An Epic 10-Day Iceland Roadtrip Through Spectacular Landscapes

 

Hitting headlines, attracting adventure seekers, and wooing nature lovers and photographers alike– Iceland has become a top bucket list destination for millions of travellers around the globe of all age groups and ethnicities. In this complete Iceland Travel Guide, read about my Epic 10-day Iceland Roadtrip through spectacular landscapes of stunning waterfalls to otherworldly volcanic landscapes, from bubbling mud pots to curious lava towers, from sparkling beaches to geothermal Lagoons.

What made me plan a 10-day Iceland Roadtrip?

I first heard of Iceland when I used to play video games in childhood on those game consoles with cassettes. My Formal introduction to Iceland happened in 2010 when our Family Trip to London got postponed by two weeks due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. The smoke took over European Airspace and forced us to postpone our flights.

Finally, I went to Iceland in 2016 for my 100-Day Europe Backpacking Trip. Iceland was my final country on my Marathon European Journey, spanning over 25+ Countries and 50+ cities. My Mother wanted to join me specifically for Iceland as she had seen some pictures of Iceland on the Internet. So I decided to rent a car and do a road trip across the Ring Road Circle in Iceland. And it turned out to be the most beautiful experience of my life.

How to Reach Iceland

There are two ways to get to Iceland — by airplane or by ferry. I chose to fly in. Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik, Iceland, is your gateway to the country. Most European Cities have a direct flight to Reykjavik. Iceland Air is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, while WOW Air is the budget airline which offers fantastic deals. Around 20 airlines have regular flights from destinations in Europe and North America to Keflavik airport all year round.

Best Months to Visit Iceland

Summers are the best time to visit Iceland as the roads are clear of snow and the weather is not that harsh. So you get to witness the beautiful landscapes while travelling around the country. It would be best to visit Iceland in December — January to see Northern Lights. I suggest visiting in May-June or September-October when the skies are clear and there are few tourist crowds in the country. Also, the days are longer so you can travel more during the day.

THAILAND TRAVEL GUIDE – THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK

 Are you visiting Bangkok for the first time and unsure where to stay? Here is a list of the 11 best areas to stay in Bangkok, ideal for luxury travellers to backpackers. 

If you have been to Thailand, you’d have heard the infamous phrase, “same same, but different.” This Thailish phrase sums up Bangkok accurately, a city of contrasts where the familiar and the unusual collide like the flavours of Pad Thai. The contradictions provide the City of Angels with its complex, multifaceted personality. Bangkok has it all. Bangkok has everything from high-class shopping malls to wholesale markets, striking ancient temples to glitzy skyscrapers, and from luxe fine dining to cheap street food. You’ll never get bored when you hit the streets of Bangkok. However, one crucial decision that can enrich or ruin your experience is the neighbourhood you choose to stay in Bangkok. 

I have a simple philosophy when choosing an accommodation – a central location when it’s a city stay and an offbeat location when it’s a scenic stay. So, I followed the same rule this time as well. After my relaxed stay at Phuket, my main agenda was shopping and easy connectivity to major attractions in Bangkok, so I decided to stay at Amari Watergate Bangkok. You can read more about it here.

able of Contents

• WHERE TO STAY IN BANGKOK?
  • SUKHUMVIT
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR SHOPPING, DINING AND NIGHTLIFE 
  • BANGKOK RIVERSIDE
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR FAMILIES LOOKING FOR A SCENIC STAY
  • RATTANAKOSIN
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY FOR HERITAGE AND ARCHITECTURE
  • SIAM
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR SHOPPING AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY STAY
  • PRATUNAM
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR SHOPPING AND STREET FOOD
  • BANGKOK CHINATOWN
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR STREET FOOD AND HISTORIC CHINESE COMMUNITY
  • BANGLAMPHU
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR BACKPACKERS, AND NIGHTLIFE
  • SILOM
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR BUSINESS AND NIGHTLIFE
  • LUMPHINI
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR NATURE AND ADVENTURE LOVERS 
  • WATTHANA
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR HIGH-END DINING AND SHOPPING 
  • THONBURI
    • THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN BANGKOK FOR A PEACEFUL VIBE BY THE CHAO PHRAYA RIVER
• FURTHER READING

Where to Stay in Bangkok?

Despite being a popular tourist destination figuring out where to stay in Bangkok can be overwhelming. There are 50 districts (khet) in Bangkok and an infinite number of options available. Still, it’s not always easy to know what to pick. So, in this post, I’ll try to help you make that decision. Here’s a list of Bangkok’s 11 most popular neighbourhoods where you can stay, depending on your interests and budget.

Sukhumvit

The best area to stay in Bangkok for shopping, dining and nightlife 

Sukhumvit is a great area in Bangkok for sightseeing and shopping

If it’s your first time in Bangkok, you will find Sukhumvit very charming and perfect for your stay. You will be in the heart of the most dynamic area for tourism with easy access to other districts. Sukhumvit is a lively neighbourhood with an excellent array of historical and cultural attractions along with a strip of skyscrapers housing great bars, fine restaurants, lifestyle shopping malls, green spaces for recreation and a vibrant entertainment and nightlife scene, making it the best area to stay in Bangkok for first-time visitors.

Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain runs along Sukhumvit Road. You can easily catch it at stations in Ekkamai, Thong Lo, Phrom Phong, Asok and Nana. 

Bangkok Riverside

The best area to stay in Bangkok for families looking for a scenic stay

Bangkok’s Riverside is the historic core of Bangkok

When I first asked my friend where I should book my stay in Bangkok, her answer was – Bangkok Riverside. And, why not. After all, Bangkok’s riverside is the historic core of this magical city. Home to some of Bangkok’s best five-star hotels offering resort-style accommodation with incredible river views in a romantic setting, Bangkok Riverside reflects a constantly changing scene day and night. The area comes alive, especially after dark, with its glittering temples, shrines, and the Royal Palace. 

Although some of the plushest condominiums and corporate towers have been built over the past decade, the area has retained its unique cultural identity, exclusiveness and seductive charm. You’ll find many of Bangkok’s finest luxury hotels straddling the river, with generations-old restaurants and shops hemmed in between. It’s undoubtedly one of the most atmospheric neighbourhoods in Bangkok.

However, due to its prime location, Bangkok Riverside charges a premium over other areas for hotels and restaurants. Also, the district does not have Subway MRT and only one Skytrain station, Saphan Taksin.

Read more About:- Thailand Travel Guide

Rishikesh – Beyond Temples And River Rafting

 Some come to Rishikesh to explore their adventure side…some to connect with spirituality…some to find Nirvana…some to simply lose or find themselves. Whatever might be your reason, whenever you might come, from wherever you might come; Rishikesh always welcomes you with open arms.

Rishikesh has a lot to offer, but very few go beyond the routine river rafting and temple visits around Ram and Lakshman Jhullas.

Here is my list of 10 things you must do in Rishikesh:

1. Learn Yoga in the ‘Yoga Capital of the World’: Thanks to the globalisation of ‘YOGA’, Rishikesh is now referred to as a ‘Yoga Capital of the World’. In spite of Kareena Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty and other celebs trying their best to glamourise the Yoga, very few young Indians have shown interest in reaping the benefits of this great life-enriching practice. Mostly the spiritually inclined senior citizens come to Rishikesh for Yoga. Take a break from the maddening pace of life and reconnect with your inner self at any of the Yoga & Meditation Ashrams.Click here to check Top 10 Rishikesh Ashrams.
2. Rock-N-Roll at the Beatles Ashram: Classics are forever. It’s the same with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ashram, famously referred as the Beatles Ashram. It was here that The Beatles, the veritable gods of rock, stayed in 1968, triggering off a craze that made India a happening global destination for the westerners seeking nirvana. The Beatles wrote ‘The White Album’ songs here. Spread over 14 acres of land near Ram Jhulla, this Ashram was abandoned in 1977 and is in control of the Forest Department since then. Once a preferred destination for foreigners, now a reminiscent of a glorious past.

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Delhi To Leh Ladakh: Extreme And Unplanned Adventure

Delhi To Leh Ladakh: Extreme And Unplanned Adventure

 How my Delhi to Leh Ladakh trip turned into an extreme and unplanned adventure in the remotest part of the world — Changthang

The downside of living abroad is homesickness that hits you like a ton of bricks. I have a good job and a balanced life. But I still feel homesick, not so much for my family or the food but for the Himalayas. The urge to return was so strong at the beginning of the year that I brushed aside a serious threat of losing my job. I didn’t know which home was calling but I was hearing a call — O nadaan parinde ghar aa ja! But as the cliché goes, “When mountains call, you must listen to them.” I did exactly that.

The calling this time was different. There was a different tune to it. I sensed a deeper meaning, probably more than just the travel. Too often, traveling becomes just an itinerary on paper to squeeze as much in as possible. Rushing from place to place to get the boxes ticked, to snap the picture-perfect sunset and to hit the next scenic spot. Sometimes it feels like we are acquiring experiences rather than experiencing them. I had a super crammed itinerary but this time I was determined to travel slow and relish the experiences and not just gather them. As they say, the best dishes are cooked on slow and low flames. I wanted to do something different, go offbeat and live the unique experiences, for they are not found on the beaten track. And guess what, I discovered happiness in the remotest part of the world — Changthang.

Unlike my last three trips From Delhi to Leh Ladakh, this was completely impulsive. And the credit goes to nostalgia. I was going through my picture gallery on phone (not on Facebook) when suddenly a picture clicked in the Changthang plateau in 2014 arrested my attention. Eureka! My eyes glittered with excitement. I called my Ladakhi friend right in the middle of the night. After a brief conversation, I discovered that he was posted in the very place that I wanted to be. Looks like destiny was working super hard for me!. The up-in-the-air-plan was made. But there are many slips between the making of a plan and its finalization. The plan got finalized only a day before I was to fly and I ended up paying a bomb for the flight tickets. The heart doesn’t understand the pain of a wallet. If it decides to go, it decides to go 🙂

My plan was limited to fly from Delhi to Leh Ladakh. I decided to leave the rest to serendipity and the local conditions. All I knew was, I was going to visit the unexplored Ladakh — the Changthang plateau. I had no clue beyond that. Locals are the unsung heroes who turn your good trip into a great one. My case was no different. The credit for an unforgettable trip goes to them — some I knew beforehand and some I made friends on the trip.

Time to buckle up folks! Hope you have your seat belts locked and have your munchies ready because this will take you through the stories of a lifetime.

From a sweltering 35 degrees to -8 degrees, Leh was a welcome change. The change in temperature had already triggered my “happiness” hormones. Before getting into my cab, I longingly gazed at the beautiful Himalayas, in the same way as long parted lovers look at each other when they meet after ages. Happiness doesn’t require words. It can only be felt by the heart and the eyes. I was relishing my share of happiness. The mountains were mountains, smiling at me and waving at me through gestures that only I could understand

Read more About:- Travel See Write

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Varanasi — How To Survive And Thrive In The Spiritual Capital Of India

 

In this post you’ll read about the top things that to-do in Varanasi as per the locals.

Varanasi is sacred, soulful, scrumptious and spectacular but most importantly, it is the spiritual capital of India. What Mecca is to Islam and Jerusalem to Christianity, Varanasi is to Hinduism. Lord Shiva’s city has been known by many names such as Banaras, Kashi, Avimukha, Anandavana, Rudravasa, and Mahashmashana. The current name Varanasi comes from Varuna and Assi, the two tributaries of the Ganges that come together in the heart of the holy city. Here pilgrims come to wash away their sins in the sacred Ganges waters, to cremate their loved ones, or simply to die here in a hope to attain moksha (liberation from the endless cycle of rebirth and union with the divine).

Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India

Varanasi is mystical and one of the most visited cities in India. However, it is definitely not for the faint-hearted. At first glance, it will enthral you with its intensity, colours and chaos. But once you get past the initial culture shock and dig deeper, you’ll see an immensely exhilarating and captivating side of the city. Here is how not only to survive but thrive in the spiritual Capital of India

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