ON THE WAY TO SIKKIM :monsoon 2010

 water fall

 TEESTA RIVER

 LIKU BHIR

DUCKS

Concession Forms for Air Travel(India)

To download concession form click the links below:
Air India
Jet Airways

TRAVEL IRON

A travel iron may be a terrific thing to pack to deal with wrinkled clothing. Although some hotels and motels may have irons available in their rooms, they aren’t always in the best shape. It isn't a guarantee that there will always be a courtesy iron available should it be needed.

There are several things that make a travel iron different from a standard iron used at home. First, these irons are typically smaller, usually about one-third to one-half the size of home irons. Second, the handle on these irons usually folds down, making it easier to pack them in a small space. Size usually means a travel iron is significantly lighter, weighing no more than a few pounds. Most also have convenient travel bags so you can cleanly store the travel iron when it is not in use.

Many travel irons can convert from 120 to 240 watts without problem. However if taking the travel iron outside of the country, it may not fit in the outlets available in other countries. Check your travel itinerary to determine if a plug adapter is necessary.

Quite a few travel irons have steam capacity, which can help get out stubborn wrinkles. They may not have as many settings as home irons, and some people find the smaller base of the iron difficult to use on large pieces of clothing like suits or coats. However, even at home, you can use a travel iron. It may be an excellent tool for ironing around buttons or other things on clothing that shouldn’t be exposed to heat.

There are numerous travel iron styles on the market and they can vary in price depending upon extra features. Very simple ones may cost around $20-30 US Dollars (USD),(this one in the picture is a free gift from a magazine subscription.) Prices can well exceed this when the iron has either a better brand name or more “bells and whistles.”

One thing to remember if the iron uses steam is to make sure to empty water compartments before packing the iron away. This will prevent water from accidentally leaking onto clothing packed with the travel iron. It’s also a good idea to empty any water out of the iron before putting the iron away after traveling. Another important tip is to pay attention to the fabric bag used to cover the iron. Some of these are made of nylon and will melt if you don’t allow the iron to cool before packing it away.

source...http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-travel-iron.htm

SIKKIM;cherry blossom

Winters arrival 2008

DIGLIPUR;North Andaman

Escape beaches of Andaman...

Dentam,West Sikkim

Lock and Key

During travels this kind of number locks are convenient,because you dont need to keep keys with you or search for them always.

Govt eases LTC norms for visit to North East

Govt eases LTC norms for visit to North East


Press Trust of India / New Delhi May 7, 2008

In a major decision to boost tourism in the scenic North-Eastern region, the Centre has relaxed Leave Travel Concession (LTC) rules for its employees permitting them to travel by air. The new rules will apply to employees irrespective of their grade or post and the order will be in operation for two years, sources in the Ministry of Personnel today said.

Under the revised rules, Group A and B employees of the Central Government will be entitled to travel by air from their place of posting or nearest airport to a city in the North-Eastern region. Employees belonging to other categories will be entitled to travel by air to a city in the North-Eastern region from Guwahati or Kolkata. All Central Government servants would be allowed conversion of one block of Home Town LTC into LTC for destinations in the north eastern region, the order said.

The Ministry said that data regarding the number of employees availing LTC to the north eastern region would be maintained. The decision will enable government servants in the junior grades to visit the northeastern region, which used to remain a distant dream for them because of high air travel costs and absence of official entitlement.

The north eastern region comprises Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, and also Sikkim — all having rich tourism potential.

Sikkim Road map

right click the map and save.

M.V.Nicobar-Ship

Ship at mayabunder jetty(Andamans) bound for Kolkata during this February(2007).It takes 4 to 5 days to reach.visit andamansikkim.blogspot.com for more details.

TURTLE GROUNDS-escape beaches

BEACHES OF MIDDLE AND NORTH ANDAMAN ISLANDS.BEST SEASON TO VISIT..DECEMBER AND JANUARY.

Travel like Mahatma Gandhi

Before taking up any tour to any country it is very important to know and read up about the country you plan to visit, you are more warmly welcomed if you take an interest and speak even a few words of the local language. Increase your vital imagination and also think on much smaller aspects when booking a holiday - for example bed and breakfasts, village houses and locally owned accommodation benefit local families. Travel like Mahatma Gandhi - with simple clothes, open eyes and an orderly mind to become the part of Tourism. Assist the local economy of developing countries by purchasing local products in preference to exotic items. It is important to understand that the people in the country your are visiting have different culture, time concepts and thought patterns from your own, it doesn't mean that they are inferior to others in any way just they are little different. Go for public transport where as possible- hire a bus, rickshaw or walk where convenient, you will be encountering with the local life and will get the opportunity to know the place.

Coming soon to India: Tickets for space ride

New Delhi, Oct 17

Mountaineering, skydiving and rafting are passé. It’s time for all Indian adventure tourism enthusiasts to don a spacesuit and whoosh off to a weightless state at thrice the speed of sound. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, a global commercial space tourism group, on Tuesday entered the Indian market with an eye to woo Indians out to space - albeit at a fee of $200,000 for a two-hour ride.

Virgin Galactic, in collaboration with Deluxe Travel and GD Goenka World Travel, has opened its Indian office in New Delhi and will act as a facilitator for Indians to book tickets to space. The spaceship will be launched at a height of 50,000 feet above earth and on release from the mother craft will take a vertical trajectory at three times the speed of sound.

Carolyn Wincer, head of astronaut sales of Virgin Galactic, told reporters that nearly 300 people including four Indians have bought tickets to travel on the spaceship. “India is a growing market and we are hopeful that people who are not astronauts will venture into space via our commercial spaceships,” Wincer said.

She said four Indians have already booked their tickets and one of them is in the top 100 list of voyagers-to-be. The Spaceship 2, as the commercial flight has been named, will be ready for a test run in January 2008. Santhosh George Kulangara, an Indian- based in the US, has booked a ticket to experience space in the first year of the commercial operation of this adventurous venture.

“It will take at least 18 months to start commercial operations. Initially, the spaceship will fly once a week, taking six tourists on board. In the second year of operation we may go for two flights a day,” Wincer said. The mother ship carrying the spaceship will fly to 50,000 feet and then the rocket will be switched on. In 90 seconds the flight will reach a height of 110 km from 50,000 feet (16 km). The flight will last around two hours including a period of weightlessness.

“The tourists will have the opportunity to leave their seats and enjoy the pleasure of weightlessness (micro gravity) for a period of four to five minutes,” said Bernhard Stingl, a joint managing director of Deluxe Travel Europe. People with a healthy heart and lungs will be able to go on this voyage.

Authorities explained that since these are short duration flights, tourists would not face space sickness. “Each flight will carry two pilots and tourists will undergo a three-day training under micro gravity situation to get accustomed to the space situation,” said Wincer.

Every passenger will have access to large windows to enjoy the amazing views of up to approximately 1,000 miles in any direction and the curvature of the earth, authorities explained. They said the spaceship would adopt unique wing feathering technology to slow and control re-entry and thus help in smooth landing on earth.

Extending good wishes to Virgin Galactic, Aviation Minister Praful Patel said: “I am sure with disposable income increasing among Indians, many will go to space. The adventure spirit of Indians will get a further fillip by venturing into space via commercial spaceships”.

Road to Siliguri and Sikkim

September 2007 saw a large number of landslides in these hills(in Darjeeling&Sikkim).The lifeline to Sikkim -NH 31 A, however brought to normal but still faces trouble in restoring it.Every half kilometer is with a big or small land/rock slips,making the travel to and fro from Sikkim and Siliguri troublesome.Traffic congestion and jams are a common sight .The two hour journey from Rangpo to Siliguri now take three hours ,depending on your luck and patience.

SENIOR CITIZENS:Loan for Financing Trips

Planning a vacation is always a fun experience. Whether you are looking to go on a pilgrimage, travel to an exotic tourist destination or visit your grandchildren – there are a wide range of travel options available. However, sometimes you may find yourself having to postpone or cancel your travel plans due to a lack of sufficient funds. Don’t worry too much though. Today, banks are offering special travel loans to senior citizens to help you make it to the places you have always dreamt of. These travel loans help pay for all sorts of travel related expenses right from booking tickets to the cost of staying at a hotel.

One such loan is the ' Desh Videsh Yatra Loan’ of the Bank of Baroda. This loan allows senior citizens to repay the borrowed amount in as much as 36 easy monthly instalments as on March 31, 2007. Other banks including private banks offer travel loans along similar lines. You can also take a regular personal loan to pay for travel related expenses through banks such as the State Bank of India.

Apart from this, travel agencies provide special travel packages and repayment schemes for senior citizens. Such travel packages include fewer and longer stops at tourist attractions. They also involve less walking and have special buses to accommodate wheelchairs. This is available to ensure a comfortable and memorable trip.

In foreign countries, senior citizens are offered discounted rail passes for train travel, rebates at hotels and lower entry fees at tourist attractions. If you are planning to travel abroad, you can ask your travel agent about these facilities and bargain for a discount on available packages. Senior citizens may also go in for travel insurance. This is useful in case of accidents or emergency hospitalization while travelling out of your home city or country. ICICI Bank provides such an insurance plan for senior citizens called the Senior Citizen Travel Insurance plan.

Spice Jet all set to operate to & fro Port Blair from Oct 5

Port Blair, Sept 23

Spice Jet is all set to start its operations in these Islands. The inaugural aircraft of this company is scheduled to arrive here on October 5, 2007. The flight will start its operations from both the sectors i.e Port Blair- Chennai and Port Blair- Kolkata. Spice jet will operate daily from Chennai and Kolkata in Port Blair sector with its Boeing 737 and 800 series of aircrafts.

Spice Jet started its operations in May 2005 with a mission to become India’s preferred low cost airline, delivering the lowest air fares with the highest consumer value, to price sensitive consumers and its vision is to ensure that flying is affordable to everyone. It has a fleet of 6 Boeing 737-800 in single class configuration with 189 seats. Spice Jet currently flies to 11 destinations which includes Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jammu, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Srinagar.

The Spice Jet flight from Chennai will start at 4 AM to reach Veer Savarkar airport at Port Blair at 6.15 AM and it will depart from Port Blair at 6.55 to reach Chennai at 8.50 AM. Similarly, Spice Jet flight from Kolkata will start at 7.25 AM to reach Port Blair at 9.35 AM and it will depart from Port Blair at 10.05 AM to reach Kolkata at 12.10 Noon.

The Islanders who earlier saw only Indian Airlines operated from both Chennai and Kolkata now can be proud of having many more private airlines starting its operations in this sector. Besides, the Indian Airlines, Air Deccan, Jet Airways, and Jetlite (Sahara) connecting Delhi via Kolkata are the other airlines presently in operations from these Islands.

With the proposed start of the Spice Jet aircraft in these Islands the Veer Savarkar airport is geared up to handle as many as 9 flights in a single day. The increase in the flights in regular intervals i.e in the morning hours will not only immensely benefit the islanders but will also flourish the tourism industry with the increased number of tourists.

Passport in just 15 days

Tired of the long wait for a passport? It's about to get shorter.

The ministry of external affairs has drafted an ambitious plan to outsource a major portion of the regional passport offices' work so that once a police verification report is received, a passport is issued within three days.

Under the Rs 8-crore 'Passport Service Project', the MEA will have 68 private centres to help RPOs.

"The Union cabinet cleared the proposal for outsourcing passports on September 6. It will operate exactly on the lines of the US visa system. Of the 68 centres, eight will be set up in New Delhi and four in Mumbai," a senior official told TOI.

While existing RPOs would function as usual, the new centres would be entrusted with the entire work, except signing the passport, while the delivery of passports would also be completely outsourced.

Currently, passports are delivered through the postal network or collected in person at the RPO. It is also proposed to link major police stations with RPOs so that police verification reports are delivered quickly. For setting up the 68 centres, tenders will be invited to ensure that the agency provides quality service.

"Our attempt is to cut down the existing waiting period of 45 days to 15-20 days. One-and-a-half months is a very long period, particularly when we claim that we have adequate technical know-how in all the sectors," the official said.

The official said the proposal would take final shape once the minutes of the cabinet meeting were approved. "We expect the final guidelines within a fortnight, and the new project is expected to start functioning within a year or so," he said.

As per the new proposal, if all formalities are completed, new as well as duplicate passports will be issued within three days, while change in name and address will be done on the same day.

Of course, one will have to pay a stiff fee for quick delivery of passports. "Fees will be decided later by the MEA," the official said.

SIKKIM

Sikkim has its own unique dietary culture with specific cuisine and food recipes. Like anywhere else in the world, food habits here have evolved as the result of traditional wisdom and empirical experiences of generations. Today in many parts of the world these traditional foods have entered commercial production, and their recipes have become popular among people of different ethnic origin. In the Sikkim Himalayas traditional foods are an integral part

of the dietary culture of the various ethnic groups of people consisting of the Nepalese, Bhutias and Lepchas. Rice is the staple food. Meat and dairy products are also consumed depending on availability. Besides these, various traditional fermented foods and beverages, which constitute of about 20 per cent of the basic diet for long centuries (Table 1 & 2), are prepared and consumed. The dietary-culture of this region is mostly reflected in the pattern of food production. Depending on the altitudinal variation, finger millet, wheat, buckwheat, barley, vegetable, potato, soybeans, etc. are grown. Some of the common traditional cuisine with their food recipes has been presented for introduction of dietary culture of the Sikkim Himalayas, as well as for product diversification. Momo Momo, steamed dumpling prepared from wheat flour and meat/vegetable is very common Tibetan food. Momo has already entered commercial production and is well placed in menus of all local hotels/restaurant. Thukpa/ Gya-Thuk Thukpa/Gya-thuk is a typical Tibetan style noodles in soup. Thukpa/Gya-thuk is very popular local cuisine also available in all restaurants and hotels of these regions. Kinema Kinema is a traditional fermented soybean food having characteristic stringy property with unique flavour, commonly consume as a main side-dish curry served as meat substitute along with cooked rice in meals. Kinema serves as an inexpensive high source of plant protein food in the local diet. The word Kinema might have originated from the Limbu (one of the major castes of the Nepalis) dialect Kinambaa, Ki meaning fermented, nambaa means flavour. Gundruk & Sinki Gundruk and Sinki are traditional fermented vegetable products prepared during winter when fresh perishable vegetable is plenty. Gundruk is a fermented product of leafy vegetable such as rayo sag (Brasicca rapa spp. campestris variety cuneifolia), leaves of mustard, radish and cauliflower. Sinki is prepared from radish tap root only. The quality attributes to Gundruk and Sinki basically depends upon the typical flavour and sour-acidic taste which is developed during natural fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, mainly spp. of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. Gundruk and Sinki are sun dried after fermentation and stored for consumption. Due to high content of organic acid and low pH, these products can be preserved for a year or more. This is a good example of biopreservation of perishable vegetable. Gundruk and Sinki are good appetizers due to high content of lactic and acetic acid developed during fermentation. Chhurpi Chhurpi is a fermented dairy product prepared from cow milk. Chhurpi is a traditional cottage cheese which gives a texture of a white soft mass with mild sour taste. It is fermented by spp. of lactic acid bacteria. Average consumption of Chhurpi is 9.9.g/capita/day with annual production of 1469 ton in Sikkim. Chhurpi - Ningro (wild edible fern) Curry The people of the Sikkim Himalayas eat many varieties of wild ferns commonly grown in these regions. Some of the common edible ferns are Diplazium polypodiodes locally called "sauney ningro", iplazium spp. "kali ningro", etc. Recipe of wild fern is unique in these regions which is mostly mixed with Chhurpi to taste. Ningro, an alpine fiddle-head fern and its tendrils when sauted with Churpi( form of cheese) makes an irresistible dish. Normally it is not served in the restaurants but is prepared as a household dish. Mesu Mesu is a traditional fermented bamboo shoot product with sour-acidic taste eaten as pickle. In the Limbu dialect, me means young bamboo shoot and su means sour, the word Mesu is directly derived from the Limbu dialect. Young bamboo shoots are fermented under natural anaerobic condition for 7-15 days, initiated by spp. of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus to get Mesu. It has high content of organic acid and low pH with rich mineral contents. Tama Tama is a non-fermented bamboo shoot product. Some varieties of bamboo shoots commonly grown in the Sikkim Himalayas are Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus sikkimensis and Bambusa tulda locally known as ‘choya bans’, ‘bhalu bans’ and ‘karati bans’, respectively are edible when young. These bamboo shoots are collected, defoliated and boiled in water with turmeric powder for 10-15 min to remove bitter taste of bamboo. Tama is ready for consumption. Tama is commonly sold in the local markets during the months of June to September when young bamboo shoots sprout Masauyra Masauyra is a fermented black gram, ball-like hollow product consume as spicy condiment. Masauyra is mostly common among Newar of the Nepalis. It is similar to the Punjabi Wari. Khalo Dal Khalo dal is very common dal prepared from black gram (Phaseolus mungo). Sidra ko Achar Sidra ko achar is a flavoured pickle prepared from dry, small fish Sidra. Saelroti Widely prepared during Nepali festivals, Saelroti is normally eaten with potato curry or non-vegetarian dish. Normally not available in restaurants but Saelroti is prepared from well-mixed fermented rice batter which is deep fried, ring-shaped, spongy, pretzel-like product commonly consume as confectionery bread in festival and special occasions. The batter is fermented by spp. of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Silam ko Achar Silam ko achar is a pickle prepared from Silam seeds, and is usually served with Phulaurah. Sishnu (Nettle leaves) Soup Sishnu soup is prepared from leaves of edible wild varieties of nettle. Sishnu soup is a typical Himalayan cuisine served with cooked rice. Many wild varieties of nettle are grown in these regions some of which are edible such as Urtica dioica locally called "ghario sishnu", Laportee terminalis "patle sishnu", and Girardinia diversifolia "bhangrey sishnu".

Bed & breakfast scheme

New Delhi, Sept 03

The Union Ministry of Tourism has launched a Scheme to classify fully operational rooms of Home Stay Facilities as “Incredible India Bed & Breakfast (B&B) Establishment”. The basic idea is to provide a clean and affordable place for foreigners and domestic tourists alike, including an opportunity for foreign tourists to stay with an Indian family to experience Indian customs and traditions and relish authentic Indian cuisine.

81 Establishments have been registered in this Scheme in Delhi, out of which 23 are in the Gold category and 58 are in the Silver category. The total number of rooms registered under the Scheme is 221. The number of establishments registered in the National Capital Region (NCR) is 94.

In view of the positive response received by this Scheme and the potential it has to create additional accommodation, the Govt. of NCT of Delhi has passed the ‘National Capital Territory of Delhi (Incredible India) Bed & Breakfast Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Ordinance, 2007”. This Ordinance extends to the whole of National Capital Territory of Delhi and exempts Bed & Breakfast Establishments from levy of Luxury Tax and Value Added Tax. Earlier the owners of these establishments had to pay 12.5% Luxury Tax. Moreover, it ensures that the establishment shall not be treated as commercial one and shall only be liable to pay –

(a) Power and water tariff as applicable to domestic or residential use; and

(b) Property tax as applicable to residential tenanted premises with respect to the portion let out to the guests, restricted to the period of occupancy thereof, fully or partly as the case maybe.

CARRY A RADIO

While travelling carry a small shortwave radio .At least you can listen to the news headlines,so that you can get warned about any natural calamity,short notice evacuation alerts,etc.You may think that ,it is unnecessary because you are not going to keep the radio always on in a place where you went for a visit,you don't know whether it is a rumor or fact..there radio comes handy to confirm things in this uncertain world where information is power.I experienced it and the Radio was the sole source of information when everything goes off..no power..no phone...no TV...BUT the RADIO works,it worked for me during the TSUNAMI.I recommend the SONY WORLD BAND SW RADIO(as shown in this picture) a small sized manual tuning radio.