शनिवार, 22 दिसंबर 2012

explore to Srinagar.

Seventh day , 3rd August 2012
Our day started at 4:30 am in the morning, Last night we contacted ghulam chacha who got around 10 shikara under his name, he got ready for my morning requirement which include early morning wholesale market, lotus garden, char chinaar, kabootar khana, vegetable farming in dal lake, Village in dal lake, floating market etc etc
After negotiating with him he got ready for 700/- ( if you go differently for both option you have to give around 500/- for vegetable market in morning & same for rest of the places to see)
We gave him advance Rs.200, because he especially have to send one shikara guy in the morning to make us see the market. We exchange the numbers for communication, & he told me to come to ghat no 10 for shikara (this is important please confirm the ghat to reach Early morning, I got a deal in 650 also but he was asking to come to ghat no 16 in early morning for saving 50 bucks you have to travel so much is not good in my view)
We got a call @ 4:30 from shikara guy that are you coming or not, I said we will reach at 5:30 we got ready and reached around 5:20 where our shikara guy was waiting.
Vegetable market starts around 4:00 in Dal lake but as a tourist I recommend 5 to 7 is best time to go there, more you get late less attraction you will see… 
Early morning it was lovely experience, hearing the gentle splosh as my Shikara’s oars went in and out of the water. We saw many shikara guys with variety of vegetable while passing by, After 25 min of memorable wait we saw buyers and sellers in their Shikaras, all was just like an artistic picture
But as you will come close to them they start trading like any other indian market shouting & bargaining the prices, but seeing all this on lake over the water was a memorable thing, Don’t miss it you will not see this thing anywhere else .
Sellers were farmers or traders. And buyers included houseboat owners, shopkeepers in town, other traders and consumers. Mostly men, a handful of women. Trading in vegetables, fruits, flowers and seeds..
Some shikara guys also selling great chocolate pudding at price of 800 per kg.
Seed rates as per the item you choose
Artificial jewellery was also available there … don’t forget to bargain everywhere
Mostly I saw foreign tourist there with big cameras in their hand, Indian tourists were very less 
We stayed there for more than 45 minutes. Then we move towards char chinar , on the way we saw lots of Lotus flowers (this is multipurpose flower it is used in decoration + it gives us makhane & lotus stem (sea food for vegetarian) 
There were in plenty there during my visit with white/red water lilies 
Around 7:00 we reached char chinar, I asked my shikara guy to check if i can get something in floating houseboat type restaurant on char chinar, Meanwhile I clicked pictures there, it was lovely experience standing in garden in centre of lake surrounded by water, till that we got the signal that restaurant is open & you can have breakfast there. We had kahwa there it was lovely drinking it early morning.
Around 8:15 we moved from that place on the way we saw village children with their small shikara going for school, it is tough call, as compared to us who wants bus stop next to our home, I even enquired about how relatives come to their home, he replied that they give a call to the owner he goes with his shikara to bring them to their house. Its looks good in hearing but how much tough in real life
Then we saw Kabootar khana which is under BSF now so you can’t visit it just see it from outside with surrounding covered with lilies,
Then we move forward then we saw vegetable farming in dal lake, actually where water level is less farmers has put an excess sand so that they can grow vegetable next to their home, but he did not allow me to go inside the farms. Then it comes floating garden, there are bunch of trees inside dal lake which are now tied up & they keep on floating inside dal lake, You can see many plants grown inside dal lake where ever you go in dal lake just check them under your shikara.
Then we saw floating market following meena bazar , & back to my ghat where we got the pictures clicked in Kashmiri dress for both of us he has taken 100, pictures were clicked from my camera.
You can get Kashmiri dress in every tourist place, for dress only you have to give Rs.20 rent & you can click pictures from your camera
Around 9:30 we are back, this time our shikara guy was asking for tip I give Rs.50 to him because he did not owned that shikara otherwise I would have avoided it ..
Then we had breakfast & as we were sure will not wake up before 1:00 pm
At 3:00 pm we were again ready to explore little  We hired one auto – requirement 1.shankaracharya 2.Nagin valley 3.SPS museum 3. Lal chowk market + Gurdwara
He agreed for Rs.300…. 

Firstly we have gone to shankaracharya temple but because of 33 degree temperature it was tough call to climb up 243 stairs. It took 1 hour there 10 min temple rest in walking….. View was very good but you cannot click pictures there.You have to leave camera phone with your taxi/auto guy.
While going down auto guy don’t even switch on their auto, gravity works for them alot, so they save alot that way. 
Then we move to SPS museum, lal mandi, around 4:30 but of our hard luck museum timings were 10- 4:00 only, so we didn’t see anything there, Then we have gone to lal chowk Gurdwara which is in main market only , checked few shops there also, with all brands you can expect (but I don’t see any KFC –Mcdonald-Pizzat hut) where ever I have gone all banks branches are there,then my auto guy kept on insisting to go to market with him , he took us to one underground market (which is expensive we stayed there for 10 minutes , so don’t want to dishearten my autodriver) then he said he will take us to another meena bazaar on gulmarg road, the actual road was closed , I told him that we really don’t want to go to any market but he said please go there once you will get good deal there. The shop was big and nice but no bargaining option but price was good as compare to other shops we have seen in between with lots of variety to offer, we bought few things from there. Then we moved on & after few minutes I saw dal lake , I was surprised to see because nagin lake was opposite to hazarat bal dargah & we are on dal lake, I stopped my driver asking why he hve not taken us to nagin lake, he said we refused him, I said when? ( and he said the time I said no to meena market was actually I am saying no to nagin lake) , So I came across a bad driver for the first time in my trip. I asked him stop my auto next to police man & I started talking with him in loud voice , he must understand that he cannot make fool of us & finally he has taken 100 for the whole trip.( I am sure he will get cut from purchasing we have done so he wasn’t interested in us anymore)
Then I hired another auto for 200, Shalimar garden ( I want to check in night f I can see anything different ) + nagin lake + Krishna dhaba for dinner,
But I did not find anything special at Shalimar garden in night, nothing has lighten up. Even little showers have started at that time, so we started moving for nagin lake, so that i can personally see what a view is at nagin lake, you can opt to see nagin lake while going to sight seeing Srinagar it is opposite to hazratbal …
But Ididl not see anything there, only houseboats are there with shikara nothing else, I even asked anything special here they said nothing this is part of dal lake only with two names ( you can even come from dal to nagin lake through shikara)
The difference here is that you can go to houseboat without using shikara… but no market is there, so if you just want to relax in houseboat nothing else go for nagin lake, I only saw few foreign tourists there.
The starting price we found here was Rs.1800 with food, but I didn’t bargain so try your luck…
We stayed there for less than 30 minutes there, then we moved to Krishna dhaba, which was closed that day, so we are back to Lahsa for dinner.
Last day 4th august 
Since last night till next day it was raining heavenly in Srinagar, we thank god that we have already done Dal lake market otherwise we would have missed it.
We could not go anywhere this morning because you can do nothing if it is raining, but temperature changed drastically today, we took little walk under umbrella around dal lake for our final good bye.
I called again Khurshid for my airport drop, because local taxi was asking for 700 and I gave Khurshid 500. Don’t go for auto it cannot enter airport premises.
I even told him to show me SPS museum today, it was a nice museum with history sculpture inside it, my driver told me that there are moving sculpture inside but it was not moving that day, camera is allowed inside but you can click pictures
Security Check At Airport,
Before entering airport premises there is full security check for you + your luggage & even taxi taking you, then again entering the airport, then at check counter, No hand baggage is allowed to be taken inside aircraft only camera, laptop & ladies purse are allowed , they allowed my bakery products as requested, then after check in baggage you have to go again inside to verify the luggage you submitted earlier, then we went for camera checking with my wife with her purse, they check each & every corner, they even checked few of my pictures in camera, They even make me taste by bakery products which I am carrying. But all things look nice because they are doing it for us only.
Our flight started roughly around 4:00 & we reach back safely around 5 back to Delhi.

hotel Marjan 6 nights X 800 = 4800
Hotel highland 1 X 1000 = 1000
JKSRTC first day bus = 620
Auto Charges approx = 650 + 100 + 200 + 200 here & there
Shiakar all together = 850 (700 + 150)
yusmarg sumo shared = 720 ( 1800 all together)
Sonmarg = 800 (2000 all together)
Pahalgam = 3800 ( including night halt + verinag + kokernag + abchal )
Pahalgam Maruti van = 1000 (aru Vallye + betab valley)
Pony in khilanmarg = 500
pony in yusmarg = 240
pony in baisaran = 500
Food charges average per day Tea - lunch -dinner = 700 X 8 = 5600 (1 non veg + 1 veg member)
Entry charges eevrywhere 10/- per head

i know many things i skip but i already mention in my trip report please cheack it , approx 25000 i have spend there, rest is all depend on shopping

But i always say go there Tansport / hotel charges may vary accoring to tourist, this is just an idea,

Marjan Guest House , Mr Ali 09796181918
Shikara Guy : Ghulam Chacha : 9906634762 
Sumo Driver : Khurshid 09796961245 
hotel high land pahalgam -- Tele: 019 - 36243492 Cell:: 9419487930 , 9797050354

Trip Reports End

Trip Report Kashmir July-August 2012

Every Indian have heard alot about beauty of Kashmir that he wish to go there once, Kashmir’s tag line “Heaven on Earth” and well proved when you go around in Kashmir..
I have witnessed the beauty from very close, Hope your turn would be next.

My Trip report is for a couple travelling from 28 july –04 August 2012, so I am writing this travelogue on what I have seen there & talking to the local people there & my personal thinking

Plus Points 

Good Roads, Lovely scenery, Big Parks with Multiple Colour Flowers which add to the beauty, so much to see, Cleanliness on roads and all the tourist spot highly and well maintained, Good food options, Many hotels to choose from (option to live on land “n” lake), Parking space where ever you go
Minus Points
Costly (you cannot justify the cost ask for), Where ever you go, Whatever service you take, they will always ask for a tip (bakshish). either AutoWalla, Shikara guy , Pony or driver …

Do’s & Don’t

Tulip garden Only Visible in month Of April, So any tour operator showing you pic of tulip Garden & saying this you will see in Kashmir, check your dates first
Saffron Fields – It is best seen in month of October & November
Red Apple Gardens – Best seen From August Mid to October
No prepaid Mobile Phone works (Best BSNL & then Airtel postpaid)
Transport
This is major factor which can budget your whole trip, So choose it accordingly
1.Shared Sumo … Most popular there
2.JKSRTC bus Service … Cheap & best (they cannot cheat you by asking for more money nor they can bargain)
3.Private Cab (This is best luxury you get there by shelling out more money)
Hotels 
There are so many Hotels / House Boats to choose from , No Need to make advance booking of any place , I have checked many hotels none of them have said no to me on my travelling dates.
But if want to stay next to dal lake choose hotel on boulevard road , Srinagar any Other Address is away from dal lake & if you don’t have personal cab on daily basis you have to shell money every time you want to visit dal lake
Houseboats Available on Dal Lake, Jhelum river, Nageen Lake
Difference in my views … 
On Dal lake you are near to tourist spots various food options near by
Jhelum River : You live in main city
Nageen Lake : it is a part of dal lake only which is now separated for peaceful living in houseboat, but opt for food in HB only , Here you get an option to choose few HB where you don’t require shikara to transport to HB’s ( But if don’t wish to stay in HB in nageen lake then nothing is there for tourist to see)
But searching housebaot at dal lake at your own is tough call because you need a shikara to check the houseboat & shikara guy always try you take there where he will get commission & if you took time searching houseboat more than hour he will ask for 300 extra for it... so for actual saving few bucks you spend otherway.. so my advice when you are going for regular shikara ride try to see few HBs then rather than specifically looking for house boat accomodation

If you Got Android Phone I advised you to download this application it help you understand Kashmiri Language
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...b2sua2IuYmMiXQ..


Suggestion
• All hotel rates & transport hiring charges depend on tourist rush ..Less tourist more good deals & vice versa. So rates may vary what you seen here so always try to bargain according of tourist you see on dal lake & restaurants
• Bargain Hard everywhere, Don’t feel shy to say your bargin rate even by 50 %, maximum what he say no (but it depends on tourist season, less tourist Bargain works allot & Vice Versa)
• If there is any threat of Violence avoid public transport…
• Avoid vocational trip During Amarnath Yatra
• Always talk to tourist near you for live updates & personal views regarding the side tours (this will help you to plan either you will see what you are planning to see there)
• If you book a cab or Auto for sightseeing or day trip, Take out your list & tell the places you want to cover 2-3 times otherwise he may cheat you by skipping few things by saying you did not tell me earlier.
• All Autowalla Encourage you to go to market with them , they love to skip the sightseeing but are more interested that you do shopping & they get cut for it.
• Avoid your Hotel Manager to call cab for you get down & talk to the driver directly it will save cut the driver has to give to the manager
• During Ramzan time you will find limited food option in day time in city & many shops open late in morning & closes early
• If you got your personal car & you love to drive try going with your personal car you can save allot on transport charges & you can take your personal car where ever you go, you don’t have to change your car as compare to taxi service where you have to use local taxi in different parts of Kashmir
• If you are coming from Jammu Station hire a cab for daily purpose rather than pick & drop because he will take minimum 5000 for one side drop so 5000 X 2 = 10000 because at end you need you need drop at station also.. But if you hire it on daily basis it will cost you around Rs 2000/- (depending on tourist rush) so this way your 5 days will cover on same price.
• During peak season try to get to Srinagar airport 2:30 hrs earlier & off season 2:00 hrs earlier . Don’t go for Auto while going for airport he cannot enter at Srinagar airport & will leave you before 1.5 kms before the actual airport




Day 1 : 28 july 2012 early morning New Delhi T1Airport
5:35 was our departure time but our flight started 5:50am. We reached 07:10 am at Srinagar the airport was actually not opened at that moment ... All necessary information counter were closed at this moment ...
Temperature Announced in flight was 20 degree outside
There was prepaid taxi counter outside airport because of amaranth yatra they make separate counter outside airport
I got Prepaid taxi for Dal lake for Rs. 500 No bargaining option available police guy advised me that you can wait & if some taxi guy will come to drop somebody you can talk to him he will drop you for less.... But i don’t want to wait there so took the cab & headed towards dal lake while going to dal lake driver asked me about hotel i told him i have to search it, he said i will show you my known one...
I agreed i know he will be unhappy if i will say no... he stop much before TRC Srinagar showed me 15 min from airport one hotel Ashiana he quoted me 1000 for room, after checking it i said my driver to move on after 20 mins drive i reach dal lake i firstly check hotel Dawn Opposite to GHAT no 2 road he quoted me Rs.600 for room i must say bathroom for room he showed was too good but room wasn’t up to the mark, he said good room was actually booked then i checked Marjan guest house (Rs.800) diagonally opposite to Ghat no 9 road he given me room it was nice room with all basic necessities even geyser was installed in bathroom which was necessary during early morning bath. Till that my driver was started that you are taking too much time & it is not accepted, i can understand his problem he came to know that i will not go to hotel he shown me earlier.
So just checked in at Marjan Guest house he give me ground floor room so no worry about stairs if you are tired after the whole day trip... i have checked in at 8:15 am @ hotel & decided to take some rest because i woke up early to catch the flight.
We woke up & got ready to go to TRC srinagar we started that day on 11:00 am but after few miles of walk we realized that sun was at its peak & TRC was atleast 25min walking from that place, so i started talking to autowallah about day trip by sight seeing everybody quoted me around 1000 i even call Danish (recommended by spgupta he asked for 800 but said today there is curfew in his area so he cant come ) then i come across another autowalla he agreed for 650..
My Priority for the day was
1. Go to TRC to book tickets for Gondola tomorrow, and asked for JKSRTC bus service at 11:30 we reach TRC it was nice office & they were willing to help and guide tourist. Here we booked Gondola tickets for tomorrow (but they are taking money only by cards no cash accepted there, so make sure you carry one there.
I only opted for 1st phase at for Rs.300 per person. They even mentioned boarding time at 11:00 am there i asked her if we got late then what will happen she politely reply that 1-2 hours plus minus is not problem. Then we came back to JKSRTC booking which is near to TRC only for bus booking. I have checked the bus they were nice & all people are of jolly nature replying your queries. They got mini bus around 20 seater i got the two tickets for tomorrow morning in advance, Rs.310 per person for both ways.
After completing the next day work i started my sight seeing tour around 12:00 noon
We want to cover
1.Pari Mahal, 2.Chashme shahi, 3.Botanical garden, 4. Nishat bagh, 5. Shalimar garden, 6 .Gurdwara chevin patshahi , 7. Badaam Vari, 8. Hazratbal Dargah , 9. Aquarium before Zabarwan Park, 10. Zabarwan Park 
I did not opted for shankaracharya for that because you have to go 243 stairs to reach shankarcharya & if we do it first you will get tired. It was 33 degree at day time there
Please tell your autowallah your own list so that he cannot later cheat you by saying you did not mention it earlier.
All the garden & monument asked for Rs.10/- per person entry Charges for adults and for children above 5 years Rs 5/- per head, so go to ticket counter first before entering anywhere. All parks there are quite big you cannot go in each corner roughly half hour enough for each & depends on your relaxtion need
Please also take mobile no. of your driver so that when you come out & don’t see him you can give him a call

1.Firstly he took to us at Pari mahal it was nice monument with lovely short garden in front, divided into few floors so you have to go many stairs up & down to cover it whole we just gone one floor up & one floor down, but no water attraction here as compared to other gardens
2. Chasmeshahi -- it is famous for its spring water Everywhere you go in hotel / restaurant in srinagar they will ask you for mineral water or chasmeshahi water Dont forget to take empty water bottle there for easy drinking of chilled water, on that particular hot day asked us how chilling water mean to us it taste great to us. It was around 2:00 pm then we see JKTDC restaurant next to it got a lunch there it serves both veg & non veg. Food was good there, we had rajma roti there.
One thing i want to say regarding eating food in restaurant that please cross check and calculate your bills everywhere they can cheat you with adding few things
And second complaint with all restaurant is that they asked for more than MRP on mineral water & coldrinks & secondly they charged 13.5 vat extra on it later while billing
3.Next garden is Botanical garden, different in sense you can do boating here ( Tulip Garden is near to it)
4 .Nishat bagh ... It was lovely garden with lovely waterfalls
5.Shalimar Garden – not much difference in nishat & this rather it is much bigger than nishat bagh
6. Then we reach our Sikh Gurdwara chevin patshahi it is most famous in srinagar, this historical gurdwara was make in memory of our 6th Guru Hargobind Sahib.
7. Few minutes from here it is baadam vaari, here i see few tree with almond hanging on tree & few tree of pomegranate fruit, Rose flower are in full bloom here
8. Next we have gone to see hazratbal dargah do some pigeon feeding in front by taking corn for Rs.10.00 from nearby shop (women cannot enter dargah so women can avoid going inside
9. There is one Aquarium Museum before zabarwan park for the people who got love to see fishes of different colour like I do but of my bad luck it is closed for maintenance
10. Zabarwan Park (for a change here we got entry ticket for 20 per head). This is small garden for various modern activity Like Hot Air Balloon, picture galley for old Kashmir, 3D cinema watching, there is also small Tulip Museum there but they asked for another Rs 10/-. Per head, you can give a try nothing much there to see inside museum
I enjoyed Hot air balloon here but it was expensive 500 per person for 15 min..
It was 5:30 in the evening then & we were totaly exhausted mainly because of hot day came back to the hotel & discontinuing our plan to go for shikara ride in evening
We comeback to dal lake at 8:00 in night, our hotel is 3 min. Walking from dal lake so time saved that way. We see lots of tourist that day shikara guy asking for 250 per hour, and finally one guy settle for Rs.150 I advise you to take shikara ride from the ghat no which is near to your hotel because they will pick & drop at same ghat otherwise you have to walk.. don’t worry about bargaining there many shikara guy will come close to you as soon you will come close to dal lake so whichever guy give you best deal at particular time go with him, everyone will show you the same thing so not to worry, we first gone to Nehru park click some pictures & then to floating market in night reflection of houseboat light + floating market light it was lovely experience
At around 9:00 we came back to our Ghat no 9...
We were hungry by that time we asked local guys regarding Krishna dhaba & mughal darbar but came to realize that it is far away from dal lake you need transport to go there for mughal darbar pick & drop 200 asked & for Krishna dhaba 150..So i avoided going there & eat in front of my hotel Restaurant name wasLhasa it is famour for Chinese cuisine there but also serve Indian & kashmiri also, Digonally opposite toward ghat no 9. and our try was worth it was wonderful eating there we eat our dinner most of the time there...
Gone back to hotel for sleep fans are even required at night...

(I have checked few other hotels in between but come to realize that during amaranth time they have earned a lot, so they are not much interested in discounting rates & few more days to go they are sure they will get a customer, actually we talk to some tourist later today they said this year many tourist choose for helicopter ride for amaranth yatra they planned the whole trip accordingly for around 8-9 days but because they opted for helicopter ride only in single day the yatra was over & so they came to srinagar for rest of the trip and because of this all hotel owners have earned a lot this year that’s why they are not interested in giving good deals, Even i gone to AB i Hayat, hotel lake view recommended by spgupta. The half of the hotel was empty but still they are asking for RS.1200 minimum)

Contact no: Marjan Guest House , Mr Ali 09796181918
Auto Driver Was not upto the mark… so not recommending
Shikara Guy : Ghulam Chacha : 9906634762 (he got many shikara) but always try who give you good deal go with him.
Sumo Driver : Khurshid 09796961245 ( Best Driver we got for trip enjoyed allot with him)

around shree nagar

Seventh day , 3rd August 2012
Our day started at 4:30 am in the morning, Last night we contacted ghulam chacha who got around 10 shikara under his name, he got ready for my morning requirement which include early morning wholesale market, lotus garden, char chinaar, kabootar khana, vegetable farming in dal lake, Village in dal lake, floating market etc etc
After negotiating with him he got ready for 700/- ( if you go differently for both option you have to give around 500/- for vegetable market in morning & same for rest of the places to see)
We gave him advance Rs.200, because he especially have to send one shikara guy in the morning to make us see the market. We exchange the numbers for communication, & he told me to come to ghat no 10 for shikara (this is important please confirm the ghat to reach Early morning, I got a deal in 650 also but he was asking to come to ghat no 16 in early morning for saving 50 bucks you have to travel so much is not good in my view)
We got a call @ 4:30 from shikara guy that are you coming or not, I said we will reach at 5:30 we got ready and reached around 5:20 where our shikara guy was waiting.
Vegetable market starts around 4:00 in Dal lake but as a tourist I recommend 5 to 7 is best time to go there, more you get late less attraction you will see… 
Early morning it was lovely experience, hearing the gentle splosh as my Shikara’s oars went in and out of the water. We saw many shikara guys with variety of vegetable while passing by, After 25 min of memorable wait we saw buyers and sellers in their Shikaras, all was just like an artistic picture
But as you will come close to them they start trading like any other indian market shouting & bargaining the prices, but seeing all this on lake over the water was a memorable thing, Don’t miss it you will not see this thing anywhere else .
Sellers were farmers or traders. And buyers included houseboat owners, shopkeepers in town, other traders and consumers. Mostly men, a handful of women. Trading in vegetables, fruits, flowers and seeds..
Some shikara guys also selling great chocolate pudding at price of 800 per kg.
Seed rates as per the item you choose
Artificial jewellery was also available there … don’t forget to bargain everywhere
Mostly I saw foreign tourist there with big cameras in their hand, Indian tourists were very less 
We stayed there for more than 45 minutes. Then we move towards char chinar , on the way we saw lots of Lotus flowers (this is multipurpose flower it is used in decoration + it gives us makhane & lotus stem (sea food for vegetarian) 
There were in plenty there during my visit with white/red water lilies 
Around 7:00 we reached char chinar, I asked my shikara guy to check if i can get something in floating houseboat type restaurant on char chinar, Meanwhile I clicked pictures there, it was lovely experience standing in garden in centre of lake surrounded by water, till that we got the signal that restaurant is open & you can have breakfast there. We had kahwa there it was lovely drinking it early morning.
Around 8:15 we moved from that place on the way we saw village children with their small shikara going for school, it is tough call, as compared to us who wants bus stop next to our home, I even enquired about how relatives come to their home, he replied that they give a call to the owner he goes with his shikara to bring them to their house. Its looks good in hearing but how much tough in real life
Then we saw Kabootar khana which is under BSF now so you can’t visit it just see it from outside with surrounding covered with lilies,
Then we move forward then we saw vegetable farming in dal lake, actually where water level is less farmers has put an excess sand so that they can grow vegetable next to their home, but he did not allow me to go inside the farms. Then it comes floating garden, there are bunch of trees inside dal lake which are now tied up & they keep on floating inside dal lake, You can see many plants grown inside dal lake where ever you go in dal lake just check them under your shikara.
Then we saw floating market following meena bazar , & back to my ghat where we got the pictures clicked in Kashmiri dress for both of us he has taken 100, pictures were clicked from my camera.
You can get Kashmiri dress in every tourist place, for dress only you have to give Rs.20 rent & you can click pictures from your camera
Around 9:30 we are back, this time our shikara guy was asking for tip I give Rs.50 to him because he did not owned that shikara otherwise I would have avoided it ..
Then we had breakfast & as we were sure will not wake up before 1:00 pm
At 3:00 pm we were again ready to explore little Srinagar. We hired one auto – requirement 1.shankaracharya 2.Nagin valley 3.SPS museum 3. Lal chowk market + Gurdwara
He agreed for Rs.300…. 

Firstly we have gone to shankaracharya temple but because of 33 degree temperature it was tough call to climb up 243 stairs. It took 1 hour there 10 min temple rest in walking….. View was very good but you cannot click pictures there.You have to leave camera phone with your taxi/auto guy.
While going down auto guy don’t even switch on their auto, gravity works for them alot, so they save alot that way. 
Then we move to SPS museum, lal mandi, around 4:30 but of our hard luck museum timings were 10- 4:00 only, so we didn’t see anything there, Then we have gone to lal chowk Gurdwara which is in main market only , checked few shops there also, with all brands you can expect (but I don’t see any KFC –Mcdonald-Pizzat hut) where ever I have gone all banks branches are there,then my auto guy kept on insisting to go to market with him , he took us to one underground market (which is expensive we stayed there for 10 minutes , so don’t want to dishearten my autodriver) then he said he will take us to another meena bazaar on gulmarg road, the actual road was closed , I told him that we really don’t want to go to any market but he said please go there once you will get good deal there. The shop was big and nice but no bargaining option but price was good as compare to other shops we have seen in between with lots of variety to offer, we bought few things from there. Then we moved on & after few minutes I saw dal lake , I was surprised to see because nagin lake was opposite to hazarat bal dargah & we are on dal lake, I stopped my driver asking why he hve not taken us to nagin lake, he said we refused him, I said when? ( and he said the time I said no to meena market was actually I am saying no to nagin lake) , So I came across a bad driver for the first time in my trip. I asked him stop my auto next to police man & I started talking with him in loud voice , he must understand that he cannot make fool of us & finally he has taken 100 for the whole trip.( I am sure he will get cut from purchasing we have done so he wasn’t interested in us anymore)
Then I hired another auto for 200, Shalimar garden ( I want to check in night f I can see anything different ) + nagin lake + Krishna dhaba for dinner,
But I did not find anything special at Shalimar garden in night, nothing has lighten up. Even little showers have started at that time, so we started moving for nagin lake, so that i can personally see what a view is at nagin lake, you can opt to see nagin lake while going to sight seeing Srinagar it is opposite to hazratbal …
But Ididl not see anything there, only houseboats are there with shikara nothing else, I even asked anything special here they said nothing this is part of dal lake only with two names ( you can even come from dal to nagin lake through shikara)
The difference here is that you can go to houseboat without using shikara… but no market is there, so if you just want to relax in houseboat nothing else go for nagin lake, I only saw few foreign tourists there.
The starting price we found here was Rs.1800 with food, but I didn’t bargain so try your luck…
We stayed there for less than 30 minutes there, then we moved to Krishna dhaba, which was closed that day, so we are back to Lahsa for dinner.
Last day 4th august 
Since last night till next day it was raining heavenly in Srinagar, we thank god that we have already done Dal lake market otherwise we would have missed it.
We could not go anywhere this morning because you can do nothing if it is raining, but temperature changed drastically today, we took little walk under umbrella around dal lake for our final good bye.
I called again Khurshid for my airport drop, because local taxi was asking for 700 and I gave Khurshid 500. Don’t go for auto it cannot enter airport premises.
I even told him to show me SPS museum today, it was a nice museum with history sculpture inside it, my driver told me that there are moving sculpture inside but it was not moving that day, camera is allowed inside but you can click pictures
Security Check At Airport,
Before entering airport premises there is full security check for you + your luggage & even taxi taking you, then again entering the airport, then at check counter, No hand baggage is allowed to be taken inside aircraft only camera, laptop & ladies purse are allowed , they allowed my bakery products as requested, then after check in baggage you have to go again inside to verify the luggage you submitted earlier, then we went for camera checking with my wife with her purse, they check each & every corner, they even checked few of my pictures in camera, They even make me taste by bakery products which I am carrying. But all things look nice because they are doing it for us only.
Our flight started roughly around 4:00 & we reach back safely around 5 back to Delhi.

hotel Marjan 6 nights X 800 = 4800
Hotel highland 1 X 1000 = 1000
JKSRTC first day bus = 620
Auto Charges approx = 650 + 100 + 200 + 200 here & there
Shiakar all together = 850 (700 + 150)
yusmarg sumo shared = 720 ( 1800 all together)
Sonmarg = 800 (2000 all together)
Pahalgam = 3800 ( including night halt + verinag + kokernag + abchal )
Pahalgam Maruti van = 1000 (aru Vallye + betab valley)
Pony in khilanmarg = 500
pony in yusmarg = 240
pony in baisaran = 500
Food charges average per day Tea - lunch -dinner = 700 X 8 = 5600 (1 non veg + 1 veg member)
Entry charges eevrywhere 10/- per head

i know many things i skip but i already mention in my trip report please cheack it , approx 25000 i have spend there, rest is all depend on shopping

But i always say go there Tansport / hotel charges may vary accoring to tourist, this is just an idea,

Marjan Guest House , Mr Ali 09796181918
Shikara Guy : Ghulam Chacha : 9906634762 
Sumo Driver : Khurshid 09796961245 
hotel high land pahalgam -- Tele: 019 - 36243492 Cell:: 9419487930 , 9797050354

Trip Reports End

17 nights in Kumaon Uttaranchal


1. Anight  at Haldwani and not at Kathgodam.
2. Then to Munsiyari..............3 nights.
3. Move to Chaukori...............2 nights.
4. Get to Baijnath..................1 night.
5. Move on to Gwaldam...........1 night.
6. Turn now to Kausani...........2 nights.
7. Move on to Ranikhet...........1 night.
8. How about a bit of Almora....1 night.
9. Now Binsar would be cool......2 nights.
10. Head on to Mukhteshwar.....2 nights.
11. Conclude on a night.............2 nights in Nainital.

This gives you a total of 17 nights in Kumaon Uttaranchal

NJP-Darjeeling-Gangtok-Kalimpong tour


1. Take taxi from NJP to Darjeeling. [Where will I get the taxi and what will be the charges? which is the best hotel in darjeeling to stay(around 800 Rs. per night) ]

2. 27Feb-Morning: Make arrangements for trip to Tiger Hill. Zoo, Tibetan refugee center, Tea Estate, Gangamaya, Ropeway. Overnight in Darjeeling.

3. 28 Feb: Early morning to TigerHill then back to hotel and then Batasia loop,Ghoom Monestry [prefer Troy train]
PN zoological park, Himalayan Mountainering.

4. 29 FEB: Early morning to tiger hill[if not able to see this on 28 Feb] else go to Gangtok asap.

5. 29 Feb: Nathu La Pass, Lake Tsomgo, Baba Mandir. Overnight in Gangtok.

6. 1st march: Gangtok local tour: Institute of Tibetology, Rumtek + Enchey Monasteries, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Orchid Garden, Ropeway

7. 2nd March: After breakfast go to Kalimpong. Local site visit to kalimpong. [Any suggestion of good places in kalimpong]

8. 3rd March: after breakfast ready to go to NJP.


Please guide me for above schedule. I its so boring  then please let me know. If its too busy then please let me know.
Anyone please let me know how can I get the taxi at each place?
Good hotels so that I can book it in advance.

Any changes in plan is most welcome.

at first sight I believe you should be able to fit all of this within 20K if you spend wisely.

in Darjeeling I would suggest you get accomodation at the Lowis Jubilee Complex - the rooms are old British style and the accomodation is cheap and basic. the only downside of the complex is that you need to do a lot of walking up and down! Also Im not sure if they allow tourist vehicles to come on down (I had carried my luggage down)

Alternatively try out hotels on Gandhi road - loads of hotels there and the further you get away form the main market, the cheaper they will be

If you wish to stay in the market area (near Big Bazaar) then there are a few hotels which may fit your budget - I believe there is Pema Hotel opposite Hotel Asia.

I do not think you need to worry too much - you can just get there and look around and bargain since this is still off season.

Checking your budget and actually planning it out in terms of the expense is a tricky and will take quite some time. If I have the time, I will do it later today.

if you travel by a share taxi/jeep, it will always come down to between 60-80 Rs per person. It has been ages since I went by share taxi, I usually hire a Maruti van from Bagdogra up to Sonada/Darjeeling or Kalimpong and I can tell you the rates that I pay.

from Bagdogra (Siliguri airport) to Sonada (this is 17 km prior to darjeeling) - a 10 seater jeep costs between 1200-1500. A maruti van is likely to cost about 1000-1200/1300

Usually a full day tour (havent done one using an operator, I just book a van) will cost about 800-1000 and should show you most places around.

Maruti costs from Darjeeling to Kalimpong (this is a longish journey since Kalimpong is on the other hill across Teesta) would be approx 1200-1300. This is the most scenic route by the way and goes through some lovely pine forests along Rangerung and then Lopchu after which comes the beautiful teesta.

Gangtok is close to Kalimpong and usually a vehicle (van again) will charge about 500-800 from Kalimpong to Gangtok.

Kalimpong to Loleygaon (lovely place and has a unique Canopy walk through the trees) and back will cost about 1000-1200 (can be less, depends on how well you can bargain)

Gangtok to Tchangu Lake/Nathula is always a share affair and I think could cost about 1500 per person? (dont remember now been a long time!)

Gangtok to Pelling is also likely to be about 1300-1500 for a van hire.

As a thumb rule you can be sure most hotels will come under 1K as long as you do not want luxury! In Gangtok I can safely recommend Twilight Lodge since the guy who owns it - Sukantu - is a friend of my wife's and we have stayed there on a number of occasions and the hotel is a decent option - not fancy at all, just plain vanilla but clean and cheap.

So If I were you, I would plan on an average cost scenario to be (if you are travelling daily!)

Travel daily - 1500

lodging - 1000

food - 700 per couple (remember you can get pretty cheap food - momos, thukpa, noodles everywhere. You can also get the more expensive variety and you can also get Jain food/South Indian food in a few places. None of it is extremely expensive unless you choose to go to a hotel that is expensive! I have taken the more expensive option into consideration)

assorted - 500 (any incidental expenses that you have not thought of!)

Let me try and break this down further -

1. Take taxi from NJP to Darjeeling. [Where will I get the taxi and what will be the charges? which is the best hotel in darjeeling to stay(around 800 Rs. per night) ]

Taxi - (go for shared, you will find MANY taxis available!) - Rs. 100 per person (approx on higher side)
Night @ hotel = 1000
Dinner - 100 each

Total expense per couple - 1400

2. 27Feb-Morning: Make arrangements for trip to Tiger Hill. Zoo, Tibetan refugee center, Tea Estate, Gangamaya, Ropeway. Overnight in Darjeeling.

Hire a van - TOTAL - 1500 (750 per couple)
Food all day - 700 per couple
lodging - 1000
assorted (shopping etc) - 500 - Do NOT buy artifacts from darjeeling, you will get more choice and cheaper prices in Kalimpong as that is the wholesale market.

Total expense per couple - 2950

3. 28 Feb: Early morning to TigerHill then back to hotel and then Batasia loop,Ghoom Monestry [prefer Troy train]
PN zoological park, Himalayan Mountainering.

Hire a van - TOTAL - 1500 (750 per couple)
Food all day - 700 per couple
lodging - 1000
assorted (shopping etc) - 500

Total expense per couple - 2950

4. 29 FEB: Early morning to tiger hill[if not able to see this on 28 Feb] else go to Gangtok asap.

you can take a share cab but the journey is long, so its advised to leave by 9 am.

Taxi - (go for shared, you will find MANY taxis available!) - Rs. 130 per person (approx on higher side)
Night @ hotel = 1000
Food all day - 700 per couple
assorted - 500

Total expense per couple - 2460

5. 29 Feb: Nathu La Pass, Lake Tsomgo, Baba Mandir. Overnight in Gangtok.


Taxi - Rs. 1500 per person (could be less... like i said im going fo rhigher rates to allow you to plan better)
Night @ hotel = 1000
Food all day - 700 per couple
assorted - 500

Total expense per couple - 5200

6. 1st march: Gangtok local tour: Institute of Tibetology, Rumtek + Enchey Monasteries, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Orchid Garden, Ropeway

Hire a van - TOTAL - 1500 (750 per couple)
Food all day - 700 per couple
lodging - 1000
assorted (shopping etc) - 500

Total expense per couple - 2950

7. 2nd March: After breakfast go to Kalimpong. Local site visit to kalimpong. [Any suggestion of good places in kalimpong]

Hire a van to go to Koffer/Loleygaon - - TOTAL - 1500 (750 per couple)

If however you wish to just do some local sight seeing, you can go to Delo, durpindhara, and perhaps to the river side. Its likely gonna cost the same.

Food all day - 700 per couple
lodging - 1000
assorted (shopping etc) - 3000 (Kalimpong has terrific choice of handicrafts and low prices, being the wholesale area)

Total expense per couple - 5450

8. 3rd March: after breakfast ready to go to NJP.

Hire a van to go to NJP - (its your last day I bet you will want to go comfortably!) - approx 700 per couple.

breakfast - 200 per couple

Total expense per couple - 900

Totalling up -

1400
2950
2460
5200
2950
5450
900

21310

Just a bit beyond your budget but you can see where you can cut and squeeze things a bit  The important thing is to remember to set an approximate expense target daily and stick to it and make decisions that allow you to spend less. The more it accumulates to the end of the trip, the more relaxed you can be by the time its over and can probably end up having more fun in the last few days

One FINAL TIP -

Look for and ask for hotels with 4 beds (if you guys can live with sharing the same room!) This will save a lot on room costs (at least 30%)


 #9
Forgot one thing - avoid travelling up the hills after sunset ... so if your train is arriving in the night, stay in Siliguri or NJP - lots of hotels near the station - maIs the Itinerary good? NJP>Darjeeling>kalimpong>Pelli ng>Gangtok>NJP
Hi Forum Members,

Need your suggestion for below itenary,or there is change required,suggest urgently.

DARJEELING / PEMAYANGTSE (Pelling )/ KALIMPONG/ GANGTOK.

Darjeeling 02 Nights / Pelling 02 Nights/ Kalimpong 01 Night / Gangtok 02 Nights.

Duration: 08 DAYS/ 07 NIGHTS.

08.05.09


Arrive NJP Rlw Station / Bagdogra airport, Transfer to Darjeeling, Enroute Visit Mirick Lake &Nepal Border, o/n stay at Darjeeling

09.05.09


After breakfast at hotel, depart for the sight seeing Full Day city tour of Darjeeling. Parmesan Nadia Himalayan Zoological park, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute ( Closed on Thursday), Ropeway, Tensing -- Gumbo Rock, Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center ( Closed on Sunday),Tea Estate, Lebong Race Course , Peace Pagoda. & Rock Garden – Gang Maya Park o/n at Darjeeling.

10.05.09


Darjeeling Early Morning Excursion to Tiger Hill, Ghoom Monastery & Batasia Loop. After breakfast at hotel, transfer to the Kalimpong & we have a sightseeing Tour of Deolo Hill, Dr Graham Homes School, Thonga Goma Monastary, Mangaldham , Nurseries o/n at Kalimpong.

11.05.09


After breakfast at hotel, transfer to the Pemyangtse. ( Pelling ) o/n at Pelling.

12.05.09


After breakfast at hotel ,Depart For Full Day Sight Seeing Of Rimbi Waterfalls, Rimbi Hydel Project, Khecheopari Lake & Kanchenjunga Falls , Singsor Bridge & Dentam Village (includes Alpine Cheese Factory). o/n at Pelling.

13.05.09


After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Gangtok & Same Day Half day city tour of Gangtok Directorate of Handicrafts and Handlooms, Enchey Monastery, Research Institute of Tibetology, Chorten ( Stupa ), Orchid Sanctuary, Rumtek Monastery, o/n at Gangtok.

14.05.09


After breakfast at hotel, depart for the sight seeing full day tour of Thshangu Lake & Baba Mander o/n at Gangtok.

15.05.09

After breakfast at hotel, transfer to the NJP Rlw Station / Bagdogra airport for your journey

08.05.09 to 10.05.09 The Retreat / Darjeeling

10.05.09 to 11.05.09 Hotel Silver Oaks / Kalimpong

11.05.09 to 13.05.09 Norbhu Ghang Resort, Pelling

13.05.09 to 15.03.09 Royal Demazong, Gangtok