We flew to Abu Simbel from Aswan by Egypt air flight. It was a 40 min flight. In afternoon we visited the temple. This village is located near the borer of Sudan. This is a UNESCO heritage site and one of the most famous Nubian monuments. The entire site was relocated due to the creation of Lake Naseer. Flocks of birds can be seen returning inland at dusk , they flew out in the morning to catch Nile fish. We watched Light and Sound show at Abu Simbel. It was one the…
🇪🇬 🇪🇬 🇪🇬 We reached Giza in the morning by an overnight train from Luxor. The train was very comfortable. It was comparable almost to a standard hotel with a well made bed , private toilet and shower cubicle. Dinner was also included in the price. We were staying in a Luxury hotel for two days . After check-in we immediately left for Pyramid complex. I took some random street cab for 1 USD to take me to the entrance. On the way few locals just climbed the running cab and wanted to offer…
🇵🇹 🇵🇹 🇵🇹 Porto was the last stop in my itinerary. Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal. This place was the origin of port wine. It is also famous for its iconic bridges. In fact it is the only city in Europe which has 6 bridges. I stayed in Porto for 2 days. Weather was not at its best but there were intermittent clear sky. There are few unique charm to this city, Lello Bookshop with its amazing neo-gothic interiors (Harry Potter shooting happened here, it was Hogwarts library) . Then there…
🇵🇹 🇵🇹 🇵🇹 I landed in Faro airport at 12 PM. Faro is the capital of famous Algarve region of Portugal. I booked my transfer to Vilamoura from Airport. Vilamoura is one of the finest resort towns in Porugal. However due to wet weather my boat tour was cancelled . I spend the day walking around town. Vilamoura is famous for its beach , resorts and million dollar yachts parked at the marina . Vilamoura Marina My next destination was Lagos. The town is famous for its old town, cliffs and Atlantic beaches. Still sea…
🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸 Seville - Granada - Ronda Day -1 Seville Seville is the capital of Andalusia region. There are 17 autonomous communities in Spain, Andalusia is the most populous and 2nd largest by area. I missed my original flight to Barcelona so I had to knock off Barcelona and Madrid from my original itinerary and instead arrived Seville two days latter. First thing I noticed are orange trees, they are an integral part of the landscape. If you make the mistake (like I did ) of biting one of the oranges you will understand…
🇬🇮 🇬🇮 🇬🇮 Day 1 I started early from Ronda. It was 9.18 train to Algeciras from Ronda. Weather was not good , it was raining incessantly from morning. At Algeciras I had to wait for sometime to catch a local bus to La - Linea. From La - Linea bus stop it was 10 min walk to the border checkpoint and then another 15 mins walk to my hotel in Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a tiny patch of land (less than 10 Sq Km) still part of British oversees territory. It has its own…
🇮🇳 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 There is no direct public bus to Ellora from Ajanta. I took a bus towards Aurangabad in Aurangabad - Jalgaon road and got down at Phulambri. From Phulambri I took shared trekker on Amdapur - Jenefal road towards Ellora. This took very long time. Next day I utilized fully to visit caves. Caves in Ellora are famous for sculptures. There are 34 caves which can be visited ; these consist of 12 Buddhist caves, 17 Hindu caves and 5 Jain caves. Most of these caves are monasteries or vihars that are carved…
🇬🇱 🇬🇱 🇬🇱 Snowmobiles have become the modern replacement of dog sled. This was roughly 4 hour excursion from the town. Snowmobiles are pretty easy to master because there is no gear ; its just brake and throttle. We first went to the top of Solbakken. This is a vantage point with a good view across the town. We also went to Aappilattorsuaq . Overall this was pretty cool experience.
🇮🇳 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 From Aurangabad I boarded an early morning Jana Shatabdi Express to Mumbai. I reached my hotel near marine drive early afternoon. I had two days in Mumbai before I catch my flight to London. There was nostalgia associated with this city, my first job was here , I lived here almost 4 years before I moved to Bangalore. First day I roamed around city , went to Haji Ali shrine, enjoyed vada-pao and took some much needed rest. Day 2, I started early from my hotel to catch ferry to Elephanta islands.…
🇮🇳 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 On my way to Mumbai, I decided to spend few days in Ajanta and Ellora. From Kolkata I took Gitanjali Express to Jalgaon. Ajanta caves are approximately 63 Km from Jalgaon. There are over 30 caves which were developed during Satvahana period and Vakataka period. The caves are located near horse-shoe shaped bend build by Buddhist monks during monsoon season. Nobody knows how did the artists paint so well, with such precise use of colour, in the dark recesses of these rock-carved prayer halls and monasteries. I stayed in MTDC Ajanta T junction resort which…