Amongst the both of us, I believe we would have touched half the world. while I had focussed all my travel plans to the south of India covering Athirapally, Pondichery, Kodaikanal. the 14 Islands of Andaman & Nicobar, Mahabaleshwar, & some Western areas of Goa, Daman & Diu, places around Mumbai, A little bit of North in Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Simla, Naldhera. While Arsh the guide traveller, & a proud North Indian has overdone Simla, Manali, Dharamsala, McLeodganj, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, & visited as she says Kerala, ofcourse places around Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkatta, Ranchi, Malaysia, Bangkok, Ohio, New York, Paris, East Africa, Guangzhou(China), Kobe (Japan), Houston, London, blah blah blah.... Starting from drives we have done together: Mumbai to Lonavala/Khandala used to be a regular getaway for the time that the madam was in Mumbai. Other than that we have driven our way from Ambala to Amritsar, Chandigarh & Simla. Both small trips but thoroughly enjoyable. Since her world of travel revolves around food & feeling the "local way of life" we were forced to eat at the local well known Dhabas: an excellent way to feel both together. Actually the suggestion to anyone driving their way to Amritsar is to have a lunch or dinner at Haveli for sure. While my fixation is with the driving & feeling the wheels roar on the asphalt we drove continuously for 5 days to cover the 4 cities. Having the darshan & the parikrama in the early hours of the morning of the Golden Temple is an out of the world experience. I am sure even an atheist would feel the serenity of that place inspite of the crowds. Post the calmness & the yummy food at the public Kitchen "Guru ka Langar" we headed to Jalian Wala bagh: One can feel the coldness of death on the place where thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed at the hand of General Dyer: a tale of tyranny which didnt go well down the English throats too. The show of haughty behavior is a must watch, we were told, at the Wagah Border, but sadly we couldn’t do it for we were caught up the whole day eating the local specialities well known to "the guide": Amratsari naan, tandoori chicken, amritsari machchi (a fish speciality), butter chicken, ghee roast jalebi with rabri, dhoda burfi, lassi ofcourse, n nothing else could go down the throat or tingle the taste buds. Post the blast of tastes & experiences in Amritsar we headed to the cool winds of Simla. Honestly the heats of Amritsar didnt do anything to prepare me for the cold weather of Simla. We were welcomed by an Old friend. Simla as we had heard about is no more a Hill station for vacations I would believe, for it has lost most of the greenery to the concrete jungle & the commercialization. Once one would go to Naldhera & Kufri that one would actually feel the Hill Stations & the Himalayas. The Mall Road, Lakkad bazaar, Scandal Point at the Mall are a must visit & click pictures at these points for the memoirs of Simla. Though not many people suggest of this place but a cup of coffee at the Indian Coffee House is a must have if you wish to have a feel of the old time Simla: with old uncles sitting & discussing their views & daily happenings with the Nehru caps & jackets on & coffee flowing freely along with cheap dosas & idlis & sandwiches. I guess I should close this experience here itself, for there would be no space for other places. Phew.... I guess the rest we can mention at the blog which has just been started as a special honor to the great driving challenge!!
