Akshardham Temple, Delhi

Akshardham Temple is a must see place in Delhi. Recently built, its one of the most beautiful monument ever built. The vast spread area gives enough space for peace and relaxation. Very well managed and conveniently placed this temple is much more than a place of worship with idols. Its a culture, a emotion, a story and a history in itself. Built is span of 5 years, this monument will continue to inspire masses for generations.

Location:
New Delhi

Nearest metro Station:
Akshardham(change from Rajeev Chowk and board in metro for noida city centre. In case you take train for Vaishali, then change from yamuna bank and take metro for Akshardham)

Days of Operation:
All except Monday

Best time to reach:
Although temple is open through out the day (Last entry at 6:00 pm), The best time to reach temple is at 1 in the afternoon.

3 not so famous things in Akshardham which you should not miss:
1.Swaminarayan Khichdi in food court. Cost Rs 45. health, tasty, holy and special.
2.Abhishek Mandapam - Visit this place for ultimate relaxing and enlightening moment of your life. Here you get chance to personally worship god swaminarayan.
3. Exhibition hall - Nice Collection of Swaminarayan T-shirts and herbal products in the exhibition hall are the two things which I like the most. Conveniently priced these are a good buy as token of memory  from this temple.

3 things you must be aware of when you visit temple
1. Buy a map right at the entrance. its Rs 5 and is available in various languages.
2. The frisking is pretty rigorous to ensure safety. So it might just take 15 to minutes while you wait to enter in.
3. Short clothes for girls are not allowed in temple, so make sure you wear something more than knee length.

Dehradun- Good things about it - Part 2

places to visit in dehradun-

Sahastradhara-
Sahastradhara meaning a thousandfold spring is an ideal picnic spot of dehradhun, a must visit for tourists and residents.With its beautiful serenic beauty, waterfall, fun world, ropeway ride, Lord shiva temple and spring water with great medical properties, Sahastradhra is situated around 11 km from the main city. You can take a bus, a taxi or an auto rickshaw to get there.Budget hotels and restaurants are also available at Sahastradhara.

There is a provision to get right at the top of the mountain through ropeway, also called trolley. the view from the mountain top is marvelous with lush green surrounding- really a balm to the eyes.One can find a fun world, disco, park and a temple at the hilltop.
The fun world is equipped with joy rides,water rides for both kids and adults.one can dance and enjoy at the disco or just relax and feel the beauty of nature at the park.
The lord Shiva temple has its own charm with its historic architecture and grand idol of Lord Shiva.
It is said that the waterfall and the spring flowing at sahastradhara contains great medical properties and if we take a bath in this water many of our skin diseases can be healed, moreover our stomach diseases can be cured on consumption of this water.One can enjoy the fresh waterfall and spring bath ( changing rooms are available too)

Vaishno Devi Temple

Sahastra Dhara

Ropeway

Shastra Dhara

Fun World at Hilltop

smart tip- If one takes a Volvo from Delhi to reach Deheradun, then most probably reaching time will be early in the morning. Now, the checkout time for most of the hotels is at 12 noon. So the best thing one can do is to hire a taxi and visit Sahastra Dhara . Take a dip here and then visit your hotel.You feel fresh.

Tapkeshwar temple-
Tapkeshwar temple is one of the famous temples of lord Shiva.It is said that Dhrona Acharya of  Mahabharata medicated at this place to attain more knowledge.Tapkeshwar temple is situated amidst the forest valley around 6.5 km from the main city of dehradun.Filled with the devotees of Lord Shiva, the entrance of Tapkeshwar temple has rows of shops which sells snacks and prasadam. One has to get down a row of stairs to reach the main temple.
Different kind of Shivlings can be found at Tapkeshwar temple, the most attractive and the famous being that built from rudhaksha.There is a small cave inside the temple.The temple has a natural surrounding trees and other plantation all around.

Vaishno Devi Temple

Rudraksh Shivling

There is a goddess Santosi mandir as well, every friday the arati at santosi mata mandir is worth attending.
One will also find a mini Vaishno devi cave at Tapkeshwar temple.(Must watch if you have not been to Vaishno Devi temple at Katra)
The serene, pure and natural environment provides great peace to heart and soul .

8 Must see things in Delhi

The capital of India, is a prominant place for all tourists. majorly people do come here for official visits or to meet relatives in here. Delhi is a beautiful city with mixed religious views. In Delhi one can find every religion, every cast, every color of human race at one place.

The best part of Delhi is undoubtedly the food. Every gully has a speciality food. You name it and you get it for all types of Indian and international foods.

5 Must visit places to visit if you are in Delhi are:


1. Akshardham Temple.
2. Adventure Island
3. Malls of Saket,
4. Chandani Chownk,
5. Bangla Sahib Gurdwara.
6.India Gate
7. Dilli Haat, INA 
8.Cannaught Place
Keep watching this space for more information on each of the spots given here.!!

happy travelling

What all to do & what not to do at Kufri, Himachal Pradesh.

It's worth going to Kufri only when it snows there. Kufri is a nice place but you need to be bit cautious of the pony riders there.

As soon as you will reach Kufri via taxi, they will drop you at the place full of pony riders. Mostly Pony riders are greedy and will propose you to get package worth Rs 4500 or Rs 3500 for suit, pony, boots etc... Your taxi driver is also getting commissions from the guy and might tell you that this is right.

The actual rate for pony is Rs 380 for full trip and Rs 250 for small trip. Now, even if you tell them the standard rates, they might just propose you another package of Rs 550. There is no package like that and its a sham. Basically they need to show everything if you take Rs 380 package.

The rent for a pair of boots is Rs 100 per person. Make sure you wear the right size so that you are comfortable while you walk and travel on pony.

Now what is the difference between Rs 250 package and Rs 380 package.

The Story what pony Riders will tell:
Rs 380 one includes everything including the top Hill. We will take you to the top. There is no time restriction. In Rs 250 package you will just have small pony ride and that is it. Skeeing and Fagu Valley is not included.

What They Actually Mean:
In Rs 380 package they will take you directly to Fagu Valley and drop you at Kufri Fun World gate. They will tell you to call them up when you are done with roaming around. Make sure you have their number. You can also find number of pony rider on the ticket given to you at the time of hiring the pony. If you have opted for Rs 250 package they will take you for 20 minutes ride on pony and drop you at place full of snow. The will not take you to Kufri Fun World (depends on mood of pony rider).

What is it supposed to be:
If you have taken Rs 250 package you are eligible to go till Kufri Fun World Entry Ticket Counter and if you have taken Rs 380 package you can go till top peak of Kufri. Basically the only difference between these two packages is the peak point which pony drivers will rarely take you to. Other difference is the time limit. In Rs 250 package there is time limit of 2 hrs. All the details are written on the ticket you take. All the places and tourist points are mentioned on the ticket itself so read the ticket carefully.

What to do at Kufri ?
There are a few things you can do in Kufri. Most of the things are at Fagu Valley. You can see 10 famous spots around Shimla and in Himalayas via telescope. The charges for the same are Rs100 per person. there is a shooting spot where you can shoot some bottles and stuff. nothing great but depends upon your choice. Going further you will find place to get yourself clicked on Yak and with Himachali dresses on. Once your pony driver drops you  are at Fagu Valley your pony rider will ask you to call him on his phone 20 minutes before you wish to leave. Ask him to stay there itself as there is not much to do at Fagu valley. 30 minutes are just enough. Ask him to drop you at entrance gate of Kufri fun World and then go wherever he wants to and give him a call 30 minutes before you leave Kufri Fun World. Make sure you tell him to meet you at the spot where he dropped you.

The Kufri Fun World
There are various entry rates to Kufri Fun World . The minimum entry ticket is of Rs 100. If skeeing is available, you must try it. The ticket for skeeing costs Rupees 300 per person for 30 minutes. Ask them to increase the time and they might as well do  40 minutes for you. There are  packages for swings and go karting as well. If you wish to go kart make, you may like to ask if there is any snow on track. Most of the times there is no snow on it. Kufri Fun world is place for good photographs if you are with the family. People do sit in dummy helicopter and get themselves clicked. 

Sarojini Nagar Market, New Delhi

Located near quite premises of Chanakya Puri , this is one of the most happening markets in Delhi. Very compact yet famous, this market is a paradise for girls shopping .You can always find people being surprised with kind of prices offered here. Thanks to tough competition among vendors, you can rule the price by bargaining. The market is primarily divided in 2 parts. Central Market and Babu Market. Central market being the main. Let us explore few smart tips about the markets:

Smart Tip 1: Bargain  BARGAIN : Yes ! You must bargain even if you find prices to be dirt cheap. I purchased table covers for a open air vendor at a bargain hard to believe. The vendor asked for 250 rupees for a pack of 6 and I finally managed it for Rs 60. Although there are a few fixed price shop, but do try to bargain everywhere. Rule of thumb says, if the are ready to bargain even 1 rupee, you get the thing at as low as 50% of what they quote.(Even less). If you are foreigner or look like one. The prices will be exorbitantly high for you, try confirming with local shopper the price for the article.

Smart Tip 2: Parking : Sarojini Nagar Market is proud to have Delhi's first multi-level parking system. It's nicely managed with escorts who are more than ready to help you. The fine white building have capacity of more than 800 vehicles. The cost for parking is Rs 10 per hour which is not to high. it takes 5-6 hours to explore the market and so parking cost comes out to be 50-60 rupees only.

You can park your car at other dedicated parking slots as well. These places do charge 20 rupees for 8 hours, but on rush days, it can be hard to find parking at such spots.

Must buys: 

Western Clothes- Girls paradise for clothing needs, grab a Tee for as low as Rs. 150 or even 100 which might just long one season or even more. 

Sarees: You might just get bowled over by the kind of prices these guys are keeping for Sarees. Its hard to believe that the pretty looking saree can cost you just Rs 250. Amazing collection at incredible price. 

Accessories:  Girls accessories at its best. Traditional accessories to steal. Bargain as much as you can think of and you might just get it. 

Shoes : Steletoes, Titios and open air vendors give you a variety of footwear to choose from.

If you want to experience the best steal the deal experience in Delhi , go for SN market.

nearest station to sarojini nagar market is INA which is around 2 km away from the market.

Places to see around Shimla

Here is a list of places you can see around Shimla,

Kufri
Green Valley
Wild Flower Hall
Helly Pad
Bhimkali Temple
Mahasu Peak,
Apple Garden (Kufri)
Fagu Valley(Kufri)
Maheshwari Temple
Indira Tourist Park
Chini bunglow
Mashobra
Naldehra
Kaiyari Ghat
Theog
Matiana
Narkanda
Hatu Peak
Vice Legal Lodge
Prospect Hill
Bird Park
Sankat Mochan Temple
Kamna Devi Temple,
Mini Vaishnoo Devi Gufa
Advance Study
Kamna Devi Temple
Jhaku mandir
Christ church
Mall road

Dehradun- Good things about it - Part 1

There are a many  good things about Dehradun like its natural scenic beauty, the cultured and disciplined crowd, beautiful females, smart and well built men (mostly from Army), FRI, Sahastra Dhara etc. but best thing which made me write this post is the honesty and the fact that people are not that greedy and money minded, as at other tourist places. The temples are more of worship place that being money counters for the priests. It was first time I saw big painted banners outside the temples which read "Please do not give any money in temple" .This was out side Shiv Mandir which falls in the way to Mussoorie. The cab drivers are also pretty decent unless you bump into an exception. We will advise you to take quotes from 2-3 cab drivers before you book one for your trip to  Dehradun /Mussoorie.

One more very good but not so famous place in  Dehradun  is "Gupchup Pani" or the "Robber's Cave". This place is also on the way to the Campty Falls. Make sure you are not wearing tight jeans or saree if you are going to this place as you will get drenched till knees if you enter the cave. It's a cave with waterfalls inside. A good experience. If you have more time you can spend sometime on the nearby river as well. Mostly, its a slow flowing river with big rocks inside on which you can sit and probably click a few photographs.

If you like this place you can even stay at "Rio Resort" which is a decent place to stay, just at a walking distance from Robber's Cave.

Must Try: Lychees in summers is such a relief and you must try lychees in Dehradun if you are there in Month of May, June (Summers)

All in all  Dehradun  is a a nice tourist spot to relax and enjoy natural beauty. Watch out for more in Good things about Dehradun- Part 2

Stay or Mall Road or Circular Road? Both are good

The best place to stay in Shimla is probably the Mall Road, Shimla. However you can try other options as well. We will tell you the benefits of staying at the mall and the benefits of not staying at the mall as well. The good thing about mall is that you can roam around Mall road, Church, Scandal Point etc easily. Other good thing about staying at mall is that you are staying at higher level and so scenic beauty is more beautiful. There are no cars allowed on mall so of course its clutter free.

But what if you do not get to stay at The Mall. Actually no big deal, rather it has got it's own set of benefits. First and foremost you do not have to abide by lift timings to get to your hotel. If you are not aware then let me tell you that lift is the easiest option to reach the Mall Road. It is run by government and takes just Rs 8/- per person one way. The lift timing is around 9 in the morning  till 9 in evening. Now if you are travelling by Volvo or Bus, most probably you will land Shimla Bus Stop at around 7 in the morning or so. At this time it is hard to get good restaurants open near old bus stand. Now if you have booked your hotel at the mall, you will have to walk up to the mall carrying your luggage or else you will need to take a taxi worth 100 to 200 rupees(which is actually not worth) , you can even hire a coolie who will charge you around Rs 100. The option that we stick to was to wait at the restaurant (Hotel Crystal Palace) near the lift and reached mall road when the lift started. Another benefit of staying at the lower level is that you can grab a cab for anywhere right from the union taxi stand near the lift.

Both the options are good and it's upto you to decide which one to choose.the rates of hotels is almost same at both the places.

Best way to reach Jhaku Temple from Mall Road

Jhaku temple is around 20 minutes distance by car from Mall Road.It is know for its tallest and largest idol of Hanuman ji. There are 3 options available to go there..
1. You can walk and it will take you around 45 minutes. Make sure you know the exact way if you opt for this option
2. Take a taxi. It will be expensive affair to hire a taxi. The taxi will charge you somewhere between 100 to 200 rupees. Opt this option if you are a big group or if you have small children and elderly people are with you. The taxi driver will wait at parking spot and then will bring you back.
3. The cheapest and fastest mode to reach the temple is to take government run cab. The cab driver will charge Rs 10 per person.The cab keeps coming at an interval of 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon number of cabs running in a particular day. The only problem is that you need to struggle to get inside the cab as there are many people striving for it and while coming back you need to wait for the cab to arrive at the temple. To get this cab you need to go on the lane on the right side of the church. While you wait for the cab you can grab some tasty snacks at Ritz cafe.

Make sure you are not wearing any goggles or specs when you reach the temple area as there is fear of monkeys snatching it .In worst case scenario, if you become the victim to the monkeys, you can bargain your belonging with the packet of prasadam.Walk up the stairs to the temple empty handed (without anything in your hand and hands outside the your pocket)to avoid encounter with the monkeys.

How much to pay to taxi from Shimla To Kufri?

If you are staying at a hotel in Shimla, the hotelier will provide you services for the travel. Do make sure that you are not getting your cab arranged by them. The best way is to get a taxi from Taxi stand right at the footstep of Lift. This is union taxi stand (Distance: approx 3 kms from old bus stand). Here the rates are genuine.

Cheat Twist: Usually the hotelier will offer you price of 1200 for whole day trip to Kufri. This is way too high as the taxi will not show you any tourist spot.It will just take you to the foothills of Kufri and from there you will have to go horse back to travel the tourist spots. They will try to lure you with false commitments about their services and all. Do not trust them.

Money Saving Tip:I will suggest just try fetching the cheapest cab to reach the place as the cab driver is not going to show you any tourist attractions.

 In the way just ask the cab driver to stop at green valley view point. Here you will find people standing to dress you up and get your snaps done. The cost that they offer is Rs 65 per photo.

Himachali Dress at Green Valley

The Cheat Twist: The cost of one photo is Rs 65 but once you dress up you will be informed that minimum 5 photos will be clicked. This comes out to be 65 x 5 = Rs 325. If you will bargain they will settle up for 3 pics

Money Saving Tip. Use your own camera and pay for the dress only..They will charge you Rs 50 -100 only.



Must Try: A pic on the yak.
You can even get yourself clicked with a yak at green valley view spot.The guy may ask you anything between 25 to 50 rupees but , the actual bargain price is Rs 20 for unlimited pics from your own camera.

Travel india Smartly with us !

If you are planning to travel India this is a must read blog for you.With this blog we try to solve your query regarding how much you should be spending while traveling in India.We travel across India and get you the smart shortcuts, right price information and honest information. We know people do try to capitalize on tourists, but there are way we have explored to save money and time. Currently we have information about Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Puri (Orissa), Haridwar (Uttrakhand), Kerala, Dehradoon(Uttrakhand), Mathura(Uttar Pradesh), Jamshed Pur(Jharkhand), Delhi . We will keep posting about these places.