For adventure lovers it’s cherry on the pie and for first timers it can be little scary.
So, what happens in Solang valley paragliding??
You take the cable car in a group of 4 and it takes you to the place where you will meet your guides. Your guides will take you the starting point and prepare you with all safety equipment and guidelines. Then you have to wait for your guide to do all the other preparations to fly, and all this take only 5 minutes. You will be so amazed by the preparations that the time will fly. Next the guide will attach all the equipment with your seat and he will be just behind you. Then he will tell you to run and jump off a steep cliff.
And you will be wondering in your mind whaaattt!!!! And by this fraction of second you will already be flying, it’s that fast guys!!! The ride is for 15 mins and that’s going to one of the most memorable 15 minutes in your life.
Imagine one your right side you have snow clad mountains, on your left side you have blue cloudy sky and beneath you are the coniferous forest, a beautiful river flowing and in front of you is the breathtakingly expansive Solang valley.
I wish I could fly forever !! that’s what I thought. It was so calming experience, there was a sense of peace and satisfaction in my mind. A sense of numbness in my ears because of the cold air, the cold air caressing my face and my soul.
Every one of you who wishes to fly should try this once at least. It’s a marvelous experience and a must do activity.
Was I Scared? NO, I was super excited and only for a second when my guide told me to jump, I felt scared.
The kids also loved the experience that they did it thrice, also the kids tried archery as well.
Don’t be scared just go for it, trust me you won’t regret it. It’s an amazing feeling which cannot be expressed but only felt.
The roads from Delhi to Manali is pretty good and the highway is well maintained. There are few check posts in between which can consume your time in long queues otherwise there is no issue. There are plenty of Dhabas and restaurants on the way, you can munch something whenever you feel hungry.
The food we recommend are: Aloo paratha, Rajma chawal, Dal chawal, Chole puri & kucha chole. We recommend not to have Maggi on you first few days because later on that is the only food available throughout your trip.
The first pitstop was at Hanogi bridge at Mandi. This place is famous for its hanging bridge over river Beas which leads to a Devi temple perched on top of the hill. The temple is also famous for the breathtaking view of the valley and the river flowing underneath add to it. We visited this place because of the fascinating bridge we came across while passing the place.
We reached Manali around 5 pm and it was so pleasant to be surrounded by coniferous trees and mountains. Never I my life had I imagined to see the Himalayas so closely. It was almost dark by the time we reached our homestay.
We stayed in Hampton Homestay at village shuru, Manali.
The next day began with treat to our eyes, at 6 am I wake up to see the mighty Himalayas behind our homestay. Also, the homestay was surrounded with Apple trees. My mind said wow!! And my heart was pounding with excitement to touch these apples.
Being born and raised in plateaus and coastal areas this was my first time in mountains. It was no less than a dream come true. This was just the beginning as I had no idea there were more wishes to be fulfilled during the trip.
We decided to explore Manali for the whole day and as the first place everyone visits in Manali is Mall road . Also, our major reason was to get permit for our rented car.
*Harrytinkers Tip: the queue for ladies is minimal so it’s better that a female member in the group goes to get the permit
We had amazing parathas from Aashiana pure veg restaurant in mall road and headed towards Himalayan Nyinmapa Monastery.
This was my first visit to a monastery and I found it very peaceful and beautiful. The colors they use is very bright because of that the monastery looks vibrant.
Next we headed for some adventure activities in Solang valley, famous for adventure activities like zorbing, paragliding , archery, ropeway, skiing, river rafting and horse riding.
Paragliding is the most adventurous activity during summers and skiing during winters. The rate for paragliding for adults is Rs 2000 /- (1500 for paragliding + 500 for ropeway) and for kids its Rs 600/-
I happened to participate in a pongala only once till now and that was because my mother and both my grandmothers were active participants of Attukaal pongala since many years. I have always been a spectator and be a participant is way different than watching. Its difficult I must say.Only a women can participate in the pongala. Attukaal pongala is the largest pongala gathering in the world.My mother and grandmothers were my inspiration to finally participate in the ritual.
What is pongala?
Pongala is a ritual performed during the harvesting season in Kerala and Tamil nadu.The term pongala means to boil over wherein a special porridge made with rice,jaggery,grated coconut and raisins is offered to the sun.Women of the household perform this ritual.
Materials required for Pongala?
Earthen pot for cooking and rice, jaggery, grated coconut, ghee and water are the ingredients for the porridge. Brickand firewood for the makeshift stove.
Dress code:
There is no particular dresscode for the temple on regular days. On special accasion traditional Indian wear is worn by the devotees.On attukaal pongala day women usually wears saree and kasavu sarees or kerala set saree are the most common outfit worn by of the devotees.
Where does Attukaal pongala takes place:
Attukaal Bhagwati temple, Thiruvananthapuram
Attukaal Bhagwati temple is one of the ancient temples in Kerala situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city. This temple is considered to be the Sabrimala of women as most of the devotees is women here.The presiding deity of the temple is Supreme goddess who is considered to be the creator , preserver and destroyer of all living beings.
Attukaalamma is Incarnation of Goddess Parvathi in the form of Kannaki (Goddess Bhadrakali). ‘Bhadra’ means good and ‘Kali’ means goddess of time.The goddess of prosperity and salvation attracts plenty of devotees all over the world. Any devotee who visits Padmanabhaswami temple definitely visits Attukaal Bhagwati temple in Trivandrum.
How to reach?
The nearest railway station is the Thiruvananthapuram railway station which is 3km away and the nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram airport which is 5km away
Timing:
4:40 Am -12:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm
Why is temple famous for?
The temple is renowned for its grand Attukaal pongala which is conducted annually in the month of feb/march.Its a 10 day event stating on Kartika star of Makaram-kumbham month in Malayalam calendar. On the 9th day is the world famous Attukaal pongala conducted in large scale. This grandeur of the festival has made the temple hold a Guinness book of world record for holding the largest gathering of women for religious event.
The experience
The pongala begins with you getting a place and setting up the makeshift stove with help of bricks and firewood. Its difficult to get a space in front of the temple, but we got it a s my cousins friend arranged it for my mother and aunt. The chief priest lights up the fire in the main hearth from the temple and this fire is then passed on from one stove to another
After that you keep your earthen pot filled with water to boil with the rice. When the rice is half cooked you add the jaggery and coconut. Once the porridge starts boiling you lower the heat or set it away and waits for your turn to get a part of temple porridge which is distributed to each and ever devotee’s cooked Pongal. After which you can take the blessing from Attukaalamma and leave the premises.
What happened with my pot is it was leaking and the water wad extinguishing the fire and I had to get my pot replaced and start from the scratch. I found it to be a very difficult process as I have been cooking using the modern methods like gas stove and microwave and have never ever experienced the traditional way of cooking. On that day I was literally covered with soot and dust which made me sick the next day.
My advice would be if you are allergic to dust and wood soot, please stay away from this ritual as you might catch cold after this.If you ask me would you participate again I would definitely say yes 😊
On total the experience is mesmerising as you would be cooking with millions of ladies in the same span of time and its kind of a trance which you experience. The best part is the moment when the porridge boils over and the feeling of extreme satisfaction.I felt so grateful that my mother took me the temple to participate in the festival
Ladies, once in your lifetime participate in the world-famous festival.
As kids me and my brother loved adventure parks. So, our parents were bound to find a park or a playground for us to play around. We were super energetic kids and our parents won’t deny this fact as we could play 24×7 on a serious note.
Kollam beach and Kollam Ashramam Adventure park was a must visit place from our summer vacation destination. We loved this park as it offers so many activities to both kids and adults.
The park is surrounded with sky high trees, which gives a very refreshing ambience. The park lies besides the vast Ashtamudi backwaters of Kollam. This park is best place for recreational activities and best place to enjoy.
As kids we loved the adventure activities like zip lining, rock climbing. The park is filled with variety of swings to play with. Regular backwater cruises in houseboats, luxury boats and speedboats also operate from the Boat Club attached with the park. The park is also famous for its peculiar sculptures.
Address: Behind Guest House, Asramam, Kollam, Kerala 691001, India
Timing: 10:00 am – 06:00 pm
Ticket Price: 30 INR per person
What is Manjadikuru??
The botanical name of the tree is is Adenanthera Pavonina. In Kannada this tree is called Gulgangi mara, Malayalam it is Manjadikuru, Malaysia it is Saga and other common names are Coral Tree, Red Sandalwood, Bead tree, and Necklace tree.
The small, yellowish flower grows in dense drooping rat-tail flower heads, almost like catkins. The curved hanging pods, with a bulge opposite each seed, split open into two twisted halves to reveal the hard, scarlet seeds It’s also known as Red Lucky seed as 1/12 people would find a small carved elephant inside the seed. Fascinating, isn’t it?
Manjadikuru and Lord Krishna
In kerala these trees are abundant hence I have seen Manjadikuru in almost all Krishna temples but I had never seen it on trees.it was really surprising to find them on trees for me as a kid.earier only Guruvayoor temple in Thrissur had a tradition to keep a Uruli ( a vessel ) full of manjadi kuru in front of the main sanctum. There is story behind this which you can red here.
Coming back to the adventure park; take your kids to this amazing park where they can have a fun time, meanwhile you can relax near the backwaters.
A relaxing place for you and your family when you are in Kollam
Bentota is a beach town in Sri Lanka and if you are beach baby then this is a place which you will love. We chose bentota because all five of us were beach crazy and wanted to wend the last two days of the bachelorette relaxing near the beach and that’s what we did.
We were really lucky to have visited Sri Lanka just after the Bomb blast incident and there were merely any tourists in the place where we stayed. It was scary to think that we were the only tourist in the whole coastline near our resort, but frankly speaking we loved the experience of having the whole beach just for us.
Madu Ganga
Madu Ganga is the second biggest wetland/ Backwaters in Srilanka
The Madu Ganga is a shallow river in the south-west of Sri Lanka, which flows into the sea at Balapitiya. According to the story, there are 64 islands in the Madhu Delta, and most of them are submerged and only 25 islands are reported out of which 15 islands have a larger land mass.
It has a high ecological, biological and aesthetic importance, home to 303 species of plants from 95 families and 248 species of vertebrate. It is the last remaining tracts of unspoiled mangrove forests in Sri Lanka.There are crocodile and other reptiles in the river so you have to be careful.
Some of the islands are inhabited and all are covered with forests and shrubs. One of the larger inhabited islands, ‘Koth Duwa’, has a Buddhist temple that dates back to the days of the oldest kings of Sri Lanka.
The main source of income for the locals of the Madu Ganga (River) region is the cinnamon industry. The fresh cinnamon is brought here to be peeled. This also means that here cinnamon can be purchased at the best quality at reasonable prices. They also explain the process in detail which was very interesting to watch.
Those who are not in the cinnamon industry live from fishing of River safari as occupation. The fishermen sit either on large branches, which are planted in the water and get fish with sticks. Or they bind nets between the branches that are planted in the water to catch fish.
An interesting thing to be visited of the area is the Open-Air Fish Massage. The fish massage is quite popular around the world, especially in East Asian countries. The unique factor about this massage is that the fish are held in their natural environment, the river. A large space is sectioned off by nets tied between poles; restricting the fish from leaving that area. Other than that, they are free to move around. The client simply sits on a pier and dips his or her feet into the water.
The mangroves form a very intricate formation with its dried branches which attracts most of the social media friendly tourists. Some places look spooky because of the branches and also you can have a sudden visit from the reptiles as well.
We also got to witness a place where the backwaters meet the ocean.
If this is your first visit to a mangrove you would love the experience and want to visit more
Turtle Hatchery
Sri Lanka is really famous for its turtle conservation project and we also got an opportunity to visit one. We visited Ahungalla Sea Turtles Conservation Project. It was so mesmerising to see the baby turtles. Some of us were also got to hold them and they are damn heavy.
We also saw some adult turtles who were rescued from the sea being stuck with the material waste we humans throw in the sea. It was really overwhelming to see how polluted and unbearable we humans have made the sea for these innocent creatures.
Stop littering the sea and your surroundings it’s a humble request from us. We are meant to preserve the nature and not ruin it
Bentota is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the nature in Sri Lanka
The name Kandy has been derived from the Kandyan empire which ruled Sri Lanka for almost four centuries. We all wondered why this place is called Kandy, and all our doubts were cleared after visiting this place.
The Kandy Palace is also known for the temple of sacred tooth relic, wherein the tooth of lord buddha was brought in by Princess Hemamali and Prince Danthakumara and thereafter preserved here. It is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country.
There is an entrance fees of 1000 Sri Lankan Rupees. We were so exhausted travelling the whole day that we were actually not interested to go inside. But our Guide insisted us to visit this even if we are tired and we are so glad that we did.
The palace garden is grand and in between one would find statues of the brave souls and famous individuals of Sri Lanka. The Kandy lake besides the palace is beautiful and relaxing at the same time.
The entrance also known as the Mahawahalkada, welcomes you with this beautiful and intricate stone carving which amazed me as an architecture lover.
So I researched about it and it’s called the Sandakada Pahana, also known as Moon-stone, an elaborately carved semi-circular stone slab is a unique feature of the Sinhalese architecture and is usually placed at the bottom of staircases and entrances.
The palace is huge and is divided into various areas to perform different activities.
As soon as you enter the palace premise, there is a stairway which leads you to the sacred tooth relic temple, the hallway and the entire temple interior is painted white, which symbolises purity.There is a tunnel passage which is inticately handpainted, something which i was extremely mesmerised.
Ornately decorated golden inside; the temple is magnificent and so peaceful. You can find the Buddhist five colour flags along hallway with huge elephant tusks guarding the main chamber where the relic is placed on a gold lotus flower and enshrined inside a nested seven layered jewelled casket.
On Kandy annual festival this casket is paraded around the streets of Kandy on the back of an elephant (sacred animal of Lord Buddha). The main shrine is a two storied building.
According to legend, there was once a severe drought and the Tooth Relic was taken out of its shrine and a great procession was held for seven days. This ended the drought and started the tradition of the Perahera Festival in Kandy thereafter.
This precious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani mostly on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday there is a special ritual performed in the temple which attracts plenty of devotees to the temple. On Wednesdays, there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers. This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.
We were so lucky to have visited on a Wednesday, and witness this special ritual. The flowers offered by the devotees are beautifully and symmetrically decorated on the golden platform in the front of the main temple also the whole complex is wonderfully scented with flowers and incense. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings.
the music usec in the video is the religious tune played during the ritual
The Magul Maduwa or Royal Audience Hall, constructed with finely carved wood, is where the king met his ministers and carried out his daily administrative tasks. The building was also known as the “Maha Naduwa” or royal court which was utilised for religious and national festivities connected with the Kandyan Court. This building pretty much reminded me of Temples in Kerala with sloping roof with shades of brown being the prominent feature.
We next headed towards the building adjacent to the temple. The golden decorated, magnificent hall inside has a Golden buddha statues along with the paintings of stories of how the tooth relic was brought to Kandy.
Then on our way to the museum we saw a buddha statue which was gifted by India as a sign of friendship for the 2600th anniversary of enlightenment of Buddha.
Talking about the museum its beautifully made and maintained and I must say the presentation is also aesthetically appealing. The museum consists of artifacts, weapons, costumes of Kandian era. Also, there is a separate section for Buddha statues and their representation in different countries. I must say that this is one of the most beautiful museums I have ever visited. I was really mesmerised by the glittery golden decoration on each and every art of the display. Photography is prohibited here.
Next to the museum there is a huge building known as the Rajah tusker hall which beholds the stuffed remains of Rajah, A national treasure of Sri Lanka. He was the chief elephant for 37 years who carried the sacred casket during the annual festival in Kandy. Thanks to Taxidermy Rajah looks alive in the museum.
The last attraction near the palace building is the ancient fountain which was constructed by the coffee planters on the visit of Prince of Wales Edward & in 1873. Its built in the shape of a coffee flowers and is said to have manufactured in Glasgow and later assembled here .
Tips : Its a religious place so short clothes are not allowed carry a sarong and jacket while visiting religious placex in Sri Lanka. We were not aware of this fact but luckily we all usually carry a jacket and a dupatta with us.
The Kandy palace will take you to the history of Sri Lanka in a luxurious way
Dambulla cave temple or the Golden temple of Dambulla is Sri Lanka’s largest preserved cave temple. It is a world heritage site in Sri Lanka situated in Dambulla. Its approximately 160-metre-tall rock towers has almost 80 documented caves, among which only 5 are open for the tourists.
It’s the largest and best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka which has 157 statues. The cave is famous for its Buddhist mural paintings covering 2100 m2 area. It’s also sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries and is well maintained.
The golden buddha statue is visible from quiet a far distance and it has a museum alongside. When we visited the face of the statue, which looked like a defect earlier later we realised its bee hive. This museum and statue is was bult much later.
There are Buddhist flags on the left side as soon as you enter. The five colours of Buddhist flag signify six coloured rays, viz., blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and the combination of all these five colours emitted from his body during his fourth week of enlightment.
Also, the first structure is the golden stupa, which is a Buddhist temple and thereafter you see the big golden statue.
The stairway to the cave temple is steep and there are close to 364 steps and the pathway is covered with trees from both sides and the steps are uneven so you have to be careful. Also, you will be interrupted by monkeys here and there. You will also notice few vendors selling flowers and some prayer items.
The entry fee is 1500 Sri Lanka rupees per person.
The entrance of the temple looks like an ancient Dravidian temple. These cave temples are very well preserved and their maintenance is done time to time. The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that its carved by the monks out from rock.
The arched colonnades are one of the most unique and heritage features of the temple. Major attractions are spread over five caves which contain statues and paintings of Lord Buddha and his life. Buddha images were first to be painted here 2000 years ago, then subsequently the king added to and embellished the art furthermore.
I was really fascinated by the intricate and delicate paintings that cover the ceiling and walls, created with traditional vegetable dyes. The intricacy of the painting is commendable and the more you explore the more you will be fascinated. Especially, the detailing on the feet of the enormous buddha statue in the first cave. The statue of buddha is 14 metres tall and is carved out of stone and repainted occasionally. For an art and history lover like me, I was spell bound by these paintings.
The view from the top of the temple is as beautiful and scenic as inside the temple. After visiting these cave temples, you would definitely appreciate the talented monks who have put together the effort to create such a beautiful cave temple.
The one assurance I can give you is you will definitely be amazed on the fact of excellent artisanship of ancient era.
Sri Lanka is well known for its wildlife , especially for its massive herds of Asian elephants residing in forests and the national parks.
We started by 9 am from Colombo and it takes about 2.5 Hrs. (70.9 km) to reach Kagalle.
Millennium elephant foundation is a charity organization which rescues captive Asian elephants and take care of them.
There are different visiting package fares which you can choose from and it’s a contribution for the elephant welfare. We took the Tour package of 2000 Sri Lankan rupees which included elephant museum, elephant bathing and tour of the park.
This park is fascinating and huge. It offers a very natural habitat to the elephants. The elephant tamers are very kind towards the animals and look after them generously.
I am not very fond of touching animals and this time I got to touch an elephant which was a very different experience. What I noticed is they have very rough skin and have thick har on then which is merely visible because of their skin texture.
Elephants are very human friendly creatures and I find them to be super cute.
Check out our time at elephant foundation below:
The park is very well maintained and its takes about an hours’ time to take a stroll around the park. The park is covered with beautiful flowers and coconut trees.
Its genuinely a refreshing experience and you must definitely take this if you love animals and want to spend some time caressing them.
A Bali trip is incomplete without a spa time. You definitely should try it. They have some of the most relaxing and cheap spas you can ever imagine. The quality of service is truly appreciable. WE took a couple package and it was really amazing. At first, we were sceptical about it but after having the massage we were more than satisfied and it’s worth the price you pay.
Visit a waterfall
Bali is known for having numerous waterfalls and beaches and that’s why in every nook n corner you can find a very beautiful waterfall. While researching we came across loads of suggestions about waterfall and at the end we chose Tegunungan because it was near to the place we stayed. The waterfall is very beautiful and the water is cold and clear. The only problems were the end number of steps which was easy to climb down but will take your life climbing up. Also what we felt is this waterfall was too crowded.
The best destination to watch the sunset and one of the most beautiful sunsets we have witnessed is in Kuta beach. The beach is super crowded during the sunset and the weirdest part was the crowd just vanished after the sunset and the beach was all empty.
The seashore is very beautiful and you can see the flights landing in Bali from the beach.
The beach is lively with tourists and have loads of resorts nearby which are beautifully lit for the night party later on.
Also there are loads of drug dealers roaming here n there and they are little creepy the way they behave and look at tourists
Explore Ubud market
Ubud market can be called the shoppers heaven because you get so many varieties of things including bags, clothes, home decor items etc at a very cheap price. Also if you are good at bargaining then it’s like the cherry on the top.
The main reason you will get confused is everything looks so pretty that you will feel like buying it all (but you can’t of course)
The best part about the items are it made by the local artisans and is sold at a a very cheap price and the quality of the items are pretty good.
The same things get super expensive (almost double the price) and commercialised because most tourist prefer Kuta than Ubud because its near to the airport.
Eat Healthy
There are lots of healthy food varieties in Balinese cuisine also you get fresh fruits everywhere. So relish the Healthy food varieties . Main point here is it helps you with adjusting with the tropical climate fast and also keeps you hydrated.
Smoothie bowl
We would always suggest you to have local and seasonal fruits of the country.
Rice terraces are the best way to enjoy the nature in Bali also to know more about the locals and the lifestyle. You can spend some time in the peaceful rice terraces.Dont forget your sunscreen!! as its super hot during the daytime.
We visited Alas Harum Agropark for this experience and it was really worth visiting this place
Bali is a place which is a hidden gem the more you explore the more you will discover. So we would advise you to at least stay for a week in Bali.
That’s all for today, have a wonderful day
You can check out other destinations which we have explored Click here
Bali has always been fantasized for its natural beauty and picturesque beaches. Bali is romanticized to be the best honeymoon place for any newlywed couple and also for someone who loves to enjoy a tropical Hawaiian feel in an affordable destination.
For us too Bali was nothing less than a paradise for being the newly wed. We had so many expectations for this place and Bali was far beyond our expectation in terms of beauty and adventures.
We reached Bali in the morning by 8 am and after all the immigration process was done we decided to check-in to our hotel in Ubud .
There are two most famous cab /scooter services present in Bali Grab and go jek. Both are pretty reasonable and its recommended that you download their respective apps before reaching Bali.
We preferred bikes for our journey
What we would suggest everyone is think what kind of a trip you want to experience and then choose your pitstops because Bali offers many different segments of experiences namely religious, adventurous, nightlife, paradise, wildlife and for each one this the cities you have to choose are totally different
For us it was more of adventure and to enjoy nature so we chose Ubud and Nusa penida
Harrytinkers travelog 