Off to Trek to Valley of Flowers/Hemkhund Sahib for a week

Folks,

We are off to a long awaited trek to Valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib in Garhwal Himalayas. This was planned couple of times but did not materialize for various reasons. The weather forecast seems to be excellent and we hope to have an good trip and come back with lot of stuff to share with you all.

We will continue next part of Ladakh diaries and on other exciting trips when we are back in next week.

Till then.....Take care. Be well.

Poorna/Brinda

Chikmagalur - A monsoon drive in Western Ghats!

Last week we were in Chikmagalur. 

The idea was to do nothing but go for drives in the western ghats. If you are a driving freak like us, nothing can be more pleasurable than driving in monsoon in these mountains when nature is at its best. It is green everywhere. The waterfalls which are invisible in other months are at their glorious best. Driving on the foggy roads hugged by mountains and valleys is an experience in itself.

It was raining cats and dogs in Chikmagalur. Our drive to Mullayanagiri was an adventure. The fog was so high we could hardly see any thing. Whenever the fog cleared a bit, we could see the valley. Driving carefully and hoping that visibility does not deteriorate, we reached the summit. It was too windy and rainy. It was as if we were inside a cloud. 

Coming down from the summit, we headed towards Kemmanagundi. This was a fantastic drive except for the last fifteen KMs when the road turns bad. Cars with low ground clearance should take a U turn and return back at this point.

Driving a Scorpio helped. Join us as we take you through the drive!!

Like the adage "A picture is worth a thousand words", these pictures will paint a lovely journey.

Mist clad valleys

Water falls, water falls everywhere!

Driving on the foggy road

Fog cleared and rain drenched road

........Foggy again

The Gopura of the Shiva temple at the foot hill of Mullayanagiri

Waterfalls again.....

Beautiful waterfall on the way to Kemmanagundi - Shot in different angles and shutter speed

The road condition is fantastic making drive a pleasure

Water cascading with full force

The water fall seen above plunges from a great height. It is not accessible but can be seen from a distance

Green meadows

Fog clears and we get a glimpse of valley

Foggy road again

From here, the road condition to Kemmanagundi deteriorate

Lovely meadows on the way to Habbe Falls

The view of Mullayanagiri ranges when we drove from Lingadahalli on the way back from Kemmanagundi

These are few videos we shot of the drives

a) Monsoon drive - 1

b) Monsoon Drive - 2

c) Monsoon drive - 3

d) Monsoon drive - 4

Travel Tips

Getting there

By Road - There are plenty of buses by state run Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation to Chikmagalur from different parts of the state. If you are driving by car, it is at a distance of 240 KMs from Bangalore. The road condition is very good and driving time will be 5.30 hours with a break.

By Train - There is no direct train to Chikmagalur. The nearest rail-head is Kadur on Bangalore - Mumbai line. All important trains stop here. Kadur is 35 KMs from Chikmagalur and there are plenty of buses and taxis from here to Chikmagalur

By Air - The nearest airport is Mangalore which is at a distance of 200 KMs.

Stay options

The best way to enjoy Chikmagalur and Malnad is to stay in many home stays in the region. Since most of the home-stays are in Coffee estates, it will give you an opportunity to experience estate life as well. If you are a "resort type" of person, then there are resorts as well.

Resorts & their websites

• The Serai -  The Serai
• Taj Gateway - Taj Chikmagalur
• Flameback Lodges - Flameback

Home Stays & their websites

• Thotadahalli Homestay - Thotadahalli
• Thippanahalli Homestay - Thippanahalli
• Balur estate by Linger - Linger @ Balur
• For other options look at this link - Home Stays In Chikmagalur

Lodges & their websites

Planters court - The Planters court

Other information

a) Chikmagalur is a driving enthusiast's dream. The hill roads, greenery, waterfalls, rivers makes this a real pleasure. Though monsoon drives are exhilarating, any season is good.

b) Minimum three days are required to explore Chikmagalur. Places not be missed (along with their web links) -

• Mullayanagiri - Mullayanagiri in Wiki
• Baba Budan Giri - Baba Budangiri in Wiki
• Kemmanagundi - Kemmangundi in Wiki
• Ayyanakere Lake - Ayyanakere
• World Heritage site of Belur - Belur
• World heritage site of Halebid - Halebid
• Hoysala temple Belavadi - Belavadi
• Bhadra tiger reserve / Muthodi wild life sanctuary - Bhadra
• Sringeri - Sringeri
• Horanadu - Horanadu
• Kudremukh Tiger reserve - Kudremukh

c) Try authentic "Malnad cuisine" served in the home-stays.

d) "Town canteen" in Chikmagalur town is famous for "Butter Masala Dosa". Don't miss it.

e) Driving up Mullayanagiri is only for experienced drivers. The last three KMs is very narrow and needs to be very careful.

f) MG Park in Chikmagalur town is a good place for kids. It has musical fountain which is operated in the evenings.

g) If you are a golf enthusiast, then try putting in Chikmagalur golf club. Check with the hotel or home stay personnel for more details.

h)  Winters are best for watching the sun rise and sun sets at Mullayanagiri.

i) Chikmagalur is also the base for many treks in western ghats. If you are a trekking enthusiast, check this link Trekking in Western Ghats

j) Carry a good Binoculars to enjoy the valley views from the hills and also for bird watching.

Glossary

Western Ghats - Mountain ranges in Peninsular India
Malnad - Mountainous region of Karnataka state
Hoysala - A medieval dynasty that ruled parts of South India
Masala Dosa - Indian pan cake made of rice and lentil with a stuffing of spicy potato and onion

Also check out this post 

Spectacular Sunrise in Mullayyanagiri!

Planning to drive in Monsoon this year? These posts in this blog will be helpful. Please click on links below

10 Places to experience monsoon in India!

Monsoon drive in Western Ghats - An itinerary to experience it!

Monsoon drive in Malnad - Countless waterfalls & Visual bliss!

Sakleshpur - Mesmerised in Monsoon!

Please check out the following related posts on Chikmagalur

a) Sunrise in Mullayanagiri

b) Halebid - Zenith of Hoysala Architecture!

c) Driving Holidays from Bangalore 2 - Magical Malnad

d) Alekan Falls

Did you like this post?  Do you need help in planning a trip to Chikmagalur? You are welcome to write at poorna62@gmail.com.

Happy to help.

Ladakh Diaries 4 - To Khardung La, highest motorable road in the world!

After a hectic gompa hopping in Leh – similar to beach hopping in Goa and pandal hopping during Durga pooja in Calcutta - we were getting ready for the journey of our life to the highest motorable pass in the world – Khardung La ( La in Tibetan means “Mountain pass”). Zigmet – our driver – was to come at 8 AM and we were ready after a quick breakfast of cereal and omelet.

The road to Khardung La is a steep climb. It is a short distance from Leh and the climb is steep when you go from 11,000 feet to 18,500 feet. The road is excellent as the Border roads organisation maintains this diligently. Khardung La is an important army base as the troops and supplies to Siachin is routed through this pass.

A steady climb over winding road gave us a panoramic view of Leh town below with Stok Kangri peak in the background. A stream had created lush green fields with houses around it. An isolated gompa on a small hill provided an enchanting picture as we climbed up.

Stok Kangri - Tallest peak in Ladakh - basking in morning light

A green valley amidst dry and barren terrain

Start of the climb to Kardung La

A Gompa perched on a small hillock

The road condition started to worsen and the last few KMs were really bad. We asked the border roads team about this and they said that this stretch was avalanche prone during winter! We could see tonnes of snow on either side of the road and could well imagine the scene during winter!

First glimpse of the snow clad peaks

Tough roads - The Avalanche prone area

Panoramic views of mountains

Snow clad valleys

As we came closer to the pass, the dark brown terrain suddenly gave way to a mix and match of snow and brown. On reaching Khardung La, it was white all around.......all we could see around us was snow!

Hurray! We were on top of the world! On the highest motorable road in the world!

We could not stay there for more than 10 minutes. It was windy too. n fact there is a signage cautioning visitors not to stay for more than ten minutes and not to exert too much. The rarified atmosphere really hits you hard. You feel tired after few steps. Hats off to the armed forces guys who not only stay here but also work in these hostile environs. The road from Khardung La descends into Nubra valley, which we could not visit. Nubra is supposed to be the place where you find beautiful sand dunes and two humped camels. It is also called as “Valley of flowers”. Possibly we will do that in next visit.

Hurray!! On top of the world!

The drive though short provided us the glimpse what mountaineers undergo when they climb those heights. Snow, wind, lack of oxygen makes life miserable at these heights. The drive back was again comfortable and we were in Leh by afternoon. The time after lunch was spent going around the antique shops hunting for some Tibetan masks, Tangkhas. We were back in the hotel in the evening.

We are no excited with next place of visit. We are to go to Pangong Tso – the largest brackish lake in Asia – made more popular after it was shot beautifully in the climax scenes of the Hindi Blockbuster “ 3 Idiots”. Zigmet asked us to be ready at sunrise to travel to the beautiful lake. 

We can't wait to go there.

Getting there

Khardung La can be reached comfortably from Leh by Jeep. It is also an easy ride by Bike which can be hired in Leh.

Other Information

a) Don't stay for more than ten minutes on the top. You can actually feel getting exhausted.

b) Don't play around with snow and exert physically. AMS may hit you badly.

c) Ladakh Scouts - An army unit - has a nice store selling memorabilia. Pick one if you wish to.

d) Generally Khardung La is a planned as a transit to go to Nubra which actually makes sense. Visitors normally spends a night or two in Nubra and then return to Leh.

Glossary

Gompa - Buddhist monastery

Pandal - A covered area

Durga Pooja - A festival involving worship of Goddess Durga

Siachin - A place in Ladakh Himalayas where Indian army has base. It is the highest battleground in the world.

This is the Fourth post in "Ladakh Diaries" series of nine posts in this blog. If you want to explore earlier/later posts - click on the link in this series, please click this link below. Clicking "older posts" at the end of the page will take you to previous posts in the series.

Ladakh Diaries - Our experiences in Ladakh

Useful links

Wiki on Khardung La

Wiki on Nubra VAlley

Did you like this post?  Do you need help in planning a trip to Leh and Ladakh? You are welcome to write to me at poorna62@gmail.com.

Happy to help.

Ladakh Diaries 3 - Leh - Sights of a Mountain town!

We got up late in the morning. We needed this sleep badly! After suffering sleepless night in Sarchu – blame it on AMS – we had a refreshing slumber.

But the problem started after we got up. I am fond of good filter coffee. So is Brinda. I am little fussy with my coffee. We face this problem whenever we travel in India, specially in North India. But, where can we get South Indian filter coffee in remote Leh? I somehow agreed for the compromise. We opted for Nescafe instead of “Chai” as we were not sure how the “chai” would taste. When I called up room service the “Kancha” – all the waiters being Nepali - confirmed that they could serve Nescafe. We heaved a sigh of relief. The instruction to “Kancha” was clear – to get hot milk, Nescafe and Sugar separately!

On the Previous day, Deleks, our Man Friday from Ladakh Safari had confirmed that we should take things leisurely till we get properly acclimatized in Leh. This is very important. “Drink lot of water” he told us as we saw him off in the evening with confirmation that the cab to take us around the Leh would be at hotel at 10 AM.

Coffee – Nescafe - kick started the day for us. Hotel Namgyal Palace - where we stayed - is a new hotel in Leh with good and spacious rooms. Not a “Star” hotel but a decent hotel with good sheets, towels and excellent service. The room had French windows, which gave a glimpse of the colorful garden. The many flowers, which I found difficult to grow in my house in Bangalore, were growing as if it was wilderness!

The breakfast was light - a cup of serial and two toasts. We wanted to keep it light as it was first day and we did not want to take chance. The packed lunch was already in the car. We could feel the rarefied Leh atmosphere with less oxygen as we climbed ten steps to reach the parking lot. We were already feeling tired.

Zigmet, our driver was a young bloke. A Ladakhi who stayed in his village, which is 15 KMs from Leh. We got into the Toyota Innova to start our tour of Mountain town.

Leh is a small town. It is the largest town in Ladakh. A big valley town on the banks of Indus and surrounded by mountains. It could be as big as a small suburb in a Metro. What immediately struck me was the cleanliness on the roads. The roads were spic and span and we could hardly see any rubbish. Ladakhis are very friendly and are able to converse in Hindi quite well.

Prayer Wheels - You find them at many places in Leh

Our first stop was Stok palace on Leh – Manali road. The sun was bright and was playing hide and seek behind the clouds. The mountains were bright with the tallest peak in Ladakh range – Stok Kongri (the tallest peak in the pic) - basking in glory. It was a pleasant drive to the palace. The roadside is interspersed with white “Chortems” of all sizes and huge prayer wheels. We halted to take pictures of beautiful Chortems built by Dalai Lama. As we exited the Leh town, we were now driving through military area. Armed forces have a huge presence in Leh.

Chortems on the way to Stok Palace

Seven stupas built by The Dalai Lama

Beautiful landscape on the way to Palace

The Stok palace is on a small hillock overlooking a green valley next to Indus River. The setting of the palace is very romantic - the ranges of himalaya as backdrop, the river in the foreground with green fields with a dash of yellow in between. A slow climb – no exertion please - of few steps led us to the entrance of the palace. This is the palace where present maharajah and his family live. A four storied mud structure, it has a colorful and carved entrance. The windows were colorful as well. Not an architectural rave, it made up as a pleasant place. The palace has a museum, which is not worth its salt. The balconies of the palace provide you a panoramic view of Indus valley.

Colourful balconies of the palace

The Palace on the hillock

Thiksey Monastery is the next stop, said Zigmet. Touted “Mini Potala palace”, the monastery is located in a beautiful setting. The best part of monastery hopping in Leh is that you will get to see the different landscape. Thiksey again was on a small hill. Thanks to good road, the car was able to climb up till the entrance. But the climb from here was quite steep. We had to stop couple times with gulps of water before we reached the courtyard.

Thiksey Monastery - Striking resemblance to Potala Palace of Tibet

Colourful entrance to the monastery

The monastery looked deserted with very few monks as most of them had left for Nubra where The Dalai Lama was camping. Thiksey being the second largest monastery in Ladakh, was well maintained. The courtyard leads to the two shrines. The walls are painted with Buddhist tangkhas and look very colorful. The Piece-de- Resistance was the 40 feet statue of “Maitreya – the Future Buddha”. It is a beautiful sculpture with a pleasing face of Maitreya. Notice the intricate work on the crown. Climbed up to the terrace of the monastery to get the awesome views of the surroundings.

Colourful walls of Tangkhas in inner courtyard 

Colourful balconies of the monastery

Captivating image of Maitreya Buddha

Panoramic view of Indus valley from Monastery

We were feeling tired and when we went back to the car it was relief. After gulps of water, we were moving towards Shey palace – the old palace of maharajah – a mud palace being restored by Archaeological survey. The palace is on a steep hill and will be tough to climb if not properly acclimatized. We climbed, but stopped at least three times. The palace is in dilapidated condition and being restored. There is shrine inside with a 30 story tall statue of Buddha.

Shey Palace

Buddha in Shey Palace

It was nearing lunchtime and we were also tired. The lunch was on the banks of Indus river. It is a pleasant place for a chilled beer and lunch – I missed beer though. Thank god there weren't hordes of tourists in this place – as there is no boating in the river - the place was very quiet and we could hear the sound of water flowing over pebbles. The water was very cold. Every year the Ladakhi government conducts “Sindhu Darshan” festival at this place. A peaceful lunch and a bit of rest, we were raring to explore the other parts of the town.

Indus river

Our next stop was the “Hall of fame” museum. This place on Kargil road was a pleasant surprise. Excellently curated by Army, it brought tears to our eyes as we saw the pictures of martyrs who had laid down their lives in various wars for the country in the region. The galleries depicting the Kargil war and Siachin are well done. Apart from exploits by the army and air force, it also showcases the flora and fauna of the region. The touching moments were when we read the last letter by Capt Vijayant Thapar who laid down his life in Kargil war and was awarded Maha Vir Chakra. This is one place no visitor to Leh should miss.

Brave men from Indian army who laid down their lives for the country

Our last stop before calling it a day was the City Palace. This one jetting out of the heart of city is again a mud palace. Being restored by Archaeological Survey of India, it is in better shape than Shey palace. The rooftop of the palace gives one a panoramic view of Leh town. A climb from the palace is the “stand alone” gompa – Tsemo Gompa that gives you breathtaking views of Leh and surroundings. Ideal during sun set.

City Palace or Leh Palace

Entrance to the palace

Leh town as seen from palace

The trail to the Tsemo gompa

We came back to the hotel - we still missed out Shanti Stupa - tired after a day long visits to lovely sights of Leh. We called Badri Prasad – the Kancha - for a cup of coffee. The coffee was never refreshing more!

Travel Tips

Getting there

By Air - One can reach Leh by air from Delhi. There are many flights operating out of Delhi. These flights are notorious for delays/cancellation due to weather condition in Leh.

By Road - Leh is accessible through breathtaking road journeys either from Manali or from Srinagar in Kashmir. Both these journeys will take minimum of two days. If you are travelling from Manali you can either travel in shared taxis or the buses operated by Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation. to Srinagar, bus services have been stopped but you can travel in shared jeeps.

Please see posts titled Ladakh Dairies 1 & 2 for experiences on Manali - Leh road.

Stay options

There are many good stay options in Leh including Ladakhi home stays. Our stay in Hotel Namgyal Palace was very comfortable with excellent service and good food. One can also stay in homestays in Ladakh which will provide an authentic Ladakhi experience

Hotel Namgyal Palace - Namgyal Palace

Home stays in Ladakh - Ladakh Home Stays

Other information

a) Take it easy in Leh. Ladakh should be savoured slowly. If you are arriving by air to Leh, use day 1 for resting and acclimatisation. This is critical.

b) Leh is a small town with a busy market place which can be comfortably seen by walking. Carry water with you always.

c) One can take a numerous tour packages to Leh and Ladakh. You can also customise your tour package - that is what we did - in consultation with the tour operator. If your trip to Ladakh is not arranged through a tour operator, you can hire a cab at the taxi stand in Leh town to visit Leh and its surroundings.

d) Leh and surroundings require minimum of two days of exploration. The life in Ladakh is laid back. Make sure you do the sightings in leisurely manner.

e) All monasteries require removal of shoes when you enter. Please respect local sentiments.

f) Check out traditional Ladakhi cultural programmes in Shankar Gompa next to city palace.

g) Leh is also the place where you should try some good tibetan/ladakhi cuisine. Also you can get to at set some great international cuisine. Let your culinary adventure begin. Make sure you also taste the rice beer of Ladakh which is tasty.

h) If you are a trekking enthusiast, there are many options. Check out with good trekking operators for a hassle free treks in Ladakh.

i) Leh is also a place where you can pick up excellent antiques, Tanghkas etc. Hunt for them in many stores in the main market.

j) You can also hire motorcycle in Leh for exploring the nearby places. Unless, you have driven in the hills, do not venture out.

k) Due to huge influx of tourists and limited number of ATMs, the machines may run out of cash or there may be long queues. Plan accordingly.

Glossary

Chai - Indian readymade spicy tea

Kancha - Boy in Nepali

Chortem - Stupa, a buddhist religious structure

Maha Vir Chakra - Second highest award for gallantry in War

Kargil and Siachin - Places in Kashmir where India and Pakistan have fought wars

Sindhu - Indian name for Indus river

Gompa - Bhudhhist Monastery

This is the third post in "Ladakh Diaries" series of nine posts in this blog. If you want to explore earlier/later posts - click on the link in this series, please click this link below. Clicking "older posts" at the end of the page will take you to previous posts in the series.

Ladakh Diaries - Our experiences in Ladakh

Did you like this post?  Please share the link using the buttons on sidebar. Do you need help in planning a trip to Leh and Ladakh? You are welcome to write to me at poorna62@gmail.com.

Happy to help.

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