Monday, 31 August 2015

10 most beautiful train routes in India

1) The Kashmir Railway (Jammu – Udhampur): Jammu & Kashmir which is said to be the Heaven on Earth offers one of the most beautiful travel experiences by the railways. The section from Jammu to Udhampur has 20 major tunnels along with a record 158 bridges which offers an awe inspiring view of the Himalayan Rivers and valleys around the beautiful Shivalik Mountain range. One can board Uttar-Sampark Kranti Express and can be a part of grandest Train Journeys in India. 


2) Kalka – Shimla( Himachal Pradesh) : The total distance of this train journey may be just mere 96 Kms only but it provides one of the most breath taking railway journey in India. The rail journey also find itself mentioned in Guiness Book of World Records for having one of the steepest rise in altitude in railway journey. 

The train which runs on a narrow gauge has been built over viaducts which resemble the arch galleries which gives impression of ancient roman architecture.The railway line has a total of 102 tunnels, 87 bridges and 900 curves and was was built in 1903 

3) Madgaon (Goa) to Mumbai: The train journey on the western front of India gives a vivid view of Western Ghats and the rainforest of the area.The British who have constructed railway line in most part of India were not able to construct a railway in this area. Finally the Indian engineers constucted the railway line which is also known as Konkan Railway, a feat of engineering in India. The route which is mainly in the Sahyadri hills has 92 tunnels and about 2,000 bridges among which the Panvalnadi is the highest one. 


4) The Sea Bridge ride ( Mandapam- Pamban- Rameswaram): The train journey in the southern most tip of India in the state of Tamil Nadu connects the Pambamisland with the mainlaind of India. It is the second longest sea bridge in India which crosses the Gulf of Mannar during its journey. The railway bridge is between Mandapam and Pamban Juncion, the bridge is approx. 2.3 Km . So when you will plan your journey to Rameshwaram, you have to cross this bridge to reach Rameshwaram. 

5) Ernakulam-Kollam-Trivandrum: If one has to have the lifetime experience of travelling in 'God's own Country' in railways then a traveller should travel in the beautiful country side of Kerala.One should begin the journey from Ernakulam and go till Thiruvanthampuram. It can be said to be kind of Holiday package which includes the enchanting backwaters, the pristine lakes, the coconut palms fencing the water channels and a peek into the rural life of Kerala. 


6.Dooars Voyage (Siliguri-Hasimara-Alipurdar): This rail journey is for the ardent nature lovers. The voyage through the forest of Doars takes one through the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary, Chapramari forest and the Buxa Tiger reserve. 

Dooars Valley in West Bengal is embraced by the alluring charm of the gurgling Teesta and Sankosh rivers with the Eastern Himalayas serving as the backdrop. 

The route, most of which is covered by dense and scenic patches of forests, is known for offering amazing views of wildlife and the great Himalayan Range as well. 

7. New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal to Tinsukia, Ledo, Assam 

This is the train journey which one has to make in two parts. While one can travel to Tinsukia or Dibrugarh directly and from there take a train to Ledo which is the easternmost staion in India. The crossing of mighty Brahmaputra and going past emerald paddy fields and lush green tea plantations is indeed a view to watch out for. 

From Tinsukia, the morning passenger train blasts through awe-inspiring landscape before arriving at the end of the track having squeezed past the backs of people's houses and markets so closely that one can clearly see what they're eating for breakfast. 

8. Goa Express - Goa to Londa 

The train speeds up through thick jungle, hugging the curves of the mountainside. Keep your eyes peeled for waterfalls in the distance, which increase as the trees thin and the view turns to deep valleys and peaks. 

On the approach to Londa the sun should just be setting which gives the strange red clay surroundings an ominous glow. 

9. Darjeeling Toy Train ( West Bengal): New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling 

Darjeeling's tiny steam train was initially built as a tramway to exploit the difference in the price of potatoes between Darjeeling and Siliguri, and the hill railway is now considered a World Heritage Site. 

Travelling at a speed of 12kmph, the Toy Train trundles through dense forests, curving around tea plantations. 

10. Koraput- Rayagada (Odisha): If one has to enjoy and see the mystic lifeof tribal Odisha, as an traveler this train journey is a must. The train journey has a scenic beautyand one can witness the inhabiting tribes in Odisha from the windows of the train. 

The journey is an awe-inspiring experience down the hill. The lush green forests and the horse-shoe curves are the mai highlights of this enthralling train journey.

Sunday, 16 November 2014

Offline Travel Apps


OFFLINE TRAVEL APPS;

{Source: telegraph.co.uk}


What are the best travel apps that can be used offline to avoid building up data-roaming charges abroad?

Data roaming remains too expensive.

“Travel apps are great, but watch out for roaming charges,” I wrote for the Telegraph in 2009. Five years on, little has changed. Data roaming remains too expensive for dawn-to-dusk app use in most countries. Fortunately, some apps work fine without an internet connection. So, even after you switch off mobile data for take-off, you aren’t flying blind.

Some guide apps, such as Telegraph Travel Guides (iOS; free; telegraph.co.uk/travelapp), work entirely offline. Pre-loaded maps locate you using GPS, which uses no data, then find the restaurant, hotel or sight you require. Sometimes you need to use the map service on the app before you travel to make sure it is ready-downloaded, or cached. To check this has happened, test before you travel by switching on “airplane” mode and trying to use it before you travel.

Travel “utilities” often rely on a 3G or Wi-Fi connection, however. Google Translate and other translation apps are less powerful without internet, for example. Visual translator Word Lens (Android, iOS, Google Glass; free) is one language app that works perfectly offline. Point your smartphone camera at foreign words and an English translation appears on the screen. Word Lens can handle simple blocks of text, such as menus, newspaper headlines or road signs, in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian or Portuguese. In May, the app developer was bought by Google, so expect more integration with Google’s vast translation capabilities soon.

Currency converter XE (xe.com/apps; Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Firefox OS; free) uses data to calculate accurately at live mid-market rates. But the app also caches the last rates used, so works offline. Unless there’s a market crash while you are off the internet, conversions will be fairly accurate.

Perhaps my most important travel utility is a map, but online services like Google Maps need a data connection to work fully. There are alternatives. For driving, CoPilot (copilotgps.com/uk; Android, iOS, Windows Phone; free) works well. You can install one country map from a long list for free, after which you expand your collection via in-app purchases. It costs £6.99 for North America, £23.99 for all of Europe, for example, and £17.49 to add satnav-style voice navigation. Windows Phone devices have offline navigation courtesy of the HERE app now available for Android; see here.com/download).

CityMaps2Go (ulmon.com; Android, iOS; free) can be stored on your handset and used to explore a new city completely offline. You get five free map downloads, or can upgrade to the Pro version which has unlimited downloads for £1.99. Pocket Earth Pro (pocketearth.com; iOS; £1.99) is similar, but for Apple devices only.

For trips to the wilderness, ViewRanger (viewranger.com; Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, BlackBerry; free) puts OS Landranger and Explorer maps, or foreign hiking maps, on your smartphone or tablet. Maps start from a few pounds, and you can get Snowdonia and Lake District trial versions for free.

A word of warning: extended use of GPS quickly eats battery life, but probably no more so than a data connection