Weekend breaks from Delhi for october !!!

After a full month of no long weekends and with festivities round the corner, most of the people would now be planning for vacations, weekend getaways for October. Some of them would have planned long back and some as usual would be bag packers, who are still waiting for their chutti to be sanctioned.

I’m also quite one of them, as I’ve been listing places since last two weeks but still can’t finalise because of that “chutti” factor. My friend has been teasing me for that and finally she gave me the idea of sharing the list of places with others, so that they can atleast benefit from that.

So here I’m to put down my list of options for weekend getaways from Delhi. Alaknanda, Chamba, Binsar, Surajgarh, Kuchaman & Gwalior are few selected destinations of many.

Alaknanda - As the season for rafting has already begun and the water is slightly less chilly so this seems to be the best time. A 4hr drive from Haridwar will take one to Rudraprayag which is generally the start point. From here one would raft past the Temple Rapids, the town of Srinagar, Maletha beach, Devprayag till one of the lower ghats. Besides rafting one the Badrinath temple, sited at a breathtaking altitude of 11,268 ft on the banks of the Alaknanda is surely the heaven within reach. Several thermal springs — Tapta Kund, Narad Kund and Surya Kund, associated with remedial and religious significance are also scattered around the region.

Binsar: Just 30kms from Almora, are the beautiful, quiet and peaceful Binsar in the Kumaon Hills, always ready to soothe the city jaded soul. Far from the maddening crowd that has invaded most of the hill stations in the north, one can safely head to Binsar for its scenic vistas and tranquil environs. Binsar is perched on top of the Jhandi Dhar hills and completely surrounded by dense forests. Oak, rhododendron, pine and deodar grow in abundance here, which not only refreshes but also gives the tired souls a mesmeric relief. Binsar is a wildlife sanctuary that may be termed as a goldmine for birdwatchers.

Chamba: Away from the din of Mussoorie, Chamba is a quiet getaway that offers 360 degree views of the Himalayas. Situated at an altitude of 1600m above sea level, this haven in the Garhwal Himalayas serves as a junction to the destinations located in the higher reaches. Best suited for those looking for a slice of nature and great views in peaceful environs, Chamba is the place to be. One can reach Chamba in about 7-8 hrs from Delhi via Hardwar, Rishikesh and Narendranagar. (Uttarakhand, 80 km from Dehradun)

Surajgarh: Situated in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, 150kms from Gurgaon, Surajgarh derives its name from the 18th century fortified Palace Surajgarh. The name literally means 'The Castle of The Sun'.

The fortified palace spread over 4 acres is lovingly restored and has been converted into a heritage hotel. There is plenty to do in Surajgarh. Visit painted havelis in the Shekhwati region known as an open-air art gallery. Kajra, famous of its havelis is just 5 kilometers away. Go shopping, as Surajgarh is famed for Laak bangles. Enjoy countryside views setting on a camel or cart.

Kuchaman - Around 145-km drive from Jaipur to the Nagaur district till Kuchaman covers strategic sites such as the white fields of marble in Makrana and Kishengarh – famed for it miniature paintings. The place is named after the Kuchaman fort, which used to be a popular trade route 1200 years back.Towering parapets, numerous balconies, ten gates, various defenses and its sheer vantage of height have made it one of the most formidable and unconquerable bastions through time. Besides the fort, the Sambar lake, the Meena Bazar and the bustling colorful people all over the streets are surely a traveler’s delight.

Gwalior - A historical city, lies around 320kms from Delhi. At the heart of Gwalior is its fortress – Gwalior Fort, built by Raja Man Singh Tomar, which is reputed to be the one of the most invincible forts of India. The fort is often refered as the Gibraltar of India overlooks the city. The new city consists of three large areas, called Lashkar, Morar and Gwalior. In the east of the city are two magnificent examples of early Mughal architecture. One is mausoleum of, 16th century Sufi saint Ghous Mohammed, and another is tomb of Mian Tansen, a great singer and one of the 'Nine Jewels' of Emperor Akbar's court, which are worth visits. If time permits, one could visit the grand Jai Vilas Palace, patterned on the style of the 'Palais de Versailles' in France combines Tuscan, Italian and Corinthian styles of architecture. Rich in cultural heritage and architectural marvels, Gwalior has the added advantage of it's proximity to Agra, the city of Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, the city of great temples and Delhi, the national capital.

So why wait, just pack your bags and get set go!

Pushkar Fair - Colorful Desert

It was yet another year, when I so wanted to visit the Pushkar Fair, which I’d heard about so much.
To add on to my untamed enthusiasm, I discovered that the last few days of the fair would fall on weekend. I had already decided to go to Pushkar, but was only waiting if I could persuade any of my friend for trip company. The saying, when you have will, you have the way was so very true for me. I was sitting in office on Friday afternoon when I got to know that my old friend was also contemplating to go. Thanks to all modern technology which lets you connect instantly and get such pleasant surprises!

Pushkar, one of the oldest cities of India is the only pilgrim for the Brahma devotees. It is famous for the extravagant, flamboyant Pushkar Fair. The fair brings alive the glorious tradition of Rajasthan and the roaring enthusiasm of fair participants as well as visitors makes it a lifetime experience. It’s the only fair which attracts unbelievable amount of foreign tourists.

The sheer excitement to see colorful desert, we drove the whole night and landed up at a small hotel, as all hotels were either occupied or pre-booked. The best place to stay is the RTDC Tourist Village because of its proximity to the fair ground, as during the fair vehicle movements are restricted.

Besides this, budget hotels, deluxe hotels and heritage hotels like Pushkar palace or Sarovar are also available, but all need to be pre-booked if you come during the fair. But this didn’t bother us much as we were meant to stay out mostly. By 4.30am, the desert was already awake and people have started for the fair ground to put up their stalls and get ready for the day’s festivities.

We started our day by visiting the Pushkar Lake, one of the foremost places to see. The lake has a mythological significance and is surrounded by temples. The Jagat Pita Brahma Temple-only one in India is of utmost importance to pilgrims is also situated here.

Our next attraction, was the Pushkar Camel Fair - one of the largest in India and the only one of its kind in the entire world, which is held every year during kartik purnima. During the fair, lakhs of people from rural India as well as foreigners flock to Pushkar. From a mere 14,000 to a massive 200,000! This is how the population of Pushkar swells during the Pushkar Fair. According to lonely planet -"Its truly a feast for the eyes.

The festival hosts around 50,000 camels which are sold, decorated, shaved and raced. The show goes on for a whole week as travellers continue to join in the fun, which includes a number of cultural competitions. Colourfully dressed devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus and tourists crowds, decorated camels, cattles, the exotic delicacies, the vivid stalls, competitions, the spectacular fair ground, exotic food makes it a lifetime experience. The entire desert looks so full of life, colorful and vibrant.

The fair has loads of activities like camel ridding, shooting, wheel rides etc along with a huge shopper’s corner. From here one can buy showpieces like armours, swords or the colorful rajasthani pagdi’s, clothes, accessories, etc. There’s enough activities and hustle bustle to keep one engaged. Within the fair, are stalls/tents serving authentic rajasthani food. The mouth-watering kormas cooked in pure ghee, the sumptuous gatte-ki-sabzi, papad ki sabzi and the famous dal-bati-churma are any food lover’s delight.

Each day brought different folk dances and music of Rajasthan, performers delivering live shows to the roaring and applauding crowds. The entire experience lived up to the spirit of festivities and was colorful beyong our thoughts!

50 photographs win in Freeze Frame

Oktatabyebye.com, India’s most popular online travel community today announced the winners of the India’s first ever publicly-polled Travel Photography Contest. With 21,000 votes and ranks, 4,500 registrations from across the country and 2,200 entries across categories, Freeze Frame was India’s first and largest publicly-polled online photo contest. The winners were chosen on the basis of popular ratings received for their respective photographs, followed by ratings from a panel of expert judges including Gustasp Irani, Ashok Dilwali and Peter Graffin.

The contest created a ripple effect with partners like Fuji, Epson and PicSquare receiving a huge inflow of traffic to their sites. Winners from the five categories – Wildlife, Portraits, Bye-Bye Moments, Landscape and Videos – will receive prizes ranging from high end Fuji cameras to Epson photo printers, Holiday packages and Air Tickets.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Parthasarathi Mandal, Business Head Oktatabyebye.com said, “At Oktatabyebye.com, we are committed to providing the most relevant, detailed and user-generated travel information possible to both travel enthusiasts and travel shoppers. Freeze Frame was our effort to provide our members the opportunity to share and rank their favorite travel photographs. The credit for the success of the contest goes to the active participation by all the members, and their efforts to recognize the best photographs in each category.”

The winners of the first prize in the contest, in each category are as under:
Wildlife: Aditya Singh
Portraits: Partha Pal
Bye-Bye Moments: Sudipto Das
Landscape: Sunil Agarwal
Videos: Ashoke Singhi

Sourced From: Vox Public Relations