Next up for GypsyGeet : The Fab 3 trip

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Cherrapunjee, Kaziranga, Majuli

Here’s your chance to explore on the the most undiscovered parts of the country. If you are a nature lover, or like exploring different cultures, then join us for 8 days for a nature and culture trip to the North-East.

We will take you to the lush greenery of the Khasi hills, to the plains of Kaziranga, to the largest river island in the middle of the Brahmaputra river – staying at interesting places that do their bit to serve the local communities.
We will sample local food, and we will do lots of nature walks and hikes.

There will be plenty of bird-watching and wildlife watching in Kaziranga and Majuli, the highlight for most people being of course an elephant safari to see the one-horned rhinoceros up-close. For the birding enthusiasts, Majuli is a haven – there are storks roosting in people’s backyards!

Date : 31st Oct 2009 – 8th Nov 2009

To know more about the trip,visit our Facebook page or email us at contactus@gypsyfeettravels.com

A short road trip

Tags

driving holiday, Tarkarli beach, western Ghats

I was never a big fan of road trips.Because a) I get claustrophobic inside a car after some time b) I get bored.Also, I don’t love driving and I am bad with directions and reading the map,and I will keep changing the radio channels and flipping the songs ,driving the driver nuts.In short, I am a bad road trip partner.

Still it was my idea to do a road trip .We drove 533kms to the relatively secluded Tarkarli Beach,in Malvan- the heartland of Malvani cuisine.Yes, fish fish and some more fish.

It was a 12 hour drive through Western Ghats.More than the beach, it was the drive which turned out to be more breathtaking.I am yet to see anything more green than the Western Ghats during the monsoons.As if someone went up the hills and poured buckets of paint over . Various shades, carpeting the rolling hills, leaving not a square inch of earth bare.That freshest  shade of green that makes you feel healthy and good.

Leaving you with some pictures

I think a Konkan rail journey is up next.

Our faithful chariot.Great mileage and awesome legspace.

Gypsyfeet all set for the next destination -Bhutan

Chasing the Thunder Dragon (SEPT 19th -SEPT 29th)

Did you ever think you would?

-  Dance with snow-lions and banter with the clowns at a colorful festival?

-  Try a fiery dish of chilies and cheese?

-  Hike into a gravity defying monastery & then soak in a stone bath?

- Be blessed by a 10-inch wooden penis?

- Gaze into the snow-peaked Himalayas, while sitting among 108 chortens?

You can do all these and much more on the next GyspyFeet trip to Bhutan –

In the Land of the Thunder Dragon

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

Reach Paro/Bagdogra, depending on availability of Druk Air flights from Cal.We will make the bookings for you, as Druk Air has no online reservation. Flight cost not included in our rates.

DAY 2

Arrive at the capital city of Thimphu by afternoon. Process the permits and complete other formalities.Today we walk around Thimphu. We will visit the clock tower at the town square to soak in the local atmosphere, take a walk along the Wang Chu river, check out the weekend market set up on the banks of the river where you can pick up some rare scrolls or an interesting mask, and maybe try our hand at Bhutan’s national pastime-archery.In Thimphu we will stay in a hotel set in a peaceful rural setting offering a stunning 360-degree view of the hills.

DAY 3

We wake up early in the morning to witness the Tsechu, a colorful religious festival that is also the highlight of the Bhutanese social calendar. It is a riot of colors, as the entire town dresses up in the traditional dress – the Gho and the Kira – and gathers at the Dzong, the dwelling of the Monk Body and the administrative headquarters of the country. Dancers in fantastic costumes swirl around enacting scenes from Guru Padmasambhava’s life.In the afternoon we’ll visit the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, where you will see students’ busy painting Tangkhas, or carving wood.

After a quick stop at the Takin reserve (Takin is Bhutan’s national animal, a strange looking creature that looks like a cross between a goat and a cow), and the National Memorial Chorten, we will drive up to the Telecom Tower to get a bird’s eye view of the entire valley of Thimphu.Later on we will saunter down the Hong Kong market, and try our bargaining skills.

DAY 4

We will hike up to the Cheri Goempa, a monastery. The trail starts by crossing a lovely covered bridge that spans the Wang Chhu and then climbs steeply to the monastery where there are tame deer and soaring birds. Bird-watchers will be enthralled at the varieties of Himalayan birds they will see, including the tree-pie.

Later on we will hop over to the Philatelic Bureau, the Changangkha Lhakhang, an old fortress like temple and monastic school and the National library which houses the world’s biggest book.

In the evening, we chill at a local pub and explore Thimphu’s nightlife

DAY 5

Today we drive over the spectacular Dochu-la pass where we will see some stunning views of the Himalayas. We will spend some time in the stillness of the awe-inspiring mountains, with the chortens framing the picture for us.We’ll go to the picturesquely located Punakha Dzong where the Monk Body is staying for the winter. A must do is a visit to the temple dedicated to Drukpa Kunley, fondly referred to as the Divine Madman for his eccentric and wild ways.

DAY 6

A 4-hour drive from Punakha will take us to Paro, the town with the only airport in the country.In the afternoon we will walk up to the National museum (an old watchtower converted to a museum) and the impressive Paro Dzong.If time permits, we will also visit the ruined fortress of Drugyal Dzong. It was here that the Bhutanese finally defeated the invading Tibetans and drove them back.

DAY 7

The highlight of any trip to Bhutan is the hike up to the Taktshang Monastery, perched miraculously on the side of a sheer cliff 900m.Also called the Tiger’s nest, it takes about 4 hours, and is one of the most spectacular (and most photographed) monasteries in Bhutan.After that trek up, you might fancy a nice stone bath, the Bhutanese way.

DAY 8

We will drive to the picturesque Haa valley also known as Hidden-Land Rice Valley, situated on the North-West of Bhutan, bordering Tibet.Along the way, we will hike up to the Kila nunnery, and cross the Chele-La, the highest motorable road in Bhutan.On a clear day, one gets excellent views of the Jhomolhari peak from here.

We will return to Paro on the same day.

DAY 9

We will either drive down from Paro to Phuentsoling and onto Bagdogra (overnight at Bagdogra), or take Flight from Paro to Cal/Bagdogra/New Delhi (this depends on availability of tickets)

For the itinerary of our upcoming trip in the winter of 2009-2010, please click here.

 

Detailed Itinerary for GypsyFeet upcoming trip :Walk in the clouds

Duration:          29/06/2009 to 12/07/2009

Organized by:  GypsyFeet, an alternative travel company, and BuddhaSmiles, a charitable organization.

Location:              North-East India – specifically, the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya

29/06/2009:  We drive from Guwahati to Shillong, passing by the beautiful Umiam Lake, and the markets where you will see Khasi women selling betel-nut and fruit ( and chewing as much betel-nut as they are selling). At Shillong, we’ll check out the roaring Elephant Falls ( believe us, it does roar in the monsoons) and the misty Shillong Peak, and stay overnight at Shillong . It’s a pleasant place for walks – we will be exploring this town on foot in the evening and seeing why it was called the “Scotland of the East” by the Brits – steaming Momos to look forward to after all that walking

30/06/2009: Shillong to Cherrapunjee, about an hour and  a half’s drive along some spectacular scenery crossing numerous waterfalls  – at Cherrapunjee (once the Wettest place on earth) we will be going to a few limestone caves ( can be spooky!) and the living root bridges ( mind your step here, watch the sure-footed Khasis!),  and look onto Bangladesh over the Clouds – we come back to Shillong and stay overnight.

01/07/2009: Shillong to Bhalukpung (will take us half the day to drive), we will be staying next to the Jia-Bhorali river, famous for angling. Walks along the river ( and a dip or two) are part of the itinerary.

02/07/2009: From Bhalukpung we go to Tipi for the famous orchidarium,  and then on to Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh, ascending up the foot-hills of the Himalayas. We’ll reach in the evening at Bomdila and stay overnight at Bomdila.

03/07/2009: Bomdila to Tawang/ ( if the rain gods don’t play spoil-sport), it’s a beautiful drive over the Sela-pass, onto Tawang,. Along the way, we will cross the place till which the Chinese army had advanced during the Sino-Indian war.

04/07/2009: We’ll go to the Tawang monastery, a 400 year old monastery,  the second largest after Potala, Tibet, and we’ll try to get as close as possible to the Sino-India border ( as far as Indian Army permits us).

05/07/2009: At Tawang , we explore the town itself, including the handi-crafts shops, and walk around the town doing monastery-hopping, and mix with local tribes.

06/07/2009: We go back from Tawang to Bhalukpung and stay overnight at Bhalukpung.

< If the above does not work out due to weather conditions, we will spend more time near and around Bomdila, possibly visiting a tribal house in the area and the vicinity of the Nameri Tiger Reserve>

07/07/2009: From Bhalukpung we go to Jorhat, entering heart of the tea country. We cross the Brahmaputra river at Tezpur which will be in full fury at this time of the year and pass by the Kaziranga National Park ( closed at this time due to monsoons). We stay overnight at Jorhat, a small town close to the Brahmaputra.

08/07/2009: From Jorhat we do a day trip to Sibsagar, where we will look at the ruins of the old Ahom Kingdom – the Ahoms ruled Assam for over 600 years.  We come back and stay overnight at Jorhat. We see the Rong Ghar where the AHom kings watched Bihu dances and buffalo fighting, and more recently, where the Assam insurgency had taken root.

09/07/2009: Jorhat to Margherita is a pleasant drive through tea-country! We’ll be driving by the largest tea-growing region in India – at Margherita we will do a lot of tea-garden walks  ( Dirok tea garden, with its abandoned WWII air-strip is picturesque and interesting), visit a tea-factory, and possibly a heritage planter’s bungalow. We will stay in Margherita or Tinsukia overnight.

10/07/2009: Margherita/Ledo – where we will go as far as we can along the Stil-well road, an old WW II road that had seen much action in bygone days.  We will see a small market at the Indo-Burma border where the Burmese come over to trade. We stay overnight at Margherita or Tinsukia . Along the way we may visit a Sema Naga village to see the ethnic houses.

11/07/2009: Margherita back to Jorhat where we will visit the Tea Research Association . Along the way, we will stop at Digboi, where we will see the second oldest petroleum refinery in the world ( we’re not big museum goers, but the museum at Digboi is worth it since it shows us the growth of the tea, coal and oil industry in this part of the country, and makes for a nice story ), and a WWII museum preserved by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

12/07/2009: Jorhat we get back to Guwahati by late afternoon/ Disperse.In Guwahati,we will take a boat ride to Umananda, a temple situated in an island in the Brahmaputra river

Wherever possible we will taste the local cuisine – momos, fish steamed in banana leaves, fish in bamboo shoots, the tangy elephant apple curry, Jadoh- spicy dish of rice and pork, pickled bamboo shoots.And to wash it all down we will taste local wine and beer, each a speciality of every tribe-Apong,Kyat or even Butter tea.

Cost per person : Rs 25,000 – this includes food, transportation (by car, 3 person per car to ensure your maximum comfort), stay.

Doesnot include costs of personal nature.

About Buddha Smiles

Buddha Smiles organises eco-walks in the country and spiritual walks in the Himalayas every year. This eco-retreat is being organised for the second successive year. Buddha Smiles also organises Natural building workshops and Permaculture courses every year at the alternative school “Garden of Peace”. Buddha Smiles is a programme of the Spirit in Life Movement-A Public Educational and Charitable Trust. Buddha Smiles is a global initiative for peace, education and development of nonviolent alternatives. For more information on Buddha Smiles, please contact :