Monday, June 2, 2014

Awesome Road Trip To Nahan, Himachal Pradesh



One Saturday morning, when I was lost in my dreams, heard my phone ringing loudly. I slightly opened my left eye and noticed that there were 10 missed calls from my best friend Nakul. He is always like a brother to me. 

I called him back immediately as I thought that he might be in some trouble that’s why he has called me so frequently. He picked up my call and told me that he has to go to Nahan, one of the best hill station in Himachal Pradesh for some business purpose and it was almost 12 in the noon. I somehow made up my mind for the trip. That time, Nakul had recently bought a new pulsar bike so both of us were interested to make it fly in those adventurous valleys of Himachal for first time. Both of us are travel freaks and this passion of ours is the main thing that strengthens the bond of our friendship. We left for our road trip at sharp 12.30. In starting, I was in confusion that whether it will be possible for us to enjoy the scenic beauty of that place in just a few hours or not.

We left Ambala on our pulsar bike and reached Naraingarh, a town that falls In between our route. There, we stopped for smoking as both of us were tired to our fullest because of the hot weather. We enjoyed few drags and took half pack of cigarettes for the rest of our journey.
Then, I took control over bike and we drove for 2 hours to reach Kala Amb, it is the start point of territory of Himalayas. We were too much excited for this trip because of its randomness. We met muddy hills on our way which made our ride a little bit difficult because of those frequent sand storms. Finally, we reached Nahan. 

Me and Nakul
Nahan falls in Sirmour district, it is situated on a ridge in Shiwalik hills and is at an altitude of 932 meters. Tourists from faraway places makes Nahan as their base to visit surrounding areas i.e. Renuka, Paonta Sahib, Trilokpur temple and Suketi Fossil park.  

Nakul had a business meeting in Nahan. Unfortunately, his deal was not successful but that did not ruined even a little of our passion for the trip. We stayed in Nahan for some healthy snacks as we were having empty stomachs all the way. Then, we left Nahan leaving hot breezes behind. We entered the desolated area with cold weather. We were heading towards Renuka Ji temple. Nakul was driving the bike because I was feeling too cold as I was having fewer layers of clothes than him. After few minutes, Nakul pulled the brakes to its fullest and the bike skidded for some distance. There, I noticed the reason why did he do that. There was a crack in the middle of the road and if he didn’t pull the brakes then we might have fallen into that deep gorge. Thank god for his driving skills. 

We smoked a couple of cigarettes because of the tension that was created. Then, I drove the bike unstoppably till Renuka. When we reached there it was already evening time, we visited the temple of Renuka Devi and clicked some snaps there. 

Renuka Ji Devi Temple
We also visited Renuka Sanctuary and instead of watching animals there, we noticed gorgeous local girls roaming around. We had a sweet and long conversation with them. It was already 6 in the evening. Within 30 minutes, darkness filled the atmosphere and we left for our home. One silly thing happened on the way, from Nahan we took a left turn because of darkness and after an hour we found that we are on wrong highway. Moreover, bad time was about to start. Fuel in our bike was about to finish and we have to come back to Nahan to take the right route. Somehow, we managed and reached Naraingarh back. I was frozen like ice as I was driving. There we grabbed a couple of beers and made our trip successful. 

Sadly now he has shifted to some other town and it is getting difficult for both of us to plan a trip again. But, we’ll definitely work to make this type of adventurous trip happen again.   

Top 5 must-visit tourist attraction in Israel



Israel is one of the most fascinating countries in the world from tourist point of view. There is no shortage of amazing places that you can visit in the country. It is therefore very tough to narrow down a list of must-visit tourist attraction in Israel to five. But here we have made an attempt to bring to you the five must-visit destinations in the captivating country they call Israel. 

      1.    Tel Aviv
In the west part of Israel, stretching along the shores of Mediterranean Sea is the gorgeous city of Tel Aviv. A city only an hour’s drive from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is one of the newest cities in the world and it teems with modernity. Generally speaking, Tel Aviv is to Israel, what New York is to the United States. Tel Aviv is the commercial and cultural capital of this little nation that’s filled with history. Tel Aviv, no matter how recent its existence may date, is home to the age old city of Jaffa, traces of which date back to the biblical times. If you are in Israel, for a personal or commercial visit, you must make it a point to visit the glorious city of Tel Aviv. And did I tell you, the Tel Aviv beaches and its nightlife is comparable to some of the best in the world?

      2.    Masada
Located in the south east Israel, the desert fortress of Masada is situated on an isolated rock plateau overlooking the grandeur of the Dead Sea. If, this isn’t enough to call you to Masada, it is the tragic place, a proof of the heroics of thousand Jews who committed mass suicide instead of surrendering to the dominance of the Romans in 73 A.D. Still one can find remains of the dreadful era, in some form, at the Masada. You can reach up to the 1,300-foot plateau either by cable car or by hiking up the Snake Path. 

      3.    Jerusalem
Probably one of the most secular cities of the world, Jerusalem is sacred to three major religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Also the capital city of Israel, Jerusalem is an ancient city surrounded by giant stone walls some dating back to the Ottoman period. The city is home to holy sites like the Dome of the Rock, the Holy Sepulchre Church and theWestern Wall. Western Wall is the most visited sites in Israel, a holy place for the Jews. If you are that pilgrim types, you can’t miss Jerusalem is Israel. 

      4.    The Dead Sea
There is a very minimal chance that you’ll feel depressed being in the beauty country of Israel, in case a moment arises, you can just trip down the Lowest point on Earth – the Dead Sea aka Salt Sea, and be rejuvenated once again. Labeled as one of the world's first health resorts, Dead Sea is one Lake you can float on the warm, salty water without any strain.  

      5.    Israel Museum
Founded in 1965, the Israel Museumis the largest cultural complex in the country. Located on a hill in the Givat Ram in Jerusalem area, the Israel Museumis a paragon for innumerable historical artifacts and treasures. The museum is home to some of the world’s oldest known biblical manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Museum also features a carved female figurine, which is regarded as the oldest artwork in the world. As a tourist, travelling around the country, we don’t believe there is something more exciting for someone who lives and breathes all things historical. 
 
Disclaimer:The list is based on the writer’s viewpoint. You can agree or disagree to the compilation. 

Author Bio: Sahil works as an Internet Marketing Expert. Besides his profession, he loves to travel to several undiscovered place all over the globe.