Just About Everything

The mesmerising Sunrise viewed at Tiger Hill The travel bug in me continues to bite …it is raining and this weather so reminds me of Darjeeling. Perhaps the most crowded and most visited hill station in West Bengal …yet I so love it. There is something about Darjeeling. An hour’s flight to Bagdogra, or an overnight train from Kolkata to NJP, and then another 3 hours by road, takes you to Darjeeling. The best part about Darjeeling is you can chill in the city, it has so many places where you can eat out, listen to live music, and drink gallons of the oh so aromatic Darjeeling tea.Or, you can get out of the city, and visit the innumerable places in and around Darjeeling that offer you such picturesque surroundings amidst a tranquil and cool weather. Just writing about it makes me want to pack up and get there.  However I know I can’t ;( given the pandemic situation…but I can certainly imagine I am there…and that gives me some relief….I am sharing some pictures from my ...

Nuwara Eliya, Tea Plantation My Sri Lanka diary would not be complete without Nuwara Eliya, a beautiful hill station and one of the main locations in Sri Lanka for Tea plantations. Located at a height of 1,868 m with an awesome climate ( it was around  19° with a min of around 12-13...when we visited in Decembe r).  We went by road, the drive was beautiful and we could stop over at various places for refreshments; it was just perfect (it takes around 5 hrs from Colombo).  This was a perfect getaway to just relax, eat, drink and be merry:)  It was a treat to be among the sylvan surroundings, the endless beautiful tea plantations, the pristine lake, and just do nothing:) I am missing traveling so much, and when I was going through these pictures my thirst for travel came alive. I felt like taking off to someplace like this right now…sadly it is so not possible now:(    ....the next best thing I could do is re-live the experience. ...

Himalayan Monal After sighting the illusive  Cheer Pheasant , the group moved towards their next destination which was Chopta, at an altitude of 8000 ft, and 50 km from Makkumath. On the way to Chopta they crossed the scenic snow-covered Dugalbitta. The entire area (Chopta and Dugalbitta) falls under Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary. Himalayan Monal (male) Himalayan Monal (Female) They saw a whole lot of birds on the way to Dugalbitta. If you like bird watching then this region from Makkumath to Chopta must be in your list. I am sharing pictures of some of the birds that Soma sighted on the way to Dugalbitta from Makkumath. They were lucky to see the Himalayan Tahr as well. The most awaited sighting happened a little beyond Chopta, on the yellow grassy slopes, they saw the Himalayan Monals (both male and female), perhaps one of the most beautiful birds in India. It is from Chopta that the Tungnath trek begins. Tungnath is the highest of the ...