-
Day 12: A true beauty in the himalayas, Simla
“Life is like a book; and those who don’t travel, read just a page of it” It was yet another night of getting into a connecting train and so, another night of interrupted rest. I got down at Ambala Cant station at 2am to get into my train to Kalka. This time, I got the […]
-
Day 11: In the summer town of Mussourie
“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G.K. Chesterton It was again a pre-dawn arrival at the station as I got down in Dehradun at 4am. The destination for the day was Mussourie, a famous summer destination in these parts of the country. Since I did not […]
-
Day 10: A lake above the clouds, Nainital
I woke up in the wee hours today as I had to get down at Moradabad station (For your information, Moradabad is the constituency of the former Indian cricket captian, Mohd. Azharuddin) from where I had to take a train to Kathgodam which is the nearest station to Nainital. I had planned for a waiting […]
-
Day 9: On a 36hr “travelling break”
After about a week’s travel, today, I woke up at my own time. No need for any hurry. No need to plan my day’s travel destinations. Just sit back, listen to my ipod, look at the world outside through the window, occasionally check or send mails. What more could I ask for. This was my […]
-
Day 8: Out of the clouds to Guwahati
“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark I experienced what Freya Stark said. It is indeed true. I woke up today morning far far away from my home, alone in this strange place called Shillong. It was a pleasant morning here. I […]
-
Day 7: In the rainiest place on earth, Cherrapunji
I woke in the morning as the train thundered through what seemed like a never ending bridge. That must have been the mighty river Bramhaputra. Though I had a confirmed birth, I was sleeping on 3/4th of the side upper berth. As I had expected my berth was occupied by others. This time, it was […]
-
Day 6: Deep into the Himalayas in Gangtok
I was woken up early in the morning at 5:30 by the morning alarm and I never wanted to get out of the blanket. It was quite cold outside but manageable. My underestimation of the summer temperatures in Darjeeling turned out to be pardonable. My destination for the day was Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim […]
-
Day 5: In the queen of hills, Darjeeling
I woke up early in the morning, somewhere in northern Bengal. It was only 5:30 but the sun was way up in the sky. When I looked outside, I felt as if I was back in Kerala. It was beautiful all around with lush green fields and trees. The train finally reached New Jalpaiguri. It […]
-
Day 4: In the grand old city of Kolkata
Very early in the morning, I was woken up by the coach attendant’s call that the train had reached Howrah. As I got down, I could see patches of water on the ground. Should be from the cyclone Aila that had lashed out in Bengal 48hrs back, I thought. And now that the cyclone had […]
-
Day 3: In the temple city of Bhubaneswar
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” I could see parched fields upto a long distance as I took my first look outside the window. The farmers were preparing the fields by ploughing and manuring early in the morning. […]