Unihorn Rhinos at Chitwal National Park - A conservation program that is working!

Trip Taken : April 26th to May 2nd

When I read about Kathmandu as a quick and not so expensive destination from India, I wasn’t quite sure that I wanted to go from one land of overcrowded and polluted places to another. Yes, if you are going to climb the Everest, you do have to go through Kathmandu to Lukla, but otherwise, what else did Nepal hold that was charming and interesting enough for all the trouble it takes to book airline tickets and trust someone on the other end? Luckily, a good friend of mine had gone last year, all the way to Lukla, and said his guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. After trying for three to four days to figure out online bookings for flights (Budha Air was the most highly recommended), I gave up and called Sushil, the guide, for help.

Pokhara : The main lake around which it lies, surrounded by mountains

From several recommendations and backed up by research, I had a good idea what I wanted to do: Catch the first flight out to Kathmandu, connect directly to Pokhara for 2 nights, fly to Chitwal National Park (actually, Bharatpur is the closest airport) for 2 nights, fly back to Kathmandu for the last 2 nights. Pokhara is a popular foreigners’ destination, a romantic getaway of sorts, around mountains and lakes, if you will, providing enough fun things to do around it including day trekking, multi-day trekking, boat rides on the lake, paragliding, motor gliding etc. Chitwal National Forest is part of the Sundarbans that stretches across from Assam, and where, I read, the uni-horn rhinos still walk the high grass lands. Now, the only other place you can see these ancient dinosaur like creatures is in Assam. Assam is difficult to travel to because of the violence in the region and also because it is grossly underdeveloped by the government in the form of internal travel. So chitwal was a natural destination.

A round trip flight from Delhi to Kathmandu, if you book it early enough, is around Rs9000 or $200 USD or AUS. What a deal! Then the internal flights are not that cheap, at around $100-150 a leg,  at least not on Buddha Air. Ask the guide to check out a couple of other airlines as well. In reality, Buddha didn’t work well at all for us, and in each trip I found Buddha to have delays of upto 2.5hrs while all the other airlines took off with maybe 15-30 minute delays. Anyway, the flight to Pokhara is very scenic and beautiful. The mountain views are to the right side of the plane, so ask for the seating so you don’t miss out.

There is a very expensive hotel, running about $125 per night, but I really didn’t see a point in it. The town is so small, everything is in walking distance, and given we were going to be out the whole day and it isn’t a romantic vacation, we decided to go middle of the road to Hotel Barahi, at $65 a night. I think this is too much also, but this did include breakfast. If you shop around a bit you will still be able to find a hotel that is clean and comfortable, around $40 a night. A car and driver do tend to get a bit expensive in Nepal, depending on the politics of the day, but that must be forgiven. When I was there they had a major shortage of petrol, with India cutting them off from some supply because they were upset the free and democratic nation of Nepal elected a Moist communist government. So much for the right to choose but your choice better make me happy!

The Paragliding Experience in Pokhara - A must do!

I have already been to Sikkim and Leh, Ladakh, so I have seen some beautiful Buddhist monasteries. We were taken to another one in Pokhara, and then I soon realized the cab driver was doing the “tourist circle”. Basically a waste of time, he drove us to a waterfall, but one couldn’t see it because it wasn’t the right time of year so there was hardly any water! So why take us? Well, that’s just what they do. Then to a Tibetan refugee village, a small few huts set up just to make it feel that way, with 3-4 old women. Maybe there are some Tibetan refugees and a camp out there somewhere, but this isn’t it. After a couple of things like that, we decided to head back, walk around town, and do a hike late afternoon. It was a little chilly, even looked like it was going to rain, but that was a better option than being disappointed all day and driving from worthless sightseeing wonder to the next.

A Buddhist monk

The hike was wonderful to the Buddha Stupa on the hill across the lake, and is about an hour up and 45 minutes down. Remember it is a mountain area and forested, so it gets dark soon in the thick of it. The stupa is quite wonderful as well, and is a sacred place to where monks travel. There is even a place for them to stay up there, a kind of monastery.  The serene beauty at which height it sits, the misty clouds, a beautiful sunset across the hill from there, a view of Pokhara and the lake… I can imagine the holy divine feeling.

I felt good after the hike, like I burnt enough calories, more than I was going to or did in a long time anyway.  Then we decided to head out for drinks and see the main strip, hardly a 15 minute walk all the way. Some fun places there and a lot of shopping. But truth be told about shopping: it is much cheaper in Kathmandu. The bars were pretty cool anyways; one had pool tables and a fun atmosphere, another had a great band. I talked to tourists from around the world and ended up getting a little drunk, having a great time. Not good since I have to be awake at 5a.m for a little paragliding flight over the mountain rages at 6a.m! Oh well, it was a fun night. Let me tell you about spending enough money to get to Pokhara… and then debating the paraglide little plane… don’t think about it! The best part of Pokhara was this. The company I went with was called “Avia Club Nepal”, and the experience is unmatched to anything I have done. The pilots were experienced, really knew how to show us around and get us to the closest point to the mountain peaks, and beyond all that, they had good bed side manner if ever they thought you needed courage. They were also good pilots.

Short of that event, we had no more time that day, or so we thought. So we hurried to the airport just to watch our plane delayed for 2 hours for no good reason that we could get from the ailines since all other planes were coming and going, promptly. The only destination was Kathmandu, so why did we pick the best airlines, pay the most, to get the worst? Bad luck. Thank you, Buddha Air.

The scenery right outside our hut at Temple Tiger, Chitwal National Park

The idea was this: We fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu, from Kathmandu to Bharatpur, and take a cab from Bharatpur to Chitwal National Park. The drive should have been about 30 minutes, the site said. Destination: Temple Tiger Resort. Price: Well, we got taken for that. The web said said 20% discount, which was $160 per person a day. Seems like a lot. But that’s for food, stay, elephant safari, jeep safari and other activity they say you can choose from. Be careful about this. Make sure you choose your activities and print out their acknowledgement before you go, otherwise you can get pushed around and never do what you thought you were going to.  Also, we were told that some of these forest lodges, if not all, were going to be shut down by the government, so I am not sure how long they will run for. Here is their site to check it out.

http://www.hotelnepal.com/tariff.php?name=Temple+Tiger

Well, we got to Bharatpur airport, but the drive is over an hour and a half with bumpy dirt roads almost all the way out to the forest. Then you get to a river that divides the village from the forest border, so off you go onto a boat for 20 minutes to get across, and another 20 minute drive to the actual place where we stayed. Part of the adventure, or else one may as well go to a resort in a city and avoid all surprises!  The food is basic but there is plenty, and the nature is breath taking, as are the cute huts on tilts we stayed in.

The elephant safari is by far the best way to see wild life, and a trek into the forest. Given it is the land of unihorn Rhinos, nothing spots them over the tall grass lands like an elephant safari. I was thrilled to see five rhinos the first evening we went on a safari. I thought, “Beginner’s luck”. But the mahout informed us that the conservation project has been very successful over the last 15 years, and the numbers have almost tripled. I happened to be there during the birthing season so I was lucky enough to see a few baby Rhinos around as well. So there were plenty around, those dinosaur looking guys. And yet they are shy and calm, for all their size and strength. Not the aggressive creatures they can easily be given their build. We also saw many species of birds, small and large. Highly recommended. That’s all I can say.

The wonderful treasures of nepal; this, outside the Old Palace

We only had a day and a half in Kathmandu so we got to business as soon as we landed. As luck would have it, we had a nice enough place, I would tell you what it is but I lost my iphone and all the information I had about it is in there. The best I can do is tell you that I think it is Hotel Samara, in Thamel. The places to see are quite basic; anyone will tell you the list of three or four. The best place to shop for souvenirs is Thamel. Walk up and down that road and bargain. There is something there for everyone.  

Anyway, it was a rainy for the two days we had in Kathmandu. The traffic is always bad and the main temple of Lord Shiva is no laughing matter, called the Parashurama Temple. The age of it, the lay out, the details of how and why it is there and the cremations of different classes and castes of society that are conducted separately to this day are a forced walk back into a kingdom of the past, into history and mythology, into a religion that is so deep. Mysterious as it may be, Nepal is the abode and destination for all followers of Hinduism, and the abode of Lord Shiva: Mount Kailash. The pilgrimage to this place is dangerous and treacherous. Yet, thousands take this on daily for salvation. The spirit can be felt and touched in the temple, and the only thing you have to do is separate the fake Sadhus from the real ones!!

Other main places to see are the Old Palace, the monkey temple, and the Botanical Gardens at night. That’s pretty much all we had time for. We did the early morning flight to Mount Everest, an hour long trip that should have taken us through the ranges and close to Everest and around, and back. Again, this is Buddha Air and they had no problem taking us half way, pretending that we could see Everest, pointing to a peak and claiming it was Everest, and taking us back. Definitely a waste of time, and the fact that one of their planes crashed on this flight a few months ago killing all aboard says little to dispute my theory they suck and are living off of a name that was built long time ago maybe, but service that is long gone.

Parashurama Temple in Kathmandu; Hindu cremation area

As far as photography goes, there is not much you can do wrong there. Kathmandu may be crowded but it is definitely a place of Hinduism and Buddhism, best merged in a way no other place is with two religions, or even different sects of the same religion. The colours are vibrant, the people are happy, and the history is cherished. It is a city one can spend three days at least, but alas, vacation comes hard for the working!

The Ranakpur Temple, as majestic inside as it is outside

Trip taken: April 1st to April 5th

As always, like many people who are slaves to the 9-5 jobs and corporate rats, I planned this vacation around a long weekend, plus a day. It is difficult even today to find accurate information on what seem to be the basics, like distance and time, because road conditions in India will pretty much double normal travel time, and I have yet to come across a comprehensive blog that is true and honest about the information. It is as if even the travel agents figure if they can just get you there by saying a 3.5hour drive is only 2hrs, then you sit through the rest of the hour and a half hoping you are there but having no choice anyway!

Nikki Lake, Mount Abu. On top of the hill is the hotel we stayed at.

So it was. Mount Abu has no airport. The closest airport, most will say, is Udaipur, 185km. That may be very well true but the road is not too good, so the drive will take you 3.5hrs at least. The next closest airport is Ahmedabad, 215km. But the road is good although there are some heavy tolls along the way and because Ahmedabad is in Gujarat, a different state, an inert-state toll of around Rs1100 has to be paid upon entering Rajasthan. I picked Ahmedabad because there is nothing like bad roads and constant brake motion in a car in India!

It took us 3 hours to get to the bottom of the hill of Mount Abu, and another 45minutes to an hour to get up to mount Abu itself, up the hill. Mount Abu is the only hill station in Rajasthan, where the royals built their holiday summer homes and went to get away from the hot desert sun. Driving up the mountain I saw naked trees, stripped of leaves and flowers by early April heat, parched, dry and brown. There is a sudden point where the temperature seems to have cooled off, and the mountainside turns colourful, full of life and trees that now are dressed up, healthy, blooming. That is when the beauty of the place strikes you.

Ranakpur Temple, similar carvings and detail as teh Dilwara Temple in Moutn Abu, just bigger

I booked a hotel online. Service and return email are slow, but I wanted a heritage hotel since I enjoyed the one in Udaipur, so I was determined to find a deal here too. It was actually costly for the small town, but I went for the Jaipur Palace Hotel at Rs2500 per night for a standard air condition room. The reviews said it had a great view of the lake and the town too, so I bit. As we drove through the mountain, we saw this wonderful palace hotel on a cliff above, and I joked that I wish I could afford that hotel but I am sure that is not ours. Well, turned out it was the place I booked, and it was the best view and hotel around even though many others were priced much higher than this. We also ended up upgrading to a suite, which was not the smartest idea and there was no need for it, at Rs4000 per night. Anyway, the hotel was beautiful, service average, but that doesn’t rank too high for me as long as the food is decent and doesn’t get me sick!

Mount Abu is a very small town, with a beautiful story and Niki lake at its centre, mountains rising all around it. It is calm and a local resort since many tourists don’t have the time and/or money to get here as there is no airport and car cost is high (We paid Rs3000 per day for 300km minimum, plus tolls, taxes etc). It is a religious place and many Hindus from in and around the area come to the renowned temples, and to spend long lazy weekends up on the hill, away from the desert heat below. As such, it is a lazy town, with the highlight being the Dilwara Temple, a intricately carved Jain temple. One is not allowed cameras, the lines are long, and you will be herded along if there the line is longer on that particular day. Otherwise, one can easily wrap up Mount Abu in a day and a half.

Jodhpur

We started on day three, early morning, headed towards Ranakpur, which we heard was sort of on the way to Udaipur. The plan was to see the Jain temple there. Many people raved that was one not to miss, but there is nothing else to do near there, and Ranakpur is but a village, so we planned to drive the 3.5hrs there, hang around the temple and maybe grab lunch near it, drive to Udaipur the remaining 3hrs. A full day, but the luxury car eased the pain with a long break and walking in between, I figured. As we covered almost 3 hours to Ranakpur, the driver and I started to have a chat about time and distance. Technology works faster than two people talking it seems, and more accurately. The wonderful iphone was asked the question: Is Jodhpur closer or Udaipur closer from Ranakpur? The answer is: Udaipur is closer but the road is worse so the time from Ranakpur to Udaipur is the same as Ranakpur to Jodhpur. Laptop flipped open, internet went to work, and within the next hour, I changed our plans to Jodhpur since all of us had already seen Udaipur. We also decided to take an extra night and spend some time seeing at least the main sights in Jodhpur since we were paying a much higher last minute air fare and cancellation charges of the old ticket.

The clock Tower, Jodhpur

Ratan Nivas Hotel was recommended as the best heritage hotel at a price of Rs2500 inclusive of breakfast. Can’t really argue with that. The heritage hotel in Udaipur turned out to be awesome so we decided to try another such property. We were not disappointed at all. Elegant large rooms, an open courtyard, courteous staff, furnished verandas, and a good location is what we got. The Taj hotel is about 10 minutes from there and we decided that since it was a renovated hotel, we would go have dinner there and see the hotel as well that evening. That worked out well as they had live dancing along with the whole musical group in the open courtyard from 6:30pm to 7pm. Near the swimming pool, they were hosting a variety of Rajasthani cultural events including a puppet show, handmade bangles on sale, a typical village magician who did a whole show, all dressed ethnically. It was a full evening and a worthwhile one. I’m glad that simple question, “Should we eat at the Taj?” turned into things we could have not seen anywhere else in Jodhpur!

Traditional Rajasthani dance at the Taj, Jodhpur

There is only so much we could cover in a single day: the main palace will easily take three hours and is open from 9am. The audio visual for that is very good and informative. After that, there is a mausoleum of sorts, right down from the road; it is quite a unique and intensely carved structure and well worth an hour walking around. After that we had lunch and then drove to Uday Vilas Palace. This palace is opulent to look at from far, as it is pinkish red, but there isn’t much they let you see after paying for the ticket. Most of the palace and the best areas including the gardens have been taken on by Taj for a hotel and you can’t even get a glimpse into it. The only way to see the real part of the palace is to have dinner there, so we did. Again, the gardens blew me away and were probably the best part of the palace, and we could see the Pink palace lit up, similar to the Acropolis.  

One other place to see is the clock tower. If you have a couple of hours, this is the local market for the people: spices, different kinds of teas, knick knacks, daily household goods, vegetable market and also some handicraft shops. It is not high end at all and is all pretty much sold on carts or vendors sitting on the street. Definitely colourful and with a unique characteristics, the women and men are dressed traditionally and the clock tower itself resonates British times architecture. We didn’t any more time to see other local parts of the city or to do much more shopping for those beautiful legendary local items that are so popular, but I am not much of a shopper anyways. We are, however, photographers, and it was well worth the change in plans and the extra stress to change the trip from Udaipur to Jodhpur. The mystery of why it is called the blue city is revealed!

The Jodhpur Palace

Ha Long Bay, from our little boat, looking beyond

Trip Taken December 31st 2010 – January 9th 2011

I have to go back to planning better, and start doing that much ahead of time too, else the trips get a bit too adventurous and a little uncomfortable! So I planned Vietnam in a week. Europe had the worst snow storms, London was no better, Italy was cancelling flights all over the place. So I cancelled my trip to Italy and London and looked east for what I thought would be a warm destination. I guess I didn’t read enough or spend enough time on research!

An old chandelier in a Buddhist temple

The plan was quite basic, really. The main event was Ha Long Bay. But I had nine days, so I thought may as well do some more sightseeing in and around Hanoi. I knew it was too short a time to bother getting south, more time and money wasted in travel than taking in Vietnam, so I decided to find what most interests me in the north. Even that was difficult, as the north is mountainous and, closer to the chinese border, the mountains rise high and do get cold. It is also where the hill tribe people are, settled generations ago from Thailand, China and lands around it over time.

One of the things I have always wanted to do is to stay at a village with a tribe, see what life is for them on a daily basis. It is and has to be quite a world apart from the city. So I looked online for a company that fits the bill. I came across ANZ travel, looked like a decent web site; they even had day trips to different parts of the city of Hanoi. Since I only had 3 full days in Hanoi, I decided to do one day trip and one overnight trip to a tribal village about four and a half hours from the city. Day One, the local trip, was to take me to the ceramic village, snake village and silk village. They said the trip started at 8am and ended at around 5pm, and that seemed like a full day so I opted for that. Language being a big problem, internet only works so much with questions and details directly with them. But time was running short so I took my chances.

The visa process to Vietnam is quite simple, although a little strange. You can apply for an online visa with a credit card through a number of companies, provide the information they seek just on a simple application, and they send you an approved visa to your registered email. Usually, a normal time for this is about a week. The faster you want it, the more you pay. Dumb me, since Cambodia and Thailand worked as a visa on arrival for me, I didn’t think too much about this part, assuming it must be the same, and so ended up paying the highest amount of $29.99 for fast processing. Anyway, I got the visa fast enough, within 24 hours as promised. Then you print the visa, show all the documents again physically at the airport of landing in Vietnam, and pay another $20.00 for them to stamp it and let you in> the double payment doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it is what it is.

Women do most of the hard work, even in the fields at her age

So I landed in Vietnam around 2pm, having spent New Year’s Eve in an empty plane. It was cooler than I expected, much more so, and overcast. The rain part I read about: it rains all the time and off and on, so be prepared. I had booked a taxi to pick me up and take me to the hotel. I figured it would be easier to stay with one company for the whole thing, hotel car and all, since language is a big problem, I had read about plenty of scams from the time one steps out of the plane, and since I was travelling alone for the first 4 days. As expected, a guy holding my name sign picked me up, and as we were on our way, handed me the phone to speak to the girl I was dealing with in the travel agency. Well, she said the hotel she had promised me was full, so she would need to put me at another one for the first night. I didn’t think much of it, I travel enough to know these things don’t go exactly according to plan, so I went along.

The car dropped me off at what looked like a motel, but in central part of the town, narrow lanes and full of shops and people. Before I understood or realized what kind of a place it was, the driver left me with my bags and took off. Well, it was ok, but not what I had agreed to pay for. This is why I don’t pay 100% upfront, although every one demands it. It just doesn’t work that way! I was so tired from a long week at work and a long plane ride through the night that I ate and fell asleep by 6pm, not to wake up until 6am the next morning! Even the cold didn’t bother me too much, and the no heater.

Final Stage of a ceramic product - hand painting

I woke up hoping my car and English speaking guide would fix the bad hotel, and that we can all smile and move on. The guide did come, on time, and I assumed things were going to be fine and there was a plan in place for the shifting of hotels. So off we went to the ceramic village… which, after driving for over an hour, turned out to be closed because it was Sunday! So I got to visit one place, see one workshop. We got done with that pretty soon, it was disappointing, but I had made it plenty clear several times that the most interesting thing for me is the snake village, and since I am the ever-positive child, I looked ahead to the next destination.

Well, for one, they couldn’t keep driving me up and down a road at one point, in what looked like a suburb. Apparently the snakes areas was on a holiday too, and after looking like they were looking, then stunned, they declared it was the dual effect of a Sunday and the continued celebration of the New Year. So we went on to the Silk Village, the last destination for the day. That was actually a little interesting, seeing silk from the silk worm stage, to the old weavers making the cloth, to the finished, beautiful products sold everywhere. As tourism is a main source of income in this area, prices are more or less fixed, but if you buy a few things, and you are persistent, I’m sure you can get a decent discount. They aren’t pricey really, to begin with. Tops for $8, dresses for $20. Beautiful prints and well made, so that brightened up my day!

The Silk Village tour

The guide realized I was upset because what was meant to be 8:30am to 4:30pm program, suddenly seemed done at lunch! So he was nice enough to offer to do a small walking tour as well. So we started at the Hoan Kiem Lake which is a main attraction, with several historic places around it including Turtle tower, Hanoi Opera House, and a Buddhist temple on its banks. We walked down the Old quarter, past shop after shop of cheap goods mixed with expensive ones here and there, dodging traffic which left no walk room even, protecting myself and my back pack. Interesting for those from countries where things are too organized and there is traffic laws, but not so hot for me since I live in India and deal with pollution and congestion in chaos daily! Anyway, that is part of Hanoi, and that is fine too.

Day three, Hill tribes north of Hanoi, about a 4.5hrs drive, and overnight stay in a tribal village. The drive is quite nice. There is no natural village with the tribes that you stay with. The whole village is a set up for tourists to feel like they are away from Hanoi in the mountains. Depressing, actually. The houses were all numbered “Guest House #**”. Great, the whole village existed for tourists. So, except for the hosts and guides and drivers, I was surrounded by tourists, mostly large groups from Australia, Europe and America. Upon seeing this, I asked to be taken back to Hanoi, at which point my driver and guide said they’d check something and be back, and didn’t show up till night fall when they knew we can not drive back. For what it is worth, my hosts were very polite, taught me to make spring rolls from scratch, and even though they didn’t speak a word of English, tried to include me in their daily normal evening. A tribal dance was performed by the ladies after dinner, which was quite a nice treat. Of course, during all this, don’t forget the north is much colder and higher in altitude, so I was once again wearing my whole suitcase!

The tribal Village tour North of Hanoi - the planned village for tourists, perfectly laid out!

Until this point I was by myself, but then my friend joined me on this merciful third night upon my return from the tribal village. So the fourth day we took off for the best part of the vacation: Ha Long Bay. It is a 3.5hr drive, and not a very scenic one, but time went by just the same. By this point, the cold was a part of the trip, so I didn’t think too much of it and had given in to the idea that it wasn’t going to be an outdoor trip too much. By the time we reached the bay at around noon, it was a little foggy but that is to be expected in the darn near freezing cold. The sun wasn’t going to be out for days; that is just how it was going to look! Nonetheless, it was beautiful.

From a hike up a limestone hill in Ha Long Bay

I booked the White Dolphin, a beautiful boat with just two suites. At a price of about $750 for two nights, it didn’t come cheap, but it wasn’t as expensive as it would have been in a western country, of course. We cruised the open bay and saw these magnificent limestone structures that just seem to emerge out of the water from time to time. We also canoed into a cave way, saw the highlighted stalagmites and stalactites, and awed at the beauty of the clear water and the colourful surface beneath up close. The food was good and the presentation wonderful. The liquor, top notch, was cheap compared to any hotel possible. We wondered how much better it would have been if it was warmer, but other than that, the sights were spectacular and mystical.

We also visited the Thein Cung grotto, the tourist attraction for the best view of these limestone formations. It is indeed marvellous and educational, except for the lighting that takes away from the natural wonder feel and adds a little bit of tacky disco! But that is tourism influencing natural décor. The town of Ha Long Bay itself was dead, not many people at all and probably not worth staying an extra night there. A beach town should be dead in the dead of winter, I guess. The interesting thing was, many boats weren’t full at that time and a few other tourists said their larger boats weren’t even half full. I guess that is a good thing as I can only imagine how maddening it would be with a crowd in such a peaceful and serene location.

Thien Cung Grotto - The main attraction limestone caves

We stayed one more night in Hanoi, to finish shopping on the way out, and left for home. I have to say, most parts of Vietnam that I saw didn’t live up to my expectation of what I heard of it as a tourist hotspot, and the tourism industry isn’t that good in what is a communist country still. But I can definitely see how backpacking with an endless amount of time will show one more hidden treasure than how I went about it. Ha Long Bay, however, is one of my Top Ten places on earth, and off my bucket list!

The important lesson here was some dumb travelling tips that paid off: I refuse to pay more than 50% before I get to a place. If the service sucks and things aren’t right, bargaining it down and fighting for your rights will pay off only if you have patience and time, or else they will wear you out. I ended up paying the first company $300 for the first three days instead of the $450 we initially agreed upon.  them know the hotel was so bad the first two nights, I got my own for the third night because I was tired, cold and didn’t trust their choice of a better hotel. Besides that most basic tip, the only other I strongly recommend is to carry your own medicines since the language barrier is a big issue and medicines and names don’t match at all.

A fishing village in Ha Long Bay

Moon and Me at Chateau De Chombord, Loire Valley

Trip Taken September 2nd - 16th, 2010 

Every now and then, it is time for a lavish vacation; one that takes you to a wonderland and days in amazement of ornate beauty and extravagant culture. Nothing fits that bill better than Paris. So it came about, a trip that combined Paris for a week and Greece for a week. As I looked through the internet in search for hotel information, I realized that would be quite hard to figure the good and bad areas in a city that big with no one to assist who was local or at least knew enough. And things were not looking cheap either. Even a hostel, which I was way past the age of anyway, was going to cost $50 a person. A decent 3-star hotel looked like they cost $100 for two people. As I looked through that information and was calculating an average cost of my trip, a friend of mine from Paris sent an email and then called saying my stay was taken care of: I was going to stay with him and we could figure out the rest. This was truly the first vacation in my life I have packed a bag and taken off alone; I am the kind who feels more at ease in a forest than amongst people, so his words were music to my ears and made me feel a lot better that I had someone who would be around just in case… I don’t know in case of what, just in case!

The French obviously have a well-known accent, which translates to a difficult one to follow whether English or French; the written word of French will sound different when spoken by them as opposed to me because the pronunciation rules are so different. I say this because the best way to travel in Paris is by metro (pronounced meh-throw), and one has to compare the map to the automated voice really carefully to realize it is the right stop if you are not counting the number of stops as you go by! So I was glad to have my friend around with me the whole first day to help me get my bearings and figure out some survival basics. The price of the metro is 12euros for 10 tickets. One ticket can be used only once, one way for one ride, from anywhere to anywhere, including transfers. It is well worth the price.

Fresh market at park area in my friend's neighborhood.

As it is, Paris was rainy and overcast, but the clouds seem to move in and out of the city quickly. The first morning I looked out of my window, I saw a farmer’s market or a fresh market being set up in the open block right in front. My joy knew no bounds. There is no better way to figure out what the local food is than to go to a neighborhood fresh market and check out the produce. Quickly, I got ready and headed down while my friend got dressed. This market held more varieties of fruit, bread, flowers, fish and meat than I had seen anywhere else. It was fresh and colorful and made me hungry, but I tried to speak to a vendor and he kind of insinuated there would be no communication in English. Ok, so I would ask my friend for food this morning!

So we headed towards the main center of Paris. From the moment I walked out of the train, it seemed Paris welcomed you to a great kingdom, still present and kept up well. To start a perfect tour, my perfect host took me to the Au Printemps Department store. Go to the terrace and one can see a 360degree view of the city. On a clear day, I got an actually map in my head of what was in which direction, and an amazing view of how things look from atop a big building. Then we walked to the Galleries Lafayette. It is an amazing store, ornately done inside, with everything one can want. But even if you’re not ready to shop, the interiors give one an idea of the detail to beauty that the French give and enjoy.

Eiffel Tower from the night cruise boat

The rest of the day we spent walking… walking from one beautiful monument to another, through one massive building with a large courtyard to another. There is no such thing as a useless street. Given the main attractions of the Opera house, The Luvre, the gardens and the library, there are many neighborhoods we walked through that the map didn’t point to but were just as breathe taking. By the evening, it was time to sit down and enjoy the ambience of Chatelet. This is a neighborhood of eateries, outside bars and sweet shops. Cars are not allowed in the smaller roads which makes it all the more beautiful and cozy. Both locals and tourists flock this area by night and Paris takes on a completely different look.

The thing about Paris is that there is so much to see and absorb, it can be quite over whelming. A friend told me everything looks different by night. So, the trooper that I am, I walked back to the Lovre because it was supposed to be magnificent by night. This night was special anyway. There was a transportation strike in full force and only two train lines were operational. Most people stayed at home and most tourists stayed away from the hot spots. This left just a few people at the Luvre and gave me an opportunity for some wonderful pictures that night. I will never be as happy about a strike in a city as I was that day! My eyes were, tired, my hands too from carrying a big bag with raincoats and all other stuff and a huge camera bag, my legs were tired from carrying me around for hours on end, my body was exhausted from the hyper activity all around. We reached home at half past midnight and I had to force myself to sleep and leave the excitement behind, and be prepared for the next day alone.

Nothing changed the next day. I headed out by 10am again. Today I was paired for half a day with a tourist of sorts by my friend and guide! He was French but not from Paris, and hadn’t seen parts of Paris himself. We decided to do something new to him also, and that took us to Montmartre, and the Bassilica, Sacre Coeur. Montmartre is the name of the area. Known for its artistic side, it is a hill and leads to the Basillica on top. The beautiful white domes can be seen from far, shining against the brightness of the sun. I bought a 5euro ticket to climb up the 300 winding stairs of the basilica and get a different but still wonderful view of the great city. The famous carousal at the bottom is worth the ride on its colorfully painted horses for 2euros. Montmartre is also known for its night life, and is cheaper than Chatelet. It is also less trendy and just a bit mysterious. Souvenirs are cheaper here than any other place I found, so you may want to get the fridge magnets and t-shirts done on your way down the hill.

We walked on to the Moulin Rouge area. This is an interesting side of town. Basically, it is lines with strip joints, sex shops and prostitutes at night, all with the French flair and style. I was there in the afternoon, so I can’t say I saw it in full action, but I touched the tip of the ice burg and that is good enough for me! The show, Moulin Rouge, was booked for a week so there was no reason for me to come back here at night time either. You may want to book early online if that is a top priority for you. I didn’t research this one too well and lost out on it.

A typical corner building and a coffee shop. This near Champs-Elysees

It started to rain quite heavily that day, although it has drizzled the day before and I had kept on going. I sought the shelter of a corner coffee shop and sat out to see the beauty of Paris walk by me and wait for the rain to stop. It occurred to me then that part of what made Paris beautiful was the people. Every woman was dressed elegantly, from classical styles of skirts and dresses to matching heels. They all seemed to flow by me like a dream. They all walked so gracefully, they could’ve been walking on fluffy clouds, not bricked sidewalks. And they were all beautiful. It hit me then that maybe when they said Paris was the place for love, it didn’t so much mean that Paris should be visited only with a lover; on the contrary, that one could come there alone and still fall in love!

I maneuvered down to the famous Champs-Elysees. This is the most famous shopping street, and the Arc De Triomphe is at one end of it. This is the famous gateway through which the American troops marched down after their victory after the Second World War. The streets are lined with malls, and the backstreets turned out to be quite interesting too. This should easily take about three hours. Forgetting that my legs are not used to walking more than a couple of kilometers a day, I looked up to see the Eiffel tower, and thought, heck, this will be the third night I would have slept in Paris and not been to the Eiffel Tower yet! That’s not right. And it seems so close. So I began to walk in the general direction of the tower so close.

An hour of brisk walking later, over the beautiful Pont De L’Alma bridge, I reached the tower, my legs giving me signs of resignation. Looking at it during the day from up close, I didn’t find it as beautiful. Or maybe I was making excuses to not kill myself by standing in line for a couple of hours to go up the tower! Either way, it was raining again and there was tour bus after tour bus, a countless number of them, lined up and down the streets all around it. I weighed my options, walked to the closest coffee shop and sat where I can stare at the tower for a while and ordered my coffee. The sun sets at 8pm in the summers, all the way up until October, and I had a dinner date with a friend, so I headed towards his house for a grand French meal. Part of the greatness of the French is the food. It is a special event by itself! By the time I climbed into bed after organizing myself for the next day (charging camera batteries, charging phone, mapping out a new tomorrow), I climbed into bed at 1am, my legs numb.

Notre Dame on a clear bright day

The next morning, I headed out late. My legs were cramping, and I hadn’t got exactly a good night’s sleep in four nights. That was a mistake. I wanted to set aside half a day for shopping, but forgot that the stores closed by 7pm. I had to still walk around the Notre Dame area, and the Hotel Deville. So I did, and it was 3pm by the time I realized it! I headed out toward St Michel, and saw more wonderful things that caught my attention along the way, stopped for some pictures, and reached the famous Mabillon café by 4pm. Then it struck me that I had three hours to shop, and that Rue De Rennes was a very long street! So I forced some pep into my step and focused. I don’t like shopping per say, but you can’t get better clothes than Paris. I don’t need to tell you that. We have all heard it before, and when you see the women there, you will believe it. My dear friend had dinner plans for me at his friend’s house, and I was due there by 8pm anyway. It was Thursday, and my little friend, who I look at as more like a little sister, was coming in from London to join me for the weekend that night after her hospital work. My bed had a few more hours to wait for me tonight also, and I started to feel a little sick from being so tired and drained of energy.

So my little Moon showed up from London at midnight. She was excited and we mapped out the weekend until 2am! Per plan the previous night, we set out for Palace Of Versailles at 10am on Friday morning. The train ride took about 45minutes including the change of trains at one point. The round trip cost us 6euros each. Not bad at all. The entry to the Palace costs 18euros including a visit to the Estate of Marie-Antoinette, nut free for students in Europe and England if they are carrying a student ID. The line to get tickets took over an hour, a pure waste of time. The doors to the palace close at 5pm. Not too smart again here! The ideal thing to do would be to get there by 9am, and leisurely enjoy the Palace, its gardens and Estates around it. Instead, we hurried through it, vast and full of wonders as it was, and barely saw things in time for them to kick us out! By the time we reached Paris again it was 7:30pm. I had heard that there was a night cruise along the River Seine so I decided that was the best way for her to see Paris in such a short time. The night cruise starts at Pont Neuf and costs about 12euros a person. It lasts one hour but you will spend two hours including standing in line for ticket and getting off the crowded boat. The night Eiffel tower with its changing lights was the best part of the cruise and well worth it.

The Royal Chapel inside the Versailles Palace

Her excitement knew no bounds, so I walked her through some more areas that I had previously been through, and we had dinner at Chatelet that night. We caught the last train home at 11:45, exhausted and uncertain what we were going to do, or had the energy to do the next day. It was as if the wonders of Paris would never cease to light a fire under us each day, but when the fire went out, it left us dazed and tired!

My friend we were staying with was gracious enough to help make our plans of seeing some sights south of Paris come true the next day. He had some family affairs to take care of, but worked us into the plan so he could drive us to our destinations which were along the way. So we woke up at 6am, and were in the car by 8am for a different kind of day from those so far. We drove about two hours to the Loire valley. We had no clue where he was taking us, but sometimes you have to leave it to the locals to know what’s best! And he drove us to the most beautiful place I could have ever imagined, a Disney castle of sorts – Chateau De Chombord. We spent all morning walking around this magnificent castle. There are plenty more in this area. It will take a couple of days at least and looks like it was worth it, but we didn’t have the time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley

Then we got dropped at the dreamy little town of Blois. We walked through the town, through the main church which is beautiful, up to the Chateau Royal De Blois. Used as a summer home, this is an opulent castle. It was a nice relaxing way to see a small French town and take in the culture outside the biggest city. By sunset, our guide picked us up and drove us through the fields and back roads towards Paris again. He was gracious enough to show us some off road sights, nature and small villages. We had dinner at one such small town, and finally reached home at 1am. Was that a long enough day?

On the final day, a Sunday, I decided Moon had to see some of Paris during the day, and I never tire of seeing Paris or the same things, so we set out to cover the main show stoppers. It was a beautiful day, actually. The kid brought sun shine with her. It didn’t rain since she came to Paris! We decided we would end our trip with a typical French feast with our friend, our guide. So we left it to him to pick a fancy French restaurant and had a long dinner with lots of authentic French food.

Moulin Rouge

The best thing I can tell you about Paris is that there is no real preparation except to find a simple clean hotel, wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for 14 hour days, look forward to walking at least 10 hours a day, and if you want to hit the Moulin Rouge, book way beforehand online. Travel, food and entry fee cost me about 80euros per day and I spent comfortably on food. You can easily bring the cost down to 50euros a day if you decide to eat simple sandwiches from bakeries.

Six days and seven nights in Paris, I was eagerly looking forward to the mythical land of Greece. This part of the trip was to be in Athens for two days by myself, then my friends would fly in and we would go to Santorini, the honeymoon paradise on the Aegean Sea for four days. So I caught my plane to Athens. The ticket from Paris to Greece wasn’t bad at all: 115 euros, and if I had booked it earlier it would have been less than 100 even! I got to my hotel in Athens at about 7pm, the flight was 3.5 hours. The Boutique Museum Hotel was simple and elegant, and a 10 minute walk from the Parthenon and an area called Plaka, which was the popular center. So I walked out just for dinner, and came home for a good night’s rest finally after nine nights!

Even though it was mid-September, the change of weather was harsh on me from Paris to Greece. Paris was cool and rainy, and by evening cold enough to wear a wind breaker at least. Athens was hot and bright. That day was dedicated to the Parthenon, but I felt ill even when I woke up. I forced myself out of bed early; I had to at least see the Parthenon before my lights went out. I was glad I did that. It took me half a day, but by lunch I was done and the mid-day sun was hot and the afternoon promised to humid and hot too. I ate a quick salad and spent the evening in bed, recovering, taking my friend’s advice that I needed to be well for Santorini.

The Parthenon Ruins

I felt better by evening. As I ate at the hotel restaurant, I made friends with the young lady there and she offered to take me out along with her boyfriend for a normal night out. I hadn’t been out at all, and was eager to see some local spots and take in some night culture, so we headed out in Athens. The city is ridden with graffiti and alleys. Each looks pretty in a seedy mysterious and borderline dangerous way. But I had fun taking the bus and going and hanging out at a park where all the young and restless get together. Dumb tourist that I am, I took pictures of some guys who were doing something illegal I guess. They weren’t my focus, just seemed like a nice picture is all. One of them calmly walked up to me and asked me to delete the photo and refrain from taking pictures of them. I politely obliged!

I reached home at 4am but had a great time and got to see things I never would have had it not been for the nice couple I met. I hit the bed hard and woke up tired and still sick. My friend was due to come by 2pm, so I decided to walk around a bit in the morning anyway, on the main road, and get active. I found some ruins and pillars in an area, walked by the Olympic stadium, and headed back to the hotel after a quick lunch. That night, I feasted on a beautiful Greek meal with fish, bread and wine. A meal for the Gods, by the docks at an area called Microlimano. It is lines with sea food restaurants and bars in wonderfully different decors. The fish is fresh and they are eager to please. We actually got to pick the fish we wanted cooked and I saw a variety of fish in their inventory. We walked down to a very nice bar around the corner for a couple of drinks and decided we needed to head back to the hotel. Our flight to Santorini was at 6am the next day.

Oia at sunset

Santorini pops out like a fairy tale about a faraway land. The Greek men are good looking, the sun turns their skin olive, and the culture is colorful and indulgent. There are two main towns on the island of Santorini: Oia and Fira. Although Fira is the economic centre and the largest town of the island, Oia sits at one end of the island on a cliff making it a more romantic place, smaller and much cuter. The houses are amazingly built into the side of the mountains, like caves, mostly painted in a virgin white, and cars can not go through these cobble stoned and staired pathways. One has to just walk all around. Of course, this eliminates all kinds of pollution and sound, which again adds to the island becoming a honeymooner’s paradise.

Santorini’s population is only 13,000 people. But during tourist season, May through September, the population increases three fold, bringing workers from the eastern block and all around Greece. It is not cheap by any means. They seem to be booked solid all over when I; the flights were full going and coming. But that is the price of paradise.

Athens by night

We stayed at the Art Maison’s in Oia, at their villa on a jutted out cliff. The view was breath taking, the price burnt a hole in the pocket, and so my heart! The Aegean sea beneath is a copper sulphate  blue, with emerald green edges where the water isn’t too deep. I have never seen water like a children’s crayon drawing, but the color comes from the fact that the bed of this sea is volcanic rock which is black, and also the water is clean as can be.

We took two half day yacht rides on a catamaran: the first was from 10:30am to 3:30 pm, which took around the sea and described the geographic history and formations of islands in the area. They cooked a fantastic lunch on the ship, including pork chops, Greek salad and pasta, served with wine. The second trip the following day was from 3:30pm to 8pm. This one showed us a few different areas including some hot springs (and hot springs always stink and ruin clothes or bathers if you decide to take a dip due to the high sulphur content), dinner again with wine, and led us into the sea for an unbelievable sunset. All of these cruises provide swimming and snorkeling gear and take you to places where you can do some of that too.

To go out at night, Fira has the bars and night life that lasts until the sun comes up. The Greeks are known to party, and though Mykonos is known as the party island, Fira isn’t too bad for a fun night. People from all over the world and all ages are out to have a good time. We did too. Other than that, walking around these towns and talking in their style of living and shopping is the only other thing to do.

My little bear decided to become a little whale in the Aegean waters

Four days flew by so fast, and it was hard to leave behind the prettiest place I had seen so far, a secret land of harmony and beauty tucked away into the sides of a volcanic mountain, where people live on top of the mountain in caves. The fact that the food cost me almost twice as much as Paris didn’t occur to me while I was happily enjoying it, you may want to take some time to find reasonable places by walking up and down the main street before deciding on a place. Other than that, the memories will last a life time on this most extravagant trip of my life.

The old, pure beauty of India

Trip … Happening still

If you type in “CWG” into the google search page, the list goes in this order: cwg 2010, cwg news, cwg tickets, cwg scam, cwg corruption… Seems like the news and drama surrounding the Common Wealth Games is drawing more attention than the games ever will, unless something crazier goes down on the side lines during the event, non-competition related. The opening is set for October 3^rd, and the world is either amused or shocked at the level of incompetency and the added audacity of Indian politicians and their statements.

I am so thrilled people get to see what we see and hear every day, and just freeze in amazement that someone even dared to say such things. My favorite quote so far comes from the following incident: New Zealand authorities were concerned at the hygiene and cleanliness of the residential quarters of the athletes. They found stray dogs getting cozy in the beds meant for athletes and open standing water which seemed like sewage water, and asked about the “filthy uninhabitable living quarters for the delegates and athletes”. My man, Organizing Committee Secretary General for the Common Wealth Games, Lalit Bhanot, replied, “Standards in cleanliness and hygiene differ from one person to another, and what one thought was clean may not appear that clean to others. For us, it’s clean. Foreign countries have a different standard of cleanliness. It is difference in perception.”

The beautiful face of rural India

Excellent. Now we have gone and told the whole world that we are pigs. What they consider unbearable is actually nice and tidy for us. That is one way of looking at it. Then again, when asshole Lalit says “us”, he may even justify that as the majority of India, and forget to tell you that 45% of India lives below the World Bank’s poverty line of less than $1.25 per day, and over 60% are illiterate. Most of this is so for such a long time, although India as a country may be hopping and skipping along into wealth and consumerism, because shit heads like him are busy stealing and lying to the poor, convincing them that they should be thankful for what they have and that their lives are indeed better than the difficult one he has such as putting the CWG together. That children are not dying of bad drinking water or infections from pollution, but that God loves them so much, he decided to take them home early. Yeah, ok. Apparently the only people God doesn’t love, and maybe rightfully so, are politician’s family members, cause they sure seem to hang on here forever!

Please, if you your jaw has dropped and you think I am making this all up, welcome to my world, read the news, pick up your heart and listen to the next fun tale.

On Monday, September 20^th, a canopy erected at the stadium fell, injuring two police officers. No issue there. We are never too upset about Indians dying. We got plenty more where they came from, so it was quickly covered up. Then on Tuesday, a 95 meter long bridge connecting a car park to the stadium collapsed, critically injuring four workers. The condition of “some others” are stable, said the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who could not be bothered with the exact number of people injured. Wonderful. More people in power who care less. That’s the motto for new India.

And here is the next best quote from Sheila Dikshit, the Chief Minister of New Delhi itself, trying to convince the world that the athletes would have been safe anyways: “The over bridge was for spectators, not for athletes. We will make alternate arrangements. I would like to tell you that these minor hitches and glitches do come around.” Sure. No worries. So now you care about the athletes, but should the spectators die watching some action, and become the action themselves, no big deal because your promise is only towards the athletes and their health, not the spectators. Anything else you would like to share with us, Ma’am, before we go running to buy the tickets?

On Wednesday, a day after the footbridge collapse, a false ceiling at the newly constructed weightlifting stadium caved in, so as to not leave a dull day this week. No one was injured. All stupid comments seem to have already been made so I have nothing to laugh at today.

See the man in the mirror?

To top it all off, terrorism concerns and the lack of security concerns are so high, Malaysia and Australia are sending their own security teams. Australia has officially announced that their travel advisory declared India a high alert zone, and has noted that there have been 14 terrorist attacks in Delhi since 2000. Many more countries have told their athletes that the decision of whether or not they should go to the games is solely theirs. Several athletes have already announced their withdrawal from the games, some countries have postponed their arrival date, but have not eliminated the possibility of withdrawal if things are not rectified fast. What exactly is fast? That which took over a few years to build must be done better in a few days? Ok. Got it. No problem. Oh yes. Ten days is plenty more than we need.

If I write you a list of comic incidents so far, will you promise to think of me when you laugh? Here goes:

Most sporting venues, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (track and field) and the swimming complex was not ready by the August 1 deadline.

At the table tennis facility, a false ceiling collapsed.

*At the weightlifting site, new vinyl flooring is already peeling.

*The brand new shooting range was inaugurated in May, but embankments have collapsed.

*Trial weightlifting and swimming events had to be canceled, because the sites were not ready.

*The swimming stadium was inaugurated a few days back, but got flooded.

*There are reports of water seepage in the boxing stadium.

*The bidding process for catering was canceled, and will now be hurried through (read higher costs and less choice!).

*At Khan Market, brand new granite pavements were too slippery and have been dug up again!

*Subways at Connaught Place cannot be finished on time, and will be boarded up.

*Not even a third of the 34 towers ITDC had to furnish in the Games Village are complete. Incidentally, their excuse is “inadequate labor force.”

I say all this not because I am anti-Indian but because I am exasperated that there is no starting point to fix a problem, not one honest man on the government payroll. If there is and he speaks up, he will lose his job, or worse, threatened into extinction. There is no way that a sensible person can believe that the same country that has built acres and acres of IT sectors with such high standards can’t build the CWG grounds well, especially because it is the highest costing CWG games in history, higher than even Melbourne in 2006. The cost of labor is cheaper by far than any western country, and at 1.3 billion people, labor is available since 45% make less than $1.25 a day. So where is all the money? Why isn’t the job acceptable? Why is the world laughing at us? I was so ashamed of George Bush when he stood on that Navy ship in full military garn and declared the war a “success” and “over”, that had a bumper sticker on my car that said, “There is an idiot missing in a village in Texas.” Now, I have to print one that says, “There is a village of idiots ruling the land of India. May Mahatma Gandhi not wince in his grave”.

By the way, India’s winning bid motto was New Frontiers and Friendships.

Nubra Valley, the high altitude desert near Leh, you can see sand dunes and snow peaks in one frame.

Trip Taken July 2010

Adeventures like this one look so much more fun on paper than they really are! Take this trip, for example. The itenerary said: Fly from Hyderabad to Delhi. Then take a car from Delhi to Manali; 600kms but windy uphill roads about 2/3rds of the way so it took 14 hrs drive time in a car, the Himachal tourism bus took about 16 hrs (one of the people in the group came a day later in that bus). Moving along… Then drive from Manali to Leh Ladakh. We heard so many things about that drive. Then drive from Leh to Srinagar. Now that I think back, not one of the people I talked to were very descriptive nor forthcoming with information. Learning along those lines, I will expand on that for a bit, then. So the drive from Manali to Srinagar is roughly 1000km, from Delhi to Srinagar 1500km.

It is true that the drive from Manali to Leh is the the most beautiful and mesmerising drive of my life, and I have been to many wonderful places. Yet the facts are simple: you are basically driving through the Himalayas. Don’t underestimate the raw stength of something just because it is beautiful and amusing – that’s the main lesson I learnt from the mighty mountains. The drive is slow and rough. At an average of 15km per hour or less, places look close on the map but take for ever to get to. We started in Manali at 3pm. The road was fine, actually that would be considered great looking back at the whole trip, until Kopsar, and that part of the drive from Manali to Kopsar took us 1.5hrs. Then Kopsar to Keylong, our night stop, is 45kms. That road home took us 4.5hrs! We passed Rotang pass at around 6:30pm. There is nothing that interesting at the pass except that it is a high elevation point from which you can get a nice view of the road we travelled and the mountains below.

Ever changing stone formations all along the way

Keylong is basically a sleepy town, as all of them are, all towns inbetween are very small. Everyone knows every one else. The people are nice and helpful. They will help you find a place even if they have no rooms available. We stayed at Nordaling Guest house. It was clean, had a geyser for hotwater, and help with the luggage. I think it was a bit more expensive than should have been but we changed our schedule last minute. With no meals included, it cost us Rs.2000 for three rooms for five people. Is that too cheap? I don’t know. But I do know you can get it for less in small towns like that.

That driving style, time and speed would set the tone for the rest of the trip. Next morning, we started off at Kelong at 7am. That was a big mistake. If you get lazy and don’t get started at the crack of dawn, you will pay the dues by the end of the day. Early to bed, early to rise.. the rule of the jungle works in trips like this. The drive is 110km, pure ghat road, great mountains, high elevations. With no lunch break, the drive took us 8hrs and we got to Sarchu about 3pm. We were supposed to stay in Sarchu that night. But after Keylong, I thought Sarchu was a little town with buildings, some kind of permanent structure that indicated a town. So as we passed by a bunch of camp sites and signs that indicated we are in Sarchu,and I kept my eyes peeled for a building or two, including the name of our hotel. The camp sites came and went, a bridge came and went, a few more camp shops came and went. And then the scenery changed to a barren range of mountains again. No more Sarchu? We stopped and asked a truck driver. He said the camp sites were Sarchu. Darn! So we were past that by almost an hour. The next town, the only town betweent Sarchu and Leh, is Pang. It is 70km from Sarchu, on ghat roads, that is atleast a 4hr drive.

A "pass", which is the top of a mountain, snow piled either side

In a case like this, I made the call that it was better to move forward than to go back and forth. So we proceeded to Pang. Again, this is a town of around a dozen tents, mostly food and basic beds in each large tent, to serve travellers. They are nomadic people. The town is on high plains next to a small military campus and exists and is created by the nomads, only for 3-4 months out of the year. The food is very basic, the accomodation minimal. It’s freezing cold too so don’t forget a sleeping bag. Given all this, one better be prepared for a rugged trip, in shape physically and mentally. Whining won’t help, fussing about won’t build a hotel. This is the the great Himalayas, as God created it, to make us stand in awe and fear of the vastness and indifference of this natural wonder. All the beautiful scenes of green mountains with low hung clouds creating a most romantic set up for a song and dance, the shapes and colors of different stones as the ranges change form and the romance of it all disappear when most of us face uncomfortable situations. The trick here is to will yourself to be tough, take something from the rough ranges into yourself. Else you become too easy a target for nature and it will bring you to your knees, sick, tired, crying and resenting the idea of the adventure. As I said, this is as much a mental game as it is a physical challenge. Sarchu to Pang was the most difficult drive, the most beautiful one thus far and at the highest point of road reached to over 16,500ft. Pang itself is over 14,500ft.

We ate and slept in a hurry. Four out of five of us threw up atleast once that night. Two out of the four were sick all night and got no sleep. To be on the safe side, not knowing what combination of elements were taking their toll, we hit the road at the crack of dawn, 5am, to Leh so that we could be near a hospital in case things got bad. The distance from Pang to Leh is about 175km, the road stays tough as usual for half the distance, but greatly improves in the second half. So we got to Leh late afternoon around 3pm.

Thiksey Monastery, Leh

There are plenty of hotels in Leh. It is truely the commerce centre there and the centre of tourism in that region. We stayed at a nice, clean hotel with minimal necessities like hotwater and clean beds, although there was no heat. If you want a heater, that will cost an extra Rs200 per day and it is a gas heater so you will have to put up with the smell. Since people were not acclamated yet, we decided to change the itenerary around and give us a day of local sight seeing first, then a day of rafting. Local places worth seeing are the Thiksey Monastery, Stok palace (you will miss the fun in this if you are not willing to hike up to the delapitated palace and discover old wonders the hard way), Hemis monastery and the downtown of Leh itself.

Confluence of Zanskar river and Indus River, the venue of our white water rafting

Rafting was great. It was a scene out of some movie, Lord of the Rings comes to mind, with the canyon feel and a river cutting through it. 32km over three hours in a wet suit and life jacket in the sun has got to make one tired. The rapids are about a grade three, average and not too bad. It isn’t too hot in July on the waters, especially if you get wet, then you start to feel a little chilly too. Food was provided by the rafting company, “Wet and Wild”. The excursion, including the drive there and back, is about six hours, which pretty much takes the day. All there is to do after that is walk around the Tibetan stores in the evening and do some shopping for handicrats and other nick nacks.

Then, we left for Nubra Valley the following day. That is where the Bactrian camels are in the high altitude desert. I heard that; I couldn’t have imagined it though. It didn’t make sense to see sand dunes, camels and snow peaks in one picture frame. The drive took us all day only because we were stuck at an accident where a truck turned over at a curve for over 2 hours. It was extremely hot and the sun drained me of any enthusiasm and energy I had musterd that morning heading out. I really wanted to turn back and sleep in a comfortable bed in Leh, but thanks to my fellow travelers’ insistance, we moved on past the incident and reached the Hundur guest house at 3:30pm again. It was a beautiful guest house, with its own extensive vegetable garden and flower garden. It was a welcome quiet and retrospective evening and an opportunity to refuel my mind and body.

Early the next day we headed out for the camel ride into the dunes. Before we left Hundur, we set out to explore a couple of small gumpas (small Buddhist temples) on top of a mountain, where the road ends into the border military check post. That was an active hike, not too bad at all, and completely worth what I saw in the monasteries. The old wall paintings are always mystical to me, the outside of these gumpa’s are so unassuming that the wonders they hold inside hits you harder because of the gold and other prime colors. It is also a wonderful view from the top.

Flowers at our Nubra Valley guest house

The camel ride was fun. It is a photo op if there ever was one: snow peakes, sand dunes perfectly staged, camels with fur on their knees and double humps, and me riding alone. Ok. So not exactly alone, I had a guy to lead the horse. And I had my friend along with me. But they are fun pictures to show around, so we spent 15min out of the 30min camel ride taking good pictures. That being done, we headed back to Leh. Oh, and by the way, on the drive between Leh and Nubra comes the highest motorable pass in the world, Kahrdongle Pass at 18,500 ft. So you go from desert to snow peaks in freezing cold and frozen high altitude lakes, then back into warm Leh.

There are two lakes worth seeing near Leh. Both are around five hour drive each way. One is Pangong Lake and the other is Tsongo Lake. While Pangong is the more popular one and is seen in many movies, locals claim Tsongo is a much more beautiful lake and holds more meaning to the people there. Accordingly, there are plenty tourists at Pangong Lake, a small contributing factor being it is an hour less drive each way than Tsongo Lake. That is the information I have!

Our stay at Ladakh came to an end as of July 13th morning. So we packed up and headed west towards our final destination, Srinagar. Leh to Srinagar is about 485km, so we knew that drive would be a two day drive especially with sight seeing to do all along the way. And some the beautiful places there were along the way. Don’t miss Alchi monastery and Lamayuru Monastery. There is a decent restaraunt at Lamayuru and a motel incase you need an overnight stay. I don’t know the price but this is just in case something happens and that is how far you get on the way to Kargil which is usually a 7-8hr drive anyway. Including the stopping points and another traffic accident which blocked the roads for almost two hours, we took about 12 hours to get to our guest house in Mulbekh, a small town about 30km before Kargil. These places seem better than a town like Kargil at stop over points for me. They are cheap, peaceful and warm service when all you need is a shower, food and a bed at a good price before heading out the next morning.

River runs under glaciers, and nomads who liv there walking across it.

So back into the car and on the road towards Srinagar at 5:30am. The roads are a tease. They are bad long enough to make you tired of them by this point in the trip, then they get good suddenly and the life along with hope comes back into you, then when your body is thanking you for not shaking it from side to side anymore, it goes right back to ghat hilly roads. We passed the Amarnath Yatra at Phelgam, ate lunch and did some sight seeing at Sonamarg, switched cars (actually, they transferred us) and drove into Srinagar right at sunset. Sometimes, the little things just come along and it’s not until later that I am glad I was there in that moment, and it made for some great pictures that could not be repeated.

I learnt a lot about hostile cities, conflict zones, people played by politicians and how, beneath it all, life still goes on although cautiously. It was a bad time for Srinagar since the end of June. The curfew had been lifted days before we got there but now there was a “bandh” in progress, that means some people were protesting some political decision by forceably shutting down business. Interesting. So, if you get mad, shoot your foot off was what they were doing. With the local economy at a halt, all they were doing was hurting each other’s livlihood, keeping most tourists away which brought in a lot of money since this was the prime time of the year. It was laughable. Whose ever idea this was, it wasn’t a great one. Time and money lost ain’t never coming back. I should have left them a banner saying so!

Dal Lake, Srinagar, ad the evening Shikara rides

Still, we stayed at one of the nicest boat houses in a quiet area looking out at the Dal lake; its water lily gardens, see weeds, birds of all kinds, the people of the lake, and the normal activities around them unaffected by the land locked lunatics. The thing to do was to become one of the lake people and set out discovering each corner of the lake on a Shikara, a decorated canoe that a man rows gracefully. Dal lake is 70sqkm and filled with romantic corners. Great. Me and my female companion got into a Shikara, both wishing the other was a nice cute guy, not a home girl, and set sail starting at 4:30am for the flower and vegetable floating market.

The owner of the house boat was gracious enough to send us our own personal guide, his son. My other two companions were in a second Shikara. We went to the mosque on Friday, they cooked a great meal for us in the back of the boat (don’t ask me how he managed that so well, I don’t know), took us to a paper mache factory, through small canals with tree canopies, and a sunset cruise in the middle of the lake where people gather to relax and lovers come to enjoy the sunset.

And then there is the reality of India-Pakistan border

Other things to do around Srinagar are Nishat Bagh and tulip gardens. The rest of them, Pari Mahal, Mughal Gardens etc were kind of a waste of time, really. It would have been nice to be able to walk along the road by the lake in the evening and have some corn and other Indian treats, but even the locals abandoned their local spots and so we ran back onto the safety of the water.

The last thing that was on our itenerary that had to be deleted because of the situation in Srinagar was a day trip to Gulmarg and another day trip to Pahalgam. Instead, we took a trip to Sonamarg which is closer and seemed nice enough.There is horse riding is there, although it is expensive, but they take you all the way up to the glacier on top of the mountain. It is about as touristy an area as you can imagine in such remote places, so anything you touch, including a glass of tea, is expensive. One gets to see a lot of mountain communities, nomads, and their lifestyles in the country up and down the mountains. It is quite interesting, actually. It is hard selling in these regions, and hard core bargaining. My friend got a Pashmina scarf that started at a price of Rs2100 for Rs850!!! “How much is it really worth?”, she asked, confused that she actually got it for such a ridiculous price. Ultimately, these things are worth what you think they are, so if you have the guts to ask for a price, do it, you may get it!!

Rafting : Mukesh Joshi at www.wetnwild.in, +91-96229-67632, +91-94198-19721

Keylong Guesthouse: Mr Sonam at Nordaling@yahoo.com, +91-94180-45394

Dal Lake House Boat: Mustafa Goosani at kashmirtreat@rediffmail.com, +91-99067-37635

All rules written in Sikkim blog apply for high altitude, cold areas. Or else surrender yourself to the whim and fancy of mother nature and get tested, don’t complain! And here’s two new important additions to tips and things to look out for in Kashmir:

1. Since it is a conflict zone and a terrorist area, cell phones from outside Kashmir may or may not work at any time as part of security precautions. My SMS was cut off the whole time and calls sometimes. Any phone reception only happens in Leh, Kargil and Srinagar. Mostly, BSNL works better than any other.

2. Pre paid cell phones will not ever work in Kashmir. Security reasons. Makes sense!

3. The only two things you need a pass or entry permit for are Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake, since they are both border areas. My agent took care of that for me. I am an American passport and my friend Canadian. So don’t worry. Just give them the info they ask for on day one and they get it sone. There were plenty foreigners around us in these areas so we were not the exception, just the norm.

Cost of my trip including flight from Hyderabad to Delhi, 14 nights accomodation, car from Delhi to Srinagar (no public buses in between), rafting, food, water, flight back from Srinagar to Hyderabad, horse ride, Shikara for a day and tips along the way = Rs.40,000 per person.

www.ladakh-voyages.com, +91-99069-80298www.wetnwild.in, +91-96229-67632, +91-94198-19721

Kumarakom, near the bird sanctuary

The rainy season is here and so it was time to see more of Kerala. I have a feeling I will keep going back there atleast for one long weekend every year. It offers more than a lot of places in the form of things to see of both nature and people. The last few trips out there I planned myself and bugged a friend of mine for help. This long weekend trip was to be quite simple so I thought I would trust a travel agent to do it. I can’t remember how and where I got the name of these people, but boy, they managed to screw up the vacation, which is quite hard to do when it is Kerala!!

What I wanted to do this time was quite simple: Kumarakom is connected to Allappey, or is a part of it, and this area is known to have several wonderful species of birds and also a bird sanctuary. The tourism book I read said one can take early morning boat rides into the bird sanctuary, early enough to hear the chirps and feel the clear morning air. That day we would stay on a boat house and cruise through the backwaters of Kumarakom. Then Munnar for some scenic beauty and greenery, relax at the tree house and back to Hyderabad on day four.

The only stretch we went down in Kumarakom

That was the plan, this is what went down: The drive from Cochin airport to Kumarakom was 2.5hrs. We stayed on the crappiest house boat ever, whose windows were so small my neck and back eventually hurt from straining to crouch down and out to look outside and at birds and take pictures. Though I had said in emails that the most important thing was the ride in the boat sanctuary, every body starting with the travel agent seemed on a mission not to let me go in a country boat into the sanctuary. They tried lying and said it didn’t open until 9am, then (because I’m nerdy) when I showed them the India tourism book that says otherwise, they said they would figure it out.

You can’t win against a conspiracy when you don’t know their language and they pretend not to know English. So the morning came and went, rain came and went, they said nothing about a boat. They did take us down a small water way for a short distance where we saw a glimpse of what we had come to see: gorgeous cranes and other birds with lotus flowers and other water plants around them. By then, our breakfast was served and the fact they couldn’t get bread, butter and jam right pissed me off so bad, I was ready to jump out of the boat and cry. Yes, I get emotional when my vacations are bad. It’s more the time and effort that have gone to shit than money. Worse because I know how fantastic a house boat experience can be so I know this is as bad as it can get.

That's the best shot of an eagle I got!

So bad boat, bad food, no bird sanctuary and no back water cruise later, it was time to get off the boat. If you read the Kerala Houseboat blog, I wrote about asking for a certain kind of boat with a sitting deck. Well, I’m not sure how stupid and gullible I am, but I bought the story from this guy “Biju” from Kairali Holidays, the name of the travel agency, that I can’t have a deck cause the boat’s height won’t accommodate the waters ways. What the??? We never went any where but a large mass of water cause the guys were too lazy to show us anything. At which point the deck would have been nice to stare far at the views, but that didn’t happen either. Really, it was a total waste of a house boat, money and a vacation day.

So, we are in the car and off to Munnar with our “multilingual” driver from Kairali Holidays; I forgot to ask if one of his languages was English, I guess! The drive from Kumarakom to Munnar is at least 4.5hrs. We started at 9:30am, so we had to break for lunch which took at least an hour and stopped to see some sights on the way to Munnar including some waterfalls. With heavy rains coming down, everything was clean, glistening and the waterfalls robust with fresh water.

Tree house, quite literally so

Again in Munnar, I had to fight and beg to stay at the tree house that I had made reservations before hand. I could not understand what the deal was, and why the well spoken man wouldn’t explain it if it really was a big deal and something was wrong, like maybe the thing was going to fall down if it kept raining, or maybe there were leaches all over it, maybe a hidden ghost of the rain… I don’t know, but I wasn’t seeing the point of not wanting me to stay where I wanted to. So long as it’s an argument in English, I can win, so I did.

The tree house itself is a short steep drive into the mountains about three floors up, build between the trunk and a large branch of a strong old tree. Getting up there in the rain was a little scary on small metal stairs, but adrenaline is part of the thrill. There it over looked beautiful mountains covered with tea plantations, landscaped with rocks between them, waterfalls flowing through, clouds passing by below, the lights of the small town on the hill across were foggy, as if it were all designed to make it picture perfect. It couldn’t have been any more romantic with no power and no one around where we were.

From the walk over the dam

The caretaker at the tree house was a nice man, and though he could not speak English, all we needed to communicate was coffee, tea, water and food, and he showed up on time for each to take our order. The order for dinner was placed over the phone with a restaurant close by and he went and got it for us. The prices were fine, and the food was quite good so no complaints there. He was unaware or uninformed that our price included the breakfast, but that is neither here not there at that point, and in continuation with the bad service theme of Kairali Holidays, we decided to go ahead and pay it instead of worrying him in such a remote area. Again, it was bread and jam without butter, same as the boathouse, and I started wondering if maybe that’s how they ate in Kerala; I can’t bring myself to believe that though. It’s hard to get as upset about the same thing twice though.

It pretty much rained cats and dogs the whole time we were there. I was telling my travel buddies that Kerala was known for its leeches in the monsoons, so expect to get one or two not to be scary but also to inform them the proper way to get rid of the leeches. You don’t smack them off of you, don’t force them off because they will leave something behind that causes a rash and irritation for about three months later. You carry salt and put the salt directly on them so they voluntarily let go. Well, that was a lesson in case of leeches; none so far though.

Munnar is mostly the hills and the drive through them. A visit to the spice garden is good and the spices are pure and fresh so I usually buy them when I go to such places. There are a couple of places that offer elephant rides but I don’t find riding an elephant that is being probed by a sharp object too appealing or safe, so I passed on that. We drove to the Mattupetty dam which is quite nice to walk around, then we drove down to Gundala Lake. That was quite a pretty sight and it would have been great to go in a peddling boat but they weren’t operational because of the heavy rains. Understandably so, I guess. But the drive let me float into my utopian dreams of a perfect place with perfect trees and weather and clouds to add to what could have been a perfect place for love to bloom had I found some one to share it with. No, no tears please. That wasn’t for empathy or sympathy. It was truly just a very romantic setting. And that’s what dreams are for.

Tea estates of Munnar

Back to reality, then. It is actually quite cold during the rains in Munnar. So be prepared to carry a couple of sweaters and a few extra pairs of socks. There is nothing more miserable than being wet and cold at the same time! Not much is available that is very nice for winter clothing there so don’t wait to go buy it. If you are stuck in the forest like I was, it is even cooler with nothing to do but enjoy nature, maybe a drink will help keep you warm and some chips to pass time. All that shopping can be done in Munnar itself

The drive back from Munnar to Cochin airport is about 120km and took us three hours flat. That is my Kerala trip this year. A few lessons learnt, new corners discovered, still love the state, but do stay away from Kairali Holidays. It wasn’t cheap, I paid a month ahead of the vacation with no argument to their quote, spoke to the guy a few times to let him know I had been to Kerala several times so please don’t disappoint me, called after the house boat to tell him how and why it sucked, wrote a formal email to him asking him to please explain why his services turned out to be piss poor, then decided to go ahead and do what the blog is supposed to do, which is inform people.

They also seem to run under these three banners, though I am not sure. It appears at the bottom of every email they send out. Hope I am not wrong, but check it out: www.kairaliholidays.com,  www.dreamkeralatourism.com,  www.keralatourisms.com

Please don’t let all this deter you from the subject, which is Kerala. It is still a “God’s Country”, and I will go back for more.

A marina and port, some big money yachts near a beach restraurant

Trip taken January 2008

It’s not hard to figure out why Singapore is such a popular destination for Indians: it’s a 3.5hr plane ride and you can get direct flights from most mid-sized cities even; it’s not an expensive flight compared to places like Cambodia or Vietnam; one can feel good about seeing an entire country over a long weekend; the shopping can go from bargains to filthy stupid; it’s the closest thing to western society within reach. We go on vacations to places that are different from our every day life. Hence, if we see poverty and mayhem daily, Disney Land sounds great fun. On the other hand, looking at organized traffic for an hour each way in Chicago, wild life and Cambodia sound so much more exotic. None the less, Singapore has a character of its own worth exploring.

The poilce head quarters building

The wonder of Singapore lies in the details. So here are some interesting facts that should drive you to witness the charm of this tiny nation. Singapore is an island; actually, it is 61 or so islands. One can drive from one end of this country to another in 45 minutes. It is roughly 26 miles by 15 miles from end to end. It has a population of 4.5 million people, making it the second most densely populated country after Monaco. Even so, it is the world’s fourth leading financial centre. It ranks as the best quality of life in Asia and 11^th in the world. It houses one of the top five busiest ports in the world. Bottom line, it is the 4^th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita terms, and has the ninth largest foreign reserves. Best of all, violent crime is so low in Singapore, mostly because of the aggressive and strict laws: homicides in 2007 were seven, of which all seven were solved. Close enough to Utopia for me!

So it was that I in Singapore with family. We stayed on a yacht at the One Degree 15 on Sentosa Island, an extravagant place by itself. I can’t complain about the yacht either! So part of the first day went by with me gawking at yachts and their opulence. Then it was time to gawk some more so we went down to Orchard Street, the main strip for shopping. As it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it houses top stores: Versace, Armani, Zegna, Prada… the whole bit. It also has some mind blowing accessory stores with pink diamond necklaces from $200,000 USD to Piaget watches for $550,000 USD. Yes, all the zeros belong there. Yes, they were on me, and then safely off me. No, I didn’t take any home although there was an undeniable chemistry. I am not an indulgent personality! Ya right, that was the real reason! I am a saint!!

"Songs of the Sea" laser show on the beach at night

Singaporeans are polite by nature, but given that 42% are foreigners, that may not be the case all the time. However, people seem to learn the ways of a conservative, well dressed, educated society pretty fast and so even the main roads are cleaner than big cities in the US. It has plenty high rises every where and more being built, so parking is in buildings to not waste land. It is really cute to see so many people so nicely dressed and in heels walking up and down the street. And they always seem to be doing plenty of walking. 

There are a few things to do in Singapore. The Merlion Park, with famed mascot of Singapore with the head of a lion and body of a fish is a popular visiting spot. Although there is not much else to do but walk around the park for a while, it is a popular family destination. The night laser show, called “Songs of the Sea” is pure innocent fun entertainment with lights and song and dance and pyro effects for children. It’s a pleasant way to spend the evening but not too exciting, I’d say, interesting, if you haven’t seen a show like that before. There is also the night safari at the zoo, which is very well done and one can see nocturnal animals close up. Again, this is more fun for the young kids.

China Town area

As far as adult night life goes, I did not go to clubs or bars as I went with family. But from what I looked up, nothing crazy or exciting (depending on how you see it!) like Bangkok. That may be the dividing point for tourism between the two. Also, Singapore is quite a young country and has re-vamped itself into a modern society and so lacks the cultural historical monuments of Bangkok. But then it is much safer and family friendly. So I guess it just depends on what kind of a vacation you are looking for!

I did go looking for some local places and found a couple of neat corners. The China Town, like any good China Town, holds some great bargains and neat items. Maybe because most of the population is Chinese, there is more variety and better things, as in more usable practical stuff, than many other China Towns I have seen. The food is also quite cheap and good. There is a store named Mustafa that is like a super store for bargains that sells everything from Rolex watches to vegetables. Sure enough, on a Sunday, it is fun walking through that human zoo-maze!

The last day was the best day yet. My uncle arranged for the yacht to be taken out to a remote island, where we dropped anchor and took the speed boat to the sandy beaches, and had ourselves a small picnic. That was one for the books, I say. And there are people that get to do this all the time, eh? What a life! To be able to walk around a clean tiny island with no one in sight, to have no rules on when to come and go, and to ride back from that and see the city line of Singapore. It was a memorable experience.

That's us, from our yacht to the remote island for a picnic!

All this being said, there is not too much I can do in Singapore past three days or so. But having seen it, I can honestly say it is a place worth considering living in. The Buddhist calmness in people, the strength of a democracy to make the right choices to be a clean and safe society, the perseverance of the government to make this a successful and strong nation – all that and more are some valid points to make this a place worth praise. Here, they made size matter, every inch of it!

Black bear with her two cubs

With all the talk of volcano explosion in Iceland, the power of volcanoes, and their predictable unpredictability, I decided it was time to pay homage to the supervolcano that is the heart of the Great Plaines of North America. Its beauty in the form of flora and fauna, its size that forms a caldera 30 miles by 40 miles, its diverse geological landscapes create a mystical world of nature that has morphed over a few million years. Here we are at Yellowstone.

So we landed at Billings, Montana, and got a rental car and drove the 150 miles or so to Yellowstone. It is a wonderful drive up and down snow peaks, taking curvy roads that can be fun to drive. This also means you can’t do the normal 70 miles or 80 miles an hour, so be prepared for a bit of a longer drive than a normal 150 miles.

Horseback rides near Tower Falls

The best time to go to Yellowstone is between June and mid-September, the summer months. We picked the long weekend in September, Labor Day weekend, to go to Yellowstone. At that time, I was doing a lot of camping in parks within driving distance of Chicago from Wisconsin to Kentucky, so I thought it would make for a complete park experience to stay in a rustic log cabin, so we choose Roosevelt Lodge which is all the way north of the park at Tower Falls. It has communal restrooms and no hot water; heating for the room is provided by an actual log burning fireplace. Note: They are not kidding when they say the temperatures dip down to freezing at night. Pick up a couple of extra logs for each night if you are not used to the cold, or don’t like it, like me. Or else you’ll have an uncomfortable, restless night. These are the basic cabins. Ones with attatched bathrooms etc are available, but since these cabins oprate only June through September, they get sold out fast, so be sure to book early.

There are several other options for lodging in the park. The best place to llok for accurate up to date information is : http://usparklodging.com/yellowstone/index.php

Yellowstone National Park road map

There are only so many roads in Yellostone, so it isn’t like one can get lost, really. But if you take the wrong turn, it will take you a while to back track. We realized we had to not worry too much about drive time as we got stuck on the road because some one ahead spotted a black bear with three cubs. Of course, every one abandoned their cars, pulled out their cameras and traffic came to a stand still even as the rangers were dispensing caution and common sense stories about how bad it can be to go near a mother bear with her cubs near by. None the less, it was worth the sight and a couple of pictures. That’s the story one wants to go home with, and a photo to make it all believable! At the end, it takes a while for the traffic to get to normal again.

Around Mammoth Terrace, hot springs

There is so much to do at Yellowstone, I could have spent a couple of weeks there easily and had busy tiring days every day. The best place for current activities and information is http://www.nps.gov. It is key to read through this if you want to do a lot of outdoor activities and camping. It even tells what you need to know before you go there, and what you need to take.

Since I had only a long weekend to spend there, basically three nights and four days, I choose to see the different colors of mother earth instead of doing fun activities. To me, the wonder of what makes Yellowstone house such a variety of geology and landscapes that I can’t see in such close range any where else in the world beat out fun camping and hiking trips. It was wonderful to see that there were plenty of animals every where and we didn’t have to really go looking for them. We saw plenty of bison, pronghorns, elk, moose, black bears, and even one grizzly. That was a healthy vibrant feeling to know these animals are thriving so well and are not as endangered as they were once.

I did take a horse back ride for a couple of hours onto a hill. That was a pretty sight from up there across to the other hills. I can’t explain the serenity and calm that such a vast natural picture can bring about. It is as if everything is just right with the world, as if nothing can go wrong. No technology, no buildings, no hurrying people, just the nature doing its thing in time.

Starting up north are the Mammoth Terraces. These are hot springs that are very active in a certain part of the park. The unique limestone build ups give a very mars like look and feel to this geological wonder. There is a long walk that one must do to get up close and literally be able to walk over these hot springs. They are in a few areas, but there is a main walk that has several of them and will take at least an hour to walk through.

The canyons of the Yellowstone are quite something to see. The name “Yellowstone” comes from the color of the rock of the canyon walls. At sunset or sunrise, the color looks unreal and shines as if it were gold. It has more greenery than the Grand Canyon and is smaller, but it is quite something to see hot gases escaping from the water below, to know that as cold as it is, as calm and cool as the water looks, there is something boiling beneath it that is more destructive than we can tell standing there. There is a Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone, aptly named so, that is a nice place to sit and catch a bite to eat if you are carrying your food with you.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

If you look at the road map of Yellowstone, you will see it is basically and “8”, with roads connecting into it from different sides. So if you plan right, you can drive each road and see as much as possible of the park’s different facets while you go from one point to another. Also, we covered the north first, but since the geysers and hot springs were more south, we decided to stay there for a night too. There, we stayed at the Old Faithful Inn, from where you can see the Old Faithful geyser, and which is right in the middle of the area that one can walk through to see several other geysers. Old Faithful may be the highest geyser, but there are several more active ones that are going continuously. One can easily spend half a day walking this trail and looking at the same natural event occurring so differently within feet of each other.

We drove south of Yellowstone to the Grand Teton National Park for not other reason but to get a glimpse of the massive mountain ranges. At that point, I had never seen anything so big. It seems funny even now to think that such a large area of pure, untouched nature sits in the middle of America. Chicago doesn’t seem so big with the millions of people and buildings and cars and fast life. There, in those forests and mountain ranges and water falls and animals, it seemed like earth had more to offer than a road to run from place to place and be “productive citizens”. It seems I am more at home in the jungle of Chicago than the natural jungle for that was alien enough for me to ogle and marvel at for days. This is definitely a place to take children and family to a few times in life, be able to see and do different things each time, and work with and around nature.

Gurudongmar Lake, 5km from China border, 17,500ft elevation

Trip Taken April 2010

The destination was Sikkim because of two simple factors: one, some one the family knew is working on a hydro power project and so had some infra structure there; two, the “Valley of Flowers” which bloomed once a year and is celebrated with great gusto started this year on April 25th so that meant it was the right time to go to see such a popular sight.

The flight tickets are expensive (atleast Rs15,000 round trip) and the journey from Hyderabad to Gangtok (Sikkim does not have an airport) took over 12 hours from door to door. So I booked the tickets quickly, before I made the plan. As I started my research, I realized not much was known about the second smallest state in India, definitely the least populated state. I couldn’t quite fathom why that was. Travel from Delhi and other cities in the north wasn’t half as bad. There were only a few roads on a map; I found five in the whole state, so it isn’t like one could get lost. There was enough to do from talking to people to keep one busy for a week. So I took off with what little information I could find.

Daily drive, normal roads

The drive from Bagdogra, West Bengal, to Gangtok took around 4.5 hours and covered 130km. Why, you say? It is all ghat (unfinished and rough) roads, winding up and down mountains. So travel by road is harsh and long.

Ten days, including one for going, one for coming back, left me with eight to see all of the state. I slept in Gangtok the first night, then left for Lachung in the north east. Lachung is the last town to stay in before entering the military base area which requires a pass and that leads up to Yumthang Valley and the Valley Of Flowers. The drive from Gangtok to Lachung was about seven hours, including a long break for lunch at Mangan, the mid way point. There is nothing to do in these small remote villages in the evening as it gets rainy and cold. The roads are bad, hence you want to start your day at day break, around 5am, and end it by 7pm, which is a stretch in itself.

The drive is something out of a mythical story book. Waterfalls every 15 minutes that start from a point high up in the mountain that one can’t see and vanish into the thick forests some where below, but we know they all meet down at the River Teesta. The greenery is in so many shades of green, the leaves so clean from daily rain, that they gleam and shine as if polished. The forest is so thick and the mountains so high that it looks like the rain forests out of some movie studio, unnatural and unimaginable in size.

Normal sight on the drive up North

I stayed at the Mayfair resort in Lachung, the only five star hotel there. Even that had minimum comforts. No central heat, limited hot water, no grand service, no land line phones. So I can imagine how basic other places are. At the end of a long tiring day, I needed the best sleep I could get, so I paid the price of Rs8000 for a room with a small heater and a hot water bag in the bed because even the hotel staff knew the heater was insufficient for the room!

Lachung is located at about 8,800 ft; Gangtok is about 5,000ft. So two nights in these elevations was the best acclimatization I could get before venturing off the next morning to the Valley of Flowers and Yumthang Valley at 12,200ft, and then proceeded until the road ended in Yumasongdong at what is called Zero Point at 14,500 ft. The drive was breath taking. We went through the valley and drove right upto the highest point straight away without stopping. The reason is quite simple: The skies are the clearest in the mornings and the clouds set in by afternoon and one can’t see the mountain peaks as it becomes grey and is not quite as picturesque. So it is best to start at the highest point in every drive every day. A pass issued by the Sikkim government is needed to go past Laghung into the Valley of Flowers. Foreigners are allowed.

The altitude and the cold hit me pretty hard. I have never been, or don’t know that I have been, any where near those heights. And going from 44 degree centigrade to snow plus winds didn’t help much. I was dizzy, my blood pressure came down, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Yet, I saw all these people running around and climbing the mountain in front of me with snow on it. Well, I guess I am not as invincible as I thought I was. None the less, the view was beautiful and so I walked slowly around as much as I could, sat and enjoyed the vastness of the mountain ranges, and drove down back to Yumthang Valley to enjoy the flowers. The river that flows through the valley, created from the melting snow above, is Lachung Chu, one of the two rivers that merge together at Chumthang to make the Teesta River.

Rhododendrons, one of the many colors at Yumthang Valley

The flowers that attract people and the flowers around which the festival is celebrated is the rhododendron. A Greek name that translates to “Rose tree”, they come in a variety of colors like roses and bloom in clusters. Rhododendrons include about a thousand varieties and species, including the common azaleas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron

Well, the Valley of Flowers is an apt name that needs no further explanation; it is a valley, and the valley is filled with flowers, mostly rhododendrons, mostly around seven feet high. It is such a beautiful sight, I was sorry I didn’t carry a saree along so I could wear it and sing as I ran through the flowers and around bushes. That would have been the only time I thought doing something like that was appropriate.

That day’s sight seeing ended us back at the hotel at 4pm. We had left our bags behind at mayfair Hotel, so we ate (actually, we ordered, 45 minutes later the food was still being prepared, so we asked for it to be packed and got on the road), and drove to Lachen, a parallel village on the second river, Lachen Chu, the other river that made the Teesta River. The drive from Lachung to Lachen took about three hours since one has to go down to Chumthang to drive back up to Lachen.

We stayed at the Apple Orchard in Lachen, a beautiful looking resort right down to the trees and exterior details. The people and service was great, as was the food and the hospitality of all including the owner who called to apologize for not being there to welcome us because he left to Gangtok in a hurry. Rs.6000 for a double occupancy, including three meals and taxes, and that was money well spent. They didn’t even fuss about packing our boiled eggs, toast and a flask of tea for breakfast at 5:30am, which we informed them about the night before.

The Valley Of Flowers, Yumthang

The fourth day morning we left at 6am again for Gurudongmar Lake. I knew from the lack of information and the difficulty in getting there that this was something to behold. What I didn’t know until I saw it was that it would be the purest sight I have ever seen and that the vision of it would stay in my heart and mind for ever. Located at 17,500 feet, 5 km from the China border, the lake is part of the Kanchenjunga range and is frozen most times of the year. The drive of 70km from Lachen takes at least 3.5 hours. Since it is so close to the China border, it is in a military zone and hence no foreigners are allowed and Indians need to obtain a pass to be handed over at the military check post. The lake was open to visitors at all only in 1994, quite recent if you think about it.

I was better prepared for the altitude and cold this time. I wore four layers, a scarf around my neck, tights under my jeans, a hood to protect my head and ears, took camphor to make my breathing easy and make me less dizzy, drank coca cola every few minutes to pump sugar into me, and took my time taking long breaths in and out. That was my destination of the day. There was nothing else to do but enjoy the beauty, and know that even if I did die by some chance, I was so close to heaven, it would take too long for my soul to go to hell, hence I was heaven bound any ways!

The walk all the way around the lake is a little over 7.5km, and the army boys who lived there said it took them atleast 1hr to do it and they were used to it, which means it would take us mortals around 2hrs. They said many people fainted half way but there was no medical facility there and it was obviously not part of their job to rescue visitors, so the risk was all ours to bear. Having heard all that, I made it to about 2.5km out, where someone could still see me, sat down and enjoyed my views, took some pictures and made my way back to the car.

Zero Point, past Valley Of Flowers, Yumasongdong

I noticed that only about a dozen tourist vehicles showed up all morning. The drive kept most people away, plus foreigners weren’t allowed since this was the Indo-China border military base. The lack of people kept the lake pristine and clean, the fresh water that came from snow and ice melting before my eyes was sweet. I didn’t realize then what I realize now: it must be that God (who I haven’t met or talked to yet, so didn’t think He existed) must have placed this strategically so as to keep something for us to learn from. It did bring about serenity and peace to me, and still does when I picture it. An emotionally tiring day, we drove all the way down to Mangan for the night, a six hour drive from Gurudongmar, with a break at Apple Orchard for food and to pick up our bags.

Done with the north for this trip, our destination was the second largest town in Sikkim, west of Gangtok, to Pelling. It was supposed to be where one could see the Kanchenjunga peak in the morning. The drive from Mangan to Pelling is 6.5 hrs. Do not stop to see the ruins of Rabdentse. They are not ruins at all. There may have once been a palace there, but it is definitely totally destroyed, and three foot high walls from stone stand there now, freshly built, out of some one’s imagination of what used to be the floor plan of the palace. What a darned waste of time it was as we went hiking up to this for nothing!! On the other hand, the Buddhist Monastery just outside of Pelling was wonderful with some great art inside. Definitely worth stopping and spending some time here.

Wall art at the Buddhist Monastery in Pelling

Pelling is nothing but a pure commercial touristy town. I hated the rush as I drove in, mad crowds since this was peak season and the start of the flower festival, small roads, vans and tourist vehicles parked everywhere, all hell had broken loose by the evening when I got there. The hotel I booked, Chiminda International, was the worst I could imagine. They showed me a room that was going to be mine; the front desk lady actually opened the door and walked into a smoke filled room even as the man occupying it lay in bed smoking a cigarette, and said that would be mine in an hour. I picked up my bags and set sail out of that town, and headed to Geysing the closest town near it, about half hour down the hill. There I found a hidden pearl of a resort, clean, beautifully tucked away, not over crowded, nice interiors, less than the Chiminda International, helpful staff: Tashigang Resort.

Are you counting the nights and days with me? Including Geysing, that is five nights in five different locations. I promise not to let you down for the rest of the read! Yes, and every day so far has been about 8-10 hours in the car, where our day starts at 5am and ends around 8pm. Yes, I’m tired at this point. No, I did not remember where I slept the night before or what I had for my last meal. But excitement has a way of over shadowing the weariness in one’s body, so I kept going like an energizer bunny.

Day six was to take me down to Barsey, south west point of Sikkim, where I was told there was a second Valley of Flowers. It is again the road less travelled because the road dead ends at Hilay, a village with about ten huts, mostly military ones with solar panels on each, and the walk to Barsey where the rhododendron forest lies is actually around a 6km trek into the forest up a hill. As I got to Barsey, again a 3hr drive from Tashigang Resort in Geysing, I saw three men walking up the path which leads to my destination. They had obviously got there by taxi and the car was long gone. No other cars in sight, I realized this was indeed a remote destination, but I also realized that if there was something worth seeing, there were enough adventurers that would land up here especially since one didn’t need a pass to get there and foreigners were not stopped. So why was it so desolate during season?

Children of the forest; Village images on the hike from Yuksom to Yashiding

The answer was quite simple: the rhododendrons here are not plants five to seven feet tall, but are trees over 30ft to 50ft tall. Why, I thought, what the heck? And they were not blooming right then; there were few flowers left and one could tell the seeds were out already. And the common sense light went off, I think, so here is my explanation for it: up north, Yumthang is filled with snow in the winter and the plants are dead for most of the year. Like Tulips, they come to life in full spring at the sign of first warmth. So those plants re-grow every year and reach only minimum height. Those in the south get to grow all year round and the trees hence formed look like old teak trees, over grown and aged, with moss all over them. It was a beautiful hike and an educational one. The season is obviously at least a month before Yumthang. I imagined the hill filled with them, swore to come back next time, and marveled that my brain could put one and one together for what seemed to be the sanest explanation I could come up with. With no one to disagree, I stand confident!

Night six was a last minute decision that I arrived at because of an honest manager at the Tashigang Resort. He said that it is kind of a joke when people say one can see Mt Kanchunjunga from either Pelling or Yuksom, but Yuksom was definitely more scenic and treks were possible from there. They had a beautiful resort at Yuksom also, actually, it was an awesome one. They also helped arrange a trek within an hour of our getting there. Now that I have been there, I can tell you there are many trekking outfits that cater to all kinds of trekkers- from day treks to eight days up and down the great snow covered peaks, and maybe more. Already 8pm by the time we were ensconced in the hotel in Yuksom, I took the first offer of the longest two day trek possible, 17km or so from Yuksom, an over night stay in a tent at a small village named Sunan Gumpa (Gumpa is a general term for village) estimated at 8hrs including a break for lunch which was arranged by the trekking outfit, and a trek down to our destination Yashiding the next day.

Rural insights, from Yuksom to Yashiding

The first 4km or so were brutal, a hike at about 45degree steep up relentlessly, and I thought I wasn’t going to cover the distance. I don’t work out. I am in shape as in I am active, but physical endurance or pushing my body to perfection has never been my thing. Somehow, the monastries, the young children carrying 20kgs with the weight pulled up by their heads, others running up and down as if it were no big deal, and my body crossing the thresh hold of breathlessness into rhythmic beats and motions, I made the distance slow and steady, stopping to enjoy the village life I had not seen until then, and the fresh air that was around me all day. Little did I realize that the sun tans pretty bad even though it seems cool!

We realized it was going to rain and that the next day was a short trek of 4km or so. So we passed on the idea of staying in a tent and carried on to the end of the trek, Tashiding. I am sure glad we did that. Ten minutes after we checked our selves into the Yatri Nivas (the Indian government rest houses which are all over India), it actually rained and hailed so hard, some people that were planning to take the ride back to Yuksom cancelled because landslides are so common and one could hardly see the cliff hanger roads in the rain and hail, and the thunder and lightning conveyed there was no chance of short showers. No power for most of the night, no warm water, we ate good food, thanked them for a clean place to stay and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Never to be the one to be chicken, I stayed on course and drove back to Gangtok for the last leg of my trip. That is the first place I was to repeat my over night stay. I thought I had it easy the last two days in Sikkim. A slow start in the morning, relaxed and a the first sit down breakfast in days, the drive to Sikkim was to take around 4.5-5 hours. And it almost did. As luck would have it, it seemed all my super planning was making me avoid any kind of serious weather mishaps and nature needed to let me know who is boss. So five minutes from reaching my destination in Gangtok, four cars ahead of us, there was a landslide, a tree slide, basically the whole side of the mountain came down on to the road, blocking it for hours until the rain stopped and the road was cleared. Would you believe we had to go around another mountain to get to our guesthouse and that took two hours of extra driving!! Ok, so I was doomed to spend atleast 8hrs a day in the car. What was I thinking hoping for less one day?

Because of this delay in travel, my next day’s agenda was pretty screwed. I had to secure a pass for Tsongmo Lake or Changu Lake, about 40km east of Gangtok, at an elevation of 12,400ft. I started late on day nine to get there. I was stuck in a line of around 300 taxi SUVs, actually full sized trucks that carried about eight to ten people in each. Then we were further stuck at 11am because of another landslide. As I looked down the curvy road on the hill, there were these cabs backed up pretty far, and my number was already 206. I looked up and grey clouds were pushing in really fast. Having seen the untouched beauty of Gurudongmar, I just didn’t feel like being bothered with the most touristy sight in Sikkim so I returned to base before further adeu. I spent the rest of what turned out to be the only day that didn’t rain walking downtown and buying handicrafts. That is one of my favorite things to do at such destinations and I had a few things I wanted to get my dear little one, so it was time well spent.

The grand finale was to leave Sikkim in a helicopter, a service run only once a day in a five seater chopper by the Sikkim government, that flies one trip from Gangtok to Bagdogra and back each day. We were too late coming into Bagdogra to catch it on the way in, so we did on the way out. A birds eye view of the mountains, valleys, rivers, windy roads and small villages was an apt conclusion to what has to date been the best trip of my life. Next year, I will be back there, for twice as long so I can include the eight day trek after the visit to the North. Hope some of you will go… or come along!

Gangtok, as we drove around in hail storm

Key things to know about Sikkim travel:

1. Gangtok is in the south east, hence the weather reports say it is warm in April. Up North, at the snow hills’ feet, it is still freezing although the sun warms it up for a few hours between 10am and 2pm.
2. Most things need passes. Check on which areas allow only Indians and which places need passes before getting there. Take some eight passport pictures along because you need them for the passes. Passes for things like Tsongo Lake are for the particular day, so if you miss that day, you will need another pass for another day.
3. Carry chocolate and some pop or coca cola as the sugar will help in elevations
4. Layer your clothing.
5. We took a Scorpio as our vehicle. You don’t need a 4×4, but a minivan is a stupid idea; bad for the back and not as good as an SUV for shock absorbtion.
6. Carry a sleeping bag. That way, you can stay at a cheaper hotel and not worry about the small heater in the room.
7. Here is the link to the best maps I found on line. The hotel and their trips are bad, but the web information is pretty good and the best I could find: http://www.sikkimonline.com/maps.html
8. There are no local busses in Sikkim.Busses won’t make the curves and bends in the roads, making travel a little expensive, but definitely worth it. 9.Try to give yourself a day’s cushion in case of weather mishaps. It would be a sin to make it all the way to Sikkim and miss something because of the lack of time.

* We found no ATMs outside of Gangtok, definitely none North. Maybe there is one in Pelling, but even in Gangtok, we tried three to find a working one. 

* No landlines, cell phones or internet connections north of Mangan. There is sporadic connection with BSNL some times. For the most part, assume no outside contact as long as you are there.

*There are no medical stores. Take a first aid kit with everything you may need. Hospital is in Gangtok. That’s that.

**** Correction or additional information: I am not sure if this correct or not, but I read in a book given out by India Tourism Department as a traveller’s guide titled “India’s North East: Paradise Unexplored,” that passes are given to foreigners only in major cities and have certain restrictions. The pass is called “Restricted Area Permits”. Try contacting them at contactus@incredibleindia.org for details and information, or let me know if it doesn’t work. ****