subject: Around The New Jalpaiguri Station | Chaturyatri-travel Stories On Budget Travel In India [print this page] Gonna travel, gonna travel wild and free Gonna travel, gonna travel wild and free
Im gonna pack my bags because this great, big worlds is calling me~ Elvis Presley
A travel spree and bagful of vigor is all that you need to procure a perfect holiday for yourself. But when the logistical glitches of accommodation, conveyance, budget et all encroaches upon your itinerary, the joy of the journey is somewhat burdened, if not lessened. What if you get someone else to bother about the necessary paraphernalia and all you are left do to is to unleash the traveler in you and enjoy the spoils of the tour. Sounds promising, doesnt it?
In my eight standard, my parents planned a hilly getaway during the holi vacations. Needless to say, I was reluctant to abandon my holi plans with my friends back home and set off to an unknown location during this much awaited festival. But like most occasions, I had to yield to their commands, so a couple of days before holi, we boarded the Darjeeling mail and reached the New Jalpaiguri station the next day. We drove in a Bolero, that stood waiting for us, to Lava alongwith the serenading river Tista and the overarching mountain crags. In the course of the journey, we socialized with another family, who were to be our travel mates for the next few days. Much to my relief, I had found another girl of my age and my holi plans were pretty much salvaged. We reached the beautiful township of Lava and checked in the Yankees resort. With wooded paneling and breathtaking view accorded, each room was tastefully decorated and I felt at home almost immediately. With our accommodation and meals, taken care of, we were at full liberty to explore the town. Also, much to our delight, our co-passengers accompanied us and together we went to many picturesque destinations like Neora Valley National Park. Spectacular views of the Jeep la and Reche La Passes greeted us against the fading colours of twilight.The next day, being holi, all of us trekked to the Maneydara village, a quaint township lined with Oaks and Firs. What awaited us was something could not anticipate remotely. Our travel agent had arranged for a small yet heartfelt holi party at the local community hall. I could never forget the blissful experience of playing holi with the local kids. It was indeed a different euphoria altogether.
Our next stop was lolegaon, a small lepcha village among the Himalayan ridge, girdled in Cypress. En route, we had lunch at the Chengi falls, a rather amusing dining location, I must say. Lolegaon offered yet another unforgettable touristic experience. Our first encounter with the unexplored beauty of Lolegaon was in the course of the Heritage Park tour. The interesting canopy walk, not only familiarized us with a plethora of coniferous trees but also wide variety of colourful birds. But the most delectable part was the topsy-turvy walk down the hanging bridge. The next day showered us with the mesmerizing view of sunrise along the majestic Kachenzunga, that we witnessed from the famous Sun-set point. With this we neared the end of the tour, starting our drive back to Siliguri. On our way, we also stopped at the Lolegaon monastery. Our tour guide seemed to know just the right time to visit the right place and hence we acquired a flavor of all the niceties of Lava-lolegaon, without feeling any strain of stress. As we boarded our train back to Sealdah, we did not have enough words to thank Chalo Jaai, the travel agency that made such a hassle-free and enjoyable tour possible for us and that too at an extremely reasonable tariff of 5000 INR per head, including each and every aspect of the tour. No wonder, their hospitality and service urged all of us to say abar chalo jai or lets go again.
