Go Goa_Roadtrip _Mumbai-Ganpatipule-Tarkarli-Goa

December..the month that makes us realise that each year flew by faster than the earlier one..

Our month was also flying by..with family visiting ..Had a week in-between.. & heard about cousins visiting their Goa home from Bangalore..that's it.. The free week also planned for :)

December slowly became a fabulous family month !

Our first long roadtrip... we started off late in the morning towards Ganpatipule..
Took the old NH..very good roads.. Single lane being time consuming barrier..but the landscapes & villages in between more than made up for it.

Endless stretches of nothing.. coupled with good music..perfect day!

Nothingness

Reflections

Manali - Dreamy & picture perfect

Continuing with the good fortune of seeing our beautiful country we planned a trip to Manali - Shimla - Chandigarh flying in & out of Chandigarh (Sep 25 - Oct 3'2015)

I had last been to Manali about thirteen years back. It was a two-three day halt then after a very memorable trek to Sar Pass in Himachal Pradesh.

Situated amidst snow-clad Himalayan peaks, a river playing peek a boo, quaint cafes with good food & music, and colourful shops Manali is one of India's best hill stations. It has a little something for everyone. After spending sometime in Manali, you understand why many foreigners spend months together at Manali/Dharamshala during summers & Goa during winters :)

The Journey:

We landed at Chandigarh in the afternoon around 3 p.m & for some strange reason both of us thought we'd reach Manali by 9 p.m (day dreaming clearly!) Our driver Mr Gurpreet very sweetly said 'Abhi toh teen baje hai.. 12 tak pahunch jayenge' (its 3pm, we will reach by midnight) ..what..midnight !!.. 

Baby Pigeon is here !! 15.09.14

Dazzle of another kind.. this ones about one of the most lovely experiences of my life... 

About a month back I was aghast having found our lovely flowering periwinkle plant destroyed by pigeons. Soon after all the picking,it was just a pot of soil  
One afternoon, I saw a pigeon sitting on that pot & as the day went by..found this - A lil white egg being protected by its mommy's warmth  the same barren pot was now a sight of Cuteness! 

 I had to google to know we had to wait atleast 17 days before the egg hatches !! Aah..thats a long wait...

P3's Travel Dazzle: Ladakh - A Picture Diary of Barren Gorgeousness

P3's Travel Dazzle: Ladakh - A Picture Diary of Barren Gorgeousness: Coz words are just not enough to express the beauty of Ladakh ! Leh town from Shanti Stupa

Ladakh - A Picture Diary of Barren Gorgeousness

Coz words are just not enough to express the beauty of Ladakh !

Leh town from Shanti Stupa

Sikkim - Greens..White & Gravel Beauty.. (Part 2 - North Sikkim)

The most exciting part of the trip is here.. exploring the beautiful region of North Sikkim.

North Sikkim is a must visit. The mountains & gravel make for long tiring drives, but the views & the stunning beauty of the place is totally worth it. We opted for a 2-Nights/3-Days package trip conducted by Galaxy travels (Gangtok). To visit these places you require a permit which the travel operator will obtain for you on submission of copies of  ID & address proof.It is best to book a private vehicle instead of a shared one, as shared ones have 7-8 passengers in one vehicle & the way up is very rugged. 

Highlights:

• Gurudongmar Lake
• Glimpses of Teestha river along the way
• Breakfast at a local's home
• Snow clad coniferous trees at Yumthang valley
• Dom Bang

 (This post is a part of the 2 part blog on Sikkim. For part 1-Gangtok, please follow this link

http://traveldazzle.blogspot.in/2014/05/sikkim-greenswhite-gravel-beauty-part-1.html )

Glimpse-  Gurudongmar Lake

This ones a long post with many pictures, as words just cant do justice to the beauty of this region :)

Sikkim - Greens..White & Gravel Beauty.. (Part 1 - GANGTOK)

April with its public holidays + good weather in Sikkim..  it was just meant to be.
(This post is a part of the 2 part blog on Sikkim. For part 2 - North Sikkim, please follow this link
http://traveldazzle.blogspot.in/2014/06/sikkim-greenswhite-gravel-beauty-part-2.html)

Day 0: When Day 1 became Day 0
We go to Mumbai airport sleepy at 5 am.. loitering around the boarding area to keep awake.. stand in line for Boarding.. & just before we reach the counter..Screen change.. BOARDING CLOSED !! ..wht !!..how..why !! now wht !!! there went the sleep..

 'Sir ..we have another flight in  sometime , u can try for tht'..

& that ensured running outside the airport to reserve new tickets.. running inside to get baggage..
Was a Saturday.. few combinations to suit our connecting flight timing ..
 no tickets available.. Oh !! this was so not meant to be :(

Booked tickets for the next day.. Got the bags..informed change of plans to the local travels at Sikkim..hopped into a cab for the only appropriate thing that could be done... Some yummy South Indian Breakfast at Manis, Matunga (Mumbai)..

Tucked in some nice breakfast..complete with filter coffee.. 
off started the first day of vacation at home..lazy day with food being delivered.. syncing the ipod & other such imp stuff :)

Day 1: Mumbai-Gangtok :