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Spectacularly jagged, arid mountains
enfold this magical, Buddhist ex-kingdom. Picture-perfect gompas
dramatically crown rocky outcrops amid whitewashed stupas and
meditational mani walls topped with mantra-inscribed pebbles.
Colourful fluttering prayer flags spread their spiritual messages
metaphorically with the mountain breeze. Prayer wheels spun
clockwise release more merit-making mantras. Gompa interiors are
colourfully awash with murals and statuary of numerous
bodhisattvas.
Ladakh’s remarkably well-balanced traditional society has much to
teach the West in terms of ecological awareness.
This month we bring to you Ladakh, as the destination of the
month.
GITA - India Unveiled! |
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Ginger Hotels opens 24-key hotel in Goa
Ginger Hotels has opened its second hotel in Goa with the launch
of Ginger Goa, Dona Paula. The move is in line with Indian Hotels
Company Limited’s (IHCL) focus on increasing its footprint across
segments to meet the consumer demand at various price points. The
hotel offers 24 rooms with a choice of a private terrace or a
balcony.
Dona Paula enjoys a prime location and is situated between the
Dona Paula beach and Vainguinim beach. The hotel is within a
40-minute drive from the airport and is near Panjim city centre as
well as the Karmali railway station (Old Goa). It features a
multi-cuisine restaurant, fitness centre, swimming pool, meeting
facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Marriott International scores century in India with opening of
100th hotel in Bengaluru
Marriott
International has marked an important milestone in India with the
opening of its 100th hotel in the country – the Sheraton Grand
Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center in Bengaluru.
The Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center
has 360 rooms with 39 suites. It also features the Sheraton
brand’s signature amenities and facilities like Shine Spa for
Sheraton, Sheraton Club Lounge, Sheraton Fitness and Sherato
Signature Sleep Experience.
Leisure Hotels debuts in Himachal Pradesh with property in
Kasauli
Leisure Hotels has entered Himachal Pradesh with the launch of 7
Pines – “An English Retreat” in Kasauli. With this launch, Leisure
Hotels are now available at four sates in India including Uttar
Pradesh and Goa. “7 Pines – “An English Retreat”, is located in
the quaint hill town of Kasauli, home to one of the largest
breweries in the world. A quintessential English Retreat, The ‘7
Pines’ is built with a British colonial décor and is a perfect
weekend getaway. Kasauli has a colonial ambience
Hyatt Amritsar rebrands to Hyatt Regency Amritsar
In
a bid to enhance customer experience, Hyatt Amritsar has rebranded
itself as Hyatt Regency Hotel. The property, which was established
in 2013, offers a full range of services and amenities –
remarkable restaurants and bars; technology-enabled ways to
collaborate with associates; and space to work, engage and relax.
Featuring 248 adorned rooms (including 10 Regency Suites), Hotel
Hyatt Regency is the idyllic holiday retreat to unwind at. The
culinary professionals of Hyatt Regency Amritsar take visitors on
a gastronomic expedition not just to the different nooks and
crannies of the country but also to the different cities of the
world with their numerous eclectic recipes. Hyatt Regency Amritsar
is ideal for all sorts of events, both social and corporate.
Keeping up with the brand’s identity, Hyatt Regency Amritsar has
exclusive facilities for rejuvenation in the form of a spa, a
fitness centre and a swimming pool. The beautifully appointed spa
rooms offer the perfect ambience to unwind and destress. The
facility equips a total of eight rooms that are divided into two
Ayurvedic Therapy Rooms, four Western Therapy Rooms, one Couple
Therapy Room and one Oriental Therapy Room.
Lemon Tree Hotels doubles inventory in Goa, inks contract for
Red Fox hotel in Morjim
Carnation Hotels, the wholly owned subsidiary and management arm
of Lemon Tree Hotels, has signed an operating agreement for the
groups’ first Red Fox hotel in Morjim, Goa with Unicorn Real
Estate. With this signing, Lemon Tree Hotels doubles its
consolidated inventory in the city. Red Fox Hotel, Goa will have
111 rooms and cater to leisure travellers looking for a
pocket-friendly experience in Goa. The hotel is strategically
located just a stone’s throw from the Morjim beach known for the
fabled Olive Ridley Turtles and the golden sands. The hotel will
be refurbished and renovated as per the Lemon Tree brand standards
in the next few months and is expected to open doors to guests by
October 2018.
Novotel opens first international hotel in Kakkanad, Kochi
AccorHotels
along with the MuthootPappachan Group, has opened its Novotel
Kochi Infopark located in the IT Hub of Kakkanad Infopark, making
it one of the first international mid-scale brands to debut in the
industrial zone. The hotel is a 40-minute drive from the Kochi
International Airport and 30-minute drive from the Ernakulam
Railway Station. It features 128 rooms including eight suites and
a room designed specifically for the specially-abled. |
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Foreigners Can Travel To Nagaland, Mizoram,
Manipur Unrestricted
The Home Ministry has decided to relax the
six-decade-old Protected Area Permit regime from Nagaland, Mizoram
and Manipur for five years with effect from April 1, a ministry
official said.
Foreign tourists, except those from Pakistan,
China and Afghanistan, would now be allowed to visit some of the
most pristine locations of the country which, so far, were out of
bounds for them without a special permit, officials said today.
The Home Ministry has decided to relax the
six-decade-old Protected Area Permit regime from Nagaland, Mizoram
and Manipur for five years with effect from April 1, a ministry
official said.
Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order,
1958, all areas falling between the Inner line and the
International Border of some states were declared as protected
areas.
The protected areas currently include whole
of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim,
besides parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and
Jammu and Kashmir. Some parts of Sikkim fall under the protected
area regime while others under the restricted area.
"A review is underway to lift the PAP from
other areas too," another official said.
Citizens from Pakistan, China and
Afghanistan, however, continue to be banned from all PAP areas,
including Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.
Now, foreigners travelling to India can
get visa extended online
Foreigners touring India will no longer need
to visit the Foreigners Registration Office or the Foreigners
Regional Registration Office (FRO/FRRO) for visa-related services,
including registration and visa extension, which will now be
offered online through the e-FRRO platform.
In the new system, foreigners will be able to
get 27 visa and immigration-related services in India from the
comfort of their place of stay. Using the e-FRRO application,
foreigners can apply online and obtain the service(s) through
email/post without appearing in person at the FRO/FRRO.
Some of the features of the e-FRRO include
online FRRO service delivery mechanism without requirement of
visiting the FRRO/FRO barring in exceptional cases. Using this
application, foreigners are required to create their user ID by
registering themselves. Afterwards, they can apply online through
registered user ID for various visa and immigration related
services in India like registration, visa extension, visa
conversion, exit permit etc. The e-FRRO scheme has been running
successfully in four FRROs (Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai)
since February 12. Now, it has been rolled out in Kolkata,
Amritsar, Hyderabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Lucknow
and Ahmedabad.
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Jet Airways to add 30 new weekly flights between North East and
rest of the country
Jet
Airways announced its plans to expand its presence in the North
East and make Guwahati its regional gateway to/ from the region.
The initiative forms a part of Jet Airways’ strategy to further
strengthen its domestic footprint of 45 cities in the country,
complementing its three hubs at Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Strengthening connectivity between the country’s capital and the
North Eastern region, Jet Airways introduces non-stop services
including thrice-a-week flights to Aizawl and Jorhat and four
times-a-week flights to Silchar from New Delhi. The airline also
resumes its operations from Imphal, the capital of Manipur,
commencing four times-a-week non-stop service to Imphal from
Delhi.
Delhi and Aizawl are now be connected by a Jet Airways daily
service. For three days a week, 9W 851 departs Delhi at 11:00 hrs
and arrives into Aizawl 14:00 hrs. For four days, Jet Airways 9W
605 departs at 10:30 hrs, arriving into Aizawl at 14:55 hrs. On
its return leg for three days, 9W 852 departs at 15:30 hrs to
arrive into Delhi at 18:30 hrs.
Connecting Delhi with Jorhat, flight 9W 956 (non-stop) departs
from Delhi at 11:00 hrs, and arrives into Jorhat at 14:00 hrs for
three days of the week. During the other four days, 9W 917 departs
Delhi at 09:20 hrs and arrives into Jorhat at 13:10 hrs. On its
return leg for three days, 9W 957 departs at 15:20 hrs and lands
in Delhi at 18:20 hrs. For the other four days, 9W 918 departs at
14:20 hrs and arrives into Delhi at 18:55 hrs.
Silchar is now also connected with Delhi by a daily Jet Airways
service. For four days a week, 9W 991 (non-stop) departs from
Delhi at 11:00 and arrives in Silchar at 13:50 hrs. For three
days, Jet Airways 9W 669 depart at 09:20 hrs, arriving in Silchar
at 13:10 hrs. On its return leg for four days, 9W 992 (non-stop)
departs at 15:30 hrs and arrives in Delhi at 18:30 hrs while for
the other three days, 9W 606 departs at 14:25 hrs and lands in
Delhi at 18:55 hrs.
The daily service between Delhi and Imphal is four days a week, 9W
908 (non-stop) departs Delhi at 11:05 and arrives in Imphal at
14:05 hrs. For three days, Jet Airways 9W 827 departs at 10:30
hrs, arriving into Imphal at 15:00 hrs. On its return leg for four
days, 9W 909 (non-stop) departs at 15:30 hrs and arrives in Delhi
at 18:35 hrs.
SpiceJet to commence Delhi-Leh flight from May
SpiceJet is set to commence its New Delhi-Leh daily direct
flight service from May 1, 2018. The flight service will be
operated from Terminal 1D at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi
International Airport. The airline said that it will deploy a
Boeing 737-700 aircraft on the route.
AirAsia announces four new routes connecting Kolkata
AirAsia
India has announced the induction of its 18th aircraft and the
introduction of four new routes connecting Kolkata. The 18th
aircraft will be stationed in Kolkata, which is also the third
base for AirAsia India, connecting it to Imphal, Pune, Vizag and
Guwahati, in addition to increasing the frequency of flights
between Kolkata and Bagdogra.
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Ladakh
Hidden over high passes in an arid,
largely treeless rain shadow, Ladakh is classic Trans Himalayan
scenery: huge khaki-coloured valleys and harsh rock walls brought
alive by the occasional splash of irrigated green. Traditional
Tibetan
Buddhist culture remains intact here, with spectacularly
located monasteries that burst into life during medieval masked
dance festivals that have changed little in 500 years. For
travellers there's a bit of everything – epic treks, sparkling
high-altitude mountain lakes and a well developed backpacker
infrastructure based around the capital, Leh.
Ladakh is a land like no other.
Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great
Himalaya and the Karakoram, it lies athwart two other, the Ladakh
range and the Zanskar range.
In geological terms, this is a
young land, formed only a few million years ago by the buckling
and folding of the earth's crust as the Indian sub-continent
pushed with irresistible force against the immovable mass of Asia.
Its basic contours, uplifted by these unimaginable tectonic
movements, have been modified over the millennia by the opposite
process of erosion, sculpted into the form we see today by wind
and water.
Yes, water! Today, a high
-altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the
Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was
once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which
still exist on its south -east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul - in
drainage basins with evocative names like Tso-moriri, Tsokar, and
grandest of all, Pangong-tso. Occasionally, some stray monsoon
clouds do find their way over the Himalaya, and lately this seems
to be happening with increasing frequency. But the main source of
water remains the winter snowfall. Drass, Zanskar and the
Suru
Valley on the Himalaya's northern flank receive heavy snow in
winter; this feeds the glaciers whose meltwater, carried down by
streams, irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the
region, the snow on the peaks is virtually the only source of
water. As the crops grow, the villagers pray not for rain, but for
sun to melt the glaciers and liberate their water. Usually their
prayers are answered, for the skies are clear and the sun shines
for over 300 days in the year.
Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging
from about 9,000 feet (2750m) at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at
Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Thus summer temperatures rarely
exceed about 27 degree celcius in the shade, while in winter they
may plummet to minus 20 degree celcius even in Leh. Surprisingly,
though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense
than at lower altitudes; it is said that only in Ladakh can a man
sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from
sunstroke and frostbite at the same time!
The main tourist sites relate to
Tibetan Buddhism, and to the stunning landscape.
Ladakh is not only home to some of the most
beautiful and serene monasteries you'll ever see, but it also a
land of rich natural beauty - and it's this natural beauty that
hits you so hard, because it's a barren beauty. Many travelers
find themselves at a loss to understand how something so barren
can yet be so beautiful. Be respectful, these are holy places and
active monks in most of them.
Must-see sites include "Moon-land-view" (the
area around Lamayuru) on the Leh-Kargil highway.
Many places in Ladakh need an inner line
permit which is available for free in DC's office in Ladakh.
There are some regular tourist circuits which
entail driving 200-400 km round-trip out of Ladakh.
1.) Leh-Karu-Chang La-Tangtse-Pangong Tso &
Back: This is a popular trip to Pyongyang Tso Lake and can be done
by taxi/bike. Most people do it as a day trip starting early in
the morning and come back in the evening. However, there are
arrangements for the stay near the lake in Lukung & Spangmik and
one can stay overnight to enjoy this place at a slower pace.
Camping is also possible.
2.) Leh-Khardung La-Nubra Valley(Valley of
Flowers): This is another popular trip but difficult to do in one
day. Nubra Valley may not be as beautiful as is touted to be, and
is the second favorite for tourists as a trip out of Leh. Some
people return from Khardung La (18,380 ft), which is claimed to be
the highest motorable pass in the world. It provides excellent
views of Ladakh Range as well as Karakoram Range on the other
side.
3.) Leh-Upshi-Tso Kar-Tso Moriri: This is
another trip which covers two smaller lakes Tso Kar and Tso Moriri.
4.) Leh-Lamayuru-Leh: This is an easier drive
along Indus river towards Kargil and one can also see the
confluence of the Indus and Zanskar on the way. Lamayuru is a
beautiful place and is home to the oldest monastery and one of the
most important in Ladakh. One can stay in the monastery or in the
surrounding village.
5.) Various monasteries-around Leh: There are
4-5 big monasteries around Leh and can be covered in one day. Most
important of them are Thiksey, Hemis, Spituk, Stok and Shey.
One needs to acclimatize to the attitude in
Leh (3500m) before heading out as AMS (acute mountain sickness or
altitude sickness) can ruin the entire trip.
The Hemis Monastery: This is the
largest monastery of Ladakh. Tourists can find at least 150 lamas
living in the monastery, at any point of time throughout the year.
Hemis is famous for a huge painting of Buddha, which is brought to
the public or displayed to the public only once in 11 years of the
time period.
Padum Valley: Padum is located at an
altitude of 3505 m from the sea level. It is the capital of the
ancient Zanskar and presently administrative headquarter of the
Zanskar region. Podium has a population of around 1500-1600. Padum
is a very scarcely inhabited valley in the Zanskar. Padum is one
of the famous trekking destinations for trekking lovers, Zanskar.
Zanskar Valley: Zanskar is one of the
remotest regions of the Ladakh. Zanskar 1 is spread in around 300
km of area, which is only accessible through high passes. This
valley is higher than any other valley in Ladakh region and
located in the inner Himalaya. Here the rainfall is very less and
the climates are very harsh.
Parang La Trek: Parang La Trek is one
of the most challenging and adventures trekking trail. This trek
is located on an isolated route far into the mountains with many
rivers to be crossed.
Kang Yatse This trek is located in the south
east part of the leg, in the Markha valley. This valley is a dream
for every trekker and everyone wish to trek the Markha Valley for
at least once.
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