"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --I took the one less traveled by,and that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost
These words don't really explain my adventure trip to the North East of India but these are the words that make me a traveler or rather an aspirant traveler.
I'm not an author so please don't expect a mesmerizing travelogue below these lines. What you are going to encounter rather is my itinerary of the trip along with some snaps and some really cool snaps (or so think I or I would rather let you decide).
The day finally came as December 12 of 2006 when I'll start my adventure trip to the heavens called Himalayas. I had always wanted to see the majestic Himalayas, the seven sister states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura), the big brother (West Bengal) and the little brother (Sikkim). Later, though, I'll realize that passing through all these states will require more time than what I had had in my hands then; just 21 days or so. A huge underestimate on it's own that will eventually make me abort the journey in the middle.
The Preparations:
The things that I had taken care of before the journey were the tickets for onward journey from Bangalore (Krishnarajpuram) to Howrah and from Sialdah to Siliguri 6 days later and for the return journey 21 days later from Howrah to Bangalore back. The rest was to be decided on the fly as and when things come on my may. Apart from these the most important things I had were a lot of maps including those of West Bengal, Kolkata, Sikkim, Assam, North East India etc; and enough cash.
Day 1 & 2: The Journey Begins (Dec 12-13):
They say the best way to learn is to travel, to meet people, to interact with them. Ok, then, here I was with my backpack standing in the Krishnarajpuram railway station waiting for my train to Howrah. As usual the train was late. This time for full 45 minutes.
In the train I met 3 people from Mizoram and one elderly gentleman from Kolkata. Through them I got to know that because of CITU strike Kolkata would be paralyzed the day I reach there. Bummer! What a nice beginning. "Ok dear!", I say to myself. After all it's an adventure of it's own kind, an experience of different kind. But in my mind I knew I hated it.
Most part of the second day was spent chatting with the fellow passengers and sleeping.
In the train I met 3 people from Mizoram and one elderly gentleman from Kolkata. Through them I got to know that because of CITU strike Kolkata would be paralyzed the day I reach there. Bummer! What a nice beginning. "Ok dear!", I say to myself. After all it's an adventure of it's own kind, an experience of different kind. But in my mind I knew I hated it.
Most part of the second day was spent chatting with the fellow passengers and sleeping.
Day 3: Midnight in Bhubaneshwar (Dec 14):
It's midnight. 12:00 AM. The train is standing at Bhubaneshwar. The latest development at Kolkata had suggested that today the city would be burning. I recall I had come to Bhubaneshwar a year back. It was a biking trip to Konark and Puri and because of time constraints I had missed site seeing in Bhubaneshwar. What say? In 5 minutes I had to decide about something. And after 5 minutes I was standing in the platform with my backpack.
After hunting for an hour; and waking up many hotel guys just to find no rooms were available; finally I got a hotel room around 3 kilometers from the railway station. I was wondering if my decision of breaking the journey was at all good in any sense. After all Bhubaneshwar can't be unaffected by the developments taking place in Kolkata. Only the day will tell.
I woke up at 7 AM and by 8 AM I'm all ready for the first cut of my 'adventures'. I inquire the hotel guy about some site seeing package I might avail. He tells me that all hell was broken out on the roads. People were burning tires and all the roads were blocked. No taxi or autos to be seen. Great. I think of taking some snaps of the political turmoil but then changed my mind. Things could have been fatal if I dared do that. I wander for around 3 kilometers and to my relief, situation seems to be under control. I hire an auto for roaming around the city.
Bhubaneshwar has got some nice old temples. I visit Lingaraj Temple, Dhauli (Dhaulagiri temple of Buddha), Udaygiri and Khandagiri. The snap can be found here. At 5 PM I am standing at Parivahan Bhavan inquiring about buses to Kolkata. I get to know that there is only one Volvo bus service to Kolkata and the same has been stopped for the last 2 days because of some technical fault. I inquire for private buses and find all of them are booked. I look at the sky. No one's there. Fine. I rush to railway reservation counter to find a mile long queue. This is no adventure.
One last idea. E-ticket. I hunt down one cyber cafe nearby. Puri Howrah Jagannath Express at 11:45 PM with 80 seats available. Life's not that bad. I find one hotel that serves authentic Uriya food. Amazing food. And I eat as if I haven't eaten for days.
11:45 and the train comes. On time? Yes. This was gonna be a long night. I find no traces of sleep.
Day 4: Howrah and Kolkata(Dec 15):
The paddy fields are on both sides of the railway track. And it's drizzling. The cool breeze, the kinds that make you feel like being in heaven, is flowing. What else one can ask for after this?
I reach Howrah at 9 AM. The railway station is huge and looks majestic. And then I spot Haldiram's Cafe and enjoy delicious samosas and tea. And then something clicks to my mind: Howrah Bridge. The famous bridge is somewhere nearby. They say the best way to watch it is from bottom, from a ferry. I inquire about it. No ferries are available. I take a taxi to go to Kolkata. Howrah Bridge, on Hooghly river, connects Howrah and Kolkata. And finally I see it approaching. It's so magnificent and majestic. Think of it: it has a bollywood movie named after it. I decide to watch it from a ferry come what may.
I reach Kolkata and go to Central Avenue. Buildings of Victorian architecture can be seen on both the sides for the whole stretch of the road. The view is awesome and I feel to be in 19th century.
I take up a hotel room and sleep till 2 PM. At 4 I go to Chowringee. Destination is Victoria Memorial. It's grand and marvelous. There is a tank near it and it's reflection in the tank looks equally beautiful. The sun is right behind the memorial. A perfect opportunity for memorable photography. I take many snaps from many possible angles.
I go inside the memorial for the museum. If it wasn't for the closing time, I could have spent a whole day there. I come out of the memorial and find a cafeteria. The egg roll you find there are bathed in butter and are yummy.
Birla Planetarium is nearby. The show was about to start in few minutes. It's in Bengali. I enjoy the one hour show.
My hunt for authentic Bengali food lands me at a restaurant. It looks more like a dhaba but food is good.
Another attraction of Kolkata is it's metro. The first in any metro city in India. I go from maidan to central. Back in the hotel I'm all happy with the nice experiences I had had in Kolkata till then.
Day 5: Kolkata (Dec 16):
At 12 PM I go to St. Paul's Cathedral. I take some snaps from outside. Raju's kitchen and his egg rolls are nearby (Yes the same cafeteria of the previous day). After enjoying the egg rolls I walk to Rabindra Sadan then to Nandan theater and then I go to Birla Children's Museum. The next is Netaji Sadan. This is the ancestral home of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. I feel proud of standing in the place where Netaji once lived. The movie Bose was partly shot here.
I go to Marble Palace and then to Sahid Minar. It's dark by now and is dinner time. I find Trincas at Jawaharlal Nehru Road and enjoy food with live music.
After a tiring day I'm back to hotel at 10 PM. My stay at Kolkata is coming to the end. I had missed watching Howrah Bridge from a ferry. Nevertheless, I'd get another chance on my return journey. Next morning I have to catch a train to New Jalpaiguri.
Day 6: Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri (Dec 17):
I reach Sialdah railway station by 8 AM. NJP train comes at 9:05 AM. I enjoyed the journey and reached NJP by 6 PM. After hunting for a good hotel for an hour I finally decided to take up the next one I find. It turned out to be the shoddiest hotel of my life. Tomorrow I'll be going to Silliguri.
Day 7: Siliguri to Darjeeling (Dec 18):
I reach Siliguri by 10 AM. Take a shared taxi and reach Darjeeling by 5 PM. In an hour I check in to hotel Valentino. My room had beautiful view overlooking to the Himalayas. A cup of fantastic Darjeeling tea in the shivering cold add positively to the mood. I book a taxi for site seeing for the next day.
Day 8: Darjeeling (Dec 19):
03:30 Woke up in the shivering cold.
04:30 Tiger Hill . It's the highest peak in Darjeeling.
05:30 Finally the sunrise happens. And little later in the opposite direction Khang Chen Dzonga (Kanchenjunga) starts looking clearer. The beauty of the majestic mountain can't be explained in words. It's simply amazing.
06:30 Ghoom Monastery.
07:00 Batasia Loop of the Darjeeling Frontier Rail. Here Nepal border can be seen.
09:00 Breakfast
10:00 Japanese Buddhist Temple. The statues of Buddha in four stages of his life (Dharmaprachar (धर्मप्रचार), Nirvana (निर्वाण), Janm (जन्म), Samadhi (समाधि)) are depicted here. The Japanese prayer is being chanted all the times (Na Mu Myo Ho ReN Ge Kyu - न मू म्यो हो रें गे क्यू).
10:15 Ava Art Gallery
11:00 Himalayan Mountaineering Club: Kanchenjunga (8579m) is the third highest peak after Mt. Everest (8848m) and K2 (8612m).
11:30 Zoo: Here one can see parakeet pheasant, Tibetan wolf, sambhar deer (Cerves Unicolor), common leopard (panthera pardus), snow leopard (uncia uncia), red panda (ailurus fulgens) etc.
12:15 St. Joseph's College, North Point. The movie "Mera Naam Joker" has a seen shot here.
12:20 Tensing Rock
12:30 Bengal Natural History Museum
13:00 Library and then Oxford Book Staff to purchase travel books for North East India.
13:30 I take lunch and by
14:45 I reach my hotel back.
17:00 I go to have a stroll in the market.
20:45 Back again to hotel room.
Day 9: Gangtok (Dec 20):
I woke up at 8 AM and by 9 took a taxi to Gangtok. The road are great. The geniuses of BRO (Border Roads Organization) have maintained them well. On the way you find Teesta river, beautiful valleys and many bridges.
I reach the Sikkim border town of Rangpo by 12 AM and by 1:30 AM I check in to Yalung Retreat. Once again the room has beautiful views outside. After having breakfast I start the tour of Gangtok.
Gangtok has many beautiful places of tourist attractions. I found Rumtek Monastery at Rumtek the best among all of them. Do-Drul Chorten Stupa, Nam Nam View Point, Sikkim Assembly Hall, Hanuman Tok (beautiful temples of Hanuman and Sai Baba; my driver Vinod told me about his two wishes that got fulfilled after he prayed here), Ganesh Tok (Gangtok city can be viewed from here) and Tashi View Point are main attractions.
I enjoyed coffee sitting in the kitchen of a local shop and reached my hotel by 6:30 PM. M. G. Roads can be found in nearly all the major cities in India. Gangtok is no exception. I stroll for an hour in M.G. Road thanks to the traffic police who don't allow vehicles there after evening. I enjoyed the food at the Oberoy's and then came back to the Hotel.
Day 10: Tsomgo Lake and Nathula Pass (Dec 21):
I took a cab to Nathula Pass. We reached Tsomgo Lake. Here we hired extra warm cloths which are a must to survive at near zero temperature and chilling wind.
We reached Nathula Pass, which is the China border. Chomal Hari Peak of Bhutan is visible from there. The Firth battalion of the Grenadiers regiment of Indian Army : 5th Grenadiers were posted there. The battalions take turn to take up the security charge of the Indo-China border. Each time a battalion is posted there, they erect a block in their battalion's name mentioning the date of their posting. It's a beautiful scene to see all of them lined up, with each one boasting of their battalion's motto.
I met Wriju and Himadri there and we three became friends. We decide to have dinner at Potala Palace at Gangtok. Potala Palace serves delicious momos and is known for the same.
We came back to Tsomgo Lake and I took some snaps and rode a yak there.
For the dinner, Himadri didn't turn up. So Wriju and I went to Potala Palace but to our bad luck, momos were finished before we reached there.
Day 11: Lachung (Dec 22):
I booked a two day's package tour to Lachung and Yumthang. On the way we get to see Seven Sisters Fall. We reach Lachung by 6:30 PM. It was already dark.
We check in to Mystique Valley Inn, Sharchok, Mani Chuko, Lachung, North Sikkim. I enjoyed chhang (local beverage) in dungra (wooden mug) with Nima Thapa, our trip driver and then dinner at the hotel kitchen with Nima and the care taker family.
Day 12: Yumthang and Yumesamdong (Dec 23):
Sanam, brother of Nima takes us to Yumthang. and then to Yumesamdong. We enjoyed our time there to the fullest, playing in the snow. at one point our vehicle skidded little bit while taking turn. It was half an hour of toil to get it back on the track.
We came back to Lachung by mid noon and had lunch at Mystique Valley Inn. I reached my hotel by 9:00 PM.
Day 13: Siliguri (Dec 24):
I took a cab to Siliguri at 10:30 AM and reached there by 3:00 PM. My bus to Guwahati left at 6:00 PM. It was a smooth journey except for a checking of the vehicle at the Alipurduar Checkpoint at the West Bengal - Assam border.
Day 14: Guwahati (Dec 25):
I reach Guwahati by 7:00 AM in the morning and by 8:20 checked in to Arjuna Residency. I book Ali, a taxi driver, for site seeing.
At 09:30 I start the site seeing with famous Sri Kamakhya Temple, followed by Bhubaneshwari Devi Temple, Balaji Temple, Bashishta Ashram, Kala Kshetra and Zoo. From the hill of Sri Kamakhya Devi Temple, the might river Brahmaputra can be seen.
The museum and planetarium were closed so I take a break for lunch. Later I head for Umananda Siva Temple which is located on an island named Peacock Island on the Brahmaputra river. I ferry to the island. The sunset view is beautiful from there. Spending good time, full 2 hours, there I return back to my hotel.
Day 15: Shillong (Dec 26):
Early morning I take a shared cab to Shillong, the capitol of Meghalaya. The road is good, thanks to BRO again. Shillong is a beautiful city. I check in to the hotel Mi Casa.
The site seeing starts with Elephant Falls. The Elephant Park is closed so I head to Shillong Peak, later to Lady Hydari Park, the Cathedral, Ward's Lake and then to Golf Link. In the evening I take a walk on G. S. Road and purchase a book on Meghalaya history.
Day 16: Cherrapunji (Dec 27):
I book a cab and go to Cherrapunji. The cab owner Sibu is an interesting guy. We talk about lots of things like politics and tourism. On the way we pass through the Bridge View Point. The valley looks great but it's not clear due to the fog. On the way we see another waterfall. We continue our journey to Cherrapunji. The first place we visit is Noh-Ka-Likai falls. It's huge but that time of year water is less. Cherrapunji and Masinram are the two wettest places on earth.
We head to Eco Park. It gives magnificent view of the valley. From there we go to Mawsmai Caves. It's a fantastic experience to explore it. After having lunch in a restaurant nearby the caves, we head to Seven Sister's Falls. From there to Koh Ramah Falls, Thangkarang Falls and then to Rama Krishna Falls. From Koh Ramah Falls, the border with Bangladesh could be seen, though because of the fogs the village in Bangladesh was not clearly visible.
By evening I'm back to Shillong.
Day 17: Shillong to Guwahati (Dec 28):
I take a taxi to Guwahati at around 12:30 after having breakfast. The journey is amazing. On the way I find a billboard advertising Go Karting. Take a second breakfast at L. C. Woodhouse Dhaba at Nongpoh.
I had to head to Sialdah but I had no train reservations for this journey. I take a sleeper class 'waiting' ticket. I anticipated the journey was to be done standing near the door. One elderly gentleman entertains us by singing Bengali folk songs including Rabindranath Tagore's "Ekla Chalo Re". I meet a software engineer who becomes a good friend of mine. We spent hours chatting about various things.
Next morning I reach Howrah.
Day 18: Kolkata (Dec 29):
Finally, I get a chance to see Howrah Bridge from a ferry. I take metro and ferry to commute to various places.
My journey is getting an end. The train to Bangalore is in the evening.
Day 19 & 20: Kolkata (Dec 30 and Jan 1, 2007):
The train journey is interesting as usual, spent chatting with the fellow passengers. I see the light of new year 2007 in Bangalore.
Epilogue:
I had planned to cover all the seven sister states, but had to cut short my journey. The places I missed where I was most desperate to go were Kaziranga National Park in Assam and Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh. I know I'll we completing my journey sometime later. The latest developments in north east haven't been very nice. If it was not for the politics we still have heavens there waiting for us to share their beauty in all their glory.
The journey to be continued.....
It's midnight. 12:00 AM. The train is standing at Bhubaneshwar. The latest development at Kolkata had suggested that today the city would be burning. I recall I had come to Bhubaneshwar a year back. It was a biking trip to Konark and Puri and because of time constraints I had missed site seeing in Bhubaneshwar. What say? In 5 minutes I had to decide about something. And after 5 minutes I was standing in the platform with my backpack.
After hunting for an hour; and waking up many hotel guys just to find no rooms were available; finally I got a hotel room around 3 kilometers from the railway station. I was wondering if my decision of breaking the journey was at all good in any sense. After all Bhubaneshwar can't be unaffected by the developments taking place in Kolkata. Only the day will tell.
I woke up at 7 AM and by 8 AM I'm all ready for the first cut of my 'adventures'. I inquire the hotel guy about some site seeing package I might avail. He tells me that all hell was broken out on the roads. People were burning tires and all the roads were blocked. No taxi or autos to be seen. Great. I think of taking some snaps of the political turmoil but then changed my mind. Things could have been fatal if I dared do that. I wander for around 3 kilometers and to my relief, situation seems to be under control. I hire an auto for roaming around the city.
Bhubaneshwar has got some nice old temples. I visit Lingaraj Temple, Dhauli (Dhaulagiri temple of Buddha), Udaygiri and Khandagiri. The snap can be found here. At 5 PM I am standing at Parivahan Bhavan inquiring about buses to Kolkata. I get to know that there is only one Volvo bus service to Kolkata and the same has been stopped for the last 2 days because of some technical fault. I inquire for private buses and find all of them are booked. I look at the sky. No one's there. Fine. I rush to railway reservation counter to find a mile long queue. This is no adventure.
One last idea. E-ticket. I hunt down one cyber cafe nearby. Puri Howrah Jagannath Express at 11:45 PM with 80 seats available. Life's not that bad. I find one hotel that serves authentic Uriya food. Amazing food. And I eat as if I haven't eaten for days.
11:45 and the train comes. On time? Yes. This was gonna be a long night. I find no traces of sleep.
Day 4: Howrah and Kolkata(Dec 15):
The paddy fields are on both sides of the railway track. And it's drizzling. The cool breeze, the kinds that make you feel like being in heaven, is flowing. What else one can ask for after this?
I reach Howrah at 9 AM. The railway station is huge and looks majestic. And then I spot Haldiram's Cafe and enjoy delicious samosas and tea. And then something clicks to my mind: Howrah Bridge. The famous bridge is somewhere nearby. They say the best way to watch it is from bottom, from a ferry. I inquire about it. No ferries are available. I take a taxi to go to Kolkata. Howrah Bridge, on Hooghly river, connects Howrah and Kolkata. And finally I see it approaching. It's so magnificent and majestic. Think of it: it has a bollywood movie named after it. I decide to watch it from a ferry come what may.
I reach Kolkata and go to Central Avenue. Buildings of Victorian architecture can be seen on both the sides for the whole stretch of the road. The view is awesome and I feel to be in 19th century.
I take up a hotel room and sleep till 2 PM. At 4 I go to Chowringee. Destination is Victoria Memorial. It's grand and marvelous. There is a tank near it and it's reflection in the tank looks equally beautiful. The sun is right behind the memorial. A perfect opportunity for memorable photography. I take many snaps from many possible angles.
I go inside the memorial for the museum. If it wasn't for the closing time, I could have spent a whole day there. I come out of the memorial and find a cafeteria. The egg roll you find there are bathed in butter and are yummy.
Birla Planetarium is nearby. The show was about to start in few minutes. It's in Bengali. I enjoy the one hour show.
My hunt for authentic Bengali food lands me at a restaurant. It looks more like a dhaba but food is good.
Another attraction of Kolkata is it's metro. The first in any metro city in India. I go from maidan to central. Back in the hotel I'm all happy with the nice experiences I had had in Kolkata till then.
Day 5: Kolkata (Dec 16):
At 12 PM I go to St. Paul's Cathedral. I take some snaps from outside. Raju's kitchen and his egg rolls are nearby (Yes the same cafeteria of the previous day). After enjoying the egg rolls I walk to Rabindra Sadan then to Nandan theater and then I go to Birla Children's Museum. The next is Netaji Sadan. This is the ancestral home of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. I feel proud of standing in the place where Netaji once lived. The movie Bose was partly shot here.
I go to Marble Palace and then to Sahid Minar. It's dark by now and is dinner time. I find Trincas at Jawaharlal Nehru Road and enjoy food with live music.
After a tiring day I'm back to hotel at 10 PM. My stay at Kolkata is coming to the end. I had missed watching Howrah Bridge from a ferry. Nevertheless, I'd get another chance on my return journey. Next morning I have to catch a train to New Jalpaiguri.
Day 6: Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri (Dec 17):
I reach Sialdah railway station by 8 AM. NJP train comes at 9:05 AM. I enjoyed the journey and reached NJP by 6 PM. After hunting for a good hotel for an hour I finally decided to take up the next one I find. It turned out to be the shoddiest hotel of my life. Tomorrow I'll be going to Silliguri.
Day 7: Siliguri to Darjeeling (Dec 18):
I reach Siliguri by 10 AM. Take a shared taxi and reach Darjeeling by 5 PM. In an hour I check in to hotel Valentino. My room had beautiful view overlooking to the Himalayas. A cup of fantastic Darjeeling tea in the shivering cold add positively to the mood. I book a taxi for site seeing for the next day.
Day 8: Darjeeling (Dec 19):
03:30 Woke up in the shivering cold.
04:30 Tiger Hill . It's the highest peak in Darjeeling.
05:30 Finally the sunrise happens. And little later in the opposite direction Khang Chen Dzonga (Kanchenjunga) starts looking clearer. The beauty of the majestic mountain can't be explained in words. It's simply amazing.
06:30 Ghoom Monastery.
07:00 Batasia Loop of the Darjeeling Frontier Rail. Here Nepal border can be seen.
09:00 Breakfast
10:00 Japanese Buddhist Temple. The statues of Buddha in four stages of his life (Dharmaprachar (धर्मप्रचार), Nirvana (निर्वाण), Janm (जन्म), Samadhi (समाधि)) are depicted here. The Japanese prayer is being chanted all the times (Na Mu Myo Ho ReN Ge Kyu - न मू म्यो हो रें गे क्यू).
10:15 Ava Art Gallery
11:00 Himalayan Mountaineering Club: Kanchenjunga (8579m) is the third highest peak after Mt. Everest (8848m) and K2 (8612m).
11:30 Zoo: Here one can see parakeet pheasant, Tibetan wolf, sambhar deer (Cerves Unicolor), common leopard (panthera pardus), snow leopard (uncia uncia), red panda (ailurus fulgens) etc.
12:15 St. Joseph's College, North Point. The movie "Mera Naam Joker" has a seen shot here.
12:20 Tensing Rock
12:30 Bengal Natural History Museum
13:00 Library and then Oxford Book Staff to purchase travel books for North East India.
13:30 I take lunch and by
14:45 I reach my hotel back.
17:00 I go to have a stroll in the market.
20:45 Back again to hotel room.
Day 9: Gangtok (Dec 20):
I woke up at 8 AM and by 9 took a taxi to Gangtok. The road are great. The geniuses of BRO (Border Roads Organization) have maintained them well. On the way you find Teesta river, beautiful valleys and many bridges.
I reach the Sikkim border town of Rangpo by 12 AM and by 1:30 AM I check in to Yalung Retreat. Once again the room has beautiful views outside. After having breakfast I start the tour of Gangtok.
Gangtok has many beautiful places of tourist attractions. I found Rumtek Monastery at Rumtek the best among all of them. Do-Drul Chorten Stupa, Nam Nam View Point, Sikkim Assembly Hall, Hanuman Tok (beautiful temples of Hanuman and Sai Baba; my driver Vinod told me about his two wishes that got fulfilled after he prayed here), Ganesh Tok (Gangtok city can be viewed from here) and Tashi View Point are main attractions.
I enjoyed coffee sitting in the kitchen of a local shop and reached my hotel by 6:30 PM. M. G. Roads can be found in nearly all the major cities in India. Gangtok is no exception. I stroll for an hour in M.G. Road thanks to the traffic police who don't allow vehicles there after evening. I enjoyed the food at the Oberoy's and then came back to the Hotel.
Day 10: Tsomgo Lake and Nathula Pass (Dec 21):
I took a cab to Nathula Pass. We reached Tsomgo Lake. Here we hired extra warm cloths which are a must to survive at near zero temperature and chilling wind.
We reached Nathula Pass, which is the China border. Chomal Hari Peak of Bhutan is visible from there. The Firth battalion of the Grenadiers regiment of Indian Army : 5th Grenadiers were posted there. The battalions take turn to take up the security charge of the Indo-China border. Each time a battalion is posted there, they erect a block in their battalion's name mentioning the date of their posting. It's a beautiful scene to see all of them lined up, with each one boasting of their battalion's motto.
I met Wriju and Himadri there and we three became friends. We decide to have dinner at Potala Palace at Gangtok. Potala Palace serves delicious momos and is known for the same.
We came back to Tsomgo Lake and I took some snaps and rode a yak there.
For the dinner, Himadri didn't turn up. So Wriju and I went to Potala Palace but to our bad luck, momos were finished before we reached there.
Day 11: Lachung (Dec 22):
I booked a two day's package tour to Lachung and Yumthang. On the way we get to see Seven Sisters Fall. We reach Lachung by 6:30 PM. It was already dark.
We check in to Mystique Valley Inn, Sharchok, Mani Chuko, Lachung, North Sikkim. I enjoyed chhang (local beverage) in dungra (wooden mug) with Nima Thapa, our trip driver and then dinner at the hotel kitchen with Nima and the care taker family.
Day 12: Yumthang and Yumesamdong (Dec 23):
Sanam, brother of Nima takes us to Yumthang. and then to Yumesamdong. We enjoyed our time there to the fullest, playing in the snow. at one point our vehicle skidded little bit while taking turn. It was half an hour of toil to get it back on the track.
We came back to Lachung by mid noon and had lunch at Mystique Valley Inn. I reached my hotel by 9:00 PM.
Day 13: Siliguri (Dec 24):
I took a cab to Siliguri at 10:30 AM and reached there by 3:00 PM. My bus to Guwahati left at 6:00 PM. It was a smooth journey except for a checking of the vehicle at the Alipurduar Checkpoint at the West Bengal - Assam border.
Day 14: Guwahati (Dec 25):
I reach Guwahati by 7:00 AM in the morning and by 8:20 checked in to Arjuna Residency. I book Ali, a taxi driver, for site seeing.
At 09:30 I start the site seeing with famous Sri Kamakhya Temple, followed by Bhubaneshwari Devi Temple, Balaji Temple, Bashishta Ashram, Kala Kshetra and Zoo. From the hill of Sri Kamakhya Devi Temple, the might river Brahmaputra can be seen.
The museum and planetarium were closed so I take a break for lunch. Later I head for Umananda Siva Temple which is located on an island named Peacock Island on the Brahmaputra river. I ferry to the island. The sunset view is beautiful from there. Spending good time, full 2 hours, there I return back to my hotel.
Day 15: Shillong (Dec 26):
Early morning I take a shared cab to Shillong, the capitol of Meghalaya. The road is good, thanks to BRO again. Shillong is a beautiful city. I check in to the hotel Mi Casa.
The site seeing starts with Elephant Falls. The Elephant Park is closed so I head to Shillong Peak, later to Lady Hydari Park, the Cathedral, Ward's Lake and then to Golf Link. In the evening I take a walk on G. S. Road and purchase a book on Meghalaya history.
Day 16: Cherrapunji (Dec 27):
I book a cab and go to Cherrapunji. The cab owner Sibu is an interesting guy. We talk about lots of things like politics and tourism. On the way we pass through the Bridge View Point. The valley looks great but it's not clear due to the fog. On the way we see another waterfall. We continue our journey to Cherrapunji. The first place we visit is Noh-Ka-Likai falls. It's huge but that time of year water is less. Cherrapunji and Masinram are the two wettest places on earth.
We head to Eco Park. It gives magnificent view of the valley. From there we go to Mawsmai Caves. It's a fantastic experience to explore it. After having lunch in a restaurant nearby the caves, we head to Seven Sister's Falls. From there to Koh Ramah Falls, Thangkarang Falls and then to Rama Krishna Falls. From Koh Ramah Falls, the border with Bangladesh could be seen, though because of the fogs the village in Bangladesh was not clearly visible.
By evening I'm back to Shillong.
Day 17: Shillong to Guwahati (Dec 28):
I take a taxi to Guwahati at around 12:30 after having breakfast. The journey is amazing. On the way I find a billboard advertising Go Karting. Take a second breakfast at L. C. Woodhouse Dhaba at Nongpoh.
I had to head to Sialdah but I had no train reservations for this journey. I take a sleeper class 'waiting' ticket. I anticipated the journey was to be done standing near the door. One elderly gentleman entertains us by singing Bengali folk songs including Rabindranath Tagore's "Ekla Chalo Re". I meet a software engineer who becomes a good friend of mine. We spent hours chatting about various things.
Next morning I reach Howrah.
Day 18: Kolkata (Dec 29):
Finally, I get a chance to see Howrah Bridge from a ferry. I take metro and ferry to commute to various places.
My journey is getting an end. The train to Bangalore is in the evening.
Day 19 & 20: Kolkata (Dec 30 and Jan 1, 2007):
The train journey is interesting as usual, spent chatting with the fellow passengers. I see the light of new year 2007 in Bangalore.
Epilogue:
I had planned to cover all the seven sister states, but had to cut short my journey. The places I missed where I was most desperate to go were Kaziranga National Park in Assam and Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh. I know I'll we completing my journey sometime later. The latest developments in north east haven't been very nice. If it was not for the politics we still have heavens there waiting for us to share their beauty in all their glory.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
- Robert Frost
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
- Robert Frost
The journey to be continued.....
