Pictures from the North East Express

Some of the other pictures I took while on my way from New Delhi to Gangtok are -     

At Anand Vihar Railway Station. Notice the aligning of the shadowy part and the sunny part

A solitary station in the middle of nowhere

The landscape struck me. Could see no trees apart from the one close by.

A picture taken from my mobile. The train stood here, at Begusarai (Bihar) for about an hour and a half.

When I got down at the New Jalpaiguri station it was breaking dawn. We had booked a cab to take us to Gangtok. The pictures below were shot while we were on the move as the fatigue of a 42 hour long journey was too much to handle. The road to Gangtok has been made right next to River Teesta which gave us a birds eye view of the River which was quite breathtaking to say the least. But to get near the River Teesta we had to cross the Mahananda Wildlife Reserve which is popular for elephants. Here are the snapshots - 

Driving through the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary on my way to Gangtok

On the move with the forest passing by

 

A sneaking glance of the River Teesta (The lifeline of Sikkim)

 

River Teesta runs parallel to  the road to Gangtok which ensures you get to see a lot of breathtaking sights

 

Throughout the road one can hear the dull roar of the River water gushing down the mountains heading to Bangladesh. Over here you can see a bend of the river (beyond the leaves)

The River Teesta (notice the sand bar in the middle)

 

The River passing through an ‘S’ shaped meander. (The shade of the car window also appears in this picture)

(to be continued)...

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Sikkim Sojourn Part 2 - My Rendevous with the Ganges

My trip to Sikkim started at Anand Vihar Rly. Stn. From where we had to board the North East Express. Apparently that was the only train suitable to our time preferences and was proving to be economical as well. But the very first lesson of this trip was taught to me by this very train.. and that was never compromise over quality as it might cost you big ! The best trains which can help you reach there(New Jalpaiguri) on time(as we realized later) are Rajdhani Express and Purvottur Sampark Kranti.

Well the train(North East Express).. Believe it or not.. was 17 hours late ! It completed the trip of 25 hrs in a total time of 42 hours. Moral of the story ? Never book a train without researching over the internet if it is running as per schedule or not.

But that said, I came across really interesting and striking sights on my way to New Jalpaiguri(the transit town for Darjeeling, Gangtok e.t.c.). But the highlight was crossing the River Ganges at Bihar. Let me explain them with pictures :-

 

The huge and mighty River Ganges in Bihar - 1

Notice the row of boats at the bank of the River

The huge and mighty River Ganges in Bihar – 2

The huge and mighty River Ganges in Bihar – 3

Notice the Riverine Island. The River has numerous such islands in its entire course.

Water.. Water.. Water..

Fishermen returning with their haul

Flood Plains of the Ganges

(to be continued..)

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Sikkim Sojourn Part 1

My trip to Sikkim(located in the Himalayas) started with a hope to see glimpses of Mother Earth which I had never seen before. Not only that, I wanted to see 'sights' of mother earth few had actually seen ! And in this attempt I truly succeeded. As my galleries of pictures would reveal to  you I really had the privilege of feasting my eyes on beautiful sights which included crossing the mighty Ganges at Bihar, the road trip to Gangtok from New Jalpaiguri/Siliguri in which we crossed the Mahananda Wildlife sanctuary and also drove by to the River Teesta, the trip to GuruDongmar Lake e.t.c.

I will divide my trip to phases and accordingly show it to you. Hope you enjoy viewing panoramic Sikkim.
The first phase of my trip was the train journey to New Jalpaiguri. I will share with you the experiences of the first part of my trip in which I crossed the mighty Ganges in my next post.
See you till then !

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Thoughts of a Trip 2

When the idea of an ideal vacation comes up it gets really confusing while deciding where to go.. As i mentioned in my previous post the options were Goa(for the beaches),Shimla(for the hills).... I also considered places like Kullu-Manali, e.t.c. but they were not meeting my criteria of being a place which was beautiful but different, and being overcrowded.
Then another roadblock which needed to considering while looking for a nice place to go vacationing in June was the temperature and weather. Monsoon clouds cover three-fourths of India by the time June comes and going to a place when it is raining is not the best choice especially when enjoying the rain is not the only thing one intends to do. It was at this moment that Ms. Bonnie  mentioned the place Gangtok (one of her colleagues was planning a trip to the same place).
Now Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim was an interesting choice but a quick glance at the Weather Channel again indicated that June is the time when it rains in Gangtok. But given the fact Ms. Bonnie decided upon something(at last) was enough an incentive for me to probe the places to visit in Gangtok and the weather patterns of the city, in detail.
The first thing when Gangtok came to my mind was that June being the start of 'off-season'  their would relatively be less people as compared to the peak tourist season from Oct - May. Then came the turn of checking the weather, and one thing which was clear was that it could rain in the first half of June(that is when i am planning to go) and because the hills around Gangtok are prone to landslides i needed to keep atleast 1 buffer day to compensate any delay in the schedule.
Then, the next question was where to visit ? According to me the view of Mt. Kanchenjunga (3rd highest mountain in the world) was the biggest spectacle to be seen.

(Mt Kanchenjunga as seen from Gangtok. Courtesy Mr. S Stiehler)

But apart from that the other places to visit are:-
1. Tashi View Point
2. Institute of Tibetology
3. Do Drul Chorten
4. Permanent Flower Show
5. Hanuman Tok
6. Ganesh Tok 
7. Himalayan Zoological Park
and many more

(MG Marg as seen from Hotel Window. Courtesy Mr. Amit)

But one thing which i noticed was that we could cover these places in a day or two. So what do we do for the rest 5 days ? To get that answer We got in touch with a local but govt. recognised tour operator and they suggested a trip to Yumthang Valley(Valley of Flowers). Upon a few enquiries i found out that apart from
Yumthang Valley an excellent oppurtunity presented itself for us to visit one of the highest lake in the world:- The Gurudongmar Lake.

(Gurudongmar Lake. Courtesy Mr. A Mitra)

Situated at a height of 17100 ft or 5212 metres on the Tibetan Plateau it was the perfect place for me to sense that 'high' which i wanted from this trip. So it was settled. We were to go to Sikkim.




Note:- The pictures in this post have been clicked by photographers who hold their(pictures) rights and
permit conditional free use. They do not endorse the author or the blog.

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Thoughts about a Trip

Hello Everyone ! Been a long time since i posted anything.. But that was because i never travelled anywhere and i could not see the point in copying and pasting stuff from other sites. So now i come back to blog because i have started to plan about a trip to somewhere where i could be far from the 'maddening crowds' and unwind.

I am most likely to take that trip in the month of June. Although on a personal note i do not like to reveal my plans in advance but let me face it.. I dont have a group of followers so i can be frank on what i post and not care about what people think..

So starting from now i would start sharing my experiences while planning for this trip of mine, tell you about how it proceeds  and what was the aftertaste after going to those places.

So, to start with a bit of honesty I have not had a vacation in the last 5 years 6 months and 20 days (being precise). So when this idea  was mooted by 'Ms. Bonnie' it got me thinking. Where could i go to, which place in india has got that capability to quench a travellers five and a half year old thirst.

Goa ? Might be.. Beaches, Churches, Green Hills, Great atmosphere.. Great i said to myself !! This is it.. This is the place.. But one look at the weather channel site poured cold water on the idea as in the month of June it would be having its yearly tryst with the monsoons. Goa out....

Shimla ? Ummm.. Cool hills, nice ambience, a proven tourist spot.. But the world goes over there does it not ?

The problem with reading a lot of Lonely Planets, National Geographics e.t.c. is that you get too many ideas and it gets really difficult to get them organised. Trust me, I have faced it.. and I literally got swept away in that wave(of ideas).

The vacation had to have a balance of warm and cold, some place where i had never been to(but then i have hardly been anywhere to be frank.. just the Terai himalayas, the Thar desert and Gangetic West Bengal.. thats it), some place which would not be crowded, some place where not everyone can go to..

It is then that Ms. Bonnie uttered a word and i clamped down all my thoughts and said to myself this was the place i would head to,  and it suited almost all my conditions.. It is not frequented by many a travellers, its cool, it could be made adventurous and it can be economical. Ahh.. thats what the doctor ordered i remarked.. 

The Place ?

Wait for my next blog :-)

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2nd innings - Resuming blogging !

Buenos Dias todo el mundo and Merry Christmas ! This is Rohan, and i am back after a long long lay-off.... Why did i stop in the first place ? Well thats a question i am still seeking answers for..
Well as far as the blog is concerned i will continue writing it, moreover i am trying to invite a new writer who is a master of his industry and could add to this blog-site a different dimension altogether..
As far as the ten best places were concerned i will just spill the beans.. The 3 places i still have to write about are Switzerland, Italy and Tahiti..
Hope to resume as soon as i can, until then..

Ciao

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Switzerland

Top Ten places to visit in the world with your soulmate:-

1. Switzerland

 Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Picure Source - Flickr , Author - Werner Kratz [Bephep2010]

Panorama of Swiss Countryside while the photographer was on the way to Arosa
Picture Source - Flickr , Author - Tambako the Jaguar

While deciding which destination, according to me, would be the best to visit for a honeymoon I went back and asked myself what is the basic purpose of romance ? They are Love and Intimacy [ Physical and Mental]. While honeymooning a couple gets to understand each other, increase comfortability with each other and enjoy each other's company in a place which is beautiful, serene, innocent and has the ability to move you.

Panorama of the Swiss countryside - 2

Picture Source - Flickr , Author - Tambako the Jaguar

Such places are found only in storybooks which is why I recommend Switzerland, The Home of Heidi. Future can only be based upon truth which is why any ideal honeymoon for me is where I can work out my compatibility or get to know the prefrences of my partner and vice-versa in privacy.

 Lush green meadows with cattle grazing over them.. A distant cottage nearby.. A storybook setting !!

Picture Source - Flickr , Author - Oleg Sidorenko [oksidor]

In Switzerland the main places which are recommended for a couple to go amongst the many options are Lake Geneva, St Moritz, Verbier, Mürren, Gstaad, Arosa.. But the main usp of Switzerland is Switzerland itself. Its lush green meadows, the powdery snow, the breathtaking lakes, the hypnotising sceneries, the isolated cottages, the cattle with bells around their necks, the sheperd dogs....... Switzerland has it all !

A view of the Jet d'Eau and city of Geneva from lake Geneva in the evening

Picture Source - Flickr , Author - itupictures

Lake Geneva is all about the Swiss Riviera, a palm-lined shore drive past vineyards, stylish city of Geneva, and the imposing Mont Blanc.

Switzerland is incomplete without its powder snow and skiing !

Picture Source - Flickr , Author -mikhail_k

Verbier is a resort town which is simple and very much French in nature. It lies at the bottom of an enormous alpine valley surrounded by spectacular ski slopes. Verbier also has cable car access to a huge network of ski trails. During summers Vernier becomes a base town for hikers.

While in Switzerland a ride in the Glacier Express is always recommended as it takes you through some of the most breathtaking sceneries in the world.

 Picture Source - Flickr , Author -Kevin Poh [kevinpoh]

The Glacier Express connects the railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps.The trip on the Glacier Express is a 7½ hour railway journey across 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and across the Oberalp Pass on the highest point at 2,033 m (6,670 ft) in altitude.

Murren is an isolated town which can be reached by cog railway or cable car. Set on a rocky, high-altitude ledge hundreds of feet above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Mürren has a handful of chalet-style hotels, excellent ski and hiking trails, and sweeping views over the mountains of the Bernese Oberland. It is as picture-perfect a Swiss village as you can find anywhere.

Gstaad

Picture Source - Flickr , Author -Rob West [robwest]

Gstaad is located at the junction of four alpine valleys midway between the Bernese Oberland and the Vaud Alps, Gstaad is a winter capital of the European glitterati. You can't get any more stylish, and the skiing is good, too. Regardless of their price range, all the hotels seem to have cozy bedrooms, blazing fireplaces, and enough schnapps to set the mood.

 Arosa

 Picture Source - Flickr , Author -Kecko

Arosa is one of the highest (1,800m/5,904 ft.) ski resorts in Switzerland, Arosa is less expensive and less forbiddingly elegant than its nearest competitor, St. Moritz. An excellent place for a romantic getaway during summers, where a series of hiking trails lead to lush forests and small lakes. When you tire of these, cable cars can carry you and your companion to alpine heights and sublime vistas.

Panorama of the Swiss Countryside - 3

Picture Source - Flickr , Author -Aileen's Pics

The other places you might want to visit while in Switzerland are Mount Rigi, Rousseau Island [Ile Rousseau], Vals Valley, Verbier, Lausanne, Zermatt.......

In the end beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Every couple has got their own tastes and i am sure some might differ with the positioning of the honeymoon destinations in the ranks. Some couple might have other destinations in mind while some would not want their honeymoon to be destination specific so in the end I leave the final choice of the ideal destination to you. Go where your heart takes you to and have a Happy Comitted Life. Bon Voyage

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Disclaimer - The pictures in this post have been clicked by photographers who hold their(pictures) rights and permit conditional free use. They do not endorse the author or the blog. This blog also thanks the photographers for sharing the beautiful pictures with the world.

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