I have always dreamed of travelling all over India, to see every remote village, river and mountain in this vast country. To meet people everywhere and experience their diverse cultures, gods, languages & food.

In 2003, I was already 55 years old. When am I going to fulfill my dreams? I knew, I had to do this soon while I was still able to travel and use my legs to trek in the mountains. So, in Sept 2003,  I decided to retire from work and take up travel, more or less full time! It took me 6 months, to handover all work responsibilities .... and finally, I 'retired' on 31st March 2004! 

I bought a copy of Lonely Planet's "India" Guide and started reading that, state by state. Later (after a few trips) I realized how practical and accurate this Guide was! Though LP is written for foreigners visiting India, I found it perfect for my purpose. Any place LP said was worth visiting and seeing was really so! In fact, Even Better!! 

The Tours listed below lead you to pages that describe my travels & treks in "diary" format. The narratives are brief; as I have relied more on pictures from my digicam to tell the full story. Your comments are welcome by email at: ks_bluechip@yahoo.com 

PS: (Mar-2010): This blog was started in 2005, using Google-Pages. In 2009, Google announced closure of G-Pages and launch of Google-Sites. So I migrated my blog to G-Sites the hard way (i.e. cut-paste). However, there are some image & text formatting adjustments still to be done. I have retained the blog's old style and looks; but I have taken this opportunity to link the Hi-Res pictures from Flickr, so now pictures can be "clicked" to see a larger image. This will mean initial page loading will be a bit slower, but I hope faster broad-band speeds will compensate. 

PS: (May-2009):This blog is just a diary of my personal experiences. It is not a travel-trek guide.  I don't have the expertise to advise anyone on such treks or tours. At most, I can provide tips and words of encouragement. Anybody with determination and normal fitness can do these tours. However,  if you are trekking to higher altitudes (above 3000M or 10,000 ft) do read the "trekking advise" chapters in any Trekking Guide. I found the first few chapters of Lonely Planet's "Trekking in the Indian Himalaya" very useful. On a trek it is best to have a local guide-porter to show you the way and carry your bag; so you can enjoy the walk without a load on your back. I have often taken Debu as a Guide for my treks in Kumaon and Sonu in Garhwal.  

The Tours till date (latest on top):