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Assam is a beautiful state with many tribes and natural beauty. National parks with rich biodiversity and wildlife are major attractions for tourists. Exploring Majuli Island in the middle of the Brahmaputra river is an extraordinary episode if you are interested to meet the Mising tribe who are indigenous to the land and Brahmaputra. Satras hold a value of Assamese presence in the land. Don’t miss the weaving villages of Assam and bamboo crafts.

Sualkuchi village is not very far from Guwahati, the capital city of Assam. Sualkuchi is popular for silk handlooms. You may walk into any home to see a small-scale weaving factory in the backyard. In fact, each village home in Assam has a weaving machine and centuries of history in weaving.

6 days itinerary to explore Assam

To travel around Assam you may choose the cost-effective transport service with Aaradhya Travels at +91-7896505118.

Facts to notice

• Sunrise and sunset are too early for the IST timezone in North East and hence in Assam. Be prepared to wake up early and sleep early if you want to explore more places.
• India’s largest shaktipeeth Kamakya temple is located in the capital city of Assam.
• Majuli is the world’s oldest and largest inhabited river island. Majuli in missing tribal language is Centre/Middle.
• Sualkuchi is the world’s biggest weaving village.
• The one-horned rhinos are the world’s highest population in Kaziranga National park.
• Tea gardens are built in the British era. Assam is the world’s largest tea-growing state. Jorhat is India’s tea capital.
• Assamese food is tasty, but they don’t make curd. Be prepared to eat local food without having curd.
• They weave beautiful handlooms and make bamboo crafts. Make sure to explore the local shops.

Journey of an artist

The word “Art” is an ocean. There are endless things in it like singing, dancing, writing, speaking, teaching, drawing, painting, carving, building, etc. I have been making micro-miniature paintings for the past 20 years. I can write more than 300 letters of text on a single rice grain. I can also write on a 0.4 mm white hair says Sudarshan Pareek. A prominent artist from the Kishangarh district of Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. He further adds, my father, is a passionate artist and a teacher. He taught me family art predominantly to continue the lineage. Every day I am learning something new under his guidance. He is my inspiration throughout.

My father was a well-known teacher in a popular Kishangarh art school. He trained and inspired me to become a micro-miniature artist since childhood. I am the third-generation miniature artist in the family. My grandfather was the first artist in the family who made many Pichwai paintings on cloth.

History of miniature painting

Let me explain to you the history of miniature art. Paintings are used as wall decors to express emotions, energy, significance, a symbol of culture & heritage. The history of painting is as deep as human civilization. Today’s Indian paintings are defined by time and the School of inheritance. For Eg, Mughal painting, Kangra painting, Phari, Mandla art, etc.

In Rajasthani paintings, there were five major schools of Art. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bundi, and Kishangarh. The schools were different based on colors, figures, and themes. The history of the present Kishangarh painting started in the 17th century at the period of Raja Sawant Singh (1748 – 1764). He was a devotee of Lord Krishna. Bani Thani the mistress of Raja Sawant Singh was also a poet and a singer. Her portrait is a well-known painting in the history of Indian miniature. Savant Singh wrote many poems under the name of Nagri Das addressing Lord Krishna.

Artist Nihal Chand and Artist Surjdhar Nangram were the famous artists of Kishangarh art school in his period. A group of Indian miniature paintings attributed to Nihal Chand from the Marwar school of Kishangarh shows Krishna and Radha, using the same models, who were assumed to be Sawant Singh and Bani Thani.

How a family adopted art as an ansestory

My Grandfather’s Father was a cashier at the fort of Kishangarh. He was on good terms with the King back in the 18th century. Hence the king granted permission for my grandfather to join the art school. My grandfather made many paintings from the religious poetic books related to Lord Krishna. He himself taught the art to my father professionally to become an art teacher.

My father sold many of his artwork and the paintings of his students’ in Jaipur, Delhi, and Mumbai art galleries. He made me realize that symbolic paintings are more popular than religious paintings. Symbolic paintings are very fine and detailed in small and medium-sized paper hence are very much appreciated by the people.

A miniature painting differs with micro miniature painting

As you know, during the 16th and 17th century the paintings were made in different sizes. 6 feet ×10 feet,  6×8 sq ft, 8×12 sq ft, 6×4 sq ft, 3×4 sq ft, 2×3 sq ft, and smallest size used to be 1.5×2 sq ft. These paintings were used for the decorations of a wall as a background. Hence these are called Pichwai paintings.

The theme of the paintings was mostly related to the stories of Lord Krishna.1n the 19th century, they decided to make smaller paintings using the same theme. The whole Pichwai can not be made small. They experimented with the part of Pichwai to convert it into smaller-sized paintings. These smaller-sized paintings are called miniature paintings. The miniature was being created because of the demand of the people.  They were easy to carry, transport, less maintenance, and minimum expenses on framing. 

As I am a micro-miniature artist, I transmitted the whole miniature painting into the smallest possible size, including fine minute details that can be seen in the paintings only with a magnifying lens or zooming in. The cost of these paintings depends on several factors: 1) the time consumed by the artist to make a piece, 2) the cost of the materials used, 3) the cost of colors and 4) the magnitude of the detail that the painting carries. Miniature paintings can be painted as a wall painting also can be minimized the size into the macro with minute details.

Impact of current crisis on life of artisans

I have been working as a micro-miniature artist since August 1998 after completion of my graduation in science and mathematics. Because art is my passion. Before the pandemic, our work was going smoothly. We make paintings in groups. There are women artisans from different households who work along with me. We make various miniature art to sell including micro-miniature paintings, artwork on grains, and many more.

We all are solely dependent on artwork for our daily bread and butter. We mainly depend on tourism. Hence we are suffering to sell our work during the pandemic as lack of tourists visiting our place says Sudarshan Pareek. Many in the state are leaving their passion and finding a new job that pays for their daily needs.

Please check our online store for authentic handmade Rajasthani miniature art and many more. https://www.sanchaari.com/product-category/online-store/rajasthanminiaturepaintings/

Artist & Narrator: Sudarshan Pareek

However I must admit we never got a chance to experience the darkness during our stay in Alaska. Night was short in the summer. Short to an extent one can expect a sunset by 2 am and the sunrise by 3 am. 

The pink light after the sunset and a golden light before sunrise vanishes the darkness of the shortest nights during summer. The night is a nightmare in summer and visa-versa for sunlight during the winter. Thanks to the Arctic circle for creating such extreme weather in the region. 

We hiked mountains until 1 AM, climbed glaciers, kayaked lakes, went on a cruise trip in the Pacific ocean, watched dancing dolphins, sea lions resting on the shores, said “Hi” to the MOSES, BROWN BEAR, BLACK BEAR in the wilderness. Alaska was a dream come true trip.

Icy mountains, calving glaciers, light blue ocean, dark green transparent lakes, lush green forests, and wilderness is what Alaska stands among the best to experience. 

An encounter with black bears

We were driving from Seward to Anchorage. We stopped at the random place to check for kayaking. It was bear lake. We rented kayaks for an hour and went into the lake for Kayaking. 

Blue crystal clear water surrounded with mountains one side and think green forest on the other end. We were happily kayaking in those picturesque landscape. After returning the kayaks, we decided to explore the place a little more. 

My companions decided to run around the lake and I stopped for photography. The Bank of the lake was rich with various wildflowers. During the course of my photography, I exited the trail and unknowingly I separated from the group in the middle of the jungle. When I realized I left alone, I went in on roaming around the lake searching for my friends.

Think forest leaving no clue. At one point the path split into two walkways, one goes deep inside the jungle and another around the lake. I was confused, which possible way they might have chosen to run?

I decided to go further a bit in case if they are still waiting for me. I stopped by the scratching noise from the distance. A big black bear and two babies bear eating lunch. I smelled the danger, recalled the safety measures. I absolutely had no safety gear. I decided to turn back and started walking back slowly. 

Meantime it was almost 2 hours I got lost. Before realizing the presence of Bears, I was even chilling and happily enjoying me-time. Sat on the shores of the lake midways to enjoy the serenity with the lovely site. It was so peaceful that I forgot the absence of other people and never sensed any danger. 

Meanwhile two of my friends started searching for me. By the time I went back, they were on the way back to give another attempt before approaching to cops for filing a missing complaint. 

It was hilariously scary after I learned more about how dangerous to get inside these jungles without a preparation and a bear spray. Even experts suggests to go with the group. I was unconsciously adventurous enough to enter into the Alaskan jungle alone. And spent almost two hours roaming inside, yet I am glad to be safe and alive.

How to plan a trip to Alaska

Alaska is huge. It holds 8 huge national parks. Which makes Alaska as the 2nd highest in United States. Many national parks are easily accessible from Anchorage. However few national parks near Juneau are richest in wilderness. 

Alaska offers different tours in various seasons. People visit in winters mainly to watch northern lights. Traveling by road to most of the destinations in winter is merely impossible. But one can explore Alaska in winter by its train routes. 

Aurora Hunting

Aurora winter train over the weekends from Anchorage to Fairbanks is the best to witness the northern lights. Fairbanks is so ideal to watch northern lights. 

Aurora hunters and photographers often chose the northern part of the Fairbanks as the Auroral oval zone is concentrated in the location makes aurora activity rich in winter. Low storms and far away from coastal makes it exemplary to watch the dance of colorful lights during winters.

Road trips

Anchorage is an adequate airport to land for a road trip. We stayed in a campground in Denali. We chose to stay in a traveler’s hostel for the rest of the places. Few of these places are must-visit during the road trip.

Denali National Park & Preserve – North to Anchorage, almost four hours drive to reach beautiful and popular Denali national park. Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest mountain in the park is a must-visit destination.

The Park office conducts tours for several places inside the park and a tour bus leaves at certain timings. Better to book the campground well in advance. Check the places to hike, guided tours & timings, and campground info on the national park website.

Kenai Peninsula – South of Anchorage there are beautiful glaciers, ice fields, lakes, ocean, and picturesque landscapes. Some popular destinations in Kenai Peninsula are Portage Glacier, Matanuska Glacier, Kenai Fjords national park, Homer, and many more. Matanuska is best for ice climbing.

People often visit Valdez for Kayaking and many different adventurous activities.

Cruise trips

Kenai Fjords offers many activities like one-day cruise trips, kayaking in the sea, ice climbing, etc. The day cruise trips take us all the way to the edge of Harding Icefield where we can witness beautiful glacier calving. Harding Icefield is a huge ice field that feeds many glaciers. Kenai Fjords offers various cruise trips so that one can choose the best up to their expectation.

Ice climbing

I hiked to Harding ice-field trail to ice climb on Exit Glacier. Walking on glaciers is an experience of traveling back in time. The hard ice underneath our feet may be clotted thousands of years ago.

Such ice calve into the sea in bits and pieces every day. We can witness huge icebergs in the ocean near the ice field and glaciers. That was an exciting phenomenon to watch during our cruise trip. Ice climbing needs the preparation and the help of an expert. The climbing gears can be rented in adventure camps from Seward.

Tips to travel Alaska

Alaska is really vast. Make sure to prioritize your do’s and don’ts before visiting Alaska. The best season to visit Alaska is summer. The hotels are quite expensive in the season. We preferred to book travelers hostels and campgrounds during our visit.

1. To avail of national park tour services, cruise trips, and any adventure activities, it’s best to make reservations well in advance before your arrival.
2. It takes a long time to reach Alaska and travel to different destinations in Alaska. As there aren’t many routes to choose from. If you are planning to use the train, make sure to confirm the schedule.
3. Book your stay well in advance if you are traveling in Summer. Even campgrounds are crowded during busy long weekends in summer. Many places close during winters, hence contact them well in advance and confirm your stay before reaching the destination.
4. Travelers hostels are best for budget travel. Anchorage, Seward, Talkeetna, and many other towns offer good travelers hostels. Even remote places in Alaska provide shared cottages for budget travelers.
5. Buying an Alaska Toursaver book is the best way to save money on tours and attractions. The book offers many deals for two people. Hence it is ideal for a couple. The $100 book saves half the price in public transport, cruise trips and many activities for 2 people.
6. It rains during the summer. Be prepared to face the rain and cold on top of mountains and in the evening.
7. If you are planning to hike, expect to encounter wildlife and be prepared with safety gear. Carry bear spray when hiking. Better to hike with a group.

I born in the western ghat region of southwest India. I grew up seeing heavy thrumming rain for weeks in the rainy season. Roads were skidding to walk. Schools were shut for days. Male frogs croaking all night to attract a mate disturbed my sleep.

A small pond along the road filled with muddy water sometimes floods and crosses the road. A small canal next to the road and in the areca farm has flowing water throughout winter until the summer.

This looked like a tale eventually after I moved to Bangalore and started visiting my village occasionally. The weather changed drastically in the malnad region. The land started hitting draught. In some villages, people see the bare wells which were full of water less than a decade ago.

Absorption pits and trenches of Hosahalli

Hosahalli is a small village in southwest India. Located in the Shivamogga district, the village had plenty of natural water supply. Springwater coming from the hills would suffice the daily needs for home and agriculture.

Villagers dug well not too deep whilst found the water at a very surface level. The village started suffering from the water crisis 5 years ago. The underground water level was going low.

Sensible villagers took immediate measures to recharge the underground water. They thought through possible solutions to natural rainwater harvesting which helped to build a sustainable village.

I am glad to chat with Jitendra Hindumane from Hosahalli village. Who voluntarily started the campaign in the year 2016. That helped not only Hosahalli but also neighboring villages to recharge the groundwater supply.

Let us listen to the story of the water warriors of Hosahalli. How they built a sustainable model village within 2 years is an eye-opener tale.

Me: What do you think is the reason behind the drastic water crisis in the western ghat region?

Jithendra: Well, Deforestation is the main reason for drought hitting badly in the region. Also several other factors in consideration. The paddy fields were acting as natural absorption pits. These days most of the rice fields converted into Areca farms which absorb massive groundwater.

Converting the paddy fields into Ginger farm is another cause of the water crisis. 10-15 years ago there was no concept of bore wells. Usually, farmers utilized flowing water in the creeks or open wells or lakes as the main source of water supply for cultivation.

Ginger farmers started digging bore wells more than 90 -100 feet deep into the earth. Such bore wells eventually lowered the groundwater level. What we are dealing with now is a man-made disaster.

Me: When did the Villagers realize the lack of underground water supply? How did you start the absorption pit campaign?

Jithendra: During the years 2016 – 2017, the rainy season was ephemeral. We started facing a crisis of drinking water. In the western ghat region, we farmers depend on the flowing water and an open well for a water supply.

We solely depended on the seasonal rain to fill these water sources. Once the summer starts at the end of February or in March we expect Thunderstorms that fulfilled our water supply every year.

When we started facing an early catastrophe in 2016, I started thinking of possible ways to overcome the problem. I heard and read about absorption pits in the past. A writer Shree Padre wrote comprehensive articles about the absorption trench and pits around various parts of the country.

As I followed his idea for a long time, I gave it a thought and approached one of my friends Aruna. We discussed the consequences thoroughly and decided to spread the idea of digging absorption pits to other villagers.

We also included youth of a similar outlook from a neighboring village Hamsagaaru. We were 6 dedicated warriors who agreed to try. We decided to start the movement quickly and each of us choose to invest a small portion of the money as an initial funding.

In the morning we started working on digging the trench by hiring a JCB. In the evening we visited other villagers, convince them for funding our campaign. We collected plenty of money Rs 180,000 during the first year to dig 16-18 absorption pits of a bigger size.

Me: What kind of landscape do you chose to dig such absorption pits and trenches?

Jithendra: Our region is surrounded by small hills. Usually, the base of the mounts can absorb water without even wasting a small drop. We opted for 20 to 30-acres of the valley to dig the huge pit.

That’s how all the rainwater from the top of those hills can be collected in one place. Excess water due to heavy rain can flow out of the pit. Hence we never faced land sliding. We also dug small to medium trenches on the slides of the hills.

Me: Each region has different landscapes. How to ensure digging excess pits may not cause land sliding or any other disaster?

Jithendra: It is necessary to make sure the pits are suitable for our region. There is a high possibility of land sliding if we delve deep on the bare mounts which don’t have trees. In such scenarios, we must opt for the base of the mounds to dig big pits before the water flows into the creek.

A trench is a better option for steep hills. Always a great idea to dig big pits on the base of the hills, or somewhere next to the roads on flat land. We can even convert the small roadside canals and drainages into an absorption pit. But regular maintenance needed for such pits as they may easily get deposited by slits.

Me: How did you guys manage to maintain the forests?

Jithendra: During the years 1990-1991, me and one of my friend decided to convince the villagers to plant 4 fruit trees each per home. There were 30 homes in the village at that time. Everyone was ready to cooperate. During those years we planted approximately 120 trees in a row.

Later one of our villagers Lakshinaraayana took care of all the plants on behalf of the village. He planted more trees in memory of his father who died in the same year. Those trees are now flourished with flowers and fruits all across the streets of our village.

When we started the absorption pit campaign in 2017, we purchased around 2000 various local plants from the forest department. We made sure that species are easily adjusted to our terrain. We planted those trees on the hills where we were digging trenches.

Each year we are planting around 500 – 1000 such plants on average. We are taking care of those plants on a regular basis. After 2 years few folks from the nearest town and folks working in the IT sector in Bengaluru started volunteering for the campaign. They would come over the weekend to help us. Success is a combined effort of all.

Me: How do you think the administration can support such campaigns?

Jithendra: Government must invest some budget on building sustainable villages. In fact, that’s the necessity in the current situation. Every year they can adopt few villages in each district and enforce planting trees and dig ponds for rainwater harvesting.

They must allocate funds to each gram panchayat to maintain such campaigns and make sure effort is not wasted. They can form a committee to inspect each such village that was the beneficiary of the campaign on yearly basis. And conduct an inquiry if gram panchayat is not acting to utilize the budget properly.

There is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment act. Each gram panchayat must utilize the manpower who are beneficiaries of such scheme to build and maintain the sustainable village.

I reached the farm on a chilling winter morning at 5.45 am. The owner was waiting for me to arrive so that he can start moving the honey hives.

He was moving all the honey hives to an organic farm nearby. Their honey farm was getting ready for a fall bee fair. He was concerned that bees get disturbed by the unexpected crowd that arrives at the fair. I had a very interesting conversation with him regarding honey farming and the impact of modern agriculture on bee farming.

A conversation with a Honey Farmer

Me: How do you think honey farming is a way of sustainable farming?

Hunter’s: Organic beekeeping is a way of sustainable honey farming. We keep honey hives around our house. The natural forest around offers them fresh and pure nectar. They mainly depend on the wilderness. However, dependency on wilderness in Indiana is purely seasonal as we get a lot of snow.

We in our honey farm not only produce honey but also make and sell different products like Candies, juice, moisturizing creams, soap, lip balm from the honey, and the honey wax we extract. You will see those products in our shop. These alternate products help us run the business along with honey.

Me: What other options you choose for a nectar to produce organic honey?

Hunter’s: Usually farmers do honey farming as alternative farming along with growing main agricultural products. Farming in most parts of the USA is commercialized and small-scale farmers have to rely on such alternatives too. I am mainly driving now to keep honey hives on an organic farm because a friend of mine who owns this land never uses any chemicals. She uses heirloom seeds and avoids any GMO. She also does not use any chemical fertilizers on land and spray any pesticides. That makes it easy for bees to get organic nectar and produce organic honey.

Me: Why do you think honey farming is important?

Hunter’s: Ah, There are several aspects to it.

1. Health: Honey is a healthy alternative for sugar. It has many medicinal values, which makes it way more special among all the sweets. This is one such healthy natural sweetener.
2. Agriculture: Bees act as crop pollinators which increases productivity. Many crops we grow are dependent on bees for pollination and reproduction. To grow the quality and quality of food, bees are really important mediators.
3. Bees: Because of global warming and pesticide usage in agriculture, the bee count is impacting more than what we thought. Although we can’t keep all species of bees for honey farming. It is important to save bees to have a balance in the environment. Be it agriculture or wilderness, bees have an important duty to do as one of the crucial pollinators.

Me: I would like to know about the bee’s world. Could you explain to me how they live and reproduce?

Hunter’s: Bee’s world is a really interesting one. They are very hard workers. They allocate their duties according to their roles. There will be only one queen bee in the entire hive. Once you see the size of a queen bee, you can recognize she is the queen of a hive. She is usually longer than all other bees. You may also see many worker bees surrounding her on continuous service.

All these worker bees are females, they act as a servant to the queen. There are hundreds of male bees, their sole purpose is to mate with the queen and the queen will only lay eggs. They all live in colonies. They build beautiful hexagonal honeycomb to lay eggs and store honey. Their architecture is way more calculative and mathematical. They have separate sections for worker bees and male drone bees.

These worker bees act as pollinators. They carry pollen and store it in the wax to produce honey. As a honey farmer, we should not suppose to extract all the honey which eventually end up making bees starving. Hence we usually keep honey to save them for winters and extract the excess honey.

Me: Are these worker bees dedicated to one queen?

Hunter’s: Yes, they are very loyal to the queen, and that’s how they make the colony alive and keep going.

Honey farm tour

Later Hunter’s took me on a tour and showed me the entire process to extract honey. They opened a hive and demonstrated the construction of colonies and how bees are working together to produce honey.

Hunter’s honey farm sustained for over 100 years by producing organic honey. They conduct fall festivals to demonstrate and sell their products. They give a lot of recipes made with honey which is healthy and tasty. They sell more than 10 different honey made up of different wildflowers and produced in different seasons.

They conduct tours and show interesting facts about beekeeping. Their farm & shop in Martinsville Indiana is the right place for a day visit from Indianapolis and offers a lot of bee products.

How to reach Karnataka

If you are an international traveler and traveling by air, Bangalore International airport is the best port of entry. If you are already in India and traveling from a different state and choose to travel by road, you may check the following websites.

Make My Trip – For booking flight/train/buses, hotel booking and many more

Indian Railway – Travel by train anywhere in India.

Red Bus – Travel by bus from neighboring states.

The Green route

Green Route is one of the best train routes in monsoon season. The train ‘Ypr Karwar Express’ runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from Bangalore to Karwar. Journey gets scenic after Sakaleshpur as the train passes beautiful mountains and 57 tunnels across the Western Ghat.

1st Stop – Hassan

One can plan in a way to reach Hassan by bus as the scenic route starts after Hassan. There are historic monuments and natural beauty around Hassan. Hence it is worth spending at least 2 days in Hassan unless you want to hike the mountains around.

On the way to Hassan from Bangalore, you may spend a day in Shravanabelagola. 60 km from Hassan, this is a popular Jain pilgrimage and named among one of the Best heritage sites from UNI. The world-famous Gommateshwara statue is on top of the Vindyagiri Hill. This is probably the best barefoot hike on steps early in the morning as footwears are not allowed.

There are two UNESCO heritage historic temples built by the Hoysala dynasty.

• Belur – 38 km from Hassan provides easy reach by bus. There are frequent buses from Hassan to Belur every half an hour.
• Halebidu – 32 km from Hassan provides easy reach by bus. There are frequent buses from Hassan to Halebidu every half an hour.

There are frequent buses from Belur to Halebidu and visa versa.

2nd Stop – Sakleshpur

There are sightseeing and hiking places around Sakaleshpur. It is worth to spend a day in Sakleshpur or make a commute from Hassan to Sakleshpur for a day trip. The 2 best sightseeings are Kadamade tea estate and Manjarabad fort. There are limited buses to Kadamane estate. Hence one should plan according to the bus timings unless you hire a taxi. Kadamane estate provides a nice tour to the tea factory.

3rd Stop – Mangalore

It is one of the best train journeys on the Green route from Sakleshpur to Kukke Subramanya in monsoon. From Sakaleshpur, the train travels across Western Ghat and crosses 57 tunnels. Thrumming rain with green foggy mountains around makes the journey contented. One could spend a day in Kukke Subramanya if you are interested to visit the temple.

Otherwise, there are beautiful beaches around Mangalore. Tannirbhavi beach and Panambur beach are pretty close. There are many pilgrimages including Dharmasthala which are easy to commute from Mangalore.

Konkan Railway

The beauty of Coastal Karnataka starts from Mangalore. Konkan railway connects Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa. The Green route connects the Konkan Railway from Mangalore. Konkan railway goes across the Arabian sea. There are multiple trains everyday runs in this route.

Coastal Karnataka is famous for unique food and cultural affairs. Dance forms like Yakshagana, Huli Kunita (Dance in tiger costume), Bhuta Kola, etc. are some of the unique cultural performances in special seasonal events. Kambala (buffalo race on wet paddy fields) in monsoon before farming is the yearly event demonstrated by farmers.

4th Stop – Udupi

Udupi is famous for the ancient Krishna temple. However, the place is also near to Malpe beach where you could get a ferry to visit St Mary ‘s Island. There are other small Islands where few cultural events take place near Kundapur. Shringeri, Agumbe are day trips from Udupi.

5th Stop – Murudeshwar

A beautiful beach, temples and a huge Shiva statue is what Murudeshwar is famous for. It is on the way to Gokarna, hence worth stopping to check if you would like to visit pilgrimage. Half a day must be sufficient on the way to Gokarna.

6th Stop – Kumta

Kumta and Honnavar have two beautiful rivers Sharavathi and Aghanashini. A mix of western ghat and Arabian ocean and a combination of various cultures makes Kumta an obvious beauty. There is a tribe called Haalakki that resides around the area follows the unique lifestyle. Kumta has a beautiful riverfront along with mountains in the background as well as peaceful beaches.

7th Stop – Gokarna

Om beach and half-moon beach in Gokarna is famous for recreation. Many international tourists visit every year to do yoga and relax on the beachside. There are yoga schools and good resorts as well as temples in Gokarna.

8th Stop – Karwar

There are beautiful clean beaches to watch the sunset and do several activities in Karwar. Karwar is also famous for seafood. Since it is boarder to Karnataka and Goa, it attracts tourists and conducts many events on the seashore. Kali river garden in Karwar offers many outdoor activities including water sports and camping. Karwar is easy to commute to Goa by road on Konkan railways or by bus.

You might be interested in other articles How to solo travel India and 7 obvious reasons to travel across India.

Sebastian is a young student from South America who accompanied me in Rajasthan. He took a break from grad school to travel the world. He is interested to experience the vital aspects of different cultures, art, dance, and music. He revealed his secrets to pleasurably survive in India as a tourist. He experimented with various ways to make his travel easy while experiencing the culture at its best. He tried Workaway in various parts of India, and he was happy to disclose his experience for Sanchaari.

An Interview with Seb – A Workaway experience in India

Me: What is Workaway? How to use it while Traveling?

Seb: Well, for what I know it is is a volunteering network. Travelers can stay for free and work for a certain duration.

To experience the culture and different things of interest, travelers find a host through the Workaway website. They can use it to find free accommodation with food in exchange for skills, energy, with the attitude of offering help to the host with their daily chores like cooking, farming, painting, etc.

Me: How Workaway is budget-friendly and help solo travelers?

Seb: Well, what I experienced Workaway is really worthy. I stayed in India for the past 3 months. I would have to spend almost €5000 for staying in decent hotels and eating healthy, which is quite a lot of money. Workasway allows one to stay for free along with home-cooked free food for weeks and months. That is a lot more comfortable with cultural exchange while traveling.

Me: Could you please share your experience as a guest through Workaway in India?

Seb: I stayed on a farm in Andra Pradesh which was incredible. After getting out of the big cities and experienced the village culture, I discovered for the first time how beautiful the countryside of India is. People in rural areas and their culture are very pure. It was the right time for farming around India and I helped them in fields.

I did the same with family in Wayanad, Kerala. I spent 2 weeks with the family in the middle of a lush green rainforest. Working with cows on the farm was a great experience. The family treated me with a lot of facilities that were comfortable enough.

To another extreme, working in the desert of Jaisalmer-Rajasthan was hard. Working 7-8 hours a day was quite unusual, we used to sleep under the sky without a roof outside of the house. But it helped me to understand how difficult the life of a farmer in such areas.

Me: Is India has good Workaway community?

Seb: Well, In my own experience I did it only in India. I tried in Nepal, but they charged me for it, hence it was not a good experience there. My experience in India was really nice because one could find a lot of farming stuff, schools that need teachers for some time, hosts also are hotels need help for painting and building websites. These are very common hosts in India, but there are also families who are hosting travelers just for cultural exchange. I am really impressed with the communities in India which are amazingly open for the cultural exchange.

Me: Do travelers need to adjust the schedule based on volunteering programs?

Seb: It depends on how the person is planning and how they want to travel. I was traveling without any plan. But I had the pressure to leave the country within 90 days as I got 90 days visa. Hence I could not do any long term Workaway for months together at the same place. If one does not have visa limitations and no specific plans and open to cultural exchange, one should not have to adjust their schedule. There are people who are traveling for years who do not have any pressure to leave the county upon visa expiry. Such travelers thoroughly enjoy such volunteering programs.

Me: The places you stayed belongs to an organization or an individual?

Seb: The first place I stayed belonged to an organization that was helping farmers on biowaste management. They placed volunteers in a few villages to help farmers. Workaway has many such registered organizations who entertain international volunteers. There are also individual families that host travelers.

Me: Do you need to sign any agreement or commit for a certain duration while signing up to work for the owner?

Seb: First of all you are not working for anyone, hence there is no agreement. You are a volunteer. If you do not like the place/you felt uncomfortable/you encounter any problems, you may leave anytime. Of course, while requesting the host, you request with certain duration. But there is no harm if you leave before completing the requested duration.

Me: How to verify whether the host is authentic?

Seb: Technically all the profiles should be authentic. Workaway verifies and makes sure hosting communities are worthy to be displayed. You need to filter the hosts based on your interest, what you want to help or learn, what kind of place you prefer to stay etc.

Me: I heard a few complaints like hosts harassed/discriminated guests based on culture/race. How do you make sure you have a hassle-free stay??

Seb: I didn’t face it in India as I am a foreigner with a white skin tone :-). Rather hosts were very respectful and cool.

Me: Do you get to travel while volunteering on Workaway?

Seb: That depends, I had various experiences in different places. The farm in Jaisalmer, I was working 7-8 hours did not entertain to travel much. However, in other places, I did get a chance to visit places and check around.

Me: Share some of your unique learning.

Seb: I would tell you one experience in Jaisalmer. That was a very short stay, I was volunteering for 5 days on a farm in Jaisalmer. That was really interesting how people live in that part of India. They were living almost without anything. We were sleeping outside the building because we had no place inside to sleep. We were showering without the buckets. If we had to go to a toilet, we had to go to a tree.

This is how they live. It is interesting to do it for a week. But they do it throughout their life. The culture is very deep there. Caste discrimination is still alive and dominant. They don’t have a good relationship with people from another caste. I observed them saying: Oh, Be careful with this lower caste people, don’t even drink a chai with him, etc.

Religion is still being a problem in the country. It is not easy to see caste discrimination in bigger cities. If you go to Wayanad or Andrapradesh or Goa or Rajasthan, the culture is totally different and unique. Language is unique to the state. I am amazed by the diversity.

If you are still finding easy/cheap ways to travel to India without volunteering, CouchSurfing is another option. If you are still skeptical about why to travel India, my article 7 reasons to travel across India might answer your questions.

1. The state has got historic cities, forts, and palaces built from different dynasties.
2. Kumbhalgarh fort on Aravali mountain ranges near Udaipur is 2nd largest wall in the world after the Great wall of China.
3. Jaipur has an ancient observatory Jantar Mantar built by Jai Singh. Jantar Mantar is the 18th Century observatory which is still functioning and has been tested thoroughly.
4. Sawai Jai Singh was king of Mewar in the 18th century who was also the founder of Jaipur. King was highly learned and known for his unique Nobel qualities among his peers. He conducted research in Astronomy and astrology, built observatories in his time. He was also a great photographer.
5. Sawai Jai Singh’s grandson, Sawai Pratap Singh built the Hawa Mahal, which is one of the popular tourist attractions in Pink city. Hawa Mahal is also known as Wind Palace. The exterior designed with 953 small windows in the structure of bee-hive, which maintains the wind keeps the palace cool in extreme summer.
6. There is Krishna-Meera Temple in Amer, which is one and the only temple for Lord Krishna and his devotee Meera. Meerabai was a poet and mystic who was born in a Rajasthani royal family.
7. There is one and only Brahma temple in the world located in Pushkar, Rajasthan.
8. Rajasthan is most famous for handmade art and Craft. You could see traditional art made using natural colors without using chemicals. Descendants of royal artists still continue the lineage of family art and craft. I am glad to interview some of them during my visit. Rajasthani miniature paintings, wood inlay or Takashi craft, a wooden craft in miniature art, Pichwai paintings, a devotional painting based on the stories of Lord Krishna.
9. Rajasthani hand-carved pieces of jewelry are famous in the world.
10. Hand-blocked prints on cloths from Sanganer near Jaipur has got its unique perspective to reveal the culture. I was delighted to shoot the Block printing process in Bhagat Fabrics, Sanganer-Rajasthan.
11. Rajasthani buttermilk with Dal-Baati-Choorma and Roti with Aloo-Pyaz are the popular meals in most of the local restaurants.

How to plan a solo trip to Rajasthan?

Rajasthan is huge, it has got various landscapes, culture, art, and architecture. Planning a trip to Rajasthan is not everyone’s cup of cake. Many just think that the whole Rajasthan is dessert. In fact, it is not. The countryside of Rajasthan is not yet developed. But important tourist destinations are partially well maintained.

Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaiselmer, Bikaner, Barmer, Jhunjhunu are the most popular destinations. Before planning for a visit, you may have to list out your priorities. Each part of Rajasthan offers various things to visitors. You may need to stay at least 4-5 days in one place to visit decent cites. If you prefer to visit all the possible attractions around the area, you may need at least 10 days in one place.

Traveling from one place to another is time-consuming in Rajasthan. Places like Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Bikaner does not have direct public transportation from major tourist spots like Jaipur/Udaypur. That makes your travel either pricy or time-consuming.

You will get travelers hostels in popular destinations for a decent price. I stayed in a hostel in Udaypur Eltravo which was in the center of the city and walkable to City Palace, Lake Palace, Lake Pichola, Gangaur Ghat and many more. This is the Eltravo Facebook page. It was a blast staying in this beautiful hostel Hostelavie in Pushkar. Just behind the lake and very near to the market, they offer yummy meals in the restaurant. CouchSurfing community across Rajasthan offers a travel-friendly environment.

Check my articles: 13 Best Ways to Travel Like Local in India to use CouchSurfing in India. How to Travel Solo as a Woman in India for tips and tricks to travel India alone.

Experience of CouchSurfing varies depending on the country and region. I was glad to experience the best out of it during my travel to Jaipur, India.

How to be a good CouchSurfing guest

1. Join the CouchSurfing community and create your profile. Make sure to upload your “real” photo and write as many details as possible in all the sections.
2. While building your profile, clearly mention your interests, what you can offer as a guest. If you are traveling with a mission, clearly mention it and provide the link for your website/channel/social network.
3. Be a verified member for better chances to find a host.
4. It would be great if you already have some references, else attend local CouchSurfing events, meet people and get as many references as possible.
5. India has people of varied mindset. As I observed, few use CouchSurfing just like any dating app. When I posted a public trip to Haridwar, many men from several parts of India offered to host me. Later on, I realized, there are users who don’t understand the motto of CouchSurfing. I started being picky and read each profile before sending a request to the host. That way I got wonderful hosts who made my stay comfortable and memorable. Hence I would suggest, be careful while choosing your host in India. Read the host profile thoroughly and send a request if you are convinced that the profile is genuine.
6. Choose the host who has genuine references. Read the references before you place a request. If needed ask for professional/social network details and website details.
7. It is important the way you write requests. Choose an accurate “From” and “To” date. If you are not sure about the exact date, choose a tentative date and mention in your message that your dates might move a bit according to your plan and arrival.
8. It is a must to write a message in detail which is convincing enough for the host. Mention what do you find interesting in the host’s profile and why do you want to choose them. By hosting you, what kind of experience you offer them.
9. If you are traveling with a pet/Kids, mention in advance. Some hosts may not be pet-friendly or kids-friendly. If you are a smoker, make sure to ask whether they are comfortable hosting a smoker. Same with meat, many Indians are religious and they may not encourage you to cook or eat a non-vegetarian meal while staying with them.
10. Before the move-in date, be communicative and discuss your plans. Inform them what time you are going to arrive etc..
11. Be mindful of the property and surroundings. If they offer food, taste it. Indians consider guests as gods. If you are going to stay with a family, you may meet generous people who would love to feed you, they may offer food and force you to have it. Be generous and understand they are not being pushy or rude. It is their custom, that’s how they grew up.
12. CouchSurfing is the best way to know local places that normal tourists do not visit. Apart from tourist attractions, your host may suggest you some beautiful local sites, eat in some good restaurants or accompany you. Make sure to ask for suggestions and involve them in your plans.
13. Try to understand their culture, background, interest, etc.. and share yours. If you are a good cook and they are open to taste your meal, then cook them a meal or offer a dine out and pay for it. It is not mandatory, but a nice way to be thankful for their help.

How to find travel-mates using CouchSurfing

Traveling is not always cheap. In some areas you may have to book an expensive taxi or simply having a partner may give you perks. If you are traveling solo, meeting a fellow traveler excites you. CouchSurfing is the best way to find a travel mate. You may post a public trip mentioning you are looking for a travel mate based on your reason. Else simply search for travelers in the current location. CouchSurfing shows you travelers who are visiting the place at the same time as yours. Based on your requirements, you may opt for a traveler or group of travelers for a meet-up.

Does CouchSurfing helps to simply hang out with locals or travelers

CouchSurfing offers “Hangouts” functionality in the app. You may find people who are ready to hangout. Add yourself as available to hang out and people may find you and approach you.

If you are still figuring out reasons to visit India, my article 7 obvious reasons to travel across India may help you. You may be interested to read the Workaway experiences of a solo traveler.

1. Rich history and architecture

India’s rich history begins with the Indus valley civilization, which is one of the oldest civilizations. Since then various generations contributed literature, architecture, art and many more including Vedas that sets aside India in must travel list.

What you could expect in terms of History

Ancient temples

India’s immense ancient temples which built 1000’s of years ago demonstrate beautiful yet astonishing architecture. Some of them are UNESCO heritage sites. Few temples got ruined because of Greek and Islamic attacks over the centuries. But yet beautiful ruins one could visit and feel the ambiance and travel back in history. Many are still in good condition and some of them are wonders in terms of the way they built.

Buddhist monasteries

Buddhist monasteries mostly concentrated in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh that reveal Buddhist culture, art, and architecture. I visited a few popular ones during my trip to Leh-Ladakh.

Indo Islamic architecture

India was ruled by Sulthan’s, Mughals and many other dynasties who inherited from Persia. They bought Persian artists who later built many monuments in Indo-Islamic architecture. Taj Mahal is such contributions including many on the list.

Forts and palaces

India was ruled by various kings in different regions. They built beautiful palaces that show their pride. They also built forts to secure their kingdom, those are well preserved and open for tourists.

2. Experience a diverse culture

The unique aspect of India is “Unity in Diversity”. When you travel 50 miles in diameter, you could sense the difference in the behavioral pattern of people, food, languages or slangs, local ethnic wear(except in the modern world), festivals, rituals, etc. There are 22 major languages and many more regional languages and slangs across India. If you have fun with finding the difference in dialects, India is the best destination and you must book your tickets now.

3. Taste a variety of food

Who doesn’t want to eat yummy meals during the travel?? Each and every corner of India cooks a variety of food every day. Mouthwatering spicy cuisines most people crave for around the world are available everywhere in India. Ethnic food differs in different regions of India. Pack your bags to taste it and let me know your favorite.

4. Feel the monsoon

Most parts of India flourishes with lush green mountains in Monsoon from June to September. Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya are some of the best places to savor monsoon if you like to travel by train or hike in heavy rainfall. This is also the time when many seasonal plants and flowers bloom based on the area. This is the season when farmers are busy in the fields. One could watch and experience natural farming with folk music they sing on the field.

5. Numerous festivities

Festivities in India differs based on the region. Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated intensely in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Holi is celebrated in the Northern part of India. Dussera and Vijayadashami celebrated in different ways based on the culture and region. Diwali is widely celebrated in the various cultural backgrounds across the country. Refer to this blog to plan for your next cultural trip to India. Must attend Indian festivals

6. Yoga is one such salient reasons to travel across India

India is a land of spiritualism since Vedic ages. Yoga was developed and practiced by Indus valley civilization, more than 5000 years ago in the Northern part of India. Later on, many saints in different generations experimented and introduced varied techniques in daily practice. Learning yoga in its birthplace is more predominant to understand the deep yogic philosophy, comprehend and implement it in daily practice.

7. Travel is cheaper and easier

Well developed infrastructure for public transportation made travel easier and cheaper for this generation. Most regions of India connected by train and bus that operate frequently. However one must know how to use it efficiently. This article how to travel solo in India as a woman refers to a few tips and tricks to use public transport in India.