India diary!!

Exploring India-
India is a huge huge country with so much diversity.There are desserts and hill stations and sea,everything you could ever imagine.To travel and explore this magnificent country full of color and culture will take a long time.Here are a few things which we have done and loved and would not mind doing again.
Rafting in Rishikesh-
Rishikesh is famous for temples but nowadays it has a become a very popular spot for white river rafting.Staying in tents.Exploring the surroundings.The early morning around 5walk that we took around the tents that we stayed was one of the best of our lives.It was like a painting flowing river,hills and tents.

The place where we stayed..The tents were comfortable and cosy..The camp had all the basic facilities..

Talking about rafting,it was one hell of an experience you know if you have done it.To our surprise the water was freezing cold but we loved taking a dip in it.

Highly recommended if you like adventures,you would love the rafting,cliff jumping and all the other activities and staying in a tent is  another experience altogether.

Nahtula pass(Indo-China border)-
Visiting a place as beautiful as Sikkim itself will bring a smile on your face.All along the way you wouldn't want to take your eyes of the Teestha river.

There are a lot of monasteries and other beautiful places.But this one is a must visit.You can't help admiring the beauty and feeling the patriotism when you are here at this place.

Monasteries in Gangtok-
Dharma Chakra Center also known as the Rumtek Monastery is located in eastern Sikkim, 24 kilometers away from Gangtok. Rumtek is situated at an altitude of about 5800 feet (1547 meters). The best season to visit this monastery is from March to late May, or from October to mid-December. 

Rumtek Monastery

 Toy Train-
There are hill and mountains at a lot of places but if you have not taken a ride on a toy train in these hills,you are really missing out on something which can't be described in words.You don't want this journey to end ever.Sitting in a toy train,we never wanted to get off it and the amazing view it offers just adds to the whole experience.We took a ride in Ooty and just loved it. http://traveledncaptured.blogspot.in/2012/12/coonoor.html

Forts and Palaces of Rajasthan-
When you stay in a place for years you don't really realise it's importance.Posing at the same places n number of times and still have no pictures because you were always the host and the guest always took the pictures,sigh!!!

When i was in Jaipur as a kid,we used to have guests almost all the time and I used to be the tour guide :) when my parents did not want to climb all the way up to the Amber fort with the guests.The sheesh mahal and the guide lighting the candle,I knew the word by heart.The monkey snatching your snacks,the breath taking view of Jaipur at night from Nahargarh.The sad thing we don't have a single picture of the beautiful forts of Jaipur and it was too late when we realized that.So i made a short trip to Jaipur few years back to meet my school friends and clicked a few pictures.

The place is full of colors,dance and forts.Shop for mojris and leheriyas.Enjoy the rich food of Rajasthan.It is mouth watering trust me.Udaipur has some of the beautiful garden and palaces.Explore the whole of Rajasthan if you can.The palaces gives you the feeling of magnanimity of that era.Jaisalmer,Bikaner,Ajmer,Pushkar,Chittorgarh are marvelous places,will try to scan the pictures and upload here soon.

Mumbai-
A must visit place to feel the energy and our favourite city.Read the full blog about Mumbai here things-to-do-in-mumbaiGo here to feel the madness of the city,enjoy the street food or the plush restaurants.Shop from the streets,take a ride in Victoria.Everything is possible in this city.Visit the Mohammad ali road during Ramzan to enjoy some out of the world sweets and kebabs(Ramzan @m ali road)

Backwaters of Kerala-
Imagine an island as small as park,with water all around you and lush greenery on the horizon,that has to be Kerala.Take a houseboat cruise if you are an avid nature lover,this place will never disappoint you.Sit back and relax and enjoy the beauty and this place is full of it.
http://traveledncaptured.blogspot.in/2012/11/allepey.html

Things to do in Tokyo-Part 2

Moshi moshi friends,
                             The city of the rising sun is a unique blend of tradition and modernity.The sun rises as early as 4 in the morning here.So it gives you ample of time to explore the city,so wake up early and get going.Here is part 2 of things to do in Tokyo.(Part 1 of this write up can be found here).

Tokyo Tower-
At 333 metres (1,093 ft), it is the second-tallest artificial structure in Japan and is 13 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower.

180 floodlights make Tokyo Tower an attractive display in Tokyo.These lights sparkle in warm orange in winter and in cool white in summer from dusk to midnight.

The famous Tokyo Tower!!!

Tokyo Tower has two observation decks—the Main Observatory at 150 meters and the Special Observatory at 250 meters. You get a distant view of Mount Fuji - one of the most recent entrant to the list of world heritage site.

Luckily, the window of our room offered a panoramic view of the city's skyline with Tokyo Tower. We couldn't get enough of this beautiful view. 

Tokyo Tower from our hotel room - Night Time

Tokyo Tower from the hotel room -Daytime

Zojoji Temple, one of Tokyo's major temples, is an attraction close to the tower. While ringing of bell in shrines and temple may not be unique to Japan but the size of the bells definitely is. In fact the size is so big that the monks have to heave the hammer with entire body-effort. The sound can be heard kms away. Read more about the temple here (http://www.zojoji.or.jp/en/)

Evening Ringing of the Bell. Notice the effort from the monk !!!

One of the most intriguing aspect of Tokyo is the that ultra modern culture thrives juxtaposed with the traditional without conflict. It is often the same people who are seen embracing both these aspects.

Girls in traditional kimono

How to reach
The closest subway stations to Tokyo Tower are Onarimon Station on the Mita Subway Line and Akabanebashi Station on the Oedo Subway Line. You can also walk there from Hamamatsucho Station on the JR Yamanote and JR Keihin-Tohoku Line in about 15 minutes.

Rainbow Bridge-

View from the beach side

The Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato, Tokyo.
The towers supporting the bridge are white in color.There are lamps placed on the wires supporting the bridge, which are illuminated every night using solar energy obtained during the day. The Rainbow Bridge carries three transportation lines on two decks.The bridge supports an expressway, a regular road, the Yurikamome train line and pedestrian walkways along both sides.

Rainbow bridge looks beautiful in the night

The French Statue of Liberty came to Odaiba,in April 1998  commemoration of "The French year in Japan". In 2000, a replica of the French Statue of Liberty was erected at the same place because of its popularity.Two more exist-one in Shimoda and one in Osaka.
Taking the train to crossing the rain brow bridge is a wonderful experience. The train, glides over the  bridge,curving along its gracious curves.We did not sit during the entire journey and stood right at the front so we do not miss any moment of this delightful ride.Take a walk or the train-ride over this beautiful bridge..
How to reach:
The easiest way to get to Rainbow Bridge is to take the Yamanote line to Shinbashi Station, then get the Yurikamome train from Shinbashi to Shibaura-Futou.From there it is a 10 minute walk to the bridge.

Asakusa-

The famous Asakusa KannonTemple

Sensoji,  also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. When approaching the temple, visitors first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the outer gate of Sensoji Temple and the symbol of Asakusa and the entire city of Tokyo.A shopping street of over 200 meters, called Nakamise, leads from the outer gate to the temple's second gate, the Hozomon.

Entrance

 Typical Japanese souvenirs such as yukata, folding fans and various traditional local snacks from the Asakusa area are sold along the Nakamise. The shopping street has a history of several centuries.The walk to the temple from the outer gate is particularly crowded on a Sunday.

Nakamise and me :):)

.While the walk to the temple is buzzing with restaurants and the crowds, one building that will catch your attention is the The Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. 

Culture Tourist Information Center. Interesting design.

15-20 minute walk from Asakusa temple will take you to the famous Sumida river. You may indulge in sightseeing cruise, dine in a on-boat restaurant or enjoy the evening long the observation platform by the side of the river.

Sumida River!!

From left to right- Sumida City Hall, Tokyo Skytree, Asahi Beer Tower & Asahi Beer Hall

The Asahi Beer Hall (a.k.a. Super Dry Hall, or Flamme d'Or) is one of the buildings of the Asahi Breweries headquarters located on the bank of the Sumida River.

Travel Tip: The cherry blossoms along the Sumida River are a sight we heard during the Sakura season.

Arigatou gozaimasu for stopping by.