of it to share with you all. It was a classical program and which the hotel does almost every evening. However, this became extra special as guests from Palace on Wheels were being hosted by the hotel. So, a lot of dance and fun marked the evening.

The next day it was time to bid adieu to the lovely place and head back to Delhi. One trip I remember as truly short & sweet.  

Best of Turkey In Eight Days

Turkey had been on my mind for quite a few years. Every year I would think about going to the place and then it would not materialize. This year I finally with a friend of mine - was able to pack the bags and head to my dream destination!

Days: The Trip was from 6th to 13th June - that makes it 8 days - one day was spent travelling - to save money - we did not travel by a direct flight that Turkish Airlines offer. One would ask - are these many days enough for Turkey? Yes & No - depending on what all you wanna see there. I would be covering all the places that I was able to cover in this much time - and also mention a few that are a must see but got left out due to lack of time.

A lot of friends asked on the cost involved in the trip. So, have tried to cover an idea of expenses as much as possible.

Flight: Turkish airlines takes 5 to 6 hrs for a direct flight - so if you plan ahead well in time - a round trip from New Delhi to Istanbul should cost you 35k INR with them. Since it was my last minute plan - my friend and I took Air Astana - and it costed us the same. We decided to choose 11 hr flight via Almaty over direct flight of Turkish airlines as it was approx 47k INR by then. 11 hr flight gets tiring - so I would recommend book well in time or even if late - take direct flight - saves time and energy.

Visa: Its fairly simple and can be obtained on arrival - if you have valid US / Schengen visa. We didn't want the hassle of any complication on arrival, so we applied at Turkish embassy - and ours came in 3 days. Costed us approx 5k per visa. They only need basic documents like bank statement, IT return, and photographs.

Communication: I found this website on internet - that gives tab enabled with internet to the tourists. The tab has hot spot facility - and it was a great investment. For 7 days - they charged us 3500 INR - that's just 500 INR for 24 /7 connectivity - we had our whatsapp, viber all working. 

Cannot rave enough about it. Please order from this site http://www.rentnconnect.com/

They have a pick up and drop box right at the airport. Super easy, fab services! 

Currency: Everywhere in Turkey - one gets 10% discount on payment by cash - 10% at every spot means a lot of money saved. Hence, please convert your money into euros or Turkish Lira preferably from your home country or simply withdraw from ATM once in turkey. Turkish airport currency exchange are private and not run by government and hence exchange turns out to be expensive. As an international traveler - I have found withdrawal from ATMs to be more cost effective - as they give better exchange rate. 

Istanbul: Starting at 11 am in morning from India, we landed at around 9 pm in eve. The hotel in Istanbul was booked by us already - from India - as we didn't want to look for an accommodation so late in night. First week of June apparently is peak season for them - and hence after going through a few 7 to 8 hotels and writing to them - we shortlisted on Dersaadet Hotel. 

View from Dersaadet Hotel Terrace

We took help from http://www.tripadvisor.in/  for finding these hotels. Stuck to top 20... Dersaadet  is a sweet boutique hotel and very neat, clean, warm and friendly. You can check my review on the hotel http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g293974-d294931-r210311457-Dersaadet_Hotel_Istanbul-Istanbul.html

The room costed us approx 115 Euro per night - the area is dotted with hotels - one might get a hotel at as less as 60 Euro - however there seems to be a lack of space in Istanbul - as at this rate the rooms are even smaller. So best go with this or in same range. 

Places To See Here: There is Blue Mosque, Sofia Hague, Grand Bazaar, Taksim, The various pubs in Taksim, Topkapi Palace etc. This is as per individual choice what one wants to cover. 

Blue Mosque was 5 to 7 minute walk from our hotel - so we spent our time exploring around - and then the famous grand Bazaar - more than grand Bazaar  - I liked Arasta Bazaar and then right next to Dersaadet hotel - there is a shop called Cocoon - this shop has lovely stuff. Expensive but we ended up buying a few tokens. They have quite a few shops in the area http://www.cocoonchic.com/cocoon/page/43/shops/ go to the one at St. No 15 - and you sure wont be disappointed.

In the noon - we had our black sea and Bosphorous cruise arranged through IBO tour and Cruise - they charged us 45 Euro for the trip which included pick up and drop, lunch and tea light snacks. Am sure this could be bargained better - we simply forgot to ask for a discount! In turkey everyone gives a discount - if you ask strongly - though usually its the discount if one pays in cash. 

After the cruise, we walked through the streets of taksim and walked from the square to our hotel in Sultanahmet - which was quite nice. Good exercise and got to know the city. 

Day 3: We sorted our travel to Cappadocia by booking the bus tickets and hotel, we refused to take any tour packages - as they were very restrictive and bound one to a schedule. Hence, self bookings get better deal and hotel and comfort.
Buses are quite cost effective in Turkey - one overnight journey ranges from 1500 - 2000 INR, flight one side within Turkey is around 5 to 6k INR, and trains really didnt have connectivity where we went except for our last stop and they for approx 300 km charge 500 INR. 

After exploring Taksim, we traveled overnight from Metro Bus to Cappadocia. The bus terminal in Istanbul is huge and messy. One has to work a bit to find ones way around it. Best is company people dropping you to terminal - however, even after reaching terminal - you need to find your way around and figure which bus you need to take, Once that sorted, its fine - they serve food and water on board. The bus stops quite a bit on ways - and takes one till Goreme - that is the hub of Cappadocia. All hotels are 5 minute walk from there and they pick up complimentary from the bus station. 

Our hotel there was http://www.kelebekhotel.com/ 

Please see my review at http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297983-d298402-r210312840-Kelebek_Special_Cave_Hotel-Goreme_Cappadocia.html

Book this hotel as this hotel also serves vegan breakfast in Kings Valley to its guests complimentary. 

Breakfast in Kings Valley

Hot Balloon is not to be missed while you in Cappadocia, apart from that there are lot of ancient churches to explore. I particularly liked visiting Bazaar 54, a weaving center. 

Do not forget to visit here http://www.cappadocia54.com/ for a carpet weaving workshop. 

                               

                       

Rest we hiked, explored underground city. There's lot to do and then on Day 5 evening - we moved in bus to Pamukalle.

Day 6: Here we did a mistake, instead of taking services from Pamukalle Bus, we took Metro Bus. Metro Bus outlet in Pamukalle sucks.. sorry there isn't any other word for it. We were tired and wanted to get to our hotel - and they made us wait - as being a small place the owners had asked the bus people to drop us to their hotel. In that 2 hour wait - they only sold us packages on checking Pamukalle and leave in eve. Since we had already done one night in bus, we didnt want to travel again even if for just 3 hours in the eve to our next destination.

Anyways - the bottom line is avoid Metro Bus station at all costs from Pamukalle - the office has so many sweet talkers or thugs would be the right word. 

In pamukalle we stayed at Sinter Terrace Hotel.

Pamukalle is beautiful - looks exactly like it does in movies and pictures. 

Sacred Bath

Traventines

Day 7: After staying overnight at Pamukalle - we left early in morn by train to Ephesus. Its again a small place and we had a chance to visit the amphitheater and Temple of Artemis there. 

For some lovely food in Selcuk - stop here.

My review for this place: http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g293976-d1162342-r210320834-St_John_Cafe_Shop-Selcuk_Izmir_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

We covered all the place on foot in 4 to 5 hrs and were able to catch our flight back to Istanbul. All flight service providers have free shuttle service from Selcuk to Izmir.

Reached Istanbul by 7pm - checked into Dersaadet Hotel.

Day 8: Strolled around Taksim and took our flight back to India in the eve at 10pm.

TIPS

- Do not use the word complimentary - if you wanted something discounted, extra value, use the word 'free'

- Do not forget to have Turkish Tea

- Avoid Metro Bus services to and fro from Pamukalle

- Bargain in Bazaars, Hotels might be fixed on rate - but in markets they reduce price

- Carry Cash for more discount

- Avoid Package Tours 

- There is a bit of eve teasing - so be on guard in main city Istanbul

Places That I Missed Visiting

- Visit Perga / Anatolia

- Kas - was one place I really wanted to visit but missed due to lack of time

Rest I can go on and on, on beauty of places I visited or things to do there - if you need specific details on anything - please let me know. Hope I will be able to help.

Its a beautiful country and do visit - you will come back with bag full of memories and photographs! 

Spiti & Chandrataal

I am not much of a writer ... but the vast mountains and lovely people of Spiti made me so...

Its a place unlike any other... it has beauty in every angle and direction. The friendly, no fuss people of the place make it more so. I as a solo traveler to this place - felt completely safe, relaxed and was deeply touched by the experience.
Spiti - Kaza is a jewel hidden behind the green side of Manali hills. Its on the alee side and the road to this place is quite dangerous. The place is cut off from the rest of the world almost the whole year round - however the road opens in first week of July to end October. After that, there's a way to get to this place through Shimla but its wrought with danger. Hence, tourism is best from July to mid Sept as after that the weather starts becoming unpredictable and god forbid if caught in snow storm - there's very little help in this area due to extremely thin population.

I made my trip in Aug 2013. Spiti - Kaza is 6 to 8 hours away from Manali. Reaching Manali from Delhi takes a day. 
Starting with Chandigarh Shatabadi in morning, thereafter a car drive, one only reaches Manali by eve. One needs to do a night stay in Manali. As journey to Kaza takes another 6 to 8 hours hence, its another day ahead. I was with a group of mountaineer friends who were heading that side for trekking, while I for discovering the culture and the place. 

We started early morning by 7 am to our journey to Kaza. The view from Manali to Rohtang is lush beautiful and breath taking. Its one stretch of road thats my eternal favourite - it right out of a dream sequence. Beautiful, green, cloudy, misty and very romantic.

Going ahead, you cross the beautiful Kunzum La on the way. All vehicles irrespective of the faith they follow, stop here and pray for safe journey in the hills. Not stopping here is considered bad luck - and also its the center of the hills - who wouldn't want to stop here for some breathtaking views. 

 The terrain ahead gets quite rough and edgy. Along the way... you see Spiti River .... and some more majestic mountains...Some people call Spiti a poor cousin of LEH!!! Leh is one of my most fav places in the world and I think its like none other. But Spiti is different, the river bed is expansive and flowing right in front of you. To discover the beauty of Leh - one has to step out of the city while here the river follows you in all its majesty. If it has to be compared to Leh - then Spiti is a mystical cousin. 

            

             

This whole magical land is on the alee side of the mountains.. so its a stark contrast from the greenery and mistiness of Rohtang and Manali...

It is also known as cold desert ... which in summers - that is Aug thankfully wasn't very cold.. but awe inspiring beautiful.

The different colors of the mountains, the rawness, the loftiness is definitely worth a life time experience.

We had a quite a few flat tires on the way due to the rocky terrain. But our driver being a native was well prepared for it. My first night in the area was spent in tents along with the mountaineers which was quite an experience as I was doing this for the first time. 

As you can see its picture perfect. I was greeted by this wonderful sight in the morning after I got up and stepped out of my tent. Thereafter, we visited one of the oldest villages in the place called Khibber. It has a population of approx 150 people and also has an old monastery in Khi that's nearby.

In these places life is simple, hassle free. They had no electricity for past 2 months.. and rely on solar power generation. Houses are so well lit that you don't realise the lack of power. 

Later after a day, I separated from my group and went trekking alone. I went trekking to Dhankar lake which is quite a steep trek but a short one. 

There isn't much to the lake, you can skip it if one wants to. The trek since its steep is fun. 

After Dhankar, I moved on to my trek to Langza Komic  from Kaza. 

In Kaza I was staying in this beautiful hotel called Sakhya Abode - which is run by the monastery. Monastery commissions the hotel to a business family and shares the profit with them. The place had Nice large rooms, wonderful hospitality, my stay and tour was taken care by the Incredible Spiti team. Incredible Spiti team is run by natives of Spiti who know the place better than anyone else.. everyone knows them in turn which makes it very reliable and comfy in such a faraway place. Despite the fact that the place had no electricity for more than 2 months, the place is clean, neat and well lit up! you don't realize the lack of power till you closely observe.  
Kaza is the metro city for all the nearby villages. The total population of Kaza would be approx 1000 people and is the only place where you can find electricity - if you ever do. 
The hotels give warm water warmed through traditional hamams of wood. Everyone only gets a bucket of warm water a day. The hotel is right in front of the symbol associated with Spiti - that is these prayer wheels.  

  

The place has beautiful people who understand Hindi well.. the youngsters know English quite well. So communication is not a problem at all.

This is a place with harsh weather conditions. People survive on gen sets, solar and candles...its extreme living conditions with back to basics stuff.. weather is unpredictable, snowstorms happen, roads get blocked.. so if one plans to be here.. one needs a very reliable source who can handle emergencies and take care. People are very cordial, the only safety one needs is from nature. While I was there, the Pin side had flooded away and my mountaineer friend group were headed that side. Incredible Spiti team informed them well in time - which was a huge relief as many people had washed away, and also they helped arranging things for my friends even though they were not using their services. 

A lot of travel agencies call themselves expert in Spiti - but this is the only team I saw at work while I was there. All the work even from Manali was outsourced to them - hence I repeat - one only needs safety from nature here and no one knows it better than locals. So stick to their advice and have a local guide from Kaza with you always and not Manali or any other place.  

In Langza - I did a home stay in one of the traditional houses. The kind that are everywhere in that place. Made of mud, warm and very hospitable.

This 80+ old granny loved that as a girl I was doing a trek alone and exploring the place. She was very warm, hospitable and treated me with some great tea as she realised I love tea! 

Trekking was treated with some great views on the way..

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After trekking till Komic, I came down to Kaza - back to my hotel. From there I headed to Tabo. 
Spiti has some amazing monasteries for history enthusiast. Tabo is the oldest monastery in India. It is the most amazing monastery I have seen till date.. and I have seen quite a few. It is called the Ajanta of Himalayas and no photography is allowed inside. 

This was one place I could sit for hours and hours and not get up. Infact, I came to know on visiting that Dalai Lama has chosen Tabo as his retirement place. His Holiness is also visiting Tabo in 2015, for which the whole Spiti is working from 2012. A beautiful monastery unlike any in the world. 

After Tabo, I chose the exit route to Manali via Chandrataal. Words defy me when it comes to this lake.

Reflection of clouds in lake

A lot of people i know tend to compare it to Pangong lake of Leh... well its neither similar in shape, size or feel of it... Chandrataal is different... its subtle, you need to speak to it.. feel it, wait for it show you its layers, colors... its not flashy, not in your face beauty... it unfolds gently... I know this all sounds poetic... but you would too become one.. once you sit near the lake and let it unfold itself... its a beautiful soothing experience, unlike any other... do not go to place thinking of Pangong or any other lake you have seen... as here you dont know what you would find... you might find the clear reflection of mountains, or clear deep blue or a deep disappointing green of a pond... or some colors you wouldn't even think you can see... let it be... sit by the lake, give it sometime... if it knows you are patient... you will know why it is considered an abode of fairies by the locals

Go to Spiti... immerse your senses in beauty!