Caper Travel India Blog

As a travel writer, I admire every bit of nature. While going through the all India travel guide in search of beauty, adventure, spirituality and relaxation – I came across Sikkim. Our Hindu religious texts have called Sikkim as ‘Indrakil’, which literally means ‘the garden of Lord Indra’. I arrived at Bagdora airport in north Bengal, 124 km from Sikkim. I covered the rest of the distance by a taxi. Most of the people use Nepali, Lepcha Bhutia, Limbu and English as their official languages here. Still I came across some Hindi loving people.

I admire crystal clear waterways, chirping birds, pleasing greenery with dew drops and Buddhist chantings throughout the journey. People consider it as their heaven. I was booked in Orange Village Resort in Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim. My room offered superb views of the magnificent mountains, lush green vegetation and beautiful rivers. As an explorer of food, I attacked rice and meat during my lunch. The waiter offered me a local drink ‘Chang’, which was of made from fermented millet. It was served in a bamboo container with a bamboo pipe. I spend the evening at leisure.

As my exploration started the very next day, I came across the market area. Shops were loaded with a wide variety of wood crafts, woollen carpets and blankets, jewellery, and famous paintings called ‘Thangkas’. My sightseeing started with ‘Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre’, which houses some of the world’s rarest religious scriptures, manuscripts and articles. Belonging to the Kagyud order, it has over 300 centres in the entire globe. Similarly, the Labrang and Pemayangste Monasteries are a few other popular ancient Buddhist centres.

Considering myself as a daredevil, I also enjoyed the famous Gangtok Ropeway. I spent a few minutes at the Ban Jhakri Falls and the Energy Park attached to it. After capturing various ethnic sculptures and figurines of the Jhakri culture in my camera, I enjoyed my lunch at a roadside restaurant.

Next I headed for Pelling to visit waterfalls, trek routes and tranquil aura around. The best part with the place was the splendid snow-clad Kanchenjunga peak. After a half day excursion to Pelling, I left for Yuksam – the first capital of Sikkim. It boasts of being the gateway to Shangri-La or Ney- Pemathang. I hired a guide there and enjoyed trekking to Tshoka-Dzongri-Goecha. I also paid a short visit to the 300 year old Dubdi monastery that houses of some of the ancient Buddhist manuscripts. I enjoyed the traditional Lu Khangthamo dance there. Up to this destination, I had started loving this north east paradise. I got back to my hotel to take a tight sleep. A lot was left behind to explore in Sikkim.

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Setting my heart and soul free from the ‘rat-race’ of urban life I was joyfully walking at the ‘slow pace’ of nature, feeling as if my soul had accomplished everything it wanted to. My every moment at this place was ‘rewarding’ and my heart was overflowing with joy. I was walking along the beach absorbing every bit of beauty. I was in Mahabalipuram- a city of difference, a city which cherishes its past, a city that is high-on natural beauty and architectural brilliance and a city cocooned in mythological significance. The peaceful and relaxed vibe of this beach town worked wonders for me. I was rejuvenated to the hilt.

The Shore Temple overlooking the Bay of Bengal was the first destination I visited. It is a World Heritage Site attracting tourists from across the globe. Set in a peaceful ambiance, it is one of the oldest stone temples of south India. Its glorious history dates back to the 8th century when the Pallavas, who were the great patrons of art and architecture, were ruling south India.

It is a five-storied structure with breathtaking sculptures which are extremely artistic and look very lively. Although it is not a living temple but it still retains its old-world charm. The other striking features of the temple are its two steep pyramidal towers capped by octagonal domes and the temple walls topped by sculptures of Nandi.

The temple complex houses three shrines of which two Shiva temples face east and west respectively. The third and the central shrine facing the sea on the east is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. There is a small temple in front of the main temple, which originally served as a porch. One of the sculptures, I liked very much, depicted goddess Durga on a lion with a small carved shrine( the lion has a small square-shaped cut in its belly). Really there is so much to explore and experience at this destination.

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With the rising tourist season, I planned a trip to Jaisalmer.

I’ve been to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and several other royal destinations in Rajasthan and witnessed grand forts, enthusiastic festivals and enchanting safaris. But Sand Dunes were completely an untouched element to me. As I arrived there, the city welcomed me with captivating beauty and joyful lifestyle of the locals. I relished traditional Rajasthani food in lunch and spent the entire day at leisure.

The very next morning, I started my picnic with a camel ride along with a guide. The guide took me to a small market area where several local people were shouting in high notes beckoning tourists to have a camel ride with them, quite similar to the rickshaw-walas in urban areas. One of them asked for Rs. 50 for a ride, which was quite affordable. But my guide, being a local person, immediately bargained and surprisingly fixed the same ride for me at just Rs. 20. That camel safari cum long drive in the deserts was amongst the most adventurous things I have ever done.

In the evening, I got into a camp with a group of tourists from Delhi only. There we all enjoyed several folk art performances and camp-fire. The next day was quite exciting as I headed for the Desert Festival. There I came across various cultural as well as fun activities such as camel races, folk dances, Mr. Desert contest and the interesting Turban tying contest. Being much excited, I too participated in the camel race and turban tying contest. As predicted, none of the two contests could bring me any prize. But I enjoyed my part. The celebration area was heavily crowded and cheerful.

I had enough of food specialties in the fair and bought a few handicrafts that were available at very economical rates. I had never thought that the barren areas of desert land could be so lively. What I observed was that people at Jaisalmer celebrate every moment of their life with great zeal.

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