An offbeat Road trip to the Hidden & Blessed land..

Silent Sunday: My signature Shots..

Pushpagiri Chennakeshava temple was built in 1298 AD and is located in Kadapa district, AP. The grandeur of the sculptures start at the entrance itself. Every inch of this temple are filled with beautiful carvings and sculptures. Go visit this place you’ll remember more than you see…

Travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind..

Experiencing Eternal Happiness!!

Reliving the Past..

Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show..

Witnessing one of the most magical sunsets!!

If you have to wait for someone to travel with you, you may end up waiting a life time!

Ps: Let me know which picture you liked…😉

Mystic Meghalaya: Nohkalikai Falls

Nohkalikai Falls is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. Its height is 1115 feet (340 metres). It is an amazing sight to behold. The waterfall is located near Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on Earth & is one of the must see places in Meghalaya. We spent whole morning staring at the gigantic canvas of natural beauty.

“Water is the most perfect traveller because when it travels it becomes the path itself!” – Mehmet Murat ildan

According to legends, in a village called Rangjyrteh, upstream from Nohkalikai Falls, a woman named Likai resided but had to remarry after her husband died. Ka Likai (Ka is the prefix given for the female gender in Khasi) was left with her infant girl with no means of income. So she had to become a porter herself. Her work required her to leave her daughter unattended for long intervals but when she would be at home she would spend most of her time taking care of her infant. Ka Likai, who married a second time, couldn’t pay attention to her second husband. The jealous husband killed the infant and cooked her meat after throwing away her head and bones. When Ka Likai returned home, she saw nobody in the house but except for a meal that had been prepared. She wanted to go look for her daughter but she ate the meat as she was tired from work.

“Look with open eyes and you will see the beauty of the waterfall.” – Anthony Hincks

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Ka Likai usually had a betel leaf after her meals but she found a severed finger near the place where she usually cut betel nuts and betel leaves. Ka Likai realized what had happened in her absence and went mad with anger and grief and started running as she swung a hatchet in her hand. She ran off the edge of the plateau and the waterfall where she jumped from was named Nohkalikai Falls after her.

Life is like a waterfall- always moving

Be like a watefall-Wild & free

Waterfalls & Life doesn’t flow backward.

 

Chronicles of Vader and Yellowie: Living in the moment..

After a fight between Yellowie and Vader, Yellowie couldn’t resist taking Vader to a Waterfall. They both hit the roads in Vi’Car’abad cruising through the Forests, Lakes and Mountains to reach Seven Sister Waterfalls in Sikkim.

Seeing a waterfall is the most beautiful scene, its natural beauty and soothing effect made them to forget their fight.. 🙂

After reaching the waterfalls, Yellowie says to Vader that when it comes to a romantic getaway nothing beats the Waterfall. The view of the water falling from the top of a Mountain, gushing sound of the water; the Birds chirping; the little rainbow of colors with reflection of sunlight makes waterfalls seem the most romantic place….

Both of them fell in love with the view

Vader suggests a swim in the pond, but now Yellowie is shy to take a dip. But the beautiful surroundings of the falls have created an ambience for them to shed their inhibitions!

“Water is the most perfect traveller because when it travels it becomes the path itself!” – Mehmet Murat ildan

Mystic Meghalaya: Shillong Street foods

For me the taste of street food is always better than  a fancy meal at a fine dining restaurant. Street Food culture in Shillong is very vibrant. The roads of Shillong are filled with colorful carts serving special foods. Any dish on this street is packed with an abundance of flavors at a minimum price.

Well!!  coming to Police street, this is the biggest market place and is located in the heart of the city. It is filled with street shops selling dresses, bags, umbrellas, woolen clothes, accessories etc.  From traditional hand looms to the multinational brands, from budget hotels to the luxury hotels, from street foods to the fancy expensive meals etc., This is really a good place to shop and it is a paradise to all the foodies..

Busy making Kebab..

Mouth watering Kebabs.. I’m missing them already 😉  

Very spicy Shillong street Noodles

Noodles

Meghalaya is way more varied than just momos and noodles

Police bazar street filled with humble carts serving delicious foods

Rotis

Fish thali

Monday Macros: Cactus Garden

Echinocactus grusonii, popularly known as the golden barrel cactus, golden ball or, amusingly, mother-in-law’s cushion, is a well known species of cactus, and is endemic to east-central Mexico.

Cereus repandus (syn. Cereus peruvianus), the Peruvian apple cactus, is a large, erect, thorny columnar cactus found in South America

Cactus Echinopsis tarijensis

Mammillaria hahniana (Old Lady Cactus) is a sun-loving cactus that forms large groups. It grows up to 10 inches (25 cm) tall and up to 20 inches (50 cm) broad.

Parodia leninghausii’ Parodia leninghausii is a species of South American cactus commonly found as a houseplant. 

Echinopsis is a large genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus

Ephalocereus senilis is a tall, columnar species with clusters of stem. The individual stems are usually unbranched, being unable to withstand the weight of a side branches adequately. Cephalocereus senilis is not expected to flower until 10-20 years old.

Mammillaria bombycina (Silken Pincushion) Golden Eastern Lily Cactus Echinopsis aurea ‘Leucomalla’

Euphorbia ritchiei is a perennial succulent plant up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall. It forms short, thick, succulent stems, up to 1.2 inches wide, with small spines, and it offsets freely and produces large, beautifully green leaves.

Echeveria macdougallii is an indoor succulent plant belongs to the genus Crassulaceae family
 

P.S: Correct me if I am wrong 🙂 Have a nice day!!

Mystic Meghalaya: Faces

Dude why are you clicking me?

I told you not to click me, now go away!!

 you’ll get this for clicking me..

Click me again.. I’m posing already..;)

I don’t know how to pose,  let’s try this angle..

I don’t know why this fellow is behind us.. Anyways let’s just ignore . 😉 

I like getting clicked in different poses..

While the kids had so many different expressions.. Their mother was busy with the routine chores.

Silent Sunday: Landscapes From My Travels with Quotes

The Poetry on Earth is never dead. -John Keath

Nature is not a place to visit. It is home. -Gary Singler

Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come……..

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars… and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers — for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho

The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the color that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again

 

A traveller without observation is a bird without wings…

I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy. -Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

There’s nothing better than dying while doing what you love most.

Sunset is a wonderful opportunity for us to appreciate all the great things the sun gives us..

Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind. -Amit Ray

Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery.” -John Ruskin

“The earth has music for those who listen.” — William Shakespeare

When nature speaks one have to listen..

Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody. -Jane Jacobs

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.”
—Christopher

Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations. ~Oliver Goldsmith

Gangtok on a Shoestring budget

Sikkim is a land of high passes, cold deserts, barren mountains, ancient monasteries, and stunning landscapes. It is a Land of Mystery and intrigue which never ceases to amaze travellers.  Gangtok is a small and beautiful city & is the capital of Sikkim, is one place that will definitely take your breath away. Though our stay in Gangtok was only for a short time we really had a good time having momos & local cuisines drinking channg, talking to all the fellow travellers, while walking on the most cleanest street Mg Marg.

View of Enchanting Gangtok city and Surrounding vistas..

We booked a taxi from Thimphu to Phuentsholing, and from Phuentsholing we  hired another vehicle to siliguri. We got down at the coronation bridge and thought of taking a sharing taxi to Gangtok. It was very difficult for us to Find a taxi to Gangtok. So we had to again break our journey into two parts, we got down at some point(forgot the name of the place) from there we hired an alto to Gangtok. Though we were tired  after such a long and tiresome Journey from Thimphu we didn’t plan to rest because of our crunched itinerary. The very next day is the most awaited and the exciting North Sikkim trip. I was dreaming  about Lachung, Lachen & Gurudongmar lake all day and night since the trip started. By the time we arrived at Gangtok it was around 6:30-7:00pm.

MG Marg very clean and the most happening street.

We went to MG marg which is the heart of the city and is the best place for travellers to find budget hotels. After renting a room in Rigwa international hotel, we had dinner at the same hotel and ended the day. Next morning we woke up with a call from Lahiri regarding our trip to Northsikkim, that due to the bad weather conditions the road to Gurudongmar Lake and Lachen has been closed. So, 3day and 2itinerary has come down to 2day and one night to Lachung.  So we had a full day to explore Gangtok. We went to the taxi stand in MG marg and negotiated the price for a customised daytrip. Since we are four people we reserved a wagon-R car for us (there are also larger vehicles like Scorpio, Sumo which can take 7 persons) for local sightseeing tour. My first impression on this beautiful city is that it’s very clean& green, well organised city with lot of foot bridges and footpaths(almost all of the people were using it 😉 ), very organised cab system, hospitable people.

Foot bridges and the organized cab system is one of the most impressive thing of Gangtok.

We thought of  exploring Gangtok on a shoestring budget. A day trip to Gangtok was little bit hectic but we customized this itinerary, such that we are covering most of the must see places here. Our first stop was at Ropeway. This is a must see in the city and the ride is of 15 to 20 Minutes duration which provides spectacular bird view of Gangtok city and the surrounding vista.

Gangtok city overview

Just before the ride

GK, Karthik and Me..

Namgyal   Institute of Tibetology & Museum:

This place has a great collection of artifices and paintings related to Tibet. It’s a great museum showcasing lot of things on Tibetan Buddhism. Informative Museum and is the right place for the history enthusiasts. There’s a souvenir store inside the complex. If you are not a history lover then you can have a second thought on this place whether to visit or not.

Sikkim state Legislative assembly

Sikkim state Legislative Assembly

Hanuman Tok & Viewing area:

Hanuman Tok is a temple of Lord Hanuman. it has wonderful serene ambience and the viewing area offers spectacular view of Kanchenjunga range.  According to the local legends, when Hanuman was flying with the “Sanjeevani” (mythological: life saving herb) mountain to save Rama’s brother Lakshmana he rested in the spot where his temple now lies for some time. The mandir is actually managed by The Indian Army.

View from the Hanuman tok..

Ganesh Tok  & Viewing area:  Beautiful and serene temple with a great view from the top.

..Rorboyz..

Himalayan Zoological Park:

Himalayan Zoological Park is quite unique and the first Zoological park of Sikkim. The Park accomplishes the perception of modern zoo, where the animals are kept in replicated natural conditions. The entrance to the Zoo is located at the end of a short pathway opposite to Ganesh Tok. It’s about 6kms from Gangtok town.There lot of rare and endangered species of animals.Biggest attraction of this park is Red Pandas, Himalayan Black Bears, Snow Leopards, Clouded Leopard, Common Leopard, Leopard Cat, Tibetan Wolfs, Himalayan Palm Civets, Barking Deer, Yaks, etc. You can also see different types of birds here.

Snow leopard

Walkway

Had a long conversation with these Energetic college goers..

Leopard

Steep walkways

Tashi View Point:

It’s located in Tashi and about 8kms from the Gangtok town. It offers a sweeping view of Kanchenjunga snow peaks on a clear day. It seems that the view of sunrise from here is quite impressive, One can see the peaks dazzling with changing colors. Because of our crunched itinerary we didn’t even plan of going there for sunrise.Since it was foggy day we didn’t get a clear view of the snowclad mountains. It was bit foggy and rainy day so the visibility was close to zero on that day. Unfortunate for us, But I am sure it would be spectacular on a clear day. Definitely a must see place.

You need to climb steep flights of stairs to reach up from the road level to the circular viewing area.

Sikkim: Land of Dragons..

Fog and clouds are kissing the mountains..

 

Enchey Monastery:

Enchey monastery was later rebuilt in the year 1908 by the 10th King of Sikkim – Sikyong Tulku. The monastery follows an unique architecture which is an artistic adaptation of Gyanak Riwo Tse-Nga or the sacred mountain with five peaks in China – which is the spiritual place of Jampalyang. He is known as the god of knowledge to the northern Buddhists. The monastery is therefore one of the most recognized ones in the whole of Sikkim. quiet, and peaceful temple..

Enchey Monastery

Flower Exhibition Center:
By the time we returned back to MG marg it was around 6pm and it was so beautiful with the colorful lights, grand decorations, diverse people. We had some momos and tea. Then had a walking tour in the city. After that we spend few hours in a bar. Then back to the hotel.. End of the day..

Me while Ziplining 😛

Tips from my perspective:

• Ropeway is open between 8 Am to 4.30 Pm. There is no sitting arrangement inside the ropeway. Ticket price is 60/Head.
• There’s no entrance fee for Enchey monastery, Ganesh tok, Hanumantok & Tashi View point.
• Namgyal Institute of Tibetology entrance fee is Rs.10
• According to me the Best time to visit Gangtok is in March-May and September-October.

North Sikkim: An Incredible Journey

On 3rd of April, 2015, after a big party a day before in Gangtok, it was pretty hard for us to wake up the next morning. With great struggle, we finally woke up at around 7AM and got ready for the most exciting trip. We got ready and after having breakfast we headed for the taxi stand, (where the actual trip to North Sikkim starts) taking a taxi from our hotel in MG Marg for INR 150. Mr.Lahiri Ji was waiting for us at the taxi stand. We were supposed to start by 8:00 AM but we reached late. On reaching the stand he guided us to our car. The car driver was furious and started howling at us for being late. We planned to even the score during the journey :P. All were waiting for us. There was a Bengali couple along with us, waiting to start the most incredible journey to North Sikkim.

That’s Me and GK

We departed at around 9:30 am in a Mahindra Bolero from Gangtok Taxi stand. Lachung is a very small town around 120 kms from Gangtok. It’s at an altitude of 9600ft. We were informed, that we will get to see 3-4 view points during our journey from Gangtok to Lachung, however our driver Kanniah was nice enough to stop wherever we asked him to stop for sightseeing.

This is my Favorite capture in North Sikkim..

Our first stop of the day was at Seven Sister’s waterfalls. These falls were adjacent to the road with a stream of water flowing down from the mountain top.

One of the 7sister waterfalls enroute to Lachen

One of the 7sister waterfalls

We almost skipped many stops. We’ve seen many tourists who are being hurried by their drivers. But our driver was very patient and he never rushed us. So we had an amazing time. Because of his patience he made our journey itself, a destination.

North Sikkim is photographer’s paradise..

Enroute Lachung

We had a quick stopover at Phodong for lunch. The food we had was delicious, with a backdrop of the beautiful and mighty Himalayas. We were served rice, Chicken, Pickles, Daal, Potato, some kind of beans and a piece of egg. We’ve never seen our friend Prashant eating like that before. He was going on eating,  he was unstoppable.

Restaurant with a backdrop of Himalayas enroute Lachung.

After lunch, we headed towards Mangan (district headquarters) a few kms further to Mangan is Singhik viewpoint which offers a panoramic view of Mt.Kanchenjunga and Teestha Valley.

Sikkim never ceases to amaze you with stunning landscapes..

Due to heavy fog, we didn’t get a view of Kanchenjunga but the view of Teestha was priceless.  Moving ahead and we kept on gaining altitude and the sun rays were getting weaker and weaker, the temperature dipped rapidly.

 

Roads are not drive friendly..Hope they’ll be get better…

We reached Chungthang around 3:30 P.M. From Chungthang the road for Lachen and Lachung bifurcates. Lachen is approximately 30 kms from Chungthang and Lachung is around 23km. Our next stop was at Lachung for an overnight stay. We reached Lachung at around 4:30 PM, then we checked in at a hotel. It was pretty cold in Lachung village, the temperature was below zero degrees Celsius.

Sikkim is a Land of Highpasses and stunning Landscapes

We could hear the icy winds roaring across the mountains. We were given a couple of rooms on the first floor of our hotel. Later on we went to capture the beauty of this Magnificent tiny village. We finished exploring the whole village in about an hour. After shooting some footages for our Video, we got back to the hotel.

 

Lachung village

Horses..

Gk in front of our hotel

Our driver Kanniah took us to the Army Base. We never knew that going with him will be such a memorable experience. He almost knew every person in the village and even in the army. He took us to the Military Canteen. We bought some snacks and had a chat with the army men at the canteen. Luckily we met a soldier who could speak Telugu, who shared his life experiences and his love towards our nation. Photography is strictly prohibited so we couldn’t click any pictures with him!! Soon after Kanniah was done with his work , we started from there, while returning we had a quick stopover at a small home, there we had local wine and chai !! After a while we got back to our hotel and had dinner. Back to bed!

Day 02:

We were supposed to start at 5:00am to see Yumthang valley. Unfortunately there is no geyser or hot water in the hotel. So had to freshen up with cold water. We were amazed to see the snow rugged mountains around our hotel. We didn’t notice anything the day before because of the intense fog around us. It was our first sight of snow rugged mountains in Sikkim. Quite fascinating it was. Now I believe in ‘Love at first sight.”

The Yumthang Valley is at an elevation of 3,564 metres and is a grazing pasture surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in the North Sikkim. It is popularly known as ‘Valley of Flowers’. During the spring months(April-September), the area blooms with rhododendrons, primulas, poppies, iris and other flora. Even though we took this trip in April, we hardly found any flowers there. We missed seeing the real beauty of Yumthang. No one in our group was interested in visiting the hot springs in Yumthang. So we skipped it.

 

It was around 7 AM, we thought of extending our trip to Katao border and Zero Point. Generally both Katao border & Zero Point are not covered in the tour, but we negotiated with the driver to take us there. He charged 500 bucks per head and agreed to take us to those places. We reached Katao border at around 8:30 AM. We were warned by the Soldiers about the ferocious dogs. I am always afraid of dogs, so I was very cautious while going there.  On the other side of the gate, Photography is strictly prohibited. Finally, a quick hike on a cliff, we found a good place to capture the beauty of the peaks. Here we had a good conversation with Telugu speaking Aunties whom we met in Gangtok before. After enjoying and playing a lot with Snow, we left for Zeropoint at around 9:30 AM.

“He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.” (Friedrich Neitszche)

“Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery.” -John Ruskin

“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” -Nemann Buhl

“Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” -John Muir

Live to travel..Travel to live..

 

We arrived Yumesdeong famously known as zero-point, It wasn’t so cold eventhough we were at an elevation of 13700 feet . And the view from here is breath taking and the joy we had while playing with the snow and making the snowman and snowwoman was priceless. Sunrays cascading on the Snowcapped mountains made it look like, as if it were made of gold. All those beautiful Mountains, lovely Snow, striking Sunlight and clear blue Skies..

At Yumesamdong

RoRboyz

Rorboyz

We making Snowman

Best buddies

Me and Prashant

Me, GK and karthik

Krishna

While having breakfast enroute Yumesamdong..We had Maggi noodles and Breadtoast..

Oh God, this is what I am looking for. Going to Mountains is not an adventure, Going to Mountains is finding Happiness. Thank you god for making my life more meaningful by taking me to these mountains. Then we headed back to Lachung. At around 1:00PM, we reached our Hotel in Lachung again, after having lunch and freshening up, we departed to Gangtok at around 2:30 PM and reached back at 8:00pm.

Snow capped mountains

My White Yaak..

…We…

The Lake and the Mountains have become my landscape, my real world. -George Simenon

Tips from my perspective:

• Initially we paid for  3D/2N – Lachen – Gurudongmar Lake & Lachung – Yumthung Valley. But due to heavy rains and landslides the road to Gurdongmar lake was blocked. So we got our money refunded. Then we changed it to a 2D/1N – Lachung with Yumthung Valley.
• It is mandatory to take a Travel Agency to visit North Sikkim.
• Permits, Food and accommodation everything will be taken care by the travel agents.
• If you are planning a trip to Sikkim, Don’t miss North Sikkim..

Checkout our Video Travel diaries of RoRboyz