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The Sar-pass Expedition

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My first trek with Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI), ‘the Sar Pass Expedition’ was an unforgettable experience. Much spoken about by my travel buddies, Sar Pass trek was something I was keenly looking forward to. Finally, I got the opportunity to do so in the 19th batch of YHAI (SP-19) 2016. I sincerely hope this travelogue will inspire you all to explore unseen wonders; to protect, respect and conserve nature. ‘Sar’ in the local dialect refers to a lake (usually frozen). The lake, which one has to cross to embark on this trek. Sar Pass trail meanders across the Parvathi valley, Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh. A beautiful and challenging trek to amateurs . The trek was to commence from Kasol (6500 ft ASL). I arrived at Kasol by bus at around 1400 hrs. The base camp was at the entrance of the town, along the banks of the  Parvathi river (to the left of the road as you come from Bhunter). It was quite impossible to miss the words YHAI written over th
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Solo biking in the land of passes - Ladakh

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Well... first things first... by no stretch of imagination am I what you call a "rider". Frankly speaking, I have not ridden a 'bullet' for more than 10 km at a stretch. So.... this blog is definitely not for the hardcore riders out there! It is a humble narration of my experience of exploring this beautiful part of the world as a rookie biker 😊😊....and.... maybe inspire some novices to attempt something new😇. This has to be the most unplanned trip I  have ever had. The last minute change of plans from a journey to North east India , all I had was 2 hours in the airport to change my tickets to Leh and plan the rest ON THE GO!! It was a mesmerizing experience of  landing in the  Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh. The landing approach takes you between hills with a final sharp left turn to align with the runway just before landing..... truly spectacular!! Kudos to the pilots!   https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ladakh_Districts_(2019).svg As the Covid pan
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Location: Leh
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Kohima War memorial

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"When you go home, tell them of us and say for your tomorrow, we gave our today" The area of Kohima and Imphal has witnessed some of the fiercest battles of World War II. Historians claim that about 4000 soldiers from the Indian troops and about 53,000 from the Japanese troops have laid down their lives in this small part of the world. The Kohima war memorial, which is situated at the heart of Kohima, on the Garrison hill, stands as a commemoration to these fallen brave hearts. The place was once the bungalow of a Deputy commissioner and is the exact spot where the battle was fought. The bungalow, it seems, did not survive the war. The tennis court on the grounds, where some of the hand to hand combats took place has been carefully preserved. The preserved tennis court ground Designed as a series of terraces, in the lower steps lie the graves of soldiers those have been buried. The name of each soldier has been respectfull
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Dzükou/Dzüko Valley

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Well.... there is no other way of putting it.... The north-eastern states of India are a paradise on earth for any traveller. The diversity and uniqueness of this region has captivated numerous anthropologists and researchers. Post independence, our leaders intended to safeguard the sanctity of these regions, which meant giving the indigenous tribes the respect and space to practice their ways of life.  The place has thus, remained largely untouched by "mordernisation" making it (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful places to visit.  This was my third visit to North-East India, but my first to the land of 'Nagas'. It was the allure of the  Dzükou Valley drawing me! I will now try to take you through the experience of visiting Dzükou in the next 1000 words or so. The gateway to Nagaland is the small but stylish town - Dimapur, reached either by air or by rail.  I reached Dimapur on a Tuesday afternoon at around 12 noon by air. For new travelers, in o
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Location: Dzükou Valley, Mao, Manipur, India
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