The Deodars Forests of Shimla

March 7th, 2010

Driving into the Himalayas foothills on a hot summer afternoon on my way to Shimla, I was feeling sapped after long hours of driving on a hot day. Yes, the weather pleasant when compared with Delhi and the valleys looked beautiful. But there seemed to be something lacking in the mountain scenery. The vegetation was shrubby and was frequently interrupted by patches of habitation. The mountain sun appeared strong and keen to burn my skin. The traffic on the highway was high enough that it did not feel very different from being in the plains. It was my first visit to these parts of the Himalayas and I longed to get to my destination quickly.

deodar trees

We steered off the highway near the small town of Kandaghat and took the detour to Chail, a villge once patronized by the Maharaja of Patiala. As we went further from the highway, the forest thickened and the valleys were void of buildings that are so ubiquitous along the Delhi-Shimla road. The trees started growing taller and the whole atmosphere started changing slowly. I started to feel better and anticipated the surroundings to appear more alive as we climbed higher into the mountains. A magic happened as we approached Chail.

In a sudden twist, the multitude of trees in the valley gave way to the uniform growth of dark green trees that grew more than a hundred feet high. They looked like soldiers standing erect in attention and waiting for orders on their next move. Each tree resembled the next, grew only as high as its neighbour as though they have a healthy agreement not to demand a greater share of sunlight, water and other vital resources. Despite their height, they stood very close to each other forming a forest so dense that one can’t walk through without stumbling into a trunk every alternate step. Direct sunlight never made it to the ground, except along the strip of road that slit the forest.

The deodars stood in an infectious harmony that calmed my mind and soothed my senses. I was no longer the irritant waiting to get somewhere, but was filled with a sense of joy and wished for the forest to continue forever. The weather too had improved dramatically, as the temperatures dipped and a gentle breeze caressed me as we glided up through the winding roads. The deodars gave me a sense of belonging with them and made me long to be with them.

I do not know if it is my penchant for these trees or if deodars possess a magic to attract. Years later, driving into Jageshwar, a small temple town in Uttarakhand, I was overcome by a similar feeling as we entered a thick deodar territory after hours of driving through pine country. The deodars seemed to calm me down and their presence made me feel elated. The tall trees, the thin lush grass that always grew under them, gently flowing brooks in the depressions and the immense silence always sedated my senses.

And here in Chail where I had my first brush with the deodars, all those cliched words associated with travel seemed to have materialized around me. I was overjoyed, my senses were carried away, I felt rejuvenated. It was like a brief brush with a Shangri-la.

The road further from Chail to Shimla kept me in a good mood as I stayed silent and watched the tall trees spread along the valley around me. Passing through Kufri and slowly descending into Shimla, I saw the densest pack of these soldiers taking over the slopes so steep that it would be impossible to walk on them without leaning on the deodars. I felt an urge to break free and vanish into their dense pack and stay rooted somewhere among them.

Arriving at Shimla after the long drive, I was surprised to see the city interspersed with patches of these deodar forests. For most visitors, the mall road and the ridge seem to define the hill station, but I soon found my own Shimla of quiet wooded lanes. The deodars kept me from branding Shimla as yet another bustling hill station. And each time I return to Shimla, I look forward to being among them, which give me a sense of belonging to these places.

Footloose February – Remaining Entries

February 28th, 2010

We started ‘Footloose February‘ early this month as a daily series of posts on our facebook page, where we posted some interesting tidbits about well known tourist destinations. Here is more from the series we have posted. See all the entries at out facebook fan page.

  • Tranquebar. 275km south of Chennai is this quiet village, also called Tarangambadi, which was once a bustling port owned by the Danes. They built a fort here and exported spices to Europe, until all the Danish settlements were transferred to the British in mid-19th century.
  • Sri Lanka. This too-beautiful-to-be-true country was rated #1 destination for 2010 by New York Times. It has some of the best beaches in the world. Unawatuna beach was rated as one of the best 10 beaches in the world by the Discovery Channel.
  • Konark. February is the month of celebrations in Konark with its annual Konark Dance & Music Festival. Started in 1986, 2010 marks the silver jubilee celebration of the festival. Lookout for the cultural extravaganza from 19th to 23rd February.
  • Dharamshala. Add some archaeological wonders to your Himalayan rendezvous in Dharamshala. An hour away from Dharamshala are 15 rock-cut temples, with the main shrine dedicated to Rama, Lakshmana and Seeta. The temple premise also offers the view of snow clad Dhauladhar mountains.
  • Chilka Lake. Chilka Lake is more known for its Olive Ridley Turtles than as a place to relax. But there is much more. It has a floating restaurant, a river cruise and a group of small islands at the southern end.
  • Coorg. Coorg is not just about nature, it has a unique history with many stories of passion and intrigue. The remains of its history are two palaces – one in Madikeri that is now a government office. Another one is the Nalknad Palace in the remote village of Kakkabe.
  • Nagaland. Touphema Tourist Village in Nagaland is a unique tourist center where people from each part of the village have setup an ethnic house with modern facilities for tourists to lodge. The village also boasts of organically grown foods. Come here to celebrate Angami Sekrenyi festival here during 25- 27th February every year.
  • Cherrapunjee. The place that was once known for maximum annual rainfall has more natural wonders. See plants that consume insects and bridges across streams that were built not by humans, but trees! It can’t get more intriguing.
  • Balasore/Balwswar. Balasore was an important maritime town in medieval times through the river Budhabalanga. Some portions of the town were occupied by the French and the Dutch and were named as “Farasidinga” and “Dinamardinga”. The ruins of the foreign possessions still exist.
  • Vizag. The Submarine Museum, ‘Smritika’ set up near the Vishakapatanam port, is located at the serene beach named the Rama Krishna Beach. The museum, opened in 2001 was converted from INS Kusura, a Russian built submarine. It is only one of its kinds in India and Asian continent.
  • Pachmarhi. The origins of Pachmarhi lies in the five ancient dwellings excavated in the sandstone rock in a low hill. Pachmarhi derives its name from these caves which, as the legend goes, once provided sanctuary to the five Pandav brothers. These caves are now protected monuments.
  • Wankaner. The palace st Wankaner is a hidden gem located 220km from Ahmedabad. Outside this beautiful structure is a clock tower that had fallen during an earthquake with the clock stuck at the precise minute of the tremor. The elegance of the palace is well kept by the beautiful Maharani Vibha, wh…o has created a little haven for lady travelers in the women’s wing of the palace. Maharani Vibha has even converted some of the rooms into suites in shades of pink and blue.
  • Badami, Lakkundi. A day-trip to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal may charm you with its architectural splendours, but imagine seeing a dozens of monuments in a nearby place where you see no tourists! The small village of Lakkundi, about an hour’s drive from Badami has more than a dozen temples, most of them nearly 800 years old!
  • Manali. An hour away from Manali is the small village of Naggar, which was home to famous Russian painter Nicholas Roerich. Roerich’s House is now a museum that showcase some of his finest paintings of the Himalayas. Naggar also has a 400-year old castle which is not a HPTDC Hotel.

Images – Hills of the South

February 26th, 2010

As the winter makes way to the hot days rather abruptly this year, here is a compilation of cooler and inviting places in the south for spending the summer in.

Avalance Lake, Ooty

Avalanche Lake near Ooty is a vast body of water with superb blue colours. It is an hour’s drive from Ooty and easily accessibly by road.

ooty waterfall

A small waterfall near Ooty. Driving around Ooty just after rainy season, you will see many such waterfalls gushing down from the hills.

kodaikanal hills

The misty hils surrounding Kodaikanal have a pleasant weather through the summer, making it an ideal place to spend summer holidays and weekends.

nandi hills near Bangalore

Nandi Hills, just two hours away from Bangalore can sometime be witness to a magical play of sun, fog and clouds.

irpu falls, coorg

The Irpu waterfall in Coorg is located inside an evergreen patch of forest. Laxmana Teertha River descending from the Brahmagiri Ranges abruptly falls down a rock surface, forming this waterfall.

chikmagalur

The winding roads of the hills near Chikmagalur are a treat to drive through.

hills of chikmagalur

The beautiful green hills surrounding Chikmagalur have some of the finest scenery that you can see in Karnataka.

New Travel Magazines in India

February 22nd, 2010

The launch of a few new travel magazines will give Indian travellers a lot more reading options in 2010.

India’s travel magazine space has been dominated by very few players for a long time. One look at the news-stands makes it evident that Outlook Traveller has remained a leading player with very little competition from other players. Yes, there are other magazines that have survived for a long time, but rarely seem to have made a pan-India presence and survived for a long period. There are many other magazines like India Today Travel Plus, Discover India, Incredible India that can be seen on the stands but never really gained popularity as Outlook Traveller did. Many have come and gone too, such as Go Now and Taste and Travel.

If the reaction to Lonely Planet’s recently launched travel magazine is anything to go by, Outlook Traveller may soon have some competition for the top position. I went from news stand to news stand asking for copies of Lonely Planet Magazine, only be told that they are all sold out. It is too early to speak of success, as it could just be an initial curiosity to a new launch from a well known publication. However, LP’s successful launch has indicated that it is going to be a contender for the top position.

Another major publisher that will be entering India soon is Conde Nast Traveller. Conde Nast is one of the reputed publications in the US, and Conde Nast Traveller is one of their popular magazines. CNT is known for its well researched stories that engage the keen reader, which may help it stand a cut above the rest. However, it still needs to be seen how their India edition will be.

At a time when most travel magazines are finding it tough to survive in the US and shutting down (National Geographic Adventure magazine was one of the recent victims), the trend seems to reversing in India. Just when these biggies are arriving in India, I am also seeing more travel related magazine hitting the stands. Among them is a magazine focuses exclusively on historical destinations. There are other magazines that have come out recently with focus on business travellers and Indians travelling abroad. A publishing house based in Delhi I know is on its way to launching a new magazine called Terrascape, which focuses on experiential travel articles.

It seems to be a boom time in Indian Travel Industry.

Featured Weekend Getaways from Mumbai

February 19th, 2010

Mumbaikars enjoy the unique position of being close to hills as well as the sea. Come summer, the hills of Lonavla and Khandala invite visitors to escape from the heat and humidty of the city. The sea beckons everyone in the winter when the weather is pleasant. Here is a list of featured weekend getaways from Mumbai.

Lonavala

Lonavala.
Beautiful hills, calm lakes, striking green valley, historic caves, silent forts and gushing waterfalls are just the few things which describe the natural beauty of Lonavala. This place is a nature’s bounty and is full of green splendor. Lying very close to Mumbai and Pune, this polite hill town has become a prominent weekend holiday for residents in these maddening cities. Lonavala is also very famous for its history as the Marathas fought guerrilla war against the Mughals and later the British here. Discovered by Sir Elphinstone in 1811, Lonavala is situated at an altitude of 625mt from the sea level, in the hills Sahyadri Hills that lie in the state of Maharashtra. Though the word Lonavala is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Layan’, the actual meaning of this word is ‘a series of resting places’. Thus, there are plenty of tourist attractions in and around Lonavala.. Read more and plan your trip to Lonavala

Alibag

Alibag. A small, idyllic town on the narrow strip of the Arabian Sea, at the southern tip of Mumbai, Alibagh or Alibaug, is fringed with tall coconut trees and golden sandy beaches lapped by the ocean. Apart from the quaint village houses, it also has farm houses of Mumbai’s affluent folk. Nearly 300 years old, Alibaug was founded in the 17th century by Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre, a naval chief of Shivaji’s kingdom. The Marathas made Alibagh a Taluka in 1852 and named it Shribag. Because Alibaug was not connected to the mainland by road at that time, the only way to get here was through the sea from Revas, Dharmtar or Mankule. However the construction of the Dharamtar Creek opened its doors to a wider public, connecting it to metros like Mumbai. A weekend getaway and a popular business centre today, Alibaug is frequented by affluent Mumbaiites, mostly to enjoy the beauty of the sea.. Read more and plan your trip to Alibag

Goa

Goa. Party, party, and more party. That’s not enough to describe how much you can party at Goa. The feni, the waves, the people… everything here is festive all year round, all day long. Romance on the soft sand and shop at the exciting bazaars here. Welcome to Goa. As you walk around the place, you cannot miss the colonial but recent past evident in the place, the people, the houses and, the language. Because of the Portuguese tyrants that ruled Goa, the culture of the place is different from the rest of India. The Portuguese got along their religion to Goa and forcefully converted the Hindus and Mohammedans in the area after the abolition of temples. Since then, Goa has adopted Christianity as a religion and culture. Read more and plan your trip to Goa.

Matheran

Matheran. Lusting greeneries, serene environments and unpolluted ambience Matheran is a fantastic tourist destination at a height of about 2516 feet above sea level in Maharashtra state of India. Matheran, the jungle on the top, was developed by British after it was located in 1850 by the British Officer Hugh Mallet, who was the Collector of Thane. This cool eco-friendly hill station is perfectly perched at the Matheran ranges of Sahyadri Mountains and the picturesque surroundings with eye catching attractions invite thousands of tourists every year to Matheran. This hill station has the unique distinction that the vehicles are banned from entering the hill station limits, keeping Matheran as an unpolluted tourist spot. Read more and plan your trip to Matheran.

Panchgani

Panchgani. Nestling between five hills in the Krishna valley, Panchgani (1,334 m) is flanked by the second highest volcanic mountain plateau in Asia on one side and jagged cliffs on the other. It is a neat, colonial-style town, cradled by green coastal plains and the River Krishna. This pretty hill-station in the Sahaydri hills is close to Pune and Mahabaleshwar. Read more and plan your trip to Panchgani.