Kashmir tour

PARADISE FOUND.....

Summer of 2014..after a visit to the holy shrine of Ma Vaishnodevi we embarked on a journey to the paradise that held many promises.

After many discussions between us and our tour manager,we finally decided to drive from Jammu to Pahalgam  and it turned out to be our longest drive so far!!! We were stuck in a monstrous traffic congestion and ended up waiting ,hoping for some miracle to happen and clear the traffic ,for next 24 hours. When we finally reached Pahalgam in the wee hours,we just keeled over, not sure when our tired backs would straighten up. To our surprise, however, we were up in time for breakfast and left the hotel as planned,behind the schedule only by a few hours!

Our trip to Betab valley and Aru valley was a pleasant one, had enough time to relax and rejuvenate ourselves, putting the previous day's travails to bed. We left Pahalgam for Gulmarg after a few lazy and restful days. The sights of Afarwat peak and Pir Panjal range , views of Kongdoori valley from Gulmarg gondola (supposedly Asia's longest and highest cable car ride), took our breath away!

Our next destination, Sonamarg was as sensational as the rest of Kashmir! From it's lakes & rivers to the valleys , the stunning Zoji La pass, and jewel of Sonamarg  - Thajiwas Glacier , we fell short of words that justify the glorious sights and superlative beauty that you get to witness in  Sonmarg ! Spent some time watching the on going  film shoot of Bhajrangi Bhaijan before we left for Srinagar.

We reached Dal lake to stay in houseboats with no expectations after being blown away by the charm of Kashmir. It was a unique experience reaching our houseboat on shikara,watching the sun shine on those snow-capped mountains, far in the background. Those lackadaisical shikara rides in the evenings soothe you ,as you recline and watch the locals go about their daily routine or watch the ever enthusiastic sellers hawk other tourists and sweet talk them into buying just about anything! 

After a few more days and short trips to Shankaracharya hill, Moghul gardens and some shopping we were ready to leave the paradise. You can buy the world famous Kashmir willow, saffron,handicrafts, Pashmina shawls, Hand embroidered fabric ,so on and so forth.We spent our last day in Srinagar at Dachigam National Park and were fortunately introduced to two leopard cubs and a Himalayan Black bear, all the three so kindly posed for our cameras,making it a memorable day! 

''AGAR FIRDAUS BAR ROO-E ZAMEEN AST, HAMEEN AST-O HAMEEN AST ''

(If there is a paradise on earth,it is this, it is this )-Amir Khusro

                            

Meghalaya - Shillong tour

RAINIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD.....

The three and half hours drive from the plains of Guwahati to the mountainous Meghalaya was sedate. On the way to Shillong also called 'Scotland of East' we noticed women in traditional Jaisen and blouses ,carrying a traditional basket with anything from firewood to insanely heavy building material,strapped to their heads or a baby strapped to their shoulders,chewing betel.Most of them turned hostile at the sight of a camera!

Our first few days in Shillong were spent visiting places closer to the capital city -Shillong peak,Umiam lake,royal abode of the Khyrum Syiemship-Smit and finally Don Bosco museum of indigenous cultures. This  is a very efficiently maintained, seven storeyed, computerised museum that gives an overview of entire North-east India .

We visited Meghlaya's best kept secret , Mawlynnong,known to be Asia's cleanest village. As we sped past the grassy meadows,Khullok ,our driver ,told us that it is broom grass and that Mawlynnong is also known for it's broom-making.Each home in this village had a hand woven basket and everyone including very young children made sure that they left trash in these baskets.Many homes had huge monolithic stones in front of them in honor of their ancestors. The village also offers amazing view of Bangladesh plains as it is in the vicinity of the Indo-Bangla border. 

Our next destination ,Jing Kieng Jri,which we reached from Riwai village after a three kilometer trek reminded us of "tree of souls" from the movie Avatar! This place is home to living root bridges created by the locals by twirling gnarled roots of Ficus Elastica,to cross over a rivulet . These centuries old root bridges are still the only means to cross the rivulets in many villages.The real eager beavers here are the villagers who regularly twirl new tendrils around the old ones thus nurturing the bridges. We were captivated by the raw beauty of this place.

We visited the Mawsmai caves famous for it's  stalagmites and stalactites. Crouching,stooping and crawling through the 150m long,wet Mawsmai cave was an unexpected adventure for us!! 

Our next destination was Cherappunji(Sohra) and Mawsynram which clinched the title of wettest place on earth from Sohra. Double-decker living root bridges of Cherappunji are a sight to behold and are declared UNESCO World Heritage site. The trek to these bridges requires lots of stamina but is totally worth it. Both the sacred groves of Mawphlong famous for it's amazing life form of plants,trees,orchids and butterflies and Nokalika waterfalls that reminded us of the Grand canyon are equally alluring.

We visited the Indo-Bangla border at Dawki and befriended the Indian and Bangla BSF men. We were touched by the warmth with which they received us and explained how things work there. We were thrilled to be at the last milestone on Indian side. On the way back to Shillong from Dawki,on the insistence of Khullok,we took a small detour to visit  'Laitlum Canyons' .Khullok kept on asking for directions throughout as not many know of this place,not even locals. When we finally reached there,all we could see was 200 odd huts hardly visible,way down in the valley,completely covered in fog. As the clouds and fog started clearing up,a magical view was revealed!! What amazed us more than the eerie silence and mystical charm of this place was the fact that for the residents of the village War-rasong,down in the valley,the only way to reach other villages or the nearest market place is a flight of 3000 steps!!!So if they are going to the market and returning home,they are taking a staggering 6000 steps!!!! There is a rope way however,to carry goods up and down the valley.

After all the superlatives comes the embittered reality . Once a state with surplus power,Meghalaya now faces challenges for electricity and people living in the vicinity of the wettest place on the earth 'buy' drinking water due to lack of rain water storage facilities. All the rain water flows down to Bangladesh flooding the country!

Apart from it's boundless natural beauty and cleanliness what stands out prominently throughout Meghalaya is the eco-friendly and very hard working life style of the people. Respect towards nature and it's resources is reminiscent in their day-to-day activities. Gender equality and women empowerment is conspicuous in Meghalaya's matriarchal society.

"HEADS FIRMLY IN CLOUDS, FEET FIRMLY ON GROUND" EXPLAINS MEGHALAYA AND IT'S PEOPLE VERY WELL. 

Leh-Ladakh tour

JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD!

Summer of 2011 has been  special  for many reasons. Our maiden visit to the holy shrine of Ma Vaishno Devi by foot is one of them. An hour's flight to Leh from Delhi,over the spectacular snow capped mountains, taking pictures of them turning golden yellow,as the sun rose,landing at one of the  world's highest airports (at 10,682 feet above sea level),each one of them was truly a unique experience! As we stepped out of Kushok Bakula Rimpoche airport,the first glimpse of this wonderful town and the first whiff that carried the  Himalayan chill set off the tone for the coming days and filled us with great excitement!

After a traditional welcome, quick breakfast and tea at the hotel(Laser Mo), we rested our tired feet from previous days walk up and down Trikuta hills in Katra. It also helped us acclimatise ourselves to the high altitude. We visited the Shanti Stupa and the town of Leh looked ever so beautiful from here at sunset!

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QUARTERED IN SNOW,SILENT TO REMAIN.WHEN THE BUGLE CALLS,THEY SHALL RISE AND MARCH AGAIN.
-The scroll of honor at the Siachen camp.

The next morning we visited the ' Hall of fame' which has a museum of Kargil memorabilia. It was set up by the Indian Army XIV corps as a memorial to the war heroes.One can see the biographies of eminent defense personalities & war heroes and weapons used during Kargil war. Another section is dedicated to Siachen and its heroes. We were told  about the hardships our soldiers go through at -50 degrees C .It was heart-rending to know that the life span of any soldier who returns after a three month posting at Siachen is reduced by at least 5 years and many of them lose their fingers/toes to frost bite and their lung capacity is reduced by at least 5 years due to exposure to extreme climate. One of the display boards read that  97% of  soldiers that the Indian Army lost at Siachen  was due to extreme cold conditions and treacherous terrain of the glacier.We left the Hall of fame saluting the brave sons of India,with a very heavy heart,some souvenirs and a renewed sense of patriotism.

We spent some time at the Magnetic hill where we noticed that our vehicle parked on a neutral gear ,slid up defying the law of gravity and Gurdwara Pathar Sahib that was close by. We learnt that Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji sanctified this place in 1517 while on His second missionary tour .We were kindly offered lunch at the Langar. We had lunch,paid our obeisance and left for Nimmu village to witness the confluence of Zanskar and Indus rivers. It was a magnificent view to watch two rivers with distinctly different colors,merging into one!

No words can justly describe the beauty of Leh-Ladakh,surrounded by two of the world's highest mountain ranges ,the Himalayas and the Karakoram Range !Our next destination ,Nubra valley  was a 120 km drive ,crossing over Khardung-La, famously called the highest motorable road in the world,at 18,300 ft above sea level.  Khardung-La truly gives you the feeling of being on the top of the world!! We then descended to Nubra valley,stopping in between to try "Rota" and "Anbinden" with ice and snow swords,the ninja style!!

Nubra valley is a fascinating collection of starkly opposite geographic elements . It is one of the rarest places on earth where one can see azural rivers, shingles, shining sand dunes, snow capped mountains and beautiful apricot & vegetable farms that make the place self sufficient, all in one gaze.It is the only place in India where you can see and go on a safari of very rare double humped bactrian camels . The list of amazing facts about Nubra valley is indeed a long one! On our way back to Leh,we stopped by a gigantic statue of Maitreya Buddha and started back after tete-a-tete and tea with a very kind Buddhist monk who is the caretaker of the temple here.

Nubra valley is definitely one of the high points of our Leh-Ladakh tour,next only to Pangong lake. As much as we prepared ourselves not to be overwhelmed by the beauty of Pangong lake, we were still left speechless at the very first glance! This enchanted lake is a photographer's paradise with mesmerising hues that change dramatically from greens to the shades of blues. Reflections of snow clad mountains and flocks of sea gulls add to it's breath taking beauty. We crossed Chang-La and Hemis high altitude national park on our way back to Leh. 

We explored the ancient monasteries of Leh-Ladakh in the next few days. The history of these monasteries is so ancient, their architecture distinct and the colors so vibrant. Even an atheist would discover a sense of inner calm ,listening to the chants and rhythms of Buddhists monks here. 

With all it's grandeur, unique landscapes, discrete architecture and heritage, a trip to Leh-Ladakh undoubtedly enriches and compels you to come back soon. Even an exhaustive traveller will rarely come across a land such as this!

Sikkim tour

HOW GLORIOUS A GREETING THE SUN GIVES THE MOUNTAINS 
                                                                                   -JOHN MUIR


Our tryst with North East India.....

      

Our tryst with North East India started in Sikkim in june 2010,as part of our annual summer break from the scorching south Indian summer. The road from Bagdogra airport to Pelling,our first stop on the itinerary, took us up and down steep mountain roads and many long stretches of dirt and loose stones where the original road has been washed away by previous monsoon rains,yet the experienced drivers manoeuvre through the roads like cakewalk while we hung on the edge of our seats nervously!!! The roads are narrow with just enough space for two vehicles, steep hillside on one side of the car and magnificent mountains on the other - incredibly challenging driving but fortunately we had an excellent driver!! We were traveling up through ancient forests of giant bamboos, massive ferns, small and large trees of numerous varieties - including figs, pines, oak, chestnut, maple, birch, silver fir, magnolias together with rhododendron bushes with dark red flowers .

As we reached Pelling a little after sunset,expecting  to get a sneak peek of Mt. Kangchenjunga , we were perplexed to see a hotel at every turn and second step you tread in!! Fortunately we had our bookings done and didn't have to choose from those countless hotels. It was a pleasant stay and we counted every minute down to the expected sunrise time given by the forecast. When the magical moment arrived, lo and behold!! What an awe-inspiring moment that was!! It definitely sparked and set off the never-ending admiration and intrigue towards the mighty mountains . We enjoyed every moment of being in Pelling,our short evening walks , steaming momos on street side stalls,which stood like cliff-hangers and some wine shopping too!!

Our next stop was the capital city of Gangtok. This city rightly gave us a taste of what Sikkim is about,from planning to go totally organic** to being completely plastic and smoke free. What amazed us in our 15 day tour across Sikkim,besides its pristine nature was that no one expected or accepted tips ,nor could we see anyone begging or spitting!! WOW!

In the subsequent days we visited all the places on the must visit list of Sikkim like Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir,Zero point ,Rumtek and other monasteries. Our prime driving force behind wanting to visit Sikkim was to get a glimpse of Mt.Kangchenjunga and Gurudongmar lake,while we had a great view of the former in all her splendour,Gurudongmar lake still remains an unfulfilled dream! We could not visit the holy lake despite staying in North Sikkim(Lachung and Yumthang) for three days due to landslides and blocked roads. Even the hardcore adrenaline junkies are sure to have heebie-jeebies during the five hour treacherous drive to North Sikkim! Kudos to BRO for keeping the roads accessible for us!

What could have otherwise been a disappointment following closed roads to Lachen,our experience at Gangtok remains the best so far,thanks to the efforts of Mr.Mukherji at Sai Kripa,who accommodated us despite having prior bookings when we were forced to extend our stay after we missed our flights twice due to landslides.

"Just heaven" is what describes Sikkim and "blessed" is the feeling that encompassed our hearts while in Sikkim.

**At the time we were there in 2010,Sikkim government was planning to go 100 percent organic.We were delighted to note that the government achieved the goal and Sikkim is indeed 100%organic as on date!!