There is a new search engine in Town, called Guruji!

Its India specific and very promising. I tried locating a few restaurants in Bangalore, and the results were bang on target. I then tried searching for my car’s service station since the car is due for a service. It failed on this search!:-(

The interface has an uncanny resemblance to Google though!!

Its got support for Indian languages and if they continue to build on their platform, I think its got a very bright future. Check it out…

 

I came across to very nice sites that people staying or traveling in India can fully make use of:

• MapMyIndia gives driving directions within two locations in India on the lines of MapQuest. So for the next weekend getaway you plan, you can get your travel directions from this website with ease. The site could do with some usability improvements, but its something we missed all this while in India.

• So, lets say you’re in Bangalore for a moment…but you are not familiar with the city. How do you find that restaurant or pub that you’ve heard so much about! Try OnYoMo. Currently available for a few cities in India, you can search for a host of things on the site, including restaurants, movie halls, shopping, laundry services, etc! The best part is that they have a WAP enabled website as well. This will enable you to search using your cell phone.

Two awesome sites that hold a lot of promise!

If you traveling with India, here is a consolidated list of Airline booking portals for you. Many of them will in fact let you book hotels, and rental cars as well.

Airlines

• Indian: http://indian-airlines.nic.in/
• Jet Airways: http://www.jetairways.com/
• Air Sahara: http://www.airsahara.net/ (Acquired by Jet Airways and to be renamed as Jet Lite)
• Kingfisher Airlines: http://flykingfisher.com/
• Go Air: http://goair.in/ [Low Cost Airline]
• Air Deccan: http://www.flyairdeccan.net [Low Cost Airline]
• Indigo: http://book.goindigo.in/ [Low Cost Airline]
• Paramount Airways: http://www.paramountairways.com/ [Business Class & Above @ the rate of Economy]
• SpiceJet: http://spicejet.com/

Portals
There are so many of them springing up on a monthly basis that it gets difficult to gauge which ones are good. The ones below are the better ones:

• MakeMyTrip India: http://india.makemytrip.com/
• Arzoo: http://arzoo.com/
• Yatra: http://yatra.com/
• Ezeego1: http://www.ezeego1.co.in
• Indiatimes Travel: http://travel.indiatimes.com

If you are aware of any other good portals, do let me know.

Kabini, a scenic delight was once the hunting lodge of the erstwhile Mysore Maharajahs. The steep valleys with rich forests, spectacular pools and rapids provide an ideal opportunity to revive your adventurous spirits.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Kabini and stayed at the River Lodge. The 1-night, 2 day stay was simply breath taking.

Some photographs that I took during this stay is shown below. Click on them to see a full screen version.

The photographs were taken at the Nagarhole National Park.

The Travelogue Blog has been launched on the BlogSailor Network.

Travelogue, as defined by Wikipedia:

A travel journal, or road journal or travelogue , is an initially blank book carried by a traveler for the purpose of documenting a journey. Clippings, tokens, or tickets may be included as they are collected. The journal may also include notes written by acquaintances. Some journals feature hand-drawn illustrations, or even watercolors, of friends and places. A travelogue may also contain details of bad experiences. Since the popularization of the World Wide Web, digital travel journals called travel blogs have become commonplace.

This is my travel blog! As the name suggests, this blog will focus on all things related to travel. I will post details about my travel adventures and will also share things that I learn along the way.

If you’re a frequent traveller and would like to contribute to this blog, do drop a comment and we can take it forward from there.