My TripAdvisor Review No.221: Government Museum, Chandigarh.

“Five Museums in One Campus.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

This Museum is located in the center of Chandigarh and very close to the Rose Garden. It is housed in a well spread out campus with large shady trees, and actually consists of five different museums. The Museum building is designed by Le Corbusier himself, the French architect and town planner who was instrumental in designing and layout of the beautiful city of Chandigarh after India’s independence.

The five museums are:
1) Government Museum and Art Gallery
2) Natural History Museum
3) National Gallery of Portraits
4) International Dolls Museum
5) Chandigarh Architecture Museum

To see all the collections in the five museums would require a full day of sightseeing, so we decided to visit only the Architecture Museum. It showed how the city of Chandigarh evolved over the decades from a small village to the well planned city and the capital of two of India’s states, Punjab and Haryana, that it is now. There were many fascinating exhibits spread over three floors. There is an entry fee of Rs.10 per head and a separate fee of Rs.10 for a camera. We spent over an hour seeing all the models and exhibits, but it was insufficient time to study the full history of the development of city.

We had to leave the other interesting museums for another day.

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Visited June 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297596-d2651189-r505075638-Government_Museum_and_Art_Gallery-Chandigarh.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.220: Pal Dhaba, Chandigarh.

“Below Average for Vegetarians.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

We visited this restaurant on the recommendation of our cab driver for its Punjabi food. They have two outlets in one of the shopping malls of Chandigarh.

However, being vegetarian on that day we ordered their Rajmah Rice and a Cheese Paratha with gravy. The gravy was very heavy and tasted very average. The Rajma Rice was floating on a layer of oil and was very spicy. Quantity was good but the quality was poor. Even the lassi was very flat and without any froth. The prices were above average for such fare.

The seating was on plastic chairs and tables, and the service was very unprofessional. I would not like to visit again, even for their famous butter chicken.

• Visited June 2017
  • Value
  • Service
  • Food

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297596-d1028094-r504375761-Pal_Dhaba-Chandigarh.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.219: Rock Garden of Chandigarh.

“Best Sightseeing Attraction of Chandigarh.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

This Rock Garden and the Rose Garden of Chandigarh are the two best sightseeing attractions of Chandigarh. The Rock Garden is also known as Nek Chand’s Rock Garden to honor the founder Mr. Nek Chand who conceived the idea of this garden in 1957. He painstakingly and secretly built his Fantasy Land over the next 18 years by collecting waste materials like broken bangles, electrical parts and fittings, and broken plates and waste ceramics. It was discovered by the authorities in 1975 and would have been demolished for being illegal, but public opinion saved it. It is now a memorial celebrating man’s creativity and ingenuity.

There is a big parking lot outside and we had to buy an entry ticket (Rs.30). It is open from 9 am to 7 pm (April to September) and 9 am to 6 pm (October to March). There is a restaurant inside run by CITCO where we had some refreshments before proceeding to explore the main garden.

We had to trek through many artificially created open air chambers with different landscapes and model houses and figures created with the recycled materials. Each chamber would give us the impression of being in a different kind of landscape with its own unique surroundings. There were many chambers with artificial waterfalls cascading down the hillsides. There were other chambers with an array of similar figures of man and animals. It was indeed fascinating to watch the different creations in each chamber.

It requires between 2 to 3 hours for a walk through the maze of pathways and corridors, to admire the varied landscape and creations in each chamber. It is photographers delight. It is best to do it early morning or evening as it can become very hot and sunny in the summer afternoons.

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Visited June 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297596-d1575668-r504084228-The_Rock_Garden_of_Chandigarh-Chandigarh.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.218: Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh.

“Good for an Evening Outing.”

Reviewed 2 days ago

NEW

Sukhna Lake is a good place for an evening outing for the locals as well as tourists of Chandigarh. There are many colorful pedal boats available for a ride around the lake. There is also a nice promenade for a walk along the lake shore, with a garden on one side. There are many food stalls where one can enjoy snacks and soft drinks.

We visited the lake one afternoon in June and found it too hot to be out in the open. We relaxed a bit under the shady trees before going to the Rock Garden nearby.

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Visited June 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297596-d1204434-r503883281-Sukhna_Lake-Chandigarh.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.217: Hotel Shiwalik, Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh.

“Welcomes You to the Hills of Himachal.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

Hotel Shivalik is the very first hotel to welcome you to the state of Himachal as you enter from Kalka, Haryana. It is located next to the Chandigarh-Shimla Highway and just 2 km from Kalka Railway Station. Our train from Mumbai arrived at Kalka at 5 pm and we had decided to halt for 2 nights at Parwanoo before proceeding to Shimla. We booked the room a few days ahead on the HPTDC website.

To get to the hotel we had to hire a taxi from Kalka since the auto-rickshaws are not allowed to cross the border to Himachal. Our room was kept ready for us and we checked in without much ado, and explored the nearby areas on foot. Parwanoo in an industrial township and there was much traffic and chaos as we went deeper in to the town. However the area around the hotel was relatively clean and green. There is a Shiva temple just outside the gate, and a Ma Kali temple about 1 km away towards Kalka.

We had an aircon room with a small balcony from where we could see and hear the toy train to Shimla passing by as it climbed up the hill. There was small dressing room and a geyser in the bathroom. Extra mattress was provided for the third person. The furniture in the room was in need of some refurbishing and the cupboards were warped and damp.

There is a good restaurant where a lot of highway travellers stop for a meal and refreshments. For breakfast we went to the Cafe Shiwalik just outside the gates where we had aloo parathas and sandwiches at more reasonable rates.

We hired a taxi for the day and explored Chandigarh, Panchkula and Pinjore the next day. Stopping at Parwanoo at this hotel gave us time to refresh ourselves before proceeding towards Shimla. It is also a convenient night halt if you are taking the Heritage Toy Train to Shimla which starts at Kalka.

I would give Hotel Shivalik a three and half star rating.

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• Stayed June 2017, travelled with family
  • Rooms
  • Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1154161-d1469137-r503397407-Hotel_Shivalik-Parwanoo_Solan_District_Himachal_Pradesh.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.216: Nawab Asia Restaurant, Pune.

“Mughlai Fine Dining at Balewadi High Street.”

Reviewed 2 days ago

NEW

This restaurant serving both veg and non-veg traditional Mughlai dishes is located in Cummins India Office Complex on Balewadi High Street, just off the Aundh-Baner Main Road. It is quite popular and crowded on weekends and it is better to book your table in advance.

The seating is on low tables and chairs like nawabi thrones and divans, with cushions provided to make our backs comfortable. The ambience is like a Nawab’s Dining Hall during the Mughal Times. The service was prompt and responsive.

We sampled some starters viz. Fish Peeli Mirch Tikka, Murg Pasanda Kababs and Sabz-E-Gilavat and quite relished them with the onion rings, lemon and green mint chutney.

For the main course we had Murg (Chicken) Makhani, Jheenga (Prawn) Lahori, Mix Veg Makhani with different types of Indian breads like Lasooni Kali Mirch Roti, Naan and Pudina Paratha. The gravies were thick and creamy and quite tasty.

For the desserts we had Malai Kulfi and Paan Kulfi.

All in all it was a fine dining experience.

• Visited July 2017
  • Value
  • Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d5906455-r502686801-Nawab_Asia-Pune_Pune_District_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.215: Kargo Restaurant and Bar, Pune.

“Good for Asian and Fusion Food.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

We visited this restaurant during the weekend and had to reserve the table for our group of about 20. We got seating on three separate tables as the place is always full on weekends.

We enjoyed a drink or two. Their Peach Iced Tea was very quenching. They have a separate menu card for hard drinks and cocktails as well.

They had very good finger foods and their Galauti Kababs were awesome. They also have Oriental foods from Burma, Indonesia and Thailand besides the regular Chinese. I tried out their Pattaya Curry with Prawns and it was quite tasty without being too spicy.

The service was fast and friendly. They served us complimentary cakes at the end. We were lucky to visit them on their anniversary day.

• Visited July 2017
  • Value
  • Service
  • Food

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d11760120-r500262307-Kargo_Kitchen_Bar-Pune_Pune_District_Maharashtra.html#