Travel in India and eating in India. From Southern Kolkata to the Himalayan mountains of Sikkim. New Tourism, Culture, Lifestyle and Boutique Travel. Independent Guide to Travel in India.
As always my planning for this trip was haphazard and lazy. By booking flights less than 2 weeks in advance, without checking the VISA situation, I am left with a last minute scramble for a VISA. First I find for British Passport holders there is an excess fee for an Indian VISA Application. While Fanfan …
Himalayan food is a diverse and unique cuisine which covers all ends of the Himalayan borders and our journey brings us to the Indian side and the idyllic Sikkim region of the Himalayas. An area where Indian food is prominent yet local Himalayan food presides. The local staple dishes in Sikkim are no different to …
Arriving in Sri Lanka we had an exciting, independent itinerary of whale watching, island hopping and cinnamon farms. A fun packed 4 days on the Sri Lanka south coast. Problem is there is always an element of unpredictability with eco-tourism. Expectations of nature to behave. On this occasion it was unwilling to do so as …
For a stopover or short stay in Sri Lanka, there is a free 2-Day Sri Lanka Transit VISA on arrival. Very easy to organise. Turn up at the airport (Bandaranaike International Airport) and go direct to the VISA desk next to airport immigration and exit. If planning to stay longer than 2 days VISA should be …
On the 11th of April 2012 we were sitting beachside on the South Coast of Sri Lanka when an 8.6 magnitude quake rocked the Indian Ocean. We were in the remote village of Ahangama 3km from the city of Galle when the Sri Lanka tsunami warning sirens sounded across the region. We had just sat …
Our visit to Changu Lake was very much last minute, put together the night before with our driver, who wasn’t too keen on the journey. “I’ll try, but the roads were blocked today by landslides. It’s dangerous in rainy season”. “But things maybe better tomorrow”. So it’s early September in Sikkim, when the weather’s a …
My interest in travel to Tibet is not so much for the tourist stops in Lhasa, or even in the surrounding autonomous region itself. But more for the journey through the remote regions of the Himalayas and the mysterious Roof of the World. A region which is still somewhat contentious in parts, with 4 bordering …
Most visitors to Sikkim will arrive from either Bagdogra Airport, or NJP Train Station, both located just south in West Bengal. It take around 2 hours from both travelling to the hill station of Gangtok which is the popular destination in Sikkim and base for further travel. The taxi fair from Bagdogra airport was 1,200 …
While tea is rarely thought of in Southeast Asia it does exist with tea plantations often found in cooler climbs and mountainous regions bordering China in Northern Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. My most recent tea garden experience was in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand (left image) which admittedly was not the most exciting of experiences. To …
Unlike me, my dad has never been adventurous in eating. He is a man whose tried nothing new since the days his granny cooked for him. Since then no pizza, no pasta, no rice… ever. None of that foreign yuck. If he knew he had eaten Indian spice he would likely choke on his stew, …
