Long Weekend in the Lion's Den

The financial year was over & so was my bank balance. It is too late to realize that I am addicted to this zero sum game. The year ended with even bigger losses that made me realize some very disturbing facts about the trading.

Anyway, these days any regret or setback can't make me stay sad for long & so a weekend trip to Sasan Gir Lion Safari was booked out of the blue. The trigger for the outing was the boredom caused by holidays popping up one after another.

About 8 hour journey took me to my stay - a water park cum resort where I was the only guest. The restaurant, Wi-fi & TV all were out of order which didn't matter as I was too tired to do anything but rest.

Early Morning @ Resort

Devaliya Park Safari

The breakfast came after a long wait but I felt like royalty as I was the only guest & about 4 to 5 persons prepared it. The bargaining for the package cost had landed me in a mediocre place & I was almost prepared for it.

So after a healthy & not so tasty breakfast of Poha, I was ready for the safari. Devaliya park safari is a shorter yet costlier version of the Gir safari but on the flipside you have a high probability of lion sighting due to the comparatively smaller area of the park.

The claims of almost guaranteed sighting in Devaliya park was proven right as within 10 minutes of entering the park, a whole family of lions came into view.

I like the dense greenery & pure bliss we can feel inside a forest. Now the Gir forest being a dry deciduous forest, I missed the feel of a typical forest but still it was a novel experience.

A picture of Domestic Bliss

The best part of this safari was the beautiful picture of domestic bliss - a lion family at leisure in the shadows of trees. Here a lion is seen having morning siesta beside the lioness & two cubs. The chilled out state of wild animals was a common site throughout the park as we all know that the late morning is the new afternoon.

Further ahead in the park, you can see caged leopards brought here from surrounding areas - mostly because they entered residential areas or attacked humans.

Leopard Zoo

The leopard zoo finishes the short & fruitful Safari of Devaliya Park. "The Gir forest is best visited just after the rainy season" told the beautiful guide. She also guided us how to reach our next destination - Jamjeer waterfalls. I jumped at this opportunity & proposed her to accompany me to the Jamjeer water falls as a guide but she politely expressed her inability to do so. Anyway, I felt good to have tried.

Somnath

We were on route to Somnath as soon as the Safari was over & once again I enjoyed the signature unlimited lunch of this region in a completely packed restaurant near Somnath temple. I was eager to feel the beach after a long break & so went straight to the Somnath beach & spent about half an hour at the beach. Camel ride is the only activity available here.

Somnath Beach

There's not much enthusiasm in travelers of Somnath for the beach but to me it seemed to have potential for development. After enjoying the beach view for about half an hour, I proceeded towards the main attraction of Somnath - the Somnath temple. Here camera &  mobiles are totally banned inside the temple area & that stopped me from going inside for a while.

But on second thought, after about half an hour, I gave caution to the wind & deposited my shoes & mobile in the bustling clock room to finally visit the temple.

The image seen in the background of the above photo makes it look quite ordinary from a distance but the impression is not to be trusted as the temple looks truly magnificent when you actually reach there. The view of the sea from the temple premises is equally enchanting & you can see plenty of benches kept along the compound wall to sit & enjoy the magical view below.

Lastly, the only regret I had in this trip was not buying larger quantity of the very tasty Churma Laddu & Mohanthal Prasad/sweets.

Jamjeer Water falls

So came the last day of the weekend getaway & it was time to visit a newly discovered gem of the region - Jamjeer Water falls. The road to the falls is surrounded by dry forest just like we see in some horror movies. Spotting of Neel Gaay proved that we really were passing through a forest.

નીલગાય (Nilgai)

Jamjeer Water Falls

I had decided to pay a small extra amount to visit Jamjeer water falls as it was not part of the itenarary & this detour turned out to be very fruitful as here the travel was smooth & fast on empty roads.

In conclusion, the trip was good for a weekend getaway but it remained pending to come again & have the real feel of Gir Safari in the right season.

Wet lands & Warm Vibes..

Lost in the labyrinth of the equity derivatives, I forgot to plan the Diwali vacation this year & got infinitely bored in the Diwali week.

Anyway, it was over somehow & it was time to plan the Winter vacation. Being in my forties, these days I worry more about time than about bank balance. So a new tour operator & a new corner of India was selected for the winter vacation.

Overnight journey by connecting flights was a terrible decision & the night spent at the airport has been stored in my memory for use whenever I may need to act miserable. The sleepless night was too slow to step aside & let us begin our journey to Kaziranga national park.

Day 1 - Kaziranga Jeep Safari

Kaziranga Jeep Safari

Meghalaya literally means 'abode of clouds' & the clouds were ready to welcome us on the very first outing of the trip. There was no sign of rains on our journey to Kaziranga & so my raincoat stayed in the hotel just like the animals stayed away in their homes leaving the tourists alone to enjoy the natural beauty of the Jungle.

Thankfully, the rain was not heavy or continuous & we were lucky to have a glimpse of the main attraction of the Jungle - One horned Rhino - who was out for breakfast.

Smiling because the Rhinos behind me are not real

Further ahead, we found Wild Buffaloes roaming around freely around the Jungle.

Very few animals were spotted during the Safari but the natural beauty of the Jungle was enjoyed by the tourists with plenty of selfies & reels.

The wonderful feeling of getting up close with the mother nature ended soon & we left the Park with pleasant memories.

So it was time to leave Assam & move towards Meghalaya - Shilong after a very late breakfast at noon. Only task remaining for the day was to enjoy night stay in the beautiful hotel in Shilong.

El Dorado Hotel, Shilong

Day 2 - Cherrapunji Sightseeing

The first stop was the stunning three-tiered Elephant Falls. This was the winner of the photography spot of the day. People exploited the surreal background with lots of selfies & portraits. 

Falls & Caves were the calling of the day - the most memorable was the Elephant falls & the one to forget about was the Seven Sisters' fall with no water at all. The caves were not at all terrifying as I had anticipated except a very short scary passage in the Mawsmai Caves. Another caves - Arwah caves -  with ancient marine life fossilized in limestone walls didn't interest our group. 

Then comes the tallest plunge waterfall of India - Nohkalikai falls - accompanied by a fascinating panoramic view of the valley.

Nohkalikai falls

Early Sunrise, Early Sunsets & long evenings were not mentioned as experiences in the package but it felt special for sure. So it was Sunset before you realize & we were on the way to the beautiful Rhododendron lodge in a secluded location in Cherrapunji.

Rhododendron Lodge - at Night

Rhododendron Lodge - Early Morning

A bonfire was enjoyed after dinner & there I talked a lot about personal life - especially about my chat Girlfriends - with the group members including girls. But afterwards, I blamed the extra chattiness on the old monk I had consumed before the bonfire.

Being in the countryside area, the atmosphere was so chilled at the lodge, I started shivering after the bonfire & it felt like I was going to die of cold tonight. But it was a false alarm & I started feeling hot inside the blanket & had to remove the extra t-shirt & jacket I had worn to fight the death.

Day 3 - Double Decker Living Root Bridge - Nongriat

Going down about 3600 steps & to view the double decker living root bridge was the best experience of the trip if you forget about the extremely tiring & never ending journey up those same steps. The bridge is a world-renowned bio-engineering marvel Hand-crafted by the indigenous Khasi tribe, these bridges are grown from the aerial roots of the Ficus elastica (rubber) tree.

About 2000 stairs at the beginning are dangerous to descend & exhausting to ascend. A better option is to stay overnight near the bridge & climb back on the next morning. That way one can visit the very beautiful Blue Lagoon which I missed as I had to save my energy for return journey from the bridge. Almost all from our group went up to the blue lagoon which lies another 2000 dangerously narrow steps away.

Double Decker Living Root Bridge

Apart from basking in the beauty of the natural wonder, people were seen lounging on the stones around the spring feeding fish with the dry skins of their feet. I too sat on a stone, dipped my feet in the spring water & soaked the nature all around for about 15 minutes.  

This being my very first trekking adventure, the thrill of climbing down & up the steep declines weighed more than the serene beauty of the bridge & so we - I & one elder member of the group - started the challenging journey back to the top. Lunch had been disappointing till date in this trip but today it was non-existent. Cookies after snack & another snack after cookies were the only option to maintain energy.

Finally, as anticipated, the journey back proved to be extremely tiring & the greatest exercise done by me in recent years. Our fellow travelers were enjoying the waters of blue lagoon at this time as we stretched on the bus seats & hoped for their early return. After a day's hard work, luckily we found a nice hotel & enjoyed Punjabi subji with tandoori roti before letting our body into rest mode.

Day 4 - Boating in Dawki river

This was the day of a long, slow journey filled with winding mountain roads leading to the beautiful Dawki river lying across India-Bangladesh border.

Before entering the mountainous region, we were taken to another living route bridge whose name I have forgotten but images will be suffice to relive the experience.

Another Living route bridge

A View point on the way

Photography at a mountain view point & a walk through Mawlynnong - the cleanest village of Asia - was enjoyed before lunch.

As usual, the group took its own time to explore the village & the target to reach the Dawki river seemed quite difficult to achieve. The race with the Sun to reach the river before Sunset was won by a margin of few minutes & the spoils of the win - a mesmerizing boating experience with the backdrop of setting Sun.

Dawki River

The Dawki (or Umngot) river is known for its exceptionally clear waters but due to some construction work underway you may see it only in few parts.

A chitchat with the BSF guy at the Indo-Bangla border & a selfie concluded the outing & we proceeded to the simple but nice stay in Dawki.

Indo-Bangla Border

The evening was made special with a drinks party in company of some pleasant people from the group.

A beautiful Click of the Dawki river

Day 5 - Krang Suri Waterfalls

The last day of the trip was enjoyed at a heavenly sight called Krang Suri waterfalls. But the road to this heaven requires about 20 minutes trekking through some rocky terrain & about 400 steps that brings us down to the waterfalls.

Krang Suri Waterfalls

The scenery around the falls is so mesmerizing that water lovers can get lost in the green waters wearing the swimming costumes & life jackets. And for those who don't enjoy getting into the water kayaking is also available on the same Mewa river in the background of the falls. Scary yet the most exciting experience of the whole trip was the kayaking for me. After about half an hour, I felt like I came back early out of fear, so I went in again & experienced the frightening thrill once more.

Thus after a very satisfying first half of the day, we proceeded towards the breathtaking Laitlum Canyon view point to enjoy the apt climax of this memorable trip.

Sadly, the climax did not materialize as the evening shadows started falling well before reaching Shillong & it was decided with heavy heart to skip the sunset point & get ready explore the Shillong city after a short break at the hotel.

Police Bazaar, Shillong

Going out at the evenings at an exotic location like Shillong was a special feel, I enjoyed exploring the Police Bazaar, bought a beautiful chandelier as memorabilia & ended the evening with dal fry & tandoori roti at a very fancy restaurant.

Day 6 - Kamakhya Devi Temple

I was somewhat disappointed with the location & surroundings of the Kamakhya temple as I expected the dwelling of the Goddess of desire to be full of natural beauty but it turned out to be a crowded city area.

Kamakhya Temple

An opportunity of VIP darshan was presented but I opted to go in like a common man for an apt ending of the trip with divine blessings.

Valley of the Gods via Queen of the hills

May the month of May never come again is the wish we make every year & yet it does come back with seemingly more power. The power we know we can only hide from - behind walls cooled by ACs/coolers or inside airconditioned cars. Staying out becomes bare minimum to save our skin but there comes a point when we miss the feel of the outside world & that makes an excellent excuse for a trip to a cool hill station.

The wanderlust in me has become so overpowering that having no savings at all couldn't stop me from planning a summer escape away from the scorching heat.

After the dull group tour of White desert, costly disappointment of Nainital-Corbett solo tour & distressing Jaisalmer group tour, I was extra cautious to avoid any fiasco this year. So the professional help & doubling of the budget was the right decision after all as the trip turned out to be a memorable one.

May 7-9, 2025

Mock drills were the talk of the town all day & it was obviously the day one of regretting the plan of north India trip in such circumstances. Just like everyone around me, all over India & also our neighboring country, I saw the war coming in a few days. And few days was all I needed to enjoy my summer vacation.

The regret turned into shock the next morning as the attack happened in the night & the war which seemed some distance away, suddenly knocked at our doors. The tour operator was ready to go anyway so it was up to me to decide whether to risk it for 40 thousand Rupees or not.

Now having lost almost all savings for the love of options, I was in no position to cancel the trip & lose money again.  Now almost everyone around me thought it was foolish to go out but Shimla-Manali were safe in the tour manager's view & so the trip was on.

Day 1 - Delhi to Shimla

First day was marked for a long road trip starting from busy Delhi roads ending in the cool hilly city of Shimla. The journey & the day both ended at the same time & the only activity remaining was to enjoy sleeping in the chilled atmosphere of once the summer capital of India. 

The very first sign that this trip was going to be a good one came in the form of the cease fire declaration . Now we were going to reach the hotel well past the dinner & drinks time so the vodka was enjoyed in the running car.

Day 2 - Shimla sightseeing

The early morning walk was very refreshing & almost compensated the need of the usual cup of tea. There being no other customer at the breakfast table, I felt like a royalty with all of the hotel staff making breakfast or serving me.

New Kufri

Kufri is the main sightseeing attraction in Shimla & also the only one where you can spend some good money.  A thrilling Jeep ride on the dangerous hilly roads & the breathtaking views at New Kufri are very much if not completely worth the money. There was nothing for me at Old Kufri so I had a nice cup of coffee & moved on.

Next was the Rashtrapati Niwas at Mashorba - the official summer retreat of the President of India - surrounded by nature & completely at peace. The serenity of that atmosphere will stay with me for a long time.

Rashtrapati Niwas, Mashorba

After saving the delightful memories of President's retreat, I retreated to my humble hotel room.

Town hall

Shimla

The very famous Mall road of Shimla was visited in the evening. Sadly, I wasn't feeling very well so I couldn't shop or even enjoy it much. Anyway, I did manage to capture some picturesque places.

Day 3 - Shimla to Manali

Another day of long drive but this one not so boring as there are activities on the way. I chose to go for river rafting in the Bias river. I was charged a little extra - which I later on realized - but still rafting along the beautiful Bias river with the sublime background of Himalayas was an experience that gets you thrilled whenever you recall it. The thrilling day ended at the beautiful stay at Manali.

Bias ride

Day 4 - Skiing lessons

The mistake of staying away from the main town was repeated in Manali as the hotel was few kilometers away from the town. But the loss was more than compensated here as my gallery offered a breathtaking view of the mountains & Manali town.

View from Gallery

The day was pleasant & the views on the road to Koksar was the apt climax of the trip. The journey through the mountains & the activities in snow are the experiences are the essence of the Manali trip.

Diwali in the Desert

          The Diwali atmosphere my generation used to experience is nowhere to be found in the current times & so everyone has his/her own unique plans to spend these holidays. The time slows down due to overall festival feel in the air and a not so social person like me tries to run away from the awkwardness of being the odd man out in the Indian society.

          The Diwali 2024 was approaching, I started visualizing the boring days both at home & at office & to avoid the lonely scenario booked a group tour to Jaisalmer.

       So the dawn of the Hindu new year arrived on the NH-68 to Jaisalmer & I liked the welcome change of not having to wait for breakfast till reaching Jaisalmer. Although the tea was bad & the bread had little butter on it, the opportunity to relax my bowels was enough to rejoice.  

Tiger's breakfast - Poha & bread butter

The journey lacked the hullaballoo of trekking tours I had done in the past for this was a group of families & not of youngsters without parents. Finally we reached the hotel but the comfort was still far away as the lengthy process of room allotment was going to take about an hour. Anyway low cost group tours  always carry its own inconveniences & so it was not surprising at all except the shock I got when I was offered a staff room & common bathroom as there was no other single male to share a room with me.

I haven't changed drastically as a person in all these years but still my tolerance levels have definitely improved & so I did get the room I had paid for.

Anyway the best this day had to offer was rest before another long journey to Longewala on the next day. I skipped the boat ride in Ghadisar lake & instead took a ride down the vodka road.

Golden T in Golden city

Next day marked my second visit to the Bada baug & Tanot mata temple on the way to Longewala war memorial. Only difference from the previous trip was that this time I went inside the temple as far as it was allowed to go wearing shoes.

The sightseeing in Jaisalmer is meaningless unless you have a guide & that's where this trip had an upper hand compared to previous one.

The 2 hours given for Bada baug exploration were too much for many but somehow they discovered joy in making reels inside the Cenotaphs & created Instagram memories.

Finally came the cultural night to lift the spirits of the remaining tourists & although music & dance was not up to the mark for my taste, the company of old monk did it for me.

The last day brought the most exciting moments of the Jeep Safari in the Sam desert. For those whose thirst of thrill couldn't be quenched by complimentary Jeep & Camel Safaris, costly Quad biking was ready to go. Thus making the last morning a success. 

The Beach Vacation

Holiday thoughts have now become a quarterly phenomenon that clouds my mind every 3 months & makes me go somewhere, anywhere, away from the routine.

Beach vacation in a low cost group tour was the idea I finalized for a week away from home. Vacation it was but not a fun-filled one as the group never materialized making it a sad, solo trip.

Anyway it certainly was a break from the routine for a full week & that more or less settled the score as it wasn't a costly trip to begin with. After riding around north Goa on 2-wheeler in the summer of 2023, this was a monsoon trip & hopefully I will celebrate the new year party in Goa someday.

Some fond memories of this beach vacation....

Dinner Cruise

Bom Jesus Basilica

I dreamt of Madonna

Dona Paula beach

Dona Paula for Bollywood

Sleeping Beauty

Sinquerim beach