Botanical Garden - nostalgia and nature

I have grown up in Shibpur. But in the process of making a career I now live in Bangalore. In a short visit to my hometown on year end, I decided to visit the Botanical Garden. 

When young, Botanical Garden was a very common thing for us. 15 minutes on the cycle and you are there!! I have spent innumerable hours in this place with my parents, friends, boy friend. Countless number of picnics, school excursions etc. I should have ideally grown bored of this place. But every time I loved it more.

This time was no exception. Moreover it was after 15 years that I came here and this time I had my son with me. The Great Banyan Tree is still an object of wonder to me. The palm avenues, the nursery, the lakes everything brought back innumerable happy memories. Seeing the woodpeckers and babblers feed onto to some unknown fruit of an unknown plant was an experience worth the time spent. We sat on a bench under a tree and watched two parrots bringing food for their babies living in the tree trunk. The excitement on my son's face was the same that I had as a child. Took a stroll on the road at the side of the river and enjoyed the early morning view of the Ganges! 

Sad though that they have made a huge railing on the river bank blocking a bit of the view. Also I remember the trees had their names on them, which was missing this time. But overall the mist, the cold, my memories had all orchestrated to an amazing experience which is Botanical Garden to me!! 

Himalayas.. after a long time

"Payer tolae sorse" (a Bengali idiom meaning one who cannot settle at one place) - is what my friends call me considering my travel freak nature. During my yearly visit to Kolkata, I try to squeeze a short trip to somewhere close. This year our destination was North Bengal. As we could only spare 4-5 days, we planned to go to three places in North Bengal. Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Charkhole.

Kalimpong 

Padatik express which leaves from Sealdah station at 11:15 in the night took us to New Jalpaiguri the following morning. We had pre-booked a cab to take us to our hotel in Kalimpong. Kalimpong is about 60 km from the NJP, but considering the hilly road and the ascend it took almost 2 hours to reach our destination. Kalimpong is a busy hilly town. We decided to make it our base for tge first two days. We had booked The Kalimpong Park Hotel, located a little away from the proper town.

The ascend starts with Teesta accompanying us all through

The journey uphill was not very pleasant because of the bad road conditions. The roads in the mountains gets very narrow at times, making things very difficult for the driver. Adding to the woe is the bad condition of the road. There is a hydal power plant being built on Teesta, because of which truck loads of heavy materials were being transported to the plant location. This was one more reason for the congestion. But nothing could really dampen our spirit!! Our excitement was beyond measure as we enjoyed the view of the picturesque teesta and the mighty mountains.

Kalimpong Park Hotel is a neat place with a beautiful portico. You can stand there and see the entire ranges of mountains in-front of you. The hotel has two sections - The Heritage section and The new section. The heritage section, where we stayed,  had maintained the British world charm with wooded stairs, wooden flooring, similar kind of majestic furniture, fireplace and other accessories. From the window you can get a view of almost the whole of Kalimpong town and behind that is the vast range of mountains. When we reached our hotel we were greeted by a huge rainbow amidst the mountains which made us forget the tiring journey in a jiffy. 

The rainbow that greeted us

After we settled, we ordered lunch from the hotel. Here I must mention that the quantity of food given was quite a lot and it tasted yum as well. One noodles and one chopsuey was enough for 4 adults and,a child. Post lunch we took a walk down the road from the hotel. The town was crowded and congested with various shops displaying their products and alluring tourists. We strolled through the shops and finally settled in a roadside cafe for some lovely momos. After all you are never too full for a plate of momo!!!

Darjeeling 

The following day was a trip to Darjeeling. When I last went there I was around 15 and because I had fever I could not enjoy much. So this time I was the one most eexcited. We started from Kalimpong after breakfast. Kalimpong to Darjeeling is about 60 km though the hilly roads. The condition of the road was not great here as well.  As we approached Darjeeling the roads became narrow as both sides there were shops and restaurants. 

Ascending clouds

The weather was fantastic! It was a bit cloudy and as we moved up the hill we were being engulfed by the could! As a kid, whenever we visited Darjeeling, we used to look forward to this experience of travelling through the clouds!! My excitement this time was no less. Even my son was super excited to see clouds descend on us. On our way to the mall we stopped at the Batasia Loop. It is a covered area through which the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway passes. We waited to catch a glimpse of the train, enjoyed a hot cup of coffee in the chilly weather and started our onward journey. 

When we reached the Mall area it started raining. The weather became more cold and the mall was less congested because of the rain. We walked down to Gleanery's, a very famous restaurant for lunch. The view from Glenarys was awesome,  with the clouds covering half the town and half of it being sunny. Post lunch we strolled in the mall,  visited the curio shops, indulged in some binge shopping and then headed back to Kalimpong. It was late when we reached our hotel and we were all very tired but Darjeeling will be etched in my memory forever. 

A curio shop in Darjeeling

Charkhole and the way back

On day three we left Kalimpong and headed for Charkhole. Everyone warned us that the road to Charkhole is bad, but little did we know that 'bad' was actually an understatement!! There was actually no road, it was just boulders. No tar, no mud nothing. Lucky the driver was an expert otherwise we don't know what would have happened to us. A mere 30 km took us about 3 hours thanks to the road. But after that journey when we reached Charkhole it was amazing. It is a desolate village on top of a mountain. Not much crowd. Because of that it was very chilly. In October we were really shivering. The resort we chose was the last one on that road and so had an amazing view. The view of Kanchenzungha was amazing from here. There was no hindrance between us and the mountain. It seemed a lot nearer as if we can touch it with our hands. 

The resort is built over a large area with a main building, which had the dinning area and the office. Small cottages for the guests were lined up on one side of the compound. The other side had a nice garden and  the mountains. Unfortunately we had booked only one day in Charkhole. Would have loved to stay there for a day more. 

View of Kanchenzungha !!!

The way back deserves a mention. Again because of the roads. Someone in the resort informed our driver that there is a shorter way down to NJP. Little did we know that the shorter route is through a jungle and on no roads!!! It was a trail. A trail that got created by cars going up and down the hill. It was narrow that had there been a car from the other end we didn't know where to go. It was deserted. If our car had a break down the only option left to us would be to take our luggage and walk down. It was a journey of about 40-45 mins downhill but it made all of us scared to our wits end.

Loved the adventure though !!

Paradise revisited!

When daily routine gets into your nerves and you want a break from the regular home - office - home schedule, the best thing you can do is to pack your bags and head out. We decided to go to Goa this time. Though I have been to Goa multiple times, but the place never ceases to amaze me. Goa with its pristine beaches, laid back livelihood, the Portuguese architecture, the old roads and lots of greens around makes a perfect getaway from the mundane routine.

Doodh Sagar Falls

The popular belief is that the best time to explore Goa is during Christmas as it is not too hot and you can also enjoy the festivities. However, I prefer going during monsoon. To watch rain falling on the sea is an experience to cherish forever. This time as well we planned our trip in the month of August so that we can enjoy the rains there.After deciding that we will go by train, we booked our tickets in the Vasco Express. The overnight journey from Bangalore to Mudgaon, is relaxing like ay other train journey and the site of the Doodh Sagar Falls on the way is amazing. As it was raining, the water fall was in its full volume and looked breathtaking.

View of the Ghat Section from the Train

Walk down the lonely roads

Day 1 of our trip started the moment we got down from the train. We had booked a resort in South Goa, Hotel Kennilworth. We had pre booked a taxi to take us to the resort from the station. After the initial formalities, we were informed that it will be some time before we can occupy our rooms. My son who was super excited to go to the beach, dragged us out of the resort. We obliged as we were excited too!! A little controlled excitement that's all ! The beach was clean and well maintained. There was hardly anyone in the sea. Most of there were sitting on the beach enjoying the view. As all the kid's around my son also started playing with sand and water (the thing he loves most, to get dirty !). My husband and me also joined hands with him and forgot that it was way past lunch time and we were hungry. When we realised that we rushed to a nearby restaurant, Zeebop for lunch.

Beach neat Hotel Kennilworth

Zeebop is a beach shack near Kennilworth where people come down for drinks and meal. It is a little cost effective as compared to the food prices in Kennilworth. Post lunch we went back to the resort, got freshened up and then spend the entire afternoon in the beach. My son playing with sand and us staring at the sea and playing with him. After sunset we went out for a walk. It was only 7 in the evening and there were hardly anyone on the roads. We took a lazy stroll and then had dinner at a roadside restaurant before going back to the resort.

View from Dona Paula

Day 2, which was also my son's birthday, we hired a bike and decided to venture out different beaches. Our first stop was Panaji. We drove down the sides of the Mandavi river and halted at a small joint for coffee and some snacks. It had started raining in the meantime, which was one more reason why we went to the coffee joint. When the rain stopped, we started again and went to Dona Paula, Candolim, Calangute and Bagha. We also drove to Ford Aquada, however, the place was so crowded that we decided not to go inside. Came back to our resort after driving 180 km in a bike!! Evening we ordered a small cake for my celebrated my son's birthday in the our room and treated him with Pizza (his favourite) for dinner.

Vasco Station

Day 3 was more about lazying around. I was still enthusiastic to go out and have fun, but the other two decided against me and majority won! I still went out to the beach and spend the whole day out there reading. Though the sun was hot and blazing, but somehow it never makes me uncomfortable. Such is my love for the sea. As the sun went down, I pushed the other two out for a walk in the lonely roads followed by dinner.

Day 4 was all about packing and checking out. Finished our breakfast and boarded the cab which took us to the Vasco station. The station was not very crowded. As we waited for our train to arrive, we were already planning our next trip to GOA !!

Me, myself and...

Ideally, this should have been my first post in this page. But when I started writing, I realized that it's easier to write a travelogue than write something about myself.

About myself? Really? Sounds like the most dreaded interview question isn't it? And it is. The toughest thing to explain. Countless number of times did I type and delete this paragraph !! A mother, a professional in an IT company, a homemaker, it is quite a manic life. But inspite of all the rush, I somehow manage to notice the gulmohar blooming at the corner of the street or make some paper boats with my son to sail them in the small puddle after the rain. I am the "interested in all" kind!! From cooking to traveling, reading to photography, baking to gardening, I love it all.

Blogging is the newest addition in my ever growing list of interest. Almost halfway through my life, I thought that it wont be a bad idea to start my own blog. But the question is about what? Travelogue? Food blogging? Life at large? Finally I decided that I cannot stick to one thing. So this blog will be my experiences, as and when I feel like documenting them.

A fun day out !!

I think long weekends make us a little restless. Though we feel happy that we do not need to go to work, but we are at a loss about what we should do at home too. We are so tied up in this routine that the moment there is a change to it, we are lost. One such weekend was the last one, Friday being labour day was holiday for most of us, we decided to make a day's trip outside Bangalore. After a lot of various choices of where to go, we decided on the Jaladhama resort in Talakkad.

We started from Bangalore at 5:30 AM. A total of 9 people with 6 adults and 3 kids. Leaving Bangalore we took NICE road and then went through Kanakpura. The long twinning road seemed never ending when suddenly the road ended on the bank of a river. We parked our cars at the river bank and had to cross the river. On the other side of the rive was the resort Jaladhama. The excitement among the kids on the mere thought of riding on a speed boat was something amazing and to be treasured forever !!

 The group before crossing the river

 View of the river from the boat!!

The approach of the resort was nice. Lined with bamboo and other trees it gave a nice misty look. However, the maintenance was not that great. The room given to us to keep our luggage and for changing was also not properly kept. But we didn't pay much heed to that as we were there on a day trip and did not intend to stay.

After dumping our bags, we went out for a boating ride. As there were 9 of us in total, we took 2 pedal boats. 6 in one and my hubby, me and my kiddo in the other. My little one, declared himself as the captain of that boat and wanted to pedal. We had to concentrate more on him than on navigating the boat. So most of the time we stayed at one place in the middle of the river. The situation was the same in the other boat too. They had two kids there !! But the view was amazing. Only water and water all around. One side was our resort covered with trees, on the other side was the road leading to Chennai.

 The pathway in the resort

 Kids enjoying the trampoline

After about an hour in the boat we came back and engaged in various outdoor games. Basketball, badminton etc. The kids were happy jumping in the trampoline. They never got tired. The blazing sun, the scorching heat, nothing could tire them. They were happy playing and jumping. 

Lunch was served at 1:00 PM. The menu was decent and the taste of the food was really nice. We gulped our food down and then headed towards the most amazing and most awaited event of the day. The poooooooollll !!!!

We jumped in the pool around 2:00 PM and stayed there for 2 long hours. Everyone was brushing their swimming skills. Expert or not, they were just lost in their own world trying to swim. The kids stole the show here as well. With their floaters on, they were climbing the side of the pool and jumping into the water. Oh what fun was it !!

Around 4 when we finally decided to move out of the pool because the pool was getting too crowded, we were completely sloshed. There was no strength in us to even get up and dry our clothes. Somehow we picked ourselves up and had the evening tea they had to offer, crossed the river and got back in our cars. 

It was a long 4 hour journey back home, though tired, we were all happy that the day was well spent, in god company and lots of fun !!

 Boat Ride

 Games