2014 in review

     Travel and visiting new places, knowing new people & cultures continued to be of my interest in 2014.We started off the year with a trip to Bhigwan in February to see different birds, especially Flamingos. As it was our first trip here, we were amazed by seeing so many birds and also the professional attitude and love towards nature by Sandeep Nagare and his boys. 

Sikkim- Places we visited

     After this wonderful trip, we went to Sikkim in May. Devshri wanted to go out before she dived into her 10th std preparations. We went through Veena World. Our tour guide - Shabbir Gabajiwala (from Mumbai) had made interesting choices. After making a career out of interior designing, he shifted his career to tours and travels at the age of 40 because it was his true passion. Hats off to him for making this risky mid life course change. I am sure he'll enjoy life much more and make progress. Sikkim is not a frequently visited place, but it is a fantastic Himalayan destination with its magnificent peak Khanchedzonga never out of sight (unless the weather isn't clear). It is the 3rd tallest peak in the world. Majestic mountains, lush green trees, roaring waterfalls and amazingly friendly people defined this region. We were lucky to see the Rhododendron flower, for which you have to be at the right altitude at right time. Buddhism seemed wide spread with many peaceful monasteries and monks. I  started to develop a liking to these monasteries for their calm atmosphere. Being a border state with China, the Indian army is never out of sight. We visited the Nathu-la (pass) which is an entry point into China with an altitude of 15000 feet.

Prayer wheels at a Monastery 

Gangtok - Sikkim

Rhododendron - Sikkim state flower

Khangchendzonga - 3rd highest peak

Thosegar near Satara

     There after, me and Devshri made a monsoon trip to Thosegar falls. Some father-daughter quality time. This is a fabulous local attraction, especially in the monsoons. Caught some nice photographs there and also saw the windmills in the area.

Thoseghar Waterfall

Windmill at Chalkewadi

Chalkewadi

Falls from Chalkewadi

     In November me and Asawari went to McLeod Ganj (near Dharamshala). This is the capital in exile for Tibet. Official residence of HH Dalai Lama. We had come here to do some meditation at Tushita center and generally to relax. Both of us were keeping quite a hectic schedule this year and thus needed a break. 

Dharamsala, McLeod Ganj

We stayed in a home stay called "Chocolate Log", owned by Sheryl Hampton and her husband who had retired as an Indian airforce fighter pilot. Great couple to talk to and had a life time of experience to share. Once again, Sheryl's story was about how she transitioned from being a school teacher to a patisserie owner- a successful entrepreneur. For help at the estate and the cake shop she had a young man- Ronak Dhanak who, a doctor by education, had left a nice pharmaceutical job to follow his passion to be in the mountains. And oh, I missed mentioning that Sheryl owns a wine manufacturing unit in McLeod where she gets her grapes from Nasik. And she has written her story in a book aptly names "The Chocolate Log". 

Paragliding - Bir / Biling

Breakfast at McLeod Ganj

Monastery

Triund trek

Biling - Bir Paragliding

     I was trying to practise meditation for the first time and it was a great experience at Tushita. I found it interesting that the person guiding through the session as well as the participants were visitors from outside India. Most of the days we  seemed to be the only two "locals" in the mix. I have promised myself to continue meditation regularly and so far I have stayed true to my word. At McLeod we rented a scooter to see the place. I have come to the realisation that a two wheeler is a great way to see a place and soak yourself in the atmosphere. We also did a 12 km trek to Triund which involved a total height gain of almost 1000 ft. We met a British person on the way who was an expert in trekking in region and shared many experiences. The places we visited were mostly Buddhist monasteries. We made it a point to meditate in each one we visited since it is so calm and quite inside monasteries. The last thing not to miss writing about was Paragliding which we did at a place called Biling/Bir. 

     So that was my travelogue for 2014! Beyond travel I also successfully tried my hand at recycling the home greens/rubbish into manure. Turns out that the plants really flourish in this naturally rich soil created. Another milestone for me was that I learnt swimming, thanks to some persuasion from Asawari. YES, I did not know swimming before. Now I will survive if thrown in water.