Memoirs of a Wandering Nomad

Bikaner - Daal Kachoris and 360 Cenotaphs Days: 2, Total Km: 1000 Gurgaon - Till Kotpulti via NH8 - Right towards Udaipurwati on SH - Opening at Sikar - Sri Dungarpur - Bikaner via NH 11 [450km] Stay at Bikaner Bikaner - NH 11 till Ratangarh - right to Churu on NH 65 - SH to Jhunjhunu - Bagad - Chirawa - Rewari - Gurgaon --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November is the best time to travel around northern India. And we want to make up for the lost time this year. So this weekend we plan to do one trip to Rajasthan. Since most nearby parts are already done many times over, we decide to go further North and cover that one apex of the Rajasthan triangle that is not yet covered - Bikaner . We leave early on the Saturday, around 6:30am, since Bikaner is far and we do not know the condition of the roads. We pay the customary visit to the Manesar McDonald's for breakfast. By 8am w...

Day 3 – 3 Nov, 2009, Tuesday Fagu – Theog – Chhaila – Khara Pathar – Jubbal – Hatkodi – Rohru – Back to Fagu [250km] I get up early, around 6am. It is a bright and sunny morning. Since we are the only guests staying at the resort, there is no tea or breakfast. I coax the attendant to get me some toast and butter, and chai. The verandah is sparkling with golden sunlight. And so is the Giri valley. We plan to make Fagu the base and move about. A wise decision in hindsight, since there are no livable places in Jubbal area. Around 8:30am, we leave the resort and move towards Theog (10km). At Theog, one road goes towards Narkanda, and the other goes towards Chhaila, which is what we take. The road is downhill and filled with landslides that are recently cleared. The going is a bit rough, and dusty. Chhaila is in the valley, near the river, about 25km from Theog. Once at Chhaila, you start seeing the river to the left of your side. The road is narrow and winding, but the best part ...

Delhi – Chandigarh – Chail – Kufri – Fagu – Jubbal – Hatkoti – Shimla – Return [1200km] Not very long ago, I got caught in a conversation about time-share holidays and how great they are, and how we can plan our holidays and get the best out of the vacation. The gentleman running the time-share business kept insisting that I try out their lovely packages, and I kept smiling, and nodding, and refusing in the most non-offensive manner. The task was especially difficult, since the time-share company I am referring to is also a client for my consulting assignments. There is no way possible that I can explain and convince these people that for me, time-share is not possible in this life. For that, one needs to plan the vacation. And for me, that is exactly what I get away from when I vacation – planning. Consider today’s scenario. I and my wife decide on a forced vacation for ourselves, since we believe it is a well-deserved one, what with her not traveling and me traveling only for ...