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We undertook a 10-days family tour to Shillong,Gangtok & Darjeeling from 28/09/06 to 07/10/06thoroughly enjoying the panoramas of their spectacular& alluring views .

(I)DAY-1&2: SHILLONG TOUR –

Shillong is nestled between the paradisaical Garo & Khasi hills. It is the abode of clouds with sparkling waterfalls, lakes. Visited the 7 sisters falls symbolizing the 7 north- eastern sister states. Went to the Mawsynram village of Khasi hills having the max rainfall recorded at 11,872mm in peak monsoon in India followed by Cherrapunji recording 11,430mm in peak season.Also visited the Elephant falls,Don Bosco museum, Golf course, Shillong peak & the exciting Mosmai caves .

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About SHILLONG.

SHILLONG is a very cool and pleasant hill station,the capital of Meghalaya and H/q of Khasi hills district often referred to as Scotland of the east.It is located between the Brahmputra and Surma valleys. SHILLONG was the capital of undivided Assam till creation of new state of Meghalaya on 21.1.72 with its capital SHILLONG. Assam then shifted its capital to Dispur. SHILLONG lies on the SHILLONG plateau 100 KM from Guwahati. Nearest airport is Umroi at 30 KM but has limited flights including Calcutta. It is well connected by road: NH 40 to Guwahati and NH 44/44A to Tripura and Mizoram. Religion: Christian- 46.5%, Hinduism – 42%, Islam 4.5% and Sikkim/Buddhism and Jainism – 6.9%. View Gangtok from nearly Ganesh tok point. Sports: Golf. Education: IIM, NE Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences. NIT, NIFT, SHILLONG Law college, newspaper in English and Khasi. Important location: Indian Air Force and Police bazar, very populous territory .Important personalities – Amita Malik, Anwaruddin Chaudhary, Arundhati Roy. Incidentally Dr APJ Abdul Kalam passed away in SHILLONG on 27.7.2015.

(ii ) GANGTOK Visit :

Most popularly known as Hill Top, the beautiful hill station is the Gateway to Sikkim .Gangtok is very alluring ,pleasantly boisterous covered with clouds ,gives a spectacular view of Mt Kanchengjunga near Zemu glacier at an altitude of 8598mts.It is also the base for trekkers to Himalayan ranges. It has mesmerizing prismatic beauty with winding hilly roads if seen from a birds view or in a cable car .River Teesta is one of the best location for water rafting in the NE.

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DAY-3&4–

Travelled from Shillong to Gangtok via Guwahati visiting Mata Kamakhya devi mandir !At Gangtok we visited the local spots such as MG Road , Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. DAY-5

Visited Nathula pass ,Tshangu lake, Baba mandir , Tsomgo lake ,Tashi view point, Rumteck monastery. DAY-6&7

Took a fabulous & breathtaking tour of Lachung valley,Yungthang valley ,Seven sisters lake & Zero Point.

About GANGTOK:

It is the largest town &capital of Sikkim& headquarter of East Sikkim distt at 1650 mts altitude.It has mild temperatures all around the year. Populated with different ethenicities -Bhutias,Lepchas,Indian Gorkhas.It is center of Sikkims tourism Industry. Official language are English Bhutia, Lapcha, Nepali. In 1975,after after integration with Union of India, Gangtok was made India’s 22nd state capital .Most popular monastery is Enchey monastery built in 1840.River Teesta is the lifeline of Gangtok.MG Road is main shopping & cultural centers of Gangtok .Ecotourism is new theme generating crores of revenue. The cottage industry & Agriculture offer new opportunities for Agritourism. TRANSPORT: cable car,NH 31A,nearest railhead is -New Jalpaiguri. Pakyong Airport isa greenfield Airport near Gangtok. CULTURE : Namgyal Institute of Tibetology ,State museum. MAJOR festivals: the new year Losar with devil dances in Jan-Feb, Nepali festivals are Chotrul Duchen . Buddha Jayanti is celebrated apart from birthdays of other Gurus. Popular food are Momos ,wai wai, Thupka , chowmin,Thenthuk, Fakthu, Gyathuk, wonton. SPORTS: Football, cricket ,Archery. Thangka ,handicraft ,Chhaams are costumed monastic dances on ceremonies & festive season especially on the Tibetan new year.

Day 8 –

Travelled from Gangtok to Darjeeling which is popularly called the Queen of Himalayas. Visited the famous rock garden and Ganga maiya .

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(iii)Day-9 DAJEELING TOUR –

Visit to the Tigerhill (Sunrise point- with a panoramic view of Mt. Everest & Mt . Kanchenjunga together ),Tea plantation, ropeway cable-car, Darjeeling war memorial, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute .Tigerhill is the summit of Ghoom- the highest railway station of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

About DARJEELING

At 2050 Mtrs altitude, it is HQ of Darjeeling district located in lesser Himalayas known for tea industry, views of Kanchenjunga , Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (a UNESCO world heritage site). It is partially autonomous state of WB and a popular tourist destination. LANGUAGE :Bengali and Nepali. Until 19th century Darjeeling was controlled by Sikkim. Its history is intertwined with sikkim, Nepal, British India and Bhutan. Darjeeling was settled through Suhauli treaty-1816.RELIGION: Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. FESTIVALS :Dashain, Tihar ,Losar, Buddha jayanti ,Christmas, new year called Losar in Jan/Feb. CULTURE: Peace Pagoda-1962 built by Japanese-Buddhist organization, Tibetan Refugee Self Help centre. Many Nepali Hindus & various Buddhist and other ethnic groups such as Lepchas ,Bhutias etc. have their own languages and culture and yet share a largely harmonious co-existence.

LOCAL CUSINE :

Momos,thugpa,soyabin bambooshoots,rice-roti,butter tea&Tongpa-an alcoholic drink.

Day 10 – Darjeeling to Jalpaiguri

Travelled by toy train popularly called the Darjeeling Himalayan Rail (D.H.R). It was a fantastic & exciting joy ride equally enjoyed by children & the grown ups. We concluded our memorable& mesmerizing tour on a very happy and joyous note.

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About TAWANG:

It is one of the 16 districts of Arunachal Pradesh formed after splitting from West Kameng in 1989.Situated at 10000ft above m.s.l,it boasts of having the largest monastery in India and second largest in the world after Lhasa monastery in Tibet.Tawang monastery was founded by Merek Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681 at the behest of 5th Dalai Lama named Tawang Galdan Namgye Lhatse.It has a commanding view of Tawang river valley comprising the snow-capped mountains and corniferous forest. Monastery is triple- storied with assembly Hall ,ten functional structures with 65 residential quarters for students ,Lamas& monks,a school &its own water supply system and a Centre for Buddhist Cultural studies. Monpas belonging to the Gelug sect are the dominant sect of Kameng region.Monpas boys join the monasteries and become Lamas.Religion is Tibetan Buddhism.Main festivals are Choksar,Losar,Ajilamu & Tongya. A visit to Tawang requires an Innerline permit issued by Concerned Govt Officers based in Kolkatta,Guwahati ,Tejpur & New Delhi. Tawang was historically part of Tibet.The 1914-Simla Accord defined the Mahon line deviding British India &Tibet. Tibet lost its independence in 1950. In the 1962 Sino-India war ,Tawang was salvaged from the Chinese invasion & is proudly part of India as on date.The current Dalai Lama(14th) fled from Tibet in 1959 to escape from Chinese Army and spent most of the time in Tawang before shifting to Tejpur. A bi-weekly helicopter service was started from Guwahati in Oct.2014.Places of interest around Tawang are Bhalukpong, Bomdila, Dirang, Sela pass,Madhuri Lake,PTso Lake Bumla pass, Begam hill, Helmet top Maitri-sthal

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TAWANG TOUR (06/10/2008 to 11/10/2008)

We, a family of 4 persons,perfomed the Tejpur to Tawang journey by road passing through amazing spots of unimaginable sceinic beauty.

Day-1- Tejpur to Bomdila :

Started the tour by Tata Sumo via Nameri & Bhalukpong .At Bhalukpong, we got our Innerline Permits checked for entering into Arunachal Pradesh being border point.Proceeded to Bomdila where we visited the monastery and took a hotel for nightstay.

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Day-2- Bomdila to Dirang :

On the way enjoyed the picturesque views of mountains & watersprings ,watched young Lamas playing football near a Gompa & we also participated in the game.Also paid a visit to the 450 years old Dirang Gompa.Then we had an early dinner,took a Tent Hotel accommodation (which was very comfortable & cozy) by the side of Kameng river.We felt mesmerized by the sound of the rustling of tree leaves due to breeze & musical gurgling of the river currents.We felt very fresh on waking up.

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Day-3-Dirang to Tawang :

morning we took bath in the warm water spring flowing near our Tent accommodation believed to have some medicinal significance. On the way we crossed the Sela Pass(at 13700 ft) having a heavenly aura about it. Had a nice walk viewing the surroundings all so beautiful as far as our sight could reach. Also watched the Nuranang waterfalls which was a treat to the eyes.Reached Tawang in the evening &it was like a dream come true. Took a hotel and had a good nights rest.

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Day-4-Tawang monastery & War memorial visit:

Paid visit to the historical Gompa & proceeded to see the War memorial built in memory of the soldiers who laid their lives in the Indo-Chinese war in 1962 to protect and salvage Tawang . Also paid our solemn tributes to Subedar Joginder Singh who was killed in the 1962 war fighting fiercely with enemy till his last breath.

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Day-5-Tawang to Bumla, China border ,Maitri sthal ,Madhuri lake, PTso lake:

First of all we proceeded to the Bumla pass and Maitri sthal on the Indo-China border.Indian soldiers (the Sikh regiment) gave us a warm welcome and we reciprocated by giving them a crisp salute to exhibit honour for the noble services/duties they are rendering to the nation.We forgot our tiredness (arisng out of lower Oxygen levels)seeing the rare spectacle which we watched unblinkingly. We watched the Begum hill, the Helmet Top on the China border and felt high on emotions about the atmosphere there. On our way back we turned towards Sangster lake at Y junction.It is popularly called the Madhuri lake for the shooting of the film Koyala featuring Madhuri Dixi, Also went to see the picturesque PTso lake quite near to it.Bumla-Pass is believed to be the escape route of Dalai Lama from Tibet to Tawang.It is at 16500 ft altitude.Finally we returned to Tawang and took night rest.

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Day-6-Return from Tawang to Tejpur:

In the morning we went to a good restaurant for having some tasty local cuisine. Out of curiosity ,we checked the complete menu of local dishes:Rice,bambooshoot,pika pila,lukter, pehak, apang ,marua ,chura ,Thupka ,khasi ,khu,rachang,gyapa-khazi ,puta ,bresi and momos .After the wholesome meal we started back on our return journey to Tejpur and reached safely in late evening hours thanking the Almighty for bestowing us the opportunity to visit such a magnificent place full of peaceful serenity of the monasteries, picturesque vistas of the breathtaking sceneries with great feeling of breathing in a very healthy atmosphere devoid of any kind of pollution. It was an amazing & unforgettable tour.

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S P I T I means the land between Tibet and India. Its the third least populated district of India with lush green valleys, flaura fauna , high mountain passes , cold barren deserts with deep ravines and gorges making it a worth visiting destination. There is a rare blend of Hinduism and Buddhism typically influenced by Tibetan culture and food specialities such as noodle soup with sauce chutni ,Tibetan roti(fluffy), special spiti lemon tea (believed to retard the ageing process) . It is aptly tagged as” little Tibet” famous for ancient Buddhist monasteries and exciting spiti valley treks Keylong is the district H/q of Lahaul & spiti. Khoksar, 19 KM from Rohtang pass, is the gateway to Lahaul while Kunjum pass or kunjumLa is the gateway to the spiti valley. Kaurrik village is the highest village at 14000 Ft. Spiti river emanates from Losar, Khoksar, Morang mountains. At Tandi, confluence of Chandra and bhaga rivers forms the Chandrabaralacha la pass. Khaab is the confluence of the river spiti and sutlej. Losar is next to the Indo-Chinese border.At Sumdo, the road enters Kinnaur district & joins the NH5.

About LAHAUL & SPITI :The district is popularly called the Land of Lamas or Little Tibet or the Country of Gods. Two rivers Chandra& Bhaga combine to form the Chandrabhaga .One of the highest highways in the world passes through Lahaul and connects Manali with Leh. This crosses four high passes-the RohtangLA(3980 mts),BaralachaLa (4982 mts),LachlangLa (5066mts) & TanglangLa (5360mts).Khoksar is the first village of the valley. KEYLONG(3350mts) is a little town which is the headquarter of the administrative district of Lahaul & Spiti .Keylong lies above the river Bhaga and is 6KM from its confluence with waters of the Chandra river at Tandi .Keylong was the base of the Moravian missionaries who planted the Poplar trees still growing there. GuruGhantal Monastery (3020mts) is 8 KM,Kardang monastery is 5 KM and Tayul monastery is 6 km from Keylong. At Tayul ,the local legend maintains that the main prayer wheel rotates on its own on certain occasions. Sissu (3100mts) has an image of Lalauls patron deity, Gyephang. Sarsu is the last point of Himachal Pradesh on the route to Leh. Triloknath (2760mts) is worshipped by both Hindus & the Budhists .Distance of Manali to Keylong is 122km & Keylong to Kaza is 188km.

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Day 1 (30th September 2014): Kullu to Kaza.

At 0400 hrs , I boarded the HP roadways busfor Kaza passing through tourist attractions Manali, the infamously treacherous- Rohtang pass (which is on the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas), scenic Solang valley, Khoksar, Batal & Kunjum pass or KunjumLa at 4590 mtrs is one of the highest motorable passes of India serving as the Gateway to the spiti valley. It is also famous for the 15 KM trek to the Chandratal lake via Goddess kunjumdevi offering jaw-dropping vistas of Chandra bhaga range. Reached the highest township & the commercial center of spiti- kaza located along the spiti river. It was such a spectacular sight. It is divided into Old town – Kaza khas and new town as kaza Soma.A local resident, Mr Raptan Bodh offered me a room at his house at Kaza town, rested being tired after 14 hours of travel through bumpy mountaneous roads.

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Day 2 (01 October 2014): Visit to Kaza town, kibber village and kye monastery.

Mr. Raptan Bodh exhibited lots of hospitality by offering me to drive me in his own car on this visit. The visit of the ancient kye/key monastery was quite educating in terms of budh teachings and beliefs . Kibber at 14000ft is believed to be the highest village connecting motorable roads. Completed the Kaza visit at 1600hrs, took a bus and Jeep transport to reach Gieu village and took room offered by Mr Raptan Bodh’s relative. Quite warm welcome and delicious Tibetan food. Had a good nights sleep.

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Day 3 (02 October 2014): Visit to the sitting mummy in village Giu and Tabo Monastery.

In the morning after breakfast I went to pay a visit to the sitting Mummy. I felt excitedly curious on seeing the mummy of a lama which is supposed to be 500 years old. As was claimed, the mummy had some hair, long nails and some flesh on the body. After the thrilling encounter, I came back to the Guest house, packed my meagre belongings and set off to visit the Tabo monastery, built in 996AD, is over a thousand years old and considered the oldest monastery of the world. The caves are called the Ajanta Ellora caves of Himachal. Then caught the bus to Recong Pio, the district H/Q of kinnaur . Reached at 1800 hrs and took a hotel at Recong peo. At dusk, at the sun set I could make out the cliff of mt. kinner kailash(a 79mt high ShivLing) in the distance on the mountain. I took a photograph and made a note in my travel-diary. Took night halt at Recong Peo.

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Day 4 (3rd October 2014):

Travelled from Recong Peo to Simla and overnight to Chandigarh. Reached CDG at 10 Hrs.As my train to Jaipur was scheduled at 07pm in the evening, I visited the famous Rock Garden.

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Day 5 (4th October 2014):VISIT TO THE ROCK GARDEN, CHANDIGARH

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Chandigarh to Jaipur. After visiting the famous rock garden,Chandigarh took train to Jaipur which concluded the exciting and memorable tour of the spiti valley.

ROOPKUND LAKE TREK :

It was an amazing and unforgettable trekking experience of my lifetime which demanded toughness and strong resolve to reach the destination-The Roopkund lake at 16,000 Ft, locally called the mystery lake or the skeleton lake. As per Hindu mythology, hundreds of pilgrims who went to Nanda devi shrine for pilgrimage died in a sudden violent hailstorm in the 9th century AD. around 300 skeletons were found in the lake and have intrigued the anthropologists, scientists and historians alike. That’s why it is called the mystery lake. It was a 5-days trek from Loharjung(Chamoli-Uttarakhand) from 5th June 2013 to 9th June 2013. I had reached Loharjung via Moradabad (I also visited my Polytechnic,Moradabad on 03/06/2013 after 33 yrs of completing my Electrical Engg. in 1980), Haldwani, Almora, Kausani & Baijnath on the 04-06-2013 for undertaking the covetted Himalayan Trek.

Day 1 (5th June 2013) –

Basecamp – Loharjung/Waan at 8000ft. msl

Started for Camp-1, Didina at 9,000 Ft after traversing the hilly terrain for 11 KMs and finally took rest in the camp preparing for the next camp.

Day 2 (6th June 2013) –

We set out from Didina for Bedini Bugyal climbing for 5 KM & then were fascinated by miles of astounding scenic beauty of the alpine meadows probably the most beautiful meadows of the world. Also, we crossed the virgin forest and our team of seven persons comprising of 4 trekkers, a guide, two luggage bearers along with two horses. Also there is a Bedini Kund here (There is a festival celebrated here every 12 years popularly called the Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra passing through the Bedini Kund).We came across the gurgling brooks on the way. The cool breeze and the fresh cold water of the streams eased our tough steep climbs of the hills.The view of the Ali bugyal/meadows was breathtaking and mesmerizing experience of my lifetime.

Day 3 (7Th June 2013) 14,700Ft.

Started for Bhagwabasa via Kaluvinayak and Patar Nachuni and took shelter in the tents/sleeping bag it being very cold outside in Bhagwabasa. From here we could clearly see the peaks of Mt.Trishuli at 23,500ft & Nandaghunti (20,800 Ft).It was nice awesome feeling. I was feeling quite amazed viewing the enchanting panorama.

Day 4 (8th June 2013) : Final climb to the ROOPKUND LAKE :

Early morning we set out at 0330 hrs for Roopkund crossing the glaciers. At 0500 watched the sunrise over the Mt. Trishuli. We reached the destination Roopkund at 0800 hrs. The view of the kund was so very breathtaking that we could not afford to blink our eyes. We stood spellbound on viewing the amazing spectacle. At 16000 Ft, there was the lake partially filled with water and ice with many skeletons and skulls lying scattered in the lake and all around it. For a moment we couldn’t utter a word being spellbound. Then we offered prayers at the small shiv-parwati temple and proceeded to Junargali (16500 Ft) from where we could see the Mt. Trishuli very clearly and vividly. After having our fill of the magnificent sights, we started our backward journey to Loharjung/Waan.

Camp 4 – During our return journey we took night halt at the Patar Nachuni Camp.

Day 5 (9th June 2013) – We started the return journey from Patar Nachuni to Waan/Loharjung and reached at 1700 hrs. which marked the conclusion of our quite memorable & exciting Himalayan trek to-the mysterious Roopkund Lake.Happy Reading ,my dear friends !