Trinity National Park in California

This year, I had a 2 week stay-cation in California, in San Jose. I had travelled a lot earlier in summer, so was done with any more hectic travels plans. And so we went on an easy 5 day trip to Trinity National Park. We wanted to have a relaxed time as we had already visited all the tourist places nearby. And it turned out to be exactly as we wanted. Living close to nature, walking, boating, swimming in the lakes and just taking in the fresh air which we miss so much in the city. Slowly and slowly, I am warming up to relaxed vacations too...

Lake Lewiston near Trinity
national park

We decided on Trinity national park when we were looking for the closest large green areas close to San Jose. And Shashta and Trinity national parks fit the bill. They were huge, green and close enough. It was still a long drive to get there, took us half a day which got longer with the breaks we took in between. The drive there to be honest was quite average - most of the time we were on highways, with only non-descript towns on the sides. It was very hot everywhere and the grass was all yellow on all sides. So nothing much to admire. We stopped to have lunch at Priya's in the town of Redding, which again felt like a lacklustre town.

Once we got off the highway and into Trinity park area, the vegetation all around got a lot greener and the views interesting. Both sides we saw green and dense forests with some small lakes coming into view once in a while. We stopped at one of the larger lakes - Whiskeytown- which extended till forever. It was a nice stop and we saw some people enjoying water sports in the lake.

Our resort was next to Lewiston lake and the last town we crossed was the town of Lewiston. It was barely a town, with some 5-6 houses and a few shops, a petrol station and grocery store. We should have stopped there to shop as it closed soon after we reached our cabins. And we were left with no way to buy regular groceries 😆.

We were staying in small cabins at Lakeview Terrace Resort, located on the banks of Lake Lewiston. The resort had a lot of these individual cabins of different sizes, all spaced out along a side of the hill amid trees. Some of the cabins get views of the lake also from in between the trees. There was also a swimming pool but overall the whole place was quite rustic and had minimum facilities. To be honest, our first impression of the resort felt a bit underwhelming, but as we settled into our cabin, we realised it was perfect. There was a kitchen, a living area and multiple bedrooms. The rooms were simple but well stocked.

Each of the cabins also had a huge outside seating area with barbeque options and a few benches, to cook outside but also sit and relax away from everything. It was so natural that deer and small birds would just come by the cabin as if on their daily stroll. The sleep we got there everyday was one of the best in a long time, it was so calm and quiet, it felt amazing.

The owners of the cabins were new, and even though they did not know much about the area around, they helped with whatever they could. They were also very comfortable and casual, running around their children in the resort. Felt so charming and non business-like 😊.

So when we reached, we realised we couldn't really cook anything as we hadn't bought the food stuff that was required. So we had a simple meal and called it a day soon enough, after taking a walk along the lake and back.

The weather was hot during the days and only the evenings were cooler and more tolerable. So we planned our days like that for the next few days. We went out to Lewiston lake or nearby to Trinity park, but tried to be out in the mornings, take a break and sleep in the hot afternoons and then go out for walks or some activity again in the evenings.

Cooper Budge trail

We spent one whole day and one evening around the Lewiston lake itself. One of the evenings, we just drove 5 mins from our resort to a small little trail called Cooper Budge which went through the forests all along the lake . It was a long and well marked trail, surrounded by green trees on both sides. The path was quite wide and easy enough to walk through. Sometimes it went near the lake and sometimes a bit far. We walked there for a couple of hours. The water in the lake was too cold though to go into, even though it was warmer outside. Apparently there are two layers of water, at different temperatures. The water on top is warmer, but under it is cold as its the water released from the Trinity lake through the dam at the other end. Anyways it didn't seem like the lake could have been a popular swimming area.

One of the days, we spent on Lewiston lake. We had seen people in boats fishing there everyday. There is a marina along the road from our resort which is full of small trailer houses which felt like holiday cabins. They also had rental boats there and we took one of the patio boats which was a huge one and can seat up to 6 people. So we spent the next 4 hours floating on the lake, first boating till one end towards the dam, then all the way with the engine shut, downstream to the other dam. And then back to the marina. It was quite a long lake and you could easily be on it for hours, admiring the peace and beauty around.

Lewiston lake

The water was sometimes blue, sometimes brown and sometimes green. It was very clear everywhere and at some places near the middle, was so shallow that it was dangerous to take the patio boat there. It was so clear that you could even see the rocks at the bottom and the fish swimming around. And all around, it was all very green and silent. There were trees of all shades all along the hills and their reflections in the water looked amazingly stunning in the sun.

Lewiston lake

There were loads of people fishing on the lake. And some were boating. For us, it was as lazy a day as it could get. My dad swam in the water even though it was a mix of hot and cold water. And the cold was very cold. Anyways, we kept drifting along in the boat, played cards, slept and essentially just lived on the boat for 4 hours 😊.

Lake in Trinity Park

One of the other days, we went to Trinity park which was right next to where we were. We were going for a trail to Sonnars lake based on directions given by our owner but it was a bit of a fail. But the day was still fun. We drove a long way and stopped at our first lake on the way, which was a smaller one but with warmer water. My dad swam there and we sat on its bank snacking in the sun. It had got too hot in the afternoon, so we were trying to spend our time under the shade as much as possible.

Another lake on the way

There were a few more lakes on the way which were full of people. Some of them had water sports going on, and in some, people were fishing, surfboarding, boating etc.. We also drove a long way along the Trinity lake. It was a bigger lake and goes on forever. There were even waves in the lake, signifying how huge it was.

Non-veg plants on Sonnars trail

We passed by some towns - Trinity centre, Coffee creek - on the way which are full of people who stay here and are not just tourists, which I found surprising. But overall the park felt mostly empty with very few people. Our plan was to go on the Sonnars lake trailhead, all the way up to the lake in the mountains but we never reached it. I think we got on the right path but the road up to the trailhead wasn't great. So even though we drove for 30 mins, we never reached there and were worried about driving there. So we just walked a bit on the road and came back without ever finishing the trail.

Overall, this side of the forest was more green, denser and felt fresher than the Lewiston side. It had a different vegetation, of pine trees and cones were strewn everywhere. The height of the park also slowly increased, from 2500 ft to 3500 ft, which made the weather also cooler as we kept driving higher. Compared to the other days, it was more cloudy and hence a lot easier to be outside. Also interestingly, the mud in the park varied a lot - it was red sometimes, yellow due to sand and sometimes black.

River at Trinity Alps resort

While coming back, we stopped at one of the resorts - Trinity Alps resort - on the way which was next to a river and looked like a fun place to stay. It was greener, was at a height, had higher mountains around it and was cooler. Definitely a place to go to next time.

And then, it was time to get back to city life. We drove back most of the day to San Jose and the drive was boring as usual. We did stop at an outlet mall on the way - the Vaccaville outlet mall. And it was good to shop there, it was better than the Gilroys we went to near San Jose.

Overall, places Like Trinity National Park which are not on major tourist maps are great to visit without the stress of tick marking any places. There are very few people around, mostly locals and time slows down here - a watch has no place in these parts of the world. Its a place where people come in for fishing, and just while away the day. The weather was not ideal when we went there, it was hot during the day, cooler in morning and night. But overall, another very peaceful and relaxed time off, just being close to nature and being...

Living life, Alpine style - Vienna and Semmering, Austria

Austrian Alps

I think this has been an Austrian-special year for me. I had two unplanned weekend travel trips and both of them were in Austria. One was to Ebbs and Kufstein and the second was a weekend spent in Vienna and two days in a small alpine ski village called Semmering. It was again a trip with no bookings made in advance and no previous planning on what to do. And it turned out to be absolutely amazing. I went on a few local trails which were quite scenic. And the whole relaxed vibe to the trip made it one of the most memorable vacations I've had in a long time.


Day 1 - Eating around in Vienna

The trip started with a scare though. I was about to miss my flight to Vienna as there was a lot of traffic to Heathrow. Somehow I made it though, checking-in 1 min before the security gates closed. It was an early morning flight and so I slept all the way in the flight, to be ready for the action packed day ahead.

Once in Vienna, I took the airport city express to go to the city centre which takes just 15 mins to get you there. The weather was already warm and sunny by then, making the city look very bright. While waiting for my friends, I walked to the nearby mall and noticed a lot of vintage cars standing outside for some show of some sort. And the area was full of tourists, all out in the sun. It was quite hot and I wanted to stay outside rather than be in the mall. So I walked to the nearest green area in Google Maps which turned out to be a park all along the almost drying river Wien. And it was so hot, just sitting in the green shade felt heavenly.

Our plan for the day was to visit a few eating places but not to hurry anywhere. So our first stop was lunch at Reinthaler's Beisl restaurant, located in the city centre. The area was quite active and lively during noon time, filled with tourists walking around just admiring the city, eating and shopping. The food there though was not to my liking. I am not a fan of Austrian food given how heavy it is on meat. And so I had to pick something just about passable to eat.

Our next stop was a local food market near the Opera House, called the Naschmarkt. It was a long street lined with small stalls on both sides, selling all kinds of food stuff and some handicrafts. It was quite a cultural mix with people selling all kinds of food from Turkish to Indian to Chinese to Austrian to ice cream which felt just perfect for the hot weather. We walked around for a bit, stopped for ice creams and cold drinks and were so tired by the end of it, that we came back to our b&b for a quick power nap.

Our b&b was a small studio near the Opera house. It was well done up, convenient and even had an AC which felt very welcome at this time. It was located very close to all the key locations and hence easier to come back to for breaks in between.

Lanes of Vienna

After the break, we left for our evening set of 3 food stops. We walked to all these places and got to see a lot of the city up close. Most of Vienna felt like grand old stone buildings in light brown shades, with lot of small paintings and sculptures everywhere, lending it an old world charm. There were loads of museums everywhere to interest tourists. Most of the streets were wide and felt well spaced out. And this time of the year, there were enough locals and tourists around to make it feel lively and alive everywhere. At the same time, it also felt very slow paced and relaxed, and easy to walk anywhere, even in the middle of the city.

View from rooftop bar

Our first stop of the day was a rooftop bar on top of a hotel called Dachboden. It was famous for the stunning 360 degrees views it offers of the city. The sun was also setting by this time and shone yellow light on a lot of the buildings which made it all very enchanting, just like a painting. We spent an hour or so till sunset and then were off to our next stop, our dinner restaurant - Ulrich. We wanted to sit outside but there was no space, so sat inside which was well done up too. And it had much better food than what I had eaten till then.

Cake Sachertorte

The last food stop of the day was Cafe Sacher - to eat the famous Cake Sachertorte of Austria. It is a chocolate cake which was created accidentally by Sacher for the King of Austria and has now become world famous but its recipe still remains a secret. It is only baked in 2-3 specific locations in Austria, the ones which have the original recipe. So we went to the original location owned by the original creator, Cafe Sacher and were met with a long queue of people waiting outside even at 10 at night! We also waited for half an hour to get in, but once inside realised that the queue was artificially created as there was still space inside. Also, the cake felt like any ordinary good chocolate cake, so I felt it was a bit of a letdown. But still always good to have a good desert.

During the walk back to our airb&b, we again walked a lot and saw a few late night concerts happening outside some of the museums and other buildings. We also walked past the Maria Theresien Platz Square which has a statue of one of the best known Austrian monarchs, Maria Theresa. The statue is in a garden with grand buildings all around, and has a magnificent view all around. Vienna felt quite safe and lively even when we were walking back at night. Anyways after the long day out in the sun, all the walking had made us tired and we called it an early night.


Day 2 - Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna and first view of Semmering

The next day we had only one stop on our itinerary in Vienna - the Schonbrunn palace. So we started the day with a lazy breakfast at Cafe Museum right outside our b&b which was a healthy start to the day. And then we took a cab to the Schonbrunn palace, which was 15 mins away, spending a couple of hours there. You can either go in the palace or just walk around in its grand gardens which are free to enter.

Gardens of Schonbrunn

I spent most of my time in the gardens which are located all around the palace. There are green hedges all around, and lot of flower beds. And the gardens behind the palace extend to the Neptune fountain and all the way up a hill. And in the sun, they looked spectacular. The flowers were all in full bloom, the grass was bright green and the palace provided an imposing background. I walked around through the gardens and the fountain all the way up the hill to the Gloriette.

Schonbrunn Palace

From up in the Gloriette, you can get panoramic views of the palace and beyond. And this is where you realise that the palace is right in the middle of the city, which is what you forget otherwise as it feels so removed.

Gardens at the palace

After getting a lot of Vitamin D in the garden, we were off to our last food stop in Vienna - lunch in the city centre at Phil. It did not have a good vegetarian range but I am used to that in Austria by now. The temperature was also so hot by now, the open restaurant didn't help much as being anywhere without an AC felt like a pain. We had lunch there and then were ready to go to our next stop (btw we had a lot of focus on food on this trip because my friends are foodies. Else I would never have written about food and food places so much 😜 )

My friends then left back for London and I proceeded to my next destination. Again my weekend destination selection had an interesting background. I was earlier looking to take a train to Salzburg to spend the weekend in the mountains but then decided to get off at any beautiful town or village on the train route which looked picturesque in Google images. So I zoned in on Semmering which was a small skiing village on the route and booked an inexpensive Sportshotel for my stay, which looked like a no-frills ski hotel.

The train I took from Vienna started in the plains and then got into the mountains passing through many breath taking views, chugging along the mountain sides through bridges and narrow ledges before reaching Semmering. The views of the mountains, the valleys and the rivers were all very magnificent, shining in green in the bright sun. The Semmering railway construction was not easy, especially given the tough landscape. The station was also located in a narrow gap in the mountains, and felt very simple.

Town of Semmering

Once there, I caught sight of the Semmering village with its colourfully painted houses all along the hill and picturesque views of the valley below. The Sportshotel I was staying in was on one of the hills and a 20 mins walk away. But the whole walk was uphill and there were no taxi options available given the village was in the middle of nothing. So I walked up with my suitcase in tow through the village to the hotel.

And I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Given how inexpensive the hotel was, I wasn't expecting a lot. But it clearly surpassed my expectations. It felt like a place right in heaven. The rooms were cosy and comfortable with impressive views of the valley below. It also had a sauna and an indoor swimming pool. And the hotel had a huge open terrace with outside sitting right next to the its restaurant.

Terrace at Sportshotel

The terrace had many sofas and a swing to sit and enjoy the view down below till miles around - of mountains all around, surrounding valleys in between, with roads and bridges spanning them and many small villages visible everywhere. I sat outside for some time, had dinner in the restaurant and just enjoyed the view, doing nothing but staring outside and taking in the fresh air. I also saw the sunset behind one of the mountains, during which the sky turned all hues of orange and yellow, shining in beautiful colours and throwing bright coloured lights and shadows on the mountains around. It was all so magnificent, I can never forget that scene and time.


Day 3 - Sonnwendstein trek in Semmering

Breakfast with a view

The next two days in Semmering were mostly spent lounging in the hotel and exploring the local trails nearby. Each day started with a tasty breakfast in the hotel terrace, enjoying the scenery around. And that delayed me every day as I would end up staying longer to just sit and admire the view outside. Somehow, I still managed to do one moderate treks each of the days.

Trail directions

The first day I did an 11 kms, round trail up the Sonnwendstein mountain. The trail started going up the mountain from the hotel itself, went up and down a few mountains and then through Polleres-hutte to a church on the peak. It was supposed to take 4 hours to cover the whole trail but I of course took longer, getting lost a bit but also stopping very regularly and walking leisurely most of the way. The trail wasn't too well marked and at times I had to just guess which way I wanted to go up the mountain, even using google maps to orient myself. Sometimes the path went up, sometimes down. Sometimes it was like a broad road kind of way, and sometimes a narrow rocky trail. And it was an adventure trying to figure out the right way as some patches of the trail did not seem much used.

Views on the trail

But all in all, it was an adventurous trek with lot of different views along the way. It initially started with great views of the Semmering town, and then there were jungle paths through dense vegetation, opening up to vast meadows with cows grazing away lazily, and their bells adding music to the silence all around. There were also some bluebells on some of them mountain sides, adding colour to the green around.

I reached the Polleres-hutte in about 3 hours and made a stop there. The Polleres-hutte has a cafe from where you could see all the way to the plains, on the other side of the mountain. I also had my lunch there which was terrible, but at least the view was good 😁. I had asked a few of the hikers going down if they had been to the church but they just mentioned that they had only stopped at the Polleres-hutte. My trek description had a mention of a church and it is good that I went looking for it rather than turn around.

It was a 15 mins walk up the peak to reach the church on top of the Sonnwendstein mountain and it is something that should not have been missed in any situation. The church was simple and very old. But the best part of the trek was there - a 270 degrees view of the Alps around. It was one of the best views I have ever seen. You could see the plains, the bridges, the valleys, the rivers, the villages and so on. I loved it so much, I stayed up there for an hour, even though it was getting a bit dark.

View from the church

While I was up there, another trekker reached the peak and he mentioned that he was on a trail of Austria from one end to the other, from the Hungarian border to the other. Everyday he was walking among the mountains on various trails, getting closer to the other side of the border. He had no plan other than a detailed map and was staying at whichever village he made it to. It sounded such a cool thing to do, maybe one day...

Restaurant on a lake

The way back down to the village was through a straight path which felt more like a road than a trail. It had some views similar to the ones while going up but mostly the path was through forests on both sides, covered by green trees in patches. While I was about to reach the bottom, it started raining and I stopped at a nice restaurant located next to a small lake. Its surprising, how any turn in these parts of the world can turn out to be picturesque and worth a photo.

Once back in the hotel around 7 pm, I went to the the sauna and the swimming pool. It felt very relaxing after all the walking around. The hotel had a lot of such options, including a solarium - I guess all of it is to keep guests busy during skiing season after the skiing is done. The rest of the evening, I spent time sitting outside again, reading a book in the swing and just enjoying the calmness and serenity all around. I loved the day and being close to nature made me feel very happy and elated. I so miss the mountains always! And the weekend was turning out to be pure bliss, as I had never expected it to be this spectacular!


Day 4 - Maria Schultz trek in Semmering and back to London

Narrow trail

The next day, again after an amazing breakfast siting outside with this view, I went on a shorter trail to the village of Maria Schultz. It was supposed to be an 8 kms, 2.5 hours trek but took me more than 4 hours I think! Maria Schultz is a nearby village, even visible from Semmering and the path I took was the local interconnecting path. The way there was fun, through small green jungles and narrow paths covered with trees everywhere. It was hot and I welcomed the shade all the way down. Though the trail again was not so well marked but you could get there by guessing how to reach the village down the mountain.

Maria Schultz village

Once there, the village looked like any other typical Austrian village, with a few coloured wooden houses and a nice alpine church. Surprisingly, there were loads of people visiting the village which surprised me. Walking back from there to Semmering turned out to be an interesting walk though. I either got the directions wrong or they were the wrong directions, I landed up walking on the main road, with cars passing by in both directions. It was a bit of a not so fun walk given it was uphill and so hot.

Bollywood song locations

On the way, I was greeted with more Yash Chopra locations - green meadows and forests dotted with beautiful houses. Towards the end, I did hitch a ride from a passing biker for part of the walk which was interesting, right out of DDLJ again (I will never be able to separate out Europe and Alps from DDLJ, definitely not in this lifetime!).

Semmering station

I made it safely back to the hotel, enjoyed the terrace view for a bit longer and then soon, it was time to go back to London. Its always so tough leaving a place after you have a nice time there. I walked back to the station, which was a bit easier as it was downhill and I found myself thinking how this small station in a narrow gap in the mountains reminded me of Koyasan from my Japan trip. A small place nestled in the hills, with a narrow station to reach it. And as if stuck in its own time...

The trains came on time and I was easily able to reach the Vienna airport much before time. And so another such unplanned Austrian weekend came to an end. Austria a great place to go always. The locals speak English. It has the Alps. And is not expensive as Switzerland. Plus there is an air of laid back nature there which makes it the perfect weekend getaway place from London. And so again, I came back to London totally energised and ready to take on the city challenges. And can see myself being back there quite regularly in the future.

Living life, Alpine style - weekend in Ebbs and Kufstein, Austria

This summer, I spent two short weekends in the Alps in Austria. It was something I have dreamt of for a long time - to go and spend some time in the Alps without any planning. Just go to a random picturesque village and enjoy some unplanned time in the midst of nature.

Ebbs and around

I did that recently in the small nondescript villages of Ebbs and Kufstein. I ate in the local restaurants, walked on some of the trails, explored the village centres and just went where the heart wanted me to go. It was being so close to nature and not being bound by any timelines which I loved. It was like a dream come true and I can see myself doing many more such short trips in the future.

Grand Hotel at Kitzbuhel

I had to go for a few days of training to Kitzbuhel in Austria where I have been thrice before. It was as expected, given it was summer it was stunning everywhere, with scenic views, bright green hills, small rivers and lakes, clear blue skies with clouds dotting them and a serenity and freshness everywhere which makes you feel alive again. The weather forecast had not been great when I went there, and the sky would be overcast in the morning. But everyday the weather would change, and turn bright and sunny towards the second half of the day.

I waited till Friday to see how the weather evolved and finally decided to stay the weekend given it was turning out to be sunny and warm everyday. And the way I decided the place to spend the weekend was also interesting. I had to take the flight back from Munich to London, and so searched for a station town on the train route from Kitzbuhel to Munich, which would be good enough to spend the weekend. So I zoned in on Kufstein which looked fascinating in google images 😝. And booked a room in a small boutique hotel which turned out to be 15 mins cab ride from Kufstein, in the village of Ebbs.

I reached Ebbs on Friday evening and was not disappointed. It was a small little village in the valley of river Inn, with mountain views on both sides, local trails and nature to enjoy during the day and typical alpine houses everywhere adding to the captivating views all around. This valley has many small villages and towns, all centred along the river Inn, which flows on the boundary of Germany and Austria (and also gives its name to the city of Innsbruck). It is a massive river and looks green in this part of the Alps. And the local saying goes like this - the Green Inn flows into the Blue Danube which ends in the Black Sea 😊.

View from balcony

I was staying at the Wirtshaus Sattlerwirt, a small boutique hotel 15 mins walk from Ebbs village centre. It was a nice small, convenient and comfortable hotel with good quality rooms. The staff at the hotel was helpful but did not know a lot of English which was a bit of a bummer. It was 5 mins walk from river Inn and had magnificent views of the Kaiser mountains right outside its window! I could have sat there for hours in the balcony, just admiring the views. Which I did😊.

Views of Ebbs

On Friday, after checking in, I walked to the village centre for dinner. The walk was about 15 mins but I chose to take a detour away from the main road. There was a trail to walk through some huts, and fields next to the river, with panoramic views of the mountains around the valley. It was a nice walk and I ran into lot of people mountain biking on the path - looks like its the popular touristy thing to do. I also walked past a lot of trees laden with pears and apples everywhere - clearly it was fruiting season.

Cowshed

The weather wasn't really sunny, and there were clouds at places but still good to be out. There were some sheep and cows grazing peacefully in the fields. I also walked past a beautiful hut which was actually being used to house cows! It has to be the most beautiful cowshed I have ever seen. The village centre was small and typical. And had a few grpvery stores to help out tourists. It had some concrete buildings but mostly alpine wooden houses. And a church. The church was closed by this time but there were candles burning in the cemetery which made it feel open.

By this time, it started raining a bit and so I hurried to the restaurant - Piccolo Salento. It was a lovely Italian restaurant serving quite authentic food and the view outside was totally heavenly. After a nice relaxed dinner, I walked back to the hotel, this time through the main road. And loved being outside in the fresh air. This is the part of the mountains I miss in the city always - the fresh and cool air which makes you feel alive and young everytime!

St Nicholas Church

The next day, after breakfast at the hotel, I decided to do a shortish 9 km, 3-4 hour trail to the church of St Nicholas which is located atop one of the hills nearby and is supposedly a local place of pilgrimage. It was a round trail starting at the Ebbs village centre and then going all the way along some hills to the church. And back through the village of Muhltal all the way back to Ebbs. I of course took a lot longer than the 4 hours, given the views were so mind-blowing that I couldn't but stop and gaze at them all the time!

St Nicholas Church, up close

The walk up was through some residential alpine houses, each of which had flowers growing in their balcony which were overflowing with colours now as it was summer. And as you walk up to the church, you get to see lots of majestic panoramic views of the valley down below and the river Inn flowing through. The church had the best views from the top though. It was an old wooden church and in front there was three huge crosses, some swings for children and a few wooden benches to just sit and enjoy the stunning views below. Multiple villages all around till miles and the river Inn gleaming in between. It had got too hot by this time, so I took a short break and sat there for some time to cool down.

View from the Church

Then I took a longish way back down around the village of Muhltal. The path is not well marked, so there is a chance of getting lost there. Not just because of the markings though. As the views are so enchanting, there is a high chance of missing the markings if you become too engrossed in the sights around 😜.

View on the trail

The trail is one of the most picturesque ones I have been on. Each turn brought with it another new Yash Chopra song location! The alpine houses with the flowers in the balcony, the green fields, the majestic Kaiser mountains right behind, with their peaks covered by clouds, the narrow paths with cows grazing away lazily, with cowbells tinkling and breaking the silence, the jungles and small streams on the way. This is exactly how I have always dreamt life would be in these idyllic villages in the Alps. And it is exactly what I saw and felt on this trail. And that is how a 3-4 hours walk turned out to be a 6 hours one for me. I totally loved it, being touristy but also being active and healthy at the same time. Walking does not feel tiring anymore and time just passes by too quickly in a place so close to nature as this one.

View of the valley

While walking back to the village, I noticed a family bringing back their cattle after a day of grazing. They had a baby and the wife was walking with the baby behind, herding all the cattle. And the husband was walking in front tying ropes on the sides so that the cattle did not venture into people's houses. It was all so efficiently managed, no wonder there is a difference between the developed and non developed world.

Church at Ebbs

When back at Ebbs, I went to the local church of Ebbs, which was open now. It was like all the typical European churches in the inside - with glazed windows on both sides. And outside was a small cemetery with many artistic tombstones. Somehow I find it very fascinating to see the tombstones of people from the areas from as much as 400-500 years ago. And a lot of them still have flowers on them. Its something in every church in Europe which links it to the people living closeby for many many years. Anyways, I was tired from the the walk and once back at the hotel, decided to call it an early night. Though turned out there was a wedding party in my hotel, with music playing all night long and I couldn't really sleep early as planned!

The next day, I was initially planning to go on another trail or do horse riding, given Kufstein is famous for some special types of horses local to the area. However, I changed my plans later and chose to take it more easy. I lay in and enjoyed the views outside my window in the morning, sitting in the balcony and reading a book. Then as I had to take my train to Munich from Kufstein, I went there and spent the afternoon enjoying the town centre.

Painted street

The station was right in the town centre, and after getting the train tickets, I walked in to the old town centre. It was a smallish area with cobbled streets, a small square, colourful buildings, a church and a fort right next to river Inn. The Kufstein fort was perched on top of the hill, and was visible from far. There was a long path on both sides of the river to walk. And then there was a side street which was famous for its beautifully painted buildings and was a sight to behold. Even in such a small town, there were activities going on for tourists to enjoy. There was a cycle race ending in the square and a music show going on where it finished.

Town square

I walked around all these areas, next to the river, up the fort, into the church, in the old town street and so on, just enjoying being out in the sun. There were loads of tourists around at this time, all enjoying exploring the town, eating and drinking and generally chilling in the sun. Finally, I stopped at a local restaurant and had some half decent vegetarian food but still felt totally relaxed and happy.

River Inn

It turned out to be quite a lazy but very fun afternoon. Its amazing how even very small villages and towns in Europe can be so vibrant and interesting. They all have something to offer which can make time there feel fruitful. For example, Kufstein had its own very historic trail, a river, pretty buildings, grand views, many nature trails nearby and a relaxed atmosphere all around. And its not even on any tourist map!

After the relaxed afternoon, it was time to come back to Munich and then to the busy life of London. It was quite convenient to take the train to central Munich and then for the airport. There are trains every hour and they run on time given its Germany. Very soon and before time, I was at the airport. The train ride was through some lovely landscapes which looked even more impressive in the clear and sunny weather. I was surprised though by seeing the number of immigrants in Munich. I have been travelling there for the last 10 years and its been constantly increasing.

Fort at Kufstein

Anyways the unplanned weekend went by very quickly and I realised how much I love the Alps. I can see myself doing some more such relaxed weekends regularly over the next few years. While I was going to Ebbs, my cab driver was questioning why I was spending the weekend in an otherwise obscure village like Ebbs when there were so many other great places to see in Austria. I wanted to tell her that every place in Austria is stunning. And since she stays there, she doesn't realise it as she has a very high benchmark. And it was proved again. Even small places like Ebbs and Kufstein can give you an amazing time out from your busy lives...

Weekend in Sariska National Park

This winter, we made a plan to visit the Sariska tiger reserve, which is located very close to Delhi. I hadn't been aware that there was a tiger sanctuary so close, so it was a surprisingly good option which came up while I was searching. Of course, that is a different point that in 2004, the park authorities realised that there were no more tigers left in the reserve anymore because of poaching! But later on, tigers were reintroduced in the park and now there are about 14 tigers in total there. Given the low numbers, they are quite difficult to spot. But at least there is still hope...

The website states that the park is home to other carnivores also including leopard, wild dog, jungle cat, civets, hyena, jackal and caracal. And the herbivores include the sambhar, chital, nilgai, chausingha, wild boar, langur and monkeys. So the trip looked overall quite promising.

Jungles of Sariska

We spent two days in the reserve, and went on two gypsy safaris, one in the morning and one in the evening. We did not see any tigers but spotted some of the other wildlife which was interesting. And being in the wild jungle so close to Delhi was exciting enough by itself. So it turned out to be a nice break all in all, even without the mandatory tiger spotting.


We left early on 1st January and it turned out to be the first day of the Delhi fog! Thankfully it cleared out soon while we were on our way, so the drive was not as painful or as unsafe as we initially thought. Of course the traffic as usual on Indian roads, was terrible. People drove on whichever side of the road they wanted to, at whatever speed they wanted to and so on.

Sarson ke khet

The drive was about 170 kms till Sariska and we drove through the rural hinterland of Rajasthan. There were villages on the way which are decades away from what we had left behind in Gurgaon. With kuchcha huts, cows, buffaloes, goats and camels as their livelihood and yellow sarson ke khet wherever you look. An interesting thing I noticed on the drive was that the villagers were using the highway divider for drying cow dung cakes! I wish I had a photo of that, it was quite an interesting view.

There were people going on about their daily agricultural tasks, wearing colourful clothes. It was a peek into the rural and real India that we are so disconnected from now. The one where roads are barely there and if they exist, are badly maintained. Where there are no computers or internet. Which still lives the way foreigners imagine India to be, slow and behind the times. And sometimes next to that India, I saw as a comparison, small towns like Bhiwandi with thousands of flats built next to each other, extending for kilometers. This is the side of India I don't understand - where both extremities peacefully co-exist next to each other, without affecting each other.

There were loads of mandirs on the way - clearly Rajasthan is quite a religious state. We also stopped at a few villages on the way, which were selling marble statues sculpted locally. They were quite impressive and intricately carved. They were very very pretty and totally worth owning. And we ended up buying a few of those exquisite pieces too.

Then we started crossing the Aravalis, the centuries old mountain ranges which were all very very dry given it was December. They were foggy at places, with their peaks peeping through the fog. There were also many monkeys on the road around here. The last 35 kms stretch of road till the reserve was very very bad and had a lot of speed breakers. Now I wasn't surprised why I hadn't heard much about Sariska as a tourist haunt. Why would tourists come here if it was so tough to reach here?

Langurs at the booking office

We were planning to first check-in into our resort and then come back and get the tickets to the safari from the ticket office as it was supposed to be a walk-in. Of course when we reached the ticket office which was on the way, we saw the chaos there. Hundreds of people were waiting in line with no clear organised process for getting the tickets. And there were more people than spots open! So we decided to stay there and figure out how to get a safari the same evening. There was one ticket office, and a small cafe and canteen there for people waiting hours in the line. And lot of langurs and monkeys sitting all around providing entertainment to the waiting tourists.

Apparently there was a way to book the tickets online, but the website opened only a couple of days before. I had tried booking online too but the website was quite inefficient. So we had no option but to stand in the queue. Even there, no one knew what was going on. Some people had taken tokens and were standing in line, some had online bookings and were waiting, some were breaking the line and some were just fighting for a place in the line.

Chaos at the booking office

It looked like given our position in the line, we may not be able to go in. So my dad spoke to the forest officer, who first sent the forest guys to sort out the lines and remove the touts and black marketers from there. His guys came in, and directly identified and took out guys from the queues who they knew were the black marketers! It was so funny that they knew who those guys were without any investigation 😜. After that, things got better and the line started moving naturally. We still did not get the tickets but the forest officer added us to one of the gypsies already going in. And then we were on our way on a jungle safari.

The official time for the evening safari is 2-6 pm and you spend about 2-3 hours inside the park. We were in a gypsy, with about 6-7 people. The driver drives you all around over the next few hours through the kuchcha roads, and you hope to spot the animals. And when you spot something, you stay there for a bit. Also, even though it was winter, it was quite warm for the first half of the safari and felt very comfortable. Though slowly it got cooler by the evening.

There are six villages still located inside the park. They are all very small, with 20-30 kuchcha huts as there are regulations around what they can and cannot build. Because of that, we saw local people living their usual life inside the park, going home walking or on bikes. And some of the villagers were taking their cows and buffaloes for grazing, as if it was a normal thing to do. It must be a bit scary to live like that with the tigers prowling around. Apparently the villagers see tigers and leopards all the time and live with them as if they are part of their usual everyday life.

There is also a famous Hanuman temple - the Pandupol temple - which is highly revered by the locals, located inside the Park. Lot of people come inside on Tuesdays, only to visit the temple. And this creates a steady traffic of lots of cars inside the park, though only on specific days. It can't be great for the pollution levels, but such is what happens in India.

Sariska forests

The Sariska forests are all very dry, filled with typical desert trees found in the Aravalis of Rajasthan. It had rained less that year and hence the trees were drier than usual. The trees were all light brownish. And the mud was a bit reddish, providing a very dreamy look to the jungle. There were some small hills within the park but it was mostly quite flat. Given there were very few trees, the jungles weren't dense and you could see till far. Maybe it is different in the rains when the trees are more green. But for now, it didn't feel like what you would expect from a typical jungle.

Sambhar

Overall, the safari was fun. We drove around for long, and took in the feel of the jungle. We spotted a few langurs, a mongoose, lot of sambhar deer, a couple of nilgai, the usual spotted deer, a few crocodiles sunning themselves near one of the water-bodies, a few wild boars, lots of peacocks and some other birds. It was quite fun spotting these animals in the wild, but of course the tiger eluded us.

We did however spot old pug marks of the tigers along the routes. In the park, 2 forest rangers track 7 of the tigers (of the total 14 in the park) throughout the day. We ran into two of the rangers, who had an antenna with them and could sense a tiger nearby. But the tiger eluded us even though we waited for it for long. It was sitting hidden behind the trees and wasn't visible. Then it got up and walked a bit but still did not come out in the open. We kept waiting till very late in the evening till it was time for us to leave. By this time we were also all covered in the red desert soil due to the dry weather and fast driving in the gypsy, and felt like going home to clean up.

So we got out in the gypsy and then transferred into our closed and warmer car to drive to the resort - the Sterling Sariska. The resort was about 5 kms from the ticket office on the same road, located right outside the buffer zone of the park. Once outside, you take a turn inside on a small road which is honestly not even a road. You drive past a few village farmhouses and come to the resort which feels like paradise in the middle of the jungle!

Rooms at Sterling Sariska resort

I loved the resort - it was simple, convenient and totally fit for purpose. It had a huge area and was very very green, in contrast to all the dryness around. There were many types of accommodations - some tents, some huts and some multi-floor rooms, all widely spread out in the open space. Plus there were loads of activities to keep people busy. There was an activity center with games for people to play inside - carom board, chess etc. - and badminton and horses for horse riding in the outside during the day.

Every evening at 7 pm, they organise tombola in the activity center, with a bonfire in the open at 8 pm with snacks being cooked freshly on the barbecue. And dinner was served in the dining area right next to the bonfire but inside. The food was buffet style and one of the tastiest I have eaten in a long time. With the typical Rajasthani food and hot naan with butter. The service there was great and it felt like quite a lively atmosphere on the cold winter evening, with all the guests hanging outside given there wasn't much more else to do in the rooms. I also noticed that most of the visitors were from Rajasthan itself as I don't think a lot of people visit Sariska from too far. We had a nice evening and given how tiring the safari was, after the sumptuous dinner, we called it an early night at 9 pm itself while the bonfire and music outside was still going on.

Empty ticket office in the morning

The next morning, we again went for a gypsy safari at 630 am (the morning safaris in winter are quite early, from 630-1030 am) and the ticket office was empty, with barely 5-6 people there at that time in the morning. Clearly Indians don't like waking up early 😜. We easily got a gypsy safari this time and were soon inside the park.

The whole experience was very different now, given it was so early in the morning, very cold and foggy, and the jungle had a whole different feel about it too! There was a serene yellow light everywhere during the sunrise, which lent it a very refreshing feeling. Of course there was the same sand everywhere though it was more settled given the dew and cold of the night. We were all packed in warm clothes and for the first hour, our hands were freezing. But soon with the sun, it became warmer and more tolerable. And we could get our heads out of the jackets better, to be able to look around.

We had a more fun guide on this safari as he was a lot more knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the reserve. He apparently knew many languages, and liked to show off his English as well as his knowledge of scientific names for all animals and plants. He was an entertainer and shared a lot more trivia with us than the previous one.

The jungle also looked prettier this time of the day. We saw some greener parts of the jungle, like the bamboo parts which would have been green if they had got the typical 200 cms of rain this year and not the 10 cm actually received. We also noticed the Acacia trees, Kairi which has the fruit used in Rajasthani cooking, red-leaved bushes and huge banyan trees with bees.

Nilgai

We also spotted many more animals in this safari as both the nocturnal and day animals are awake in the morning. We spotted some hares, the usual nilgai, sambhar deer and some spotted deer, even a few with velvet on their horns. Apparently sambhars fight a lot with each other and we also saw two sambhars getting ready for a fight. But one walked away as it was not in the mood.

Birds at a checkpoint

We spotted many different birds, including loads of sparrows, parrots and small orange birds, mostly near one of the checkpoints. We also spotted some pea fowl there which had a beautiful blue colour contrasting against the brown of the jungle. It was however eating from the trash nearby when it usually eats snakes and reptiles. That was not a nice scene to view 😔.

Sambhar deer

We learnt a lot more about the tiger behaviour too through the guide. Apparently the tiger sits and waits in the tiger grass for its prey. And after the hunt, its blood pressure goes up so much that it doesn't walk around much for some time. Its favourite food is the sambhar deer and it drinks water only once a day. It sleeps most of the day and hunts only in the morning or the evening, during which time it walks for more than 30 kms a day. It has soft paws, and so mostly prefers to walk on the soft tracks or roads, hence is easily spotted on safaris. Also, apparently the tiger is not a native of India and was brought here from outside. There were 1 lakh of them in the 19th century, and now less than 500 are left in total.

We also saw the metal enclosure which was used for the first tiger when it was re-introduced back in Sariska after they had become extinct. The first tiger was kept in the enclosure for some time before being released, as the habitat was a bit different from where it was brought from.

That day the tourist zone at Sariska had only 4 tigers in them, the rest had gone up in the mountains, reducing our probability of spotting one anyways. And so, we did not see a tiger in this safari too. Soon it was time to call it a day and head out. And surprise of surprises, it turned out that a tiger had been spotted right outside the park gate that morning. So we did not even have to get into the park! He had just walked out and sat near the gate for some time before going back into the bushes.

And then we got another surprise. One our drive back to the resort, we again saw almost all the animals on the side of the road in the buffer zone as we had seen inside! Almost all of them - we saw monkeys, sambhar deer, wild boar, spotted deer and peafowl. So going in hadn't been as successful 😕. That is how wildlife works unfortunately, total luck and completely unpredictable. But that's the fun of wildlife watching too, why I enjoy it so much..

Anyways, we came back to our resort and then left soon for Delhi, which was about 3-4 hours drive again. We did think of going in to the park again to visit the Pandupol Hanumanji temple but the drive did not seem appetising, so we decided against it.

Sariska Palace

There are a couple of other places to explore nearby too if one has the time, like the Sariska Palace right next to the ticket office, Neelkanth temple, Kankwadi Fort inside the park and the haunted ruins of Bhangarh nearby - all of which would have taken extra time. So we ditched it this time but maybe for the next trip. I am sure there will be more. We had a fun time at Sariska even though we didn't spot tigers, but I can see it being a popular place and me visiting again for a nice short trip near and outside Delhi.