New Delhi: See the city by Metro Railway

New Delhi is the capital of India, is famous for its incomparable architectures and gardens. From very beginning many sultans,kings and finally British shifted there capital form other places to Delhi. So day by day Delhi enriched by various kind of architectures and gardens. These architectures and gardens in different corner of Delhi are main attraction between tourists. Before December 2002(Delhi Metro Began operation) it was hard to visit all the places smoothly but when Delhi Metro service Began operation now all those places are easily accessible.

Humayun's Tomb
Flickr

List of Places and there distance from respective Metro Stations:

Qutub Minar (2 km): Get down at Qutub Minar Metro Station on the Yellow Line, then take an Auto rickshaw,it will take only 5 minutes to reach.

Humayun’s Tomb (4 Km or 2 km): Either get off at Jor Bagh Station on the Yellow Line and exit from Gate no 2 and then take an auto through Lodi Road or get off at the Khan Market Station or Jawhar Lal Neheru Stadium Station on the Violet Line and take an Auto or walk to Humayun’s Tomb.

Isa Khan's Tomb

Safdarjung Tomb (100 meter): Get off at the Jor Bagh Station on the Yellow Line and exit from Gate no. 2 then walk towards the Lodi Road red light and it is on your left on the red light itself.

Lodi Garden (1 km): Get off at Jor Bagh Station on the Yellow Line and exit from Gate no 2. Walk towards the Lodi Road Red light and take a right at the red light. Walk along the heavily tree covered Lodi Road and after the second red light you will see Lodi Garden on the left in front of Mausam Bhavan or Meteorological Departments Office Building. (After getting out of the Jor Bagh Station, if you are walking on a flyover, you are in the wrong direction. Go back to the Lodi Road Red light and turn right for Lodi Road).

India Habitat Center (1.5 km): Get off at Jor Bagh Station on the Yellow Line and exit from Gate no 2. Walk towards the Lodi Road Red light and take a right at the red light. Walk along the heavily tree covered Lodi Road and you will see Lodi Garden on the left in front of Meteorological Departments Office Building, cross both and IHC is on your right on the next red light. (After getting out of the Jor Bagh Station, if you are walking on a flyover, you are in the wrong direction. Go back to the Lodi Road Red light and turn right for Lodi Road)

An Architecture inside a Tomb

Hazrat Nizammudin Darga & Basti: It is right next to Humayun’s Tomb 

Akshardham Temple: Akshardham Station on the Blue Line

Gandhi Smriti or Birla House, 5 Tees January Marg (500mtrs): Get off on the Race Course station on the Yellow Line and walk on the Aurangzeb Road till the Claridges Hotel. On the roundel take the left after Claridges and take the Tees January Marg and it’s the second Bungalow on your left. Chandni Chowk: Chandni Chowk Station on the Yellow Line

Red Fort (500mtrs): Get off Chandni Chowk Station on the Yellow Line and get out on to Chandni Chowk and when you are standing facing the Gurudwara Sheeshganj, on the Fountain Square look on your left to see the Red Fort.

Jama Masjid (800mtrs): Get off at Chawari Bazaar Station on the Yellow Line get out the exit and ask for Jama Masjid. There are 2 exits and if you get off the wrong on and start walking you will find yourself in Chandni Chowk.

India Gate (2kms): Get off at Central Secretarial Station on the Yellow Line and walk on to Rajpath by exiting from Gate no 4. On your left you will see India Gate in the distance.

India Gate

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace 1kms): Get off at Central Secretarial Stn on the Yellow Line and walk on to Rajpath. On your right you will see North & South Block on a hill with the Parliament on the right side and the Palace behind the North and South Block. If you have Rail Bhavan on your left then turn around and walk towards Rajpath.

National Gallery of Modern Art (1.5kms or 2.5kms): Get off at the Khan Market Station on the Violet Line and exit from Gate no 2. As soon as you exit take the left from a narrow lane and you will find yourself on Pandara Road. Once on Pandara Road, keep walking straight till you reach the India Gate outer circle and turn right to reach NGMA OR get off on the Central Secretarial Stn on the Yellow line, get to India Gate(as explained above) and cross it to find NGMA on your right side of the road.

Qutub Minar

Connaught Place: Rajiv Chowk Station on the Yellow Line or Blue Line. Janpath (1Kms): Get off at the Rajiv Chowk Station on the Yellow Line or Blue Line get out at A Block in CP and walk past Palika Bazaar and then take a right towards Janpath through the Outer circle and the LIC Building.

Birla Temple (Laxmi Narayan Temple 5kms): Get off at the Central Secretarial Station on the Yellow Line and take an Auto to the Birla Temple.

Purana Quila/Old Fort (4kms): Get Off on the Pragati Maidan Station and take an Auto to the
Purana Qila on Mathura Road.

Lotus (Bahai) Temple (500mtrs): Get off on the Nehru Place Station or the Kalkaji Temple Stn on the Violet Line and walk to the Lotus Temple.

Rajghat/Gandhi Memorial (6kms): Get off at Pragati Maidan Station and take an Auto to Rajghat

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A day in Sundarban-World largest mangrove forest(My travel experience)

I always love long boat ride. So when my friend Avijit told me he has a work in Sundarban and it’s a long boat journey, if I wish I can join with him. I did not even take a second to reply yes. Yes Sundarban I am coming. Next morning I boarded a Train from my nearest railway station and Avijit joined me after some stations. Within one hour we reached Canning, the nearest rail head of Godkhali,the gateway of Sundarban. Godkhali is only one hour further journey from Canning. Bus,Auto, Hired vehicle are available in Canning for Godkhali. We booked an Auto ad reached Godkhali. As our boat was prebooked  So we also didn’t even  waste a single time and started our journey through river network.

Mangrove of Sundarban

Within not more than 15 minute I felt the essence of Sundarban and understood why this called world largest Delta and mangrove forest. Our boat was running through a river, both side of the river was densely covered by mangrove trees. Some villages were also there in the forest. On our journey we passed many villages.  Interestingly where the population is high forest was becoming thin. Here people are living with nature. River is only way of transportation. Interestingly on our journey some time our water-way became narrow sometime became wide. It’s a common fact of Sundarban water channel. 

Water network in Sundarban

Now we are in a narrow river in the interior part of Sundarban. Our boat was running simultaneously with continuous ‘dug-dug’ sound. Time was passing fast like both sides view. Sun was on the top. In this winter noon here we were facing chilled breeze. Our boatman told us “Sundarban is famous for its Royal Bengal Tiger but it’s not a place to just move on and expect meeting ‘His highness’ any time”. Yes this is a genuine fact. Very few lucky among the lots of Sundarban visitors get a chance to see Royal Bengal tiger to its own land. We were still going, on our way we passed many small boats. Fishing is a part of life here. We found many in the interior part. After 3hours long journey we finally reached our destination. After living our boat we entered in a village called Sodhakhali.

 

A little girl from Sundarban
Photo: perfectexposure.org

Life here is governed by the rise and fall in tide. I started conversation with villagers. I came to know  most of school in Sundarban have boarding facility. Still due to lack of connectivity most of the school has very less students. I spend one hour with villagers. In between my friend also completed his work.

Two sisters.
Photo: perfectexposure.org

So it was time to return. Again it’s a long boat journey back. Sun was already started to setting in the West. Sky was becoming reddish. We saw many different types of birds on our return. Most of them are Grey Heron, Kingfisher, Sand Pipit,flame back, King fisher. Temperature was also getting down. From our boat we saw a glimpse sunset.

Sunset at Sundarban
Flickr

I found water network became much busier than noon. Like me everybody was returning home. Again after three hours journey we finally reached from where we started. It was a nice journey. 

A passing boat
Flickr

At the end of day I realized Sundarban blessed us with its greenery,birds,people,rivers. Every where in Sundarban people will talk about Tiger. You will always feel here something is watchin you from the jungle, sometime as a killer, sometime as an almighty. Tiger in Sundarban is treat like the God, the almighty, the survivor.

End of the day
Flickr

Get in:
Sundarban can be reached only by waterways. From Kolkata, suburban trains can take you to Canning (64 kms) from where launch services are available for Sundarban. Otherwise, you can avail of buses to reach Raidighi (76 kms), Najat (92 kms), Sonakhali (100 kms) and Namkhana (105 kms) from where motorboats will take you to Sunderban.

Best time to visit:

Winter Season (from December to February),

Where to Stay:

WBTDC Lodge

Benfish Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge

Tourist Lodge & Tourist Forest Rest-House are run by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.
Ph: (03218) 214960

Where to get Permits:

For visiting the tiger reserve (West Bengal, India), permission is given by:

Field Director, Sunderban Tiger Reserve, Port Canning.

Entry Permits can be obtained from Bagna, Canning and Sonakhali for STR (Sundarban Tiger Reserve) and at Namkhana, Canning and Raidighi for Western region of Sunderban Forest.

For permits, foreigners can contact: The Joint Secretary (Forest), Govt. of West Bengal, 4th Floor, G-Block, Writers' Building, Kolkata- 700 001. Tel: 225-5601 Ext: 411/754.

Place of Interests:

The Sajnekhali Tiger Reserve, Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary, Sudhanyakhali, Dobanki, Netidhopani (a temple that’s 400 yeas old), Bhagabatpur (crocodiles), Kanak (Olive Ridley Turtles), Holiday Island (Barking Deer).

Green Tips:

As Sundarban is a delta dont throw plastic in water.

What to eat:

Crab and prawn is very popular here. You may try local Honey which is collected form deep Jungle. 

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Photo Posting-Sunset at Sundarban

Sundarban National Park is a part of Sundarban of the delta on Ganges.Sundarban national park is stretched towards Bangladesh also. Sundarban in India is mostly popular for Royal Bengal Tiger.Its a popular tourist spot.

Sunset at Sundarban
Flickr

Equipment used:

Canon 1100 D with 18-55 lens.

Follow my work: Flickr

.

Are you new to my blog? You can signup to my FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER and get destination stories, travel tips, travel photos, travel invites, goodies and more interesting updates in your inbox.

Like any photo here? You can use my photos for free if used for a non-commercial purpose. All I would request is a link back to my blog (https://abhibrata.blogspot.com). If you wish to use it for commercial purposes, want prints or other merchandise or if you have questions, feel free to email me . If you'd like to see a bigger collection of photos, look up my Work . 

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Nathang Valley Travel Guide- A comprehensive information on Nathang valley,East Sikkim(Old Silk rout)

Nathang is called Ladakh of East Sikkim. Nathang valley is locally known as Gnathang Valley is situated at an altitude of 12,700 feet above sea level. Nathang village is one of the remotest Tibetian habitations in Eastern Himalaya. Here one can experience chilled wind waves blowing all around. Nathang usually remain snow covered from January to April. This time the whole valley become with desert J . Govt. of Sikkim is planning to start skiing in winter. 

Nathang Valley in Winter,
Photo: perfectexposure.org

Nathang is the highest spot to stay in the Indian part of old silk rout. It’s a small hamlet near Indo-China border. This hamlet is surrounded by snow capped high hills. Here one can find Durga and Krishna temple together standing in the extreme left of the valley. There is also a Buddhist monastery and a British cemetery in this little valley.

Birds eye view of Gnathang in Summer

Best Time to visit:

Nathang is accessible through out the year but keep in mind winter in Nathang is severe. During winter Nathang faces high snow fall and freezing temperature.Due to snow fall some times the road remain closed for few days. In summer the picture is completely opposite.Summer is wet and foggy here. During summer Nathang and its surrounding hills remain covered with different kind of grassy blooming rhododendron flowers.

Dafter Bungalow in winter.
 Photo: perfectexposure.org

What to see :

Durga and Krishna Temple : There are two temples standing side by side. Vibrant colour of these temples is very eye catching in this arid region.

Frozen Pond: There is a frozen pond just behind the Durga temple. Brahmin duck is a common species spotted here certainly. J

Ruddy Shelduck at Nathang Valley

Buddhist Monastery : In the extreme right of the valley there is a small Buddhist Monastery.

British cemetery: At Nathang there is a small British cemetery at the end of the valley .This is the highest point of Nathang valley. You will find some old grave here.

Buddhist Monastery.
Photo:perfectexposure.org

Dafter Bungalow: In early days when the silk rout was open, Dafter Bungalow was used for custom duty collections but later this bungalow was renovated by the depertment of Tourism,Sikkim Govt. The original bungalow was built in 1920. There are three rooms  and two of them are attached with bath and fireplace. No electricity is available here so generator is only source of power supply.

Dafter Bungalow,Nathang Vally

Sunset Point : Just opposite to Dafter Bungalow there is an old building, come just front of the building this is the ideal place for watching sunset from Nnathang valley. One will find the hiding gradually under thick cloud. 

Sunset from Nathang Valley

Nathang sight seeing :

Zuluk Loop: Zuluk is famous for its incomparable loops. There are approx. 30 loops in this zig-zag path. Click here to know more about Zuluk

Ganek : Ganek is the sunrise point in Zuluk.Start early in morning(4:00 am) to reach Ganek and catch glimpse sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjungha.

Zuluk Loop from Thambi view point

Nag Temple: This cave like structured temple is dedicated to Nag Devata(Snake God). It is locally believed that this temple is formed naturally through a crack in a giant sized rock.

Thambi View Point: At an altitude of 10,500 ft this view point is ideal place to watch panoramic view of zig-zag Zuluk loop with Zuluk village. Kanchenjungha is also much prominent from here. 

Sunrise from Thambi view point

Lungthung : Lungthung or Dhupidhara is at an altitude of 12,500 ft from sea level. You will also find some home stays here. This is a popular spot for spotting Monal(National bird of Nepal).

Tukla Valley : This is a war memorial built to commemorate the death of British soldiers, who died at the battle of Tukla.

Mt. Kanchenjungha from Tukla valley

Old Baba Mandir : This temple is build in the honour of Sepoy Harbhajan Singh. This temple is well maintained by Indian Army (cloud warrior regiment ). On the top of this temple you will find Harbhajan Singh's bunker.

Kupup Lake: Kupup lake is locally known as Hati lake for its Elephant like shape. This lake is surrounded by high hills.Beside Kupup lake you will find an Ice Hockey field and a golf coursr at an altitude of 13020ft.

Kupup Valley : Kupup is a small valley situated at an altitude of 13900 ft. From Kupup Lhasa(Tibet) is only 520 km. You will even find a signboard mentioning distance with direction here from Lhasa.

Elephant Lake at Kupup

Jelep La : In Tibetan language 'Jelep La' means lovely level pass. this is a mountain pass between India-China. This pass is situated at an altitude of 14300 ft. This is the last point of old silk rout from Indian side. In Tibet side this pass lead to Chumbi valley(in Tibet). This passs is closed after 1962 Sino-Indian war.

Menmecho Lake : Menmecho Lake is situated at an altitude of 12500 ft. This lake is located 20 km from Chhangu Lake.This is a stunning beautiful lake surrounded by rich forest. This lake is famous for its Trout fish. 

Tsomgo Lake : Popularly known as Chhangu Lake. This lake is 1km long, 50 ft deep and oval in shape. This lake was created by the melted glacier. 

Nathula Pass : Nathula is the gateway between India and China.This pass is open for Indian nationals only on Wednessday, Thrusday, Saturday and Sunday.

How to Reach :

To reach Nathang one have to take a car from New Jalpaiguri(NJP). Podemchen is the entry point of Silk rout. For Silk rout one has to collect pass from DFO,Podemchen and this pass is available from Morning to 4 pm in a day.For Nathang one should stay one night at Zuluk then in next day start for Nathang.

What to eat : 

Basic food is available here. You should try Momo and Sikkimies Local recipe here. All the foods are served hot and home cooked. Chicken and egg is available here. Masala tea is also a good option.

Where to stay :

Currently there are only two staying option at Nathang valley, Dafter Bungalow and Pinasha Home stay. Both are well maintained, clean and cozy. But if you are planning for Nathang I will suggest you to stay in Dafter Bungalow. Both of these two are maintained by Mr. Karma Sherpa and his daughter Pema. They are very helpful and friendly. Contact : Karma Sherpa : 9002890743 and Pema- 9474145958.

Recently another homestay came up with all facilities namely Golden Trout residency , this is near Gnathang monastery. For contact call : 8900084103/9475997420.

Nathang in birds eye view with outline and spot pointing 

Distance Chart from Nathang(approx): 

Siliguri- 165 km.

Gangtok-90 km.

Aritar-40km

Zuluk-15km

Approximate cost of the tour as of 2014 : 

Rs 800-1200 per head per day including food and lodging .

Hired Car will cost : Rs 3000-4200 per day including Driver, fuel charge.

For sunrise point extra charge is applicable.(Taken when i went there J ). 

Last few years winter condition : 

2010- Nathang was inaccessible by car from December end to April.

2011-Nathang was accessible by car till mid January

2012-Nathang was accessible by car till first week of January.

2013-Nathang was accessible by car till early December

2014-Till now(December) nathang is accessible by car but few days before Nathang faced a heavy snow fall.

Nathang in Night with startrails

Temperature : 

In Summer - Max: 18° c   Min: 2° c

In winter-Max 10° c   Min: -9° c

Are you new to my blog? You can signup to my FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER and get destination stories, travel tips, travel photos, travel invites, goodies and more interesting updates in your inbox.

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Subarnarekha River-Photo posting

Subarnarekha River,Ghatshila,Jharkhand

Follow in Flickr 

Equipment used: Canon 1100D with 18-55 lens. A stedy tripod.

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Zuluk Travel Guide

Zuluk is an abode of peace.Zuluk is a hamlet close to Indo-China border. Zuluk is situated at an altitude of 9,500 ft above sea level in eastern part of Himalaya.There are around 700m people residing at Zuluk.Most of these people are mainly immigrated from Nepal.

View of  Zuluk Loop 

Zuluk is a small village surrounded by high hills. The main attraction of Zuluk is its eye catching zig-zag path,which is also called Zuluk loop. From Thambi view point you will have a birds eye view of Zuluk and surroundings. Zuluk is a ideal place for watching sunrise and sunset over world third highest mountain Mt. Kanchenjungha. From top of the loop you will find clouds playing hide and seek with Zuluk. At afternoon the whole Zuluk valley hide under thick cloud. 

Best Time to visit:

Zuluk is accessible through out the year but keep in mind winter in Zuluk is severe. During winter Zuluk faces high snow fall and freezing temperature. In summer the picture is completely opposite.Summer is wet and foggy here. During summer Zuluk and its surrounding hills remain covered with different kind of blooming rhododendron flowers.

Birds eye view of Zuluk

Zuluk sight seeing :

Zuluk Loop: Zuluk is famous for its incomparable loops. There are approx. 30 loops in this zig-zag path.

Ganek : Ganek is the sunrise point in Zuluk.Start early in morning(4:00 am) to reach Ganek and catch glimpse sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjungha.

Nag Temple: This cave like structured temple is dedicated to Nag Devata(Snake God). It is locally believed that this temple is formed naturally through a crack in a giant sized rock.

Sunrise from Thambi view point

Thambi View Point: At an altitude of 10,500 ft this view point is ideal place to watch panoramic view of zig-zag Zuluk loop with Zuluk village. Kanchenjungha is also much prominent from here. 

Lungthung : Lungthung or Dhupidhara is at an altitude of 12,500 ft from sea level. You will also find some home stays here. This is a popular spot for spotting Monal(National bird of Nepal).

Gnathang Valley in Winter,
Photo Credit:perfectexposure.org

Tukla Valley : This is a war memorial built to commemorate the death of British soldiers, who died at the battle of Tukla.

Gnathang valley: Gnathang valley is a small hamlet near Indo-China border . Gnathang is situated at an altitude of 12700ft. This valley is surrounded by high hills. You will find a small British cemetery, a Durga temple and a Buddhist monastery here. Click here to know more about Gnathang.

Old Baba Mandir : This temple is build in the honour of Sepoy Harbhajan Singh. This temple is well maintained by Indian Army (cloud warrior regiment ). On the top of this temple you will find Harbhajan Singh's bunker.

Old Baba Temple

Kupup Lake: Kupup lake is locally known as Hati lake for its Elephant like shape. This lake is surrounded by high hills.Beside Kupup lake you will find an Ice Hockey field and a golf coursr at an altitude of 13020ft.

Kupup Valley : Kupup is a small valley situated at an altitude of 13900 ft. From Kupup Lhasa(Tibet) is only 520 km. You will even find a signboard mentioning distance with direction here from Lhasa.

Jelep La : In Tibetan language 'Jelep La' means lovely level pass. this is a mountain pass between India-China. This pass is situated at an altitude of 14300 ft. This is the last point of old silk rout from Indian side. In Tibet side this pass lead to Chumbi valley(in Tibet). This passs is closed after 1962 Sino-Indian war.

Menmecho Lake : Menmecho Lake is situated at an altitude of 12500 ft. This lake is located 20 km from Chhangu Lake.This is a stunning beautiful lake surrounded by rich forest. This lake is famous for its Trout fish. 

Menmecho lake

Tsomgo Lake : Popularly known as Chhangu Lake. This lake is 1km long, 50 ft deep and oval in shape. This lake was created by the melted glacier. 

Nathula Pass : Nathula is the gateway between India and China.This pass is open for Indian nationals only on Wednessday, Thrusday, Saturday and Sunday.

Chhangu Lake

How to Reach :

To reach Zuluk one have to take a car from New Jalpaiguri(NJP). Podemchen is the entry point of Silk rout. For Silk rout one has to collect pass from DFO,Podemchen and this pass is available from Morning to 4 pm in a day.

Sunset over Zuluk

Where to Stay :

Home stays run by local people is only staying option in Zuluk. Generally these home stays are attached with bath and basic necessities. These home stays are clean and hygenic. 'Bukhari'(a room heater or fire place) is arranged by home stay owner to make room warm and comfort.

Snow Lion View Point : Karma Sherpa 9474145958

Kancha Mama-7602324999. 

Gopal Pardhan  9609860266/ 7872883264.

Suraj Pardhan : 9734545435

Distance Chart from Zuluk(approx): 

Siliguri- 150 km.

Gangtok-110km.

Aritar-26km

Gnathang-15km

Approximate cost of the tour as of 2014 : 

Rs 800-1200 per head per day including food and lodging .

Hired Car will cost : Rs 3000-4200 per day including Driver, fuel charge.

For sunrise point extra charge is applicable.(Taken when i went there J ).

Temperature : 

In Summer - Max: 18° c   Min: 2° c

In winter-Max 10° c   Min: -2° c

Are you new to my blog? You can signup to my FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER and get destination stories, travel tips, travel photos, travel invites, goodies and more interesting updates in your inbox.

Like any photo here? You can use my photos for free if used for a non-commercial purpose. All I would request is a link back to my blog (https://abhibrata.blogspot.com). If you wish to use it for commercial purposes, want prints or other merchandise or if you have questions, feel free to email me . If you'd like to see a bigger collection of photos, look up my Work . 

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