My TripAdvisor Review No.670: Glacier National Park, Trans Canada Highway, BC, Canada.

Avalanche Prone Mountains With Glaciers.

We passed through the Glacier National Park on our coach tour of the Canadian Rockies in August 2019. We were driving along the Trans Canada Highway to Banff National Park and stopped for a while at the Rogers Pass National Historic Site which is at the centre of Glacier National Park.

We could see the high mountain peaks with dense pine forests and active glaciers. There is a lot of wildlife in the forests like bears, wolves, deer, elk, caribou and many more. We saw some stuffed exhibits of these animals in the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre. The park has many trails, campgrounds, and some backcountry huts and cabins.

The park is known for its heavy snowfall and avalanches, and maintaining the Trans Canada Highway which passes through the park is a constant challenge. The Canadian Armed Forces help in the task to keep the roads clear with the help of Howitzer cannons which we saw stationed near the Rogers Pass Discover Centre.

Date of experience: August 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.668: Mount Washington Resort Mile High Chairlift, Vancouver Island.

High Point Of Vancouver Island.

Mount Washington is one of the highest peaks on Vancouver island, located 25 km west from Comox Valley. We visited the mountain in August 2019. There is a chair lift which takes you up to the mountain peak in barely 10 minutes. We got fantastic views over the Strait of Georgia and could see some of the West Coast mountains on the mainland. There was still some snow on the ground. In winter Mt. Washington is one of the best ski resorts in British Columbia. The tickets for the chair lift were quite pricey though.

Date of experience: August 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.665: IKEA, Hyderabad.

Gigantic Furniture Showroom.

The IKEA furniture showroom in Hyderabad is a huge place where you can see and buy furniture and appliances for your house. We visited the place in early March 2020 and were simply astounded by the variety and range of the furniture modules available.

It is a one of it’s kind place right from the time you enter. The entrance itself is so mind blowing, we thought we were entering an airport. Every room inside is designed in a unique way, with the pieces of furniture in each room complimenting each other in texture and material, so the entire room gives you a feeling as if a master craftsman has planned and fitted the parts like a pretty jigsaw puzzle. There were many different styles of bedrooms, dining rooms, drawing rooms, modular kitchens and bathrooms, and more. We enjoyed walking through each room marvelling at the various layouts and the furniture in them.

In addition you can buy furnishings, utility items and appliances, both small and big, for the house and kitchen.

There is ample parking space in the compound, but it becomes crowded during weekends and holidays. At the end of all the browsing we went to the unique restaurant and had a sumptuous dinner.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.664: Kanchenjunga Mountain, Darjeeling.

Towering Presence Over Darjeeling.

The Kanchenjunga mountain has a towering presence in Darjeeling. It is the main reason why Darjeeling, Gangtok and the surrounding areas of North Bengal and Sikkim get so many tourists. Kanchenjunga is the highest and most beautiful mountain peak in India, and the third highest in the world at 8586 meters. There are many viewpoints in Darjeeling from where we can get a fantastic view of the mountain on a clear day. The most popular of these places are Tiger Hill and Batasia Loop, and the best time is at sunrise when one can see the colours on the peak changing from red to pink to yellow and finally to white.

We were lucky to get fabulous views of the entire Kanchenjunga range from Sandakphu, which is the highest peak in West Bengal, about 58 km from Darjeeling. The entire range is popularly referred to as the ‘Sleeping Buddha’ because of it’s appearance, with the head of the Buddha in the west and the feet in the east. Mt. Kumbhakarna forms the head and face, Mt. Pandim forms the feet and Mt. Kanchenjunga constitutes the belly of the Buddha.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.662: Japanese Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling.

Beautiful Buddhist Monastery And Stupa.

Review of Japanese Peace Pagoda

Reviewed yesterday

The beautiful Buddhist monastery and Peace Pagoda is located near the top of the Jalapahar Hill, about 2 km from the Darjeeling Clock Tower. As we entered the gates we first visited a small Japanese temple with a prayer hall on the first floor. It was built by Japanese monk Fujii who was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Unfortunately it was closed due to onset of the virus pandemic when we visited. Normally it is open to the public for prayers from 4.30 to 6am in the morning, and from 4.30 to 6.30pm in the evening.

We walked a little further to the beautifully sculptured stupa, also known as the Japanese Peace Pagoda. The pagoda had beautiful gold plated sculptures of the Buddha in various postures and murals depicting some of the events in his life.

The surroundings were very serene and peaceful, with tall pine trees and rhododendron bushes just beginning to flower, and with the majestic Kanchenjunga mountains as the backdrop.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.657: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, West Bengal.

Iconic Attraction Of Darjeeling.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) is one of the iconic attractions which draws many tourists to the hill town of Darjeeling in West Bengal. This 2 ft narrow gauge train hauls passengers and goods from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, a winding and uphill track covering a distance of 88 km. It is one of the three railways designated by the UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name of ‘Mountain Railways of India’.

If you are a lover of trains and locomotives then a ride on the DHR is a must do. However, if like us, you want to get to the top in a hurry then it is better to do the journey from Siliguri or Bagdogra by car or van. A road journey takes only 3 hours whereas the rail trip will take all of 7 hours or more if there are any delays. The train, pulled by a diesel locomotive, travels at a much slower pace and you have ample time to enjoy the views of the tea gardens and the mountain-scape along the way, taking photos from your carriage window. The sights, sounds and smells from a toy train, sitting with your kids is an experience in itself. The train also does some amazing loops and reversals of tracks to negotiate the bends.

There is another option too, if you want to enjoy a shorter ride. You can book a two hour joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghum, which is the highest railway station in India at 7407 feet. This train includes the to-and-fro fare and a 30 minute halt at Ghum where you can visit the DHR Museum. The joy ride has the option to select the steam locomotive or the diesel, which is cheaper. However, most of this two hour trip is through the congested hill town itself, passing very close to the houses and the town traffic. There is also one steam train which has only ordinary compartments, travelling from Kurseong to Darjeeling.

Another, but not so romantic way, is to just visit the train stations, or the loco sheds and see the DHR heritage trains from close quarters, taking snaps and waving out to the passing passengers.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.656: Darjeeling Toy Train.

Heritage Train.

The Darjeeling Toy Train has been one of the iconic attractions drawing tourists to this hill town in the Himalayas. It is one of the three railways designated by the UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name of ‘Mountain Railways of India’. It runs on a 2 ft. narrow gauge track, from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, a distance of 88 km.

There are still some steam locomotives being used by the Railway, but most have been converted to diesel. If you are doing the full journey from New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri to Darjeeling then it will be pulled by a diesel loco. If you want to enjoy a steam loco ride then it is better to do the joy ride tourist train from Darjeeling to Ghum, or take the ‘Red Panda’ from Darjeeling to Kurseong. The special steam tourist trains are hauled by the vintage British built B-Class steam locomotives.

We went to the loco shed near Darjeeling station to get a close up view of the steam locomotives and how it operates. It is just opposite the road from the station.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.655: Darjeeling Clock Tower.

Neglected Heritage Structure.

The Darjeeling Clock Tower located at the junction of Gandhi Road and Ladenla Road is now a much neglected heritage structure and has not kept up with the times, literally. It is still a prominent landmark of the city and the building on which it stands houses the Darjeeling Municipality. The Chowk market and the Mall market are at walking distance from the tower.

The 100 foot high stone tower along with the town hall was built around the year 1920. The hall is big enough for 600 people, there was a reading room and a square. The clock tower has four faces just like the Big Ben, an octagonal gable roof and a flag staff on top.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.649: Mahabaleshwar Temple.

Ancient Shiva Temple.

This is the main temple in the temple complex of Old Mahabaleshwar. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity. As you enter you have to cross a huge seated Nandi Bull facing into the inner sanctum. The sanctum sanctorum houses Shiva’s bed, looking like a crumpled bedsheet, his damru (drum) and his trishul (fork). You are not allowed to linger very long as there is always a lone queue of people waiting for darshan; you may pay your respects, light an agarbatti, collect prasad from the pujari and carry on. You can make a formal donation at the donation booth near the exit, and you will receive more prasad and holy ash in a self-addressed envelope later by post.

According to the ancient legend there were two demons, Mahabal and Atibal, who were killed by Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu respectively. Both the demons requested that they be immortalised by building temples commemorating them, and two temples came into being. This temple, dedicated to Mahabal is called Mahabaleshwar, and the Atibaleshwar Temple is the smaller one located about 200 meters from this one. This temple is more than 800 years old and rebuilt in Hemadpanti style.

After paying our respects at the temple we did a parikrama (circumambulation) around it and admired the architecture and beautiful scenery with a lot of greenery around it. Photography is prohibited inside but we took some nice pictures outside.

Date of experience: December 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.647: Elephant's Head Point, Mahabaleshwar.

Two Elephant’s Heads in Mahabaleshwar At Different Locations.

There are actually two places in Mahabaleshwar associated with Elephant’s heads.

The first one is near Lodwick Point and beyond it. You have to walk about 250 meters from the monument dedicated to General Peter Lodwick on a narrow ridge to an overhanging rock which looks like an elephant’s head. Standing on the head of the elephant you get a spectacular view of the valley below. The overhanging rock looks like the head of an elephant when observed from Lodwick’s memorial. The 250 meter walk is a spine tingling experience in itself.

The second elephant’s head can be seen as you approach Kate’s Point, which is near Nakinda and Avakali, overlooking the Dhom Lake. The gap between the elephant’s trunk and the head looks like a needle-hole from the distance, hence it is also sometimes called the Needle Hole Point.

Date of experience: December 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.644: Mahadwar Road (Shopping Area), Kolhapur.

Crowded Shopping Area Of Kolhapur.

Mahadwar Road is the main ‘Shopping Arcade’ of Kolhapur. It is located very near to the Mahalaxmi Temple and one can buy anything here from kitchen utensils, sarees, clothes and other accessories. The most famous accessories are the pure leather footwear which is a made by the local artisans of Kolhapur district. These are actually made in the rural areas of Maharashtra, and neighbouring Karnataka as well, and brought to the shops near the temple to be sold.

One has to be very careful while walking the narrow lanes around Mahadwar Road or one can easily get knocked off by the reckless two wheeler riders in these parts. They care two hoots for the pedestrian, so jay-walker beware!

Date of experience: December 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.639: Colva Beach, South Goa.

Most Popular Beach Of South Goa.

Colva Beach seems to be the most popular beach of South Goa judging by the crowds here on holidays. But the direct approach to the beach was obstructed by a pool of stagnant and dirty water when we visited in December 2019. One has to skirt around some beach shacks to reach the sandy portion along the seaside. There is another approach road going from behind the restaurants which runs parallel to the beach.

There are a lot of water sports activities taking place here. If you come during the daylight hours you will observe people enjoying parasailing, water skiing, banana boat riding and swimming in the sea. The beach is always crowded in the holiday season. It is a safe beach for a dip in the sea and there are lifeguards always present and patrolling in their red jeeps.

We were sitting at one of the beach restaurants and observing the frenzied activities taking place on the lovely sands. It is a crowded beach and not one where one can relax with a book to read, though there are many sundecks which the Europeans hire from the local vendors, to give themselves a deep tan.

Apart from the beach shacks there are also some established restaurants and hotels on shore, including the state run GTDC Colva Residency. There are many shops where you can pick up souvenirs and memorabilia, as well as Goan cashews and famous alcoholic brew of Goa, Feni.

Date of experience: December 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.634: GouSwarga, Siddapur, Uttara Kannada.

World's First Sanctuary Exclusively For Cows.

We visited Gou-Swarga on the way to Kumta from Siddapur. It is in Bankuli village, about 6 km from Siddapur town and we had to take a village road for about 1.5 km off the Siddapur-Kumta Road. Siddapur town itself is about 10 km from Jog Falls. The sanctuary was set in a very serene rural farmland area with hills and forests surrounding the estate.

There was no parking or entry fee and we just walked in through the gates and a garden pathway leading to the sanctuary enclosure. There was a rectangular lake in the centre with hundreds of cows in the open enclosures around the lake. None of the cows were tied up and they were free to roam and feed in their enclosures. Some preferred the shaded areas while some were standing in the open sunshine. They all seemed to be at peace in their surroundings. Some of them had their calves standing besides them. One cow and calf were resting in a bed of hay in the walkway and we fondled the calf gently with the mother looking at us with a wary eye. Here the calf has the first right to its mother’s milk.

It is a very unique concept to have a sanctuary for our desi holy cows, and the first of its kind in the world. It has been conceived and built by Sri Ramachandrapura Matha. There are lush paddy fields and grasslands nearby to provide fodder for the cows and plentiful water bodies in the valley surrounded by the hills of the Western Ghats.

Besides the sanctuary there is a medical care unit for cows, a place to conduct pujas and havans, a meditation arena, a library with cow related books, a shop selling cow related ayurvedic products as well as some daily requirement products, an auditorium for cultural programs, a mini theatre for audio-visual shows, and a huge production unit for cow related products. In addition there is lodging facility and a restaurant for people who want to stay overnight and do go-seva.

We bought some special pellet feed from the shelter-in-charge for ₹101 and fed some of the cows with our own hands. The cows came forward eagerly and happily took the feed from us. It was our first experience of interacting with cows. Before this we always thought that cows were sleepy and docile animals.

It is worthwhile to pay a visit to Gou-Swarga specially if your children are accompanying you. It’s a different kind of place than a regular zoo, as you can actually touch and befriend an animal, and get to know why they are called ‘Holy Cow’.

Date of experience: December 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.633: Jog Falls, Shimoga/Siddapura, Karnataka.

Gift Of Nature.

We were visiting Jog Falls for the second time. The last time we had entered via Sagara and Talaguppa. This time we entered via Gersuppa as we were driving up from Honavar after visiting Murudeshwar. This time we did not cross the bridge across the Sharavati River but entered and parked at the opposite view point near the Government Inspection Bungalow. There is a free parking lot here and there are many small snacks and refreshment stalls. It is not as crowded here as the main viewpoint which is near the KSTDC Mayura Jog Falls hotel, but there are as many monkeys here if not more. The falls are much closer here.

The falls make for a spectacular sight in the rainy season from July to September. Sometimes mist and clouds obscure the view for a bit, but add to the magic. The water falls from a height of about 250 meters into a plunge pool down below. There are many viewing points constructed by the state tourism department from where we get a wonderful view of the falls. The flow is divided into 4 distinct streams called the ‘Raja’, ‘Rani’, ‘Roarer’ and ‘Rocket’. There are 1400 steps leading down to the bottom of the falls.

However, this time we were here in December so the flow was not as strong as we had seen it in monsoons of 2018. But it looked just as enchanting from a different angle and in a different season. Before leaving we had some steaming hot chilli and potato bhajjis (fritters) from one of the stalls and a refreshing cup of filter coffee, sitting out in the open air on the makeshift tables and plastic chairs.

Date of experience: December 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.631: Murudeshwar (Town), Karnataka.

Temple Town By The Sea.

Murudeshwar is a small but beautiful pilgrimage town on the Karnataka coastline. It has been made famous by the huge shimmering statue of Lord Shiva and the nearby temple which has an even taller gopuram which towers over the statue. There is a nice beach nearby.

The town is just off NH66 between Udupi and Bhatkal. We had to turn off the highway and travel towards the coastline for about 1 km. There is a pay and park parking lot. One can avail of water sports activities like boating, swimming and wind surfing at the beach. For those interested in diving there are organised trips to Netrani Island, which is about 10 nautical miles offshore from Murudeshwar. Some diving shops in Goa help with the arrangements.

The destination gets overcrowded during the weekends, so it is best to visit during weekdays in the winter months of November to February. There are some hotels and stay options located nearby and one can spend a few days at Murudeshwar Beach and enjoy a short vacation.

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Date of experience: December 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.629: Lord Shiva Temple, Murudeshwar, Bhatkal, Karnataka.

Tall Gopuram and a Giant Statue of Lord Shiva.

There is a huge statue of Lord Shiva and a very tall gopuram and temple which is a must visit alongside the Murudeshwar beach. It is surrounded on three sides by the Arabian sea and the location is very scenic. The entrance to the temple is a twenty storied high gopuram known as the Raja Gopuram, which is guarded by the statues of two large elephants. The main temple devoted to Shri Rameshwara is at the feet of the giant Shiva statue which is the second tallest Shiva statue in the world.

The entry to the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple is banned for all devotees and we could only view the main deity, the Sri Mridesa Linga, which is believed to be a piece of the original Atma Linga, by standing at the threshold of the sanctum. It is dark inside the sanctum sanctorum and only illuminated by the oil lamps held by the priests.

Outside the temple is a park with more interesting statues, the most interesting one being the Sun Chariot. The temple opens at 6 am and closes at 8.30 pm. It is also closed for lunch from 1 pm to 3 pm. There are three main pujas during the day; morning 6.30 to 7.30 am, afternoon 12.15 to 1 pm and night 7.15 to 8.15 pm.

Date of experience: December 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC