Trip Report Indian Himalaya trekking firms. Tapovan/Gaumukh?
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I can recommend the Carlton Hotel in Mussoorie for fans of Raj era comforts and very nice , helpful and attentive staff who are welcoming and warm. We met the matriarch of the house who was 17 at the time of partition and was visiting Mussooriefrom Lahore when the border was created and sealed shut.
It even has a gondola, used it to start a trek.Mountain Views . Mussoorie.
Did you know Uttarakhand state in India has skiing at Auli?
One can imagine tea and croquet on the lawn after shooting a cheetah in the jungle back in the 1920's.The back terrace was a great spot for breakfast eating omelettes and drinking chai with views of the snowy peaks in the distance.Last edited:
We headed back to Dehra Doon to catch the train to Delhi after 4 nights in Mussoorie.The taxi driver crucified the manual gear box taking the whole descent from the hill station in 4 th gear almost the whole way back to the Dehra Doon train station. It seems to be a Sub Cont. thing to drive manual cars as if they were automatic transmission vehicles. The sound of such gear boxes being tortured would have made some of us motorists rather concerned. Dehra Doon has become a picture of congestion, bedlam and urban decay. My late father went to the Royal Indian military college/ school there before the partition and it would be unrecognizable to him now.
It was still hot in Delhi and a bit humid too. Lodhi gardens are very pleasant and the old tombs of the former rulers of Delhi date back to the 1400's.
In the suburb of Greater Kailash 2 in Southern Delhi there is a Bengali enclave. It is like Little Kolkata. Their Durga Pooja festival was in full swing . It also rained that day which cleaned the dust out of the trees.
I took Ms. A. to the Bangla Sahib Sikh Gurdwara ( Sikh Temple). If you can't make it to Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple then this is the next best thing in Delhi. I was in native dress of course.
The next day we woke in Sri Lanka at Negombo Beach. It is nothing like the beaches at Wilson's Prom. or at Rottnest Island in W.A. which are way better but it was very hot, sticky, humid and rainy.
That was a constant factor in the week I experienced in Sri Lanka.
The IceBear Hotel is rather smart and right on the beach. It is owned by a Swiss chap. It is a bit pricey but the place is not shabby . Sri Lanka is more expensive to travel in than India is, even on a mid range budget . This is because inflation in the Island paradise that Sri Lanka fancies itself to be cancels any advantage one might obtain in the exchange rate from $AUD to SLR.
We somehow snuck into the Temple of the Tooth through back way ( we must worship the Buddha's tooth not Brian's sandal ;-P ).
People are usually subjected to security checks esp. since the Tamil Tigers set off a truck loaded with explosives some years back in an attempt to destroy the temple and kill loads of Sinhalese Buddhists.
Tamil style food appeals to me more than eating the Ubiquitous Egg Kottu dishes that are easily obtained and are freshly cooked in front of you.We had a good lunch at this spot in Kandy's town centre.
The voice of Maxwell Smart: "That is the second biggest Golden Buddha I have seen this week chief".
We went to visit the Buddhist cave temples at Dambulla Caves. There is a large Golden Buddha there. I had to pay something exorbitant like SLR 250 just use the loo. I was busting for a wee so I paid!.
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Kandy is cooler than other parts of SL that we visited because it is 500 M. ASL. Dambulla was like a steam cooker.Walking up the steps of the hill to the caves in the wet heat was taxing.
The Cave walls are also extensively decorated with Buddhist themed pictures.
It was busy with tourists including a bus load of 'Strines.
We moved onto stay at Sigiryia (spelling?) and made a day trip to Polonurwa( spelling?) , a former ancient capital city of SL.
The ruins are interesting and are very well spread out. We rented rubbish/shite bicycles to tour around the ruins in the intense humidity and enervating heat. It was a bit of a struggle to do this kind of sight seeing in such an equatorial climate.I have been to many tropical Asian countries so I knew what to expect.
I prefer the snow!!
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These Stupas( Buddhist monuments) are everywhere in Sri Lanka.Ruined examples of similar such structures can be found in Pakistan as well as in other countries in the Indian Sub Continent.
This colossal reclining Buddha carved out of a single rock is quite well known and is very popular with bus loads of tourists.
We missed a famous statue of some artistic and historical import which was a bit further out from the main ruins at Polonurwa( spelling?).It was so hot and sticky that we were fading by lunchtime.
So here is another shot of the huge reclining Buddha. It has been put under a huge tin roof to protect it from the harsh tropical climate.Last edited:
The next ancient world heritage place we went to was the Lion Rock at Sigiriya(spelling?).
We got to the ticket booth at 7 am to beat the heat and the crowds. They pack them in at this spot. The climb up the many steps to see the ruins of the city on top of a big rock was a sweaty job.
The most famous sight there is the Sigiriya (spelling?) frescoes of celestial maidens. Cameras are banned at that place where the paintings can be viewed on an overhanging rock wall.
It is one of the oldest ancient capitals of Sri Lanka and has the oldest remaining landscaped garden in Asia.
The layout of the whole complex at the Lion Rock is impressive and the view from the top is worth the effort to reach the top.
The ruins have been only partially excavated. More work remains to be done.
It would have been horrid to visit it when it was busier and hotter later in the day , esp. since it seemed to rain a lot each afternoon and evening.Last edited:
That’s what is needed at Island Bend ...upmarket “Ice Bear Hotel”that would surely draw the tourists to KNP.Team Bears say it looks splendid and has trees like we see in Yackandandah!Yes...no more freezing your butts off in winter.....an upmarket venue!The IceBear Hotel is rather smart and right on the beach. It is owned by a Swiss chap. It is a bit pricey but the place is not shabby . Sri Lanka is more expensive to travel in than India is, even on a mid range budget . This is because inflation in the Island paradise that Sri Lanka fancies itself to be cancels any advantage one might obtain in the exchange rate from $AUD to SLR.
The views from the top of the Lion Rock were extensive and being about 9 am it was clear and not rainy.Only the foundations of the King's quarters can be found now.
There were great views of the Central areas of Sri Lanka in every direction. There were plenty of other visitors there. It is said to be THE unmissable ancient site to visit in Sri Lanka.
Good to see that there are no crazy elevated walkways
in your pics as proposed for Mt Buffalo.
We like the work the dudes have done with the rock....the masions have carved steps and things into the rocks themselves.....pretty labour intensive stuff.
And nearly as many golden Buddha’s as Team Bears have picnic tables!
