Traveling is good
Bulla Lake or Bhulla Tal is a well maintained serene lake just 1Km from Lansdowne. It is a perfect picnic spot and very popular amongst children as it also offers boating. Boating facilities at Bhulla lake are good with few ducks swimming around as well in the lake water. One can also find a small souvenir shop, an eating joint, herbal plant nursery
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सिक्किम में प्रवेश करते ही हमारे दोनों तरफ ही पांच – छह मंजिलो के मकानों की कतारे नजर आने लगी। ऐसा लग ही नहीं रहा था कि हम हिल स्टेशन पर हैं। सुन्दर साफ – सुथरा क़स्बा था। पहाड़ो के घुमावदार रास्तो से होते हुए लगभग 4.30 बजे हम गंगटोक पहुँच गए।
अब हमें शहर के अन्दर होटल डेन्जोंग जाना था पर पता लगा कि यह बड़ी टैक्सी शहर के अन्दर नहीं जा सकती। वहां पर जाने के लिए छोटी टैक्सी से ही जाना होगा और उसमे भी 4 लोगो से ज्यादा नहीं बैठ सकते। हाँ सुबह आठ बजे से पहले अवश्य यह टैक्सी वहां जा सकती हैं। शहर की परिवहन व्यवस्था इन छोटी टैक्सी पर ही टिकी हुई है। लोग या तो अपने वाहन से चलते है अन्यथा इन टैक्सी पर ही निर्भर रहते हैं। यहाँ पर ऑटो , टेम्पो , ग्रामीण सेवा आदि नहीं चलते हैं। सिर्फ छोटी कार वाली टैक्सी। इन छोटी टैक्सी का किराया भी ज्यादा नहीं है। पंद्रह रूपये सवारी के हिसाब से लोग सफर करते हैं।
हमें लाल बाजार, डेन्जोंग सिनेमा के साथ लगे हुए डेन्जोंग होटल जाना था , टूरिस्ट समझ कर हम लोगो से वहां पर टैक्सी वाले 150/- रूपये प्रति टैक्सी मांगने लगे। मैंने होटल फोन कर जानकारी ले लेना उचित समझा कि यह लोग ज्यादा पैसे तो नहीं मांग रहे हैं। होटल वाले ने बताया कि 90 – 100 रूपये से ज्यादा नहीं लगता है। आप लोग टैक्सी स्टैंड से बाहर आकर टैक्सी कर लो। टैक्सी स्टैंड से बाहर सड़क पर आये तो एक ने 100/- रूपये मांगे तो हमें लगा सही भाडा मांग रहा है उससे 4 लोग होटल रवाना हो गए दुसरे ने 80/- मांगे उसके बाद दो टैक्सी वाले 60/- रूपये में ही चल दिए। मतलब यह कि अगर आप मोल -भाव करना नहीं जानते या स्थानीय लोगो से नहीं पूछेंगे तो आपकी जेब ज्यादा हल्की हो जाएगी।
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I have lived in Shimla long back in early 90s when my father was posted here. I used to come in summers for 2 months for 3 years, so I was keen on visiting places where I had lived and visited during that time. We lived in a suburb of Shimla there called Kelti. The route to it is from Ridge to Longwood and then towards Kelston and then bifurcate at one point towards Kelti. It was nostalgic to walk on the same road which I used to frequent 20 years back as child. To my surprise, road was just like what it used to be. Same road barriers painted green and white, the rain shelters where I took refuge many times in rains, the ascent, descent. The final leg to Kelti was still unpaved like it was at that time. Though this time saw more people crossing me with phones in their hands, hoardings and presence of vehicles.
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After all this, the last thing on our list was a visit to some tea estate in Darjeeling. To go there was one part of the pleasure and the next best part was to sip a hot n nice cup of tea there! It was really a divine experience and I had about 3-4 cups of tea- each of a different variety!
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very much a bird-watcher’s paradise . Purple sunbirds, orange bee-eaters, humming birds, pintails, wagtails, minivets, flycatchers, jays, bronze green doves, golden orioles, baya weaver birds, hoopoes, woodpeckers, kingfishers, whistling thrushes, drongos, cuckoos and the green coppersmith barbet calling “k-tong ! k-tong ! “ were all out there . A family of transiting langurs were busy shaking trees
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I tried to negotiate, suddenly an ambulance came from back, at the same time there was a government vehicle came and took a left turn to our right side road of the T Junction. While I was thinking that I should tail the ambulance, all the villagers ran toward the ambulance to agitate, the government vehicle took left, and in the middle of the chaos, I heard my wife, “Pronil Bhaag yahan se”, and I watched that right is clean and without wasting seconds I took right to tail the government vehicle.
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A summer vacation is a fun and exciting thing. We, plan to go all over the world during this period, when schools are closed and would like to spend some beautiful moments of our life with our loved ones.
We just came back from our annual holiday during summer and wish to share some of the beautiful places of West Bengal with all of you.
We reached Shasta around 3.30 pm. It is a very small town and I must say a weird place. The downtown market had numerous gift shops but unlike any other place, these gift shops were actual selling crystals and angel miniatures.
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A plate of Maggi for 50 bucks and a chai at 20 bucks may be a bit steep, but so is the place. Admittedly, the rampant crowd, jostling vehicles, hordes of animals, irrepressible mob of shilajeet sellers and such other elements do rob the place of exclusivity befitting a Himalayan pass at 3900+ mtrs – but that is how it comes,
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But suddenly the guide told the driver to stop and he started throwing search light in the jungle. I thought that it would be a mountain goat again so I didn’t take any much interest but the guide shouted ‘Tendua” i.e Leopard. I jumped up from my seat
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I was ready with my camera, wiped the lens twice, removed the gloves and positioned myself stood high on the rear seat resting my back properly. Looking around with extra vigil eyes for more than 10 minutes discovered no sign of any big cat. Relaxed and confirmed of my hard luck again I reclined my stiff body to the iron bars of the gypsy and lazily looked at a pair of peacocks marching past close to our gypsy.
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The main entrance covers a big area. Its size is comparable to one of the biggest metro stations (Rajiv Chowk) in Delhi. I am sure hundreds of people were only at the entrance, may be because of weekend (Saturday). For entering Louvre, you first enter the basement and get your tickets and then come to the ground floor to start your tour inside the museum.
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