from Jodhpur to Jaipur and Agra, from Delhi to the mountains of Dharamsala: 16 Days in India

It was an exciting, adventurous, scary and wary mix of feelings I had before embarking on a 16-day trip to India. I remember telling myself before that I don't think I will ever set foot on this country but here I am, writing about this on my last day here in this wonderful place. So before my flight tonight, let me recap the last 16 days of this adventurous ride all over the state of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the endearing capital city of Delhi. We arrived at noon at this amazingly huge airport of Indira Gandhi. It was an easy-through Immigration and a hassle-free baggage collection and to getting to our hotel using the airport express train. We spent a night in Delhi before starting our journey

It felt really scary on Day 1. I kept thinking that anyone who will approach me will definitely just have an intention of getting money out of me. We went to Connaught Place area and Jantar Mantar to find decent food to eat and to begin immersing ourselves in India's atmosphere. But so far we survived except for some scary sights to see on the streets. We flew to Jodhpur the following day and we were greeted by Rishi, our driver for the next seven days. By the way, we got him through Ashok, a highly recommended driving company rated very highly on TripAdvisor. True enough, we did not encounter any problem with him. As a matter of fact, he was helpful all through out our journey.

Bloomrooms: A gem right in the heart of dirt, dust and defecation.

I am apologizing in advance if you feel offended by the title of this entry but this was just how I felt after stepping out of this incredibly lovely hotel. I know it sounds contrasting but let me tell you about the great things first about Bloomrooms. We arrived at the hotel branch of Bloomroom at Arakashan Road around 7:00 am. Luckily they allowed us to check in early without any additional costs. We were very tired after the 12-hour overnight bus ride from Dharamsala and allowing us to check in early was just he best thing that happen to us so far in Delhi. The rooms are quite small but it is good enough for 2 persons. I am always in awe on how interior designers and architects make the best out of a small space. It did not feel small at all. Most furniture are attached to the wall to save space. The bathroom looked spacious enough because of the glass walls and mirrors. The use of yellow and white as its main colors were quite relaxing.

Places to eat and shop around Mcleodganj, Dharamsala

A view of Mcleodganj from the Dalai Lama Temple

During our 5 days of stay in Mcleodganj, we visited different shops, ate at different cafes and stayed in two different guest houses. Let us talk about first the guest houses. We stayed at Chonor Guesthouse in our first two days. It is run and owned by the Norbulingka Institute. When we checked it online, the pictures of each room were amazingly beautiful. Unfortunately, the room we got did not live up to the hype we created ourselves. Although they had informed us beforehand that there is actually an ongoing renovation, I guess they forgot to inform us that even the room needed renovations. So we felt like the price we were paying was not worth the room we were staying. Our room that time was Lungka 2. In fairness, they offered to upgrade us but we already felt the disappointment so we just decided to move to another guesthouse, the Pema Thang, located 200 meters uphill from Chonor. Pema Thang Guesthouse was 35% cheaper than Chonor but the room we got gave us a great view of Dharamsala at any time of the night. If you decide to stay here, book for the rooms on the first and second level. The interior of the room was homey enough to make you feel relaxed but the toilet was a bit of a disappointment. But overall it was worth the price we paid.

Lagani Coffee: Returning to Yogyakarta Part 1

Yogyakarta, or Jogja to locals, is famous for many things. Aside from being the cultural center of Indonesia, it is also the gateway to several heritage sites revered around the world. It is also close to Indonesia's most active volcano, Gunung Merapi. But Jogja, despite its rich cultural heritage, is also catching up to many hip and out of the mainstream places to hangout. On my research about other places to visit in Jogja, I found out about this quaint coffee shop called Lagani Coffee located Jalan Cendrawasih which is quite close to the city center.

When I reached the street, I was welcome with a lot of specialty shops and artisanal restaurants. If I will make comparisons, it is like the Bali Lane of Singapore or the Maginhawa Street of Quezon City, Philippines. And I told myself as I entered the street that I think I'm going to like this place but let me get myself first to my main agenda: LAGANI COFFEE.

Lagani Coffee is on the second floor of white building and you will be welcomed with an artistic doodles of different food and vintage-looking furniture. The ambiance inside is quite nice. Not very dark but not very bright. The design of the cafe inside gives you a homey feeling. You can literally see what is going on inside the kitchen as there are no windows. There were a lot of vintage stuff being used like the oven in the kitchen. There are also many vintage displays to look at while waiting for your coffee and meals.

Lagani Coffee serves different coffee, drinks and food. I ordered my usual cafe latte and oreo pancakes with ice cream (I forgot what it is called by the way). They served their latter with a cute art of a flower and pancakes were freshly made upon order. I literally saw how the cook made it since I have a good view of their kitchen. In general food and coffee were great and I love how the place was not super crowded on Saturday tea break time. Most probably because people prefer being in the malls which gives an advantage to people who prefer being on coffee shops outside and faraway from the overcrowded malls of Indonesia.