There is very little ice to be found in Iceland in summers, despite the name. (conversely, there is very little greenery – and a lot of ice – to be found on Greenland, all through the year). Instead, Iceland has a few active volcanoes, some boiling-water-spewing geysers, scalding steam vents and innumerable hot springs. ...
Category: Driving
Think Alps and we Indians get images of Switzerland in our head – snowcapped peaks, lush green meadows, cow bells, Shahrukh & Kajol etc etc. However, the Alps range stretches halfway across Europe – from France, across north of Italy, Switzerland (of course), the tiny country of Liechtenstein, Germany & Austria. And w...
I am sprawled in the super comfortable seats of the Lodgy with the back reclined to the max, like a sleeper seat. There is enough legroom that I can stretch my 5’10” frame almost straight while lying down. It is raining hard outside and there is the melodious pitter-patter of rain falling on metal. The vipers are fighting valiant...
Watching Jeremy Clarkson & co review newly launched cars on Top Gear, or their Indian brethren on Autocar Show etc, have always made me so jealous. They actually get paid to drive around in new cars everyday to test them. Long drives, picturesque locations, they seem to have it all Till this Sunday, when I got to do the same with...
(part of our Madhya Pradesh roadtrip) Mandu is called India’s best preserved medieval city, and justifiably so. Built by the Malwa governor Dilawar Khan in 1400, Mandu had an interesting 300 years of existence before it ceased being a capital and then was abandoned due to plague. Mandu is very similar to Hampi in the sense that the...
(part of our Madhya Pradesh roadtrip) Sanchi needs no introduction – most of us remember it from our history books. However, I dont think Indian education system does justice to all these magnificent monuments left behind by kings long gone by. For example, the Sanchi Stupa is the sole surviving stupa built by Emperor Ashoka &#...
October 14, 2014 2 min to read
Vidisha : Udaygiri Caves, Madhya Pradesh
Category : Driving, Historical
(part of our Madhya Pradesh roadtrip) Vidisha is an ancient, but little known town in Central India. In fact the Great Stupa at Sanchi owes it’s existence to Vidisha – as Emperor Ashoka met and married his first wife Devi at Vidisha (she was a merchant’s daughter). Sanchi was one the first stupas built by Ashoka and...
(part of our Madhya Pradesh roadtrip) If we go into India’s recorded history, the earliest written records we have belong to the Maurya kings (4th century BC) – mostly edicts and inscriptions left behind by Emperor Ashoka – or accounts of foreigners like Megasthenes and Fahein. The Nanda dynasty, who preceded the Ma...
(part of our Madhya Pradesh roadtrip) Indore is sometimes called the “Bombay” of Central India – on account of being the largest city in Madhya Pradesh and its commercial capital. We were using Indore just as a resting point on day 1, but after sampling the amazing food on offer, we think it should be known as the f...
October of 2014 was an exceptional month for travelers in India There were three long weekends possible in a single month – a situation which was probably unprecedented in the past few years. The 2nd Oct weekend was especially alluring because the following Monday, 6th, was also a holiday. So taking 3rd off would make it a 5 day we...
Imagine a beautiful crescent shaped lake, with the most amazing turquoise colour you have ever seen. White clouds scattered across a stunning blue sky, snow capped hills towering around the lake. It is bright and sunny, yet a chilly wind is blowing, which makes you want to zip up your jacket tighter and push your hands firmly in your...
Most of us have heard stories of the famed Valley of Flowers in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand – where the entire valley is engulfed in wild flowers of all colours, for a couple of months in a year. My father had the good fortune of seeing it for himself back in his younger days and he cannot help gushing about how beautiful it was, ...
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