To the kingdom of happiness...

At Punakaha Dzong

Its been a month since we returned from Bhutan and till date we keep singing Tandin...Tandin. The name of our driver there J . Interestingly his father's name is Phunshuk Wangdu. Difficult to forget the country (so unique) and its simple & loving people.

Me,my son in orange and Tandin

It would be unfair on my part if I don’t write about and recommend Bhutan after having experienced the raw Himalayan beauty , the architectural eloquence and the hospitality by Bhutanese.So here I'm with whatever beauty I could capture through my camera lens .....even though a camera can't really justify what eyes see.

Paro Dzong

Bhutan, deeply rooted in its culture and traditions completely distinguishes itself from other countries. In fact one may feel like being transported into another era as soon as one enters the thunder dragon Buddhist  land of north eastern Himalayas..

Taken inside Trashichhoedzong

At Thimpu

I've been asked,' Why Bhutan'?? Someone from Durgapur even said,’ Gangtok is the capital of Bhutan, right ,’?

Is it because of its(high value low volume) sustainable approach to tourism ? I wonder ! A few Indian tourists staying with us had expected Bhutan to be like Switzerland !

Wooden bridge at Punakha

We chose to visit Bhutan in May 14 because, before Mr. Modi  ,we wanted to know the secret
behind a happy nation ;-)

And ….Gangtok is not the capital of Bhutan ,my dear Durgapurwasi J… Also people ...its definitely not like Switzerland . You can’t compare Madhubala to Marilyn Monroe. Both have their own charm.

At Dochulaa Pass

Anyway…., this time we flew till Kolkata and instead of taking Druk air till Paro to save on cost and life due to many thin air pockets  ,we decided to go by road via NJP (New Jalpaiguri ) and Phuntsholing

We could do three places in our 10 days trip. Thimpu,Punakha and Paro though I would recommend the snowmen’s trek to be definitely pursued given enough time and less baggage. Bhutan is trekker’s paradise and  it makes perfect sense to leave kids behind if interested in mountaineering.

View from Gangtey Palace at Paro

Huge snow capped mountains , streams  ,water falls , deep Himalayan forests ,distinct jungle fragrance, pure oxygen ,pine cones, white yellow red and violet flowers ,Yaks &  Takins to name a few  during our travels….   Isn't it a heavenly experience?

One of the few shots tried in the forest

  

Shot in valley of flowers

Tandin knew his country well and he made sure that besides India’s national animal, bird, flower  etc  we do remember their Takin, Raven,Blue Poppy and Rhododendrons forever.

Of course, Himalayan nation has  very rich fauna and flora besides the number of dzongs and monasteries. That reminds me of the mesmerizing beauty of 'Punakha Dzong' which has become a part of our permanent memory.

Punakha Dzong ,second oldest and second largest of the Bhutan Dzongs 

The Royal wedding of the present king and queen also happened here.
Other than this my son remembers the maggi & chocolates bought for him , the pine cones collected and the Bhutan flag as parting gift….all done by his Tandin uncle. My husband who considers Reinhold Messner, one of his Gods , loved the mountains.
and I …. I remember the peaceful moment that we have had at Gangtey palace looking up at the sky & the snow and down at the Paro town from the hilltop.

View from Gangtey Palace (there were clouds however during sun one could see snow capped mountains

The only regret I have is that I couldn’t climb up the tiger’s nest (Paro Taktsang, approx 3000ft above Paro valley). My nuts and bolts need updation :-( and am proud of my husband that he could do the task in less than 4 hrs.

Tiger's nest

This is where Guru Padmasambhav also known as Rinpoche who brought Buddhism to Bhutan from Tibet, meditated.

Question still remains ...The secret of happiness in Bhutan . In my opinion it is simplicity ….being raw (in one’s true form …nothing made up) which comes by being close to nature, respecting the co existence & not just being proud of the Buddhist  culture and tradition but enjoying the same.

 I loved the fact that in the game of archery which we witnessed , all the participants danced together once any one of them hit the target.

Archery in Thimpu

Most marriages are love marriages and gender discrimination is not there .The culture is not conservative in that sense however  Bhutan wants to be careful in adopting globalization, hence shopping for clothes even at Thimpu (the capital) may not be a good idea. Handicrafts ? of course !

To my astonishment ,part of their culture is also to paint penises on walls, wooden models of those are worshiped for fertility.

Now you see…how unique Bhutan is J

Tandin asked some questions time and again during our stay. Would you come back again? Would you like to stay here forever?

Tandin belonged to this beautiful small town of Paro

Of course I would go to Bhutan again to see the middle eastern side and do the snowmen’s trek as well someday but ….staying forever??

Unfortunately the Indian part of me loves crowd and can’t imagine staying in the only house on top of the mountain as lot of Bhutanese do though I wish I could be as bold as Mr. Rinpoche to settle in one of the most unthinkable & God forsaken places to invoke God . 

So am back in my very own city Bangalore to wait at the traffic signal and spend min half an hour on road even to buy milk & Veges from the mall very near to my apartment building, for no immediate U turn planned.The cost we pay for our respective comfort zones :-( 

There are times when God laughs & says, ‘Oh ! you have a plan for tomorrow’?  Yr 2013 has been like that for us, a year of settling down for God's plans. And I feel bad and sad that I have been so involved in managing contingencies that I didn't even spend time to post here.

Everything we expected or planned since 2013 beginning, went  haywire including simple things like travel We were supposed to visit Kashmir this march but just a day before that too got cancelled. Series of events post Afsal Guru’s hanging led to blasts, firings, killing of an innocent civilian and finally the curfew .

Nonetheless we had to take a break in May before my son would get into the school grind so irrespective of the quality of life episodes we decided to GO  (the time to rack brains over destinations and itinerary)

Egypt was an attractive option but didn’t want another cancellation due to the political upheaval . And given the only requirement my son and hubby had was water play,we froze on Mauritius & Dubai travel deal at the end.

We were not a very cheery party at the thought of traveling to Dubai .We always assumed Dubai could be done anytime during the transit ,given that it is so near & is like a second home to Indian workers.And definitely it wasn't a travel destination in our minds. William Dalryple’s 'In Xanadu' ,the book in my hand during the same time, also gave a strangely hilarious description of Arabs, a lot of it coinciding with the image I always had in my mind.

But of course, now that I’ve seen Arab ke tel aur Dubai ke malls ka kamaal,I know why Dubai is one of the most traveled destinations in the world.

God always gives something to everyone …… we Indians got water & greenery on land and they got Oil in sand. We got population,they believe in cooperation. The result…. Emirati cooperation has made Dubai a fine symbol of luxurious living amidst the desert and a dream for many, especially ‘Pakistanis’. Our guide was so fascinated by Emirati people and their lifestyle that his every sentence started with them and ended with them in a very weird ‘trying to be an English’ accent,  ‘amirati people’.

He kept showing us what Oil can do and kept praising the rulers. The most wonderful statement of his was , 'look out side ,every country has crime but Dubai has zero crime rate.’ I thought, ‘of course ’   ;-) !!

First half of the day, we wandered around Dubai museum, markets & skyscrapers exposing ourselves to the full glare of desert sun for the first time .My son moaning about the heat every now and then amidst of ‘wows’ and ‘one snap please’ by the other tourists. My son slept before he could see the Jumeriah mosque, the houses there, palaces of the 1^st wife, 2^nd wife and the 3^rd wife of the ruler or have a look at Al burj where the most expensive cocktail of the world is served. Emirati people !! he missed all ...

 Evening was our turn to experience Dhow cruise.The intent and the experience were total opposites. The choice of typical Hindi movie loud songs played on the cruise boat led us to sink into a state of exhausted helpless gloom .At the end of it we only wanted to go back and sleep peacefully,so we did.

Next day,we decided to get to dubai mall on our own and shop. It was big for the time we had plus  my little one running  marathons across the human caravan trotting around the mall ,made it almost impossible to even have a look at the things we wanted . So we came out buying unnecessary things ....:-(

What I distinctly remember about Dubai is the desert safari and the dance shows including belly dancing. That was unique & I truly appreciate the dancers there even the Arab men who go round n round n round.

Safari on land cruiser was a combination of pleasant and unpleasant. Twice our Vehicle almost was on the verge of toppling over the dunes. In fact half an hr hard labor was spent shoveling away at the sand, trying to help another vehicle which had got stuck , along with other Arab drivers .

More comforting was to ride on our own in bikes and jeeps.

Anyway,after the oil and sand experience it was time for nature and water.

Mauritius was as beautiful as unexpected. Too much of clear blue water & god painted skies  ,too much lying in beach, too many baths ,too much wine and too much  pasta, almost everyday because the hotel didn't have Indian veg options .And when requested for gulab jamun and gajar halwa, the chef said,’ ya ya Indian food  so you want ‘leddoos’’.

Other than the food and Indian honeymooners who made us feel old and out of place, everything was nice.

That reminds me , ‘Is there any rule for Indian women to wear all kinds of ‘never ever tired before’ clothes and look  uncomfortable on their honeymoon in Mauritius?

However , blood red off shoulder mini frock with a flowery bow during winters and rains in Mauritius can make some honeymooners too ideal for sightseeing and we really didn't mind that .

Besides, under water sea walk was an unusual experience for us. Couldn't do lot other activities for the rough sea at Sands resort where we stayed. But we did north island and south island tour .Visit to Isle Aux cerfs reminded me of island hopping tour at Langkawi though.

By the end of four days well spent in Mauritius ,  a whole new series of responsibilities loomed….getting home, getting up early ,kid’s school ,job search, office, shifting to our new place in 3 months etc etc .4^th June we had got back and am posting this now.... just before my next break around Christmas  :-)
Ciao!

East Calling....!!

Ya… I am bong too!! …though it doesn’t  mean ‘ machhi khabo ‘ and ‘from Kolkata ‘.

Have always found it difficult to explain my bong blood to people, given that am not that fluent in Bengali also. Neverthelesss  last December we decided to go homewards exploring our eastern connections starting with Kolkata.

One place where the local ads caught my attention …on radio, in cinema hall, the hoardings, the small posters around. Unbelievably most ads are about diseases and hospitals unlike in namma  Bengaluru  where every time you hear  a  jingle or see an ad …in 80% cases they are about  the so called dream homes. Is there any connection  between the energy of the city  and the ads…I wonder !!

The divide is so obvious in Kolkata. The new town on one hand and the houses with pukhurs (ponds-bud for bacteria and viruses to flourish), on the other. I don’t intend to be cynical but Kolkata needs thorough cleaning  from roads to systems. How can they still make people wait for 45 min- 1 hrs to get a pre paid taxi. Get a computer for God’s sake instead of using old receipt book with carbon.

I know I know, Kolkata should instead be used as a synonym for art and culture but treasure should be treasured, really.The fact also remains that I still do like Kolkata, blame it on my blood.This was my only third visit. Food has always been great here especially the street food.

Hmmm besides eateries, we did go to Victoria memorial, Dakkhineshwar temple, Alipore Zoo  etc etc

Victoria Memorial- Kolkata

.

Next on the list was Darjeeling, the hill station with lot of associations from British to ‘Barfi'.

Darjeeling- view from our hotel

Early morning, come to the window of your room and see the magnificence of the Himalayan range, kanchenjonga, Wow!! One advantage that Sinclairs has eventhough the uphill walk to reach Sinclairs does kill everytime one wants to reach the hotel  after a long tiring day.

Sudeep with Darjeeling tea in his hands near the tea gardens

Darjeeling tea, fresh vegetables & fruits by the roadside, kids in all kinds of colorful school uniforms and the mall road which is where the spirit of the hillstation resides. Walk anytime to the mall is fun .Cafes, book shops& artifacts !! In fact, the strongest recall I’m having right now is of Nathmull’s tea boutique.The tea sets on sale are gorgeous,wish had bought one of those .

A Monastery in Darjeeling

Shanti stupa in Darjeeling

Incidentally, unique to Darjeeling is its Himalayan mountaineering institute museum & Zoo which has the himalayan variety. I really did spend a lot of time trying to perfect my photography skills in front of  the red panda there,  it was just not ready to poseL  However this little fellow was curious enough to see a creature like me.

At Darjeeling zoo

After 2 days at  Darjeeling we left for our expedition to Sikkim with a stop over at Teesta for a thrilling river water rafting experience. 

Teesta and Rangeet

And ya, best part is you do can take your children along.

River water rafting at Teesta

Baiguney, Pelling, Gangtok & Nathula pass. Lots to see in Sikkim . Houses with flowers, trucks with eyes, traffic jams and hardworking people with simple hearts .

The stuck truck with eyes in Gangtok

Travel is ofcourse not that easy here & it is comparatively expensive too. Winters, the sun sets by 4- 4.30 when even a 20 km travel takes more than an hour due to the difficult terrains.

When we reached Baiguney, it was late afternoon and we hardly had time left for sightseeing. No one wanted to go out but I still decided to visit Chardham of Sikkim and that too alone with the driver. As soon as I sat in car our driver, Moses said, ‘madam you seem very scared ’. 

Ofcourse, I was .I had just landed in a new place and had met him hardly 30 min back. I could only smile for my determination and the risk taking appetite. The journey was 2 hrs upwards and as soon as I reached chardham, it became almost dark.

Chardham- Sikkim

I returned back at 7pm .My husband was right, Sikkim is very safe eventhough we had continued to call each other every 15 min during my entire trip. Accidently I also discovered that the driver had fanatic love for music more than anything but least interest in geography as Bangalore was part of Kanyakumari for him, until I explained . Not his problem, it is the disconnect.

Pelling is near Baiguney, so Mr. Moses also drove us to the oldest monastery in Sikkim, Pemayangtse & Kechuberi lake, the so called wishing lake in Pelling. 'Pemayangtse monastry' was built by monks of pure Tibetan origin. 

From outside- A wall ,Pemayangtse Monastry

Prayer flags, the bells…and weird structures made of stones, different ways to accessing God.

Prayer bells

Prayer flags

2 days of tasty food and complete relaxation by the rangeet riverside at Club Mahindra, Baiguney observing lights here and there on huge mountains that surrounded us, was truly majestic.

Thereafter we headed for Gangtok following Teesta river. Only thing possible on the first day was Rumtek monastery in ‘ traffic jam’ prone Gangtok. Evening  we spent at Gangtok’s MG Road ,best place to buy all feng shui stuff.

Gangtok- MG Road

Next day it was turn to visit Nathula pass. 

On the way to Nathula

I can proudly say now that I feel completely fine even at 14000 ft above sea level. 

Nathula Pass

Every travel has to bring some unique story no… infact no one makes them, they just choose you to be part of them .And this time it is about 6 hrs traffic jam on the way back to NJP station from Gangtok, which we faced on our last day. Now that we are over that experience, am just thinking… what all things we pray for no…  ‘to be able to catch train, to be able to find some roadside loo, some water to drink’, I mean God has so many important things to attend to.

Anyways we finally did learn to pee safely on mountain road where every inch of it was covered with vehicle, take water from a small waterfall nearby, use loo at a petrol bunk  just before NJP and finally pay Rs 5000 extra to get tickets in another train the next morning when hundreds of passengers stood there stranded who also had missed their trains. Many thanks to Mr and Mrs Gosh, parents of our neighbor Mr Joydeep who entertained us even at 12am midnight at there house at NJP. 

Indian culture jindabad and bong culture double jindabad… we got all kinds of 'rosogollas' and 'bhajas' even at our midnight dinner :-)

Finally Momota didi’s 'Duronto' brought us back to Bangalore after a fortnight long trip... ...SAFELY!! 

Jai Momota didi  & Jai Bangla. !!

Kodai Platter !!

As per our home rule book,we necessarily should bunk work and go out of Bangalore on special days like birthdays :-) And this time, Sudeep insisted on exploring kodai wilderness . Kodaikanal is the place ,we had been to together ,way back in 2004 and the memories of our time there seemed some of the most indelible of our lives especially at the eighth year of our marriageJ,guess that was the reason for the second trip.

After all, have heard many times, ‘ life is nothing but a collection of memories and moments’ . And some moments you want to relive as and when. Interestingly, Kodaikanal is  also the only Indian hill station to be discovered by the Americans and not British.

First thing  I asked when I reached Hill country Kodai this time was, ‘tell me the most beautiful place to visit in Kodai ’.  'Berijam lake' , out came the answer. Three days we waited for permission from forest officials but in vain. Wild elephants had decided to barge in there and stay put just to make sure that we make at least one more visit to Kodaikanal in future. We don’t mind that though.

Anyways…despite missing on Berijam lake visit, we still were on the upside and the ROI(return on investment) wasn’t bad. We did witness the misty woods engulfed in the eerie silence,

On the way to Dolphin's nose at Kodaikanal

the tranquil lake around which cycling is fun,  (You can also peak into the roadside shops typical of tourist places while riding on the cycle & escape the sale at the same time)

Upper lake View in Kodaikanal

pristine Kodai beauty on Coaker’s walk,

At Coaker's Walk

vibrant skies contrasting with the wild greenery making for some beautiful scenes,

the falls,

the pine forests where our Indian heroes and heroins typically run around the trees and sing songs,

Pine forests - Kodaikanal

Looking above @ Pine forests ,Kodaikanal

the same blue church,

La sallete church in Kodaikanal

and the same bench where we have had our tea/coffee eight years back too.

All worth it.  Best part is that your legs & feet get to work after a long city slumber when you visit any hill station like Kodai. The uphill downhill roads, the lakeside, the mall road window shopping ,love it all. And thankfully life doesn’t remind you of time running by, every now and then.

After all, traveling does mean long walks, nature’s splendid beauty which works as an excellent eye tonic and food musings all along the tiring day J leaving everything else behind.

That reminds me of Tava restaurant there. Suggestions on trip advisor are not bad, hmmn. Had read about Tava there. Very small place but tasty north Indian food. Plus, Kodai has its name for fresh fruits and vegetables too. So no worry eat to your heart's delight there.I did ,ofcourse !

Today (23rd Aug 2012) my holidays end and as I conclude my trip feeling rewarded for my time spent in kodaikanal, I'm already wishing... wishing to come here again to celebrate many more special days and years of togetherness :-) 

Cake cutting at Kodai  lake.

Stay tuned till the next serving from my end !! ciao ...