JAISELMER TRAVELOGUE

Day-1 (23 Dec 12)

         

 The train 14659 Delhi-Jaiselmer-Barmer Exp chugged into Delhi Cantt Rly Stn almost an hour late and the doors of the AC Coaches were locked from inside. The train stops here for 2 minutes and a closed door is nightmarish. Anyways, it was later found that it is a trick by the railway staff to capture some seats and capitalize. The poor legitimate passenger would be left frowning and panting as the train just moves on. So, the lesson learnt is to board the train from the starting station itself.

      

Anyhow, the NDA Trng came in handy and we were on the moving train. The train condition in the 2AC leaves much to be desired. The coupe seems to be at least 20 year old and not well maintained. The compartment is full of foreign tourists and I can visualize their reactions. 

   

The train speed is good though and the major stations touched were Alwar, Jaipur, Phalodi and Pokaran. Jaiselmer is about an hour away as I write this piece and rest follows. The stay is at Club Mahindra at Jaiselmer.

Day-2

       

The train 14659 moved into Jaiselmer station on time and the quietness of Jaiselmer was written all over the station.

       

The Rajasthani simplicity is still on and one is bound to speculate on the decision of staying in tinsel cities versus these sleepy towns!! There are not many porters on the station and one needs to push own luggage. This is our second visit to Jaiselmer. In 2008, we had driven down from Delhi and welcomed 2009 at Khuri desert. This time around also, I had called up my trusted Man Friday ANAND BASU (a local guide -Mobile 9413705717) and he was waiting for us at the Rly Stn.

      

Anand had hired a Toyota Innova for us @ 10/- per km and the vehicle dropped us at Club Mahindra which is 12 kms outside city and 1 km before Jaiselmer Airport. Club Mahindra was all rigged out for the Xmas Party with Rajasthani local dance and music troupe. The party began at 1930 hrs with 100 Pipers, Fuel and Bacardi Black in tow. The Stage was set on fire by the Club guests and children. The sumptuous spread was a delight and the night stayed young for long.

Day-3

         

Day 3 at Jaiselmer was the Xmas Day. What a pleasure it is to sleep in a place which has no din of traffic. Our house at Delhi is on a busy road and the “chak-de” Delhiites keep plying on this road at all hours. So, the Club Mahindra at Jaiselmer is a boon.
   
After a great breakfast and with packed sandwiches, we set off towards the Indo-Pak Border and to see the famous TANOT RAI MATA Temple. The idea was also to travel the Fox Memorabilia till this famous Border and to visit this famous Temple. A Google search of this temple would bring forth the amazing feat of this temple. Along the way we crossed a sleepy village Ramgarh and had lovely tea. Also, to convert the visit into a picnic on return leg, I bought 3 bottles of Hayward’s 2000 beer.

     

We reached the temple located 122 Kms from Jaiselmer by a scenic road and it’s a pleasure to ride on this road without much traffic. On entry to the Temple , we were received by Sub Satbir Singh of 11 Grndrs. He just saw the Fox Cap and came forward. Then the visit was a cake walk. We were served best food from the langar and were looked after well. Also we met a Coy of 14 JAKRIF and nostalgically remembered my course mate Kuldeep Kalsi who has commanded this fantastic unit. A quick call to Kuldeep and his boys were happy and thrilled.

     

Now, in this adventure, an incident took place. Immediately on reaching the temple, a beer bottle exploded and we took it as an omen. Maybe on Guruparab (Xmas) the Lord and the Goddess had another design.

    

We reached back at the resort along with our Man Friday ANAND BASU, the guide of Jaiselmer and rolled the day over with the trusted FUEL in the company of SPRITE. 2 bottles of Hayward’s 2000 survived to see another day/night.

Day-4

  

The best part of Jaiselmer is the bright mornings. This is our 2nd trip in Dec to this city and it is much better to be here rather than suffer at Delhi. Though, personally, I love winters and the entire trousseau dressing which is complimentary with low temperatures.

      

The day began with a visit to the world famous Jaiselmer Fort (also called Sonar Fort).This fort presents a magnificent look and has many stories associated with it. Our guide ANAND BASU was at his wittiest best and took us around the length and breadth of the Fort along with the great history of the brave warriors of Jaiselmer. The Fort complex is unique as the common citizens still stay inside and there are many hotels and Jain temples inside the Fort. Ladies enjoyed shopping of traditional bangles and peeks inside the antique shops.

        

A quick Rajasthani lunch at a restaurant filled us all up and we began our drive towards Kuldhara and Sam Desert. Kuldhara is located at a distance of about 20 Km from Jaiselmer. It is said that one night, 84 villages belonging to Paliwals just vacated their homes with whatever they could carry and left after the King levied a 1 paisa penalty per person. The ruins of those villages can be seen today. The best part is that no one can stay inside Kuldhara after sun set as it is haunted.

     

After a quick look around Kuldhara, we cruised towards Sam Desert to visit sand-dunes. Sam is about 20 kms ahead of Kuldhara. We reached Sam well before Sunset and camel ride was arranged for kids and adults. The sunset at Sam is heady and many a hues are visible in the sky. This is the peak tourist season and the desert resorts were packed with tourists who were enthusiastically waiting for the Rajasthani Folk Programme (which interestingly now also has Russian Belly Dancers!!!!) and local cuisines. The bars were checked correct.

     

The night at Sam is a treat for some. Anyways, we cruised back towards Club Mahindra to be a part of "PUNJAB di RAAT" and to honor the 2 bottles of Hayward’s 2K. The night was brilliant at Club Mahindra as the Fox Josh and vigor swept the guests away. We rocked, sang and danced and honored the 100 Pipers, Fuel and Hayward’s 2k. Wow, there were no baggages left and the magic of Sam Desert (minus the belly dancing!!) was created at Club Mahindra. The young staff of Club was a josh team too and ensured best time for us. The day was refreshing and the night was great and cool fun.

UTTARAKHAND TRAVELOGUE-2

Day 2 at Chakrata was spent in  enjoying the weather and scenic beauty. The clime was a welcome 18-22. The interaction with another regular tourist in the IB revealed a stark reality about the global warming and utter disrespect to the Mother Nature.

           

 The hills of today in this zone are totally naked (photo attached) courtsey the fuel requirement and maybe poor efforts by our globe trotting environmentalists.The newspapers down at Delhi do cover environmental issues but what does not come out is the outcomes of the so called Global Conferences.Anyways,its sad to see that these places have poor water resources and the wild animals have vanished too.

      

Our neighbour told us that there were times when the big cats used to be their walking partners. But now the story says that if one sights/reports sighting of a big cat,then,it is known that his transfer is around the corner!!!!

     

The drive back to Dehradun from Chakrata is through Kalsi and Vikasnagar.The down journey is through a meandering and narrow road.Actually the road is good enough for a one way vehicle movement as at most of the places the co-driver feels like a Chetak heptre co-pilot at 3000 feet.The fall is steep and the driver must concentrate hard.Dehradun on Day 3 was sweltering at 43 degrees.

     

The vehicle again gave a great performance.Total distance covered 110 km @ 16 kmpl with Xtra premium.

UTTARAKHAND TRAVELOGUE-1

To beat the heat at New Delhi and to make the best out of children holidays,we set off towards Uttarakhand on 19 Jun 12.Left New Delhi by 11 am towards Karnal. The GT Road of today would have surely excited Sher Shah Suri.As we turned towards Sonepat,the six lane highway loomed up.It is a driver's delight. The vehicle,a Swift D'zire ZXI,was put into the 5th gear straightaway and cruised along.

       

As we were crossing Panipat,the rear view mirror showed a familiar political face on the wheels of a Range Rover.He was cruising at 130+ on  90 Kmph road.Anyways,taking advantage of his entourage's cruising speed,I also powered up the engine and avoided two radar guns till Karnal.The Liberty Shoes Factory outlets are a big attraction in Karnal and should not be missed as you can get good deals for shoes,ladies handbags etc.

     

Turned right from Pipli towards Ladwa,Yamuna Nagar,Jagadhari and Paonta Sahib  and Haryana State Highways are well laid out.The lunch was taken at Bikano Outlet in Yamuna Nagar and was delicious.

       

Entered Himachal at Paonta Sahib and cruised towards Vikas Nagar in UK.The vehicle performed well. Then we started the climb towards Kalsi,Dak Patthar and Chakrata.The outside temperatures started falling with rising altitude and at 7730 Feet,the indicator was at a comfortable 26 from the 43 we left behind at Delhi.

     

Checked into Chakrata and ditched the trusted Vodka for a Glenfiddich after a game of badminton.Scotch on the rocks has its own way of soothing the nerves and the limbs as well.

     

The best part of mobile telecom of today is the fantastic networks even up in the hills.Thanks a ton to Tihar inmates.We can communicate better.The bliss of hills can be well understood by a seafarer.The chirping birds,the stillness,clean air and the amazing stars all help to revive the mind and soul.

      

The vehicle gave a great 17 kmpl till the plains on full auto climate control and gave a 15 in the hills.A timely service and correct tyre pressure coupled with Xtra Premium Petrol added to the performance.Total distance covered 363 Kms on Day 1 in 7 hours.

BINSAR TRAVELOGUE-IV

Day 4 at Binsar was the final day.The original plan was to set course for Corbett via Ranikhet,Bhatrojkhan and Mohaan.However,a call from Delhi got us going straight back via Kathgodam,Haldwani,Rampur,Moradabad and Delhi.

We started at sharp 9 AM from Binsar and on the first bend itself,the magnificent snow clad Himalayas opened out as if to say PHIR MILENGE.Wow, these peaks are a delight and we all saluted them.With this pristine image in our memory,I slid the Swift Dzire into cruise mode and hit Delhi at 8pm. Ghaziabad choked out 2 Hours though.We covered a total distance of 1115 kms in 4 days.The vital stats are as follows:-

Fuel-Xtra Premium/Speed;Good Route-via Rudrapur;Chil Out Route-Via Ramnagar-Ranikhet ;Must See-Patal Bhubaneswar,Kausani,Zero Point.This trip can be planned without any prebookings as there are plenty of places to stay enroute.Must try www.binsarecoresorts.com

Bacardi is the best poison for a tired driver to get up fresh again in the morning.Chill out and savour the hills.

BINSAR TRAVELOGUE-III

Day -3 at Binsar was a little cloudy and windy.The news came in of rains in the surrounding hills and even Delhi reported showers.Glancing 

around the Google Earth, I saw Pindari Glacier.The glacier is about 100 Kms 

away from Binsar Mahindra Resort.I was in all mood to give it a shot but 

lack of gear made me postpone the visit.At Pindari, a Baba has made his 

Kutiya and stays there for all 12 months.Tourists have an option of driving 

till 10 odd kms away from glacier and then trek up.It is understood to be a 

good trek expedition. 

Day 3 was spent in exploring the facilities of resort.Young Agastaya 

Jyoti was taken for Valley Crossing activity and we went for a trek down 

into the valley.Evening was spent in taking a Kumaoni Massage and a good 

facial to rejuvenate the skins till next holiday.In the evening we 

connected up with other people staying next to us and Bacardi Razz was the 

poison for the night. 

The calm and zero noise environ gets a good night sleep.Hills would 

continue to beacon plainsmen but the concretisation of hills is a cause of 

worry.Hope the relevant authorities lok into this looming problem.

Day 2 at Binsar started with a bright and sunny morning.After a good breakfast at Mahindra Resort,we decided to do a 170 kms roundtrip to Kausani.Kausani has been in my memory since Class VIII when I had read a wonderful description of these hills by eminent writer Mahadevi Varma. The road from Binsar to Kausani is curvacious and winding.The average distance between each bend is almost 15 metres. The traffic density is low but the hill drivers are fast and do not give horns!anyways, to check my motoring skills and love for hills, I decided to follow suit in speed but not in honking. Swift Dzire proved its mettle once again and with full ac,the car responded to all my desires. The fast and furious driving did take toll on my 7 year old but a promise of Play Station CD revived him.It took us 7 hrs to complete the journey including a lunch break at Kausani. The road is good and passes through a scenic town called Bageshwar where 2 rivers Gomati and Sarayu meet.UK is indeed a land of God.

BINSAR TRAVELOGUE-I

As part of the rejuvenation programme, self and family left for Binsar,Uttaranchal near Almora on PM 7 Apr.Cleared Delhi congestion and halted at Moradabad.The hotel at Moradabad was good but Moradabad is full of mosquitoes.Moradabadis say that mosquitoes are an integral part of their life (no wonder Odomos is still going strong).
Started early morning of 8 April from Moradabad and encountered a long jam on Rampur road.Had to turn back and reached Haldwani by 12 pm after taking a detour of almost 70 kms via Tanda,Bazpur and Kashipur.The route had bad roads, virtually non existent and narrow.The Sugarcane loaded trolleys are plenty on road and no sides are given.One has to zip past in Himalayan Rally Mode. The Swift Dzire held its performance and we started our climb for Binsar from Kathgodam. The road is winding and good.Stopped for a roadside dhaba and had delicious chicken rice. The furious drive on curves and bends digested my fo od but the co-pax were down and out.Reached Mahindra Resort,Binsar and checked into Australian Log Huts.Great view and ambience.Bacardi in night added on to the great times as Bacardi promises.