Your Favourite Holiday Destination- Pondicherry

For some, March is the closing year and for some, it isn’t and this remains the same even for your spouse but what about your kids? You know that they are already extremely weary and exhausted from the mundane custom of their daily school life and are in surge to have a weekend trip off to an enlightening escapade and I do agree that it will leave you bewildered thinking where to take them but a place filled with French aroma, seafront meander, colonial architecture, religiously significant and a destination just 3 hours from Chennai can never make you re-think and, Rathimeena Travels and Universal Travels are some of the common travels you will get to see for reaching this place from Chennai. Here are some of the most-liked places to visit in Pondicherry:

Promenade, a seafront also known as Goubert Avenue is one such place where you will feel revitalizing with the calm and serene nature of the place. Take a stroll either in the morning or at the evening, sight-seeing the Gandhi statue and several other French buildings and drinking coffee at the coffee stalls nearby. Finally, sit on the black colored rocks and take snaps with your closed ones.

Auroville is one such place famed for meditation and for those who desire to learn more about spirituality. It was initiated by Sri Aurobindo for making people attain divine perfection and know the meaning of their presence through peaceful living with one another. This place also houses Matrimandir which glows when sun’s rays fall on it. It is widely considered as a place of interest.

Manakula Vinayagar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. It is considered as one of the best pilgrimage sites in Pondicherry with different names of Ganesha referred here and this isn’t much, people say whoever leaves abroad for business purpose visits this place and start as it is considered to bring good fortune. There is a chariot in this place that is constructed of 7.5kgs of gold that is made through donations of thousands of devotees and runs once a year on Dussehra.

Finally, with so many places to visit, Pondicherry can be the perfect getaway for your families and friends to get to know about the French culture and tradition. Book your bus tickets in TicketGoose right away!

An Ideal Grueling Overnight Bus Journey from Chennai to Kanyakumari

Public transportation- Bus journey

It’s Friday evening; I had my bag packed, ready to be picked from my room at 6:30 pm after finishing my classes. Had never been this excited before to go on a trip. This was my first ever all girls trip. The excitement of journeying by bus from Chennai to Kanyakumari with friends soared as the time came closer to catch the bus. Though the first choice was to take the train, but as usual with Indian railways, there were no seats available.

All friends gathered in Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminal on time. Could see everybody so excited about the plan. We had booked TNSTC Volvo AC bus. Got into the bus at around 9:00 pm; we screened one by one for our seats and settled. As usual, I got my (un)lucky number 13. But I was okay with it as it was a window seat and back push seat. The dark fat bus conductor entered the bus that meant driver is also nearby, the driver came and sat on the driver’s seat, there was some kind secret whisper that went for around 5–10 mins between the two. Then hrrr…hrrr.hrrr…the bus started, we all girls screamed together Yoho!!! We were 10 girls altogether, few got into gossip (a big girly trait), some put earphones and listened to their favorite songs, I was getting ready for the long night. After munching words with my girlfriends I needed to shut my eyes, I want to look garden fresh for the next day outing in Kanyakumari. But, let’s face it; Indian roads are not at all even. On road bus journey what starts off with lot passion and zeal tends to end with drowsy eyes, broken neck, and back throbbing. The pot holes everywhere, and upon that the bus going zig zag to avoid those holes makes it worse for the first-timer. Though it was not my first-time journey by bus, but it was my first longest journey by bus. So I came all prepared, carried a dozen of polybags with me in case I feel like throwing up.

That long 11 hours journey had two to three stoppages at few places for short loo breaks. The bus stopped somewhere at the side of the highway after 4 hours. I had no idea which place was it. The girls got down to freshen up, and stretch legs. Few girls were really tall and the bus didn’t have leg space, it becomes so difficult for tall people sometimes, and I hear them telling, “It’s been so lucky to be short.” But the short girls know their side of sad stories (sob…sob…sob). Anyway, we were buying biscuits, chips, water bottles and few other eatables for another 7 hours journey, and we heard loud scream. A shrilly, high pitched scream of a girl. People rushed towards the voice. I was standing still in front of the shop. Few of our girls too went to check out. One girl came rushing from the toilet, there it was Rubi; one of our mates. She went to use one of the loo’s which was built behind the walls of one of the petty shops there. I had heard about the toilets in such places and where usually buses stop over during night journeys. Rubi kept muttering some words in her mouth almost for an hour until she fell asleep; she also finished one whole new bottle of Dettol sanitizer. She also couldn’t eat after that horrible something she witnessed in that dark bathroom. See, you know, this is one of the disadvantages of traveling by bus if you are a person with weak bladder or bowel.

I tried getting some sleep, but then the loud TV noise where they play only Tamil movies was so annoying, and not to mention the fartings, and snores of the other annoying passengers. Ugh, whatever, I pushed my seat a little bit back to make myself comfortable to take a nap, remember I need to be garden-fresh for the next day! I moved back and forth, but I couldn’t sleep at all. And so, was my friends Gisha, who was sitting next to me. As if those tortures were not enough, we started shivering like a malaria patient at the middle of the night. The AC was so chilling and we didn’t take warm clothes because we got out with the perception that Tamil Nadu has only two seasons- summer and extreme summer. So, this was the third disadvantage we marked in a bus journey. Not to mention the jolting breaks that suddenly gives a feeling of riding on a roller coaster. I was thinking why not buses also start providing seat belts like that in flights.

So, somehow we completed our 11 hours bus journey and reach Kanyakumari at around 8:10 am. We spent one night in Kanyakumari and decided to take a train next day to Trivandrum. We couldn’t take the luxury of sleepless, neck-breaking journey by bus. But as usual, no seats available again. Heck! We booked bus again, but this time AC, sleeper and we tried the private KPN Travels,Hebron Travels,SRM Travels,Parveen Travels,Kaleswari Travels,Konduskar Travels,Kallada Travels and Rathimeena Travels.And lastly we got in KPN Travels. This one was much better and though the roads were rough with pot holes, resting our back straight on sleeper seats was much comfier.

So, this was it…much I could recollect from my first girls’ tour was our two different bus journey experience from Chennai to Kanyakumari, then Kanyakumari to Kerala. If you too have such unforgettable bus experience/s, do not hesitate to share with us.

COORG – “The Scotland of India”

Tired? Restless? How long will you sustain the humdrum of your life? It’s time that you get out and explore the scenic beauty of the mountains, rich greenery and colorful picturesque of the blooming flowers, coffee plantations or apple orchards and the fresh unpolluted air. The month of March marks the start of summer and visiting any of the hill stations of India with your family or friends will surely make your soul pampered and one such breath-taking station is Coorg, also referred to as the Scotland of India that is a home to many natural wonders from rich coffee plantations and wildlife to waterfalls and stern sights. The trips around this place that will arouse the wanderlust in you are.

Abbi Falls

Amidst the gushing sound of water, one can feel the intense tranquillity of this place with a cover of misty clouds around. Water lovers wouldn’t resist visiting this falls for its lovely streams originating from the Western Ghats and the thud of the splashing water on the huge boulders. You can get a better view from the hanging bridge and there is a temple nearby; Kali Mata Temple where you can make a visit after plunging yourself into the water.

Nagarhole National Park

Also called as Rajiv Gandhi National Park, it’s a home to several wildlife animals like elephants, wild dogs, deer, gaurs, and tigers. The best time to visit this place is during summer as you would get to the animals roaming out near the water bodies existing in the dense tropical forest than at rainy season as it creates a sense of dampness around.

Madikeri

It is a place famed for coffee plantations and coffee lovers would adore the captivating fragrance of aromatic coffee beans spread across this place. It’s just a half an hour travel from Coorg where after witnessing this rich vegetation, you can take a tour to Madikeri fort and Omkareshwar Temple.

Thus, this hill station will definitely be an itinerary for you with much to scout and much of its experience to take back. So, make your bookings to this Scotland of India only with TicketGoose, India’s leading bus ticketing portal where once made a booking will never look for any other.

Book your tickets from Online Bus Ticket Booking Portal TicketGoose from the top Operators like SRS Travels,SVR Travels,Meghana Travels,Paulo Travels,National Travels,Kallada Travels,Poornima Travels,Manish Travels,Chennai to Coimbatore Bus Etc.,

Kerala — A Perfect Getaway Spot

Kerala is one of the famed destinations in the southern part of India that requires any hard selling. From the 600km long coastline, pristine beaches and ayurvedic treatments to aromatic cuisines, captivating wildlife and scintillating backwaters, every sight-seeing spot is breath-taking and with your family along, ought to make your visit cherishable. With the Western Ghats on its side, trekking is one of the well-known sport liked by many and besides this, beaches and a rich specimen of flora and fauna drive many tourists to its side. There are so many places in Kerala to visit but in this blog, I have listed few of the top-most destinations;

1. Payyambalam Beach, Kannur

Payyambalam Beach, located in Kannur, a city of Kerala is famous for parasailing, boating and banana boat riding. With the safety jackets on, get ready to ride on the immaculate coast and turquoise waters of the Arabian Sea encircled with deep green trees on its sides and a statue of a mother and a child sculptured perfectly in the center. Enjoy ten minutes of your boating time being toppled on every sudden turn. You can also float as light as air high above the ground by parasailing in the beaches of Kannur with a rope tied around you that is attached to the parachute and the boat. It is, therefore, an ideal place for beach lovers.

If you are a resident of Coimbatore, then book your bus tickets from Coimbatore- Kannur via SPS Travels and from Chennai- Kannur, make a booking via Kallada Travels. In both, the cases visit TicketGoose.

2. Banasura Hill Trek, Wayanad

Wayanad is a district in the northeast state of Kerala famous for waterfalls, wildlife sanctuaries, trekking, and bamboo rafting. For all adrenaline rush freaks, Banasura Hill Trek has to be in the travel bucket as you will be trekking through the scenic valleys and along the path encounter the beautiful Banasura lake at its foothills.

3. Wildlife Safari at Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad

Spread across 345sq km in the coastline of Western Ghats, this wildlife sanctuary can be seen with a variety of exotic species of flora and fauna. This sanctuary is the site of Project Elephant whose main aim was the protection of elephants and this might be a reason you would encounter carefree movement of them. Besides these, there are also Jackals, Cheetah, Gaur and Bengal Tiger. There are coffee and tea plantations as well and the best time to visit this place is until the end of May from October.

What are you waiting for? Head straight to ticketgoose.com website and make your bus bookings in your favorite travels to Kerala with your family as it is the perfect time for visiting these remarkable locations.

Volvo Ac Bus Booking

Travel has become an essential parameter in today’s globe, with few traveling as a step towards ideation and some as a biweekly trip to their native. May the cause be prime, comfort goes hand in hand and from the traditional method of booking tickets to online reservations, comes the yet another passenger-oriented benefit; Volvo AC bus bookings. As we all know, cozy journey is what many prefer to, be it short trips or long drives and noting the importance of this aspect, many travel operators have come with Volvo Bus Booking and TicketGoose being India’s leading bus ticketing platform, has tied up with more than 2500 bus operators with majority of them offering Volvo booking service.

With the start of AC Volvo bus services, bus travel has come of age and has become the most popular air conditioned mode of transport amongst many travelers. To name some operators who are into this service; SRS Travels, KPN Travels, Atmaram Travels, Kallada Travels, Parveen Travels, Orange Tours and Travels and much more. A well-known Swedish auto company Volvo provides reclining push back seats with enough room for resting your legs, window curtains, and sun shade screens to block out any light.

Besides these, you would also get to encounter overhead reading lamps and individual control for AC on the dashboard above your seats and the finest air suspension mechanism that would make your trip an ideal one. Nowadays, Volvo buses offer entertainment options like LCD screens and music systems so as to overcome your boredom voyage. AC Volvo bus services are available on all major inter-city and interstate routes covering main destinations like Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kerala and much more and the best way to make a visit through this bus type is via online bus ticket booking platforms like ticketgoose.com.

Ticketgoose.com allows you to select your choice of seat and travel operator from the list and schedule your starting date and location at the place where you are. Volvo AC bus tickets, offers, their timings, and routes can be checked at TicketGoose website. Thus, experience a hassle-free and convenient trip with ticketgoose.com.

Volvo Bus Booking

48 Hours in Hyderabad

Every night while unlocking the doorknob of my house, I wish I had landed up in some fantasy world far away from this throbbing chaotic habitat and before I made a plan for a stress-free trip during my weekends, the days’ flew like a tornado. But I had decided that what may come, I will surely make a trip and that was when I had decided to visit the city of Nawabs, the beautiful land of pearls and the aromatic air of food, the Hyderabad. The distance from Bangalore- Hyderabad is just 581kms which will be around 8 hours of travel by bus and with this calculation, I logged onto ticketgoose.com, my favorite online bus ticketing platform and booked a sleeper coach in Kallada Travels. Though there are travel operators like Meghana, SRS, Kaleshwari, KPN and National Travels running across these two cities, my preference was Kallada.

I reached Hyderabad at 8 in the morning with no delay in my travel. I had already confirmed my hotel bookings at Grand Palace which is just 1.5kms from Charminar as it was my first place to visit in my travel bucket. Charminar as the name suggests four minarets, yes; there are minarets of granite and limestone at the four cardinal corners of the monument with balconies on either side. It’s an iconic artifact to visit as it reflects the Indo-Islamic architecture. After sight-seeing this monument, I headed to Golconda that is around 8kms from Charminar. Golconda is one of the India’s most magnificent forts that boast of the Mughal style of architecture. Though this fort now remains in ruins, its majestic can be adored even today.

My visit was not tiring but I had to taste the famous cuisine of Hyderabad- Biryani. I ate biryani in Paradise Hotel. It was so appealing that I wasn’t able to stop with one. After a heavy bumpy lunch, my next stop was the bazaar where you will get to see varied kinds of bangles and accessories. My hands were full and I thought it’s high time that I return to my hotel and came to my room at 9 PM.

Fresh morning, a new start is what I always foresee. With this thought, I headed to Iskcon Temple, a shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Krishna where I spent more than an hour in listening to bhajans and prayers. My next destination was Husain Sagar Lake, an oasis in the heart of Hyderabad. It is a man-made where the white carved statue of Buddha rests in the center and you can see it glowing on a full moon night. This place is famous for boating and along its fringe is the Birla Mandir.

By the time I had completed these two spots, it was 3 PM and finally closed my trip by having a delicious vegetarian meal in chutneys.

What are you still thinking about? Visit ticketgoose.com and make your bookings.

A day in Amritsar: Home to the Golden Temple

Amritsar is synonymous to the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh temple, which has been welcoming people from all walks of life and faith since 1604. The majestic structure was gleaming in the October sun and its refection in the holy tank was a sight to behold. It was far better than I had imagined. I stood still just soaking in the grandeur. It exuded an aura that sought reverence.

As I trundled along the temple bare feet with an orange headscarf covering my head, I felt one with the other devotees. We passed through the devout Sikhs taking a holy dip in the tank oblivious to the crowd around; people sitting and meditating; and not to mention the hordes of tourists who were in awe of the structure and clicking pictures away.

The ideal time to visit the temple is during the Palki Sahib ceremony. It is at this event that the Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, is taken from Hari Mandir, which is the main shrine, to the sanctum, where it is kept till the next morning. When it is illuminated at night, people say you cannot take off your eyes from the sight. Unfortunately, I had to miss the spectacle as I was visiting the city just for a day.

The temple accommodates devotees, who seek shelter on its premises for free. Rooms are also available for a nominal fee of Rs 50. Around 40,000 pilgrims/ visitors sit together at the Guru-ka-langar or community meal every day. The volunteers varying from rich and poor, come together to make chapatis and dal and serve the devotees, wash the dishes, all without a whimper. Nowhere will you find such camaraderie amidst 40,000 people. It is commendable how the institution of community kitchen initiated by Guru Nanak has been strictly upheld even till today.

I stepped out of the temple and headed straight to quench my thirst with the ubiquitous lassi that Amritsar is known for. My next destination was Jallianwala Bagh, a memorial of great national significance. In the April of 1919, thousands of people came together to celebrate Baisakhi, the Punjabi New Year. As the meeting was in progress, Brigadier-General Dyer came armed with his troops and ordered them to open fire without any warning. As the buildings had narrow entrances, people could hardly escape. The bullet marks evident even today stand testimony to the turning point in India’s freedom struggle. I explored the museum and looked around for an hour or so before heading to my next destination, the Vaishnodevi Mandir, which is a replica of the Vaishnodevi Mandir in Jammu and Kashmir.

En route to the Wagah Border, which is about 25 km away from the city, I had a sumptuous lunch at a roadside dhaba. The finger-licking vegetarian fare that I had there is something I always crave for. If you want to catch the border ceremony, head to this place post-noon. You will be there just on time for the beating retreat ceremony between India and Pakistan. Cars or buses are not allowed after a certain point. You will have to walk at least a kilometer to reach the border. Once you are there, it is a scene of chaos; people jostling to get up the stairway to get the best glimpse of the ceremony. Men are supposed to form a separate queue from the women folk. Take care of your camera and wallet, as you will have to move along with the crowd.

The enthusiastic crowd at the beating retreat ceremony in Wagah Border

As the ceremony began with chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the patriotic numbers from Bollywood were played, people started swaying to the music. This gave me a sense of solidarity. The ceremony ended with much fanfare, as even schoolchildren from the crowd participated in the event.

On my way back, my cab driver took me to the Kapra Market where I indulged in some retail therapy. You can get the best Amritsari juttis, phoolkari dupattas, suits and bags in the market. A visit to the city is incomplete without filling your bag with these goodies.

Juttis up for sale at the market

This city is also known for its street food. Sample the parathas, Amritsari kulchas, pakoras, sweets and lassi sold in pushcarts. You will leave the place wanting for more.

Where to stay:

There are several budget as well as luxury hotels for tourists. You can try out the Golden Tulip Amritsar (Tariff — Rs. 3,500), HK Clarks Inn (Tariff — Rs. 2,800) and Country Inns and Suites (Tariff — Rs. 2,800). For those of you looking for hotels within Rs. 1,000, you will find them as well. Singh International Hotel (Tariff — Rs. 900), Grace Hotel (Tariff — Rs. 900) and Veenus International Hotel (Tariff — Rs. 800) are some of the options which are worth trying.

Getting There:

Travelling by bus from cities like Delhi, Chandigarh and Patiala is a good option. Buses to Amritsar are available from all these cities. If you have travel plans for the city, look up for your bus tickets at TicketGoose.com.
The next time you want to visit a temple town, think Amritsar. From visiting the temples to sampling the food and shopping, you will not regret one bit.