On Eco Trail...

On Dusshera a friend of mine visited my place. While talking to her she advised me that why don’t I travel to such places which are ecologically rich. Instead for traveling like this here and there why not opt for ecological destinations in India. A better word would be Eco-Tourism.

The idea somewhere left a mark in my mind. Well next 2 weeks went into meeting the targets in office, but the idea stayed there. After 14 days of hard work I did a lot of net surfing and a thorough research on Eco tourism in India. Somewhere a lost geographer woke up in me…Well but I needed a reason or a chance to go there, as have no holidays left.

It was late in the evening of 16 October when I received a letter regarding a conference on 24 October in Hyderabad. This was a good reason for me to visit the region and I don’t need many offs from office to visit the place especially when the Diwali holidays are standing on my doorstep. I mean it was Thursday and my Diwali holidays were starting from Saturday.

I did a lot of net surfing on finding the places in Andhra Pradesh, how to reach there, where to stay and all other basic queries. The biggest problem, which I was facing, was as of where to stay and how to travel within. Was just wondering when Pooji reminded me of Indiahotelreview.com. (I have got my hotels booked by them earlier also).

I left a query on their site in the Q n A section regarding my stay in Hyderabad, as it is the capital of the state and is easily accessible by air. Apart from Hyderabad I asked for the hotels in Vishakhapatnam, Kurnool, Tirupati, Vijaywada and Pulicat. The Q n A expert replied to my query within half an hour asking for my budget and dates for stay. And then the travel in A.P. and accommodation part of my trip was taken care by the IHR people. Within next two hours my hotel reservations were done and a cab was booked.
IHR team really works hard and fast. In the afternoon of 17 October I got a call from IHR confirming if I have received the travel voucher.

Finally I reached Hyderabad at 10.40 pm by kingfisher airlines. There was a cab waiting for me at the airport. The driver took me to the hotel Siddharta where a prior booking was done. I asked the driver to come next day in the morning at 7 so that I can see the beautiful capital city before I start on my eco-trail.

I went into my room had my dinner and went to sleep as I wanted to be fresh in the morning…

n ya a lot of thanks to all those who helped me in making this trip com true..., Pooji, Indiahotelreview, and Swapan (she booked my air tickets)

Gud Nite..!!
:)

Travelling Tips

Ah … at last I m back home and now its time to write down my experiences and share it with all … Well, this time I went on a trip to Kerala. During my all past trips I have faced many problems and learnt many things. There are various safety measures that one should take care of while traveling. Specially, when you are a girl, but I must mention, these days it’s not safe for guys even. A traveler should be prepared for every thing. Below I am mentioning some of the precautions that one should take care of….

* You should always plan your trip in advance and if possible then by
a registered, qualified and recognized tourist guides.
*Leave your itinerary, expected date of return, hotel’s name, address
and number with your friend and family members.
* Don’t carry too much of hard cash with you.. Instead prefer for cards or
traveling Cheque.
* Keep a record of your cards with you.
* Keep all the important numbers handy.
* Do not count cash in open.
* Avoid wearing expensive jewellery, provoking clothes.
* Always carry your purse close to your body, or your wallet in an inside
front pocket or wear a money pouch.
* Keep a record of the content of checked luggage.
* Keep your room locked at all times
* Hand the key in at the desk when you leave the hotel.
* Try not to look like a tourist by making obvious that it is your first time
in the area.
* It is better to explore in groups and stick to well-lit busy streets.
* Be attentive and always keep an eye on what's going on around you.
* If you think someone is following you, take out your cell phone and pretend
to make a call. Say the word police with enough volume for the person
following you to hear.
* Avoid going out unnecessarily in odd hours.
* Ask your hotel staff to arrange a cab for you
* Know about the place where you are heading towards before you start
the trip. Get a map of the route and study it.
* Make sure that the car is in a good condition; learn how all the windows,
door locks and other equipment work before you leave.
* Keep the doors of your car locked at all times and wind the windows up.
* If your car is bumped by another car, think before you get out. If you are
in doubt or feel uncomfortable, signal to the other driver to follow you to
a nearby police station or a busy, well-lighted area where it is safe to
get out.
* Do not ask strangers to take you a group picture no matter how friendly
they seem.
* Look around you and be aware of your surroundings. Remember, an area is not
safe just because you are familiar with it.
* Walk actively and confidently. You must always try to make eye contact with
the people around you.
* Carry your bag around your neck and diagonally across your body. Do not
carry it hanging over one shoulder. You may as well clutch your bag and
hold it to the front.
* Put your wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket not a back pocket.
* If a vehicle follows you, never try to outrun it. Turn and walk in the
opposite direction. React by yelling or shouting if possible.
* Hide your cell phone and do not walk around talking on a cell phone, as it
will distract you.
* Avoid taking short cuts through deserted areas such as parks, empty areas
and passages.
* Do not feel embarrassed to leave an uncomfortable situation.
* Select sightseeing companies and guides carefully. Make sure they are
legitimate. Check with your hotel staff for recommendations.
* When asking for directions, first look for a police officer or another
public employee (i.e., bus driver)
* Pickpockets are often attracted to crowded places. Be aware of someone who
bumps, shoves or gets too close.
* Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries, flares, a fire extinguisher, and
first aid kit
* If you stop overnight, remove bags and other valuables from the car and
take them inside.
* Purses, wallets, checkbooks and other credential items should never be left
in an unattended under any circumstances.
* If the room key is lost, ask for a different room, or ask for the locks to
be changed.
* Don’t open the door with out checking. Use peephole, if available, or talk
through the locked door. If someone claims they are from maintenance,
security or a hotel employee, phone the front desk to make sure the visitor
is legitimate.
* Label all pieces of luggage with your name, address, and phone number, both
inside and outside. For the outside label be sure to use a tag that closes,
so the information can't be read by a passerby.
* Always lock your hotel room door, even if just going for ice. Check
sliding glass doors, windows and connecting room doors.
* If your credit cards have been lost or stolen, always notify the police and
your credit card company immediately. If credit cards are not reported
missing, they can be used.
* Remember that alcohol consumption diminishes awareness.
* Avoid discussing your travel plans with strangers.
* Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
* When taking a taxi, shuttle van, or bus, remember to note the company’s
name and the vehicle number and Color.

These are just some of them, which I noticed and felt like sharing….

"HAVE A HAPPY AND A SAFE TRAVEL!!"

“YELAGIRI” – A Paragliding Hotspot

The recently developed paragliding destination in the Yelagiri hills, which lies midway between Chennai and Bangalore, conducted an international paragliding festival from 5 to 7 September. Fortunately I was in the region on a vacation with my friends. So I got a chance to witness the festival. It was a beautiful and a wonderful experience to see so many colors in the sky.

Yelagiri is a hill station where an adventure sports club was formed three years ago. Earlier the region was only famous for the hills, the scenes, boating in the stream and the lake etc. But today it is famous as the paragliding center. It’s the third paragliding center in India after Panchgani and Bir Billing (Himachal Pradesh).

We a gang of 5 friends, (Hum Panch) after finishing our work in Bangalore decided to visit Yelagiri for some adventures. We had a workshop in Bangalore for 3 weeks and we wanted to see all the near by places. A colleague told us about paragliding in Yelagiri. But as the place is still in the developing phase and we were new in the region, we were a bit worried about how to reach there and where to stay. The language was also a barrier as we speak only Hindi, English and Punjabi.


While searching the Internet for the information on Yelagiri, I came across the website of Indiahotelreview.com Deepti a member of hum panch contacted IHR. The counselor at IHR just asked our dates for the visit, number of people and our budget and I must say she made every thing so easy. They arranged for a cab and told us that it would come to pick up at 5.30 in the morning of 6.

Can you believe the cab was exactly on our hotel gate at 5.30 am. “How he was so punctual??” Gajju asked the driver. As Gajju was the one who got up late at 5.25. and we all had to wait for him. We moved at 5.45 from our hotel…


We reached Yelagiri at 10.30… we wasted a lot of time as another member of the gang Pooji is a big foodie and we had to halt in between to satisfy her hunger…Yelagiri is a beautiful place. We stayed at the Sterling Resort and I think it was the best hotel of the region. The staff was very hospitable. They gave as a warm welcome... Must say thanks to India hotel review…

We stayed there for two days had fun out there. The boating in the stream and the lake was so fun; the Mughal garden was so nice. In the evening we went to get our selves registered so that we can do paragliding. But we couldn’t do that as there was an international paragliding festival going on. But we were allowed to witness the festival. It was so thrilling yet scary to see people flying in the sky. But the management has taken care of all the safety measures. It was such a wonderful and a mind-blowing experience all together. Next time whenever we’ll be visiting Yelagiri Hills once again we will definitely try Para-gliding.

The sky was so colourful with so many Paragliders in the sky from so many countries…
Finally the festival was over and our weekend too. We had to leave for Bangalore. None of us wanted to return but we had to...
Yelagiri is a must to visit place for those, who want to try some real adventures. Thanks a lot to my colleague who told me about the place and thanks a lot to India hotel review for making our trip so memorable and comfortable.