Malaysia ....... indeed...........Truly Asia !!!!

After sailing around the globe with my husband for almost 10years, we settled at home in 2005. Since then we were visiting different parts of India, mainly to show our daughter what India is.She started sailing with us when she was 18 months old and by 2005 she had been to almost 23 countries.

Now, after 7 years we have decided to venture out again and we selected Malaysia. I had first visited this country in 1997 and last was in 2003, all through ships of course!

Our Tour of Malaysia was mainly to explore the culture, food and History of the Peninsular Malaysia. Following are from our tour diary:

25^th Apr 2013, Kochi - Melaka:

We Started from out home at 2020Hrs and reached Kochi International  Airport by 2105Hrs. As we have already checked-In Air Asia online and had our boarding pass in hand  so within an hour we completed all formalities. But our flight was late by half hour and we took off by 2350Hrs Indian Time.

26^th Apr 2013, Melaka:

Flight landed at Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at 0640Hrs Malaysian Time. Immigration was simple, collected baggage, took a local connection of DiGi Mobile Company and purchased 3 bus tickets of Transnasional Bus (belonging to Malaysian Government) to Melaka. Bus was at 0900Hrs so we had our very first bite, nothing special just some sandwiches. Bus departed sharp on time. It was 2.5 hours of drive and reached Melaka by 1130hrs.

Transnasional Bus at Airport

Inside the Transnasional Bus.

Roads were in excellent condition.We took taxi from Bus stop to the hotel. Taxi price has to be bargained and fixed. Its true for most of Malaysia. Our Heritage Hotel  on Heeran Street was right at the heart of China Town and walking distance to Dutch Melaka.

When we arrived at Hotel , our Room was not ready. Normal Check-In time at Malaysia is 1400Hrs. So left  our bags in  the reception and went out to for a walk.


 As it was noon we had our lunch at Nancy’s Kitchen.  We had  Nyonya Food.

Nancy's Kitchen

Interior of Nancy's Kitchen.

Rice, Peranakan Braised Pork & Ayam Buah Keras (Chicken Candlenut)

Long back when Chinese came to Malay peninsular for business they married local women and their children were  called Perenakan  (Strait Born) Chinese. Their boys were called Babas and girls were called Nyonyas. They  followed  the Chinese custom of their father and so the food was a mixture of Chinese & Malay….so formed a food cuisine called Nyonya Foods.

After lunch at Nancy’s Kitchen, we went back to our Hotel and checked-in. Without much delay we made our way to the  Baba-Nyonya Heritage Museum. It’s a house of rich Baba-Nyonya which is now converted to a museum. The guide who took us explained the construction, life and heritage of the house. The house was indeed Great !!!!  It’s worth a visit. Here photography was banned , so I am posting only the photo of the exterior of this Heritage house. Infact the Heritage Hotel, where we are staying is also a Baba-Nyonya House converted now to an Hotel!

Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum at Heeran Street

Heeran Street where our Hotel was Located.

After the Museum Visit we came back to our Hotel just to relax for sometime.

Then we went to explore the Chinatown of Melaka and for a walk through Jonker  Street. In Melaka on Friday & Saturday the Jonker Street will be closed for traffic in the evening. Around 6 o’clock onwards we can see stalls - mainly food stalls, will be put up on the street and people just roam through the street tasting different types of food. We have planned our tour in such a way that we will be at Melaka on Friday & Saturday just to enjoy the beauty of this Jonker Walk. This is also a catching sight to take back home.

Jonker Street.

Jonker street closed for Traffic-sight of the street market & food court.

Cendol

Today as we were roaming around  Jonker Street  we came across a Shop which was selling some Deserts. We had heard a lot about Nyonya Food (Desert ) called Cendol,  everyone says that  this Desert is too good  so  we gave a try to taste this Sweet but  somehow my taste buds  didn’t like the taste of  it, but I don’t know about others, they may like it …….  Later   we had some Seafood Laksa and came back to the hotel to take rest.

27^th Apr 2013, Melaka:

Today morning  around 0830 we went for breakfast at our Hotel. Breakfast is served in an open garden and was buffet with Malay and European style food. Good variety to choose from. After breakfast we proceeded to see  the Admiral Cheng Ho Museum. Cheng Ho was the  Admiral of  the Treasure fleet during  the Ming Dynasty in China. He made 7 voyages from China to the  west upto east coast of Africa and Melaka was his stop over  for refreshing and replenishing. It’s a Good Museum ,  in it they even  show a film on him , it takes about 15minutes. Cheng Ho’s largest ship was 140 metre long with all it’s luxuries!!!! Compared  with that, all European explorer’s ship were like small boats. Interestingly, Admiral Cheng Ho visited Kollam, Kochi and Kozhikode in India before proceeding to Arabia. His greatest influence in Kochi was the introduction of Chinese Fishing nets, iconic picture of Kochi today!!!

Dutch Area.

After the museum we went to visit the Christ Church, Town Hall & other Dutch Heritage Buildings and then proceeded to see St. Paul’s Church at Bukit St. Paul (St.Paul’s hill). From St. Paul’s Hill we can clearly see the Malacca Strait. Many times I had sailed along with my husband through that strait and today I am standing on the hill and watching ships sailing through Malacca Strait. Time just flies !!! Next to the St. Paul’s Church there is an old Light house.

View of Malacca Strait from Bukit St. Paul

St. Francis Xavier frequently visited this Church on his way to China to preach Christianity. When he died at China his body was temporarily buried here before it was taken to Goa. His tomb is still here.

Melaka is a city with largest number of Museums, you can see museum in every nook & corner of this city ! Heat was taking its toll on us and so we decided to head to a nearby food court. The Food court were we went today was having two sections, first is Chinese and the second for Malay. Reason for this is certain foods like pork which is considered as delicacy by Chinese is “haram” ( forbidden) by Malay who are mainly Muslims. So there is a separate Malay section which sells on “Halal” food. After having food there we walked back to our hotel and had siesta.

By 1730Hrs we walked to Amy’s Restaurant where our friends Alfred Zheng and Shunting were waiting for us with their parents. They Drove all the way from Singapore to see us. Amy is Nyonya and a famous Nyonya Cook as well. Her Food was fantastic, we loved it. I would recommend everyone visiting Melaka and wish to have Authentic Nyonya food to try out her cooking. Advance booking is required.

With Amy

Amy's Food!!!

After food , we all walked together through Jonker Street  again.  When we reached the Southern end of Jonker Street , we saw Dr. Ho Eng Hui who does Coconut Kung Fu. He pummels his forefinger into coconut! If you have an idea how hard the coconut shell is then you will be surprised to see this performance. It’s worth watching. Though he shows this performance to entertain others , but his main aim is to sell  “Miracle Oil” which he says is good for aches and pains.After Jonker walk we tried a few more food on the street and  returned to the Hotel, tired as usual .  Melaka is a city were I am sure you won’t have any lack of food.

28^th Apr 2013, Melaka:

Today morning after breakfast ( it contained some Malay, Chinese & Continental items) we went to walk in Jonker street then to the Maritime Museum. Maritime Museum is  set up along the bank of Melaka River and it  is to the size recreation of  the Portuguese sail ship ‘Flora de la Mar’ which sank of coast of Melaka in 16^th century. Being a sailor’s  wife I found it more interesting.

Flora de la Mar.

  We had our Lunch at ‘Famosa Chicken Rice Ball’, it’s a huge Chinese/Nyonya restaurant in a characteristic old building. In this Restaurant we have to be in the queue for the seats and the seats were given as per turn.

Famosa Chicken Rice Ball.

29^th Apr 2013, Melaka - Kuala Lumpur:

Around 0830Hrs we had our breakfast  and checked out of hotel at 0945Hrs. Took a taxi to Melaka Sentral Bus station. This station is very mordren, large and air conditioned . We  had enough time , as we had booked our bus before leaving home. Our bus was at 1100Hrs to Pudu Sentral (Old name Pudu Raya) bus station at Kuala Lumpur (KL). Our bus was operated by Konsortium Bus Company and it was  much better and spacious than the Government operated Transnasional Bus which we took from KLCC Airport to Melaka.

Konsortium Bus

Interior of Konsortium Bus.

It was 2 Hrs drive from Melaka to KL. Once we got into Singapore – KL Lebhu Raya (High Way), buses were running at 100 plus Km/Hr. By 1300Hrs we were at KL’s Pudu Sentral bus station. KL has lot of bus stations, but Pudu Sentral was the one which is closer to our B&B just 5 min by walk!  We checked into the B&B. It started to rain and then it was down pour! The sight of rain gave us the feeling of our Monsoon Season in Kerala.  By 1700Hrs it started to subside; we took our umbrellas and went out to the nearby  food street called Jalan Alor. Street was full of food court with Chinese, Malay and Thai foods; came back after dinner.

Jalan Alor the food Street.

30^th Apr 2013, Kuala Lumpur:

Today at 0900Hrs we had breakfast and walked to Jalan (Road) Bukit Bintang at the end of this road is KL Pavilion, a big shopping mall. From this shopping mall to Kula Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) is an air-conditioned elevated walkway, it takes 15 minutes  to reach KLCC but very comfortable.

Jalan Bukit Bintang.

KL Pavilion Shopping Mall, Walkway starts from the mall.

AC Elevated Walkway.

First point at KLCC was aquaria, an underwater world were we can see underwater life including sharks. After aquaria we walked to Suria at KLCC a big shopping plaza which was at the base of the  Petronas Twin Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world. We had lunch at Suria KLCC food court, it was Malay food Nasi Lemak Chicken; its rice with a Malay type of Chicken curry. It was just OK. After visiting Twin tower we caught LRT (Metro) to Masjid Jamek  Station for walking around the Heritage area around Merdeka ( Independence ) Square of Kuala Lumpur including old Government Administrative Buildings prior to their shifting to Putrjaya a new capital city at the suburb of KL.

Petronas Tower & Suria KLCC

Merdeka Square.

It was 15 minutes past  3 pm and the sky was getting clouded, a good sign of thunderstorm to come. Very soon we made our way back to LRT station and took Metro back to our B&B. It was down pour when we were on LRT and while walking through the street  from LRT station to B&B we got completely wet, even with our umbrellas. 

Please note that in Malaysia you can’t predict the rain so it’s advisable to carry umbrellas if you are planning for a holiday in Malaysia. 

 01^st May 2013, Kuala Lumpur:

Today we  went to KL Bird Park after breakfast. We had been to Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park before when our daughter Olivia was too small. Entrance fee  was Malaysian Ringgit (RM) 48/person. It’s the largest free  (non-caged) bird park in the world. We had a photo session with birds and the main attraction was the Bird show which takes place twice daily at 1230 & 1530Hrs. Olivia liked the bird show but I think, the show at Singapore’s Jurong  Bird Park was much better. By the time we finished the bird park visit  it was evening. We had our dinner again at Jalan Alor.

KL Bird Park

With Birds

02^nd May 2013, Kuala Lumpur:

 Imbi Market was our destination for Breakfast today. It’s a wet market area of KL with food stalls on one side. Our hostess Christina came along. Tried different Chinese Items and the main  & interesting  one was the tasting of Chicken Feet!!! When our host ordered for Chicken feet, I was sitting in front of the table with fingers crossed. I have never imagined of tasting this in my life. Even during our sailing times we always make it a point of trying the local things, so it was fun & I tried it for the first time. It was soft and tasty ! We also had Cham, it’s a mixture of Coffee and tea, too strong for me . It’s popular among them. Later we had bread with Kaya ( coconut jam ) and cheese, Laksa etc. After food we went around the market, saw the vegetable, Fish, meat  and provision area. From Imbi Market we drove to China Town. We walked around China town, Central Market etc. In China Town we had to do a lot of Bargaining; brought few souvenirs. Walked back to our B&B. It was 1500Hrs and decided to rest for a while.

Imbi Market

Christina Trying to feed me Chicken feet!!!!

Cham

From Christina we came to know that their  Government is planning to shift the market else were and to build a huge shopping Mall, it’s really sad . Malaysia was getting ready for election and Christina’s  talk went about on how corrupt the present Government is….. how people wanted a change it  after 55 Years but government is trying to rig the poll. Anyway, the election is on 05th May. We will be at Georgetown, Penang by then.

China Town KL

03^rd May 2013, Kuala Lumpur - Georgetown:

We checked out of B&B today at 0900Hrs and walked to the Pudu Sentral Bus station.Our Konsortium Bus to Penang was at 1015 Hrs but it was delayed by an hour and by the time we departed it was 1100 Hrs. Drive was smooth and roads were excellent. We had one stop for refreshments. We had to change the bus at Konsortium Base about 75 Kms from  Penang. By the time we crossed the bridge to Penang Island , it was 4 in the evening. By 1615 hrs we were at the Penang bus station. Took a taxi to Our Heritage Hotel in Georgetown . This was better Heritage Hotel than one we had at Melaka.  Well decorated rooms to the ambiance of Baba Nyonya heritage. Really gave us the Heritage feel.

04^th May 2013, Georgetown:

0900Hrs we had our breakfast. It was barely ok….anyway after our breakfast we walked to the ‘core’ of Georgetown. There are free shuttle bus service by Rapid Penang for tourists but we decided to walk to experience the place, it was hot too.  On the way we saw clan jetties of different Chinese clans. We visited 2 of them, Lee Jetties and Chew Jetties. These are the houses built on pillars in water and people from same clans lived together but there are also mixed clan jetties.

Lee Jetty, one of the clan jetties.

From the clan jetties we went to Fort Cornwallis,  built by Francis Light. He was the first Englishman to come to Penang Island to make a settlement. The place where he came was closest from the mainland Malaysia (now called Butterworth) and named it after the then King of England George III. Francis Light build a fort there named it after the Governer General of India Lord Cornwallis. Malay Peninsula was then part of Bengal Presidency!

Entrance of Fort Cornwallis. 

Heritage area reminds of any British Raj Heritage Town. We walked around the Heritage area, there are few beautiful Heriatge houses of Chinese and Peranakan (Chinese & Malay Mix)people.  Some of them are museums now. After lunch at Chinese Restaurant we walked to Little India. Shops with names written in Tamil and you can even hear some Tamil songs coming through Loud speakers…. We thought as if we are in Tamilnadu. It was 1430Hrs by then and Sun was taking its toll on us, so we decided to do the remaining tomorrow and to get back to the Hotel. Took the Free CAT Shuttle Service Bus and felt  very nice to reach back and to have a cold shower.

Statue of Francis Light.

05^th May 2013, Goergetown:

It was election here, also being Sunday shops were closed and roads empty but ventured out took CAT bus and got off at Chulia Street and walked,  came across Church of Assumption. It was one of the oldest Catholic Church in Penang built in 1786. When we reached there it was time for Mass so we  happily attended the Mass. After the service we met the priest Fr. Christopher Lim. The Parish Priest was off and hence Fr. Lim was conducting the service. He is from Penang but presently in Australia. Now Fr.Lim is in Penang for vacation. He asked us where we are from? Fr. Lim was very familiar and as he had been to Kerala with a Malayalee  Priest, who was working with him in Australia. He had been to Kannur and Kochi. We felt so nice to here from him about the beauty of Kochi.

With Fr. Christopher Lim.

From the Church we went to ferry station to catch ferry from Penang Island to Butterworth in mainland side of Malaysia. It was a Car cum Passenger Ferry and took 20 minutes to reach Butterworth. No charge for Passengers from Georgetown but there is Ringgit 1.20 from Butterworth to Georgetown. Its a double deck Ferry with Cars at the Bottom Deck and on upper deck Cars and Passengers.

Ferry Between Goergetown & Butterworth.

Inside the Ferry.

We caught the next ferry back to Georgetown. Ride was interesting !!

06^th May 2013, Georgetown, Penang - Langkawi:

Today we said bye to Georgetown and the island of Penang. Afternoon was our flight to Langkawi, another beautiful Island in Malaysia. Our Air Asia flight from Penang to Langkawi was only  20 minutes. Though Langkawi is famous for beaches, we selected a Kampung (Village) Cottage away from beaches in the middle of the island. 

07^th May 2013, Langkawi:

Today after breakfast we rented a car for self driving (Malaysian car Proton Viva) for 2 days for Ringgit 70/day and Ringgit 50/ as deposit.  As petrol is cheap and traffic is less, its better to rent a car rather than taking taxi in Langkawi. We drove around south of Langkawi Island, stopped where ever it looks better.

Langkawi, The Eagle Statue.

Car we Rented and drove around Langkawi.

Had lunch at southern beach of Pantai Cenang and then drove down to the only town of Langkawi  Kuah. Close to Kuah is the big Eagle Statue, it is the symbol of Langkawi. As Langkawi is duty free there are lots of duty free shops, but we didn’t find any item (except for liquors & cigarettes ) cheaper than main land.

08^th May 2013, Langkawi:

Soon after breakfast we decided to drive around the island. First we  drove to Marina. Then to the crocodile Adventure Park. We some how lost our way and drove about 12 kms up and had to drive back. Crocodile Park  was good for Olivia. Then we drove to different beaches.Later back again to Kuah for shopping and having Dinner. After dinner we came back to cottage by 1930Hrs.

09^th May 2013, Langkawi - Kuala Lumpur - Kochi:

Today is  our last day at Malaysia, morning we had breakfast. At around 1100Hrs we departed from our Kampung Cottage, drove to Airport. We didn’t take the direct route but went round so that we will have a drive around the island prior to saying bye to Langkawi . Around 1200Hrs we handed over the car at the airport. Our flight took off by 1430Hrs and by 1530 Hrs we were at Kuala Lumpur LCC Airport.  Our final flight back home was at 2115Hrs, so we spend our last few hours roaming through shops ……………………. And it was time to end our 15 days tour around Malaysia, we traveled extensively from south to North of Malaysia along the west coast without any trouble, so when we boarded our Air Asia flight to Kochi we had to thank our Lord for all the care and Protection He has given to us during this 15 Days trip.

Tour Diary of Our North Indian Trip!

27th Apr 2012, Kochi – Delhi:

We departed from The Bungalow at 0830 for Kochi  Airport and reached there by 0920Hrs. Check-in and other formalities  were completed by 1000Hrs and waited for the Flight to arrive. We were flying on Spice Jet to Delhi and it was our first hand experience of Spice Jet . We embarked the flight at 1050Hrs. Interior was Ok same as other flights like Jet Airways. Our seats were 14 D,E & F. Our daughter, Olivia, occupied the window seat and my Husband on the aisle Seat.  I was sandwiched in between!    We started to  proceed to runway around 1120Hrs, indeed the flight was sharp on time; first impression was good.

 As soon as we were up in the sky, food was served. While booking we have ordered for 3 Non-Veg meals. Meal was hot but nothing  more than that. Was it worth the price…..hmmmm…….I don’t know. The Meal packet which was served contained Rice and a piece of Paratha (smallest size I have ever seen) with Chicken curry, Dal (lentils) and mango pickle and a piece of chocolate cake as pudding. We were given a choice of beverage, like coke, fruit juice or lemonade to choose from.

1310Hrs we were at Mumbai Airport. Passengers like us, who were proceeding to Delhi, were asked to stay on board, others disembarked. 1410Hrs we were on to runway for Delhi, again on time. Had a nice nap and by 1620Hrs we were at Delhi Airport. I was impressed with Spice Jet for their punctuality, I believe, that’s what every passenger expect from their airline.

Olivia at New Delhi Airport

Picked up our baggage and walked straight to the Pre-Paid taxi counter. Then on taxi straight to YMCA. We had booked Deluxe Double room with an extra bed for my daughter. YMCA…..Ah….location….one of the best a person can ask at Delhi. Right at Connaught Place. Our tariff included Breakfast  & Dinner . Room was OK but I believe the price is for the location was rather than for the amenities in the room.

After Checking In straight away we headed to see India Gate in an Auto-Rickshaw. 

India Gate

Good place to spend evening . Had a photo session  and few “Golgappas” (or called Pani Puries).

Eating Golgappas!!!!

 Approximately  100 years ago, in Dec 1911, the British Raj shifted their capital to Delhi from Calcutta. By 1930Hrs we caught an Auto-Rickshaw back to YMCA. Dinner was buffet  with Chicken Curry, Brinjal (Egg Plant) Curry and Dal along with Rice & Chappati.  Followed by  Custard pudding.

28^th Apr 2012:

Today morning we departed from YMCA at 0530Hrs to catch Bhopal Shatabdi express which  leaves  from New Delhi Railway station at 0615Hrs. Train departed from Platform #1 at sharp 0615Hrs. Morning Tea was served immediately upon departure from New Delhi Railway Station. By 0700Hrs Breakfast was served. Breakfast was included in the ticket charge. Though we asked for Non-vegetarian they just  served us Vegetarian Breakfast.

Interior of Shatabdi Express

Breakfast at Shatabdi Express

First stop was at Mathura, Train reached by 0725Hrs. Stoppage was for about 2 minutes. Next stop was Agra Cantonment Station. By 0810Hrs, Train was at Agra. 

Our Guide Vijay Sharma  was waiting outside C4 compartment. Immediately took us to the white coloured Toyota Innova Taxi car. Drove straight to Taj Mahal and by 0830Hrs we were at  Taj. Vijay is good at his “Story Telling” he knew almost  all the details  about the Structure, construction and history associated with Taj; what more do you need , he even turned out to be a good photographer too!! Most of the Photos  what you see here at Agra are taken by him on our camera. By 1030Hrs we were out from Taj.  Please  note that Taj is closed on Friday.

One of the classic photos of Taj Mahal taken by our guide!

Olivia Holding Taj Mahal!

Main photo spot at Taj Mahal is the place, where the photo looks like, the person is holding the Taj Mahal. If you visit Taj, don't forget to take these photos. Our guide, Vijay, again turned out to be an excellent photographer.

Our Hands as Canopy around Taj Mahal!

From Taj we went straight to Agra Fort which is about 10 minutes drive. By 1140Hrs out from Agra Fort and headed straight to the village called Fatehpur Sikri which is about an hour  drive.

Inside Agra Fort

Fatehpur Sikri  is built by 3^rd Mughal Emperor Akbar at the place where his Hindu wife Jodha Bai was blessed by Islamic  Sufi  saint Salim Chisthi and gave birth to his only son. Akbar named him Salim (later called Emperor Jahangir), in memory of the Sufi  saint.  It’s an architectural beauty with the biggest gate in Asia called Buland Darwaza.

Buland Darwaza

Baby Taj

By 1430hrs we were out from Fatehpur Sikri and had lunch on our way back to Agra. Next stop at Agra was Sikandra, Tomb of Akbar. From Sikandra went to next mausoleum called Itmad-Ud-Daulah; also called Baby Taj. Bulit by Noor Jahan wife of Emperor Jahangir, in memory of her Father.

From Itmad-Ud-Daulah we went straight to Mehtab Bagh. It’s across the river Yamuna. 

Taj Glowing in the Evening Sun, a view from Mehtab Bagh.
 I was lost in thought "Whether my Husband ever make something similar like this for me :)"
Dreams...... don't have boundaries!!!!!!

Evening at Mehtab Bagh is a must visit as we could see the beauty of Taj glowing in the evening sunlight from this side of the river. It’s  really worth watching!!!

That was our trip to Agra and headed back to Delhi by catching the same Bhopal Shatabdi  Express . By 2025Hrs train arrived.Very soon dinner was served on board. We reached back at New Delhi Railway Station by 2225Hrs.

29^th Apr 2012:

Interior of HOHO Bus

HOHO Bus

Today was our day for exploring  Delhi.  So, after breakfast  we  walked down to the Hop on Hop off (HOHO) bus service centre which was a 5 minutes walk from YMCA. We bought 3 tickets for INR 300/person, child is charged half but its not by age but by height and the cut off height was 3 feet. Though our daughter Olivia, is only 11 but she is as tall as me, so Olivia failed the height ‘test’ . Bus runs every 45 minutes. Along with the ticket, they give you a list of items which they will cover .This is also available on their website http://www.hohodelhi.com/  Its prudent to do some homework and decide well in advance which all places you want to cover on the day. We  did the same and it helped us in saving our time. The ticket is valid for 2 days but we couldn’t use it as HOHO service is closed on Monday as most of the monuments are also closed on Monday. So our ticket was valid for  next working day that was Tuesday but on that day as per our schedule we will be at Shimla.

Red Fort, Delhi

We first disembarked at the second stop of HOHO, Red Fort. 

After visiting Red Fort we took a cycle rickshaw to Juma Masjid, though it might have been a 20 minutes walk to there, we decided for cycle rickshaw because of the heat. It was an experience by itself. 

I was riding on cycle rickshaw after so long !

Juma Masjid, delhi

Rajghat

We alighted the next bus and disembarked at Rajghat; the burial ground of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of  the Nation.

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb: Taj Mahal was said to be  built on architectural design of  Humayun’s Tomb.

After Humayun’s Tomb, got off at Saket Malls to have lunch and relax!

Qutub Minar

By 1600 we were back on HOHO bus form Saket and our next destination was Qutub Minar.

Jantar Mantar

After Qutub Minar we went to Jantar Mantar which  was very close to YMCA. Bigger Jantar Mantar is at Jaipur.

Later back to the hotel. 

30^th Apr 2012:

Today was the day to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament  and North & South Block. We just walked around. Night caught Howrah – Kalka Mail from Old Delhi Railway station, which was late by 45minutes.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential House) Gate.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential House).

North & South Blocks.

Indian Parliament House.

01^st – 03^rd May 2012:

Though the train was late last night  but reached right on time at 0430Hrs at Kalka. At Kalka we alighted Kalka – Shimla Shivalik express  also called Toy Train. It’s a journey worth taking.

Shivalik Express at Kalka.

Seating arrangement of Shivalik express:

One side there are 2 seats and other side its one.  Another thing what I have noticed is that the Chair can be pulled to sit facing front or back of the train. This is specially useful if you are going in a group, then you can adjust  the seat in  such a way that the 2 chairs of the adjacent rows will  be able to face each other.

Interior of Shivalik Express.

(Seat can be adjusted facing forward or rear  as shown in above photos)

Train started at 0530Hrs. Ticket includes  morning Tea and Breakfast.  Shivalik Express is having only one stop between Kalka and Shimla, which is Barog. Train stopped at Barog to get breakfast on board. Breakfast was served as soon as Train departed from Barog.

The Station and the place is named after a British Engineer who was entrusted to construct  a tunnel for Kalka – Shimla rail line. He started the  work from both the sides of the hill and when the tunnel work from both sides reached the middle they were off by few metres. British Indian Government imposed a symbolic fine on him. Barog felt humiliated and committed suicide at the site of the tunnel which he constructed. His name struck to the place.

Barog Station and Tunnel.

Barog Railway Station.

Toy Train at Bargo Railway Station.

The station is worth seeing, mouth of the tunnel is at the end of  the Railway station.

Train passed through hilly terrain of pine trees……so beautiful. I would like to say this where Journey becomes  equally, if not more  beautiful than the destination.

1030Hrs Train Reached Shimla. We were staying at a Hotel in Mall Road . Taxi cost from Shimla Railway station  to the hotel  was INR 120/. Our room was luxury room facing the valley. Location of hotel is very important at Shimla as Mall road is closed for vehicular traffic; so if you don’t select right hotel, you will end up walking a lot.

Shimla Railway Station.

SHIMLA:
Shimla is a beautiful town with pedestrian friendly Mall road, where vehicles are banned, is having Heritage Buildings like Gaiety Theatre,  Post office,  Shimla Municipal Building etc . Ridge, where Christ Church is situated , is above the Mall Road.

Beginning of Mall Road, Vehicular Traffic is banned. 

Christ Church.

Inside the Christ Church.

 Christ Church is having beautiful stain glasses inside and pews are having reserved  brass plates markings, like first row on both left & right sides for “H.E. The Viceroy” .

Pew Marked & Reserved for Viceroy!

Pew Marked & Reserved for
the Governor of then Punjab Province!

Second row on the left side “ H.E.The Governor” and on the second row on the right side  “H.E. Commander In Chief”.Wall of the church contains Memorial plates which are worth going through and talks lot of stories of the years gone by!!

Gaiety Theatre is another important Heritage buildings on the ridge and mall road. Beautifully restored to its original beauty, offers a guided tour of the building. I can well imagine the hall filled with English men & women. Evening there was a cultural program, we enjoyed it for about 15 minutes.

Gaiety Theater.

Gaiety Theater Interior; the Centre back Cubicle was reserved for The Viceroy.

FOOD @ SHIMLA:
While reading above  you must not get misunderstood that Shimla offers only Heritage Buildings and Scenic beauty. No…..if you enjoy in keeping your taste buds happy then food is another aspect a visitor should keep in mind while visiting Shimla. Following are the place I found good and would like any visitor to Shimla to try out ; without which your visit to Shimla will be incomplete. A word of caution, these place, which I am going to tell, are not the best & beautiful  restaurants and at most of them you will have to stand and eat……but its worth.

1.Sita Ram & Son: Situated at Lakkar Bazaar offers very tasty Choley Bhatura.

2. Tripti  Bakery: Situated  again at Lakker Bazaar, slightly ahead of Sita Ram, offers excellent Pastries at middle class price.

3.Baljees: Situated on Mall Road offers very good Gulab Jamuns & Rasmalai’s …..one of the best I had.

4. Aunty’s  Chinese Food Shop:  You have to walk down the stairs next to Baljees and turn right at Middle Bazaar. There you will find Aunty’s Chinese Daba. You might have to wait outside to get your turn. Wow….. one   of the best Chinese food I ever had.  For Starters  you can have Veg & Non-Veg  Momos  and carry on till your stomach allows.

04^th – 06^th May 2012, Manali:

4^th morning  0700hrs we checked out of our hotel in Shimla. Caught Taxi to New Inter State Bus Terminus of Shimla and boarded Himachal Road Transport Corporations Deluxe bus to Manali. It departed Shimla at 0800Hrs. It was a long 9 hours drive. As soon as we departed Shimla Temperature started rising and we had to remove our pull overs. It remained so till Kullu. 2 hours prior to our arrival to Kullu, the bus was travelling along the river Beas and time just flew by. We reached Kullu by 1530Hrs and they asked us to change our bus . This bus departed Kullu at 1600Hrs. As soon as we departed the town of Kullu the temperature started coming down and could see Apple trees. Then….there were few snow covered mountain tops. It was indeed a  beautiful sight to be seen.  Later   we checked in our hotel.     

River Beas

5^th morning  we had to get up early and around 0500hrs we got into the cab and proceeded to the Snow point on the way to Rohtang La (pass). The advantage of leaving early is that there will not be any rush at snow point. On the way we picked up snow dresses on rent and also ski plus the guide. On the way there are lots of shops  selling  these snow dresses on rent.  Taxi  drivers  usually stops  at a place where he will be getting his commission, anyway try to bargain.. We said we don’t want to do ski and don’t require a  guide, then he reduced the rate to one fourth!  Driving to the snow covered mountains  is worth the drive. When we reached somewhere on top, the road was closed and  we were asked either  to walk or hire special permit SUVs  or use Mountain  Bikes. SUVs will take you far on the mountain and Mountain bikes will take you about 4 Kms.  Whatever you are choosing try to  bargain hard. As we have seen lots of snow, even sea becoming ice during  our sailing days;  we decided not to go further away and to use Mountain Bikes as we have not gone on them.

Snow Covered Mountain!

Olivia Skiing!

If you have not seen snow then  it might be better to use SUVs as they ‘promise’ to take you to a place where there are more snow. I don’t know whether that is true or not, as I have seen that  once you are on your way to see snow on mountain then everyone , including your taxi driver, is involved in squeezing money out of  your pocket; so watch every step you take.

As we drove on Mountain bike we could see snow patches , some patches are bigger and some are small. After about 3 or 4 kms we stopped near a big patch of snow. It is not soft fresh snow but hard ice, so you have to be careful while climbing. We did some skiing and took some photographs; by 0830hrs we were back to the place where our taxi was parked.  By then there were huge crowd and lots of taxies. The more  late you are, the more far will be the parking point  so earlier the better.

Hi, Its me.....sliding through snow!!!!

Mountain Bike.

From there we departed for  Solong Valley. Its famous for Cable Car and for  Para Gliding. We went on Cable Car, it took us to a mountain top where we got a good view of the snow covered mountains and pine trees. After spending about half an hour we got the Cable Car back. 

Cable Car at Solong

Cable Car

View from Cable Car

After disembarking from Cable car.

Paragliding, snow covered mountains looks amazing.

Apple gardens  were our next sight,  it was on our way back to the hotel.  Some had flowers and few small apple fruits.

Mall road of Manali is small compared to Shimla and its like any other  Indian Shopping street but quite cheap compared to Shimla. Vehicle is banned along the small stretch of Mall Road and unlike Shimla there are no places to sit on the Mall road.

7^th  - 8^th May 2012, Chandigarh:

We said bye to the snow covered Himalayas; our bus by Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) to Chandigarh was at 0900Hrs from Manali Bus Stand.  It departed sharp on time and 11 hrs of drive through hairpin curves of mountain was treacherous. We reached Chandigarh by 2000Hrs; by then we all were dead tired and took an auto to our hotel.  Had Dinner and went to bed.

Rose garden and Rock Garden are the main things to see at Chandigarh. After coming from hills it was too hot  and so we covered the gardens quickly. One thing I must admit that it was the best and the only planned city I have seen in India.

Rock Garden

Rose Graden

For shopping  its not a favorite city and I felt  things were more expensive than other places.  As our next & last stop  was Amritsar, I thought of spending  some time there for shopping.

10^th – 12^th May 2012, Amritsar:

On 9^th we caught bus from Chandigarh to Amristasr. It was a private bus of Maharaja Bus company and the bus were much cleaner than  the Government  buses which we used in Shimla and Manali. It was about 5 Hours trip and roads were quite good. We reached Amritsar by 1800Hrs.

Next day we went to see Golden Temple

At Golden Temple.

On Top of Golden Temple.

Golden Temple is  really beautiful and we went  through the complete temple complex and had “Langar” (Free lunch) there. We had heard about Langar , so just thought of giving it a try. As the old saying says “ When you are at Rome, do as the Romans do" . Even during our sailing days, always we make it a point to try the local & main food over there.  It was interesting.  Langar consisted of Chapatis, One veg curry, Dal and  a Sweet . The Hall , were food was served was really clean and neat. The way they served food was really incredible!

On way back we went to Jallianwala Bhag. Evening  we  went  to the  Waga Boarder and saw the Sun set flag lowering ceremony.  It was also worth seeing.

Bullet Marks at Jallianwala  Bagh

India-Pakistan Wagha Boarder.

BSF Jawans Marching to Lower Indian Flag

Both Indian & Pakistani Gates opened,
can see Pakistani Rangers & Indian BSF Jawans.

Armitsar is better place for shopping and I indeed did lots of shopping .

12^th May 2012:

We departed Amritsar by morning 0930Hrs Train for Delhi and the train reached Old Delhi Railway station by evening 1800Hrs.

Delhi  greeted us with strong wind and shower.  Caught an Auto Rickshaw from Old Delhi Railway station to Nizamuddin Railway station. Auto Rickshaw was running on Gas and was stopping on the way. It took more than an hour to reach Nizamuddin Railway station.

Our train, Duranto Express,  was from Nizamuddin station to Ernakulam Junction (Station for Kochi) was at 2130Hrs. It departed on time.

13^th  & 14^th May 2012, On Board Duranto Express:

We were on our  First Class AC compartment of Duranto Express. It is a point to point train service and  has only two stops; Starting station and ending station, there will be technical halts. Train was quite clean and neat. As soon as we boarded we were given a bottle of water each. Two Bed sheets, One pillow and Blanket. After the Train Ticket examiner left we all went to bed. It was a coupe for 4 people. A part from three of us, there was   another elderly man of about 70s.

13^th morning when we  woke  up  we were served with tea & biscuits at 0630Hrs. It was same like Shatabdi Express. At about 0830Hrs they served Breakfast, first cornflakes, followed by Egg omlet, bead butter & Jam with coffee and fruit juice. Lunch was with Soup,  chapatti, Rice, one veg curry and chicken curry. At 1630hrs Tea was served and dinner at 1930hrs.

Duranto Express outside 1st Class AC Compartment.

Inside our Coupe.

Breakfast - Non Veg.

Soup prior to Lunch/ Dinner.

Lunch/Dinner as served in tray.

After uncovering Aluminium Foil.