Yatra : Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse

Samdruptse means in Bhutia language a wish fulfilling hill. This hill is a dormant volcano and the legend says that the Buddhist monks offer prayers to keep it calm. On the hilltop there is a 135ft high Guru Padmasambhava, Saint of Sikkim, statue which is highest in the world. From the hill the views of valleys down are supposed to be spectacular. Unfortunately that day it was too foggy and I couldn't see any views!

From parking a short walk up the hill took me to the monastery. The statue of Guru stood majestically with the moving clouds trying to hide it in vain. At times the visibility was better giving opportunity for some photography.

The place has very less human traffic. I was the only visitor apart from a monk who was praying doing pradakshina on the circular wooden platform at the base of the statue. The monk looks like an ant compared to the size of statue. Below the statue is the monastery.

The area around is a thick forest and is abundant in moths, birds and wild flowers.

282. Young Buddhist Monk at Ghoom Monatery

Darjeeling is a culturally diverse city. In Buddhist circuit Ghoom Monastery is one of the important which is 8KM from Darjeeling. The Maitreya Buddha statue is 15ft high.

In the picture is an young monk who was very friendly and good in selling the souvenirs.

281. Musical Pillars of Vijaya Vithala Temple, Hampi

Vijaya Vithala Temple is the most popular monument in Hampi. Its spectacular architecture makes this temple center point of Hampi attractions.

First, the temple is known for its extravagant architectural beauty. Second, the temple complex houses the world famous and most beautiful stone-chariot. Third, its architectural marvel, the richly carved giant monolithic musical pillars of the maha-mantapa. When tapped these pillars emitted musical tones! Unfortunately, tapping is prohibited to prevent further damage. I was told the pillars are damaged and are not functioning anymore.

There is an entrance fee plus camera fee.

280. Chhota orange vendor Pelling

The drive from Pelling to Yuksom was fantastic! On the way one of the passengers/fellow trekker wanted to relieve himself and the Scorpio stopped. Can't complain, it was freezing cold! At the halt I noticed a small boy aged around 7-9yrs was selling oranges in his summer clothes. I pulled out my camera for a picture. Soon the boy noticed me and my camera, he ran ... I felt sorry to chase the boy away! But, the boy returned with a (toy) gun in his small hand and posed as if he is firing in the air with a big grin on his face!

Bollywood influence!? Not sure which khan was his role model! or may be something else inspired him to like the gun.

279. Dragon image, Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa, Manali

Manali is home three monasteries. Newly built monasteries are well inside the town. The picture is the entrance of Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa. As usual colorful and artistic.

The colorful art makes even a dragon beautiful!

278. Torre dell'Orologio, Venice

The clock tower in the St. Mark's square, Venice is not like any other clock tower. Its unique Blue-White marble clock makes it very interesting. I had seen the clocks with only 12 hours but, this one is different!

The outer circle in white marble has 1-24 Roman numerals engraved on it to represent 24 hrs of the day. A golden pointer with image of Sun moves to indicate the hour of the day. The middle lighter blue circle has 12 zodiac signs in gold. This circle moves and indicates the position of sun in the zodiac. The golden center-point is Earth and the darker one is moon which are surrounded by stars.

277. Wild Iris, northern California coast

Iris is a beautiful flower that comes in different colors. Most common being deep blue-purple. I have seen pink and white ones also during my hikes in the wilderness of California. The wild ones are smaller than the hybrid ones.

In Salt Point state park on northern California coast I was trying to shoot camper-friendly Blue-Jays. They were demanding for food by screaming around! They lead me to a small lush field of iris on the coast. It was a beautiful  sight of spring. I had a zoom lens for Blue-jays and used it for a purple iris which gave an interesting composition of totally blurred background!

Backpacking in India: Namchi, South Sikkim

I was a long time wish to visit Sikkim ... when it seemed like happening I started planning ... planning very grand! Destinations, hikes, food and so on. I booked tickets to Siliguri and was dreaming about the Mt Kanchendzonga. Next day morning, that is 18th September 2011, I was watching news ... and there was a massive earthquake which reduced the north Sikkim villages to piles of debris. I felt so deeply for the people of Sikkim and also was extremely heart-broken thinking about my trip. I had hopes that army would do something quickly and the roads would open soon ... I didn't cancel my tickets praying that the destruction is not as bad as the media-videos and things would be back to normal soon. I kept on checking the updates on travel forums ... the news wasn't good still I went ahead with the mindset ... if I could do sightseeing then I would, otherwise I offer to volunteer helping affected people!

I was on a shared jeep from Darjeeling to Namchi. I was watching the greenery, the mountains, the valleys and the river ... thinking about the phone-conversations with my parents. They were not happy about me visiting Sikkim soon after the earthquake. It was a real struggle convincing them ... if at all I were to die ... the chances of dying in an earthquake in Sikkim were far less than dying in Bangalore traffic!! A sharp turn on the road woke me up. The girl sitting beside me gave a sweet smile indicating that it was okay ... I had leaned against her completely throwing all my weight at the turn.

I reached Jorethang which is a major connecting center for shared taxis. From here you will get  transportation anywhere  in Sikkim. I got off at Jorethang and hopped into another shared taxi to Namchi.

Namchi, meaning sky high, is a District Headquarters of South Sikkim district. Big status, but didn't seem even 10% of Jayanagar 4th block. One or two hotels I checked weren't either very clean, or there was no water, or I saw few drunk guys playing cards at reception. For the first time in my journey I felt a bit uneasy ... will I find a place to stay here? The one I checked next was good, right in the middle of popular Namchi Bazaar. With great views and totally clean, spotless white bed-linens and bathroom for Rs.800 per night. They didn't charge me for the fantastic morning cardamom tea!! And politely refused the room-service tip!!

I went around the Namchi Bazaar ... Namchi Bazaar is a short street lined with shops and a beautiful fountain. There is nothing much to do in Namchi. There is no bus service. I had to hire a private taxi for Rs.500. I went to Samdruptse, a wish fulfilling hill,  which is 7Km from Namchi. There is a monastery and a 135ft tall statue of Guru Padmasabhava on the hilltop. The thick fog was all around and masked away all the views. But, it had its own beauty. A lone monk was praying. Other than him there wasn't anybody else.

The place is moth-lovers paradise. I found around 25 types and took pictures of exotic-looking ones. On a careful scouting around one may find many many more. I had never thought moths could be so beautiful! I will have separate post on this a little later.

Unfortunately, the very popular Char Dham was closed. They were preparing for the inauguration of newly constructed temple extensions. I hear the place is really beautiful and grand. Well, may be in the next visit. As an alternative, I visited the Sai Mandir in Asangthang. It was another surprise. I kept wondering how could these people of small villages build such grand, palace-like temples!?! One has to see it to believe!

You might also want to read other posts in the series ...Click Here:)

276. Firoz Shah Kotla mosque, Delhi

It seems Jami Masjid in Firoz Shah Kotla, Delhi is one of the oldest and largest surviving mosques. Only the entrance and some walls are surviving. Royalties used this mosque for prayers.

275. Jallianwala Bagh painting, Amritsar

As the name indicates Jallianwala bagh is a public garden in the vicinity of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. The garden also houses a memorial of national importance. The memorial to commemorate the mass murder of innocent people who had gathered to celebrate Baisaki festival (regional new year). The garden is maintained by national memorial trust.

In the picture is a painting displayed in the mini museum at the memorial. The heaps of dead innocent people who were shot by British Army.

274. Horse sculpture, Piazza Della Signoria

Piazza Della Signoria is a city square in Florence. It is surrounded by beautiful medieval buildings and the statues, and packed totally with tourists. One can find the replica of David Michelangelo's masterpiece here.

There are so many more marble images of Roman history. The images of lions, horses accompanying the heroes are beautiful as well. In the picture is one of the horses pulling the chariot.

273. Rajasthani street musician

Rajasthan is not only popular for palaces and colorful textile. Rajasthani snake dance, music and puppetry is world famous.

I have seen many street performers in Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur. Most of them were playing violin like musical instrument. Though the violin doesn't look very fine but the music is melodious.This picture is from Jodhpur near Jaswant Thada.

Backpacking in India: Darjeeling

At 9:00AM I got into a shared taxi at Siliguri railway station. My destination was Darjeeling, West Bengal -The Honermooner's Paradise. I was in anticipation of many things. Green everywhere, mountains with cloud hats, tea gardens carpeting the rolling hills, waterfalls as embelishments, blue sky, cool breeze, hot green tea with a hint of lemon etc ... ah! I have read too many books! Mountains hiding behind the mist, grey sky, invisible valleys, relentless rain, worn out road ... was the reality during my visit in late October. We were driving on an uneven road with lots of water streaming down. Best part was ... I was enjoying it!

It reminded me of the trips I went with my Father in Mysore, BR Hills, Kyatarayanagudi, Nagarahole, Karapur and similar. I used be excited and looked forward to some unexpected adventure. Most of the times our vehicle got stuck in the slush with wild elephants grazing nearby. In Darjeeling, only difference was the absence of a feeling ... feeling of fear mixed with excitement! There were no elephants if at all the vehicle ditched us in Darjeeling rain!

I had never traveled in a TATA Sumo with 10 passengers excluding the driver. All of them strangers. Some were going for work, some were like me, some were locals ... but we all were there ... (forced to) sticking to each other. We had a stop for tea. The cardamom tea was real yum! But they served tea in a shot glass :) Then the journey continued. Later the road was much better and rain subdued.The taxi dropped me at the taxi stand from where I wandered to look for a hotel to stay. I went all the way up and then down to look for a budget hotel. Later settled for a non-budget place in the middle of the town paying Rs.1000 per night.

After freshening up I started to venture out ... booked a shared cab for Tiger Hill sunrise. Next orning I went running to the taxi stand from the hotel at 4:00AM to reach the summit of Tiger Hill to witness the sunrise over Magnificent Mt K. It was indeed stunning! What was more surprising was the crowd ... ocean of people and the cabs parked along the road for KMs ... People were shouting and laughing, smoking and shivering, just to watch golden Mt. K at sunrise.

After the breakfast I went to get a ticket for the Toy train. Didn't get one so took a picture.

Later visited Ava Art Gallery. Very impressive embroidery pictures. Amazing art! Well, then visited few monasteries. One of the important is Ghoom. Lovely place. Met a little-boy-monk who was very cute, articulate and helpful.

The Darjeeling Rock Gardens ... a garden around a natural waterfalls. Not very well maintained but still very beautiful and a serene place. I first thought of hiking down. But, then decided not to after going 4KM. The gardens are 10KM from the city and the road is very steep down the hill with lots of bends all the way. Hired a taxi for Rs. 600 to Rock Garden and Ghoom Monastery. I was glad I did that. It would have been a very very tough hike up otherwise, but very much doable! If you want to try take atleat 3 liters of water. Way down, the driver stopped at good view points and tea gardens.

The waterfalls is very impressive and the flower garden in steps up the stream, the terraced picnic areas attract the tourists. There is a cave shrine where one can see huge snakes, well they are not real :)

Next day I went walking up to see the Japanese peace pagoda. Beautiful structure measuring 28.5m in height and the diameter of 23m, in the midst of green was built under the guidance of a Japanese Buddhist monk. The stupa has stone images narrating stories and also the Buddha images ... infant, meditating, teaching and reclining. Very peaceful place.

Then ... shopping! Darjeeling is a nice place to shop and also window-shop! Then I reached the Chowrasta area. Some program was in progress. I sat on a bench and started watching people around. I saw everybody taking pictures of their loved ones in this pose or that pose, with this statue or that tree, with the new hat they bought etc. People were excited! A Mom wanted a picture with the horse! She stood beside one with her 5 yr old son. Dad took the picture, at that moment son looked away! Oh! Okay one more pic ... with a warning to the son not to look away. Well, this time Mom closed her eyes! Ohho! Okay one more ... guys please pose for picture properly ...

Much of the times in Darjeeling I was disappointed for not able to get good pictures. Be it the sporadic rain or the lousy grey sky, pictures looked dull. When I watched people crazily taking pictures a thought passed my mind ... Do we travel to gather photographs? Or Do we photograph to gather memories? I was thinking as I watched people. I thought of the recent trend ... people take pictures to post in their blogs or people share their experience by posting a picture on their blogs or Facebook :) 

You might also want to read other posts in the series ...Click Here:)

272. Venetian Mask, Piazza San Marco

Venice is popular for many things! One thing that comes to my mind is a mask! In our family social circle, whoever went on a Europe trip got a mask as a souvenir gift. As a child I used to wonder fancy things. Later I learned many stories about the masks from Venice! One day I was in Venice ... I saw mostly the carnival masks in souvenir shops though there are many other traditional masks available, like full face, eye etc.

Carnival masks are very colorful, shining and ornate. I too bought one which is now hanging on the board where all my travel trophies are. It must be fun to wear masks in carnivals!

271. Colorful pottery, Dilli Haat

Dilli Haat, one of the great places to spend time in Delhi. It is a crafts bazaar (market) in a mela (a gathering for festival) style. Things displayed here are really artistic and beautiful. It is nice to see them. There is an entrance fee. If you have a ticket for HOHO bus then one can enter the bazaar for free.

I saw many raw silk sarees and dress materials, jute items, kashmiri shawls and stoles, pottery, and much more.

There is a food court. Food from all regions of India is available. Nice huh? I don't know about the authenticity of the cuisine because unfortunately I didn't happen to taste the food here!

Worth a visit!

270. Sacred, wish fulfilling Khecheopalri Lake

Another sacred and wish fulfilling lake in India. The name of the lake translates to the palace of flying Yoginis. Located in West Sikkim district the lake is 34Km from Pelling, Sikkim.

From the high vantage point the lake looks like a foot-print it seems. And so, Buddhists say it is the footprint of Goddess Tara. And Hindus say it is the foot-print of Lord Shiva. Regardless, the foot-print is beautiful! :)

The place is very peaceful and is part of Buddhist pilgrim circuit. I loved a short walk from the parking to the lake through the woods.

The hotel receptionist, who provided me with tons of info about Sikkim, also provided info about the Buddhist legends associated with this lake.

269. Clyde Butcher Big Cypress Gallery, Florida

Clyde Butcher captured the nature's mysterious beauty in Black-and-white. Especially the beauty of Everglades is fantastic. There is a gallery called Big Cypress displays and sells the work of Clyde Butcher.

Soon after I visited Big Cypress gallery in Ochopee, Florida, the Ansel Adams in me kind of woke up! I wanted to shoot some pictures in B&W. This is the result :)

A butterfly from Key West Butterfly Sanctuary.

268. T-momo from Gangtok

At a small vegetarian restaurant at the end of M G Marg in Gangtok, Sikkim, I was waiting for my pick up order. Obviously momos. With great patience I was taking the cold that Sikkim had to offer in the month of November when the lights went off. Ah! The place was illuminated back again in around 5min I saw group of three women having something that interested me. I asked the person at the counter ... he pointed at a small paper sticking on the wall and said it is t-momo. I decided then t-momo would be my supper tomorrow.

Well, promptly I ordered t-momo which costed Rs.30 per plate.  Served with spicy potato curry t-momo was delicious. It is essentially the steamed rumali-roti folded artistically into a knot which tasted like steamed bun.

It is always nice to try out nice food!

267. Splendor of Golden Temple

The art work in the golden temple, Amritsar, is exquisite. The temple is covered with gilded copper. The plates are decorated with floral murals.The whole building is very grand.

In the picture is the archway at the entrance of the golden temple. Inside the temple there is a lot of beautiful mirror work where photography is prohibited.

266. Mustards from Napa

In late winter when the snowing stops and the rain sets in for a while. Cold but little sunshine, all festival discount sales and shopping season was over, winter photo-shoots in Yosemite was done, what else? I thought ... then the mustard! ... yes!

Wild mustard sprouts in the vineyards of Napa Valley, California, in late winter. At places the yellow mustard blankets the fields. Just in the picture in 2010. The light wasn't good that day and continuous drizzle was very annoying. Cold and hungry I was thinking of returning then was there little sunshine and took this picture.

265. Dalle Khorsani from Darjeeling Hills

Dalle Khorsani aka Cherry Pepper is a favorite chili pepper in Darjeeling Hills and Sikkim, for its moderate pungency and great aroma. It is listed as one of the souvenir items from Kalimpong.

This bright red, round pepper is of the size of cherry tomato and hence derives its name. It finds its use in pickles. It is a very good decorative vegetable! Cherry pepper halves are used in pasta. It is popularly used as a popper too.

I took this picture in Darjeeling market. I tasted the cherry pepper pickle in Sikkim. Just one pepper is enough for the whole meal!

264. Anjaneya Temple on Hemakuta Hill, Hampi

Hemakuta Hill in Hampi is popular for the Trikutachala (cluster of three) style temples. There are hundreds of monuments like temples, mantapas (pavilions) scattered on the hill.

There are two functioning temples here, one is Virupaksha Temple and the other is Anjaneya Temple. The later one is very small almost on the summit of Hemakuta hill. The Nag Champa (Plumeria) tree beside the temple makes a great scene during sunrise and sunset.

263. Mawsmai Caves, Cherrapunji

Mawsmai village is near Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, and the caves here are major attraction for tourists. The village also has the giant monoliths. The caves are made of limestone. The dripping water has created stalactites and stalagmites. At places both are joined to create pillars. Inside the cave is spacious and one can move around easily.

In the picture is a giant stalactite from a low ceiling almost touching the ground!

262. Light pole on the Jaipur street

Rajasthan is a sun-drenched state and one can see the sun and moon symbols everywhere in souvenir shops. The Rajput clans were based on three lineages, Surya (Sun), Chandra (moon) and Agni (Fire). Mainly we see the Sun symbol as the Rajput Logo.

In modern-day Rajasthan Sun symbols are even on the light poles. I took this picture in the pink -or- walled city of Jaipur market roads.

261. Darjeeling Toy Train

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, which is popularly known as Darjeeling toy train. Being listed under UNESCO World Heritage Sites it has a long history. It was completed in 1881.

Riding in this train was on top of my list but in November 2011 the train was not functioning for some reason. It was disappointing. The joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghoom was available but, tickets were sold out for weeks ahead! Sometimes it is very much necessary to plan ahead huh?!

260. Pickle from Sikkim

Sikkim is exotic. The landscape, Mt. K, the monasteries and food. Being vegetarian I didn't happen to experience the mega-dinner (as the hotel owner explained) of Sikkim but whatever little I had was exotic!

Here is the Sikkimese pickle. I tried this pickle of strange looking pods (or fleshy flowers?) even though I am not a pickle person. It was interesting, very sour. I was told that the pickle is made of nakima (local name in Nepali) or Tupistra nutans, a wild vegetable, specifically an inflorescence from Eastern Himalayas. Nakima (family Liliaceae) is a highly priced wild vegetable which is available in late summer upto 7000ft altitude. Man! pickles are made of fruits/vegetables other than mangoes or lemon or chili.

Travel is fun huh? Pushes you even taste pickle!!

259. Banjhankari Waterfalls Park, Gangtok

Banjhankari Waterfalls Park is one of the attractions near Gangtok. It is much better to visit this place than the permanent flower show which the travel agents include in the attractions list. This park is built around a beautiful cascading Banjhankari waterfalls. There are paved walkways, viewpoints, exhibits of tribal lifestyle etc.

In the picture is a garden sculpture of a dancing man with tribal attire. He also has a female partner who is not in the picture.

The garden is a very peaceful place. One can take Rumtek-Ranka-Banjhankari trip. The park has an entrance fee plus camera fee.

258. Sweet Corn soup in McLeod Ganj

My first visit to Himachal Pradesh was in late October. I had spent a week in Gujarat, few days in Rajasthan, Delhi and Amritsar before heading out to Himachal. Then I reach McLeod Ganj, the settlement wrapped up in thick clouds, in thinnest cotton clothes possible! Ahhhh! Wrong totally wrong!

The things saved me take this cold were steaming-hot-momos with red-hot-chili-sauce and hot-hot-sweet-corn-soup. Well, I do not have to tell much about sweet-corn soup! But, it is one of my favorites when it is NOT made very starchy!!

257. Roerich House, Naggar

Nicholas Roerich settled in Naggar with his wife and two sons. He lived here rest of his life. He founded the Himalayan Reseach Institute 'Uruswati'.

His son Svytoslav married Devika Rani, an Indian actress and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's great-grand-niece. She lived all her Roerich life in Tataguni estate in Bangalore. But, in India (per my knowledge) Roerich family is popular as Devika Rani's family. The popularity of the family increased after Devika Rani's death because both Indian and Russian Governments wanted the control of their property.

The Roerich house in Naggar is located on a nice hill and provides great views of the valley. The museum displays the paintings of Nicholas Roerich.

256. Common Groundsel, a wildflower from Sikkim

Walking on a trail amidst lush forests of Sikkim! The tiny wildflowers scattered like stars in the clear night's sky. There were many of them bright yellow, dark purple, red, white and orange. Visiting Sikkim in November was like missing out rhododendrons. Though these wildflowers weren't anywhere comparable they made my trail beautiful!

Common groundsel is a weed that grows all over the globe. It is a tiny flower with striking yellow color that stand out in the green!!

255. Sarswati Temple-2, Hampi

According to my sister I have an obsession over Hampi. She says I go on talking for hours. I think she is right! I am thinking of starting a series on Hampi!!

Unlike other temples in Hampi, the Saraswati Temple-2 (in the pic)  is compact and is built on a rock. No compound wall and no pillared mantapas surrounding it. On the way to Virupapura, ie where the popular Virupaksha temple is located, one can see this Saraswati temple-2 isolated and on high natural rock platform with blue sky in the background.

There is not much of literature available on this temple. And even the guides avoid questions on this temple :) Temple is non-functional and hence visited by very few tourists.

For some reason I like this temple. May be its seclusion and the way it looks from the road.

254. Ben Navis, The highest mountain in British Isles

Scotland is known for its sceneic beauty, the mountains, the valleys and the lakes, and the green ... In local language Ben is a mountain, Glen is a valley, and Loch is a lake! These were the few words I learnt while in Scotland and never forgot!

Ben Navis actually means Mountain with its head in clouds. It is the highest mountain (4,409ft) in British Isles, located close to Fort William. In my first visit to Scotland I did very short hikes here and there. Next visit will definitely include a picture of me on the summit of Ben Navis. Hoping that happens soon!