City Palace, Udaipur

My Udaipur and Mt. Abu travelogue

With its environment soaked in Mewar’s history and surroundings drenched in the breathtaking Aravali Ranges, Udaipur is a glimmering spot on Rajasthan’s map. The city is known for its beautiful lakes and is also known as the “City of Lakes” or the “Venice of the East”. In August, all the lakes restore water from monsoon and there are no scorching sun rays to give you tans, hence making it a perfect long weekend getaway.
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Chitkul - The crown of Kinnaur and real beauty of Himachal

Chitkul – The crown of Kinnaur and real beauty of Himachal

Chitkul is that one place where I wish to settle down or take a sabbatical and live for years. So clean, green and beautiful, and beyond to be compared with any other place. Instagramers refer to it as India’s most picturesque village and I second that. It is a village that conceives nature in the most magical state. Valley with green and sky with blue hues, white waters, stones & pebbles, trees and unadulterated air. The mountains look unrealistically beautiful and some peaks are covered with snow. It’s a place where my drawing book fantasies turn true.
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Chicago letusgoto

Tips for an amazing city break to Chicago

Chicago is an amazing city and you can discover so many new places that you will most likely want to come back to in your future. But a wonderful trip can turn very close to a nightmare if you don’t set it up the right way before you actually get in an airplane.

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Spiti Series - Letusgoto day 4 - Tabo and Dhankar

Spiti Series – Day 4 : In the abode of Buddhism!

Om Mani Padme Hum

In dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

—H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (on the meaning of – Om mani padme hum)

The enchanting mantra – ‘Om Mane Padme Hum’ resonates throughout the Spiti valley. The prayer flags, prayer wheels, mani stones, temples and monasteries, all reverberate how the people of Spiti have embraced this non-violent and compassionate religion since 9th century AD when Padmasambhava brought Buddhism to this valley. Never could I have imagined a green-less valley to be so beautiful and therapeutic for the soul. The monastic life of people and humble hospitality had touched me deep inside.

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Spiti Series – Day 3 : Happily Tanned and Spiti-fied!

Spiti Series – Day 3 : Happily Tanned and Spiti-fied!

Stunning mountain shades, the graveled uneven roads, landscapes that looks unreal and sparkling Spiti river running parallel, the journey was something Isha and I will never forget. This morning when I knocked Isha’s door, I found her staring the perennial snow on those far away peaks from her window. She turned and said, “I was settled but restless until this morning. The silence of these mountains speak.” The lamas were praying at the monastery and we could hear them humming the sacred mantras. She got her answers staring at those dramatic mountain sceneries. We decided to visit the crowd-less monasteries and get closer to the vibrant Buddhist culture.

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