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- Shopping in Srinigar, Kashmir, India
- It Took Ingenuity to Get Back to Srinagar from Pahalgam
- The Muddy Trek back to Aru from Lidderwat, Kashmir
- A Miserable Day in Lidderwat - The Himalayas of Kashmir, India
- Trekking from Aru to Lidderwat, Kashmir, India
- Trekking From Pahalgram to Aru in The Kashmir Valley of India
- Kashmir Treks Usually Begin in Pahalgam, India
- Floating and Sightseeing on Dal Lake in Kashmir - Srinagar, India
- Visiting the Kashmiri Moghul Gardens, Srinagar, India
- The Manora Houseboat on Lake Dal in Kashmir - Srinagar, India
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Back on the Manora Houseboat on Dal Lake, we inhaled a beer, bathed and chatted during dinner with Charlotte and Frances, crewel carpet buyers who come to Kashmir twice a year to consult with manufacturers and stock up to sell their wares in Europe. They gave us important pointers on what shops to visit and what to buy. Carpets and Pashminas have always been the big draws along with papier mache. Charlotte also suggested we don't eat the cake houseboy Sadiq made because the cream stands around in the heat all day. 'Nuff said.
Impossible for me to sleep at all while thoughts of carpets, papier mache, and who knows what else spun through my mind like a gerbil on a wheel. How in heavens name was I going to accomplish any shopping for five children and us in only a few short hours? We had an early flight to catch from Srinigar to Jaipur via Delhi today that gave me a minimal amount of time. Who knew if, or when, we'd ever have another chance to return to Kashmir. How prophetic that was!
Continue reading "Shopping in Srinigar, Kashmir, India" »
Another gorgeous morning with ample sunshine, no clouds and bright. Broke camp...View image... and headed downhill for 2-1/2 hours before reaching the trailhead in Pahalgram where a taxi was supposed to pick us up.
We sat around and waited. Took final photos of our wonderful group who worked so hard and took such good care of us while Sula walked into town to see what was happening. (This was all before cell phones. Does anyone even remember those days?) Sula returned with the news all roads were closed because of flooding. All-righty now. What to do. First, a walk into town to try and call Mercury Travel, our agent, but the phone lines were also down.
Continue reading "It Took Ingenuity to Get Back to Srinagar from Pahalgam" »
Woke up to sunshine, a little too late for us in the ball game! Had eggs and chapatis for breakfast and packed up. Talked to the couple traveling with their 5-year daughter all over India. They hiked quite a distance up past Lidderwat yesterday but then had to come down because a bridge was washed out. It is amazing and daunting how adventurous they are to even think of taking a child and also how little they travel with. This is definitely not my cup of tea. Even at this novice stage of adventure travel, I prefer having a cook and people tending to me. Hey...I cook and clean at home. Creating meals over a campfire is not a vacation in my book.
Ponies and what little belongings we had on their backs, it was time to retrace the route back to Aru. The mud we slogged through on the upward journey was nothing compared to coming down. ex-Marine took another header into the mud and I just slid and slipped my way down shouting "whoa...oops...damn..." and whatever else came out of my mouth as I tried to stay on my feet.
Continue reading "The Muddy Trek back to Aru from Lidderwat, Kashmir" »
Another depressing and unseasonably monsoonal day. With that, we told Sula that we give up. Let's head all the way back to Phalgram and we'll just find a hotel there because we're not going to sleep out Aru on wet ground again. Instead, Sula negotiated with the owner and we paid 30 rupees to move inside this hovel to occupy the big bare room with a filthy toilet you can sit on. We had planned on sleeping on the meats until the French lady told us about her experience of being bitten by fleas last night. If that didn't give me the heebie-jeebies, the young American told us mice run around the floor at night. That took care of that! Forget the mats instead Sula moved the erect tent from the porch to inside the room. At least, if we sleep inside in the tent, everything will be zipped up.
Saib'ra concocted eggs, toast and coffee for breakfast and set to work making the mid-morning snack before we even finished breakfast. The rest of the day was spent drying our clothes in front of a fire (or shall we say attempting to dry clothes, laid around in our sleeping bags and ate while listening to the rain come down.
Continue reading "A Miserable Day in Lidderwat - The Himalayas of Kashmir, India" »
It rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. Cook made breakfast and Sula decided to wait until 10:00 a.m. to see if the rain would stop. Out of luck on that, the crew broke camp...View image...and we set off to slog three miserable and very muddy hours to Lidderwat. The first section near Aru...View image... was open meadows that was just a sea of mud and impossible to get any footing. It was one step forward, slide back two...sideways and backwards. Sula gave me a hand several times to keep me from falling back down small inclines. ex-Marine took a nice fall in the mud and an old man took pity on me and gave me a walking stick as I slipped and slid through Aru.
It did stop raining for perhaps 15 minutes in the Aru area and we wolfed down a fast packed lunch with hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, a lamb chop of all things, chocolate, cookies and can of apple juice between the cloudbursts and continued on...
Continue reading "Trekking from Aru to Lidderwat, Kashmir, India" »
We set out for Aru, only a 9km/6mile walk. The day was cool and raining off and on but not terribly uncomfortable. It was not supposed to rain. India has very definite monsoonal flows and October is supposed to be one of the best months for trekking. Don't you just hate it when there are "unseasonal" changes? We chugged our way up this road until Aru and waited for our crew to catch up.
The first stage of this trek, from Pahalgam to Aru, can be done by vehicle. It is, however, recommended that the trail be walked to acclimatize before getting to the tougher and higher routes to follow. This trail followed the Lidder River to the open meadows at Aru, where excellent campsites as well as private hotels are available. The short trek from Aru to Lidderwat runs through thick pine forests and meadows where the trekker can see the local shepherds grazing livestock. From Lidderwat the trail follows the west bank of the Lidder through Gujjar encampments to the largest nomadic village in the area at Satlanjan. The Kolahoi peak (5,734m/18,812') is usually clouded over by midmorning, so it is wise to start early from Satlanjan.
Continue reading "Trekking From Pahalgram to Aru in The Kashmir Valley of India" »
This was the itinerary for the "boilerplate" and moderate 5 day/4 night trek in Kashmir:
Day 1 - Drive to Pahalgam and trek to Aru, altitude 9,270' and camp.
Day 2 - Trek to Lidderwat, at 10,000' through Alpine forest and camp.
Day 3 - Trek to Sekiwas, a gradual climb up to 11,286'.
Day 4 - Trek up to west bank of Tarsal Lake, 12,450' and continue walking to the base of Naogal, altitude 10,000'. Overnight at Tarsar.
Day 5 - Cross Naogal pass and walk down through Kashmir villages to Tral at 6,000' where we'd be picked up and driven back to Srinagar
Continue reading "Kashmir Treks Usually Begin in Pahalgam, India" »
Other than sightseeing on land, we had an early morning shikara ride around Dal Lake, comprised of series of lakes, all leading into each other. The houseboat and local communities have lived for centuries on Dal Lake and some have probably never stepped foot on land. We poled along through quiet, tranquil bayous with willow trees, forests...View image... and acres of lotus gardens along with vegetable gardens leading down to the water. The Kashmiris went about their daily activities whether it was hanging laundry out to dry...View image, smoking water pipes...View image, or paying a visit to the Srinagar Post Office located at the very edge of Dal Lake.
There were tailors, men sitting on their porches, shops full of rugs and bakers. All sitting in tiny wooden shops on the lake edge, near picturesque vegetable gardens, acres of lotus gardens and wooden signs advertising their goods along the periphery...View image. The boatman poled for two hours through the maze of waterways while we just laid back and enjoyed the sights.
Continue reading "Floating and Sightseeing on Dal Lake in Kashmir - Srinagar, India" »
I would think that every tourist visits at least one of the three Mughal Gardens located in the vicinity of Srinagar center. Your choices are: Nishat Bagh (Garden of Gladness) a long ride away; Cheshma Shahi, 9 km/6 miles from Srinigar center, or Shalimar Garden (also called Shalimar Bagh) around 15 km/9.3 miles away.
Our guide took us by taxi to Shalimar Bagh/Shalimar Garden and we entered the public gardens on the first terrace. Shalimar Garden is the most celebrated royal garden of Kashmir and dates back to the 6th century when it was a Hindu sacred site. The exquisite formal gardens were planted by Emperor Jahangir in 1619 for his wife, Empress Nur Jahan and has a large public audience hall where the emperor held daily court when in Kashmir, canals lined with fountains and four terraces separated by water channels.
Continue reading "Visiting the Kashmiri Moghul Gardens, Srinagar, India" »
It is only a short 75-minute flight from Delhi to Srinagar. Now: Three very nice airlines, Spicejet, Kingfisher Air and Jet Airways fly here. Then: We had to fly junky Indian Airlines with a terrible safety record. Picked up at the airport and transfered to the shore of Dal Lake where our dedicated Manora Houseboat shikara and boatman...View image...stood waiting to pole us out to the boat. The shikaras have canopies, curtains and thick cushions that make you want to just lay back and regally order masses of servants around with a wave of the hand. The boatman poled us through the still waters past a busy floating bazaar, traffic jams of other shikaras, and lines of houseboats with names like "California," "New York," "Chicago," and "Persian Gulf." Hysterically funny...
The houseboats are permanently moored. Some, right at Srinagar's doorstep and others, 4-6 miles out in Dal Lake. They are decorated in what I'd call British Raj style with massive furniture and oriental rugs, have a dining room, living room, lounging area on the front deck and two to five bedrooms with modern bathrooms depending on the houseboat size. There is also a floating cookhouse in back. They do range in price and luxury. The majority of western tourists stay in the ones classified as Deluxe and Class A while a Class B boat will have less amenities and bedrooms.
Continue reading "The Manora Houseboat on Lake Dal in Kashmir - Srinagar, India" »
Before the violent troubles began in Kashmir in 1989, more than 500,000 tourists visited each year to float on picturesque Dal Lake and trek the alpine mountain trails that resemble Switzerland. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I were two of those tourists that took a chance on our first trip to India. What possessed me, I don't know but I am certainly glad we did. Who knew it would be over 20 years before the ensuing violence would die down enough to recommend visiting Kashmir?
The U.S. State Department notes...that the potential for terrorism remains and recommends that Americans avoid travel there...the United States Mission in India wishes to urgently remind all U.S. citizens resident in or traveling to India that there is a high threat from terrorism throughout India. The British Government states...We advise against all travel to, or through rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir other than Ladakh...high general threat from terrorism throughout India Despite all this, tourism has been steadily increasing and violence is at an all-time low. Only you can decide if the time is right but the information in these articles is what you may expect in Kashmir.
Continue reading "Houseboats, Hiking and Trekking in Kashmir, India" »
India is a fabulous country to travel through. Love the sights, people and food but after seven trips in different Indian states, I'd like to share some personal thoughts, insight and none is meant to offend.
Bengali tourists are the noisiest people. Our Sunderbans guide said they go looking for tigers and other game, screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs and then become irate because they haven't seen anything. Duh...of course not. They've frightened every deer or bird away, and your chances of seeing a tiger are probably a gazillion to one. Don't go near Sunderbans on a weekend because that's when the local Bengalis travel. We could hear a Bengali tourist boat coming down the river from 1/2 mile away easily. The Bengalis can't stand traveling with Bengalis...
Continue reading "A Few "Incredible India" Observations" »
You can watch my videos here (and on You Tube), read previous posts, and still won't be prepared for both the roads and sights. Despite aching backs, necks, stiffness and numb butts from extremely long driving days, we wouldn't change a minute of the time spent driving through India. The sights of India are so diverse throughout the country and are both a photographer's and tourist's dream. There is always, without exception, something new and interesting to see.
There are different crops like tobacco and cotton fields in Orissa, once the backbone of America's southern economy and after seeing acres and acres of cotton fields, ex-Marine and I hummed "Dixie" ...Oh...I wish I was in the land of cotton... for the rest of the trip....
Continue reading "Traveling by Road in India" »
Breakfast and into the car by 7:00 a.m. for the ride to Gupteswar Cave. Gupteswar is a famous cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and located at the top of a limestone hill about 500m/1,600' above sea level...View image. A big Shiva festival is held at Gupteswar (usually in February) and thousands of pilgrims come to the cave from all over Orissa and India. In 2009, the Shiva Festival was going to take place in two weeks and vendors had begun to set up their stalls in preparation...View image. It gets so crowded that pilgrims usually have to walk for miles from where transportation lets them off because of traffic congestion along the road.
The route was very beautiful on twisting roads through dense forests of Sal trees, a few with animist altars containing offerings to various deities, and a stop to pile leaves in front of another altar that the locals believe will ensure a safe journey.
Continue reading "The Gupteswar Cave Shrine in Orissa, India" »
I must admit that we have misordered off menus in India too many times to count. Our own stupidity and here's a MAJOR TIP: Print off a list of Indian food before you come to India the describe the ingredients. I'm going to list some of the most popular dishes that we've ordered and enjoyed. One laughable example was ordering chicken Sheek-Kabob (or Seekh Kebab) thinking that it would be chunks of chicken on a skewer. Not so. Sheek-kabob is minced chicken. Another was stir-fried vegetable rice. (We envisioned rice with big chunks of vegetables). What came was rice with itsy-bitsy, miniscule pieces of chopped vegetables. One waiter described Chicken Pakora as chunks of fried chicken. Yes, they were chunks of fried chicken that resembled Chicken McNuggets, albeit with a spicier coating.
We did much better in the local "truck stops/restaurants" where you can walk back, see what's available and watch the cooks. One lunch was at the Rajput Line Hotel...View image... with typical Orissan food. If Bibbu hadn't taken us, we would have taken one look and kept on going. Rough wooden tables, not a speck of ambiance but the best, most delicious food. Everything is made fresh daily and is located about 7 kms/4 miles north of Taptapani.
Continue reading "Food in India: Deciphering Menus" »
Chilka Lake covers an area of 900 sq. km and is Asia's largest salt and fresh water lake. Over a million migratory birds, 230 species (that come from as far away as Siberia) visit Chilka every year. ...View image. Bird-lovers, Chilka is definitely the place to visit in December/January for flamingos, bar headed geese, shoveller and white-bellied sea eagles.
To see the birds, there are government motor boats and private boats for hire. A 1-1/2 hour motor boat ride will cost 4000R, while a slower motor boat will take 2 to 3-1/2 hours to go the same distance for 750R. Big difference but we didn't have the 3+ hours to spare today, especially since there were only a few flamingos who hadn't migrated back home yet. This trip was in February and the majority of birds had already departed. Close to the mouth of Chilka Lake, a large population of Gangetic dolphins can sometimes be seen but, again, it is too hot in February.
Continue reading "Traveling to Chilka Lake and Puri, A Major Pilgrimage Site in Orissa, India" »
After all the Traditional Indian Wedding excitement, we walked through the shambles left by 800 people, ate breakfast and left for the ride to Gopalpur on The Sea visiting different sites in route. We could have paid another visit to the Saora tribe but once was enough. This entire area is a intricate labyrinth of steep hills and valleys which are part of the Eastern Ghat. ("Ghat" means mountains.)
A few different road sights today were:
- Trucks loaded with buffalo dung used for fertilizer...View image
- Weaver bird nests hanging from telephone wires...and
- The many Desia Khond walking along the road. Today was the 15th of the month and the Indian Government makes low-cost rice available to the poor tribal people for 2R/Kilo. Both men and women were making their way carrying a plastic bag to carry the rice back home. (An average person consumes 200 grams (less than half pound) of rice at each meal. That certainly didn't sound like very much food to me.) It was also pension day and the people were heading to the local government office...View image... to collect their monthly pension, 200R/month.
Continue reading "The Fishing Village of Gopalpur on The Sea, Orissa, India" »
Deepak pulled up in front of the Hotel Sai International in Raygada, brilliantly decorated, unlike our previous stay a few days ago. Huh? There was going to be a high-class traditional Indian wedding at the hotel tonight and not only huge, but two brothers were having a double wedding! ...View image... That is certainly one way to economize on wedding costs. ex-Marine and I ate an early dinner, spent time chatting with the staff who were all excited over the festivities before parking myself with cameras and camcorder in front of the Hotel Sai entrance (dressed in my wedding best of capris and t-shirt).
The guests began arriving around 8:00 p.m. and headed into the attached tent erected in front of the hotel, taking seats in the rows of chairs while buffet tables completely lined the perimeter. Approximately, 800 guests were invited and this was only the bride's side of family and friends. Six days later, a dinner and reception would be held for the groom's family and friends. The little computer began ticking away in my brain adding up costs for an 800-guest wedding and came up with a "guestimate" of $40,000 minimum. A member of Hotel Sai staff informed me that the food costs are minimal because everything is vegetarian. However, the disk jockey, flowers, invitations, clothing, decorations, etc. eat up the majority of the money. A beautiful sari runs at least 5,000R, $100, big money in India.
Continue reading "A High Class Traditional Indian Wedding in Orissa" »
Breakfast and full day visit to our last market, the Friday Kunduli Market in Koroput and a scheduled stop at Kotapada Weaving Village. However, since we'd already seen one weaving village, ex-Marine and I decided to eliminate it from today's sights and Bibhu substituted a Paraja pottery village instead along with a short stop at Jagganath Temple in Koroput.
Experiencing different religions, meeting people and trying different foods is what makes travel exciting. Bibhu is a devout Hindu (the main religion of India) and did his best to fill our heads with religious knowledge but with thousands of Hindu gods and goddesses along with different beliefs and concepts, we were forever getting lost in a Hindu maze. The Jagganath Temple in Koroput (a new temple) was interesting though with the main highlight, sitting on the steps before the Goddess of Wealth. She would be highly offended if we didn't, and in these terrible financial times, certainly didn't want to give any offense or what remains of our money might be gone! The priest blessed us and we moved on to the Kunduli Friday Market.
Continue reading "The Friday Kunduli Market and Paraja Pottery Village in Orissa, India" »
Deepak stopped the car on the way to the Bonda Market where Bibhu jumped out to converse with elders of the Gadabba tribe. These men are in charge of arranging traditional Gadabba dances for the tourists and Bibhu had asked us yesterday if we were willing to pay $15 a couple to see a dance. Agreed and two French tourists staying at Hotel Hello Jeypore also joined us from another tour agency.
The Gadabba tribe is of Austro origin "...family of languages of southeast Asia... dominant in northeast India and Indochina..." and we had seen only two, elderly Gadabba women in the Bonda Market with the traditional two very thick silver neck rings which are not removed until they die. The women wear a long strip of cloth tied around the waist and a second piece of cloth worn across the breasts and tied over one shoulder. ...View image... They also wear a number of ornaments including necklaces, earrings, nose rings, and large silver hoops in their hair.
Continue reading "A Gadabba Tribal Dance in Orissa, India" »
Before driving back into Onukudelli, a woman came down the road with a pot of Mahuli liquor and stopped by an elderly Bonda man. He hunkered down. She took out a gourd that looked like a pipe, filled an empty beer bottle with the strong liquor (according to Bibhu) from her metal pot ...View image, and poured from the bottle into the pipe. The Bonda man began chugging the Mahuli liquor...coughing and choking like crazy..., one gourd at a time until the glass bottle was completely empty. That should have given him a nice buzz.
Still standing along the road, Bonda men appeared in the distance, carrying their home-brewed sago palm wine, mahuli liquor and rice wine. Bibhu told us not to photograph the men close-up but from a distance because they can get violent. Since they were also carrying spears, and bows and arrows with their liquor, I filmed from a good distance...View image. TIP: You need a camera with a telephoto lens. ...View image... The Bonda men set up their own little liquor area inside the market for men only. ...View image.
Continue reading "The Bonda Tribes of Orissa, India Love Their Liquor - The Thursday Bonda Market Continued" »
The hotels used during our Orissa visit were described as "basic" by Trade Winds Tours but we didn't think they were "basic" at all. We've seen basic (is that a good thing...or a bad thing) and these hotels could almost be considered "luxurious" compared to some we've stayed at (again, is that a good thing...or a bad thing). The Hotel Hello Jeypore had excellent food and we enjoyed eating there until one dinner included not one, not two, but three hairs in my food! Eewww...that temporarily turned me off eating.
Early breakfast for a full day. First, we had to get to Onukudelli on India's notorious roads and second, this was another market that you want to visit early while the Bonda tribe is coming down the mountains carrying their goods. ...View image... ...View image... The Thursday Bonda Market is considered by Bibhu to be the most interesting of all the market visits and we were excited. ...View image...
Continue reading "Thursday Bonda Market, Onukudelli, Orissa - India" »
ex-Marine, Bibhu and I set off back down the road towards the main market area with the Dhongria people to cross the train tracks at Bissamcuttack. ...View image. Men were bathing in the river...View image, plowing the rice paddies...View image, lines of women in front of us, behind us, walking through fields...View image, all heading in the same direction. Women were working on the railroad carrying baskets of stone, digging with shovels and pick axes while dressed in colorful saris and wearing bangles. Got to tell you...they looked a lot fresher than I did...
At the Bissamcuttack station, even more Dhongria and other tribes who had finished trading, bartering and buying whatever they needed, waiting for the next train home...View image. It was here that we spotted the one and only traditionally dressed young man ...View image with his fancy axe slung over one shoulder, earrings, metal and beaded necklaces, comb and clips in hair, dressed to attract a potential mate.
Continue reading "Inside The Wednesday Dhongria Kondh Market in Orissa, India" »
A very early start to Bissamcuttack from Rayagada to attend the Wednesday Dhongria Kondh Market. You want to arrive before the market actually begins to watch the Dhongria Kondh people come down from their mountain homes carrying goods to barter, trade, and sell. Our itinerary originally stated that we'd stop by a Dhongria/Dongariya village but the villages are now on the prohibited list because of problems there (that can always change - check on it). The Dhongria Khondhs live in the mountains and Desia Khondhs on the plains of Orissa. The Khondhs are the largest tribal society with over 1 million in Orissa and a very low literacy rate. Both tribes also practice elaborate birth, marriage, death rituals and once practiced human sacrifice. Fortunately, water buffalos or goats are now used instead
The Dongria women dress in white cotton togas and wear an interesting (to put it mildly) array of hairpins, ornaments, ear and nose rings and geometric tattoos. Most of the bracelets, etc. are made of brass, iron and aluminum, usually purchased in the market and made by a local "jeweler." ...View image...
Continue reading "The Dhongria/Dongria/Dongariya Kondh Wednesday Market in Bissamcuttack, Orissa - India" »
Exactly what is a typical "India" road? The road has one tarmaced strip shared by buses, lorries, cars, bullock carts and people. When opposing traffic comes at you, both vehicles move half off this strip of road onto the stone drop offs on either side. Then factor in the pot holes. Dusty, hot, bumpy, rutty and often extremely scary. A typical 45 km/26 mile distance will take anywhere between 1-1/2 to 2 hours if there aren't any accidents, police stops or lengthy train crossings.
Tourists come to Orissa for two main reasons: temples and tribal markets....View image. The Ducumbh Market was only a "warm-up." The best were yet to come on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but it was always good to get out of the automobile and stretch in the shade ...View image, under flowering Mango trees...View image. A small market but engrossing.
Continue reading "The Ducumbh Tuesday Market in Kotgarh, Orissa - India" »
Bibhu had made arrangements with Taptapani Guesthouse manager to serve a very early breakfast at 6:00 a.m. because Deepak wanted get on the road by 6:30. We were there, the manager/cook was not. Under way later than hoped for, we passed by an unusual method of rice storage. These particular locals dig a hole in the ground, put in layers of straw and cow dung, add their rice, put more straw and cow dung on top and seal with mud. This keeps their rice fresh until they are ready to break into it and use.
A stop to look at the Mahua flower growing on trees along the road. The sloth bear (common in Orissa but difficult to see), cows and goats like the flowers with its alcoholic content and the tribes gather the flowers to make maholi alcohol out of it. The flowers bloom at night, fall off...View image, and the animals gather to eat off the ground. They even get a little tipsy from the flowers.
Continue reading "A Saora Village On The Way to Rayagada, Orissa, India" »
A few more facts:
- Younger people are having only 1-2 children now and we saw posters on a wall encouraging the women to have babies in a hospital instead of using their local midwife...View image;
- There are two rice crops a year in the coastal areas, one in the interior;
- Only about 1,000 tourists visit Orissa yearly and the Mumbai bombing was responsible for a big drop in numbers. Tourists are far and few between in 2009; and
- If you run over a cow or hit one, the driver gets a huge fine and has to pay compensation to the owner. Kill a dog? That's free!
Still on the road to Taptapan with a stop in the Chilka Lake area for lunch visiting fisherman selling huge crabs, giant prawns, and fish waiting to be exported to bigger cities in India and around the world. (I try to stay away from seafood in hot climates after a food poisoning episode in Cambodia.)
Continue reading "Local Orissan Food, Chilka Lake and Taptapani, India" »
When ex-Marine and I travel, "leisure" isn't really in the dossier vocabulary. Up early and starving, but when Ginger Hotel says they begin breakfast at 7:30 a.m., they mean it. Not one second sooner. Over coffee, we debated the merits of training back from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata or flying at the end of this Orissa tour. Neither of us had noticed (or paid attention) to the fact that the train wouldn't leave Bhubaneswar until 2:00 p.m., arrive in Kolkata very late, and we were heading on to Sunderbans Tiger Reserve the following day. Did that sound restful to you? Not us and as soon as Bibhu and Deepak appeared, Bibhu telephoned Trade Winds (our Orissa tour operator) who told us to come in right away for plane reservations and ticketing. A one-way ticket from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata on Kingfisher Airlines was only $70 U.S. Done deal! FYI: Kingfisher Airlines is owned by the Kingfisher Brewery mogul in India.
The original destination for today was Balliguda but it was changed a week before our departure from the U.S. by the India tour operator. According to them, Balliguda was having a few "local difficulties" and the Government didn't want any tourists in this region. All righty then. It would be Taptapani (235 kms/146 miles away) even though the only thing worth seeing in Taptapani itself was a sulphur spring.
Continue reading "Bhubaneswar to Taptapani with Stops Along The Way - Orissa, India" »
Bhubaneswar is supposed to have excellent shopping for many Orissan crafts. Silver filigree work called Tarakasi, brass and bell metal work, Patta paintings, patchwork textiles, but we wouldn't have time to visit the shops in either direction. After temple viewing today, it was on the road tomorrow for an all day drive to Taptapani. So sad...
A short walk across the grass to Mukhteshwar Temple...View image, set in picturesque surroundings with a water tank and minor temples in the compound. Mukhteshwar dates back to 950 A.D. and had the most exquisitely carved Torana (gate) detail found in any of the temples. Several temples that we'd see later in this journey - Jagannath Temple, Puri and Konarak Sun Temple - were probably modeled after Mukhteshwar.
Continue reading "Mukhteshwar, Rajarani and Lingaraj Temples of Bhubaneswar - Orissa, India" »
Bhubaneswar (pop: 1 million) is the capital of Orissa, and one of India's poorest states if not the poorest. The total population of Orissa is approximately 36 million, 90% are Hindu, with an illiteracy rate of 63%. Traveling through Orissa over the next 10 days, it was pointed out to us that the major occupation is agriculture and farmers see no need for their children to receive an education past primary school (if they are lucky) even though the Government is trying to change this. Revived by black coffee (coffee and/or tea on the train almost always has sugar added to it) at the Ginger Hotel (resembles a Novotel), we were off and running for the rest of the afternoon.
Bhubaneswar was once the ancient kingdom of Kalinga and had over 7,000 temples of which 600 temples still remain, a few of which date back more than 1400 years. Fortunately, we were only going to the the four main temples - Parasurameswara, Mukhteshwar, Rajarani and Lingaraj.
Continue reading "Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India and Parasurameswara Temple" »
(The prior posts on Kolkata have already appeared in Travels With Sheila. Just follow this link to read about -- > Kolkata, a very interesting city and one we thoroughly enjoyed.
It was time for a very early morning transfer to Kolkata Howrah Railway Station to board the Dhauli Express departing at 6:00 a.m. Don't know about you, but I find it impossible to get a good night's sleep when we're getting picked up at 4:00 a.m. Sukant and driver were at the Hotel Lytton right on time for the 15-minute ride to the Howrah Station only to discover that our train was leaving one hour late with nothing to do but sit around and wait. I'm going out on a limb here and dare to compare travel in India with travel in China since we've traveled extensively (and been stranded) on all manners of transport throughout both countries. Why can't India cant get its act together? Rail, airports, roads, "suck" to put it mildly and not because of this delay. That happens at home...View image. Both countries have the manpower, similar populations and power to modernize. Come on, India...let's see some new construction.
Continue reading "Training from Kolkata, India to Bhubaneswar on the Dhuali Express" »
There was one saving grace during the grueling nine hours from Chicago to Frankfurt, five hours wait time until the Kolkata/Calcutta flight and then another 8-1/2 hours in the air. The time spent in Lufthansa Airlines First Class Terminal. I could have happily spent the rest of my vacation being coddled by the personnel. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Save up those hard-earned airline miles for a long-haul international First Class ticket. Flying in a seat that turns into a bed makes a huge difference. You'll still be dead on arrival (nothing mitigates jet lag no matter what the "experts" say...a 12-hour time change is huge...), but what a difference instead of being squashed into a tiny, upright seat for all those hours.
Finally, Kolkata's International Airport, a shabby piece of work that definitely has to be replaced, and a slow moving line through immigration. Our bags were among the first four off and it was outside customs to look for an ATM machine, followed by a taxi to Hotel Lytton. Directed to the Domestic Terminal (short one block walk from International), there was a non-working ATM machine, .
Continue reading "The Many Hours Involved Flying to India" »
Air? We purchased round trip tickets on United Airlines Chicago-Frankfurt and used miles to get two, free First Class Lufthansa tickets from Frankfurt to Kolkata. There are some great fares to India if you surf the Internet. Check out BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter, Kayak. Hot Wire, Orbitz. TIP: Save your hard-earned miles for First or Business Class on long-distance flights (the only way we can afford to fly in those sections) and economy on short-hauls. It may only be 20,000 miles for a short-haul ticket. (BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter highlights the industry's best deals from travel suppliers that you trust!  )
Visas? Visas are required for all visitors to India (except citizens of Nepal and Bhutan) and you cannot get a Visa Upon Arrival. We got smart last year and got a 10-year Visa for not much more than a one-year Visa thinking that if it's only used twice during the next 10 years, we'll come out ahead. Not to mention eliminating the hassle of getting a new one. Visitors staying in India for less than 72 hours can obtain a Transit Visa. Check your nearest Indian Embassy for up-to-date Visa information.
Continue reading "Planning an Orissa, India Tribal Tour" »
The State of Orissa lies along the northeast coast of India on the Bay of Bengal. A few of the main attractions are the temples of Bhubaneswar (have to learn how to pronounce Bhubaneswar), Puri and the huge Sun Temple at Konark but I bet you didn't know about the extensive tribal region in the southwest portion of Orissa. Orissa shares a long border with Chhatisgarh/Chattisgarh, another of India's tribal states and visited a few years ago. Even though a few tribes are prevalent in both areas, Chhattisgarh was so exciting, both ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I looked forward to exploring Orissa.
Orissa once had around 62 tribal groups and Adivasis ("original inhabitants") make up more than one quarter of the states' population. A few of these groups are: the Kondh/Gond; the Santal; Saura and Bonda (known as the naked people -- that should be interesting).
Continue reading "An Orissa, India Tribal Tour" »
We were thrilled to have one afternoon with nothing to do but walk around Puri...View image. You could take a taxi or rickshaw from Hotel Hans Coco Palm down to the main area, called Bada Danda. This road runs parallel to the beach and is where all the typical Puri handicrafts are located. Sea shell items, paintings on cloth, wood carvings, stone carvings, and clothes...View image. The other street is called Swargadwara at the southern end of the beach. All the action is along the coast and beaches run for a few kilometers. ...View image. It was an easy walk and there is always an option to hail one of the many rickshaws (impossible not to find one) if you pooped out along the way.
During the day, vendors set up little carts and shacks directly on "Golden Beach" selling food and drinks to the covered up Indian people, sitting on the beach and picnicing. People come from as far away as Kolkata just to spend a weekend and, of course, you have the more than 100,000 pilgrims who visit Puri each day and take time to laze on the beach.
Continue reading "Relaxing and Walking Around Puri - Orissa, India" »
Beside the three main temples, one behind each other, there were immense statues scattered around the grounds that had been moved from their original spots. A horse with one headless statue...View image, a lonely elephant...View image, and then there was the barred up entrance to the main temple...View image, too dangerous for people to enter. It is believed that the sacred Sun image is kept in the National Museum of Delhi but there was a replica high in the last complex...View image. FYI: Please keep in mind that you have to be in "decent" shape to visit Konarak Sun Temple. It's up stone stairs, down stone stairs (all without railings or support), walk a distance in the heat and then more stairs. If handicapped, you could easily tour the perimeter and admire all the sculptures and carvings.
The Sun temple belongs to the Kalinga School of architecture with a Main Sanctum, Audience Hall, Dancing Hall and Dining Hall. The entire compound measures 261m/857' by 160m/540'. We have visited the Khajuraho Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture from the 9th century but for some reason (perhaps because Konarak Sun Temple is smaller and more intimate), the Konarak erotic sculptures made more of an impact.
Continue reading "Konarak Sun Temple's Erotic Art, Orissa, India" »
It's an easy day trip (or half-day) on a generally good road past gorgeous Causarina Trees from Puri to the massive and famous Konarak Sun Temple...View image. Konarak Temple is a 13th century architectural marvel, designed as a celestial chariot of the Sun God with 12 pairs of wheels and seven horses. Situated on the Bay of Bengal, this legendary temple also has beautiful sculptures...View image... covering all aspects of life and lots of erotic art. The Konarak Sun Temple is one of Orissa's major highlights and we were excited about seeing it.
Konarak Temple is open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and is always thronged with thousands of pilgrims who came to visit Jagannath Temple, and tourists like us who have heard of Konarak's renown (even though there were only two other westerners there besides us. We arrived by 9:00 a.m. and it was already beastly hot with no shade. The temperature was supposed to reach 40 C/104 F today (it was probably between 30/86-32 C/95 F now). I'd recommend biting the bullet and getting there as early as possible. (Spend US$40 at the Lonely Planet Shop and receive free delivery and a free gift  )
Continue reading "The Sun Temple of Konarak, Puri - Orissa, India" »
The 12th century Jagannath Temple is known for its annual "car" festival. Silly me thought it was all about cars -- those vehicles with four tires? Not a gigantic festival when statues of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are brought from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple in mammoth wooden chariots pulled by thousands of devotees. Hey...what do I know...that's why I travel, to learn. Puri swells to over 1 million during this "car" (Rath Yatra) festival but over 100,000 pilgrims arrive daily to worship inside the Jagannath Temple.
Left Hotel Hans Coco Palms at 4:30 p.m., and Deepak parked the car several blocks away since 4-wheel traffic is only allowed down Puri's main street for a short distance. Car parked, we walked down the main street, taking in the incredible people and animal sights... (Really...cows rule India...View image...) Gawking at stands selling everything from cd's to food, people mending shoes...View image, thousands of people (pilgrims) along with colorful rickshaws jostling for space...View image, tuk-tuks, bicycles, pedestrians, sellers, beggars, and old colonial buildings lining the streets...View image. Where do you look first?
Continue reading "Puri, India's Jagannath Temple in Orissa" »
India can be dirty, hot, congested, and chaotic. India has heart-wrenching poverty, some of the worst roads in the world, and demands constant vigilance regarding water and food but India is also one of the most colorful countries in the world with extremely friendly people. Know before you go with my favorite 25 Travel Tips, in no particular order, with five "don'ts":
1. U.S. Citizens can apply for a 10-year visa to India that doesn't cost much more than a 1-year visa ($150 vs. $85 - as of 4/09). One visit is all it takes and, you'll be back since it's impossible to really travel throughout India in one visit.
2. Try to fly on India's two best domestic airlines. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines...View image. Avoid flying all domestic routes of State-owned, Indian Airlines if there's another choice.
Continue reading "Sheila's 25 Best India Travel Tips" »
I'm forever being asked, "What's your favorite country?" To which I reply, "Where? Europe, Asia, Africa? Pick one continent and I'd still have trouble deciding on a favorite." There is so much to see and do anywhere you go, but I can narrow it down (not easy, and I left off Vietnam, another wonderful country to visit) to my 7 favorite "Asian countries, two with populations in the billions, and all with friendly, helpful people. Here we go, listing the smaller countries first....
- Cambodia. Cambodia has the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, chaotic but interesting Phnom Penh, the beaches of Sihanoukville, don't miss the Genocide museum/prison, good food and gorgeous hotels ranging from extreme luxury to rock bottom. I could happily veg out in Siem Riep (gateway for the temples of Angkor Wat) for several days and do nothing. The country shares borders on the north with Thailand and Laos, and Vietnam on the east.
Continue reading "Sheila's 7 Favorite Asian Countries" »
Travels With Sheila does her best to always respond to comments and questions posted on the site. Professor Nishi Mukerji, of the Kanha Tiger Center, India happened to read about my Kanha Tiger experiences and wrote to correct that what I incorrectly labeled in a photograph as a "Gaur" is actually a "Sambar," India's largest deer. India has seven diferent species of Sambar and my photograph is now correct. Looking for tigers in India ranks up there as one of the most wonderful travel and animals experiences both ex-Marine, husand, Steve, and I have ever had. It's not as if they are just sitting out there waiting for you and spend at least two to three days in a Tiger Reserve to maximize your chances of seeing a tiger. (Read about our recent experiences in Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.)
Professor Nishi and I began e-mailing about the incredible Tigers and I thought you would be interested in both the unbelievable photographs he gave me kind permission to use and the gist of one e-mail. Below, is Professor Nishi's e-mail:
Continue reading "The Tigers of Kanha" »
One last coffee at 5:30 a.m., boat left at 6:30 a.m. and, must admit, that we're glad to be leaving. It's been restful, but... The teacher from the Kolkata International School said she's been here six times and never seen a tiger. Today's watch tower had a fresh water pond and exactly one deer. The brutal truth is your only chance to see a tiger is if they happen to be swimming across one of the rivers to another island or come onto exposed mud flats at low tide. Supposedly, the best time to see tigers is March, the hottest time of the year, but I personally doubt it. Our guides kept apologizing for not finding a tiger...as if it was their fault...not! Sweet, wonderful staff and guides at Sunderans Tiger Camp and wonderful, wonderful food.
Back to Sunderbans Tiger Camp by 10:00 a.m., lunch at 11:15 a.m., on the boat back to Sondakali at 11:45 a.m. Today's butt-numbing sitting added up to four hours on the morning boat cruise, 2-3/4 hour boat ride back to Sonakali, and an additional two hour car ride back to Kolkata. Should I stand on plane ride back to Chicago? Oh, yes...we have those free First Class Lufthansa tickets where the seats turn into flat beds. Hallelujah.
Continue reading "A Last Day at Sunderbans Tiger Camp, India" »
A typical day would begin with morning coffee/tea brought to your cottage and left outside the room at 5:30 a.m. Dress, slug down the coffee, make your way to the jetty, walk the plank onto the boat that left between 6:30-7:00 a.m. It was always high tide in the morning with not much to see or even a chance of seeing anything unless a tiger decided on a long, morning swim. I must admit though, it was quite beautiful watching the sun rise over the river...View image...
A light breakfast is served while you motor along on the boat. ...View image... Juice, cucumber and tomato sandwiches, bananas, coffee/tea. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve has three main watch towers, Dobanki...View image..., Sudhanyakhali and Sajnekhali (also had a small museum)...View image... and we'd visit one of them during the morning or afternoon cruise, climb up into the tower and try our luck at tiger spotting.
Continue reading "A Typical Day at Sunderbans Tiger Camp, India" »
When the partition of India and Bangladesh took place in 1947, half of the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve ended up in Bangladesh. Tigers are very strong swimmers and swim from island to island. In mating season (which can take place all year), the tigers from Bangladesh migrate over to the India side and vice versa. The longest tiger every measured was 10' 7" long of which three feet was the tail and weighed 491 pounds. An average tiger is 9'3" and weights 420 pounds. Sunderbans tigers are known as man eaters. Not for lack of prey, not because the tigers are weak or infirm but they seem to be especially hostile to humans and it is certainly a lot easier to catch a human than deer in the Mangrove Forests.
At least one-half of the dense Mangrove Forest is under water, especially at high tide. At low tide, the animals come out on the mud flats. There are high and low tides every six hours, every day, and monsoon season makes it even worse. Not only that, but the Forest Service has erected nets along the perimeter of many Sunderban islands and waterways that are closest to to local villages to keep the tigers from swimming across and picking up a human snack.
Continue reading "Sundebans Bengal Tiger Information, India" »
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A delta formed from the mouth of the Ganges River with 102 islands of which 48 are uninhabited jungle on the Hohojel River. This reserve covers around 42,064 sq. Km/10 million acres and is divided into three zones. A Core zone, buffer zone and tourist zone in which there are supposedly 274 Bengal tigers.
Since it was only a 2-1/2 hour ride from Kolkata to Sonakali transferring to a boat upriver (or downriver) for another 2-1/2 hours, ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I thought "why not." We had such great luck spotting tigers in Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks, it was worth a try a see what Sunderbans Tiger Reserve had to offer. Not that we had such great hopes since Sunderbans in the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is difficult enough spotting a tiger right under the elephant's feet, let alone in a mangrove forest.
Continue reading " Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, India" »
Kolkata and all of India can be (and is) dirty, hot, congested, chaotic, has heart-wrenching poverty, some of the worst roads in the world, and demands patience along with constant vigilance regarding water and food but...
India is also one of the most colorful and interesting countries in the world. Prepare to never know what you are going to see on any given day throughout your journey whether in villages, along the road or the city. Anywhere you go, there will be another fascinating sight before your eyes. On our last day in Kolkata, a man walked down Sudder Road (a busy, main street) with a live sheep slung over his back while his small son led their herd of goats down the middle of the road! If that doesn't stop you in your tracks, nothing will.
A few of the "must see" sightseeing in Kolkata:
- The Flower Market, located under the Howrah Bridge (itself a landmark of Kolkata);
- Dakshineshwar and Kalighat Temples;
Continue reading "Sheila's Fast and Easy Kolkata/Calcutta, India" »
Kolkata has always had a diverse community that includes Chinese, Tamil, Armenian, Tibetan, Greek and Jews and India (historically) has provided shelter and asylum to people facing persecution, but if someone doesn't take you by the hand and show you where the two synagogues (..."synagogue" means house of assembly, house of worship...) of Kolkata are, you'll never find the them. Both Magen David and Beth El, Synagogues (Historic Protected Heritage Monuments)...View image.... are buried in the extremely busy BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square) area, the center of British power during the 1800's and reasonable close to the Kolkata Flower Market and Howrah Bridge. Down narrow streets, surrounded by busy wholesale/retail shops and warehouses, you not only will have trouble finding them but also need written permission to visit.
Malini tried to locate them on the day's Kolkata sightseeing without any success. We arrived back in Kolkata for a short day between Orissa and Sunderbans and decided to revisit David Nahoum's famous Nahoum's Confectioners shop in the New Market. Both to tell Mr. Nahoum how disappointed we were and buy more delicious buns. Nahoum's was founded in 1902 and the original owner's grandson is the person you see for written permission.
Continue reading "The Ancient Synagogues of Kolkata/Calcutta, India" »
And now for something completely different... With another free day in Kolkata, Tomas (Footloose Travel) earlier suggested that we might enjoy spending time at the venerable Royal Calcutta Turf Club (race course), built in 1820, if the horses were running that day. It's difficult to get information on-line but the daily newspaper showed that there were going to be races today. Good deal...here they come spinning around the turn...
Malini had pointed out the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (they have not changed the spelling of Calcutta to Kolkata) and we set out to walk there, calculating it was perhaps a 2-3 mile walk tops from Hotel Lytton. Off we went, straight south down Chowringhee Road, past the green expanse of the Maidan with its park and cricket grounds (people exercise here in the morning), managed to actually cross the roads without getting run over, inhaled tons of dust and pollution while doing all this. The constant din of traffic, honking, buses spewing exhaust in the heat was tiring but finally the Royal Calcutta Turf Club in front of us...View image...
Continue reading "A Day at The Horse Races - The Royal Calcutta Turf Club, India" »
The first visit was to the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple located across the Houghly River in the North Kolkata area. Off with the shoes and paid a few rupees to have them watched (they would not be there when leaving if you didn't)... View image...before heading inside. On weekends (which this was), there is a very long wait to enter the most important nine-spired main temple in the center where Rama-krishna was a priest and reached his spiritual vision of the unity of all religions. The Dakshineshwar Temple was built in 1847 or 1855, depending who gives you the information, and is surrounded by 12 other temples dedicated to Shiva. Malini had two interesting "facts":
- If a worshipper visits and prays at all of the temples in this complex, all sins are washed away; and
- The worship of "woman power" only takes placed in the Bengali area.
Instead of standing in the very long line for the main temple, we walked out the courtyard to the Houghly River and spent some time watching the locals bathe before leaving the complex to watch every woman entering Dakshineshwar Kali Temple carrying red flowers as offerings to Kali. "Red" is Kali's favorite color and she is considered the kindest and most loving of all the Hindu goddesses.
Continue reading "Dakshineshwar and Kalighat Temples in Kolkata/Calcutta, India" »
Even while leaving the Kolkata Flower Market there was much to see. Men loading and unloading trucks filled with heavy bags of rice and grains...View image...sellers of fruit....View image...and green coconuts to drink...View image...people picking through garbage (remember Slum Dog Millionnaire?) and small carts carrying cardboard...View image. There was never an end to the varied sights of Kolkata.
A short car ride to Kumartula, one of the oldest residential areas in Kolkata with a high concentration of clay modellers, known as "Kumar." This district is busy throughout the year making icons of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and wedding decorations. Diwali (the festival of lights) was over and since Holi (the festival of colors and spring) had not begun, most of the clay modellers weren't working today. There were a few working on deities made of bamboo, straw and clay, and then decorated with color and cloth but not many. Before heading to the Queen Victorial Memorial and temples, we popped into the New Market for a few minutes to buy some buns (sweet rolls) at Nahoum & Sons Confectionary (we were all starving) and the Oberoi to use a clean toilet. TIP:: Look for a decent hotel and/or restaurant. Once you leave your hotel, there are no other clean toilets.
Continue reading "Kolkata, India Clay Modellers and Queen Victoria Memorial" »
The Kolkata Wholesale Flower Market is one of the Kolkata highlights. I dearly love flowers and the sight (and smell) of thousands of roses will forever remain with me. You can buy one dozen long stem red roses for less than $1.00 U.S. That blew my mind. The market is almost directly under the Howrah Bridge, itself a landmark. ...View image... At one time, the Howrah Bridge was the only way across the Houghly River and is similar in size to Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. It is considered the busiest bridge in the world and everything from pedestrians...to bullock carts...to push carts...to automobiles...to bicycles cross every day.
Before plunging into the market, Malini filled us with mutliple cautions. Buyers and sellers are constantly running through the narrow lanes of the Flower Market with humungous loads on their heads. Watch every footstep, where you walk, what's coming at you, piles of animal and human excrement...and in we went...
Continue reading "The Kolkata/Calcutta, India Flower Market" »
Malini and driver from D.J. Tours & Travel, Kolkata, picked us up at 9:00 a.m. for a long day of sightseeing and promptly began filling our heads with facts about Kolkata on the way to the Flower Market. Keep in mind that these are Malini's facts:
- There are over 70,000 metered taxis.
- Kolkata/Calcutta is called "City of Joy" because the people are so easily pleased.
- The hand-pulled rickshaws can weigh more than 20 kilos/44 pounds (and then you add the weight of the people) and can only be found in Central Kolkata. Elsewhere, the rickshaws are pulled by bicycles or motorbikes.
- Kolkata is the only Indian city that still operates trams. ...View image... The trams were pulled by horses at one time.
- The population of Kolkata includes the suburbs and exceeds 13 million people. More than one million people make their way into the city each day for work.
Continue reading "On The Way To The Kolkata/Calcutta Flower Market, India" »
Yes, they did change the spelling from Calcutta to Kolkata in January 2001 with many conflicting explanations. Fortunately, all ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I had to do today was wake up for breakfast. The Hotel Lytton looks much better in the daylight (contrary to arrival at 2:00 a.m. in the dark) and is ideally located in the Chowringhee area. ...View image... But first, breakfast. Lytton begins serving a huge buffet breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and there are other westerners (primarily French today) here beside us. The delicious International buffet (different choices every day) was loaded with Indian food (we love Indian food), eggs made to order, the ubiquitous British favorite...baked beans...and even unexpected "breakfast foods" like vegetable tetrazzini. Refreshed, it was time to set out on an ATM and bottled water hunt.
Directions from hotel staff, it was gird the loins and head outside where little yellow Ambassador taxis were waiting, along with barefoot, painfully thin (but strong) rickshaw pullers hoping for a fare, a few beggers and Sudder Street has many homeless people. Sleeping in the bushes, doorways while others wash theirselves in a source of runnning water. One of the many Mother Theresa places for the Dying and Indigent isn't far away and another building across the street distributes free food to the poor several times a week. But even so, you'll see these sights all over Kolkata/Calcutta. Sudder Street is a long time favorite of budget travelers and safe. The famous *****Oberoi Grand Kolkata was only a short three-block walk from Hotel Lytton.
Continue reading " Exploring Kolkata/Calcutta, India in Depth" »
Today's Sunday newspaper Travel section had an article detailing a expedition to a remote area of Ladakh, priced at $4,195 a person. I'd like someone to please explain why anyone would want to spend $4,195 a person to travel through Ladakh when you can easily see the same sights and book a group trip through Footloose Travel at about $1,100 A PERSON! We've arranged three customized trips with Footloose Travel (for not much more) and, no...they do not comp me or give a discount because I am recommending them. Footloose does a wonderful job and will include every single item the pricey $4,195/person organizer does for one-quarter of the cost. Don't want to hike? Fine.....sightsee and your costs go down because a trek is more costly.
Continue reading "Ladakh, India Money Saver" »
Again, we think India is one of the world's best-kept secrets: gracious, friendly people, and you are almost guaranteed to see something unique or different on a daily basis. Every day had a least one sight that I found remarkable. Whether it was the farmers hand-shearing their sheep alongside the road or unique temples, there was always something interesting to see.
1. No - India is not filled with people dying along the roads...filth and dirt everywhere (a question asked of us). There is poverty. There are dirty areas. Don't we have the same? There is begging...more so around the very famous tourist spots. Don't we have street people sleeping on the streets of Chicago, Washington, DC, San Francisco...people begging? Get a grip, folks and don't be frightened away by all those "stories."
children in Solang Valley
Continue reading "Traveling Through India Suggestions" »
It would be ridiculous not to actually try an Ayrvedic Massage in India. Ordinarily, I am to "cheap" to spend money on massages but now was the time to try something new and different. Throughout the past three weeks of traveling, I've seen $5 and $10 massages offered everywhere but painful experience has taught me that anyone can call themself a "masseuse" and it's better to pay the price for someone qualified.
Looking over the Oberoi's Spa Menu, there were 16 different massages to choose from: Balinese, Hawaiian, Sole Therapy, even a "Marma Massage" (March 6, 2006 article) along with the many Ayurvedic massages. Which one to choose? Sand bundle? Herbal Pouch? Shiro Abhyangam? Greeva vasthy? What names! Since this was going to cost a lot more than $10, I poured over the Menu and reassured that Banyan Tree Spa trains their own personnel as well as manufactures their treatments, I booked a plain, ordinary 75-minute Ayurvedic massage. A "Herbal Pouch" (...a toning treatment for the whole body concentrating on the back, neck and joints. The body is gently managed with herbal oil followed by hot fomentation using small linen bags filled with herbal powders) will have to wait for another time.
Continue reading "An Ayrvedic Massage - India" »
Shimla, at about 7,100', is perhaps the most famous "hill station" in the Himachal. What is a hill station? In the 18th century, Britain ruled India, the "Jewel in its crown." During the extremely hot and dusty summers, the British established hill stations (in the mountains) throughout India to escape the intolerable heat. Shimla became the summer capital of British India. The entire Government of India would pack up, leave Calcutta and Delhi, and head for the hills (do you think that's where the expression head for the hills came from?) from March to October to rule India. Before long, the wives and children followed to stay and this practice continued until 1939. Shimla has been the capital of Himachal since 1966. ...View image...
Shimla is set on a ridge and over seven hills, among pine-clad hills with many British Raj colonial buildings still remaining. The British built their homes and office in Tudor, Neo-gothic, Swiss-Bavarian Chalets and Baronial styles. One of them, the Railroad Board Building, was constructed in 1897 of cast-iron and steel to be structurally fire-resistant. ...View image...
Shimla Railroad Board Building
Continue reading "Shimla Sightseeing - India" »
It bears repeating that if you plan a trip to India, a drive of 90kms (approximately 50 miles) on your itinerary will usually mean four to five hours. Averaging 18 mph is good! Remember, landslides, "s" curves and animals. Getting into Shima took 45 minutes to drive three miles...shades of traffic jams in Chicago.
But now I have died and gone to Heaven. We are staying at the Oberoi Cecil. (Prepare for a big, rave review.) But first, I'd like to clarify the fact that ex-Marine and I do not receive (and have not accepted) free accommodations, or meals to write a good review. We pay our own way and if someplace is a "dump", you'll hear about it. Recommendations are based on MY experience only.
The Cecil was originally built in 1884 as a small cottage and has changed hands three times since then. We learned that Mohan Singh Oberoi started working at the Faletti Hotel (as it was called then) in 1922 as a desk clerk, and after years of hard work bought his first hotel in India. The Cecil was the third property he owned and became the "hip" place to come to both before and after independence. It has been restored with wood floors, period furniture, rooms located around a central atrium, heating swimming pool, a Banyan Tree Spa and much more.
The Oberoi Cecil
Continue reading "Oberoi Cecil, Shimla - India" »
The Kinnear Valley was completely green and a shock after Spiti's desert. But once we admired the valleys, mountains and waterfalls, and watched the goats...View image...it grew a little stale. We were on our way to the Hotel Bushahr Regency in Rampur. Rampur is just a big truck stop for almost all the goods passing through the Kinnear Valley. Because of our change in plans, there were a few days to fill up before flying back to the States and Rampur was just a fill-in place. All I cared about (after last night's miserable stay ) was a clean room, good lunch and less road to drive on.
The Kinnear people wore green banded hats, distinct from the Spiti and Kullu Valleys. Beside the difference in Kinnear clothing, the scenery was different. There was an amazing trail zig-zagging up the mountain on the other side of the river to an isolated village. I couldn't imagine walking up and down on this trail, every single day to get to the road or river on this perfect zig-zag. (No wonder these people are so thin.)
Kinnear trail up the mountain
Continue reading "Rampur, Narkanda and Shimla - India" »
While getting our permits checked, another vehicle filled with young Israeli girls was parked next to us having their permits checked. They were on the way from Tabo to see this "special lake" at Nako and then driving back to Tabo as a daytrip. Now folks, you are not talking a 1/2 hour jaunt on the Kennedy Expressway to see a lake. This was a three-hour drive in each direction over these so-called "roads."
Nako is located at 11,950' and we visited the Sacred Lake. (A retention pond in our neighborhood had equal charm.) ...View image... In other words, save yourself an awful drive and miss the lake. But the village was interesting....View image...very Tibetan in look and feel with everyone busy, bringing in the crops and going about their daily, hard tasks. A friendly village.
Nako fields
more Nako crops
Continue reading "Nako, Rekong Peo and Rampur - India" »
Tabo Gompa is one of the most important monasteries in the Tibetan Buddhist world. Rumor has it that the Dalai Lama intends to retire here. Built in 996AD, Tabo and Alchi (in Ladakh) Monasteries both have some of the best preserved Indo-Tibetan art remaining in the world. There are a total of nine temples in the complex along with a dormitory for tourists. There were quite a few tourists who had stayed there the night before.
The important rooms are off-limits to photography and have no electricity inside. If it's a sunny day (it wasn't), the paintings are easily visible. Otherwise, you need a flashlight (torch). We were able to absorb the beauty of the paintings easily enough without sun or torch. The colors are still vivid even after all these years. (The following are postcard images purchased at the Monastery.) ...View image
Preaching Buddha, 11th Century
Continue reading "Tabo Gompa and Into The Kinnear Valley - India" »
We were drinking tea in the Banjara Guest House, Tabo, when a large motorcycle group roared up. First person dismounted, pulled off the helmet, and it was a woman, Suzie Livingston, leader of the group. And, right behind her were 16 other motorcyclists. Suzie Lumsden started Blazing Trails in 2001.
This group had ridden over 120 tough miles from Sangla that day. They were spending 15 days in the Himachal, starting and ending in Shimla, averaging 90 miles per day, 800-900 miles for the entire route.
 Spiti/Kinnear map
Continue reading "Motorcycle Group in Tabo, India" »
There were exactly two sights in Kaza to visit: Kibber Village and Ki Monastery.
Kibber, at 13,500', is an extremely high isolated village reachable by road. Twenty years ago, there was no road and no interest in seeing it but today tourists (including us) drive up just to say they have visited a high, inhabited village. Go figure. Because it is a tribal village, the Government gives them lots of financial support and jobs. There was nothing of interest for us...just a lot of runny-nosed children and a few other curious tourists. Don't bother.
Kibber Village
Continue reading "Kaza Sights and On To Tabo - India" »
The Chandra river starts at Moon Lake (Chandra Tal) in the Himalayas and runs through the entire Spiti Valley (there are treks there, also), changing it's name to the Indus as it flows through Ladakh and Pakistan. The rapidly flowing river creates this awful "road" when it overflows every year. Snow melting off the mountains and glaciers fills the river to the brim and washes the entire road away. The roads in both Spiti and Kinnear must be completely rebuilt every single year.
The "road" was basically just roughly crushed rocks of all sizes, steam-rollered down, or if not steam-rollered, flattened by traffic. ...View image... Since there isn't much tourism in Spiti, car traffic was light. Very rarely, there was an interesting sight...a shepherd, dressed in traditional Spiti outfit carrying a baby lamb (the babies are carried for the first month after birth)...a flock of Pashmina goats...decorated trucks...
decorated truck
Continue reading "Spiti Valley to Kaza - India" »
It's not easy getting into the Spiti Valley. If it was, more than the approximately 8,000 tourists a year would probably visit.
Breakfast at 6:00am, away from the hotel by 7:00am to start the long drive. Lahaul and Spiti are the biggest districts in the Himachal Pradesh area-wise. Our first night was going to be spent at Kaza, 200km's from Manali, but a 9-1/2 hour ride! Over 5 hours of this ride were on what they call "roads." Can you imagine...over nine hours to drive 120 miles? That gives you some indication of the "roads."
view of Manali
Continue reading "Into the Spiti Valley - India" »
There is Old Manali, New Manali, and areas in between. ...View image... Old Manali street was loaded with shops selling clothes, Internet, small guesthouses and restaurants and prices were a little less. It's possible to buy a blouse (typically Indian style) for less than $3.00 U.S. But bargain, and walk out of the shop if you have to. They usually will come after you. ...View image...
Up to the Manu Temple, a new Hindu Temple, then a walk down and up to the Dhungri Temple (Hadimba Temple) through the pine forest. Dhungri is a four-story wooden building dedicated to the goddess Hadimba and had very intricate wooden carvings, the inner sanctum was stone, and old horns of bulls and other animals were on the outside walls. The animals were (and are) sacrificed once a year to the goddess. ...View image... This Temple was different from the ones we'd already seen, and that made it interesting.
Dhungri Temple
Continue reading "Sightseeing Around Manali - India" »
Manali is the last major settlement in the Kullu Valley before you head up and over: either the two or three-day journey to Ladakh which requires three passes; Spiti; or Lahaul. Manali altitude is about 6,400' and there are many important Hindu and Buddhist temples in this area.
Since the weather is good today, Jagdish took us on a 5-mile hike into Solang Valley where there is skiing in the winter. This hiking portion would have been the 1st day of a 5-day Solang Valley trek that goes over a very high pass. We walked through small villages...View image...watched the farmers carrying wood, grass, and picking applies. Life is the same every day for these peope...get up...do their chores...go find enough wood to heat your home and grass to feed the livestock...carry everything back home on your back or head. Tough, tough life and even though it was August, time to get ready for another winter.
Continue reading "Bustling Manali, India in the Himachal Pradesh Mountains" »
The Kullu Valley runs on both sides of the River Beas, North to South. It is extremely green and fertile and, besides apples, is famous for woven hand-made shawls and caps. Wool, Angora and Pashmina.
Walking through Kullu town while dodging the cows, other animals and trucks coming down the road...View image... we noticed sign after sign advertising "Kullu Factory - hand-made shawls." Based on some Lonely Planet advice, we purchased some 100% wool shawls from Bhuttico, in Kullu town, a women's cooperative. They are all hand-loomed by the women in this valley and Bhuttico will not sell a shawl saying it's "pashmina" if it's not. The shawls range in price and quality (a nice wool one runs about $10 US). A real Pashmina will cost about $100. All I wanted was a lightweight, warm and durable wool shawl to use on airplanes. Many, many colors and styles. Quite difficult making a choice.
Kullu shawl signs
Kullu shawls on display
Continue reading "Into The Kullu Valley - India" »
#1 - The lack of road kill is amazing. Up to today, we've only seen one "smooshed" dog. This is incredible considering the amount of trucks, buses, jeeps, cars speeding along the road with cows, horses, mules and dogs just lying in the center, meandering slowly across, everyone's horns blaring...and they don't move, just look at you! Not to mention all the monkeys! I've seen more dead coons and skins around our suburb in one day then we've seen in all six trips to India.
#2 - Another "funny", entertaining read is the matrimonial section of the Indian Sunday papers. Page-after-page of "Grooms Wanted" and "Brides Wanted" along with detailed ads with exactly what is required!
Several examples (these are actual ads):
Continue reading "Miscellaneous Observations While Traveling Through India" »
Another important site around Taragarh was the Baijnath Shiva Temple. ...View image
...It is over 1,200 years old with very intricate carvings. The Apsaras, Hindu female spirits of nature (usually water nymphs or forest spirits) reminded me of Angkor Wat. ...View image...
A man was beating out a constant rhythm on his drums, invoking the Gods...while the monkeys scampered around on the grass in front of the Temple. ...View image
Baijnath Shiva Temple
We drove to Bir amd walked through the village with the intention of hiking up through the forest towards Billing for some exercise but it started to rain. Instead, a walk back through town, chatting (with Jagdish interpreting) with the lovely people. Each district in the Himachal has their own style hat. Embroidered, with different colors. The Kullu style was multi-colored where the Kinnear Valley had a large green velvet piece running across the front.
Kullu hat
Continue reading "Around Taragarh, Bir and Monsoons - India" »
On the way to our next stop, Palampur, we stopped at Chamunda Mata Mandir Devi Hindu Temple. Shoes off, goat in line for the inner sanctum which doesn't allow photography. ...View image... There were silver doors on either side of the shrine and the priest put a tilak on our foreheads under the watchful eyes of an Indian Army Guard.
But it was the outside the Temple that was the highlight. Activities going on everywhere. A sacred pool with people bathing in it...View image.....the river rushing by...others who had washed clothes, waving them to air-dry...and another group sitting around a young girl, chanting. She is considered rather like a "shaman" (who could channel the spirits and gods) and sat perfectly still in a trance-like state while the people around her kept up the singing and chanting. This was interesting.
drying clothes along the bank of Chamunda Mata Mandir Devi HIndu Temple
chanting
Continue reading "Chamunda Mata Mandir Devi Hindu Temple - India" »
Driving down those so-called "roads" in the fog was quite frightening. Today's sightseeing called for the Namgayal Monastery in the Tsuglagkhang Complex and looking at the outside of the Dalai Lama's residence. He was off traveling somewhere in the world...nobody could tell us where. .... but it had been his birthday and signs were up around town...View image...
It was an interesting little town but there was nothing here to compare with Tibet with its temples and Barkor. If there were other Americans in this area, we certainly din't run across them. Many, many young people backpacking through India and quite a few Europeans and Israelis. (Read the Lonely Planet Guide on India, free shipping for orders over $40 to make your arrangements.)
the new and old
Continue reading "McLeod Ganj - India" »
Driving towards Dharamsala, we stopped at Kangra Fort. The Fort was built on top of a hill at the confluence of two rivers. Inside the fort were the remains of Jain and Brahman Temples dating to around the 9th century AD. Both Temples had square chambers lavishly decorated with carvings...View image. ...View image
The Fort was enclosed with a high rampart and walls covering an area of two miles. I couldn't enjoy the Fort to its fullest because all the paths leading up to and around were cobblestone, laden with moss and slippery as all get out due to all the rain during the night. It's difficult to enjoy a place while concentrating on taking teeny, tiny steps and saying "oops" every two seconds. But it was beautiful.
slippery ramp up Kangra Fort
Kangra Fort gate
Continue reading "Kangra Fort and Dharamsala (Dharmashala) - India" »
It was only a short walk out the back of Judges Court through the veranda area, across a little stream into Pragpur Heritage Village. Extremely small... How small was it? We walked through it and out onto the road before I asked Jagdish where the village was! With that, we turned around and walked back through it...this time walking slower, into courtyards and visiting with the villagers.
There were local silversmiths who would have offered a variety of handcrafted trinkets...if the shops had been open...they weren't. Some beautiful homes also over 300 years old with quite a bit of painted detail still remaining on the outside of the buildings.
Pragpur village
Continue reading "Pragpur Village - India" »
Amnesia usually kicks in when a trip is over regarding anything unpleasant including driving in undeveloped countries. But it was all coming back...rapidly. Jagdish said it would be a 22km (about 13 mile) drive to see Ramgarh Fort. To the uninitiated, it takes at least one hour to drive 13 miles in India. The roads are unusually twisty, turning, with a total road width of almost 1-1/2 lanes, through the mountains, buses and heavy trucks constantly passing. And, that is on a "National Highway."
When you are NOT on a "National Highway," the road is a skinny one-car length of tarmac running down the center with dirt on both sides. If a vehicle comes near you, one of you veers off into the dust. However, we saw no accidents (honestly) and the drivers of these huge trucks and buses were really very courteous at letting someone pass. Lots of horn blowing since you have to blow the horn to let the other vehicle know you're passing, and then blow the horn again to let them know you've passed as a "thank you." And then the car you passed blows its horn to acknowledge! (Such a headache....)
road up to Ramgarh Fort
Continue reading "Ramgarh Fort, Nalagarh, India" »
Pragpur is a Heritage Village in the pine-forested Kangra Valley. Set at about 1,800', Pragpur was classified as a World Heritage Zone in 1997 and is being promoted as an example of community involvement in tourism.
We stayed at Judges Court, a 300-year old country manor designed and used by Justice Sir Jai Lala as his summer home. It is now a hotel surrounded by an eight-acre orchard of mango and citrus trees. .. ..View image
Judges Court
We had a lovely room, one of only 10, including a fireplace (no one needs a fireplace during India's summer) and breakfast was served on the terrace.
Judges Court terrace
Continue reading "Pragpur in The Kangra Valley - India" »
It's always late at night, or early morning, when arriving in India. Met, greeted and driven to Le Meridian hotel where we spent the remainder of the night (about four hours) until the early morning train ride to Chandigarh.
Le Meridian is extremely modernistic. Spare and minimal with an unusual lobby. They are still in the process of modernizing the entire hotel. A very good location, close to Connaught Circle, the major shopping areas, Parliment and all other government offices. Before we left the next morning, I had to take a photo of the Ladies Room off the Lobby. I thought the idea of placing the sinks in the middle of the room (instead of along a wall) very creative and the bathroom was beautiful!
Le Meridian Ladies Room
Continue reading "Arriving in New Delhi, India" »
I narrowed it down to several main areas in Himachal Pradesh: Shimla, Dharamsala(Dharmasala)/McLeod Ganj, Manali, a three-day easy trek, Kullu and Kangra Valleys. Starting and ending in New Delhi. With the days spent flying halfway around the world, this came out to a four-week trip.
Next step...what tour operator to use. I asked two different operators (we've used both before) to cost it out and see what came up. India is not a country that ex-Marine and I feel comfortable traveling around by ourselves. Safety is not the issue...it's the hassle-factor...let someone else handle the problems with our input.
Tomas, at Footloose Travel, had the best price for the same itinerary. Our Ladakh trip with Footloose last year was excellent and we felt comfortable with his contacts and "hand-offs" in India.
Himachal Pradesh
Continue reading "Planning A Trip Through India's Himachal" »
India is such a immense country to visit. With its size, diversity, climate, cuisine, and terrain, it is almost impossible to experience everything in one trip. Perhaps, if you have a year to travel...but, even then, you'd have to be extremely selective.
"ex-Marine" (husband, Steve) and I have always said that India is one of the World's best kept secrets and Conde Nast 2006 Readers' Travel Awards seemed to agree. It was just ranked the "fourth top travel destination."
Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous State of India, located in the Northwest Himalayas. Flying from Leh, Ladakh to New Delhi last year, the plane flew over the Himachal and I looked down on steep, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, green valleys and thought, "I want to go there."
location of Himachal Pradesh in India
Continue reading "Where Is The Himachal Pradesh? India..." »
In the late afternoon, another flight to Delhi and a room at the Radisson Hotel near the Airport. Delhi's airports are separated into two buildings, domestic and international, about a mile or so apart.
International flights commonly depart at the oh-so-lovely hours of 2:25 am, etc., which is why we paid for a room. Your other alternative is to sit at the airport for hours since hotels kick you out by noon, and even if they give you a late checkout, they certainly won't let you stay until midnight!
It was such a shame to waste a first-class seat utilizing only the reclining seat to sleep in. (The last thing either of us wanted was dinner or wine at 3:00 AM!)
Continue reading "Back to New Delhi, and The Trip is Over...India" »
Some of the other game spotted at Bandhavgarh National Park were different deer, and jackals in the brush ...View image...and alongside the road. Jackals are supposed to be difficult to spot but we saw them almost every day.
Our naturalist spotted tiger tracks right next to the road and we circled (and swept) the entire park many times looking for this big male with no luck. Up and down hills, around the worker's homes, looking into every bush...still no tiger in sight. The naturalist could tell the tiger had been lying there for a long time by the depth of the paw indentations. This was one big guy!
Tiger prints
Jackal
After our morning game drive was over (no tigers spotted today), it was another 6+ hour drive to Khajuraho.
Continue reading "Khajuraho Temple Complex, India" »
In the two days at Kanha, we saw three tigers. A very good start and time to drive to Bandhavgarh National Park on one of the worst roads ever. Six hours of agonizing, jolting and swerving over pot holes to go maybe 70 miles from Kanha to Bandhavgarh...less than 10 mph. This also happened to be the only filthy, dirty car with a "guide" (who barely spoke English) riding "shotgun"! The driver was good though.
Once at Banhavgarh, we spent two nights at Tiger Den. The food was good, lots of people staying there, and a beautiful bonfire at night. I have no way of knowing if Tiger Den was "best available" there...it was certainly a nice resort, but there were many, many other places to stay that we passed going to and from the park. FYI, the sign for "Royal Den" touted it as a luxury resort...don't know if it really was.
Bandhavgarh National Park was more mountainous than Kanha. There are also caves in the park with inscriptions dating back to 1BC. This park was created in 1968 and has a wide variety of habitats: sal forests, bamboo grazing land, ridges and streams. It is most famous for its tigers and had the same routine as Kanha.
Bandhavgarh map
We saw EIGHT TIGERS in the two days there. Some people never see one!!
Continue reading "Bandhavgarh National Park, India" »
Kanha National Park is the area that Kipling wrote about in his Jungle Books. The park covers dense forest, open meadows, plateaus - the habitat tigers prefer. It also supports a wide variety of deer and other animals, perfect for the tiger's diet of only meat... but never mind the other animals...we were fixated on seeing tigers.
Other information? Kanha is closed from July 1 to October 31, the rainy season. The best time to visit is between November and June and there are many facilities to choose from. "Luxury" down to rest houses, all outside the Park at Mukki or Kisli. (There is more Kanha information on the Indianwildlife Internet site.)
Tigers are the largest living members of the cat family and weigh up to 500-600 pounds, with a length of 9-10 feet, not counting the tail. Their distinctive coloring camouflages them perfectly in the brush. (Only rarely are tigers born with pure white fur and black stripes like Siegfied and Roy's famous white tigers.) They prefer to live and hunt alone, with the exception of a mother tiger.
Continue reading "Kanha National Park, A Tiger Reserve - India" »
The Gond are the major tribal group of Central India. At one time forest-dwellers, they are presently settled farmers. Their clan structure and language is different from other tribes...they marry both within and outside of their tribes...practice monogomy, polygamy, cross-cousin marriages, parallel-cousin marriages, remarriage, widow marriage, divorces...they do it all! Clans are usually named after some animals or plants. Within the Gond family are different tribal labels: Muria, Maria, Hill Maria, etc. But the Gond generally describe themselves as Koitor. Are you confused? We were!
But, there was one clear fact...the Gonds love a good excuse to party! Dancing, singing, and some good home-made fermented Mahua liquor (from the flowers of the mahua dassia latifolia tree) or Salfi (juice of the wild date-palm). Most of the time, our presence was just the excuse they needed if a festival wasn't planned. Some typical scheduled festivals? "...worship before collecting Mahua flowers...festival of eating the first mangoes...worship before sowing of paddy seeds...festival to drive out crop disease...worship to start eating new vegetable crops...giving thanks for all new crops..." a festival for every occasion.
Kawardha map
Continue reading "Gond and Baiga People, Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh - India" »
It was a four-hour drive to Palace Kawardha and we met John Ash, of Green Gondwana Adventures, in Raipur for a wonderful lunch of Chinese food. We were very impressed that John took the time to see how the trip was going and find out if we had any comments or suggestions. An excellent tour operator.
The Palace Kawardha was much bigger than Kanker Palace and had an entirely different history along with its surroundings. This was Maharaja Vishwara Singh's 1930's Palace and had six spacious suites, magnificent rooms, grounds, lots of servants, etc., and this was to be our home for the next two nights. Such a home...
Palace Kawardha
Continue reading "The Palace Kawardha, Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh - India" »
Each Muria village had a different attire - feathers, flowers...an amazing amount of creativity seemed to go into their wearing apparel. The women had facial tattoos, displayed with pride. The tattoos serve a decorative value but also act as protective charms. ...View image... I lost track of what tribe was which (with the exception of the Bison-Horn Maria) and started referring to them as: the "stilt" tribe; "pom-pom" tribe, "cow-bell" tribe, etc..
Driving to and from these areas were other sights to see...people cramming themselves into this little mini-taxi....View image... symetrical mounds of cow dung made into patties for fuel in the fields...View image...and a stop in a pottery village where the local potter whipped up a little pot for me on the spot which I graciously accepted and then had to hand-carry for the rest of the trip...View image
local pottery village
Continue reading "Terdul Village, Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh - India" »
In the village of Garh Bengal, Santu, his brother, Kande and their families hosted us to give an interesting glimpse of developments in the region. Santu has led a traditional Muria life with a Gotul upbringing, while his younger brother, Kande attended a conventional local school.
Kande's substantial and self-built house contained a TV set and he showed us a rare film - A Jungle Saga - made over 46 years ago in Garh Bengal by a noted Swedish filmmaker, Arne Sucksdorff.
The commentary was in Swedish, but the film portrayed life in Bastar as it was then, including the adventures of a young man, Chendru, who is now quite old and still living at the other end of the village.
outside Garh Bengal Village
Continue reading "More Murias and Markets, Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh - India" »
Drove out of Jagdalpur to visit the Bison-Horn Maria tribe.
Each tribe put on a performance of their spectacular local dances and we got a good look at village life, costumes, ornaments and customs. ...View image... The Bison-Horn Maria quite obviously derive their name from unusual headdresses worn while dancing during ceremonial occasions. Since the bison is becoming scarce, cattle horns are often used, placed on a bamboo frame, with peacock feathers (or chicken feathers) and strings of cowrie shells hanging down from it. This ornate headdress is passed from father to son.
Bison-Horn Maria Headdress
Continue reading "Bison-Horn Maria Tribe, Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh - India" »
Bastar was once a substantial State and the majority of its people are still tribal with unique though rapidly disappearing lifestyles. North Bastar is home to the Muria Gond tribe, famous for their Gotul system.
What is a Gotul? It is a co-ed dormitory system where the unmarried young people (from the age of 9 or 12 until they marry in their late teens) live and make their own rules away from adults whose presence in the Gotul is taboo. They are allowed to have sexual relations with anyone they chose, but must change partners after several days. Wouldn't our teenagers just love that?
At the first Muria tribe near Bahigaon, a villager greeted us dressed in this spectacular headdress. A small indication of what was in store for us.
a Muria "pom-pom" turban
Continue reading "Bastar and Its Tribes, Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh - India" »
Another plane ride to Raipur by Indian Airlines, ranked one of the unsafest airlines in the world. Not my choice, but the only one that flew to Raipur...and we're still alive. John Ash, Green Gondwana Adventures was the person who arranged the entire Central India portion and did an outstanding job. I invite you to visit his website and use him if you decide to see this area for yourselves. John met us at the airport with a beautiful table book on Bastar, lots of information, and notes on the Central area we would be visiting.
From Raipur, a two-hour ride to the small town of Kanker, once the capital of the princely state. Our "hotel" was the Kanker Palace, a private residence belonging to the late Maharajadhiraj Udai Pratap Deo and run by his family. Our guides in this area were Rajkumar Surya (called "Jolly") and his younger brother, Ashwini ("Jai"). Eldest brother, Aditya, current Maharajadhiraj of Kanker, teaches history in Delhi. There was also a sister who had her own little school on the ground of Kanker Palace.
Kanker District Map
Continue reading "Princely State of Kanker, ChattisgarhChhatisgarh - India" »
Flew Jet Air to Aurangabad and checked into the Taj Residency. The caves at Ajanta are only a one-hour drive from Aurangabad.
These caves, dedicated solely to Buddhism, date from 200BC to 650AD and are cut from volcanic lava on a hillside. The Ajanta Caves are thought to have housed over 200 monks as well as numerous craftsmen and laborers. The caves are remarkable for the quality of their murals relating the life of Buddha. Some showing Buddha's previous births, and others, ordinary family life, the royal court and street scenes. ...View image... There are 30 caves in all but caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 are considered the most important. We visited those and others just as beautiful.
Ajanta Cave 4
Continue reading "Ajanta and Ellora Caves, India" »
Save up your air miles and use them on Lufthansa to go First Class! There is nothing comparable to a long-haul flight, sitting in a seat that completely reclines into a bed, and having flight attendants hovering - eager to serve you (changes your entire perspective on flying). Not only was it as close to heaven as a person could be on an airplane, but their First Class Frankfurt lounge was to die for.
Lufthansa took a former Frankfurt Airport parking lot and turned it into a $35 million First-Class only terminal. If you have quite a bit of time between flights, Lufthansa picks up and transfers you via a chauffeured Mercedes S-Class or Porsche Cayenne to this site. Once there, you are met by a personal assistant, ushered through their own security and escorted into this magnificent lounge. You can relax on a daybed in your own room, soak in a marble bath or under a rainshower. There are several bartenders and even a drink menu (Mai Tai's, etc.) to order off of. Not to forget, individual tables set with tablecloths and silverware to enjoy something off the constantly changing buffet or from the menu!
Continue reading "Lufthansa First Class to Mumbai (Bombay)" »
With Winter not too far away, it's time for people to start thinking about travel possibilities. One destination, that I keep mentioning, is India. Over the years, I have developed some terrific contacts and unusual tour operators around the world. I also have a wonderful travel agent with her own connections. So, last year I posed the question to Vivian, "Is there another unique area in India that we haven't visited yet? What about the tiger reserves and Khajuraho" ...it only took a few weeks for her to come up with a tentative itinerary.
This itinerary incorporated the State of Chattisgarh, two different tiger reserves in the State of Madhya Pradesh (because there is never a guarantee of seeing a tiger and odds are better if you visit two reserves), the caves of Ajanta and Ellora and Kujaraho.
This sounded ambitious and difficult to fit into 20-days but the Indian tour operator, assured us it was extremely doable.
Location of Chattisgarh in India
Continue reading "Where is Chattisgarh/Chhatisgarh...in India!" »
After Nubra, it was back to Leh to Delhi to Frankfurt to Chicago. A long trip, both in Ladakh and in the air, but immensely satisfying.
It's always difficult coping with altitude, strange food, drinking only bottled or boiled water, using bushes for toilet facilities and hiking to the top of a mountain....but so worthwhile! And, what a sense of accomplishment.
I love countries where people can still be seen in their native costumes; interacting with them; and meeting fellow travelers from other countries.
Continue reading "The Trip to Ladakh, India Was Over" »
The drive to the Nubra Valley from Leh, goes over the Kardung La pass, considered the highest road in the world at 18,372 feet above sea level. Everyone stops their vehicle at the top for photo ops, puts on their warmest jacket, and staggers around, gasping for breath.
Out hats are off to everyone who climbs at, and above, that altitude! There is always a risk of high-altitude pulmonary and cerebral edema, headaches and hypertension
The Nubra Valley was one of the last staging areas for the caravan trade with Central Asia, The climate is a little milder than the rest of Ladakh, and there are still small amount of Bactrian (double-humped) camels. You can even take a camel trek from Hunder (a town in the valley) for a day. I love to watch camels....they have such great personalities and make wonderful noises.
Continue reading "The Remote Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India" »
From Lamaryu, it was off to Dha Hanu, an area only 19 Kilometers from the Pakistani border. It doesn't take much imagination to visualize the military presence in that area. Dha Hanu is in the Kargil region west of Leh. The people are of pure Indo-Aryan stock, perhaps descending from the army of Alexander of Macedonia. There are only about 2,000 people settled in five villages high above the river.
Once again, we made camp, this time in the midst of trees laden with ripe apricots. I got a major "fiber-fix" - picking apricots, eating apricots, for two days. They were SO delicious.
Continue reading "Remote Dha Hanu, Ladakh, India" »
The last day of our trek, we came down to a road where our jeep was waiting, and continued to Lamayuru. You have to cross the Fatu-la pass, an extremely scary winding road. It was hard to decide whether or not I was more frightened going up the mountain or going down the other side.
The first sight of Lamayuru gompa and town was stupifying. (The work that went into building anything in (and on) these stark mountains, and that people live here is amazing.) It is the oldest monastery in Ladakh, belonging to the 10th century with some richly furnished rooms..... .
Continue reading "Lamayuru Gompa, Ladakh, India" »
I love destination trekking - going from place-to-place, and don't even mind sleeping in tents. What I do mind is, getting out of the tents at night for toilet reasons. Anyone who camps knows exactly what I mean. You have to unzip your sleeping bag, unzip the tent, put on Tevas, find a flashlight, and make your way to a toilet area - looking out for snakes and other beasties!
But this was going to be a a "piece of cake" - we had a four or five mules - plus mule tender - to haul everything, a guide, and, not one, but two cooks/assistants (from Nepal). View image
Footloose Travel's local operator consulted us on every aspect of the trek including: what foods we liked; any allergies; and was very patient answering our questions.
The Sham trekking route is a very well-traveled . It was fun meeting other trekking groups, from other countries, and "schmoozing", comparing notes and getting new ideas.
Continue reading "Planning The Sham Trek in Ladakh, India" »
We spent our first few days in Leh trying to breath at an altitude of over 11,000 feet - ex-Marine always has trouble with altitude sickness, even with "Diamox" (a prescription drug for altitude) - resting as much as possible.
Leh is situated on a plateau formed by the Indus river and was founded in the 14th century by a king who built over 108 chortens (or stupas).
Buddhism is the major religion in Ladakh which emerged in the third century BC, and we did a lot of day-tripping to different "gompas" (monasteries). Almost every "gompa" is built UP on a hill in some remote destination. The reason was that seclusion is the essence of Buddhism. Therefore, gompas were built high on the mountains because the higher their faith was, the closer they would be to the diety.
Continue reading "In Leh, The Capital of Ladakh, India" »
Thinking about some exotic place to go this summer? Somewhere reasonable (if not downright cheap)? How about Ladakh. It is a land of monasteries or "gompas" (as they are called there)...surreal landscape...situated in Northern India. Ladakh is surrounded by the Zanskar range in the South, Ladakh range in the North and great Karakoram range in the Northwest
The Indus Valley civilization is one of the oldest in the world and dates back around 5,000 years. Centuries ago, it was a place where merchants from Tibet, Kashmir and China passed through, exchanging ideas and goods. Now, we tourists pass through, exchanging ideas and taking a little of Ladkh back with us.
I had always thought of Ladakh as a barren, lunar place to go but glaciers feed the many streams and irrigate the fields. This creates brilliant patches of green valleys against the lunar background.
Continue reading "Ladakh, India - A Summer Destination" »
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