Cappadocia – Unique places to do in the heavenly city!!

Cappadocia is a beautiful area in turkey, secluded from major commercial cities. Reaching here is also not straight forward with no direct flights. We took a night bus from Antalya to Cappadocia. The bus left us at Nevsehir, from where we took a cab to Goreme. As soon as we reached Goreme we saw a spectacular view of hundred of ballons lightning the sky.

We booked a green tour through a travel agency called “Muskara”. There are mainly 3 pre-designed tours and all the travel agencies offered these to customers. Green one was a full day one and seemed most interesting.

Each and everything in Cappadocia is unique in itself. The air Ballons, cave hotels and 1000 years old underground cities all have something special to them.

Beautiful drive through Cappadocia

mesmerizing view of Goreme

Must-Do Places

Hot Air Balloon ride

This is the best place to have Hot air Baloon ride. We booked it through the “Muskara”  travel agency for 130$, but unfortunately due to bad weather it got canceled and our money was returned.

Derinkuyu Underground City

It is the largest underground city in Turkey, it is speculated that first cave cities were built around 700 BC here. The Cave city has so many small tunnels and rooms. It has 7 underground levels and is one of a kind place to see. It can house around 20000 people!! that’s the size of this city. The walk down the underground city is a bit claustrophobic but it is worth the experience. This place will be the start of the Green tour.

The Underground City!!

 

Trek through Ilhara valley

This is the second stop of the green tour. The whole valley is really beautiful and covered in snow. You have to walk through the snow for around 1 hr to reach the other end of the trek. The trek is really easy and fun. There are some caves as well to explore in between.

Some Photography session at the Valley

Beautiful river flowing along our trek path!!

Some Photography session at the Valley

Beautiful river flowing along our trek path!!

Stay in a Cave Hotels

There are so many caves in this city that they have carved beautiful hotels out of them. This is a must-have experience in Cappadocia city. Hotels are really beautiful and naturally warm. I stayed at the Holiday Cave hotel and our room had actually cave walls, it was the most special experience of my whole trip.

Bathroom under the cave walls!!

The Beautiful bedroom!!

The Beautiful bedroom!!

Bathroom under the cave walls!!

Backpackers secret places

ATV ride through Love Valley

Our Hot air balloon ride got canceled due to bad weather, so we took a half-day ATV tour the next day from a local travel shop and it was totally worth it. They gave us the ATV bike to ride for the whole 2hours and took us to lot of beautiful valley’s, the most famous being “Love valley”. You can click some really nice clicks on ATV and get a paper photo clicked by a professional at the Love Valley. This was the highlight of our time in Cappadocia.

Photography at Love Valley!!

ATV riding!!

Cruising through snow

Turkish Hamam

To Relax after spending the whole day driving ATV we decided to go to the famous Turkish Hamam, and the most famous in the city is “ELIS Hamam”. The Haman is a bit overpriced and the massage time was actually a bit less than what I expected. Hamam will cost around 20 Euros.

ELIS Hamam

Night view from Hotel..

Budget Time!!!

 

1. Stay – The stay at Holiday cave hotel cost me around 50 Euros for a day. It is on a bit of expensive side, but considering how unique of an experience it will be, it is totally worth it. So, 100 Euros for 2 days
2. Turkish Hamam – 20 Euros
3. Hot Air Balloon ride – 130 Euros
4. Green Tour – 70 Euros
5. ATV ride – 20 Euros
6. Food – We mostly had Pide, and the cost was around 10 Euros for the whole day meal.

 

Happy traveling!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Istanbul – Must do Places for Backpackers

Reading about Turkey in history books always fascinated me about the rich culture and history this region has. Turkey is not only rich culturally but is also rich in terms of natural beauty. Culturally, holding history and architectural marvels of civilizations like Greek, Roman, Byzantine, ottomans can make any history love go mad. Talking about natural beauty, Turkey has almost everything, from clean beaches to ski resorts. All this diversity was enough for me to plan my trip to this beautiful country.

Istanbul, the most culturally, historically and economically rich city of Turkey is a transcontinental city, spreading across Europe and Asia, divided by River Bosphorus.  Istanbul earlier known as Constantinople was one of the most strategic cities and capital during the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empire. The history and culture of all these civilizations were evident as soon as I entered the city. Some of the monuments have survived multiple civilizations and have transformed from being Christian buildings to Muslim masterpieces.

The Trip

We took the flight from Mumbai to Istanbul. As soon as we landed in the city of Istanbul I could sense that European feel on the streets of Istanbul. Street artists performing on the sides and people walking on the cobbled streets. We took a hostel called Cheers Downtown, it was really close to Istiklal rd, which is the center stage of Istanbul Nightlife. The Cultural area near Hagia Sofia is a bit far from this place, you need to take a cab to reach this part of the city. There is also an Asian side in the city of Istanbul, which will make you feel like you are in India. Let’s see some of the Top places in Istanbul city.

Random cobbled stone streets giving European feel

Shimmering Sunlight in Istanbul

 

Top Things to do in Istanbul

Hagia Sofia

Most of the tourist attractions are in the Sultan Ahmet Mahallesi area. Hagia Sofia is probably the best and most beautiful of them. It was a Greek Christian Cathedral and turned into an Ottoman Mosque and now finally a museum in Istanbul. It is famous for a huge dome and was the largest building of its time. It is hard to believe that it was built in 537 AD and is still as beautiful as it was. The museum is not very big, and it will take you around 1 hr to cover the whole area, but do not forget to enter the museum before 5 pm.

Beautiful Hagia Sofia at night

Artifacts inside Hagia Sofia..

Hagia Sofia Day View..

Inside View of Hagia Sofia…

Blue Mosque

Another unique structure with Blue in color. The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 during Ahmed I rule. The mosque is adorned with blue tiles from the inside and outside. The mosque consists of 5 main domes and 6 minarets and has a touch of the traditional Islamic mosque and Byzantine architecture. There is a small queue to enter the mosque and it will take a total of 30 mins to cover the whole mosque.

Topkapi Palace

The construction for the place started back in 1459 as a new palace for the sultans of that time. The palace is really huge in size with 100’s of rooms and chambers, but the man one’s which are open for the public are Harem and the treasury where Topkapi dagger is on display. Inside the palace, you can also see Ottoman’s clothing, weapon, religious relics, and Topkapi manuscripts.  On the backside of the palace, you can experience amazing Bridge and river views.

Horses Outside Topkapi Palace

Grand Bazar

This is the place to be for shopaholics. You can find each and everything under one roof. From jewelry, clothes, sweets, shawls, and Turkish crystal work. I bought Turkish tea, shawl an Istanbul printed Tshirt for myself. Do not forget to bargain for prices at this place. You will find that most of the vendors will finally sell the good for almost half the price initially quoted.

Shopping heaven!! Grand Bazar

Basilica Cistern

It is the largest cistern that lies below the city of Istanbul. It lies pretty close to Hagia Sofia and is built during the Sixth century. I went here on the last day with very fewer expectations, since it was not part of my to-do list in Istanbul. But, this place impressed me a lot. The cistern size is about 138m by 65m. The most interesting part about the cistern was some uniquely designed columns. One of them is called hen’s eye column while the other one is Medusa head pillar.

Artistic Pillar at Basilica Cistern

Asian Side

I went to the Asian side by taking a 5 lira ferry. I felt the Asian side is cheaper in terms of food and shopping. The ferry ride to the Asian side was awesome with Seagulls flying alongside you.

 

Backpackers special

Hostel Culture – Istanbul is probably the only city in Turkey with a prevalent hostel culture. You won’t find so my hostels in any other city in Turkey. I stayed in the Sultan hostel and the hostel was really good with a really nice atmosphere in the cafe at night. Everyone was dancing and it was a really big party. The location of the hostel was pretty good as well.

Eat Turkish Delicacies –  Try Turkish delicacies  Turkey has some unique dishes, especially sweet dishes. I went to this Turkish sweet dish place “Hafiz Mustafa”. It is probably the best place in the whole of Istanbul. You can try single pieces of the dish you like. Baklava is must try. We took 4-5 different pieces including baklava and all of them were awesome. I also tried “Kumpir”, it is also very famous in Turkey. It is veggies and cheese inside a hot potato.

Turkish Delight. Baklava time!!

Not a clubbing place – There are very few clubs in Istanbul and that too on Istiklal road. Instead of clubbing, sipping Turkish tea with Hukkah and live music seems to be a much better option when in Istanbul.

Some street music!!

Budget Time

Food – Food is decently priced. You can get free breakfast at your hostel and have a good meal for 30 lira. Pizza is very common here, especially Turkish pizza called Pide. So for food For a 4-day trip, you have to pay a total of 60 lira per day. Total = 250 lira approx (40 Euros)

Hostel  – Only city in turkey with a hostel culture. So, if you are on a full Turkish trip then make sure you spend your time in Istanbul, enjoying the hostel culture. The hostel will cost you 10 Euros. So for 4 days total will be 40 Euros.

Tickets – Most of the museums and places have tickets. So, a better option is to buy the museum pass with entry to 12 places including Hagia Sofia and Topkapi Palace. The validity of this pass is 5 days and will cost you 35 Euros.

So, you will be spending a total of around 120 Euros if you plan well.

Happy traveling!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Budapest – A city with two shades

 

Halloween time at party hostel

Hungarian Parliament view from other side of river

Chain Bridge with various symbols

View of pest from the Buda hill

Fisherman’s Bastion march

Matthias church

Ruin Pub inside view

ruin pub

Some tofu and rice

Indian food in Budapest..

Budapest is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in the world, separated into two halves by stupendous Danube river. Buda is on the hillside of the river while pest is on the flat side. The two sides are connected by a beautiful chain bridge. Budapest is certainly a great place to party with a unique culture of ruin pubs. These pubs are made in old and deserted building and some even in power plants. Another thing the city is famous for its thermal baths. The city has around 80 natural thermal springs to relax after a hectic day exploring museums and other touristy places in Budapest.

The Trip

I was in Budapest for 3 days with a clear mood to party at night and explore the architectural monuments in the day.  Having heard so much about the Széchenyi Thermal Bath, we surely wanted to party there once, but unfortunately, the party happens only alternate Fridays, so I have to miss it. Having missed the biggest pool party I decided for less touristy Kiraly baths and some ruin pubs to party.  Budapest also has some of the craziest party hostels, and I stayed in probably the craziest of them, The Grandios party hostel.

 

Must do Places

Matthias Church – Matthias Chruch is probably the most unique church in Europe due to its architecture. It is located at the top of the Buda castle hill. The church Area provides breathtaking views. The Church dates back to 1015 with reconstruction post-Mongol invades. The church offers the beautiful gothic architecture on the outside and warm colors and bright lights on the inside.

Matthias Church

Széchenyi Chain Bridge – This is the first permanent bridge to be built across the river Danube. The bridge was a masterpiece construction for the time. The bridge had significance both economically, culturally by connecting the two sides. The bridge initiative was taken by   István Széchenyi and therefore named after him.

Chain Bridge with various symbols

View of pest from the Buda hill

Hungarian Parliament – This is probably the biggest and most beautiful building in Budapest. The parliament is a seat of the national assembly of Hungary and a major tourist hotspot due to its beauty. The parliament is built in gothic kind structure and is the situated in the Kossuth Lajos Square. It is a must visit the place

Hungarian Parliament view from other side of river

Kiraly Thermal Bath – Kiraly bath is one of the earliest baths in Budapest built during the 16th century during Ottoman rule. The bath will cost you around 10 Euros and have 4 different pools with different temperatures, one of them being a pool with cold water. It also has a jacuzzi to relax. You will get a locker to keep your belongings and then you can relax for as much time you want.

Ruin Pubs –  Ruin pubs are the highlight of the Budapest nightlife. Ruins bars are built near old Jewish quarters in the old ruin buildings. These buildings were left to decay after world war 2, so they are the perfect place for ruin pubs. These pubs look like normal buildings from outside but have a funky and artsy bar inside with people dancing and parting. You can also find hookah inside these ruin bars. Szimpla Kert is probably the best and most famous of them all.

Ruin Pub inside view

ruin pub

Hungarian National Museum – The museum was built in 1802 and contains various pieces of art history and architecture. The museum clearly explains the history of hungry and various events taking place in the region.

 

Backpackers Secret tips

1.  Party Hostels – Budapest is full of party hostels. So, if you want to experience the feel of a party hostel, stay in Grandios party hostel, craziest of them all :P. The hostel organizes various parties each night, you can join any of these party. Some of the parties are on the boat as well, so decide what kind of party you want. The hostels are pretty cheap and will cost less than 10 Euros for a night.

   

   Halloween time at a party hostel

2. Walking tours – Walking tours are a great way to know the complete history, places to see and party in a city So, my recommendation is to go for a walking tour on day 1, to get the feel of the city and then visit the places you like from inside and spend of time on the places of your interest. Walking tour will take you from the pest side covering all the places I mentioned above and will end on the Buda side at the church. Walking tour was  really great to understand the city culture
3. Thermal Baths –  Some of the thermal baths like Szechenyi are really expensive, so try out the cheaper thermal baths like Kiraly thermal bath which will cost you just 10 Euros

Countries to Combine the trip with

1. The Czech Republic – Another beautiful country with an equally beautiful city of Prague. You can find multiple bus operators that will take you between the two cities for less than 10 Euros. Prague is a must visit the city and is the most recommended city to do with Budapest.
2. Croatia –  Croatia shares the border with Hungary. I went to Zagreb from Budapest by bus and covered the whole country of Croatia by road. Croatia is a really naturally gifted country with the famous Plitvice lake and the city of Dubrovnik.
3. Austria – Austria also shares the border with Hungary. Austria is a charming and peaceful country more like Switzerland. It is a great option if you are in a mood to relax and appreciate nature.

Budget Time !!

1. Stay – Hostel stay is really cheap and will cost around 10 Euros per day for a decent hostel. So for 3 days, the total cost will be 30 Euros
2. Food – Budapest is one of the cheapest countries in Europe to Eat. I used to get Falafel rolls for 3 euros and Rice with Curry for less than 5 Euros. So, for 3 days lets take a total of 40 Euros for food. Ruin Pubs are also not very expensive and you can get drinks for around 5 Euros. So lets us take another 40 Euros for drinks in 3 days. So total 80 Euros for food and drinks.
3. Activities – Best things about the walking tour is that they are free. So for the Thermal bath, I paid 10 Euros and add 20 euros for entry tickets to the museum. Boat party will cost you 30 Euros, depending upon the company you book it from.

Happy Travelling!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barcelona – An Architectural Marvel

La Sagrada close up view

When I first saw a few pictures of Gaudi’s building in Barcelona before visiting I was totally muddled how could a city has all the building with such crazy architecture. As I drove through Barcelona, everything felt normal, I was wondering where did those crazy buildings go. As I explored the city more, I found those crazy buildings – one of them was Casa Mila and the other one Casa Batllo. Both of them were totally an art of extreme imagination. As I went on a walking tour the next day I realized that both of them were the masterpieces created by a Catalan architect  – Antoni Gaudi. As you explore Barcelona more you will find two more architectural marvel – Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.

Top Things to do in Barcelona

Park Guell

A park which was initially planned to be a commercially viable housing project has become a UNESCO heritage site. All thanks to Eusebi Guell and Antoni Gaudi whose imagination run through each and every corner of the park. Park presents some of the best works of these exceptional architects. Park is located on the Carmel Hill. Some part of the park has free entry but if want to see the buildings up close you have to pay an entry fee of 6 Euros.

Park Guell view from the top

Platja de la Nova Icària Beach

A nice beach to relax and get some foot massage while you relax. The beach is pretty clean and has nice cafes and boardwalk.

Some fun by the beach

Some foot massage by friends by the Platja de la Nova Icària beach

Beach view

La Rambla

Probably the busiest street of Barcelona. A pedestrian street filled with street vendors selling souvenirs, flowers, and other artistic stuff. Also lined up on the street are small cafes and ice -cream shops. You will also find people offering you club tickets, so please don’t fall into any such scam. I also remember finding a small street protruding from La Rambla having a small market full of a variety of street food. you need to do a bit of search to find that gem of a street.

La Rambla street view

Sagrada Familia

Most Grand and marvelous site in Barcelona, visible from quite a distance. You will be amazed initially looking at this monumental Church. It is one of Antoni Gaudi’s greatest work. It is hard to believe that the construction of this church started in 1882 and it is still unfinished, that tells you how difficult must it have been to construct such a marvelous building. Our walking tour ended at this place. The tour guide explained in detail about the significance of various artwork on the building. You can choose to go inside as well after paying a small entry fee.

La Sagrada close up view

Mind blowing architecture of La Sagrada Familia

Casa Mila

One of the two once residential buildings in Barcelona that will catch your attention for sure. The buildings are situated next to the modern day buildings the difference being they look totally out of the world. The building has a unique self-supporting facade, so there are no load-bearing walls. The facade connects to the internal design of each floor by means of curved iron beams. The building is now a form of tourist hotspot and hosts various cultural events.

Beautiful Casa Mila

Casa Batllo

This is another strange but marvelous work of art by Antoni Gaudi. The facade of this one is decorated with colorful broken tiles. The roof is the one thing that is most unusual yet spectacular with a dragon back design. You will get to know many more details about the building on the walking tour.

Casa Batllo night view

Day view of Casa Batllo

Clubs to visit

Barcelona has some of the most amazing clubs in the world. The size of the clubs here is pretty huge. Any visit to Barcelona is incomplete without wasting the night in these clubs.

Sala Apolo – One of the biggest night club in Barcelona. It is famous for rock, pop, Electra, and host of other music.

Razzmatazz – Probably the best club in Barcelona, you can dance here all night on music. One of the best places in the area for techno, electro music. The club is huge and some of the top artist like Calvin Harris has performed here. So get ready to lose yourself in this superb club

What I missed

Every place in Barcelona is full of architectural spectacle. I tried to visit most of the places but there is one more thing that Barcelona is famous for, and it is Football.

Camp Nou tour – This is also one of the must do a thing to do in Barcelona. The tour is a self-guided tour and you will be guided through yellow barriers throughout the tour. The tour will let you see the dressing rooms of players and other facts about Barcelona. You will also get entry to the museum area of the club. The ticket for the museum is 26 Euros. All this is told by my friends, so if anything is not as what is written here please don’t catch me

 

Backpacker Secret Tips

Go for the Walking tour (It’s a must) – Walking tours are a must, they will make you know the history behind the city and various marvelous buildings in the city. Without this knowledge, these buildings are just a piece of construction, nothing else. The special thing about this walking tour was that the tour consists of a metro route as well since Barcelona is a really big city. I went for Sandeman’s walking tour and it is really awesome, would recommend everyone this walking tour only.

interior of buildings

Amazing designs on buildings during walking tour

Go Clubbing – If you don’t want to regret like me, who didn’t get enough time to go to clubs, please visit these amazing clubs. They are really high rated clubs, surely some of the best in Europe, but obviously after Berlin and Ibiza :P. Clubs here start pretty late around 12 am and are open till 6am in the morning.

Hostels and free Sangria 😛 – Hostel culture in Barcelona is really lit. Most of the hostels have amazing party culture and offer free Sangria or Beer for few hours before you are all set for the amazing nightlife of Barcelona. The Best one tough according to me is the Kabul party hostel, here you will get free beer for a couple of hours and some drinking games to know other backpackers in the hostel.

BUDGET TIME!!

Barcelona is not an expensive city like some other cities of neighboring countries. The main spend is obviously on 3 things on any trip. Lets us break it down.

Stay – Stay is around 15 Euros in some of the good party hostels like Kabul, and that too includes free beer for a few hours. So, stay wise Barcelona is pretty cheap.

Food –  Street side food is pretty cheap, we had pizza a few times and it was around 10 Euros only for a pizza. You can have free tapas at bars in Barcelona and enjoy the night.

Entry Tickets – Tickets to most of the buildings and park Guell cost around 15-20 Euros. The walking tour will tell the stories and history about each one of them, but only from the outside. You need to take tickets separately if you wish to enter these buildings.

Happy Travelling!!!

Cambodia – Wat a country!!

The only thing that came to my mind when I thought of Cambodia was the majestic temple complex built during the Khmer Empire – The Angkor Wat. The capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh but the city that steals the hearts is Siem Reap. The city is the base if you are planning to visit the great Angkor Wat. The Angkor Wat temple complex is so huge that some people spend multiple days exploring the ruins. While Angkor Wat in itself is enough to attract you to Siem Reap, there exists another beauty in there, Tonlé Sap – the largest saltwater lake in South East Asia and world’s richest inland fishing grounds.

Sunrise captured at right moment over Angkor Wat

Some of the best things to do around Siem Reap:

The temple complex of Angkor deserves the most of your time. built in an area of 162.6 hectares, it houses the ruins of the temple initially dedicated to Lord Vishnu of  Khmer but transforming into a Buddhist temple by the end of 12th century. The temple complex attracts a large number of tourist and some among them spend multiple days at a single temple, exploring the intricacies of Khmer architecture.

Angkor Wat

The main temple complex is built like a mountain Temple. The central tower is Mt. Meru, surrounded by smaller peaks and other continents and ocean ( The  Moat). It is said that the construction of Angkor Wat involved 600000 workers and 3000 elephants.  The best time to visit is in the morning at around 5am during sunrise. You can book a shared or private tour with your hotel. The one day pass will cost you 37$ plus the tour charges of around 20$ on a shared tour.

The cravings on the wall of Angkor Wat

The steep stairway to the top of the temple

Bayon

Another temple in the complex is famous for smiling stone faces on the many towers. It is the last temple to be built at Angkor and the only Angkorian temple dedicated to Budhha. The outer gallery depicts the historical events of the Angkorian Khmer. The inner gallery has events from Hindu Mythology. There are figures depicting Shiva, Bhrama, and Vishnu – the three godheads of Hindu Mythology.

Outside Bayon

Our group for the shared tour to Angkor Wat

 

Banteay Srei

This is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is built of Red sandstone and has beautiful ornamental decorations on the wall. The site consists of Multiple rectangular enclosures. Each enclosure depicts some of the stories of great Hindu mythologies like Ramayana, Mahabharata. Different scenes and acts of these mythologies have been carved on the temple walls.

Selfie with temple

Temple ruins

Preah Khan

This temple was built in the 12th century AD and is located northeast of Angkor Thom. This temple is flat in design with rectangular galleries.

Ta Prohm 

Finally, the temple where the shooting of tomb raider took place. The surrounding natural beauty and trees coming out of the ruins make this temple a major tourist attraction

I was totally tired after spending the whole day in summer heat and exploring these masterpieces of art. You have only time till evening to explore the place. There are enough places to go in the evening, especially some amazing bars and clubs.

Amazing trees in Ta Prohm temple

Tuk Tuk ride for temple hopping (We got lost from our group..so this)

Tonle Sap

Next day, after exploring Angkor temples completely, it was New year eve and I went for this day trip to Tonle Sap lake, to enjoy the last sunset of 2017. This lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The sunset views from the boat were amazing, additionally, you can go for the small boat ride through the mangroves. While returning from the boat we made a tour to a small Village that survived just on fishing and farming. The Village had all homes built out of wood and with lake water remaining stagnant below the homes. After spending the whole day exploring the lake, I decided to go to the Pub street for the new year Eve, and to my surprise the whole atmosphere was crazy.

The last sunset of 2017..

Tonle Sap..with the hostel friends

Pub Street

I went to pub street for the new year eve. The whole street was filled with people drinking and dancing crazy. People just got the space, wherever they could get and started dancing. All the pubs were totally jam-packed. Must visit is the Angkor What? bar on the pub street. On that particular day, you could have walked into any bar and they all were totally occupied. The party went till 4 in the morning and was probably the grandest new year celebration I have seen.

Pub Street.. decorated crazy

Pub Street view from Top of a Bar

Busy roads of Pub street

Backpackers secret tips

Book a shared guided tour to the Angkor temples – Book the shared guided tour from the hostel you are staying. The tour was just for 20$ including transportation and tour guide. The private tour will be pretty expensive and it is more fun to explore in a group.

Club hopping for free – There is no entry fee to enter the pubs on the pub street. So just try out various clubs, without going for any pub crawl and paying unnecessarily.

Hostel stays with pool  – Most of the hostels in Siem Reap have a pool with them, so just relax by the poolside and or cool shakes for just 1$.

 

Budget Time (Money Matters ;))

Stay: Hostels are pretty cheap in Siem Reap. For just 6$ you can get a hostel with a swimming pool. Try staying in Mad Monkey hostel or Funky flashpacker hostel. Both of them are really cool.

Day Trips: Angkor Wat ticket is 37$ for a day, while the shared tour can cost you around 20 $. A trip to Tongle Sap will cost you another 25$, but it is really worth it.

Food: Food and booze are really cheap as well. You can buy milkshakes at the hostel for just 1$. Beer and food are cheap as well. A meal will cost you just 5$ at a decent place.

 

 

Vietnam – A backpackers paradise

When you think of a backpacking destination what are the things that come to the mind?  cheap, a lot of places to explore, natural wonders and wonderful people to meet. Vietnam has it all, that is why it is the new backpacker’s hotspot. It is a country which is really cheap, even cheaper than India for tourism. People of Vietnam are so welcoming that you will feel like home. It is full of wonderful beaches, historical war monuments, and islands. Hostel culture is also quite prominent in major cities of Vietnam, especially Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. These cities are so happening and culturally diverse that it will always feel like a festive season. There are so many nice places to eat out and clubs to party.

Unexpected meetup with a friend traveling to Australia

The streets of Vietnam and the Uber moto

I started the trip with the most bustling city of Ho Chi Minh. As soon as I was on the streets of Ho Chi Minh, I saw countless motorcycles, zipping past me. After reaching my hostel, I came to know that the motorcycle is one of the most famous ways to travel in the city. I rested in the hostel for some time and then I was ready to explore the city of Ho Chi Minh. Some of the best places to see in Ho Chi Minh include:

Cu Chi Tunnels

This is a place that will take you back in time. This place has so much historical importance to the country and is one of the most visited tourist places in Vietnam. This place is not just to see but to experience. You can challenge yourself to go inside one of these tunnels used by Vietnamese soldiers in their war with Americans. The short size of the Vietnamese soldiers made them move swiftly through these tunnels. You can go for a 10m, 30m or 100m crawl inside the tunnel. I went for the 30m one, its all depends on your fitness. Next, the interesting thing to do and about which I was most excited was to try out hands-on shooting an AK -47 rifle, and that too the bullets left during the war. It will cost you 20$ to fire a round of 10 bullets.

Tricks used by US military to capture Vietnamese soldiers

This is how small the tunnels actually are

Trying to go inside the one

War Remnants Museum

This place deserves at least an hour of your time. It is not a very big museum, but certainly a famous one. It comprises various themed rooms depicting the events that happened in the Vietnamese war. A lot of military equipment is also kept in the yard including UH 1 Huey helicopter.

Military helicopters used during war

Inside the museum hall

Mekong Delta (My Favorite)

This day trip is certainly the most economical and interesting trip. For just 12 dollars, I was taken by a bus to a full day trip to 4 different Islands on the Mekong river by speedboat. Attending different activities on each island such as: visiting the bee farm, having a taste of the honey tea and tropical fruits, observing the coconut candy factory and how it’s made and finally relaxing on the paddle boat along a small river. Bonus activity on this trip was to feed the crocodiles in one of these Islands 🙂

Snake wine

fresh honey tea during the tour

Daring tour guide

And..Daring me 😉

Vĩnh Tràng Temple is another surprise you will get on your trip to Mekong Delta. It is one of the best-known temples in the region and has different statues of Buddha to click pictures with ; )

The temple complex

After spending 3 days in the lively and modern Ho Chi Minh city, I took a flight to the capital city of Vietnam – Hanoi. Hanoi is more cultural and peaceful as compared to Ho Chi Minh city. Hanoi has some really beautiful places at 3-4 hrs distance and you can go for full day trips to these places. The most famous among them is of course “Ha Long Bay”. 

This Beauty

Our Little private Island..Totally mesmerizing

Some party on Island in night

Halong Bay

I will thank my hostel Central backpackers, for suggesting this amazing Hideaway tour to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is certainly the most beautiful place in Vietnam. The tour started in the morning and around 16 of us were taken to Halong bay on a small cruise. Food was served on the cruise and the stay was planned on one of the thousand limestones Island. The Island was reserved just for 16 for us. As the Sun set we started with games like beer pong, and soon everyone was dancing on to the DJ set up by the tour people. It was certainly one of the most exotic ways to party, on a private Island with such amazing people.

Temple of literature

After coming from Halong Bay, I spent the rest of my time in Hanoi going to Temple of literature and Hoa Lo Prison. The temple was built in 1070 AD and used to host Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university. The temple is really beautiful from inside and I spent around 2 hrs exploring this place.

The architecture inside the Temple

Outside Temple of Literature

Hỏa Lò Prison

This place was used to keep American Prisoners of War. It is now turned into a museum. There is the various display of original rooms and equipment used to torture the prisoners, the most famous being “The interrogation room”.

 

Some other places that I missed 😦

Sa Pa Valley – If you wish to see amazing mountain landscape and rice paddies head to this place

Nha Thrang – A place known for the exquisite beaches and offshore islands

Tam Coc – This is one less famous yet amazingly beautiful place with limestone outcrops and serene rice paddies

Backpackers secret tips

• Stay at hostels – Vietnam has one of the most amazing hostel cultures I have seen till now in any country. The cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi has some amazing hostels, full of lively people, partying all through the night. For around 7$ you will get the say + 2 free beers. My personal best hostels were the Central Backpackers hostel in Hanoi and The Hangout hostel Saigon.

  

  Christmas Party at hostel

• Book the trips through the hostel – Since I haven’t done any prebooking I booked my trips through the hostel people. The trips through the hostel were very well organized and cheap. The bonus is you will meet some amazing people in the hostel itself with whom you can travel.
• Travel on Uber moto – The cheapest way to travel within the city and to nearby areas if you are traveling solo is to travel on Uber moto. It was such a quick service and so cheap. For around 2-3 km if paid just 40 cents. Uber car is also pretty cheap if you are traveling in a group.

 

Budget time !!!

Vietnam being one of the cheapest countries, traveling and eating won’t eat away much of your money if you plan wisely.

Hostel Stay: 7-8 dollars per day, including free breakfast and beer (50 dollars for a week)

Food: 6-7 dollars per day (50 dollars for a week)

Travel: Day trips generally cost around 10-12 dollars. (Take 2 of them, so 25 dollars)

Cu Chi tunnel full day trip will cost 10 dollars

The Upper Mekong – 4 Islands will cost – 12 dollars

Ha long bay hideaway tour cost is 89 Dollars

Entry to the most museums is pretty cheap and is less than 5 dollars

I think if you plan your trip well and save on unnecessary costs, the total cost for a week trip in Vietnam will be Total 300 dollars including the flight tickets from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi.

Happy Traveling!!

The unexpected Indian-ness of Mt. Titlis – Switzerland

During my trip to Switzerland, I planned for a trip to the famous Mt. Titlis. I guess every Indian who go to Switzerland, do the same planning that I did and visit Mt. Titlis. It seems that for some reason this place has titillated the travel buds of every Indian. Switzerland is the top honeymoon destination for Indian couples planning a foreign trip, and it was clearly visible on Mt. Titlis. It seems that I am in some hill station in India ( not underplaying the beauty of India in any way), just because of the amount of Indians there.

The view of grasslands

The easiest way to get on top is through rope-way. The ropeway is from Engelberg up to Mt. Titlis. The cost of the return ticket of the cable car is 89 CHF, though you get some discount on the Swiss pass. The first cable car goes up at 8:30 am, while the last one to come down is at 4:50pm, so better plan your day trip accordingly.  TheThe ropeway was one of its kind, I have never seen such thing in India. Whenever We want to go and see snow in India on some hill station during summers, we have to take a long drive up the hill and get frustrated, stuck in traffic. This ropeway was like a path to heaven!! It was so long, that from grasslands it just takes you so high that suddenly you are above clouds and when you come out of the spell of magical views you will start noticing snow around you.

Wooshh!! and we are above clouds

Chilling with friends..

A small lake from the cabin

The Ropeway journey was some 10 minutes and the cabin was full of Indians. Around 30 Indians in that cabin all speaking Hindi. I suddenly felt that I am back in India. When the cabin stopped and we have to change to a different cabin, it reminded me of Rajiv Chowk metro station in Delhi. ( How everyone rushes to change the metro ;))

Looks like Indian train station

ICE Flyer

Relax time in snow

The Ice world

The sights from the ropeway were truly mesmerizing and on reaching the top, you will find yourself in a playfield of snow. We passed through a tunnel of ice and stopped to gives some poses. After passing through the tunnel the whole area is covered with soft snow. You can play all day long with your friends in the snow.

Snow, all around

A small lake from the cabin

Surprisingly I saw a lot of things translated into Hindi. Ice flyer was translated into Hindi and it sounded a bit funny, and after that, I saw “Shah Rukh” with “Kajol” from “Dilwale dhulaniya le jaenge”. So, all the Shah Rukh fans, go and get a photo with Shah Rukh in Switzerland. After indulging in Bollywood it’s time for some Indian food, when we came down the Mt. Titlis, we saw a shop selling Indian Street items, a mouth-watering Samosa and a spicy Vada pav are what attracted my attention. The feeling of having Indian food there was awesome (unfortunately I have no pics of them)

Shah Rukh Magic

So a trip that I was expecting of an exotic foreign place turns out to be an Indian paradise hill station. Nevertheless, it was the best part of my Switzerland trip.

Nusa Lembongan – A paradise Island near Bali

During my visit to Bali, I decided to go for a day trip to this beautiful Island – Nusa Lembongan. The Island is big enough to stay overnight and the best way to explore the island is on a motorbike.  It is a part of a group of 3 Islands that make up Nusa Penida.  The Island is a major tourist attraction, and you can find a lot of boat services from Bali to Nusa Lembongan Islands. The Island offers a lot of activities to do for a day or two. Staying overnight is a good option, but since I was running short of time, I decided to do a day trip.

I was traveling with a friend. We decided to wake up early and catch the 9:30 am a ferry to the Nusa Island. We were staying in the Kuta area. We took a local cab to the Sanur Beach. Most of the ferries to Nusa Lembongan start from Sanur beach.  The cab took around 30 mins and 100000 IDR from Kuta to Sanur beach. We found a booking office on the beach itself and for 350000 IDR, I bought a return ferry ticket to the Island. The return was planned at 4:30 pm, the last ferry from the Island.

Beautiful beach views in Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan must visit places

1.  Mangrove forest small boat ride – Near the Lighthouse, you can see the Mangrove forest, as you enter the area of mangrove forest you can see a lot of people offering services of the small boat ride in mangroves or snorkeling. We decided to go for a 30 mins ride through the mangroves and it cost us 200000 IDR for two people. The guide took us to a place from where the ride starts. The experience through the mangroves forest was scintillating, really nice views and a peaceful experience with nature. I think the price was pretty cheap as well, although I got this price after some bargaining.
   

   

   

   

2. Yellow Bridge – After spending time relaxing near mangroves and clicking a lot of pictures on the beaches near the lighthouse we decided to go to another small island called Ceningan Island. Connected to Nusa Lembongan with a beautiful yellow bridge. If you have a motorbike, it is pretty easy to go there, just see google maps and drive far enough 😉
3. Mushroom Beach – We ended our day at the mushroom beach,  it is a beautiful beach, with some good restaurants to eat around. Our return ferry was from this point.

 

Some more activities to do that I missed out

1. Devil’s tears: This a really good place to spend some time, you can witness waves splashing the rocks and feel the energy in waves. A great place to watch the sunset as well according to locals. Since I had a single day trip, I have to miss this one.
2. Snorkeling: You can go snorkeling at a pretty cheap price here on this beautiful Island. There are some pretty good spots to snorkel in the Island. Just make sure that you book it early in the day.

 

Money Matters

The total expenses for a single day trip to and from Bali are:

1. Return ferry ride from Bali: The ferry ride from Sanur to Jungut Batu village cost me 350000 IDR, this was the cheapest ferry ride available there. you can go for a better ferry at a higher price as well.
2. Bike rent: Bike rent was 200000 IDR per person including the petrol. We dropped the bike at Mushroom bay while coming back to Bali.
3. Mangrove forest boat: For a single person it cost 100000 IDR.
4. Food was a decent price as well, almost similar to Bali. So, add another 100000 IDR for the food

Total Cost: 750000 IDR (around 50 dollars)

Rome – Yes!! Time travel is possible

Rome is a place that takes you back in time as soon as you enter the city. The great capital of the Roman Empire, and a city that has more history than any other city in Europe. It is surely an eternal city and walking through the street of Rome, you can see the works of several centuries amalgamated together. Some of the recent excavations are present just by the sides of the road as the government is doing the construction work. In the middle of the city lies Roman Forum ( my favorite in Rome) and Colosseum. My trip to Rome covered most of these famous sites and ended with a crazy ( a bit scary) night at a camp.

My favorite places in Rome

• Roman forum

This has to be my favorite place in Rome. Here you walk through the centuries-old temples, triumphal arches, so just forget yourself by walking through the narrow paths inside. I was surrounded by works from different centuries and I would just stop in front of each of them and felt that I have time traveled into that era. The ruins range from BC 500 to AD 400. As you walk up the Palatine Hill you will get amazing views of the low lying ruins. At top of the hill, there is a museum as well to dive deep into the history. As you come out of the Roman forum after being overwhelmed with history, there stands another historical masterpiece – The Colosseum.

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

Palatine Hill

Selfie time

• Colosseum

  Next, I visited this site, and 2000 years of history engulfed me. I started at the lower level where you can see areas where gladiators and animal fights used to happen. As I walked up to the upper tiers the views of the Colosseum were splendid. You can feel the heat of those fights that happened centuries ago.

  

  Some construction going on

  

  View from higher floors inside the Colosseum

  

  Inside the Masterpiece,

  

  The Colosseum Selfie

  

  The Colosseum

• Trevi Fountain

  While walking towards Spanish steps from the Colosseum you can visit this beautiful fountain. The fountain is really crowded but you still got to appreciate the beauty of it and do the traditional flipping of coin into the fountain

  

  Trevi Fountain

• Altare Della Patria

  Few other places that are equally beautiful are Altare Della Patria and Pantheon. Although I didn’t spend much time in these places still these are beautiful places to capture in your camera.

A night to remember

After spending hours getting face to face with history, I had some food and decided to head to my camp. I have booked plus Rome Camp, it was the cheapest stay that I could get in Rome (Just 8 Euros). With this started the real adventure. The Camp was far away from the city and I have to travel 1 hr, taking a metro and then a bus to reach the place. I was traveling solo and had no internet, just a couple of screenshots of which metro and bus to take. It was already 10 pm and the bus left me at the last bus stop which was 3 km from the camp. I walked 3 km back at around 11 pm in the night only to know that I couldn’t find the camp. Then after asking multiple people in hurry, with a check-in time of camp till 11:30 pm I finally found my camping site.

The camp was really big, fancy wooden huts, a restaurant, swimming pool, and a lot of tents, everything lightly dimmed. I was really tired, still walked inside this huge campsite but couldn’t find my tent. Finally, I found it, A small tent of cloth and in triple sharing, with almost no light inside. I met a guy from turkey inside the tent and he was the funniest guy I have met. We started discussing all India, and him being a great fan of “Salman Khan” (Sallu Bhai) started playing his songs and singing. We had amazing talks and this guy will keep on smiling. He helped me with a lot of stuff at camp and it was difficult to say him Goodbye. So a scary night turned into a perfect ending of my Rome trip. 

The crazy night only selfie

Random Street stuff

Some Backpackers Tips

1. Stay in a hostel near to the center: Don’t do a mistake like me in staying outside the city, you will end up spending lot more on traveling than saving.
2. Free walking tour: There is a lot of free walking tour of the city of Rome. Just take on of them and get the overall knowledge about the city and then decide to enter these places to look in detail
3. Carry your student ID card: You can get some discount at places like the Vatican city, Colosseum and Roman Forum with the student ID card, although it depends on which card you are carrying.
4. Buy Souvenirs: If you are planning to buy souvenier, best is to buy it from the street sellers outside the Colosseum, after a lot of bargaining. City shops will sell it at a lot higher price

Places and cities to Combine with Rome:

1. Venice, Florence: These cities in Italy are must do with Rome, Really beautiful cities and can be reached pretty quickly by train from Rome.
2. Switzerland: You can easily go to Switzerland from Italy. Switzerland is a country worth visiting, but keep in mind it will be a lot more expensive than Rome.
3. Barcelona, Paris: Yes, you can combine these cities with you Rome trip. You can get cheap flights to these cities and they are must-visit cities in Europe.

 

 

 

Bali – The land of volcanic mountains, rice paddies and beaches

Just having completed my backpacking trip to Bali I must say it looks like a place straight out of a fairy-tale movie. A place full of majestic Volcanoes ready to erupt at any moment, beautiful calm beaches and immense flora and fauna. It is one of the many Indonesian Islands but certainly the most diverse and hence attracting maximum tourists.

After landing at the Denpasar airport and moving towards my stay in Kuta, I noticed two things very precisely  – The architecture of Balinese houses and the party and open culture. Balinese houses are really very tastefully designed, fully decorated and quite spacious. You can also notice that the town of Kuta and Seminyak are the most happening for a backpacker. If you plan to relax then better stay in Ubud or Denpasar region of Bali.

Lunch with that beautiful view

Exploring rice paddies and watching a Volcano was on my mind as soon as I landed, hence I decided to explore these must do things on the next day morning.  But to my surprise, there were lot more things to do in Bali than just these two bucket list items.

So, here are the places that I found are worth exploring on the tour to Bali:

My Top Picks

• Mt. Batur Lunch

  It was probably the most scenic lunch I have ever had. The beautiful Active Volcano with a huge lake surrounding it and the clouds. What can be a better view for lunch, now let the picture itself justify the beauty.

  

  That view!!

  

  Mt Batur

• Kopi Luwak

  Now, I will tell you that I actually paid to have an actual Shit Coffee!! Yes, you won’t believe me, but it is the truth. This Coffee is made from the part digested coffee berries defecated by a little animal called Luwak. It is then processed and finally, it is up for drinking. This little-guided tour will let you taste different varieties of coffee for free and a cup of Luwak coffee can be bought separately for 30000 rupiahs.

  

  Little Luwak sleeping

  

  The defecated coffee beans

  

  Processing of Luwak coffee

  

  The Luwak Coffee

  

  Free tea testing

• Ubud Monkey forest

  It is a beautifully maintained forest in the city of Ubud. You can play with monkeys, they are mostly harmless. The sanctuary itself is very beautiful with waterfalls and a river to walk around.

  

  Ubud Monkey forest

  

  Ubud Monkey forest

• Sahadewa – Barong and Kris Dance

  It is a beautiful play, having a seating capacity of around 100 people. The play represents an eternal fight between good and evil spirits. A Barong represent the good spirit and Rangda represent the evil one. It was a nice 1hr watch.

  

  Sahadewa performance

  

  Sahadewa performance

  

  Sahadewa performance

• Celuk Village

This is the place where you can actually see how handmade jewelry work is done. You can see the whole process and buy some good quality jewelry as well, but don’t forget to bargain for the price

Balinese Woodwork

• Tegallalang

  You can just click pics and walk through these beautiful terraced rice fields of Tegallalang.

Other Places to Visit that I missed 😦

• Night trek to Mt. Batur. – This is a midnight trek to Mt. Batur and you can experience beautiful views of sunrise from the top
• Rafting in Ayung River – Must do for adventure sports lovers
• Tanah Lot Temple – I regret missing this a lot, have heard from locals that it is a beautiful temple in on the coast and amazing for sunset views

Time for Backpackers secret Tips

• Hostel Stay – I found one of the most tastefully built and clean hostels I have been to. I stayed in Kayun hostel after looking at the reviews on Hostelworld.com. The hostel was a gem. It had really nice and big beds, a lot of space in a common area and a  free swimming pool and jacuzzi to enjoy (although I didn’t get enough time to enjoy it). The hostel was damn cheap, at around 8$, and located in the Kuta area
  

  

  Beautiful Hostel Bed
• Clubbing Scene – If you want to party, best stay in Kuta area. Most of the clubs have free entry, except for Skygarden which generally have the entry fee of 200000 IDR, but it includes buffet dinner and a couple of drinks. But if you want to party for free my favorites are Bounty Discotheque, ViAiPi, La favela, all are awesome clubs to party till late

  

  Clubs in Kuta

• Book the day tour in a group and through hostel: We booked the day tour covering most of the places mentioned above for just 45$ per person and we got a full day car and driver for just two people, with all the entry tickets of above-mentioned places and lunch included, isn’t it amazing. Most of the shop vendors in Kuta will try to rip you off with exorbitant prices for these tours.

Nearby Islands to Explore

Although there are numerous Islands near Bali, the tourist’s hotspots are Gili Islands and Nusa Lembongan. I visited Nusa Lembongan Islands for one day, and they were awesome

Gili Islands: They are a really calm group of 3 Islands, good for snorkeling and with no motor vehicles. These Islands are a bit far away from Bali (around 5 hrs one way), so go for Nusa Lembongan Island if you are on a short trip

Nusa Lembongan: Beautiful Islands around 1 hr away for Bali. They can be explored on Motorbike and have an awesome bit of things to do.

Overall Bali is a total heavenly Island, having all the ingredients for a beautiful holiday. Offcourse do get a traditional Balinese Massage to relax your body after all this travel.