Detailed itinerary for upcoming trip to Bhutan

The much awaited winter trip to Bhutan is coming up soon. We will visit Central and Eastern Bhutan this time, with focus on the Bumthang valley, the cultural capital of the country. We will also camp in Phobjika to see the black-necked cranes, which only visit at this time of the year.

Here are the details.

 

We’re already thinking of our next trip to the North-East

The Fab-three tour is going to be a 8-9 days trip to three fabulous places in the North-East.

The first is Cherrapunjee, the wettest place on earth. We’ll stay at a resort overlooking the Bangadesh plains, glimpses of which we will catch when the clouds let us. We will hike to the living root bridges of the Khasis, the pre-dominant tribe in Meghalaya. We will chill.

The second of the fab-three is Kaziranga National Park and nearabouts. These two days are all about our four-legged and winged-friends. And some of them are really thick-skinned too! We will stay at a resort close to the park, walk about in the tea-gardens, ride on elephants, and play in the middle of nature.

The third is Majuli, the largest river island in the world. In the middle of the expanses of the Brahmaputra river, this island is a hot-spot of nature and culture. Birds like the adjutant stork are visible in people’s backyards. You can cycle through the village and do your bit for the environment while taking in the village life of the Mising tribe. You will also see the customs of the Vaishnavaite culture of the socio-religious teacher of Assam.

If you are looking for some relaxation, nature and culture – write to us and we will make it happnen. Our contacts are in the Contact Us Page.

 

Featured in LiveMint today

Gypsyfeeter Kongkona, usually inactive in the morning, is unusually perky today thanks to urgent phone calls from  Kanchuki sharing the exciting news.

Live Mint covered us in their Travel section this morning.

For those of you who donot know us, we are travel enthusiasts who believe that meaningful travel is possible through experiencing a place, rather than “seeing” it. We formed Gypsyfeet Travels, an alternative travel company that focuses on immersion travel to take this idea forward.

We currently focus on the NE of India and Bhutan, and do specialized tours for women travellers and couples with kids.

More about us on this page. Looking forward to hearing from you when you plan your next trip. To see our upcoming trips, or to receive notifications, visit our facebook page.

 

Do women traveller’s have different travel needs?

Its an interesting question, isn’t it? We are trying to find out what the truth is – do women travelers have different needs? Being women travellers ourselves, we tend to think yes ( well, if not anything else, we ask “Donde esta el Bano” than the boys do). At least I did that while travelling in Peru with my husband, truth be told, it was the one sentence I made sure I remembered before setting off. Apart from that, most of us seem to be intereted in the cultural aspects of things a tad more than the boys. And in the shopping side of things too.

But do other women think the same?

Let us know what YOU think. We”re interested in knowing your likes, disliked, concerns, things you like to do, things you hate about travel – everything. Your dream destination too!  Basically, we are trying to understand you, the woman traveller, and how you relate to travel.

You could be travelling solo, with your kids, with your hubby or partner, or in your girl group, does not matter, as long as you love and enjoy travel!

 

Gypsyfeet’s current trail in North-East India

The trip Walk in the Clouds, whose itinerary we’d posted a while back, is on.

Here’s a map showing the trail. Admit it, you’re a little jealous you’re not there right now

View Larger Map

 

And if you needed any more motivation for a change..

Here is an article by a guy who makes a living from unconventional jobs ( travel related) that may just make you alter your life-course drastically.

Be careful before you read – it is tempting. Don’t say we did not warn you!

 

The world is shrinking. But not for everybody.

I call up an airtel customer care person the other day, to activate international dialling.

The conversation goes like this:

“Of course Madam, we can activate it for you.” – customer care executive in professional tones.

“Great thanks” – me , happy that this was so easy.

“Please tell me where you are going to call so I can give you an idea of the rates.”

“I’m going to be calling Bhutan”.

“Madam, errr… Bhutan? Which country is Bhutan in Madam”?

Me, shocked into silence. Which country is Bhutan in?

Something is surely wrong with our educational system – people are graduating blissfully unaware of small things like who our neighbouring countries are.

When I shared this with Kongkona, she said, why are you surprised? And she is right too – I have a friend from Bombay who was struggling to come up with the names of the states in the North-East of India. Geographical distance = ignorance, even in these days, unless you are a cricket playing nation.

For the benefit of my customer care friend, in case she stumbles upon this, and for anybody else interested, here’s where the lovely Himalayan country of Bhutan is located:

View Larger Map

 

Staycation: What to do when you are not travelling out of town

Instead of moaning and groaning about not able to travel to exotic places, isn’t it better to look around us and travel local? As suggested in this cool blog post staying at home and enjoying your local area has its own advantages, not least of it being that you really start appreciating your local town. And add to that a feather in your cap: you are doing your bit for the environment too, consuming less, and burning up less of that precious fuel!

In addition to the tips in the linked post, I have a few of my own that I’d like to share:

1. The risk of staying at home is the tendency to do housekeeping. You see all the clutter around, and you think: let me just straighen up this bed over here, or trim the plants over there. When you are on staycation, even if you are in your own house, avoid the housekeeping.To minimise your housekeeping jobs, eat out as much as you can, and go out for entire afternoons or evenings, so when you come back your house feels like a little safe bed and breakfast.

2. Avoid doing things that are routine – so if the first thing you do is switch on the TV, then pretend that the TV is not working. Or one evening, pretend that there is no power, just switch off the lights and enjoy that candlelight drink, whether by yourself or with someone you want to share.

3. Do a different activity than what you normally would. So if you usually party in your usual haunts, try becoming a morning person and going for a nature walk instead. Or vice versa. Its sure to rejuvenate you.

4. Go out with a different set of people. If you have kids, find somebody who will take care of the kid for an entire day, then find some bachelor friends to go out with, instead of the couple with kids you usually hang out with. If you are a bachelor, try hanging out with people who are married or have kids, it will give you a different perspective on life altogether. Or go meet elderly people who you are scared of meeting wondering if they will bore you to death. It is possible that you may be pleasantly surprised. Or simply, talk to the security guard at the gate for whom you usually have only a nod.

5. Shop for groceries, not at your usual, most convenient store, but at the hip new supermarket where they are selling great wines, or at the farmer’s market thats a half hour drive from your house. It will feel different, trust me it will.

Have a great staycation! And let us know if you tried any of our tips, and if you have some of your own.

< We just got a mail from an organisation called Nature Rocks, that is helping families connect more with nature. We need some of this in our congested polluted cities too.. find out more about Nature Rocks, and their Staycation recommendations here http://www.naturerocks.org/about.aspx

You can also join their facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nature-Rocks/75124832476>

 

Kopili just back from chilling in 40Deg celcius in Pondicherry

Pondicherry is meant for chilling – even if you do find yourself there in the middle of the sweltering summer months.

Not heeding the well-intended warnings of the locals Sukrit and Arpan who maintain this very informative website on Pondicherry,  we took off last week because, well, we just wanted to go somewhere. And enjoyed every bit of the stay, even though the heat was as killing as they had promised.

To do’s when you are in Pondicherry, compiled based on our 5-day stay:

1. Do not try hard to find things to do, instead just meander about. You will find things. This is the mantra – the key to enjoying Pondicherry.
2. Hire a scooter or a bike, or walk a lot, depending on your stamina and style. We got a scooter, and sandwiched our toddler in between, and all 3 of us had a great time roaming the streets.
3. Ideal food for me: South Indian breakfast at one of the many nice restaurants, Thali for lunch, and French food for dinner . South Indian Filter Coffee or cappuccino for the coffee fix. We kept switching from one to the other.
4. Go to a antique shop and gawk at the stuff they have raided from old and decaying houses. And of course, visit the ones that are not decaying – the heritage homes that have been restored and are now grand hotels.
5. Visit Alliance Francais, and check out the events there. We missed a screening of Sita Sings the Blues because we did not check out their events list .. the cafe there is great too.
6. Roam around in Auroville, and visit one of the communities.. not just the visitor’s center and the Matrimandir. There are some good eateries there too. Marvel at how the Aurovilleans ( is that what they call themselves) managed to turn a dry arid plateau into a green zone.
7. Check out the boutique leather stores.
8. Promenade with everybody else at the Promenade.
9. Check out the sunrise over the seas.. this is the East coast, remember?
10. Chill in the garden if you have the good fortune to get a room in the Ashram Park Guest House. Do Yoga there in the morning..

List of restaurants to go to:

Ram International, Surguru for South Indian food

Ashram Dining Hall for the experience

Satsanga and La Promenade for a fine dining experience

Cafe 41 for North Indian food

Jubilee for Authentic Bengali food, served in simple surroundings

Hot breads for croissants

Alliance francais cafe and Coffee.com for coffee fix

A more detailed list is on the website  I referenced above .

 

Travel Book recommendation: TRAVELLERS TALES INDIA

I have been reading this excellent compilation of travel stories called TRAVELLER’s TALES – INDIA, published by .. Traveller’s Tales, a company started in 1980 to publish travel books that read like, in their own words, “fellow travelers swapping tales about the place you’re headed next – you come out changed, and eager for more.”

Like the story on Benaras “Stairway to Heaven” by Madhur Jaffrey captures the essence of the place so well, I know I have to put Benaras on my travel calendar soon.

Some of the other stories, like the one about the “Ladies compartment” is  simple, yet is interesting because as a woman traveller who has travelled many miles on trains in India, I know what the author is talking about.

The one on sighting ducks in Brahmaputra, a topic that perhaps should only interest die-hard ornithologists, is so well written as to appeal to any interested traveller.

All in all, a wonderful read so far. I still have many left to go over: Hobson-Jobson by Salman Rushdie, for one.

The one story I was not very fond of, perhaps because of the very casual observations is the one by the editor,  Larry Habegger, called the “Horns of Kaziranga”.