Stargazing- Underneath the Stars

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another.” — Plato

Away from the hustle bustle, lies this picturesque village, at the base of Ajoba hills with solar powered electricity and clean toilets- Dehne. 

The three of us had booked this trip online with a travel group. We met our co-stargazers at a pre decided location- Asangaon Station and started our journey. We were accompanied by a very knowledgeable astronomer (hobbyist), a photographer and an organiser from the travel group. Food was also part of the deal- evening snacks- bhajiyas with tea, dinner- traditional vegetarian maharashtrian food at a local house, breakfast- poha with tea.

-Nearest Station- Asangaon (Local train station on the central suburbs of Mumbai) (45 km from Dehne)

-Things to Carry- warm shawl, water and snacks for midnight munching (tents, blankets and pillows were provided as it gets nippy!)

Day 1

We reached just before sunset which was a delight to watch through the green fields with bhajiyas and tea.

         

Started with learning to fix tents of all sizes- small, medium and big. As it dawned, the session started with initially low visibility of the stars and planets (obviously). Moon was in a crescent and looked stunning in the telescope. So did Saturn with its rings! Around 9ish we headed for dinner.

Post dinner session had beautiful story telling by our astronomer from Indian and Greek mythologies. Some stories connected the dots or rather the stars and formed the constellations! This went on until around 2 am with rising and setting of various stars and some planets.

         

Star trails with north star at the centre

         

Star trails with north star

         

Star trails

Some of us caught up on some sleep while others chose to lay beneath the bed of stars.

         

         

         

         

Day 2

We woke up just before the sunrise and witnessed another beautiful sight of Sun rising just behind the Ajoba hills.

         

         

Had breakfast and around 8 we were homeward bound.

Spiti: Somewhere In The Middle Land

Make the best use of your cellphones- take photos! 

..there is no 4G, 3G or 1G for that matter..no network..no internet connection ..thus, Spiti promises you a no-nuisance trip..in the lap of Himalayas..the middle land- SPITI!

Our fun road trip started with some strangers we met in Shimla and ended with bidding farewell to buddies in Manali.

We began with Narkanda (acclimatising with the air/surroundings) moving up to Sangla where lies the last inhabited village in Kinnaur district and is on the Indo-China border- Chitkul (breathtaking views of the valley with small streams and waterfalls on the way).

Reached Kalpa- for awe-inspiring views of Kinner-Kailash (from practically anywhere in Kalpa) or how I like to call it The Killer Kailash!

Moving on to Tabo monastery (called the Ajanta of Himalayas) and then to Dhankar monastery (with hike to Dhankar Lake- which we missed).

This part of the country is one of the least populated areas and one can feel that in Mudh, Pin Valley (around 200 people).

Next stop- Key and Kibber monasteries.

Your phone may come back to life and start pinging as you have entered Kaza (sub-divisional headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti). Kaza has cafes and shops and wifi and wine. You can shop for souvenirs and other local stuff. Feels like more people than ever in entire Spiti.

A small trek to wake the senses (if overslept in Kaza)- Chandertal Lake. No words can describe the pleasure at the end of the hike to the lake. (and I have been to Ladakh- Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri- which no doubt are astonishing in their own way).

This 8 day-trip was challenging in terms of bad roads (the toughest part being the last one from Chandertal to Rohtang Pass) and some of us struggled with health issues (altitude/mountain sickness, breathlessness, cold, fever etc.). But as someone said, 'when everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top' ...and the view indeed was awe-striking!

Thank 'Gods' for Greece!

Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean sea. - Nikos Kazantzakis

And I do not think I have seen anything 'bluer' than the Aegean Sea!

Mumbai-Abu Dhabi (only transit)-Athens

Athens-Abu Dhabi (only transit)-Mumbai

Day 1

We arrived.

Relaxed after a long flight. Spoke with the receptionist for a local sightseeing place and left for Mt. Lycabettus via cable car (Ticket to-and-fro: Euro 7.50 but you can walk up and down the hill for free). The view of the city from atop is stunning.

Day 2

Athens to Santorini

Early morning we left for Santorini by a pretty luxurious ferry (Blue Star Ferries). It was a 7 hour-long but a treat to the eye journey. To our luck Poseidon (Sea God) was happy and so were we. After reaching, later in the evening we strolled around the city centre areas, had dinner and called it a day.

Day 3

After breakfast we left for for a long-day tour (included a lot of walking and hiking). We hopped on the King Thira's (traditional sail boat) rocky boat, which took us to the volcanic islands where we hiked up the volcanic craters. Next stop was Kameni Islands where we braked for a swim in the hot springs.

After having lunch in Thirassia (another island), we started with our second hike of the day- to the village of Oia to view one of the most amazing sunsets in the world.

Day 4

Santorini to Mykonos

We left for Mykonos (via Naxos) on a terrible rocky boat ride. We were supposed to take a half day trip to Naxos but due to a little mixup we took the wrong ferry and did not have enough time to spend in Naxos as our next ferry to Mykonos was already booked. So we moved towards Mykonos- another enthralling island. Later in the day after reaching Mykonos, we went to the old port- what a splendid place to spend an evening- experience the view, the sunset and the walk along the shore.

Day 5

We started with our day trip to Delos Tour to the island of Delos- centuries old architectural site which was a cultural centre of the ancient Greek civilization and supposed birth place of Apollo (god of sun, music, wine and many more). The place flaunts of the beginning of theatre and other art. The ruins show the iconic Delos Lions, markets, temples, amphitheatre, use of mosaic and much more to explore. The place is a gem, a historians delight and very intriguing indeed.

Day 6

Before leaving for Athens, we had half a day with us which we spent on going for a swim in the sea. Our hotel has a private beach- one of the most calm beaches in entire Mykonos- called Kalafatis.

Mykonos to Athens

Welcome back to Athens (on ferry ride- a 5 hour long journey).

Day 7

Athens- day and night tour

The day city tour included- Panathenaic Stadium (place of first modern olympic games), Parthenon (temple of Athena), Acropolis (iconic peak housing the Parthenon) and Acropolis museum (extremely informative and innovative built on dug up archaeological site with glass floors for the view).

The night tour included floodlit Parthenon, walk in the city centre- old district of Plaka and dinner at a traditional Greek Tavern with Greek folk dance performances.

Next day (day 8), we left for Mumbai.

In a nutshell: The buildings are so white they can give 'tide' a run for money. The water so pure it can wash away all the sorrow and grief (but please buy water in the islands as tap water is not safe to drink). The food so deletable it can fill you with happiness. The culture so profound and history so deep that more than 20 museums are needed to house it. The people so warm with the smiles you want to keep grinning!

A week's trip gave us a glimpse of their centuries old history, profound culture, traditional dances, delectable food, scintillating wine, serene and calm beaches, rocky and scary ferry/boat rides, mesmerising islands and eternal bliss!

Thank 'Gods' for Greece!

Winter Break in 'His' own Country- Kerala

If Kashmir is heaven on Earth then God probably takes his winter breaks in 'His own Country.’

Lush green forests, carved tea estates, gurgling cascades, chirping insects, coconut trails, herds of elephants and fragrance of spices- welcome to Kerala!

Memorable Mentions (in addition to the nature’s bountiful experience): 

The hospitality- which was over the top with warmth and cheerful grins and Spices- that still bring flavours afresh- every bite of food in any dish talks about each spice that has been put in heartily. 

Do not miss: Uphill walk around tea plantations (estates) amongst trails of spices and coffee bean plants in Munnar, elephant rides in Thekkady (also available at other places), Elephant Camp near Guruvayoor Temple in Thrissur (houses more than 50 elephants), Athirappilly Waterfalls in Thrissur, overnight stay in house boat in Alleppey and Kathakali dance performance in Fort Kochi.

Places visited: Kochi, Munnar, Alleppey, Kumarakom, Thekkady and Thrissur