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Meghalaya- The Abode of Clouds

It is a beautiful North-Eastern state, also called the Scotland of the East has majestic mountains and rangy trees along its side and it is divided by the boundaries of Assam in the North and Bangladesh in the South. It was formerly a part of the Assam. The name ‘Meghalaya’ was given by Rabindranath Tagore. The Seven Sisters of North-East India can be quickly reached via this state. You would surely have a feeling that you are in heaven as you drive between the clouds. It has magnificent caves and appealing waterfalls which will definitely not take a second to ruin over your heart.

 Also, while reaching out to the root bridges, it will be an amazing journey all along. You would remain awestruck when you get to see the crystal clear water with stones beneath and fishes roaming everywhere in lakes and rivers while taking a boat ride. All the residents of Meghalaya happen to be the friendliest ones and also, works as a responsible citizen by maintaining the roads clean and also by guiding the tourists. It has tremendous spellbinding waterfalls which will just let you feel as if you are just in your dreams. Mawsyram and Cherrapunjee are considered to be the wettest places on Earth. Also, Mawlynlong is Asia’s cleanest village where you would certainly get a positive vibe when you walk along the streets of the village and notice greenery and cleanliness everywhere. Meghalaya consists of three tribes, the Garo, the Khasi, and the Jaintia. Also, the society is matrilineal and their respect for women is immense.

How to Reach

Take a flight, train, or bus as per your convenience to Guwahati. From there, you can take a taxi or shared cabs or can rent a car with the help of Taxibazaar and reach Shillong. You will find our services at plenty in Kamakhya Railway Station and Paltan Bazaar.

Prime Tourist Attractions

Since it is famous for the subtropical biodiversity, natural beauty, and highest rainfall, there are some aesthetic places which are just awe-inspiring. There are some fascinating lakes, rivers, and waterfalls like Dawki LakeUmiam LakeNohkalikai WaterfallsElephant FallsSeven Sister FallsDain-Thlen FallsKynrem FallsKrang Suri FallsByrdaw FallsLangshiang FallsThum Falls, and Wards Lake. Next, come the wondrous famous Living Root Bridges and Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge which is more than 180-year old which are impressively built by the Khasi tribes supported by Mother Nature. Then, we jump on to the gigantic caves like Mawsmai CaveGarden of CavesSiju Caves, and Arwah Cave which are ages old. Even, there are the cleanest villages like the Mawlynlong village and Khasi Heritage Village. Then comes the world of greens including forests, rocks, valleys, and canyons such as Mawphlang Sacred ForestKyllang RockLaitlum Canyon, and Mawkdok Valley. Also, there are some beautiful parks, viewpoints, and sanctuaries like Shillong PeakEco ParkLady Hydari ParkMawkdok Valley View PointThangkharang ParkSiju Bird Sanctuary and Tiru Peak.

Other must-visits and must-dos are David Scott Trail, Don Bosco Museum, shopping at Police Bazaar and Leh Duh Market, and golf in Shillong.

Food

The predominant food in Meghalaya is rice with spicy meat and fish dishes. Also, they relish the meat of goats, pigs, fowl, ducks, and cows. The famous dishes of the natives are Jadoh, Ki Kpu, Tung-rymbai, and pickled bamboo shoots.

Handicrafts

As you are visiting the most naturalistic place, you must take some souvenir along with you to gift your loved ones so you must the indigenous beautiful baskets which is known as ‘Meghum Khoks’, Open Weave Carrying Basket, Closed Weave Carrying Basket, Small Storage Baskets, Coiled Cane Containers, Large Storage Baskets, Rain Shield and Headgears, Winnowing Trays & Fans, Mud Shovels, Shield made of bamboo plints, Khasi Bamboo Comb and Khasi Bamboo Pipes.

The Major Festivals

Wangala Festival. Wangala is one of the important festivals which is also known as the Hundred Drums Festival. It is mainly celebrated by the Garos. It is a post-harvest festival which is celebrated at the end of the year. It is a thanksgiving festival to Misi-A-Gilpa-Saljong-Galapa, the god of fertility. Rice Beer is a famous food that is cooked during this special event.

Behdeinkhlam Festival. It is a four-day festival and is mainly celebrated by the Jaintias. It is celebrated before the seed sowing season in July. The literal meaning of Behdeinkhlam is ‘Chasing away the Plague’.

Shad Sukra. This is another festival that is primarily celebrated by the Jaintias. It is celebrated before the sowing season which is basically in mid-April or May.

Shad Suk Mynsiem. It is the most important festival of the Khasis and is also celebrated by Gars and Jaintias. It is celebrated in April. This is a three-day festival which is called the ‘Shad Phur’.

Nongkrem Festival. It is mainly celebrated by the Khasis. It is a 5 days thanksgiving festival which is held in October or November.

The languages which are spoken in Meghalaya are Garo, Rabha, Khasi, Assamese, Koch, Marathi, Hajong, Maram, Nepali, Sylheti, and Hindi. Mekhla is the most recognisable traditional dresses here. The females of the Khasi tribe wears a dress called ‘Jainsem’. The females of the Jaintia tribe dresses like the Khasi females but with the addition of a ‘Kyrshah’. The females of the Garo tribe women wear a blouse, raw cotton called ‘Dakmanda’, and the ‘Daksari’ which is wrapped like a ‘Mekhla’. The jewellery they wear is called ‘Kynjri Ksiar’, which is made of 24-carat gold. Then, the men of the Garo tribe wear a loincloth as their traditional dress. The men of the Khasi tribe wear a long cloth around their waist which remains unstitched and the dresses of Jaintia tribe tend to have similarities with the Khasi tribe.

6 Best Places to Visit in Uttarakhand – Land of Gods

Uttarakhand became a state in India in the year 2000 before which it was part of the large state of Uttar Pradesh in India and there are best places to visit in Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand is a Himalayan state in India which is also known as “The Land of Gods” as there are many temples and pilgrimage sites in this state visited by pilgrims from all over the world.

Uttrakhand
Uttrakhand

Millions of tourists visit Uttarakhand every year as it is a multifaceted tourist destination in India that not just attracts pilgrims but also nature lovers, adventure sports enthusiasts, families and honeymooners from all over the world.

The following are some of the best places to visit in Uttarakhand:

1.Valley of Flowers National Park

This is a flower park that is located in North Chamoli and is known for some of the most beautiful alpine flowers in the world.

This mountainous park in Uttarakhand which is located in Northern Uttarakhand in a high altitude Himalayan valley has many endangered animals and birds.

In pristine lands...The Valley of Flowers National Park
Valley of Flowers National Park

It has an excellent variety of hundreds of species of flowers like the Himalayan Bell Flower, poppies, orchids, marigolds, daisies, Geranium, and Morning Longifolia to name a few.

This is a vacation destination, a tourist’s hotspot, a pilgrimage destination and also this park has beautiful trekking trails popular with tourists.

2. Badrinath Temple

The Badrinath Temple is a major Hindu temple in Uttarakhand that is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

This temple is one of the four temples that are visited by tourists on the famous and very religiously important Char Dham yatra.

India - Tamil Nadu - Trichy - Srirangam - Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple - 40
Badrinath Temple

The temple is located in the Garhwal Hills in the Chamoli district on the banks of the Alaknanda River.

It a major pilgrimage site with religious festivals and this temple is visited by tourists as well as pilgrims every year from all over the world.

3. Har ki Pauri

Ganga is a very sacred river in India and Har Ki Pauri is a ghat located on the banks of river Ganga in Uttarakhand. This famous tourist attraction and pilgrimage destination are located in the holy city of Haridwar.

Har ki Pauri

Har Ki Pauri is especially festive during the Kumbh Mela when it takes place once in 12 years. Tourists like to participate in the famous Ganga Aarti that takes places at Har Ki Pauri.

4. Rajaji National Park

This is a great destination to visit for different types of tourists as it is a national park and a famous tiger reserve in Uttarakhand.

There are beautiful forests with lovely flowers, trees, and alpine vegetation in this area.

Chital (Axis axis), Rajaji National Park, India
Rajaji National Park

This natural reserve is located in the Shivalik Ranges. Some of the animals at this reserve include tigers, elephants, chital, sambar, hog deer, nilgai, sloth bears, and leopard cats.

5. Lakshman Jhula

Lakshman Jhula is a suspension bridge over the River Ganga in the city of Rishikesh. Lakshaman Jhula is a bridge used by pedestrians as well as motorbikes.

It is named after Lakshmana from the Ramayana and is one of the largest bridges in the area.

Lakshman Jhula
Lakshman Jhula

Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula are major bridges on the River Ganga, they have become major tourist attractions in the area.

6. Nainital Lake

One of the main tourist places in Uttarakhand is Nainital. Nainital Lake is the top tourist attractions in the city and here are the lots of adventure activities that you can do.

This lake is a tourist favorite and this is a kidney-shaped lake and it is a famous lake in this area.

Nainital lake
Nainital Lake

This is a great lake surrounded by peaks on all side and by coniferous trees. Boat rides on the lake are romantic for honeymooners visiting this is.

There are plenty of shops and restaurants for tourists in nearby areas surrounding the city.

Why Taj Mahal is in lime light from centuries?

The Taj Mahal which is set on the bank of River Yamuna in Agra is one of the best guest spots in India. Being perceived as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, this awesome tomb draws various guests from inside the nation and over the world.

For its heavenly magnificence as well as for its history, the Taj Mahal is notable worldwide. It is a spirit loaded up with affection, misfortune and distress. This great place of worship is an illustration how strongly a man cherished his significant other than to keep her recollections exemplary, he constructed an incredible building like the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal

The couple wedded in 1612 in the wake of meeting and beginning to look all starry eyed at each other five years sooner. The couple were close however in 1631 when Mahal kicked the bucket while bringing forth their fourteenth youngster, Jahan began looking at this gem so as to express his affection and reverence for his significant other.

Construction on the building started in 1631 by bricklayers, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers and craftsman from all around the Central Asia and Iran. Ustad-Ahmad Lahori was the primary draftsman of the consummately adjusted Taj Mahal. Entirely completed out of white marble, the structure is a tomb with both Jahan and Mahal buried inside. It took 22 years to assemble the tallness of affection.

Taj Mahal, synonymous with India’s character, is the best gem of Mughal design in India. The Mughal convention of establishing grand sepulchers in memory of Royal individuals discovered its zenith in the Taj’s stunning shape. The Humayun’s tomb worked in 1562 was a noteworthy impact over Taj’s plan. An engineering wonder, the structure consolidates components of Persian impacts like the outline of the Dome and fuse of angled passages or ‘Iwans’ alongside motivation from present day Hindu plan components like chhatris and extensive blend of the lotus thought. Portrayed by Tagore as “the tear-drop on the cheek of time”, the remembrance encapsulates melancholy grimness transformed into the most wonderful indication of undying affection.

The sublime tomb was perceived as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The site, on the south-west bank of the River Yamuna simply outside Agra, has five fundamental structures which are Darwaza, the Bageecha, the Masjid, the Naqqar Khana, and the Rauza, where the tomb is found. The engineering chic is the fundamental fascination at the Taj Mahal. It is a novel mix of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic design. Features incorporate the sparkling marble checked floor, the four momentous turrets at the edges of the tomb’s plinth remaining at 40 meters high, and the strange center vault.

That is a genuine show-stopper, there are a scope of captivating optical impacts that can be set apart all through the building. For instance, the lettering of the Quranic verses around the entrances has all the earmarks of being uniform in stature regardless of how far it is from the beginning. The pietra dura fine art incorporates extremely perplexing customary components also. In a few places inside the building, there are in excess of 50 adorned gems in a space as little as 3 cm.

If you are the one who’s up for this glorious place of the planet, I am sure you’ll not be taking your eyes off from this masterpiece if you lend your eyes for a couple of moments. Don’t get me started, no kidding. So, if you are planning a visit to Taj Mahal, here are some tips you must consider with a fine tooth comb, alright, have a go!

Most prominent TIPS FOR VISITING TAJ MAHAL

  1. Reach right on time to the ticket counter
  1. Choose your entryway
  1. If you have the financial plan and time to do as such, visit at the oberoi amarvilas agra inn.
  1. You can’t take snacks in with you.
  1. Go for a well reputed cargo company from UK to India if you have excess luggage with you.
  1. Dress legitimately
  1. Know early that however it’s excellent all things considered, the stroll inside is… most certainly not…
  1. Don’t get a guide
  1. Make companions
  1. View the taj mahal from over the stream at moonlight plant
  1. Get a pleasant photograph of yourself

Explore Pench Tiger Reserve through Deccan Odyssey train

The Deccan Odyssey is one of the finest luxury trains in the world. There are several places the luxury train takes guests for sightseeing. It is next train to be introduced after the pioneer of Indian luxury train travel – the Palace on Wheels train. It is also known as India’s Blue Train not only due to the catchy blue exteriors of the train but  it also offers the impeccable luxury services onboard. Guests can enjoy their tour while enjoying the facilities too.

There are 12 guest carriages with various cabin occupancies, a Bar & Lounge, a Conference Car & a Health Spa. It offers two comfortable restaurants in bright light on comfortable seating of two at one side & four at the other. Guests can have a hearty chat while having their meals. They also have the comfort of seeing the outside while having their meal, from the panoramic views that the large windows offer.

Pench Tiger ReserveWith all these facilities onboard, the guests can enjoy the sightseeing the opulence of the luxurious train in India. One of the most fascinating destinations on the itinerary is the Pench Tiger Reserve.

Nestled in the Seoni District covering 292.85 square kilometers of landscape, it got the name due to the famous Pench River that flows through the Tiger project of Central India. The river nearly divides this tiger refuge park has several visitors from all over the country and the world into half.

The Deccan Odyssey trails through the nearest district so guests can the wild creatures in their natural habitat. Guests can see other natural surroundings including the mighty Pench River, the hills & mountains with the deep valleys. This is one of the greatest places where they can see all the flora , fauna and the marine life due to the massive river that flows through the forests.

The visit to the tiger reserve is an early morning trip. guests then go back to the train to take some rest after the tiring tour. After sumptuous meal in one of the Deccan Odyssey train two restaurants that serve oriental, continental & Indian cuisine, go back for afternoon session wild tour. There is amazing bird species too with migratory birds from far countries of the world and big sized resident species too.

Guests must be prepared as they trek into the wild forests as they see creepers growing wildly over trees, tall trees, wild shrubs, large areas of dried grass and fresh grass, and there are rare herbs they can learn about. the exciting adventure into the wild forest in central India will give great wild memories forever. So, get back onboard the luxury Deccan Odyssey waiting for you at the Nagpur station as it makes it way to the Tadoba – region full of  mighty big cats. This is the end of the exciting tour as you Explore Pench Tiger Reserve with Deccan Odyssey.

Guests enjoy quick breakfast, healthy lunch &sumptuous dinner and an overnight comfortable sleep onboard the Deccan Odyssey.

How to plan a luxury honeymoon you’ll never forget in the Himalayas

The beautiful Himalayan range can be beautifully described in 3 words: temples, high mountain peaks, and lush greenery. Destinations like Darjeeling, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Sikkim are ideal for adventurous newlyweds looking to travel someplace different for their honeymoon. Include the monasteries and hidden villages on your itinerary to get a personal feel of the Himalayan culture, customs and traditions.

In the following lines we’ve detailed some of the best travel destinations for couples in the Himalayas. Enjoy a trip of a lifetime and have a time of your life exploring places very few have had the chance to see before.

delhi magical kingdomDelhi’s magical kingdom 

India’s Delhi is a magical destination for a honeymoon. It might take you a day or two to get used to the sounds, smells and alluring colors. But it will all be worth it. Everything’s possible in Delhi. Old Delhi has a old-fashioned vibe couples will fall in love with. Everywhere you look there are jewelers trying to sell you things, spices and tea varieties? In the New Delhi area, the future unfolds. Gurgaon almost seems like a spatial city packed with endless skyscrapers and glitzy malls.

Spiti Valley 

India’s most secluded regions; Spiti Valley is a territory of pure mysticism. The rugged terrain, extreme weather conditions, and vast remoteness make it stand out. There are only a few villages spread here and there, so you shouldn’t expect much. The best thing that you can do is embrace the silence. Spiti is an excellent trekking spot. Pin-Bhaba, Pin-Parvati, and Parang-La are three of the most well-known routes. The scenic views will take your breath away.

For a more old-fashioned, rustic experience and captivating views, there are excellent lodging places nearby. Explore “Komic”, “Dhankar” and “Demul” villages, and choose the best that matches your demands. The locals are extremely welcoming people. Spiti Valley is a honeymoon destination that invites tourists to connect the region’s customs and traditions; meditate and explore the Buddhist culture.

Tirthan Valley 

Tirthan ValleyThere’s a small village hidden in the Himalayas known as Tirthan Valley. It almost feels like coming out of a fairytale. Adventurous holiday seekers and nature lovers will most likely fall in love with the thick woods and striking apple orchards. Tirthan Valley is the main entry point to the Great Himalayan National Park. If you have time to wander around and explore the premises, don’t hesitate. The bird watching experience, walks through the natural habitat, river rafting, and overnight camping should make your honeymoon memorable.

Kasol, Himachal Pradesh

Planning the perfect honeymoon is not exactly the easiest decision to make. Fortunately, Himalaya has plenty of surprising destinations that will sweep you off your feet. Kasol is a charming village nestled within the beautiful Parvati Valley. Some call it India’s “mini Israel”. Onsite, you’ll come across lots of Israeli backpackers and traditional restaurants with excellent signature foods.

Kasol is surprisingly beautiful. The mountain scenery is splendid; as for activities, honeymooners should venture into the wild and explore the picturesque sights in the area. Make sure to stop by Parvati River, or engage in a trekking trip uphill; through the lush forest that connects Kheer Ganga to Tosh Valley.

Leh-Ladakh 

Located up-north from the Great Indian Himalayan range, Leh-Ladakh prides with spectacular natural sights. The sheer beauty of the region exceeds all expectations. There are beautiful Buddhist monasteries in the area you should check out; if you’re the type of honeymooner hunting for peace and relaxation, this is the best place to reconnect with nature. Leh-Ladakh is also an adventurous travel spot. Among some of the activities it boasts, we should mention mountain biking, trekking, and adventure climbing. Which one’s your favorite?

leh-ladakhWe know that planning the best honeymoon vacation can be challenging. However, if you make plans in advance and settle on an itinerary that appeals to your senses, everything will turn out as planned. Decide on the best Kumaon hotel, books flights with at least 4 months in advance, and let the adventure begin. The Himalayan range is vast; note that you won’t be able to explore it all in 7 days. Set some priorities and settle on the region with the highest potential to exceed your expectations.