Darjeeling

The last lap of our 7 day Sikkim tour package was a day of sight-seeing in Darjeeling. And the first event was the famous sunrise over the Kangchenjunga peak over Tiger Hill. To see the sun rise over the majestic Mount Everest is a surreal experience. Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. It lies partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim.

We had to wake up at 3:30 for this. We were at the hill by 4:30, one of the first ones to be there.

We were shivering in the cold.

There was nothing on the hill top except for people selling gloves and scarves and coffee. 

But in less than an hour, the whole place was teaming with people and there was not an inch of spare space to set foot.

The construction of the new observatory is under way and the outcome sure looks exciting. 

The Kangchenjunga peak glowing with the first rays of the sun. This pic from my mobile camera does no justice to it. Wish I had a super fantastic professional camera.

The sight of the changing hues of the peak in the span of 30 minutes or less makes it worth the suffering in the early morning ruthless chill and the dazed eye from lack of sleep.

The reverence to Kanchenjunga is palpable. Hotels and houses are routinely named after it. As tourists, every place we stop, every bend we take, we catch ourselves constantly trying to catch a glimpse of the peak. 

While in Darjeeling, the adventure sport you must try is white water rafting in the Teesta River. 

Entrance fee to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is part of the MMT package but we had to pay from our pockets as they did not inform us. Both these places are worth a visit. The zoo is very well-maintained and quite unique in the way the cages are built. As we walk up the hilly slopes of the zoo, we peer into the cages that are dug out far below. It's an interesting view for us even as the animals are blissfully unaware of people staring at them like fools.

This gorgeous tiger gave us all the sighting of our life by pacing back and forth and roaring.

I hardly saw any clinic and hospitals both in Sikkim and in Darjeeling.

The driver said there are actually very few.

They mostly use traditional herbs and the rest is taken care of by walking. 'Pahadi log' (mountain people) do not have much use for the doctor. So I couldn't resist taking a pic of this clinic that I found inside the premises of the Tsuk Druk monastery.




Darjeeling is famous for 3 T's - Tourism, Tea and Timber. Justifiably, Happy Valley Tea Estate is a spot in the MMT itinerary.
Here is the picture of the cup marking the marriage of Princess Diana sent to the Tea Estate.

Japanese temple built in 1972. There is a large prayer room upstairs. We were lucky to be just in time for the ongoing prayers. We were given a small drumming pad and a stick. We chanted a Buddhist verse to the beats of the drum. The temple was founded by Fuji Guruji for world peace. He is believed to have witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The Peace Pagoda is the tallest structure in Darjeeling and gives a beautiful view of the town surrounding it. It is believed to have taken the Japanese architect three years to build it. 

The Peace Pagoda has four avatars of Buddha - sitting, standing, sleeping and meditating. All the statues are polished in gold color. This one below is my favorite:

The Tibetan  Refugee Center is on the itinerary too. Skip this in case of shortage of time or if you are not too much into the history of the Tibetan-Chinese territorial conflict. There is a display of photos tracing the events of the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet & the tragic loss of Tibetan way of life.

You can buy lots of interesting things from here but all the items are expensive. It is better to buy from any of the shops in the town selling almost the same things. However, a board like this will melt your heart and you will be tempted to splurge for the 'cause'

India has been a land of acceptance. Many of those who suffered from religious persecution the world over have sought solace here - from the Jews who settled in Kerala to the Buddhists. Many Buddhist refugee camps dot the length and breath of this great nation.

The Druk Sangag Choling Monastery is a must visit. It is a beautiful structure. You can be a part of the prayers or simply watch the monks and pupils as they scurry around their daily work in their long saffron robes. The monastery houses an orphanage. Poor parents leave their little boys on the footsteps of the monastery to be raised as scholars and monks. 

The beautiful women selling mostly non-vegetarian fare in the evening market.



Most of the small shops, hotels and eateries are run by Nepali origin people. The ethnic tribes like Lepcha, Nepali and Sherpas run the show here and it is evident. Eve-teasing is almost not heard of here.

Darjeeling is already partially autonomous and there is a demand to be separated from West Bengal. They harbor a great disdain for Mamata and her cronies.

You might hear from other people that Darjeeling is congested, a modern slum, too commercialized and so on. But from what little I saw of the city, I didn't feel that way at all. Maybe that's because as tourists on a short visit, we stick to the main lanes and rarely venture into the squalor of the city's underbelly.

I actually really liked the place and if Kubera (the Hindu Money God) continues to smile upon me, I might go back there again. I enjoyed the food, the walks, the tourist attractions, the people's smiling faces and just the fact that I was so far away from home and family and yet the place felt all too familiar and easy to get along with. Except for the cold! The cold is treacherous! 

Sikkim - Part One

I had been on a six nights seven days trip to Sikkim and Darjeeling in November 2016. From 11th to 17th Nov. There were a lot of firsts for me on this trip. It was the first time in eleven years of marriage that I had missed Sathya’s birthday which fell on the 16th. Just missed! It was also the first time in eleven years of marriage that I went on a week-long vacation without him & Tan. 

It was also the first time that I drank; a glass of brandy. That single glass, oh it was just Rs 60 /- by the way, got me so high I actually felt dizzy and realized what being drunk or “tight” meant. I still don’t know how it hit me so hard. It was just one small glass, after all. Maybe it was the fact that I gulped it down in one shot in order to beat the cold of the mountains. Or blame it on lack of experience! 

The women selling everything from beer to hot maggi to rented gloves and boots. 

It was also the first time I went on a girls-only trip. All my trips have always been with Sathya &Tan. I have gone on a few solo trips but they were mostly on work. I am an expert at combining work with pleasure. But I had never been on a trip with two other girls.

The one in the middle is my friend from school. She was the one who had organized the whole trip. She had coordinated with the lousy MakeMyTrip guys throughout the trip. Big thanks to her. The one on her right, in the picture, is her ex-colleague. It was the first time I spent a week travelling with a person I never met before. She was the one I met only and directly on the trip. As good as travelling with a stranger. 

It was the first time I stayed overnight in 2-4 degree Celsius cold. This was at Lachung. Freakishly cold! It was the first time I bought and wore thermals. I never even knew what thermals were or where to buy them. I had shopped at Jockey for the thermals. I don't remember shopping at Jockey even once before.

It was the first time I went on a package tour. All trips we have been on have been self-planned and self-executed.

It was the first time I did paragliding. It is a must do when in Sikkim. We chose the 8 minute, 1200 meters high, flying option which cost us for Rs 2500 and an additional Rs 500 for the video. It was an experience of a lifetime. It was not part of the tour itinerary of MakeMyTrip (MMT) and we had to really do a lot of "circus" to make it happen. First, the demonetization bomb had dropped just one day before we set off on this trip owing to which we didn’t have the cash in hand to pay for it. None of the paragliding operators accepted cards. All the ATMs had dried out of cash. 

We finally found one operator Arun, thank you Google, who agreed to accept card. He even solved our cash problems by agreeing to swipe the card for an additional amount, deduct the paragliding charges and pay the extra to us so we could pay the cab driver. The cab driver had agreed to take the detour to the paragliding location and charged us for it. 

We also had to request our co-travellers, an elderly couple from Delhi who had been clubbed with us for all local sight-seeing as this was a group package from MMT. The kind couple waited for 2-3 hours for us. Was it worth all the trouble? ABSOLUTELY. That ten minute flying-in-the-air-like-a-bird feel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Scuba diving comes a close second.

So how was Sikkim and Darjeeling? What did we see and do? How was our package tour experience with MMT? More on all that later. 

Sakleshpura

Sakleshpura is a hill station in Haasan district of Karnataka. It belongs to the Malnad region of the Western Ghats. Every time you drive down the Bangalore-Mangalore highway, you pass through its lush-green forests along the Kempuhole river. 

It is believed that a broken Shivalinga was found in this town. The linga was called Shakaleshwara which since then became Sakaleshwara and thus the place got its name. Two rivers originate at Sakleshpura: Kumaradhara and Kempuhole.The kempuhole river starts from Manjarabad Fort, joins Nethravati river and empties into the Arabian Sea. Incidentally, you can view the silhouette of the Arabian Sea from the fort.

The Manjarabad Fort was built by Pallada King and later used as a jail by Tippu Sultan. It can be easily spotted as you drive down NH48. Climbing the 250+ steps to the fort can tire you out.  Don't forget to carry water. 

The fort has a star-shaped fort, with a hillock in the centre and eight corners. It offers superb views. When we went, there was a prewedding photo shoot in progress. There is a hollow entrance in the middle, which is a tunnel leading to Srirangapattana. 

We stayed at Saalugudda Resort. A 1 Night 2 Day stay with two meals and a breakfast cost us Rs 5,500 for 2 adults and a child aged 10. The food was simple, home-made, Malnad style with both veg and non-veg options available.

Why are we city folks drawn to these village home-stays? We long for the quiet I suppose and the greenery. And the feel of the earth under our feet as we walk barefoot and pick up this leaf or that stone and wonder what it was. 

A dog, a cat, few hens and a cow complete the “I am in my village home” feel for the city executive, who, like me, hasn’t been to his village for years together or who, like Sathya, was born and raised in a metro like Bangalore and doesn’t really have a “village” he can call his own or go back to.

The home-stay has a pond for water games and a few rope games.  

This is the zip line water game where you sit on the iron enclosure and you are let loose into the water. The plunge into the lake is the fun part. And then the swimming back to the shore.

You also have a pukka local gym, if you are a stickler for fitness and never miss your exercise routine no matter where you go. 

The view as you go for an evening walk around the cottage. 
You can see the clouds beginning to engulf the majestic mountains in their arms.

One of the many waterfalls near the resort if you are in mood for a quick swim or frolic in the waters.

This trip we realized we had inadvertently covered four districts in a single day. We started from Sakleshpura (Haasan district), went to Malalli falls (Coorg district), then to Dharmasthala (Dakshina Kannada district) and returned home to Bangalore (Bangalore District) around midnight. We drove 800 km in two days, 14-15 Oct'16 and spent Rs 3000 for petrol to achieve this feat. 

After a day at the home-stay, we set out into Sakleshpura to do local sight-seeing, but mainly to see Bisile Ghat.

This was on the way to Bisile Ghat. A popular location for movie shoots.

Bisile Ghat Road follows the Kumaradhara river and links Sakleshpura to Kukke Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada. The Bisle Reserve Forest and the region around Sakaleshpura is listed as one of the 18 most diverse spots in the world in terms of flora and fauna. The watch tower at the Bisile Ghat will remind any Bangalorean of Nandi Hills. Many movies are shot here. This is the place where Mungaru Male 2 scene was shot - the Ravichandran and Ganesh emotional scene.

While on the way to Bisile Ghat, while asking directions, some locals said do visit the falls and that’s when we decided to go see the falls. It was a spur of the moment decision to take the detour. It meant we were ravenously hungry and the afternoon sun was beating us hard. But the falls was worth all the driving time and effort. We also had the best maggi ever in one of the two small stalls there. Hot, steaming and delicious! The other best maggi experience I had was in Sikkim - at Zero Point.

For a brief moment, I did shudder at the thought of plunging straight down from here! It was scary.

The bad part of the entire trip was the stretch from Malalli Falls to Kukke Subramanya. Horrible roads! Out of the nearly 35 kms between Malalli to Kukke, this 17 kms stretch of atrocious road drove us nuts. It took almost an hour. If I was the driver, I would have killed myself! Luckily, I can't drive. And Sathya, who drove, has tremendous reserves of patience.

In the name of a "road" this path of stones and potholes is what you get.

There was no sign of a hotel or a place to eat either. Just when we thought we'd die out of real hunger and accrued anger at driving down this road, we saw a house just outside the check post. The lady served us lunch amid stories of her life. Simple rice-curry-vegetable meal never tasted better!

 
We finally reached Dharmasthala in the evening.  

As you drive towards the temple, you will notice rows and rows of these pineapple stalls along the road. Small, juicy fruits, produced in abundance locally. 

You will also find sugarcane juice stalls alongside it.

Sathya has lost count of how many times he has gone there. It is the most revered and most visited temple in this part of Karnataka. In Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, where I come from, this is the holiest of holy places for us. As children, I remember our annual visits to the temple, all of us huddled together, in a hired white Ambassador. It was our only pleasure cum spiritual cleansing cum eat-in-hotels - all combined into one - trip. 

Duration of the trip: 2 days
Places Covered: Four. Sakleshpura, Bisile Ghat, Malalli Falls, Dharmasthala
Distance Covered: 800 kms
Amount Spent: Rs 10,000 approx

Horsley Hills

Horsley Hills, named after W.D. Horsley, a British collector, is in Madanapalle Taluk of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh at an altitude of 4000 feet. Horsley had built his home here in the 1870's.

It is just 150 km from Bangalore and promises a very pleasurable driving experience, hardly any traffic throughout the journey on nice, smooth roads. SO MANY biker groups ride to the hill station especially on a weekend because, in less than 3 hours, including pit-stops, you reach a place that is strikingly serene.    
        The silence of the valley is a draw for many. Sit here and enjoy the absolute solitude.

Horsley reminded me of Nandi Hills. The similarities are many - the nice drive up to the hills, the pleasant weather, and many scenic viewpoints. Here are a few of the viewpoints:

Imagine sitting here - watching the sun rise or set - with the only sound being the whoosh of wind blowing your hair...

Sit here in the evening with a book or at night with a drink & let the world pass by.

Walk around on these paved pathways with the monkeys on the trees and the birds on the branches. My solo, early morning walk along here was a cherished one.

The difference between Horsley Hills and other hill stations is that there is no commercial activity here. None at all. No endless rows of shops selling silly winter scarves & hats or kids' plastic bat & ball or chaat corners or other assorted hole-in-the-wall eateries. We only found 1 guy selling guava on his cycle.  

And that is reason enough to go see Horsley Hills, at least once, for a day. 

Ooty is completely commercialized and overcrowded. Horsley caters well to the government officers who come for a conference or office outing and is a favorite among families and couples too. Families love the peace and quiet and unhurried pace of things and couples enjoy the privacy the Hills offer. And with 4-5 engineering colleges in Madanapalle, the closest town just half an hour from the base of the hill, there is no dearth of lovers who throng the Hills or of boy gangs who come here for a quick ride from the town. 

You can explore the hills in a single day because everything is within a 2 km driving radius.  Walk around and enjoy the quiet, listen to the constant chirping of birds and soak your skin to the warmth of the sunlight peeking through the thick foliage.
 






   






Well paved roads, swimming pool, comfortable accommodation and decent food facilities all managed and run by the state tourism board. 

When we went (5-6th Nov weekend) we knew there were a lot of people staying, going by the number of cars parked in various parking spots. Yet, when you walk around the property you won't find them, the sense of solitude and 'me my thoughts and the nature' vibe is very strong.

Enroute to the Hills, there is this beautiful Saibaba Temple. 

It looked newly built. I checked the donation list displayed on the wall. One devotee had donated Rs 15 Lakhs!! The priest gave a biscuit each as prasad !! Marie biscuit ! That was a first for me!
So, for a hill station visit from Bangalore, 1N 2D stay, over the weekend, just to relax and recharge your batteries, fill your car with petrol for Rs 2000, pay Rs 3500 for AC accommodation in the Governor's Bungalow and then head straight to Horsley Hills.

Governor's Bungalow

Rest House