A travelogue is one of the many forms of a narrative. It gives us the opportunity to express our feelings and describe the place one visited and it also compels others to visit it.

We found out that our travelogues would be put on a blog!

After hearing such a news, we made many drafts and kept making them until our travelogue sounded perfect. (This experience was full of mystery, adventure and chaos which always kept us guessing how narrative writing is connected to our expedition- Where Am I?)

This of course , made our narrative writing even more fun to do with exploring and navigating our surroundings,  the travelogue was the very first step in doing so.

Along with the travelogue, we were given the task of making a route sketch map of the place we visited. That helped us in working on our craftsmanship skills.

This experience was full of wonder!

Hope these travelogues will help you decide your next vacation.

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“Please be a traveller, not a tourist.

Try new things, meet new people..

These are the keys to

understanding the amazing world we live in.”

Andrew Zimmers.

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Edha Pulastya

IN THE LAP OF NATURE- Nainital

This summer holiday I went to a wonderful place called Nainital. My family used to talk about Nainital. They went there ten years ago. I was very keen to go there, so my father decided to plan this trip. It was like a dream come true. I went to Kathgodam by train, then took a taxi reached our hotel in Nainital.

I opened my balcony and saw the Naina Lake .People were taking rides on boats. I also wanted to enjoy the boat ride. Finally we went for the boat ride and then walked to the Naina Devi temple and prayed. I walked on the mall road it had many types of local shops selling different items, after the walk I went to our  hotel , have a  dinner and slept.

Next day, we went to the Zoo. It was on a hill top of Nainital. When I reached their, I was exhausted. My father bought four entry tickets for Zoo . Watching all kind of animals  was a wonderful felling .I saw Macaw , white peacock , parakeet , tiger , leopards , black bear and many other birds . I also  saw wolves , barking bear .There was a pond with a golden fish in it. At the end we saw a Japanese monkey asking for food.

Hitakshi Sardana

Full of fun-My visit to Kasauli

There are some experiences that cannot be expressed in words. They have to be added in our memories. One such experience was my visit to Kasauli. A place in the north of India.

There was wind and nature all over, hills covered with greenery and I was sitting in the car, eating. We were going to a resort named ‘The Victoria Grand Hotel and Spa.’ As we reached the resort, I was feeling very impatient to enter, because it looked prettier than I thought. We put our luggage away and went to explorethe place. The hotel was like a palace from inside. In the room, the bath tub was bigger than the normal size. The interior was so good. The view from the balcony looked natural. Every place had hills and wherever we saw, it was greenery.

In the evening, as it was a family bonding in a garden, we played many games like statue dance, musical chairs etc. After dinner, we played some other interesting games like antakshri and UNO. The games made me burst out laughing because of cheating and tricks.

It was morning. My cousins and I did some mischeives with our parents. We went to each of the four rooms and put on such loud music that the sound was going in the outer area too and one of my favorite cousin sisters was not well. She had fever. That’s why we could not wake them up by the loud voice. After that some of us went to the play zone and played Table tennis, snooker and many other games before eating the breakfast.

It was time for us to leave such a beautiful place known as Kasauli. Before leaving I thought of all the fun and adventure I had in that place. I will not be able to forget this place and so this trip is memorable to me.

Edha Pulastya

IN THE LAP OF NATURE – Nainital

This summer holiday I went to a wonderful place called Nainital. My family used to talk about Nainital. They went there ten years ago. I was very keen to go there, so my father decided to plan this trip. It was like a dream come true. I went to Kathgodam by train, then took a taxi reached our hotel in Nainital.

I opened my balcony and saw the Naina Lake .People were taking rides on boats. I also wanted to enjoy the boat ride. Finally we went for the boat ride and then walked to the Naina Devi temple and prayed. I walked on the mall road it had many types of local shops selling different items, after the walk I went to our  hotel , have a  dinner and slept.

Next day, we went to the Zoo. It was on a hill top of Nainital. When I reached their, I was exhausted. My father bought four entry tickets for Zoo . Watching all kind of animals  was a wonderful felling .I saw Macaw , white peacock , parakeet , tiger , leopards , black bear and many other birds . I also  saw wolves , barking bear .There was a pond with a golden fish in it. At the end we saw a Japanese monkey asking for food.

We came back to our hotel. A taxi came to pick us , we  went to railway station, took a train to Delhi and came back .It  was a memorable vacation , which I will never  forget.

Suhana Madia

Evening Sunset, My Visit To Pangong Lake

I recently visited Leh Ladakh which is located in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a cold desert and is part of the Ladakhi region. I had heard amazing travel tales about the 7 coloured lake called “Pangong Tso Lake”. I had also seen the lake in movies like “3 idiots’’ and in “Jabtak Hai Jaan’’ and since then I was very keen to see the lake myself.

We drove from Leh to Pangong lake. It was a mesmerizing drive with views of snow clad mountains and took us around six hours. On our way, we crossed Changla Pass which is the third highest motorable road in the world. It is very difficult to breathe at the Changla Pass as the oxygen is very less. Many people also get head ache.

There we did not stop. On the way we also played with snow. We reached Red Start camp at Pangong and after a hearty meal started exploring the lake. This salt water, beautiful ocean like lake is about 5 kilometer wide and about 134 kilometer long with about sixty percent of the length extending to Tibet.

During winter the Pangong lake freezes completely and tourists can walk and play on the lake. The water in this lake has multiple beautiful shades of blue colour. It is a picturesque landscape. In the evening the cold wind was very harsh. We were sleeping in a tent which was just like a bedroom. In the night there was no electricity so we had to relay an emergency light.

I went home carrying charming and memorable memories. My hope is that you all visit Pangong lake and tell your friends about the place so that even they can go!

Sabhya Kanwar

World’s Most Beautiful Wonder

My Visit To Agra

My visit to Agra was a dream come true. Many people have told me about the beauty of the Taj Mahal, but I had never seen it and now I was going to see it myself.

I accompanied my whole family to visit Agra. It was a wonderful morning of May 30, at 6:00am we started the journey by car. We stopped at Sagar Ratna to have our breakfast.

We entered the Agra city by 12 noon, first we saw Itmad-Ud-Daulah which is also known as the mini- Taj Mahal, constructed before Taj Mahal. Then we saw Agra Fort, which is built in red stone, just like the Red Fort in Delhi. After seeing the two monuments, we got tired and had lunch at Pind Baluchi.

Then we went to our hotel, Jaypee Palace Resort to have some rest. We settled our luggage and had a short nap. Since it was Friday, we couldn’t visit Taj Mahal as it remains closed on that day.

So instead, we enjoyed doing activities like, swimming, playing cricket, and going to the bowling alley. Then we had dinner. Next morning, we wake up early to visit the Taj Mahal. The glimpse of the monument made my eyes wide open and I was speechless. It was so huge, white in colour, I would just watch, watch and watch… We took many photographs, we had to wear shoe covers because it was very hot. Then we went inside to see the maqbara of Mumtaz Mahal and Shahjahan. We visited the local sadar market to buy the famous sweet dish, Pancchi ka Petha of Agra.

It was a wonderful experience and journey with all my family members. We came back home thinking, how much time, money and labour must have been spent to build the most beautiful monument of the world.

Jiya Mehra

PEACE AND FUN : My Vist To Barcelona

It was a hot summer in Gurgaon. It was a dream coming true when my parents told me that we are going to Spain with my grandparents and my cousins. We first flew to Vienna and from there to Barcelona.

A cab dropped us to our hotel. We ate lunch and went to explore LAS RAMLAS street. There were some people dressed up as statues of famous personalities like Shakespeare and Mozart. We walked ahead and saw small shops selling curios and souvenirs. We also saw artists sitting over there and sketching portraits and sceneries. We all were very tired so we rested.

The next day we went to a city called MONSERRAT which was a one hour drive from Barcelona.

Over there we saw farmers selling their cheese, nuts, honey and more. The most important thing over there was the Cathedral. We saw the Black Madonna which is the black statue of mother Mary and it is very rare. That is the only Cathedral in the world that has the black Madonna. There were small children who were trained to sing the choir n the Cathedral.

We went for a cable car ride to the top of a mountain and from there we could see the beautiful scenery of the mountains and the most awaiting sunset. After that we went to a vineyard. Over there they told us about how wine is made. Wine is made up of grapes. They called the company PARES BALTA. At night we went to watch the magic fountain. The magic fountain would change its colour after every one minute.

I enjoyed so much that I forgot that its time to leave. I was very sad to leave. We left Barcelona with charming memories and a wish to come back again soon. It was a memorable experience.

Krsh Agarwal

A BEAUTIFUL HOT SUMMER, MY TRIP TO DUBAI

It was like a dream came true for me, when my parents gave me a beautiful surprise that we were going to Dubai for vacation . I was so thrilled that I packed my bag in a jiffy. My flight journey made me feel joyful. I had a gala time sitting near the window and watching nature at its best.

It was fun looking at the dense clouds hovering into my window .The air hostess was kind and  helpful. She offered me  delicious and scrumptious food . On reaching Dubai we went to one of the best hotel named Palm Atlantis . The Hotel offered us marvelous hospitality . The sight from the hotel room cannot be expressed in words. It has to be lived.

It was experiencing divine bliss , watching the quiet and serene blue sea. We decided to visit every nook and corner of Dubai. We started with my favourite Ferrari World and then the Adventurous Desert Safari . I had ants in my pants and felt as if I was sitting in a Roller Coaster Ride. The Burj Khalifa standing high looked spectular and magnificient.

The Musical fountain was amazing. I felt over the moon, did not want this beautiful trip to end. But as all good things come to an end , so it was time for us to leave this great city. But the memory of this visit will remain always fresh in my mind.

Dalip Gill

Asia meets Europe in Istanbul

This summer I went with my family to the beautiful city of Istanbul in Turkey, and it was an awesome experience!

My first day began with a cruise on the Bosporus Strait, which is a narrow part of the sea that connects the Black Sea in the North to the Marmara Sea in the South. This is no ordinary water body as it also divides the continents of Asia and Europe, within the city of Istanbul. So Istanbul being in turkey lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia!

Cruising along the Bosphorus Straits I saw the famous monuments and palaces on either side, and It was simply amazing! We stopped at The Princes Islands for lunch at a quaint cafe and I ate fresh seafood and the traditional Turkish dessert called Bakhlawa. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the island on a horse driven carriage feasting my eyes on beautiful churches and mansions that line the road running along the island. On our return hundreds of seagulls followed our ferry as the passengers threw bread to them! Lying on my bed at our luxurious hotel, The Divan, I could not fall asleep as I waited for what was in store tomorrow. Next morning I was up early and after a hearty Turkish breakfast took a tram to the Topkapi Palace. It was truly magnificent.

Later I visited The famous Blue mosque and the Hagia Sophia Museum both of which are testament to the splendor of the Ottoman empire. After a quick lunch of ‘ Kebep’ I walked to the magnificent Rustem pasha mosque and admired the splendid Isnik tiles that adorn the walls. We also walked through the Egyptian Spice bazaar taking in all the aromas of various spices.

Almost ready to drop as I am not use to so much walking and sightseeing I decided to rest at a nearby fountain before our last stop to the oldest bazaar in the world…The Grand Bazaar! This was an experience in itself and after much bargaining I picked up some souvenirs for my friends back in India.
That night I lay in my bed amazed at the beauty of Istanbul and imagined what it must have been like in the time of the Ottomans!! It is certainly a melting pot of different cultures now! I do hope I get to visit this mesmerizing city again!!