Monika Suri

In the month of September 2019 I have been writing about my travel story of the recent NewZealand holiday trip , that too a solo trip. Go here if you want to read #traveloguenz from the beginning  My Newzealand trip has been a great experience and Travelling alone did teach me some lessons also . After my long awaited solo trip was accomplished , I came out as a new person . I found myself happier , rejuvenated and even more confident . “Travel brings power and love back into your life “ When I visited the Auckland zoo , there was a creative section for kids where they could paint , draw , play games or watch the LED show of stars and sky . There were some cards with ‘My Goal’ written on them . All children were writing their goals . I also wrote mine on a card . Look for yourself : Some Lessons from my travel : 1.Travel makes you confident When you travel solo there are many situations where  you need to all the little or big tasks alone . Right from Checking ...

Rotorua Rotorua is a major destination for tourists . It is known for its geothermal  activities , and features natural geysers at many places . The tourists can opt to relax in hot mud pools too at few spots . Almost everywhere in Rotorua , you can smell sulphur in the air and there are some bubbling hot steam points where it becomes difficult even to stand nearby bearing  steam and sulphur . That’s why the place is commonly known as ‘ The Sulphur city ‘ Rotorua  is a part of volcanic zone actually and as per Google I was expecting to see some natural geysers where boiling hot water keeps gushing  out of earth with very high energy . The water goes vertically straight upward upto quite a great height . But my bad luck you can say that I didn’t witness any such geyser , but I did see  hot pools every here and there .   Fun & Adventure in Rotorua There are some fun adventure activities also which you can do in Rotorua i.e. Gondola and Luge. Initially  I ...

The distance from Auckland to Whakapapa is around 350 km and the time it takes is around 4 hours by road . Whakapapa Whakapapa is a village and ski field on Mount Ruapehu’s  northern side . The ski area lies within the Tongariro National Park. The National park is known for its volcanoes . Whakapapa Ski Field has a huge range of ski trails, suiting all levels of skiing. Happy Valley at Whakapapa The Happy Valley is a wonderful place where people enjoy learning and doing ski at a beginner level . One just can’t stop himself from trying his hands at the fun ski board games . It’s fun stepping on the snow , feel chilled , riding on the board , falling , laughing ,shouting out loud , rubbing hands trying to warm up and then running to the nearest cafe to grab a hot cup of coffee . I enjoyed at this place with my cousin sis and brother-in-law . In my entire life I had never experienced the fresh falling of snow . But the Happy Valley brought more happiness when suddenly the...

Hop-on-Hop-off Tour I researched online for a city tour   and there I came across ‘hasslefree tours’ . After considering many options I preferred to book myself a 24 hour Hop-on-Hop-off tour of Auckland . It cost me dollar 12.90 and I was expected to reach near Skycity at 10am the next day . The Hop-on-Hop-off buses start from Skycity . They have defined two tours of the city- red tour and yellow tour . Both the tours cover different destinations . I chose the red tour as I wanted to explore the famous Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium and the Auckland zoo. I reached the Skycity at the right time . There were fifteen minutes for the bus to leave and I made use of those minutes to have a coffee at a cafe nearby . The whole bus was empty except  six of us ( including the driver) .   I  was enjoying myself in the open roof bus watching the city and clicking pictures . Auckland Zoo I hopped off the bus at the famous Auckland zoo . The entry was dollar 20 and the zoo staff...

Auckland gye aur sky tower nahi dekha to kuch nahi dekha The major attraction of Auckland city  is Sky Tower . Standing tall at 328 meters -taller than Eiffel tower of Paris , the Sky Tower of Auckland  is  an icon of Auckland’s sky line for more than 20 years.  It gives 360 degree view of Auckland up to 80km in all directions . I got  a ticket for 32 dollars and reached to the top of the building in the evening around 4 pm. I had not expected  it  to be so amazing . The view from the top was just mesmerizing -something that my eyes didn’t  want to even blink it away . Read my wonderful experience of a beautiful island The sky tower has a circular platform on the top covered with glass from where you can have full view of the whole Auckland . Watching the tallest buildings appearing  so small , watching the famous harbour bridge , the far away islands , the scenic view of the sea and the ferries , from such a great height makes the Sky Tower experience very exciting . Apart ...

Reaching Waiheke from Auckland central Take a ferry from Auckland central terminal and you reach one of the most beautiful islands of New Zealand . Before I  write about Waiheke island , I just can’t miss describing the wonderful ferry ride experience from Auckland central to Waiheke . The ride cost me  just 40 dollars and I entered the ferry . My previous ferry experience was in Kerala ,India but this was different . With a double decked ferry having seating inside as well on the deck , it was an exciting journey for me . Ferry that took me to Waiheke I preferred to stand  on the deck and enjoy the city view plus sea view with my ferry leaving  white streams of water behind . The experience of this ferry ride with the cool splashy breeze , scenic views amidst the dark clouds made me just fall in love with the island even before i reached there . I had to be careful of the crests and troughs while taking selfies . But I tell you , the experience was just fantastic . Me on the way ...

In Auckland , it’s quite easy and very comfortable to roam around by public transport  . You get an AT Hop card , it’s a travel prepaid card issued by Auckland Transport which you can use in buses , trains and even in ferries . If you want to read  my NewZealand travelogue from the beginning go to part 1   I got myself an AT(Auckland Transport) Hop Card and  also downloaded the trains timetable and the railway line map also on my phone . I was staying in Papakura . From Papakura I boarded the train direct to Britomart . Opposite the Britomart train station , there is Downtown ferry terminal very closeby which took me just 5 minutes of walking . Devonport Reaching the ferry terminal , you can get a ferry to Devonport .It’s around 15 minute beautiful ferry ride . You get to experience the breathtaking sea  and  the stunning views of the Auckland city . I was mesmerized to see the  views across the harbour , watch some people sailing , see some beautiful islands far away ...

I love to travel and explore new places – experience the different cultures , nature’s beauty and even just enjoy the journey . Travelling to any new place makes me happy and rejuvenates me .  I come back with my energy levels elevated and my inner spirit is then motivated to work more enthusiastically ,whether at home or my workplace . I have travelled  many places with my family – Goa , Kerala , Kanyakumari , Himachal to name a few . But It was my dream since long to travel solo . For the last many months there have been many posts on facebook of women who travelled solo . I used to go through those posts again and again and feel  excited . I even read few blogs about solo travels –how solo travelers said that one should definitely travel solo atleast once in lifetime . At the back of my mind ,  I had the unfulfilled excitement of international travel also along with the curiosity of solo travel . I had explored many places in India but just Nepal at the name of International travel ...

I came across #tuesdayphotochallenge and the theme for this week is Colorful . Above is the picture I choose for this theme .  This is the recent pic I clicked  during my summer vacation in Himachal Pradesh , India .    The varied shades  of Nature could be seen and felt here . The lushgreen forests and the rocky mountains , and suddenly the clouds came floating in the sky above while down in the valley , the river Parvati kept flowing heavily making thrumming sounds , and we kept finding our way to reach the top of the mountain through the pebbled paths .    

मुझे Reading  और Travelling दोनों का ही  शौक़ है , तो  इस शौक़  को जारी रखते हुए  मैंने पुस्तक ” Off Beats ” को पढ़ना शुरू किया , जिसकी लेखिका  का नाम है Gayatri Gadre , जिन्हें travel करना बहुत पसंद है । आज  मैं  उनकी पुस्तक का review लिख रही हूं जो  ” I love to travel ” किस्म के लोगों के लिए बनी है । मैं भी काफी हद तक इसी किस्म में आती हूं । मुझे भी travel करना अत्यंत प्रिय है । नई नई जगह जाना , वहां की संस्कृति के बारे में जानना , कुदरत की विभिन्न प्रकार की सुंदरता व चमत्कारों को महसूस करना मेरे मन को सुकून देता है । पुस्तक ” Off Beats ” एक ऐसी पुस्तक है जिसमे दुनिया के कई अलग अलग देशों के कुछ खास भ्रमणयोग स्थानों के बारे में बहुत अच्छे तरीके से जानकारी दी गयी है , उस स्थान पर कैसे पहुंचें, कहाँ कहाँ घूमें , किन किन बातों का ध्यान रखें , ये सब लिखा गया है ।  इसे पढ़ने के बाद लगा मैं तो अभी बहुत से नज़ारे देखने से वंचित हूँ।  आईये इस  पुस्तक के प्रमुख अंश देखें : Travel destinations in India  भारत के मुम्बई व इसके आसपास की कई खूबसूरत जगहों का विवरण दिया ...

हर साल कहीं न कहीं घूमने जाना सेहत के लिए बहुत अच्छा होता है ….इस बार हमने  Nepal नेपाल घूमने का मन बनाया Nepal नेपाल टूर की planning करने में कई  तथ्य जो  सहायक लगे वो थे :—  भारतियों को  Nepal नेपाल जाने के लिए किसी  visa  की ज़रूरत नहीं Nepal नेपाल जाने के लिए by air  या  by road   किसी भी प्रकार से जाया जा सकता है International tour  पर जाने का सपना पूरा हो जायेगा नेपाल की currency है NPR    और   1 INR=1.6 NPR   मतलब  अगर आप  भारतीय  1000 रुपये लेकर नेपाल जायेंगे तो आपको वहां  1600  नेपाली रुपये मिल जायेंगे NEPAL ITINERARY-7 DAYS  हमने जून 2017  के पहले हफ्ते में Nepal  नेपाल टूर किया जो  8  दिन का रहा ….आपके पास भी अगर 7-8  दिन का समय है तो  आप नेपाल घूमने का अच्छे से आनंद ले सकते हैं हमने अपने  tour  को  budget  में बनाये रखने के लिए जाते समय by air  travel  किया और वापिस आते समय by rail travel  किया  ताकि हवाई यात्रा का आनंद भी आ जाये और जेब पर भी ज़्यादा बोझ न पड़े HOW TO PLAN A TRIP TO NEPAL  हमारा Nepal नेपाल tour कुछ  इस प्रकार से रहा:— (Nepal Tour Places...