Heart pounding like a little girl about to be reprimanded for not doing homework, I reluctantly stepped out of the famous cogwheel train at Alpiglen station. The massive north face of Mt. Eiger loomed large above the frozen landscape. It wasn’t until my guide told me she’d let her 4-year old daughter go sledding alone did my frayed nerves relax a bit. What followed after the initial scare is a ride I’ll never forget!

(Also see: In Pictures - How Switzerland won me over with its fleeting winter charms!)

Earlier that week, the cold winter winds cut through my barely sufficient Himalayan hiking attire with a vengeance no sooner I stepped out of Zurich airport one winter. Given that I do not ski, despite the dreamy whitewashed scenery I was worried I might be bored even. But thankfully, there are lots of other fun ways to enjoy the frosty winters beyond skiing. Here are some of the fun things I tired during my time in Bernese Overland one winter.

If you don’t know how to ski, I think tobogganing is the next most fun thing you can do! I was super wary of careening downhill like Calvin, unassisted and especially not without some sort of training but I was persuaded that’s how it’s done. Reluctantly I got on to the delicate sled on the icy slopes below Eiger mountain and it was so much fun letting go of any semblance of control and give in to speed that I couldn’t believe I was about to miss this opportunity due to fear. Fear that wasn’t completely unfounded to be fair, because sledding is one of the major sources of accidents and injury during winters. Given that the barrier to entry is practically non-existent, anyone can try it. That combined with our “Fast & Furious” proclivities often creates a strong case for crashing. However, with due diligence, the thrill of sliding down smooth slopes relying on nothing but your legs for steering and breaking is incomparable and unmissable.

Overlooking the fairy tale houses of Grindelwald and right under the nose of massive Eiger, a 3 kilometer track spanning over a mild altitude difference of 116 meters, Eiger Run offers a perfect trial run for beginners hoping to test the waters. But the thrills are generously sprinkled on this toboggan route of medium difficulty in the form of gorgeous downhill curves at the beginning and a long stretch without obstructions where you can go full throttle if you so wish!

Swiss being perfectly organized even when it comes to having fun, have made full arrangements to conveniently hire and return sleds at the starting and ending stations. You can do this either as a side trip from Grindelwald or on your return journey from Jungfraujoch. 

More details here - http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/eiger-run.html

Also, read my article about Tobogganing published in Indian Express here - indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/destination-of-the-week/switzerland-toboggan-run-snow/

Now this one is a bit of head-scratcher. I’ve never really understood how fishing could be a game of skill given it seems like it’s luck that decides when and who gets the biggest fish, or any fish to begin with. The guide didn’t even try to quell my skepticism but he insisted I should learn to see the joy in uncertainty and the wait. He went as far as saying there are modern sonar units these days to help in scanning a particular location before drilling a hole and lowering the fishing line but that apparently kills the spirit of ice fishing. He said that jokingly of course, it’s no fun freezing on a frozen lake and catch no fish!

Towards the west of Interlaken and on the other side of Lake Thun, there’s a sylvan valley called Simmental where two beautiful Stockensee lakes and Stockhorn peak attract hikers and day trippers during summers. In winters, the lakes freeze over and act as fishing grounds where you could try your hand at fishing like the Inuit! After drilling the two feet ice cover with an ice Auger and scooping out the leftover ice using skimmer, a bunch of us set up shop next to fishing holes with a baited fishing line dangling inside the chilly waters. Few of us got lucky, but most of us were busy keeping warm and/or lost in the stunning beauty of the winter scenery around us. From experience, I can tell that fishing is super boring until you catch one. And when you do, it feels like the most exciting thing that could happen to you, for some strange reason. So yeah, it’s boring but put up with it and it can get super exciting unexpectedly!

Reach Erlenbach station from where you can take a ski lift to Chrindi mid station. Hinterstockensee Lake is below the station where an Igloo is set up every winter. Snowtubing and ice fishing also happen at the same location. Permissions can be obtained from Stockhorn AG/Erlenbach stations and equipment can be hired from Chrindi station. 

Dismissing it as a childish game, I walked away from the slope despite the joyful shrieks of my fellow travellers at Hinterstockensee at first. But when I ended up sliding on an inflatable tire that delightfully cushions any blows or shocks, I knew I could keep doing this all day long! Safer than sledding and much much easier than skiing, I’d pick snowtubing any day for a fun day of relaxation in the snow.

Right up there with universal childhood dream of living in Treehouses must be the fantasy of staying in Igloos. I’d always imagined I had to go as far as Scandinavia or Iceland to see an Igloo but one man’s passion to see the first light fall on the mountains conveniently led to the creation of Iglu-Dorf, a company that now specializes in setting up Igloos for commercial purposes every winter across Switzerland among others.

I visited the Igloo-Village at Stockhorn, right by the side of frozen Hinterstockensee Lake, where we had a lovely fondue lunch session inside a creatively decorated Igloo restaurant/bar. The walls were adorned with ice sculptures that were clear like glass but slowly dripped water, one drop at a time. It is also possible to camp one night inside the igloo, bundled up in layers inside a sleeping bag but I’m guessing it will be worth the trouble when you can go back and brag about having spent a night in an igloo! It also helps that the Stockhorn region and Simmental valley is incredibly beautiful so you’ll have the dreamy views to compensate for any discomfort.

More details here - https://www.stockhorn.ch/en/experiences/winter/igloo-village/fondue-evening

& http://www.iglu-dorf.com/en/standorte/stockhorn

If paragliding in summer is too mellow an adventure for you, take it up a notch to enjoy a bird’s eye view of snow-covered Swiss landscape in stark winters. Paragliding can be done from either Grindelwald or from Harderklum in Interlaken to soar above the picture-perfects valleys of Bernese Oberland.

More details here - http://www.paragliding-jungfrau.ch/wp/

Few weeks ago I went exploring Madhya Pradesh's various kingdoms, wild and historic both. Starting with the impenetrable jungles of little-known Sanjay National Park in Parsili, I reached the crumbling ruins of Baghelkhand dynasty's forgotten legacy next. If these offbeat corners satiated the sense of exploration that we so seek from travel, the well trodden trails of Panna and Khajuraho offered a balancing respite from uncertainty. You can see all the places we travelled to and the things we saw in this post - In Photos: From Popular to the Offbeat, north-eastern Madhya Pradesh's diverse charms.

Coming to the logistics of travel, here's where I stayed through the one week trip across Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with HolidayIQ and MP Tourism.

Madla Jungle Camp, Panna

Panna National Park has two entry gates, one at Madla and the other one is at Hinauta. While both the gates are almost equidistant from the town of Panna, Madla is probably the more comfortable option of the two since this falls right on the Highway 39 on the way to Khajuraho.

Madla Jungle Camp, run by MP Tourism Department, scores big points on account of its enviable location – it's situated right next to the Madla safari gate. Built in a jungle camp style with 9 well-appointed Swiss Cottage tents, the serenity of the adjoining forest spills over generously into the camp. Wildlife safaris with their long bumpy rides and ungodly wake up calls can be terribly tiring, which is why I loved being so close to the gate. You can peacefully wake up at 5.30AM and still be on time at the gate for the safari.

The tents are quite comfortable, air-conditioned and there's hot water facility along with Cable TV and minibar. Gadget junkies will be glad to find there are at least 3 separate plug points in the rooms (more if you remove TV/Fridge connections). Me and a friend were sharing a room and it was so convenient to charge multiple devices without worrying about schedules and alarms to switch devices put on charge. Also, there's WiFi only at the reception.

Madla Jungle Camp is a no frills camp, neatly maintained with friendly service and simple Indian food.

Tariff - INR 2990

Book here - http://mpstdc.com/Page/Hotels

Khajuraho's temples are primarily divided into the Western and Eastern complexes. Most of the hotels are located on the road towards the airport, around western complex, making it a bit crowded. Syna Heritage Hotel, on the other hand is located away from the bustling centre of Khajuraho in a quiet but vast corner. It's a short drive from both Eastern and Western group of temples by vehicle, and it's an added bonus that it's at a perfectly walkable distance from Western group.

The hotel is designed to incorporate traditional motifs in such a way that it evokes memories of royalty with its vintage cars, vast hallways fitted with latticework and rooms with jharokas as windows. The hotel looks opulent from the outside but the rooms are a bit disappointing when it comes to design. Comfort wise, they are fine, but with all the attention to detail in the interiors in other areas of the property, I expected the rooms to carry a bit of the traditional ambience too. From the inside, the rooms are like any other hotel, plain and simple with adequate modern fittings. I shared a super deluxe room with a friend and it was weird that we were given a room with a single queen-size bed. Not sure if they have double rooms with twin beds but do ask while checking in. Also, the walls are quite thin, so be prepared to hear everything that happens in the next room and in the hallways. Or get yourself some earplugs for the sake of your own sanity.

There's a spa inside the property which I didn't get to try and the swimming pool looked quite inviting. The restaurant is adequate and serves Indian and Continental dishes. Overall, Syna Heritage is one of the better places to stay at Khajuraho with friendly and attentive staff, offers great value for money.

Tariff - INR 4000 to 5500

Book here - http://synaheritagehotel.com/

The location is spectacular, you can actually hear the pleasant sound of river flowing even inside the room. We stayed in the Deluxe room which is the largest of all and is very spacious with even a sitting section inside the room. The crowning glory of this room is the large balcony that it comes with, which has a direct view of the river and mountains beyond. If you can choose, ask for this room, highly recommended!

Coming to the room itself, it's clean and comfortable. The staff is friendly and courteous. There were still some ongoing constructions at the time of my visit(Nov 2016) but it probably will be sorted out by the next season. They serve simple Indian food and there's a nice provision for a bonfire by the river side, which I'm guessing should be quite inviting during Madhya Pradesh's harsh winters. Overall, a nice property to stay at by the riverside.

Tariff - INR 1990 - 2990

Book here - http://mpstdc.com/Page/Hotels

Rewa is a small town, once historic, but now crumbling under the weight of negligence and bad memory. The town is littered with forgotten monuments that once were in the thick of the action but today there isn't much infrastructure here to enable a glimpse into that past apart from a fast-deteriorating fort, a badly maintained museum of Baghelkhand's treasure and Govindgarh Fort that's at a short distance.

If any of these things bring you to Rewa, your options for stay are limited and Safari Regency is one of the few adequate hotels available. Situated right by the market, in close proximity to Rani Talab and the Baghel Museum, the hotel provides a decently clean room. The rooms all seem recently renovated, so they're convenient but the toilets hasn't been renovated. They look worn out and are barely tolerable. Would've been good if the toilets were renovated too but it is possible to get by somehow.

Nothing to write home about but Safari Regency is a business hotel offering decent services with well equipped rooms for affordable prices in a small town.

Tariff - INR 700 - 2000
Book here - http://www.safariregency.com/

Note: This post is published as part of the #ChaloMPwithHolidayIQ campaign and I was hosted by HolidayIQ in Madhya Pradesh.

When I first visited Ladakh in 2008, it ended up becoming my most impulsive trip ever! With no prior information, no prior planning, no proper clothing, me and my family took off on a whim from Srinagar ditching Kullu/Manali and had the adventure of our lifetime. Luckily at that point, Ladakh was still wild, pristine and lived up to its reputation as one of the most badass road trips in the world. Flights weren't as common as they are today and getting Leh'd meant not just Pangong or Khardunga La. It was the promise of a rugged journey that was the defining trait of a Ladakh road trip. Leh - Manali Highway and Leh - Srinagar road journeys were as harrowing as legendary. Pangong wasn't a place where 3 Idiots was shot and Khardung La was not a place where boys would get semi naked for a selfie!

Ladakh wasn't a destination then, it was more a feeling of arriving blind into an unknown land crossing unexpected hurdles. In the age of death-by-information-overload and listicles pontificating in painful detail about how you should feel when visiting Ladakh, the charm of the once undisputed king of offbeat journeys is at the end of its tether burdened by its own glorious past.

Meanwhile, Spiti, that has always played second fiddle to its more famous cousin, is slowly creeping up into the mainstream zeitgeist as an alternative to the now-bucketlisted-and-discarded Ladakh. With a reasonably well-to-do agrarian community, Spiti hasn't yet fully woken up to its so-called "tourism" potential and that has become its biggest hallmark! It's amazing that a small strip of a valley could give such fierce competition to the vastness of Ladakh but that's probably a true testament to the allure of pristine mountain cultures and landscapes.

While both Ladakh and Spiti share a similar culture and landscape, the resemblance is only skin-deep. Beyond the prejudices and preferences of eager travellers, both Spiti and Ladakh have plenty to offer to the discerning and it's hard to pick one over the other. However, based on personal proclivities and travel styles, you could have an easier time of choosing one because unfortunately in real world, we can't have it all. If by any chance you can, go to Spiti and Ladakh both!

If not, this table might help you decide.

P.S - In case you're wondering why you should listen to me, I have been to Ladakh six times and Spiti thrice so far.