What Not to Do While Traveling in India

Friends, Bohemians, journeymen…lend me your eyes; I come to talk about the DO NOTs while traveling in India, not to list the Dos.

In simpler words for those uninitiated in the parlance of lunacy, let’s talk about what not to do while you are traveling in a place like India (by the way…what in the world do we mean by “a place like India”? I have no clue. Do you?).

If you look up any search engine, you’d find plenty of advice related to the same topic as we intend to lecture upon today. Those are like what our angelic mommies would tell us while sending us to the warfront…Don’t forget your passport…Don’t Skip Health Insurance…Don’t Attract Attention to Yourself…Don’t forget to book your Vaccinations….Don’t forget to pack a map, satellite navigation…and other such foolery that would probably be of as much help as a cracker is at the war zone. I say this because I know that if you are visiting this page, it surely means you are one of those who consider travel to be a lust that would lose its charm and appeal if any rhyme or reason is bequeathed to it. Free as a bird and open as the sky above, you’d like to travel and unravel the mystery of this world and the secret of your own self. Therefore, you’d definitely not forget what you absolutely need to quench your travel thirst. The rest can be taken care of.

I think this is enough of convoluted digressions for the day now. Let’s get to the point. What should you NOT DO while traveling in India? Let’s check out a few tips.

• Do NOT go by what your Lonely Planets and other travel pages might suggest…you’d miss out on the real stuff that India is made up of. Use those as the means, and not the end. Simply put, travel to the famous travel destinations but interact with the locals to find what lies beneath and around. Trust me on this…if you want to see the Taj…find out a bit more about the place and you’d come back as a more enriched person.
• Do NOT trust the touts and the sick and the poor…India is more honest, healthier, and richer than that. You don’t need to shell out money for things you do not need. There are international crime rackets working behind the palpable face of poverty and theft that somehow characterizes India till date. Ignore them and contribute to the cause of eradicating both poverty and sluggishness.  
• Do NOT miss out on staying with the locals, wherever you go, because that is the best way to experience India. You might want to check out travel ideas such as eco-tourism, community tourism, tea tourism, and so on to stay close to nature, explore India, and know us…Indians.
• Do NOT switch on your mobile phones, iPads, or other gadgets unless in case of emergency. Being unwired should be a pervading motivation while traveling in India.
• Do NOT stay away from the herbal stuff that the Sadhu might offer…you might just get a chance to experience the mystery of all creation!

There are numerous such other tip that we can share with you. Maybe some other day… 

Weekend Getaway: Bunkulung

Life at Bunkulung

If most of your answers to the following questions are “Yes,” then it’s time you visit Bunkulung:

• Are you looking for a weekend getaway?
• Are you looking for a cheap vacation?
• Do you enjoy nature?
• Would you rather prefer to listen to the sounds of the wind and the leaves rather than your mobile ringtone or TV?
• Do you want the pace of your life to slow down for some time so you can breathe the fresh air?
• Are you looking forward to visiting a place not crowded by noisy tourists?

If you are looking for a quick weekend getaway and a cheap travel destination, then Bunkulung could be a great choice. From Kolkata, you can leave on Friday, spend a couple of days at Bunkulung, and be back well in time to join office and face the Monday morning blues. 

Continue reading this article to know more about Bunkulung…an amazing weekend getaway at a cheap and affordable price.

Why visit Bunkulung?

Bunkulung View

To begin with, Bunkulung is a place that was not accessible till about a decade back and it is still a common thing amongst the locals of Mirik Block to tease someone backdated by calling the person “from Bunkulung”! 

Bunkulung is located near Singbulli. Both these places are still virgin and not yet messed up by throngs of tourists. Bunkulung is a small hamlet on a valley with the Balasun River, with majestic hills rising all around, nice terrace paddy fields on the slopes, and a perpetual sound of the flowing river and the music of the birds from the nearby forest. Along with nature, you would see how families have nourished their passion for flowers in cultivating flower gardens. They have kitchen gardens and eat out of their own harvest.

The most important thing that you would be able to do at Bunkulung is enjoy its silence and the sounds of nature. You can roam the forests and explore the quiet mountain trails to spot some deer, boars, langur, monkeys, birds, and, if you are lucky, a leopard as well as tigers! Another activity in the day is fishing in the traditional way or with the help of generator. Spend some lazy hours sipping beer or local liquor, bathing in the soft sun, and looking for a good catch from the river. If you still do not manage to catch a fish, do not worry…you can still take a dip in the river and come out fresh as a baby. In the evening, you can go shrimp hunting or just sit by the river and enjoy the local liquor or music.

If you want to enjoy a few days of calm amidst nature, enjoy fresh organic food, and realize how beautiful this world and its people are, then you must visit Bunkulung. In addition, we must mention that it is a paradise for people looking for cheap vacations and quick weekend getaways.

Bunkulung Homestay

 Where would you stay?

There is a Government Guest house available at Bunkulung. However, we would recommend homestay with the locals to enjoy and experience the local flavor. 

Homestay with meals would cost around Rs. 1000/- per person per night.

The best time to visit Bunkulung is either spring or autumn.

Where is Bunkulung located?

Address: P.O. Lower Soureni B.O -734214, P.S.Mirik, Dist.: Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.  

Location: 48 kms from Siliguri, on NH 35, near Mirik, Dist.: Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.

Nearest Airport Bagdogra (53 kms.)

Nearest railway station: New Jalpaiguri

To know more, write to us at escapeenchanted@gmail.com. 

Weekend Getaway: Tea Tourism at Singbulli Tea Estate

Singbulli Tea Tourism

Tea tourism? Singbulli Tea Estate? Both ideas are new to you? Great! That is what we, at Escape-Enchanted, strive to bring to you…new and cheap travel ideas. Being true to our commitment, this post brings a fresh weekend getaway idea that would make you, your family and friends, as well as your wallet pretty happy. Let’s check out the details!

What is tea tourism?

Tea tourism is a fairly new concept that allows you to experience a few days of absolute calm and peace at a sprawling tea garden, reliving the glorious moments of a tea planters life.  Up on the slopes of misty hills, you wake up to never-ending greenery and the refreshing smell of fresh tea leaves. Lazily, you climb out of the bed and walk up to the window to see the Himalayan range at a distance and a flood of colorful flowers at your doorstep.

Singbulli Tea Estate Visit

Break of dawn and a cup of priceless Darjeeling tea harvested from the gardens…you would sip what the royals in Birmingham Palace might be sipping. A light breakfast and then off to the garden for a tour. Take a stroll through the garden, talk to the garden workers and see how they deftly pluck the two leaves with a bud, and learn about their lives. You are also invited to take a look and learn about the tea processing in the factories where some of the best tea in the world are withered, rolled, dried, sorted, and packaged. If you want, someone from the factory might take you on a guided tour and explain each step of processing in detail. So next time you sip Darjeeling tea, you’d know exactly how it was made.

You can then rent a car or just walk around to see the local places of interests and lose yourself amidst virgin nature. Feel the soft cloud passing by your feet, smell the moss and the leaves, touch the plants and the flowers, and soothe your tired eyes with the balm of Mother Nature. Later you take a walk through the villages and nature trails, and get deeper insight into the lives of the people living in the mountains. In the evening, enjoy local dance and music specially performed for you as you drink a glass of local wine.  

Doesn't this sound like a perfect weekend getaway idea to rejuvenate and re-energize yourself? And this, my friend, is tea tourism.

Why should you visit Singbulli Tea Estate?

Nature Walk at Singbulli

Till date, tea tourism is a costly affair as people mostly prefer to stay in luxury bungalows built in the colonial times, typically the residence of British tea planters. The bungalows, like the general culture of the tea gardens, retain the antique aura of the colonial days. These, of course, come at a considerable price. However, at Singbulli, you can enjoy your cheap weekend getaway with the experience being the same.




What would you do? In Singbulli, you can:

• Relax amidst nature
• Roam the tea gardens
• Get some amazing shots of natural beauty
• Explore the tea factory
• Interact with the planters
• Know about the pleasures and pains of tea garden lives
• Enjoy the local liquor, culture, music, and food
• Go for walks along the mountain tracks
• Chill out and rejuvenate yourself
• Visit the nearby places of interest

Where would you stay? You can chose to stay with the villagers who offer home stays in their village homes along with meals. If you are looking for a budget option, this is a great way to go for it. Decent accommodation, fresh home-made meals, and of course…Darjeeling tea…would keep you healthy and happy. However, it is important to remember that staying in plantation estates is not like staying in a five star luxury hotel. You cannot compare the amenities one to one. Tea tours are meant to bring you closer to nature and the tea garden life while offering you a home stay. Home stay along with meals (breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner) might come for about Rs. 1000/- per person per day. Compared to other available options in tea tourism, isn’t this a bounty?

Stay at Singbulli

What are the nearby places of interest? While visiting Singbulli, you can also explore Mirik valley, Bunkulung, and Anjana Devi Shrine. You can visit Ambutia…which experienced one of the largest landslides in Asia. 

What do you need to carry? If you are visiting Singbulli in the winter season, then carry ample woolens to keep you warm in the Himalayan chills. Summers are pleasant. One thing that you must carry is your camera…it is a photographers’ paradise! 

Mirik and Bunkulung

Where is Singbulli located? 

Address: P.O. Phuguri -734218, P.S.Mirik, Dist.: Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.  

Location: 45 kms from Siliguri, on NH 35, near Mirik, Dist.: Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.

Nearest Airport Bagdogra (50 kms.)

Nearest railway station: New Jalpaiguri

Who would you contact? One of the greatest reasons for you to visit Singbulli is that it is still a virgin spot, unnoticed by the roving eyes of the professional tourism mongers. Therefore, if you are planning to visit Singbulli Tea Estate, then write to us at escapeenchanted@gmail.com. We will provide you the details you need and direct you to the contact persons at the site.

Top Five Tips on Traveling in India

Lotus Pond, Himachal Pradesh, India

If you are planning to travel to India anytime soon, then you’d probably come prepared with a map and, in all probabilities, a copy of Lonely Planet or the likes.  You’d have found out about the top travel destinations in India and also about the cheap hotels and travel guides. I am sure your bag has a supply of medicines and a dictionary. However, let me tell you, all these wouldn’t be enough for you to travel to a place like India if you do not know some of the travel tricks to get the best out of your experience of traveling to India. What are those tricks? To make it sound a little more politically correct and appealing, let me call these “Travel Tips.” I am hoping these to be the one of their kinds, and so I use the title, “Top Five Tips of Traveling in India.” So, here you go!

1. Brush up on your Hindi to sound like someone who has been traveling in India for long. You can actually visit YouTube and watch some of the latest movies (with subtitles, of course) to get a hang of the catch phrases doing the rounds in India. If you come across as one who knows India, there are chances of people being more friendly to you rather than trying to rip you off the money, which (based on your skin color and accent) they might assume to be in plenty in your hold. This, my friend, is my first tip of traveling to India. Being an Indian, this suggestion might sound pretty rude, but the poor of the world, be it U.S. or just us in India, are always the same…they’d put their caps out and ask for a hand! J
2. The other most important tip about traveling to India concerns your travel destinations. While it is most natural to visit the most popular travel destinations, I would say that the wise thing to do is to talk to the locals of such top travel destinations and find out about the places less traveled. You’d be surprised at how much remains unexplored in this land of culture and heritage that just lies ignored for ages. What I do is this: I talk to the rickshaw pullers or the waiters at the restaurant or anyone who is ready to talk to me and ask where else can I visit (apart from the ones mentioned in the Lonely Planets and the likes). People generally share information on places that are exotic and rarely traveled. Collect such gems out of the unexplored treasure trove of traveling in India.
3. The next tip about traveling in India is to make friends. Talk to people, know them well, know their families and culture, and respect them. This way, you will get to peek inside and know the real India. Do not throw money out at every given chance; Indians do have their share of money and you do not need to feel bad for them. Make them understand that simply because your skin color is different, your economic situation is not heavenly. This way, you will avoid being an outsider and be considered rather as a friend who has a right to the interiors of Indian life and culture.
4. Traveling in India and not thinking about food? This cannot be the case. So, here is the next tip about traveling in India: get your body used to the food and water that more than half the people in this world are used to having. This way, you would enjoy the delicious Indian street food and save a mammoth amount on your travel budget. Trust me, if you tell your mind and body not to react, then they won’t. If they do not listen to you, then try out Indian Yoga; you’ll know how to control your mind and body.
5. Finally, before you travel in India, get in touch with your Indian friends. They would be delighted to have you visiting them! They will take you places and make you see things that the Lonely Planets have always been deprived of. In case if you do not know anyone in India, try Facebook or http://www.couchsurfing.org/ to find out people you relate to. If you do not find anyone at all, try us at: escapeenchanted@gmail.com and we can see how best to help you out.

I hope these tips are useful and helps in your traveling to India. For any other queries or help, please feel free to reach out at:  escapeenchanted@gmail.com. We’d be more than happy to help.

x

Top 10 Cheap Vacation Tips!

Resi Khola, Darjeeling, India

Are you looking for a cheap vacation idea that would not need you to make any compromises? Yes? Then, you are at the right page! After all, a cheap vacation is not a vacation if it is an outcome of any compromise. I will share a few tips on cheap vacations that would help you experience a complete vacation within your budget.

Here are my top 10 tips on planning cheap vacations:

1. Before you select your cheap vacation destination, gather adequate information and make proper plans. You can do this quite easily with the help of the Internet. A few hours on the internet gives you all the information that you generally need about a place and how to get there to spend your vacation. The clue is to plan everything so that you do not incur any unforeseen or un-budgeted expenses.
2. Select your destination based on its distance from where you stay and the season you are visiting in. My personal experience says that it is a great idea to visit a place when it is “off season” and almost everything is available at great discounts! To add to this bonus, you will get the entire destination free of noisy and nosy crowd. This adds color to your cheap vacation idea, doesn't it?
3. Next, look for cheap accommodations. The best options would be to find government guesthouses, tourist lodges, and other cheap hotels. Look up the government tourism Web sites to identify a place within your budget.Generally, the government guesthouses and tourism lodges do not rip you off and are decent places to stay in.
4. There are options that even the locals would offer accommodation at a much lower price than the normal rest houses. You would just need to do with the homely meals and not-so-nice-to-look-at blankets!
5. A good idea would be to check https://www.couchsurfing.org/ as well. You might just be able to arrange for free accommodation !
6. Check if there are modes of public transport available at your chosen destination. These are not only fun and cheap, but also a great way to interact with the locals and get a taste of the local culture. Maybe you are having a cheap vacation, but that doesn't stop you from enjoying to the fullest, does it? 
7. There would be occasions when you might need to take taxis or autos; so it is best to know the tariffs before hand and save yourself from being ripped off and throwing away the cheap vacation. Check out the tariffs for local taxis or autos and try to find out if you can share the transport with someone. This would make your travel costs lesser.
8. Make a list of the places to visit, the distance between places, and the things to see as well as the time required. Carry a local map so you are able to travel without being taken on a ride.
9. Plan your trip as per local transport and start early as you will beat the office rush and will get time to explore more.
10. The most important point is to know about the local food joints and prepare yourself to thrive on the local food. The more you save on food, the more you add to your cheap vacation extravaganza!

Once all these information is handy and you have the budget all sorted out…go ahead and enjoy your cheap vacation!

Welcome to the Journey!

This blog, unlike other travel blogs, is not only about tourism in India or top travel destinations in India;  rather, it's about your travel Choices, Interests and Needs!!!

Most of the places that you would encounter here are travel destinations, which are real quick getaways from the cities of India, with cheap accommodation and easy public transportation that allows you to have awesome but cheap vacations.

The most important feature of this blog is, as mentioned above, the Choices, Interests and Needs: What type of a place do you choose to travel to...far from the madding crowd or right at the heart of all activities? What interests you...folk music, colors, rock bands, flea markets, tribal art or folk culture? What do you need...a break from the city buzz, meditation, greenery, or some overdose of shopping? Based on the answers to these questions, you get to select and know the details of the different travel destinations we would present in this blog.

We would talk about places to travel to where you might enjoy the luxury of getting cut off from mobile networks and  the electrical mesh. Above all, this blog will help you in your need for a quick getaway...be it for working professionals, students with low budgets or the travel freaks always keen on cheap vacations, that are affordable, comfortable, accessible and a lifetime experience.

So, welcome to the path to escape to the enchanted travel destinations of India!