Oasis Holidays: Mumbai

Are you fed up of scorching high temperatures and rising heights of mercury? It’s a high time for you to take a chill pill and say goodbye to the scorching sun for some time. Go away from the dusty air to fresh air of hills and beaches in India. Every state in India is having many beautiful destinations which are perfect for summer holidays to beat the sun. India is known to please everyone in one way or the other.

Go with friends or with family or enjoy your own company for some time. The diverse topology in India has many things for everyone’s enjoyment which make you feel nostalgic about some childhood memories.

Presenting some of the top destinations in India for summer holidays

1) Places around Delhi to Beat the sun

* If you are living in Delhi, you must be fed up of everyday rising temperature here. The temperature here has touched 45-degree celsius.

* Worry not! there are many places around Delhi where you can enjoy the weekend holidays and have fun.

* The most fun place in Delhi is the Indian Mountaineering Foundation which is famous for fun and adventurous activities.

* Walk into Ice Bar chamber of ice. You will feel like you’re walking into an igloo. Everything here from the walls and furniture to the sculptures, bar, and glasses are made of ice. The temperature inside is maintained at minus 10 Degree C.

* Kingdom of Dreams, where art, culture, heritage, craft, cuisine, and performing arts are showcased in a dreamy setting. Many travelers now recognize it as “a must-visit place”.

* Rishikesh is just 240 km away from Delhi. This place is blessed with natural beauty since it is situated in the lap of Himalayas. One can enjoy various adventurous activities in Rishikesh like trekking, white water rafting, cliff-hanging etc. Rishikesh also is considered as a ‘holy city’ and is vegetarian.

* Nainital is 300km away from Delhi and is among the pride of India in terms of beauty. Nainital offers the beauty of lakes to the travelers like Naukuchiyatal which is the lake with 9 corners, Bhimtal which is the small island in the middle of the lake, Khurpatal which is the hoof-shaped lake and many more. The view of Himalayas from is mesmerizing. Shopping at the Tibetan Market where you can find artifacts is another beautiful and joyful thing you can do here. The ropeway takes you to small peaks in Nainital and also gives you a bird’s eye view of the hill station. Have the blessings of famous Naina Devi temple.

* Nahan is 261 km away from Delhi. It is the good place to beat the heat of Delhi. You can enjoy trekking and rock climbing buffs. There are forts to enjoy the scenic beauty. Enjoy the beauty of Renuka Wildlife park and sanctuary near the town of DAdahu in Simaur district which covers 403 hectares of land. You can also admire the lake of here. Jaitak Fort, situated on the Jaitak Hills, is believed to have been built using the material recovered from the destroyed Nahan Fort.

* Agra UP is 235 km away from Delhi. This place is the epitome of immense love, the Taj Mahal. One can enjoy the great architecture of Mughal empire. Agra is also famously known as the Land of palaces. The climate in Agra is very inviting, suitable and peaceful. The city is well designed and constructed, where even the houses show huge explanations and detailing in their design. Even the interiors of the buildings show the unusual imagination and thinking capability that the architects probably had.

2) Places around Mumbai to break the stress of work

* Mumbai is the financial center of the country where dream often turns into stress. It is the busiest city in India, the land of here. The people over here are always at work. This state never sleeps.

* If you are also the part of this city, it’s a high time for you to give some rest to your mind and work and let your let life to be free for sometimes.

* There are many places in and around Mumbai which are best to provide relief from your work. Some of these are compiled here.

* Lonavala is at a distance of 88km from Mumbai. The landscape, lakes, gardens and natural beauty here is mesmerizing. Kune Waterfall is a heaven for eyes, nestled between the scenic valleys of Lonavala and Khandala. It is the 14th highest waterfall in the country. One can enjoy swimming and bathing here along with Rappelling which is a popular adventure sport conducted here. Karla Caves, a popular attraction for tourists and locals is located about 8 km away from the beautiful hill station of Lonavala.

* Della Adventure is one of the largest and most adventurous theme parks in India. The park provides over 100 adventure sports activities for people of all ages, which makes it a perfect leisure destination.

* Mahabaleshwar is at a distance of about 274 km from Mumbai and can be reached via roadways. It is the popular hill station of India. Tapola a tiny hamlet in the west is also famously known as mini Kashmir Tapola. Shivsagar Lake is among must visit places for all its visitors here.

* Matheran is the best place to have some adrenaline rush and they are aimed at giving people a chance to discover the values of independence, self-reliance, co-operation and teamwork.

* Bhandardara is 163 km away from Mumbai. This place is excellent weekend place is the entire region is rich in lush greenery and undisturbed picturesque landscape.

* Amboli is 486 km away from Mumbai. This place offers immense natural beauty with tranquil hill station on the Western Ghats, enclosed by dense forests and rolling terrains. This beautiful place has magnificent hill station offering breathtaking views of the valleys. The splendid waterfall pours out during monsoon and provides the peace of mind and body to nature lovers.

* Kamshet is 101km away from Mumbai. One can enjoy paragliding sessions, swimming in the reservoir here. This place has man breathtaking lakes.

3) Places around Bangalore to make most out of this summer

* As the schools are shutting down and vacations are arriving for kids. Its the time for you too to give some rest to your work and have some enjoyment and make best out of the 14 long weekend holidays in 2017.

* Bangalore is the center of India’s high-tech industry, the city is also known for its parks and nightlife. This city has many beautiful places in and around to make your holidays the best from rest.

* Horsley Hills is 144km away from Bangalore. The town is blessed with the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary where you can spot the sambhar deer early morning. This was discovered by British and one can enjoy adventure sports activities like Zorbing in Horsley hills.

* Mysore is located 150 km southwest of Bangalore. Mysore is a beautiful place to visit which have splendid beauty to offer. You can hike up the Chamundi hills and visit the Chamundeshwari Temple. You can take a trip to the Mysore Palace and the museum it houses. The Railway museum is one of the tourist attractions here.

* Kotagiri is 350 km away from Bangalore. This place is considered as one of the three best hill station in India. You can visit the Catherine Falls and Elk Falls is a must when in Kotagiri.

* Nandi hills are 60km away from Banglore. Nandi hill is an ancient hill fort and hill town located at an elevation of 1,478 meters above sea level in the state of Karnataka. This place was a major stronghold of the Mysore kingdom under Tipu Sultan which was later annexed by the British who used the hamlet as a summer retreat. The hills here have several indigenous trees and flowery shrubs. Tipu’s drop, Tipu’s summer palace, ancient temples, Gandhi house, Amruth Sarovar and the secret escape route are the popular attractions that can be visited in Nandi Hills.

* Coonoor is 285 km away from Bangalore. Coonoor is second largest hill station and you can find beauty at its best here. This place is famous for its tea, tourism and UNESCO world heritage, the Nilgiri Mountain Railways.

4) Places around Kolkata to enjoy sweeter summer vacation

* Kolkata is known as “the Paris of East”. The food is one of the best variety of cuisines. It is the king of food specially Roshogollas. Every festival is celebrated in a grand manner.

* You can enjoy many places in and around this place. Some of them are compiled here.

* Kalighat Kali Temple is one famous temple in Kolkata. During Durga pooja, this temple is highly rushed with devotees. Indian museum is one of the most significant, and the first museum to be founded in India. The museum has collections and galleries spanning many different subjects.

* Bishnupur is 151 km away from Kolkata.This town was set up by Malla Kings in the 17th century. Bishnupur is famous for terracotta temples and Baluchari sari. The temple town is dotted with some of the widely discussed religious buildings such as Pancha Ratna Temple (Shyam Rai temple), JorBangaloww temple, Radheshyam temple, Dolmadol Kaman, etc. The Madanmohan temple of Bishnupur is designed in ektarana style that has a square flat roof with carved cornices.

* Chandipur is 255 km away from Kolkata. This place has less crowded seaside. The beach is the main attraction of this tourist spot and turns extremely beautiful during the time of the ebb tide. This natural phenomenon takes place twice a day and leaves a wide stretch of silvery sand beach.

* Digha is 185km away from Kolkata. The beaches of Digha offers a beautiful canvas lined with swaying chains of Casuarina trees for lovers of nature and beauty.

* Bakkhali is a small beach town located on the outskirts of Kolkata. Its peacefulness will not allow you to leave this place. It is a perfect place for you and your partner to just listen to the rhythm of the gushing waves and relax.

* Raichak is located 50 km south of Kolkata, Raichak is a riverside town. It has an amazing view and is completely different from other parts of West Bengal. A romantic trip to this place is all that will you need to rejuvenate your mind.

" Get ready to beat the sun with Oasis Holidays!!! "

(Part 2 of the “Unshod in India” series)

Many prominent people in the past might have had entered the subcontinent through the Gateway of India by the Mumbai harbor, most probably in broad daylight. I instead sneaked in via the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport on a hot, hot Friday evening. In a very same manner, I was introduced to this glorious monument from within, after days of getting my hands dirty and pushing my way through this lovely, lively city that is Mumbai. And so as I was sweating it all out trying to learn how to tread on its social undercurrents, I was also taking it all in in between sporadic, sometimes involuntary gasps for air. I tried to shed off as soon as possible the tourist fat in me and start to fully feel like a local, a desi (but always with a water bottle in hand).

On my very first morning, first day, first thing: a full-on immersion into the Mumbai railway system. And here is where the real action is. There is something about the Mumbai train that screams life, humanity in its most elementary, instinctive form. There is that feeling, while not always comfortable, of being alive and being part of something. Mumbai forces you to dance, to 'freestyle n' trance'. To join in this ritual of sharing sweat and smell. It's in-your-face, abrasive. And you can't help but smile not so much out of a deep sense of pleasure as a basic, purely visceral reflex. And since, you find yourself in a crowd -- you become the crowd -- you've never felt so human, so not a foreigner. Just be sure to wear comfortable and sturdy footwear, a pair that would stand by you when push comes to shove, literally and in a manner of speaking.

I would then pick up the pace entering through a fishing village wherein by sunset women would sweep off the streets the day's fish and shrimps dried and to be sold later. Men preparing milk, women flipping chapattis. The long bus ride and the dizzy mix of turmeric and reality. All in just one day. Yes, as I tried to bobble the Indian way, a newfound friend told me it was just a small part of Mumbai though. And Mumbai, no matter how gigantic a city it is, it remains just a thread in the great Indian loom. Besides, I just had barely gotten to know it through its streets. Its homes and temples still awaited me. And among the many facets of Indian culture and society, one has to know that there is a Ganges river of difference between the pedestrian on the road and the host at home.

I was billeted among foreigners, so taking off one’s footwear before entering the house was not the norm. The first time I went unshod was the morning after when I woke up to the chatter of women in the kitchen and offered to help. It is one thing to appreciate Indian cuisine, and yet another to discover it through a mother’s cooking. I had to put aside my slippers before I was welcomed in the circle of women sitting on mats in various stages of cooking preparations. Of course, being the novice that I was, I was tasked to slice onions after onions right at the very beginning of the assembly line. That morning, I was introduced to two types of rice, three types of masala, and two important words: let’s go and thank you. Chalo and danyawad, that I tried to dabble in pronouncing correctly in between bouts of pending tears and a runny nose.

Then, the day arrived when I came down with diarrhea and fever, not an unusual initiation rite I was warned. Still, somehow I was getting a clearer mental picture of Mumbai, not like the other day when I really felt disoriented, even envious of how a blind man on the train singing, tapping his silver cane at 4/4 measure seemed to have been more secure of where he was going. I also got an Indian shirt as an official welcome gift. As the Italian expression on empathy would go: put oneself in the "clothes" of others. Perhaps, by then, dressing up as a local, I had known better where I was, where I was going. Perhaps, a bit of time, and everything shall too be second skin, I told myself.

But the thing is, Mumbai was just indeed my gateway to India as I was actually Bangalore-bound. And so by Bandstand in Bandra, between the fortress and the bridge, on my last day in Mumbai I tried to mark my territory by getting down to the rock formations to touch the water. And a wave came to kiss me on the face and wet my shoes, which I had to take off obviously, a curious reminder to start not getting too attached to them. Anyway, here is a perfect microcosm of India, between an old structure meant to protect and defend, and a modern one designed to connect. A city with rock solid traditions and yet with businesses growing like mushrooms. It is actually basic human instinct: to conserve and to relate. I wondered how Bangalore would be like as I looked at the Arabian Sea for one last time, for now. // Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays.

For an all-India tour in 22 days, you may want to check out this video.

For Tour and Travels India as well as International packages from India, please contact us at Oasis Holidays.

Unshod Rover is a worldwide-eyed wanderer currently based in Bangalore, India. You may follow his musings and wanderings on this blog. "Unshod in India" is a series of articles based on Mr. Rover's adventures and discoveries in this very interesting and incredible subcontinent.

Top destinations in India for summer holidays