All posts by allgudthings

I am a traveler who loves capturing each moment which gives me happiness and reason to explore more.

Our Love for Old Manali over Main Manali

August 29, 2018 allgudthings 15 Comments

Nestled among Deodar and pine trees, with the gushing River Beas flowing alongside, view of snow-capped peaks in front, the colorful shops along the winding lanes, the whipping coffee and baking smell from the cafes is what defines a quaint little town – Old Manali of Himachal Pradesh, India.

Old Manali – Don’t go by the world OLD, here. The place is not at all an old town. Indeed, we feel it is full of life and much more happening than the main Manali. It is not a honeymoon destination but a Hippie Land and the abode of Backpackers. The place has a traditional Himachali fell and interestingly, this trail is also listed under the Banana Pancake Trail along with Kasol, Jaipur, Goa, Bangkok, Phuket, etc.

You might be thinking we are biased towards old Manali and actually, we are. The place is famous among weed and other notorious drug lovers but we have our own reasons to love it. But before reading further, we suggest you find a hotel in Manali, as the place is always loaded with tourists/ travelers and backpackers.

Reasons why we love Old Manali

1. Feel of fresh air, water, and Spirituality

Cross the bridge over River Beas, separating Old and Main Manali, the cool breeze and spirituality of Old Manali will engulf you. The fresh air will open up your senses and the flowing River will act as music to mind and soul. The water here is utterly pure because it’s coming directly from the glaciers.

Bridge connecting old manali to new manali

We feel, the place is beautiful in all seasons but its heaven in Monsoon. During Monsoons, clouds engulf you from all sides, mist settles down on your clothes and hair. Rain starts pouring in no time, leaving you completely drenched, and everything gets super clean and fresh.

2. Nature Walk

There are plenty of nature trails in Old Manali and each one is unique. Start walking on any, and you will be amazed by the beauty of nature here. The place makes you feel completely in the lap of nature and sometimes accidentally you hover to discover the hidden or secret trails.

This small town also serves as a base for the adventure freaks and trekkers. Multiple treks start from here ranging from easy to intermediate to long. To name, few of them are – Trek to Lahaul Spiti Valley, Pin Valley, Chandratal, Kheerganga, Kasol, etc.

3. Good Food and Cafes

Old Manali is also a hub for cafes and delicious food. They serve cuisines from Himachali to Italian to Chinese and Israeli. The cooks of each of these cafes have honed their skills and become masters by learning from the backpackers and visitors.

Till day, we have tried a variety of food from different cafes and Bakers and honestly, none has disappointed us. But still, the favorite from our list is German Bakers for fresh cakes, pastries, pies and coffee and Café 1947, Lazy Dog for food. And yes! the fresh Trout fish is a must-try. Eat and you will be in heaven. Okay Jokes apart, after eating Trout here, we have stopped liking it anywhere else.

Some of the cafes in the town too, have books and games sections to make up your day.

4. Music and Parties

If you are one like us, who loves sipping drinks with beautiful views and music, then Old Manali is a place for you. The cafes play trance, Reggae, romantic songs, and some have Live Bands too. One can spend their entire day here. During our last visit, we found a cafe playing Punjabi numbers and people dancing on it. So, feel the scene is really changing here too.

Apart from the regular Music and parties, the Shiva Squad festival is held here for psychedelic music and natural scenic beauty lovers. The festival is spread over for two days and the dates for this year i.e 2018 are from 25 to 27^th September.

5. Love for colorful Handicrafts and quirky stuff

Just as you enter the town, the Boho vibes start surrounding you. The colorful lined shops and the smiling owners on the winding roads welcome you. They sell local handicrafts, woolen stuff, funky jewelry, sling bags, dream catchers, Tibetan Prayer Flags, all types of Chillums, Punk T-shirts and other quirky stuff at quite a reasonable price, which perfectly fits the needs of Backpackers.

There are also some dreadlock (Jata) and tattoo makers sitting outside the shops. So, get yourself done one, for some cool Hippie look.

These are a few of the reasons for our bias attitude towards this old Quaint town. Truly, we can never get bored of it. What do you feel now?

How to Reach Old Manali

Manali lies 537 kilometers from Delhi and can be reached by direct Volvo Bus (Redbus), Cab or by air. The nearest airport is at Bhuntar, i.e. 50 Kilometers from Manali. From there, one can hire a cab or bus to Manali. Further to Old Manali, one can hire a Tuk Tuk (Auto-rickshaw) or walk for about 20 minutes and cross the bridge.

Route: Delhi – Panipat – Karnal – Chandigarh – Rupnagar- Bilaspur- Mandi- Bhuntar – Manali

Best Time to Visit Old Manali

Manali is beautiful in all seasons but we suggest exploring it during offseason. Monsoon is one such off-season when hotels are quite cheap, and you have the whole place to yourself. Although be careful with the landslides.

Summers: March – June; Monsoons: July – September; Winters: November – February

In September the weather is quite pleasant with bit chilliness, especially during the morning and evenings.

Important Tip

Old Manali has a hippie culture but we request you to be a responsible traveler and citizen. Don’t create nonsense and respect the locals and their culture. Don’t litter and use the installed bins.

India, Sikkim, Tourism, Travel

Our Experience with Zoomcar – Siliguri to Sikkim

August 25, 2018 allgudthings 14 Comments

For us, Traveling and Road Trips are synonyms. We love exploring each place by driving through it and think that’s what makes up the real Travel Experience. If roads are a fantasy land then road trip are an injection of adrenaline. Honestly, they make us go high. It is like one moment you are passing through the lush green forests; other time you will be holding your car’s steering tight to cross a waterfall or snailing through the continuous ascent/ descent among the barren landscapes. They let us make pit stops to enjoy the drizzle, click various landscapes and take the off roads. The dream was to drive through Sikkim and this came true because of the cool Self Drive concept by Zoomcar.

Experience With Zoomcar - Siliguri to Sikkim

After exploring Spiti Valley, Leh Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan from Delhi by road trips, we have become habitual of the real thrill. But Sikkim was really far and we had limited days. So, we broke the journey into two i.e.– By Air and Road. The first leg; i.e. Delhi to Siliguri (By air) was covered early morning to have the real fun later.

So, before we take you on to the journey of Sikkim, in this post we will describe our Experience with Zoomcar from booking to drop up.

Booking Zoomcar

The Booking process for Zoomcar is quite simple and just 4 step away

Download the app and sign up
Choose the start and end time
Select Pick up and drop location
Choose a vehicle and the kilometer plan

Zoomcar app, will calculate the fare depending upon the number of days, chosen car and kilometers. Further, there are additional filters like with or without fuel. For example, we choose Scorpio Zoomcar with fuel for 9 days and paid around 20,000 for first 965 Kilometers, and 5,000 Rs. refundable security. Above this the additional Kilometers will be charged at Rs. 15 per kilometer.

After all the selection process and chosen package, proceed to pay and also upload a picture of your driving license. Within next 5 minutes, you will receive a confirmation mail and message, stating that your car has been booked. If in any case, your driving license is rejected, try clicking and uploading again, focusing on your picture.

Important Points

We booked the Zoomcar same day we had our flight and got our favorite Scorpio. But luck always doesn’t favor. So, if you have any preference for car do book yours in advance. Otherwise you will get whichever is available that time in the fleet.
Also, look for the discount coupons or offers. We realized after booking that there were certain offers on Couponzguru and Coupondunia.

Pick up & Drop up of Zoomcar

Pickup

Till day, Zoomcar service is not available in Gangtok. So, we were asked to pick up our car directly from Siliguri Zoomcar Parking lot, which lies 15 kilometers from the Bagdogra airport.

As we reached the Parking lot, our Red Scorpio and the customer care executive was waiting for us. He checked our license on arrival and handed us the documents bag, which had car RC, insurance and other important documents in it. Further he asked us to make a quick inspection of the car and make a note of the scratches, dents or issues car had. To be on the safer side, we made a quick short video and took pictures of the car .

Further the customer representative logged into the app, showed us the checklist explaining all the modules, made us sign, handed us the keys and we were all set to go.

Zoomcar, gave us one tank full diesel. Rest we had to add on our own which could be claimed back on producing the bills while drop off.

Drop up

We were explained while pickup to bring back the vehicle at designated time and spot. Rest the app and messages kept on alerting us about the time left to deposit the vehicle.

Zoomcar among the Tea Estates of Darjeeling, West Bengal

Drop up was quite quick. We reached exactly 10 minutes before the time. Their customer representative made a quick inspection of the vehicle to check the car condition. He noted the kilometers driven, and took the car papers and fuel bills from us. Upon finding everything in the good condition he signed off in the app. As soon as he signed off, the car got locked automatically and the process was over.

Our Experience with Zoomcar

Zoomcar proved to be the perfect companion during our Sikkim road trip. We were extremely comfortable, without our own Black Scorpio. The car was absolutely clean and had everything (stereo, charger etc) in functional state. There was full privacy as well as freedom. The company’s policies and procedures were clear and their pickup and drop facility too was quite prompt.

We got our security and fuel charges refunded within 5 days, after all adjustments. The best thing is there was no cribbing or hustle from pickup to drop. So, if you are like us who like doing things at your own pace, then Zoomcar is a great option for you too.

Additional Information

They have late fee charges, so try to reach back at the designated time
Make a proper note of dents or other issues in the car. If there are any additional damages or dents, the charges can go high till Rs. 10,000
Zoomcar app is quite helpful and have all comprehensive checklists. It provides you all the minute detail from registration to insurance papers, spares and tools.
Their all cars are GPS enabled. So, there is no need to worry as they can track down your vehicle in case of emergency or breakdown. They too keep a check on the vehicle speed. In case of over speeding i.e. more than 125 kmph, you get a quick alert. Zoomcar may add fine for the same in your bill
Zoomcar also give you a quick update on the interstate road tax by message. Pay it to be on the safer side and remember these charges are not reimbursable. We got one message while entering Sikkim state from West Bengal and we paid around 700 Rs for 9 days.
Make a note that you cannot drive in Zoomcar to North/East Sikkim because the permits for same are given to the Travel agents only

Note: We paid complete amount for this trip and the views are our own. You too can experience the same by booking here.

India, Tourism, Travel, Uttar Pradesh

Nidhivan in Vrindavan – Mystery or Miracle

July 27, 2018 allgudthings 20 Comments

Vrindavan, once a thick forest area, is today considered as the most spiritual land and a abode of God. The place was once a playground of Lord Krishna and has it’s mention in epics like Mahabharata. Thousands of Pilgrims visit the place every day and some even stay back here forever. There is a temple in every lane and indeed in every house of Vrindavan. Some of these are architectural marvels (like Iskcon temple) whereas others have mysterious stories linked to them just like the Nidhivan in Vrindavan. So, one weekend we planned to visit Vrindavan with our parents.

The first impression of Vrindavan told us there were narrow lanes all over and further by lanes. So, instead of roaming by car, we hired an auto-rickshaw and there began our journey.

Driver– Which temple you want to go. There are 5500 temples

Me– With a jaw dropped, you said 5500, Really!

Driver – Yes, it is a God’s house. Tell soon which side should I take you first, as it is already 5:00 pm and some of them closes by 7:00pm.

Me – Take us to the Temple which is different and has some interesting story.

Driver – Okay! I will first take you to the Temple which gets locked at 7:00 pm. Lord Krishna visit this place and perform Ras Leela (Type of Dance) with Gopis every night.

Me– What are you talking. Stop telling me this fake story. Let’s go and see the place!

After this conversation, with in next 20 minutes, we were at our destination. A small narrow cobbled street, decked up with sweets and local handicraft shops; and hundreds of Sadhus sitting on each sides took us straight to the yellow stone temple; known as Nidhivan in Vrindavan. The street scene here exactly resembled the scenes at Badrinath Temple except the beautiful Himalayas at backdrop there in Uttarakhand.

Nidhivan in Vrindavan

The word Nidhivan is formed from two words; where Nidhi meaning “Sleep” and Van means “Forest”. So, the forest is immured with the night talks and love stories of Lord Krishna and Radha. And we will say a green forest with hundreds of entangled twisted trees.

From the time we stepped inside, the guides were continuously behind us. They were convincing us to show the temple as well warning us to keep our phones, cameras, spectacles protected from Monkeys. Honestly, to us Nidhivan seemed to be a land of Monkey’s.

Entry Gate of Nidhivan

The two huge yellow stone gates, with carvings of peacocks, monkeys and flowers, mark the entry and exit to the forest. Monkeys were sitting on the top and in between the doors, scaring every passer. Our guide assured to take care and made us cross the passage.

Inside Nidhivan in Vrindavan

As we entered the gate, we were still standing on the continuing plinth. From there the stairs were going down, leading to the forest and nothing much was visible from there, except the short heightened dense trees. There the guide started:

This is a Tulsi (VanaTulsi)/ Holy Basil forest. These trees are completely hollow from inside and have roots 5 mm above the ground. No water is given to them ever, but their leaves remain green throughout the year. The ones you see brown also turn green at Night.

At night the whole forest lits up. The trees turn to Gopis at night, when Lord Krishna comes here for Ras Leela and as soon as dawn breaks, the Gopis turn back to Basil trees. The trees shift their positions every day. Several People have tied threads to check this fact but they could never find the tied thread, If you see on the ground, there are more than 1600 holes, which are the clear indicator that trees have shifted their position. The leaves of these Basil trees are never broken and the ones which fell themselves are also collected in these holes. And these Basil trees are always found in pairs.

There are no nests or insects on these trees. The part of these Tulsi trees cannot be taken home and those have attempted to do so, have faced severe consequences. All this sounds interesting but it was equally mysterious too. Listening all this, our mind had started wobbling! We were in total confusion that whether we are in a land of mystery or it is a miracle.

Saint Haridas Temple

From there we continued our walk in between the fenced forest of Nidhivan in Vrindavan to Saint Haridas Temple. The interesting Legend behind this temple is that a divine Saint Haridas; during 15^th century made Nidhivan his base. To impress Lord Krishna (also known as Banke Bihari) he used to play flute. One day the Lord blessed him in his dreams by appearing at the same place in Nidhivan in Vrindavan. So, this place is also known as Prakatya Sathal, which itself means the appearance of Lord Krishna.

The Samadhi or grave of Sanit Haridas is also located on the extreme right end of Nidhivan in Vrindavan.

Lalita Kund/ Well in Nidhivan

Cross the Temple and you will see a small well inside the premises. The story for this is– Once while performing Ras Leela, Lalita the close friend of Shree Radha became thirsty and to quench her thirst, Lord Krishna built a well there with his flute. So, this well is known as Lalita Kund. To us, it looked like a harvesting well to us and was not maintained.

Are you guys also in some different world? But this is not the end, still the other mysteries or miracles have to open up their veil.

Rang Mahal

From there we continued our walk to Rang Mahal or the Shingar (dressing) room of Radha. It is a single room with a bed, silver lining dressing table loaded with ornaments and beauty products. The ritual here is that every day after 7:00 pm i.e. after Aarti, priests puts toothbrushes, sarees, bangles, paan (Betel) leaves, holy water in jug, sweets and a ready bed. Next morning, everything is found scattered as if someone has used it.

So, it is believed that Lord Krishna comes here every night. Gopis and Radha dresses up in Rang Mahal and plays Ras Leela. Till day, no one has seen this happening and the one who has attempted so has either lost his eyesight, voice, mental balance or have died. So, to avoid entries, the gates of temple are closed after Aarti and no one is allowed to stay inside the premises. The locals say that even monkeys leave the premises after Aarti.

Shree Radha Temple

The geometric design floor where Lord plays Ras Leela with Radha comes before the Radha Rani Temple at Nidhivan in Vrindavan. In the temple, there is a diety of Shree Radha playing a flute. It is built in the memory, when Radha stole the flute of Krishna along with her sakhis (girlfriends) Lalita and Vishakha and started playing it. The tree outside this temple had differently entangled branches which resembled the shape of Lord Krishna. People around claimed they could see it, but I think our senses were corrupted by now. We were completely lost in the dilemma of mystery or miracle or is it a money making game.

And there we were almost at the exit gate and the circuit has completed. The entire forest or the land of mystery was visible from here.

Around the Nidhivan Temple there are hundreds of houses, which have their windows opening up to the views of forest. But the people living in it, don’t dare to look or open up their windows after 7:00 pm, because of the fear or belief. Indeed, some of the locals have closed their house windows permanently with bricks. Some also claim to have heard the Ghungroos/ anklets voice at night.

Our Experience at Nidhivan in Vrindavan

Nidhivan in Vrindavan is truly a mysterious land or the miracle of God. Everything seems possible here. The place attracts not only devotes but also the scientists, tourist or travelers. Devotees from all over the world comes here to worship and priest or guide tries to show them God in their own way.

How to Reach Vrindavan

Vrindavan can be reached from Delhi by rail or road.

Rail – The Nearest Railway station is at Mathura i.e. 14 kilometers from Vrindavan and from there hire a cab/ bus or auto to reach Vrindavan. Every 15 minutes an auto or bus runs to Vrindavan.

Road – Vrindavan lies 193 kilometers from Delhi and can be reached in 2.5 hrs via Yamuna Expressway

Best time to go Vrindavan

The best time to go Vrindavan is in winters i.e. from October to March or monsoons. In Summers (April – June), the temperatures are soaring.

Note: Photography inside the Temple was not allowed and we respected that

If you like it, please share it with your friends and family. And do share your experience of Nidhivan with us, we will be happy to know your views on the same.

India, Restaurant, Restaurant Reviews, Reviews

The Clock Tower, Gurugram: Gastropub Full of Life

July 17, 2018 allgudthings 16 Comments

We all work hard to earn well, but it is equally important to relax and unwind; mentally and physically. So, this weekend, we thought to relax back and just visit the famous Gastropub – The Clock Tower in Gurugram.

The Clock Tower Gurugram

The clock Tower, Gurugram located on the golf course road, is the manifestation of concept of some great minds with a huge British style clock representing it. We felt the place is a “life” in itself; as it is not food alone that contributes to the experience, but it’s entire atmosphere and ambiance which makes one happy and this place is a perfect example of it. So, the combination of three words – Ambiance, Staff and Food, defines everything here.

Ambiance

Loads of green and natural shades at the entrance makes the place look earthy and soothing. The statue at the entrance is an attraction it itself whereas the interiors are infused with the colonial designs. The high ceiling, tall windows, intelligently done wooden work around, plastered walls covered with the souvenirs and old time cartoons, and minimalist lights, makes the place look quite picturesque.

Indeed, the mezzanine structure and decor is enough to lift up mood and spirit. The sofas, tall seating’s and table crafted on the old things perfectly gel in the atmosphere.

The Clock tower Gastropub is divided into three floors and open terrace; with bar on each floor. The whole edifice is like a time machine as it takes you back to the boarding school days. The walls are covered with the memorabilia of India’s old and famous boarding schools.

And to add to it is the Alumnus corner on one side which has a large table with the comfortable seating to talk and relish the old days.

Staff

The dedicated, well-dressed perfectionist staff is what makes the place best and believe us the Clock Tower has it all. On the toes and with a big smile they guide and serve you the best of the menu, making you extremely comfortable.

Food

The extensive Menu of the clock tower, Gurugram serves (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian) Indian, Italian, Chinese, Tandoori cuisines. The presentation of the most of the items we ordered was simply gorgeous and appealing. The taste was at par including the serving size.

We tried few items like Peanut salad, Grilled Fish Tikka, Dahi Ke kabab, Pork, Dal Makhani Tart and loved all of them. The Peanut Salad was neither spicy nor bland and had a perfect aftertaste.

The Chicken was fresh, juicy, well-cooked and presented. The flavors too were a well fit. The Dahi Ke Kabab had a unique taste with a slight sweet tinge.

The another favorite to our list is Grilled Fish Tikka, which was fresh, soft, well grilled with light flavors added a crunch to the bite. The Dal Makhani Tart something new for us, had a Punjabi Tadka twist to the original Tart.

In the main course, we ordered Veg Italian Queen Pizza. The thin crust pizza was of apt size, loaded with mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil. A bite and it was like love at first bite.

We were almost full by this time but Chef Siddharth suggested to try the Dessert too. Agreeing to him, we tried Chocolate Cake Brownie with a Vanilla Ice- Cream. The cake was soft, spongy and the dark chocolate on the top made us say wow. Additionally, a choco-vanila ice cream with it, completely won our hearts.

Microbrewery

The Clock Tower, Gurugram has an in house brewery serving a variety of freshly brewed beers along with the finest collection of wines, liquor, single malts, cocktail and many more.

Starting with the beer, the place offers apple cider beer, German Wheat, Alphonso Mango flavored, strong/ light wheat and Chocolate Beer which are quiet liked by youngsters these days.

The menu also had a collection of classic as well as signature cocktails and mocktails.

Just adjacent to the Bars are well defined Smoking Zones. One of the smoking area is open and gives a city views whereas the other one has transparent curtains giving the open feel and is well air conditioned. The dim light here adds a glory to the place.

Our View on The Clock Tower, Gurugram

So, whether it’s a solo visit, a date night with your spouse, or a family / friends get together, the Clock Tower Gurugram will set your mood and make you happy with its relaxed ambiance, wonderfully flavorsome food, music and amazing drinks. The place is definitely recommended for a visit, from AllGudThings.

If you do visit this place, appreciate its awesomeness and don’t forget to let us know too!

A Special Thanks to Mr. Devki, Ms. Ayushi and Chef Siddharth for taking care of us.

You can book a Table by calling 9599199314/ 9599199315 or Registering here.

ALL GUD THINGS