Trip to Italy

There was a lot of restlessness in the choice of the destination for our perfect holiday. After some research and decisiveness of weather coming into play, we decided to head Italy. The Northern European countries, like France, Germany, Austria were expected to be quite cold in January.here. The chronicle of the Italian trip is what follows:

We aren't skiing or snow enthusiasts in particular, so Italy being already high on our list (right from the beginning) , the idea just got substantiated. Its Mediterranean climate, large coastline that annulled the cold continental wind , divine food, and shopping opportunities, all were simply too good to be missed out. Next on the task, distributing our time in magnificent country. And should say, we were spoiled for the choice. While our Trip map lays here, the chronicle of the trip, that made the contours of the map is as follows.

The delight (read trip) began from Rome. As we went south to unearth the treasure of Naples and Sorrento. we then headed to Florence and Pisa, followed by Venice and finally ended at Milan. Depending on the availability of the air-tickets you can also have a trip beginning from Milan and ending in Rome as well.

Or for that matter to nearby cheaper European countries, if so.

If not a leisure traveler, and not travelling through car, the following distribution of time, may be helpful for you to design your trip itinerary.

Rome -        1.5 days
Naples -      1 day
Excursion from Naples -  Sorrento -       1 day
                   Amafli Coast - 1 day
Florence -   1 Day
Pisa -          0.5 day
Venice -      1.5 Days
Excursion - Burano/ Morano - 0.5 day
Milan -        1 Day
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Total - 9 Days excluding days you are flying
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(Additionally, yes, there are some wonderful quaint cities in Tuscany region, worth visiting for learning the Italian cuisine, visiting vineyards etc. So you can add another day for either of them. Capri Islands would also be a great option for spending a day.)

Rome:

A brilliant tourist location, Rome can well be  the first city on your trip. It's tailor-made for tourists. A lot can be covered through feet, and others through 'Hop-On and Hop-Off' buses. The city albeit a bit expensive, one can easily save if you have your meals around the Vatican and staying around the Roma Centrali station.

Colosseum, Rome

St.Peter's Square, Vatican City

You can read my earlier post on Rome and Vatican City for more information.

Naples:

The most under-rated cities of Italy, Naples is a definite must on the tour. The Historical center is a world of its own, quite different from what could be anticipated from the impressions drawn from the market or Napoli Centrali station. A definite must for tasting the divine pizzas and shopping around.

Castle Nuovo

European Souk

Experience Divine Pizzas at Naples

You can read my earlier post on Naples for more information.

Sorrento/Amalfi Coast:

Not often does it happen that the icing gets better than the cake. But it does happen, and happens for sure in Naples. The excursion from Naples sometimes are arguably better than the city itself. Sorrento, bit nearer is a compact scenic own. Amalfi Coast, that is bit farther can also be covered as a day trip from Naples. Capri Islands, is expensive to stay, but quite beautiful in itself.

Hydrofoil for Sorrento

You can read my earlier post on Sorrento for more information.

Florence:
They are two different cities, Florence in day and Florence in night. Florence is a small city but there is a lot to see. Be it the creations of  Michelangelo, its famed Duomo or the famed ponte across river Arno. It can hold you by its charm. If you start early for Pisa, you can come back to Florence easily by the noon. Or even better, head straight to Venice from Pisa. That can save you some precious time which you can use in Venice. You can also visit Siena if having an additional day.

Arno through the ponte

Leaning tower of Pisa

You can read my earlier post on Florence and Pisa for more information.

Venice:
The more you'd stay in Venice, the more you'd soak in its charm. If you avoid the tourist and summer seasons, you'd soon come to know why Venice is metamorphosis of romanticism. Nearby Austrian region of Tyrol and Vorarlberg can also be covered, provided you have another 2 days by your side. But then, they are worth the skiing and the peaks they offer.

Venice through Vaporetti

One of the several canals, donned by Gondolas

You can read my earlier posts on Venice, Venice through the day and Venice, through the night for more information.

Milan:
The most European of all the Italian cities, Milan is the most cosmopolitan as well. A fashion paradise, Milan also has a lot on offer through its historical center as well. You can go to Geneva, or Nice in France also, but then you need to have another day each.

Snow Capped Mountains silhouetting the Blue sky - http://www.i-enry-aviation.it/guidamxp.htm

You can read my earlier post on Milan for more information.

Food

Authentic and delicious Italian cuisine can turn out to be a feast for the taste buds. Vegetarian food is not at all difficult to find by and there are a lot of choices too. If you begin with some cues from your Hotel about their favorites about the city than g light on the wallet, then you'll end up treating yourself for a meal of a lifetime. Food isn't expensive, but do put in some research form locals and you'll be duly rewarded for that. It's suggested to carry a lot of snacks. Tipping is generally not followed.

Bottom Line

• Don't buy city cards, they'll turn out to be almost always, more expensive than individual tickets.
• Different cities have their unique identities. That's the best part about Italy. Things won't get repetitive.
• No point in going for Eurorail passes.Anyways as one needs to compulsorily pay reservation charges in Italian trains, so better to buy sector tickets that turn out to be far cheaper.
• Stay close to stations and travel early morning after having breakfast in the Hotel.
• Save costs on your meals by eating out in the old part of cities.
• Make use of the cheaper airports (even in neighboring countries), and plan in advance.
• Carry snacks and adequate medicines.

North Pole 2009: Christina Off The Ice!

Disappointing news from the ice this morning, as Christina Franco's website has been updated with the news that she has been retrieved from the ice following what is being described as equipment failure just two days into her attempt at a solo journey to the North Pole. Apparently, Christina's stove suffered a "double failure" and the time and parts needed to repair it would require her to fall far behind the schedule she needed. Unable to heat the tent or cook food, she has made the choice to return home. For now.

But, Christina does say she isn't quite done with the North Pole just yet. She will regroup and head to the Russian station at Borneo where, she'll ski from 88º to the Pole. She sees this as good practice for next year, when she fully intends to go after that solo expedition once again.

The Catlin Arctic Survey Team, has already fallen into a routine out on the ice, with long days of pulling their heavy sleds, just to set up camp in time to drill for core samples. The team is also finding newly formed ice as they go, and Ann Daniels reports in yesterday's blog post that she gets the unenviable task of having to "go first" out on this ice to test it's stability. A nerve racking task to be sure. The team's twitter feed this morning reports that they are navigating an ice field with 2-3 meter blocks of ice, and temperatures hovering around -40ºC. Sounds like a lovely day!

The Peary Centennial Expedition got underway on Wednesday, but departed from Cape Discovery, rather than Ward Hunt Island, due to the better weather conditions. The starting location is actually a bit further south, but with improved conditions they hoped to make up the difference in no time. The plan seems to be working, as they managed 3.5 nautical miles yesterday, which is a solid pace for this early into the expedition. Weather and spirits are reportedly good, although the temps are about -45ºF as well.

Finally, The Baffin Babes are off! The team left Norway on the 1st of March, and there has been no update from them since, so we can only assume that they are on Baffin Island at this point, and preparing to set out on their journey. In typical Babe fashion, they arrived at the airport with too much luggage and had to pare down a few things before they could board their plane. Hopefully we'll be getting updates from the team soon.

That's all for now!

Tour VietNam travel - Hue's Royal Tombs and Pagodas

The royal capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, Hue is loaded with lovely landmarks, great structural engineering, and is particularly well-known for its regal tombs. Tragically, the city endured a considerable measure of harm amid the Vietnam War, because of its area near the fringe of North Vietnam. American bombs harmed a significant number of the noteworthy locales at Hue, and once the war was over, the Vietnamese Communist Party deliberately dismissed the staying notable destinations on the grounds that they were seen as remainders of a "medieval administration".

Cheerfully for Vietnam and guests to Vietnam, late years have accumulated a change arrangement, and the historical backdrop of Hue is step by step being restored. In spite of the harm done, Hue remains a delightful, interesting spot to visit.

The Citadel 

The Nguyen heads made their home the Citadel, a huge stone fortification that rouses a greater number of scenes of fight than of extravagance – the Beijing Forbidden City this is definitely not. In spite of the fact that its alluded to as 'antiquated', the Citadel was inherent the early 1800s, and spreads a zone of 6 km. Dividers ten meters thick encompass the external edge, yet inside are open yards loaded with lovely arrangements and private lofts.

Vietnam's rendition of the Forbidden City was just about completely crushed by French in the late 1940s. The Citadel turned into a fight site again in 1968 amid the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War. Today, short of what a third of the inward castles and flats remain. Remodels are beginning to restore a percentage of the Citadel's previous magnificence.

Regal Tombs of Hue 

Landmarks to the leaders of the Nguyen administration, including Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, and Tu Doc, the tombs are all certainly worth a visit. Every one is inherent the customary Vietnamese style of geomancy, actually altering the encompassing scene to guarantee straight lines, certain directional introduction, and different components intended to follow otherworldly constrains.

Related post: Vietnam travel packages

At the tombs, you'll see patios loaded with stone elephants, stallions, and mandarins. You'll discover structures, sanctuaries for worshiping the ruler's spirit, and tributes. The vast majority of the tombs were arranged by the ruler himself, so every regal tomb reflects the identity of the expired ruler.

Tu Doc, then again, was known as the 'artist Emperor', so it is not amazing that his tomb rests in an exquisite arrangement close to a noteworthy unpredictable of structures and lake. As Tu Doc's rule spoken to the top of Nguyen extravagance, its fitting that his rich, fascinating tomb matches this plushness.

In immediate differentiation to Tu Doc's tomb is the tomb of Khai Dinh. Khai Dinh, the twelfth Nguyen Emperor, ruled from 1916 to 1925. By now, Europe was pushing its impact over Southeast Asia, and subsequently Khai Dinh's tomb speaks to a bizarre, early combination of East and West. The yard is serious to the point of being discouraging in its solid dreariness, yet inside is a brilliant representation of the ruler, under a noteworthy bond covering beautified with ceramics and glass.

A seven-story sanctuary, the Thien Mu Pagoda is the informal image of Hue. Assembled at the start of the seventeenth century when the representative Hoang had a dream of a pixie lady ('Thien Mu'), the first form of the sanctuary was very straightforward. In 1665, the sanctuary was stretched by the early Nguyen ruler, Nguyen Phuc Tan. After thirty years, a Chinese Zen expert was welcome to Hue to begin a Buddhist group at the sanctuary. Ensuing sovereigns kept on extending the sanctuary, until in 1844 the octagonal Tu Nhan Tower was raised by Emperor Thieu Tri. This is the tower that today is synonymous with the Thien Mu Pagoda, and the tower that graces the scene of Hue, climbing over the Perfume River.

A few different pagodas speck the scene of Hue, for example, the Tu Dam Pagoda, the Tu Hieu Pagoda, and the Dieu Du Pagoda, each with its own particular special history and engineering gimmicks.

In short, Hue is a city apparently intended for understudies of Vietnamese history. Actually for those more intrigued by shorelines than the history or society of Vietnam, these pagodas, tombs, and the Citadel are in any case intriguing destinations for their engineering excellence and unique place in Hue's advancemen

MAPTIA Goes 2.0

I'm very pleased to have had MAPTIA feature three of my photo stories for a while now, and also pleased that it has now updated itself to a 2.0 iteration.

What is MAPTIA, you ask?

Well, it's best said in the words of its founders: "...we decided to build a map with everything a traveller could possibly need. Photographs, blogs, stories, flights, hostels, a way to talk to other travellers, volunteering opportunities, hiking paths, surf spots… you name it, we wanted to put it on the map."

Roughly 3 years ago, the founders of MAPTIA; none of who had written a line of code, applied for a grant from an experimental new business incubator run by the Chilean government, and received $40,000 to create this start-up. This incredible story can be read on Medium.

MAPTIA has managed to gather a number of incredibly talented photographers-storytellers, featuring their amazing photography and weaving interesting narrative into these photo essays. From David Lazar to James Morgan...from Cristina Mittermeier's photography to Pico Iyer's travel prose....it's all there.

Photo stories (large photographs!) from North Korea, India, Mozambique, Mongolia, Spain, Brazil, Myanmar, New York, Ethiopia and more. I could go on and on...but I'll let you explore.

One of my favorite continents on MAPTIA is Asia, with 310 photo stories which include 3 of mine; City of Ancient Temples (Varanasi), The Birth of Color (an Editor's Pick) and Incarnate Deities (Theyyam).

Seeing The Birth of Color on MAPTIA's website is a reminder that getting covered with colored gulal from head to toe on a daily basis during Holi was worth it.

Top Ten Toughest Races

The National Geographic Adventure blog has put out their list of the Top 10 Toughest Races in the world, with some really interesting, and grueling, events making the list. These races cross a number of disciplines, and are pretty much guaranteed to punish the competitors.

Some of the races that managed to make the cut include the just completed Iditarod, which has garnered the moniker of "The Last Great Race". The iconic dog sled race covers more than 1100 miles across Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter. The Furnace Creek 508 earns a place of honor as well. This cycling event covers 500+ miles through the heat of Death Valley, throwing in more than 36,000 feet of vertical gain in the process. For foot races, the legendary Marathon des Sables, which starts in just two days, makes the list for its grueling six day, suffer-fest through the Sahara Desert.

I won't spoil the rankings or the top selection as the toughest race in the world, suffice as to say that several of the races making the list are ones that i write about regularly. Of course, a certain race that I have a bit of a soft spot for continues to be snubbed by these recent lists of "best" and "toughest" races. I think I need to talk to Don Mann, my boss at Primal Quest, and discuss making the race a bit more challenging. Obviously ten days of non-stop racing over a 600 mile course just isn't enough to cut it any more.

Taste of North Vietnam travel

The visit incorporates the old capital – Hanoi and the Unesco World Heritage - Ha Long Bay will make an extraordinary separated taste to the vacationers. Picking this, voyagers even have opportunity to encounter the neighborhood way of life during a time obliging in Homestay in Mai Chau. This would be an encounter that couldn't be missed.

The trip from the airplane terminal to your lodging will take more or less one hour and is an enlivening knowledge loaded with clamorous activity, different construction modeling and over-burden motorbikes. Weighing in your inn and appreciate your time as recreation around Hanoi capital.

8.00 – 8.30: Halong Phoenix Cruiser's transport and aide will get you at your inn. Your baggage ought to be prepared for advantageous exchange. On the best approach to Halong city, revel in the adventure through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the view of rice fields, water wild ox and regular Vietnamese town life.

Welcome beverages would be served before accepting lodge and cruising course instructions. Delight in a delectable fish lunch while our watercraft gradually voyage through stunning limestone seascape.

15.15: Visiting Sung Sot give in, a standout amongst the most astonishing collapses Halong Bay. The two chambers that structure this astonishing cavern are adorned with a great many astounding stalactite and stalagmite structures.

16.25 Enjoy simple kayaking around the angling town, then come back to the vessel for your relaxation.

19.00: Seafood set-supper ready for

Another day has accompanied wonderful first light view from your lodge

8.00: Be exchanged to adjacent Ti Top Island for swimming or scale to the top to see the remarkable landscape of the straight.

Withdrawing Hanoi, you will set out on a picturesque 3.5 hour trip to Mai Chau, going over the Cun Pass with its great scene of lavish valleys and mountains. On landing in the town, you will be allowed to investigate Mai Chau and its encompasses. At night you can revel in the warm neighborliness of local people with a far reaching home cooked feast went before by the conventional welcome tasting of a nearby rice wine.

After an unwinding outing lunch and a chance to shop for neighborhood ethnic handiworks then again to Hanoi.

Leave at 9:00am from your inn. We will start our day by going to Uncle Ho, looking into his extraordinary life at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and his private spot (N.b. The site of Vietnam's first University, implicit twelfth century, to instruct the royals the Confucius hypothesis. Here we will likewise have an opportunity to see a conventional music execution, if accessible.

Related post: Vietnam travel packages

Toward the evening visit Museum of Ethnology, broadly recognized as the best in the nation which houses a showcase devoted to Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority people groups.

A late evening cyclo voyage through Hanoi's captivating Old Quarter took after by extra time for shopping. We complete our unwinding however educational day by going to a Water Puppet Show, a most loved experience for all guests to Vietnam.

You will be gotten from your lodging for the one hour voyage to the airplane terminal. Make sure not to pack any assets in your handled in baggage and uproot all sharp questions and fluids from your lugg

Trip to Somnath, Gir, Nageshwar and Dwarka

The moment the idea of the trip to the three Kathiawari cities cropped up into conversation, everybody in the family got excited. Undoubtedly, the places Somnath, Nageshwar and Dwarka are as scenic, as they are religious.

The famed coastal road, connecting Somnath and Dwarka with its undulating curves and clear blue Arabian sea water can simply take the breath away. The ferry ride across to Bet Dwarka in a high tide creek, can be equally amazing, and so can a temple run in Somnath.

** Planning for the Trip **

If traveling through road, the ideal mode to travel would be making Rajkot as your base. As then, you'd be traversing a triangle during your travel. From Rajkot hire a taxi, beginning from Dwarka, moving on a day trip to Bet Dwarka, reaching Somnath through the coastal highway (While dropping in to Porbandar en-route). Leaving for Gir early morning and reaching back Rajkot by noon. The trip map would look something like this.

If you have an extra day by your side, you can very well cover Diu. 90 Kms away from Somnath, Diu can be a great outing, with its relatively less crowded beach.

If traveling in a group of 3 or more, this would invariably be the best way, both on time and wallet. But then as I began you need to be on an 'ideal' scenario for that. We didn't have that luxury.

Mom wasn't too enthused about our covering this 700 odd Kms trip without a stretch of rail. So we decided to make Ahmedabad, Gujarat as our base and then beginning from Somnath, cover the places relaxed and comforted. At the end, this indeed turned out to be a laid-back easy trip.

So..Rail it was - (http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com)

The rail tickets are difficult to get by, especially as we were traveling during November around the season for Hindu festival, Diwali. Fortunately with some luck running by our side, the tickets were available.

** Veraval **

The overnight Somnath express made us reach Veraval, the nearest train station to Somnath, quite early in the morning. The air had a nip which despite the coastal winds flowing around, felt cold. We hired a taxi that costed us around 80 bucks and 30 minutes.

Veraval Station -  http://static.panoramio.com

Somnath Rail Station

We later discovered that Somnath also happen to have a decent rail station, but with only few, very few trains actually using it. For all practical reasons, if traveling through train, Veraval is the most suitable option.

** Somnath - Stay **

Staying comfortably in Somnath can be a big concern if there is a planning lacunae. The best place to stay are Somnath Temple Trust accommodations. Various options including high-end rooms are available.  Lilavati among them is the best value of money. However, the rooms have to be booked in advance to avoid reservation hassles. The trust books the tickets through bank draft. Expect rush across all seasons. Further, the trust has offices in Ahmedabad and Mumbai too. Other 'Hotels' (if you can call them so) are poorly managed and the tariffs are irrational.

Lilavati - Value for money

** Somnath - Jyotirling 'Darshan' **

Somnath temple is amongst the 12 Jyotirlings, or the prominent Shiva temples, supposed to be 'Swayam-bhoo' or self-created. The history however bleeds through the series of plunders that were carried in greed and jealousy of the temple's riches. Material and aesthetic riches. The larger glory  is in the manner the temple has been restored. Somnath temple indeed is a manifestation of phenomenal efforts and vision. It is a marvel of modern architecture( remarkably functional and efficient) with its serene background . The place is heavily guarded, quite understandably by virtue of its symbolism of proclamation (sic) of (never lost) glory.

After settling in for some time, we stepped to have our breakfast in the common dining hall for Somnath temple trust accommodations. The food was good and the place was tidy. Food is yet another reason to stay in the temple trust. There aren't many options around in Somnath that can match the quality available, if not the choice.

For the darshan, or a glimpse of the divine, the queue was fairly long. The cloak room was insufficient to handle the rush. So keep all your phones, cameras tucked back in the room you stay.

Sea revering Somnath Temple - http://whenintrovertspeaks.files.wordpress.com

The passage leading to the temple is adorned with stories of restoration through paintings etc. Better upkeep of the gallery including provision of more space would definitely attract a lot of tourist attention. The piousness in the environment can definitely be felt. At times, it seems even the Arabian sea kiss the temple feet in reverence. The sanctum sanctorum is magnificent, to say the least, with ubiquitous silver work. Upon the exit from the sanctorum, one can soak in the beauty of the temple by relaxing across the carefully planned stone benches by the side of the sea. As we came out from the temple, it was still just 11 in the morning.

Somnath Temple

** Visiting Gir - The open Den **

The best way to reach Gir, is to hire a taxi locally from Somnath. We reached at the sanctuary gate in no time and hopped on the open gypsy from the gate (mandatory to hire these special vehicles). The view was surreal, and with some luck by our side, we could spot the famed lion. It was a special moment, and the years of yearning came to life. After staying in Gir for a couple of hours, we reached back Somnath in the evening, enriched and fulfilled.

Lion at Sasan, Gir

Beauty or the Beast

Dear Deer

Images Courtesy : www.google.com

** Temple Run **

After an early dinner, it was good time to relax in the beach facing garden. The breeze was ideal to rejuvenate the tired souls. There isn't much to do in Somnath apart from the temple, so the bustling garden adjacent to the temple is good thought (so we had wrongly thought). However, some people left their fastidious cows and some bulls to feed on the snacks, people were having in the garden. From nowhere, the temple run started. The aggressive bovines tried to run havoc by harming people caught by unawares. There was a virtual screen play of the famed 'Temple run'. The bulgy overfitting monster of the game replaced by the bovines, and for a change the frame wasn't unreal! Within no time 100 odd people that had occupied the place, left their snacks for the feed, and ran to save their lives, hiding in the temple compound. (Have a feeling, such incidents can be avoided by some sense of administration.)

 Many like us didn't dare to enter the compound thus for the evening, and  surely could have uninstalled the game from their smart phones.

Somnath Temple - Glorious at night too

** Dwarka **

An overnight train runs between the two pilgrimages. It was not long back before our trip, that the rail connectivity between Somnath station and Dwarka had started. Albeit quite slow, and less scenic as the coastal road between Somnath and Dwarka, it still is very comfortable. It departs late night and you can reach Dwarka early, but not uncomfortably early. The Somnath rail station is not far from the town and it took us less than 10 minutes to reach station from the temple trust accommodation. Fresh and excited, we reached Dwarka in the morning to head to 'Kokila Dheeraj Dham', our place of stay (by far, the best place to stay in Dwarka).

Dwarka Station

Jagatmandir

It's conveniently close to the main temple, the rooms are pretty much functional, inexpensive and the service is excellent.The ideal value for the price you pay! Prior booking, though, would be great, considering the rush. There is a sizable traffic coming for day trips from Jamnagar, Gujarat. Reliance employees hold quota in the reservation at the guesthouse.  Around 11 am in the morning, we left for the temple. En-route do remember to book your 2pm tickets from the municipal office for ''chaar dhaam yatra''(visit to four religious places around Dwarka), namely, ''Bet Dwarka, Gopi Talab, Nageshwar jyotirlinga and Rukmini temple''. There are private operators too, but not to the match of the bus run by municipal administration. 

Do book the overnight bus tickets from Dwarka to Ahmedabad around this time. You may like to save precious time, as the train leaves only the next morning.

** Dwarikadheesh ki Jai **

Dwarka, one of the 'Chaar Dhams' (Four major Hindu pilgrimages), holds a very special place in hearts of Indians. Dwarikadheesh, referred for Lord Krishna, was the king of historical (and now submerged) (old) Dwarka city, along his eternal kingdom of consciousness. The Jagatmandir architecture is wonderful and the idol 'darshan', benign. The divine atmosphere is made more special as people chant 'Dwarikadheesh ki Jai' all the way. As with other vaishnavite temples, at Dwarka too, the timings of darshan need to be accounted for. The guest house reception can be of great help, before you set your travel for soul. There was ample time for the darshan, and it was far better managed then its contemporary Nathdwara temple of Shrinathji in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

After the darshan and lunch in a restaurant near to our accommodation, we set ourselves for the bus pick point for the 2 PM bus.

Jagatmandir, Dwarka

Reception - Kokila Dheeraj Dham

** Nageshwar Temple **

Nageshwar temple is also among the 12 Jyotirlings. A sizable queue can be expected in the temple. There is a really grand Shiva statue in the compound. The temple management is however totally commercialized. 'Pay and worship' mismanagement. Unfortunately, it is a sham to the sentiments and faith of the devotees.

Grand Shiva Statue - Nageshwar Jyotirling

Nageshwar Temple

Rukmini Temple

Gopi Talab(Pond) - Entrance

** Bet Dwarka **

You can mistake yourself to be in an industrial town, as you reach Bet Dwarka through Okha. However, that experience would not hold long, as the commercial activity would vignette quite fast. There were a lot many tourists that day heading for Bet Dwarka. Perhaps because of the 'Ram katha' by Morari Bapu in Bet Dwarka. Bet Dwarka (abridged version of Bhent (meeting) Dwarka, the place where Sudama met Krishna in  his friend) is situated on an island and the place has to be reached in a ferry.As we reached the bridge, we could notice swarms of people waiting for their turn in the ferry. It was very crowded, but we persisted, and so did our boat in the water. There was some monitoring by the coastal guards.

Bet Dwarka - Entrance

Oversized Ferry - Indian Flag flying high

Rough Sea

The creation and the canvas

Some walk to tread across the hill, and you reach the main temple. Passing by a lively small market on both the sides of the street, you would find people selling religious items and snacks. The main temple is surrounded by adjacent small temples.

By the time we'd walked down the street back for our ferry, it was 7:00 in the evening. 

**  The Ferry ride - recalling the Life of Pi **

The ferry ride back to the mainland was more of a forced adventure trip. The rough sea we had encountered in the day, got rougher on account of high tide and full moon night. The ferry was full to brim and the waves literally ferocious. The experience made me recall watching 'Life of Pi' in 3D. Adventure, nonetheless !  We thankfully reached mainland safely. After reaching Dwarka by 8 PM, we hurried with our dinner to get back in time for our 9:30 bus to Ahmedabad.

Dwarkadheesh, Two Jyotirlings, One Lion Sanctuary, the heart still goes out for that trip. 

Traveled for Soul, by Soul.

***

Stay Duration :        2 days at Somnath, Dwarka

Stay Place:              As referred in the post

Travel Companion : Mother, Better Half

Travel Phases :        Dwarka, Somnath and Gir in phases

Arrived through:      Train from Ahmedabad
During:                    Oct, 2013

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Related Posts:

• 5 Things you should do at Dwarka

Any feedback on my post? Similar stories to share ? Any suggestions I can provide for the places. I'd love to help in your trip.

                                            

Looking forward to your comments/queries.

***

Outside Interviews Melissa Arnot

Not to be outdone by Adventure's interview with Ed Viesturs, Outside Online has responded with an interview of their own, and it's with Viestur's teammate on the upcoming Everest expedition, Melissa Arnot.

Melissa may not be a household name (yet!) like some of the legends she'll be climbing with, but she has her own goals and aspirations on Everest this spring, and they include becoming the first American woman to summit Everest without oxygen. If successful, she'll also be the first to summit twice from the South Side.

In the interview, she talks about how she got into climbing, what it's like to stand on the summit of Everest, and the benefits and drawbacks of being the only woman on the First Ascent team. The rather lengthy interview, much longer than the one with Viesturs, covers a range of topics.

At the age of 25, Melissa is already an experienced guide, and it shows. She'll be pulling her own weight with the boys this spring. Like I said earlier, clearly we're going to hear a lot about this team and their climb.