Surrounded by the serene Shivaliks, the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas and the Zanskar mountain ranges, and home to scenic beauty, lies the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is also known as the ‘Land of Deodars’ — the Himalayan Cedar.

“Nothing is more beautiful than the calmness of the woods before sunrise”, and the people of Himachal live with it daily. Walking down the lanes of Himachal Pradesh, you will experience the worthiness of a traditional technique of Kath-Kuni that uses alternating layers of wood and stone masonry held in place without mortar for the construction of houses in these isolated hills of northern India. Kath-Kuni is derived from the Sanskrit words kasht meaning ‘wood’ and kona meaning ‘corner’.

As beautiful as Himachal winters are, they are also harsh and unforgiving. The hilly areas, being semi-connected and not being extremely facilitated, cannot rely on expensive heating arrangements. These humble abodes made in the Kath-Kuni style serve the purpose of protection against the extreme cold climate, as most parts of Himachal gets covered in a thick blanket of snow between November and March.

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There are very few places in the world which have something to offer for every kind of traveller. On what has only been my second visit to the holy land of Rishikesh, I am pretty convinced that this is surely one of those places. It is quite an interesting mélange of spirituality and adventure. But after having spent a few days here as a solo traveller, I believe there is a lot more to the city. I like to call it “The blissful abode”.

The beautiful sound of the flowing Ganga is the best welcome you can get as you set foot here. That will in fact also be one of the most prominent views everywhere you go from that point on. Aside from that, you will read the words like yoga, meditation or river rafting everywhere you look. You will most definitely be convinced that you will either leave the place with a tranquil mind or an adrenaline pumped-up heart. But if you are someone like me who likes to experience everything a place has to offer, you might just leave with a mix of both.

There are many reasons why I say this place is for everyone. First, it has a range of options for accommodation. From budget hostels (costing only about Rs 600 a day) to one of the most expensive properties of Taj (costing about Rs 45k a night), there is no dearth of options if you choose to stay here for a few days. This is one of the many reasons Rishikesh is on the top of the list for solo travellers, students travelling on budget, as well as foreign nationals looking to stay here for a longer duration.

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Kashmir, a picturesque valley nestled in the Himalayas, is also referred to as “heaven on earth”. The stunning landscapes, snow-capped mountains, serene lakes and lush green valleys have attracted tourists for centuries. As an avid traveller, I had always been intrigued by the beauty of this place, and so I decided to embark on a trip to Kashmir to experience its magic first-hand. Little did I know that my journey would turn out to be an experience of a lifetime, full of adventure and life lessons.

My trip to Kashmir started with a flight to Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. As the plane descended, I caught my first glimpse of the snow-capped mountains. The view was awe-inspiring, with snow-capped mountains standing tall against a backdrop of blue skies. I felt a sense of calm and tranquillity that I had never experienced before.

As I stepped out of the airport, I was greeted by the fresh mountain air and the warm hospitality of the locals. I had a local guide pick me up from the airport; he introduced me to the local culture and traditions, and I got a taste of the famous Kashmiri cuisine.

The next few days were spent exploring the city and its surroundings. I visited the iconic Dal Lake, which is surrounded by the beautiful Mughal Gardens and houseboats.

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I went to Norway in November 2022 to swim with orcas (meaninglessly called “killer whales”). Orcas are intelligent creatures that have a varied diet of fish, whales, seals and dolphins, but there is no history of them attacking humans in the wild. Some orcas would follow their prey, herring, to the Norwegian coast in winter.

Skjervøy, the base for the trip, is at 70°N, north of the Arctic Circle. In the six days that I spent on the boat in or near Skjervøy, the daily daylight hours dramatically decreased from two and a half hours to zero. There would be no sunrise from my last day in Skjervøy for another 51 days. Most of our water activities would be conducted in twilight. I spotted the sun exactly once while at sea.

Nine guests, including myself, boarded the M/S Mårøy (pronounced “maw-ray”), our transportation and residence for the trip. I figured out my gear for cold weather snorkelling on the first night. Woollen underclothing plus socks would cover most of the body. Over this would go an additional onesie. I would put on a waterproof drysuit, which would trap an insulating pocket of air next to the body, over these. The holes in the drysuit, for my palms and head, had tight elastic bands to keep them sealed next to my skin. Finally, gloves and hoods would cover my palms and head.

On the first morning, the Mårøy set off from Skjervøy. The seascape and the skies were the most colourful that I had ever seen. From the horizon, the sky lit up in rainbow colours. Mountains rose around us, lit in a gentle glow. Someone spotted the first tall, black dorsal fin of an orca rising above the water, along with a spray of water as the animal exhaled.

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Friends, fun and _______. Add in a bit of adventure and you have the perfect recipe for a fabulous trek! The best part is that a trek can be done by a person who wants to do a slow and leisurely activity as well as someone who is keen to test out their recently developed fitness gains and skills.

Trekking is growing in popularity every year as accessibility to base villages have improved. The green mountains, exhilarating waterfalls, fresh and gurgling streams and a chance to spend time outdoors is a call that is difficult to resist. An overnight trek can involve pitching a tent, cooking on an open fire and survival with scarce food available. There is no feeling like being on a mountaintop with nature and some friends for company. A chance to show off your survival skills is an added bonus.

My fondest memory is of my first trek to a fort with five buddies when I was just 14. On the way, we saw wildlife, butterflies, birds and flowers that we had never seen in the city. The soothing sound of gurgling streams and waterfalls and the stunning views were fantastic. We felt a tremendous sense of achievement once we reached the top. Some of us built a campfire while the others pitched two tents. We cooked our meal of khichdi on an open fire, sang songs, cracked jokes and had fun telling stories late into the night.

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Nestled in-between the eastern ridges of the Himalayas in the central-south, Bhutan is a beautiful country and is also ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world, attracting tourists from far and wide to experience its tranquil and serene beauty. This beautiful Buddhist kingdom is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and plains, magnificent mountains and steep valleys.

Bhutan is a small kingdom neighbouring India with a 786,500 population. It is also known as Druk-yul or Druk Tsendhen, meaning “land of the thunder dragon”, because of the frequent thunderbolts experienced here. However, it is a place of mountains and lakes, pilgrimages, artistic skills, adventure and tourism.

Bhutan does not believe in GDP as an indicator of economic growth and development, using instead a measurement known as Gross National Happiness. It has made this blessed kingdom a country of happy people on the global map. Bhutanese people have four pillars for the measure of GNH —sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, good governance and a healthy environment — that makes it one of the happiest countries in the world.

People

There are three major ethnic groups in Bhutan: the Bhutia (also called Ngalop), the Nepalese and the Sharchop. The Bhutia is the largest ethnic group and they constitute about half of the population. The Bhutia are dominant in northern, central and western Bhutan. They speak a variety of Tibeto-Burman languages, and the most common of these, Dzongkha, is Bhutan’s official language; the written language is identical with Tibetan. The Bhutias dominate Bhutan’s political life. The Nepalese (including members of the Gurung ethnic group) predominate in the region and constitute roughly one-third of the country’s total population. These are the most recent arrivals in Bhutan. Most speak Nepali.

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The splendid Kashmir region is a heaven on earth for its beautiful landscapes, lush green valleys, stunning multi-coloured tulip gardens, dazzling lakes, and for its uncanny resemblance with the Garden of Eden described in religious books. Therefore it acquired the name ‘Paradise on Earth’. It is resplendent with white beauty in winter and the glorious colours of nature in autumn, fall, spring and summer.

People

Although Kashmiri people live in different parts of India they are mainly settled in the Valley of Kashmir, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban thasils of Jammu Division. Their language is highly influenced by the Sanskrit language and mostly spoken by Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Hindus.

Culture

The culture of Kashmir is a blend of multiple customs and came from Northern India, Northern Pakistan and the Chinese territory of Aksai Chin. The state enjoys a mix of religions and that’s why Kashmir is famous for its cultural heritage. It merges Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist religions which make Kashmir more beautiful by adopting their culture.

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Nepal, lying along the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountain ranges, is a landlocked country located between India to the east, south and west, and Tibet in the north. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. Nepal’s capital is Kathmandu.

Nepal has some of the most rugged and difficult mountain terrain in the world. Roughly 75 per cent of the country is covered by mountains. From the south to the north, Nepal can be divided into four main physical belts, each of which extends east to west across the country. These are, first, the Tarai, a low, flat, fertile land adjacent to the border of India; second, the forested Churia foothills and the Inner Tarai zone, rising from the Tarai plain to the rugged Mahābhārat Range; third, the mid-mountain region between the Mahābhārat Range and the Great Himalayas; and, fourth, the Great Himalaya Range, rising to more than 29,000 feet.

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Sikkim borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to India’s Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh. The Tibetan name for Sikkim is Drenjong (Wylie-translation: bras ljongs), meaning “Valley of Rice”, while the Bhutias call it Beyul Demazong, meaning “the Hidden Valley of Rice”. According to folklore, after establishing Rabdentse as his new capital, Bhutia king Tensung Namgyal built a palace and asked his Limbu Queen to name it. The Lepcha people, the original inhabitants of Sikkim, called it Nye-mae-el, meaning “paradise”.

History

The Lepchas are considered to be the earliest inhabitants of Sikkim. However, the Limbus and the Magars also lived in the inaccessible parts of West and South districts as early as the Lepchas lived in the East and North districts. The Buddhist saint Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, is said to have passed through the land in the 8th century. The Guru is reported to have blessed the land, introduced Buddhism, and foretold the era of monarchy that would arrive in Sikkim centuries later.

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Mizoram, located in the northeastern part of India, is bounded by Myanmar (Burma) to the east and south and Bangladesh to the west and by the Indian States of Tripura to the northwest, Assam to the north, and Manipur to the northeast. The capital of Mizoram is Aizawl, situated in the north-central part of the State. Mizoram “the Land of the Mizos” was known as the Lushai Hills District of Assam before it was renamed Mizo Hills District in 1954.

In 1972, it became a centrally-administered union territory under the name of Mizoram. On 20 February 1987, Mizoram became the 23rd State of India, sharing its borders with all the seven sister States.

Land

Geologically, the Mizo Hills form part of the Rakhine (Arakan) Mountains, a series of compact parallel ridges with a north-south axis formed of sandstone, limestone, and shale — all Cenozoic rocks. The ridges, separated by narrow river valleys, rise to about 7,000 feet. In the south, the Kaladan River and its tributaries flow southward into Myanmar, while the Dhaleswari (Tlawng) and Sonai (Tuirail) rivers flow north into Assam.

More than three-fourths of the land area of Mizoram is forested. Thick evergreen forests contain valuable timber trees such as champak (Micheliachampaca), ironwood and gurjun (genus Dipterocarpus). The woodlands also provide habitat for many animals, including elephants, tigers, bears, deer, monkeys, gibbons, and serows.

People

Mizoram is one of the most sparsely populated States of India. The population density decreases from north to south, owing to a southward increase in humidity and temperature that renders the area less desirable for habitation. Aizawl is the State’s only major city; large towns include Lunglei, in the eastern part of the state, and Champhai, in the south-central region.

The people of Mizoram consist almost entirely of Scheduled Tribes (an official category embracing indigenous groups that fall outside the predominant Indian social hierarchy). Most of the Mizos are Tibeto-Burman, speaking Mizo or a closely related Tibeto-Burman language. However, the Chakmas speak an Indo-Aryan language. Mizo and English are the official languages. Having no script of its own, they use the Roman alphabet.

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