The Curious Mamma

Hey everyone! Long time no see! Sorry I left my Rajasthan diaries hanging – got caught up with some important stuff. Before I could finish that, guess what? We went to Sikkim! Another travelogue series, you ask? Nope! This time, I’m keeping it short and sweet, wrapping up everything I want to say in just a couple of posts.  Why Sikkim, you ask? You’ve probably heard of itineraries involving Darjeeling, Gangtok, and Nepal, but a trip solely to Sikkim might sound unusual. In the summer, Bangalore's weather is so much more manageable than most of India's that picking a vacation spot seems as futile as searching for ice in the desert. I gave the cold shoulder to cooler options like Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh because it feels like the entire population of India flocks there in the summer. Those dreamy spots are calling my name, but I'm biding my time until they're as forgotten as Pappu's last joke. Left with only the desi option of the North-East, I eyed S...

Namastay everyone, hope you're doing well. Thanks to cyclone Mandous, it's quite cold and drizzly in Bangalore, making me feel sick. The rains haven't disappeared from the scene this year and it's time to ask, "Atithi tum kab jaoge? (When will leave o guest?)". After all, too much of anything is good for nothing! Let me recount about my visit to Badrinath (Uttarakhand), one of the four holy places of the legendary Chardham yatra, as I snuggle up in bed with my warm blanket. Being feverish, that's the only thing that I can enjoy doing, after two long days of hard work. Personally, the idea of visiting holy places to get all my wishes fulfilled and sins washed doesn't go well with my philosophy. It might have applied in the olden days, when to reach such places, people really had to go through a lot of hardships which would teach them some important life lessons, and make them better people. But with money and technology at one's disposal, one has ea...

Hey there! This is my 8th post on Uttarakhand and it's quite gratifying to see you all here, bonjour! After writing about  Kanatal , the most picturesque place I have ever visited, I thought I was done raving about Uttarakhand. But how wrong I was? It was just my short-term memory that made me believe so. As pointed out by my husband Abhijeet, there were still a few unique experiences that were worth sharing. The photos of some of the awe-inspiring sites, idly sitting in my phone's memory, refreshed my memory, and here I am ready to sketch the portrait of one more stunning place in Uttarakhnd, Auli. Auli is also known as Auli bugyal, which means meadow in Garhwali. Primarily known as the skiing destination of India, tourists throng this place in winters. The skiing season was yet to start when we visited. But Auli found a place in our itinerary because of the unique stays that grabbed our attention during the exploration phase and the fact that it is hardly crowded during the o...

After visiting the Eco Park in Dhanaulti , we headed towards Surkanda (सुरकंडा) devi temple . The temple is at an altitude of approximately 2700 meters. One can enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding valleys and the Himalayan ranges from the top. From the motor road, one can either trek for around 2-3 kms to reach the temple or can avail the ropeway service from the station located just a few steps away. The ropeway ride costs  ₹ 250 per head for a round trip.  The ropeway ride As mentioned in my earlier post , you can skip the Bhatta Falls ropeway if you plan to visit Surkanda devi temple by ropeway, which is longer and provides an amazing bird's-eye view of the lush green valley.  View from the ropeway cable car It was quite sunny when we started, but as we started moving upward, the climate kept getting cloudier and colder. Riding back to the base in the cable cart offered a wider view of the surroundings, as seen in the video.  The temple Surkanda ...

Howdy, folks! While I eagerly wait to see the results of the ongoing work, by our much anticipated and rigorously researched helper, Mr. Dishwasher, hired in order to ease  the effects of 'maid induced stress' syndrome, typically found in Indian women,  let me start this yet another page of my Uttarakhand diaries, to divert my attention towards something that's truly pleasant!     On our way from Mussoorie to Kanatal, we visited a couple of places, the first one being Dhara Eco Park, Dhanaulti . Dhanaulti is one more quiet and beautiful hill station in Uttarakhand and has many tourist places. Talking about  Dhara Eco Park, it b asically is a hillock covered with Oak and Deodar trees, and is developed into a tourist spot by the Divisional Forest Office (DFO) and the natives of Dhanaulti.  The atmosphere of the park was tranquil. There were hardly any visitors when we reached there. We started following the trails leading to the top of the hill. Kids enjoyed ...

 Hello, how are you doing today? If the day has been good so far, nothing like that! But if that's not the case, I hope to bring a good cheer to you with the second leaf of my Uttarakhand diaries.  After spending a memorable time in Mussoorie, we left for Kanatal around 8.30 a.m. As our vehicle started spiraling down the Mussoorie hills, we started beholding the heavenly views of the valley covered with a thick white blanket of clouds. It literally felt like being on cloud nine. Here are a couple of stanzas of the poem ' Sea of Clouds ' by Kaila George which precisely capture how I felt:  The wind blew so softly around as I sat and gazed at all the beauty of Mother Nature's wonderful grace The endless sea of clouds as they drifted on by made me feel like I was floating on cloud nine As we climbed further down, our car started moving through the clouds. This jogged my memory of my mom's reminiscences of her childhood days in Lonavala, a beautiful hill station in Maha...