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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" »
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" »
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