How to get there: Form Chennai the cheapest mode of transport to Mahabalipuram is a bus, though other modes of transport like taxis are available. Buses are available at the Thiruvanmiyur Bus Stand and take about 18-20 rupees one way. The drive along the beach road is fantastic and well worth the 45 minutes one spends on the bus.
Boarding/Lodging:one must be warned about the lodges in Mahabs. They are rather mediocre offering only the bare necessaties. There are however good hotels though they are better booked in advance. The food is not great either . Well then what the heck makes the place worth the trip?
Places to see: The one place that makes the entire trip to Mahabs a memorable one is The Shore Temple...against the setting sun, right along the beach ...sigggghhhhh. Also the Five Rathas. All monolithic structures beautifully and intricately carved
Who should go there:If you are one for beaches...go for it ...if you are one for ancient temples and heritage ...go for it...if you are one to sit at home in front of the computer ..well then get out of this page fast ...
for more information click on the link below
http://www.travel.indiamart.com/places/cities/mamallapluram/index.htm
How do I get there: well you could try asking a passing tiger on his way there or you could try a local train from Calcutta to Canning. The cost of the ticket is a mere ...well I think it was less than Rs 7/-. Anyway from there you hire a boat..or rather you get a ticket to be on a boat.People will be well adviced to go for this trip through a travel Agent or the West Bengal Tourism. The latter has great boats that cruise along the ganges. Anyway a trip otherwise would be no problem just a whole load of things to worry about that is all...through a travel agent the entire trip (3 days and 2 nights) should not cost more than 1200/-
Boarding and Lodging: Hey I thought I told you this one was on a boat. You spend all your days and nights on a boat cruising the lovely Ganges...food too...many would be adviced to take a bottle of mineral water and unless you are on a West Bengal Tourism Boat don't expect too much of the loos ...they are small to say the least and the last thing you want to add to your woes is an upset stomach...
Places to see: Once you are on the boat they wil probably show you round Sunderbans. You wil be lucky to see a tiger and probably not all that lucky if you catch sight of an odd crocodile slithering into the murky waters. One more place to see is where five tributaries of the Ganga merge together . AMAAAAZZZZIIINNNNGGG
Who should go there : Well this one is really simple ...you like going on a boat ..do you like the thought of going on a boat..do you find it interesting imagining yourself on a boat in the swamp braving the small loo...do you fancy yourself getting pally with a couple of Bengal Tigers and a couple of crocs thrown in for good measure...well you should probably go here then
for more information click on the link below
www.indianwildlife.com/npsunderbans.htm
How do I get there: well the easiest way is a bus from Bhuvaneshwar . It costs about 60/- and there is no better way to see the Orrisa countryside. It really is beautiful. The rice fields and the bucolic ambience (a touch of grammer)...well that is no doubt the best way to be to Puri
Boarding /Lodging: Unless you are one for expensive places the OTDC guest house should do just fine for you . they are good cheap and right next to the BEACH ...YEAAAAHHH...then of course there is the MayFlower ..boooringggg...Grub at the OTDC is great and so is the service. furthermore they organize trips to Konark and so also to the Chilka Lake. Great Places ...The beach at Puri is great ..I was lucky enough to see a fish dart accross the waves not ten inches from where I stood ...
Places to see:once you are at the OTDC there is really nothing else to do...you can take at your leisure a bus to Konark which costs about thirty bucks. This is a place you should really be to. The temple is AWESOME to say the least. There are so many facts to this I am going to hand you a link so can appreciate the beauty of our heritage.
Come back and you could go to the Jagannath Temple at Puri. we were lucky we went there when they were changing the temple flags . It is a stunt few would brave ..involves climbing up the temple braving the rough winds at that altitude to change it.
The next day you are off to Chilka Lake to spy on some dolphins and if you are in season on a large species of exotic birds . The season is May-July...be there and have the shrimp-curry...yummmmmaaaaayyyy
I would not advice more than three to four days in Orrisa if your plan involves only Puri and Bhubaneshwar.
Who should go here? Welll anybody and everybody should be to Orissa..it really is the most amazing state...(apart from Kerala...)
for more information click on the following link
well so much has been written about these places I really would not be doing much justice to them ...only a word of caution ...if you are one for quite places then Haridwar might not be the place for you ...try Rishikesh it offers the best of both worlds ...a place to sit and sip on some heavenly lemon tea and a place to pray...
www.travel.indiamart.com/travelagents/rishikesh.htm
Matheran/ Mahuli/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park
How do I get there : From Mumbai one has to catch the local to Neral (not Nerul), that lies on the central track, and is on the way to Karjat. Right once you have endured he 2.5 hour journey in the bloody heat, you reach the town. From Neral Matheran is a picturisque 11km trek away up a mountain road. We did the trek at night,however during the monsoons its advisable to do it in the daytime so you can see the greenery around.
Boarding/Lodging: Matheran is bloody teeming with hotels. A nights stay should cost a head around 50-150 bucks depending on where you want to stay.The grub is good and clean, and so is the place to stay ...most of the time. However we decided to mess it up by squeezing toothpaste on the mirror before we left. (The service was pathetic, hence the reaction :))
Places to see: There are several points in Matheran, all of them showing the same canyon at different angles.
Who should go there: Hmmmm, if you are one for night treks, monsoon treks and horse riding, GO FOR IT. However the place is freaking populated during the peak season so do think about it...
There are other beautiful places to trek in and around Mumbai. One of the better ones was this place named Mahuli, which is again on the central like. From Dadar its best to take a train to Asangaon and the trek starts not 20 minutes (by auto) from the place. The trek is doable within a day and clearly the best time to do the tek would be in the monsoons. The best part about the Mahuli trek is the walk on the ridge and the fort on top of the hills. Really picturesque and a beautiful place to be during the rains.
Another place of interest might be the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Situated in the Thane district, one can enter it either from the Thane side (nearthis water park named Tit --something) and then trek into the jungle. You would require official permission to walk into the forest, though once got there is no better place to be in the rains. We were crazy enough to walk into the forest with only a bed sheet and sleep on the rocks next to a stream hoping it would not rain :). The Gods were not on our side and it did, though only for a few hours. The trek is excellent and apparently there are wilk leopards to be seen though we managed to spot some tadpoles and crabs and considered ourselves lucky.
How do I get there : From Calcutta a bus to Siliguri is probably not the best option. I mean especially when you have a train. The bus journey takes 16-18 hours and can be quite a bore..try it only if you are a lunatic ...though that is what I tried the first time I went ...from Siliguri you will find easy transport to Darjeeling...there wil be hordes of people willing to take you ...it is about three -four hours and should not take you more than 60-80 bucks...
Boarding/Lodging: You really have nothing to worry about once you are in Darjeeling . The area is teeming with people who will guide you to places ..and hey the places are great too...the food is good and the cold acts as a stimulant , don't forget to buy some Darjeeling tea while you are here..its great ...more on that later
Places to see: Darjeeeling is a well developed tourist Hill-Station, more developed than Mussorrie. It has plenty of things to offer to tourists craving for excitement. There is white water rafting not far from Darjeeling and several trekking locales like the Tiger Hills. But if you are looking for some real hardcore trekking...I would advice you to go in for the trek to Sandakphu...it really is quite mindboggling ..from there you can see the Kunchenjunga and the Mt. Everest...it really is beautiful...a must see for trekking enthusiasts...
Who should go there: well if you are not one for mountains and trekking ...you should not go there ...but if you are for adventure and white water rafting ,rock climbing ,trekking ..GANGAAAAAAWAY....
How do I get there : Well I don't remember the details in specific, but I know we rented out a jeep real cheap (Rs 1000 for a day), and drove from Bhilai, which is the steel city to Chitrakoot. The drive as such is up sme mountains and down some more and so on and so forth and extremely tiring,and you must be warned that the Msdhya Pradesh drivers scarcely look at the road or the speed limit while driving.
Boarding/Lodging: Nothing much to worry about out here, cause there are some places close to Chitrakoot where you could halt for the night, and drive up to the place in the morning. The lodging is cheap and that's probably the best I remember about it...
Places to see: Madhya Pradesh is unexplored and rural...there are plenty of forts and palaces to be seen in this state. You would probably be adviced to go to Gwalior, Chitrakoot and the Kanha National Park for Tigers. We were here too now that I rememeber, and the waterfalls are very impressive. We were unlucky I guess cause we did not see any tigers, but there are plenty who have. Chitraoot is probably the most beautiful waterfall I have seen, and one might not want to miss this. Also not to miss is the Khajuraho sculptures...though I did :(
Who should go there: Well if you are one for high speed mountain driving :), tigers, waterfalls, pristine territory and dry heat ...jump into Madhya Pradesh ...for more details Madhya Pradesh has this really beautiful site
How do I get there : Rajasthan is probably India's most tourist friendly state...next to Kerala. Major roads connect the state from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat. I went from Ahmedabad on a two day trip to Rajasthan. I took the overnight bus for 300 rupees and was in Udaipur at 4:30 am. One can also take thee road from Delhi and the train from anywhere :). I came back to Ahmedabad on an unreserved ticket ...an experience I am not likely to forget sometime soon :).
Getting to Mount Abu is easy. You just have to take a bus from anywhere in Ahmedabad. There is a reasonable bus frequency and the rates are very low.
Boarding/Lodging: Lodging and boarding in Rajasthan is both cheap, clean and easy to locate. People are very friendly to tourists. I was given a single bed for around 299/- per night...with a TV and air conditioning. Furthermore you don't have to run around looking for places. The moment I got off the Udaipur bus stand, the auto drivers volunteered to take me to a hotel, and this was at 4:30 in the morning :) (I LOVED IT :)). Furthermore in some cases the hotel owner himself might organize transport for you to go around the city, and this will work out between 200-300 rupees for a day of sight seeing.
Places to see: Rajasthan is a beautiful place, and its definitely worth going to. People are colorful and pleasant. The food is good and cheap and there are plenty of places to see. I went to the Chetak Cemetry, the local museum in Udaipur, beautiful mountain garden, the city palace, the pichola lake and the cottage industry. The city palace was clearly the most beautiful of them all. All the sites were pretty and reasonably well maintained. The highlight of the trip was a camel ride near the mountain garden. The camel looked bored and was absolutely at bliss, and the camel owner had a neon turban!!
Far from the heat and grime of Udaipur is the heat and grime of Jaipur. However between the two heat and grimes is the calm Mount Abu. No one in their right mind should miss this. The Dilwara temple at Mount Abu is a work of genius and nowhere in the world will you find a place like this. There are guides roaming around, who will give you an explanation for a nominal amount. The place is well maintained and Mount Abu itself is well connected by road.
Who should go there: If you have a brain ...:). Well for further details you could follow the link below...
How do I get there : I went from Mumbai so there are plenty of options possible. You can take the Volvo bus which is an extremely comfortable option and costs only 600/-.Alternatively you can take a normal sleeper which should cost you around 245 bucks or a normal sitter bus that can get really cheap and really uncomfortable. If you are looking for a budget travel then a sleeper bus is recommended and if you are looking for comfort then go for a volvo. There is also a train from Mumbai for those looking for a bit of both and a very picturisque view.
Boarding/Lodging: Ok here is the catch. This really depends on the time that you are in Goa. For a place near Calangute beach we ended up paying 700/- per night for a double AC room with a TV and a refrigerator. But we landed up there in October which was really only the beginning of the season. For those of you going in the middle of the season which would be around December mid, the same room could cost you around 2500/-!! The food is a separate cost. If you a non-veg then the per meal cost could work out to around 200/- depending on the food you choose to have. If you are a veg then WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN GOA !! Serious there is very little choice for vegitarians in Goa except for this solitary 100% veg joint named Plantain Leaf. The dishes to have are (shlurp shlurp) Chicken Vindaloo, Kingfisher fish steak, Rice and fish curry, rice and prawn curry, seafood plate ..Yuummmmmmyyyyyy :).A highly recommended place is St. Anthony's and Brittos on Baga beach.
Places to see: There are plenty of things to see in Goa. The first thing you must do however is to rent out a bike. The bikes can cost anywhere between 200-400 bucks a day depending on the time of the year. Once on the bike fill it up and then you can visit Panjim (for the boat ride and the main city), Fort Aguada (Thats where the Dil Chahta Hai movie was filmed) Calangute, Baga and Anjuna beaches (I never thought there could be different kinds of beaches, but there really are !!) and then to Mapusa to see the local market and to buy cashews and stuff and real low rates. The cashews should cost around 250 bucks a kilo. You can also go boogie boarding at the Baga beach and these are available for rent at 50 rupees an hour. There are umbrellas and the beach chairs nearby available for 50 bucks for 2 hours!
Well unfortunately that is all the space I have but if you have any further
queries mail me ...you could mail me regarding places I have not mentioned
here and I could provide some first hand information ...well at least a few
links ...
