Soul of a Traveler

Travel is something which is a very unique experience. A traveler is a traveler by birth - no matter whether he  has been to different places or not. The passion for traveling runs in his blood right from his childhood. A person who just loves to travel will never never bother about small obstacles like heat or traffic or mode of travel. He can travel in a bullock cart as well as in a Mercedes if lucky enough! If anyone asks a traveler why he travels then there is no answer to that. It is almost the same as asking a nightingale why it sings, or questioning a baby why it always looks for its mother's lap! A traveler doesn't travel to achieve or prove anything - he does it for himself, as if he is simply destined to see the world and love it as it is! There is no question asked, no logic, no give and take. A traveler has no goal to reach, no hope to carry, no burden to deliver, no one to specifically meet. Traveling is basically a soul searching, kind of an introspection. If a traveler, at all has any thing to get from globetrotting, then that would be searching his own self, to dig deep into his inner soul. A traveler is a very happy and unique creature in himself. A true traveler knows how to accept whatever comes in his path as it is. Nothing can dampen his spirit.

Jalpaiguri, Dooars, Jaldapara, Bhutan

Day 1: 2nd April

We all got ready within 8:30am and settled all the dues at the reception. We started journey at 9am and we were heading for Siliguri. The road was running parallel to the toy train rails. We were directed to take the Pankhabari road by the traffic police. The problem with the road is that it is too narrow and risky and as a result accident prone. Anyway we managed to reach Siliguri almost in time spite of heavy traffic in the opposite direction. 

the widespread Tea Garden on both side of the road from Darjeeling to Siliguri

From Siliguri our plan was to hire another 8 seater cab to Jalpaiguri, but the cab drivers there were asking some absurd amounts 1000/- bucks or 1500/- bucks for Siliguri to Jalpaiguri, whereas the same distance in Bus is only 25 bucks per head, totaling to a mere 125/- for 5 persons. So we boarded a private bus, which was indeed the worst and silliest blunder we did. That bus took 2.5 hrs to reach Jalpaiguri. Never ever get in any private bus if you are traveling from Siliguri to Jalpaiguri like us.

Anyway, we had our plans to stay in a hotel for that day and to shift to Jaldapara Jungle Resort on the next day. But unfortunately we couldn't find any decent clean hotel there nearby. So we changed our plan and directly reached one of our relative's house. Next day morning we started our journey towards Jaldapara Jungle Resort. We reached around 11:30am and checked in our respective rooms. We booked two (2) wooden cottage for 2 days and per wooden cottage the rent was 2500/- per day. There were normal cottages also and their rate was cheaper, around 2300/- per day.

the entry path, wooden bridge over the nullah surrounding the resort

Initially we had plans to book rooms at Holong Jungle Bungalow. But since it is at a far better location, i.e much deeper inside the jungle itself, there is more demand and rooms are filled up quickly. To book rooms in Holong Bungalow, need to have some hold in the Govt. Tourism department, and that too have to book from Kolkata office.

 

What we did, we simply kept our luggage there in room and then came back to reception to finalize and book the elephant safari, next day early in the morning. They couldn't confirm, because some VIP guests had come so the availability of elephants were little problem. They requested us to wait till evening 7pm to get confirmation. Otherwise we have Jeep Safari option. The difference between Jeep and Elephant safari is, Jeep cannot go in some areas where Rhinos generally comes out for food, but Elephants can. And elephant safari is costly too.

Monastery @ Phuntsholing

Since there was no work for that day, other than waiting to the safari booking in the evening so we called our driver to take us to Phuntsholing @ Bhutan. It took another 1:50hrs to reach Phuntsholing. The distance from Jaldapara to Phuntsholing was not at all far, "but" the road leading to Bhutan was so bumpy that driving a car on the village road rather would feel like a cake walk to you! It was less of a road and more of a death trap for both the ride and the rider, because of the sheer number of pits on every meter of the road. By the time we reached Bhutan all of us were tired of continuous jerking. We directly went to the monastery and spent some time there. Check out the snaps of the monastery...

The Main Monastery @ the top of the hill

On both side of the Indo Bhutan gate there are markets, restaurants, shops selling varieties of different products. We had lunch at one such restaurant. I got 2 Bhutanese notes, as I asked the cashier to give the return changes in Bhutanese currency. :)

We came back to resort around 6:30pm and got to know that there was no elephant available for safari. Altogether 3 Elephants were there and all were booked by the VIPs. Then got some inside information that, if you are really desperate to go for elephant ride then you can book it from their kolkata office itself. So we booked Jeep Safari and paid Rs.1700/- for one jeep. There is no sharing option, since for a whole group one jeep is  allotted. In one jeep 7-8 average adult can seat, so for a bigger group (> = 10 members) you need to book more than one jeep.

Garden cum sitting area @ Jaldapara Jungle Resort

Anyway, nothing can spoil your mood if you are a true traveler in mind. I specially was happy to see interior of our cottage - it was nicely decorated, with clean soft furnishings, quite spacious (specially the bathroom). But the best thing was the private Balcony. We spent rest of the evening by simply relaxing, chatting and having excellent chicken pakodas and tea. In one plate they served 8 pakodas and the tea was complementary.

Around 7:30pm the management announced for a theme show at the Garden cum sitting area (see below). There are many animal statues placed at different corners of the whole area and beautiful lighting arrangements are done to highlight them while playing a audio voice over to explain about those animals and their specialties. All the animals showcased there, they all are inhabitants of Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Jaldapara Jungle Resort

After that show the management made another announcement to all the guests to come over and have their buffet dinner at the dining area. Their buffet was decent. There is one thing which really surprised me is that, while they serve food, may it be breakfast or lunch or dinner, they play nice Bengali songs, Rabindra sangeet to old famous Bengali contemporary songs. That was indeed a WOW experience for me!

After dinner we came back to our respective cottages around 9:30pm. I just thought of opening a window facing deep inside the jungle and enjoy the nocturnal beauty of Jaldapara. Then I realized that all the windows were fully covered with net, and the window glasses are fixed with the pane, not to be opened. Because it is indeed a mosquito and many nocturnal animal infested area. And here I can't resist myself from getting tempted to forewarn you that, Do not keep your balcony door open at night. Otherwise you will end up sleeping together with "Takshak" (one variety of lizards) and jungle bat (hanging just above your head) and who knows what more! Nonetheless, you will be blessed to be the audience to the excellent orchestra played by huge sized mosquitoes. and Rest assured that these mosquitoes are all female and they wont leave you alone even for a single moment!

Rhino Watch Tow

But thankfully I could sleep quite well and next day we got our wake up call for Jeep Safari at 4:30am from the reception. We got ready and went out where our jeep were waiting for us. We left around 5:30am. Unfortunately it was raining then and we realized what a bad day for us to go to the jungle as all the animals would be hiding somewhere under the big trees or within their shelter. We ain't have no other option except going, since we paid in advance. So we carried on, but were only able to see some Bison, Peacocks, Sambar and Deers. But no glimpse of any Rhino or so! :(

See above, you can see the Rhino watch tower. We were not able to any Rhino though! There are two (2) such towers.

Holong Jungle Bungalow

The tower shown above is the second one and from there generally in a normal clear day you could be lucky enough find out a Rhino family having their morning breakfast at a distance!

Ultimately we realised that there is no way we will be able to see even a silhouette of Rhino. Our driver then took us to Holong Jungle Bungalow, see left. 

After an unfruitful morning safari we cam back to our resort and changed our fully wet dresses.

run baby run !

The rain didn't stop fully, it was continuously drizzling outside. We just went out in the lawn and made ourselves content with these mere statues of Rhinos. Don't know about others but at least I had my fun time!

After all these fun time we came back to rooms and went to the restaurant area to finished our buffet breakfast. There were option of boiled egg, bread, jam, butter, poori and dum aloo, ripe banana, milk, cornflakes, etc. 

After breakfast we packed our luggage as quickly as possible. Around 10:30am we started our journey back to Jalpaiguri. On our way we visited Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Deep in side Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary

We learnt from the guards there at Gorumara and Chapramari wildlife sanctuary that every year many baby and adult elephants die under running train at the level crossing near Chapramari. This year also around the month of February as many as 9 elephants died after getting hit by express trains. Generally the elephants try to cross the rail line to come to the other part of the jungle during night and early in the morning. During winter season the line will be covered with think fog which makes it almost impossible for the elephants to see any incoming train. As a result they try to cross the line being completely unaware of the rushing death summon. Anyway, we gathered many unknown information about jungles, wildlife sanctuary, poaching and animals.

 

We started to head back towards Jalpaiguri. Had some tea at a road side stall on our way back. Around 2:30pm we ultimately reached back at Jalpaiguri.

Dazzling Darjeeling

Day 1: 31st March:  

Famous Mall, as viewed from our balcony

We packed our bags, had breakfast and left our hotel for Darjeeling. We reached Darjeeling around 12noon. My dad and my mom in law stayed back near the taxi stand and we three went out to in search of a good hotel. We kept our luggage with them only. We booked the Hotel Bellevue right at the top of the Mall and came back to get Baba and my mother in law. We took bath and then went out to have lunch at Shanghri La restaurant near our hotel. We came back and took some rest to get refreshed for the evening outing. 

We booked our next day's sight seeing plan with Mr. Pala, we ultimately got the deal closed at Rs.800/- for 5 people reserved tour for 8 points, a brand new Travera will be provided and Mr. Pala himself will drive the car.

Around 7pm we went out to roam around Mall. But the Mall market was already about to close. Me and my husband had some "Jhalmuri" and others had only tea. There was a small Galli just behind our hotel and it had small shops full of all sort of heavenly snacks, right from instant hot Momos, to Jhalmuri, Phuchka, Beguni (thin slices of brinjals dipped in gram-flour and chili batter and deep fried in oil...!), Aloor Chop (same process but instead of Brinjal, use mashed potato doughs!) etc etc. We spend some time out there simply window shopping and bargaining with the shop keeper to buys some souvenir. 

Around 7:45pm we entered a south indian restaurant and every body except me had Idli, Sambar, Dosa. I bought one choco muffin cake, one cream roll, one coconut cookie from famous "Glenary's Bakery and Confectionery". I had those after going back to hotel around 9pm. I would always love to go back to Darjeeling just to have Glenary's cakes and pastry.

Glenary's Bakery & Confectionery

Day 2: 1st April:

Next day we all got ready within 8:30am and got out of hotel to have some breakfast nearby and then start for sight seeing sharp at 9am.

We started our day with visiting a small museum. The driver, when asked, said with a warm wide smile, that "Yehan saarey mare huye keede makode dekhne ko milega, jaiye dekhke aaiye" [trans. here you can see different types of dead and stuffed (preserved) insects and animals, please go ahead and see].

From there we all went to Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Botanical Park and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. These two are within the same boundary and the best place (according to me) and I believe you can take any kid there and they are gonna love it.

Red Panda

There we saw so many varieties of Himalayan animals and some other animals which could be found in places other than the Himalayan range.

Now we are done with the Zoo. I have shared only a few snaps, but the Zoo has a rich collection of animals and the area is huge. We were so mesmerized that we forgot to click snaps.

Tenzing Norgay Institute / Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

We left the Zoo area and headed towards the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. We were not allowed to click pictures inside the Museum. So not able to show you any snaps. But, one thing for sure, that, you will never repent your visit to HMI Museum. So many important things and information we never knew about the mountaineers and how risky their work or journey could be, all explained and depicted so elaborately and nicely that it is indeed an eye opener for people like me. I was utterly thrilled to see the real instruments used by real famous mountaineers. It gave me goosebumps when i saw the real snow-boots and other tools used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in their journey to the Summit. A feel of sheer pride overwhelmed me, when this well known fact of Tenzing Norgay, the Indian Sherpa to be the first person to set his foot on the summit, ran through my mind once again.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI)

These are some of the snaps which we managed to click out side the main museum...

There was a small mandir there, within the Zoo and Institute premises. And the day we visited it was Ram Navami, so luckily we received excellent "Prasad" from the "Purohit". It was so tasty that all of it was gone before we could click !

From there we went to a huge Tea Garden, had some piping hot tea from the stall. You know, just recalled that, there is a funny rule there between the stall owners. The cars parked there are not allowed to enter any stall other than the one just in front of the parked car. Those stalls sell tea as a drink and Tea packets weighing from 250gm onwards.

 

Japanese Peace Pagoda

From there we went to Japanese Peace Pagoda, a calm and serene place to be, indeed gives you the "moment" talk to yourself. Right from Peace Pagoda we returned back to Mall to go back to hotel to take bath. Immediately after freshening up we all went out of hotel and walked down the Mall towards the taxi stand.

Just at the corner there was a small restaurant, where it was written on board "Ekhane Bengali Khabar Pawa Jay" [trans. Bengali food are served here]. With ultimate delight of finding Bong food even in Darjeeling we entered and placed our orders. We ordered for 'Chicken Thali', which will include Rice, Daal, Sabji, Chicken, Papad and Chutney. The food was good, ambiance was calm and nice, tables were clean and tidy, price was modest. Overall satisfactory lunch experience.

Desh Bandhu District Library @ Darjeeling

We came back and took a little rest. Then again around 4pm we all went out to simply roam around and enjoy the cacophony of Mall area. The Bazaar, the small souvenir shops, the tea vendors, the Pony-wallas, elderly couples, lone old travelers, the young honey-mooners, couples like us all scattered here and there.

Ranga Mancha

Small kids running every where with colorful balloons to complement their likewise colorful dresses.... all so heavenly, as if you have reached the land of utopia, where there is nothing but happiness.

The setting sun is showering his blessing on the children of earth! I felt a sharp pang in my heart. If I could bring my 'Maa' (my mother who left this world 8 years back) also, she would have been so much happy to hold in her heart. I believe Maa would have seconded my thought; Mall at late afternoon is more beautiful than Heaven itself...! Wish she was there with me!

St. Andrews Church

We walked a down the lane towards the Rangamancha where there was some trade fair going on. There was a stall for each and every thing which you can find in every Bengali household. Right from vegetable cutters to the floor cleaners and brooms. From artificial flowers to bed sheets. From vacuum cleaner to hair pins. Everything you need in your day to day life.

Information about St. Andrews Church

Near the entrance of the fair there were food stalls which was selling "Ghughni" (a Bengali delicacy made of yellow peas and potatoes cooked with Indian herbs and spices and lots of chili), Vegetable and Chicken Rolls, Candyfloss, Jhatpati (Mixtures), Jhalmuri, Cutlets, Pastries, varieties of Pickles etc. We bought some Mango and Tamarind pickles.

We came out of the fair and started walking up towards the oldest catholic church in Darjeeling, called the St. Andrews Church and further towards the famous Darjeeling Gymkhana Club and the tennis court attached to it.

Darjeeling Gymkhana Club Limited

There was a notice board with the detailed information about the St. Andrews Church, which we clicked for future reference. Please see the picture above.

Darjeeling Gymkhana Club is for the rich and famous families to hang out and located at the posh area.

We started to feel tired, our legs were feeling weary of walking too long, so planed to walk back towards our hotel.

On our way back to hotel I plucked some unknown flowers from the roadside wall and gifted to my mother in law.

Tennis Court @ Darjeeling Gymkhana Club

Although it is solely my point of view, but i think Day time Mall is for family outing and group shopping. But afternoon Mall and the surrounding lanes are to be saved for you and you only. Walk alone and you will get excellent ambiance to ponder over your own thoughts, to dive deep inside your heart, to relive all those cherished moments which you always wish to come back in your lonely afternoons!

Around 6pm we returned back to hotel. Changed our dresses and again at 7pm we went out and finished all pending shopping. We finished our dinner around 8pm and came back early to pack our luggage for the next day trip to Jalpaiguri.

SIKKIM - Queen of North East Himalaya

A trip to the north east Himalayan range was long due for me. My husband has been to many such hill stations before. But for me, I have never even been to Darjeeling in my life before this. We started from Kolkata on 26th March evening and came back to Kolkata on 6th April morning. Ours was a team of 5, consisting of Me and my husband, both my in laws and my dear father.

We booked our tickets online for Darjeeling mail from Sealdah station to New Jalpaiguri station and back. All of us were so excited about our journey that we finished our packing almost 2 days back. 

Day 1: 26th March: 

We started from our Jadavpur KPC Medical College Campus apartment around 8pm and reached Jadavpur rail-station. It took just 5 mins by rickshaw. Got a local train till Sealdah, reached there within 15-20 mins. Had nice 'Jhalmuri' at the station and kept an eye on the electronic train schedule board. Darjeeling mail was scheduled at the station at around 9:30pm and the departure time was 10:30pm. We boarded the train quite early and checked our berths and secured our luggage under the seat. The boggy was quite clean and almost a new one. So was the washrooms. Before the train starts we all had our dinner with 'samosa', 'jhalmuri' and other small bites. Ultimately the much coveted journey started at right time.

Since it was a night time journey so no point of being awake and watching out of the window. We all got our berths ready for a nice sleep. Around 7am we woke up. Had tea from the local vendor. Around 8:30am we reached Rangapani Station. From there it delayed a lot and ultimately reached NJP station around 10am. We all crossed the over bridge and reached the taxi stand outside the station. Bargained our reserved Mahindra Maxx for 1700/- bucks, since we were 5 member team. But for single couples, like honeymooners, you can go for a shared cab, it will cost you 200/- bucks per head. Please beware of the taxi/cab touts, please hire cab from the pre-paid counters. They might offer you a lucrative option, but ultimately make you suffer for your decision.

We had a little tiff over there, with the owner of the cab, as he wanted his money to be paid before hand. Which both my father in law and my dad resisted. Both of them were quite logical to say that half they will pay before hand for petrol and all, the other half will pay after we reach Gangtok. The owner was a rough thug and started behaving badly, which he shouldn't have done, given the fact that we were simple family travelers, and in no situation going to run away without paying.

It was a 3-4 hrs journey to Gangtok. Quite jerky and tiresome, though i enjoyed it a lot, might be me being the first timer in Himalayan range. In between we stopped to have breakfast and found one small road side 'Dhaba' kind of hotel where we had nice hot 'Puri' and 'Aloo ki sabji'. Not so healthy choice but again who really cares about health when traveling!

Again we started our journey towards Gangtok, just before reaching we had some tea in a road side hotel, where our driver had his lunch also. After break we took around 45 mins to reach the Bengal - Sikkim border, where you are supposed to show your identity cards (only one of these viz. Pan Card/ Voter Id/ Driving License are valid as photo identity). 

Day 2: 27th March:

From there our hotel, "Sonam Delek", which we booked online from Bangalore itself, was almost at 15-20 mins distance. The moment I got down of the car I was happy to see that our hotel was quite clean and tidy and nice. Although as soon as we went down to our floor we all realized the smart business plan implemented by the hotel management. Our hotel was a 4 storied building, where the top 3 floors are of Suite and Deluxe category, had nice balcony and sitting arrangements in the balcony for mountain view. But the bottom most one is the Normal/ Regular category rooms, which unfortunately we booked, had no balcony and in fact they intentionally covered the balcony with opaque glass windows. So that after seeing this guests request for changing their rooms to a deluxe or suite room.

Anyway, we soothed our minds by telling that "we anyway are not going to stay back at hotel for the whole day, so by time we come back to hotel after sight seeing we will anyway be too tired to sit at the balcony!"

We went up to have lunch at the hotel's restaurant. Except me every body had Plain Rice, Dal makhani, Mixed Veg item. I had Egg Sandwich. Food was nice and simple.

Went back and after some unpacking and little relaxing, we all went out to go to the famous M G Marg, to arrange our next days plans with a travel agency and to do some small shopping at M G Marg as well. * M G Marg closes at 8pm at night. All shops are religiously closed at that time. *

Day 3: 28th March:

We planned our 4 days stay at Gangtok like, first day we will finish the sight seeing (we planned for the 12 point trip for whole day). Next day we will go to Tshango Lake, Nathula and Baba Mandir. Next 2 days we will spend in Yumthung valley, traveling to and fro and for staying back at night on the way. We talked to the state govt. travel office at the end of the M G Marg. For Nathula you have to apply for permission before one day. And the same is for Yumthung also, rather more strict. In both the cases, for each person (tourist) of the group, you have to submit 4 passport size colored photos and one copy of your identity card xerox. 

First day of sight seeing was really excellent. We visited, Barjhakri Hidel power station and Park, Institute of Tibetology, Rumtek Monastery, another two small Gumpha and Monastery, Botanical Garden, Flower Show, Handicraft Institute etc . Around 4pm, we stopped for the rope-way trip. 70 bucks for each person, the trip was real fun and worth for the money. I have added one snap of the rope-way trolly carrier in my movie. Came back and had some tea and snacks at M G Marg. Then back to hotel for rest. Around 7:30 we went out to have our dinner. 

Day 4: 29th March:

Unfortunately next day morning when we got ready for our trip to Nathula and Tshangu Lake, our travel agency called us to inform that we didn't get any permit to Nathula for that particular day. And for any other long trip you need to have permit and for that permit as well you are supposed to apply on the day before (at least 24 hours before). We were so sad for this, our mood to go out almost died then n there. Ultimately we decided to utilize the day by sight seeing the rest of the points and ultimately by shopping at M G Marg. We checked out of Sonam Delek on 29th March evening and checked in another hotel called "Golden Pagoda" near the SBI ATM & opposite to the south indian food corner.We applied freshly for both Nathula trip and Yumthung trip. At least any one would get sanctioned and we will be able to utilize our day. Each Application takes 200/-.

Day 5: 30th March:

Next day i.e on 30th March, we started for our Nathula Pass (East Sikkim), since we didn't get permit for Yumthung Valley (North Sikkim). We had our breakfast at hotel and came out to the taxi stand. Waited for the Cab for quite a long time (about 20-25mins), which was complete mismanagement, negligence and utter unprofessional behavior from the travel agency. Ultimately our Mahindra Bolero came, both my in laws and my father got in to the middle seat, my hubby needed to sit with little ease so he sat in the front seat beside the driver. I went to the back. 

After the journey started I literally cursed my seat as there was hardly any contact between the seat and myself. I was almost 80% time floating in air and literally banged my head a thousand times and ultimately got my lower back injured. I was not able to stand straight and walk steadily when got down near Tshangu Lake to hire ice boots. Anyway, we all kept our shoes there with the boot shop owner and wore our choice of ice boots. Some boots are 50 bucks, some are 100 bucks. Although my father in law (he hired the 50 bucks boot) found it more comforting after 3 hrs journey in "ice land" Nathula, than us who happily hired the 100 buck boots.

We didn't stop at Tshangu while going up to Nathula. When we reached Nathula, the sky was quite clear. Suddenly out of nowhere a huge cloud came and started to wet everything on its way and snow like small cottons started to rain allover. We took shelter in Army Canteen, where you get nice Nescafe @ 15 bucks and hot momos also (forgot the price, but surely very reasonable at that height and area). My dad bought some nice cookies and coffee and momos for all of us, after having that we climbed up the stairs to see the mighty "INDO-CHINA BORDER". Before that I have never seen any such thing and it indeed mesmerized me a lot. In fact talking to a real Chinese, that too with the border security army, and their excellent English speaking prowess really amused me. I just asked one Chinese Army that whether they stay posted there for whole year or get relocated, how do they feel, blah blah blah.... and I had a real hard time to make him understand even a small and simple word like "YEAR". 

One thing really made my thoughtful about the truth of mankind and about the truth of so call state, border, government is that, these border security armies of both the countries, they share a really nice and warm friendly relationship between them. Normal days, they are just like friends working in two different companies. But as soon as there would be a War declaration these armies will become enemies of each other and start to fight against each other. Suddenly a recently watched movie came in my thought, "War Horse", I would highly recommend you all to watch it please. Some more such highly philosophical thoughts clouded my mind and made my mind as gloomy as the day. Anyway, as a traveler you will get many such moments of highly philosophical interaction and introspection to ponder upon. But let that not inhibit the pace of the journey.

We started our journey back to Tshangu Lake. Before that the modified and newly founded Baba Mandir will come. The original and old Baba Mandir is little away and a bit risky to go. The story of this Baba Mandir is nicely written here. Please see the photo above.

Got to know that the Indian army still has kept his post alive and his salary gets posted in his salary account every single month and none the less he has recently been promoted to higher post. It is believed in Army personnel that his soul tells the future incidents to happen in the war to his fellow soldiers in dream.

There at Baba Mandir we had nice cup cakes and hot coffee. I was literally shivering in cold. We left for Tshangu lake and all the way there was continuous snowfall. We were too tired to get down to get ourselves snapped with the mighty Yak. Though I was the only enthusiastic one to ride a Yak, but unfortunately my lower back was paining so badly that I didn't dare to come out of the cab and do the photo shoot. So we went back to the boot hiring shop and got our own shoes back and paid the money. There I bought one cute cap and muffler and a pair of hand gloves. It was very cheap compared to other places. I wore that cap and muffler in Darjeeling. Check out my cap and let me know whether you liked it... ;-)

There is one more thing which touched my soul and made me think over it again and again. One our way to Nathula and back, we saw many Sikkimese day laborers, both male and female, working on road side. At such great height and tremendous cold, they were working in nothing more than a torn faded age old pair of jeans and a thin jacket. It was worst for the working moms amongst them. They were carrying their infants and toddlers in a small cane baskets to their work place. And they do not have the luxury the take shelter under any roof when it is snowing all over and they simply continued with their work. Their small ones are covered by a mere piece of hanky or old cloth. Life is too hard and harsh on them, yet they always have this heart warming smile on their face. The life of north eastern hilly area people has always been very struggling and tough, still they know how to be happy even with the smallest causes and mere provisions. This real picture of Sikkim moved me like anything.

There are many beautiful places on earth where we, so called 'the wealthier people' go to spend money and have some good time for ourselves and also to boast our travels to our peers. But very few of us really keep our eyes and mind open to feel the essence of the soil and to see the real beauty and soul of the people of that place. The tourism professionals tend to keep those real inhabitants of that place away from the glossy scenario, to attract more tourists. For them these poor people are nothing but a scar mark to hide under the sleeves, a dirty smelly wound on the face of the society to cover up under the glossy shiny make up of development and prosperity to stage in front of the out side world!

Anyway if you start traveling for yourself you will start realizing many such reality and truth on your own. I just shared my feelings, people might blame me of being too communist in thoughts but can't help it. Because life is fair for those who have options. Not many have the luxury of choice!

We came back to Gangtok City Taxi Stand. Releasing the Bolero we hired one Indica cab, though it was a 4 seater one, we somehow managed to fit ourselves in it.

Gorgeous Greece

Greece offers a myriad of experiences, landscapes and activities. It is the pulsing nightclubs of Mykonos and the ancient beauty of Delos; the grandeur of Delphi and the earthiness of Ioannina; the rugged hillsides of Crete and the lush wildflowers of spring. It is the blinding light of the Mykonos sun, the melancholy throb of Thessaloniki's rembetika (blues songs), the tang of home-made tzatziki, the gossip in the kafeneia (coffee shops). It is the Parthenon - solitary and pristine - lording it over the hazy sprawl of Athens.

Greece is a country with a hallowed past and an at-times turbulent present. Appreciation of the achievements of its classical past has tended to overshadow its development as a free nation since the War of Independence from the Ottomans in 1821. Many foreign Hellenist imbued with a romantic ideal of the Greece of Pericles and the Parthenon are blithely ignorant that Greece today is a vibrant modern European country. It is equally a land where the languages of recent migrant communities from the Balkans, Africa and Asia - not to mention the English and German of EU migrants and retirees - contribute to Greece's status as one of Europe's more recent multicultural societies.

As recently as 1983, when it acceded to the EU, Greece was essentially a conservative, agrarian society famous for olive oil, coups, beaches and islands. Its transformation since its induction - alone, at the time, among the southeastern European nations - to the Brussels-led club of prosperous nations has been no less than dramatic. It could once take up to two years to obtain a landlines for a home - now Greeks boast more mobile phones than fixed-line phones. Internet hotspots pop up like mushrooms, while car ownership, once the privilege of the affluent few, is now a consumer commodity enjoyed by the majority. While sleeping on beaches was once de rigueur for travelers in the carefree '70s, tourism is now most definitely pitched to the middle to upper-end markets and sleeping rough is now oh-so out.

This has created mixed blessings for visitors: better facilities inevitably come at higher prices; faster and safer sea travel has replaced more romantic slow boat voyages to rocky isles; wholesome, home-cooked food may be hard to find amid the surfeit of tacos, sushi or stir-fried lamb; homey, boxlike rooms tended to with a smile have been usurped by airy, air-conned self-catering apartments with nary a Greek face in sight to say kalimera (good morning).

Yet the fact that Greece continues to enjoy a steady influx of foreign visitors is easy to explain. The Greek people still have the welcome mat out. It is they who, after all, make Greece. Without the indomitable bonhomie of the Greeks themselves, Greece would be a different place altogether. Their zest for life, their curiosity and their unquestioning hospitality to the visitors in their midst is what makes a visitor's experience in the country inevitably unforgettable. The Greeks may curse their luck at times, distrust their politicians and believe 'oiling' the wheels of bureaucracy a fact of life, but they maintain their joie de vivre, their spontaneity, their optimism.

Before you travel in Greece, it is advisable to bear in mind the following:

• Depending on your country of origin, you might need a passport and a visa; you could obtain a visa through the Greek consulate nearest to your residence.
  
• Call your bank or your credit card company to let them know that you will be using it in Greece.
  
• The Electric Current in Greece is 230V AC (50Hz). Appliances from North America require a transformer and British ones an adapter.
  
• In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from member states of the European Union (EU) wishing to visit Greece must be holders of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal Community document issued by their competent social security agency. Tourists from countries other than the member states of the European Union must consult their social security agency for information before traveling.
  
• Contact your phone company in order to make sure that your can use your mobile phone in Greece.

As a consumer, you are protected by Greek consumer protection law for all transactions you make while traveling in the country.

General Information:

Capital of Greece : Athens

Official language: Greek

The currency : Euro (€)

The country is a Presidential Parliamentary Democracy

Calling code: The international calling code of Greece is +30

The Greek economy is based on the principles of free economy and is bound by the regulations of the world organizations that it is a member of, such as ECOFIN and WTO.

Mystic Egypt

The stunning, colossal monuments of Ancient Egypt never fail to astonish. The heat, sight and the light of the desert invigorate. The cool, turquoise waters rejuvenate. A romantic cruise along the world's longest river dazzles the senses. A first class getaway resort in the Red Sea Riviera is pure escapism. No place has the magic, mystery and pleasures of Egypt. Travel to Egypt to discover a world of wonder.

The land that gave birth to the first great civilization needs little introduction. The pyramids, the minarets, the Nile – the scope of Egypt is magnificent.

Visitors are surprised to discover that those legendary pyramids are merely the tip of the archaeological iceberg. Pharaonic nations, ancient Greeks, Romans, Christians and Arab dynasties have all played their part in fashioning Egypt’s embarrassment of architectural wealth.

Cairo’s chaos whirrs around a medieval core that has remained unchanged since the founding days of Islam. Upriver, Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes, is lined with warrens of opulent burial chambers and boasts some of the most formidable monuments in all antiquity. Further south at Aswan, even more geometrically imposing temples write a testament to the power of archaic gods and omnipotent pharaohs. It is here that the Nile is best explored by ancient sail, on a felucca (Egyptian sailing boat) at the hands of the prevailing currents and winds.

Out west, Egypt’s ocean of sand stretches infinitely to the Sahara, with a handful of oases feeding solitary islands of green. Hive like, medieval fortresses cower out here, interspersed with bubbling springs and ghostly rock formations. Meanwhile, the deep, crystal waters of the Red Sea lie brilliantly awash in coral, surrounded by an aquatic frenzy of underwater life. In the deserts of Sinai’s interior, visitors can climb the mount where God had word with Moses, and spend their remaining days in halcyon bliss at coastal Dahab's backpacker Shangri-La.

Though it is one of the more politically stable countries in the region, modern-day Egypt is not without strife. Thirty years of authoritarian rule, an erratic economy and rising living costs fan the flames of social unrest. Still, Egyptians are a resilient lot, and visitors making the journey here will find as much ancient history as they will modern hospitality.

Egypt is a rather large country with 2 general seasons, a mild winter and a sunny summer. The majority of Egypt’s landscape is a desert, except for the White Mediterranean coast, the Nile Valley and the Delta.

Between November and March the daytimes are pleasantly warm, whereas evenings and nights are cool and enjoyable in all of Egypt.

In April and May temperatures are generally mild and this is an ideal time to visit any destination in Egypt.

From June to September the weather is very hot, dry in the desert areas and humid in the Nile Valley and on the White Med coast. Sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat and good hydration are essential, and trips to the desert areas aren’t advisable in that period of the year.

Late September and October, as well as April and May are thus ideal for touring Egypt. And the November to February period offers the pleasant balmy weather that is perfect for cruising down the Nile.

The Red Sea Riviera has great weather all year round; it is thus the perfect sun & sea destination to escape to when the sky gets too cloudy back in your homeland.

Stay Connected through:

• Mobile phones: you can chose to roam with your international number by registering on any of the three mobile phone operator networks in Egypt. Alternatively you may want to purchase a temporary visitor line from one of the providers.
• Land-lines: in addition to their availability in all hotels, payphones are also available in some cities.
• Internet: wireless internet is available in a large number of restaurants, hotels and coffee shops throughout the country. Some may provide the service for free while others may charge you for it. Hotels offer wired and wireless access in the comfort of your own room. Some cities, like Sharm El Sheikh, are fully connected using wireless internet connectivity.

Breathtaking Bangkok - "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon"

Day 4:

We packed our bags to leave Phuket. All of us were sad to leave this beautiful place (Phuket). but at the same time we were quite excited to see the shopper's paradise and ultimate hip city of Thailand - Bangkok, "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon".

We finished our breakfast and started for Phuket airport. In breakfast there were many options like standard bread, jam, butter, omlette, milk, cornflakes, buns, croissants, soup, fruit bowls, boiled eggs, salads, varieties of cup cakes, boiled potatoes, cookies, and many more such tasty delicacies.

By the time we finished our breakfast the pick up van came and we started our journey for Bangkok. We stayed at Phuket only for some 4 days all total, but already everything, every road started to seem like very known to me. As if I have been there for ages. I was not quite ready to leave Phuket yet. Since we were in a short schedule, so couldn't have stayed back anymore. We had to leave, I had to let it go... 

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

At that moment I realized the eternal truth of a traveler's life, that every 'place' and 'moment' a traveler goes and lives are like foot prints on a sand dessert; nothing is permanent. Places change, languages differ, looks vary; but the only things which remain the same are the eyes, mind and soul of the traveler! Eyes to behold, mind to remember and soul to color the memories with his own hues...!

Anyway, the secret is that, it was never a good bye from my side, rather I bid adieu to Phuket... :)

From Phuket airport our flight was at 7am and we started on time. When we reached Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport we were mesmerized to see such a huge, neatly maintained and lively airport.

We called our travel agency personnel located at Bangkok and he informed us that one gentleman will come to pick us up from the airport and drive us to our hotel, "Ibis Nana". Ibis is the name of the hotel chain and Nana is the name of the station or area.

So we waited for him and simply clicked some snaps here and there. Did some photo session of each other... ;)

Ultimately when we reached our hotel it was almost 2pm and we were damn hungry. We just kept our luggage inside our rooms and came out to search a nice restaurant to eat. We found one nearby and finished our lunch. Food was great, spicy and colorful. We came back to hotel and didn't came out until late afternoon. Around 5pm we walked till Nana station and hired a Tuktuk (a colorful 3 wheeler ride with all the sides open) and reached MBK shopping mall.

MBK is the biggest and most happening shopping mall there in Bangkok. We simply spent our time window shopping

There was a shop which was selling miniature models of different automobiles and bikes. There were some Harley Davidson and BMW bike models, which were so damn perfect that I almost decided to buy one. But the price tag kept me restrained.

You are not allowed to take pictures inside the mall, but we took these few snaps with our mobiles.

MBK Shopping Mall...

We was there for almost 3-4 hours and then we decided to have our dinner from the there itself. So we went to the food court floor, which was literally huge. If you start walking from one corner and hit all the counters and come back your legs will get weary of walking! There were so many varieties of noodles, so many types of meat and various types of preparations of  different areas; it took us nice 30-40 mins to finally decide upon which dish each one of us wanted to have... LOL !

My brother was looking for momos,  but he was not able to find any stall which was selling the same. We were not able to describe the dish to the stall attendants. Ultimately one fellow standing over there realized that we were looking for momos, which they call by some other name (Shamoi). Then he showed us these, which were completely different in shape, appearance and taste from the momos which we eat here in India! See below... :)

Different types of Momo (Shaomai)

Anyway, we bought three such different preparations of Shamoies and three bowls of Thai soupy noodles with different meat balls and flavored with varieties of oriental spices. I liked this preparation so much that next 2 days whenever I came to MBK I opted for different permutation and combination of the same dish. I just kept changing the meat from chicken to pork to duck etc etc.

The Shamoies were nice to try out, kind of good experience.

By the time we finished with our dessert item, it was almost time to close the mall and so we just came out in time.

Day 5:

We already had planned our tour on day 5 with our local guide provided by our travel agent. We started our day tour at 7am from our hotel. A cab came to pick us up. Our first destination was the Golden Buddha Temple located at the Chinatown area. This temple is world famous for its Buddha idol made of 22 Carat Gold! It is officially called the "Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon" the world's largest solid gold statue!

There is a rule in this temple. You are not supposed to show your bare body or skin in front of Lord Buddha here. So all the girls who were wearing shorts were provided with one wrap around piece of clothes to cover up their bare legs.

I also got one for myself. Leaving our shoes off we entered the temple and "WOW!" was the first expression which came out of our mouth. So Regal, so Elegant, so Pious, so Divine, that it will literally give you prickles on your skin.

The interior was so exotic and royal that you will remain spellbound for a few moments. Specially the Idol of Lord Buddha made of 22 carat gold; I was simply awestruck to behold it. 

I got to know from our guide that, this idol, was a return gift from the then Sukhothai dynasty King of Thailand (around 13th - 14th century), who prayed to Lord Buddha to save his life when he was being chased by the rebels during some huge political hue and cry. When Lord Buddha saved him, the King kept his promise and made this Idol with all the gold whatever he managed to carry with him while in exile. The idol then moved from Sukhothai  to Ayutthaya. 

After many year again some political upheaval arose and some foe power of the King broke one ear of this idol, which was repaired but one can make out the small defect of noticed in detail. 

At some point of time the whole statue was plastered with Stucco by the Ayotthaya dynasty to prevent it from being stolen by the Burmese invaders. The idol was brought to its present location at Wat Traimit in 1935. Since the temple was not that big to accommodate this huge statue so it was kept under a tin roof for almost 20 years. So over all for almost 200 years this glorious Buddha Idol was forgotten under the shadow of time!

Ultimately around 1955, when peace came back in the country and the old Buddha temple was reconstructed in to a bigger temple, then the temple management tried to lift the plastered Buddha Idol from them pedestal. But all the ropes which were tied to lift it broke off and the statue fell down hard on the concrete ground. As a result some of the stucco coating came off the idol and construction people got to see the revealed actual golden surface.

Net worth of this 3 meters tall and 5.5 tonnes heavy solid gold idol is about US $250 million. And the excellent information is that, its sculpture and egg shaped head indicates that the Buddha idol was made in India part by part and were assembled in Thailand by the Sukhothai king. Anyway you will find the influence of Indian sculpture in all Sukhothai sculpture and creations.

Reclining Buddha Temple, where there is the Holy Mother of Pearl

Anyway, from Golden Temple we again moved on to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha or Wat Pho at Phra Nakhon District, Rattanakosin, Bangkok near the Grand Palace. The official name of this temple is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan. This temple is the birth place of traditional Thai Massage. Wat Pho is named after the place India where Gautama Buddha was believed to stay. This Reclining Buddha idol is 15 meters tall and 43 meters long. He is reclining his head on his right hand. The foot of Lord Buddha is made Mother of Pearl and depicts 108 auspicious characters of Lord Buddha. People say that this is the biggest sculpture made of Mother of Pearl ever made in the world.

In one side there are 108 bronze "Bhiksha" (alms) bowls are placed where you can give alms of copper coins which you can buy with 20 bahts. It brings you good fortune and at the same time actually helps the Buddhist monks to maintain the temple or Wat. I bought some coins with 20 bahts and dropped there and prayed for all the Thai people who suffered from the nature's cruel lash of Tsunami and is still suffering from man made punishment of poverty.

Bangkok Sky-rail... just see how clean the rails are... imagine Indian rails also...

From there we moved to the sky rail station and traveled to Siam Paragon Shopping complex. The sky rail was awesome, may be seemed more awesome to me as this was my first time I saw and boarded one.

At Siam Paragon Shopping complex (see below) there was some expo fair going on - "world expo 2020". At the shopping mall there were so many people gathering, walking, talking, laughing, shopping... you know they all came from different places of the world. Bangkok is a "Metropitan City" in true sense! We spent the rest of the day there, went to the Ocean world and spent hours in the oceanic animal museum. Overall our day was excellently spent and I will surely remember it all my life! :)

One thing i saw there which made me little sad is that many young girls in their teens and many lady boys posing on the road side. I myself being a naive to such things and being a first timer in Bangkok, or in a way to any foreign country could not make out who is who. But anybody who are well aware of this clandestine world of forbidden pleasure, can make out the identity of those sexy dress clad girls and lady boys in their shocking red or vibrant purple pencil heels standing in front of bars, or hotels or simply on road side.

 

I felt bad, not because of the fact that Girls were doing it. But because of the fact that society has compelled most of them to take up this profession, to satisfy this medieval ugly facade of the patriarchal society, as a profitable and easy way to make money, that too in dollars. I know that many of them have taken this as a profession because of poverty and hunger, many have taken because this is an easy way to make dollars in hours, and some more were made to do this by the well knit human trafficking channels. But no matter how attractive and shiny this forbidden world may look like this is indeed a scar on the face of the society.