(Travel) Trip to Vaishno Devi and five (of 9 Nava durga) devi temples in Himachal

Had a wonderful trip to Maata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu & Kashmir. And five devi temples in Himachal.

Few snaps: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150746111738356.502555.552993355&type=3

Itinerary: Jan 20, to Jan 29, 2012

Day 1 (Fri) - Day 3 (Sun): Started from Pune, Jhelum Express Train, reached Jammutavi on Day 3 around 10:30 am. Accommodation in a hotel near General Bus stand. Visited Gufha (cave), Maha kaali temple and Garden near the temple, Raghunath Temple, Ranbhireshwar Temple.

Day 4: Reached Khatra at 11:30 pm. Started trek to Maata Vaishno Devi shrine at 12:45 PM afternoon.

Day 5: Taken a HRTC bus to Kangra (Himachal) from Jammu at 3 PM. Reached kangra by 10 pm. Accommodation in J.K. Hotel.

Folks, strongly recommend not to take this J.K. Hotel. We realized on Day 7, late for us :(
Some news to note for you :)

Day 6: Hired a Local taxi (Indica) and visited Bajinath Temple, Chamunda Devi Temple, Dharamshala, Bhagsunath Temple. Explored the option of trekking to Triund hills; understood that time is not right due to soft snow. Returned to McLeod Gunj (also known as upper Dharamshala) and spent time in the market, then visited Tibetan Buddhist Monastery.

Day 7: HRTC bus - reached Bharwain (H.P.) around 12 PM noon, 3 kms from Chintpurni Devi temple. Hired a local taxi (Tata Sumo), visited chintpurni devi temple, Jwala mukhi devi temple and returned to Bharwain by 7 PM.

Taken a HRTC deluxe bus to Anand pur sahib, reached there by 10:30 PM. We got simple and nice accommodation, near Gurudwara, managed by Gurudwara.

Day 8 (Fri): Local bus to Naina Devi temple. Had to walk by steps for around 1 1/2 hr (3 small breaks in between). At the top, after the devi darshan, had an excellent view of Bhakra-nangal reservoir. Also observed the ropeway.

2 pm- Started to Bhakra dam, 2 hrs journey from naina devi temple; reached the dam around 4 PM. Spent some time there watching the view of the dam and the reservoir. Had very nice time with two small puppies roaming in the nearby area.

Left the dam around 5:30 pm to una, and from there to Anand pur Sahib. Visited Gurudwara and started to Amabala cantonment (Cantt) railway station by a Haryana Roadways bus.
This one of haryana transport is super fast and very aggressive. Reached the Cantt station by 11:30 pm.

Day 9: Used the sleeping bags and took rest in the waiting room of cantt station till 5:30 am. Boarded Jhelum express train to pune at 6 am.

Day 10: Reached pune by 2:30 pm.


Observations:-
1. HRTC - Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses and the staff are very good. On plain road they go quite slow; speed and control seems to be very good in ghat roads (hilly).

Haryana Roadways - Haryana State transport buses, very fast. If you like aggressive driving, yes, you will enjoy the drive. I enjoyed the journey from Anandpur Sahib to Ambala Cantt station.

2. Food: Most of the journey in Himachal is in Ghats, Rice with Dal makhni/Rajma was sufficient and no stomach aches or vomits.

(Fun) Laugh for a while - ads from matrimonial sites

*****

Hello, To Viewers My Name is Shekhar , I am single i don't have female, I am not a good education but i working all field in Bangalore.. if u like me u welcome to my heart...when ever u want to meet pls visit my resident or send u letter.. Thanks yours Regards Shekhar
*****

I want very simple girl. from Brahmin educated family from orissa state she is also know about RAMAYAN, GEETA BHAGABATA, and other homework

(Homework?)
*****

Wants a woman who knows me better and can adjust with me forever. she may never create any difficulties in my life or her life by which the entire life can run smoothly. thank you

(The principle of running life smoothly was never so easy!)
*****

She should be good looking and should have a service. she Should have one brother and one sister. she should be educated.

(ain't it unique !! 1 brother 1 sister criteria !)
*****

hello.... My name Arthi..... I am a good characterized woman. I want to run my life happily. I expect the good minded and clean habits boy to marry me soon.... who may be in the same caste . If anyone want to Marie to me u can visit to my home

(Ghar Chale aana........ ???)
*****

I am a happy-go-lucky kind of person. Enjoys every moments of life. I love to make friendship. Because friendship is a first step of love. I am looking for my dream girl who will love me more than i. Because i love myself a lot. If u think that is u then why to late come on ........hold my hand forever !!!

(The dilwale dulhaniya effect)
*****

I am simple boy. I have lot of problem in my life because of my luck now i am looking one gal she care me and love me lot lot

(I don't know why but this is one of my favorites)
*****

My wife should be as 'Shivani' as in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and as Tanwerr as in KSBKBT......

(Ok I haven't seen these soaps but I am sure he must be demanding too much,ain't he?)
*****

I want a girl with no drinks if she wants she can wear jeans in house but while stepping out of house she should give respect to our cast

(by not wearing her jeans? Wat the hell...)
*****

HYE I AM A GOOD LOOKING BOY ,WHO HAS THE CAPABILITY TO MAKE ANY BODY TO LOUGH'S BELIEVE IN GOD AND ACCORDING TO ME FRIENDS ARE THE REAL MESSENGER OF GOD.

THE 3 THINGS I AM LOOKING FROM A GIRL ,THEY ARE 1.THEY MUST BELIEVE IN GOD.2. THEY HAVE TO LIKE MY PROFESSION AND THEY SHOULD NOT GET BORED WITH ME WHEN I WILL TRY TO MAKE THEM LOUGH.

(all of us are loughing{laughing} )
*****

Whatever she may be but she should feel that she is going to be someone bride and she must think of the future life if she is too like this she would be called the woman of the lamp

(I am clueless, I feel so lost. Can anyone tell me what this boy wants)
*****

I love my partner i marriage the partner ok i search my partner and i love the partner ok thik hai the partner has a graduate ok

(I am again clueless but I liked the use of "ok". The person is suffering from "Ok-syndrome" )
*****

HI I AM VERY COOL NUATHER OK MY HOBBY IS SEE TV AND NEWS OK I HAVE 1 CAR AND 1 BOWL OK MY MOTHER ALSO GOOD OK MY FARUET WORLD IS OK

(the "ok syndrome" again)
*****

I am pran my family history my two brother two sister and Father&mother sister complitly marred

(somebody please explain in comments section how to get married 'completely' ?)
*****

I am very simple and honest. i have three sister one brother and parent. iam doing postal service and tailor master my original residence at kalahandi diste naw iam staing at rayagada dist. (actually what is this guy doing? Postal service or tailor.??)
*****

My name is muhamad and i am unmarried. please you marriage me please please please please please please please

(height of desperation! )
*****

I want one girl who love me or my mother. she love me heartily or she have frank she's skin color 'normal' not a black or not a whitey. I Think the main think is heart if your heart is beautiful then you are beautiful. but iam not a handsome guy or not a good looking. but my Mom say that Iam a good guy. My father already expired . THE CHOICE IS YOUR. bye bye.

(uttama purushan)
*****

I am kanan. i do owo businas.one sistar.he was marred.

(No comments)
*****

I AM LITTLE FAIR INDIAN COLOR. I DON'T HAVE ANY HABIT.

(maybe the poor guy meant BAD habits)
*****

My color is black, but my heart is white. I like social service

(Zebra..???)
*****

I'm looking out for who lives in Bombay, girl simple who trust me lot should be roman catholic, LOVE ME ONLY.

(Now that criterion is a must, isn't it?)
*****

To be married on jun-2006. working woman preferable.

(this guy has fixed the marriage date too! But he is yet to find a bride. I wish him best of luck on behalf of all of us. I am sure he will get one soon.)
*****

I would like a beautiful girl. and I do not want her any treasure. because girl is the maharani.

(Now she is going to be a lucky girl! Any takers?)
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ssc failed three times and worked with private ltd company which not paying salary at present.

(Any takers again?)

Source: Internet Forward

(Fun) Classic Definitions

CLASSIC DEFINITIONS Cigarette A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end & a fool at the other. Love affairs Something like cricket where one-day internationals are more popular than a five day test. Marriage It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her master Divorce Future tense of marriage Lecture An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either". Conference The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present. Compromise The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece. Tears The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water-power .. Dictionary A place where divorce comes before marriage. Conference Room A place where everybody talks, nobody listens & everybody disagrees later on. Ecstasy A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feeling you have never felt before. Classic A book which people praise, but do not read. Smile A curve that can set a lot of things straight Office A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life. Yawn The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth. Etc... A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do. Committee Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together. Experience The name men give to their mistakes. Atom Bomb An invention to end all inventions. Philosopher A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead. Diplomat A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip. Opportunist A person who starts taking bath if he accidentally falls into a river. Optimist A person who while falling from Eiffel Tower says in midway "See I am not injured yet." Pessimist A person who says that O is the last letter in ZERO, Instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY. Miser A person who lives poor so that he can die rich. Father A banker provided by nature. Criminal A guy no different from the rest... except that he got caught. Boss Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early. Politician One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after. Doctor A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills.

Source: Internet Forward

(Information) Learning new languages on the Internet

Following are some of the websites to learn (natural) languages across the world:

bbc.co.uk/languages/
live-mocha.com
babbel.com
elanguageschool.net
mangolanguages.com
languageguide.org

verbalplanet.com
italki.com
word2word.com

langolab.com
busuu.com
about.com

Source: Eenadu Sunday supplement (Oct 24, 2010)

(Information) Is it Victory Venkatesh or Maharsi Venkatesh

http://greatandhra.com/ganews/viewnews.php?id=16331&cat=1&scat=4

Mediatation invokes the inner self. It helps to maintain balance inside ourselves. There are lot more. not to make fun about Telugu Actor Venkatesh; want to focus on Meditation.

(Info) Love your job not your company

LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY
BCOZ U NEVER KNOW WHEN COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU
- Narayana Murthy

Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during Mentor Session:
I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some people
do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary.

Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I don't know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long.

Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace.

Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization.

There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit.

Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors. My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.

Another problem is that people who are in the office long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about other people (who aren't working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behavior poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another. As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office.

First and foremost is to set the example and go home ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours.

His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday.

Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives.
For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:

1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc.
5) Eat well and sleep well.
This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2.

Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are hard for some of us because that requires personal change. They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them. In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son. When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss something. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out.

Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they don't want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life!! Things happen 24hours a day.

Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you're asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence "LOVE YOUR JOB BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY"

Source: Internet Forward

(Fun and Info) Modern names for GODS - software context

Brahma : Systems Installation
Vishnu : Systems Support
Lakshmi : Finance and Accounts consultant (SAP)
Shiva : DBA (crash specialist)
Ganesh : Documentation specialist
Narada : Data Transfer
Brihaspathi : Chief Information Officer.
Yama : ReOrganisation Consultant
ChitraGupta : Personnel Records
Apsaras : Downloadable Viruses
Devas : Y2k Programmers
Surya : Solaris adminstrator
Rakshasas : In house Hackers
Ram : Hardware Support - single user specialist
Lakshman : Support software and Backup
Ravan : Internet Explorer - WWW
Hanuman : RS6000
Vali : Windows 98
Sugreeva : Win 95
Angadh : Win 3.1
Jambhuvan : DOS
Vishwamitra : Sr.Manager Projects
Hastinapur : Silicon Valley
Arjun : Lead Programer (all Companies are Vying for him)
Abhimanyu : Trainee Programmer
Draupadi : Web server - free access (Shareware)
Bhima : MAIN FRAME
Duryodhan : Microsoft product written in VB
Shakuni : Bill Gates
Karna : Contract Programmer
Shikandi : Steve Jobbs
100 Kauravas : Microsoft Service Packs and Patches