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Showing posts from July, 2011

Rock Climbing Series – 2 : Kabbaldurga

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Kabbaldurga, Pyramid Valley and Quad Biking Overview: Kabbaldurga is one of the little known trekking destinations just outside Bangalore and could be a great challenge for trekking and rock climbing enthusiasts. Kabbal durga derives its name from the temple of Goddess Kabbalamma which is frequented by people from the nearby villages. There is a very old temple on the top and because its difficult to climb the hill, a temple is built at the base of the hill so that people can take the blessing of the Goddess. The road to Kabbaldurga is very scenic with many small hillocks and clean lakes on the way. The condition of the road is also very good. Vehicles have to be parked at the Kabbalamma temple premises and the temple is usually crowded with devotees. We asked the route to climb the hills by the locals and had to walk for 1 km before starting the ascent. A narrow path with lot of trees and bushes welcomed us and the trek was very light initially with some old stone structures on the

Sikkim: Mesmerising Beauty of the Himalayas

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Sikkim: Mesmerising Beauty of the Himalayas… Trip Details: I always wanted to travel to Sikkim, a small and beautiful state in the North-Eastern India. Finally got a chance in April 2011. After doing a lot of research, we finalized an itinerary which would suit our budget and time which looks as below: 1) Day 0: Half-day in office, boarded a flight from Bangalore to Kolkata at 18:00 hrs. Reached Kolkata airport at 20:30 hrs. Hired a pre-paid taxi from Kolkata airport to Sealdah railway station. At 23:00 hrs boarded Padatik express to New Jalpaiguri from Sealdah. 2) Day 1: Reached NJP Station at around 10:30 hrs.. Hired a jeep to Gangtok. Reached Gangtok by around 14:00 hrs and checked into Hotel Karlo. It was a nice hotel with excellent staff. We rested for the remaining part of the day as we were supposed to travel to North Sikkim the following day. 3) Day 2: After obtaining all the necessary permits for North Sikkim, we left Gangtok at around 11:00 hrs in a Maxx vehicle. We got a t