Bekal, and specifically the Taj Bekal has been on the Insta feed and friends’ recommendation list for a long time. And that’s how we ended up creating a mini break for 3 nights, with the express aim of going there to do nothing.
Getting there & getting around
Bangalore has multiple daily flights to Mangalore, and it takes just an hour. Mangalore to Taj Bekal is a 1.5 hr journey with most of it on a fantastic highway. You can get a cab from the airport for Rs.2900. I had read that we could get an Uber, but I couldn’t find any.
We found Bekal Taxi Service thanks to a signboard right outside the hotel. Shyam responded promptly on WhatsApp, and gave us good rates for both the local sightseeing as well as the Airport drop. Clean vehicles, and punctual.
Stay @ Taj Bekal
We booked early enough to get a decent deal – around 17k/night incl breakfast and a 25% off on meals, spa etc. We chose to skip the ‘all meals included’ package though it could be useful if you plan to simply vegetate at the hotel. Taj Bekal is pretty enough, with sufficient (paid) activities to make that an option.
Our room was at one end of the property. We didn’t mind the 5 min walk to the lobby, restaurant etc, and you could get yourself a buggy if you’re lazy, but if that’s not your preference, it’s probably a good idea to make an early request especially if you choose a package.
The room itself was quite large, and the highlight was the swing bed on the balcony. A great way to spend your time doing nothing.
In case you’re wondering if we got arrested in Kalimpong, no. This is a hat tip to what took us to the town. We came to know about the place thanks to Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss, and one of the key characters in the book is a retired judge, who, by the way, was disdainful of Indians and ate chapatis with a knife and fork. Anyway, that’s why, even with folks staring at us, wondering why anyone would take a photo of this, we just had to. 🙂
Stay @ Kalimpong
We paid a fair premium for Mayfair, especially since our room was priced higher because of a Kanchenjunga peak view (it was cloudy all the time we were there, so no view) but can’t complain. It’s a splendid property in which you can carry out your own treasure hunt discovering history, culture, and spectacular views.
Our first room was spacious and had a great view, but we discovered that it was right below the kitchen! That meant, being a light sleeper, I was woken up at 5AM by the clanging. We shifted rooms and the second, though slightly smaller, was nothing to complain of. You can sit for hours gazing outside. The town and valley playing peekaboo thanks to clouds. When I wasn’t doing that, I was indulging in my guilty pleasure – 80s/90s/2000s Bollywood movies. D usually conspires against a TV in the room, but this time I got lucky.
And it wasn’t just the room, the entire property is just enchanting. In any other place, I’d have found Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs kitsch, but somehow it fit right in. Each building has a name and a history attached to it. The one on the bottom right has played host to several historical figures including Nehru.
The library is exquisite, because it isn’t just books, but artefacts from a different century – from maps to cameras to typewriters, it is an absolute treasure trove for anyone who is into these things.
And if you still need things to do, there’s water, an ancient land machine and lovely sky views.
Eat @ Kalimpong
We only had breakfasts and one dinner at Tiffany, Mayfair’s main restaurant, and it probably wouldn’t be my go-to place for a meal. It’s pricy, and the food is only so-so. I have to admit that between the tablecloth and the instrumental Bollywood music, it was almost like stepping back to restaurants in the 90s. Some lovely nostalgia. The service is also very pleasant and know how to take care of guests.
They also have a cafe called Mamma Mia. We went in because it looked very gram-friendly, and it was. But there were so many places we needed to try that we couldn’t make space for eating here.
Another place we didn’t manage to spend time at was their bar, which too has a fantastic history and teaches us that alcohol can save lives too!
Our first lunch was at The Shire Bistro, which turned out to be the cafe at a homestay. It’s a short walk from Mayfair. If you don’t mind a limited menu, this isn’t a bad place. We liked the Kothey momos and loved the hot soupy Gyathuk. Perfect for the weather.
Our favourite meal though was at Nom Nom Bakery And Korean Cafe, which used to be Cafe Kalimpong earlier. A very happy ambience, smiling and helpful staff, a wonderful night view of Kalimpong, and most importantly, excellent food.
We tried the Korean Kimchi Ramen, Tori Teriyaki Don, and the Japanese cheesecake, and loved everything. There is enough in the menu to visit at least 2-3 times without getting anywhere close to bored.
OTOH, Aam’s courtyard was a disaster. That was mostly thanks to the person who took our order. She was clueless, bungled up most of the simplest things, and to top it all, was giggling all the while! We tried some local pork and pasta, and both left us dejected! I have to wonder how a lot of these restaurants manage to get a 4.5+ rating on Google!
We actually went into Cakes and Crumbs thinking we’d have something to drink, but they didn’t really have anything worthwhile. The Biscoff cheesecake wasn’t bad.
Our final meal in Kalimpong was at Art Cafe. Pretty place with a great view, and we were lucky enough to see mist rising, even as the city lost power for a few minutes!
While the decor was great, most of the items in the menu were unavailable. So we made do with what we could find. D liked her hot chocolate.
My recommendation is to ignore Google mostly, and walk around in the vicinity of Big Will Mart. There are a few restaurants in and around it, and I have a feeling they are better than the ones we tried, barring Nom Nom. There is also the Kalimpong Local which I heard good things about.
Things to do @ Kalimpong
You could walk around with a minimalist agenda and come across views like this.
If you need a driver to take you around (and airport trips), call Suman.
Graham’s House and the 500 acre property is an institution worth a visit.
Classic boarding school feels. Entry is restricted to specific times in the evening. We caught kids at play after their school hours.
Delo is the tallest place in Kalimpong. Again, simply walk around, and if the clouds aren’t hanging around, the views are breathtaking.
At the Buddha Statue and Park, we caught dogs doing things to advance their number, and Buddha being offered Parle G. I took a photo just to ensure it wasn’t an altitude-induced mind-bender.
At the Durpin Monastery, we were in time for the evening prayer, and one child monk was in charge of shepherding everyone in with a gong. Monks were strolling in late, with tea mugs, and altogether it reminded me of college.
Walk around the busy streets and drop in at Big Will Mart (the photo on the right). It’s apparently a little new so our driver wasn’t exactly sure where it was. Google Maps though is accurate.
Kalimpong is quaint little town with a leisurely place. You have a great view at every other corner, and you could simply sit and gaze at it. As with many places in India, squalor and splendour exist side by side. I’d have recommended it as a consideration for retirement, but realised the nearest hospitals are about 2.5 hrs away. That would mean that when it comes to things like a heart attack, the only way would be up!
But yes, heavily recommended for short term inner peace. 🙂
The stay was at Heevan Retreat, which was walking distance from the gondola. There are places closer to town, but since the gondola was our only plan here, we chose this. The rooms were comfortable though I felt a bit sad for the staff who had to lug the suitcase across a maze of staircases! Their restaurant food and service is quite good.
See/Do
In the evening we set off for a little walk, primarily to scout the location for the next day’s adventure – the Gulmarg Gondola. That’s the building where it all begins.
As with Sonamarg, there will be a bunch of people selling rides to the multiple things-to-see, so you won’t have any difficulty in case that interests you. But if you walk away from all of that, there are some peaceful corners.
The Gondola ride is quite an event. The tickets need to be booked online (though I think agents might do that for you as well) and you’ve to keep track of when it will open for your specific dates. Start watching at least two months before your dates. Since you’re going there you might as well see both Phase 1 and Phase 2. Separate tickets, so buy both. Don’t worry about the timings much, if you have a ticket for each, that doesn’t really matter. We had 1.30-3.30 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 from 9AM – 1PM.
The internet warned us to be there at least by 8.30 if we wanted to use the 9AM slot so that’s when we got there. As with most things India, we stood in the queue for 1.5 hrs (opening time was delayed by an hour). While you’re in the queue, different sellers will tell you that your jacket/gloves/socks aren’t enough. We had three layers – thermal, tee, and jacket. And in terms of bottom wear, I found a jeans to be sufficient. We carried gloves but didn’t feel the need to use them. Gum boots, which you will need to rent from outside the gate before standing in the queue, are only necessary if you plan to wade into the snow. Our all-terrain Columbia shoes were just fine for our needs.
When the doors opened, touts tried to get their clients in and there was the usual noise. Once you pass the door, the queue snakes until you reach the checking counter. Pro tip: if you want to use the loo, do that soon as you get in, be warned that when you try to get back into the line, there will be protests. Ignore.
The ride to Phase 1 is about 10-15 minutes assuming the power doesn’t go off. More on that in a bit. The view is picturesque. The glasses are scratched af, so maybe just enjoy the view.
At Phase 1, you can either stay or continue to Phase 2 – another queue. There is a loo here too, and a restaurant as well. As you can see, this is crowded, and you have different experiences to choose from if you’re so inclined. We went straight for the Phase 2 queue, which moves slower because the number of gondolas are lesser. As we stood in the line, the gondolas stopped for about 5 mins before they switched on the power backup.
The ride to Phase 2 is steeper, slightly longer, and far prettier. It is at a higher altitude, which means lesser oxygen. If you have some related ailment, including cardiovascular, plan around 30 mins here. It is less crowded, but touts still abound. The view is easily better than Phase 1.
Yes, there’s pizza. ‘Highest’, I am not sure.
Our ride back was adventurous. We were stuck mid-air between Phase 2 and Phase 1 for about 30 minutes. Our company was two pairs of Punjabi uncles and aunties, who kept up a constant commentary on Indian tourism (vs Canada). One of them also proceeded to call up someone in the tourism ministry. Ironically, thanks to the sun beating down directly and the ventilation being poor, it got hot inside the gondola. Thanks to the ordeal, we skipped Phase 1 and took the ride back to terra firma. Our gondola from Phase 1 stopped midway too, but only for 5 minutes. In later conversations, it turned out this was a regular occurrence.
After a quick lunch, we got out and on the way down to Gulmarg, stopped at the Habba Khatoon viewpoint.
Pahalgam
We stayed at The Chinar for a couple of nights. This is reasonably away from everything, which is what we wanted. But there are other options nearer to town, as well as resorts within walking distance from each other. The restaurant buffet was not bad at all, so we didn’t really miss anything.
The panorama pic doesn’t do the view justice. But it was fantastic and we spend hours just looking at it from the balcony.
The hotel grounds were pretty too, and D did her morning walk ritual to capture some beautiful shots.
See/Do
Baisaran Valley is on the list of must-do. Thing is, you can only do this by pony. And depending on the spots you want to see, the rates can go from Rs. 1800-4500 per person. The ride one way is close to an hour. The ponies love to walk near the edge to troll you! And if the snow has melted, be ready for mud baths courtesy the pony in front of you!
And this is what you get to see. One of the many mini-Switzerlands in this part of the world.
The other regular itinerary here is called ABC – Aru, Betaab, and Chandanwari. We chose to see only the second, thanks to D’s Sunny Deol fandom. 😉 This is just 30 minutes from town, and a great place to simply walk around and enjoy the vista.
Around Pahalgam is also the best place to get your lil DDLJ moment. 🙂
Our trip back was also adventurous. Though we were well in time for the flight, thanks to everyone scaring us to expect at least 3 hours for security checks (we got lucky and it got over fast), that itself was delayed by several hours. We had to catch the connecting flight from Delhi and that meant light cardio happened as we ran to the gate, not helped at all by a young, lackadaisical person from Air India.
Our Kashmir trip was 7D/6N and cost us a little less than 2L, mostly thanks to the stay. The itinerary was Srinagar – Sonamarg – Gulmarg – Pahalgam (2N) – Srinagar. The drive between these places is between 3.5-4.5 hours. Also, at all these places, you’ll need to hire local drivers for the local sightseeing, as they have unions.
A good idea to really hunt for a sensible driver. Ours wasn’t and couldn’t even suggest clean restaurants with loos. If your driver is useless, a good idea would be to do everything at hotels/resorts and avoid breaks for this. Also, when you pick restaurants, don’t always go by Google ratings, check as many photos as possible. A classic example is The OTR in Pahalgam! Has a 4.6, but I am now trying to banish that memory!
A few days after we finished our Kashmir vacation, the friend I mentioned in the previous post started his travel business. If you’re planning a trip, do check it out. The idiot showed me those lovely properties after I completed the trip. With friends like these… 😂
We missed our flight! In more than two decades of travel, this was a first, and needed to be documented. The good news is that it didn’t derail us much, and we landed in Kashmir a couple of hours later than planned.
Srinagar
The one-hour drive from the airport was made pleasant by an unexpected but lovely sunset at Dal Lake. We go chasing sunsets when we travel, so this was a lovely surprise.
Stay
We stayed at The Dewan, and quite amazingly were the youngest guests! I think the hotel had been attacked by a bus full of elderly tourists, many of whom appeared to be from Bangalore. Decent rooms, and we were there only for a night. This is away from the centre, but close to Shalimar and Nishat. Our plan was to visit at least one of these soon as we landed, but we couldn’t thanks to the delay.
On our last night in Kashmir, we stayed at Sukoon houseboat. On Dal Lake, this is likely the best one. You could also check the options at Nigeen Lake, which apparently is even more quieter.
But we loved Sukoon. Excellent, comfortable rooms though I found them a little anti-national because there were no jetsprays in the toilet.
Callback to an old era. Just like the books in the reception lounge area.
There are some excellent vantage points. This is at the entrance.
…and this is on the roof.
This is the fantastic view in the morning.
…and this one is towards the end of the day.
See/Do
A shikara ride was part of our package, and we did this around sunset. ‘Sukoon’ is the perfect way to describe it. It really gives you a great feel of a way of a way of life.
We saw some other pretty houseboats…
…a full fledged market
and mobile stores for everything from flowers
to fruits
..and desserts!
The Tulip Festival was what we had timed this trip for. Thankfully, the tulips behaved well and were in full bloom… Expect the place to be packed, though the queue per se wasn’t bad at all. It didn’t help that our visit coincided with the day after Eid.
After you’ve had your fill of tulips, walk around and enjoy the vista too.
In a toss up between Nishat and Shalimar, we chose the former. Very pretty, but it’s sad how we trash the place. The staff were busy picking up plastic in the morning. 😐
It provides a lovely view of Dal Lake.
At Pari Mahal, people tend to do the ‘I believe I can fly’ pose (top left)…
I have to admit, it’d be a great view if we could fly!
The burning question for me as we climbed up to the Shankaracharya temple was how he managed to do it without thermals. Even if he visited in summer…
Anyway, the view from the temple is just breathtaking.
Eat
What’s a visit to Kashmir without the wazwan? We were lucky enough to have a delicious version of it at a friend’s home, and then Ahdoos went and created a benchmark on how a gastronomic experience should be. As is par for the course, we did spend some time waiting in a queue, but the ambience, the involvement of the service staff (history, context, how-to, all in commentary, and adding stuff gratis just so we enjoyed the experience) and the delectable food – presentation and taste, all make it an absolute must-visit. Cannot recommend it enough.
Le Delice was a great suggestion from my friend, and we visited one of their outlets in City Mall, which, I have to mention, does not have escalators going down!
Since we had a multi-hop return flight, we packed ourselves a marble cake and a walnut brownie. Both excellent. Sigh.
Our best meal though was the one we had with a school friend of mine. Though he is Kashmiri, he has lived more in Kerala and Bangalore! 🙂 We had a lovely time with his family who fed us way more than our capacity. It continues to amaze me how we can quickly form a lifetime bond with people we have never met before, and whose affection makes our best memories from the trip.
Sonamarg
Our first stop was Sonamarg, and the route was all postcards.
The mountains got snowier and closer as we drove along.
We even saw the remains of an avalanche!
Sonmarg, or at least the part that is in the must-see list was insanely crowded. Thajiwas Glacier is the thing to see here, and you have multiple ways of reaching it – snow bike and sleds. A combination of the crowd, the incessant pitches by touts, and the Bajrangi Bhaijaan association ensured that we skipped it.
Stay
Instead we drove on to a place aptly titled for the context – Village Retreat – where we planned to stay. Very comfortable, though you might want to ask for a room with a view if you’re so inclined. But if you don’t get those, don’t worry, you can sit on those chairs outside their restaurant…
…and you’ll have this view. We sat there as the temperature dropped to a little below zero, but there was no snowfall. Peaceful and serene.
A mutton Biryani and a fiery Kashmiri Chicken lunch at the restaurant kept us full for the rest of the day.
We pecked at a Chicken Kanti (listed as a local favourite everywhere) for dinner.
This was part of a week-long trip to Kashmir. The remaining days were in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, and that’s what the next post will be about.
After Kovalam and many trips to Kochi, the toss up was between going to the north (of Kerala) or discovering a bit more of the south. We chose the latter and specifically Varkala for now, but need to get moving in the other direction soon! “Keral Pradesh ke Varkal mein vacay” was how my Insta reel went. But yes, playing tourists in our homeland is now an annual practice.
