Friday 29 June 2012

Ladakh: At the top of the world on Kunzum Route K12

My job is to recommend great travel ideas but not necessarily insist you experience these. But I will make an exception here: you must visit Ladakh, by road. And ideally, drive yourself. Take four wheels or two, but make sure you go. Sooner than later. You will not regret putting off other stuff for this.
The best part of the drive starts from Manali - every passing mile will tell you more of what heaven might be like. You will literally be at the top of the motorable world - and never want to come back down. Pack your car, and be off without much thought.
This route has been branded Kunzum Route K13; complete driving directions and attractions have been covered in it. For a detailed version of the same, you can get a copy of the Kunzum Travel List at http://kunzum.com/travellist.

A BRIEF DISTANCE / TIME CHART

Leg 1: Delhi - Manali: 578 kms (361 miles) / 11:38 hrs
Leg 2: Manali - Jispa: 144 kms (90 miles) / 6:44 hrs
Leg 3: Jispa - Leh: 366 kms (219 miles) / 11:15 hrs
Leg 4: Leh - Pangong Tso (Lake) and back: 160 kms (100 miles) / 4:35 hrs one way
Leg 5: Leh - Tso Moriri with detour to Tso Kar and back
Driving Distance / Time from Leh - Tso Moriri with detour to Tso Kar: 301 kms (188 miles) / 7:00 hrs
Driving Distance / Time from Tso Moriri - Leh direct: 221 kms (138 miles) / 4:40 hrs
Leg 6: From Leh to Kyagar in Nubra Valley and back: 152 kms (95 miles) / 6:00 hrs one way
Leg 7: Leh to Padum, Zanskar: 470 kms (294 miles) / 19:30 hrs (You will need a night halt at Kargil; Padum is 240 kms (150 miles) from Kargil and takes 12 hours)
Leg 8: Padum, Zanskar - Delhi via Srinagar and Jammu: 1391 kms (869 miles) / 39:45 hrs
From Zanskar, you can either (a) drive back to Leh and catch a flight; (b) drive back to Leh and onward to Manali and Delhi; (c) go to Srinagar and catch a flight; (d) go to Srinagar and continue driving all the way back. Given here is the last option - requiring you to take at least two night halts at Kargil and Srinagar. Some useful distances: Kargil - Sonamarg: 120 kms (75 miles), 5:30 hrs; Sonamarg - Srinagar: 86 kms (54 miles), 2:30 hrs; Srinagar - Jammu: 302 kms (189 miles), 7:53 hrs; Jammu - Delhi: 643 kms (402 miles), 11:52 hrs

ATTRACTIONS ALONG THE WAY


Deepak Tal (on the Jispa - Leh road)
A little after Jispa, you come to a small lake called the Deepak Tal. Hozer and his wife run a shack here - you will see more like these run by entrepreneurs who set up shop during summers to cater to travellers. They also offer a small yellow boat for a ride should you want one. You can also sleep in any of these for the night for a nominal amount.
 

Suraj Tal (on the Jispa - Leh road)
Go beyond Deepak Tal and you come across another lake - the Suraj Tal. You know you are in very high altitude country - the same lake has been seen with clear waters and frozen over in the summer month of June over successive seasons.


The Baralachla Pass (on the Jispa - Leh road)
The Baralachla (La means Pass) is the first very high altitude pass you will cross on this route - it is 16500 feet high. Like all high passes, be careful lest you be hit by altitude sickness - stop for a few minutes and move on. Traffic jams are not uncommon here. Again, this pass can be clear or snow bound even in the summers.

Sarchu (on the Jispa - Leh road)
Sarchu is an option for a night halt between Jispa and Leh. It has a beautiful landscape, but it is at a high altitude, and it’s always very cold and windy here - many a traveller is known to be hit by altitude sickness at this point. Recommended one starts early from Jispa to reach Leh in good time on the same day. This is also where you cross into Ladakh from Himachal Pradesh.

Gata Loops (on the Jispa - Leh road)
They are popularly called the Jalebi bends, but officially called the Gata Loops. They take you for a spin, curving sharply 21 times taking you up from 13,780 feet to 15,308 feet over 10 kms. Enjoy the joyride.

Pang (on the Jispa - Leh road)
When Jack climbed his beanstalk, did he meet the giant in Pang? Pang's landscape is dotted with these gigantic needles, things the giant's wife would stitch with­. These conical rock structures could well be colossal anthills, if only ants could survive the harsh climate. Geologists are not quite sure of the origins of these odd obelisks.

The More Plains (on the Jispa - Leh road)
The More (pronounced 'mo-ray') Plains after Pang are a plateau to be seen to be believed. They are endless. Well, 50 km of flatlands at an elevation of 15,000 feet deserves that epithet.¬ And they are flat, for miles after miles, till they run into the surrounding mountains. What was the creator thinking when He made all this? Did He expect Yetis to play football here? For company, you can rely on hundreds of goats, sheep and yaks grazing on the little tufts of grass; they belong to the nomadic Changpa clan. Just be careful your car doesn’t get stuck; the sand track is suspect.

The Taglangla Pass (on the Jispa - Leh road)
The Taglangla Pass between Pang and Leh is proud to be to be the world's second highest motorable road at 17,582 feet, after Khardung La (18,380 feet). Feel good to be standing at almost the top of the world. After this the road goes all the way downhill, with the landscape getting greener as you approach Leh.



Brown-Headed Gulls flying over the Pangong Tso (Lake)
As you descend the road to Pangong Tso, an endless blue awaits guarded by mountains on either side. The welcome party comprises Brown-Headed Gulls, the Larus Brunnicephalus, hovering about on the most exquisite lake you would have ever seen.¬ The gulls in flight conjure up images of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. This species flies pretty low over the water in direct purposeful flight, with low wing beat and frequent gliding. They might go for the occasional biscuit but their regular diet is much healthier, comprising fish, insects, slugs and green shoots. You find these gulls at Tso Moriri and Tso Kar too in the summer, and westwards along the Indus valley during their spring and autumn migrations.


Tso Kar: The Devil Drank up this Lake
Eons ago, they say, a devil drank up all of the overflowing Tso Kar. A gurgle in the stomach suggested he had drunk more than he should have. So he spluttered and sprayed water all over. Some flew towards Korzok, forming Tso Moriri. Some splashed in another direction, creating Starspapukh and Regul Tso. Regul is the local name for Kar, an L-shaped saline lake at 15,367 feet (4,684 metres). The lake covers only about 40 square km (16 square miles) but offers unique attractions. Like one of the few pairs of the Black-Necked Cranes I was lucky to spot, though from afar. Or the Kiang, the Tibetan Wild Ass.

Zanskar: Not easy to drive to
The road from Kargil to Zanskar is one of the most trying you will drive on. It is either pot-holed, or just a rocky track. When I heard of the soreness inducing drive, I almost turned back from Kargil; on hindsight, I am glad that a strong will prevailed! Zanskar is snowed under for eight months of the year. Its only link to the world is the bumpy 240 kms (150 miles) track to Kargil. The landscape is beautiful and ever-changing. But you will barely see a soul on the way, except at some rural settlements. You cannot drive in the winters; your most adventurous option is a trek on the frozen Zanskar river. Along the way, you will meet bubbly children and beautiful women - all happy to chat. Most speak local dialects though - but smiles will convey a lot. Move on now, you have a long way to go.

Leh and the Buddhist Circuit of Ladakh
The monasteries and other Buddhist establishments of Ladakh, mostly around Leh, can touch even the atheists. Most of these are situated in and around Leh - these will be covered in separate posts.
Travel Tips for Ladakh
1.      Best time to go is between June – September but you can never be sure of the weather and roads. In winters, temperatures drop to below -30 degrees Celsius.
2.      Always travel with extra woolens even in the summers.
3.      Ladakh has a very gentle society – respect the locals and their culture.
4.      Daily flights go to Leh. You can even drive up from Manali or Srinagar; it takes two days to Leh from these places. Both drives are exceptionally beautiful.
5.      Do set aside at least 10 days to experience Ladakh – even then you will leave a lot out.
6.      Mobiles barely work anywhere except in Leh.
7.      You may need a permit to visit certain places; these can be easily arranged for in Leh.

  By Ajay Jain, a travel writer and photographer. He publishes the Kunzum Travel Mag

Thursday 21 June 2012

TripAdvisor launches “local picks” Facebook app highlighting best restaurants according to locals

-          Interactive App Combines Local Diner Ratings With Facebook’s Social Graph to Create the Ultimate Foodie Resource

TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, today launched Local Picks, a Facebook app that provides dining recommendations from locals and friends to discover and choose the best places to eat.

Covering more than 850,000 restaurants worldwide, Local Picks draws from millions of diner reviews and opinions collected on TripAdvisor, highlighting contributions from locals and friends. Each restaurant has a detailed profile that includes a score from 1-5 on the Local Picks Index, a rating system that aims to bring neighborhood favorites and "hidden gem" eateries to the forefront, as deemed by real locals who know the area best.

Built on Facebook, Local Picks allows users to easily express opinions and get restaurant advice from people they know and trust. The app is integrated with Facebook’s timeline so diners can share ratings, favorites, and themed lists, with friends.

Serving as a comprehensive resource for foodies, Local Picks also displays essential information including a restaurant’s address, neighborhood, type of cuisine, phone number, website address, hours of operation, menus, and colorful photos.

"TripAdvisor is committed to improving the social travel planning experience and, whether you're looking for a restaurant in a foreign city or in your own backyard, Local Picks is an excellent resource for the inside scoop," says Adam Medros, vice president of global product for TripAdvisor. "The app leverages the Facebook Platform to uniquely combine friend advice with local insight, highlighting dining options from those that know the user and the area best.”

Local Picks Features:

“Foodies” Feed
The “Foodies” newsfeed keeps users informed of their Facebook friends’ recommendations and real-time activity: where they’ve checked in, and what restaurants they’ve recently rated. Diners can also follow other foodies outside of their immediate Facebook network (well-known chefs, for example), which can serve as a regular source of dining inspiration.
Local Picks Index
The Local Picks Index ranks top restaurants worldwide with an emphasis on the reviews and opinions of locals. Users can browse the “Top Picks” tab to see a list of restaurants that have ranked high on the Local Picks Index.
Favorites and Wish Lists
By clicking “want” or “fave,” or adding to a custom list with the click of an icon, Local Picks users can quickly and easily keep track of restaurants they want to try and those they love.

More Photos & Essential Information
To create the most useful restaurant summary possible, Local Picks will complement content from TripAdvisor with photos and information from foursquare, Facebook Pages, and menus from Single Platform.

Local Picks is now available to Facebook users in English, and will be launched in multiple languages later this summer. To experience the app, please visit https://apps.facebook.com/localpicks.

Thursday 14 June 2012

TripAdvisor announces India’s only travel price index for summer 2012


-          TripIndex™ reveals the price of an evening out in key cities in India and around the world

TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, today launched the second edition of its annual TripIndex™, a travel price index of 48 key international tourist cities, major Indian metropolitan cities and popular holiday spots in India. The index helps travellers determine the cost for an evening out for two people in these destinations.

TripIndex tracks the cost for travellers of one night’s accommodation, a pre-meal drink, dinner and a taxi ride in each city*.

According to Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager TripAdvisor (India)With a depreciating Rupee, unrelenting inflation, skyrocketing airfares & an economic slowdown, Indian travellers have good reason right now to be  concerned while they budget for their travel. TripIndex can help travellers, especially those who are budget conscious, with a quick & useful reference to decide on their holiday destination”.

International TripIndex™ : Around the World these Rupee days
·   Ahead of the Olympics, London (UK) bags the top spot as most expensive city in the international list followed by Oslo (Norway) & Zurich (Switzerland) this summer with a TripIndex cost of `28,879 nearly 4 times more expensive than Hanoi, Vietnam which emerges as the cheapest with a TripIndex cost of `7858.72. With seven out of the ten most expensive international cities in Europe, it emerges at the costliest continent to visit. Southeast Asia is the cheapest region, with four out of the cheapest ten cities from SEA.
·     Cheapest Hotel: Hotels in Bangkok are the cheapest stay with an average hotel room cost of `4519.9. London accommodation is more than four times that amount with an average hotel room cost of `20,148.77.
·      Cheapest Taxi Ride: A two mile return taxi fare in Oslo can set you back by `2920 while the same distance in Beijing is a meagre `95.75.
·      Cheapest Dinner: Travellers need to dish out eight times the money for a dinner for two in Oslo against a comparable meal in Hong Kong.
·       Cheapest Cocktail: Think twice before you raise a toast in Paris, which is the most expensive city to grab a martini for two with a cost of `3210.10. The same cocktail is over 5 times cheaper in Bangkok at `526.3.

Pocket Foe & Pocket Friendly holidays
·      Dharamsala emerges as the most budget friendly holiday spot in the list with a TripIndex cost of `3,876. Nashik, with its fast growing wine tourism, is the second least expensive destination with a TripIndex cost of `4,201. Time to raise a toast to a pocket friendly vacation!
·     Serene Mahabaleshwar could make a traveller skip a beat not only with its beautiful locales but also with its high prices as it emerges as the most expensive destination on the Indian holiday TripIndex list at a cost of `9,331 followed closely by Kochi at a cost of `9,217.

Metro-Meter
·       In the international list Mumbai ranks 35 on the list while it is the most expensive city in the India TripIndex at a total cost of `13,017, followed by Delhi& Chennai at `12,978 & `12,530 respectively.
·      With a difference of less than `160, the TripIndex cost of a night in Delhi compares to a night in Cape Town, you could trade a night in Chennai with Macau & Kolkata works out as much as a night out in Warsaw.
·      Chennai taxis are the most expensive with a cost of `201 with the same journey costing `100 in Pune.
·     In Mumbai be ready to cough up `1400 for a martini for two, while barely 150 kms away the same tipple costs you 40% cheaper in Pune.

United only by the Travel bug
·      South India leads as most expensive region on average TripIndex cost of (`8903.26) closely
     followed by West (`8186.16.), East (`6344.75) and North (`5335.22). Hotel prices also follow the
     same pattern with average hotel room rates highest in South India (`6678.25) followed similarly by
     West(`6109.67), East (`4774.2) & North (`4169).
*Regional data includes the major Indian metropolitan cities and popular holiday spots featured in the TripIndex

International TripIndex™ Cities

Best value International Cities
Destination
Hotel(`)
Taxi(`)
Dinner(`)
Cocktail(`)
Total(`)
Hanoi, Vietnam
4,729.76
275.71
1,597.60
1,255.64
7,858.72
Beijing, China
5,922.90
95.76
1,531.41
1,320.18
8,870.25
Bangkok Thailand
4,519.97
112.91
3,859.70
526.32
9,018.91
Budapest, Hungary
5,822.89
546.47
2,408.85
2,008.41
10,786.63
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
6,325.02
205.06
3,211.90
1,098.21
10,840.18


Most Expensive International Cities
Destination
Hotel(`)
Taxi(`)
Dinner(`)
Cocktail(`)
Total(`)
London, UK
20,148.77
1,937.06
4,612.29
2,181.37
28,879.50
Oslo, Norway
12,253.71
2,920.23
10,687.27
2,058.33
27,919.54
Zurich, Switzerland
16,268.67
2,107.82
7,202.09
1,508.90
27,087.48
Paris, France
17,088.55
841.60
5,675.60
3,210.10
26,815.85
Stockholm, Sweden
12,186.29
2,639.84
9,601.79
1,956.59
26,384.51

The full TripIndex is available at: http://cdn.tripadvisor.com

India: Metro TripIndex

Destination
Hotel(`)
Taxi(`)
Dinner(`)
Cocktail(`)
Total(`)
Mumbai
8015
151
3452
1400
13017
Delhi
8150
161
3467
1200
12978
Chennai
8187
201
3242
900
12530
Kolkata
8035
141
2101
880
11157
Bangalore
7342
124
2682
950
11098
Hyderabad
6639
153
2503
1130
10425
Pune
6500
100
2250
850
9700
Ahmedabad
6391
129
705
260*
7485


India: Holiday TripIndex


Destination
Hotel(`)
Taxi(`)
Dinner(`)
Cocktail(`)
Total(`)
Mahabaleshwar
8156.4
375
500
300
9331
Kochi
8337
250
370
260
9217
Andaman
6437.2
312.5
475
260
7485
Ooti
5359
337.5
500
200
6397
Matheran
4357
375
400
250
5382
Gangtok
4329.8
250
400
200
5180
Goa
4446.2
350
275
100
5171
Manali
4304
200
300
200
5004
Srinagar
4151
162.5
315
180
4809
Jaipur
4039
162.5
350
220
4772
Shillong
3459
375
435
350
4619
Darjeeling
3273
200
700
250
4423
Shimla
3612
175
365
260
4412
Nashik
3238.6
362.5
350
250
4201
Udaipur
3303
187.5
390
240
4121
Ladakh
3497
200
265
140
4102
Agra
3282
162.5
280
220
3945
Dharamsala
3183
212.5
280
200
3876

Notes to the Editor

·       TripIndex is a cost-comparison of a night out in popular cities around the world for summer 2012, taking into account typical costs for two people having a pre-meal cocktail, a meal out, taxis and a night in a hotel.
·       The destination list comprises key cities from 48 of the 50 countries with the largest number of international tourist arrivals (data compiled by the UNWTO).
·       Hotel prices shown specify the average per-night cost of a room at four-star hotels found on TripAdvisor (via partner booking sites such as online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers) in each destination for the summer travel period (1 June - 31 August 2012).
·       Dinner prices specify the average cost of a traditional or common two-course meal (starter and main course) for two people with a bottle of house white wine (prices averaged from three mid-range restaurants in each destination). 
·       Cocktail prices specify the average cost of two traditional dry martinis from a top-rated five-star hotel on TripAdvisor in each destination.
·       Taxi prices identify the approximate cost of two taxi journeys of two miles each (representing an evening’s return transportation).  Data was taken from local authorities, recognised taxi companies and/or travel experts on the area.
·      TripIndex prices (hotels excluded) were taken in local currencies between March and May 2012 and converted into INR on 29th May 2012.  Hotel prices were taken in USD on 8 May 2012 and converted into INR on 29th May 2012.
·      All prices shown exclude taxes and service fees except for countries where such costs are routinely included in listed prices
·       Mumbai prices are included in the International TripIndex list. The price index for the other 7 metropolitan cities of Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad is also based on the same basket of goods as described above. However, prices for these were taken in INR. *Ahmedabad being a dry state, the cost of a pre-meal drink for two is substituted by the price of 2 mocktails. The cost of a bottle of house white wine (part of the dinner cost) has also been replaced by the cost of 2 mocktails.

Holiday TripIndex

·       Holiday TripIndex is a cost-comparison of a night out in popular Indian holiday destinations, taking into account typical costs for two people having a pre-meal drink (alcoholic), a meal out, taxi and a night in a hotel.
·      The destination list is editorial based and comprises of popular tourist destinations from across India representing cities in the north, south, east, west and an union territory. 
·       Hotel prices shown specify the average per-night cost of a room at two/three-star hotels found on TripAdvisor (via partner booking sites such as online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers) in each destination for the summer travel period (1 June - 31 August 2012). 
·       Beverage prices specify the average cost of a pint (330ml) of domestic beer in a two/three-star hotel.  In case that price is not available, the average price is taken from three local mid-scale restaurants/bars at the destination.
·       Dinner prices specify the cost of a traditional shared meal including one portion of rice, vegetable and pulse in a two/three-star hotel. In destinations where this cost cannot be found, an average cost is taken from three local mid-scale restaurants.
·       Taxi prices identify the approximate cost of a two hour journey in each destination. Data was obtained from the local government or a large taxi company operating in the area. 
·        All prices shown exclude taxes and service fees except for where such costs might be included in listed prices. All prices were taken in INR.