Blogs from India, Asia - page 9

Hello, we have done Delhi to Chakrata which is hill station in Uttrakhand & Kathmandu trip, I am sharing the photos of those trip. Chakrata is a cantonment town and also a sub district/tehsil, in Dehradun district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It lies between the Tons and Yamuna rivers, at an elevation of 2118 m, 98 km from the state capital, Dehradun. Chakrata was originally a cantonment of the British Indian Army. Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, is set in a valley surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. At the heart of the old city’s mazelike alleys is Durbar Square, which becomes frenetic during Indra Jatra, a religious festival featuring masked dances. Many of the city's historic sites were damaged or destroyed by a 2015 earthquake. Durbar Square's palace, Hanuman Dhoka, and Kasthamandap, a wooden Hindu temple, ... read more

In the end, with this occurring around the world pandemic, the struggle betwixt Ukraine and Russia, and anxiety between India and China at the Ladakh border, we decided to go to a place that may supply peace to our minds for at least some time and loosen up inside the lap of nature Kashmir - as everybody says it as “Heaven on earth”. First, I must mention is about go to Kashmir at least once in your lifetime and add it to your holiday list now. The most mesmerizing valley, the undying example of nature, the picturesque mountains, the drives thru inexperienced meadows, and the tranquil dal lake of Kashmir, find a lot of these studies in this weblog. It will help you locate all the gemstones of Kashmir, it’s the way of life, and conventional ... read more

Day-5: Gangtok to Pelling via Chardham and Buddha Park At last, there was something to see in Gangtok. On Day-5 we were to travel from Gangtok to Pelling. As usual, taxi was expected anytime between 9 and 11. Fortunately, we could start the day at 9.30. Four places in Gangtok were on the list: Flower show, Do Drul Chortan Stupa, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Handicrafts center. Last two were closed due to weekly holidays. Flower show has good collection of flowering plants arranged nicely. As the number of photographs is just too many for this blog, I will put up elsewhere. Funny part was that every visitor wanted to be photographed himself/herself with the flowers. Selfie culture has changed the definition of photography. You are always in the center! Next was the Do Drul Chortan ... read more

Sikkim – Darjeeling : May-2022 When I started writing this blog, I started with comparison of self-planned tour v/s organized tour as Ladakh (self-planned) is still fresh in mind. Then I decided to keep that chapter at the end. It is interesting to know that Sikkim was an independent State / Nation protected by India till 1975. After internal political turmoil, a referendum was held and by overwhelming majority, people of Sikkim decided to become a part of India. Sikkim became 22nd state of India in 1975. Local population of Sikkim is mainly Buddhist (Bhutia and Lepcha) and some Nepali. Sikkim has population of just over 7 lacs. We booked through a travel company – ‘Ajay Modi’ of Ahmedabad. It is shown as a 7-nights 8-days tour, whereas in reality it is 7-nights and 6-days. Day-1 ... read more

Since my paternal uncle passed away, I was concerned about my father as the only surviving brother. Thankfully, he was fine but my brave trip during the pandemic was a lesson in itself to take care of oneself first and foremost. Being not sure of travel, I requested some flexibility in my leave which my 'kind' manager complied with. I took the RT-PCR test and it was negative. Immediately, I confirmed my travels. I cycled and bought a whole lot of thoughtful presents for friends and family at one go as did not have much time for multiple trips. I had to fill a Air Suvidha form to confirm all my location details in India. At the airport, there were so many administrative checks of an assortment of papers, making travelling with the Maharaja less than ... read more