MY TRAVEL DIARIES

Trip To Bir Billing (My Paragliding Experience)

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Hey Everyone! It’s time for some travelling updates and stories of my voyaging! Hope you all are as exited about it, as me?

Bir is a tiny village located at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh (India) – known worldwide as a destination for ecotourism, meditation and spiritual studies and yes, PARAGLIDING! Scenic, panoramic and an adventurer’s piece of heaven, Bir, shall not disappoint you or your daredevil spirit. Depending on which route you take, Bir is around 532.7 km (via NH44) or 615.9 km (via NH9) from New Delhi. You may choose to drive, book a cab, take a bus or even book a flight to the nearest airport in Dharamshala. (Read here for more information) It takes around 11-13 hours to reach Bir and the drive gets better by the hour! (PS – The fun fanatics may travel to Bir by the Kangra Valley Railways – Toy Train – for the added hullabaloo!) 

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Paragliding in Bir
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES, PERSONAL STORIES

Things To Do In Branson

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Hey Everyone! It’s time for the much awaited “travelling updates” and stories of my recent voyaging! Hope you all are as excited about it, as me?

Well, finally the “dry travelling spell” broke! Thanks to the weather Gods, and the extended Labor Day weekend, we were able to spread our wings and go for the much-anticipated holiday to Branson, Missouri. The best part, we even had some company along – a “couple” friend of ours, who took the chance of exploring the city with “crazy-adrenaline-junkies” like us! *woot woot*

Branson, a popular destination for vacationers from all across the US, named after Reuben Branson, a postmaster and an operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s – is a “small-little” town with exceptionally world-class pleasure and merriment possibilities. With the collection of entertainment theaters along 76 Country Boulevard, including Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Branson’s popularity as a tourist destination has grown manifold by the years. It is indeed a vibrant city which is refreshingly unique in its own ways, offering something for everyone!
From numerous entertainment theaters to local attractions like – Hollywood Wax Museum Branson, Silver Dollar City, White Water, Mount Pleasant Winery, Curling Vine Winery, Ride the Ducks, zip-lines, cave tours, go-karts, mini golf; and  locally owned restaurants serving scrumptious food – BRANSON is a perfect little place to spend some harmonious “family time!”

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Of “twinning” and “travelling!”
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES

Trip To Pensacola Beach

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Hi Everyone! I hope (and yearn) that you’ve read and liked my “Travel Memoirs” about – Meeting Mr. Jack (Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour) ; Trip To Bir Billing (My Paragliding Experience) ; Trip To San Francisco (My San Francisco Experience) and Trip To Chattanooga. If not, you should! (Cause it’s fun and informative to read!) Well, I bring to you another one of my travel shenanigans – my remiss trip to Pensacola Beach, Florida.

Pensacola, Florida is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle known for the “World’s Whitest Beaches!” Named as one of the top 25 beaches to visit by TripAdvisor, Pensacola is a perfect little place to rewind, rejuvenate and loosen up. Also, nicknamed as “The City of Five Flags”, due to the five governments that have ruled it during its history : the flags of Spain (Ca-stile), France, Great Britain, the Confederate States of America and the United States of America – Pensacola is more than just pretty beaches and mouth-smacking food. Founded in 1559, Pensacola has rigorously preserved its historic architecture and memorable framework, making it an ideal excursion destination for all age groups. With so much to see, experience and comprehend – Pensacola, for sure is more than just a pretty face!

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The famous Pensacola landmark
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES, PERSONAL STORIES

Crawfish Boil

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Hey everyone! How’s ya mama an’ them? (As you can make out I am already in my “Cajun” ensemble, saying what the Cajun’s say and that’s just a Southern Salute!)

What do you when the sun shines for two consecutive days for the first time since January 1st? Well, you put on your “party hats” and feel lucky that you’ve got an exclusive invite to your boss’s “Craw-fish Boil” event! Ah, free food and heaps of fun! *woot-woot*

For the ones who don’t know what a “Craw-fish Boil” is (and are finding me a little more excited than I should be) – It is a social “messy” affair which absolutely has nothing to do with virtuously sitting down at a table with sophisticated silverware, awaiting your first course on a silver platter! Well, in all honesty, it is more about getting your hands dirty and “wriggling” into the tastefulness of the succulent crustaceans by the pounds! (Ha! Talk about healthy living!)

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Foooood!

Undoubtedly, nothing else symbolizes the Cajun (a member of any of the largely self-contained communities in the bayou areas of southern Louisiana formed by descendants of French Canadians, speaking an archaic form of French) culture of Louisiana like the craw-fish. Considered a Louisiana delicacy, the craw-fish (aka crayfish) resemble tiny lobsters – only much tender, juicier and flavorsome! (Yum!)
Also called the “mud-bugs” since they live in the mud of freshwater bayous, the craw-fish are “springtime staple” and the heart and soul of Louisiana’s long-established food industry.

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MY TRAVEL DIARIES, PERSONAL STORIES

Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen

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Hey everyone! I hope y’all are going great!

I am back again with my sightseeing shenanigans and reviews on restaurants and eating joints!

Braving the frigid cold weather and stony rains (it was 43°F/6°C in Memphis, this Saturday), Me and my Huz finally decided to do something different this weekend, other than just whiling away our time on Netflix watching Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes! Our exploration got us to a “small wonder” called – Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen – a “haven” for lip-smacking Ethiopian food!

Brain child of Ermyias Shiberou, who is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen promises to be authentic to the T and in all honesty it does deliver to the promise! Starting just as a humble food truck (called Stickem), to graduating to a regular “brick-and-mortar” restaurant in 2015, it is a place to devour unique and flavorful food, the inspiration for all of which comes from his Mother. From using re-purposed materials and railings, to the colorful folk art mural painted by local artist Gina Sposto that catches your eyes as soon as you walk in, BNEK – is a perfect little place to have some good time and enjoy genuinity.
Currently functioning out of Madison in the heart of Midtown, this place is quite famous among the locals and tourists alike, offering food that pleases both, the gut and the heart!

Food/Drinks ordered – We ordered the VEGETARIAN PLATTER which was served with INJERA (the Ethiopian flatbread) and washed down with “hot” spicy TEA.

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VEGETARIAN PLATTER – which included mesir wat (savory stew – spicy lentils and mild split peas), shiro wat (ground chickpea stew), beet salad, house salad, potatoes and carrots, cabbage and greens, served with Injera (Ethiopian flatbread)!
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES

Trip To San Francisco (My San Francisco Experience)

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Hey Everyone! How are you doin’? Welcome to my “Travel Diaries!”

San Francisco, California is a popular tourist destination famous for it’s tech savvy start-ups, Pacific Ocean views, colorful neighborhoods (each with their unique spin), immigrants (thanks to the “Gold Rush”of 1849), fog, steep inclined hills, gravity defying houses and delicious FOOD! “The City By The Bay” as it is also called, boasts of world-famous landmarks including The Golden Gate Bridge, The Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Warf, Chinatown District, Lombard Street and The Painted Ladies to name a few. Traveler’s paradise, San Francisco sure does have so much history, culture, facts and food to offer.

My traveler’s dream of visiting “The Fog City” came true a few weeks back (November 10th, 2017) when my husband was invited over for a business trip to attend an all “data-scientists” conference in San Francisco. (Thanks to the “dot-com bubble!”) With a flight change and a layover at Dallas, Texas – it took us 7 hours to reach SF from Memphis, Tennessee. (Total distance covered – 2,091.6 miles/3363.53 km!)

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San Francisco!
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Norling Restaurant : Highway on My Plate, McLeodganj

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Hey Everyone! Tashi Delek!

It’s time for the much awaited “travelling updates” and stories of my recent voyaging! Hope you all are as excited about it, as me?

I begin my “virtual tour” of our 20 days and 6 cities trip to India by talking about FOOD! (Yup, once a foodie, always a foodie!)
Well, we kick started our journey by parking our taste buds at a “small wonder” called Norling Restaurant located in McLeodGanj, which is a quaint-little suburb in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Also known as “Little Lhasa” or “Dhasa” (a short form of Dharamshala used mainly by Tibetans) – it is the headquarters of The Tibetan government-in-exile and official residence for His Holiness Dalai Lama. Known worldwide as a destination for ecotourism, meditation and spiritual studies McLeodGanj for sure is more than what meets the eye! It’s a foodies’ paradise too!

Known as one of the BEST places to devour authentic Tibetan food in entire India, as recommended in the “renowned” TV program Highway On My Plate, Norling Restaurant, hence seemed just fitting to be at and explore. Located in the corner of the downtown market, it’s a nice “cozy” place to try out Tibetan cuisine. Nothing upscale or fancy – just plain, simple “delicious” food!

Food/Drinks ordered –  A bowl of THUPKA, a Chicken THENTUK NGOPA or ” Tso-Menphen”, a single TINGMO, and spinach MOMOS washed down with KOMBUCHA SYMBIOTIC DRINK in Hibiscus and Mint Rosemary flavors.

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Delectable “THUPKA!” aka “fully loaded” Tibetan noodle soup.
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES

Meeting Mr. Jack (Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour)

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Hey Everyone! How are you doin’? Well, when you “witness history” and “taste the best” – the experience is worth flaunting about! Yes, it’s time for some travelling updates and stories of my voyaging!

One of the most favorite travel destinations in the south-central Tennessee is the Jack Daniel’s distillery, situated in the small town of Lynchburg. It is a 4 hr 11 min drive (236.2 mi) via I-40 from Memphis, Tennessee. (Excellent week-end get-away!) The drive is refreshing, through the green pastures with an uninterrupted view of the barns, alluring old-fashioned farm-houses, horses and cows, corn fields and occasionally deer! (Depending on which season you chose for travelling.) 

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Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES, PERSONAL STORIES

Hopdoddy Burger Bar

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Hey everyone! I hope y’all are going great!

I am back again with my sightseeing antics and reviews on restaurants and eating joints! *woot woot*

Another weekend, another great find! This time, our “hunt” for vegetarian food in Memphis, got us to another “amazing” burger place – called the Hopdoddy Burger Bar! Yes, you heard me right, HBB is in Memphis! For foodies like us (Me and my Huz) this was an opportunity that we grabbed at, with both our hands and forks. Well, to be honest, burger + bar in one sentence did the trick for us and there we were, binging!
Brain-child of Villavaso and his longtime business partner Larry Foles, Hopdoddy Burger Bar aims at crafting a social experience where guests could wait in the line with a locally crafted beer or frozen margarita in hand as their burger is created in front of them. *shibby, right*
The name Hopdoddy is a combination of hops, a key ingredient in beer making, and “doddy,” a Scottish nickname for cows. This combination of beer and beef has garnered a lot of attention in six years, and HBB has being named one of the “Best Burgers in America” by both Food & Wine and Every Day with Rachael Ray. With a “scratch-kitchen” where every burger is ground fresh to order and all buns are baked from scratch on site, to only antibiotic- and hormone-free meat usage and a full bar in every location – Hopdoddy Burger Bar is more than just a regular burger joint.

Food/Drinks ordered –  LA BANDITA BURGER, THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGER with a few glasses of SPARKLING PAMPLEJOUSSE (Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit, Torres ‘De Casta’ Rosé, Rhubarb)and 3 WHISKEY L.I.T (Jameson, Old Forester, Wild Turkey, Camarena Reposado, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, Cola, Lime).

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Up, close and personal – LA BANDITA BURGER!
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MY TRAVEL DIARIES, PERSONAL STORIES

Blues, Brews & Burgers

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Hey everyone! I hope y’all have had a wonderful weekend?

Here we go again folks – I am back with my sightseeing antics and reviews on restaurants and eating joints! *woot woot*

Another weekend, another great find! Well, being vegetarians (periodic Pescatarians) it’s kind of tough to find out an eating place that caters to our ways in Memphis specially since it is known as “The Barbecued Pork Capital of the World!” and hence, we are always coursing around, looking for a joint that suits our taste. This time, our “hunt” got us to another “amazing” burger place – called the Huey’s!
Founded in 1970 by Alan Gary, Huey’s has been voted for “Best Burger” by Memphis Magazine every year since 1984! It has also been voted as “Best Pub Grub” and for “Best Beer Selection” in Memphis Magazine’s Readers Restaurant Poll. Famous for its “Huey Burger,” the chain operates 9 locations spread across the city! Well yes, it was a “must-do” in our “bingeing” list  and I am so glad that we were able to witness the “deliciousness” first hand!

Food/Drinks ordered – FRIED MOZZARELLA CHEESE STICKS (served with marinara sauce) , CHEESE TOTS WITH SCALLIONS, one VEGGIE – WORLD FAMOUS HUEY BURGER with FRIES, one SHRIMP PO-BOY and a few glasses of MIMOSAS.

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VEGGIE – WORLD FAMOUS HUEY BURGER with FRIES – Laden with mayo, lettuce, tomato, mustard, pickle, onion & cheddar or Swiss cheese on a buttered, toasted sesame seed bun.
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