Travel

Backpacking Trip To Spain

Published on July 1, 2018July 1, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala2 Comments

When it comes to ticking things off my bucket list, I have my head clear and my mind focussed 😀

Do you think anyone would want to have ‘facing a gruesome accident but managing to get out alive’ in their bucket list? Well, I did tick it off my list 😛

Brushing aside such not-so-sane things, I do have some travel goals and Europe was always on the list and I wanted to do one backpackers trip with strangers before I turn 25. And yeah, it’s done now (atleast, a little part of Europe)

Spain and Portugal exploration happened to be my first leg of Europe journey. To all those people who wanted to know about how I have planned the trip, about the backpackers group and about my experience in these two countries- this blog post, the upcoming one and my Instagram posts would answer all your queries. I will be pitching in my suggestions about the places to visit, the places you could skip and also, the precautions you need to take based on my personal experience.

Let’s get started!! 😀

Mumbai > Barcelona > Ibiza > Madrid > Lisbon > Mumbai

BARCELONA

5 days and 4 nights stay

Accommodation : Generator Hostel

Main Places to Visit:

La Sagrada Familia – Renowned for its captivating Gaudi architecture and magnificence. Book your tickets online and they don’t allow post your time slot (Be on Time).It will be a guided tour provided you make it on time. By the way, it is still being built!! (since a century almost )

Gothic Quarter – Old city of Barcelona. Explore the place on foot. Has a plethora of options for restaurants and clubs. Night life is good here.

La Rambla – You can’t miss this street. It is one of the best to witness the vibe of Barcelona city.

La Barceloneta – Seaside neighbourhood of Barcelona lined up with good restaurants along with a splendid view

Things to Do:

Cycling tour in the city ( they are going to show you some of the best streets in Barca)

Try Sangria and Aperol Spritz if you are into wine and alcohol

Try Paella, Tapas, Churros, Croissants when in Spain (Food)

Camp Nou (didn’t visit as I am not so much into football) and Opium (popular pub) are two things which have good feedback but I couldn’t make it. Try those if you find time.

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IBIZA

2 days and 2 nights

Accommodation : Amistat Island Hostel

Main Places to Visit:

Sant Antoni de Portmany – Town on the west coast of Ibiza (party place). Explore port area for night life.

Dalt Vila – It’s the old town of Ibiza which should be explored on foot. Such amazing fairy tale streets!!

Castell de Eivissa – You might want to visit this place to get a good panoramic view of Ibiza.

Things to Do:

Boat Party – You should not miss on this. A unique experience all together. Costs around 6-8k per person.

Watch the sun go down with wonderful live instrumental music and some wine at/ near Café Mambo in Sant Antoni de Portmany. Have to say, my best sunset so far.

Amnesia is apparently an amazing pub you can visit in Ibiza. We chose to party by the sea-side with some good wine and good company !! (my way of partying 😛 )

7=9 — **Sunset near Cafe Mambos in Sant Antoni de Portmany**

MADRID

3 days and 2 nights

Accommodation : Sun Gate One (best hostel in the entire trip)

Main Places to Visit:

Royal Palace of Madrid – One of the most popular places in Madrid. We didn’t enter inside though!! We were enjoying the view with some good live music 😀

Gran Via – This street is always buzzing and is the best for shopping 🙂

Toledo – It’s on countryside, a 45 min ride from Madrid. You can find many local travel agencies conducting a day trip to Toledo. Historically significant place!! Again, explore this beauty on foot.

Also, Stadio Santiago Bernabeu if you are interested in football 🙂

**View of Toledo from the highest view point**

I didn’t find Madrid interesting though!! It mostly had the busy city vibe with good partying and shopping places. Teatro Kapitol is a must visit pub if you are into partying.

Alert : Pickpocketing is damn prominent in Spain. Be very very careful with your belongings!! You never even notice it, they are too good at it.

Backpackers Group

‘When in City’ is one such travel agency which frequently does backpackers’ trips across the world every year. Well, there are enough pros and cons when dealing with this group. So, weigh those if you are planning to join their trips

Pros being that you might end up meeting really cool people like I did. It could be a coincidence too. Of course, more than anything else, people you are with, is important.

Cons being that you are going to overpay for their not-so-good service and their not-so-experienced team. You end up paying a premium compared to other such groups. They have limited knowledge about the best places to explore (atleast in case of Spain and Portugal)- had received misleading guidance at times, and you will also see them become stingy (mostly in case of accommodation) – which was so disappointing for many of us. Their packages include only accommodation at hostels, internal flights and a trip guide ( International flights , visa charges not included). Many things in their itinerary require additional payment. So, take note of all those.

So, before you go ahead, decide if you are okay with the cons and then take a call.

Well!! These are some suggestions based on my travel experience. DM me on Instagram for more details. Would always love to help you guys 🙂

Hope this post is helpful for those planning to any of these places!!

**Those who made the trip worth-while 😀**

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5 Things To Do In South Goa

Published on February 20, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

Sun-soaked skin, salty hair, fresh air, breath-taking sunsets, isolated beaches, beach walks, tired bodies, energized souls, tan lines, delicious food, long drives, lush green trees, pretty little alleys, cozy cafes with slow jazz, unexplored paths, interesting people, old memories, deep conversations and refreshed minds.

This sums up my recent trip to South Goa 🙂

It was a 3-day short trip but we managed to explore 4 beaches 😀

Here I go with the details of my trip :

Accommodation

Patrice’s Villa – We booked this place in Airbnb and it is more like a homestay than a regular hotel. Since this trip was mostly like a get-together, we preferred an Airbnb. It is well maintained by a foreigner. The place is close to the beaches – almost like 500 m from Canacona beach and 2 km from Palolem beach. Everything was fine with the villa except the dim light in the house and frequent electricity fluctuation which was a major downside

5 Things To Do In South Goa

1. Visit Galgibag Beach

It is the best beach that I have been to in India, other than the Andaman beaches ( If you haven’t read my Andaman travel story- Here it is ). It’s almost around 10 km from Palolem further down south. It is a perfect place to just sit and let your thoughts flow 🙂

You can hardly find anyone on the beach and there are no beach shacks. It is not yet commercialized and hence, the clear water and unpolluted atmosphere. Would definitely be my go-to place the next time too 🙂

This beach is known for turtles but we couldn’t spot any 😐

Also, there are narrow alleys near the beach which are more than perfect for a peaceful walk 😀

2. A Long Drive To Talpona Beach

Talpona beach is a very small stretch of beach compared to Galgibag and it comes right on the way to Galgibag. The ride to this beach is refreshing with isolated lanes lined up with tall trees and bridges over narrow creeks.

3. Taste the Goan food

If you are a sea food lover, you have to try out Dropadi beach restaurant in Palolem . It also serves good cocktails 🙂

If you want to experience the Goan atmosphere and some good jazz, drop by Jaali Cafe near Patnem Beach or Siyaram’s on Palolem Beach.

4. Attend a Silent Disco Party

I am not quite sure if these parties are held in North Goa but Neptune’s Point on Palolem beach hosts a silent disco party every Saturday.

Wear that wireless headset and move your feet to the tune while the rest would be enjoying the silence 🙂 It would be a completely different experience.

5. Finally, Explore Shopping at Palolem

Unlike the usual shopping experience at Anjuna flea market or any of the North Goa beaches where you mostly find beach clothes, Palolem streets offer a wide variety of handmade knick-knacks for home decor. I stocked upon some cloth lamps, hand woven storage boxes, tassel key-chains and bamboo accessories. There are good dream catchers too 🙂

Don’t forget to bargain 😀

Canacona is also one beach that we have been to. It is more of a rocky beach with a beautiful view and less noise. You can even try Patnem which is close to Palolem. Agonda is also one more popular beaches in South Goa.

Honestly, there are good beaches if you could travel further down towards South from Palolem. We had limited time so we were able to explore only few beaches. If you do have time, explore the place as much as you can.

Always, explore the unexplored paths !!

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Weekend Getaway To Guhagar

Published on January 31, 2018February 16, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala2 Comments

If you are staying in Mumbai/Pune and would like to quickly escape to a less crowded beach and a good resort for a weekend, then this post would help you plan one 🙂

We wanted to just chill and relax at any place with a clean and isolated beach for two days and also, wanted to explore beaches other than Goa.

We started exploring the places along the Konkan Coast and finding resorts along the coast. We were not intent on travelling a long distance ( not more than 300 km from Mumbai).

Accommodation

Mango Village Resort

The resort had villas spread over a huge arena. It was secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city and it was exactly what we were yearning for – a quiet and relaxing place.

You should definitely try this resort if you are planning to explore this place.

If you are in Mumbai/ Pune, a long car drive would be the best way to reach this place.

Chiplun is one of the major cities near Guhagar- Trains heading towards Goa stop at Chiplun and there are also a lot of MSRTC buses which can get you to Chiplun from Pune/ Mumbai. There are local buses/ taxis which can take you from Chiplun to Guhagar.

We preferred travelling by car over train/ bus just so that we could enjoy the route as per our convenience.

Guhagar – Places To Visit

Guhagar beach is the main attraction and it is completely worth to visit this place to chill. A continuous stretch of tall trees guarding a beach is a perfect visual retreat.

It’s a pretty small village and hence, a walk through the peaceful little lanes would be enought to explore this place.

We limited ourselves to exploring the resort and beach as we wanted to have a lazy and relaxing weekend instead of hopping around a lot 😛

Hope this helps 😀

DM on my Instagram if you need detailed information.

Skort & Skirt : Zara | Tops : Shein | Mules : Koovs | Maxi & Tops & Shades : Shein | Hoops : Colaba Causeway

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120 Hours In Delhi, Agra, Amritsar

Published on November 15, 2017November 15, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

Architectural marvels speaking history, halls of fame, tombs that made a mark in the world, the local traditions, and last but not the least, the food – All of these in just 120 hrs.

It’s definitely not a relaxed trip as we had a time constraint. Our focus remained only on the must-visit places in Delhi, Amritsar and Agra. So, if you are looking for something similar, then this might be helpful 🙂

Brief Itinerary

It was a 9 day trip including Jaipur. As mentioned in my previous blog, we stayed for almost 4 days in Jaipur and the rest was in Delhi, Agra and Amritsar.

Delhi > Agra > Jaipur > Delhi > Amritsar > Delhi

You could also plan a different route, given the same 5 day constraint. This majorly includes Delhi > Dehradun-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Jim Corbett > Delhi

We stuck to Amritsar as we had Wagah border on our priority list 🙂

Places to visit in 120 Hrs

Amritsar

It’s a place welcomed by the Sikhs, Gurudwars, and good food. One day would be enough to explore the main places in Amritsar.

Travel

One night travel from Delhi ( ~700 km)

Places to visit

Wagah Border

Adrenaline rush that you tend to have after you watch the popular evening parade at this India-Pakistan border is commendable. If you are in Amritsar, this can’t be missed. It’s just around 30 min drive from the city and totally worth the visit.

Also, make sure you reach there at-least by 3 pm if you want to witness the 5 pm parade so that you won’t be lost in the crowd.

India-Pakistan Border

Evening ParadeIndia and Pakistan Gates at the Wagah-Attari Border

As the dusk sets in, flags flaunt their beauty

Golden Temple

A Gurudwar that stands amidst a huge pool of water is a architectural masterpiece and a pristine pilgrimage. If you can manage to visit this place in the night (open till 10 pm), you get to see the place flaunting all its glory in the form of lights.

Golden Temple Entrance

A Closer View of the Golden Temple

Golden Temple

Jallianwala bagh

Though I couldn’t manage to visit this place as my train reached Amritsar almost 6 hrs late (Indian Railways – Never Trust them ) , you need to visit this place to see the terrifying remains (bullet marks on the wall) of the 1919 massacre.

Agra

Hosting one of the seven wonders of the world, this place attracts many tourists. This was 1 day trip but it turned out to be too hectic. If you are not ready to such a vigorous day, plan your stay in Agra.

Travel

It’s a 5 hr drive from Delhi and there are few places you can visit on your way to Agra. We headed to Jaipur after visiting Agra. Ensure that you start super early from Delhi if you want to cover these in a day.

Places to Visit

Vrindavan

Known as the place where Lord Krishna spend his childhood, this place has a unique vibe attracting not only Indian devotees but also foreigners across the world. This would be right on your way to Agra from Delhi.

Visit the renowned Banke Bihari temple and also, if you are a foodie, do check out the food stalls in the temple street which sell delicious milk sweets.

This place looks best during Holi (mid-March) . If you are planning to stay in Agra and interested in exploring temples, then do visit Nandagaon and Govardhan.

Mathura

Known to be the birth place of Krishna, this is another holy temple which you could visit on your way. Don’t forget to taste Rabdi and Lassi in Mathura 🙂

Agra

Renowned for the impeccable beauty – Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal

North Gate of Taj Mahal

Fatehpur Sikri

This is around 36 km from Agra and flaunts the most magnificent sand-stone structures with a blend of Mughal and Hindu architecture.

Buland Darwaza, Jama Masjid and the Royal palace are the places to cover here.

Fatehpur Sikri

Ornate Doorways

Buland Darwaza ( with my parents 🙂

Buland Darwaza

Delhi

This has to be atleast a trip for 3 days as there are way too many historical places to visit in Delhi. Considering the Delhi traffic, you might want to relax a bit and consider adding one more day and make it a 4 day trip.

Red fort

Frankly, this is something which you can just view it from outside instead of venturing in as I couldn’t find much to explore after I entered inside.

Red fort ( Outside View )

Red fort ( Inside Gate View )

Jama Masjid

This is right opposite Red fort and both of these could be visited in the same day.

Jama Masjid

Paranthe wali gali

If you want to satisfy your hunger with some delicious mouth-watering paranthas, then this street which is close to Red fort needs to be visited

Qutub Minar

I initially had a feeling that this place is not so great in terms of architecture as per the pictures that I saw. However, all my assumptions are busted when I saw the intricate details of the red-stone inscriptions on the monument. Definitely, a must visit.

Qutub Minar – A Blend of Mughal and Hindu ArchitectureQutub Minar – A Blend of Mughal and Hindu Architecture

Humayun’s Tomb

Another Mughal architecture marvel

Humayun’s Tomb

India Gate

The view of the road connecting India gate and Rastrapathi Bhavan is something which I loved.

India Gate

Rashtrapati Bhavan

If you want to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan , you can book your tickets online and this is the link which includes all the details about it 🙂

Akshardham Temple

It is more like an experience rather than a temple. The detailed stone carvings of the current era, the laser show and the puppet shows (used to describe the history of Lord Swaminarayan) leave you amazed.

Also, though this is a picturesque place, this is a no photography place 😦

Tips

Most of these monuments have one holiday during the week. Plan accordingly or else you end up wasting your time
You will be surrounded by many tourist guides saying that they will show you around and explain the history. Not all of them are genuine and not all places require one.So choose one if required
If you are travelling in Delhi, travelling by Metro would be the best choice considering the crazy traffic and pollution

You can plan your stay in Delhi for all the 5 days so that it would be easy for you to travel to Amritsar / Agra.

Hope you enjoyed reading it 🙂

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10 Things To Do In And Around Jaipur

Published on October 28, 2017December 22, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

Camels decked up in beautiful colors, streets beaming with homes resembling the palace architecture, women clad in colorful sarees with a ghungat (a veil worn to cover the face), men flaunting their multi-color turbans and of course, the scorching heat – If you have experienced all of these, you are definitely in Rajasthan.

We didn’t have enough time to explore Rajasthan completely. So, we thought we would be doing two different trips. One is the short one- includes Jaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar and the other includes Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaiselmer. The first one is done in this trip and I would be planning my second one sometime next year.

Since many of you requested for this trip details on my Instagram, here I go with all the details and the things to do 😀

Accommodation

I was exploring Booking.com and found this cute little homestay, Magpie Villa which was right in the center of Jaipur .We stayed in Jaipur for 3 days. There are also good number of luxurious options available in Jaipur.

Budget options : Magpie Villa , Umaid Bhawan

Luxurious : Rambagh Palace

10 Things To Do In And Around Jaipur

1. Visit Amer Palace and City Palace, Jaipur

City palace is the current residence of the royal family which is in Jaipur whereas Amer Palace is the age-old residence of the royal family when Amer used to be the capital of the state.

These two palaces are a must-visit to see the architecture and mind blowing facilities that the royal family had, back in 16th century.

Amer fort

City Palace

2. Don’t forget the elephant ride in Amer fort, Jaipur

There are two ways get to the top of the Amer fort – elephant ride and vehicles. Elephant safari is something which you need to try here.

Amer fort

3. Visit Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

This fort which is situated on the top of a hill will give you an entire view of the city. This fort has a completely different architecture compared to the other forts in Jaipur. While most of the forts have intricate stone carvings, this portrays detailed paintings as well.

Nahargarh fort

4. Shopping in the streets near Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Silver and Gem Jewellery is something which I loved about this market.

Hawa Mahal (It’s just a wall – No palace, as the name says it)

5. Taste Pyaas Kachori and Raj Kachori in Jaipur

These are really popular in Jaipur. You can snap a quick break in LMB near Hawa Mahal to taste these. If you are person with sweet tooth, then you would be enjoying the food even more 🙂

Raj Kachori

6. Camel Ride and Rajasthani women dressing in Pushkar

Pushkar is my favorite part of the trip. You can actually witness a bit of the actual desert atmosphere in Pushkar. Since we went just before the Pushkar Camel Mela was about to start, we could see the preparations in full swing.

Also, you can try dressing up like a local for which they usually charge 100-200 bucks per person. Camel riders usually takes you to this place if you ask him 🙂

Pushkar ( That’s me 😀 )

7. Visit the Brahma temple and Pushkar Lake in Pushkar

This is the only temple which is built for Brahma in the world. More than the temple, I liked the Pushkar lake which is just close to the temple.

8. Shopping in Pushkar Streets

This is one more thing which I loved the most in Pushkar. Home decor and camel leather bags are the best here. I stocked up quite a lot of stuff here. Personally, I found Pushkar shopping much better and cheaper than Jaipur.

Local Women In Pushkar Market

Crockery in Pushkar Market

9. Take the rope-way to reach the Savitri Temple, Pushkar

More than the temple, rope-way gives a view of entire Pushkar.

10. Visit the Ajmer Darga

Ajmer was on my list mostly because of the Darga, which is extremely popular. Be prepared to witness some insane crowd 😛

PS : This Darga didn’t really appeal to me as I found it as a place where you find few locals looting money from the devotees in the name of the god (especially if you are an outsider).I personally experienced it.This is not only the case in this Darga but also, many of the temples that I have visited in recent times.

Other than that, Darga was good 🙂 If you are a foodie, then the streets outside Darga need to be explored 😀

Entrance to the Darga

Tips

Carry a scarf / hat to protect yourself from the sun. Otherwise, you are going to see 50 shades of tan 😛
Bargain a lot if you are shopping in Jaipur. Since many foreigners visit these stores, they hike up the prices (Ask for 40% of the price)
For camel ride in Pushkar, you can find one place where all the camels are present just near Savitri temple. However, those are a bit expensive. Bargain or you can find a cheaper option if could spot any camel on the road which is not in any group
Shorts are not allowed in most of these temples and Dargas. So, dress accordingly
Opt for tourist guides only for City palace and Amer fort. Other places don’t require one

That’s it for this blog, DM me on Instagram or email me on lavanyapulijala7@gmail.com for anymore details.

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Trek to Andharban

Published on August 30, 2017August 30, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

The quiet rustle of the leaves due to the cool breeze, the slow moving clouds that were surrounding us, the green pastures, the sound of white water cascading down the majestic hills and the muddy forest trail awaited to welcome us.

That’s where our trek started – Pimpri village base camp near Pune.It was a descent trek unlike the usual treks where one treks up to the peak and down back.It started uphill and we need to trek down to finally reach the Bhira river.

Difficulty level : Medium

Best time to visit : Monsoons

Location : Near Pune

We were a group of 20 people in the trek. It was a trek of around 15-20 km. Terrain was flat for first few kilometers. It involved walking through dense forests, crossing rivers and crossing waterfalls. The path got narrower as one moved forward.

One needs to be careful while crossing the waterfalls and rivers as the rocks get too slippery during monsoons. There are around 3 main rivers that one needs to cross before reaching Bhira. The first two rivers can be crossed by helping each other without any ropes.Heavy rains tend to make the trek difficult.

After crossing those two rivers, the terrain was a mix of flat terrains which were filled with lilies all around, and a descent terrain with slippery rocks. The descent became too difficult due to the incessant heavy rain. The difficult part in any trek is the descent and this trek comprised of around 5-6 km of descent. One needs to be really careful as the path gets too slippery during monsoons.

Due to heavy rains, we couldn’t even use ropes to cross the third river.It was a challenge to cross that river.Our trek lead managed to gather some tree branches to form a bridge which was used to cross the river. Just the bridge wouldn’t be safe either, so we crossed the river by using the bridge one after other holding the rope.Usually, this trek doesn’t get this difficult such that even ropes couldn’t help.It’s only 2-3% of the cases where it gets this intense. Better be prepared for the worst and be relaxed while trekking.Trekking in hurry might lead to serious injuries.

The effort one takes to trek Andharban is absolutely worth-while, considering the view of wide expanse of trees and waterfalls that one could witness.It was so heavenly to see clouds moving around, the beautiful view of a continuous range of huge hills covered with lush green trees and waterfalls. I was head over heels in love with that heaven.Such things make me realize how grateful I need to be of myself to be able to visit such amazing places.I wish I could spend an hour just sitting there, watching the view and having a cup of coffee 🙂

I tried to capture the views using my phone but those pictures don’t do justice to what I exactly saw

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Wardrobe Revamp

Published on July 30, 2017August 9, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala2 Comments

Now that the wedding season is around, I guess most of you might be bored of wearing the same old lehengas or sarees. We might not always want to spend a fortune on buying new outfits for each occasion. It would be best if we know how to use our wardrobe staples to give a different look to those classic lehengas or sarees and to accessories as well.

Few styling tips that might help you :

Use that white shirt to pair it with a bright lehenga
Use a plain off-shoulder top(black/white) as a blouse to your classic saree
While using the staples, ensure that the shirt or top is plain.Avoid fussy prints.
Use any heavy earring as maang tikka
Pick that sleek chains that you have and wear them as waist chains

Here is one look that I put together using a white shirt and my old lehanga skirt.I paired it with a beads chain, a septum ring and a earring which I used as maang tikka.

Hope you like it 🙂

Shirt : Topshop | Lehenga : Dadar Handloom Store | Maang tikka : Studio Voyilla | Heels : Zara | Clutch : Sillklane store

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Oh Boy !! Jolly Buoy

Published on February 18, 2017May 31, 2017 by Lavanya PulijalaLeave a comment

Silence, absolute silence and perfectly gorgeous silence!! If you are wondering how one could witness the gorgeousness manifested in silence, you should get deep into those blue waters which embody a compelling charm of yellows, reds, purples, pinks and what not.

I wish I were a fish which gets to live in such perfect harmony of silence and beauty.You just can’t get enough of the marine life once you start exploring it. Everything that I could describe here is an understatement, one should experience it deep under the sea.

Well, the previous post was definitely not a wrap to my Andaman story.Here goes a continuation to an exhilarating trip.

Kalapathar Beach, Havelock Island

Day 4- Day 5- Day 6

Jolly Buoy

Jolly Buoy island is one of the 14 islands in Andaman which is under the protection of National Marine Reserve Department.This island is open to tourists only for six months-November to April and Red Skin Island would be open to tourists for the remaining six months.

Location : 45-60 min journey from Port Blair to Wandoor and then a 45 min ride to Jolly Buoy on a ferry

Timings: 1st batch is 8:00 -12:00 am and 2nd batch is between 2:00 – 6:00 pm

Ticket price : Rs 750 (complimentary 10 min glass boat ride)

Things to do:

Snorkeling – One should never miss doing snorkeling at Jolly Buoy.You get to see color changing corals, magic flowers (which disappear when touched), star fishes in different colors, nemo fishes and many more. Snorkeling is reasonably priced here as well. Only certain area is accessible for snorkeling legally and hence, we get to explore only that portion of island waters

Glass Boat Ride – There is a boat with a magnifying glass bottom which enables one to clearly see the marine life.It’s worth a try at this place considering that you won’t be exploring a huge area in snorkeling.A guide would be explaining about the fishes and corals

Wandoor Beach – This beach is a 5 min ride on road from the ferry point.One can just sit back and relax for sometime here.

Things to plan:

Marine reserve department allows only 120-200 people to visit this island per day.It happens in two batches.One needs to ensure that the tickets are booked prior a week

Jolly Buoy

Wandoor Beach

Neil Island

It’s a very tiny island covering not more than 3000 acres of land with a couple of important places to visit.

Location : 40km from Port Blair- approximately 2 hr ferry ride from Port Blair

Places to visit:

Laxmanpur Beach – Head to this beach to witness sunset.You also get good local food here.If you can do snorkeling without a guide, then you got to try it out here

Natural Bridge – This is a hub of dead corals which form a very strong bridge.A guide will help explaining the details of the corals and fishes all over the place

Bharathpur Beach -It’s not very famous but do visit this beach which is known for its amazingly clear water. Best time to visit is in the morning

Things to Do:

Sunset stroll in Laxmanpur beach

Dead corals exploration at Natural Bridge

Rent a bike and roam around the village.Unlike Havelock, this place is less-commercialized and hence, one can have a pleasant ride on the streets

Natural Bridge (Made of dead corals)

Laxmanpur Beach

Dead coral

Bharatpur Beach

Ross Island

Way back, Ross Island remained as an administrative capital of Andaman for more than 85 years but was later abandoned and is now open for tourists.

Location : 3 km from Port Blair – 20 min ferry ride

Things to Do:

Light and Sound show describing the tragic history of Andaman is captivating and needs to be there on one’s to-do list.
Ruins of the old buildings which are surrounded by trees, rabbits and deer is an ideal place for some good photography

Ross Island

Munda Pahar

Drive through dense forests to finally end up in Munda Pahar which gives an exhilarating view of sunset.

Location : 20 km from Port Blair by road

Things to do:

Just sit back and relax here, what else do you want to do at such a beautiful place?

Munda Pahar

Outfit details:

All along this trip,I tried to keep it comfortable with midi skirts,shorts and dresses

Orange top, Skirt,Dress – HnM

Crochet top – Lifestyle stores

Denim Short – People

Short – Zara

Accessories – Colaba Causeway

Pointers for the entire trip:

Be ready for a gadget free vacation because mobile internet cannot be accessed in the entire group of islands.However, you have wifi in restaurants and few hotels

Mobile network is better for Vodafone in Port Blair, Havelock and you can expect zero signal in all other islands

That’s a wrap to my entire travel story.Also, video on snorkeling will be out on my Instagram soon.

For more information about the trip, contact / follow me on Instagram.

Do give your feedback as well 🙂

Photos by Rahul Kongala and Durga Pulijala

Oh you beauty!!Andaman!!

Published on January 28, 2017May 25, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

Landing on a place isolated from the regular hustle-bustle and seeing oneself surrounded by tall lush green trees and serene beaches rather than the monotonous skyscrapers and noisy vehicles would definitely be a holiday which helps one unleash.All one could witness in the near vicinity would be the tranquility that the scarcely populated white sand beaches would offer where one could relish the sight of several shades of blue extending infinitely.

What keeps Andaman apart from other places is that it doesn’t have many historical places/view points to visit but every part of the island is captivating and one needs to enjoy the nature, be it, the astounding marine life and the corals or the islands themselves.Andaman is a group of almost 342 islands out of which many are under the supervision of the Forest and Marine Reserve Department to ensure that the coral reefs are protected.These islands are mostly not open for tourists.However,I managed to go to one such island about which I will be describing in the next article.

Let me keep precise about the details of my trip such that it captures the entire essence while being informative as well.Since I have lots to share about the entire trip,I will take you through my experience in two different articles.

Duration: 6 days and 5 nights

Nearest Airport : Veer Savarkar International Airport,Port Blair

Day 1- Day 2 – Day 3

Port Blair

Places to visit:

Andaman Cellular Jail – The historical prison is infamous for the cruelty shown towards the prisoners in 19th and 20th century.Do notice the architecture of the prison and how different wings are positioned.

Corbyn’s Cove Beach – Sports a splendid view of the ocean .It’s slightly secluded from the city and not many people visit, due to which you can enjoy the beach even more.

Anthropological Museum – I didn’t get time to visit it but heard that it’s worth a visit

Things to Do:

Light and Sound Show in Cellular Jail – You need to grab tickets for it and there are different slots of 1 hr each starting from 6 pm .

Taste naariyal paani of Andaman – Andaman is a home to many coconut trees and the coconut water is far better than Kerala as well and it could supplement your meal 😛

Sagarika Store – If you are looking to shop for Andaman souvenirs , visit only the Govt authorized Sagarika store present in the cellular jail which is reasonable in terms of price.You might end up paying more at any other place in Port Blair.

Jail Structure

Outfit details:

Since it was a tour to the prison , I tried to bring in the bold look with boots and matched it with a velvet outfit.I haven’t gone too heavy with accessories ,instead , carried a sling bucket bag along with a unisex sport watch.

Top and Skirt : Forever 21

Boots : Zara

Sling bag : Colaba Causeway

Havelock Island

Next day, we started for Havelock on a cruise.It’s a two and half hour ride from Port Blair.Do ensure that you take tickets for royal or luxury class in cruise which has a view of ocean and in case of other classes, you don’t get to see the view-it’s more like a closed room.

Places to visit:

Elephant Beach – It’s a 15 min steamer ride from Havelock island and is known for water activities.I found it better than Radhanagar beach ,though, it’s not as famous.It’s open only from 8am-1 pm in the morning.So, plan accordingly.

Radhanagar Beach – Apparently, top 7th best beach in world.Most of the beaches in Andaman are calm and are not too deep for at-least 1 km in the water.However,Radhanagar allows one to experience high tide but it is not too deep and pretty safe.

Things to Do:

Snorkeling in Elephant Beach : They charge around 500-800 bucks depending upon how much you want to explore.I really loved it and hence, paid 800 bucks to see the colorful marine life.Don’t miss this. I will share a video on that pretty soon.Keep following me on Instagram to know about it.

Scuba Diving in Havelock : Costs not more than 3000 bucks per person.One needs to experience it to see the coral life.

Taste sea food ( I would suggest Anju Coco restaurant where you get really tasty sea food and if you are looking for cheaper food, check out squid restaurant)

Rent a bicycle/scooty : Usually, they don’t charge more than 500 bucks per day.Havelock is a small island and is perfectly safe at all times , even during the night.Explore as much as you can.

Stay in a resort with private beach

Finger Coral

Corbyn’s Cove Beach

Cruise

Private Beach

Radhanagar Beach

Elephant beach

Scuba Diving

Outfit Details:

Cruise- I went quirky with kitschy layering and vibrant colored outfit. Accessorized my watch with some charm and tassel bracelets , sling bag.

Top – HnM

Trouser – Only

Accessories – Colaba Causeway

Havelock Beaches – Stayed comfortable with shorts and an off-shoulder top along with a beads chain which I styled as a choker.

Top – 20Dresses

Shorts – People

Chain – Colaba Causeway

Let me know your feedback and contact/follow me on Instagram for more information about the trip.

Photos by Rahul Kongala and Durga Pulijala

Shopping and Hopping in Kolkata

Published on November 11, 2016August 19, 2017 by Lavanya PulijalaLeave a comment

So, I happened to visit Kolkata for a couple of days.Though, I had only 5 hours of free time, I managed to shop and explore the city as much as I could.I would like to take you through my entire experience in Kolkata.

When it comes to the city, if you are the person who is obsessed with cleanliness, then, Kolkata might not meet those standards.Besides, it is a city which literally shuts down by 9 pm and being used to Mumbai, I found it hard to believe.A small note to all those who are planning to shop in the evenings is ,most of the shops are open only till 8:30 pm.So, plan accordingly 🙂

Apart from this, if you are new to Kolkata, it’s better to stick to Ola/Uber for travelling.However, be prepared, many drivers don’t even turn up or cancel the trips without any reason and this becomes literally worse in the night after 9 pm.Solo travellers,be sure to plan your travel a bit early during the night.

Yeah!! Yeah!! I know, you must be eagerly waiting to know about my shopping 😀

Whenever I happen to visit a new place, I try to collect and shop for things unique to that place.The same happened even with respect to Kolkata.I started hunting shops in Park Street for such exclusive stuff and you know what, I found one amazing store,”Biswa Bangla”, which was launched by West Bengal Government and it has all the bengal-specific sarees,artifacts,accessories,bags,dupattas. This store has limited stock for sale but it covers all kinds of unique arts of Bengal.They even had sarees woven by tribals with vegetable dyes.

Vegetable dyed saree

Kantha work of Bengal is something which captivated me.I bought a two-sided dupatta with kantha work done on tappa on one side and a completely different single design on the other side. Tappa ,basically , is a collection of small square-shaped cloth pieces with varied designs and kantha work is used to put these pieces together.I even bought a cotton saree which was weaved in the form of a fine detailed net and colored with a vegetable dye.Jute and copper accessories are unique to this place which made me grab a jute laptop bag and a set of copper earrings as well.

Kantha work on Tappa

Kantha stitch

I had a plan to visit the most popular new market of Kolkata for shopping but unfortunately, I couldn’t find time for it due to heavy rains.I hate these spoilers but I did manage to go around and check out the Victoria Memorial which was built in memory of Queen Victoria, the Empress of India in 1877.It was constructed in Italian style with marble.The royal hall brings in the beauty of the high-dome architecture with glass painted windows and intricate wall carvings.The museum showcases the richness of the Kolkata culture since ages in terms of literature, politics,art and trade.

The Majestic Victoria Memorial

Kantha work in 1900’s (Displayed in Victoria Memorial)

I am not a person who would be interested in temples but since the Kali ghat temple was built in 19th century,I was intrigued to check its architecture. However, much to my surprise, the architecture was minimal.The idol looked elegant, though.

That’s about my overall experience in Kolkata.

Do follow me on Instagram for more updates : slaythestyle_

Pictures by Lavanya Pulijala