Munnar : Kerala

In June first week, I was again able to get a weekend off to the nature's lap. And this time it was in God's own country, Kerala. We choose to go to Munnar,As we have heard a lot about it. So here is my experience:

How to go: As there is no raliway station in Munnar, you have to take a bus or cab, Still I will suggest go by train as much as possible. So from Bangalore we took Kanyakumari express which took us to Aluva. From here you can take cab or bus to reach Munnar. But here is a tip, it will be good if you can take a cab from here for your whole stay, as the cab driver charge for both ways even if you want to go for Munnar only. It cost us 2000 for one side.

Where to stay: As Munnar is a major tourist attraction, you will find plenty of hotels, resorts or home stays. But if you are planning in some long weekend, I will suggest you to book in advance, otherwise you might end up in paying a lot for very nominal accomodation. We stayed in WoodPecker Resort, and it was really good. Service, food all were good, the only thing is don't depend on them for your local sight seeing or booking cab.

What places to visit: There are many small places in Munnar, but we cover only 6 places. First day we covered Top Station(really awesome place), Mattupetty Dam, Echo point, Kundala Dam, these all are on same way.
Next day we went to Rajamalai National Park (Eravikulam National Park)[Awesome view],Lakkom waterfalls. On the way to munnar also you will find many small waterfalls, apart from that the spread of green valley and the mist of mountain will always bound you to stop you car for a minute and enjoy the view.
One more place we went was Tata Tea Museum, if you want to be Tea-educated, I think you should go there for sure, and I can assure you that you will love the Tea which they serve in the last..

What else to do: Apart from enjoying the view and major places, you can try trekking over there. And if interested you can go for shopping for different kind of Tea(Kandann devan specially), Home Made chocolate,different Spices, Herbal oils and handicrafts.

Misc: For a foodie, you can try many local items there but mainly for non-veggie, although veggies will always have their usual options. Language will also not be a big issue, as many ppl will be able to understand english.

As it was very short trip, I covered only few places, but there are many other places too. So if you have time go for those also. 

Sancheoneo Ice Festival, Hwacheon, Korea

This weekend I was able to go to any ice festival, Sancheoneo Ice festival and as per CNN it is world’s 4th largest Ice festival.

So here I will give you all the details in my style :

When It is held : probably month of January everywhere.

Where : It is situated in a city called Hwacheon, Korea.

How to reach there : It depends on from where you want to start.  I was staying in Suwon. So from there I took a express bus to Chuncheon, if you are staying in Seoul also, you have to do the same. you can also use Subway, but I will suggest use bus, that way you don’t need to change many metro to reach there.  Then from Chuncheon, there is very frequent bus service to Hwacheon( every 15-20 mins). Ice festival venue is some half a kilometer away from bus terminal, so you can walk down the road.

Activities you can try : Mostly it is popular for Ice fishing. So you can dig a hole in the frozen river and enjoy fishing, there is also bar hand fishing available if you want to try. Worth to mention, there is a foreigner help desk where you can purchase all the fishing equipment and they speak English so you can get any help if you want. To use the Ice Fishing ring you have to purchase ticket of 8000 won, out of which you will get some 3000-5000 won back as food coupon.

Apart from that you can try other things too, like Ice Sliding for that also you have to purchase 5000 won ticket, but I must say it was fun. There are a lot of activities, but I think others are for Children only, the other activities are :  Go Karting on Ice( or I say Go Icing  ), Ice Bicycle, small bungee jumping, Fake Para gliding through the crane(:P).

We were lucky that, it was Special Winter Olympics held in South Korea, so there was a team of Figure Skating, who performed on the very famous “Gangnam Style” song. And I must say, it was awesome performance and must watch too.

Also you can make your snow man there as lots of ice, and volunteer will help you to form shape.  And always watch your step, as it is very slippery. But overall it was good experience.

Food : You will find many food stalls. As for non-vegetarian you will have lots of option with traditional korean food items, but for vegetarian can also survive. In veg food, you will have Tofu(soya-paneer), some indian utppam kinda stuff(tasty though) and some fruits.

Etc: If you are planning to stay in the night, then I will suggest you visit the market as they have really nice Lightning in the night.

I hope it will help you plan your trip to Sancheoneo Ice Festival.

Korean Folk Village

Finally I came out of Dan pretty much after one and half month of no trip at all. So it was refreshing to have a feel of chilly korean weather.

Let me share the experience of Korean Folk Village Trip in my usual way:

Where it is : Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do( Near to Suwon)

How to reach there : I will suggest you to use subway to reach Suwon Station. As from there you will find 2 buses (37 and 10-5). But I prefer 37, as it is better frequency. Also Tourism department provides free shuttle from Suwon station, but it has limited frequency, although I didn’t use it(may be my timing didn’t match).

What it is : It basically gives you the glimpse of the traditional korean village. you can say it is a musuem of an Korean Folk Village. You will find everything, like traditional home, their village council, items they used to use, shops etc.

What to do : Apart from vising all the places mentioned above. Management has made sure you dont get bored easily. As they have managed to have some 2 hours performance. First the traditional marriage ceremony, Folk music performance (awesome), rope performance (not that interesting) and performance by horse riders. It starts around 10:30 and they will repeat all performances from 2 PM.

After covering all these performance you can proceed to food court where you will find traditional korean folk food(veggies take your foods with you, no good option for you). Then you can go for the museum about korean culture.

Next is Amusement park, which covers haunted house, 4D movie Theater, many rides for children as well as adults.

Further, they have sculpture garden(good for you if you are art fan).

Finally there are few more museums related to other countries culture, you can check it out if you want.

how much it costs : Fee for adult is 15000 won(Admission ticket) and 20000 won(Admission + Amusement Ticket). I will suggest go for second option, as if you pay for rides individually it will cost you more.

Hope it helps you to plan.

Wayanad, Kerala

Hi guys,

Here I am with the new travel blog entry, Last weekend I visited the Wayanad, Kerala. As the Kerala tourism's punch line "God's own Country", I am completely agree with them. Kerala have so much greenery and natural views that you will completely enjoyed. So here are the details if you have any plan to visit this place in future.

How to Reach : If you are going from Bangalore, you can go by Bus. It is on NH 212 and around 270 KMs from Bangalore. As after Mysore, you have to cross the Forest. It is advisable that you plan your journey accordingly as Forest Department closes the door from both side (from mysore side and from sulthan bathery side) around 8 PM. Other way is you can come through Calicut which is around 65 KMs from Wayanad.

When to go : Although you can visit this place anytime in year, but I will suggest you should go in rainy season. As the color of nature will be at its maximum during that period.

What to visit: As I mentioned its the place of Nature View. There are many Water falls, Dam, Peaks, Temples etc. Here I will mention few of the major attractions.

Chembra Peak : This is the Highest point in Wayanad. you have to take the tickets from the Forest depatment, which will cost you 500 bucks(for group). When you start you will think that its no good because you will find a proper road. But after 1.5 Kms walking, you will reach the point from where you will find the main treking, Its very steap and slippery. So be sure you have proper shoes for it and try to take as less thing

as possible. Take water bottles with you, and if you are ok with drinking water falls, then no need to carry bottles. Main view point will be two lakes over there which I find worth going. One of those lakes is in

Heart Shape which have many small fishes in it, in shrt it is awesome thing to do.

Kuruwa Dweep : This is also major attraction. I am not able to write about it as due to rains it was closed or drowned in the water. But if you are lucky you can go there too. Its around 35 Kms from Kalpetta.

Edakkal Caves : This is 27kms from kalpetta which opens 9 AM to 4:30 PM. This place have lots of caves, so you are interested in it, Here is the mystery is waiting for you.

Soochipara Waterfalls : This is 25 Kms from Kalpetta. Nice place to go, you have to trek a little bit to reach the place. But the water flow and the view is good from there.

Banasura Sagar Dam : Distance from Kalpetta 21 Kms. This place is also good. This is Asia's 2nd Largest Natural Dam. Awesome place, View is great from there, you will get some nice snaps from there. Also Speed boat is also available there.

Pookot Lake : This place I didn't like much. As a very small lake is there, in which they have pedal boats and a small Aquarium. The problem with this place is, it is not well maintained at all.

Apart from these places there are few others waterfalls and 2-3 Sanctuary. In this Sanctuary you can find deers, elephants, and lucky then tigers too.

Food : If you are vegeterian, than you can face some problem. As there are only few restaurants. So better you go with some packed stuff with you, so that you wont run out of food. Although you can find Kerala paratha, Dosa with little bit of effort.

Hotels : Guys, book your hotels atleast 1 week before. As we faced a lot of problem to find good hotels as we went in the peak season.

I think this place is worth going once. So go and visit the God's own Country.

Ice Skiing in Korea (Jisan Ski Resort)

As I mentioned earlier Korea is very vibrant and energetic in terms of adventure sports, So here is the details for the Skiing in Korea. I heard a lot about Jisan Ski resort which is very near to Suwon. So Here I am with the details.

How to reach there???

There is free bus service available from the Jisan Resort itself. What you need to do is register to Jisan Ski Resort. And do it 1 or 2 days before, as reservation is required. So this reservation includes Entry ticket as well as the bus ticket. And bus pick-up stand details you can get from the website which is http://www.jisanresort.co.kr/eng/intro02_01.html

It’s around 45 minute’s journey from Suwon.

What to do???

Basically two things are available there one is Ice-Skiing and other is Snow boarding. There are around 7 courts for the same. So according to your practice you can try different courts, But I will suggest try only one thing in a day otherwise you won’t enjoy. Ice-board and Skiing kit you can take from the shops which are there in that area. Try to take these kits from the place which is nearest to the court. Otherwise you have to carry all the kits, which is very tiring effort. .

When to go???

You can check the timings of buses, and you can plan accordingly.

Etc:

There may be some offer available through banks, especially with Citi bank Credit Card. Because one of my friend only paid 10K while for the same I paid 50K won. And also try to take Group Discount.

Bungee Jumping in Korea

Last month I visited Cheung Pung Land for the bunugee. I know place name sounds very strange and funny, but it has loads of excitement in it. So here I am with another blog about this thrilling place.

How to reach there???

As I was in Suwon, so I will describe you according to that. This place Cheung Pung Land is nearest to Jae Cheon city. So go to Suwon bus Terminal and take bus to Jae Cheon bus express terminal. It’s a 2.5 hrs journey. Then you have to take local bus to go to the Cheung Pung Land, there are few buses like 982, 954 and 960. And be patient while waiting for these buses, as frequency is very less. This is also 1 hr journey.

What to do??

I can understand that it’s very long journey but believe this pain worth it. So there are mainly three rides: Bungee Jumping, Big Swing and Ejection seat. Although these are main attractions but apart from it there are Artificial mountaineering, Artificial ground, Trekking and Cruise. So it is complete day entertainment package.

When to go???

I will suggest you take bus, which leave 8 ‘O’ clock from Suwon bus terminal. So you can reach at the place by 12. Then you can start riding these rides. And Return bus timings are 15pm/16.45/18.30/20.00 pm. Try to go in summer, as it will be favorable time.

Etc:

If you need any other details like rates and others, you can refer the site http://www.riverland.co.kr/

Han(hangang) River

I have been planning to write this blog about my trips in Korea. Although it is not very big country like India, but it has very rich tourism experience. Here I would like to share some knowledge how to reach there and what to do.

How to reach there???

Although it was my second time when I went there but every time I get confused. Nearest metro station to the river is Yeouinaru which is on Subway line number 5. So if you are coming from Suwon, get down at Singil station and then change the line to 5. Take exit 2, and here you are.

What to do???

Lots of activity you have there to do. Cycling, specially double seater and triple seater( who haven’t tried these cycles, I know how attractive they are). You can try paddle-boating, speed boat and in last Cruise.

If you have enough time left then you can also go for 63 building which is just near to Han river. It has Wax Museum, Sea world and of-course view of Han River and city from the 63^rd floor.

When to go????

I will suggest you go on Sunday and try to take Cruise in the slot of 7:30. Because by that time it will be almost night, and you can take the night view of Han River which is really good. And I think they have some fireworks and all that day. And try to be there by 4 'o' Clock, otherwise you will surely miss few things.

Etc.

There you will have enough shops for eatables, if you are hungry. KFC , GS25 and one coffee shop is there. So food won’t be issue.

Bangalore to Mangalore

Hi guys,
yesterday I traveled to Mangalore from Bangalore and I think this was worst journey in my life till date. I dont know why karnataka government didn't invested in the road infrastructure. In shhort i would suggest please use train instead of buses. Be careful,as there may be so many distortions in your body after traveling through that road.