Places to Visit Near Wangdue Phodrang

We have planned only half day for darjeeling but most of the points are to be visited early in the morning starting from sunrise at Tiger Hills, so we are hopeful that we will be able to do it.We are ready to travel while raindrops pouring down from sky. We are having only one rucksack with rain covers. Our raincoats are ready and we are planning to go slow on wet roads. Separate poly bags are packed for keeping wet clothes, wallets and mobiles. Shoes and tough to dry clothes are avoided. Gears are packed, tickets are booked and we are all set to have an adventurous, energetic and drizzling bike trip. See you on the other side of the journey. Bye Bye.

Good Morning !! It was indeed a very beautiful Morning.. I loved the view from my rooms and felt like never leaving this view and room ever. I had my breakfast and the tour was on. I visited the Batasia Loop, had a view of the amazing Darjeeling Mini Trains powered by steam and these trains comparatively look cute than those regular long haul trains. I visited the Rock Gardens there, Japanese Temple. Also Mirik is something extremely beautiful to have a sight of, it actually soothes your eyes. I came back and had my dinner. Overnight was my time to get back to sleep in the chilling atmosphere of Darjeeling.

Hello Wanderlust Beautiful Souls ! This trip I am publishing with my experience of the North Eastern Beauty. I am not including my other 45 - 50 Hours of Mumbai - New Jalpaiguri Journey. So I am publishing it directly about the Arrival from New Jalpaiguri and ahead. So I arrived New Jalpaiguri and the feeling is mesmerizing but thats just the entrance to the heaven. I had my taxi waiting outside the station and proceeded to Darjeeling. So finally checked-in into the Hotel, took some rest and had a nice walk around my hotel. Hotel Chosen was; ' Shangri-La Residency '. I had my Dinner and was off to sleep.

Shopping (if needed) must be done in the evening as everything shuts early night due to fog and low visibility.The best season to visit Darjeeling is from March to May or October to November. Monsoons offer wonderful experience but there are chances of landslides. Winters are chilly and it sometimes snows in Darjeeling.

How to reach Darjeeling?Unfortunately, there is no direct connectivity to Darjeeling. A general route is a flight or train from Kolkata to Jalpauguri (Siliguri). One can hire a cab from Jalpaiguri or take the toy train to Darjeeling.Places of Interest:

Located in the lesser Himalayas at an elevation of 6700 ft, lies a town famous for its tea across the globe - Darjeeling. But Darjeeling is not just tea. It is a traveler's paradise. It is located in West Bengal, India.Darjeeling lies in the shadow of the worlds third highest peak - the Kangchenjunga. The Himalayan railway here is also a UNESCO world heritage site.This place was known as the summer capital of India during the British rule. The history records date back to the early 19th century when the British established a sanatorium and a military depot in the region.

Motorcycling is special and more when you have a brotherhood to ride along and even more when the destination is itself a spectacular. I love to travel on motorcycle because it’s the best way to soak in the experience, and all of it. But what if your calling surpasses your proclivity to tour, what if you escape stretches beyond where the roads will take you well that is when you quell your urge to dominate and pick something built to work with the elements.Bhutan - A Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas eastern edge, is known for its religious communities, fortresses otherwise commonly known as dzongs and sensational scenes that range from subtropical fields to soak mountains and valleys. The country is filled with mountains, monasteries, a treasure house of buddhist art, is a kaleidoscope of fluttering prayer flags everywhere and anywhere you go, magic, and HAPPINESS.In the year’s post world war II, Gross Domestic product or GDP became the gold standard for gauging a nation's overall health and productivity. But while most countries focused on industrial output, a tiny Himalayan kingdom created its own method to measure its worth using Gross National Happiness or GNH.It is a country that maps its progress via GNH (Gross National Happiness) bridges the gateway to the Himalayan Rhapsody, is well fabled for some of the highest bends per kilometre world over and rightfully features as a top riding destination. Once can submerge themselves into the purring symphony of pure motorcycling along deep broad valleys, rice paddies, orchards, specks of tiny villages along the roadside, just for starters this ride catapult itself into yet another unforgettable experience.Bhutan's perception as an idyllic wonderland is owed in part of it location. The small mountainous country shares its borders with India, Tibet, and China. The unspoiled nature and peaceful citizenry is why Bhutan is often seen as "a magic time machine and has long history of not accepting outside influence to protect its identity. It was said after defeating Tibetan forces and feuding warlords in 16th century, Bhutan's 4th king unified the country and cultivated a unique culture to differentiate itself from warring powers.A distinct Bhutanese identity emerged which emphasised a communal relationship with nature a lifestyle centred around Buddhism. Bhutan avoided globalization and preserved its society in isolation for centuries. As the rest of the world modernized, Bhutan still has no currency, hospitals, telephones, or even proper roads. As per the reports it wasn't until late 60's when Bhutan opened its doors to the outside world and started to focus on development and Indians were first to offer their help.But instead of hurriedly adopting western reform, Bhutan's beloved fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck invited GNH to guide his country's progress. GNH measures spiritual growth instead of rising incomes, and relies on four key pillars: GOOD GOVERNANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CULTURE, and ENVIRONMENTAL CONVERVATION.Nevertheless, in the survey for Gross National Happiness survey, over 90% of Bhutanese still considered happy. Modernization hasn't shifted Bhutan's moral centre completely off balance, However, as democratic institutions are put in place, there could be more consequences if the talk of happiness persists over real progress.A special thanks to my FRIENDS Dr. Rutvik Vanamala, Abhishek Reddy, Karthigeyan Ram and Pradeep who made this dream ride come true. We are proud of ourselves and looking forward for the next adventure. Until next time ride safe and stay safe. 😊

Darjeeling the queen of the hills is famed for the splendid view of the Mt. Kanchenjunga and of course the heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Toy train ride. But a vacation to Darjeeling is incomplete without experiencing the mouth-watering food of some infamous local food joints. When you are in Darjeeling definitely give a treat to your taste buds from these delicious eateries. 1. Keventer’s You should not miss this place if you are fond of English breakfast and snacks and Keventer’s is my personal favourite. It is famous for serving traditional English breakfast with items like sandwiches, chicken salami, sausages & meat loafs, ham & pork sausages since the British colonial era. Accompany it with a pot of hot Darjeeling tea or foamed cup of coffee. The best part is enjoying the splendid view of Mt. Kanchenjunga and the mountains from the open terrace seating area while sipping your hot tea or coffee. If nothing, for the Keventer’s one can return to Darjeeling again and again. It is situated at the beginning of the busy Nehru road. 2. Glenary’s Bakery & Café Glenery’s is undoubtedly the best bakery and cake shop in Darjeeling. This British era cake shop and café which is owned by Edward family located on the ground floor of a two storied building in the Nehru road. You must try their mouth-watering cakes, pastries and patties. During the breakfast time they serve different types of sandwiches, pizza, burgers, pies etc. You will get refreshing Darjeeling tea and coffee also. The café has a wonderful seating area with the breathtaking view of the mountains and valley through the glass wall. Now they provide free wifi to the guests and also accept debit/credit cards. 3. Glenary’s Restaurant This heritage restaurant of Darjeeling which was established during the British era is situated on the first floor of the same building in which Glenary’s Bakery & Café is operating. The restaurant’s decoration and ambience is very elegant and charming. The wooden and glass windows give amazing view of Mt. Kanchenjunga and the valley during the day time. They have a bar with good collection of Indian and foreign liquors. Their specialty is in Continental, Tandoor and Chinese dishes. You must try their Grilled Chicken, Roasted chicken, Pork Steak, Pork Roast, Beef Steak etc. But they also make very delicious Tandoori, Kabab and Tikkas. The Chinese preparations are also no way less. So if you are in Darjeeling don’t miss this by any chance. 4. Kunga Kunga, a small and budget Tibetan restaurant located on Gandhi road below the hotel Dekeling just next to the taxi stand. You will get one of the best momo of Darjeeling here. You must try their delicious steamed chicken, pork or beef momo. You can also try their tasty soups and thukpas along with the momo. They serve very tasty noodles, fried rice and side dishes. The food is cheap and served in large quantities. You can accompany your meal with lemon ginger honey tea or a cup of black or milk coffee.  This is a casual restaurant and very small, hardly can accommodate 15 to 20 guests. It is very difficult to get place here during a rush hour. 5. Sonam’s Kitchen Sonam’s Kitchen is a small eatery run by a Nepali couple Sonam and his husband Puran. The café is located on Zakir Hussain Road a few minutes uphill walk from the Chowrasta Mall. It is actually a garage space is used for running the eatery but now they have an extension just on the opposite side of the road. You should visit this for awesome pancake with fruits, hash brown potatoes, porridge, cheese toast, fried eggs, and sandwiches in breakfast. Sonam is really a great coffee maker, so don’t miss the coffee. They don’t serve lunch. In dinner you will get delicious pastas and different kind of soups. You can try their Nepali dishes also. 6. Golden Tips The Golden Tips tea lounge located on the Chowrasta Mall is run by the Golden Tips Tea Company. You can get the fresh and best Darjeeling tea here along with some veg snacks like pakoda. You can order Darjeeling tea of different variety & flavours from their menu card. The seating lounge offers an amazing view of mountains through the large windows. You also can buy some packaged Darjeeling tea for your home from the counter. 7.  Gatty’s Café This is a comparatively newly made café on Zakir Hussain Road. The casual ambience with dim light and creative decoration gives a great ambience. The café is gifted with a magnificent view of the mountains. So you can enjoy your tea or coffee with a view of the mountain ranges. There is good stock of books in one section of the café for the book lovers. You will get pork and beef dishes in western cuisine or you can try fried dumplings, fish or chicken cutlet, crispy chicken etc. The café has a music room and bar also. Live music is performed in the evening. This café remains open until late night which is very unusual in Darjeeling. Note: Few images courtesy to Google

Next day morning we told the manager of hotel to process our checkout and meanwhile we went out for break fast,today we tried out a new cafe which served authentic American and English breakfast with half fried egg,beacon,wheat bread,hash browns,with a complimentary drink of your choice. Then we headed to the taxi stand where we booked our taxi for Darjeeling the only important thing we were going to Darjeeling was the Most beautiful sunrise of India and the view of Mighty Kanchenjunga the worlds third highest Mountain,it is said that when the rays of sun appear on this mountain one can see the most amazing view ever. We booked our tickets the cost on sharing taxi basis from Gangtok to Darjeeling is 150 Rs,it took around 3 and a half hour to reach Darjeeling and on our way we stopped at a tea point where Maggie and few snacks were available to eat along with few soft drinks and tea,but the most amazing thing of that tea point was the view behind it one can see the whole city covered with clouds from there and the back of that small place was too slippery,i tried to click some pictures but i couldn't get much cause my one mistake could have taken me to hell (as nobody will allow me to enter in heaven). And then Karan helped me clicking photos an another solo backpacker from Jaipur he was working in a company and was here for some chill out,

Next day morning we told the manager of hotel to process our checkout and meanwhile we went out for break fast,today we tried out a new cafe which served authentic American and English breakfast with half fried egg,beacon,wheat bread,hash browns,with a complimentary drink of your choice. Then we headed to the taxi stand where we booked our taxi for Darjeeling the only important thing we were going to Darjeeling was the Most beautiful sunrise of India and the view of Mighty Kanchenjunga the worlds third highest Mountain,it is said that when the rays of sun appear on this mountain one can see the most amazing view ever. We booked our tickets the cost on sharing taxi basis from Gangtok to Darjeeling is 150 Rs,it took around 3 and a half hour to reach Darjeeling and on our way we stopped at a tea point where Maggie and few snacks were available to eat along with few soft drinks and tea,but the most amazing thing of that tea point was the view behind it one can see the whole city covered with clouds from there and the back of that small place was too slippery,i tried to click some pictures but i couldn't get much cause my one mistake could have taken me to hell (as nobody will allow me to enter in heaven). And then Karan helped me clicking photos an another solo backpacker from Jaipur he was working in a company and was here for some chill out,