If I ever made a list : Top 10 Experiences in India; it would have to include Loktak Lake in it. It is a unique eco-system with floating phumdis (land mass) on the lake housing moving homes. I know it sounds superficial or too good to be true; but thats exactly what this jewel in…
Category: North East India
Places to Visit in Imphal : My Experiences
It had been pouring down in Kohima and I was trying to somehow get to Imphal! After having had my fill of rice wine during the Hornbill Festival near Kohima in Nagaland; I had to reach Imphal (in Manipur) because my flight was booked from Imphal airport. After standing in the rain for over 2…
Photo Story : Snapshots from Tawang Festival
An icy breeze blew as we reached Sela Pass (Se La) and the words ‘Welcome to Tawang’ dangled on the signboard. The prayer flags made a vociferous sound with the dramatic landscapes and little snowflakes fell from the clouds as we wandered around Sela lake. The lake was a sizeable waterbody just after crossing the…
Cherry Blossoms in Nagaland, India
After a lucky ride to get to Pfutsero in Phek district (what? where’s that!) of Nagaland, and sleeping soundly in the tourist home, we were roaming around town. I’d spotted a nice green valley and we were all keen on just walking around and knowing more about life in rural Nagaland. Then someone threw the…
Stunning Beauty of Umngot River in Dawki & Shnongpdeng
It was already 3 in the afternoon. The days end early in the north-east. Not one vehicle stopped for what seemed like an eternity. Then a cab slowly came to a halt; I ran toward the driver. I asked him ‘Dawki’; he didn’t understand it. Turned out that he knew neither hindi or english; but…
Chasing Tranquility in Majuli island
I figured that it was quite easy to reach Majuli island from Guwahati and reached Khanapara early in the morning. The locals pointed me towards shared transport from Guwahati to Jorhat and I was pleasantly surprised to find a good seat which cost only 300 Rupees. The route from Guwahati was suggested as the easiest…
Two Days in A Paradise called Nongriat
After reaching Nongriat in the dark, the first place that we went to was the Community Guest House on the left just before the double decker bridge. It is also called Nongriat Village Guest House and is the first place that comes upon reaching the village. The price asked was 200 Rupees per person and…
Trekking the Offbeat Trail from Nohkalikai Falls to Nongriat, in Meghalaya
After a short food stop in Shillong, I went to the taxi stand near Anjali Hall and was surprised to see huge buildings with a sea of yellow painted taxis. As with most journeys, I was travelling solo in Meghalaya and other parts of the North East and was trying to get a shared taxi…
A Mixed Experience – Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh
It was my first trip to the Northeast in February 2017, and immediately someone had thrown up the name Mechuka at me (Also called Menchuka). I was told by my acquaintances in Guwahati to reach Dibrugarh and then make my way to Aalo (Along) and then Mechuka. As regular readers of Travelshoebum might know, planned…
A Backpacking Guide to Meghalaya
I explored a few parts of North East India in February; my journey started from Guwahati and continued around parts of Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. In money terms, I spent on an average 800 Rupees per day including all expenses. Out of these I thought Meghalaya was really easy to navigate and being in close proximity to…
Photo Story from Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
The villagers of Majuli were brilliant with the suggestion of the shortcut of reaching North Lakhimpur in Assam. It was essential for me to get to North Lakhimpur to procure a permit for travel in Arunachal Pradesh and somehow find a shared taxi (sumo) for making my way to Ziro Valley. I was lucky to be…
First impressions of Sikkim
Sikkim is the second smallest state of our country and arguably the most visited on the Eastern side of India. From one of the highest mountain peaks in the world, the towering Kanchendzonga (Kanchenjunga), to virgin tropical forests and sanctuaries, from alpine meadows to rushing streams, rivers and waterfalls – Sikkim had me hooked at first…