Assam is one of the “Seven Sisters” who make up the northeastern tip of India and the topographical center of this region, with all other six states bordering Assam. While its neighboring states are hilly to mountainous, Assam is largely flat due to the Brahmaputra and the Barak valley. The 78,438 km² state with its […]
Excerpt from the article “Highest post office in Europe and the one in the world” by Gerhard Freund, published in the Berner Briefmarkenzeitung The Hikkim post office in India is at 4,440 m Hikkim is a village in the district of Lahaul and Spiti in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and lies at […]
Many of you, who have been practising yoga for a little longer will know him- Nataraj- Shiva, as a cosmic dancer. Some of you have certainly practiced it more often as an advanced balance – back-bending Asana, others may know him as a statue from the shelf of a yoga school. I also have a […]
My guests Sabine and Daniel not only booked the Kerala-Active-Trip in January with me, but also had a very special request. They wanted to visit an aid project in India, which also supports their Indian godchild Geethika. […]
You want to make your trip to India very special and not just follow the beaten tourist paths? Do you want to experience India as it is and get in touch with the people on the outskirts? Do you love nature and like to move? Then these 5 travel tips are perfect for you to make […]
From ancient and new wonders of the world The Taj Mahal in India Standing in front of the Taj Mahal (meaning Royal Palace), there is no doubt, why the 17th-century Muslim mausoleum was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. […]
Today, the time has come again: Throughout India, the sisters blessly tie a ribbon, the so-called Rakhi, around their brothers’ right wrist. In return, the sisters receive a small gift and lifelong protection. Not only real brothers, but also cousins, close friends and such men with whom the women prefer only to enter into a […]
“Om Namo Shivaya”. This mantra will be sung throughout India today to honor the god Shiva. For today is Maha Shivatri, the night of Shiva. According to the Hindu Moon Calendar, this Hindu feast day is always on the 14th day of the New Moon. There is disagreement about the exact occasion of the holiday. […]
In India, almost every man is a businessman as well. Be it the vegetable seller, the shoe cleaner or the tailor. Almost everyone runs their own small business. Most of the time, the “business” is set up and dismantled on the street for a day or one owns a small garage with a sliding shutter […]
About Arunachal A mountain bike stage race is something special in itself. If it takes place in India, such an event will be quite special. But a seven-day mountain bike race through the far-flung northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh probably tops everything! […]
In India there are many different places that are definitely worth a trip. In addition, the country offers many different traditions and festivals, which you should definitely experience once. One of these festivals is called Diwali, which is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism and is also called the Feast of Lights. The […]
October Calendar Sheet No. 10 School education has also been compulsory for Indian children for several years. Prime Minister Modi has been working hard in recent years to ensure that children from rural areas in particular, as well as girls, have a chance for education and finish their 10th grade degree. In order to support […]
Namaste lovely Chalo! Travels friends, I’ve been in India for five weeks now and I can report a lot. I have experienced many things and have gone through ups and downs. In India, holidays are until July and this is particularly noticeable on the roads in the mountains. The beautiful landscape with the relatively cool […]
This beautiful Chalo! Travels Newsletter was written this month by Gracy, our new intern, and I thought I’d post it on our blog right away. Have fun reading, Sarah A cheerful hello to the round of India enthusiasts, my name is Gacy, I come from lively Berlin and now live in India for half a […]
In Germany we call small shops which provide alldaily needs ” Aunt Emma shops”. These days they hardly exist anymore next to all these big super markets. But in India you still have them! If you do your daily shopping in India, you go to the so-called “Bazaar”, the Indian market. There are vegetable stalls, […]
Gol Gappa (crispy dough ball = gol; food = Gappa) is probably one of the most popular, but also one of the most peculiar Indian snacks ever, especially for the western palate. It is also known as “Pani Puri” – a crispy puri filled with spicy water, the Pani. […]
I have been living in India for seven years and have been doing mountain biking as a regular hobby, challenging sport and out of deep passion. While a lot has developed in the Indian cycling Industry in the past and there is now a growing mountain bike community, it is unfortunately still the case that […]
I myself came to India through a year of volunteering with a non-profit organisation in Delhi. Freshly graduated from high school as a 19-year-old, this year was an incisive experience and a very instructive but also enriching time for me. India is a beautiful country with wonderful people. But despite the emerging country’s increasing progress, […]
Note: This Article is written from a very limited perspection. The above mentioned concept is only one way how marriages and the arrangements can work in India. Of course there are plenty of other cases, such like Love marriages, unhappy marriages, divorced marriages….all depending on the cast, the class, the region, education, family back ground […]
This morning I broke my mirror! An Indian-hand-made mirror, that I’ve been with for a few years. Now the glass is broken and I not only can no longer see myself, but now I have seven years of bad luck, right? Maybe I have to put some effort now and find some four-leaf clover or […]
In the Spiti Valley everything is high. The lowest point is at 3000 meters, everything else is higher: villages, passes, mountains, monasteries… […]
If you travel to Kerala, you not only have the opportunity to attend an impressive Kalari (Indian martial arts) show, but you can even learn this sport in an ashram. In the following guest article by Raphael Gorschlüter you can learn more about Kalari and that it is much more than just a martial art! […]
May Calendar Sheet No. 5 Indian Sadhus- The Wandering Monks of India They have turned away from worldly life, live without personal possessions and lead a strongly ascetic existence. […]
A love that defies the unwritten laws of the caste system Rekha and Rishi seem to be a normal Indian couple, in a normal Indian home in Jodhpur. When we are picked up by Rishi by his motor- rickshaw from our hotel to take part in a cooking class with his wife Rekha, we meet […]
Once it gets cooler in Manali, only a few tourist are around it becomes quite peaceful in the mountain village, then it is time for Diwali. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights and the most important holiday in India, takes place every year on the 15th of the month Of Kartik, 20 days after Dusshera […]
Julley is the magic word in the northern Indian region of Ladakh. Translated, it means “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “Thank you” and “Please”. With this simple word you get through in the high mountain desert of Ladakh quite well. Everywhere you are illuminated by Ladakh faces and a “Julley” is shouted at you. […]
After Darcha, the last village on the Manali-Leh Highway, there are no settlements for about 300 km to Rumtse. Apart from mountains, dust and glaciers, there is not much more. Despite this, or precisely because of this, this highway in the northernmost part of India is so special.Nevertheless, there are at regular intervals smaller temporary […]
Our first adventure with David from Sweden we had last year on our ten-day expedition to the 6001 meter high Deo Tibba. David had previously taken part in a month-long mountaineering course in Uttarkhashi (Indian mountain resort in the state of Utthrakhand) and was now fire and flame to apply his gained knowledge. The expedition […]
Three days of intensive mountain biking in the high mountain desert of Lahaul Keylong is the district capital of the beautiful high mountain valley of Lahaul. The name “capital” is somewhat exaggerated. Locals even call Keylong a village. I would call it a small town. The name Keylong derives from the Keylong towering snow-capped “killing […]
A month ago I received an invitation to a wedding- no – An invitation to four weddings. A boy from my Yoga Children’s Camp and their family had invited me to the weddings of his two sisters and two cousins, all of whom were to be married on the same day and in the same […]
Life in the Indian city Admittedly, I do not currently live in one of the Indian metropolises, Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore. I was able to have this experience during my volunteer year in Delhi and although the year in Delhi and my work with a non-profit organization in one of the slums brought me a […]
Today is Holi, the festival of spring, friendship and joy. And our participants of the Ayurveda Yoga Retreat in Rajasthan had the special pleasure of being part of the celebrations! The evening before Holi was still quite tranquil with a small fire and a football match in which even Guru ji participated. But the next […]
Article by Lea Kübler (former travel participant) I have been studying medicine for five years now. I have gained my practical experience so far in Hungarian and German hospitals, in health systems that meet a high standard in international comparison. CT and MRI devices are now part of our basic equipment in Europe. Efficiency and […]
I have lived in India for eight years, admittedly not in one of the big, overpopulated and polluted cities, but in the countryside, in the middle of the mountains in the Indian Himalayas. The Indian country life is not only wonderfully relaxing, but the people are also above average friendly here. The following points apply […]
The tourist season is slowly coming to an end, but peace and quietness in the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh is still not there! For in October most weddings (determined by a priest astrologically), the seven-day international Dussehra festival and many other important holy holidays take place, such as Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on October 2 […]
Finally! After living in Himachal Pradesh for four years, I have finally been officially invited to a wedding! At the age of 32, my working partner Pinku has decided that it is time to start his own family! His family, who has been waiting for this for a long time, has supported him in the […]
September Calendar Sheet No. 9 The village Karzok is located at 4500 meters, making it one of the highest villages in the world. Once upon a time, the tranquil village on Lake Tsomoriri was located on the Central Asian trade route between China and India. Today, this route is a challenging trek that leads from […]
Bärbel has published my article on her blog “Woman on Travel” with tips for single travelers women in India, with 10 tips for a safe travel in India! A Podcast Episode on that topic at the Chalo India Podcast […]
About the Sunderbans From Calcutta it is only 100 km (i.e. about three hours ;)) to the shores of the Sunderbans – a region in the southernmost West Bengal and in Bangladesh, which is home to the largest mangrove population in the world on an area of 10,000 km². […]
Actually, my headline is already wrong. You can’t actually write about women in India in general. In India there is not the “typical woman”. Depending on the location, caste, and class, the female inhabitants differ greatly in their lives on the Indian subcontinent. Hardly any life is like the other. With this article, I am […]
Interview with Harmeet Khurana, 25 years old, member of the Sikh religion Harmeet is a twenty-five-year-old housewife from Delhi. She has been married to her husband Charanjeet for 6 years and has a three-year-old son, Angad. Harmeet, who belongs to the Sikh religion, invited me to her home for an interview, so that I could […]
Deep in rural Rajasthan, 100 km from Jodhpur, Shri Jasnath Asan is located in the small village of Panchla Siddha. A small ashram belonging to the Shri Jasnath sect. Saint Jasnath is the first guru of a chain of saints who spiritual guiding the Jasnath community for about 500 years. The disciples of the Jasnath […]
Delhi City. Midnight. 31 December 2009. The streets are dark and deserted, no human soul except me and my friend in the quiet alleys of the normally crowded metropolis. There, suddenly people. They come closer to us: 10 boys, drunk, exuberant.They see us. Get excited. Running towards us. Reaching their hands out to us and […]
… the best hashish and the oldest democracy in the world It is a three-day march from the Kullu Valley over the 3600 meter high Chandrakani Pass to the village of Malana. The pass itself offers magnificent views of the highest mountains in the region, in good weather the two six-thousand-metre peaks Deo Tibba and […]
