SPELLBOUND IN SIKKIM||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-3)

I hope all of you have read two previous parts of this series. If you missed then here is the solution
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2018/03/spellbound-in-sikkimtravel-blog-part-1.html
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2018/03/spellbound-in-sikkimtravel-blog-part-2.html

This is the third part of my new travel series Spellbound in Sikkim. I have already shared the first two part of my journey. Today I'll talk about my journey towards Gurudongmar Lake and Chopta Valley.

26/02/18

ON THE WAY TO GURUDONGMAR

So, a very good morning to all of you. I finished my blog on the night of 25th on which day we came to

Lachen. As I have mentioned earlier in my previous blog that we needed to start for Gurudongmar Lake at 5 o'clock in the morning. At 4 am we woke up. Finally it stopped raining and when we came out of our room I

4.30 am in Lachen

thought I wasn't in myself. The whole environment grabbed me in its arm. I totally lost myself and trust me I really didn't care to recollect myself. I was completely caught by the trance of nature's beauty. The scenery was so pure and so celestial as if God put everything with his own hand. That's why every bit of that blissful landscape is perfectly crafted. The sky covered itself with a navy blue bed-sheet and the stars were scattered like jasmine flowers. Some unknown proud mountains were giving guard to this majestic mother nature. Those proud mountains were wearing white crown which reveals their

This is the place where tyre punctured

royalty. Please tell me how can one remain steady after seeing such a beauty!!! Is this even possible? I don't think so. Even I don't want to. What I wanted at that point to live in that moment. As you can completely understand through my words that I was in the arms of nature. I didn't realize how much time I spent. Suddenly some noise broke my dream and reality welcomed me. It was 5.30 am then. Our driver was sleeping peacefully. Everyone was loosing their temper. Finally in between all the drama he came at 5.45 pm and we started for Gurudongmar Lake at 6 o'clock. We were all pumped up. So happy with whatever we experience with our eyes. Just after an hour our car stopped. Simon, our driver came out of the car and then he gave us a big surprise. Do you want to know the surprise??? The front tyre of our car became so tired

Surrounding Beauty

that it lost its breathe in the mid way. We thought that it took a lot of time to save the tyre. But fortunately one fellow driver who was just behind our car came to rescue. Meanwhile we enjoyed the awesome view. We clicked a bunch of photos. It took 10-12 minutes to rescue the faint tyre. I pumped up again and imagined that the car won't stop till Gurudongmar Lake. Without my consciousness DESTINY was laughing at me. Just after 1 minute our car stopped again as all the car which was before us stopped there in front of a small tea stall. No it was not  tea break for sure. It was a break of our entire Gurudongamar trip. We couldn't go further as heavy snow fall became obstacle. I lost my each and every bit of enthusiasm which I gather drop by drop. Every one halfheartedly stepped down out of the car except me. I was so disappointed that I reluctant to move a single step. However, I saw everyone was happily accepting the situation and started playing with ice. My husband forced me to come down once. For him only I came out of the car. After looking everyone's smiling face I felt that accepting this situation would rescue me from being lonely. It's okay that we were not in Gurudongmar Lake but where we stood now whatever the place was extremely beautiful. I couldn't be

The Small Tea Stall

Our Hotel in Lachen

hopeless. I again taught me that accept everything. Whatever the situation is make the most out of it. I regained my energy. I filled my lungs with the icy wind. I played there, I clicked 100 pictures and I even fall on the ice. We didn't know how we passed two and a half hour there. Simon, our driver called us to have our breakfast. We had bread and Jam for breakfast. Believe me, that was the best jam -bread meal I ever had in my life. We had hot cups of tea too. After having our breakfast we were all agreed to leave Lachen as soon as possible. As we didn't want to face the situation what we faced last night. While coming back we were all so tired that we slept till we reached hotel. Then we packed our luggage, we had lunch (rice, potato-cauliflower fry, dal& egg curry) and again sat on our car. We bid GOOD BYE to Lachen and promised that we would visit again.      

 LACHUNG

Honestly, though I accepted my destiny but I couldn't engage myself in the beauty of nature while traveling from Lachen to Lachung. It was worthy scenario and obviously had everything to claim your attention. But

View from Chungthan

somehow I wasn't in that head space. We stopped once to have tea at Chungthang. It took almost 2.15 hours to over come 47km. After one and a half hour we stepped down to see Bhewma Falls popularly known as Amitabh Bachchan Falls.It is one of the tallest waterfalls of North Sikkim Dist. We reached Lachung at 3.30 pm but our room wasn't ready. The hotel workers suggested us to visit Kataou and

Amitabh Bachchan Falls

meanwhile they would clean our room. Here is a twist. Zero point had been already declared closed. So they suggested us another place call Kataou. To visit Kataou we should give 250 per head to our driver as he would take us there on his own risk. Even rules of visiting zero point is also same. We all were agreed to go to Kataou but not at that point of time. We decided to see sunrise on our way to Kataou. We kept all our bags in one room and went to explore Lachung. We were starving too. We had chai in our hotel and went out to have something. Walking on the roads of Lachung I found my lost hope and energy. It was beyond my expectation. I heard the sweet sound of Lachung river and I couldn't stop my feet to go there. But we had to stop to have omelet. It gave us enough protein and energy to enjoy the surroundings. You

View From Lachung River

know what I believe that I have a deep connection with water. As I go crazy when I see river, lake or sea. And this time I became completely mad because of that hill river. It was flowing like a proud queen. 

Lachung River

And how can I forget about the wind. Uff!!! It was as sharp as a knife. It was chilling cold and the scenic beauty of Lachung river captured me. I thought for a second that I should live here forever. Whenever I was about to loose my mind It is always my dear husband who come to rescue from my mind (though he thinks I don't have mind). We spent almost 2-3 hours and Then we came back to hotel to get some rest. At 8.30 pm we ate dinner. Dinner and lunch of both Lachen and Lachung was same. We discussed with our driver and resolved that we would leave for Kataou at 4am.

Without wasting a single moment we went to sleep.

GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE....
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT PART.....
WITH LOVE

** THIS IS NOT A PAID PROMOTION

   

SPELLBOUND IN SIKKIM||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-2)

In this blog I'm writing about my experience while I was traveling in India's one of the most beautiful state Sikkim. This is the second part of this series. In case you've not gone through the first part then here is the link

https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2018/03/spellbound-in-sikkimtravel-blog-part-1.html 

25/02/18

HOTEL TARIKA

At around 8 o'clock we woke up. Trust me, if the clock didn't tell us the time I would think it was 6 o'clock as the sky was so gloomy. As if the sun was too shy to look up beyond the clouds. However, we stepped down to the dining area of our hotel at 10 o'clock. Yes, it took 2 hours to sum up all the luggage. We sat down and asked them what they had for breakfast. They said that they had prepared Puri Sabji. You know what, my husband is sold by the name of Puri Sabji. What else then I could say. NOTHING!!! I wanted to

PURI SABJI

try local dishes but I had to surrender. First of all He loves Puri Sabji. Second we didn't have much time to look for something else. So as a final result that we ordered it. Puri Sabji was surprisingly very tasty though time was running out so fast. Our local tour conductor called us several time as our car was ready. We bid good bye to Hotel Tarika with a HAPPY HEART. And promised that I wasn't coming back for sure.

BREAKFAST : 200/- INR
TAXI FROM HOTEL TO TSOMGO TAXI STAND:  200/-

LACHEN

We hurriedly finished our breakfast and at around 11 am we reached Tsomgo Lake (Changu) Taxi Stand, near Vajra Cinema by a taxi. There are many taxi stand in Gangtok. So you better know properly where is your taxi stand. Our tour conductor promised us to pick up from our hotel as they didn't do that and we had to come there by hiring a taxi, we excluded that fare from the total expense. So finally we all set to go to Lachen. Our plan was to stay at Lachen on 25th of Feb. On 26th of February we would go to Gurudongmar Lake and Chopta Valley. On the same day we would go to Lachung. We forgot about one thing that we

On the way to Lachen, Butterfly Falls

Mangan

may had planned our trip but God is there also who hasn't given permission yet. However, let's begin the journey. At 11.30 we started our journey. After 10 to 15 minutes our car stopped at the garage where a mechanic checked every parts of the car as per the rules. At 12.15 pm we ultimately left for Lachen. What can I say about the scenery which I was seeing through my eyes. I was only thanking God for making the world so beautiful. Moreover every time when the car was taking a turn, Nature was changing every inch of it specially River Teesta. O God!!! From where I can find words to justice River Teesta. You know what I can't say the real color of Teesta. Sometimes its blue then in a minute it completely changed into green. After almost one and a half hour of journey our car stopped in front of Butterfly Falls. It is a very simple regular falls but still its simplicity has something to say. On the way we make some friends. We all would be together through our whole North Sikkim Tour. I was so excited and looking forward to see what nature store for me in Lachen. At around 2.30 o'clock in the afternoon our car stopped at Mangan where we had lunch. Our lunch was ready. We ate at Chirag Da Dhaba. The lunch was so simple yet tasty. We had rice, dal, papad, kala Chana sabji and egg with our fellow travelers. At 3pm our driver Simon started his engine. Again I engrossed in the beauty of

On The Way To Lachen

nature. After almost one hour we stopped in front of a police station. We were informed by our driver that they had not arranged our permit for north Sikkim. So we had to wait and he would go to get it done. O God!!! It is said that time flies but on that particular day I realized that time can move like a snail. We couldn't come out of the car as it was raining so badly. We became frustrated as well as restless. After two hours of raining clouds must had been so tired that they finally stopped crying. Thanks to God. Some of us Came out of the car and went to have a hot cup of tea. It re-freshened us. Just after finishing our cup of tea we saw the glimpse of our driver Simon. Meanwhile all the cars who started their journey with our car left us far behind. When we reached Chungthang it was 5.45 pm. I don't know whether you believe it or not but we hardly could see anything other than the flash of lightening. We could only hear the sound of rain. Our car stopped in front of a tea stall where they had arranged our evening tea. But no one
was interested. All of us were scared. Simon, our driver didn't care those factors at all. He went to have a cap of tea. At 6 pm we again started our journey. It was bloody scary. We even couldn't see the roads. We

On The Way To Lachen

only depend on our driver's shoulder and we continuously enchanting the name of God. At around 7.55 pm we reached finally to our hotel at Lachen. Our fellow cars were already present there. We were the last one. However we entered in our room. The room was clean enough to stay for one day and most importantly it's geyser was working properly. We were extremely tired and hungry. We quickly got ready and made a fast move towards dining area. Our dinner was ready to be served which had rice, dal, potato, cauliflower fry and chicken. After a long day that menu was nectar for me. Now my eyes were forcing me to close them. The rain didn't want to stop. Our driver informed us that we had to start our journey to Gurudongmar Lake at 5 o'clock in the morning. Uttering that we didn't waste a single time to get a sound sleep.

GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE....
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT PART.....
WITH LOVE

** THIS IS NOT A PAID PROMOTION


                     

SPELLBOUND IN SIKKIM||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-1)

As I have always mentioned in my blogs that I am a crazy traveler. Each and every bit of my journey gives me immense happiness. I guess you guys have already read my two travel blogs of Varanasi and Digha. In case you haven't read here are the links
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/05/travel-blog-digha.html
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/07/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-1.html

First one is the link of Digha travel blog
Second one is the link of Varanasi travel blog part 1.

Now let's begin the journey of Sikkim...

DARJEELING MAIL 

DEPARTURE TIME : 10.05 PM (SDAH)

EXPECTED ARRIVAL TIME: 8 AM  (NJP)

TRAIN NO: 12343

PLATFORM NO: 9B

TICKET FARE (AC 3 TIER): 920 INR

Darjeeling Mail is not only just a train for me. It is a dream for me. I always wanted to board on this train. From the day we started planning for the trip I knew clearly on my mind that Darjeeling Mail would be one of my companion throughout my journey. We booked AC 3 tier tickets in November. 

Our journey began on 23rd February, 2018. The departure time of our train was 10.05 pm. We left our house at around 7.45 pm. We hired an uber and reached Sealdah at around 9 pm. At 9.20 pm our train was ready on the platform. Our coach number was B2. So finally my dream train was in front of me. I was so happy that I almost forgot about my entire trip. What I only wanted to enjoy at that time was my journey by DARJEELING MAIL. On 10.10 pm I heard my companion i.e my dream train blew his horn to let me know that he was ready to start. Just like any other AC coach there was also a fresh towel, a bed sheet, one pillow and a quilt present on each seat. Though It was only on my mind but I loved to think that my dream train had arranged everything to make me comfortable. I never felt so excited. I sat comfortably on my side lower seat and started to gulp all the things going on in and outside of the train. It was my husband who broke my reverie and told me to serve our dinner which my mother cooked for us. Our dinner was so simple yet so delicious. We ate rumali roti and chicken. We also bought some cakes, biscuits and mineral water bottles.  After finishing our dinner when everyone was preparing to sleep I thought that I should definitely stay awake for my Darjeeling Mail. My mind was determined though my eyes weren't supporting my decision. I fought hardly with my eyes and I forced my eyes to see a beautiful sky which was full of stars. But just after crossing Burdwan I had to surrender on the lap of my seat. I didn't know how much time I was asleep but when I woke up my train halted to take some rest at Malda. It was 5 am. I came down from my side upper seat to lower one which was acquired by my husband. I needed to put some fuel to my body so that it functioned properly. We had "CHAI". Right after our tea break my companion Darjeeling Mail also charged up. I guess it also recharged itself. It started its engine and I felt sad deep inside. As I knew my journey by Darjeeling Mail would slowly come to an end. Only one station was left which was Kishangunj then we would reach to NJP. With a heavy heart I was waiting for NJP but at the same time one thought pop out quickly that it was not the end of my journey. It was only the first chapter of the whole tour. We reached NJP at 10.30 am. I bid good bye to Darjeeling Mail. When we stepped down from train we had no clue from where we should start. We only knew that we had to reach Gangtok where we booked our hotel Tarika.

NEW JALPAGURI

 On the platform of NJP I felt like we were some lost children as the tourist guides and drivers asking us so many questions. They were behaving like they all were ready to take us home safely. We decided to have breakfast then we worked out our next step. When we were having toast and omelet a gentleman came to us. He offered that he would take us to Gangtok in exchange for 150 rupees per person. He also recommended to visit his office. After having breakfast we went to his office which was just in the opposite side of the road. They suggested us to conduct our whole trip. At the beginning of our journey we wanted to visit North Sikkim so our tour conductor planned the tour accordingly. But always remember one thing you should always bargain with them. Otherwise they charged a lot. You should break down each and every part of their calculation. However, after loads of bargaining we finally came to an end of discussion. We started our journey to Gangtok at 12 pm.

FARE OF TAXI: 150/- INR (NJP TO Gangtok, Deorali Taxi Stand)

TOTAL TOUR OF NORTH SIKKIM (Lachen and Lachung) : 3000/- INR (including transport, lodge and 3 meals) 

NJP TO GANGTOK

It took 4 hours to reach Gangtok. The roads were so clean and green. After few kilometers Teesta came to greet us. She was flowing in its own rhythm and guiding us through out our total trip. Our driver halted for lunch at Melli. We ordered one plate of momo. We reached Deorali Taxi Stand at 4pm. As I have already mentioned earlier that we have booked Hotel Tarika which is also situated at Deorali Taxi Stand.

ONE PLATE MOMO: 100/- INR (10 PCS)

HOTEL TARIKA  

I was so disappointed. The rooms were decent and clean but the geyser wasn't working properly. The manager of the hotel promised to give us a front view room. Yes, he gave us a room which has a window but I hardly could see anything other than a building. Our Sikkim tour guide Tapu came to meet us in hotel. Special permit is required for North Sikkim and Nathula. So he collected xeroxes of our photo id and color photos. After that we booked a taxi from Deorali  stand to MG Road. The manager of the hotel told us that it took 7 minutes to reach MG Marg so we were disappointed again. It took 10 minutes by car. If someone wish to walk then the it will take 32 minutes.

HOTEL FARE: 800/- INR (NOT WORTHY)
TAXI FARE: 60/- INR (RS. 20 PER PERSON)

MG MARG 

CHICKEN MANCHURIAN

FRIED RICE

MG Marg is the center of attraction in Gangtok. Its a great place for shopping. Of course its a heaven for foodie people just like me. We badly need hot cups of tea to activate our mind and body. We went to a small shop where we ordered special tea. Then outside of the shop some vendors were selling veg momo. Those momos were very small in size and there was hardly any stuffing. This kind of momo or dumpling you can only find on the roads of MG Marg. As it was Saturday almost every shops were closed. We shopped a little and then we went to a restaurant near taxi stand. We ordered two plates of fried rice, one wings on fire and one chicken manchurian. It was altogether a very happy meal for us. 

WINGS ON FIRE

 SPECIAL TEA: 20/- INR (ONE CUP)
 VEG MOMO: 20/-  INR (10 PCS)
  DINNER: 950/- INR
 TAXI FARE FROM MG MARG TO HOTEL TARIKA: 80/- INR (20/- PER PERSON)





As soon as we reached hotel we started packing our luggage. At 11.30 am in the morning we would leave for Lachen.

NECESSARY ITEMS TO BE TAKEN WHILE TRAVELING IN SIKKIM
1. PHOTO ID
2. XEROX OF PHOTO ID (MINIMUM 10 COPIES)
3.COLOR PHOTO (6 COPIES)
4. NECESSARY MEDICINES

GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE....
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT PART.....
WITH LOVE

** THIS IS NOT A PAID PROMOTION

     

   

VARANASI DIARY||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-3)

30/12/16

RAMNAGAR FORT

Entrance Gate of Ramnagar Fort 

Canon 

Finally it was the third and last day in Varanasi. We woke up with a heavy heart knowing well that we came to an end of our vacation. But we soon charged up ourselves and came out of our hotel Alibaba. I have already mentioned about it in my first blog of Varanasi Diary. In case you haven't read then here is the link.

Ramnagar Fort Garden

(http://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/07/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-1.html ) We call the same toto driver who took us to Sarnath and famous temples of Varanasi. That day we decided to visit Ramnagar Fort. We somehow convinced the driver to take us to Ramnagar Fort at Rs. 1400/- INR. We had our Breakfast at Jyoti Cafe (already I have given it's address in my first blog of Varanasi Diary). On the last day of Varanasi we had a heavy breakfast with some hot aloo parathas, sabji (spicy vegetable curry), hot chocolate and tea. Then we reached in front of St. Thomas Church at Gowdoloya More. Our toto driver reached at time and he took us to Ramnagar Fort.

Veda Vyasa Temple

It took us 30 minutes to reach there. We entered through the giant gate of Ramnagar fort. Believe me it was an art of beauty. I thought the I was looking at a picture. 

Eastern Bank of Ganga

It was established by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh in 1750. The fort was built in Mughal style. What astonished me the most is the Fort has a rare collection of American vintage cars. Apart from it the museum of the fort has so many collection of arms, clothes, manuscripts, swords, ivory work from which you can't take your eyes off. 

 The fort is made of sandstone and it's cream in color. The Ramnagar Fort was situated on the eastern bank of river Ganga.
The famous temple of Veda Vyasa is situated in the fort. In the month of Phagun pilgrims come to visit the temple.
Ticket Price : Rs. 20/- (For Indians)
                    : Rs. 150/- (For Foreigners)
Timing        : 10 am to 5.30 pm

KASHI VISHWANATH TEMPLE

After spending 2 to 3 hours there we returned to our hotel and freshened up for the most famous temple of Varanasi, the Kashi Viswanath Temple. That was the last day of us in Varanasi so visiting Kashi Viswanath was the best way to put an end to the trip. Of course it was not possible for us to click pictures.  It is one of the famous temple of Lord Shiva. It is established on the western bank of Ganga.

We were very tired and needed a sound sleep as we had to board our train at 7 o'clock in the next morning. We had food at a vegetarian hotel and ordered special veg thali which cost Rs. 90/- INR per plate. We came back to our hotel and zipped up our luggage with a very heavy heart. Next morning we took a toto to the station. The name of our train was Upper India Express. I had the worst experience. This train is not suitable for such a long journey. Though we had tickets of AC 3 Tier but it was nothing but a general coach. Any way we reached at Sealdah after 32 hours of long journey. It was a short but a memorable trip for me.     

   

WITH LOVE.....................

Like Fictitious Freak For More Update.....

https://www.facebook.com/fictitiousfreak/

     

Links of Varanasi Diary Part 1 And 2
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/07/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-1.html
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/08/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-2.html
https://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/11/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-2.html

VARANASI DIARY||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-2) (Continuation)

29/12/16

KAAL BHAIRAV TEMPLE

Kaal Bhairav Temple

After soothing our eyes with the beauty of Sarnath we went back to our toto and visited some famous temple around Varanasi. Literally the weather was so cold. We were as cold as ice. After an hour of toto ride we halted in front of an alley which led us to the temple of Kaal Bhairav.  The temple was one of the old temples of Varanasi. Kaal Bhairav is one of the fieriest form of Lord Shiva. The visitors can only see the face of Kaal Bhairav and rest of the body is covered with clothes and garland.  

The Idol of Kaal Bhairav

We were very hungry so right after that we went to have some chat of Varanasi. It was so yummy and delicious. We were so hungry and enjoying our food at that moment so forgot to click pictures of it.











SANKAT MOCHAN HANUMAN TEMPLE

Sankat mochan Hanuman Temple was established by Sri Goswami Tulsidas ji. It is very famous temple of Hanuman. It is believed that here Tulsiji had vision of Lord Hanuman. Thousands of devotees come everyday. Clicking picture wasn't allowed so we couldn't click. The temple is very beautiful. It is situated near the Banaras Hindu University.

DURGA MANDIR
Again we couldn't click pictures of this beautiful mandir of Devi Durga. This temple was established by a Bengali Queen. The temple is red in color. It is situated near Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple.

TULSI MANAS MANDIR
Tulsi Manas Mandir was built by Surekha family form Badhaghat, Howrah. This is the same place where Saint Sri Goswami Tulsidas ji wrote Ramcharitmanas. It is very beautiful Mandir which is white in color.

Tridev Temple

TRIDEV MANDIR
It is very beautiful and immensely big temple. The temple is dedicated to Salasar Hanuman, Rani Sati Dadi and Khatu Shyam. It is worth visiting at night.

Khatu Shyam

Salasar Hanuman

Rani Sati Dadi

Finally the second day of Varanasi completed. We reached our hotel after having some hot parathas at Jyoti Cafe.

In case you haven't read my Varanasi Blog part 1 and 2 here is the link below

http://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/07/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-1.html

http://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/08/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-2.html

Like Fictitious Freak For More Update.....

https://www.facebook.com/fictitiousfreak/  

     

VARANASI DIARY||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-2)

29/12/2016

It was a cold wintry morning on that day. There was nothing visible due to the heavy fog. We woke up late as the condition of the weather did not allow us to leave the warm quilt. After some mental fight between mind and heart we woke up and got ready to explore the divine city of India.

JYOTI CAFE

As I have mentioned in my previous blog { VARANASI DIARY||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-1)  http://littlehapinez.blogspot.in/2017/07/varanasi-diarytravel-blog-part-1.html } that we loved our dinner at Jyoti Cafe. So we did not stop our feet anywhere but at Jyoti Cafe. We ordered Chocolate Banana Pancake, Hot Chocolate (to give our body some fuel), Cups of tea and Breakfast Platter (One omelette, some boiled fried potato, four toasted bread with butter). After this delicious breakfast we walk towards the Gowdoloya More. From here we hired a four sitter Toto at 800/- bucks. In that toto we visited Sarnath and some ancient temples of Varanasi.

WAT THAI TEMPLE

On that particular day Sun had not shown his face. It was covered with fog. Our toto driver stopped at Wat Thai Temple. It was then 1pm and believe me we were literally shivering. It was so cold and

WAT THAI TEMPLE GATE

WAT THAI TEMPLE

smoke was coming out of our mouth. We enjoyed the weather totally. Our driver parked the toto and told us to explore the Sarnath. He waited there for us. First we went to the Wat Thai Temple. At the gate a guide from Indian Tourism offered us to give us a full details of the Sarnath. We asked him about the fee but he humbly told us that if we want then we can give him what we want. First of all he provided us some information about that Wat Thai Temple. This temple was built by some Thai dignitaries in 1933. There is a great standing statue of Lord Buddha on the left side of the temple which is 80m tall. You will also find a replica of Ashoka Chakra. The four most important incidents of Lord Buddha are engraved in the back side of the temple. The air of the place is so angelic that you can actually feel the purity. 

REPLICA OF ASHOK CHAKRA AND LORD BUDDHA STATUE

After that we rushed to visit the Sarnath Museum.One member of our group stood in the queue to buy the tickets for us. Each ticket cost 7 rupees. Rs. 5/- for the Dhamekh Stupa and Rs. 2/- for the Sarnath Museum.

ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM SARNATH

ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM SARNATH

Sarnath Museum is the oldest museum Archeological Survey of India. In 1910 under the supervision of Sir John Marshall, Director General of Archeological Survey of India this site museum was constructed. This oldest museum preserved the antiquities which found at Sarnath. This antiquities are mostly finest specimen of Buddhist art and sculptures. The most famous exhibits of this museum is the Lion Capital of India and Ashoka Chakra. I put my first foot in the big gallery and I lost myself in the era of Buddhism. The rich art and culture of Buddhist era literally grab me. My eyes were exploring the sculptures, antiquities and paintings. I was gulping down everything through eyes as they won't allow the camera or phone inside the museum. After that great experience we move to our next destination Dhamekh Stupa.  

     

DHAMEKH STUPA

DHAMEKH STUPA

I entered through the gate and I could perceive the spirituality. I inhale the air which is so pure and sublime. I did not experienced that kind of weather. The wintry breeze was like a sharp knife. It was 3pm and the Sun was not ready to show his face. In that foggy weather the Dhamekh Stupa was standing with proud in the middle of the field.    

DHAMEKH STUPA

Dhamekh Stupa is situated in Sarnath. It is believed that Lord Buddha preached its first sermon to his five disciples here. Its old name was Dharma Chakra Stupa. It is said that Great Mauryan King Ashoka rebuilt the Stupa in order to commemorate the activity of Lord Buddha.

After this great tour of Sarnath we rushed towards the Wat Thai Temple where our toto driver was waiting for us. We left Sarnath with a broad smile.

TO BE CONTINUED..........

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VARANASI DIARY||TRAVEL BLOG (PART-1)

Travelling is a part of my life. It gives me an air to breathe and wings to fly from all the stress which we have to deal with. Varanasi trip was a sudden plan. It was a trip for 3 days only. We covered as much as we can.

Journey Begins:

We began our journey on 27th of December, 2016.  We left for Howrah at around 11.30 am in the morning. We were all pumped and charged up for the trip. It took a good 1 hour by taxi to reach at Howrah station. We had our lunch at IRCTC Canteen. Our train was Amritsar Express. The train left the platform from Howrah at 1.50 pm. It was on time. We booked 3 Tire AC coach at Rs. 1740/-. It was so clean and well maintained that we already began to enjoy our journey even before it started. The persons who were giving service to us they were also very friendly and was always ready to serve us whatever we need. Soon after the train left the station they gave us clean white bed sheet, a pillow, a towel and one blanket. Amritsar Express has no pantry so you have to carry your own food or you can buy it on board. At night we had our dinner which was made at home. We thoroughly enjoyed our journey. We reached at Varanasi station at around 10.30 am in the morning. Overall I was satisfied with my journey in Amritsar Express.

28/12/2017 :

ST. THOMAS CHURCH

The day was a memorable one for me. The holiest city of India was welcoming us. I can feel the purity in its air. We quickly hired an auto to reach our hotel Alibaba. We booked it from goibibo.com https://www.goibibo.com/flights/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=DF-Brand-EM&utm_adgroup=Only%20Goibibo&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdbLBRALEiwAm8pA5eBG5xpHWxYitzV1ZpoM0RHs0LGFwaiVaxnN3WTholuKDeH5gp0s-xoCh0kQAvD_BwE . The person who is communicating with us from the hotel told us to leave the auto at Gowdoloya Chourasta in front of St. Thomas Church. We reached our destination and left the auto as we were instructed. We had to walk for 10 minutes to reach our hotel Alibaba at Bangali Tola. Bangali Tola is so congested yet the small streets astonished me every time. It was like a new world to me. There were so many things going on the streets but I was so tired to give them glance at that point of time. Alibaba was such a nice hotel. It has only lodging. We booked Non AC rooms at Rs. 700/- per night. We were there at winter so we didn't feel it necessary to book AC rooms. The room was clean, well maintained and the most important above all that the bathroom was clean enough. We were hungry so quickly we freshened up and then went outside to have our lunch. There were so many hotels but we decided to have "Macher Jhol-Vat" so without wasting any time we went to a roadside restaurant where we ordered Fish Thali (Rs. 120/-). It was a comforting food which gave our hungry tummy full satisfaction after a long journey. We felt sleepy after the lunch so we resolute to rest for some time. We returned to our hotel and took a nap. We woke up at 4.30 pm and got ready for the Grand Ganga Aarati. 

Ganga Aarati :

Varanasi is the city of Maa Ganga. Maa Ganga runs here in her own rhythm. There are many ghats in Varansi but the most famous one is Dasaswamedh Ghat where the magnificent aarati takes place. When I was walking towards the ghat I could hear the roar of wind. The wind was blowing like a proud kite. The temperature was then 12 degree Celsius The aarati begins at 6 pm. We took a boat which allowed us to seat for one hour. You can see the whole aarati right from Ganga at  Rs. 50 per head. If you want then you can hire the whole boat for that one hour at Rs. 600 and the owner of the boat will give you a ride on Ganga for extra 15 minutes.

We settled down to our seats and were fully ready to be a witness of the majestic aarati. The aarati begins at sharp 6 pm.  It was an experience of lifetime which I can hardly sum up in words. I was having goosebumps all the time. It was seemed as if the sound of the conch was coming out of the heaven.

The rhythm of the aarati song, the glorious wind and the pure music of the conch were altogether making a celestial feeling. I was completely lost in that heavenly world. After that splendid one hour we bought lamps and floated in Ganga. I can feel the purity of it till now whenever I closed my eyes.

Gowdoloya And Bangali Tola:

It is the best place for shopping and it is a paradise for foodie. At every stop you will find various food stalls. You will find not only Indian food but food from outside of India too specially from Japan, Korea and Israel. There were tourists from everywhere as if people from all over the world came here to greet each other. We had some snacks and we shopped for our families.

It was almost 10 pm when we realized that we needed to hurry up because the shops were shutting down one by one. We were almost full to have heavy dinner so we decided to have some light food. We went to Jyoti Cafe which was very near to our hotel. I highly recommend this hotel to you all who wants to try new food. I just love the place. It was so comforting and the owner is a true gentleman. We ordered a plate of Tomato Spaghetti, one plate of Fried Rice and Chilly Chicken and one plate of Pitta Bread with Shakshuka. With this delicious dinner we ended our day here.    

Address of Jyoti Cafe : Shop No.D.32/2, Bangali Tola Lane, Dashaswmedh Road, Dashaswmedh ,Near Khalishpura masjid,Onthe way Kautilya, Bangali Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001  

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TRAVEL BLOG || DIGHA

Holiday is My Hapinez

Holiday is a perfect medicine to cure your boredom. Also, I must say that its necessary to give some time to yourself and your loved ones too. We are always very much busy in our daily routine. Hardly have anytime to look at the sky or at the person who is looking for your attention. If you can't find enough time to enjoy a long holiday don't be dishearten. Moreover, don't make excuses. A small holiday at the end of the week is an ultimate solution for all of these problems. 

People who live in West Bengal have a great privilege as nature gifted them so many places for this kind of holiday such as Digha, Tajpur, Mandarmoni, Sankarpur, Talsari, Sundarban etc. The names are endless. 

My Holiday Experience

OLD DIGHA SEA BEACH

After some back to back shows we really deserve a break. That's why a sudden plan was made. And within some few hours we all agreed and decided our destination which was Digha. It was not far from Kolkata. It was in our budget and within the reach too. Therefore, we decided to go there by bus from Esplande. The fare of the A/C bus was 300 bucks. It was nice and comfortable. We left Kolkata at around 11.15 PM on Friday and reached Digha at 4 o'clock on Saturday. We didn't book hotel though we had searched a lot in the most popular websites. Most of them were not available. So we were quite disappointed. But we didn't stop our feet to go there.

Kahini Lodge (Old Digha)

KAHINI LODGE

We were fortunate enough that in Kolkata we found a helpful OLA Driver who gave us a number of his son-in-laws's hotel named KAHINI LODGE. It is situated just behind the Old Digha Police Station. When we reached there we had a lot of doubt in our heads as we were really clueless. But as we proceeded according to the path of Rabi da (The Manager of the Kahini Lodge) we discovered a bouquet of hotels and lodges there. So if websites are failed to find you hotels in Digha then the narrow road beside the Old Digha Police Station is right place for you. You'll find so many good hotels out there. Our destination was Kahini Lodge. When we entered the lodge it was almost 5 o'clock but still he showed us the room. We were seven in number and required two double bed room but the check out time was at 9.30 AM so we had to wait for another room. One more good thing about Kahini Lodge is the rooms and bathrooms were very clean. The staffs were very friendly. After four to five hours journey that room of the hotel gave us comfort.  

ROOM IN KAHINI LODGE

Meanwhile we decided to go on the sea shore and had our breakfast. It was a lovely morning. There was no din and bustle of the city and no workload on the mind. We all were relaxed and happy. 

Sea Beach of New Digha

NEW DIGHA BEACH

After satisfying our hunger we couldn't hold back ourselves to jump into the sea. We came back in hotel and left our necessary items in the room. Then we were ready for our ultimate journey to sea beach. It was already decided that we would enjoy our bathe at New Digha Sea Beach. So we hired a Toto from Old Digha. It took 10 rupees per head. It took 5 minutes to reach New Digha Beach. We hit the beach enthusiastically. The first splash of water was bliss. All the tensions, anxiousness and tiredness was vanished. Only Sea can provide you such a joyful moment and the feeling of ultimate satisfaction. Each and every element of  nature is present there to hug you. We made the most out of it.

After 1 hour or 2 we came back hotel by toto. We washed ourselves. Then our hungry stomach became furious. We left our hotel to have our lunch although Kahini had their own canteen if you order then they will make it. We wanted to eat outside. And here we made a MISTAKE. It was so hot outside. The sun was blazing on our head. The restaurant which we selected to have our lunch was too bad to eat. Every item was so spicy and full of red chili powder. We could hardly enjoy our lunch. we returned to our hotel and stayed there for the whole afternoon. At 5 o'clock we decided to go to Talsari and Udaypur.

Talsari

TALSARI BEACH

Talsari is 8.2 km from Digha. We hired a toto and left for Talsari. Talsari is in Odisha. We had to cross the border of West Bengal and Odisha. When we reached there the sky was dark. It was lightening. And the beach of Talsari was calm. I hardly could hear the sound of sea. But the surroundings are beautiful. The mild breeze would definitely cure your tiredness. we had to left the place as the sudden change in climate changed our plan too. We turned down our decision to go to Udaypur. On that same toto we returned to Old Digha. The weather showed us its worst face. We went to our hotel. Because of that very bad lunch experience outside the hotel we came to a decision to have our dinner in the hotel room. Trust me, the food was awesome. Specially Aloo Posto won our heart. 

The next day we woke up too late in the morning. We had our bed tea and all of us agreed to have our breakfast on New Digha Beach. So just after the breakfast we could hit the beach without wasting any time. It was our last day in Digha. So we had done so much fun on the beach. After spending 2 hours on the beach we came back to our hotel. We were happy with our dinner last night so we resolved to have our lunch in hotel. 

After having our lunch our next destination was Amrabati Park in New Digha. We hired a open van. The fare was 10 bucks per head.

Amrabati Park

AMRABATI PARK

Amrabati Park gives you a natural treatment to your eyes. Its greenery and the picturesque beauty makes it a worthy place to visit. The entry fare is 5 bucks. The tickets for Rope-way and Paddle boat are available inside the park. The fare of cable car ticket is 54 bucks per head. The fare of paddle boat depends on the time you spend in the water. We spent a good 25 minutes on a paddle board. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride. After that we had some fuchka outside the Amrabati Park and spent some quality time at New Digha Beach.  

With a heavy heart we said parting words to New Digha Beach. That was our last night in Digha. We returned to Old Digha. We booked our tickets from Digha to Esplande. The fare was 270 bucks. We spent the whole evening and the night in our hotel. We danced and sang and did all kind of fun to make our trip a memorable one. 

Next morning we checked out from our hotel at 10 o'clock. Our bus was at 12 pm. So after having lunch we had some time to sit on the Old Digha Beach. 

At last the time came and we had to go to the bus stop. With a broad smile on our face we said Good Bye to Digha.     

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