Mussoorie

Located at a distance of 35kms from Dehradun, Mussoorie is a wonderful hill station in Uttaranchal at a height of 2000mts above sea level. It is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas and is known as the Queen of the Hills. 

Mussoorie derives its name from the plants of Mussoorie or shrub mansoor which are available in large quantities in this region. The history of Mussoorie dates back to 1825 when a shooting lodge was constructed jointly by Captain Young, an adventurous British military officer and Mr Shore the Superintendent of Revenues at Dehradun. 

Mussoorie Hill Station

The lush green hills, the varied flora and fauna and the majestic view of the Shivalik ranges and the Doon Valley attracts hundreds of tourists both domestic and international to Mussoorie each year. Mussoorie is famous not only for its scenic beauty but it has also developed into an important center of education and business. Mussoorie is also famous for the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration where officers are trained for the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service.

Mussoorie has several interesting tourist places like The Mall which extends from Cloud’s End in the west to Rockville in the east. The Mall gives you a feeling of the old world charm which is heightened by the presence of the Municipal garden, the Tibetan School and Home, and the National Academy of Administration. 

You can take time to enjoy the ropeway on the second highest peak of Mussoorie, the Gun Hill. It also gives a bird’s eye view of the town and the Doon school. You can get a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges from the Gun Hill. The wonderful 4km stretch from Kurli Bazaar to Library Point called the Came’s Back Rock is a superb experience whether you travel on horse back or simply walk. About 6 kms from Mussoorie on the Mussoorie- Jharipani Road is the beautiful Jharipani Falls. Childer’s Lodge is the highest peak of Mussoorie while the highest point is Lal Tibba from where you can get an exhilarating view of the snow-clad Himalayas. Surrounded by thick deodar forests, Cloud End is an ideal resort built in 1838 by a British major. Honeymooners and foreigners visit this place often. While in Mussoorie, you ust visit Kempty Falls which is 15kms from Mussoorie on way to Yamunotri, at an altitude of 4500ft.

Mussoorie is also known as the gateway to Yamunotri and Gangotri. The nearest railway station is Dehradun and the nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun. 

Mussoorie Weather - Mussoorie Climate Best Time to Visit

Mussoorie is a popular cool summer retreat in India. The climate is cool and pleasant all through the year here.

Summer Temperature : Minimum - 10C, Maximum - 30oC
Winter Temperature : Minimum - 1oC, Maximum - 10oC
Annual Rainfall : 180 cm
Snowfall in Mussoorie: End of December to Mid February.

• Summers (April to June) in Mussoorie: remain very favorable. Because of its high altitude, the hill resort escapes the extreme heat of summer season. The temperature rises to a maximum of 30oC and the minimum temperature is recorded at 10oC during this season. Light woolens are advisable during this season.
• Generally winters (late October to mid- February) in Mussoorie: are very cold and spine-chilling. The mercury level may drop down to a minimum of 1oC during the nights. Days remain slightly foggy, with the sun being mild and placid. The temperature reaches to a maximum of 10oC during the daytime. Sometimes, occasional snowfall might lead to road-blocks in winters.
• Monsoons in Mussoorie: The place experiences heavy downpour during the monsoon season (July to September). It makes the roads unsuitable for trekking and driving. The sky attains a mauvish tinge and mountains remain covered with sheets of mist. With the onset of the spring season in end-September, the place reaches its apogee of beauty.

Best Time to Visit : Best season to go Mussoorie is March to June and September to November. Summers are the best times to have trekking, rock climbing and camping.

- See more at: http://www.euttaranchal.com/tourism/mussoorie.php#sthash.ON83kFPv.dpuf

Ladakh

 

Im yet to recover from my trip to Leh-Ladakh and the pictures are still stored in the memory card. But a quick post to recollect some of Sharath's and my great Ladakhi moments.

The first thing that stays in my mind are the images of the mountains when the flight lands in Leh. You can see lakes, monasteries and some great landscapes, but as the flight scoops down the mountains take your breath away.

The next thing that I recall is my trip to Panggong. Many swear by Tso Moriri, but I loved Panggong. We even pitched our own tents and stayed in a wonderful place by the lake which kept changing its colours.

 

I liked Hemis and Stakna to Thikshey and Shey. But the view from the Shanti Stupa is one of the best

I loved the apricot fruits that I had in Hundar. The landscape in Nubra valley was one of the best, with its white sands as we went to Sumur and back

 

The sighting of black necked cranes. A beautiful bird and it was quite unusual to see them at Panggong where we did get to see a closer view than in Tso Kar.

The marmots - adorable . The first time I saw them with their back to me, I mistook them to be a rock.

Good food in most of the places, but I really enjoyed the veg momos prepared by Dorjee , our cook at Panggong and the Alu Paratha at a punjabi dhaba at upshi. And my best meal was puris and daal in the mountains after Changla pass enroute to panggong.

The rivers followed us everywhere, but the confluence of the Zanskar and Indus stays in my mind.

The night sky at tsomoriri..even at 2*C, watching the lake bathed in moonlight was a delight.

The Ladakhi festival. The inaugural procession which went past my guest house, the colours, the music(Im sold on ladakhi music) and the people, most importantly, our driver and friend, Dorjee who saved us from getting stuck from the snowstorm past Tanglangla.

Butterfly..

I was in the forests of Nilgiris , birding and butterflying a few weeks ago..some of these virgin tracts are really virgin..I wish I could go back there- this is the picture of the southern birdwing , the largest butterfly in India . 

Ooty

Ooty is popularly known as the queen of hill stations. It is officially 
known as Udhagamandalam and is one of the most famous tourist 
destinations in Tamilnadu. With its scenic beauty and brilliant climate,
 Ooty forms a perfect summer getaway. Nestled in the lap of the Nilgiris, 
the hill resort presents excellent views of the mountain ranges. T
he Nilgiri range is a beautiful mountain range that is a part of the 
western ghat. It is older than the Himalayas.
Ooty tourism forms a major part of tourism of the Nilgiri region. 
Ooty is famous for its tea. Lofty mountains, dense forest, 
expansive grasslands and miles of tea estates greet tourists 
almost everywhere in Ooty. The tea and tourism festival is 
one of the major tourist attractions in Ooty. 

Ooty has its origin dating back to 1817 during the British rule. 
The region is full of sky scrapping mountains and as you climb
 higher you actually travel through clouds lingering on the edge o
f the mountains. Traveling through the hair-pin bend roads is 
another experience altogether. Lakes, mountains, palaces, hills, 
water falls, gardens, you name it and you have it here. The place 
is an ideal tourist spot where you can loose yourself to fishing, 
loitering, sightseeing, playing golf and tennis.
Some of the major tourist sites in Ooty are the Cairn hills, 
the Dodda Betta peak, the Tiger hills, the Arronmore Palace, 
the Awnandale palace, the botanical garden, the thread garden, 
the boat house lake, the Ketti Valley view, the rose garden, 
the Kandal cross shrine, the Kalhatty water falls, the Ooty 
museum and the Mudumalai wild life sanctuary.

Ooty is easily accessible by railways. Trains connect Coimbatore with 
\almost all the major cities in India. From Coimbatore you get Nilgiri 
mountain trains popularly known as toy trains, till Ooty. The hill resort is 
around 535 kilometers away from Chennai. Ooty has good road systems 
that connect it to the rest of the country. There are regular bus services 
from Bangalore, Tirupati, Mysore, Coimbatore and many other nearby places. 
The nearest airport is in Coimbatore.

Being a major tourist spot, Ooty provides world class accommodation facilities. 
Hotels in the hill resort can be categorized into luxury hotels, budget hotels, 
resorts, lodges and inns. All major tour packages of Ooty include accommodation facilities. 

Mountain Trial

Mountain Trail is easily accessible by road, and can be made the hub from where you set out to explore the tourist spots in and around Munnar, of which there are many. Mountain Trail will arrange transport and knowledgeable guides to show you everything there’s to be seen in Munnar. There’s

ample parking space at the resort and rest rooms for drivers. The next time you plan a trip to Munnar, make sure you stay at Mountain Trail. You’ll wish you could stay on for ever
.

Driving down the Coromandel Coast - Part 3

Driving down the Coromandel Coast - Part 3

We are back at the coastline as I bring you the last leg of my journey
down the Coromandel Coast . A quick recap here for those who have
 just joined me on the trail.We left Chennai and drove down to Sadras
in Part 1 and then we continued towards Pondicherry where we crossed
Alamparai and the salt fields at Marrakkanam in Part 2. I now bring you
guys back to the coastline where we will visit more erstwhile colonies
of the colonial era.


The traffic shakes us out of our reverie as we continue towards Cuddalore,
 an ancient port which wears the mask of an industrial town. We leave the
 bustling town and delve into the past. The old town presents itself, boasting
 of a Roman connection. But in Cuddalore, was the very foundation of the
East India Company .The seas have witnessed battles fought between the
arch rivals here .We skim through layers of history and learn that Fort St David,
an erstwhile fort on the banks of the river Gadilam was the headquarters of the
British before Fort St George in Chennai took over. A passer by tells us that this
fort was under the control of the Marathas and it was later on bought over by the British .
The story goes that the purchase was decided based on a shot from a gun.
The area which came under the range of the canon included the entire town
and Cuddalore became a British settlement.


We move on as canons echo in our ears as we take another detour to
enter a crowded town.“ This is where the Parangis stayed , so its called
 Parangipettai,” says a school teacher with whom we have a cup of tea at a
 local stall.” In Tamil, Europeans are called Parangis, but this small port is a
 trade centre for the Arabs and the Yemenis. Parangipettai or Porto Novo as
 it was called by the Portuguese was also colonized by the Dutch and English .
 I couldn’t find any ruins here, but I heard that the Nawab of Arcot minted the
Porto Novo Pagoda, the gold coins from here. I leave another noisy town and
 move on towards Tranquebar or Tharangambadi.


The breeze lifts our spirits. We know we are getting there. The roads
get narrower as we finally get to hear the music from the sea shore.
Tharangambadi means just that – the town of the singing waves. And
as we walk towards the waters, the lilting tune haunts us. The waves
gently stroke the rocks which seem to be a remnant of an old wall. The
beach is littered with colourful boats .The nets are scattered as the kids
 run around. A big Indian family jump on to a boat and take pictures , while
a few enjoy a swim. Couples stroll around as I watch the skies come alive
 with the evening colours .


Tharangambadi or Tranquebar (Trankebar) as this Danish settlement
 was called found its way in the history map in the 17th century when the
 Danish East India company built the Fort Dansborg . Today the fort , with
 a Scandinavian feel about it opens out into the sea and is now a museum
 that tells a story of a busy port which has now become a wind blown village.


We take a heritage walk with Asai, an architect from INTACH who are
doing their bit to preserve the unique architecture here which is a blend
 of European and Indian styles. When we enter the portals through the “ “
Landporten” or the town gate, we walk into a past that has a washed out
 charm. The gateway sports the Danish Royal seal and leads us through
a row of colonial bungalows and ancient churches.


Asai takes us on a historic trail. He says that in 1620, a Danish fleet
landed here and the captain identified it as a strategic trading centre.
The village was then ruled by the Nayaks from Thanjavur . A deal was
struck between the king, Vijaya raghunatha and the Danish admiral Ove
Gjedde. A small strip of an insignificant fishing hamlet was leased from
the king for an annual rent of Rs 3111 and Trankebar was created with
 the Dansborg Fort built right in the centre of it. While the Danes traded
in spices and silks it was finally sold to the British for Rs 12.5 lakhs in 1845 .


The quaint streetscapes lend an old world charm. We walk down the
 small bylanes called King street, Queen Street, Goldsmith Street where
 buildings have been restored. “To begin with the bungalows of the British
 Collector and the Danish Governor ,” says Asai pointing to the Bungalow
on the Beach which is now a sprawling mansion overlooking the beach.
 “The latter is next on our agenda,” he adds.
The tsunami he says swallowed close to four streets in this lost forgotten
town and he takes us to see the ravaged Masilamani Nathar temple, the
oldest monument that has survived in Tranquebar, An inscription says that
this partially eroded temple was built on a land granted by King Maravarman
Kulasekara Pandian in 1306. The village was then referred to as
Kulashekarapattinam or Thayangambadi.

We walk with Asai to the 18th century Zion Church, the oldest protestant
church of India . The New Jerusalem Church, he says was built a bit later
by german missionaries Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Pluetschau
who translated the Bible into tamil . The trail ends near the beach as we see
 many tattered monuments waiting to be restored.


It is dusk and the melody from the waves reach a crescendo. We sit on the
 rocks and watch the sun set sipping a hot ginger tea when I hear a haunting
 tune from the past. The little snippets of history from these forgotten ports play
in my mind. The passage of time may have eroded their identity and they may
have slowly faded away from the political maps , but the glory of these long lost
 towns would probably never fade away . Its hidden , waiting to be discovered…

Thanks for joining me in this journey. It would be wonderful of you
 travelled with us as well.Travelwise, managed by Arun and I will soon be
 doing a trail in Tamil Nadu. Windows and Aisles, the inflight magazine of
 Paramount Airlines published this story in their December issue.

Kaziranga Sanctuary- Chasing a rhino on an elephant back

Kaziranga Sanctuary- Chasing a rhino on an elephant back

Chronologically this trip should be featured along with my Arunachal pradesh post .We were driving back from Tawang to Tezpur and went to kaziranga for a few days before returning home . And the highlight of the trip is the early morning safari on an elephant back

Now that , I call is an experience . Its dark and misty . If you are sleepy, you can easily mistake a tree for an elephant or a rhino . We are a motley crowd of wild life enthusiasts across the country who dont know each other and make polite conversation in the early hours , waiting for the elephants . A herd soon gathers including a couple of calves who totter beside their mothers and insist on meeting the rhinos

We mount the elephants and we are now almost as tall as the grass ...is that why they are called elephant grass ? I wouldnt know ..The tall dry grass - some of them have been burnt are tickling us as we cut through them . Its still dark and the expedition is almost surreal like ..The silence is mesmerising except for the rustle of the grass and then , there is a hush ...

A rhino stares at the elephant and poses for the camera. I alternated
between the handy cam and the camera when suddenly there is chaos.
The rhino charges at the elephant which in turn strikes back with a trumpet
 almost throwing all of us down; but for the mahout who holds on to the
 elephant..another rustle and its all over in a jiffy and the expedition continues
..We saw more rhinos , these well behaved and a few birds and bisons
 before returning .

Located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra , Kaziranga is home
to the one horned Indian rhino .Over a 1000 live in this sanctuary along
with elephants, bisons and some wonderful species of birds .Stretching
over 400 sq feet of area, the sanctuary is divided into three zones and you
can spend your entire day travelling from one to another and going on safaris .


For bird watchers , this place is awesome... Im quite a novice in this
space and often had to look at Dr Salim Ali's guilde to understand the
 species ...from the pallas fishing eagle to the brahminy kite , to turle
 doves to migratory water birds, we were in for a treat

We went in the evening again on a jeep safari and chanced upon
some more rhinos grazing .Its surprising that these burly fellows are
 vegetarians and they look as mild as sheep , except when they chance
 upon some elephants .


I didnt have enough of kaziranga and in my next trip, I planned to go
 to Manas as well ..maybe I will have some better pictures in my gallery
then and will learn more about birds as well .

Getting there
Kaziranga is in Assam and Jorhat is one the closest points (84 kms)
if you are travelling by rail . My suggestion would be to get to Guwahati
and drive down from there . The distance will be about 217 kms .
The main gate is at Kohara and there are several resorts around the place.
My suggestion would be Bon habi Resort though Wild Grass resport is one
of the oldest around there ...there are several others which may suit your
 budget as well .

Best time to visit
November to March . During the monsoons the Brahmaputra floods
the entire sanctuary and all animals are forced to move within .