August 1, 2016 Travel, Within India

Narrow Gauge Journey

Narrow Gauge Journey- Title

If you are on summer vacations, or on sabbatical leave or simply have some spare time, take a ride on Indian Hill Railways or Narrow Gauge (NG) lines.  You will go through tunnels, little hamlets and over awe-inspiring bridges.

These rail journeys will give you an exhilarating experience when you pass through quaint mountain ranges, and cross over mangroves with thick and lush green environment around you.

Narrow Gauge Journey-Matheran
Matheran Railway Station

Neral and Matheran, in the state of Maharashtra, a hill railway track is a 2 ft. Narrow Gauge line covering 21 km in the midst of thick forests of Western Ghats. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is over 100 years since it was opened back in the year 1907.

Narrow Guage journey-Toy train, Matheran
Toy train Matheran

Being inside a toy train can be a lifetime experience, the tighter curves, magnificent water bodies and a wide variety of flora & fauna.  As the train wheezes up the clear mountains amidst mangroves you cherish these moments of a scenic view. Oh! What a journey it is.

Matheran is the closest hill station to Mumbai in the Sahyadri hill range in Raigad district of Maharashtra State. It is situated at a height of 803 m above sea level.

By train:

You can catch a Karjat bound local train from CSTM (a.k.a. VT Mumbai, India) on the Central Railway to Neral Station.

Use the foot over bridge at Neral and get to the other platform. Inquire about the toy train and whether tickets will be available. If you want to ride in the Matheran toy train, then make sure you have booked in advance.

Narrow Gauge journey- Toy train -Queen of Sahadri Hills
Neral Matheran train-  Queen of Sahyadri Hills

The Toy Train

Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy conceived the imaginative idea of a 2-ft narrow-gauge railway from Neral to Matheran (20 km). He imported three specially made engines from Germany in 1905. The railway was opened in 1907. This train became 100 years old on April 16, 2007.

Places to visit in Matheran:

Lake Charlotte – A spectacular waterfall overflows from the lake during and shortly after the monsoons. It has peaceful surroundings of dense evergreen forests, bird songs, and pretty butterflies.

  • Panorama point – is a very beautiful as you can see a panoramic view of the hills on the left and a beautiful Ulhas River to the right. This point is perfect for Sunrise and is also called “Sunrise Point.”
  • Heart Point – Here one can see a beautiful scene of the valley and this point looks like a heart, so gets its name.
  • Monkey Point – At this point can see the monkeys in large numbers and their mischief life-sized.
  • Malang Point
  • Luisa Point – The view from here to the waterfall (run off from Charlotte Lake ) during the monsoon is spectacular.
  • Honeymoon Hill
  • Echo Point

The other grand narrow gauge journeys in India are:-

  • Pathankot to Joginder Nagar in the state of Himachal Pradesh
  • New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal.
  • Mettapulayam to Ooty (Udhagamandalam) in the state of Tamil Nadu.
  • Kalka to Shimla in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
July 29, 2016 Round the world, Travel

5 Interesting Facts about the city of Bangkok

Bangkok- Interesting facts

No city is as plain as it seems. Each city has some interesting facts unknown to the rest of the world. The same is with Bangkok. This article discusses some of the top interesting facts about the city.

Bangkok- Interesting facts about the city
An Urban Oasis on the River Of Kings

Thailand is one of the best places you can visit from India. Travel to Thailand is cheap and booking one of the Bangkok to Mumbai flights will cost you as much as any domestic flights. The cost of living is low and the shopping scene is filled with varieties and often very cheap! There are so many fun things to do in the city but there are also many interesting facts that remain unknown to many around the world

  1. City with the longest name

Bangkok has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? But did you know that its actual name has 169 characters in total? The name is so ridiculously long that forget the rest of the world, even the people from Thailand are unable to pronounce it and call it Krung Thep. The full name is, brace yourself, ‘Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahinthara Yutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Mahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit’! Bet someone to pay the drinks for the whole table if they can pronounce it and they might end up breaking a glass or two!

2. Kings anthem played before every movie

Bangkok- King's national anthem before a movie
In Thailand, there is a king and so before every function (school concerts, movies, etc) the King’s Anthem is played and everyone stands in reverence.
Image credit- sevenfarmers.blogspot.com

The Thais are extremely patriotic and play their national anthem every chance they get. But did you know that before you sit down to comfortably watch a movie, of which you just bought the ticket, the theatre will play the King’s anthem before the start of the movie! So don’t get too comfortable yet, as you will need to stand up and pay your respects to the anthem by standing while it’s being played.

3.  The third washroom

The increasingly high number of transgenders in Thailand are known to the whole world, but did you know that the country actually has a separate washroom for them? Next time, you rush to a public washroom, don’t be surprised if you see a third washroom! One is for men, the other for the women and the third is for the transgenders.

4. The place where Redbull originated

Bangkok where Red Bull originated
Red Bull Energy Drink

Did the famous Red Bull drink ever help you through the night before having to submit an important paper the next day? Then you have one person to thank, Chaleo Yoovidhya from Thailand. This is the man who pioneered and created this energy drink which has today grown into a multi-billion worth power drink company that has its reach in all corners of the world and all major sporting events.

5.  Dubbed Venice of the East

Bangkok-night life
Nightlife in Thailand
Image credit- www.gapyear.com

Thailand plays home to one of the most exciting and happening nightlife scenes in the world. The nightlife scenes are so epic here that it has been dubbed the ‘Venice of the East’, primarily due to its nightlife and some parts owing to its beautiful layouts of various canals portraying a landscape like that of Venice in Italy.

Apart from these, there are many other interesting facts about the city like how all the temples of Thailand are imprinted on the back of the Baht coins. All these and more makes Bangkok all the more fascinating!

10 Rooftop bars in Bangkok
You may like to read 10 Rooftop bars in Bangkok
July 28, 2016 Food, Weekly photo challenge

Cherry or Cherries on Top

Cherry on top

Black Forest Pie Cake Cream Cake Chocolate Chips

Recently, I attended a friend’s birthday party. The birthday was celebrated on a very grand scale. It was held at a famous 5-star hotel hall. The birthday cake was a Black Forest Cake.  A cream cake with a lot of chocolate chips and not just a Cherry On Top but cherries on top!

Let’s celebrate the cherries on top!

July 27, 2016 Lifestyle

6 Essential Gadgets for Backpackers

Essentials for backpackers

Travelling from one place to another is never complete if you do not have the right things in your backpack. Backpackers generally prefer to travel light. This does not necessarily mean that one has to carry nothing except the travel documents. Travelling light basically means to carry all the essentials and leaving behind the things that take up much space.

Essentials for backpackers

Apart from the travel documents, which are definitely a must, there are a few other essential items that need to be packed into the bag when you decide to travel either alone or along with the family. There are some electronic gadgets and add-ons that need to be necessarily  carried during the travel in order to stay in touch with technology. This does not mean that one has to dump all the gadgets into their bags. Only the essentials like the power bank need to be carried, leaving the rest behind.

Here is a list of electronic essentials backpackers must never forget to pack when they travel.

  1. Power bank:
Essential gadgets needed for backpackers- powerbank
Power bank

This particular gadget is really important if you plan to carry your laptop or smartphone. Mobile phones can be charged using regular chargers when you stop for rest or after you have checked into the hotel. Until then, if you are on the move and need to charge immediately, plug the gadget to the power bank for charging. Make sure to carry a multi-port charger if you plan to carry more than one device; say a tablet or the laptop.

  1. Power cables:

Carrying extra power cables would come handy since if one goes bad, the other can be used. The spare one can replace the malfunctioning cable instead of running everywhere looking for an alternate cable. These power cables can also be used to connect the mobile phone to the laptop or for using as an extension cable in case the charger socket is at a distance or height.

  1. 3G or 4G hotspot:

3G or 4G hotspot is required if you plan to work while you are travelling. This can be connected to the mobile phone as well as the laptop. This helps to look up hotels and restaurants where one can rest or stop to eat. Travel bloggers find this handy when they need to update their blog every day while on their adventure.

  1. GPS navigation system:

The GPS device helps in tracking places. If you are travelling to a new destination and are not sure about the route then this is the perfect gadget for you.

  1. Headphones:
essential gadgets for backpackers- headphones
Girl, Music, Headphones, Hipster, Scene, Young, Happy

For all the music lovers out there, headphones are one of the most important things that one must carry. The headphones that are now available connect with the tablet, laptop, phone and also the mp3 players.

  1. Small USB cables:

These can be used if you need to transfer pictures from the phone or camera to the laptop. This also saves the time that is spent on separating the long cables from each other. Purchase the USB cables that are compatible with the device that you plan to carry.

These essentials can prevent you from hassles that can result while travelling. Carrying these would invariably reduce the inconveniences in travelling and also makes sure that you do not get lost on the way!

Be  Happy Backpackers!