Visit to Tithal

[Continued from Trip to Surat] We started our journey from Surat at around 9 pm. We boarded the Sayaji Nagari Express which leaved Surat at 10 am and reached Valsad at around 11 o' clock. From there we hired a Auto Rickshaw which took us to Tithal. We booked a room in Hotel Sri Lekha and went straight to the beach which was a few steps away from the Hotel. On reaching the sea beach of Tithal we were quite excited because the sea beach was much better than that of Dumas beach at Surat. But it was quite late in the afternoon so we decided to have lunch first and then in the evening we would come to the sea again. It was mandatory to have food in the Hotel's restaurant at least once in a day. So we had the lunch there. Gujarati and Punjabi dishes were mainly served in the hotel. The food was not bad but it was not up to the mark.

Tithal Sea Beach

Trip to Surat

This time I planned to visit Surat, a port city in Gujarat. Surat is situated on the bank of  the river Tapti. It is well known for its diamond and textile industry. The city is also called the Diamond Capital of the world and Textile City of India. Based on Surat we would visit Tithal, Daman and Saputara. Finally we would go to Mumbai and then come back to Kolkata.

Surat Textile Market

We boarded the Howrah-Ahmedabad Express which leaved Howrah station at 23:55 hrs. After spending the second day in train, we reached Surat on the third day at around 11 am. There were many hotels opposite to the railway station. We booked a room in Hotel Imperial. Although the hotel was clean and the rooms were good enough but there were no windows in the rooms. After having lunch in our hotel's restaurant we came out of our hotel. We saw that there was a bus stand just opposite to our hotel. We boarded one of the bus and it took us to the Textile Market situated in Ring Road. Many types of beautifully embroidered saris with zaris which are woven manually were being sold here. Most of the saris were made of synthetic fibres. After that we came back to the hotel. In the evening we had a look at the market near the station. There were so many things which were sold here - electrical appliances, fruits and vegetables, sweets, newspapers, snacks and much more. At night we ate at the Roopa Restaurant. The food was of standard quality.

A Visit to Deoghar

It was winter time in Kolkata. I was thinking of where to go. Suddenly, I thought that Deoghar could be the right place for my winter trip. Deoghar is a small temple town located in the state of Jharkhand. The famous Baba Baidyanath temple is situated here. So, I went to a Passenger Reservation Centre in Kolkata and reserved a ticket in the Janshatabdi Express. Our journey was scheduled to commence just a few days after Christmas.

Baba Baidyanath Dham Mandir

As usual, we went to the Howrah Railway Station from where our journey shall commence. We boarded the Howrah-Patna Janshatabdi Express which leaved Howrah at 14:05 hrs. We disembarked from the train at Jasidih. The train reached Jasidih, half an hour late from its scheduled time at 18:24 hrs. Outside the station, there were many auto rickshaws waiting to pick up passengers. We took one of them and set off on our journey to Deoghar which was situated at a distance of 8 kms from Jasidih. On reaching Deoghar, I had a tough time in booking rooms in hotel. All the hotels had No Vacancy. At last we booked a room in a hotel which was not of the standard we expected but there was no choice. After keeping the luggage in the hotel, we came out to have a look at the market near Tower, the city centre. Thank God, the hotel was near to the Tower. After that we went to have dinner. There were hardly 3-4 restaurants near the Tower. We had to stand in a long queue before we were able to sit in a table and place the order. The quality of food served was good and it was worth standing in the queue.

My trip to New Digha

It was very hot during summer time in Kolkata. So we decided to go to Digha to get some relief from the extreme temperature of Kolkata and enjoy the sea breeze. I booked a ticket from the railway passenger reservation centre.

New Digha Sea Beach

On the day of journey we boarded the Tamralipta Express from Howrah Station which departed at 6:40 am. The journey by train was especially beautiful when it crossed Mecheda and branched off the main line. There were lush green fields everywhere while the train was passing through Tamluk. The train reached Digha Flag Station at around 10 o' clock. The station was situated in between Old Digha and New Digha. We reserved a van rickshaw to search for hotels. It could carry 6 people at a time. In Kolkata I have seen hand-pulled rickshaw and cycle rickshaw. Both are able to carry  2 persons. So it was interesting as this was my first time ride on van rickshaw. There were many hotels and we booked a room in a hotel which was located near the sea. After entering the room I felt glad as cool sea breeze was blowing into the room. We went for a sea bath. After spending an hour there we came back to our hotel. We changed clothes and went to the restaurant and had lunch. Although there were many restaurants, the quality of the food served was not good. A variety of fishes are available in the restaurants of Digha such as hilsa, rohu, pabda, prawn and many others. In the evening we had a look at the shops in Kshanika market selling various items like cashew nuts, ornaments, items made from sea shell etc. We went to the sea shore. There we had some snacks when it suddenly started raining. In the evening the sky was clear so I had not brought the umbrella. So, we had no choice but rush to the hotel. The rain poured for about 45 minutes

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at a distance of 90 km from Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur. This sanctuary covers an area of 245 sq. km. The animals found here include tiger, sambar deer, nilguy, Indian bison, fox, bear and chital deer. One can also see monkeys, peacocks, hyena and many types of birds. In this forest there are many teak, mahua and sal trees. The best time to visit is November-June. Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary remains closed from 1st July to 31st October.

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary

I boarded the Howrah-Ahmedabad Express from Howrah station at 23:55 hrs and disembarked at Raipur at around 2 pm. From there I booked a car which took me to Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary. On the way to Barnawapara by the NH-6, I saw the historic place Sirpur. In the past, Sirpur was the capital of the Mahakosal kingdom. At that time, it's name was Sripur. The famous Chinese traveler, Hiuen Tsang visited this town in 639 AD. There I saw the Laxman Mandir. It is one of the best temples made of bricks in India.

My visit to Shankarpur

Shankarpur is a sea beach situated about 15 km away from Digha in West Bengal. One can spend the time just by looking at the sand dunes, conifer forests, fishing villages, fishing port and the life of the fishermen.

Shankarpur Sea Beach

I boarded the Tamralipta Express from Howrah Station at 6:40 am which reached Digha Flag Station at around 10:30 am half an hour late from its scheduled arrival time. From there we booked a private car and continued our trip towards Shankarpur. After reaching Shankarpur, we saw that there were lots of hotels and stayed in Hotel Nest which was very close to the sea. The seabeach was dotted with casuarina groves. I learnt from the local fishermen that although the sea is safe and ideal for swimming, there are patches of quicksand in some desolate areas. So, it is better not to go further beyond the area marked for tourists. The beach was splendid and perfect for having sunbaths. We went to see the auction of fish held near the market. After all it was a great time. Time to come back home, we boarded the Kandari Express from Digha in the evening and reached Kolkata at night.

Trip to Galudih

This time my destination was Galudih which is a little town situated in the state of Jharkhand. It is 277 km away from Kolkata and is a perfect place for those who want to spend their holidays in the midst of nature. There are many hotels and a resort to stay in. The best time to visit is October to April.

Phuldungri Hill

From Howrah railway station, I boarded the Ispat Express which departed at 06:55 hrs. It took nearly four hours to reach Galudih which was a wonderful place. I could see little hills far away from my hotel's balcony. There were forests of sal, teak, mahua etc. The scenery was beautiful. I spent that day in the hotel itself. The next day I visited Rankini Devi temple.