My Seven Best Places in India

Red Hills, near Ooty in the only Lake district of India, is perhaps one of the best places I've ever seen. It's easily accessible from Bangalore, has wonderful natural beauty and above all has one of the best places to stay - Mr. Vijay's century old cottage overlooking the Emerald Lake. I've written extensively about this place in my blog. It's a MUST SEE for any one in Bangalore and also elsewhere.

Khajjiar in Himachal Pradesh is one of the best kept secrets for Indian tourists who run to Europe for the Yash Chopratic green meadows along gentle slopes of green hills. It's barely a few hours from Dalhousie on the way to Chamba, another beautiful hamlet perched across a wonderful scenic valley. Khajjiar can be well mistaken for any place in Switzerland. The only problem is that I don't think there's any decent hotel near by. At least that was the scenario in 2001 when we visited the place. People can stay in Dalhousie and make a day trip to Khajjiar.

Wayanad, in Kerala is an awesome green experience. Very few places elsewhere can your eyes get to see more green. It's again easily accessible from Bangalore, barely few hours from Mysore. It's one of the best options for a fun filled and adventurous break from the daily grill of your life. Great food, wonderful sceneries, multiple trekking options - what else do you need? I've covered this place in multiple blogs.

Allepy, in the backwaters of Kerala is one of the exotic places to go in India. It's a grand experience to stay in an ethnic house boat with a crew of boatmen and chefs at your disposal throughout the stay and the continuous servings of mouth watering food cooked fresh in front of you. The only problem is that it's quite hot throughout the year. We went during Christmas, but still we're sweating in the middle of the night when hundreds of houseboats are anchored deep inside the backwaters. Take a houseboat with generators so that you don't sweat!! Nothing better than this to relax and spend an extremely leisurely vacation.

Goa - do I need to say anything about this place? Despite all the recent spate of criminal activities at many places in Goa it still remains one of the most cosmopolitan, fun filled and enjoying destinations of India. It has wonderful sea food and international cuisines at very reasonable rates suiting all budgets. River cruises with live carnival are very popular. You may try out the sea cruises to nearby islands in the sea. It's worth making the "Dil Chahta Hai" type of resolution that friends should come to Goa at least once a year. Go to North Goa for the fun and South Goa for the serenity!!

Auli, in Uttaranchal is one of the best ski destinations in India. Apart from that it's also one of the best places to go. Very few places will take you so close to some of the highest peaks of the world. Auli overlooks Nanda Devi and many other peaks. It provides some of the best views of the snow capped peaks. It's not easy to reach though. It's a long ride either from Hardwar or Ranikhet - the nearest places where you have good hotels. It's on the way to Badrinath. All the pain in reaching Auli is worth taking considering the views you get. It's also a good start point for multiple treks across the Himalayas. I've written extensively about Auli in my blogs.

Delhi, though a big city, has all the elements of an ideal tourist destination. It has a long and colorful history, a great deal of romanticism (Mirza Ghalib and Bahadur Shah Zafar et al), three World Heritage Sites (Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb & Qutb Minar), innumerable historical sites and monuments all sewn together with the political and financial hustle and bustle. It has the sprawling Pragati Maidan overlooking the Purana Qila. It has the Habitat Center just opposite to the Lodi Gardens. It has the IIT opposite the Hauz Khas complex. It's full of contrasts. The present and the past reside side by side in such a wonderful harmony. It has huge malls and also the huge Bahai Temple and the serene Raj Ghat. Delhi always attracts me just for the sheer diversities it has to offer. I've used it as the backdrop of one of myshort stories.