Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018

Tripoto
11th May 2018

Selecting memorable trip of the 2018 year was not a difficult, but rather an easy task for me. It was a 9 days trip, with my best buddy, to Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow. Why memorable? Because, it had got all flavors packed into it - religion, adventure, historical monuments, sports, food and lot more. It was a fun-packed trip!

Haridwar

This memorable trip started from New Delhi. We landed in Delhi early morning and headed to New Delhi railway station by taking a metro from airport.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 1/71 by Sirf Musafir
12017 Dehradun Shatabdi Express
Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 2/71 by Sirf Musafir
Haridwar railway station

In Haridwar, we had only 1 night stay and we had many spots on our list to cover. We first went to take a dip in river Ganges and then, to witness the Ganga-ji ki aarti (गंगा की आरती) held at around 07:30 pm.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 3/71 by Sirf Musafir
Devotees assembled for Ganga ki Aarti (गंगा की आरती)
Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 4/71 by Sirf Musafir
Ganga ghat in evening lights
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Ganga aarti at evening in Haridwar
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Temples on the Ganga ghat
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A view of Ganga ghat
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With my best buddy, at Ganga ghat in Haridwar

Now, it was time for exploring variety of food dishes (all vegetarian dishes). Hoshiyar Puri was a very famous and old restaurant (established in 1937) - and it was the first one on our list. We had a vegetarian dish of jack-fruit curry and Lachha paratha (लच्छा पराठा), served with fresh green chilies. Wow....!!! It was THE BEST dish I ever had...

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 9/71 by Sirf Musafir
Hoshiyar Puri in Haridwar
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Mouth-watering dish of Jackfruit curry, Dal Makhani, Lachha Paratha, served green chillies

After a wonderful lunch, it was time for some dessert and Prakash Lok (प्रकाश लोक) was next on our list. Prakash Lok is famous for Lassi (लस्सी) and it serves only Lassi and related food items. We ordered a full glass of chilled Lassi. Wow....!!! It was so delicious and soothing, in the scorching summer heat of month of May.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 11/71 by Sirf Musafir
Chilled sweet Lassi (लस्सी) at Prakash Lok
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Me and my buddy, at Prakash Lok (प्रकाश लोक)
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Famous Mohan-ji Puriwale in Haridwar
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A sweet dish, named Chandrakala (चंद्रकला) from Mohan-ji Puriwale in Haridwar
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We also sighted a Harley Davidson bike in Haridwar

Rishikesh

Next day, we moved on to our second destination Rishikesh - the one which I was eagerly waiting for - because, I wanted to do my favorite river rafting. We took a bus from Haridwar and reached Rishikesh in late afternoon. At Rishikesh, our stay was at Zostels. Zostel helped us to book a 16 km ride of river rafting, at a very attractive price of just Rs. 500, which covered pick-up and drop as well. It was an exciting offer!

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 16/71 by Sirf Musafir
Me and my buddy, at the river rafting site in Rishikesh
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Experiencing the wonderful thrilling rides of river rafting, in Haridwar

Ganga ki aarti at Rishikesh was a different experience than the one that we had in Haridwar. It was well-orchestrated, less crowded and a must-watch in your Rishikesh visit. There is a proper seating arrangement for visitors.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 18/71 by Sirf Musafir
Ganga ki aarti at Rishikesh
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Ganga ki aarti at Rishikesh
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Worshiping after the Ganga ki aarti

Rishikesh also had food delicacies to offer. We visited Rajasthani Mishthan Bhandar and had a wonderful Rasamalai.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 21/71 by Sirf Musafir
Rajasthani Mishthan Bhandar at Rishikesh
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Super delicious "Ras Madhuri" (रस-माधुरी) sweet dish — at Rajasthani Misthan Bhandar.
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Chotiwala (established in 1958) - oldest and famous restaurant in Rishikesh

Evening walk on Ram Jhula (राम झूला) and Laxman Jhula (लक्ष्मण झूला) was very relaxing, refreshing, and gave a beautiful view of the river. We also saw an interesting decorative item used in weddings - it was a garland made from Indian currency notes.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 24/71 by Sirf Musafir
With my buddy at Laxman Jhula (लक्ष्मण झूला) in Rishikesh
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A view from Laxman Jhula (लक्ष्मण झूला)
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An evening view of river Ganges, in Rishikesh
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A garland made from Indian currency notes

Jim Corbett

After adventure sports, next was safari time in Jim Corbett National Park. We had booked a cab in advance, and did a road journey to Jim Corbett.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 28/71 by Sirf Musafir
On the way from Rishikesh to Jim Corbett
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On the way from Rishikesh to Jim Corbett
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On the way from Rishikesh to Jim Corbett

We reached Jim Corbett in evening. This was my second time to visit Jim Corbett. I was trying my luck for the 5th time to get glimpse of tiger and hence, I was excited as well as bit nervous too. We stayed in De Floresta Resort.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 31/71 by Sirf Musafir
De Floresta resort in Jim Corbett
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De Floresta resort in Jim Corbett

We did two safaris - one in afternoon from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and another one, next day, in the early morning from 05:30 am to 9:00 am. But to my bad luck, I couldn't see the tiger this time either. We did see deer, peacock, jackals etc.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 33/71 by Sirf Musafir
Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 34/71 by Sirf Musafir
Jackal
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Jeep safaris in Sitawani side of the Jim Corbett
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Dense forest inside Jim Corbett
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Drift wood used as a decorative item in an open-air cafe

Moradabad

Before visiting our last destination, we had a stop at Moradabad. We took a train from Ramnagar (nearest railway station to Jim Corbett).

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Ramnagar Railway Station
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Ramnagar Railway Station
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14266/DDN BSB Express (Dehradun to Varanasi Junction)
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Moradabad Railway Junction
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Moradabad Railway Station.

Moradabad is famous for brass utensil and has a market area called Pital Nagari (पीतल नगरी). After getting down at the railway station, we placed our luggage in lockers at railway station. With a day-pack size backpack, we headed to explore this pital nagari brass market. Pital nagari had many shops selling different varieties of brass utensils (such as glasses, vase, beer/juice glasses, water jar, hukkas etc.) After the visit, we had a chilled beer with chicken satay and an interesting chat with locals.

Lucknow

I had this must-have food destination on my list. I wanted to try out non-vegetarian delicacies of Lucknow, such as Kakori kebab, Tunde kebab, Gilawati kebab; and also other food items such as Nihari kulcha, biryani, Awadhi cuisine, Lucknow paan (beetle nuts) etc.

Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 50/71 by Sirf Musafir
Famous Tunde kebabs of Lucknow
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Tunde Kebab in Lucknow
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Lucknow paan

Besides food, Lucknow had beautiful historical monuments and architectural buildings. This includes places such as Bada Imambada, Chhota Imambada, Rumi Darwaza, Ghanta Ghar (clock tower) and lot more...

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We were staying in Hotel IP Palace, near Durgapuri Metro Station, in Lucknow.
Photo of Trip with a blast...! - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Lucknow #bestof2018 54/71 by Sirf Musafir
Rumi Darwaza

Bada and Chhota Imambada

There are two courtyards; big and small (Bada and Chhota Imambada - बडा और छोटा इमामबाडा) and both are architectural masterpieces. There are beautiful carvings and paintings on these two buildings.

Bada Imambada

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Bada Imambada in Lucknow
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Ancient well (for water storage)
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I observed an interesting thing in these monuments in Lucknow. Most of them had a picture/carving of a fish. When I asked about it, I was told that fish was considered as auspicious. Fish is considered as an universal symbol of good luck, prosperity, fertility and femininity. Read more about this HERE.

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Fish symbol on the backside of Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow.
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Fish symbol on the entrance gate of Chhota Immambada in Lucknow.

Chhota Imambada

Chhota Imambada is located near Bada Imambada. It is not at a walking distance, but an auto-rickshaw can take you there.

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Entrance gate of the Chhota Imambada
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Long view of Chhota Imambada
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A close view of Chhota Imambada
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Another close view of Chhota Imambada
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Inside Chhota Imambada
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Near clock-tower
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The clock-tower and a beautiful garden located near to it.

Well...., that's not all, and there is a lot more to write n' share! Besides sightseeing, eating, sports; travel offers you tons of memorable experiences, meetings with interesting people and fellow travelers. So keep traveling, keep exploring and enrich your life with experiences and life-time memories!

Travellers' Tips & InfoBox

Route taken

Pune to Delhi (by air) --> Delhi to Haridwar (1N/2D), by train --> Rishikesh (1N/2D), by bus --> Jim Corbett (2N/3D), by car --> Moradabad, by train --> Lucknow (2N/3D), by train --> back to Pune (by air).

Accommodation

Hotel Queen, Haridwar | Zostels, Rishikesh | De Floresta Resort, Jim Corbett | Hotel IP Palace, Lucknow