Through the Looking Glass

Gangtok - A Traveller's Guide

2008-08-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

Gangtok (Nepali and Hindi: गंगटोक) is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. Gangtok is located in the Sivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, at an altitude of 1,437 metres (4,715 ft). The town, with a population of thirty thousand belonging to different ethnicities such as Nepalis, Lepchas and Bhutia, is administered by various departments of the Government of Sikkim. Nestled within higher peaks of the Himalaya and enjoying a year-round mild temperate climate, Gangtok is at the centre of Sikkim’s tourism industry.
The precise meaning of the name Gangtok is unclear, though the most popular meaning is "hill top". Today, Gangtok is a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning, with the presence of several monasteries, religious educational institutions, and centres for Tibetology.
-From the Wikipedia article - Gangtok

Our Travel Route and Experiences:

The only entry point to Gangtok is via share-taxi/taxi from New Jalpaiguri (NJP). Any auto-rickshaw can take you to the taxi stand and the 4 hour jeep ride to Gangtok will cost you around Rs. 250 per head along with 9 others squeezed together.
We reached Gangtok after dark at around 8.00 pm and put up in "The Mist Tree Mountain". This place happened to be in the very center of the city and in close proximity to many sights and facilities and so very convenient.

All the small things...

2008-06-30T21:11:00.001-07:00

DSC04829
Originally uploaded by neptune000

All the, small things
True care, truth brings
I'll take, one lift
Your ride, best trip

Always, I know
You'll be at my show
Watching, waiting, commiserating

Say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home
Na, Na.......

Late night, come home
Work sucks, I know
She left me roses by the stairs
Surprises let me know she cares

Say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home
Na, Na......

Say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home
Keep your head still I'll be your thrill, the night will go on, my little
redmill
Say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home
Keep your head still, I'll be your thrill, the night will go on, the night will
go on, my little redmill
--------------------------------------------Blink-182 - All the Small Things

Rumtek Monastery

2008-06-25T04:56:00.001-07:00

Rumtek Monastery
Originally uploaded by neptune000

The Rumtek Monastery - Gangtok is one place where I found peace. 2 days of absolute serenity and peace!
A very chummy innkeeper, Tak Tak Bhutia and the simple yet superbly tasteful dishes his wife made in the open kitchen just added to the pleasure.
A few moments spent talking with the resident monks there widened my very rudimentary knowledge on Buddhism and the monk's way of life!
That is well a story in itself.
....to be contd

Off to Sikkim and Beyond

2008-05-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

My wanderlust now leads me to the mysterious depths of fascinating North east India. Will be starting tomorrow on a backpacking trip to explore the elusive state of Sikkim and hopefully get a glimpse of the famed Kanchenjunga/Kanchendzonga, the third highest peak in the world and my first sight of the Himalayas.
Praying to the weather Gods not to play spoilsport and to keep doing the good work to keep the Sun shining. Got some new batteries for my camera - a 4 pack of Sanyo 1700 NiMh to supplement my heavyduty Sony ones during the trip.
The trip as such is very unplanned and unpredictable with no reservations of any sort, because I think thats the best way to experience a new place. My partner in crime will be Uday (he thinks that all whole trip is planned to the last detail, haha!), a very good friend for close to 7 years now. We will be backpacking to Kolkata, from there to Siliguri and then we plunge into the unknown! Sounds exciting? It does!
Hope to collect loads of pics and life long memories of all our experiences in the new places, amidst new people and learning about a new religion - Buddhism and to have a whole lot of fun doing all this!
Bye, till my next post with loads of pics and some cool stories!
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Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad

2008-05-15T23:34:00.001-07:00

Chowmahalla Palace was once the centre of Hyderabad, India. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizam entertained his official guests and royal visitors. The palace is unique for its style and elegance. Building began in the late 18th Century and over the decades a synthesis of many architectural styles and influences emerged. The palace originally covered 45 acres but only 14 acres remain. This complex today consists of two courtyards with elegant palaces, the grand Khilwat (the Durbar Hall), fountains and gardens.

Directions:

Getting there is pretty simple once you are at Charminar, it's just a stone throw away from there. The local shop keepers and passers-by weren't that friendly to let out the exact location to the place but we managed to ask a traffic constable the way and a friendly Autowallah was more helpful and we were there pretty soon. After passing Mecca Masjid, take the small lane towards your right - you wouldn't even see it properly with all the shops and the crowds so keep your eyes peeled. This one comes before the Charminar Bus Depot. Apparently a "Taj Book House" nearby the palace has more popularity and you can find the palace once you can ask your way to the book shop. Ha!

Marine Drive, Mumbai

2008-05-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

Shamirpet Lake, Andhra Pradesh

2008-05-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Pakhal Lake, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh

2008-05-14T00:23:00.000-07:00

Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad

2008-05-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

Paigah Tombs, Hyderabad

2008-05-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

Bannerghat National Park, Bangalore

2008-05-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Kerala - A Train's Eye View

2008-05-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Botanical Gardens, Hyderabad

2008-04-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Qutub Shahi Tombs, Hyderabad

2008-04-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

Qutub Shahi Tombs are one of the major attractions and must see places of Hyderabad. They symbolise the architecture splendor of the bygone Nizam era. Lying behind and close to the Golconda Fort, these tombs are a major attraction in their own right. The imposing tombs have a very unique and characteristical architectural style with huge domes on each of them. The first time visitor would be amazed to see so many of these in a huge sprawling complex.

All the tombs are decorated with intricate stucco detail and are relatively in a good state of preservation and maintenance. A decent green lawn and flowering shrubs can also be seen. There are not many amenities inside for food and drink. It is better to carry our own stuff with us but care must be taken not to litter the grounds.
The final resting place of the six Qutub Shahi kings can be found here. The largest tomb is that of Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth king of the Qutb Shahi dynasty and the founder of Hyderabad, built on a raised platform and looks really impressive. There is also a little museum where we can learn about the Quli Qutub Shahi dynasty and also some artifacts dug up on the cite.

This place is good in terms of photography as it can give many oppurtunities and not so routine angles and compositon perspectives. The tombs look really good in HDRs taken in the evenings in the setting sun light.
The clouds and the sky add a very good dramatic effect to the pics and well worth the Rs.20 paid to take the camera. One can even catch glimpses of the Golconda Fort, which is built on top of a hill and about a couple of kilometers away.

As with other Muslim places of interest, this is closed on Fridays. On all other days it is open from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

The Lotus Pond, Hyderabad

2008-04-04T00:52:00.000-07:00

www.flickr.com

Hidden in the concrete jungles of Banjara Hills there is a very beautiful place called the Lotus Pond. Developed jointly by the HUDA and the Builder's Association, this place is a veritable paradise in the middle of the busy city.

View Larger Map

The Lotus Pond is a beautiful place with a nice "walkway" around a pond. Nice landscaping and lush green lawns add to the attraction. The park is filled with greenery - plants and trees cover the walkway and the pond itself is filled with fish. You can almost put in your hand and catch millions of them!

The pond is home to a good number of species of birds the scientific names of which I am unaware of. I am a man who enjoys simple things of life without needing to complicate them. Anything with wings is a "bird" to me. Onward. Some species of migratory birds also seem to find this place very homely and land here in good numbers during the not so hot winters of Hyderabad. The only bird I can be dead sure of is a very wise and sage-like Kingfisher which sits on the same pole everyday and keeps brooding mysteriously and all the others are just "ducks" or "some birds".

This park+pond is a very good example of a self-sustainable ecosystem with little need for human intervention. The aquatic fowl (nice and technical eh?) feed on the teeming multitude of fish and the fish in turn feed on the underwater plants and lotus leaves and so on down the food chain.

Though the place is called the Lotus Pond and though the place is very much covered with lotus plants and leaves, we can hardly find any lotuses in there. 5 representatives at last count (today morning) of the namesake is mighty few don't you think? Me and a friend have become a tag team census recorders for the lotus flowers in the pond.

Coming onto dry land, the walkway or the trail as I like to call it is well paved with stones (duh!) and goes round the pond. There is a small but grueling diversion that branches out. The path in general has some steep gradients and some not so steep gradients and few steps to boot is a very good track for a morning walk/jog and a couple of hard paced laps around this can burn calories quick!

You can find a few thatched huts with wooden benches loosely scattered inside the park for the weary-of-leg and the lazy-to-walk.

The best thing about the park is that you can be almost alone in the whole park in the mornings and can spend some well deserved quality time with yourself. We all need that. I know I do!

This place is chock full of "subjects" and would make any photography enthusiast go frothing at the mouth (at least I did). There are great opportunities for wide angle landscapes, tiny macros, good sunset/sunrise reflections, birds on wing shots etc.

The park is open from sun up to sun down and the entry is free and cameras are allowed - only still and not video and the security guards are friendly (something that has become quite rare in recent Hyderabad).

Hiya!

2008-04-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hey!!

In this blog you will be getting a taste of all my travels and adventures behind my camera. Knowing more about places - many of them already familiar to you and many more you have heard of but haven't seen yet and a few new places you have never heard of or seen before.

This will be a photo blog of my travels and a personal diary of my experiences.