Kuari Pass – A Gateway to Heaven
Sigh! I breathed heavily once again and wiped the beads of sweat off my face. My bag-pack was getting heavier by the minute. Lack of preparation for high...
Himalayas – Finding Ones Calling
Here is my take on the topic – Are mountains calling us or it’s ones calling which lead us to path of mountains.
"Mountains are calling and I...
My Bhutan Diaries: Pre-Bhutan Prep
Why do we travel?
My friend, Madhuri and I have always dreamt about running away: not from, but to the unexplored, the uncertain and the unconnected. (Cliché much?)...
My Bhutan Diaries – Day 1: 29th December, 2016
Why do we travel? :)
I didn’t have to try and wake up that morning, because I hadn’t slept the previous night. Yeah. I’d put myself in a Passport...
As trekkers return to Uttarakhand post-lockdown, COVID-19 caution makes for a quiet season in...
Anu Jain, a 54-year-old engineer, was among the first group of trekkers in Uttarakhand this year, after the state government relaxed travel norms to ‘unlock’ the tourism...
Walking down memory lane
It was the summer of 2009, when I had visited Manikaran for the very first time as a child and the effect it left was that of...
Satse – back to old times of mother’s childhood memories
During every summer holiday, I always visit Domkhar village (my maternal house) which is 60 km away from my village and 12kms from main city of Leh....
Lip-smacking dishes to try in Bhutan
Bhutanese Cuisine
South Asian food is all about flavour, flavour, and flavour! The spices, the chillies, the vegetables and the textural components—all create magic together. Be it India,...
Construction of Zojila tunnel starts. To reduce travel time from 3 hrs to 15...
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday launched the first blasting for construction related work at the 14.15 km Zojila tunnel, one of the longest in Asia, that...
Arunachal Pradesh to have Greenfield Airport at Hollongi
New Delhi , October 12 (ANI): Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the work of constructing a Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, 15 kms from Itanagar while...
Khalid Ahamed, Salman Elahi, Akanksha Grover Live to headline Musicathon 10.0 in Bir
The 10th edition of Musicathon, the much talked about two-day musical festival slated to be held this April will be graced by the talented pool of nine...
Entire village in Lahaul tests Covid positive
MANALI: All residents of Thorang village of Lahaul valley in Himachal Pradesh, barring 52-year-old Bhushan Thakur, have tested positive for Covid-19. The Lahaul-Spiti valley has become the worst-affected district in the...
“Tarballs” Detected in Himalayan Atmosphere
Some people refer to the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau as the “third pole” because the region has the largest reserve of glacial snow and ice outside of the north...
Meet Mountaineer Krushnaa Patil And Be Inspired By Her Summits
While the field of mountaineering in India has undergone a sea change with a new generation of young mountaineers scaling summits zealously, back in 2009, there were...
Why the mountains matter
Mountains are the most magnificent and majestic geographical features of the world. Be it the Andes in South America, the Alps in Europe or the mighty Himalayas...
A guide to visiting the snow-laden parts of North and East Sikkim
We, the city dwellers, have always been awe-struck by the mind-boggling confusion that has come to define us. And then we hear the voice that echoes from...
The Kasol Coming
The Kasol Coming
Little did I know about the place where I was about to step into, a new journey, a new start to self realization and most...
Universe is a balance of sins and beautiful things
I Woke up early on a sunny winter morning to explore the beautiful Nameri National Park. (Nameri National Park is located in the foothills of the Eastern...
Nepal, India discuss opening new air routes
KATHMANDU:
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) and Indian Embassy held a meeting today regarding new air entry points.
However, no fixed decision has been taken...
Fillip to reopen Sikkim trek trails for tourists
After about seven months of Covid-induced shutdown, tourism reopened in Sikkim on October 10
Trekking has resumed in Sikkim with the far-flung Uttarey village in West Sikkim recently...
Disaster or Development? China to tunnel beneath the Himalayas
Picture credit: QUARTZ
The mighty Mount Everest, or Sagarmatha (as the Nepalese call it), at an elevation of 8,850 meters is indisputably one of the hardest mountains to...
Tihar- A festival for all
At last it is the time of the year we all have been waiting for the whole year. Diwali is here!!! But this time with a twist....
Inside the World’s only Carbon Negative Country – Bhutan
Bhutan, often perceived as James Hilton’s real-life Shangri-La, is no ordinary place. Comfortably tucked between two of the world’s most populous countries, this landlocked, mountain-clad kingdom is...
My Nepal Story – from ABC to EBC – Part I (Chapter 3)
Proceeding - leaving all the butterflies, flowers and tall trees behind, the scenery is getting rougher and kind of desolate as we go on in the valley...
Path Less Travelled – Kareri Lake Trek
"The truth is, I can never die. For I will be in everything and see you in everything and watch over you. I am your reaction in...
Nako Village
Nako Village is located near the Indo-China Border in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is situated in the Kinnaur Valley Which is among one of the most beautiful...
Nepal plane crash: 21 bodies retrieved from site, says civil aviation authority
The wreckage of the crashed Tara Air aircraft located at Sanosware, Thasang-2, Mustang(Nepal Army/ANI)
The Tara Air plane with 22 people on board had taken off at 9.55...
In a Distant Country Sheltered By Mountains.
Tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people run from one point to another in search of tranquility in their lives.
So here I am, looking for some kind of escape from...
Bhutan’s Role in Eastern Himalayan Security Affairs.
In 2020, the clashes between Chinese and Indian security forces in the Galwan Valley and subsequent inter-State tensions between China and India came to dominate international headlines...
The Land of the Dawn Lit Mountains
When does Kaziranga ever disappoint?
The drive to Tawang, Arunachal from Dhemaji via Tezpur, Assam was one of my hardest yet most rewarding ones. The 8 districts spanning...
Melancholic delight
Chandratal Lake, Spiti Valley
Spiti brings to mind these lines from one of Pushkin's poems-
"'Tis time, my friend, 'tis time! the heart to peace aspires...
For long now it...
The Middle Land- 1
There are few plans one make which no matter how much you try to materialize, always falls apart at the last moment. For three years, I...
Festivals of Meghalaya: Behdienkhlam
Whenever I find myself in a new place, I take great pleasure in enquiring about the cultures and traditions associated with the place. Quite recently, I found...
Meghalaya: The abode of Clouds
My first trip ever solo trip was to 'The abode of Clouds' also called Meghalaya by Indians. A state so small but so rich in culture. A...
Peaceseeking in Dhampus
This year we decided to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday peacefully. The owner of the Sunrise hotel in Pokhara, Dhen, recommended this trip to us, he has thirty...
Wanderlust in my soul
This line from Tennyson's "Ulysses", always comes to mind whenever I set out on a trip.
"I cannot rest from travel; I will drink life to the lees".
Few...
Not Japan Or Paris, It’s India: Shillong Turns Pink As Cherry Blossoms Take Over...
Had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, many Indian travellers would have booked tickets to Shillong in Meghalaya which, at present, is looking like a painting with whimsical...
Scientists Warn Of Major Earthquake In Uttarakhand’s Dharchula Region
Scientists at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology have unearthed large concentrations of micro and moderate magnitude earthquakes in Uttarakhand's Dharchula region and adjoining areas of Kumaon Himalaya due to stress in...
India Gets Its First Glass Skywalk in Sikkim – Here’s All You Need to...
If you’ve ever dreamed about strolling on a glass skywalk, then you don’t need to spend a bomb to visit a foreign country to do so as...
SHYOK: THE HIDDEN VALLEY OF LADAKH
Once upon a time, traveling from Leh and after crossing the formidable Kardungla (at 18329 feet the highest motorable pass in the world), you could gain access to...
U’khand to sell local products under ‘Holy Himalayas’ brand name: CM
Dehradun: Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday announced that the state government is all set to start an umbrella brand ‘Holy Himalayas’ to promote the products...
Uttarakhand’s Only Elephant Reserve Now Denotified To Make Room For Dehradun Airport Expansion
In yet another case of the environment losing out in the fight between development and conservation, Uttarakhand is set to lose its only elephant reserve.
The Uttarakhand wildlife...
Rohtang Tunnel Leaves Filth In Its Wake
The worst fears of the strong-32,000 population at Lahaul-Spiti have come true. The heavy tourist influx following the opening of the Rohtang Tunnel has exposed the three...
My Nepal Story – from ABC to EBC – Part I (Chapter 1)
October 2012
After some, for me, really hard times in Germany, i started one day to this 3 week trekking tour around annapurna plus an extra week for...
My Bhutan Diaries Day 5 — 2nd January, 2017
Umm.. why exactly do we travel? :)
After three nights in Thimphu, we’re travelling to a new place, Punakha! We were up and out early today: 9:30 is early...
Measuring Mount Everest: a proud Nepali on his dangerous mission to the top of...
On reaching the peak of Mount Everest, climbers usually pose for photographs, fly their country’s flag, or just gaze at the majestic Himalayas.
Khim Lal Gautam, a surveyor...
Tungnath – Among the clouds
Flying high in the sky and nestled among the clouds are the Himalayas. So calm, muted, and soft in the lapse of which anybody is forced to...
Tata Literature Live! 2020: Ruskin Bond conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award for his prolific...
Celebrated author, columnist and short story writer Ruskin Bond was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Tata Literature Live! Mumbai Lit Fest on 21...
The Himalayan symphony
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Imagine the endless lush green fields stretching as far as your eyes can reach, the sharp pine trees guarding the gigantic mountains standing behind, the...
LAND OF THE THUNDER DRAGON—BHUTAN IN PICTURES
1.Land of the Thunder Dragon
Bhutan, fondly referred to as Land of the Thunder Dragon is a nation that leads by example. Besides the staggering natural beauty of...