Lovely! Enjoyed reading it. Northeast India consists of 8 states, commonly known as ' Seven sisters and a brother'; the brother is Sikkim. However, most people just refer it to as the 'seven sisters'. I would love to visit Manipur one day for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Lockdown life Thanks for the fascinating insight to life under lockdown in Goa, both the positive and more challenging aspects. Great read. Stay safe guys.
The unknown of a pandemic is terrifying, yet venturing into India’s Goa to wait it out, perhaps even a bit crazy! But your situation couldn’t have turned out any better. Well done. Goa has such incredible locals and I believe they would have protected and shared anything they had with foreigners. They are that lovely. Good luck with the monsoon, and stay safe.
Our experience of visiting West and South Sikkim, Darjeeling Sikkim was our first trip to the Northeast. We went in December and the weather was fine, not very cold.
Sikkim is a scenic place with rolling hills, blue mountains and leafy, misty woods. You come across the turquoise blue waters of River Rangit and Teestha (WB) almost everywhere. The people are simple, warm and friendly and instinctively smile at strangers. The Baiguney Club Mahindra resort where we stayed is also a beautiful place, on the right bank of River Rangit beyond which rises a mountain. Sikkim is all mountains and streams and valleys carpeted with wild flowers. Roads are very good and road-widening is going on at some places.
The Sidkeong Tulku Bird Park at Gyalshing in West Sikkim district is another lovely place. Set in the most dense forest I have ever seen, it is a half an hour exhilarating walk through silver oaks and other trees that reach for the sky. Sun light hardly falls through the dense canopy. The walk leads to the ruins of ancient capital of Sikkim, Rabdentse, and the fort offers expansive views of the Kanchanjunga range. We visited the 17th century Sangchen Pemayangtse Monastery where ancient scrolls of Buddha's teachings are kept.
Pelling is a quiet holiday station. There is a skywalk which offers beautiful views of mountains. The periphery and outskirts of Darjeeling are very scenic but Darjeeling town is over-rated. The tea gardens are really lovely and refreshing. You can enjoy the views from cable car also. The cable cars are a bit scary but it was safe. Darjeeling hill station is congested and jammed with traffic. There is an army memorial at Darjeeling worth visiting. We took a 30-km drive from Darjeeling to Nepal border town of Pasupathinagar. The route via Ghoom, Sukhia Pokhari, and Simana is very scenic with pine forest slopes on both sides of the road. It is a beautiful and memorable drive. We went into Pasupathinagar inside Nepal which is a tax free zone. Although people claim that the goods are all original but cheap, I found most of the items to be clever duplicates. It is a good place to buy jackets though.
There is a little town named Jorthung, 3 kms away from Baiguney. It has a well laid out market centre...good place to buy trinkets and souvenirs. Outside the Biguney Club Mahindra, about 100 metres away on the Nayabazar-Legship-Reshi Road, we discovered a little eating place lovingly named Baiguney’s Rasoi.
It is a small joint run by two women, and their home-cooked food was delicious and hygienic. And the food is reasonably priced. You can have sumptuous breakfast of Aloo Parathas, Puri Sabzi or bread omelette there itself on neatly laid out tables with the sun streaming in over the mountain. They prepare vegetarian and non-vegetarian lunch and dinner also if you inform in advance. There are lots of Oyos and other small hotels in Jorthang, Pelling, and Gyalshing. The Geyzing market was interesting with fresh fruits, and the Taatopani hot spring.
We spent most of the time in West Sikkim and South Sikkim districts. We will do Gangtok and above next time.
If you have a morning flight (between 9 am- 12 noon) from Bagdogra, it would be a good idea to start early from Gangtok, Baiguney or Jorthang as landslides can sometimes block the road. If you have a very early morning flight, better to return to Bagdogra the previous evening.
I ‘d mention that most of us visitors are endowed to exist in a fabulous place with very many wonderful individuals with very helpful things.
Happy Makar Sakranti Wishes in Hindi
Nepal We didn't fall in love with Nepal either. More specifically Kathmandu. We enjoyed it once we got out in the country but never fell in love. Thanks for taking us along on your journey.
Ying and Yang of India You've seen a lot and are able to compare and contrast the wide variances that abound in India. Congratulations to two years on the road and continued happiness. Enjoy the cuisine.
Memories! Over the years, I've been fortunate to visit nearly all of the places you have brought to life in this blog. You certainly seem to have crammed in a great variety - and enjoyed it! Your photos are terrific - for me, the one of the wood-weighing scales in Varanasi ([photo=9995998]) rather sums up my feelings about that amazing city.
Desert mountains A wonderful example that deserts are full of harsh vistas and full of surprises. Gotta love the people who make deserts their home. Sounds like you have experienced what I mean.
Iran As Americans we are not convinced we should visit Iran... time will tell. What a great adventure you are on and loved your descriptions and photos. You've covered a lot of topics and given insight into the culture. Thanks for sharing. MJ
Wow Of all the animals we have seen in our African safaris we have never seen this guy. Not unlike the goanna in Australia. Any idea what this lizard is called?
Every voyage of thousands of miles starts with one single step.
Our first step was taking the decision to take the plunge, quit jobs and housing, sell our stuff, do our own Brexit in February 2017 and travel for a very long time to countries we have not visited yet, to meet the beautiful people of the world, to learn new things and to experience life.... full info
Tanuja Rai (TourGenie)
non-member comment
Lovely!
Enjoyed reading it. Northeast India consists of 8 states, commonly known as ' Seven sisters and a brother'; the brother is Sikkim. However, most people just refer it to as the 'seven sisters'. I would love to visit Manipur one day for sure. Thanks for sharing.