Moon – Page 10 – Footloose Forever

Unique Places to View NYC’s Skyline

June 13, 2016June 10, 2016Posted in USA Hotels and DestinationsTagged new york city, NYC, NYC attractions, NYC skyline, USA Travel destinations2 Comments

NYC, Manhattan, NYC skyline, Manhattan skyline

This content was originally published on IHG’s website.

The Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World Trade Center…all of offer exceptional views of NYC, but only with some major trade-offs. You could wait hours in line just to reach the top, and the cost of admission is as sky-high as the observation deck. Plus, you’ll find the same exact views in every tour guide and on about half of all NYC postcards. Visiting New York City is breath taking, make sure you are getting the most out of your trip whether your hotel is within walking distance to Times Square or discovering more unique places off the beaten path.

So where should you go to see New York in a new way? Fortunately, there are several other locations which let you see the NYC skyline from a fresh perspective. While they aren’t featured in many city guides, we’ve put together a list of cool and unique locations with unbelievable skyline views. These are more than just tourist trap observation decks; each one doubles as a memorable New York experience, whether you’ll be enjoying a relaxing stroll in the park, learning about natural history, riding a famous carousel, listening to live music, or viewing some of the world’s finest artwork.

Keep this guide handy as you explore New York City from top to bottom. We’ve highlighted some local spots with seriously exceptional views of the city that will remind you why NYC is so special.

The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Pure

June 12, 2016June 12, 2016Posted in Photo challengeTagged Bhutan, Buddha, Buddha dordenma, hills, morning, mountains, Photo challenge, pure, Thimphu9 Comments

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
~ Buddha

This week’s photo challenge theme, pure, transports me to that beautiful morning in Thimphu. The morning I had a glimpse of Buddha, pure and sublime, overlooking the hills and the city.

Published in response to The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Pure.

Hipmunk Hotels: The Best B&B Hotels in the West Inc Renton, Bellingham & Missoula

June 10, 2016Posted in USA Hotels and DestinationsTagged B&B Missoula, Bellingham, hipmunk hotels, hotels in USA, Rapid City, USA boutique hotels, USA travel5 Comments

The post below was originally published on No Place to Be on April 8, 2016.

There is something for everyone in the West, so whether you’re looking for a big-city experience, a cozy small town, or the chance to get completely lost in some of the most breathtaking natural landscapes you’ll find anywhere, this area offers it all. Luckily for you, there also some fantastic B&B options to make sure your trip is one to remember.

Missoula

Missoula sits amongst breathtaking scenery, and you can spend days if not weeks enjoying the surrounding scenery. Back in town, a visit to Fort Missoula is a must. The area was built in 1877 to protect the local people from Native American attacks, and it also served as a prisoner-of-war camp in World War II.

Make the most of your time by staying at the Gibson Mansion Bed and Breakfast, a B&B in Missoula that consistently receives five-star reviews. Beautiful gardens, friendly welcoming service, and great home-cooked food are the phrases that are continually linked with this B&B. Plus, they even deliver fresh scones and coffee to your room before breakfast each morning.

Image via Flickr by Wesley Fryer

Rapid City

It’s hard to imagine visiting Rapid City without taking a short trip to see the famous Mount Rushmore, especially if it’s your first time in South Dakota. Or, perhaps you are a returning visitor stopping over to catch an event at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center; either way, you should still make time to enjoy the beauty of the nearby Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and Black Hills National Forest.

Sweetgrass Inn Bed and Breakfast is the perfect choice when deciding on a hotel in Rapid City. A friendly place with a genuine country feel, this B&B is loved for its large bedrooms and comfy beds. Or, check out more from Hipmunk for B&Bs in this lovely city.

Moab

If the talk of all these national parks is getting you excited, just wait until you’ve checked out Moab. With the incredible Hurrah Pass so close, you’ll be set for days. Add to that the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, as well as Indian Creek, and you really do have everything you could possibly want for a memorable trip.

To really embrace the local surroundings, make sure to stay at the Red Moon Lodge, described as having a rustic, earthy feel. Sitting just off the beaten path, you’ll really feel yourself blending into the surroundings. You are still on holiday though, so despite this authentic feel, you’ll still enjoy comfortable rooms, impressive homemade food, and be within easy reaching distance of the center of town.

Image via Flickr Credit: Ken Lund

Bellingham

There’s plenty to attract you to Bellingham in Washington, but close to the top of your list should be Whatcom Falls Park, home to four sets of waterfalls and several miles of walking trails. You should also make time to catch a show at Mount Baker Theatre and enjoy a day at Lake Padden Park.

When asking yourself where to stay in Bellingham, check out the Hipmunk guide. Look no further than the Tree Frog Inn. It’s the little things that make this B&B so special including the fresh flowers, homemade cookies, and little chocolates all waiting for you in your room. This quiet, inviting sanctuary with thoughtful, artistic touches throughout is so close to town, yet feels so far away.

Renton

Being so close to Seattle, they’ll be plenty of things already coming to mind for your trip to Renton but be sure not to miss the attractions right on your doorstep. The Jimi Hendrix grave site is a must for and rock and rollers, while the Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park is also a great place to enjoy a picnic during the summer months.

While not a B&B, Larkspur Landing is a great place to stay while visiting Renton, and guests return to this hotel again and again. The king suites, in particular, with their well-equipped kitchen and cozy living areas, are very popular. The best news? You can even bring your four-legged friend along with you to this dog-friendly hotel.

The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Numbers

June 4, 2016June 4, 2016Posted in Photo challengeTagged board games, dice, ludo, numbers, Photo challenge, photography10 Comments

This week’s Daily Post photo challenge theme, numbers, re-opened a chapter from my childhood memories…

I remember those happy days when we took pleasure in this indoor board-game called Ludo. Throw the dice and give your move with the numbers you get. Numbers played a key role in this game. Those who were lucky found the ladders to move up quickly.

And the unlucky ones got the snakes and struggled to reach 100, which was the winning point.

Good numbers and bad numbers are just so relative in this game. What is good for one might be bad for the other players. You never know what awaits you in the next move.

Now, when I look back to this Ludo board, I can see this simple game so closely resembles the biggest and most complex game called “life”. And numbers are important in every stage of our lives.

Your age is a number.

Your school and college grades are based on numbers.

Your salary/income is a number.

And your blog-views are also numbers. 😉 😀

Unfortunately, we are seldom happy with these numbers.

Published in response to The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Numbers.

Sikkim Diaries: Waterfall-breaks on the Way to Lachung

June 2, 2016July 4, 2016Posted in SikkimTagged Lachung, Nature, nature travel, North Sikkim, Sikkim, Sikkim tour, waterfalls35 Comments

This is the second part of my North Sikkim tour photo series. If you have missed the first part, click here to view the photo-essay on my journey to Lake Gurudongmar.

We reached Gangtok in the afternoon, on May 7, 2016, and headed for Lachung the very next morning. The shared taxis/rental cars for Lachung are available at Vajra taxi stand, just outside the city. Unfortunately, a technical fault was detected in our car right after we started from Vajra. It took some time to get it repaired. Therefore, it was a delayed start from Gangtok at around 12 pm.

The weather was fine and the views were great. The rows of white and colored prayer ‪‎flags, with the sublime mountains in the background, added a pristine charm to the ‪‎landscapes.

Unfortunately, the road condition is extremely bad in North Sikkim. It was a rough ride throughout on the broken mountain roads, but the torturous journey was compensated with breaks like these… 🙂

Our first stop was at Seven Sisters’ Waterfall.

There was a natural pool at the bottom of the falls.

And we could see big boys were having fun in the water.

This part of the Himalayas is green and verdant year-round as it receives sufficient rainfall to boost the streams and waterfalls. We stopped as many times as we could to take in the beauty of the hills and rivers on our way.

And took pleasure in small things as well…

There were quite a few waterfalls on the way up to Chungthung, a small town, after which the road bifurcates. One goes to Lachung and the other leads to Lachen, the gateway to Gurudongmar, the iconic lake in North Sikkim.

However, the last and most notable was ‘Bachchan Falls’, which is popularly called so because of its appearance, tall and lean like Big B. 😀 Well, I don’t know if this waterfall is really called so by the locals. I didn’t see any signboard there, indicating the name of this waterfall.

My Sikkim diary will continue. Please don’t forget to share your thoughts on this journey if you like it.

Before I stop for now, here are a few more beautiful moments captured on the way…

And a selfie is the way to go when there is no one to click your pics. 😉

Take care. See you soon.

Daily Post Photo Challenge: Spare

May 28, 2016May 28, 2016Posted in Photo challengeTagged environment, gurudongmar, Nature, nature photography, North Sikkim, Photo challenge, pollution, travel photography26 Comments

I am just back from a refreshing trip to the Himalayan mountains in North Sikkim. There I saw how the environment is being polluted everyday by smokey tourist vehicles. Even the landscapes at above 17,800 feet are not spared from grasp of so-called “tourism”. Tourism in hilly areas like Sikkim, is definitely a means of economic development. But I doubt if it is always good for the nature and environment around us! What do you say?

Published in response to The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Spare.

PS: These photos are from my photo essay to a photogenic journey to Lake Gurudongmar in Sikkim, India. Do drop by if you like it. 🙂

Sikkim Diaries: Visiting a Piece of Heaven Called Gurudongmar

May 27, 2016April 16, 2018Posted in SikkimTagged exotic landscapes, gurudongmar, hills, Himalayas, Lachen, lake, mountain desert, mountains, nature travel, North Sikkim, North sikkim tour plan, Sikkim tour235 Comments

Gurudongmar was on my bucket-list since 2011 when I planned with my friends for North Sikkim travel for the first time. Unfortunately, due to a devastating earthquake in Sikkim in the same year, we had to cancel our trip. Nevertheless, visiting Lake Gurudongmar was my destiny. I finally made it after 5 long years. 🙂

Nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, at approx. 17,800 feet above the sea level, the holy lake is about 3.5-hour drive from Lachen, a small village where tourist can halt for the night.

We started early, at 4 am. It was a terribly bumpy ride on the rough mountain roads till the army check post after Thangu, which was our only halt during this hectic journey.

The road gets better from here, offering a smooth ride, which is a rarity in North Sikkim. 😛 😀

As we were nearing the lake the landscapes changed drastically without any trace of trees and plants. It looked more like a desert with dune-like formations visible at the horizon. Exalted and overwhelmed, one of our group members commented that the landscapes reminded him of Ladakh. 🙂

Whatever it might look like, the mountain desert looked outlandish and fascinating to me. I was spellbound with the sights of such exotic landscapes.

We saw herds of yaks grazing on the fields, totally indifferent about the tourist vehicles that were running past them.

Finally, we reached our destination, Lake Gurudongmar, at 7:30 am. That’s how the holy lake looked like in the morning light – still, calm, and unspoiled.

The first few moments were speechless in silent admiration to such divine beauty.

There is a temple on the bank. I didn’t find time to enter as I was too busy in absorbing the beauty of nature all around.

And of course, posing for the camera with the lake on the backdrop. 😉

However, amid this clean and clear environment, the taxis/rental cars were the direct agent of air pollution. These rental cars are so poorly maintained in Sikkim. I wonder why the local administration is so indifferent about them while it is so strict about keeping Gangtok clean.

In addition, there are the “litterbugs” who never forget to throw off their disposable belongings anytime, anywhere. If you zoom into the picture (below) you’ll see the discarded water bottles. Is it not the responsibility of the visitors, too, to keep the environment clean?

Our Tour Plan

We were lucky to have the weather in our favor during our tour from May 7 to 12, 2016. Our North Sikkim tour included 2-night 3-day Lachung-Lachen package. We stayed at Hotel Meylong in Gangtok and booked the Lachung-Lachen tour package through our hotel. You can check out my review of Hotel Meylong on TripAdvisor for more information.

Our North Sikkim tour plan was like this –

Day 1: NJP (New Jalpaiguri) to Gangtok (We reached NJP from Kolkata at around 9am by Padatik Express)

Day 2: Gangtok to Lachung (Night stay at Lachung)

Day 3: Visit Yumthung Valley and Zero Point – Back to hotel at Lachung for lunch – drive to Lachen (Night stay at Lachen)

Day 4: Visit Lake Gurudongmar and drive back to hotel for lunch – return to Gangtok by evening

Day 5: Gangtok sightseeing

Day 6: Visit Changu (Tsomgo Lake), Baba Mandir and Nathu La pass and return to Gangtok

Day 7: Start for NJP after lunch and reach there by 7:30 pm and board the train to Kolkata

Some Important Info

Please note that if you are an Indian citizen, you should carry your Voter ID card/PAN card/driving license as photo identity proof along with 4-5 photocopies of the same document and an equal number of passport size photographs for Lachung-Lachen tour. You may need to submit these documents to get the travel permit. However, you cannot rent cars on your own and arrange the tour directly. You have to go via a local tour operator or your hotel’s travel desk. They will arrange everything for you.

Finally, don’t forget to pack an umbrella if you are visiting in the May-June season. You may need it anytime. 🙂

To be continued…