Machu Picchu damage tourists deported, banned for 15 years January 16, 2020 at 08:26PM

Peru Migration said in a statement the tourists - two Brazilians, an Argentine, a Chilean and a French woman - had been given “the maximum punishment with expulsion and a ban on entry for a period of 15 years.”

Wooden Houses in Forest Heartlands January 16, 2020 at 06:48PM

Whether it is star gazing through the skylight over your bed in the town of Sholtu or the heartbreakingly picturesque location of the hundred-year-old property in Sangla, the 300-odd colonial-era forest rest houses of Himachal Pradesh are a celebration of the idyllic.

The old-world charm of staying in quaint cottages amid wooded mountains is often accentuated by the rest houses’ British-era, late 19th-century architecture—sloping slate-tiled roofs, expansive verandas, wood-panelled walls, stone chimneys and fireplaces. The caretakers of the rest houses, especially in the remoter locations, cook simple pahadi fare for the guests. All this for anything between Rs500-1,000 for a couple.

 

Pulga FRH in Parvati Valley sits at the edge of what locals call the ‘fairy forest.’ Photo By: Paloma Dutta

 

The remote location perhaps makes the forest rest house just outside Kugti village, the last settlement before the Kugti Pass, a particularly endearing site. Wooden houses propped on stilts, roofs tiled with slate—the place shows how basic creature comforts marry an exquisite setting. The 13-kilometre trek from the Hadsar road head—a narrow mountain trail most of the way—is interrupted by waterfalls from glacial melt tripping over the path before disappearing into the Budhil river. Along the way you will meet the nomadic gaddi tribes with their goats.

Sangla village, with the mighty Kinnaur Kailash range in the backdrop, is a destination within itself. Photo By: Utsav Kapadia/Dinodia Photo/Dinodia photo library

The Sholtu Forest Rest House (FRH), on the other hand, was built in 1925 on the bank of the Satluj river inside a clump of forest in the Rampur district, a couple of hours ahead of Shimla. It is an ideal pit stop on the way to Kinnaur Valley from Delhi. The skylight on the sloping wooden roof over the bed looks out to pine trees during the day and stars at night.

The 110-year-old FRH located just outside Sangla village adjacent to the Tibetan border is a destination in itself, a poetically pretty, wooden cottage situated under the shadows of the mighty Kinnaur Kailash range, a stone’s throw away from the Baspa river. A distance of just 12 kilometres from the charming but busy Dalhousie leads one through wooded avenues to the FRH situated inside the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary. This exquisitely located nearly hundred-year-old hilltop FRH has many trekking trails and opens up panoramic views of the Pir Panjal range.

When on a trek to the high altitude Kareri Lake, the forest rest house overlooking the edge-of-the-world Kareri village is a caravanserai for tired bones. A rejuvenating three-kilometre trek from Barsheni (the last motorable stretch of road), just past Pulga village in Parvati Valley (a quieter alternative to neighbouring Kasol) takes travellers to the enchanting Pulga FRH at the edge of what locals call the ‘fairy forest.’

AirAsia Offers Perfect 2020 Sale January 16, 2020 at 04:02PM

Out of Town Blog
AirAsia Offers Perfect 2020 Sale

AirAsia kickstarts the year with Perfect 2020 Sale Manila, Philippines — AirAsia is kickstarting the new year by offering the Perfect 2020 Sale – it’s very first regional seat sale for this year. Through the Perfect 2020, the airline wishes its guests to turn their resolutions into reality. “We are pleased to announce The Perfect […]

AirAsia Offers Perfect 2020 Sale
Melo Villareal

Top Things You Can Do Faster with FREE Speed Boost January 16, 2020 at 07:23AM

Out of Town Blog
Top Things You Can Do Faster with FREE Speed Boost

Manila, Philippines — How often do you hear people ask, “where did the day or month go?” It seems every day passes by in just a blur. We live in a fast-paced world that sometimes, it feels that we can no longer keep up. Now, living in the fast lane has become the norm. The […]

Top Things You Can Do Faster with FREE Speed Boost
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Carnac’s Mysterious Standing Stones January 16, 2020 at 06:09AM

Out of Town Blog
Carnac’s Mysterious Standing Stones

Visit France’s Carnac Stones Carnac is a small town in Brittanny of northwestern France with just a population of over 4,500. It’s popular among tourists visiting France and local travelers because of its numerous sheltered and sandy beaches. But what put Carnac on the map is its huge collection of megalithic sites all over the […]

Carnac’s Mysterious Standing Stones
Melo Villareal