Tuesday 31 December 2013

2013 - the Year in Review for Climber & Explorer

Now that 2013 is coming to a close here is a review of where all I went this year. I was fortunate to visit eleven places in India and thirteen outside India.

Goodbye 2013

There are some posts that I have not been able to write till now about my visits due to time constraints which I intend to write soon. Do click the links to further read about the travels.

The year started with a visit to a farm house in January where the air was fresh and invigorating giving a good start to the year.

Next visit was after a long gap to Rishikesh which was a fun and adventure filled trip with some trekkingrappelling and rafting involved.

In April visited Farrukhnagar, a small town not very far from Delhi where some old structures are still standing though in a state of disrepair. Prominent among them were the Ali Gosh Khan Baoli, Sheesh Mahal, and Sethani Ki Chattri.

After that I visited Hoshiarpur in Punjab. Also visited some villages and experienced village life of Punjab. The wood inlay work of Hoshiarpur is very interesting. Also paid a visit to the unique Gurudwara at Sussaan

I visited Anandpur Sahib in April. The museum here is beautifully made. Also visited Kiratpur bordering the state of Himachal.

In the months of July and August first I visited Lancaster in England where among others I saw the Ashton Memorial and the Lancaster Castle.

This was followed by Conwy in Wales where I saw the Conwy Castle and the Town Walls. This was followed by Llandudno in Wales which is considered the queen of the Welsh resorts.

I also visited the beautiful town of Edinburgh in Scotland. Besides Calton Hill which is considered the Atens of the North also saw the Edinburgh Castle, Arthur's Seat, King's Mile among others.

Did some trekking in the Windermere area of the Lake District of England.

I was able to visit the sea-side industrial town of Liverpool, the highlight of which was the huge and beautiful Cathedral.

I also saw the various buildings and markets of Manchester, considered a shoppers paradise.

Did some trekking and visited Morecambe. The highlight of the visit was sighting of a seal.

Spent three days in London attending some official functions as well as doing a lot of sight seeing again as this was my fourth trip to London.

Did a beautiful trek in the Keswick area of the Lake District. Also visited Grassmere which also is beautiful like the whole of the Lake District.

Visited the small town of Clitheroe where I saw a very small castle and then saw some green farming being practiced at a farm house in the Lancashire area.

In October went to Alwar and saw several places including the old fort of Bala Quila, palaces and monuments.

Stayed at the Siliserh Lake, away from the maddening city crowds.

In November went to one of my favorite locations McLeodganj for a short vacation and enjoyed lots of Tibetan food.

December took me to Chandigarh. Though I am not new to Chandigarh but visited the museum for the first time. I would write about it soon.

Other highlights of 2013 were that my blog was considered among the top travel blogs as well as listed in the best travel blogs directory.

I hope I get plenty of opportunities to travel in 2014 as well so that I can share those experiences with you.

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