A trip to real paradise on earth

... Himachal Pradesh (HP).
We might have been a little late to visit Himachal, late November, yet we liked the biting cold after scorching heat of Rajasthan. The mersmerising beauty of the formidable Himalayas and small colorful homes built anywhere amongst those is a surely a tempting invitation for anyone.

Shimla: There is something really attractive about Shimla. Either it is the immaculate Mall and the Ridge or numerous people just sitting on the ridge enjoying the day's sunshine before taking off for work or the bright houses of Shimla or even the very steep uphill climb from the main road up to the Mall. Shimla has its charm and we were bought by it.

Tattapani: the place where hot sulphurous springs emerge from the river Sutlej. We stayed at Hotel Spring View that is right besides the beautiful river and offers some amazing Italian food. The hotel will be soon uprooted in the wake of a dam construction on the river. But we hope that the hot springs still remain. Worth a visit is a cave of Lord Shiva, about 5 kms from Tattapani. We just walked to it as we never wanted to miss even a single glimpse of this heavenly place.


Kinnaur: No words can describe this place's beauty, it is just breathtaking. Right in the middle of the Great Himalayas, whose majesty humbles you down, we were at about 2700m above sea level. Even though the cold was nerve chilling and a drive to kinnaur bone-rattling, we truly enjoyed our trip to this gem of the tribal circuit of HP. We were in Kalpa, 7 km from Reckong Peo, a small village where life is slow and fulfilling and people revere Dalai Lama a lot. The small stone roofed huts of Kalpa do stand well against the mighty Kinner Kailash. Mount Kinner Kailash is said to change 7 colors in a day and we also got our share of some wonderful glimpses. We stayed at the HPTDC Hotel Kinner Kailash that offered the best view of the Kinner Kailash and some great service.

We would like to complete our trip of the tribal circuit, especially the Spiti Valley for which Rudyard Kipling said "where gods live".

What else in Rajasthan?

certainly not to be missed, Udaipur, the Venice of India. And try staying at a modest guest house and you may never know you might be taking care of the baby in the host family or become friends with the friends of your host family. And while you are in Udaipur and have done whatever many guide books say don't miss the 7 pm dance show at the Bagore ki Haveli.

In a small program they introduce you to the exuberance and the joy for life every Rajasthani female has in abundance. The hardships of a life in desert are a nonentity when they sway with the tunes of the vibrant Rajasthani folk music. And watch the program till the end as it ends in an exotic, courageous and a tremendously poised dance by a female who can sway her whole body in motions, even when she's on top of broken glass and not drops even one of the nine pots she is balancing on her head.