Somewhere in mid of nowhere. Wadi Al Shamsi, Oman

Coordinates:

25° 44' 49.77" N 56° 16' 41.89" E

Dibba is a border town of United Arab Emirates & Oman. When I reached the border crossing, we were asked for our passports which we were not carrying. I asked the friendly guards at the checkpost whether my employment card will do. And he allowed us inside Oman. I had no idea of Oman roads and no maps with me and I decided to take a road which could possibly take us to Musandam beaches. And I was wrong as after 8 kms of drive, the road came to an end. In front of was a dusty path going into the Omani hills. My wife said "No" and my kids said "Yes" "Yes". So pressed the button for 4x4 mode and off we were on the dusty long road.
Wadi Al Shamsi was the first stop for us, where only a narrow gorge will allow us to pass through. Wadi means river basin in Arabic and we were glad to explore this place. Dangerous, dusty and delighting.

Approximately 190kms from Dubai, UAE. Suggested Route: Dubai - Masafi - Dibba - Wadi Al Shamsi (Oman).

Haunting Jungle of Betalghat

Coordinates:

29° 33' 1.80" N 79° 6' 46.26" E

I had decided to take a different route back to Delhi this time. The whole family was excited after we took less traveled routes while returning from Kedarnath trip. Last night we were in Dwarahaat instead of our regular Ranikhet. As we approached the buffer zones of Corbett National Park, the road turned silent. A milestone told us that we are reaching Betalghat. Betal means ghost and ghat means river bank. Oh God, what does this means? A river bank of ghosts? No the Kosi river flowed silently in the valley just below the cliff. I steered the car to a side exit leading to a forest road and after reaching this point turned off the engine. We came out of the car. Perfect silence. This was around 2pm in month of May. Not a single bird will make sound. No wind so no sound of moving leaves as well. The only sound was of the dry leaves getting trampled under our feet. As if the jungle was haunted by a betal. And then my wife saw it... A barking deer standing still behind a Saal tree, eyes focussed on us and ears adjusting to each and every sound. I moved to pick my camera from the car for a second and the deer was gone. All I snapped was the sunlight filtering through the saal trees.

Approximately 380kms from New Delhi. Suggested route: Delhi - Moradabad - Kashipur - Betalghat.

The beauty of valley near Marhi

Coordinates:

32° 19' 21.34" N 77° 11' 30.59" E

We were returning from Rohtang Pass in our small Maruti-Alto car, which I normally use for hills driving in India. It makes sense, as it is cheaper on fuel and you can drive for longer without worrying about a refill. On hills, finding petrol pumps is difficult. And if you get stuck in a landslide, this car can be pushed by some persons and you will be out of the mud sooner than a heavy vehicle.

While it was raining till Marhi, some 5 kilometers afterwards, this view of the valley caught our attention. The mist had started to form in the green valley after the rains stopped. Flowers bloomed on the slopes of the hills and there was moist scent of happiness in the air. Splendid setting.

Approximately 600kms from New Delhi. Suggested Route: Delhi - Chandigarh - Kullu - Manali - Marhi.

Phuket Countryside Drive

Coordinates:

7° 47' 36.24" N 98° 18' 18.23" E

Phuket is one place in the world, where you go for total relaxation of each and every type of muscle in your body. This exotic location is sadly fast becoming polluted with western tourists and in the city and beaches, one hardly finds a peaceful place. So we decided to take a drive down the road to Nai Harn. In between we had a view of Kata Bay from Kata Karon view point. My eyes eventually caught this sign board telling us of elephants crossings area. Reminded me of similar places in Arunachal and then I realised Thailand is just an extension of the geographical features of North East India towards the far east. No wonder similarities exists in region, culture and fauna.

The next day we were in Elephant Bar at Karon, enjoying the oriental charms and exotic fruits which Thailand offers to tourists. When time came for us to leave for Bangkok, we wanted the time to stop.

Approximately 675kms from Bangkok, Thailand. Take a connecting flight from Bangkok for Phuket.

Ancient temples of Baijnath, Kumaon, Uttaranchal

Coordinates:

29° 54' 25.61" N 79° 36' 54.78" E

We had left Kausani in morning hours for Gwaldam and after a nice descent through the pine forests we hit a river bridge. The place was surrounded by terraced fields of the locals and just across the bridge I saw this easily recognigeable blue white board of Archeological Survey of India. We stopped, parked our car and followed the direction. To our surprise we found ourselves at one of the most ancient temples of India - The temples of Baijnath. The shikhara of the main temple is gone with the time, but still the architectural aspects of the temple are still testimony to its glorious past.

Lying in the Katyuri valley, 19 km away from Kausani and 26 km from Bageshwar, is the ancient town of Baijnath. The temple holds significance because, according to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva and Parvati were married at the confluence of River Gomati and Garur Ganga. Dedicated to SivaVaidyanatha, the Lord of Physicians, the Baijnath temple is actually a temples’ complex built by the Katyuri kings with the idols of Shiva, Ganesh, Parvati, Chandika, Kuber, Surya and Brahma. The main temple that houses a beautiful idol of Parvati is chiseled in black stone.

Approximately 525kms from New Delhi. Suggested route Delhi - Moradabad - Kathgodam - Ranikhet - Kausani - Baijnath.

Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet hills

Coordinates:

24° 6' 6.87" N 55° 44' 11.62" E

Some 190 kms from Dubai, Jebel Hafeet hills are situated towards the East coast of United Arab Emirates near Al Ain town. This place has sulphur natural springs with hot water which flows into this lake. A 9km wind road takes you to the top of Hafeet montain, from where on a clear day one gets a good view of Oman & UAE. Nearby some of the hills have been converted into a nice picnic spot, by using drip irrigation technology to make a big area into lush green carpeted grass covered Mujjbarah.

Approximately 190kms from Dubai. Suggested route - Dubai - Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet

Breakfast at Beas river

Coordinates:

32° 16' 17.51" N 77° 10' 40.53" E

We were returning from a trip to Rohtang pass via Manali. From Manali forest guest house, we started in morning and decided to take our breakfast enroute. And we found this place about half an drive from Manali. The restuarant is situated on the hill side of the road, where as gushing waters of Beas river, flows next to our table. A honeybee finds the flower printed dress of my daughter interesting and will go round her humming its music. Aaloo parathas, fruit raita, chole and home made pickle prepared us for the drive ahead to Delhi. Not to mention that the hot ginger and cinamon tea tasted like nectar in this setting

Approximately 530 kms from New Delhi. Suggested route Delhi - Ambala - Chandigarh - Kurali - Mandi - Kullu - Manali

Bhaironghati - A place of deadly deodars

Coordinates:

31° 0' 46.53" N 78° 52' 48.43" E

Just before you are about reach Gangotri in Uttaranchal, you pass through a dense forest of deodars. Nobody stops here as either people want to reach Gangotri or have just left Gangotri. The road winds through the forest which is almost silent. The Bhagirathi river or Ganges in its youth form flows deep below in a gorge. This is a place of horrific silence with a beauty. Sunlight barely reaches the ground due to mountain shadow and heavy forest cover. The deodar trees are old with their drooping branches. If you get out of your vehicle and venture away from the road under the shade of deodars, a strange fear takes over you. Like you are being told to be away from here. There is a temple here and you can also see many idols placed at the roots of deodar trees. Overall setting of the place is chilling and one can sense the presence of paranomal here even in broad day light. One of the perfect places not only to visit, but to sense the feelings of being there.

Approximately 600kms from New Delhi. Suggested route Delhi - Saharanpur - Vikasnagar - Brahamkhal - Dharasu - Uttarkashi - Harsil - Bhaironghati - Gangotri.