Tag / Torism

by Aman Sharma

In the Lap of mother nature- Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. Recently one of my friend went to this Beautiful country, it has been my dream to visit this country. I will go there one day but for now I went straight to his place to ask about his experience as it was his first time going out of the country. In this way I will also get a detailed note on my bucket list destination by sitting on a comfortable couch and a cup of coffee probably at his place.

The next paragraphs will be completely based on what he told me in his own wordings. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did listening to his experience.

“On my way to Colombo, I was filled with lot of questions in my mind. A bit nervous, you know…It was my first time out of country. I was a little worried that what type of people will be there, how they will treat an Indian. But above all I was very excited to visit this beautiful country sitting in the lap of Mother Nature, and I guess this things kept me going.”

With this all going through me I didn’t came to know when I reached there. Picked up my luggage and started moving towards the exit of the Airport. As soon as I stepped out I heard my name being called out. A person standing on the other side with a board on which my name was written was calling me. I went to him, He was very polite and we gently shake our hands. He told me he is here to pick me up and drop at the location where I will be staying. He must be in his early 50’s but was sharply dressed in his chauffeur uniform and his body language didn’t show any signs of aging. I sat in the car and he put up my luggage in the boot of the car and started driving. We went out from the Colombo airport and were cruising towards the guest house. The guest house was quite far from airport around 35 kilometers. After getting out of the airport Lush green fields accompanied us on both side of highway. It cheered me up and all the worries I was carrying with me, simply vanished. This was way better than I ever could demand off. I slide my window down and let the cool breeze strike on my face, this made my whole body relaxed and all the fatigue of travel was now gone. The car driver probably guessed my happiness and to make it better, he played a local music radio station. I couldn’t understand it properly as it was in the local language but its beat get me grooving in the back seat of the car. Small Coconut trees also started making their appearances on our way. The road to guest went through Small jungles which makes you feel like you have come to a trip to safari. After a couple of turns the driver slowed down the car and parked it in a front of the well maintained house which was surrounded by coconut trees. Bonfire preparations were going on. I read the name on the hoarding and yes it was the place I will be staying. Driver unloaded my luggage and took it to the reception while I was still making my way out of the car. My fatigue was already gone on my way here and this guest house was a cherry on the cake. The guest house was right in front of the ocean. It took us around 30 minutes to reach here but this place was worth the wait. Ocean waves coming and touching your footsteps and going back. I paid the driver and thanked him for such a wonderful drive, meanwhile my luggage was shifted to my room so I decided to sit down on the beach to enjoy this wonderful moment. I kept sitting there until a butler from the guest house came and asked ‘If I would like to order something?’ by that time I came to know I have spent 2 hours sitting there, but for me it was just a blink of eye, I went in and order my meal and came back to my room to prepare for my meeting tomorrow.

Shopping fun.

It was my day 2 here or shall I say evening 2. Well, my most of the day was spent in the office work and in meetings. I got free by 6 in evening and went straight to the market for some shopping for my friends and family back in India. Usually in normal places there is a lot of crowd and traffic. But here things were completely different. If someone raises his/her hand to cross the road, vehicles will stop like sowing their respect towards the pedestrian. I didn’t saw a single overtaking and every single car was parked on one side. Market place were well maintain and totally clean. Despite of so much people in market there was a way of moving and not disturbing the traffic or blocking the paths. People were very friendly and disciplined. Colombo is not only famous for its cleanliness but you will also find a lot of variety to shop. It offers a wide array of shopping items, the most recognized being gems, batik, tea, and handicrafts. The most popular items among tourists are hand loom fabrics, leather products, reproduction antiques, jewelry and ceramics.

An image of my market visit.

Art and craft.

It’s my 3rd and final day of the trip. Today I will be exploring the local traditions, art & craft etc. If you have interest in local and traditional art than you should must visit Galle road in Colombo. Barefoot gallery is situated on this road and it’s a must visit. From clothes to Floor mats, books, paintings, wall hangings you will find everything here. Raavan is still alive here in masks. After visiting this gallery I went out straight to the local market nearby, I don’t usually go to purchase handcrafts or décor material but this time I couldn’t stop myself. You can find a lot of antique and unique items for your home décor and that too at a reasonable cost.

(a) Barefoot gallery
(b) Inside Barefoot gallery

Sea food to North Indian food.

I spent my whole day in the local markets and purchasing a lot of stuff which I have no idea how I will take along with me back to home. My both hands were filled with bags and was no short of a moving store and my arms work as a shelf to display products. I quickly booked a cab and put my bags in it. Settled down and could feel how lighter my arms have become after unloading those heavy bags. Pat myself for the efforts and asked the driver to take me to the guest house. It has been two days in Sri Lanka and I have only eaten the food from the guest house only. So I decided to take out myself for the dinner today. It was 5:30 in evening by the time I came back. So I decided to freshen up and then move out for dinner. Relaxed a bit, got freshen up and it was 7 by the time and it was time to move out. I asked the receptionist of the guest house to suggest a few good places. He suggested me the Pettah market. Pettah market is the biggest and reasonable price market to enjoy the food. If you are a foodie like me than you will find no better place than this. From sea food to North Indian, Chinese , South Indian you will get everything here. Don’t forget to try some local food including Asmi, Polos, Sri Lankan egg hoopers etc. This are some of the dishes you will absolutely love.

So this was his experience of travelling to Sri Lanka and now his new found love for travel has overcome his fears of meeting up new people and settling in new places. There are few more places to visit there including Independence square, Independence hall, Gangaramaya temple and much more. I hope you like reading this article, I have done my best to put every worthful detail of his trip in this blog. You can also share your views down in comment section.

Thank you

Escape Window.

by Aman Sharma

Chapter-4

The amazing rush

Date-23/06/19

Slightest of sunlight coming through my hotel room window wakes me up to this cheerful morning here in Solan. I get off my bed quickly and have a look outside of the window. Last night we talked to the receptionist about our today’s plan. He told us about the fair that is going to happen today. I glanced out from the window. Today there was more hustle and bustle in the city than the normal day but it was still not much to worry out. We planned our trip according to our schedule and decide to get ready on time. By the time we all ate our breakfast and got ready it was 11:00 am on the clock. The voice of the crowd outside suddenly started to increase and we just couldn’t believe our eyes, what we saw through our hotel’s main access. People covered almost every inch of space for this religious ceremony. It was simply beyond belief. I have been to Solan so many times but haven’t seen this much mass together.

People gathered on the road for the fest.

The people gathered around with a great enthusiasm. We came back to our rooms knowing that it wouldn’t be possible to get out at least for the next 2 hours. Our schedule for today was to go to the waterfall called the ‘Tiger waterfall’ or ‘Ashwani khad’. These two names were told us by the locals. It is situated at a distance of 7 kilometers from Solan. It will take us 20 min to reach to Salogra, and next 10 min to reach to the waterfall. The waterfall is situated below somewhere. But I can’t see us going out for the next couple of hours. My friends went back to the rooms to rest for some time. I and one of my friend has been seeing all the people enjoying out, through our Hotel lobby window. So, we decided to go out and join them. But it was only a matter of putting the foot outside, and then we didn’t know where the mass of people took us. A large wave of people came and took us along with them.

A band giving it’s performance on the street(s).

 Despite of this much crowd, there was no lack of enthusiasm in the people. The joy on the faces of the people was clearly showing for how long people wait for this festival. We are in the crowd, not knowing where we were going. The flock of the crowd was enough powerful to push the 10 trucks coming in row. If the crowded streets weren’t enough, you can simply look onto the windows or balconies of the roadside houses. Every one seeing this scene from their places and enjoying every single moment of it. It has been an hour in this crowd and it has started to move to its next stop, so it seems like we will be good to go in the next 30 minutes. We move back to our Hotel and start packing for the waterfall. After 45 minutes, our driver called us to tell that the road has now opened up and we can move to the place. We are in the cab moving towards our destination, in between we can still see the people on the road enjoying themselves. Eating the road side food and dancing on the regional music beats.

Inconsistent weather- on to the way of waterfalls

After a 15 minute short ride we have come halfway to the Water fall. Now from here we need to take the road that is going down.  We change our lane and are heading towards our destination. The view alongside the ride demands to stop by it, appreciate it in the most foremost way you can. The nature has shown its true colors here, greens and blues combining together to give your eyes a soothing. This is a perfect route for a short ride, a bliss.

View from Down the Lane.

Due to the heavy rain yesterday the gravel layer of the road has come out from some places, but that don’t seem to be bothering us. What I am actually concerned about is the walkway to the waterfall. The walkway to the waterfall is a little tricky one; we have reached the waterfall. On from here we have to go on our foot to reach the final point.

On the foot for rest of the Trek. The tricky part of the lane starts going down further.

As I was saying earlier, due to the rain there is just a little water deposit on the walkway. The walkway here is a tough one, so we need to watch our steps or else we fall. By falling it doesn’t mean threatening your life, you might scratch your arm or so. But anyways we all are going through the way slowly and steadily, it might be a tough trek but the surroundings around it are way bigger than the one’s own fear and not come here.

Way to Waterfall, You have go through this. But the end result is absolutely pleasing.

After a 7 min way down we have reached the waterfall, and words might fall short for what we saw there. The waterfall looks so alluring. Despite of heavy rain yesterday, the water level is normal. Birds chirping on the branches of tree, Sunlight cutting through the trees and laying it’s light on the rocks. The wind blowing and water falling from the fall and hitting the base, creating a harmonious atmosphere. I and my friends went into the water and enjoyed swimming for an hour or so. After that we just sat on the rocks, posing like doing some kind of meditation. Coming to places like these rejuvenates your soul and purifies your thoughts.  It helps in clarify your thoughts and one can focus onto the bigger things in life.

Two Visitors enjoying under the waterfall.

So now, we are done here and packing our bag packs to move back to our place.  We’ll be going back to Solan today as it’s the nearest place to stay and moreover our bodies has become Tired to carry out any journey.

~20 minutes pass by~

We are here in Solan again. Unloading our little bit of luggage from the cab, moving towards our Hotel room. One thing that absolutely loved about Solan is its – Weather. It might be a small town but everything has been planned accordingly. From the Historical temples to the modern civilization, from parks to the open recreational spaces, you will love everything about it. But now we just had finished our dinner, it’s 9:40 at night and we are heading back to our rooms. The streets still have the signs of today’s morning fest, most places still decorated with the fancy lighting and other materials. It was one the best day of the trip till now, but there is something special about tomorrow. You will get to know about that in the next chapter.

Thank you & Good Bye.

by Aman Sharma

Chapter-3

A Trek down the road

Date-22/06/2019

It’s another beautiful morning in Solan. It’s our Second day here and its 10:00 in the morning and we are ready to get out of our Hotel. We booked a hotel onto the main road of the city. It’s a perfect place to stay as it’s near the main hub of the city, just a 5 min walk down the hill and you are into the main Hustle and bustle of the city. By 10:15 am we are out of the hotel and marching on the Mall road of Solan. It is the main hub of the Solan.

A view of mall road of Solan.

The road is crowded and one can see the locals marching towards their work and tourists seeking the views. The weather is pleasant today, although it’s sunny today but it didn’t bother us much.  As discussed earlier we are in Solan only for the day and will be going to explore some local places. But most importantly a good day can’t start without good food. So we are here at a local restaurant to feed us before we start our today’s journey. The smooth flowing of the cool breeze stirring onto the body demands for a chai (Tea) along with a parantha (parantha is a type of bread or roti stuffed with potatoes, onions, cheese etc.), that was our breakfast and it’s time to start moving. Try not to eat too much when you have to cover more distance on foot. We are out of the restaurant and now heading towards the main market, exploring local area is always a good idea. If you ever go somewhere don’t be reserved to see only the historic or famous places, try to go through the local area. It’s been 20 minutes or so since I am exploring the market and I have already come through so many different things such as spices, handicrafts and also the natives performing different dances, these things might look small but these are things that take you close to their culture and how they earn their livelihood. After spending a couple of hours of going through the local area it’s time to move on the next thing. The next place I am going is a mountain or shall I say a small hill where we can find different species of flowers. The hill is downwards to the area named Sunny side and from main road it will take around 25 minutes to reach there. You can reach there only by foot. Its 2:30 in the noon and my friends are calling for  food, but I have been drinking water constantly today so my stomach is not craving for the food at the moment. But just for their sake, we stop at a bakery to grab some snacks. Being a Punjabi guy, it is very disrespectful to sit on a table with a company of foodies and not to eat anything. It literally becomes a crime, so just not to do so I ordered a coffee. After 45 minutes of fueling up ourselves, we Marche down to our next stop. The way to the hill is quite good, despite you have to climb around 30-40 stairs and going through the tiny streets, but the view you get along is simply pleasing.

Way to the Hill.

We are now here at the hill, the first words spills out from the mouth is ‘YES, we are here’. It’s a tremendous place to be, surrounded by the flowers and trees and in front nature showing its magic and playing with clouds. It is such a beautiful place. Most of the city can be seen from here and it even becomes more beautiful when stars start to cover the sky, truly magic.

The way from where we came to the hill top.

We spent 1 hour in clicking the pictures and sitting there admiring the beauty. It’s around 5:30 in the evening, the clouds have started to become grey. The weather is always unpredictable in the mountains and we need to get back to the hotel before it starts raining. Coming down a slope is too easy but now when we are going back up the hill it suddenly becomes difficult for us to catch our breathe.

Unpredictable weather , Clouds turning grey.

The backpacks suddenly puts a terrible burden on us. These steep slopes check your real physicality. After 35 minutes of trekking up on the main road, it’s finally a plain straight road. Our bodies seems to be relaxed here. The weather is continually changing and it is showing the signs of thunderstorms with heavy rain. So without any further delay we head towards our hotel. Going through the market, we can see the shopkeepers preparing themselves for the coming storms. Say it our Luck or whatever, but as soon we step into our hotel there is a cracking sound, like a cloud burst and its starts heavily raining. We feel lucky enough to reach the hotel before the rain. We loosen up ourselves, freshen up and got ready for the dinner. We had dinner in our hotel room today. After the Dinner, we went to our hotel lobby. We sat there looking out of the window, it’s still raining but it has reduced what was before. We talked with our receptionist about our plans for tomorrow, we planned to visit Ashwani khad waterfalls near Chamba ghat, few kilometres from Solan. I have went there before and its situated in such a beautiful place that words can’t express. The receptionist told us there is a fair tomorrow that is held every year here. There will be a huge crowd in the city, so it will be difficult to leave in the morning. He told us it’s better to leave by 1:00 pm tomorrow.  Tomorrow is ‘Mata Shoolini Devi’ mela which is held in Solan every year. All other things will be decided tomorrow after seeing the situation. Today has been a good day and we all enjoyed every part of it, but our body demands rest now. We head back to our rooms to end this day with a peaceful sleep. To be continued…

Thank you

Next Chapter unfolds on next Saturday in which we went to the Waterfalls.