May 2012
1 post
5 tags
The baggage of a hitchhiker's travel bag
One of the most important part of you when you hitchhike or go on a budget travel is your travel bag or backpack. In conventional travelling, the primary function of your travel bag is to hold your stuff. That’s it. In a hitchhiking trip or a budget travel where you travel on trucks, public transport, shared auto rickshaws (tuk tuks), the bag transcends into much more. Apart from holding your...
December 2011
1 post
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“I did finally get a ride Sunday. It was a big SUV that stopped. When I got in, I...”
– Holding a Thumb to the Wind: America, Land of the Fearful, is No Place to Hitch-Hike
November 2011
1 post
4 tags
Tips for Shoe-Stringing Through India
The following is a guest post by Gina Williams. Gina Williams is a guest post and article writer bringing to us information on traveling through India on a shoestring budget.
Gina also writes about motorcycle accidents.
Plan, plan, plan!
This is perhaps the most important step of all when traveling on a budget. To buy a plane ticket to India and wing it from there is a mistake. Planning allows...
August 2011
1 post
6 tags
Life On The Highway
The following is a guest post by Goutam Doulani about his hitchhiking trip from Banglore to Ajmer. You can reach him at gautamoncloud9[at]gmail[dot]com.
It all started 5 years back with the Motorcycle Diaries. That was the day I first fantasized about going on a trip of my own. Things got busy and I didn’t think much about it till I heard of Christopher McCandless. Holidays were coming up...
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Thing that is Constant - The Change
Going by the Omnipresent adage “The Thing that’s always Constant is The Change” this blog is also undergoing a complete Metamorphosis in coming weeks.
We started this blog as a Travelogue for our Maiden Hitchhiking trip to the North East India on a shoestring budget of Rs.150 per day.The trip was a great success though we couldn’t cover all the places we initially...
July 2010
1 post
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Talk about our trip at Lamakaan
We were at Lamakaan yesterday speaking to members of the GHAC about our trip. The first part (took more time than I had expected) was showing them pictures from the trip and then told the entire story of the journey. These pictures are already on our website and at the Hitchhikingindia fan page.
While on our trip, we asked some of the people we met what they would do with Rs. 150, here’s a...
June 2010
13 posts
2 tags
The end of an adventure
Over a period of one month, we explored the North East of India. A region usually considered remote and often times, dangerous. Tourism has picked up only recently here, after a long period of insurgency and political turmoil. That may be a blessing in disguise however, as most places are untouched by touristy commercialism.
Our trip was not just about visiting the touristy destinations; our plan...
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Gear we used in our trip
In case you ever wondered how we brought you the pictures and the articles we did, while we were traveling, here’s a list of the important equipment we carried.
Backpacks - Wildcraft Alpinist
We have put these 55l backpacks on trucks, buses, trains and don’t remember what else. The backpacks have been very resilient all through the rough use. The padding on the back and the shoulder...
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Guwahati - Once burned, twice lucky
The capital city of gateway to the North East (Assam), Guwahati is a bustling cosmopolitan city. We were in Guwahati thrice – first time when we got there from Silchar, second time when we were on our way to Arunachal and the last time at the end of our trip. Our experiences there have been different each time and they only got better each time. The first time, we had to spend a fortune (relative...
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Tawang
We had earlier been told that the tourist lodge in Tawang was booked full and we could only get a room if there were any cancellations. Still, we decided to test our luck and walked up to the lodge, a short distance up old bazaar. Luckily for us, we did get a room! The caretaker was apprehensive and was telling us that the rooms were not that great, little did she know about where we had lived in...
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Journey to Tawang
After our hair-raising Sumo taxi ride to Bomdila, we were more careful this time and booked our tickets early to Tawang. This time we asked for the front row seats and got them too – that meant we could get better views of the drive. After traveling in the last row of almost every vehicle we had boarded (excluding trucks where the first and last row are the same), this was a welcome change....
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Postcards from Tawang
Sela top/pass
The lake at Sela Pass (on the way to Tawang)
The Tawang Monastery in the distance
The main Buddha idol at the Tawang Monastery
A procession of the monks in the Tawang Gompa
The Buddha in various Mudras
The Monyul Autonomous Region office in Tawang
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Bomdila - Surprises, Gompas and New Friends
We got what we least expected after a great night’s sleep in Bomdila – stress. After we got ready to go exploring the little town, we were told by the caretaker of the guest house that we would have to vacate the room by 12PM! We were so happy to get a room after our arduous journey the previous day that we had assumed that the rooms were reserved for whoever was in them. Alas, that was not the...
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Pictures from Bomdila
Winding roads in Bomdila
The same road, the next morning.
A remote Gompa (Monastery).
The lower gompa
Bomdila - a bird’s eye view
The Upper Gompa
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So long and thanks for all the fish
After exactly one month of starting, our hitchhiking trip comes to an official end today. Official end for #150aday, not our travels. We will be traveling separately for some time before going back to Hyderabad, albeit without the restrictions we had placed as part of #150aday. Our blog posts will continue for some time too.
In case anyone is planning a backpacking or hitchhiking trip in India,...
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Journey to Bomdila – a Nightmare
Our journey to Arunachal was the most difficult to handle. We had no help there in terms of accommodation and as expected, it is the one costliest tourist circuits. Our journey was along the Balukpong – Bomdila – Tawang circuit. As known, all the domestic tourists have to take an Inner Line Permit – ILP – to enter the state of Arunachal Pradesh. There are five government approved tourist circuits...
5 tags
Journey from Aizawl to Guwahati - Trucks and...
Our stay in Mizoram had been amazing thanks to the ever hospitable Mizos. Alas, all good things must come to an end and we travelers had to move on to our next destination. After getting rejuvenated in Mizoram, we thought we should go to Arunachal – the most touristy of the north-eastern states. We were ready for the arduous journey ahead – nearly 800km – going down from the hills (Mizoram) to the...
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Postcards from Mizoram
The stunning Night view of the Aizawl city
The serene Tamdil Lake
The Jaw dropping view of Aizawl city
The omnipresent hills
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Back to School in Mizoram
It was back to school for us hitchhikers literally. We were invited to interact with the students of Govt. Higher Secondary School – the largest school of Mizoram. When we were produced with this opportunity, we grabbed with both hands as this would gives a great chance to learn what the next generation Mizos aspire to be in their life. Considering our background of quitting our jobs and being...
May 2010
26 posts
3 tags
YMA
In Aizawl, we were hosted by YMA – Young Mizo Association – an NGO. To say that we were just hosted would not be sufficient – we got tons of advice, help and support from them. Because of the YMA, we made good friends in Aizawl too.
YMA is an organized way for every Mizo to participate in a simple act – looking out for each other. They even have a term to describe this – “tlawmngaihna” – and...
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Journeys in the Land of the Highlanders (Mizoram)
Can you help but feeling that you are in paradise when you have views such as this one, every morning you wake up?
Aizawl, a place usually not on our radar (unlike some other areas in the North East, Mizoram and Aizawl are very peaceful and so stay out of news) is tucked away in the remote south of the North East of India. Mizoram is not frequented by outsiders much – partly because of the...
5 tags
Adventures in a Train and Journey to Aizawl
The journey from Agartala to Aizawl in Mizoram was not a direct one. We had to visit one of the main attractions of Tripura on the way – Unakoti. Part of the journey is described in this post but here is the detailed info –
We started from Agartala early in the morning and took the first train to the Station Kumarghat. We were relieved at the idea of boarding a train as we were totally got sick...
1 tag
“Asking for Water and given Condoms at a Shop - It happens only in Mizoram”
– Inder
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Signs we've seen
BRO (Border Roads Organization) builds roads in some of the harshest conditions (the deserts of Rajasthan, marshes of West Bengal, icy hills of Ladakh and so on) in India - they have built many of the difficult, winding roads in the North Eastern states too. Without the few arterial roads, these states would be cut off from the rest of the country. Traveling on these roads is an experience in...
4 tags
Pictures from Meghalaya
Posting some good captures from Meghalaya. There are tons of them left. Will Try to post them some other time.
The Bara Paani or the Umiam Lake near Shillong
My Fav place - The Ward’s Lake in Shillong
Up for sale near Police Bazaar, Shillong
A handicrafts shop in Shillong - A Not-To-Miss Activity here
Cherrapunjee - Got the taste of the wettest place on Earth
Tripura...
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Rocking Adventure!
Our adventure is rocking with On The Rocks!
Thanks for supporting us!
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More Pictures from Tripura
The Grandeur in itself - Ujjayanta Palace
Another of the Royal Palace cum State Assembly
A typical village street - I loved the ambience of the villages in Tripura more than the city of Agartala
Fishes outside the Ujjayanta Palace. Loved the Hustle bustle of the fish market
Boats to go to Neer Mahal
The inner courtyards of Neer Mahal
The famous Mata Bari/ Tripura Sundari...
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A peek at Aizawl
Last night on our way back home
Today evening on our way back home again :)
Did we make you jealous yet?
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Traveling in Tripura
I can describe our travels in Tripura in two words - We sweated. Oh, you want more than that - We sweated, A Lot.
Of course, you guys want more that. Tripura has been a complete change from Meghalaya - the weather, dominant culture, everything here has been very different. The first sentence gave you a fair indication of how the weather here is - it’s humid, very humid. And for both of us,...
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“Trying to bathe from a 2 litre bottled water can (cut into half) is such a pain”
– Inder
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Pictures from Tripura
Resplendent Ujjayanta palace - Agartala
Neermahal
All that stops you from crossing over to Bangladesh (border near Kamala Sagar lake)
Rock cut sculptures (Unakoti)
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Expenses
Total expenses till today (starting May 5th) - Rs. 4995
Expenses per day - Rs. 416.25
Target expense per day - Rs. 300
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A day of the longest bus ride..yet
We were falling in love with Shillong and the beautiful girls there, but then we realized that the one thing that stays constant in a traveler’s life is change. We stayed 4 days and 4 nights in Shillong and covered almost all the city on foot and got used to the city so much that we were even able to guide routes to new people :) The only disappointment in the Shillong stay is that we...
4 tags
10k runs in the NE
I have not been able to run my 10k in Shillong as promised - have pain in my right leg because of a suspected shin splint. However, to compensate for that, I wore the Hyderabad Runners t-shirt the whole day today in Shillong and will be wearing the same to Agartala.
So you do know how comfortable that t-shirt is right? Join the Hyderabad Runners and get one for yourself!
— Ajay
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Cherrapunjee - a wet experience
Just 50kms from Shillong, the weather is so different, you would wonder if you came to some other land. We have been having warm and very pleasant weather (early 20s - celcius) in Shillong - it does cool down in the evenings and is even a little chilly. There has been some rain too - only a little, but nothing prepared us for what we encountered at Cherrapunjee - the wettest recorded place on...
7 tags
Adventures with dogs, a cemetary and an elusive...
As we hadn’t seen much of Shillong yesterday, we decided we would do some of the sights here. Got up pretty early and went to Lady Hydari Park in the south of the city. Nothing much to write about the park other than that there is a small zoo also inside. There were very few people inside as it was very early in the day. We loved looking at the majestic Serpent Crested Eagles in the aviary...
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Inder: Dude Ajay, the water is freaking cold, I couldn't bear the first three bowls of water on my body.
Ajay: Oh is it! Man, I am now scared of taking a bath. Btw just the first 3 bowls???
Inder: Yeah dude, it didn't matter after that, my entire body became NUMB :(
Ajay: @#$^#$^
8 tags
The lakes and the streets
We started the day a little late today - waking up until late in the night to write blog posts does that! Most travelers spend just one day at Shillong and then go to Cherrapunjee apparently. But since we’d already lost half a day, we thought we’ll take it slow and spend some more time here (that’s another way of saying we are yet to figure out our travel and acco plans for...
5 tags
Change of plans and getting to the Scotland of the...
Last night, we were so tired when we got into the hotel that we didn’t even ask for sheets - we just crashed on the beds. Plus, the huge amount of money (Rs. 600) we had to pay for the hotel room had really got to us and had put a doubt in our minds if we would be able to keep up with the #150aday challenge. But a good night’s sleep rested our minds and got our resolve was back again....
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Ups and Downs - Journey till Guwahati
Here we are in Guwahati at last! The journey from Siliguri till here has been an adventure in itself. What could have been done in a straightforward fashion by taking a direct train or bus, was instead done in 2 truck and 3 bus rides. Did we stick to our budget, oh yes - till we got to Guwahati. And then, in one shot, we overshot the budget! But let’s start from the beginning to get a good...
4 tags
Announcing another of our backpacking sponsor!
Wildcraft recognizes adventure enthusiasts and it has been their commitment to promote adventure sports in India for over a decade now. Wildcraft is sponsoring our backpacks and helping us prove adventure travel in India is possible!
They have been providing quality adventure sports and outdoor equipment for India’s young and the restless for over 10 years now....
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Itinerary for Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal was a mystery place for not so long ago. The state is very pristine and primitive which attracts me to it. The tourist places which I could find over the internet are very far from each other and takes hours to days to get from one place to other. Our hitchhiking will be put to test in this state for sure. Hope we can find enough rides to hitchhike our way in this beautiful place.
Our...
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Meet our flashpacking sponsor!
Who can best support two travelers? Somebody who understands them, right? And our prime sponsor totally does!
MakeMyTrip.com, India’s leading online travel company is much more than just a travel portal or a famous pioneering brand - it is a one-stop-travel-shop that offers the broadest selection of travel products and services in India. MakeMyTrip is the undisputed online leader, with its share...
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Meet our camping equipment sponsor!
While on our trip, our stay will be courtesy friendly locals and our resourceful ways, but we are prepared to sleep out in the open too! We needed some good backpacking stuff and On the Rocks is helping us out with it.
They are lending us almost all the expensive backpacking equipment including a tent, sleeping bags etc and whats more, we even get to keep some of the...
April 2010
21 posts
2 tags
Tweetup at Hyderabad #150aday #hydlsd
Inder and Ajay will try to make it to the tweetup on Saturday, 1 May at Rd no 1 Banjara Hills. Do come over if you can!
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Itinerary for Manipur
Very little information available for Manipur over Internet.
We might visit this state after Nagaland as the connectivity is more from Dimapur/Kohima. Our first stop in this pristine state is the capital city of Imphal. Some of the places that we want to cover are
War Cemeteries
Ima Keithel
Zoological Gardens
Apart from the city of Imphal, the places that we dare not to miss are:
...
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Itinerary for Mizoram
We need an Inner Line Permit to get into the state.
We’ll start from Guwahati and reach our first stop in Mizoram - Aizwal
We want to get a night view of the city as we heard that it is quite beautiful. Some of the places we don’t want to miss in Mizoram are:
Tamdil: 85 km drive from Aizawal - will try to go on a boat ride here. Also a trek in a nearby jungle should be...
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WatchItinerary for Nagaland
Need ILP to get into the state, can be taken in Shillong or Guwahati.
First Stop in the state will be at Dimapur which is the commercial capital of the state. We might go and see the Medieval Ruins of the Kachari kingdom.
Next we plan to head to the Capital city of Kohima. There are quite a few places to see in and around this place. Some of them that we plan to visit...
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GHAC Endorses us too!
Thinking of having an adventure of your own? If you are in Hyderabad, that won’t be very hard. We have a very active adventure club here which can help you start an amazing one! GHAC (Great Hyderabad Adventure Club) is a non-profit club with nearly 2000 members which organizes adventure activities regularly in and around Hyderabad (and some away too). Weekend trips, village tours, trips...