Trekking for the First Time – Do's and Don’ts

Its summer vacation time and many of us must be in the midst of our vacation or defiantly planning on one. For those lucky few who live close to hilly terrains and mountains a trek to nearby hill station is an easy getaway especially if you live in a ‘Hot’ city like New Delhi.

Trekking is not mere walking one a straight road or on a river bank, it can be a little tricky but is as much fun for a regular as it can be for first timer. Few things that has to be taken care by all are:

Do's:

1.       Always trek on an officially permissible location unless of course you’re on a discovery expedition

2.       Most of the treks have their maps and route available at the local tourist offices or with travel agents or with a guide. Do get one

3.       A guide is an added help especially with 1^st timers

4.       Know the terrain and know the landscape. A through study of the area, the topography and weather is a must, especially if one is trekking alone or is in a foreign land

5.       Good yet light inventory of food and drinking items is a must (sipper bottles are of great help). For e.g.: water, glucose, electrolytes, protein bars, cookies etc.

6.       Do carry your medi kit of, ointments, antibiotics, sprain sprays, bandages etc.

7.       Toilet papers and or better yet a small towel is a must specially for hot terrains

8.       Carry a sleeping bag in case it’s a multi-day trekking expedition and/or a tent for higher than 2500 ft. and less than 10’c trekking regions

9.       Keep the pace of your trek to suit all. Push your limits, in your limits though. Do take ample rest and halts in between

10.   Always have a pre decided endpoint. Unless you're a ‘wilding’! Do inform local authorities about your route in case trekking solo.

Don’ts:

1.       Medical conditions are a must to be taken care of. Your are not advised to trek on a higher altitude if :

a.       You have fluctuating blood pressure or any other heart related disorder. Changes in the altitude and air pressure can widely affect the amount of oxygen in the blood, resulting into aerobic or anaerobic respiration. This can be really detrimental if you have a heart or pulmonary disorder.

b.      If you have A.D.D. i.e. attention deficit disorder. One needs to be attentive all the time while trekking.

c.       If you have migraine or sinus

d.      Other medical conditions which don’t allow you to take part in strenuous activities.

2.       Not advised to trek if you have a drug abuse problem. Immediate medical help might not be available always.

3.       Do not litter. Do take back what you bring along. Go green!

4.       Do not carry explosive items or compressed cans like inflammable deodorants etc. unless well prepared for the same.

5.       Do not lit a fire uselessly. If in case required choose an area which does not have enchantment inflammable area and do remember to put if off by using water or mud/sand.

6.       Do not carry food items which get fermented or turn bad without refrigeration. Only ready to eat packaged items or local fruits are good.

7.       Do not eat fruits or berries from on the way or on the route of your trek. Many of these attracting looking berries can be very poisonous and can make you severely sick.

8.       Do not jump, go off trek the route, lean over the cliffs etc. this can be dangerous. Veterans develop a sense of balance in such terrains. Do not follow them!!

9.       Do not run to finish the trek or take shortcuts. You might get lost!

10.   Do not touch, pick and keep everything that shines, it’s not gold. Many areas are protected and even though a trek if cutting through different terrains many points on the way can be have detrimental effects on reckless behaviours.

This is not to scare or dishearten anyone, but these ‘don’ts’ at times are more important to be followed and can be life, timing and trouble saving.

Trekking is a fun activity across the geography of a particular area. Gel in the same and one will enjoy the fullest.

Remember no matter if you were staying in a 5 star hotel or a dorm, while on a trek, Mother Nature treats us all as equals!! 

Enjoy the beauty in Nature and act Natural. 

A Trip to Nepal !!

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Pandora indeed, truly molded out of earth.

 Nepal a place full of life and spirituality has everything you need for a short getaway destination.

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It all happened out of a hitch of my friend 'desinomadness' when she booked really affordable tickets from Hyderabad, India to Kathmandu, Nepal. She asked me and few other friends to join her and i immediately said yes !!

Nepal it is !! Initially i had planned to do this trip at a very low expenditure. Which meant taking train and bus route from New Delhi, India & back again. [Oh did i mention in am form New Delhi. Do visit !!]. Thereafter staying in cheap accommodations and traveling cheaply.

 TIPS: if planning on to do the train-bus trip to Nepal, here's how you do it :

• From New Delhi one can take trains or buses to a border town in the state of U.P. called Gorakhpur. [Not a place where you want to stay for long, best just to cross over]. There are around 20+ trains from New Delhi station to Gorakhpur, some running daily. More Info. Its around 15hrs of a train journey.

• From Gorakhpur take local buses or Tempo travelers to a small border township, Sunauli . It is the most popular entry point from India to Nepal. It will take a ride of 3-4 hrs from Gorakhpur.

• From Sunauli one can cross border, go through the immigration formalities and take an overnight bus to Kathmandu or Porkra. Follow the same while your return.

Well not all things planned happen as they should. Being down with fever just a week before the trip i had to drop the train-bus plan and had to book a flight to Kathmandu and back.

They Served Nepalese Beer  !!

 It was expensive but thanks to awesome promotional offers at GoIbibo, i got my tickets for INR 8k with a discount of INR 1K. Made my day !!

Flew JetAirways to Kathmandu , a really good flight service with good food and helping staff, plus they arrived 15 minutes prior to their schedule. That was bonus !!

surreal view of the sky as i land.

Kathmandu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>

First Things First : Visit to the Temples.

Fine i am not that religious but i do believe in that super power and been bread in a Hindu family makes me more acquaint with the Gods, their powers, looks and their teachings. Kathmandu ,Nepal has some of the worlds ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, which are the mark of excellent architecture, simplicity and serendipity.

1st, a must Temple is the famous and most auspicious The Pashupathinath Temple.

The ancient PashupatiNath Temple of lord Shiva.

(photography inside the main compound is prohibited).

Devotees from all over the world come to pray here and wish for a secured life.

The Shiv Ling structure right at the entrance of the Pashupatinath temple.

Devotees offering their prayers and taking blessing at the holy fire.

2nd on the way temple was the Buddha park

Buddha's Golden statues at Buddha park , Kathmandu Nepal

 3rd Temple, The Sayambhunath Temple

  Quite a walk to another landmark temple - but the Stupa and the overview of Kathmandu's skyline makes it all worth it. (If in budget, one can always take the taxi, but will miss on those small - small things like from road side food , vendors and their kids, the trees with the prayer flags) .

The miniature Syambhunath temple structure at the beginning of the huge staircase . A ticket for NPR 50 for SAARC nationals.

The wishing tank right at the entrance is an attraction but a mere attempt of making more money , as no record of the authenticity of the tank was mentioned anywhere. 

 The way to the main temple sight is full of small and beautiful shops with amazing artifacts. One does get tempted to buy 'em all but hold on, visit all the shops, make up your mind and then come back again to purchase this way you will get the best of what the place is offering.

These small Stupas will be all around with small shops or vendors selling their stuff and luring all the tourists.

 

 Finally you get at the top and and see this magnificent stupa over looking the city of Kathamandu. The city's overview is breath taking.

The city over view

The wishing wheel.

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Thamel

  

After Temples the place to be in the Kathmandu city is the most commercial area called The Thamel.

Reminds me like the streets of Paharganj in New Delhi.

Thamel has everything you need as a traveler or as a tourist or as a shopaholic.

Its a travelers paradise.

Tips for staying and spending time at Thamel :

• Staying - not a problem. A variety of accommodation is available in this maze of small streets of shops. From luxurious hotels and guest houses to budget hotels  lodges and cheap hostel; there is a place for everyone.

•  Hotel Potala  is a great place to stay in the heart of the market of Thamel. 

Best place is this balcony cafe at Hotel Potala, it transforms an open house of live music with sounds and beats all around making your weekend eve for free !!

• A very economical hostel that can be really ease on your pocket is Happilyeverafterhostel . Get dorms as cheap as $3-4 er night.
• Thamel has lots of bars , pubs ,cafes and restaurants which serve various cuisines of food . Western and oriental food can be found everywhere. There are many dance bars. Loud music and beats can be heard from all over. The night takes over a frenzy of its own.
• If you don't like hustle & bustle of the city, advised to stay on the outer side of Thamel center, bit peaceful ,open and yet offers same facilities.
• M:M: or the Momo or the Dim-sums shops can be located very easily.
• There are shops at every corner of the streets and there is something for everyone.
• Don't forget to buy cool Pajamas and Harem pants.

The Durbar Square Of  Nepal - "Durbar Square is the generic name used to describe plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal". One does feels of being present in the royal corridors of the plaza. Gives a vivid look of how simple and yet royal this place once must have been.

The royal guards of the palace

Ancient temple bell

Patan Durbar Square Plaza

The courtyard of the royal palace.

Water source or taps of those days, still with running water of some river.

Patan Durbar Square Plaza

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Pokhara ------------------------------------------------------>>

Pokhara is a paradise in Nepal. A place so close to nature that you cannot resist but be a part of it. It is the base camp for the world famous Annapurna Trek or the Annapurna Circuit of the Himalayas.

Pokhara has seven beautiful lakes, which gets you more closer to serendipity.

Its a very chilled out place to spend your time, alone or with beloveds .

Like Thamel it has every thing you need, shops, cafes, booze, hotels and lodges yet is more clean, organized and accessible.

Its the base of many adventure sports namely; white river rafting, para-gliding, trekking, hiking etc.

One can easily spend more time at Pokhra and not be any where else. 

By night the Lake Side at Pokhra turns into a huge lane a jamming sessions of lot of live music, great food, side walks and dances.

Pokhra is one place in Nepal you definitely want to be.

The Sopping Street , Lake Side , Pokhra

The Main Lake , Pokhra

An interesting Trek to World Peace Pagoda - just follow me :

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Cross the Lake on a boat. One can take solo or a guide along the boat, who will help cross the lake to to the other side. (Well that's me rowing hard to the other side)

  

Cross the lake to get to this starting point of the Trek to the Pagoda. ( DO you see the Pagoda on the top?)

Trek Starts here.

 

See the overview of the city of Pokhra from the top. Its really serene.

   

At 115Ft you see the 1st glimpse of the Stupa (The Pagoda) and you feel you have climbed Everest !!

Finally after 45mins of trek and at 115ft height, this the view you get to see !!
The World Peace Pagoda

The World Peace Pagoda shows the four main sights of Buddhas Enlightenment.

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Mark the end of the trip with an exhilarating White river rafting ride.

There are may shops on the Lake side Pokhra , where one can find agencies which offer good deals on the Rafting packages.

Generally a package is all inclusive of :

• A bus ride to the point called Fishling, where you begin your rafting. This place is about mid way from Pohkra and Kathmandu ,that's why they give an option to either take you ahead to Kathmandu or drop you back to Pokhra after the rafting. 
• A 2.5 hrs of river rafting, with 4 guides and safety equipments.
• Post rafting , a place to shower and change and a humble complementary local lunch as well.

Our rafting crew of 8 people. Spot me??

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Have a pleasant stay in Nepal, do visit this country , you'll go back for more, i will !!

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All the photographs are taken by my MotoG camera, why carry a huge DSLR when you have a good Mobile !!

DISCLAIMER : All the pictures and content provided in this blog post are out my personal repositories. Any misuse or infringement will be dealt under Intellectual Property Rights Law under Indian Penal Court.

Bus travel in India. A treat for sore feet.10 tips while travelling alone in Indian Buses.

India is a huge country with a varied topology. One mean of transportation not necessarily connect all the corners of this diverse land. Though all kind to commuting options are available to our disposal, not always we get the tickets in the desired one, pertaining to the ever increasing and worlds second largest population. Inland modes like Air ,train ,bus, trucks, autos, bike, cycle, tractors, bull carts, horse carts, all can help us in our travel needs.

Most of the times Air tickets are expensive proposition for cheap travelers like me, and much desirable train tickets are hard to attain. Buses on other hand are though less desirable come to our rescue. New and branded bus services are stepping in the Indian transport system, in a big. Connecting more and more metro cities and tier 2 & 3 cities as we speak.

Internet transactions have made life easy. Now buses can easily be booked online. Websites like RedBus.in & TravelYaari  are providing satisfying booking services, specially with their branded bus services ( Volvo/Mercedes Buses) . I would vouch for these two sites for safe transactions and support. Details like availability of seats , bus type , bus operator details , bus driver and bus numbers, pick and drop options makes life a lot much easier while travelling to unknown terrains.

10 tips that will help your bus travel even more easier :

1. 1st rule of traveling which always help is - Travel Light. (though theses buses generally have good underdeck storage spaces).
2. Don't forget to have your PNR number with you, which is mostly sent to your email & mobile numbers. You can directly show the same on your device or a print out will do. Better go Green !! 
3. Do have an Id proof, probably with a face identity.
4. Don't carry gold coins and diamonds here. Meaning no point of taking expensive items with you. Even if you do for some reason, please do not flash it.
5. Carry food and water with you. Some buses do provide water bottles , but better you are prepared.
6. Carry mosquito repellents. Always be prepared for those nasty little fellas.
7. Don't hesitate to ask your driver or bus attendant to stop at time of emergencies or even if you have bladder emergency.
8. Eat less for an easy travel ,good both for you and other passengers.
9. Do carry motion sickness pills.
10. A cover is mostly provided but wouldn't hurt to make journey more comfortable by carrying your own covers and neck supports.

One more :  If kids are accompanied, do keep them seated in the bus, or else make them wear helmets.

Well so who's stopping to plan your next travel, no waiting in lines for train tickets and spending grands on air fares.

Log on to one of these sites and get going.

Bon Voyage !!