Author: Alex Jacob

Nagalapuram Trekking with Decathlon

A one day trek to Nagalapuram Waterfalls

Nagalapuram trek is one of the most popular treks in and around Chennai. The place, Nagalapuram is located near Arai village in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. Roughly it will take 3 hours to reach the destination from chennai. Usually this is a 2 day trek, one day of uphill, followed by camping – next morning return. My trekking journey was one day plan organized by Decathlon Padur,Chennai with a mixed team of trekkers. It was an awesome and exciting trekking experience for every one. The age group of the team varies from youngsters to senior citizens. We started from Chennai at 5 AM and reached Nagalapuram by 8 in the morning. The organizers had arranged a very decent breakfast for the trekkers and we could finish it in another half an hour. The lunch was properly packed and we have been asked to carry the lunch packets in our bags. Vanathi was our team lead and she was good at coordinating things over there. Without wasting our precious time, we started immediately with our backpacks. …

Kanthanpara Waterfalls Wayanad

Kanthanpara waterfalls, Wayanad

Kanthanpara waterfall is one of the beautiful and upcoming waterfalls in Wayanad. At Kanthanpara falls, water cascades down from a height of 30 meters in two steps. Kanthanpara waterfall is unique in its own way. Unlike the Meenmutty and Soochipara waterfall, Kanthanpara waterfall is having one specialty. You can actually enjoy the beauty of the waterfall from the top as well as bottom of the falls. Except in monsoon season, travelers can take bath and enjoy splashing in the pool. It’s a safe waterfall for families and children. You can even take elders to this place since the difficulty is comparatively less in comparison with Meenmutty and Soochipara waterfalls. Now we have the entry tickets for visiting the waterfall and I have included the ticket rates as of July 2017. Adults 40 INR Children 20 INR Camera 100 INR Camera 250 INR Now the tourism department have introduced required security measures to ensure the safety of the travelers. New Handrails have been setup to make sure the safety of the visitors which is one the …

GST and travel Industry

How GST is going to impact your travel plans ?

India is always growing in the travel and tourism area. Foreign travelers are very much delighted to be in India for it’s cultural diversity. Now the Indian economy underwent a radical change in their tax system by the implementation of GST ( Goods and Services Tax ) through a Constitutional amendment bill in the parliament. The GST is going to impact almost all areas of an Indian. I am writing this article to make you aware of how the GST is going to impact the travel and tourism industry in India. What is GST in a nutshell ? Goods & Services Tax is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that will be levied on every value addition. Earlier, Goods and services were taxed separately. The states tax only for the sale of goods but not services while the central government taxes manufacturing and services but not wholesale/retail trade. However, now under the GST one rate shall be applicable to both goods and services. One nation one tax GST has 4 tier structure: 5% – common use items, …

Royal Enfield Himalayan with Fuel Injection in India

Royal Enfield Himalayan with fuel injection in India

Royal Enfield Himalayan has faced a number of issues with regard to quality and performance. The BS3 (Bharat Stage)  compliant RE Himalayan is no longer on sale and not a single unit has been delivered in the past 3 months. The temporarily retired RE Himalayan is all set to hit showrooms soon with a fuel injected, BS-IV engine. In developed nations, where emission norms are stricter than those in India, it is mandatory for Royal Enfield to offer Himalayan with Fuel Injection, instead of carburettor as is seen on the India-spec model. Even in North America, Royal Enfield Himalayan will be launched with ABS as well as FI(Fuel Injection). Similarly, Indian government is on the verge of implementing similar laws in the country. This has pushed Royal Enfield to launch updated Himalayan with FI and ABS. Named after the mighty Himalayas of India, Royal Enfield Himalayan features a relaxed seating postion, which proves to be a boon on long rides, especially the one’s with bad raods. Long suspension travel with off-road tyres give the bike …

How to transport bike by train in India

How to transport bike by train in India

I had heard these questions so many times, How to transport bike by train across India ? Bike Parcel Charges & documents Required for bike Parcel.   If you are searching for the best way to do bike parcel through train, you are reading the right article. How to transport Bike in train ? In former, you can take the bike along with you in the same train you are traveling. But now the procedure has changed. Now the Indian Railways will decide in which train your bike should travel depending on the slot availability and destination. As of now, there are actually two ways to transport bike in train across India. The two different ways to do bike parcel. Luggage Parcel Before transporting the bike we need to make sure all the documents are all clear and ready. Especially the important documents like Registration Certificate, Latest Insurance documents and all. Another important thing is we need to empty the petrol tank for transporting it. It’s always good to book from main station since they will get enough time to load …

Places to visit in Pondicherry

Places to visit in Pondicherry

Pondicherry (or Puducherry) was a French colonial settlement in India until 1954. The history of Pondicherry has started after the arrival of Dutch, Portuguese, British and French colonialists. The nearby places Ariyankuppam, Arikamedu, Villianur, Bahur and Kakayanthoppe, were colonised by the French East India Company over a period of time and which later became the union territory of Pondicherry. The French legacy is still there with Pondicherry in the form of mustard colored colonial villas and chic boutiques. Pondicherry is now one of the popular tourist destination in South India. The city has many colonial buildings, churches, temples, and statues which, combined with the systematic town planning and planned French style avenues, still preserve much of the colonial ambiance. Here are some of the best places to visit in Pondicherry. Paradise Beach Paradise Beach is placed 7 km from the city center of Pondicherry. Out of all beaches in Pondicherry, probably Paradise Beach is going to be your favorite. A clam and clean beach to visit which will be definitely a good option for the …

Questions you might have faced when you announce your solo travel plan

Questions you might have faced when you announce your solo travel plan

Nowadays it’s common that people are traveling solo. It’s take courage and commitment to plan a solo trip. Definitely your friends and family will ask you 1000 questions regarding this. Certain questions will doubt ourselves to proceed with the solo trip plan. It’s easy for planning a solo trip, nobody will be there to control you, no need to follow and strict time lines. You can spend as much as time you want at your favorite destination. But it’s little painful to execute the solo trips. Here are some of the questions and worries you might have faced from your dear and near. Why you are going alone? Can’t you go with your friends? The answer to this question is pretty simple. Tell them you have enough friends, but you value your time with yourself more. Traveling alone will give you more responsibilities and capabilities. So it’s always a learning experience in life to travel alone. Won’t you get bored traveling solo? It’s a perspective question. Traveling solo will help you to find new people …

Know About Power Outlets and Voltages When Travelling Internationally

Know About Power Outlets and Voltages When Travelling Internationally

It’s not the currency or the language which will trouble you during your international trips, but the power outlets and plugs. Think of a situation where you can’t use your electronic devices at all. If you don’t do your homework ahead of time, you may be unable to use your electrical devices. Even worse, you may damage them by plugging them into the foreign outlets. So what is the solution to this problem? The answer is to know the world standards well in advance.I have compiled an article regarding this which can help everyone who are traveling abroad. There are currently 15 types of electrical outlet plugs in use today, each of which has been assigned a letter by the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration (ITA), starting with A and moving through the alphabet. These letters are completely arbitrary: they don’t actually mandate anything. The below diagram from Wikipedia gives us some idea of how plug shapes vary from country to country. Note that North America, continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia …