Manipur was turning out to be a destination that would change my perception of the North-East. Exploring Imphal was a breeze; also because the weather was perfect after a downpour. I had a day and a half to spend at Loktak Lake and was totally clueless about it. As the shared taxi rolled into Moirang,…
Category: Nature Stays
Life on Loktak Lake, Manipur : A Photo Story
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…
Mateura Jari : Timeless Village in Parvati Valley
It had been a strange sort of a day in Parvati Valley. After having enjoyed solitude in Grahan, we had made our way to far away Kutla. The descent from Kutla and the subsequent arrival in Tosh, waiting in the rain in Barshaini and then wasting time in Kasol (in the dust and diesel fumes) had left…
Going Offbeat : Kutla in Parvati Valley
There are places that you make elaborate plans to visit and then end up visiting. And then there are places you rarely think about but destiny takes you there, and you can’t help but thank your stars for the random decisions and the twists and turns. Well, Kutla was one such place where we ended…
Life in a Secret Village : Near Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh
I was feeling feverish due to the sudden weather change in Parvati Valley (in May, of all seasons!) when I received a phone call inviting me to a previously unheard of village located close to Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) near Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh. It was afternoon and I was uncertain if I would…
Grahan Village Trek from Kasol : Happiness and More
I was returning to Parvati Valley in 2018 after a year long hiatus; chiefly because of the crowds that I’d seen around Kheerganga on an earlier trip. I must have thought of Kalga though when a trip was planned with friends. When we boarded our HRTC Himsuta Volvo from Delhi to Bhuntar, there was no…
Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal : Lakes of Kumaon
It was the summer of 2015 and I was in Kumaon’s Lake region where Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal lake are located. These pretty lakes all lie in close distance of each other and make for a welcome change from Nainital’s crowds. I’d arrived in Bhimtal after taking a ride from Almora and over the course of…
Kalga Village – 21st Century Shangri-La
Kasol was teeming with tourists and we were glad to have arrived in Barshaini in a bus. The clouds had laid down their welcome on a platter and it duly began raining; and for good reason too – we were inadvertently hiking to Kalga village! The original idea was to trek to Kheerganga but ominous…
Spending a Night Among the Clouds – Komic Monastery, Spiti Valley
Himachali locals say that I should be given a permanent citizenship in Himachal Pradesh! And when it comes to Lahaul & Spiti, my love knows no bounds. I’ve been guilty of not making individual blog posts on the high altitude villages of Spiti Valley but its never too late to start and I begin with Komic…
A Day in Patnitop : Memories & Photographs
Keeping the long weekend in mind, we had pre-booked our train from Jammu to Delhi. I was travelling with a friend and hence Patnitop seemed like a convenient option to spend a day. Even though I wondered with the availability of accommodation options, we still took a chance and randomly arrived in Patnitop around 1…
Sustainable Rural Tourism in Garhwal, Uttarakhand
For the uninitiated, Uttarakhand is divided into two regions; Kumaon & Garhwal. As some of you might know, Garhwal has been grappling with a problem of migration to the cities. So much so that it is not surprising to come across entire villages that have been abandoned in search of livelihood. And this is where…
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…
