Indian Excursionist

Xin chào, I am back from my maiden backpacking trip and that too, to an amazing country, Vietnam. So here is a brief about things that made me love Vietnam.

1. Street Food Haven

From a hygienic fruit filled breakfast to a full platter of sticky rice in lunch, Vietnam can allure anyone with the savory aroma of its delicious cuisines. Being a vegetarian , I was not sure; if I would be able to find something worth eating which included no meat, no egg. But, this dragon-shaped country has a variety of cuisines for vegetarian travelers in store as well.

It is the mecca for the street food lovers. Among the dizzying traffic and noisy markets of the capital, Hanoi, you’ll find street hawkers, food carts, and makeshift cafes at every turn – all dishing out some genuinely fresh specialty, ready to be devoured on the spot. Pho, Bun Cha (which even Obama couldn't resist), Egg coffee, Banh Mi...are some of the amazing cuisines which we tried and were really ambrosial

A post shared by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Sep 25, 2016 at 4:17am PDT

#vietnamesestreetfood

A post shared by B A O C H A U (@hoangchau2406) on Sep 29, 2016 at 11:07am PDT

Picture courtesy : @hoangchau2406

2. Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a UNESCO world heritage site and, without a doubt, is one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam. Thousands of giant limestone islands fill the bay.

Ha Long, meaning Descending Dragon is derived from the Sion-Vietnamese, features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. The moment you enter the bay you will feel like traveling to the edge of the world. Watching the thousands of limestone karsts standing mightily gives you an amazing sight. Take a cruise or a junk boat, enjoy swimming, kayaking or just chill out at the Cat Ba Island or many such castaway islands.Halong bay has something in store for everyone.

Detail about Halong Bay I will share in my next post, till then just enjoy the scenic beauty.

#travel #blog #travelblog #indianexcursionist #halongbay #instagram #inspiration #travelphoto #peace #vietnam #traveldiary #unescoworldheritage #travelgram

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Sep 19, 2016 at 12:56am PDT

Halong Bay #Vietnam#Amazingasia #travel #backpacking #indianexcursionist #halongbay #lovefortravel #love #peace

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Sep 25, 2016 at 3:30am PDT

3. Paradise Caves of Phong Nha ke Bang

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site and a national park which is world famous for having more than 300 caves and grottoes. Son Doong cave was recently discovered which has the largest cave passage in the world spanning around 5 km long, 200 meters high and 490 meters wide. Most of the caves are still unexplored. The trek to Son Doong is very costly, it costs around 3000 USD for a 7-day trek inside the cave.

Although there are other caves which are really cheap and have fun-filled adventurous activities like zip lining, swimming, cave exploration, kayaking and the ultimate mud bath. These are done at the Dark Caves. You can also explore the Light Caves also known as the Paradise caves, which has out of the world structures naturally built inside the caves. We did the Light and the Dark caves and I was awestruck by experiencing such phenomenal creation of nature.

#traveloholic #travel #vietnamdiaries #traveldiaries #nitinbothra #phongnha #caves #paradise #journeytothecenteroftheearth #julesverne #instatravel #travelblogger

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Aug 16, 2016 at 6:52am PDT

HANG EN CAVE ADVENTURE TOUR IS STILL OPEN UNTIL SEPT 10!!!! Grab your chance today to have the last spots of this season! Book now at our website www.oxalis.com.vn or email us at [email protected]

A photo posted by Oxalis Adventure Tours (@oxalisvietnam) on Sep 1, 2016 at 7:24pm PDT

Picture Courtesy for the above image : @oxalisvietnam

4. Ancient World Heritage Site Hoi An

Hoi An, Vietnam was an important trading port from the 15th to the 19th century and has had a major harbor since the 1st century. “Ancient” is really a more apt description than “old” for the town, but it still has a feeling of being incredibly cosmopolitan and bustling. The town reflects influences from Vietnam and from all of the different cultures that have been coming together there for trade for the last couple thousand of years.

There is a decidedly unreal feeling you get wandering around the streets of the Ancient city. A feeling I found to be more dream-like than Disneyland, and the people who live there seem to take pride in how beautiful and well-preserved the town is. The yellow houses and shops were really giving an artistic perspective to the town. The streets near the river were full of creative minded backpackers and travelers from around the world. Everyone there looked peaceful and happy, gazing the exquisite scenic beauty of Hoi An.

#vietnam #hoian #backpacking #travel #instagram #indianexcursionist #photogtaphy #unesco #world #heritage #site #love #romantic #location

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Sep 25, 2016 at 3:57am PDT

Hoi An - UNESCO World Heritage Site #hoian #unescoworldheritagesite #travel #indianexcursionist #instatravel #instagram #Vietnam #Japanesebridge #traveldiaries #photogtaphy

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Sep 25, 2016 at 3:51am PDT

5. People of Vietnam

According to me, if you want to judge a place, you have to consider two things, food and people. Some countries have really reserved people and they don't love to interact or even smile in return.

But Vietnam was completely different. People were happy and had a curious mind towards tourist. Vietnamese are hard working and always give a cute smile, if you make an eye contact with them. The young Vietnam is completely influenced by the western culture and loves to party a lot, but on the other hand they never sacrifice their work for entertainment. They are, what you call the type of people who believed in, "Work while you work and Play while you play."

#Vietnam #indianexcursionist #peopleofvietnam #travel #backpacking #asia #people

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Oct 1, 2016 at 2:22pm PDT

Smiling faces of Vietnam #travel #indianexcursionist #vietnam #hue #photography

A photo posted by Nitin Bothra (@indian.excursionist) on Oct 1, 2016 at 6:35am PDT

I would recommend everyone to park their doubts about this small, yet beautiful country and just travel through every part of it. We didn't have enough time to explore Sapa, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Saigon,and I still regret about not extending the trip. But anyways, I will come again Vietnam. After this trip I was so motivated that I started working on creating a Digital Venture and now I am Managing Partner at Accetrix-Digital Marketing Company in Ahmedabad, India

Heaven is not a place, but an experience of happiness, peace and joy. So is the hottest travel destination of India in the month of May-September , Ladakh. Although the term hottest travel destination sometimes for some people means amazing night life, pubs, bars, beaches etc. But for the one who wants to travel in the true sense, to attain peace and happiness from the day to day rough life, Road trip to Ladakh is the hottest Travel Experience.

With its serene natural virgin beauty, peaceful atmosphere, one can feel like they are in heaven. It is also a paradise to photographers because of its ultimate picturesque terrain in India and perhaps in the World. Highest motorable road in the world will surely give you an adrenaline rush.Sitting in the monastery, in the serenity of the monks will give you inner peace and a motivation to search for the true meaning of our life.

We decided to take a break from our hectic routine life and take a leap of faith, so we planned for Leh-Ladakh. We took the all time favorite route of Delhi- Chandigarh- Manali- Rohtang La - Jispa - Sarchu - Tanglang La - Upshi- Leh and after that visited Pangong Tso - Chang La and back via the same route to Delhi. I'm chronicling my road trip adventure for CEAT Tyres in association with BlogAdda.

Now everyone knows these routes and every village which comes in between due to so much publicity by travelers. This route is a test for the tyres with silky smooth road of Delhi- Chandigarh - Manali to almost no road of Rohtang La - Keylong - Jispa - Sarchu - Baralachala. Along with the Tyre it is also a test of one's grit and patience. With atmosphere varying to extremities and pressure going down with every next step taken towards the destination.

Tip: One must carry spare tyres,tubes and other motor bike accessory that will fail in such extreme conditions. CEAT Tyres are well suited for such terrains. Also carry spark plugs, clutch plate, clutch wires, bike oil etc. which may break down. In these wilderness it is hard to find the exact accessory and a mechanic to solve the issues. One must know troubleshooting tips of bike so that in case of a break down one can at least reach a populated area.

Delhi-Chandigarh-Manali

The road from Delhi to Chandigarh is a 6 lane highway which is a smooth ride. You can have a feel of Yash Chopra's movies with mustard (Sarso ke khet) farms, sugar-cane farms, road side lassi counters and especially the vaishnao dhabas which serve finger licking good punjabi food which is hard to find anywhere else. Keep yourself hydrated at all times during this route. This route can be covered in a day with no break down ideally.

Manali - Rohtang La - Baralachala - Sarchu

This route can be covered in a day but one must not try hard to complete in one day. During our first trip to Ladakh we tried to cover this in one day and we did reach Sarchu at night around 9 pm, which is worst time in these areas with no light source except the moon light and chilling below zero temperature, it is a risk which is not advisable.

Apart from that, this route is the main attraction for Leh -Ladakh road trip lovers. It will give you all sorts of fun, from handsome mountains to beautiful valleys and small rivers which are created due to melting of snow. This route has road from Manali to Rohtang after that from Rohtang to Keylong the ride is not so smooth. From Keylong to Jispa, you can again relax your clutch and brakes. But now the worst roads starts from Jispa to Sarchu. There is no road literally, moreover the melting of snow creates waterfalls which are hard to cross over. The temperature of these water can create frost bite if proper precaution is not taken. After these nalas you will enter the Baralachala zone where you will see nothing but white snow spread across the whole range. The road conditions are okay but the snow shredding can cause breathing problem. You can rest in the tents in Sarchu for the night in the lap of the highest mountain ranges. Sarchu is the border town of Himachal Pradesh - Jammu & kashmir

Sarchu - Naki La - Pang - Tanglang La - Karu - Leh

This route will reveal to you the naked beauty of mountains, The azure sky, brown mountains and the roads of More Plains (if there is any). This route is a paradise for photographers. There are sculptures made on the mountains by nature. The only sound you can hear is of the cold wind gushing by. This trip cannot be described in words. The pictures below will surely explain.

The journey ends here in Leh for now. The journey from Delhi-Leh completed safely without any major breakdown. In my next post I will reveal the journey back which has the real adventures, truck ride from Pangong to Leh and Sarchu to Manali. with the motor bike becoming an obstruction to the journey but in the end a memorable trip.

As children we have heard a lot many scary ghost stories. These haunted stories still scare us in our dreams. We tend to drowse our-self in a pure hair raising experience on most haunted places in world.

It is amazing to see how people, although scared of paranormal events, but crave to feel those unexplained jolts or 'Kick' as it is said now-a-days inspired from Bollywood.

You may have heard about lot of beaches, hotels, houses, palaces and even a complete town being haunted of mysterious powers. Some claim these are true while the others say those are mere mind games which are created by 'chemical locha' and make us think them to be real. One such place is situated about 17 kms from the golden city of Jaisalmar known as Kuldhara Village.

Kuldhara is a deserted place with a despondent environment brings sadness to the heart when one thinks of those unfortunate people who were forced to leave the land of their forefathers. However, the place doesn't seem to be spooky for any reason other than the legends themselves, and for our own perception based on those stories

After a visit to the golden city we had our lunch and headed towards Sam sand dunes. We knew about a haunted village situated nearby, but it was not on our wishlist. We were already mesmerized by the adventures that awaited us at sand dunes, it never occurred to us that Kuldhara Village was on our route. So when driver said that this road leads to Kuldhara Village, The Haunted Village, do you wish to visit ? We responded forthwith. Hell YES !!!!

It was a well planned township, but was demolished by the then king Salim Singh. The story behind this godforsaken town was just like every romantic Bollywood flick we saw. A king liked a girl, who was the daughter of the head of town (The Paliwals). The village did not approve of this. Even the girl rejected the proposal. King got furious, ordered his men to collect extra taxes and create havoc to the life of villagers. Ultimately every villager abandoned the town and since then no one has ever returned.

This place was not at all spooky. But it was a unique experience of exploring a demolished town. The tourism department has renovated a house, which they claim to be the home of the Paliwal Brahmins.The hut was not even close to a place which will give you the chills. Infact its beautiful architecture was ruined by the tourists, who ruined the place with the 21st century garbage. People are so pathetic that they even carved their love stories on the walls. I mean it was somebody's house.

Nevertheless, the carvings and some house paintings gave us a feel about the past.

The town had a temple which was pretty much new in construction. But as per the locals it was ancient. A couple couldn't resist the picturesque landscape and grabbed the photo opp at the roof of the temple. It is an unique experience to see people capturing the memories of their journeys with their loved ones. I believe these are mere modern tactics to preserve your experiences. These travels should mark a memory in your heart as well. Then and only then you can say, yes we enjoyed our getaway.

The disrupted walls of once a home to the working class of the 18th century Jaisalmar. It seems unrealistic, as how can a person do such ferocious deeds and ruin life of innocent lives just to satisfy his selfish interests.

My friend taking a stroll in this secluded town.

We saw a bunker like structure in the house. People say that these were built for hiding from the atrocities of the King. This was somewhat spooky considering it was all dark in there and there was not any kind of stairs to climb down and explore what's in there.

So after experiencing this not so haunted place we were about to exit this village, when suddenly my eyes discovered something funny and unique which was not expected. Jurassic Cactus Park.

Scientists say that in earlier ages the sea at Jaisalmer was deepest nearby at Kuldhara village due to which fossils of many types of sea animals were found there. The stones at Jaisalmer basin are of different time period with which it is easy to find out after a study. The scientists also found evidence of a river flowing after the Jurassic period. As per geology, after the Kremedian period (150 million years ago) the sea started moving backward and rivers started flowing. Fossils of flying dinosaurs were also found in nearby villages of Jaisalmar including Kuldhara.

So we were not too happy with this visit except for the fact that some dinosaur fossils were found in these areas. It may also be true that during the English rule, people wanted to protect these fossils from the hands of the greedy, so they devised this whole horror story.

If you want cheap horror, you can sure visit Kuldhara Village. But if you want the real deal, I would not refrain myself from saying that you will be disappointed here. I would not at all recommend anyone to visit Kuldhara Village, because the only horror at this place is of not finding anything worth visiting and wasting your time.

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5 Things I Loved About Vietnam

1. Street Food Haven

2. Halong Bay

3. Paradise Caves of Phong Nha ke Bang

4. Ancient World Heritage Site Hoi An

ROAD TRIP TO HEAVEN

The Revival : Aravalli Ranges

The Curious Case of Kuldhara Village

Photo of the Week : Ladakh, India

About Me

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featured Slider

5 Things I Loved About Vietnam

1. Street Food Haven

2. Halong Bay

3. Paradise Caves of Phong Nha ke Bang

4. Ancient World Heritage Site Hoi An

ROAD TRIP TO HEAVEN

The Revival : Aravalli Ranges

The Curious Case of Kuldhara Village

Photo of the Week : Ladakh, India

About Me

Follow Us

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