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Saturday, August 13, 2022

The One-Third India Trip Details

2022-07-09

Places Visited:

  • Dhuandhar Waterfall https://goo.gl/maps/mTyC7MKBw31Y9zTj8
    • We started from home (Hyderabad) slightly before 5 AM, so we were close to Jabalpur by 5:30 PM.
  • Bhedaghat Ropeway https://goo.gl/maps/Jq7AaEgC77Q1bVU26
    • The ropeway closes at 6 PM. We reached at 5:45 PM, so we were just in time.
    • It was quite an effort to reach the hotel due to narrow crowded roads, but we managed to reach by around 8 PM and had dinner there itself.

Night Stay:

  • Jungle Resort, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
  • https://g.page/jungle-resort--inn?share 
  • Review: Difficult to approach. Only suitable for locals, i.e., residents of Jabalpur and neighboring areas. It's a place to take a break from city life, because there's ample greenery and the resort is located right beside a lake. Not recommended for others.

Route:

2022-07-10

Places Visited:

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Jee, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  • https://goo.gl/maps/SH7WaJN3orAu6SaDA
  • Review: The worst hotel we've been to in this trip! Just avoid it. The room didn't have any charging points, car parking was not free, staff was rude, etc.

Route:

2022-07-11

Places Visited:

  • Hong Kong Market https://goo.gl/maps/zD5C5WG2gkQyiZPm7
    • We started a little late from Varanasi (around 6:30 AM) so we reached Siliguri after dark (around 8 PM), and had dinner at roadside stalls. Searching for hotels took another hour.

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Debjoyti, Siliguri, West Bengal
  • https://g.page/hotel-debjyoti?share
  • Review: Rooms were fine, but their car parking space was extremely congested. Also not easy to find. Prefer other hotels if possible.

Route:

2022-07-12

Places Visited:

  • Char Dham Temple https://goo.gl/maps/To8wSYjkF4t7ZS727
    • We reached this temple in Namchi (Sikkim) by 9 AM although we started late again (6 AM).
    • We had breakfast around 8 AM at Way Side Inn https://goo.gl/maps/yZm5o1rZbGJUSAhx8. The owner was friendly, and it's a cozy place.
    • Char Dham Temple is spread over a huge area, so it took us almost an hour to go around. We left at 10 AM.
  • Ngadak Thupten Shedup Dhargey Choeling Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/nGjjBgkVXLiSpt249
    • This monastery was just half-an-hour drive from the temple, so we reached by 10:30 AM. There was not a lot to see there.
  • Namchi Rock Garden, Sikkim https://goo.gl/maps/1ZTNpCsovxx5MQuy8
    • Less than half-an-hour drive from the Monastery, so reached around 11 AM.
    • There were too many steps, so we skipped going to the garden down below. So we just clicked a few pics at the entrance.
  • Samdruptse https://goo.gl/maps/pAB2qEVRwHdpLVcH6
    • We didn't actually visit this place because we missed the turning and it would've been a long detour to go back. Taking a U-turn on the narrow winding hilly roads was a challenge. We could see the large idol from the road while driving.
  • Ravangla Gumba https://goo.gl/maps/SgH216PLYxAEHbJB6
    • We reached Ravangla before noon.
    • We reached this monastery at 12 PM.
    • This monastery had a lot of gompas and it was spread over a wide area, so it took us half-an-hour to visit.
  • Buddha Park Ravangla https://goo.gl/maps/KrqbwTAJmVYfLR9Q6
    • We had lunch at Taste of Sikkim (https://goo.gl/maps/nH58GmpGXkQb6Ln7A) and then reached Buddha Park around 3 PM.
    • This is a huge place, so took us almost an hour. We were finally out around 4 PM.
    • We had to drive through a cloud, so visibility was poor and driving was challenging.
  • Ralang New Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/yaQEjmJLyPTaUrxN8
    • We reached the monastery by 4:30 PM.
    • Almost everyone was preparing for next day's celebration of their monastery chief's birthday. So a few of the people residing there invited us to come on next day any time to have some cake.
    • We left at 4:30 PM after spending around half-an-hour in the monastery.
    • We reached the hotel (The Barfung Retreat) around 6 PM.

Night Stay:

  • The Barfung Retreat, Ravangla, Sikkim
  • https://g.page/TheBarfungRetreat?share
  • Review: One of the best hotels we've been to in this trip. Excellent hospitality and awesome view from the large glass window in the room. Take care when walking around outside as there are quite a lot of leeches. Can't blame the hotel for insects, leeches, etc.!

Route:

2022-07-13

Places Visited:

  • Pemayangtse Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/yyKrqCCnHAedpHvr5
    • We reached around 10 AM.
    • The ruins can be seen down below from the monastery, so we didn't go to Rabdentse ruins.
    • The first accident I mentioned in my other blog post happened here.
    • By the time we assessed the damage and left it was 10:30.
  • Rabdentse Ruins https://goo.gl/maps/kvUGytShZ12AuyUg9
  • Sky Walk Pelling https://goo.gl/maps/CuNEREbDo3jyAW48
    • We reached in just around 15 minutes (by 10:45).
    • Perhaps a good place to go for people who'd like to overcome their fear of heights. I realized I wasn't scared, and definitely not like a few who were walking along the edge without letting go of the side bars.
  • Sanghak Choeling Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/4f9fgD2uP9hxMhvy7 
    • The Monastery was close by but we skipped going in.
  • Phamrong Falls https://goo.gl/maps/BdXzR2LMohDic8sc7 
    • After spending around half-an-hour at the Skywalk, we unintentionally took a break at Phamrong falls. We wanted to go to Dubdi Monastery, but since we didn't find the place we thought Google Maps might be incorrect so kept going ahead.
    • We ended up spending around half-an-hour at the waterfalls. This was one of the best waterfalls we visited in our trip.
  • Thangtong gyalpo https://goo.gl/maps/Z4nbkNtRgfcp9z7J6
    • After having lunch at Gupta restaurant in the heart of Yuksom, we started around 1:30 to visit the coronation throne, i.e., Norbu Gang.
    • We thought this place was Norbu gang but we realized we were wrong. However, the view from this place is great. We could see Pelling Skywalk from here!
  • Norbu gang, Coronation throne of Namgyal Dynasty https://goo.gl/maps/HGKMfMz8VbXdyz3c8
    • Coronation throne was just a few minutes walking distance from there, so we reached the throne by around 2 PM.
    • It's a giant stone seat with a tiny monastery nearby.
  • Dubdi Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/ude33sEMfwSaJ2wt5
    • We then checked into the homestay and since there was a lot of time left in the day, we checked with the homestay owners regarding Dubdi monastery's location to attempt to visit again.
    • We started around 3 PM and ended up reaching Phamrong waterfalls from the other side (compared to how we reached earlier in the day), so we realized that the monastery isn't approachable by road. We then turned back and found a small board showing directions towards some stairs for Dubdi monastery.
    • After a 15-minute climb we reached the monastery around 4 PM, but it was closed and there was no one to request or talk to as well.
    • Disappointed, we returned to the homestay around 5 PM. We then went for a short walk to Yuksom town from the homestay to visit the lake, but since it seemed too far we went back by around 6 PM. We had some authentic local dishes for dinner in the homestay itself around 7 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Chungda Homestay, Yuksom, Sikkim
  • https://goo.gl/maps/xfe4ZCRH9FRaX91Z8
  • Review: Owners managed everything, and they provided a homely feeling. Definitely better than staying in hotels, given the options at Yuksom.

Route:

2022-07-14

Places Visited:

  • Tashiding Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/69MGjDnVyp3SUPsy8
    • On the way to Kalimpong, we visited Tashiding monastery around 9AM.
  • Pine View Nursery, Kalimpong https://goo.gl/maps/sLsZiXpB8pyiX4cZA
    • We reached Kalimpong by 12 noon, but the roads were narrow, so it was a challenge to find parking for the car. After much effort, we managed to park the car in front of Chaitrabhanu.
    • Pine view nursery is a privately owned nursery having a variety of cacti. We left around 1 PM.
  • Tongsa Gumba https://goo.gl/maps/PULS6JdMzZsru1Wa7
    • We reached this monastery around 1:30 PM. We originally wanted to visit Lepcha museum first, but Google Maps kept showing incorrect directions, so we gave up after three unsuccessful attempts.
    • We wanted to have lunch at Art Cafe, but since we couldn't find it and also because of difficulty in navigating and driving through the narrow hilly roads, we ended up having lunch at Soods.
  • Mangal Dham Temple https://goo.gl/maps/P2yDCsa8vcLd1Lxh9
    • After much effort we reached the temple around 5 PM. Google Maps annoyed us in Kalimpong because it was showing impossible routes such as stairs that are meant for walking, so car could not go. Also, some of the roads were one-way, so we had difficult time at some places due to the roundabout navigation and having to get out of narrow dead-end lanes.
  • Geden Tharpa Choling Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/CincBxqw4wWHpS3W9
    • We reached this monastery around 5:30 PM. It was getting dark, but we had just enough time to visit another place.
  • Kalimpong Sakya Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/tAS1SVcw9SppJYXF7
    • We reached around 6 PM. This was perhaps one of the biggest monastery complex we visited in terms of number of students it could accommodate.
    • We reached the hotel for night stay by 6:30 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Yuru Retreat, Kalimpong, West Bengal
  • https://goo.gl/maps/5K99BGgcmAdHMpui8
  • Review: Hotel location is superb. We got to see excellent view of Kanchenjunga and few other mountains in evening and morning. The views were better from the terrace, but we can see from the windows in the room too! Otherwise, rooms were good. Need to bargain, but the price was on higher side even during off season.

Route:

2022-07-15

Places Visited:

  • Delo Park https://goo.gl/maps/QaUNjdJeemgncWy56
    • The park opens at 10 AM, yet we woke up at 5 AM for sunrise and great view of mountains from the terrace.
    • We had the complimentary breakfast at the hotel and reached Delo park within 5 minutes from the hotel.
    • It took us nearly half-an-hour in the park given its size.
  • MG Marg https://goo.gl/maps/j6d4n8nvPzpFmQMJ6
    • We reached Gangtok by around 2 PM.
    • After having lunch at Taste of Tibet, we inquired regarding visit to Lachen and Lachung. After taking several factors into consideration, we dropped that plan.
    • We then looked for a hotel to check in.
  •  Thakurbari Temple https://goo.gl/maps/4LRZ7y3sJAqbQF3t8
    • The temple was near MG Marg so we paid a quick visit.
  • Pal Karma Zurmang Shedup Chokhor Ling (Ranka Monastery) https://goo.gl/maps/moqmf8CGNVWwmGMp6 
    • We checked into the hotel and started out around 5 PM.
    • I was skeptical about going so late, and as I suspected it was dark by the time we reached the monastery. Unfortunately there was a power cut too, so even though one of the student/monk wanted to open the monastery for us it would have been futile. Luckily, we hung around for a while and power was restored at around 7:45 so we had a quick glance and reached back to Gangtok at 9 PM.
    • We had dinner at a small restaurant at MG Marg and reached hotel around 10 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Summit Golden Crescent Resort & Spa, Gangtok, Sikkim
  • https://g.page/summit-golden-crescent-resort?share
  • Review: We managed to get a room at this 4-star hotel at the price of 2-star hotel! Only drawback was that its approach road isn't so easy. Once inside their gate, it's great.

Route:

2022-07-16

Places Visited:

  • Gonjang Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/fsZVHLbkThLMocjY7
    • We started a little late, which became usual now, and reached the monastery at 7:30 AM.
  • Tashi View Point https://goo.gl/maps/rMg1WboLP67SjYbT7
    • On the way to next place we unexpectedly stopped here since the view was great.
  • Kabi Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/kNheqzFY9Fx3gvNS6
    • Apparently this monastery is open only once per fortnight, so it was closed when we were there. A few kids were being taught archery nearby.
    • I believe we should've ideally visited Kabi Lungchok (https://goo.gl/maps/AyEwDgZA4xbhVMc9A) but I believe it was missed due to miscommunication.
  • Phensang Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/85tM99RZu7S47uDQ8
    • This was closed too by the time we went around 9 AM.
  • Seven Sister Fall https://goo.gl/maps/cfvrudfmE6775pU17
    • We had breakfast at Sikkim Tourism Cafeteria near Seven Sister Waterfall at around 10 AM.
  • Phodong Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/7PWAM4y8kDAm8tQx5
    • Our string of bad luck continued as this monastery was closed too.
    • We left around 11 AM after a quick walk around the building.
  • Labrang Monastery https://goo.gl/maps/nxmYqdGabWPpqH5CA
    • This monastery was not only open but the monk was one of the most friendly person we met in our journey. He explained a lot of things about their life, education, career, etc.
  • Tumlong Palace https://goo.gl/maps/zMQpZk5Zn6pomnYd7
    • This wasn't in our plan but it can be seen from Labrang monastery. We anyway halted there on the way down but the entry to the ruined palace wasn't easy so we didn't go past the gate. We left around 12 PM.
  • Bulbullay waterfalls https://goo.gl/maps/4oWPuiqQUAbsFfVG7
    • We stopped at this waterfall around 1:30 PM after looking at the crowd gathered around there. It seemed like a popular destination, but we had seen better! 
  • Ganesh Tok Hilltop temple https://goo.gl/maps/ieeGa3bbBa2UqtuC8
    • We reached the temple by 2 PM. There was a little bit of fancy dressing by my fellow travelers.
  • Sikkim Himalayan Zoo Park https://goo.gl/maps/HFcyCFLLbiKpJRtm8
    • We then visited the Zoo which was right opposite of Ganesk Tok.
    • Since we didn't have a lot of time, we managed to see just the Himalayan Blue Sheep and a few birds.
    • We went back to Ganesh tok, had lunch and left around 3:30 PM.
  • Hanuman Temple https://goo.gl/maps/tZqNqX7CvizZAJki8
    • We reached the temple around 4 PM.
    • There were more than 100 steps, so it took us more than half-an-hour to be back.
  • Enchey Monastery Tranquil hilltop Buddhist monastery https://goo.gl/maps/jTeowmuszk5Txptn8
    • We reached the monastery by 5:30 PM.
    • It was drizzling, and the monastery was closed. We quickly went around their campus and started back.
  • Black Cat Museum https://goo.gl/maps/MxQmkxzFa29XHQJW7
    • This wasn't in the plan. There was no other parking slot nearby and the museum was open, so we visited, and it was a good decision. We actually wanted to go to Baker's Cafe for dinner but it was just 6:30 PM, so we quickly went to the museum before it closed at 7 PM. The dinner at Baker's Cafe, however, was a big let down.

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-17

Places Visited:

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-18

Places Visited:

  • Paltan Bazaar https://goo.gl/maps/fAQoCEmogeCwHTKa6
    • We just saw the market, but didn't shop or spend any time.
    • It was dark by the time we reached Guwahati from Gangtok, as it was one of the longest drives I had done in the trip.
    • We ended up taking a huge diversion because one of the roads was closed.
    • Although we started around 6 AM (yeah, it's late according to me), we reached Guwahati around 8 PM.

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-19

Places Visited:

  • Nagaland Science Centre https://goo.gl/maps/iTM4sbgWiU4Qod116
    • Original plan was to visit Kachari ruins in Dimapur, but we briefly stopped at the Science Center instead. However, due to poor research and planning it was not possible. We ended up having lunch at Naga Bowl Express in Dimapur and continued our travel to Kohima.
    • We reached Kohima by 4 PM but due to traffic, we reached the hotel at 5 PM. We then had our dinner at Fifa Restaurant 2.0 at Kohima around 6 PM. The ambience and cuisine in the restaurant reminded us of Hard Rock Cafe in Hyderabad.

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-20

Places Visited:

  • Dzükou Point https://goo.gl/maps/QxAf4h2A23aGZ5zh7
    • We started from the hotel after having breakfast around 8 AM (yeah, a very late start according to me). We reached this point at around 10 AM on the way to Imphal. There's almost nothing to see except a good view of the valley from the edge of the road along the hill.
  • Polo Ground (Mapal Kangjeibung) https://goo.gl/maps/fDLrHz193YJX9Eqk9
    • We reached Imphal by around 1:30 PM, had lunch at Luxmi Kitchen, checked into the hotel, saw the famous polo ground from outside as it was closed when we visited around 4 PM.
  • Manipur State Museum https://goo.gl/maps/rGmoW9S7txJgkQPC7
    • Phones and cameras were not allowed so we quickly strolled through the small museum as there wasn't a lot to see in there. It didn't seem like a museum because there were biological specimens, scare house, kids play areas, paintings, etc. There were a few artifacts too, such as native and traditional costumes, old weapons, etc.
    • We left around 5 PM, just when it was about to be closed.
  • IMA Market https://goo.gl/maps/5zzqavUFQe53QMgG6
    • The original intention was to visit this market, but it was a bit of a letdown compared to what we were expecting. The traders or shopkeepers were all women, but the items and prices seemed almost same as what we'd find elsewhere. After a little bit of walking around, we had early dinner around 6 PM at JK and South Indian Fast Food.

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-21

Places Visited:

  • ISKCON Temple https://goo.gl/maps/jDus4UQfTaYk4mjDA
    • After having a poor experience with complimentary breakfast in the hotel at 8 AM, we unexpectedly had our second light breakfast here. However, the priest tried to preach us to follow Lord Krishna and become vegetarian if not already, etc.
  • Hiyangthang Lairembi Temple https://goo.gl/maps/s8vkweJLDBuyP5LC7
    • This temple was closed when we visited around 9 AM.
    • One of the cleaning lady tried to be helpful by explaining to us something but we couldn't understand the language at all.
  • Sadu chiru waterfalls https://goo.gl/maps/PBW9Zj5m3qTg6j739
    • We reached the waterfalls by 10 AM.
    • It was one of the best waterfalls in this trip, so we spent more than an hour here.
    • We also tried some local fried food delicacies. It was 11:30 AM by the time we left.
  • Imphal peace museum https://goo.gl/maps/mgN3sXXUwWUBNzS19
    • We reached the museum by around 12:30 PM. There are just some write-ups and photographs, but nothing which is very noteworthy. However, the museum itself is located at a wonderful place beside a lake.
  • INA Museum https://goo.gl/maps/ACKwoYDKDp48NQnD6
    • Nest stop was another museum around 1:30 PM.
    • This was the first place in India where the Indian tri-color flag was raised in 1944 before Independence. This is also the place where a lot of history about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is provided.
    • We left after spending around half-an-hour.
    • We had lunch at Naya Naya Hotel nearby at around 2:30 PM.
  • Sendra Park & Resort https://goo.gl/maps/fft9RTDDChD5phZL7
    • We first visited Hotel Elegance but it had no view of the lake and it was also expensive. So we went ahead with Sendra (my opinion: we should've stayed in one of the boat houses).
  • Loktak Lake https://goo.gl/maps/Ao5FDKp2pPvujjD27
    • After freshening up a little at the hotel, we went for a short boat ride to the restaurant in the lake, had early dinner at around 6 PM and were back to room by 7 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Sendra, Loktak Lake, Manipur
  • https://goo.gl/maps/DDbZS9xureRNTdDt7
  • Review: This is perhaps better suited for the locals who want to take a lavish break. Better to go for a boat in the Loktak lake. This hotel was the most expensive one we booked in this trip (more than Rs. 5000). Rooms and hospitality were good, as expected.

Route:

2022-07-22

Places Visited:

  • India-Myanmar Border https://goo.gl/maps/jyb8wfjuCAXhveVx5
    • Late as usual, we started at 7 AM and reached Moreh by 2 PM.
    • We were stopped a few times in between for checks by the police and army because we were going near the international border.
  • Moreh Bazaar https://goo.gl/maps/f36RstQkfeU6Drfh6
    • We had lunch at Elora Hotel in Moreh, which was perhaps a poor decision because of the time they took to prepare.
    • We checked into JM Hotel around 4 PM and immediately left to visit the border, which was walking distance.
    • We also did a little bit of shopping nearby and had dinner around 7 PM at a small roadside restaurant on the way back.

Night Stay:

  • JM Hotel, Moreh, Manipur
  • https://goo.gl/maps/5Am7zSkTYcxwEjMJ7
  • Review: Given very few hotels in Moreh, this was perhaps the second best. Elora was better, but too expensive. Hospitality was good.

Route:

2022-07-23

Places Visited:

  • Langol Peak https://goo.gl/maps/535Xi4FE6gBY7FY36
    • Again late as usual we started around 7:30 AM.
    • We reached the location by around 10:30 AM. Apparently this is the tallest point in Manipur, and there's a tower on top of it, so the view from the top of the tower is great.
    • We were further delayed because of invasive checking by the border police and army at multiple points.
  • Khongjom War Memorial Complex https://goo.gl/maps/txY85ohv24Xhqcfu5
    • This wasn't really in the plan but I remembered seeing this place mentioned in the top-places-to-visit-in-Manipur, so I took the diversion.
    • We ended up spending half-an-hour from 11:45 AM to 12:15 PM here.
  • Kaina Temple https://goo.gl/maps/Vq6d4be7kMMBomZw5
    • Apparently this was the place from where the wood for some of the most sacred idols was taken. The location of the tree is the holy spot.
    • We reached around 12:45 PM, so the priest offered us that day's offering as lunch for us.
    • We left at around 1:30 PM.
  • Kangla Fort https://goo.gl/maps/wCjvk4ig47JWZQU5A
    •  We reached Imphal by 2:30 PM and reached the fort by 2:45 PM. It's in a huge area, so we went around in a buggy.
    • Almost all places were closed for public, and were allowed to be seen only from outside. Yet, it took us nearly 45 minutes.
  • IMA Market https://goo.gl/maps/jL9Xk8b3CSaJ8XCJ7
    • We visited the market again because there were apparently a few items such as baskets that the fellow travelers wanted to buy.
    • After about an hour of shopping, we left at around 4:30 PM.
    • I wasn't happy with the delay because of having to drive on bad roads in Nagaland at night after an already a long day.
    • We eventually reached the hotel around 10 PM.

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-24

Places Visited:

  • Kamakhya Temple https://goo.gl/maps/wfAvHag2pCX5n4X1A
    • After a late start again at around 8 AM after having the complimentary breakfast, we reached Dimapur around 10 AM, lunch at Kaziranga restaurant Doboka around 2 PM, and Kamakhya temple in Guwahati at around 4 PM.
    • The temple seemed like an extremely popular place, given the arrangements to manage massive crowds.
    • It wasn't crowded when we visited, but even the small amount of crowd seemed overwhelming to us, so we left without visiting the main deity.
    • We were able to visit all other outer structures and places though.
    • We then checked into the hotel around 6 PM, had dinner at Khorikaa restaurant in the city and came back around 9 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Prashaanti Tourist Lodge, Kamakhya, Guwahati, Assam
  • https://goo.gl/maps/MiX1cp2o3MAYT3kd8
  • Review: Quite reasonable, but the hotel is owned by the government so adjust your expectations. Rates are fixed. Rooms are old. Hotel has a huge garden and rooms are spacious too. Hospitality was good.

Route:

2022-07-25

Places Visited:

  • NA
    • Due to no plan, no places were visited on this day.
    • We started late as usual at 7:30 AM, reached Siliguri by 4 PM and checked into the hotel.
    • Since the car's DEF level showed as low, we bought a 20L can and filled up to the extent we could.
    • We had dinner at Zaika Biryani and came back to the room by 9 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Saluja, Siliguri, West Bengal
  • https://g.page/Hotelsaluja?share
  • Review: One of the most reasonable hotels in Siliguri. Rooms were average. Car parking can be a challenge if you have a big car.

Route:

2022-07-26

Places Visited:

  • NA
    • Again there was no plan for the day, so no tourist places were visited.
    • We started late as usual around 8 AM even though there was no complimentary breakfast as that shouldn't have caused any delay.
    • It was 6 PM by the time we reached Gaya.
    • The other accident I mentioned in the other post happened here, i.e., the left part of the car skidded off the road, so the locals helped us get back on the road.
    • We checked into the hotel, and had dinner around 8 PM in the hotel's restaurant itself.

Night Stay:

Route:

2022-07-27

Places Visited:

  • Vishnupad Temple https://goo.gl/maps/ea7uNt1BLWpw4vvE8
    • The plan for rest of the trip was unclear, so there was limited plan for the day. Which meant an even more delayed start. Since we had breakfast in the hotel itself, it meant we started after 9 AM.
    • We reached the temple around 10 AM.
  • Maa Mangla Gauri Mandir https://goo.gl/maps/u7BMRn6A3NrFs1ry5
    • This wasn't too far away, so we reached around 10:30 AM.
    • Although both these temples are extremely popular and famous, they don't look like it given their size and maintenance.
  • Bodhi tree https://goo.gl/maps/p7vFZVY1rnpJoyvZ8
  • Mahabodhi Temple https://goo.gl/maps/XgR7DELsxrrKJFFP6
    • This was a place worth visiting. Also, I felt that we should've stayed somewhere around here on the previous night instead of going deep into Gaya's crooked streets.
    • Apart from the Mahabodhi temple and bodhi tree, we visited various other monasteries of different styles - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, etc.
    • This place is apparently the most sacred place for Buddhists.
  • The Great Buddha Statue https://goo.gl/maps/icrL6gfR6d2WpTqE8
    • We went in a local electric taxi since other vehicles were apparently not allowed beyond a certain point. So we were limited to visiting a few places and this was one of them.
    • It's an 80-feet tall Buddha statue.
  • Karma Temple https://goo.gl/maps/YpxC5gXKJU2d1uyU6
    • This temple is beside the statue, and very much looked like a temple in monastery.
  • Tibetan Refugee Market https://goo.gl/maps/yEdYwDtkLrrTSu8Q7
    • The market seemed to be closed since most of the shops were closed.
    • We managed to find an open restaurantand had a delayed lunch in Sudds Cafe at around 3:30 PM.
    • It was decided that we would just go back home in the fastest route possible, which meant almost the same way we came to Sikkim. So the night halt was decided to be in Aurangabad, and we reached the hotel by around 6 PM.

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Vaishnavi Heights, Aurangabad, Bihar
  • https://goo.gl/maps/1c2cD5FsPrqheqC19
  • Review: Room was good. They also have a party hall and good restaurant, so the locals may be celebrating or partying.

Route:

2022-07-28

Places Visited:

  • Patratu Valley https://goo.gl/maps/XebBektj1Zg6epst5
    • For a change we started slightly early at around 5 AM.
    • We reached the Patratu Valley view point by around 11 AM. 
  • Kanke Dam Park https://goo.gl/maps/E2cxCUSvQD6F9Kri6
    •  We reached Ranchi before noon. We reached the dam by 11:45 AM.
    • It was far below our expectations, because the lake was much smaller than Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad.
  • Tagore Hill https://goo.gl/maps/YyE5NfryoCSuXfT87
    • This was just around 15 minutes away, so we reached by 12:15 PM.
    • The view from top of the hill is great, but the house seemed ruined and poorly maintained.
    • We then had lunch around 2 PM at Ruin House, which seemed like an upscale restaurant on par with some of the top-end pubs we find in Hyderabad.
  • Jonha Falls https://goo.gl/maps/bmGK3R1CCV9eokJQ8
    • We reached the waterfall by 3:30 PM, but didn't get down to the bottom given the number of stairs. Also, all the getting down and climbing was only to get a view of the waterfall and not to get anywhere near it, so we returned midway.
  • Jagannath Mandir https://goo.gl/maps/UUwwCrKLcLD7US1F6
    • This is also located on top of a hill, so the view is great.
    • We reached around 5 PM and left around 6 PM.
    • Then we had dinner at Vyanjan restaurant around 7 PM.
    • I realized that an important place was missed in Ranchi (Pahari mandir) so we searched for a hotel near there.

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Rahi, Ranchi, Jharkhand
  • https://goo.gl/maps/aUDhe5XZZr3CyJfb8
  • Review: Difficult to find. Most of the rooms seemed old, and were damp. After checking rooms in other hotels and also many rooms within this hotel, we found that the rooms in their top floor were decent (no mosquitoes). Price was reasonable, but it's always better to negotiate. They also had ample car parking space.

Route:

2022-07-29

Places Visited:

  • Pahari Mandir https://goo.gl/maps/pEQgRCe2iBGVyiMT6
    • We started around 6 AM and reached the temple by 7 AM.
    • There were nearly 500 steps to climb so it took an effort for my fellow travellers.
    • We left Ranchi by 8 AM.
  • Maa Samaleswari Mandir https://goo.gl/maps/BcznW2q4GzqUAThx8
    • We reached the temple by 3:30 PM.
    • It's a small but popular temple.
    • Given it's name I'm sure the town got its name because of this temple.
  • Leaning Temple of Huma, Bimaleswar Temple https://goo.gl/maps/vmeF4escbPduAYFUA
    • We reached this temple by 4:30 PM.
    • It's quite old and perhaps has some history to it.
  • Maa Ghanteswari Temple https://goo.gl/maps/dVBzsxFJypvEuQb5A
    • This was another old and popular temple.
    • There was also a hydroelectric plant nearby worth visiting nearby.
    • We reached around 5:45 PM and left by 6:30 PM.
    • We checked into the hotel by 7:30 PM and had dinner at the nearby Urban Tadka restaurant around 9 PM.
    • My fellow travelers went for saree shopping in nearby market for an hour around 6 to 7 PM while I took some rest.

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Harjit Residency, Sambalpur, Odisha
  • https://g.page/harjitresidency?share
  • Review: Room was good. Hospitality, pricing, etc. were all fine. Only concern was with their car parking almost looking and smelling like garbage yard.

Route:

2022-07-30

Places Visited:

  • Gandhi Minar https://goo.gl/maps/GtNG3EqcM5GkYJaU7
    • We started at around 6 AM and reached the entry gate by 7:30 AM.
    • I had realized that this popular spot was missed because of some hasty planning, so we added to the day's plan.
    • However, we didn't account for the place's opening time of 8AM, so we waited until 8 AM for it to be thrown open.
    • We quickly drove up, climbed up the tower (Minar) by 8:30 and left by 9 AM.
  • Hirakud Dam https://goo.gl/maps/DR7J8zyk98zppAvX7
    • We got to see a top-level view of the dam from Gandhi Minar which is at one of the end of the dam.
    • We had buffet breakfast at Hotel Silver Moon at around 10:30 AM.
    • Then had lunch at Shan-E-Punjab around 3 PM.
    • We reached the hotel by 6 PM, and had dinner at Amrit Dhaba which was right opposite to the hotel.

Night Stay:

  • Hotel Raj Imperial, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh
  • https://g.page/hotelrajimperial?share
  • Review: I thought it was a 4-star hotel, but apparently it had fewer stars. It looked great. Hospitality and and rooms were good too. Right beside the highway, so excellent approach road. Ample car parking as well.

Route:

2022-07-31

Places Visited:

  • NA
    • Except reaching home by end of the day, there was no other plan for the day.
    • We started around 6 AM and reached Hyderabad ORR by 4 PM. However, after getting off ORR at 5 PM, we were blocked in a huge traffic jam for more than two hours and finally reached home around 8 PM.
    • I had checked a few days back that I had received a speeding challan (ticket) for over-speeding on the first day of the trip, so I maintained speed limits thus slowing us down significantly.

Night Stay:

  • Home (Hyderabad)

Route:

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