Travel A Little: 2015

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The Gangtok Trip - Part 3

Continued from The Gangtok Trip - Part 2
The Siddheswara Dham comprises of replicas of the four Dhams of the Hindus namely Jagannath, Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameswaram. Surrounding the statue of Lord Shiva and the Char Dhams are the replicas of the Dwadash Jyotirlingas of Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleswar, Omkareshwar, Kedarnath, Bhimashankar, Viswanath, Triambakeshwar, Vaidyanath, Nageswar, Rameshwar and Grishneshwar. Following that we went to Sai Mandir which was the last attraction in our tour. Our driver advised us that the restaurants at Siddheswara Dham were too much expensive and hence he told us to have the lunch at the restaurants opposite to the Sai Mandir. So we had lunch at a restaurant near Sai Mandir. Then we headed back to Gangtok. It was about 7 pm when we reached Gangtok. We had dinner and climbed into our bed to have a deep sleep.

Siddheswara Dham

The day after, we had no plans in our mind. From the internet we heard of a viewpoint named Hurhuray Dara which is located near the Assembly House in Gangtok. So our target was to find that place out. At 11 am we stepped out of our hotel and walked across MG Marg towards the Assembly House. Near the Assembly House we saw the ropeway. We ventured a little forward when we found that a narrow path deviated from the main road. The narrow path went along the edge of the hill. On asking a local person, he told that there was a view point ahead of that path. So we walked for a minute on that path and reached the view point. The breathtaking view of the Bhaluk-Chu river and its valley was awesome.

Sai Mandir

We took some pics and spent some time at the viewpoint which was undoubtedly Hurhuray Dara as described on the internet. On the way back to our hotel we had a look at the Lal Market but didn't find anything interesting. It was mainly meant for the local people of Gangtok. The following evening was our last evening in Gangtok. Obviously we were sad since the next day we had to leave this beautiful and clean hill station. We had not been able to visit Yumthang Valley which we had vowed to see this time.

Hurhuray Dara

The next day we hired a taxi and reached Deorali Taxi Stand. From there we booked seats in New Jalpaiguri bound car and headed towards the plain lands. When we were almost near the plains, our car got stuck in a traffic jam due to a closed railway crossing. A train passed by and entered a long bridge over the Teesta river. The scene of the the train travelling through the bridge over Teesta river was beautiful. We finally reached Siliguri and from there took an auto to get to New Jalpaiguri. That night we lodged at Hotel Miami. The next day we boarded Kanchenjunga Express from New Jalpaiguri station at 08:15 am and reached Sealdah at 09:00 pm. The train was obviously late.

Train crossing the Teesta River

The End

How to Reach :

12363 Kolkata-Haldibari Express departs Kolkata station at 09:05 hrs and reaches New Jalpaiguri at 18:55 hrs. 12343 Darjeeling Mail leaves Sealdah station at 22:05 hrs and reaches New Jalpaiguri at 08:00 hrs. 12377 Padatik Express leaves Sealdah at 22:55 hrs and reaches New Jalpaiguri at 09:05 hrs. Hired cars (Tata Sumo, Mahindra MAXX and Bolero) are available from New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri to reach Gangtok. Buses are running from S.N.T. Bus Terminus in Siliguri to Gangtok.

Nearest Airport - Bagdogra Airport

Where to Stay :

New Jalpaiguri
Hotel Miami. Tariff - Double bed Rs. 800. Tel: 9332232897.
Hotel Holydon. Tel: (0353) 2691162.
Gangtok
Greendale Residence. Tariff - Double bed Rs. 4500-4900. Tel: (03592) 201400.
Hotel Babumashai. Tariff - Double bed Rs. 1500. Tel: (03592) 204030.
Hotel Himalaya's. Tariff - Double bed Rs. 1500. Tel: (03592) 202842.
Hotel Woodland. Tariff - Double bed Rs. 1400. Tel: (03592) 203414.
Hotel Paradise. Tariff - Double bed Rs. 1000. Tel: 9832036610.

Places of Interest :

The prime attractions of Gangtok are Banjhakri Falls, Rumtek Monastery, Tashi View Point, Hanuman Tok, Ganesh Tok, Bakthang Waterfalls, Himalayan Zoological Park and Research Institute of Tibetology. Other attractions include Lhasa Falls, Do Drul Chorten Stupa, Enchey Monastery and Ganjong Monastery. There are three excursions from Gangtok - Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake) and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir which can be covered in a one day tour from Gangtok. Another conducted tour is the Yumthang Valley Package. It is a 1 Night 2 days tour consisting of Lachung and Yumthang Valley. You can also go for the Gurudongmar Lake package which is 2 Nights 3 Days. The tour consists of Lachen, Chopta Valley, Gurudongmar Lake, Lachung and Yumthang Valley. You will be required to produce xerox copy of Voter ID Card and two passport photos of each member of your family to the travel agency for permit. One can also hire a local taxi and go for Namchi sightseeing and return to Gangtok on the same day.

For more information, please contact :

Sikkim Tourist Information Centre
M.G. Marg, Gangtok,
East Sikkim
Tel: (03592) 221634

Sunday, August 9, 2015

The Gangtok Trip - Part 2

Continued from The Gangtok Trip - Part 1
From there we headed towards Banjhakri Waterfalls, one of the biggest attractions of Gangtok which we missed last time since the road was not good. This time we were able to visit the falls and we were awe struck. The place is beautifully decorated with gardens, flowers, trees, ponds, chairs and a footbridge over the waterfalls. I would say that this is the best waterfalls in Gangtok. We had lunch at a restaurant near Banjhakri Falls. Our next destination was Ranka Monastery. This is one of the largest monasteries in Sikkim. The monastery is actually located on the hill opposite to the one on which the city of Gangtok lies. On the way we passed by Khangchendzonga Tourist Complex, Ranka. After that we returned to Gangtok. This tour lasted for the whole day from 9:30 am to 5 pm. At night we had dinner at Babumashai Restaurant and then went to sleep.

Banjhakri Falls

The day after we were quite tired. The entire morning we kept ourselves in the hotel room. So we watched TV and spent time watching the mists moving around the city of Gangtok from the balcony. At noon we stepped out from the hotel to have lunch. After having lunch we went to the nearby Private Taxi Stand to inquire about places we can visit from Gangtok. I found out that the Private Taxi Stand was primarily meant for shared jeeps bound for Rumtek, Martam, Singtam etc. Of course they were of no use to us tourists. In the evening we spent some time in MG Marg, the heart of Gangtok with all the coffee shops, stores, restaurants and hotels. We inquired at the Tourist Information Centre about the condition of the road leading to Yumthang Valley. The reply was negative stating that the road was closed and as a result the Yumthang Valley tour was not being conducted. Thereafter we had dinner at a restaurant and came back to our hotel.

Temi Tea Garden

Next morning we woke up early and took a cab for a one-day Namchi tour. The road to Namchi was very beautiful. Our first stop was at Temi Tea Garden. The scenic beauty of the place is awe inspiring with lush green tea plantations, serpentine roads and misty clouds all over the hills. Although we could step inside the garden and take photos but tourists are presently not allowed inside the factory to watch the processing of tea leaves. After that we went to Samudruptse, one of the most prominent attractions of Namchi. The place hosts a 135 feet high statue of Guru Padmasambhava. Apart from the statue, there's nothing of much interest at Samudruptse.

Samudruptse

Now we started our journey towards Siddheswara Dham (commonly known as Char Dham). On the way we passed by the State Biodiversity Park and Rock Garden which our driver explained was a great tourist attraction some years back. Now they have been abandoned due to lack of maintenance. Finally we reached Namchi town. We saw Central Park, the heart of Namchi on the way. As we approached Char Dham, the 108-ft tall statue of Lord Shiva became more prominent and visibly bigger in size.

Continued to The Gangtok Trip - Part 3

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

The Gangtok Trip - Part 1

The summer season is becoming more scorching every year in Kolkata and it is almost essential to have an AC at home or just escape the heat by going on a holiday. Of course I prefer the latter and so we decided to visit Gangtok, once again. Last time when we visited Gangtok, we were unable to see some of the most important attractions which include Banjhakri Falls, Hanuman Tok and Yumthang Valley (not in the Gangtok city).

View of Teesta River

We boarded the Kolkata-Haldibari SF Express from Kolkata station at 09:10 hrs and reached New Jalpaiguri around 19:00 hrs, half an hour behind scheduled time. We spent the night at Hotel Miami which is close to the railway station. Next morning we went to Siliguri. There we booked seats in a Gangtok-bound car and then had to wait for two hours since our car was not getting full. At last we started our journey at 11 o' clock. But something worse was yet to happen. After traveling half an hour our driver realized that the car's gear box was malfunctioning. He tried to repair the car but failed. So we had to wait for about 45 minutes for another jeep to come and take us to Gangtok. We reached Gangtok around 16:30 hrs. We lodged at a hotel near M.G. Marg, Gangtok.

Hanuman Tok

Next day we booked a cab for local sightseeing in Gangtok. Firstly we went to Hanuman Tok. The place is well maintained by the army and hosts a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. The environment and natural beauty of the place is mesmerizing. It is said that Hanuman while carrying the Sanjeevani mountain to Sri Lanka rested in this place. After seeing Hanuman Tok, we went to the Plant Conservatory. The Plant Conservatory is a new attraction which was opened just a month before our visit. The conservatory hosts a wide range of orchids, trees and rare plants found in the Himalayas. The place is beautiful with rocks, ponds, bridges and surrounding greenery which make it ideal for photo shoots.

Plant Conservatory

Continued to The Gangtok Trip - Part 2