(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 Mauryas, are mentioned
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Indore : Sarafa Bazaar, Madhya Pradesh
(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
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Madhya Pradesh – Bhimbetka, Sanchi & Mandu
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
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Spiti Valley
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
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Vihigaon Falls
This year’s monsoon had a false start in June when we had gone to Ark Wellness Retreat – when the initial few days of rains fizzled out and the sky remained cloudy but never burst open. There was a long wait for rains to arrive and the downpour finally started only in the second week
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Ark Wellness Retreat
Monsoon is here AGAIN ! Like most Bombayites, we were also waiting anxiously for monsoons rains to start – as this has been a long and hot summer. While Bombay takes a turn for the worse once the downpour starts – as roads gets taken over by potholes, traffic slows to a crawl, trains run
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Gir National Park
As Bombay based bloggers, it was like a black mark on our wanderlust credentials that we hadn’t yet visited Gir National Park, which is practically next door in Gujarat. To be fair, although Gujarat sounds closeby, Gir is about 800 km away by road from Mumbai – because the road skirts all the way around
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Mango Beach House, Kihim
With 3 weddings in the second half of 2013, we hadn’t been able to take a travel break since Fratelli ! So when a small cause for celebration came up last week, we decided to splurge on ourselves a bit and drove down to Mango Beach House in Kihim (Alibaug) this weekend. Mango Beach House
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Kaas Plateau : Valley of Flowers
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
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Fratellli Winery
As with the Indian wine market, Sula Vineyard near Nasik has the top-of-the-mind recall for winery visits if you are from Bombay. In fact, quite a few people struggle to name Indian wine labels apart from Sula, given how ubiquitous it has become. However, there are smaller, newer winemakers who think they can do a
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Rann of Kutch
160 kmph on the speedometer. Engine screaming near 5000 rpm. The road wide, smooth and shimmering in the heat. On both sides of the road is barren yellow land. Dry, with occasional scrub here and there. No sign of life for miles. It is cool in the car, but our senses are wide awake –
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Ajanta Ellora
We hadn’t done a driving holiday yet (though we had been to Pune in the car), so we were on the lookout for an opportune time and a destination. The time appeared in form of Gandhi Jayanti on a Tuesday – the last long weekend of the year. And for a while I had been
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