Lake City of India - Udaipur

With all the chaos of finalizing the destination for the biggest experiment for my Youtube video's, i landed up in the City Of Lakes - Udaipur !!!!!

HYPERLAPSE....that's what i was going to try for this trip as i was approaching for my Leh-Ladakh trip in couple of week post this tour and was expecting to make the same clips over there. To be honest i was expecting clear sky and picture perfect clouds been passing by to make the snaps look more alive. But.....Sometimes you get more than what you expect 😊

Been already frustrated as bus got 3hrs delayed to reach the city and coming to know that it was drizzling in the town, can make anyone demotivated for the shoot. Crossing all the small lanes of this beautiful city, kept walking towards the Zostel to get freshen up and wait for the sky to clear up. Never expected monsoon to hit so soon at this place, as i had my brunch on the rooftop cafe in zostel itself which gives an amazing view of the city and lake Pichola. Yes, it was still cloudy and no sign of sunshine on that day !!!!!

Planned to stay low on that day by just hanging around small points nearby, so i rented up bike and started wandering around the city.At a point when i realized, it has stopped drizzling without further ado i started my ride towards the Monsoon Palace. A fort which is located atop of hill, which gives panaromic view of Udaipur.

It was just an amazing feeling to witness this historic piece of beauty, as the clouds started clearing it up the fort was glowing with its glamor.

After spending alot over an hr clicking an Hyperlapse, it was time to head back. It was overall an 5 to 6 km ride from the city to reach this destination where you can either trek all the way upto the hilltop or get your car/bike up here which is been charged.

Travelling on the small lane roads is a tough job here, which ends up crossing multiple small bridges over the lakes. Felt like hoping from one island to another one as it has been really a joyful ride if you take your bike out. Especially in the area of Jagdish Temple, where one can easily get confused if proper route is not been taken.

It was almost the time for sun to rest for the day when i reached the Pride of Udaipur.........

It was so huge that, i couldn't even finish roaming in the outskirts of the palace for that eve. As, even a small hyper lapse clicks were suppose to be taken, i planned to visit this palace again on the very next day.

Just when i thought day was about to over, i met couple of traveler's in Zostel which eventually became friends as we shared our whole day experience sitting in dorm. It was almost 08:00 pm when we started our ride towards Fateh Sagar Lake - Biggest Lake of the Town. As its famous for its night time lights and the view, which was just mind blowing on that day.

It never felt like its night time, as could see sun rays still keeping the place glowing and if you see on left side over the hill top, Monsoon Palace is glowing in gold light which was just giving an icing on the cake view. Chit-Chatting around the corner while having momo's and kulhad waali chai is something which remains in memories. Overall, it was an Day well spent in Udaipur.

New Day, New Memories.... It was time to return back the bike and dint realize there was a small palace just beside the shop where i was about to give back the rented scooty. Bagore ki Haweli - Another hidden palace in Udaipur which gives an amazing view of the Taj Lake Palace,which is located in the middle of Lake Pichola.

Headed straight towards the City Palace, as i knew its gona take alot of time to wander around the palace. It was all sunny out there and Palace was looking marvelous on that day.

After spending little more than 2hrs taking the perfect hyperlapse, finally i could say the trip was just perfect as i expected. With over 450 images was taken on that day for just a 9 seconds video but it was completely worth it......

With that said, it was time to wrap up all the memories and head back home. Another trip,yet another state covered....

Keep travelling to keep making memories which will last with you.

Until then, Carry Less and Travel More !!!!!

Ruins Of Hampi

Enough Of Oceans....

Enough Of Moutains....

It's Time To Travel, Back Into History !!!!

Indeed this city will take you back into history,will make you to rack your brains and dig up your history lessons from your school days. It's all about the terrain which will make you fall in love at the first sight.

It's a city which is divided in two parts by the River Tungabhadra, First being the Hampi villlage and second is Hippie Island. For the records, i resorted on the other side of the town i.e Island. Got freshen up and hired up bike to explore the place, which costed me around 300bucks for a day. It was past noon and got teamed up with few of Swedish friends which i met in the same lodge where i was staying. It was time for bike ride and whattay way it started. Just riding through the lanes of resort, we were out on the road and very first thing that we saw was.....

.....It was a magnificent view when it appeared suddenly and got us stopped right there to take a snap. We rode all the way across the island and all we did was riding bike for 10-15 odd kms. Sun was right above us and with that scorching heat we were forced to hit back to hotel. Never should you head out in Hampi between 2pm to 4pm, that's what our fellow traveller told. Well, i didn't wanted to waste my day without doing some activity, kicked up my bike and rode all the way down to canal to take a dip into the dam water. Since, it was off-season no one was around to disturb and water was all chilled up and running at peace.After spending an hr, i was all refreshed from that heat waves which hit'ed badly in afternoon.

Geared up and headed straight towards the hill, as it was about time of sunset and i couldn't afford to loose the most buzzzed thing of the Island. Climbed all the way top of the hill and set'ed up my action camera for time-lapse (which failed to take a nice shot) but the view was just amazing and camera wont do the justice for the sunset scene.

Back in the hotel campus, it was movie night and they were showing "Slumdog Millionaire". So while watching the movie, we realized that this place was a damn hut of mosquitos and the bites were so painfull that it feels like getting injected by a big needle. Do try to cover youself up as much as you can here in night. With that said, it was end of the day and time to get some rest.

Cloud Gathered that night....And

Hampi got its season's first Rainshower!!!!

After raining for whole of night, the weather cleaned up at the dawn and as planned, it was time to hit the road again. Parked up my bike at the footsteps of Anjanadari hills and started up my trek towards the peak. It was a normal trek, as i din't knew there was also a Lord Hanuman temple at the summit. The view was getting better and better as i was climbing up the tallest hill of the Kishkinda range. The temple was none but the birth place of Lord Hanuman, which was an interesting thing as i never heard that story before. Spent an hr up there and it was time to head back, as had to visit the other side of the river as well......

Virupaksha temple, one of the biggest and oldest temple in Hampi is sacred place. Since it's huge architecture marvel, it can be easily visible from whole Hampi. 

There are more than 15-20 places in Hampi, which can be visited on a day-trip with each and every place been a UNESCO heritage site which has gained historical importance. One of the most visited and world renowned place is the "Vittala Temple", which was built back in 15th Century. Ruins of the temple which is known for the spectacular architecture, which also consist of musical pillar's all around the temple it's something awe-inspiring.

The temple doesn't end here, it also has this massive Stone Chariot at the very middle of the campus. It's the same chariot which has been printed on our history books back in our school days.Interesting to see that it was well-maintained and there was no damage at all to the heritage. 

Stone Chariot - Hampi

Continued my journey further, oh well forgot to mention that i hired Auto-Rickshaw for 500bucks and was been guided by the driver itself☺ Lotus Temple, been one of the coolest place where Queen's used to visit during the summer to get shade and it was designed in a such a way that you will feel the cold breeze around the area. Also, in the same campus there lies the Elephant stable, where only the Royal Elephants used to rest which belonged to the King. Well, further that there was the famous "Queen's Bath" area which was nothing but a royal pool in middle of the king's empire with amazingly structural display.

Lotus Temple

Queen's Bath

Elephant Stable

Well i spotted a "Pushkarni" as well while going towards my very last destination of this small road trip. It was constructed to accumulate the rain water and was used only for sacred ritual's in the hindu temple.

At the very end of the trip it was all about massive idol's, which were been carved through a single giant rock and was one of the most attractive thing in hampi. One is of Narsimha and other is of Lord Ganesha.

  Yoga-Narsimha

Sasivekalu Ganesha

This was indeed a time travelling trip, where i was taken back into the mid 14th century. Well, another must visit place in India, but would suggest to go over here during the winters when climate will be more chilled as it gets really hot in noon. It was time to strike off another place from my bucket list and time to wander in the new one. Well the best thing of the trip that happened to me was that i finally got to try the "Beast" ......

Let's keep exploring places and travel to share your experience. Let everyone know about the places which are been less explored, till then Carry Less and Travel More !!

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Tale Of Paradise Beach

Buzz about this beach wasn't just about the view of this place, but it was for that vibe which you get as soon as you step on the beach for the very first time after getting down from one of the craziest boat ride ever.

Little i know that Day 2 of my trip was gonna be the coolest and ridiculously amazing day of this weekend trip. I started up from zostel a little over 8 o'clock and rode towards OM beach. No Doubt the scene of Om beach is marvelous in day time as well, while i wait for my boat to arrive i took a quick bite in Namaste Cafe. All alone sitting up in cafe and munching on the food is surely a bucket list which every Solo traveler has. Om beach was hot af but all though being Sunday there wasn't any kinda rush at the beach which was again pleasant site.

How i wished i could have trekked down to the beach but wasn't sure about the route towards it, so i decided its better to take short boat ride rather wandering around the place and let the sun crunch up my energy at this temp. So there was no dockyard at the beach all you gotta do is to get inside the knee height water and hop into the boat which was quiet a impressing thing which keep the hype of passenger throughout the ride.

Whattay ride all the way towards the half-moon beach and paradise beach, which are less known beach. It takes approx 300 bucks if you want to take only a boat ride where they will take all the way for just sight-seeing of the place or else pay them double to get down and hop in at any time during the day ride. Well, no wonder i choose Second option.☺

With all the stuff i heard about Gokarna, 

this beach turned out to be an icing on the cake of my trip.

Climbed up on the highest rock of the beach to take an aerial view and a time-lapse video of this place. No Wonder, this spot looks more beautiful in real then in video.

Never had that feeling before to dive into the water and swim around the place, but this was something different as i could literally hear the waves calling out to live up the moment which hardly gets in someone's life. I was all alone in that particular section of the beach, as this beach was divided in 3 parts and all i could see was couple of folks swimming in the other section. It did felt like a private beach where i have all my "Me Time" to spent and yeah i did the same.

Sleeping on the beach and letting the wave hit you...... 

Is certainly a Bliss Moment of Life.

After spending couple of hours at the beach, it was time to boost myself up with the freshly plucked Coconuts. Though the price at which they sell is more than even size of the nut, but it's totally worth it when you take the first sip of it. 

Sun was right on top of me, but it was never sunny the whole day as clouds gathered up there and covered up the sun to keep the temperature cool. It was time to ride back home but little i knew that surprises were still packed in the box for me.... 

As we took ride back towards the Om beach, we spotted couple of Dolphin playing just next to our boat. Couldn't get a hold on the camera to take snap of them but catching a glimse of there play was treat to watch.

Came back to the dorm and took a long shower to get ready for the return journey. Indeed it was an short and sweet weekend trip, which would be remembered always. 

It's not about travelling...

It's about making Memories !!!!

Lets keep our travelling plan's ready and pick up the bag and wander around the places. Write down your experience through blogs or vlogs and share it to let everyone know about how we are blessed with such beautiful place in our "Incredible India".

Until then Carry Less and Travel More !!!!

Do check out my youtube vlog on Gokarna → Click Here

Gokarna - Less Explored Beaches

While people plan for hill station to cool themselves up during summer, i choose to travel alone towards the beaches.

Overall an 710km bus ride from Mumbai to Gokarna is indeed a weekend getaway spot. Landed up early morning itself and took a short shared auto ride with fellow solo traveler to reach Zostel. It was pitch dark when i entered into the Zostel Campus and as we saw the first sunlight sitting in the yard while chit-chatting with other Zosteller (People who stay's in Zostel). We all were stunned and couldn't take our eyes off from that beautiful view, with every minute and every ray of sunlight the view was just more than breathtaking.

We took a long walk around the beach, as we could easily see fisherman catching up fishes and we couldn't resist ourselves to help them out and get into action.As we explored the beach and town for a short while in early morning itself,we rented up bike's to take a spin around the place. It was time to head back to dorm and get fresh, as sun was in its full mood to tan us up.

The best part of Zostel is you can chill yourselves up even if you land up early even before your check in time. As everywhere else, the common area was lit af and was covered up with all indoor games and stuff.

Trust me it was 40℃ on that day and it was hard to spot a person hanging around the town during noon hrs. We were all sitting under shades and to beat the time we played "Jenga". It was one of the most intense game which i ever played. This was the moment when i realized, this day gona past like this just chillaxing here but i was wrong.....

We drove up towards kudle beach to get a glimse of sunset and were fortunate to hit the beach at the very right moment, as the beach is well wrapped up in middle of jungle area.

As the sun goes down we were just sitting up there and watching another day go pass by, which was full of meeting new strangers and end up becoming friends.

Do plan up your trip in such a way, that you should land up in gokarna on Full-Moon Day. So reason to say this is because, as i rode towards OM beach from Kudle the very first view of the magnificent OM Beach will leave you speechless. It was all lit up in that moonlight and all i could do is climb on the rocks near the shore and let the time sink into my memories. Tried taking up few pics of the place but its rightly said Camera never does the justice for the mesmerizing beauty of the place.

Stayed up until mid-night at this place, where we had nice time at this "Namaste Cafe" just beside the beach. Promised myself to be back at this beach the very next day to take nice clicks and take a boat ride towards the "Paradise Beach"

With that said it was end of an quiet surprising day where i thought i would be alone travelling places in Gokarna but ended with fellow solo traveller around our India. Lets see what happens up in Day 2 of my trip in next blog, till then....

Carry Less,Travel More!!!!

Most Peaceful Gurudwara On Earth

Sometimes you just don't need an backpacking destination to find peace, all you gotta do is pack your stuff and go with the flow.

As the weekend approached, i knew i had to head out to explore some new place. But this time it should be unique one as i have been through the mountains and beaches, it was time to head towards midst of India. Only place i could recall was Nanded where people visit all around the world just to take blessing's at "Hazur Sahib Gurudwara".

Started off my journey late evening from Mumbai which took all over 13hrs to reach Nanded through NH-61. As i knew i was going to stay in Nanded just for over 10hrs, i opt for sleeper bus to get full fledged sleep overnight and too my luck it went as planned. Around 09:00am i reached at Nanded (Hingoli Gate Stop) which is hardly a km away from the gurudwara. It was all but sunny out there and temperature was peaking up every minute.

Grabbed up my stuff and began up hunting for hotel's where i could get freshen up for the day and head out. As it was more of pilgrimage spot then the backpacking one, i knew it would be hard to find a dorm rooms in this town. Too my luck at "Hotel Teakwood" they were offering dorm's for just 200rs which was like icing on cake for my budget trip. Checked in, took a bath and there i was all set to head out. As i stepped out, i knew it's gona be a long hot n sweaty day.

As i was walking towards gurudwara i could hear the chants which were being played over the speakers. I was simply amazed by looking at the huge entrance of the Gurudwara which left me numb for a while.

As i walked inside, i could feel a wave of positive vibes been hitting up through my soul. It was the magic of the chants which was making the whole place lit up with vibes. No doubt it was that moment where you just have to go with the flow of the time and soak in the vibes. Took blessing of "Sri Guru Gobind Singh" takht and sat there for couple of hours. Time passed by and i googled out few places to see in nanded.

Planned to take a city tour and started walking down the lanes. I could see there was ultimate silence and no huzzle buzzle on the roads. Just the fact which drived me crazy was this city is not at all kept clean, as garbage was building up at the dustbins and all. Ignoring all these stuff, i eventually landed up at the banks of River Godavari which was known as "Govardhan Ghat" or "Godavari Ghat" over here.

I must say they have maintained this spot really well. It was almost around 1pm and this place was all heated up as the temperature was soaring upto 40°. I decided to walk back towards gurudwara and while heading back i had my lunch in one of the famous restro in the town. It was time to take nap and i didn't wanted to head back towards dorm. Again i went inside gurdwara and trust me guys this gurudwara is so big that it has got big trees inside the premises. It was something with the place, as i laid down under this tree it took just a breeze to just close up my eyes and boom !!!!! Took a couple hour power nap and headed towards dorm to pick up my stuff, as it was time to catch bus.   

Just 10hrs in Nanded !!!! Yes, thats the exact time which i spent here, but it was worth visiting as i never in knew i could have got another chance to visit this place all by my own.

Yet another destination goes back in my blog and memories, which was visiting to the "Most Peaceful Gurudwara On Earth".

Let's see where time takes me towards the next destination. Till then as always .....

Carry Less and Travel More !!!!

Alleppey - Venice Of The East

After an fascinating experience back in Varkala , it was time to sail through the Backwater's of Kerala in Allappuzha a.k.a Alleppey.

 It was sunny day and for the first time in my life i din't wanted to leave a place where i was emotionally attached and felt low while signing off from Lost hostel at Varkala. But as it says, Journey must continue...... Now let me be clear here, Never in my "Solo Travel" journey i ever traveled by train.

As Varkala to Alleppey ride is like an couple of hr journey, i prefered taking general ticket rather opting for standard one. It costed me around 50rs which was the cheapest ticket on that route. Too my luck it was sunday and due to off-season train was half-empty though general coach was having a lil bit of rush but at the end i got seat. It was indeed one of the most beautiful scene-tic ride of the country. Kerala fascinate's at every point of the trip.

 It was mid-day and i landed up in Alleppey and quickly checked into Zostel where i was suppose to spend my night. Oh boy, they have constructed this place so well and the location is so perfect that it's worth visiting this place.

I quickly had a bite on my noon meal and started exploring the place for a bit, went all the way to boating point and waited for some amazing snaps. As the boat ride through through backwater was about 2hr to 3hr ride i opted out from taking it. I preferred hanging around the city rather taking boat ride as i found the hype which people created for the city has been lost somewhere.

While returning back to Zostel, i found few of my #Zosteller (People who stay's at Zostel) friend's walking down the lane. They were hunting down a nice bakery, as it was 1 of there friend's birthday. We walked through the ravishing roads of Alleppey and ended up buying all the stuff which was needed for the party. It was almost time for sunset and we quickly headed back to our rooms and started walking on the dazzling Alleppey Beach 🏖

It was that time when i realized this was the last day of my Kerala Trip and i have to live each and every moment of it. As the time pass by our Zosteller group was getting bigger and as most people were solo traveler's everyone were mixing up pretty well.

P.S:- Blur Pic due to pic was taken at high risk level. 😉

At that night each and every Zosteller was in "Cafe Catamaran" where jazz music was been performed by very much talented musician's.

We had a blast at that night and it all has went in memories,pictures and blog's. It was time for cake surprise to the birthday girl's. Yes, another traveler all the way from England was also having her special day. We were around 10 of us chit-chatting and sharing our experience's and getting to know about new places which every individual visited. It was indeed those night of your life where you expect it shouldn't end and time should stand by.

It was past mid-night and all i knew was that i have to catch an early morning train to kochi around 6am. But i din't care as there are only few moments in life where you can experience such an amazing company to be with. So before i forget all of there name's let me just re-call them here so that it will be there on my blog page forever everytime i wished to recollect the memory. So the Zosteller's  whom i met were Anoosha,Ayush,Vasanthi, Alankrita, Shubhda, Alex,Sagar, Vita and more...... With that said, i waved a final goodbye for the night and asked them to be in touch through social media's and stuff.

Half-asleep i woke up in morning and prepared myself for the return journey, Caught the train on time and slept for an sweet hr. Kochi airport is damn far from the city and thankfully Metro has started in kochi just a month prior to my visit which made my journey more to ease.  Met an amazing couple on the way while we shared our auto towards the airport after a comfy metro ride. No wonder Cochin  airport is pretty well maintained and food rates are more cheaper as compared to that in other airport. There i flew all the way back to Mumbai with loads and loads of memories......

                                        It's Truly said that, "Kerala - God's Own Country"

                      Also, as promised let me tell you how much did this trip Cost me?????

Overall costing for this trip is 8500₹ which includes flight fare's from Mumbai to Trivandrum and Cochin to Mumbai which costed me for just 4k. Also, as i stayed in dormitory rooms my per day room rent was 400₹ for 3nights. Bike rent and inter travel to the city never passed 1000₹ mark. It was indeed a budget trip for me.

With that said, it time to plan for new trip's. Do let me know if you find this blog informative and don't forget to check Vlog of my trip on Youtube. Click Here ---> Kerala Trip

Carry Less, Travel More !!!!!

Varkala - Cliff Beach Of India

From North To South

From Freezing Cold To Hot Sweats

From Parantha's To Idli's

          From Majestic Mountain's To Scenetic Ocean  !!!!! 

Just a month ago i was cruising all the way in Great Himalayan Range and here i was all set to travel for the first time, all the way down to South of India i.e Kerala a.k.a "God's Own Country". Little i knew that the trip which i planned was going to be one of the most memorable trip of my life and no doubt it was crazy......

Caught up an early morning flight from Mumbai To Trivandrum Airport and was lucky enough to meet a random cab driver who was heading towards kochi after his routine drop. As Varkala was just 40-45 km away from Trivandrum but still cab driver charges upto 1500 bucks just to drop you at the destination, but since i was travelling alone and had less of luggage i bargained up-to 600 bucks and there i was sitting all alone in Innova for a budget price ride.

Lost Hostel - That's where i resorted in Varkala and believe me the place is awesome. There is a vibe with that place you will get once you enter the dorm, which will make you feel deeply attached to the place at the first instance. As lunch hours was around the corner, i quickly got freshen up and headed towards the cliff for a bite. The very first view of the Varkala Cliff beach was insane, which would give goosebumps to anyone who visit it for very first time.

After having a quick bite in the most famous restro "God's Own Country" i headed towards Anjengo Fort, which was a 14km super scenetic bike ride from Varkala. It was around 3pm and for some weird reason it wasn't that hot as i expected to be. Anyways, beside fort itself there was this Lighthouse which was a huge gigantic and almost 130feet tall. Never visited a lighthouse before but trust me on this once i reached at the top, the view was breathtaking.....A 360° view of this place is something which you shouldn't miss...

Way across the skyline i saw a bridge which caught up my attention, i was keen to explore that place and found very few crowd heading up that direction. Rode my bike towards the bridge which was almost 3km away from the lighthouse. Definitely it was worth coming all the way down here, this place was like a mediator between Backwater of Kerala and Indian Ocean.

Spent like an hour at this place, as there was no one around to disturb and it was ultimate peace out there. With the day about to end, i headed back to Varkala to experience the stunning sunset. It was indeed stunning as at every minute after twilight, i could see sky changes it's color. It's that kinda moment where even your camera couldn't make any justice for the beauty of it.....

Back in hostel, i met so many solo traveler's who came all the way from different parts of the world. As i shared up my amazing experience at the Anjengo Fort, everyone got keen to visit this place. Well, we teamed up to visit that place again the very next day 😃

At the dawn, i woke up and was all set to take a dip in the sea as i wasnt able to do it other day. As i was heading towards beach, i teamed up with my fellow roommate "Shrikant" and started exploring some of the very less explored beach in the coastline. Landed up in Edava Beach which was 8km away from the where we started and my goodness the place was ultimate Nature beauty....

Coming all the way down to Kerala and if you haven't done "Kayaking" in the backwater then you surely have missed some hell of fun. 300 bucks that what it took for 30mins solo kayak ride. It was completely amazing exposure where you have to row all the way through yourself and get to know basic information about how exact kayaking is been done. Kappil Beach is indeed a perfect spot for all the water sports around that area.Later, we headed towards the beach to take a refreshing dip in water and to our luck there wasn't much of crowd at the beach.

Woah !! It was a much needed break from long time. As i never felt like swimming into the sea back when i visited Goa or Coastline of Konkan. It was something different out here which pulled me up in the crystal clear water. Headed back to hostel, took shower and again geared up for another bike ride but this time with more traveler's hoping in the plan.

So, just a day before i promised myself to visit "Anjengo Lighthouse" again in my life span but never knew that i would comeback the very next day. Lea and Akshay who were also solo traveler all the way from Canada and London joined us and it was an unforgettable journey. We headed towards the Crocodile beach as well, which was the same place i mentioned earlier i.e Permathura Bridge. It's been name as crocodile beach as the shape of the beach makes a similar look of the mouth of the crocodile.

                                                              A Day Spent Well !!!!

A Fine Dine after an awesome day is something which everyone craves for. Varkala Cliff market has some delicious restro's where one can have the best food. Do not forget to try fish curry and biryani's at "God's Own Country" restro.

Lost Hostel has so many indoor activities that you will forget to head out of the comfy zone and explore the place. So, as we were chilling out in common room we were invited up for birthday party which was right across the cliff and it was lit af 🔥

As the day comes to an end, only thing which remain was the memories of this place.

All's well that ends well !!!! Packing up my stuff early morning, it was time to visit the next destination of the trip i.e Alleppey.

What i did in Allepey? How i met best group in the town? Also, will disclose how much did this trip cost me ...... Everything will be covered up in next blog...... Till then Stay Tuned !!!!

Do remember, Carry Less And Travel More !!!!!