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I remember the warm summer days of Mumbai during May 2000 when one day my mother came up to me and asked if i wanted to see heaven on earth!! I was so surprised by that question. I then came to know that my parents were planning a trip to Jammu and Kashmir. The first thing that crawled my mind was the situation there due to increased terrorism and wars that were constantly taking place. But my parents were assured by their friends that its a safe place and can be visited as it has a very tight security for tourists. My parents had gone for their honeymoon to Kashmir back in 1979 and they had promised each other to be back to the place with their kids. It was a perfect time to fulfill the promise made and we left for KASHMIR!!!

The first thing i noticed on Srinagar airport were ice covered mountains and beautiful pine trees. It made me go WOW and i was already in love with the place and the kind of climate. Srinagar is the capital city of Jammu & Kashmir. It is at an altitude of 1, 730 m.In the heart of the Kashmir valley, Srinagar spreads out on both sides of the Jhelum river. Srinagar offers the spectacular sights of the lovely lakes and the houseboats on them. The dry fruits and the traditional Kashmiri handicrafts are the other major attractions of the hill resort. Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Mughal Gardens, Hazaratbal Mosque, Shankaracharya Hill, Hari Parbat Fort, Adi Shankaracharya Temple, River Jhelum, Hazratbal Shrine and Jama Masjid were the places we visited during our stay at Srinagar. We even stayed in one of the houseboats named Hollywood palace and what an amazing experience it was!! My parents reminisced the days of their honeymoon and told me the stories about their stay in 1979. They noticed that Srinagar had changed a lot in these many years but we all concluded that if there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here, it’s here in Srinagar!!

Travel Information:

• By Air: Civil airport Humhama is 15 km from the city centre. Flights connects Srinagar with Jammu, Delhi, and Leh.

• By Rail: The nearest rail head is Jammu Tawi.

• By Road: Srinagar is situated on National Highway-1A, which connects to all parts of the country. Buses of Jammu & Kashmir Road State Road Transport Corporation (J&KSRTC) and STRCs of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh run to Jammu from major northern cities like Delhi, Chandigarh and Amritsar. Some continue to Srinagar, while there are many connections from Jammu.

Best time to visit: Between May and September.

Beaches, Coconut trees, golden sand, churches, flee markets, kokani food, boat rides, dolphins and so much more!! Oh yeah you guessed it right, it is GOA. Want to travel to Goa

Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. The main attraction of Goa is its beaches. Its a place for lovers. An ideal destination for honeymooners and for people intrested in water sports.

Some of the most famous beaches of Goa are Anjuna Beach, Candolim Beach, Baga Beach, Dona Paula Beach, Benaulim Beach, Miramar Beach, Bogmalo Beach, Colva Beach. Apart from beaches there are many churches in Goa. These churches are a witness to the Portuguese invasion,in Goa. Built between the 16th and 17th century AD, these churches present a unique blend of the Renaissance and Baroque styles. These Goan churches are famous for their outstanding and exemplary Christian architecture.

And not to forget about the Goa carnival, a three-day fest that had its birth in Goa during the era of King Momo.One can find a lot of excitement bubbling across Goa,in the month of February,as Goa is dressing up for the carnival festivities. This carnival is celebrated just before the Lent season. Few other tourist attractions in Goa are an array of popular recreational activities and water sports, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, jet-skiing, water-skiing and even parasailing. Goa is also a great place for boat trips and many tourist enjoy pleasure cruises, where you are often able to view dolphins swimming and jumping, and also swim in the warm, deep sea.

To conclude Goa is a place ,where fun & frolic never ends,whether it is break of the dawn or dusk, midnight or noon.A magical destination!!

Fast Facts about Goa

• Main languages: Konkani, Marathi, English and Hindi
• Area: 3701 sq km
• Population: 1.34 million
• Capital: Panaji (Panjim)
• When to go: October to March

I recently got married and went to a place called Coorg, for my honeymoon. We purchased our air tickets to India, packed our bags and were off to Coorg. It is a beautiful option for the India Traveler who wishes to go to a hill station on the Western Ghats (the mountain range on the western part India). It is located between dense green valleys, high mountains and lush teak wood forests. It lies on the southwestern end of the state of Karnataka, in southern part of India.

Getting Here:

• Closest Airport: For international tourists, the closest international airport is at Bangalore has(260 km), Mangalore has a domestic airport (135 km). The ride from Bangalore is 5 and a half hours by air conditioned taxi.
  
• Closest Railway Station: Mysore (146 km)
• Road: The Mysore - Mangalore highway (NH48) passes through Kodagu. The district headquarters Madikeri (Mercara), is 260 km from Bangalore and 120 km from Mysore. The distance from Mangalore is 136 km and from Cannanore and Tellicherry, it is about 115 km. There are regular buses plying from these places to Madikeri.

Best Time To Visit: April to November

Activities: There are a lot of activities that Coorg offers for the traveller.

• Trekking: Coorg has many verdant trekking routes in the midst of forests and hills, and it’s best to go in the months from October to February

• Golf: For avid golfers there is a 9-hole course at Virajpet.

• Angling: Valanoor is the backwater of the river Cauvery. It attracts fishing lovers from all over India. The best season is from October to May.

• White Water Rafting: There are a few good camps around Coorg that offer rafting down the Cauvery river. For some fast paced action, visit the Upper Barapole River to the south of Coorg in Brahmagiri. The best time for rafting is from mid-June to mid-September.

• Food: Coorgi food is famous and unique, especially for non-vegetarians as it is based on game meats, pork and other delicious ingredients. Popular dishes are pandhi (pork), koli (chicken) and yarchi (lamb) spiced with pepper, kokum, bamboo shoot, red chilly, bembla curry, kadumbuttu, noolputu, voti and excellent coffee.

• Shopping: Some of the popular items to buy are coffee, honey, spices, cardamom, pepper, pineapple papads and oranges ( season). Coorgi silk saree are also very famous and they have a different style of wearing them.

• Fairs & Festivals: Schedule your visit to coincide with one of the colorful festivals of the region. The festivals of the Kodava community are largely around agriculture military activities.
  
• The ‘Festival of Arms - Keilpoldu’ is held in the months of June to September. During this festival the weapons are polished and worshipped before resuse.
• Cauvery Shankaramana is based around the river Cauver is held in October.
• The harvest festival ‘Puthar’ is celebrated in November or December. The festival is accompanied by folks songs and dances, performed by the different villagers at their temples.

For travellers who love nature, Har-Ki-Doon valley (the hanging valley of gods) is a treat. It is a moderate trek and takes the India traveller to one of the least explored regions of Garhwal, (a part of the State of Uttaranchal in India). Har-Ki-Doon is situated in the Western part of the Garhwal Himalayas, at an elevation of 3,556 metres. Its a cradle shaped Valley which is surrounded by dense forests of pines and glittering mountain peaks.

The destination is not very well known, and hence less crowded, and less commercialized. Thereby giving the tourist, a taste of pristine Himalayas, in India.

The trek starts from Netwar to Osla. Its through dense forests of chestnuts, walnuts, willows and chinars. The trek from Osla to Har-ki-doon is through terraced mountain fields, lush green grassy land and conifer forests.

Har-Ki-Doon Valley is a base for Swargarohini ht. 21000 ft. It is mentioned in the hindu holy books that the Pandavas went to Heaven through this mountain.

Nearest International airport: Delhi, India

Nearest railway station:Dehradun, India.