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Whenever we zero in on a travel destination we spend a considerable time planning out our trip. Since we are not full time travelers and have to take a few precious days’ off from our working lives to make our travels possible, we hope to optimize our experience so as not to miss out on any good, must have experiences. One of the things that excite us most about our travels is our potential stay options. When you are miles away from home (and also backpacking like we do!) a good place to stay is the cherry on the cake. We try to keep our trips low budget, and even though our stay choices are certainly not luxuriously lavish, we do not scrimp when it comes to booking an accommodation.
Wall decor and books in our room
It was a homely feeling
The room and what a view (Panchachuli was just a look away)!!
To make our travel experience truly unique, preference is always given to homestay properties or any nature stays. Hotels are something which we avoid until and unless it is the absolute necessary and convenient thing. After all we are backpackers hence we cannot go out of our way to book into a cottage in the wilderness since we rely heavily on public transport!
On our Uttarakhand trip we had the good fortune to stay in one of the best homestay properties so far! Uttarakhand has a lot of lovely tourist destinations but unfortunately there are not many stay options other than the GMVN and KMVN guesthouses which are government run. There are some really cosy and quaint homestay properties run by families but their prices tend to be on the steep side. Keeping all these things in mind we were pleasantly surprised to come across the homestay program of Sarmoli village in Munsyari. A true blue rural homestay option, it promised an authentic and hospitable stay experience. We eagerly awaited our stay here once we had made our bookings.
Our attempt to capture panchachuli during sunrise from our room!!
The 3 days that we spent here were nothing short of amazing. Sarmoli is a small village in the Munsiyari district of Kumaon region. The homestay program was started under the guidance of Ms. Malika Virdi who moved to Sarmoli years ago. Ms. Virdi traded city life for the simple life of the hills and has been working with the rural women of the area on various issues of economic empowerment, livelihood strengthening, and environmental conservation. She was also elected the village sarpanch a few years back by the locals. The homestay program began a few years back and was seen as a means to strengthen the livelihood of households in Sarmoli.
Few of the women who are part of the homestay and development plan
The beauty of the program is that it is just the right balance of rustic charm and comfort. The rooms available as homestays are independent and constructed in such a manner that there is a separate entrance. In short, you will have absolute privacy when you want it. The maintenance of the room is impeccable with clean sheets, an attached bathroom with hot water supply, clean linens, and even comfy bedroom slippers. The hospitality of our hosts was commendable. We stayed at Mrs. Rekha Rautela’s home, where she lived along with her husband and 4 adorable children.
Mahesar kund - leisure day trek (2 km overall, steep gradient)
Our room was up on the first floor of the house whereas the ground floor was where the family stayed. The meals were had with the family in the warm and cozy kitchen where we sampled some local, authentic pahadi cuisine. This was accompanied with light hearted conversations with the whole family and fellow travelers also staying on the same property.
Lunch box during treks - Cauliflower kofta and rotis
On days where we went on hikes Rekha ji would pack our lunch in a tiffin box so that we don’t go hungry. The hospitality by the whole family was something we had not experienced anywhere else before. The day we were to leave we had to catch the shared taxi early morning at 6. Rekhaji not only prepared piping hot breakfast for us early in the morning, but her husband also greeted us with morning tea at 5 am. It really felt like a home away from home where all our needs were anticipated and fulfilled even before we had to say anything.
Group festivities, which included group of students from The US
Rustic meal served after group celebration was over
Living at a homestay in Sarmoli will not only be a heartwarming experience but also give you the opportunity to partake in local village customs and celebrations. It is the best way to enjoy a retreat in the hills.
Tip 1# search for coordinates of Ms. Virdi and try to book in advance.
Tip 2# you can come down to Munsiyari from Kathgodam in one go, however, it would be tough 12 hour ride!!
Tip 3# it is absolute must to go for day hikes. There are few easy - moderate day hikes available with/without guide.
Kalimpong is a non traditional tourist attraction simply because it is just a small quaint town without much of a buzz. It is liked by people who like peace and want to get away and lost in silence. You can read more about what Kalimpong offers here. As far as food is concerned it offers simple choices (lately things have changed a little and some more cafes have come up). It has small cafes and restaurants, that too limited in number. The number is increasing just as tourists are increasing. You can check out places to eat as listed below, there is no order as every place is unique in itself.
Cafe Refuel
Sumptuous snacks on offer: Nachos, Coffee, Tuna Salad and Jalapeno Cheeseballs
Cafe refuel is a uber styled small cafe where one can enjoy their time. It is more of a place to hang out with friends. Have cup of coffee and play many games or just have a laugh or two. It is nicely styled with various seating options couches, chairs etc. Numerous options to pass the time too especially the Foosball table and huge selection of board games. They have very good finger foods, we had Nachos, Veg Balls and Tuna salad with Coffee. Their selection of bakery items looked mouthwatering. Also the guy who owned the cafe was very friendly and we chatted for a while about cafe and Kalimpong.
Shacks at Delo Hill
Momo and Wai Wai
Delo hill is a popular spot for tourist where there are few options available for tourists. Delo tourists lodge offer services to their in house guests only, so the only option left for us was to try out our all time favorite “Momo”. These shacks are very versatile in providing options. They have everything from alcohol to steamy hot Wai Wai, they have all the range one can ask for. As you can see we had bowl full of soupy Wai Wai with coffee and steamed momos accompanied by spicy red sauce. It was a perfectly light meal after a heavy breakfast.
Sood’s Garden retreat
Breakfast spread at Sood’s
Since we were there we tried to cover as much as possible in terms of eating joints and restaurants. In similar way we tried breakfast at Sood’s garden retreat. It is located at the start of the city before Holumba Haven and after Cafe Refuel. It has outdoor seating also which offers great views of Kanchendzunga on clear days. We had light breakfast of tea, omelette, toast and fries, It was fresh and quick to give a refreshing start to the day.We were the first customers for breakfast as it was early morning and much to our delight the entire housekeeping staff was going about their chores singing Hindi movie songs cheerfully from different quarters of the hotel! As much as hotel is costly in terms of staying, we found restaurant good value for money.
Gompu’s Restaurant
Big fluffy pork momo
We didn’t find Gompu’s as a particularly awesome place but one thing just one thing keeps it on the list of must haves. It has Pork Momos which are fluffy and double the size of regular momos which we eat in metros. They are super yum and soup which comes with it is too good too. Apart from that home made pork sausages can also be tried along with average Chinese food.
The trip to Matheran was undertaken bang in the middle of monsoon. Matheran is a quaint little hill town in Maharashtra and falls within the Western Ghats. Most of the blog posts we had come across showed Matheran as a dry, dusty and brown landscape which did not excite us at first. But the truth is Matheran’s true beauty is revealed come monsoon. It transforms into a lush, green haven of natural beauty.
Matheran in Monsoon is heavenly
The train journey to Matheran was extremely long, 36 hours in a train and we were desperate to begin our holiday. As soon as we reached Pune we got ourselves tickets on the next train to Karjat. As our train started chugging out of the railway station we started tingling with anticipation. In a matter of minutes, the landscape changed drastically and so did the weather. We were surrounded with green valleys which were being pounded by sheets of rain. It was a refreshing sight for our travel weary eyes. We were dropped off to Karjat from where we took a local to Neral which is the nearest railway station to Matheran. Thereafter we had to take a shared cab in order to reach Matheran. Now, Matheran is a unique place because it is a vehicle free town. One has to either walk on foot or horseback ride or cycle around. Also, the rail connectivity is limited to a toy train. As we were dropped off at Matheran by our cab we decided to walk the 2 kms into the heart of Matheran as the toy train’s timing was not any time soon. Lugging our rucksack on our tired bodies we made our way onward even as several porters propositioned to carry our bags. Unfortunately, the hotel where we had made bookings happened to be almost at the end of the town. A lot more weariness followed. Eventually, we reached the hotel – exhausted, out of breath, cold and wet (it had started to rain along the way).
Having finally reached our destination, we checked into our room and without wasting much time went into the dining room to pacify our ravenous appetite. The lunch was a delicious, vegetarian, homecooked meal. Licking our plates clean we retired to our room to rest our weary limbs. We had been provided with a map which outlined all the important points in Matheran. We decided to begin our sightseeing from the next day as we were too tired to walk around anymore. In the evening, we ventured out to explore the market and take a leisurely walk in the thin mist.
As luck would have it, the next day was not at all favourable for any sightseeing plans! We woke up to relentless rains, lashing winds and a thundering sky. Even though we had an umbrella, we figured it would be foolish to venture out in such inclement weather. Waiting for the weather to clear up a bit we stayed in our rooms the entire day ending it with a cup of tea at the local tea shop just outside.
The third day seemed a bit more promising with the rains subsiding a bit. Without waiting for the weather to get worse, we got ready quickly and marched ahead. The way was quite silent and spooky with not a person in sight. It was just the kind of solitude we wanted! The rain was playing a game of hide and seek with us. When we finally reached One Tree Hill point we were disappointed to see that there was no view due to the thick clouds covering the entire valley. We decided to quickly hurry back for lunch, as going to any other viewpoint would be pointless owing to the clouds and also because the weather was starting to turn fierce again.
One of many abandoned and deserted bungalows in Matheran
The foggy route to one tree hill point with the threat of imminent rain hanging over our heads!
The fourth day was to be the day of our redemption! It was our last day at Matheran and we had sworn to utilize it to the fullest. To our joy, the weather had cleared up significantly. We happily trotted towards Charlotte Lake to begin our sightseeing for the day. Due to the improved weather, a lot of other tourists and families had also come out. We sauntered taking in all the beauty of the place and liking the ,exercise. Having seen 5-6 points, we decided to cut short our route as the view was getting somewhat repetitive. Some not to be missed points have to be – Echo Point, Louisa Point and Porcupine Point. Having thus walked for about 4 hours, we decided to head back to our hotel for lunch.
A mist enveloped Charlotte Lake
The lush greenery was a soothing sight
View from Louisa Point
Porcupine Point
The evening was reserved for some shopping at the local market. Matheran’s specialty is in leather items like kolhapuri slippers, belts and wallets; chikki i.e. a sweet made of jaggery and assorted nuts and flavours; and a lot of sherbets in exotic flavours esp. Kokum. Having shopped to our heart’s content we made our way back.
Our trip ended with us taking the toy train to the entry point of Matheran. It was a short but breathtaking journey. The perfect way to end our trip!
Things to note:
1. Do carry a good and comfortable pair of walking shoes. As mentioned above Matheran is a vehicle free town where you will have to do a lot of walking. And the roads are uneven and stony with red soil. So keep your fancy shoes and casual flip flops at home for this one.
2. Keep an umbrella handy if going in the monsoon season.
3. Carrying a small torch is a good idea as well because the town goes to sleep quite early and it can get somewhat eerie if you are coming back to your hotel at night.
4. If you are travelling from afar then plan to stay on weekdays since the weekends see huge tourist crowds of families as well as college kids from nearby cities.
5. The toy train does not run its full course from Neral to Matheran during the months of June-October. It is a much prettier route albeit slow. So plan accordingly.
6. Monkeys can be a menace here. So avoid carrying food items in your hand and also refrain from feeding the monkeys.
With 4 days in hand we were planning for a quick getaway to the mountains. We zeroed in on the quiet and lesser known town Kalimpong. Even though Darjeeling ( 50 kms away) is a far more popular option among tourists we consciously avoided the crowd and settled for a solitude filled holiday.
Now, Kalimpong is generally just an overnight pit stop for travelers en route to Gangtok or Darjeeling and it really does not have a lot of sightseeing or touristy things on its platter. But if you want to spend a few days just relaxing and walking about it is just the place for you. Make sure to check into a good hotel or home stay like we did (at Holumba Haven) to make your days more enjoyable. Other things to engage yourself in and which we would recommend are:
1. Deolo Hill: one of the few tourist spots at Kalimpong it offers stunning views of the Kanchejunga and Teesta valley. One can easily take a shared cab which shall drop you off a little before Deolo hill and it’s a pleasant walk uphill. There is also a science centre halfway there which seemed to be a popular local picnic spot.
The road leading up to Deolo Hill had such spectacular views to offer
Teesta Valley as seen from Deolo Hill
2. Durpin Dara Hill: It is situated in the cantonment area of Kalimpong and has a small monastery. Ideal for spending a few hours.
Golf course on the way to Durpin Dara Hill
3. Teesta river: Catch a bus and spend some time on the banks of Teesta river, shop for some local produce at the market.
The colorful Teesta market
The quietly flowing Teesta
4. Café Refuel: When in Kalimpong, this cosy and welcoming café is a must visit!
Quirky Café Refuel
Of course, all these things can easily be done in one day. But if you plan on having a laid back relaxing vacation then spend at least a couple of days in Kalimpong.
Our journey into Sikkim began with the state’s capital, Gangtok. Sikkim has a lot to offer – scenic beauty, trekking routes, religious sites of South Sikkim. But owing to shortage of time we chose to keep the trip short and our itinerary included Gangtok and North Sikkim. Gangtok is a small, quiet and clean hill station which provides a fresh change from the hustle and bustle of big cities. Gangtok surely deserves a few days of your trip where you can spend some leisure time. Here are the top things to be done when here:
1. Himalayan Zoological Park: the Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park is not your typical zoo. Spread over an area of 205 hectares, it has a lot of open expanses where animals are kept in their natural surroundings. One can walk around the winding road and stop at the various enclosures. Also, the park houses the extremely adorable state animal, the red panda! This reason alone justifies a visit here.
The adorable Red Panda
2. Ganesh Tok: on the way to the Himalayan Zoological Park, is Ganesh Tok which is a small temple as well as a view point offering a fantastic view of Gangtok city below.
The colourful bells at Ganesh Tok temple
3. MG Marg: in the heart of Gangtok city is the hangout point of MG marg. It is a pedestrian only, litter free stretch where one can lounge on benches while munching on some momos. One has to come here to experience the best bakeries, cafes and restaurants in the city. It’s not a tourist point per se, but a local hangout point where people – young and old – converge and spend their evenings. During our entire stay at Gangtok, our evenings were always spent at MG marg.
4. Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom (DHH): This is for the shopaholics. The Tibetan Buddhist culture of Sikkim has a lot of ethnic stuff to offer like Thangkas (paintings on cloth or silk), wood carved items, bamboo items. Unfortunately, there are hardly any shops selling the entire range at affordable prices. Well, not to worry! The directorate of handicrafts and handloom is a government outlet where one can find all the varied articles of the region. There are also workshops where women weave clothes and carpets on looms. Just take note that it stays closed on Sundays and all other public holidays (like Good Friday, to our disappointment).
5. Tsomgo Lake and Nathu la: the trip to tsomgo and Nathu la will take up a whole day. And one needs permits to go here hence plan a bit in advance. Tsomgo lake, locally referred to as Changu lake, is a huge tourist attraction. There is snow, cold, yaks and lots of noodles and momo shacks. Hop on to a yak and be shown around the entire periphery of the lake. We were a bit overwhelmed by the sight of so many people so we chose to duck into a shack and gorge on momos and noodles instead! Nathu la is a mountain pass between the nations of India and China. It’s a little further up from Tsomgo lake but bad weather prevented us from going till there. Its definitely a place worth going because of its beauty as well as the legend of Baba Harbhajan Singh. The story goes like this – in the Indo-China war of 1965 Major Harbhajan Singh was martyred, but it is believed that his presence can still be felt at the army camp. In the event of any Chinese aggression, the Major’s spirit warns everyone of impending danger beforehand. Every year, his luggage is dispatched to the nearest railway station and a train reservation made in his name to ensure his journey to his hometown for vacation. He has come to be known as “Baba” with reverence and a temple has also been constructed in his honor.
The tranquil beauty of Tsomgo Lake
Bisons lazing around waiting for their next customer
Some other places which we were unable to visit but you can take out time for in Gangtok are – the Rumtek Monastery, the ropeway, Hanuman Tok, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology.
Gangtok is the place if you are real foodie. From fancy bakery products to tantalizing local cuisine, Gangtok offers you myriad choices. We will list down some fantastic places where we ate during our 4 day stay in Gangtok.
Since there is no ranking or preference of any sort we are presenting the list without any order so that choice is based on your preference not ours!!
* The Coffee Shop
MG Road in Gangtok is the place where you will find vast varieties of food. The Coffee Shop offers fantastic coffee as well as very good choices in pizzas and continental dishes.
We enjoyed canapé(see below) and Veg pizza along with the fresh coffee (See Above).
Mushroom Canape and Chicken sausage Canape.
It has a good setting to have pleasing lunch after some shopping or sightseeing.
* 9′INE Native Cuisine
If you love local food, you are bound to love the taste at 9′INE Native Cuisine. It is situated in the heart of MG Road. They have a small menu and only serve fixed per person menu based on Veg and Non Veg choices. We had veg option and the owner who was very courteous said it could serve 2 persons very well!!. The meal included very light soup of fermented spinach, radish and cheese salad, fermented soyabean dal, mixed vegetable, loads of ghee served in Bhutanese cutlery.
The taste of fermented dishes was awesome as well as the salad and mixed vegetables were superb. In totality it is a fantastic place to have Sikkimese cuisine with a very warm host. You can also see some Sikkimese and Bhutanese antiques on the wall. Also, the restaurant offers limited seating so grab a table early if you want to savor a meal here. We wish we could have Non veg option too but that we could do later.
* Bakers Cafe
Just like all very fine restaurants, Baker’s cafe is also located on MG Road and is a very scenic and small cafe. The smell of bakery items can drive you crazy as things are prepared fresh daily. Most of the items run of the shelves very quickly. Their cafe offers variety of dishes from Continental, Italian, American all types of it, I mean the best baked dishes and breakfast dishes are best served. They have good range of drinks and coffee too. We had french fries, veg sandwich, orange crush, lemonade, Sausage and fried egg with Mayonnaise.
* Pub 25
Pub 25 is one of THE places to hang out with friends and have chilled beer or drinks, laugh and have a good time. It looks like a happy place with courteous staff.
Bar Scene in Pub 25
We ordered deviled eggs, fish finger with tartar sauce and of course couple of beers. Everything was delightful and ambiance made food even more enjoyable.
Perfect Place to have a Beer
Although it might appear that the place might be costly but it is not, trust us!! One more thing, they have live music nights too to enjoy if you are lucky enough to arrive on that day.
* Nettle and Fern Hotel
Nettle and Fern hotel is a place where we stayed. It is small peaceful hotel located around a Km from MG Road in development area. It is basically a B&B and it offers in its package morning buffet breakfast which has so many choices - North Indian, South Indian, English etc. On our stay we had breakfast there everyday and menu changes everyday to keep things interesting. We pretty much looked forward to it every morning.
Even though we had breakfast here every morning, we couldn’t resist attempting few dinners and trying out some delicacies like ema Datchi, celo kebab (Above Celo Kebab with ema Datchi). Well one of us was not impressed by ema datchi but all other things we had in Nettle and Fern were good. They have a very good bar and ambiance is trendy (Music, Football etc). They also have separate smoking room. Drinks seemed little bit on higher side but food is generally little bit costly in Nettle and Fern, their cheese cakes should be tried.
* Cafe Fiction
Cafe Fiction is located just about 3-4 minutes stroll away from Nettle and Fern. It is basically a book store with a really good looking cafe downstairs. They have good selection of cheese cakes, sandwiches, coffees, drinks (non alcoholic).
Frankly speaking we liked the idea of having such a cafe. Book store is large with good selection of books across genres. One can sit and read in the store as well. We also came to know that they have couple of rooms too for guests. We had some expectations from bookstore as well as cafe but cafe disappointed us. We went there in evening and they had only one type of cheese cake left. Considering we went there hungry, cheese cake wasn’t enough for the expectations. It could be a case of bad timing as the menu boasted of some really delectable stuff. So we came out little disappointed from cafe but not from bookstore where we bought four books. In the end we felt it is a good bookstore but as for the cafe we will have to make a visit the next time we are in Gangtok to get a taste of the goodies. .
Shillong is a quite happening place and some very good places to eat out. As you will see some are listed below:
1. Cafe Shillong
Situated in the heart of Laitumkhrah this is the best restaurant we could find in Shillong. It also has live music on Sundays as well as football screenings throughout. Food is little expensive but goes down well with ambiance and taste.
Delicious roasted pork with mashed potato and veggies.
White sauce pasta with garlic bread
2. Munchies
Near Cafe Shillong there is another trendy place called munchies. It specialises in fast foods like Burgers and Pastas. I would recommend Juicy Lucy burger as well as creamy salads.
Pasta at Munchies
You can also enjoy football matches there plus authentic rock music.
3. Pinewood:
Well we do not have pictures of Pinewood but this colonial style property was best suited to have some drinks and share laughs. It is near Ward’s Lake easily accessible from Police Bazar as well as from Laitumkhrah.
We would recommend to book in a hotel where you can avail breakfast otherwise Shillong is so sleepy that you will not get anything to eat till 10 AM. Also it is advised to stay in Laitumkhrah because there are many bakeries, restaurants and in general the area is pretty nice with surrounding areas behind Laitumkhrah that can be explored on foot.
Part two of our Kutch trip was reserved for the coastal city of Mandvi. We decided to make a bike trip of this one.
So, with the fuel tank full and our helmets in place we set out for Mandvi. The road was a pleasure but the weather was a bit harsh with the sun quite fierce. Still, it was good fun admiring the landscape as we moved along. First stop was the Vijay Vilas Palace on the outskirts of the city. It is a somewhat contemporary palace which is quite well maintained. Though not very expansive it provides beautiful view of the landscape all around.
The regal beauty of Vijay Vilas Palace
Soon enough, it was time for lunch and we decided to have the traditional Gujarat thali at Osho. One should be amply prepared for the Gujarat thali as it has a lot to offer. You can truly enjoy it only if you have enough space in your tummy and the hunger to try all the flavors present. Osho did not disappoint us as the thali was simply scrumptious (and quite cheap as well!). And like all Gujaratis we have met the hotel staff was very warm and hospitable. Our waiter was actually disappointed when we indicated we were full and would not have any more of the tasty fare.
Quite a delectable spread, rite?
With our stomachs full we decided to make our way to the Mandvi beach to enjoy the sunset before heading back home.
The many hues of sunset at Mandvi Beach
After a long wait for the sun to go down we savoured the beauty of the sunset. A colony of seagulls had congregated at the beach and all of them looked towards the setting sun as if admiring the beauty just like the rest of us. It was an amusing spectacle to witness the cute little gulls flitting over the water body playfully chasing each other even as some local men were feeding them bread. It was a beautiful way to end a beautiful trip.
Amongst the many wonders of Sikkim is the beautiful, remote and untouched North Sikkim. The way to North Sikkim is quite arduous.
Also, there are no fancy hotels or resorts or guest houses where one can stay. There are tailor made packages for North Sikkim where the driver shall be not just your driver but your guide, your room provider and in our case, the cook as well! One of the main attractions of North Sikkim are the Gurudongmar Lake, located at an altitude of 17,800 feet. It supposedly gets very windy in the afternoon hence tourists are advised to start early. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it till that point due to inclement weather. But the quest to reach there was something – waking up at 5:00 am, seeing so much of snow, the cold chilling us right to our core and watching big SUVs skidding on ice like toy cars!
snow clad landscape while going to Gurudongmar lake
Chilling cold and Lachen chu flowing alongside
Lachen was the pitstop for the journey to Gurudongmar Lake. It is a heritage village and a plastic free zone.
View from hotel; The hotel room at Lachen was quite basic but provided us with this amazing view as soon as we opened the window!
A bit disappointed we moved on to experience Yumthang Valley, famous for its rhododendron blooms which paint the valley a wonderful and cheerful shades of red. Well... our disappointment accompanied us here as well, as the weather had not warmed up enough for the rhododendron flowers to blossom yet. So we moved onto Zero Point or Yumesamdong as it is locally called. This was a nice way to wrap up our North Sikkim trip as it was clear and sunny up at Zero point with lots of snow. Zero Point is quite close to the Indo- China border and has no such landscape to admire. But still it is one of those must visit landmarks which was evident from sizable crowd of tourists present there. The lack of any particular feature was compensated by the clear blue skies contrasting with the sparkling snow which was a wonderful sight. There are also small stands set up by locals where you can snack and warm yourself with some liquor as well. It is a common sight in North Sikkim of locals selling liquor right next to noodles and momos. It must be the local solution to beat the chill!
Zero point view
a dull Yumthang Valley
Big black straight mountain in front of Lachung
More than anything the whole way to and from North Sikkim is a beauty. The lush greenery, gushing river, numerous bridges – big and small, and the cascading waterfalls on every turn are a joy to watch. While our driver was navigating us through the narrow, winding roads we were taking in all the beauty that north Sikkim had to offer. And this wonderful place will leave you craving for more. It will not be wrong to say that for North Sikkim the journey is as beautiful as the destination.
Beautiful bridge on Lachung chu enroute to sulphur hotspring.
The trip to Rann of Kutch was mostly about a visit to the white salt desert, that stretches out for miles. But we also squeezed in a little bit of sightseeing to other nearby places. Having booked into a charming homestay at Devpur, we made our way to Bhuj to see the Prag Mahal and the Aaina Mahal. It is not very well maintained but is quite a treasure trove for history lovers.
Day 2 was reserved for the journey to the white desert! We kicked off our journey by going to a famous local temple on the recommendation of our driver-cum-guide. Nearby there was also a fossil park which has been the result of a retired army man’s relentless work on fossils for many years. Making these small pit stops we were off to see the wilderness and the beauty of Kutch. After a long drive we reached Kala Dungar which is the highest point of Kutch. It offers a spectacular view of the barren wasteland that is Kutch. It is truly a sight to behold! The way clouds cast their shadow on the landscape below coupled with the silent calm will make you sit in awe for a few minutes.
Just before Kalo Dungar is also a scientific marvel in the form of a magnetic force field. As we had never seen such a thing before we were quite excited. Simply put, the magnetic force in this patch is so strong that if you power off your vehicle it will start moving by itself due to the magnetic force being exerted. It was quite a fascinating thing!
Having spent the better part of the day we finally took off for the white desert! Although it is apparently the most beautiful on a full moon night unfortunately for us we could not time our visit accordingly. Hence, a beautiful sunset was all we could feast upon. One thing is for sure, that the white desert of Kutch is something extraordinary and one has to see it to believe it.
Just a wide expanse of nothing - only white crystals crunching under your feet. as you walk further and further away from the crowd a sense of how insignificant we are will dawn upon you, slowly but surely.
Again, having walked all over the place we decided to just sit and enjoy the moment. The sunset was a beauty, turning the white salt crystals a blushing pink as it went down.
The capital of Meghalaya is a quaint little hill town with winding, sloping roads; houses with colonial architecture and cute little cafes.
It is an ideal place to spend a few days of respite from the hustle and bustle of a typical city. Shillong offers numerous labyrinthine paths and streets where one can go on endless walks admiring the beauty of nature. And old, rusted goalposts standing tall in a field in the middle of nowhere is a common sight here! (Above: View from a rain soaked and misty Shillong Peak )
There some typical tourist sites on offer which are made all the more lovely by the pleasant monsoon weather. Be it the Shillong Peak, Ward’s Lake or Elephant Falls - it is a calm and relaxing experience. But they are quite popular haunts for all the tourists so be ready to witness some noisy tourist crowds.
Other than this a visit to Police Bazaar and Bara Bazaar is a must for shopping expeditions. Also, archery bets can be placed on one of the many small stalls which can be seen all over Shillong city. But to really savor and enjoy Shillong just grab your umbrella and take a walk on the many winding, labyrinthine roads enjoying the solitude and quiet.
Mawlynnong is supposedly the cleanest village of Asia. So, how could we have missed it on our way to Cherrapunjee. And it was true to its title. Mawlynnong is unlike any village we have seen till now (and we have seen quite a few!). Clean roads, cute little houses with curtained windows, gardens bedecked with flowers and shrubs and beautiful, colorful butterflies everywhere. It was a treat to the eyes.
There are a number of homestays that offer accommodation but we were able to make only a small pit stop for lunch which was a simple, delicious, homemade affair in one of the little shacks owned by a local woman. Our meal was topped off by a juicy sweet pineapple which was served to us on request by the lady herself. Before leaving for Cherrapunjee we climbed atop a 50-feet tree house to enjoy the view. The flood plains of Bangladesh were clearly visible, we were that close to the border.
Mawlynnong is a beautiful place and can be ideal for a quiet retreat amidst nature. It boasts of a bamboo sky view with a spectacular aerial view as well as many natural water pools and living root bridges. It might not engage the frantic tourist crowd for more than a few hours but will appeal enormously to the travellers amongst us.
Cherrapunji is 90 minutes away from Shillong and around 2 hour from Mawlynnong (Cleanest village in Asia). Cherrapunji offers breathtaking views of valleys, waterfalls, caves and it has awesome, not-to-be-missed trek to the double decker living root bridge.
Our lodging arrangement was a simple, unassuming backpackers’ resting point.This is really a one stop destination for young folks travelling in groups. You may even get a chance to meet up with adventurous foreign backpackers as well as its proximity to eating joints makes it a rare gem.
Starting the trek to the double decker living root bridge on 2nd day.
A 3 Kilometers long footpath which mostly stairs, so beef up your calf muscles. Walk is totally downhill one way and uphill in return. Keep plenty of water because the thick forest is very humid and shops are nearly absent.
The stairs can get this steep.
First hanging bridge, sometimes it sways in the middle and it can get real scary with water gushing just uderneath the bridge.
Second hanging bridge it has two parts but equally scary!! But a nice little shack awaits you once you cross this bridge so you can reward yourself with some good, old, delicious Maggi and hot tea.
The double decker living root bridge.
For caving enthusiasts Mawsmai caves provides opportunity to explore.
Stairway to heaven, just above the seven sisters waterfall in eco park. Chance to live between clouds and view of beautiful valley is on offer!!
Nawkhalikai falls the highest in north east is absolute beauty, plus there is plenty of scope to just sit in a corner and enjoy the peace of flat hill top.
