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[sandeepachetan]

One of the questions we received recently was about backpacking in #NEWZealand. New Zealand is one of the easiest countries to travel to. Agreed, it’s not as budget friendly as international destinations in South East Asia. But the friendly and the ever so helpful people of New Zealand coupled with an abundance of things to do for free help in making New Zealand possible to travel to, even on a limited budget. You find hostels in the smallest of places. You find the freshest ingredients you can ever buy (bringing down your costs on food). And hitchhiking is a widely accepted form of travel. New Zealand is a fairly relaxed country and you can move at your own pace, especially once you get to the South Island. Here, even cities like Nelson have a friendly cosy neighbourhood feel and you don’t have to go too far to explore the countryside or meet some super interesting people. Our stay in Nelson, though short this time around, was filled with eventful encounters. We were denied entry in a hostel, got asked if we wanted ganja, met a war veteran and I was gifted a handmade, rose ring which a renowned artist made right in front of me! You can read about our Nelson encounters here https://sandeepachetan.com/surprise-at-nelson-new-zealand/ What helps in reducing the burden on the wallet for international trips are small savings. A museum visited on its free visit day, discount coupons from the local newspaper for activities, supermarket deals or your credit card offers. Like @MastercardIndia is offering right now. Every time you use you @Axis_Bank and MasterCard credit or debit card on your travel abroad, you get a 1% cashback! Money saved is travel earned! #StartSomethingPriceless #TravelWithMastercard #AxisBank (at New Zealand) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1aq42NgyZz/?igshid=14j9oodhmmrg7

[sandeepachetan]

As you might know, we spent the summer this year travelling in the Himalayas, being more digital nomads than just travellers. Shuttling between parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal meant that we would drop in at our friend's place in Delhi or Chandigarh during a crossover or if we some "city work" beckoned. We then satiated our thirst for the outdoors by visiting the local gardens of the city forests (which was easy to do in Delhi!). On one such outing, we just packed our daysack with a book, lots of water and some snacks, took our Coleman India chairs, and off we went to Sanjay Van. We found a shaded, leafy patch by the lake, put up our chairs (which are remarkably stable even on rough muddy grounds) as spent a blissful couple of hours amidst nature even in the sweltering Delhi summer! I guess nothing can stop us from spending time with nature, and having the right gear always helps! You can buy these cool, super comfortable chairs from Amazon at https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00339910A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (at Sanjay Van) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1OIIbIgFis/?igshid=1p19w6r06qunt

[sandeepachetan]

Will be sharing some photos from a monastery festival that we had attended in a small village named Sani in the Zanskar valley. But before that, wanted to point out that all higher Himslayan passes are now open. Biking in Ladakh is not for the fain hearted nor for novices. You need to have put in enough hours and kilometres to hit the road in Ladakh. A local motorbike guide company like @go2ladakh.in can prove to be extremely useful if you plan to explore Ladakh on bike. While you plan your itinerary, do leave enough time to actually spend at the destination. Don't just whizz from one destination to the next. And don't skim on the buffer and acclimatisation days. Nature is the only ruler here and a safe passage is guaranteed only at nature's mercy. (at Zoji La) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0VG2KWg7sc/?igshid=3opxywb75qzf

[sandeepachetan]

“I want to go to Leh Ladakh this year”, is a comment we often hear, even now. I say even now because, after spending the last few years thinking and breathing travel, it starts feeling like everyone has already travelled to Ladakh.  These comments are a good reminder that despite Ladakh being hit by over-tourism in the last few years, it’s still one of the most spectacular places on earth. So, after much delay, we have written this first timer's guide to Ladakh as the latest post on our blog. This is the link: https://sandeepachetan.com/planning-trip-to-leh-ladakh/ #amazing_shots #openmag #igworld_global #goodforyoursoul #ourplanetdaily #earthboundshots #earth_shotz #seetheworld #canon_photos #doyoutravel #worlderlust #theglobewanderer #airtel #passionpassport #travelwithintention #neverstopexploring #inspiremyinstagram #exploretocreate #wanderlust #openmyworld #mysomewhere #wherewillwegonext #theoutbound #roadtrip #roam247 (at Ladakh, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0NelLLgU-m/?igshid=yewfk65xgzpo

[sandeepachetan]

Ending the portrait series for now with this photo of ours taken by the wonderful, talented and super smart Zaibon Nissa. We have tried to share some off the tourist track places from Kashmir so far. This is the guide we have to give you a ready reference of the Kashmir that we discovered. Let us know if you have any questions. https://sandeepachetan.com/kashmir-offbeat-travel-guide/ We will move in to sharing about the high altitude Himalayas. (at Jammu and Kashmir) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzDvoQ0Ahb7/?igshid=xoyxiw8fujct

[sandeepachetan]

Happy moments Part 3 (at Sonamarg, Jammu And Kashmir, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzAh178ATsi/?igshid=vfrgcxxkvu4u

[sandeepachetan]

Just some more "happy moments"... https://sandeepachetan.com/kids-of-hills-portrait-india/ (at Sonamarg, Jammu And Kashmir, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzAhRZuA_PD/?igshid=w0j217mq0rcp

[sandeepachetan]

They sing and dance and play. They don't care about #WorldYogaDay or #WorldMusicDay. They don't have a childhood in which their parents cater to their every need, but they play in the world's most beautiful playground, breathe the freshest air and drink the purest water. http://bit.ly/2L67np1 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2WU1r9w

[sandeepachetan]

They sing and dance and play. They don't care about #WorldYogaDay or #WorldMusicDay. They don't have a childhood in which their parents cater to their every need, but they play in the world's most beautiful playground, breathe the freshest air and drink the purest water. https://sandeepachetan.com/kids-of-hills-portrait-india/ (at Sonamarg, Jammu And Kashmir, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/By-hS09AK_l/?igshid=91snntaevfwj

[sandeepachetan]

This was more like a portrait of curiosity. We being the curious objects. We have heard people say, "Oh, they were staring at us so much". Yes, and you know this because you too were staring at them. What's wonderful, though is, if and when you continue to stare, your glances meet, you connect, and smile at each other. It could be a passing moment, as your car/bus goes past. But a connection is a connection. And it's precious. It's what you remember and what you bring back home. The window with these two curious ladies was in the Lolab valley, on our way to the Kalaroos caves. Include this in your itinerary for Kashmir, to see a different side of Kashmir. http://bit.ly/2WQbDjj Kashmir, 2013 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2MUW2KF

[sandeepachetan]

This was more like a portrait of curiosity. We being the curious objects. We have heard people say, "Oh, they were staring at us so much". Yes, and you know this because you too were staring at them. What's wonderful, though is, if and when you continue to stare, your glances meet, you connect, and smile at each other. It could be a passing moment, as your car/bus goes past. But a connection is a connection. And it's precious. It's what you remember and what you bring back home. The window with these two curious ladies was in the Lolab valley, on our way to the Kalaroos caves. Include this in your itinerary for Kashmir, to see a different side of Kashmir. https://sandeepachetan.com/lolab-valley-offbeat-places-kashmir/ Kashmir, 2013 (at Kalaroos Kupwara) https://www.instagram.com/p/By5H0lQA7Bp/?igshid=1j2i8fjycudyx

[sandeepachetan]

Let's just call this a portrait of peace. Calm. Contentment. The two days in Sani, a village in Zanskar changed the way we look at life. When less is more or the simple life in Sani, Zanskar http://bit.ly/2WPG0Sb — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2MWhoY4

[sandeepachetan]

Let's just call this a portrait of peace. Calm. Contentment. The two days in Sani, a village in Zanskar changed the way we look at life. When less is more or the simple life in Sani, Zanskar https://sandeepachetan.com/simple-life-sani-zanskar/ (at Zanskar Valley) https://www.instagram.com/p/By4QGHLgsws/?igshid=kv0fy37jdtn

[sandeepachetan]

She knew how to pose like a boss! Modeling seemed to be in her blood and her spontaneity and ease in front of the camera made her a pleasure to shoot. She was posing as if it was a routine for her. Considering that she lived in the remote and isolated little hamlet of Rangdum, on the way to the Zanskar valley, her natural response to the camera was surprising and endearing. http://bit.ly/2L67np1 Rangdum, 2013 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2InS5K8

[sandeepachetan]

She knew how to pose like a boss! Modeling seemed to be in her blood and her spontaneity and ease in front of the camera made her a pleasure to shoot. She was posing as if it was a routine for her. Considering that she lived in the remote and isolated little hamlet of Rangdum, on the way to the Zanskar valley, her natural response to the camera was surprising and endearing. https://sandeepachetan.com/kids-of-hills-portrait-india/ Rangdum, 2013 (at Ladakh, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/By2WsGjA-UF/?igshid=13sbq9net33km

[sandeepachetan]

Because dad's are a girl's first best friend... Also because this is a sight we saw on a memorable weekend in Buenos Aires and because @exoticgringo is just making is relive those moments by being there. (We are hoping to get a spoon of the real dulce de leche once we, and he, get back to Mumbai 😀). Something about this art-full neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires http://bit.ly/2WKW5Zj Buenos Aires 2015 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2wXWPQh

[sandeepachetan]

Because dad's are a girl's first best friend... Also because this is a sight we saw on a memorable weekend in Buenos Aires and because @exoticgringo is just making is relive those moments by being there. (We are hoping to get a spoon of the real dulce de leche once we, and he, get back to Mumbai 😀). Something about this art-full neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires https://sandeepachetan.com/buenos-aires-neighbourhoods/ Buenos Aires 2015 (at Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByyqOlEA6WE/?igshid=694x6dq6wh2u