Scotland

There are three types of travelers in the world.
 

Type 1: “I am High on Adrenaline: A.K.A The Adventure Travelers”

Type 2: “I was a born photographer: A.K.A The Nature Wanderers”

Type 3: “I just wish to calm my nerves: A.K.A Leisure travelers”

Now, Scotland is a place which has hardly anything to offer to type 1, ample to offer for type 2 and a perfect destination for type 3.

My Scotland sojourn began from London.

Traveling in a National Express (UK walon ki Volvo bus), most of my night travel went observing a French couple on the back seat. For me, this live telecast was already a jannat before the sun came up and we entered Scotland. Passing through the serpentine roads with lush green highlands on either side, I almost felt like Raj from DDLJ on a road trip with his Simran.

Ignore the Driver's reflection in the mirror.

 

Such a beautiful site.

As mostly advised on the internet, the real feel of Scotland lies in the Scottish Highlands(the Northern Scotland). So I decided to spend less time in Edinburgh and spend more time in Loch Ness and Inverness. 

We started our Scotland tour from Edinburgh, taking a pre-booked guided tour. 

I liked the tour operator for a good 7 minutes before he started his crammed stories of Scottish history, in a Scottish accent with a Scottish sense of humor.

Assuming you are a middle-class traveler like me, who visits a restaurant in UK and quickly multiplies dish rates with 100 and eventually orders the cheapest burger with French fries, I will brief you only those places which you must cover in a two day trip without carrying the guilt of not absorbing the real essence of Scotland.

As you travel from Edinburgh to Loch Ness(your first destination), you would want to Visit the following places in the mentioned order.

LOCH LOMOND

Loch means a lake.

Trust me on this, photography wise this place is soo picturesque, you would wish to spend at least a couple of hours here. Par agar aapne meri tarah ek junglii tour guide kiya hua hai, than he’ll force you off in 30 minutes (which includes the time you spent ordering a coffee and attending the nature’s call).

MOUNTAIN: Aonach Mòr

Good Part: This is a pretty popular stoppage for people traveling to loch Ness from Edinburgh. From the foot of the hill you’ll see snow-capped hill top.

Bad Part: As reach the top, the snow section would still be pretty far. ☺

Advice: Go for trick photography….!!! Click a photo with an angle which shows the snow just behind you (when actually it is a mile away).

Almost there...!!!

LOCH NESS

This lake gets its name from a monster named Nessie. People residing/visiting this place have time and again sited a monster in the lake, over the years. Coming from India, esi stories hume bahot zaada impact to nahi karti, but yes the entire setting of this place and the tranquility of the area will surely raise some sort of curiosity.

In the entire trip, the most memorable part was my stay at the Glenn Rowen guest house near the shores of Loch Ness.

Imagine an evening when

• At 6.30pm, when the sun is about to set, the weather is just about perfect, you walk out of your guest house with your spouse.
  

• Sit for a while beside the river and talk about some lovely memories of yester years.
  

• Take a stroll down the street with absolutely no one to disturb besides the chirping birds and some grazing sheep.
  

• Order a large pizza for dinner and relish every bite of it with a light Scottish music in the background. And eventually dosing off....!!
  
  

Isn’t this the life you had always imagined yourself in? That’s exactly what Loch Ness(and this Guest house) has in store for you.And with 50 pounds a day (including breakfast), it’s pretty reasonable.

INVERNESS

Moving forward from Loch Ness, inverness will be your next destination. Inverness is regarded as the Highland capital of Scotland. It is a city with a couple of battle sites to visit.I found these battle sites boring, so you can give it a miss to. 

Bhangra at the Inverness Battle ground.

Scottish Scotch is famous, so on the way back to Edinburgh you can choose to visit a distillery to see how it’s made.

Production area, Scotland. Consumption area, Punjab. 

EDINBURGH

When you have seen such amazingly beautiful places you wouldn’t want to see buildings again.

But for architecture enthusiasts, Edinburgh will welcome you with its striking architecture, with churches and castles reminding you of Harry Potter movies and of course a very vibrant culture that’s quite amusing for first time visitors. 

Edinburgh Castle

Barclay Church

Three Useful Suggestions:-

1.  Food: If your wife is a vegetarian, either don’t take her along (if that]s not hazardous to your health) or carry some fruits and namkeens with you. REASON: Non veg meals: 5 pounds, Veg Meal: 7 pounds....Two hundred rupees extra, for veg food….??? Huh..!!
2. Clothes: Edinburgh gets pretty cold in the nights, so do carry a thick jacket along.
3. Guided Tour: Avoid guided tours, unless you are very keen in knowing the Scottish war history.

Three "Kind-of-strange, Kind of new" observations :-

1. Strange Animals :

   

   Anil Kapoor jaisi Cow

   

   Tin Tin Wala dog

   
   

   

   Saadna Cut Wala Horse

2. Strange Breakfast:- Kabhi bhi life me dish order karne se pehle puch lo k, ‘What would it consist of’. My wife ordered “The Scottish Breakfast” and this is what she got:

   

   The Scottish Breakfast.

3. Strange Dress: Though I don't have a problem with men wearing skirts but with the kind of wind speeds we have in Scotland its kind of risky for your manhood.

Kilt.

Satiated with peace and completely amused with the unadulterated beauty of Scotland i ended my trip with a bus back to London.
For prospective UK visitors:  

Visit Scotland for its virgin landscapes and soothingly quite & uncrowded highlands. For those who have seen Gulmarg or Pehalgam or Munar in India, its Not “THE” most amazing places in this world, but Scotland certainly should be on your list of ‘places-to-visit-before-I-die’.

For any other queries free feel to contact me at jaideep248@gmail.com

Keep Traveling,

Jaideep Singh

"Invest in travel, it gives ever-lasting returns."

Mauritius

Mauritius itinerary for 6 days:

About Mauritius :-

A small, serene island in the southern hemisphere. Population less than the number of people boarding Delhi metro from Rajiv Chowk . French, English and Hindi, their native languages.
Nov - March : Rains are less, so best time to visit.

Where To Stay in Mauritius :-

Mauritius is 65kms North to South and around 45 kms east to west. The best place to stay in Mauritius is the west coast. Three good reasons for this :-

• A famous nature Park(Casella) is in west, so saves commuting money.
• Sunset view is breath taking in the west.
• Dolphins are easily visible in the west.

After brainstorming for 1 week, we chose to stay in Pearl beach Resort(Flec en Flak area, west coast) and the decision turned out to be amazing.

This was the view from our Hotel Room :

Day-Wise Itinerary , Do's n Don'ts and Things to Do :-

Itinerary is more or less same irrespective of the travel agent you choose. So my focus would be to guide you, how to best utilize and enjoy each day within restrained budget.

DAY  1 : The day when you reach Mauritius.

You can probably take some rest today. Explore your resort, have an evening stroll besides the sea.

Do's :-

• Buy some water bottles from local shops. Water is very expensive in resorts.
• Buy a local SIM card. Easily available.
• Get your dollars exchanged for Mauritian Rupees. 20k MUR is sufficient for your entire trip.

DAY 2 : South tour.

 

This is your NON-SEA day. Tour operator will take you to the following places :-

• Shiva Temple :- Shiva blessing before you start your journey ;) .
• Chamarel :- You'll get to see 7-colors of earth here. Something new for me, hence the picture below .
  
• Ship Model factory and Souvenirs shop:- Mauritius as such does not offer much to the shoppers. But if you are fond collecting souvenirs, you can buy a small ship model from the factory outlet.
• TROU AUX CERFS :- It was once an active volcano, now a picturesque point.

Do's :-

• If you are planning to buy a ship model, try your bargaining skills. Atleast upto 30%. 'Bhaiya Please' works wonders here. 

DAY 3 : East Tour (ILE AUX CERF Island) 

This place is heavenly. This is every bit you had imagined your Honeymoon to be. 

Tour Operator, today, will take you to the East coast of Mauritius. East coast is famous for its water sports and a splendid serene island called the ILE AUX CERF. A package of 6500 MUR (approx Rs 15000) will include para-sailing, Under Sea Walk, tube ride, Speed boat ride to a waterfall and lunch. The place is soo charming, you are bound to fall in love with it.

Do's :-

• Apply as much sun-screen as you can.
• Make sure your camera is charged and has enough memory.
• Carry extra pair of clothes.
• Carry your camera while you are para sailing and make a video from the top. We missed it and we regret it.

Don'ts :-

• Don't eat heavy breakfast in the morning.

DAY-4 : North Tour (Port Louis).

North tour would mostly cover the city life of Mauritius. Malls and Buildings will remind you of Gurgaon/Bangalore/Mumbai and the life you didn't want to see for these 7 days atleast.
But the location of Waterfront mall is splendid, just besides the sea.

I am personally not very fond of commercial places and mammoth buildings. 

You'll get plenty of options to shop today.

DAY-5 : "YOUR DAY".

This is probably, where my blog will prove out to be more helpful.

If you are staying in the west coast of Mauritius, I would advise you to visit Casella Nature Park. A taxi cost's you anywhere between 1000 MUR to 1500 MUR, whereas  a local bus would cost you only  50 MUR for a return trip(The reason i advised you to stay here.)

The entry ticket is around 2000 MUR for a couple, which includes SAFARI and INTERACTION WITH LIONS.

Interaction with Lions is probably one experience, which is SCARY before you do it, MORE SCARY while you are doing it and EXTREMELY MEMORABLE once you are done with it. You'll get the most amazing  pictures here. 

Do's :

•  Give your camera to someone for a couple pic, while interacting with lions.
• Carry an umbrella, rains are pretty unpredictable in mauritius

Don'ts

• Lions are friendly here. But while you try your selfie-tricks, remind yourself of videos where Lions eat humans.

DAY-6 : Your Last Day In Mauritius.

This again is your day. You have plenty of options today :-

1. You can go for a Catamarin Cruise :- Its romantic but expensive.
2. Shopping :- Made in India (or bangladesh) stuff sold in Mauritius.
3. Sky Diving :- Did not see many doing this. But the option is available.
4. Dolphin Watching :- This is what I opted for .If you have not seen 20 dolphins swimming besides your speed boat in the most synched rhythm in this world, you'll probably have the most soothing time of your life. This activity would cost you 1400 MUR for a couple. 
   

For Foodies :-

Mauritius is a paradise for sea food lovers. Vegetarians might have some problems here, so carry some Maggis with you or survive on fruit diet.

Piece Of Advice :-

• For Honeymooners : Switch of your official numbers, forget your office, wear colors you have never worn, make picture-poses you always wanted to, eat food you've never tried and relish every single second of your honeymoon.
• For the relatives of Honeymooners :- never ask your child on honey moon, "Aur Beta kya kar rahe the .....!!!"   :D :D

For any other queries, feel free to drop me an email at Jaideep248@gmail.com

Keep Traveling,

Jaideep Singh

Panj Takht

SatSriAkaal,

Intended Readers : My Sikh brothers & sisters and off-course शौकीन  travelers.

I strongly believe that Sikhism has a very Royal Virsa(Heritage n Traditions) and thus wanted to explore the 5 main Gurudwaras(Takhats) of Sikhism.
- Hazur Sahib
- Patna Sahib
- Keshgarh Sahib
- Dumduma Sahib
- Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple)

Out of these 5 Takhats, the Akal Takhat resides in Harmandir Sahib(Amritsar).
Akal Takht means the Throne of the Immortal and is the highest political institution of the Sikhs."Akal" means "The Timeless One" - another term for God. "Takhat" means "throne" in persian.
I'll introduce each one of them in the order in which I visited them.

• HAZUR SAHIB(Abchal Nagar, Maharashtra) : Nov 2012,

History - It is where the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji completed his last breath

When to visit - Dec to Feb 

Where to Stay - Sachkhand Sahib Sarah.  

Some valuable tips :- 

- There is not a single more beautiful place to stay than the Sachkhand Sahib Sarah in Nanded . You can easily book rooms online.  

- Sharp 4.45pm reach the Gurudwara and find yourself a nice comfortable place to sit. Rush increases exponentially after 5.30pm.  

- Aarti in the evening is beautiful and can not be put in words. You are bound to feel the presence of god, in and around you (and i really mean it). 

- Langar is the only Food Option available. Try out Hot Pakodas outside Gurdwara Sahib main gate. 

- Book a cab to visit other gurudwaras in Nanded. They are all beautiful and very peaceful. 

- Nanded is super-hot, even in December. So do not keep woolens with you.
One thing I love about Nanded is the peace that one gets here. Away from the hussle pussle of City life, Nanded is sooo Serene, that you'll definitely wish to come back here.

• PATNA SAHIB(Patna, Bihar)  :  Jan 2013, 

History - Birth Place of Guru Gobind Singh ji. 

When to visit - Dec to Feb

          Where NOT to Stay - Samrat Hotel.

Some valuable tips :- 

- Mujhe ek bhi dhang ki jagah nahi pata waha rehne ki. Mine was an overly priced, horrible hotel.     

 - Gurudwara is pretty far from the Patna city, so book a cab (not an Auto) to visit the Gurudwara     

 - Gurudwara Patna sahib is beautiful, visit around 8 in the morning, to have Guruji's Shastra Darshan.There are other Gurudwara's in the close vicinity of the main Gurdwara, do visit them as well.       

- If you are planning to visit Patna, please  keep the following in mind-  

1.  Patna is not a fun-travel-destination.                                                           
2.  4-star hotel ka receptionist bhi on duty paan khata dikh sakta hai.                            
3.  Domino's is a safe bet for food. Don't get confused if the attender asks "would you like BHEJ or NON BHEJ pizaa??".                                                     
4.  There is a difference between Dal Makhni and Dal Makhaani.     
5.  Duniya k saare Airports sundar nahi hote.                                                                 
6.  Last but not least, Sardar bhi bihari bolte hain :)

• KESHGARH SAHIB (Anandpur, punjab) - March, 2013

History - It was here that the Khalsa was born. 

When to visit - Any time in the year

Where to Stay - Paramount hotel(when with friends) / Haveli Hotel (with family) 

Some valuable tips :-  

- Keshgarh Sahib, surrounded by hills and located at a little height from the plains, has a very picturesque location with an undeniable charm. Nights are cold so keep woolens. 

- 'Virasat-e-khalsa' deserves a special mention if you are planning to visit Anandpur. It is walk-able from main Gurudwara sahib, and is probably the most amazing places you would have ever seen. Sikh history portrayed in the most Royal Manner. Kudos to the Punjab Govt. for the commendable effort..!! 

- Kiratpur Sahib Gurudwara is around 15kms from Anandpur . Do visit the gurudwara for its historical importance.  

- The place has little to offer for foodies. So enjoy Langar. :)

• DAMDAMA SAHIB(Bhatinda, Punjab) : Oct, 2013

History - The Takht is in the Talwandi Sabo, 28 km southeast of Bathinda. Literally, Damdama means breathing place. Guru Gobind Singh stayed here after the Sikhs fought several defensive battles.

When to visit - Sept-Dec 

Where to Stay - Hotel Sepal is a nice option. 

Some valuable tips :-  

- Take a bus from Bhatinda for Sabo ki talwandi.  

- You'll get a typical pind wali feel in the route.  

- Mukatsar sahib is a good 50-60 kms from bhatinda so keep it for the next day. 

- There are many good eating joints at Bhatinda city.  

• HARMANDIR SAHIB ,'The Akal Takhat '(Amritsar, Punjab) : Nov, 2013

History - http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Harmandar_Sahib 

When to visit - Sept-Dec 

Where to Stay - Plenty of good hotels in close vicinity of the Gurudwara. I liked Hotel CJ international as it overlooks Golden Temple. 

Some valuable tips :-  

- Shatabdi is probably the most practical, economical and comfortable way to reach Amritsar

- Buy Phulkari chunnis and 'Papad vadiyan'  from Amritsar. 

- Foodies can comfort there taste buds at 'Bharawan da dhaba' and 'Kesar da dhaba'. Try Amritsari kulcha with a glass full of lassi (first timers can have some problems the next morning). 

- Jaliyan wala bagh is walk-able and hire a taxi to visit Wagha border. Reach border by 5pm to enjoy the complete evening parade.

Mail me at : jaideep248@gmail.com for proper itineraries for each of these places or any other queries.

Keep Traveling,
Jaideep Singh