by thebengali
Last month I read a front-page headline in newspapers that got me laughing till tears rolled out of my eyes. It was 7.30 am, I opened the sliding doors to the balcony, felt the refreshing chilly breeze bring a smile to my face and then I looked at the newspaper in my hand and… via The New Improved Warm Avatar of a Cold Degree C — Pune365
Categories: Mountain Walking
by thebengali
Rampur, Himachal Pradesh, India, 17 January 2017, 0850 hours: I woke up this morning with one question: Whatever possessed me to decide to go to Spiti in the midst of winter? 😡👿😈😃 I spent the first ten minutes thinking of my aching body after 10 hours on the road, the cold, the next 10 days […] via The Mountain Walker Diaries: Doubt and Beyond — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking
by thebengali
And after a good night’s restnat Hotel Aureole in Mumbai, we are now off to the domestic airport to catch our flight to Chandigarh. At 75 kilos, this is the heaviest I have ever been – a good 12 kilos above normal. Have started in one layer of clothing and since we have just heard […] via The Mountain Walker Diaries 2017: Off to Chandigarh — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking
by thebengali
That’s a question we at Mountain Walker have been asking since the very beginning. Is the purpose of a vacation: relaxation? Is it travel? Is it discovering new (and local) cultures? Is it Learning? Is it a search for peace? Is it all of the above … and more? If you have an opinion, do […] via What’s a Vacation? Is It A Search for Peace? Or Learning? Or … — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking
by thebengali
Pune, Maharashtra, India, 15 January 2017, 1614 hours: Am on my way to Mumbai. Have one 45-litre trekking back-pack and a slim, light-weight sling bag with a few essentials. I haven’t had time to think about the Winter Trip that has now commenced. In July 2016, I was in Losar, Spiti, and looking around those […] via The Mountain Walker Diaries: End to a 23 year wait — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking
by thebengali
Observatory Hill, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, 8 January 2017, 1340 hours: Reached my favourite place near my house after snowfall – The Indian Institute of Advance Study. Located on top of a hill (known as Observatory Hill), one can enjoy beautiful views of the distant mountains on a clear day. Though clouds have gathered around those […] via Snowy Childhood Memories — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking, Nature • Tags: Abhinav Kaushal, Himachal Pradesh, India, Shimla, The Mountain Walker, The Wayfarer
by thebengali
In 1993, I woke up one fine afternoon and found myself wearing a Navy Blue suit, standing in a 200-seater restaurant in Mumbai … apparently I had taken a job as the Restaurant Manager and so there I was supervising 17 people segregated as follows: one accountant cum cashier, seven waiters, two captains, one… via Waiter! Waiter! Where’s my service for that charge, hmm?! — Pune365
Categories: Learning, People, Society, Work • Tags: Gratuity, Hotel Management, Mumbai, Pune, Pune365, Sanjay Mukherjee, Service Charge, thebengali, Tips
by thebengali
January 10, 2017, marks the 160th anniversary of the consecration of The Christ Church in Shimla. Writer and Founder of The Mountain Walker, Sanjay Mukherjee, takes a stroll down memory lane to discover more about the monument and its relation to a quaint little chapel at the other end of town. Read the detailed article here. via Christ Church & The Chapel of All Saints, Shimla — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking, The Arts • Tags: Chapel of All Saints Shimla, Christ Church Shimla, Glossaread, Sanjay Mukherjee, The Mountain Walker, thebengali
by thebengali
Boileauganj, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, 8 January 2017: For those of you who are missing all the action here. The snow is more than a foot as measured by me at Boileauganj. Can’t feel my toes as of now, but I am so engrossed in the views that it isn’t an issue concerning me. Just […] via An Enchanting Winter — The Mountain Walker
Categories: Mountain Walking