"Similar Kinds Attract"- and this hold true for us. We love travelling and exploring new places together. Even when we were on a shoestring budget, in our early days of marriage, it would not deter us from picking up our bike and heading off into the unknown. I believe planning is necessary, but too much of detailed planning takes the fun away. We have been to many places in India; we have covered parts of Leh- Ladakh, J&K, Himachal, Rajasthan, Punjab,Uttaranchal, Goa,Maharashtra and Gujrat. We have camped in the total wilderness and bone chilling cold of Leh and Ladhakh and canvassed the whole breath and width of that beautiful place on a bike , with nothing but a rucksack on our backs. This is a place where the towering mountains reach up to a clear blue sky and the rhythmic chant of Buddhist monks in an ancient monastery where time stands still, takes you to different spiritual level. The rushing waters of an icy river (Indus) surge down from glacial heights. We explored the Gompas , biked on the treacherous and breathtaking routes and saw rare mountain goats ascend the slopes and cranes fly overhead. It is indeed the 'Land of Passes' and the 'Rooftop of the World'!! We have covered the forest hills of Uttaranchal and trekked for one week in the adjoining areas, making friends with the locals there and even staying with our new found friends, experiencing their food and culture. We have toured Rajasthan extensively, loving its rich heritage, friendly people and colorful attires offset against the expanding deserts. We were awestruck to experience the folklore of heroism and romance resounding from the formidable monuments that majestically stand to tell the tales of a bygone era. Every city of this beautiful land is rich in its heritage, colourful culture,shining sand-dunes and varied wildlife !! It is a destination nonpareil. We totally believe the fact that Rajasthan is is a vast open-air museum, with its relics so well preserved that it delights everyone!!! We indulged in many outdoor activities like safari on horses, camels, elephants with the Aravalis - India's oldest mountain range as a silent witness to our escapades! Travelling to Daman and Diu from Devlali (Nasik) was another novel experience, as it was done on an imbalanced Bajaj scooter of a friend, on the winding roads of the Western Ghats for continuously 10 hours. Not to forget that it started raining, with not a shelter in sight, and the roads becoming dangerously slippery. But we enjoyed the scenic beauty, getting wet in the rain and savouring on the local dhaba ‘chai’. But the best part was to come when we reached Daman and saw the Christmas Eve celebrations in full swing in the Portugese way !! Goa has been an all time favourite of ours. It is not without reason that the smallest state of India is an international tourist spot. We got hooked on to this place the very first time we went here and in the last 5 years we have never missed an opportunity to holiday here and enjoy the palm fringed beaches and the soothing blue waters. There is a relaxation in this place which seeps into the bones and makes one go into a trance. Goa is a place we are addicted to....and happily so!! We also planned our trip to Thailand on our own, with no help from any travel agents. We landed in Thailand and then decided on the various places we wanted to cover. We hired a jeep and then toured this picturesque country. Instead of going to only tourist popular places, we included untouched Thailand also in our plan; places like Krabi, Koh Yah Noi, Khao Lak etc.