Gangtok, Sikkim: My Second Trip To get a glimpse of Himalayas...

Where: Gangtok, Sikkim
When : 29 Nov to 5 Dec 2012
Who  : My family (myself, wife, kids n parents)
How  : Air + Rail + Land (Car)

This was a trip planned much in advance. As its a distant place from Bangalore and that too getting accomodation at Club Mahindra "Royal Demazong" is not easy.. atleast 2 - 3 months advance booking was a must!!  To begin with, Deepa had to attend a conference @ Kolkata where we spent a day and then the we had to reach Gangtok & play with snow (kids had big plans for the same).

Trip Route:
Bangalore to Kolkata                                   : Flew on SpiceJet plane
Kolkata (Sealdah) to NJP (New Jalpaiguri) : Train (Padatik Express) 10 hrs (22:55 - 9:00)
NJP to Gangtok (Sikkim)                            : Innova 4.5 hrs
Ganktok to NJP                                           : Mahindra Xylo 4.5 hrs
NJP to Kolkata (Sealdah)                            : Train (Padatik Express) 9 hr 45 min (21:00 - 6:45)
Kolkata to Bangalore                                   : Flew back on Indigo plane

Travelling to the north/north-east parts of India from Bangalore (or anywhere south) is always a tradeoff wrt how much time we spend in travelling to how much we get to spend at our destination. Flying to Kolkata and then overnight journeys to/from NJP definitely saved us significant amount of time. Nearest airport to Gangtok is "Bagdogra" (about 15 Kms from Siliguri). Flying upto Bagdogra from Bangalore is definitely an option, but travel cost would easily double. If overnight journey is fine, then our option was the best.

DAY-0: Kolkata

On reaching Kolkata, we stayed overnight at a guest-house provided by the College (where Deepa was supposed to attend/present at the coference the next day).

Eary morning the next day 8:00 AM sharp we headed to the Kali Temple (Kalighat) which we had heard a lot about.. We had an experience... rather exploitation to remember..  As soon as we landed at the temple in a taxi, there came a person who started guiding us to the temple. Unsuspecting him we walked with him.. first he took us to a small store to buy prasad (offering to the goddess), we thought its a tradition here and paid for it. Next the same thing happened with flower garland - he bought it from the vendor for us (with no choice of ours) - we just had to pay for it. Fine.. moving ahead we entered the temple, I was made to stand ahead with the priest/pandit chanting mantras to goddess Kali, he asked me to offer Rs.500 to goddess, he was almost angry when I offered Rs.100 only. Next.. came out and was climbing steps to see another deity, a person came and put sacred thread around the neck (maala) for all of us... this time I was suspecious but it happened so fast that I couldn't deny... he didnt ask anything for now. We entered and our so called guide took us to another pandit who would do a pooja for us alone. He took me alone and chanted some mantras for 2 mins and handed me a coin (sacred coin as he said) and then asked Rs.500 for the same. This was too much... I almost shouted at the guide saying "We didnt ask you to take us around and you are putting us in a awkward situation all the way..". Further I ended up paying the guide and also the guy who put sacred thread for all of us. Bottom line "Be careful when you visit temples (specifically Kalighat Kali Temple), people can take you for a ride here.."

That apart, Kalighat Kali temple is said to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. The temple in its current form is 200+ yrs old and is visited by piligrims across India. This temple was originally on the banks of river Hoogly, but the river changed its course over time, and now just a canal by name "Adi Ganga" passes by.

After having darshan of goddess Kaali, we returned to our guest house and had our morning breakfast. Later we dropped Deepa at the conference venue (Indian Statistical Institute) and then planned visiting some nearby places. The only place we could cover was the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple. This temple is located on the banks of river Hoogly and was constructed by Rani Rashmoni a devotee of goddess Kali. This temple is also associated with Late Ramakrishna Paramahansa as he chose to stay at this temple for quite some time and carried on his meditation & prayers towards goddess Kali. The nine-spired architecture of this temple is quite good as you can see in the picture. This temple also houses 12 shrines dedicated to lord Shiva on the river front.

We came out of the temple and it was lunch time... looking around we could find a small hotel whose speciality was "Hing Samosa" & "Kachori". Without much options around, we thought of trying this (till this day I had never thought of having samosa & kachori for lunch!!). Yes, hing-samosa tasted excellent.. one of the best Samosa I ever had. Kachori was very good too (very much unlike the ones found in South India) soft, hot, round in shape, half the size of poori with dal filling.. and it came with a side dish dal curry. Though we were doubtful, this made a perfect lunch for the day. We packed some Samosa & Kachori for Deepa too. Later we picked up Deepa and headed towards guest house. But, we still had some time to spend.... on the way we found a shopping mall and visited the same. We spent about an hour, kids had their share of fun.. we had our dinner there & back to guest house. We rushed back as we had to pack up our stuff and head to Railway Station (Sealdah).

10:55 PM -> We were onboard the train to NJP. "Darjeeling Mail" is the best train in this route, but couldn't get reservation even though we booked more than 2 months in advance. "Padatik Express" was decent enough and we could get the reservation for this. With 3-tier AC booking, it was a comfortable journey. We reached NJP around 9:30 AM

DAY-1, 9:30 AM: NJP - Altitude 374 ft
                             : Early morning chill with bright sun

9:45 AP -> We had an Innova booked for our travel from NJP to Gangtok. It was a 4.5 hrs journey to reach our resort "Club Mahindra Royal Demazong" in Gangtok. It was a scenic route all through. Yes, this was a bit tiring as we had to traverse the ghats and climb the mountainous terrain. We took some break in-between for breakfast at a roadside hotel. We had our first taste of momos on this tour. Apart from momos we had veg thali too.. plate full of rice with 3 curries and dal.. Yes, after momos, rice is the major meal in this region (more than the noodles).

DAY-1, 3:00 PM: Settled in Gangtok 
Gangtok : Altitude 5800 ft
                : Chilly climate, jackets were a must. As soon as we got out of the car, we got into the jackets.

Resort: Club Mahindra "Royal Demazong" actually means "Royal Palace" in sikkimese.

After a long journey, we took rest for sometime and then started exploring the resort. "Fun Zone" was a major attraction for the kids and that alone was sufficient for kids. We had an intro session at 6 PM and had wonderful onion pakodas & Tea. At around 8 PM Sikkemese cultural show was organized and we had our first glimpse of Sikkimese folk dance and songs there. Along side, we had our dinner.

DAY-2, 6:30AM: Target Nathula Pass
We had planned for visiting "NathuLa Pass" even before reaching there.  To visit this place, multiple permits need to be obtained from Local police & Indian Army atleast a day in advance. Also Monday & Tuesday no civilians are allowed to visit as these days are meant for cross-border trade. Since we were landing in Gangtok on Saturday, Sunday being the only option to visit NathuLa, we ensured to get the necessary permits much in advance by couriering relevant documents (passport copies & photographs) to our travel agent at the resort. They had made all necessary arrangments even before we reached Gangtok. So, if you plan to visit this place, do inform your travel agent in advance.

At "NathuLa Pass" located 56 Kms from Gangtok, indian state "Sikkim" shares its borders with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. In tibetan language "Nathu" means "Listening Ears" and "La" means "Pass". Nathula Pass is the indo-chinese border where the old silk-route between India & China existed. This is one of the 3 cross-border trading posts between India & China. "Shipkila" in Himachal Pradesh and "Lipulekh" in Uttarkhand are 2 other places.

We had Xylo for today's trip... the uphill journey from Gangtok to NathuLa was smooth in Xylo, though bumpy and rocky streches were common. Full credit to Xylos's shocks.. Road to NathuLa is one of the highest motorable roads in India. On the way we found a couple of streches where I wouldn't have driven my car at all.. weak, shaky bridges with deep valley on one side and the mountain on the other. If anything happens there nobody would get a clue about it. Never the less, the route was picturesque and all through the strech we could see Indian Army camps among the mountains. Half way through we stopped at a place which was the last point where we could get something decent to eat & drink. We sipped in some tea standing in the chill... Next we started from there and stopped at a rental store (for jackets / shoes / gloves.. etc). My parents had short jackets and we were told that it may not suffice. So rented longer jackets for them and then headed towards the next frontier "NathuLa".

Nathula : Altitude 14450 ft
               : 56 Kms from Gangtok
               : Very Chilly Climate with Cold winds. Normally fresh snow is expected around early Dec to Christmas time-frame, we were not so lucky to witness it this time.

Finally we reached our destination "NathuLa". We had to climb about 50-60 steps to reach the border to get a peek into the chinese side.. At 14000 ft and very less oxygen levels, one can get slightly uncomfortable (and headaches / vomiting is also possible). We saw a couple of elderly people who sat down unable to climb and gasping for breath and trying to overcome giddiness. With kids and old people, its always good to pace it slow, taking long breaths. Carrying along some aspirin & chocolates also help..

We climbed up and then found the Indian Army border post and right across was the Chinese post. At this point the border is a simple 4 ft high fence/campound wall which anyone could have easily stepped over. It was crowded on the Indian side with over 50 to 60 people visitng on the day. We didn't find any on the Chinese side except few of their soldiers manning the post & observatories. We could walk along the border fence, with couple of Chinese soldiers walking on the campound wall we were at a shake-hand distance from them... in fact few other visitors did get an opportunity to shakehand with them.. Took some pictures here.. of the posts, chinese soldiers, the scenic views and ofcourse ourselves.. By this time kids started getting uncomfortable and cranky.. so we had to say goodbye to NathuLa and head back towards our vehicle.

Nathula Pass Entrance	Indian and Chinese Army Posts at Nathula

Chinese Soldiers at Nathula

Baba Mandir: Altitude 13000+ ft

Next we visited a shrine built by Indian Army popularly called as "New Baba Mandir". Well this is an interesting story.. It appears that this temple was built in memory of an Indian soldier "Harbhajan Singh" (of 23rd Punjab Regiment) went missing (possibly dead, but untraced) during the 1962 sino-indian war and no one has heard from him till-date. However, there is a strong belief among the people and rest of the army jawans that his atma is still roaming around and is performing the official duties every day. They do have stories (and proof) about his atma having food every day, and the wear-and-tear on the footwear he uses.. etc. It appears that one of his colleagues got a dream in which he asked them to build a temple in his memory. It is also said that his crisp iron pressed uniform kept in his office gets wrinkled by end of the day. The most astonishing fact is that the Indian Govt / Army accepted his legend and still continues to give his salary, promotions, annual vacation etc. His salary goes to his home in Punjab, and during vacation a soldier of his regiment accompanies his uniform and belongings in a train to his hometown. This was the "New Baba Mandir" where his photo, desk and some belongings were displayed. Apart from this there is also a original "Baba Mandir" located some distance away (~1 hr travel from New Baba Mandir) from this place. We skipped visiting that place and moved further. After visiting the temple it was time for some food. We had packed some sandwiches and parathas from the resort which was quite filling. Yes, it is very important to get some food packed from Gangtok itself as there is no decent food available at NathuLa / Baba Mandir.

Late Baba Harbhajan Singh	New Baba Mandir

Tsomgo Lake: Altitude 12400+ ft

On the way to NathuLa we had come across 2 lakes "Chongo" and "Tsomgo". On our way back we decided to stop at Tsomgo lake which had just now started to freeze on the upper layer. Probably in weeks to come, it would have fully frozen. As soon as we stopped our vehicle near Tsomgo lake, few men and their Yaks came running towards us... apparently they were offering us Yak-rides. They offered several packages like short-distance, medium-distance and long-distance rides (with & without photography help). Hmm... we knew about horse-ride, elephant-ride, camel-ride... etc (kids had tried them all), this time it was the Yak-ride.. Yes, we had a family ride Deepa & Shravya on one yak while myself and Shreya on an yak each. It was a nice experience and gotto know that yaks are as lazy as buffalos unless they are pushed to run.. I was quite surprised to see that Shreya was not at all scared to be sitting on the Yak independently and going through the complete ride.. All of us enjoyed and we got loads of pics cliked by those cow-boys errr yak-boys!! But I couldn't use most of the pics as yak-boys and DSLRs don't get along well.. ;)

Shreya on her Yak	Collage of Yak Riders..

On the lake side we found few outlets offering sikkimese dresses for photographing. We didnt want to miss this, and got the kids dressed up in sikkimese attire and got their pics done. By seeing their cute pics we were also tempted to try it.. and yes myself, Deepa and parents all of us tried getting into the attire and had some pics clicked. After this, we had to head back to Gangtok. Kids spent their whole evening in the fun zone playing. We had our dinner around 8:30 PM and then it was time to relax..



DAY-3 8:00 AM: Gangtok City Tour
We had our breakfast and todays agenda was to go far sight-seeing in Gangtok. Today also we got a Xylo for us, and started out on a day outing with the following places to visit:

1. Ganesh Tok
2. Himalayan Zoological Park
3. Tashi View Point
4. Handicrafts Museum / Institute
5. Do-Drul Chorten (Budhist Monastery)
6. Flower Exhibition Center
7. M G Marg

Ganesh Tok:
We started out by visitng "Ganesh Tok"... Its a temple of lord Ganesha which is located on a elevated area and we could get a good view of Gangtok City.. After getting the blessings from the lord, and clicking some pics of the city, we came out. At this point also there were street side vendors renting out the sikkemese dresses (as we had near Tsongmo lake). As we had already tried it, we moved on..

Ganesh Tok Entrance	View from Ganesh Tok

Himalayan Zoological Park:
Right opposite to Ganesh Tok is the entrance to the "Himalayan Zoological Park" a mini zoo. I wasn't sure whether all of us were interested in visiting a zoo.. but yes, I was. Entry tickets were available at the entrance.. further since the terrain is up-hill, walking was not an option and we had to take our vehicle for about 500 mts inside & parked it at a designated parking area. From there we had to walk further up to get a glimpse of the animals. Since it was early in the morning, our energy levels were high and we were ready to climb . For a zoo, it had a pretty good ambience with the tall grown up trees all around and lush green cover everywhere.. This wildlife park doesn't have many animals but is home to Siberian Tiger and himalayan black bear. It also houses some of the elusive himalayan animals like Red Panda, Tibetan Wolf, Snow Leopard, Leopard Cat.. etc. Apart from these, a few birds can also be found there.

Leopard	Red Panda

"Tashi View Point", 
This place is named after the late king of Sikkim Tashi Namgyal who constructed this view point which is about 4 Kms away from Gangtok. The view of the "Kanchenjunga mountain range" right opposite to the view point is just picture perfect. On a clear day one gets to see the entire snow covered range.. and yes we were lucky to have clear blue sky on the day.

Kanchanjunga Mountain Range from Tashi View Point

Handicrafts Museum / Institute:
This is located about 500 mts from central Gangtok. The museum houses the articles of cultural & traditional importance. It also displays blankets, elegant hand-carven folding tables (Choktse), hand-loomed carpets with conventional themes, hand-painted masques, shawls, traditional paintings, wooden dolls and many other handicrafts. This building also has an institute which is dedicated to imparting knowledge about making handicrafts, paintings etc. These handicraft items are also available for purchase at an outlet just behind this place.

Do-Drul Chorten (Budhist Monastry):
This is the biggest and imporant budhist stupa located very close to Gangtok in Sikkim. This was constructed around 1945 under the supervision of Truslshi Rimpoche. There are about 108 prayer wheels (Mani-Lakhor) which has the mantras engraved on it. Devotees across the state and outside visit here, turn the wheels while chanting mantras and hope their wishes turn true. This chorten also has a golden steeple at the tip.

108 Prayer Wheels..

Flower Exhibition Centre:
This is a moderate sized greenhouse meant for nurturing orchids & other exotic flowering plants. You can drop in for a look at these visual beauties. The place is in Gangtok's White Hall complex, located amidst a scenic stretch of landscaped gardens and tree-lined parks.




M.G.Marg, Gangtok:
In simple words this street is similar to M.G.Road of Bangalore, the buzzing place in Gangtok. Lots of eateries for the foodies, shops for shopa-holics and road-side benches for those who just want to spend their evenings just sitting and chattin with their pals.. I must say this is one of the cleanest streets that I have seen. People do practice cleanliness here in every aspect... even the eateries advice not to carry the food to the street and to have it within their premises.. Hmm am impressed to see this in India. We roamed around for sometime, tasted some local sweets and explored the momo joints and then headed back to our resort.


On our journey back, we had hired the same Xylo as we thought it would keep us more comfortable on the rough roads back from Gangtok to NJP. On the way back also we took a lunch break at a road-side small hotel, tasted the authentic sikkimese noodles and momos. That was the last till our next trip to Sikkim.. Then we reached NJP railway station, one of the best I have seen in India... it even had escalators for passenger over-bridge.. We waited for sometime and then boarded our train to Kolkata. We reached Kolkata the next morning around 8:00 AM.

On reaching Kolkata, first we went out looking for a hotel for breakfast. It was interesting... we couldn't find any decent hotel in the vicinity of Sealdah railway station... even our taxi driver was clueless about hotels in the nearby area. We roamed around for a while and finally we ended up at a road-side stall who had just then started preparing hot poori-sabji... well we had no choice than to get some grub here (taste wasn't a priority against hunger!!). Later we proceeded to visit Victoria Memorial. It was still early in the morning and we were the first ones to enter Victoria Memorial.. Its a nice place with a scenic garden and many chirping birds around (atleast during early hours of the day). We spent sometime looking at the architecture of the building and clicking some snaps..  This was our last visit to a POI (place of interest) before we started our last phase of the journey.. Kolkata to Bangalore.

This report was pending since almost 2 months... but finally its up and published.

My First Trip To Himalayas.....

Trip Date  : 03 Dec to 10 Dec 2010

Transport : Train + Bus + Sumos

Who all     : A group of ~70 people (including my family).
                    We were all relatives.. near and far..
                    A few we gotto know during the trip..


Unlike my other trips this one was not planned by me... At first this came as a surprise when I heard that my cousin Satya wanted his 3 month old son's naming ceremony to be held in Uttaranchal. Joshimath the place enroute to the Badrinath is the place where Guru Shankaracharya stayed and also attained enlightenment. This exactly was the destination of this trip. On knowing that this place is very close to Mt.Nandadevi, this definitely thrilled me.. And yes, the company of ~70 family members during the trip.... priceless!! I decided to go for it....

Trip Route:
Bangalore -> Delhi : Train (Sampark Kranti - Nizamuddin Express) : ~2 days
Delhi -> Haridwar : Train (Puri - Haridwar) : 5 hrs
Haridwar -> Joshimath : Mini Bus + a few SUMOs : 12 hrs
Joshimath -> Haridwar : Mini Bus + a few SUMOs : 12 hrs
Haridwar -> Delhi : Train (Haridwar - Puri ) : 5 hrs
Delhi -> Bangalore : Train (K K Express) : ~2 days

I know... looking at the itenerary it does appear that I spent most of my time either on the railway track or the roads.... well the plus point is that, the thought of Himalays and the huge group we were with, made the journey exciting. Though I could not see a lot in and around the place, I managed to get an idea of whats in store for my future trips to this place (yes.. I mean it).

While starting from Bangalore we were quite comfortable with temperature at 20+ degree C. However as we approached Delhi in the early hours of the day, it was quite chilly and we had our first level of cold busters ON (jackets). From there we changed to another train and reached Haridwar.

Haridwar (Altitude: 294 m)


While going towards Joshimath, about 30 mins from Haridwar we hit Rishikesh. Most of us know about its religious importance, but I got to know a few more things..

• This is a great place for adventure sports.. specially white water rafting
• During seasons, skiing, snow-boaring etc can be planned here.
• And if you want to spend your time next to the rivers banks, camping sites are also available. I am looking forward to this sometime..
• Trekking, hiking... etc can also be planned from here.

I would say this is the place where one can STAY and plan other activities. Reason being, there are good hotels, lodges and guest-houses here which will be hard to find as one moves ahead. The next best accomodation is only at Joshimath.

Rishikesh (Altitude: 356 m)

Route to Joshimath is quite exciting, thrilling and yet challenging. This route definitely excites the nature lovers. During most part of this strech from Rishikesh to Joshimath, one side of the road is mountain, other side is a deep valley and a river flowing.. the purest waters embedded in the valley is quite a picturesque landscape. And the challenge is that you gotto be a brave-heart to be moving ahead even after knowing that the edge of the valley starts just 2 inches from your vehicles tyres. When another vehicle comes from the opposite side, the challenge just doubles.. We had an expert driver for the bus, however during such encounters we just kept our fingers crossed watching those inches reduce to centimeters... Gosh!! landsliding is very common in this part of the world... just the imagination of these sequences will run a chill down the spine.. We did face the landslides on a few occassions.. however the maintainance teams work continuously on these routes with JCBs and earth-movers. At max we had to wait for 15 mins at one place. By the standards in this area this was just a very very minor incident of landslide.

Apart from these challenges there are lot more things to see and visit on this journey. We find several prayags (confluence of 2 or more rivers - sangam as we call in india) on the way. From Rishikesh to Badrinath we find 5 prayags (called Panch-Prayags). However till Joshimath we get to see only 4 of them.

Rishikesh -> Dev Prayag -> Rudra Prayag -> Karna Prayag -> Nand Prayag -> Joshimath -> Vishnu Prayag -> Badrinath

DevPrayag: (Altitude: 472 m) DevPrayag lies at the confluence of rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, and thus the starting point of holy river GANGA. DevPrayag is also famous for the much revered Raghunathji temple which was constructred about 10,000 years using massive uncemented stones. However temple and other buildings were destroyed due to earthquaqe in 1803 and was repaired to some extent.

RudraPrayag: (Altitude: 610 m)
RudraPrayag lies at the confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. This the where the routes to Badrinath and Kedarnath divides. Joshimath lies on the way to Badrinath. Rudra Prayag is home to many temples which has some myths and legends (lord shiva, mahabharath and pandavas) associated with them.

KarnaPrayag: (Altitude: 730 m) KarnaPrayag lies at the confluence of rivers Alaknanada and Pindari. Pindari river originates from the icy Pindari glacier. It is believed that at this place the lengendary Karna (of mahabharath) meditated and worshipped Sun God (surya dev) and acquired the impregnable protective shield

NandPrayag: (Altitude: 870 m)
NandPrayag lies at the confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Nandakini.

VishnuPrayag: (Altitude: 1372 m)
Vishnu Prayag lies at the confluence of the rivers Alaknanda and Dhauli Ganga. Next to Vishnu Prayag there is a place called "Hanuman Ghat". It is believed that lengendary Bheema (of Mahabharath) met Lord Hanuman around this place. Vishnu Prayag also houses an hydro-electric project.

As we approached Joshimath the glimpses of snow covered mountains which were at a distance sometime ago, started nearing us.

Joshimath (Altitude: 1890 m)

After crossing the first 4 prayags, we reached Joshimath. It was about 8:30PM and we were all very hungry... The chefs who came with us then started cooking and served us food only 2 hrs later. It was very cold by then and we were all fully covered in our warm clothes.. Hot food felt so good in that temp. That night the temp was around -5 deg C. To add to our chill factor, the hotel rooms didn't have any room heaters. We had carried one room heater for the baby boy's room.

Things to remember while planning for a trip to this place:

• Check for the facilities at the booked hotel.
• If possible carry a light weight room heater OR atleast a hot-water pack might help.
• Ofcourse thermal wear is a must have..
• And some moisturizing creams to soothe your skin (vaseline, winter creams.. etc)

Joshimath which was earlier known as Jyothirmath came into existence because of Guru Sri Shankaracharya when he established a math during 8th century AD.

The next morning we had planned to visit some places around. Stationed at Joshimath, there are loads of places to visit around:

• Vasudeva temple when lord Badrinath is worshipped during the winter break of Badrinath temple.
• Lot of other temples around: Narsingh temple the most prominent one, Naudevi, Ganesh, Hanuman, Gaurishankar and others to name a few.
• Auli at a distance of 16 Kms from Joshimath offers winter sports (skiing) during seasons. From Joshimath one can go to Auli by ropeway.
• Gorson-top which is about 2 to 3 Kms trekking distance away from the end of Auli ropeway. This a very beautiful landscape at the top and it also offers a spectacular view of the Mt.Nandadevi and other peaks.
• Nandadevi National Park is about 23 Kms away from here and houses loads of rare flora and fauna. However we need special permissions to enter the central region, and it will also be closed during the winter.
• Visit to Badrinath.. this is one major destination for all the piligrimage trips. Remember, Badrinath temple closes down between Nov to April for winter. Yes, we couldn't visit this place for the same reason.
• Valley Of Flowers: On the way to Badrinath, we need to take a deviation to reach valley of flowers. This is a beautiful place as the name indicates, endless galore of multi-hued blooms. Again visiting this is subject to the same timelines as that of the Badrinath temple (winter break).
• Malari Village: This is around 20 Kms away from Joshimath and this offers very good view of the snow covered mountains Mana peak, Nandadevi... etc
• Vasudhara: 5Kms after Badrinath, we get Vasundhara. It is a magnificiant waterfall to watch and experience. 2 Kms stretch is motorable and the rest needs to be trekked.
• Pandukeshwar: Another temple on the way to Badrinath (after crossing Vishnu Prayag). It is believed that the legendary pandavas visited this place and hence the name.
• Bhavishya Badri: This is yet another temple... but has a prophecy associated with it. It is believed that after certain time, visiting Badrinath will become impossible. As they say, there are certain rock/mountain formations on the way to Badrinath which is shrinking day-by-day. One fine day the entire route to Badrinath will get blocked forever. In such a case, this temple resumes as an alternative to Badrinath, and hence the name "Bhavishya Badri (Future Badri)". Hmmm... that seems somewhat scientific as well. Joshimath the entry point to Badrinath route seems to be located on an ancient landslide and has been slowly sinking further. And with hydro power projects coming up in the nearby areas, prophecy might come true.
• Tapovan: It is located about 15 to 20 Kms on the way to Malari Village and we can find some hot water springs here. Unfortunately we couldn't visit this place.

Since we went to this place during Dec, many of the places were closed and couldn't be visited. However we managed to visit a few temples, Auli and Gorson-top. We took ropeway from Joshimath and landed at Auli end. The views of the snow covered mountains was spectacular. The temp was cold, and yet sun was shining bright..

There was a small restaurant and we ordered for some hot TEA and onion pakodas. Everyone enjoyed the scenic beauty, captured few snaps, munched on pakodas and hot TEA.

Auli is mainly known as a ski-resort. During Jan 2011 world championship is being held (South Asian Winter Games, open for Indians and Foriegn-nationals). Following skiing events will take place:

• Alpine Skiing which will include Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Super G
• Nordic
• Snow-board
• Speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey... etc

You can see the ski track in the above pictures. Another key point to notice here is that in early Dec we didn't see any snow in Auli. However by early Jan snow is very much expected.. atleast for the sake of this winter sports event. But how can we predict nature ? What if it doesn't snow by early Jan ? Dont have to worry about this.... technology has given an alternative. Govt. has procured snow guns and made arrangements for artificial snow. They have built an artificial lake and installed these snow guns along the ski track (you can notice in the first picture), which will be used to produce artificial snow if need be. This was one of the pre-condition to let Auli organize this event.

From Auli, we then planned to trek to the Gorson-top. It was about 2 to 3 Kms trek. It was a steep climb with no distinct walking path. This goes through the woods, next to a small temple and finally we reached the top. One significant achievement was the both my kids made it to the top all by themselves. Shreya had a good company in Keerthana... they both climbed up and down with almost no help at all. Shravya... the little wonder, she climbed almost 95% by herself.. and myself & Deepa had to lift her down-hill.

On reaching Gorson-top, the first feeling was that of windows-xp default desktop image... do you remember the picture of lush green meadows ? Yes that exactly was the scene here. It had partially snowed the previous night and the snow brought joy to one and all... kids made merry.. had a gala time here.


From the top 360 degree view of the landscape is quite spectacular... You gotto see it to enjoy it, feel it.. However, you can get a glimpse of that panaromic view in picture below.

We came down to Auli and took the rope-way back to Joshimath. It was lunch time by then. Post-lunch we headed towards Pandukeshwar which was about 12 Kms from Joshimath. We had to cross the Vishnu Prayag Hydel Power Project to reach Pandukeshwar. Check out the picture below.


Next morning was scheduled for the naming ceremony event. This event took place under the same "Kalpa Vriksha" tree under which Guru Shankaracharya attained enlightenment. The baby was named "Prachanda Vivaswa"... and I hope once he grows up he will appreciate Satya's efforts in organizing such a special naming ceremony.

In all, at Joshimath one can enjoy all the glitters of a typical hill-station and also get to see the stunning sceneries of majestic peaks as well as the serene ambiance of the temples. And, to cover all the places in a single visit.... is just not possible!! Once you start liking the Himalayas (the extreme climates, extreme beauty, serene landscapes.. etc) there can only be very few places that can match up to these levels.

On our journey back, we had a break in Delhi. Our next train was about 9 hrs apart. We switched from Nizamudding railway station to New Delhi railways station, dumped all our luggages at the cloak room and we headed for Akshardham. We took the metro train and we were soon at the Akshardham exit. We lost a lot of time at the queues (for tickets at the metro station, at Akshardham's cloak room where we had to keep away everything including mobile, camera...etc, and at Akshardham's security check). Finally we were inside... It was very nice, the temple was very artistic, great carvings all across, on the pillars, the walls and ceiling... everywhere. Even the boat ride showing the ancient indian culture, and the musical fountain were magnificient.

Then we head back to the railway station catching our next train for the last leg of our the journey to reach Bangalore.

Trip to Wayanad (Rain Country Resort, Lakkidi, Kerala)

Trip date: 01 Oct to 03 Oct 2010 (3 days 2 nights)

Transport: Maruti SX4 driven by myself and my wife

Who all : Myself, my wife, my 2 kids and my parents

This time we absolutely hadn't planned for a trip. Not once, but several times I have noticed that trips which happen without much planning turn out to be much better. This was one such...

30th Sept 2010 (Thursday) was a day which was much in the news... Schools and colleges were closed for next 2 days.. My company was closely watching the situation around... Police had issued section 144 (no crowding in public places).. come 3:00 PM the whole country (India) was glued to TVs.. CRPF and para-military forces were on high-alert in and around Ayodhya.... Yes as you might have already guessed, it was the day when Allahabad high-court was supposed to release the verdict on "Ayodhya Ram Temple" issue.

Since my wife had holiday for 4 consecutive days, she came up with the idea of going on a trip... but I was wondering what would be the consequence of the verdict however I gave her my 50-50 acceptance.. Verdict came... personally I felt it was a good decision by the judges. India reacted in a matured way... we observed the situation till the night and planned for the resorts in wayanad and finally we were 100% sure of leaving the next morning..

Trip Route:

Bangalore -> Mysore -> Nanjangud -> Gundlupet -> Sulthan Bathery -> Kalpetta -> Lakkidi

On the way, we had to pass through the beautiful strech of Bandipur Sanctuary.

Day 1 - 6:30AM - Departure from Bangalore

We headed on Mysore Road and decided to reach Mysore and stop for breakfast there. On reaching Mysore, we took the direction towards Exhibition field, then towards St.Philomena's Church and further.. On the way we stopped for breakfast at Vishnu Bhavan.

Day 1 - 8:30AM - Breakfast @ Vishnu Bhavan, Mysore

Post breakfast we headed on the national highway (NH212 - Bangalore to Calicut) towards Nanjangud. From Nanjangud, we headed in the direction of Gundlupet. Then we hit the Bandipur Sanctuary... it was all green and that stretch was quite beautiful. As soon as we entered the forest there was a sign board "No parking, No Horn (honking), No picnic".... wondered what happens if some vehicle breaks down!!!. Hmm.. on the positive side, roads are good... and unless there is some problem with the car nothing much would go wrong. Look around while you drive through.. if you are lucky you might notice some wildlife.. unfortunately we couldn't... We passed through Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta. From there our landmark was to find a Coffee Day outlet and further down, a college "Oriental School of Hotel Management". We asked for this college and headed further. We noticed the resort's sign-board pointing left and I could notice it would be an uphill journey. First it was 1.5 Kms of asphalted narrow uphill curvy road.. next ~1.5 Kms was gravel road. Up-hill the road was quite narrow, hardly one car could pass comfortably, but we faced a couple of on-coming vehicles.. yes cross-over was not very comfortable, but barely managed. Finally we reaced our 1st destination "Rain Country Resort"

Day 1 - 1:15PM - Reached Rain Country Resorts, Lakkidi, Kerala

We had a quick glimpse of the nature's creation around. We started shifting the luggage to the cottage.. We had the option of choosing either a "Wooden Cottage" or a "Cottage with open bath". Although latter was interesting for the open-bath option, we found the former to be of different style.. interiors of wooden cottage was entirely made of wood... hmm the name itself says so!!, its location (right in-front of a buzzing stream), adjacent to the dining-hall, the view from cottage, everything made us choose the "Wooden Cottage". Lunch was ready... and we were all very very hungry!! Post lunch we decided to hang around the resort and enjoy the nature's creation..

There were geese (2 of them) around the pool. They were the main attraction for Shreya & Shravya, who were all excited to see the geese from such a close corner.. Yes the geese did pose for me too.. It was getting misty, with a few rain drops here and there....

Kids and Deepa got into the mood of jumping into water.... Hmm.. the water stream right in front of our cottage was quite a fit.. By then it started drizzling, but that couldn't deter our moods.. We got down the stream and played for a while.. shravya too enjoyed .. After playing in cold water under the rain, it was time for hot water bath for the kids... I then noticed little black stuff sticking to shravya leg, tried wiping it off with the towel with no success... with a closer look I was shocked.... it was a leach!!! Luckily it had not yet attached fully... so it came out easily with almost no bleeding. Lucky Shravya...

Day 1 - 8:00PM - Dinner time

Menu: Phulka, mixed veg curry, dal tadka, pineapple raitha, rice, rasam, curd, fruit salad

Later in the night, we played some games with the kids.. they enjoyed all the attention... Soon it was time to sleep. I was planning for some bird photography in the morning... Set the alarm for 6AM.

Day 2 - 6:00AM - Wake up time...

It had rained the whole night and it was stilly misty outside. I could hear birds chirping.... but could notice very few birds.... probably rains played a spoiled sport!!! Deepa and kids woke up by then.. we also got morning coffee/tea. We then went for a walk around the resort..

Day 2 - 9:00AM - Breakfast time..

Menu: Bread-butter-jam, Poori Bhaji, Idi appam, Veg curry, Fruit juice..

Post breakfast it was time for us to go for some sight-seeing..... On returning, the plan was to shift to a new resort which was just next door... So we packed all the stuff, parked our car at the new resort. Hired a car for the trip..

There are quite a few places to look around...

+ Edakkal Caves

+ Kanthapara Waterfall

+ Pookot Lake

+ Banasura sagar dam

+ Wildlife sanctuary

+ Trekking... and .... many more..

However for us, we had seen a few places already (edakkal caves)... and this we wanted to keep it as a liesure trip.. So we just chose 2 places Banasura Sagar Dam and Kanthapara Falls.. First we went to the Dam.... Whats so special ??? Yes this is really special because this is a large dam surrounded by beautiful mountains.. This is a natural dam (minimum construction) which is also called as "earth dam". We also enjoyed boating in the dam, which was great too.. They take us in a speed boat for around the dam, closer along the mountains, its all so scenic and beautiful. I was so busy watching with my own eyes that I absolutely forgot to capture through my lenses...

Day 2 - 2:00PM - Lunch at Udipi Restaurant..

Then we headed towards the Kanthapara Falls... Its a 2 stage water falls.. which are about 100 mts apart.. First one is quite shallow.. but water is very very clear.. Kids can enjoy a lot walking in the water.. Its also possible for us to sit under the falls (it is just about 5 ft high), which we didnt do... coz it had started drizzling. After little walking in the water, we walked towards the next stage.. That was supposed to be a deep water fall... and we were at the top adjacent to where the water would fall from... We couldn't see the depth as it was all very very misty... but still it was a good experience.. under the rains, right next to a water fall... misty view... amazing.. gotto experience it to believe it.

Day 2 - 4:30PM - Reached Orchard Resort

Our second resort... all this multiple hops because of last minute planning.. but no regrets.. it was all good. This was of a different kind, but scenic again. We had a pool in front of the cottage, a water stream on the adjacent, another cottage on the other side of the pool and behind it the mountain range.. check out the picture..

After returning from the falls (all drenched in the drizzle), it was time for some hot hot onion pakoda and tea/coffee. Sitting in front of the cottage and sipping on tea/coffee while it was raining outside.. too hot.. too cool!!

Day 2 - 9:00PM - Dinner time

Menu: Phulka, dal, veg curry, rice...

After the dinner, we were all tired and soon it was sleep time.. Here be clear to specify whether you need veg or non-veg food if you ever visit this place....

Day 3 - 7:00AM - Tea / Coffee

After tea/coffee we went around the resort walking. Here also we had a couple of ducks, which had quite special looks.. Kids again were stuck to them. This time, the biscuits we had taken for kids, they fed them to the ducks... yes the ducks were enjoying a different meal for a change. With my cam in the hands I started searching for birds. My mom also joined me and helped in spotting the birds... It was tough, I could not get too close as I was a little cautious about leaches around.. Tried using the zoom lens, but no luck. But with this trip I learnt a lot about bird photography.. what are the factors that can prevent us from getting good crisp bird photos. May be I can write all that in a seperate post..

Day 3 - 9:00 AM - Breakfast..

Menu: Bread-butter-jam, Grape juice, Poori-sabji, Idli, Sambhar, Chutney, Omlette too..

So many varieties... hmm.. I tasted almost everything nibbling on each of them.. We spent some liesurely time till about 11:30AM (Sunday). Then it was time for us to pack-up.. We started heading back to Bangalore..

On the way back we had a few breaks... here they go..

1. Near Vythiri bridge for some shopping... there is a very good handicrafts (wooden articles, cane baskets, etc) shop near the bridge. For spices there are lots of shops between Lakkidi, to Kalpetta to Vythiri..

2. Sulthan Batheri... Check out "Grand Bakery" which is right on the main road (you will find it on the right side). Lots of varieties of banana chips (atleast 3 to 4 varities).

3. Nanjangud.... Checkout the famous Shiva temple (Nanjundeshwara).. and its my cousin sisters place.. We had a very late lunch (4:00 PM) at my sister's place.. and started from there at about 5:30PM back towards Bangalore..

Day 3 - 8:00PM - Reached Bangalore (R R Nagar, Mysore Road)..

To any other part of Bangalore, you need to proportionately add another hour or more to your itinerary..