Google Map Lists

FoodKa recommends: Kolkata is a food heaven. With loads of options to try, it can be difficult for someone who has never been to Kolkata to find really good places. This Google Map list of places is based on the popular YouTube food show FOODKA hosted by Mir Afsar Ali and Indrajit Lahiri. The best thing about them is they cover both high end restaurants as well as street food stalls where Kolkata eats. ঠেসে খাও |

Highway On My Plate (HOMP): Just like Foodka and Mir, there are two other foodies — Rocky and Mayur — who had once set out to explore the food along the highways that crisscross this tasty country. The result was a show on NDTV Good Times and a two-volume book. And I created this list so that I can easily find good food while I am travelling across India.

Food-Foodie: Yet another collection of places offering good food. This one is a more general list with recommendations from multiple food bloggers, experts and of course locals.

Hikes & Treks: A list to locate hiking and trekking routes or rather the destination.

Thriftee Stay: This is a personal collection. As a budget traveler, I always look for the cheapest accommodation to stay and finding one is not always easy. Often the cheapest ones are not easily discoverable on internet. Hence was the need of this list. I try to find places that charge INR 300 or less for a night stay and add here.

*You can contribute to any of these lists by commenting down below.

A solo trip to the Valley of Flowers

To visit places within the Garhwal circuit, including the Chota Char Dham, Haridwar is the starting point. The Haridwar Jn. (HW) on the Delhi-Dehradun route has direct trains to major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Madurai, etc. The Jolly Grant Airport, 44 km from the city provides air connectivity to the rest of the country. Ample bus services are also available from the neighboring states - Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab - to reach Haridwar. 

As I was based in Allahabad, I took the 14163 Sangam Link Express, the only daily train between the two stations. This is a bit slower train and one can also board the tri-weekly 14115 Prayag Ghat (PYG) - Haridwar (HW) Express. The scheduled arrival time for Sangam Express is 10:48 hours while for the PYG-HW Express is 14:15 hours. Taking either of these trains allow enough time to explore Haridwar before heading to the higher altitudes. Additionally, with Indian Railways being well known for their punctuality the time can be kept as a buffer to avoid delay in further plans.