Shanichara Temple, Morena

The charming affair for exploring offbeat and marvellous hidden spots continues non-stop with Gwalior and nearby Chambal Ravines. I had a day in hand and thankfully got a car to drive, so Chambal Ravines were again the natural choice for exploring some more unexplored spots. What else this Vagabond would have thought of when Life gave him a spare day and a vehicle to drive.

It took me around one hour from Gwalior to locate, ask locales about the way and finally reach Shanichara Temple, situated deep inside remote corners of Chambal Ravines. Dedicated to Shani Dev, such a Grand Temple at such a remote location arouses curiosity to know about the history of the place as much as quest to explore another hidden spot.

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Offbeat delicacy in Pink City Jaipur

What is so special about color "Pink"?

Everyone says it is a symbol of universal love, charm and understanding hospitality. In the year 1876, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh had painted the city of Jaipur in Terracotta-Pink to welcome, then visiting Prince of Wales, Prince Albert to show him the Brand India hospitality. The tradition of Indian hospitality is unmatched till date.

Thereafter a law was passed by the state of Jaipur in 1877, requesting every new building to be painted in colour of Pink. That is how Jaipur became Pink City and Jaipur is still redefining the standards of royalty and hospitality.

Every step, every lane is worth giving a feel of being a Maharaja to whomsoever visiting this Pink City. Along with other noteworthy tourist attractions like forts, monuments and temples, Jaipur is also one of the preferred spots for destination weddings. If you are also planning to get married in this city and are looking for wedding banquet halls in Jaipur, then WedMeGood would be really helpful for you.

Jaipur is always full of visitors, be it any time of the year. Amidst so many spots, in fact all of them popular with tourists, are there any Offbeat spots in Jaipur? I was thinking the same while enjoying the Nahargarh Fort. While moving around, I saw two monuments lying at the foothills of Nahargarh fort, which were not at all crowded. Well, I was able to locate the rare offbeat spots in Jaipur; Garh Ganesh Temple and Gatore ki Chhatriyan.

So without wasting any time, I reached the entry spot for these spots. As all good things should begin with prayers to God, so Garh Ganesh temple was the preferred choice to start. From here you just need to start climbing these stairs, however the size of stairs, will test your stamina to the extent. 

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List of Best Treks in Uttarakhand that you must try

Uttarakhand often referred to as Dev Bhumi or Land of the Gods, is no less than heaven for all the nature buffs and adventure lovers out there. Uttrakhand is surely one of the most fantastic places in India, which is all covered with ethereal beauty. Situated in the foothill of Himalayan Ranges, Uttarakhand comes with an ample number of opportunities of trekking and camping, and with every new place, there’s something different and interesting present there to gain a whole new experience. Well, now summers are approaching and there could be no better excuse to take a leave from your work and make your way towards the mighty mountains. If you too wish to experience that adrenaline rush, take a look at some of the best treks in Uttarakhand and go on the trek you feel like trying out.

Bali Pass Trek

Let’s get started with the very famous trek to Yamunotri, which is situated there inside the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and allows you to take a closer look at rich flora and fauna. You need to start your trek from Sankri and continue walking along the Supin River. After this, you need to climb up slowly to the Dhatamir and Osla Village. While walking through the pathway, you’ll come across River Tons and Siyan Gad. Go on and reach Har ki Doon, a cradle shaped valley full of a large variety of flowers, mind-blowing views, and amazing wildlife. Then you need to continue to the Ruinsara Tal that passes through mesmerizing grasslands and conifer forests. Walk slowly and reach the base of Bali Pass. After you cross the path, you’ll go downhill through the pastures and open forests to the Yamunotri shrine. After this, the route will take you to Janak Chatti and Hanuman Chatti. 

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Trek to Laxman Temple/ Hemkund Sahib

Laxman Temple/Hemkund Sahib, at a height of 4300 meters above sea level, lies in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state. Challenging trekking route and spectacular beauty of the mystical valley has always tempted botanists, nature lovers, foreign tourists and adventure lovers. Valley boast off over 500 species of wild flowers of unparalleled appearance and fragrances.

This is the place where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of Sikh community, did intense meditation to please Lord Brahma. Please by the austerity Lord Brahma commanded Guru Gobind Singh Ji to take birth in Kal-Yuga in order to kill demons and protect holy people. Undoubtedly, the Hemkund Trek is a steep challenging trek and you will often hear from the locals there that – “Mountains are for FIT not FAT”. You trek from 9,600 ft to 15,000 ft in just 6 Kms and that’s what makes it a tough trek.

Place remains open to the world from June to October and for rest of the year it remains snow clad. Journey to the Hemkund starts from Haridwar, where you can easily hire a cab for your entire trip. 

 

Drive to Govindghat around 300 Kms, which would take 10 – 12 hours of time to reach depending on the road conditions, please expect land sliding at various points throughout the drive.

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On Nainital and Mukteshwar: A Lake, Deodars and Maple Leaves - part 2 of 2

We left for Mukteshwar at around 11 AM. Somehow it got cloudy again and the roads got under thick white mist. It took a while to drive out of the town since there were many people on the road. Soon it started to drizzle and it felt good. Mukteshwar is at a height of about 7200 ft and is right in the middle of Banj Oak and Deodar forests. The forest is evergreen and mostly covered in mist. You can see that green moss and lichens have taken over the whole forest since it rains here almost every day, even in summer. 

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Trek to the Enchanted - Valley of Flowers

Valley of flowers, at a height of 3046 meters above sea level, lies in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state. Challenging trekking route and spectacular beauty of the mystical valley has always tempted botanists, nature lovers, foreign tourists and adventure lovers. Valley boast off over 500 species of wild flowers of unparalleled appearance and fragrances.

 

Although the picturesque valley remains open to the world from June to October, but it’s great to visit the valley around June, July and August, when the flowers are in abundance. For rest of the year valley remains snow clad.

 

Journey to the valley starts from Haridwar, where you can easily hire a cab for your entire trip. Below is the entire itinerary in brief. 

 

1. Haridwar to Govindghat - Around 300 Kms

2. Start from Haridwar - Cab is recommended. Very less frequency of buses.

3. Route: Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Jayalgarh – Srinagar – Rudaprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandaprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti – Joshimath – Vishnuprayag - Govindghat

4. Govindghat – (Motorable-4Km) – Poolna (Trek 10 km) – Ghangaria – Total 14 Kms

5. Split routes from Ghangaria for Valley of Flowers Trek and Hemkund Sahib Trek

 

Drive to Govindghat around 300 Kms, which would take 10 – 12 hours of time to reach depending on the road conditions, please expect land sliding at various points throughout the drive.

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Ahobilam - The Spiritual Safari

Ahobilam, a noted pilgrimage centre for Hindus, is situated at distance of around 130 km. from Kurnool Railway Station, 68 Kms from the Nandyal Railway Station and 24 km. from Allagadda.

Ahobilam, consists of lower Ahobilam and Upper Ahobilam, is the place where Lord Narasimha had manifested himself in a natural cavern of rock to rip apart the most ferocious demon Hiranyakashipu.

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Exploring divine Almora...Day 3 & 4

After a wonderful exploration of Almora and Pithoragarh district, Day 3 was reserved for counting the numerous temples in Jageshwar Dham and visiting nearby temples and spots.

First in the list was the Jhanker Sam temple, located 6 km. from Jageshwar. Lord Jhanker Sam is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The legend associated with this place is that Lord Shiva was meditating when lot of demons gathered to spoil his prayers. Furious Lord Shiva then opened his third eye and Lord Jhanker Sam was born out of it. He created an army of his Ganas (followers) to kill those demons. It is believed that Lord Jhanker Sam will return again to Jageshwar Dham to save humanity.

Next spot was the Vridh Jageshwar temple (Old Shiva Temple), 3km. uphill trek in the hills or 16 km. by road from Jageshwar Dham. It is older than Jageshwar temples and is considered to be an abode of Lord Shiva prior to coming down to present Jageshwar. 

As told by the locales once King Chand saw a cow milking itself on a stone while he was going for a battle. On further checking the place a ‘Shivling (holy symbol of Lord Shiva)’ was revealed. After returning victorious from the war, King Chand constructed this temple. Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, also houses a status of Lord Ganesha.





Try taking road to Vridh Jageshwar to cherish the vibrant natural beauty of the place.

Being situated on the topmost point in the Jageshwar valleys, the spot offers fascinating views of the nearby hills. If there are no clouds the snow-capped Nanda Devi peaks are clearly visible from this point.

Heavenly peace and beautiful landscapes; pilgrimage as well as adventures…Amazing Almora. Trekking enthusiasts can take a trek back to Jageshwar, this is the 3 km. trek from the back of Vridh Jageshwar temple…

And the last nearby spot was the Dandeshwar temple complex, dedicated to Lord Shiva. This is the biggest shrine of all the 500 temples in Jageshwar. Contrary to custom the Shivling here is a natural uncut rock. Flowing water steam and adjacent hills provide a fantasy tale setting to this temple.

Read more about DandeshwarTemple…

By late afternoon we were back at Jageshwar, the evening was totally reserved for exploring the Jageshwar temples and take part in the evening worship, AARTI at the temple.

There are around 500 temples spread across the hills surrounding the Jageshwar Dham. Keep on exploring the beautiful surroundings, keep on counting the temples. This is the most beautiful complex of temples in Almora or temples in India, I have come across.

Uttarakhand is called as देवभूमि, Land of the Gods. At Jageshwar there is no doubt Gods must have stayed or still are staying at this place.  There is also a museum, 50 m. from the Jageshwar Dham, which carries an intricate treasure of beautiful statues. Do take some time to visit this, you will be astonished by the art... 

Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum...

The Aarti finishes by 6:30 PM and thereafter the Jageshwar town goes to sleep. That finished our Day 3 as well in Jageshwar. Perfect harmony with nature at Jageshwar. Read more about Jageshwar...

Day 4: After early morning worship at the temple, we set out for return journey to Kathgodam. We had night train from Kathgodam, so we had sufficient time to cover the Katarmal Sun temple and Bhimtal.

Katarmal is 16 km. from Almora town and hidden inside cluster of hills. Visit here is all joys and curiosity how such a gigantic construction took place at this spot. Once in year, the first ray of sun falling on temple enlightens statue of Sun God in the temple and many devotees from the nearby places visit this temple. Katarmal is one of the perfect offbeat attractions in Uttarakhand.

It will take around 1.5-2 hours to cover. Read more about Katarmal…

While cruising via Almora, do try the delicate sweets of this region. Bal Mithai (बाल मिठाई) is a brown chocolate-like fudge, made with roasted khoya (thickened/ dried milk by heating), coated with white sugar balls. Singori or Singauri is a sweet made with fresh Khoya and wrapped in maalu leaf.

In the way we came across a spot called “Frog Point”. Out of curiosity we stopped the car and went ahead on the suspension bridge to see this place. A huge rock resembling the shape of frog is lying at the river bed and most of the visiting vehicles stop at this point. Check out…

Finally, towards the end of our journey we arrived at Bhimtal. Prominent attraction here is the Bhimtal lake which is named after Bhim, the most powerful of the Pandavas. A huge lake with an island at the centre is a major attraction. One can enjoy boating in the lake, horse riding, mountain biking and hang gliding at Bhimtal.

Bhimtal is the place which connects Kathgodam to the Kumaun region and to Nepal and Tibet. It might have been the part of the famous ancient silk route. There is a big market nearby to lake and one can enjoy every cuisine in this market.

After Bhimtal, Kathgodam railway station was in sight and it was the time to cherish some amazing memories which we accumulated during 4 days of exploring undiscovered Almora and Pithoragarh districts of Kumaun region.

About Kumaun:

State of Uttarakhand consists of two regions Kumaun and Garhwal. Kumaun region is made up by districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar. It is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Nepal, on the south by the state of Uttar Pradesh, and on the west by the Garhwal region.

People of Kumaun are known for their bravery, valour and indomitable spirit. They carry the title of martial race and Kumaun regiment is one of the most decorated regiments in Indian army.

To reach Almora:

Nearest major centres and railway stations are Haldwani (88 km.) and Kathgodam (85 km.). Regular bus services are available from Haldwani to Almora. If you are coming by train get down at Haldwani station as most of the buses start from Haldwani.

By Train: Haldwani/ Kathgodam are connected to New Delhi with regular train services.

By Road: Almora is well connected by bus services from Delhi and other nearby cities.

By Air: Nearest airport is at Pantnagar, 149 km. However very few flights operate for Pantnagar.

Keep travelling Guys...

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Exploring Kumaun... Almora & Pithoragarh (Day 1&2)

Almora is a hill station in the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. Unlike many other hill stations in India, Almora remained unknown to British. It has been preserved and developed solely by natives of Kumaun region and as a result, it is totally devoid of usual crowds at other hill stations. Almora district offers an ideal option to those looking for solitude in the arms of mighty Himalayas. Almora is also called as land of temples and the temples are located in some of the most stunning landscapes.

To enjoy the spiritual vibes along with unspoiled beauty of the undiscovered Kumaun region, we took early morning train from Delhi and landed at Kathgodam railway station at 11:40 AM. The objective was to explore the road to Almora to Jageshwar and Patal Bhubaneshwar.

 
Our Itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi - Kathgodam - Kainchi Dham - Chitai Golu Devta Temple - Almora-Lakhudiyar-Jageshwar Dham
Day 2: Jageshwar – Pithoragarh (Gangolihat – Patal Bhubaneshwar) – Jageshwar
Day 3: Jageshwar Dham and nearby temples
Day 4: Jageshwar – Almora – Katarmal Sun Temple – Bhimtal–Kathgodam -Delhi

Outside the Kathgodam railway station there were many taxis available for Nainital, few to Jageshwar (120 km. from Kathgodam) but very less if Patal Bhubaneshwar is also included in the itinerary as well. Some negotiation and we were on the way to Jageshwar Dham. Estimated time for the drive was approx. 5 hours including halt at enroute attractions in order to attend the 6 PM “AARTI” at Jageshwar Dham. This started our Day 1.

First spot in the way is Bhimtal (21 km. from kathgodam), but we skipped to cover during return as we had to reach Jageshwar by evening.

Next spot in the way is Neem Karoli Kainchi Dham, which is 37 km. from Kathgodam and is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Kainchi Dham was established in 1962 by the sage Shri Poornanand Ji of Kainchi village. Devotees can stay in the ashram and practice meditation.

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Dandeshwar Temple, Jageshwar Dham - Almora

Dandeshwar temple is where Lord Shiva stays with a staff and protects the region. Dandeshwar Shiv temple complex (दंडेश्वर मंदिर समूह) is situated slightly upstream, 1.9 km. from the Jageshwar temple complex and can be easily reached on foot from Jageshwar Dham. Jageshwar is a small pilgrimage town in Almora district, Uttarakhand. Lord Shiva resides in Jageshwar in form of Jyotirlinga, so Jageshwar is also popularly called as “Jageshwar Dham”, residence of Lord Shiva.

Temples at Jageshwar Dham are considered to be dated back to 9^th - 13^th Century and are being preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Out of all the temples in the Jageshwar Dham, Dandeshwar Temple is the biggest temple structure. Dandeshwar temple complex is being restored by ASI, and the condition of the temples has been improving gradually.

Last day of our stay at Jageshwar was solely dedicated to explore numerous nearby temples to Jageshwar main temples complex. After Vridh Jageshwar temple and Jhanker Sam temple, we started on a cosy walk alongside the flowing water stream to enjoy the Dandeshwar temple. Occasionally we were also enjoying going down to the river bed. Word Dandeshwar is formed by coupling of Dand "Staff" and Eshwar "The God". In line with the meaning of staff; the Dandeshwar temple is so tall that you may risk a camp in your neck. It is believed that Lord Shiva resides in this temple with a staff and keep a guard over this region.

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Hiking to Cliff TROLLTUNGA, Norway

Contributed by Jennifer Schlüter, www.discoveringlegacies.com..

When was the last time you drove 100 miles for a cup of coffee or you decided to enjoy trekking while your friends preferred the cosy drive by road. Well those who are driven by Passion, always hear to their heart rather than comforting brains...One fine night our friend Jennifer decided to trek through the secrets of night in Trolltunga just to catch the Sun by surprise. Rest all, lets hear the inspiring adventure filled travel diaries of Jennifer, in her words...

It was 9 in the night when we arrived in Skjeggedal, the path ahead for Trolltunga, one of the world’s most breath taking (literally!) hikes. As we started to climbing rocky steps of the first kilometre, almost everyone coming down was greeting us with confused eyes asking us that why are we going up at this time? I translated this to: “Are you crazy?! Why would you hike 6 hours through the night?” – because that had been the initial reaction of my friends after I told them about my idea.

“Hike through the night to see the sunrise up there?”, “Why would you do that? That’s got to be dangerous! What if you get lost?” But simply because I don’t do things like everyone else and because I don’t like having tourists in my pictures or waiting in line for two hours to take a rushed photo, I wanted to hike through the night to catch the sunrise at 4 AM plus, the lighting and the atmosphere are much more magical obviously.

So here we were, as the only group hiking up the 11 km (7 miles) well-marked trail, only to be joined by an Australian couple much later. What I hadn’t planned for and thus didn’t expect was the full moon rising above the mountains. Lucky! We had planned for everything else however: Warm layers of clothes, lots of energy food and water, a cooking pot for Ramen and hot chocolate, raincoats, and head and flash lights. Surprisingly, we did not need the latter because it stayed quite bright throughout the night.

Once we reached Trolltunga, we all were stunned by the beauty nature had created. Even the best photograph fails to project what you actually see when you’re up there. You’re surrounded by mountains partially covered in snow, and down below the deep blue water weaves through the valley. When it’s clear, you can see miles of land nearly untouched by man. A place which looks unlike anything else you’ve ever seen. You can’t help but ask yourself how someone thought of hiking the mountains in the middle of nowhere for six hours and discover the so called troll’s tongue.

While getting there was not as rough as expected, our way back became super painful for me towards the end because I was wearing shoes that were too tight. With every step down, my toes hit the front of my shoes so hard, that it was better for me to take them off for the last 3 km. Out of pain and exhaustion, I couldn’t stop crying and had to lean on my friend for support. This took us at least two hours longer, but in the end, the troll’s tongue was more than worth it. It’s something you should do at least once in your life, and add to your bucket list right now!

To give you an idea about the hike, here are some tips:

1. Fly into Bergen and spend one or two full days there because it’s definitely worth it. Or fly into Oslo and take a bus/train/car from there.

2. From Bergen, there are busses to Odda, a town close to the trailhead of Trolltunga, which cost around 300 NK.

3. Stay at least two nights in Odda or Tyssedal (I can recommend the Trolltunga Guesthouse in Tyssedal, where I had a great stay). In case it rains one day, you can choose to hike the next day. And if you hike the first day, you’re glad you can rest somewhere close right after the hike. You can also camp anywhere on the trail, even at the very top.

4. Pack the following: Warm layers of clothes (it can be sunny and nice at the bottom but windy and snowy towards the top), comfortable, waterproof shoes (you will cross a few waterfalls), one bottle of water (it’s safe to refill it at any one of the waterfalls), hiking sticks or a stick you find there (it’s much more comfortable to have some support), high energy and good carb foods such as nuts, cereal bars, berries, apples, or bananas, flashlight or head light, a beanie or headband to cover your ears (the wind can be icy), gloves, blister band-aids and tape (tape your toes and shoulders where your backpack straps are).

5. Plan in some more money for the transport from Odda or Tyssedal to the trailhead (our cab for four people from Tyssedal to Skjeggedal was 400 NOK and some busses are 50 NOK per person, for example. Prices can vary).

6. You can’t hike from October 16 until March 18; from March 19 until June 15 and September 15 until October 15 a guide has to assist you, so plan accordingly. Snow is very likely during shoulder season, and even in the summertime, you might encounter snow or snowfall.

(* NOK – Norwegian Krone, the currency of Norway)

Keep Travelling Guys...

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Sonagiri, the Milky Hill...

By now we have explored almost every road in ChambalRavines, to further extend our safari beyond Gwalior we started our drive towards Orchha on road from Gwalior. While exploring the roads and asking for the directions, some locales advised us to visit the milky mountain of Sonagiri. Milky Mountain…? The name Sonagiri actually means mountain of gold. We too were surprised by this, till the locales told us that 77 beautiful temples, all in white colour is the reason behind milky Sonagiri Hill. Locales are the best guides.

Sonagiri is a place sacred to Digambar Jains. It is situated 60 km. from Gwalior and has a chain of temples of 9^th - 10^th century on this hill since the time from Chandraprabhu. As we were approaching towards the hill, we could clearly see an umbrella of white temples covering the hill.

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Kullu, the valley of Gods...

A wandering soul searching for a nest can get numerous excuses to surely settle in Kullu, Valley of Gods.

Stunning landscapes coupled with hospitality of people, their distinct lifestyle and rich culture have made Kullu valleys popular as “Valley of Gods”. Kullu is renowned around the world for the woollen Shawls and the Dussehra festival. However, to explore it also has some amazing spots, which despite the popularity of Kullu are surprisingly not so known. When coming from Shimla, spending one day to explore Kullu Valleys shall be a great choice before proceeding to Manali...

Nearest to Kullu is Bijlee Mahadev temple, which is approx. 25 km. from Kullu town by road. Cherish the beautiful Beas River while crossing over the Kullu Bridge on the way to Bijlee Mahadev. You may park your car at a side and click the fabulous bridge and pleasing landscapes...

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Forbidden Republic of Malana

When it is 21st century, it is very difficult to believe about places which are still lying disconnected from the mainland. Malana is such a spot which is 45 km. from much popular tourist destination of Kullu and has been lying isolated from the outside civilization for thousands of years. 

That much mention of such a solitary village was enough to stir the exploring soul of this vagabond. In line to my philosophy that Good travelers never plan in advance, I was on the way to Parvati Valley, situated to the north east of Kullu valley to see the sights of Malana.

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Kodaikanal - Gift of the Forest

I have been staying in Bangalore for the last two years, working day in and day out. Off late was feeling too much cramped by not being able to enjoy at all. This was the time I came across articles posted on this site, Travel Diaries and thanks to the posted articles, I started believing that for a small trip all we need is a decision and a weekend. As there are a lot of places to explore near to Bangalore, so I discussed my plans with some of my friends. What I realized they also had same opinion about me and were planning to go out for some time.

Four was the company for us and one fine evening we packed our bags and boarded a late night bus to "Kodaikanal". We had whole travel plan in our mind that we will have our first stop in Kodaikanal where we had to take permission from the District Forest Officer to enter the forest for trekking but were unaware of the little obstacles we may face in-between.

We had little hint that Kodaikanal may give a feeling of a hill station but never imagined that it would welcome us with somewhat like below.

The scenic beauty made us believe that it is going to be one of the best Independence Day celebrations. We had a limited time of 3 days with us to explore whatever we could have and it takes more than 2 days to trek till Munnar Top Slip.
On the outskirts of Kodaikanal, our bus had a pit stop at a highway roadside hotel. We had a delicious South-Indian breakfast and as expected it was "VOWWW".

On reaching Kodaikanal, we straight away rushed to District Forest Office (DFO) to seek permission for trekking to Munnar. We were with our full spirits when we arrived at DFO but it had something weird in its box for us.

Government officials simply rejected our request to enter the forest by saying ‘It’s dangerous to trek in this season due to some internal problems in that area’. As it was our Independence day so we could not get District Forest Officer to talk and convince him to grant the permission. Waited and kept argued for 3 hours but their response was same and finally we decided to step back and search for a good decent hotel keeping one thing in mind ‘Lets Live today and Fight tomorrow’.

Kodaikanal is a small town with lot of staying options suitable to all budgets. Luckily we got a very good place managed by Tamil Nadu Government itself with easily affordable price of 500/- per room. Rooms were really clean and surroundings were AWESOME.

We had complete half day with us so we just moved out to explore the city after having an economical & hygienic lunch in the HOTEL itself. The moment we stepped out of our hotel we saw many tourists cycling on the roads so without wasting a second we went to a nearby cycle shop and grabbed four cycles on rent.

Cycling after a long time was an extraordinary experience and we were feeling like kids again. We cycled around 5 km. to very a popular and beautiful place called ‘CROAKER'S WALK’. Within no time it was evening and place started to transform into a beautiful hill station with lights glowing in night.

There was a small teashop where we had one of the best tea of our lives having unique & fresh aroma, unfortunately the teashop guy was unable to fulfil our one of the companion's request of having Bournvita instead of Tea & Coffee. After having snacks we set out to explore the place on foot, as evening was setting in we were enjoying the foggy air of the evening.

Again we had our dinner in our hotel itself and we ended our day with 100% positive attitude that we will definitely get our permission tomorrow for trekking early in the morning itself.

Day 2– We were standing at DFO at sharp 9 AM and got to know that officer will arrive at around 11 AM, this did not matter as we were prepared to wait. Finally, our long wait ended and the officer arrived. Despite sitting immediate outside the office we could not get officer's appointment and finally we had conversation with him over the mobile phone only and answer was still 'NO'. We decided to keep aside our egos and asked the same officer to suggest some better alternatives as we thought that the Forest officer is the person most knowledgeable about the Forest. By seeing our eagerness to trek, the same officer suggested us an alternate trek at Tamil Nadu, Kerala border.

We boarded a common city bus in the late evening which took around 2-3 hours to reach our destination place. We have already decided that instead of luxuries of hotel we will be pitching in the tents. So immediately after reaching our spot we starting preparing our camps & bonfire to cook some food.

It was a perfect night with 0% pollution and brightly shining stars which is a little difficult to find in city's life. While camping you can cook your own food under the blue sky; you can cook whatever you like. Naturally prepared food is always out of the league and same we experienced while having it under the dark blue sky - 'SIMPLY DELICIOUS'.

The place had plenty of Eucalyptus tree leaves which made lighting fire easy. After the dinner, our beautiful camps were waiting to serve us with a good sleep.

Day 3:

Whole beautiful nature was in front of my eyes in the morning. I was feeling rejuvenated and 6 hours of sleep seemed like a sleep of continuous 24 hours.

No doubt it was one of the wonderful mornings I saw, having said that it was also our last day of trip so we quickly geared ourselves for 6 KM trek which includes one waterfall also. I was really excited about the waterfall as I love playing with water irrespective of not knowing how to swim.

In the beginning itself we saw a tomato and garlic plantations coming our way which was quite surprising and delightful to see.

After these plantations, we came across one Mystery Rock and if taken a closer look at you will find the rocks on the upper side resemble some faces. There was something unusual about this place.

After meddling over the mysteries associated with the Mystery Rock, we again continued our trekking on the less explored path:

In our 6 km. of trekking we searched our way through the forest and lot of different trees, majority being pine trees:

In about one hour we completed the trek and reached our cherished spot, "the Waterfall". Seeing a waterfall without any crowd was amazing.

When you go there avoid removing your shoes as the place has leeches and be careful with the slippery rocks. It is hard to explain the feeling I had of being close to the nature on this calm little waterfall, you will have to experience it on your own.

It was time when we had to move and leave the place for Kodaikanal where we had to catch our bus back to Bangalore. However, it was every difficult to bid farewell to such lovely surroundings.

Standing here I was thinking that our trip could have got extended by a few days more but I was really happy in my heart that despite not getting the DFO's permission to trek we did not ended up spending time in Kodaikanal itself, but instead explored a new place which most common tourists does not do.

Finally, our much desired break was coming to an end and it was the time to say good bye to this place and start your return journey to Bangalore.

Kodaikanal is situated in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu and is 9 hours from Bangalore by bus. The nearest Railway stations are Palani Railway Station - 64 km. north, Kodai Road Station - 80 km. south east and Dindigul Railway Junction - 100 km. east.

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