Best of 4X4 Vehicles on Indian Hills

My predilection for 4x4 vehicles has driven me un-numerable times to the subsequent sites of the TATA motors, Chevrolets, SUV and what not! I know it would cost a bomb and, thus, have sated myself, so far, by visiting the showrooms and viewing my screen savers of the ritzy cars. Misconception regretted! This post is not about car segments, rather on best performing 4x4 vehicles compatible on rugged terrains of Indian Hills. Read the post and down pat features of the most eyed macho 4x4 (For the uninformed lot, a 4x4 vehicle has all four of its wheels powered by the engine where as conventional car models will have only 2 wheels backed by the engines).

Land Rover

Rating: *****

Sauve. This vehicle comes with a muckle of features that reflect class and sophistication in its look. One of the stunning vehicles from TATA’s range of SUVs, Land Rover is designed with stylish cabin, huge space and contemporary technology. A vehicle for all purposes and terrains, TATA’s Land Rover is equipped with features like gearbox, throttle and air suspension along with traction control that supports the drive on all land types. Land Rover guarantees par excellence locomotive capacity powered by twin turbo V8 diesel or supercharged V8 engine. Adding to this are six-speed automatic transmission, command shift are the standard features that makes this a perfect design for hills. A striking/cozy interior of contemporary fittings, leather content, trim finishes, and dynamic cockpit interiors of the finest leather content and wood options compliments the rough interiors.

TATA Safari (DICOR)

Rating: ****

The King of all SUVs in India, the TATA Safari stands emblematic of all the excellence and high deliverable performance. An age old preferable SUVs are excellent for hills; rugged terrains as compared to Sumo, Sierra et al. TATAs prove their mettle at automobile designing with well-designed interiors which comprise comfortable seats and quite a luxurious cabin. One of top-drawing interior feature of TATA Safari is rear legroom which can be folded/ unfolded to liberate luggage rooms while driving. Adjustable height seat belts are the complimenting feature that allows extra strip of comfort in long drive. Adjustable tilt steering is of a better quality than the dashboard. The car is infixed with ultramodern Delphi Multitec 1600 bar fully electronic Common Rail Direct Injection System which delivers the job of supplying fuel. This is the smartest feature that helps long wearing drives on the mountains. Multitec 1600 bar is fully electronic and well aids in acceleration, noise reduction and overall control patented adaptive learning technology. The engine is amazing and oil consumption is efficiently monitored.

Mahindra Bolero

Rating: ***

The Bolero SLX is a pretty rough and tough car, consummately equipped for a drive on all kinds of road condition. It is best suited for hilly areas and delivers a mileage of 13.8 km/lt on smooth roads and an average of 11.6km/lt (without AC). At its highest best Bolero gives a speed performance of 124 km. Besides, Bolero SLX is upgraded with ground clearance. One of the main features of this car is very low maintenance cost. The engine delivery is good and it is well suited for long distances without any problems. The New Mahindra Bolero is back-powered by 2523cc Turbo Charged DI (Direct Injection) diesel engine that generates a power of 63.2 PS @ 3200 rpm and 18.4 kgm of torque @ 1440-1500 rpm. Mahindra Bolero is the most suited car for the bumpy and hill roads as it is featured with good, low-end torque.

Namdapha: Been there and back! Part II

This post is the continuation of previous post on Namdapha National Park.

Halting at Rani Jheel

This is 4 km ahead of Bulbulia, a small pond located 800 m high on plateau and skirted by canopy of forests all over. Crossing the forest is like making your way into the thickets of tall trees perched upon by white-winged wood ducks. And between the walks, if only luck is fat, you can spot the yellow-throated marten ambling along the forest floors. The walk from Bulbulia to Rani Jheel is truly enchanting, which also lets you spot some pug marks and extinct creatures.

My treading Namdapha is not all about those not-found-in-city-creatures but also about the local tribes men who have had thorough the jungles and have also set a record of slaying men and animals. Namdapha’s mainly is inhabited by Shingpos, Khamtis and Tangsas tribesmen. Besides, the tribal population in Namdapha constitutes Chakma refugees and Lius tribes too.

Some other important sites …

Walking around the park and the rendezvous with wilds are just 3/4^th of Namdapha Tiger Reserve and the rest lays in its tribes and areas near Miao.

>> Forest Department Museum

The Forest Department Museum is located at Miao, near the park area. Inside, there is preserved skulls of newly discovered leaf deer.

>>Chophelling Tibetian Refugee Camp

This Tibetian refugee camp has a beautiful collection of woven carpets and rug. The camp is located 4 km from Miao.

Permits

To enter Namdapha one will have to seek permissions with the authority.

Inner Line Per: ILP is required by every Indian entering Namdapha National Park. This can be obtained from within the district and often the tour operators take care by the tour operators. The ILP is also obtained from The Secretary (Tourism), Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar.

Restricted Area Permit: This permit is only required by the foreign nationals. RAP can be obtained at the Indian embassy/ consulates abroad, the Home Ministry or the Home Commissioner, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.

Entry and Lodging

M`pen Checkpost is the most common entry, almost 11 km away into the Namdapha Tiger Reserve. For tourist’s accommodation and lodgings, Deban, 28 km from Miao, is the right place to head to. There are ample of stay facilities at Forest Rest Houses and Camps at Haldibari, Hornbill, Bulbulia and rani Jheel. Although there aren’t too many options for stay at Namdapha, one will have to check out for bookings in advance, as we did in our case. In Miao, there is only one place to stay is the Inspection Bungalow or Circuit House.

Namdapha: Been there and back! Part I

Wilderness resides deep in Namdapha -- the unpredictable scape pristineness, varieties and capriciousness. Chances are that you spot the family of tigers amidst these up for the grabs National Park. Namdapha is a lifetime experience for the charm and forest escapade for this teeming entity stays forever. Namdapha National Park is eastern most tiger reserve located in Arunachal Pradesh, near the Eastern Himalaya, contiguous to Myanmar border in the North East sector of India. Home of the rampant beauty, Namdapha is popular with trekkers and adventure freaks, and my post is an account of traversing unparalleled frontiers of Namdapaha National Park, new explorations and wild encounter at the park.

On the way to Namdapha National Park

Dense and dark with mountains skirting all along the jaunt to Namdapha is what I feasted onto. My trip commenced at Tinsukia from where Namdapha National Park is 45 km to the east of it. Early morning Namdapha wears a brumous blanket with a shrilling silence broken only sings, coos and mawns of the wild residents. From Tinsukia to Namdapha the jeep ride is through the highs and lows of a jungle and dense vegetation. After travelling for few hours and crossing destinations like Stilwell Road, Memorial Graveyard, Tibetian Institute of Handicrafts, Miao Bio-diversity Museum, one reaches to Namdapha National Park. Miao is the name of the town at the entrance of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve and another 28 km by road takes you to the Forest Department-run tourist complex at Deban.

The nearest airport to Namdapha is Dibrugarh which has daily flight connection with Guwahati and other metropolitans as well. Namdapha is well-served by rails from other cities of India. Tinsukia Rail Station, 45 km from Namdapha is the nearest rail station connecting New Delhi, New Jalpaiguri, Guwahati and other states. Buses run only to Miao and are not that reliable option because of the poor connectivity. We hired a sumo for Rs 1500 till Namdapha National Park for a group of four.

Note: It is advisable to chart out your journey details with local tour operator in Arunachal Pradesh as you must have local permits, transportations, accommodations and trekking permissions.

Deban

Although Deban offers a muckle of new experiences, what is far more engrossing and delectable is the interiors of Deban. By the time we grab in some glimpses of Namdapha it was late evening and I was already experiencing the cold mountain bites. Next morning, we begun tour at the Deban. We osquare oned at the northern bank of the river which is at Haldibari-Hornbill-Bulbulia-Rani-Jheel-Firmbase areas. The place is devoid of any habitation and the feeling of solitude overpowered me.and others. Sunlight filtering from the dense woodlet fills light into the darkness and flowers and on insects which glow with the rays of light scattered through their tiny pores. The pathways to Bulbulia is littered with all fruits of rudraksh trees!

My Stay at Hornbill

A good expanse of sky dominates Hornbill – the eponym for the the destination where birds roost in the evening. Hornbill is the home of birds and bees. Species like silver-eared mesiah, bar-tailed cuckoos, blue-throated barbets, red-eared bay woodpeckers and many more are found in abundance enlivening the whole of jungle milieu. We spotted a muckle of butter flies on many wet patches, tree-trunks and local wild blooms. Me and my groupsters (groupies) had to keep our eyes peeled as they these little delightful creatures provide with fleeting glances which has to be caught in fractions of seconds before they vanish in the forest tenebrosity. A little ahead just when we started looking for some new wild creature, our eyes caught the congregation of dragontails at the pond.

Halting at Bulbulia

Known as poong (hot stream in local language), Bulbulia is actually a hot bubbling spring covered by grey gooey slush that can be smelt from a km. On the instruction of our guide we lit a small match and threw on the waters in extreme inqusitiveness and lo! saw the little fire dancing the water here. Moreover, to our delight we bathed in the mud there and believe it or not, the grey ooze cures you off all allergy, insect bites and all!!! Nights creep in to no amazement to us and we trusted our fates for some rumblings of elephants. One point to be noted is that a whiff of humans can drive away the animals.

Please note that the journey continues in the next post !!!!!!!!!

The Sundarbans

As the launch sallies into the dark, deceptively silent waters and woodlet of Sundari trees ... you can experience time coming to standstill. Nature unfurls her wilderness in full tempo at Sundarbans and you can feel the hypnotic ease as you leave Kolkata far behind on your launch, a kind of serenity creeps in.

The Sundarbans are the single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. As the name implies, Sundarbans (shomudraban in Bengali) are named after the Sundari Trees that dot the area in copiousness and stand as eponym for the jungles of Sundarban. The Sundarbans delta are formed at the confluence of the mighty trio of river Ganges, Meghna and Bramhaputra. The impenetrable mangroves of the delta spills into the Bangladesh borders and beyond., and as a result of which the evergaldes are owned by Bangladesh too. Sundarbans are the largest reserve for Bengal Tigers and many other species of birds, reptiles and salt-water crocodiles that inhabit the area. A huge muckle of birds species like kingfisher, lapwing, stork, egret and eagles and whistlers are seen chirping in the delta zone. The canopy of Sundarbans is densely shared by Hetal, Gewa, Keora, Garan and Dhundul Trees besides the Sundari Trees.



As suggested by the locals there, we took the waterway jaunt to Sunderbans. The 5-6 hours journey to Sundarbans is thrilling refreshing, where the jaunt itself is the part of the Sundarban experience. 160-miles of Sundarbans is interweaved with plenitudes of estuaries, rivulets like Harinbhanga, Matla, Gosaba, Muriganga, Thakuran and Vidya. They weave enchantingly through the Sundarbans Biosphere comprising of the villages like Sajnekhali, Sagar et al. Sundarban waters are spellbinding.Life and locals in the adjoining villages are the upshot of biosphere that seeps deep down the lifestyle and culture of the people. The food that binged on had exceptional variation of crab delicacies due to the absolute freshness, of course!

Nights brings in extra degree of tenebrousity and wilderness at the evergaldes. We watched the day evanescing while the night takes over with lilting sounds of crickets and other insects. A phantasmagorical trip begun on the night launch trip on the Sundarban waters where the boat skirted the jungle border; we were yet to chance upon a Royal Bengal.

Next morning, we were woken by the chorus of the bird songs and watched the waters turning orange to green as the sun upped in the sky. A walk around this green biosphere upgrades you all on the impending devastation, with versions from the locals that keep you engaged with the Hurricane Alia incidents & stories. We spent hours getting engaged with the villagers being dependent on woods and also got an insight into one their primary occupation for generations: honey collecting. A mind blowing number of 1400 honey collectors reside in Sundarbans. An interesting and adventurous occupation the honey gatherers estimate their collection of sweet stuff to 125 tonnes. Talking to members of this unique profession educated one about the honey gathering modus operandi. These people work in groups with an experienced leaders and associates. The whole expedition takes months where the collectors live on boat with a good stock of food and daily items. While on expedition they stay close to each other for safety purpose. The sight of honeycomb excites the collectors and they promptly act before the bees sense their intruders. A target of three honeycombs in a day is what they aim for.

We stuffed out journey bags with few kilos of `pure` honey and sailed our way out .... back to busy lifestyle leaving behind the scent of soil and sound if silence.

Health Tourism

Last when I came across the word, I reluctantly brushed it aside! But after the phrase is consistently coming into the court, and at the time when we are readily embracing the concept, ``health tourism`` is fast hiving up in India. Lets down pat the concept of health tourism.

Health Tourism entails traveling to other cities and countries in order to avail better treatment facilities and privileges. As health care is increasingly becoming expensive and tiresome with involvement of insurance, long ques and so forth, India is picking up fast on the medical/ health care tourism. Identifying the lacuna in the medical processes of the west and reinstating the procedures with corrective measures and easy medical access, India is fast emerging as a thriving destination on the global map. Right from the pharmaceutical industry to hospitals, from alternative therapies like Ayurveda and acupuncture to loosely structured health program, from doctors to nurses to more easily affordable medical services, the health industry is a flourishing and, more significantly, represents a part of national economy. Today, a country like India is caching up fast, and also ideally poised to benefit greatly from the health related tourism. Reportedly, every year, India receives 1,50,000 medical tourists who avail world class heath care at a fraction of cost.

While health is billion buck industry in India, the good news is that it is also leading from front in the medical tourism. According to the recent research data, India is giving tough competition to Thailand, a once close competitor to India, in the . There are various reasons that add up to India's being the most-preferred choice of health tourism. First and foremost is that India's a anglophone country and English is a standard, widely spoken language, which implies no language bar for the outpatients. Second, the medical infrastructure and technology is at par with those in the USA, UK and European nations. At present time and age, India owns some of the worlds largest and sophisticated chain of hospitals, such as Fortis, Apollo Group of Hospitals, Vellore CMC et al. India offers a wide range of elective procedures as well as complex services such as joint replacement, cardiac surgery, dental surgery and cosmetic surgeries at a minimal cost as compared to the lead drawers of the medical tourism such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico and Turkey.

Besides, one of the major proponents of medical tourism in India is Yoga and Ayurveda – the holistic healer. Every year tourists flock to India to seek and benefit from this scientific discipline. Being one of the main features of tourist attraction down south, many Ayurvedic centers in Southern India cater to the global tourists through the senescent therapeutic discipline. Marketing Ayurveda as part of the 'health tourism' has brought a new definition to vacationing in India itself. Medical treatment combined with leisure activities, fun and fitness. India has originated as one of the most important hubs for medical tourism. The medical tourism market in India is expected to grow to $2 billion a year by 2012-13.

It’s lovely, dark and deep...

De-stressed! Invigorating! Refreshing!

This is how I am feeling after a short trip to Pangot. The tiny boondock, 14 km ahead of Nainital, on the northern side of Cheena Peak, is a cake piece of nature. Pangot’s surrounding is an expanse characterized of thickets with Pangot nestling in its fold. This forest trail is networked with other thicker trails that cut Pangot and its surrounding with numerous trek ways that can be crossed on foot.

As I am a great birdwatcher I noticed plenitudes of local avian life flooding the trail shacks. Picturesque in scape, Pangot is home of the rhododendrons where thousands of fascinating pheasants, Kokla and Khaljee Pheasants can be seen chirping and taking flights in the oak and rhododendrons forests.

One such incident during the trek I remember recording lammergeirs, fiches, minivets, sibia, spotted forktail and warblers et al. Birds apart, I mad e several such low altitude interesting climb during a week long stay at Pangot.

The sight from Cheena Peak is indescribable. The highest in Kumaoun region, Cheena Peak is 2600 m. For active walkers Cheena is a 5-hr walk from Kilbury, before descending to Pangot. The flanking area is dotted with beautiful Himalayan Peaks and forest of Kunjkharak.

Kunjhakharak and beyond...

On enquiring the locals I managed to get some information on Kunjakharak and from the help of the locals I took a 4-hr-trip to the Kunjakharak Forests through the beholding scenery of Kosi River, plateau, jungles and sceneries. However, the Himalayan sunset and sunrise is one amaranthine spectacle. In Kunjakharak jungles, the rhododendrons trails started displaying the annual spectacle of masses of crimson blossoms.

My further productive insight was in Nainital and its surrounding — just a 30-min drive from Pangot. Gurney House, Jim Corbett’s residence lays on Ayyurpata side of the town where the visitors are allowed inside the house. Not far from here is the old shrine of Pasahan Devi on the shores of the Lake. Next, I travelled down to Binsar where the temple complex of Jaageshwar is situated/ Jaageshwar is also takes a claim of hosting the shoot of Vivah movie. Jaageshawar has many of the Indo-Tibetain temples that date back its history to 10th Century AD. My trip was rewarded with sights and views of Nanda Devi, Trishul, Panch Chuli and other Himalayan giants. here.

Just 295 km from Delhi, Pangot makes a great place to restore the bruised senses.

Height: 2070 m
Location: 14 km from Nainital, Uttrakhand , along the Kilbury Forests
Reach there: Kathgodam and Ramnagar is the nearest railhead.
Mobile Network: BSNL and idea mobiles work at O point in Pangot. BSNL works without break.
Goldie Hawn stayed at Pangot during the year 2006 when looking for an exact location of her film.

1/4th of Nagaland

The other day I was just packing my woollens for next winter when my eyes got fixed on a bright, red Naga Shawl I bought from Dimarpur town in Nagaland. August 2006 we planned a family visit to Dimarpur, Nagaland, to one of our relatives there and came back with souvenir. It turned out to be an engrossing trip in the hinterlands of North East. Dimarpur is a modern town, ensconcing in its heart an ancient generous past that once Dimarpur was. An important centre of trade and commerce, and a very convenient choice for tourist infrastructure, Dimarpur is also the entrée to and from Nagaland.

The old town of Dimarpur once served as a flourishing Kingdom of Kacheri Kingdoms. Today it is a well-kept entrance gateway to the sublime beauty of Nagaland. From simple to elaborately design and to elegantly designed Naga Shawls, these are a customary wear of the

Naga Shawls

One of the prime draw at Nagaland, and 1/4th of it are contained in its shawls. Crafted and patterned in multi-colours with fine appliqué, Naga Shawl is also the cultural documents as it weaves into itself the intricate narrative of the about the tribe, social status of its wearer and, at times, indicates special ceremonies through its patterns. A numerous of tradition and customs are woven into the design pattern of the shawls which are a customary wear of Nagas. Talk to one of the local Naga and they would spill out the toil that goes into weaving the shawl, customs and best places to purchase to newcomers and emptors.

Naga Shawls come in many tempting, bright colours mostly red, black and dark shades of blue. There are many varieties of shawls like Tsungkotepsu, Rongsu, Angami Naga, Supong, Rongkhim, Lotha, and Tsungrem Khim to make a choice from. The tribal woollen shawls from Nagaland are popular for unique designs and motifs. Naga Shawls are made by stitching 3 or 9 separate narrow pieces of shawls into one large garment where central part of the shawl is heavily embroidered than the side parts. A number of shops in Dimarpur engage in selling Naga shawls; right from Nagaland Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation, opposite the State Transport bus at Kohima station, to shops in the super market which stock Naga shawls, clothes, crockery and knick-knacks are stocked with fancy shawls in all sizes and colours.

Types of Nagaland Shawls

Tsungkotepsu and Rongsu Shawl

Woven out on a darker coloured base, Tsungkotepsu Shawl, this is an exclusive produce of AOS tribe. Tsungkotepsu Shawls have a median white band on either side of it there are horizontal bands of contrasting colours like red, black and white. These middle bands are hand-painted with fancy patterns of various symbolic figures in black.

Angami Naga Shawl

Angami Naga Shawl is threaded in black with broad, thick embroidery of animals’ motif. This is also called as warrior shawl, and has a tradition of being worn by the warrior tribes of Angami.

Supong

This is an uncommon shawl worn and created by the Sangtam tribe, mainly used by rich people. Supong is woven in black colour with four grey bands at the top and another four bands of the same colour at the bottom.

Rongkhim

Rongkhim is very beautiful shawl worn by the warrior of great renown in Yimchunger Naga tribe. It is patterned on red and black colours with grey bands on each side.

The Tsomgo Lake

When the vehicle moves amidst the clouds, where a high-altitude glacial lake reflects the surrounding mountain, snow-clad mountain stilts flanked with prayer flags and nearness of Indo-Tibet border thrills ... this place is called Sikkim. It is not uncommon to get smitten by the bewitching beauty of this 5800 ft Shangri La. However, the extreme temperatures in the plains are causing traffic jams even in the mountains but Tsomgo Lake has maintained it beauty pristinely.

The Tsomgo Lake

Thirty eight km from Gangtok, close to the eastern border of Sikkim with Tibet. The journey to the Tsomgo Lake is most interesting through the home of clouds, seven coloured sun that throws light a new hue every now and then. Nearing the lake you try deciphering the whistle of winds that inhabits every nook and corner of height. Listen carefully and you would be impartially hallowed by soothing prayers emanating from near by gompas.

At 3780m the lake almost freezes, at least partly, in winters and is aesthetically surrounded by the ice field. Well, something is ready to accompany your wintery flakes and these are hot, chocolate coffee, momos and many more. During summers walking by the side of the side of the river balms and caresses your senses. On your wish you can take a ride on the silent yaks and a photograph with them is a bonus. Adjoining Tsomgo Lake is the Kyonosia Alpine Sanctuary and twenty km ahead paves a road to Nathu La pass!

Dolphins Tourism in Bramhputra

From childhood to adolescence to youth, I have had nurtured the dream of a trip to Switzerland. The reason is plain and simple: Dolphin. Yes, but the very recent trip in Assam has some what abridged the biggie dream leaving some hope, on a note of discovery of Dolphins.

An hour on the fringe of Guwahati the Brahmputra stretch is home to gobs of Gangetic dolphins, which are called xihu (as hihu) in the local tongue. In recent tourism’s upstairs kick Dolphin Tourism is creating the abuzz among its keen takers. Specialized Dolphin tours are promoted in order to generate the influx of tourist to the state. Sighting of frolicking Dolphins are not so uncommon for the commoners who frequent the place.


The much-sought-after Brahmputra dolphins’ shares quiet a resemblance to sea water Dolphins those are quiet long and sportive. However, the Brahmputra River dolphins are stout and have snout that pouts long with tooth in the frontal. A conversation on boat with the boat men reveals that once the entire Brahmaputra stretch was crammed with dolphin population but soon their blubber made them susceptible at the hands of humans. As the locals and other natives affirm, Dolphin Oil is a miraculous cure for myriads of deadly ailments.


For me the sight was sinfully captivating whenever unmistakable humps rose out of water. Other few minutes my eyes roved to catch a sight of another dolphin romping under water, or preparing unforeseen to end the wait of those who take boat rides especially to catch these aquatics in their natural demeanor. Boastfully, considering a fairly large number of Dolphin populations, the Assam government is working to declare the area as Dolphin Sanctuary. As we neared the prime spot with our guide, scores of these merry riverine creatures aired intermittently along the spot. To spot one quickly transformed to a game and we engaged in the game to distinguish among the scaly, dark ones, adults, paired or child dolphins. A rough estimation concludes some 200 populace in the river belt and close vicinage.

Like every prized species the dolphins too are facing danger in the threat of poaching of aquatics. Animal activists and conservationist are pumping a lot of awareness for Dolphins conservation and their contribution to the sea as well as earth life.

Reaching and Lodging

Guwahati is the access point where all major airlines connect from Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore. For lodging the river bank has number of hotels starting at 2000 and above. To name some of it are Rajmahal; Dynasty; Greenwood Resort, Rajmahal, Dynasty et al.

Dolphin Watch

The best way to catch a glimpse of Dolphins is at Kukurmara which is a small village in the in Kamrup district of Assam, some 22 km from Guwahati Airport. Now days there are many trip planner and tour guide who escort you to the Dolphin spots. You can avail the trip for Rs 500 to Rs 1000 inclusive of tea, snacks and lunch that constitutes traditional Assamese menu of fish, chicken, dal and Khaar. Besides the Dolphin trip steal away some time for Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and Hajo. Shop at Sualkuchi for the two-piece mekhla chador, the traditional dress of Assamese.