Posts Tagged ‘vacation’

For Video Friday on BreatheDreamGo, I have a video I took while riding in a bicycle rickshaw on the way to the train station from my hotel in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela. I was staying at the wonderful Haveli Hari Ganga, which is located deep in the bazaar – where the streets are too narrow for cars and too crowded with people and stalls piled high with brass figurines of the Hindu pantheon, pyramids of vermilion kumkum powder and neatly stacked wafers of pastel sweets. The hotel has its own bicycle rickshaw for transporting passengers to and from the train station.

Front gate of "the Beatles ashram," Rishikesh

All you need is love

This blog is dedicated to my older brother Matthew. If it wasn’t for his Beatles obsession in the late 60s and early 70s, I might never have come to India. I used to follow him around when we were children, which meant listening to a lot of Beatles music. I remember looking intently at the pictures of the Beatles — especially George Harrison, my fave  — wearing long hair, flowing shirts and marigold garlands. I had always loved anything “Oriental, exotic and mystical,” and when the Beatles went to India, I was entranced. I secretly wished I was old enough to be a “hippie” and join them. Read the rest of this entry »

Kanchendzonga, sunrise, March 8 2010

Stop two on my IndiaTourism-sponsored road trip was three nights in Darjeeling, known as the “queen of the hill stations,” and home of the “toy train” and of course the “champagne of tea.”

I have long wanted to visit Darjeeling and when I was researching and planning my trip, I set my heart on staying at the Windamere Hotel.  I had also set my heart on getting up at 4 am to drive from Darjeeling to Tiger Hill to watch the sun rise light up the great Himalayan range on my 50th birthday. Luckily for me, both IndiaTourism and nature cooperated. Read the rest of this entry »

The entrance to the Kailasa Temple, Ellora

The Ellora and Ajanta caves are located outside of Aurangabad, which is an eight-hour train ride from Mumbai, heading towards the geographical centre of India. The centre of India is actually quite a remote area and many tourists give it a pass, in favour of the more well-known places like Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala and Agra / the Taj Mahal.

But if I have my way, the caves will join the Taj Mahal on the must-see list both for visitors to India and Indians. I am not a scholar or expert on ancient Buddhist and Hindu painting and sculpture, but I know a good thing when I see it. These caves are magnificent. I knew, of course, that they were amazing and worth a visit, but I was overwhlemed by their beauty, antiquity, immensity and scope. Read the rest of this entry »

Goan sunset

I have always resisted going to Goa, though many people have told me they love it. The beautiful sand beaches and historical buildings sounded good; but the party scene, commercialism and touristy vibe didn’t. However, Goa is situated between Bangalore and Bombay, roughly, so I decided to stop for a few days enroute and see what the fuss was all about. Read the rest of this entry »

Casa Piccola Cottage is one of those special places that I always endeavour to find in India. It is a wonderful combination of safe, peaceful, clean, comfortable, affordable, charming and most of all friendly. To be considered for inclusion into my list of special places to stay in India, a hotel or guest house has to be owner-operated — and the owners have to be friendly, helpful and provide personalized service.

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