• Naan
• Lassi
• Samosa
• Pollo Tandoori
• Dhal
• Arroz al limón
• Arroz “hindú”
• Pulao
• Punjabi Chana Massala
• Bataka vada con chutney
• Cous-Cous
• Space cakes
• Sushi (si Bruce me echa una mano)
• Voll-damms
• Jiaotze
• Algo con el hojaldre que me sobra

• See Diwali Festival in India. check
• visit Taj Mahal in agra. check
• See Evening Prayers in Rishikesh. check
• Road tripp from Manali to Leh. peud etre
• Eat dal Makhani & naan in new Delhi. check
• Riding a boat in varanasi in early morning to see sunrise. check
• train ride from Mumbai to Goa. peud etre
• backwaters in Kerala. check
• tea tasting in Darjeeling. peud etre
• seeing the republic day parade in new Delhi (Jan 28). not there

• Singalila Ridge trek, near Darjeeling
• Visit Sikkim
• Admire the Himalayas from Kumaon
• Go walking round Jageshwar, Kumaon
• Go to Palitana, Gujurat
• Get lost in Varanasi
• See the Taj Mahal
• Buy enormous cast iron woks in Delhi, then wonder exactly how you are going to get them home.
• Eat shahi paneer
• Ride around on a moped in Diu

• Eat pani puri and bhel puri in Mumbai.
• Explore the cathedrals of old goa.
• Ride the trains–locals in Mumbai and expresses everywhere else.
• Buy fabric with strange patterns, have shirts taylored (this is an absolute must, by the way).
• Stay at The Orchid Retreat in Kalimpong, West Bengal, and go on a orchid viewing trip with the owners.
• Get head shaved and then queue for hours to see the idol at Tirupati.
• Take the boat ride in Varanasi. It might seem like a tourist scam, but it’s breathtaking to see the city from the water.
• Try to find the cheapest thali in South India (My pick: Rs 10 at a place across from the station in Varkala, Kerala. Absolutely delicious food, too).
• Eat mangoes (in season May, June, July) every day and all day, until you can’t bear to look at another one.
• Make friends with the locals. This should probably be at the top of my list, actually.

• Seeing the Taj sunrise and sunset
• Camel safari in jailsmer and sleeping in the sand dunes under the stars
• Beach hoping along Goa and partying at a full moon party
• Kerala backwater tour and getting hugged by the hugging mother
• Standing on the tip of India and seeing merging of the oceans at sunset
• Being in the Maduri temple with 1 million people during a holiday celebration
• walking the streets of Calcutta and observing peoples everyday lives of the business class intermingling with the stall owners and beggers
• eating on the street with the locals
• floating down the ganges and seeing a cremation in process, and other floating “things”, the morning routines and the religious proceedings
• riding on a local bus and people watching
• sitting with the women in the women’s carriages on trains

Tengboche, Himalayas

It’s the kind of country that lingers in your dreams long after you leave it. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time round with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for sculpted calf muscles.

Lonely Planet

Getting in (from India)

The classic overland routes between Nepal and India are still popular. Buses are usually the quickest and easiest form of transport between Nepal and India. There are five main crossing points that are open to foreigners, but most people cross at Sunauli-Bhairawa, Birganj-Raxaul Bazaar or Kakarbhitta-Panitanki.

• The Sunauli border crossing is convenient for Varanasi or Delhi.
• The Birganj crossing is convenient for Kolkata.
• Kakarbhitta is the obvious choice for Darjeeling or Sikkim. Getting in from Darjeeling: forum thread.
• A trickle (bit by bit) of travellers enter Nepal at the Mahendrenagar-Banbassa border crossing in the extreme west of Nepal, which is handy for Delhi and the hills of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh.

Getting out (to tibet)

The crossing between Nepal and Tibet via Kodari is open to organised groups but not to individual travellers heading north.

See Tibet post.

When to go

Always consider the climate when you plan a trip to Nepal. Judge it wrong and you may never see the mountains. The best time to visit is probably the start of the dry season in October-November: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the countryside is lush and green following the monsoon. However, roads and trails damaged during the monsoon may not be repaired until later in the year. There are some important and colourful festivals to enjoy too, though the Dasain festival in October can be disruptive if you are on a tight schedule.

In December and January the skies are as clear as Swarovski crystal but it can be chilly: trekkers need to be well prepared for snow, and a warm sleeping bag is an asset in cheaper hotels, even in Kathmandu. On the other hand, sitting around an open fire wrapped in a yak wool blanket can be a very cosy experience.

Events and festivities in Nepal from October 2008 to January 2009:

October 2008

• Tihar (thirteenth day of the waning moon in October)

November 2008

• Haribodhini Ekadashi
• Mani Rimdu (in Thengboche, Solu Khumbu. The full moon of the 9th Tibetan month: Nov 13 2008 )

December 2008

• Yomari Punhi (full moon of December: Dec 12 2008)

January 2009

• Tibetan New Year (Losar) (1-3 of the 1st Lunar month: Jan 26-29 2009)
• Maghe Sankranti (beginning of the holy month of Magh, usually the mid of January)

The Little Drummer

bla

When to go

• 05-13 November – Pushkar Fair, Ajmer
• 09-18 November – Kolayat Fair, Bikaner
• 12-14 November – Chandrabhaga Fair, Jhalawar
• 29-31 December – Winter Festival, Mount Abu

The Golden Fort - Jaisalmer

This desert fortress close to Rajasthan’s border with Pakistan is straight out of an Arabian fairy tale, glowing with the luminescence of a mirage at sunset. Jaisalmer is a city with crenellated city walls, a magnificent fortress and exquisitely carved stone and wooden havelis (homes).

Lonely Planet

When to go

Jaisalmer’s location lends it a typical desert climate. Winter days (November-February) are pleasant but nights can be quite chilly. Things quickly warm up in the build up to the monsoon season until the rains come in late June. This downpour brings some respite from the heat, although high humidity can mitigate the relief. Autumn is the most pleasant season of all.

October 2008

Gandhi Jayanti: also known as the birthday of the father of the nation of India, this national holiday receives a fair amount of attention in Jaisalmer with the usual processions and civic displays of national pride.

November 2008

Pushkar Fair (7-13 Nov): blending religion with culture, this traditional fair runs for 5 days as thousands of devotees make the pilgrimage to its sacred lake for a ritual dip. Various cultural and sports events are also scheduled, including numerous camel-based activities such as the camel beauty contest, camel races and dances. It’s truly an event to behold. Esto no es en Jaisalmer, es en Pushkar.

Diwali (28 Oct): Hinduism’s Festival of Lights is one of the most amazing events in the world. The entire city of Jaisalmer blazes into life after dark as each house puts an oil lamp outside. Cultural events usually coincide with this holiday, but simply being in Jaisalmer during this festival is fun enough.

What to do

• Relax.
• Visit the Golden Fort  and the Majara’s palace.
• Camel safari. Rs 250 – Rs 350 per person per day.
  
• Spend a night at the Sam sand dunes (touristic) – 40 km from the city.
• Visit the Gadi Sagar tank. Boating for 30 min Rs 10 to Rs 100.

• Oct 2 – Id-ul-Fitr (Ramzan) (occurs as soon as the new moon is sighted at the end of Ramadan)
• Oct 2 – Gandhi Jayanti (celebrated on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of India)
• Oct 7 – Durga Puja (an important Hindu Festival celebrated all over India with different rituals and festivities especially in eastern India)
• Oct 8 – Mahanaomi
• Oct 8 – Saraswati Puja/ Ayudha puja
• Dussehra Mela
• Oct 9 – Dussehra
• Marwar Festival
• Oct 14 – Balmiki Jayanti
• Oct 17 – Karva Chauth
• Oct 21 – Ahoi Ashtami
• Oct 26 – Dhanteras
• Kali Puja
• Laxmi Puja
• Oct 28 – Diwali
• Oct 29 – Goverdhan Puja
• Oct 30 – Bhai Dhuj
• Thimithi Festival
• Rajgir Dance Festival

November

• Dala Chhath
• Nov 03 – Guru Gobind Singh Balidaan Diwas
• Nov 7-13 – Pushkar Fair
• Ganga Mahotsav
• Nov 13 – Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti
• Kartik Purnima
• Chandrabhaga Fair
• Nov 14 – Childrens Day
• Sonepur Mela
• Kolayat Fair
• Ka Pomblang Nongkrem
• Ellora Festival
• Hampi Festival

December

• World’s AIDS Day
• Dec 3 – Guru Teg Bahadur balidan Diwas
• Dec 9 – Id-ul-Zuha (Bakr-Id)
• Lucknow Festival
• Hornbill Festival
• Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava (Pune)
• Chennai Dance Festival
• Cochin Carnival
• Mamallapuram Festival
• Vishnupur Festival
• Kurukshetra Festival
• Dec 25 – Christmas

Kerala, India

Kerala, the narrow, fertile strip on the south-west coast of India, shows a gentle and relaxed side of India. (…) Offers beatiful beaches, strips through peaceful lagoons and canals, hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries and complex cultural customs.

Lonely Planet

When to go

Kerala has three distinct seasons. The Summer, Monsoon and Winter. March to late May is summer. It’s very hot and isn’t the best time to visit. Late May to mid October is the Monsoon or Rainy Season. Mid October to late February counts as Kerala’s rather mild winter.

Wikitravel

• Travels Kerala Event Calendar.
• Kerala Tourism Event Calendar.

October 2008

• Navarathri Music Festival (30 Sept – 8 Oct @ Navarathri Mandapam, Fort Palace Complex, Thiruvananthapuram)
• Eid ul Fitr (1 Oct  -end of Ramadan- @ all over the world)
• Vijayadasami (9 Oct @ all over India)
• Koratty Muthy’s feast (10 Oct @ St. Mary’s church, Koratty, Thrissur)
• Deepavali (27 Oct @ all over Kerala)
  

November 2008

• Parumala Perunnal (2 Nov @ Parumala Church, Pathanamthitta)
  
• Aratt at Padmanabha Swamy Temple (6 Nov @ Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram)
  
• Rathotsavam, Kalpathy (13 – 15 Nov @ Sree Viswanatha Swamy Temple, Kalpathy, Palakkad)
• Vaikkathashtami (20 Nov @ Mahadeva Temple at Vaikom, Kottayam)

December 2008

• Perumthitta Tharavad Kottamkuzhy (6 – 15 Dec @ Perumthitta near Chandrapuram, Kasaragod district)
  
• Bakrid (8 Dec @ mosques allover)
• Thrikarthiaka (11 Dic 2008)
• Kanathoor Nalvar Bhoothasthanam (28 Dec – 1 Jan @ Kanathoor Nalvar Bhoothasthanam, Kasaragod district)
  

What to do

• Explore the backwaters at Alappuzha (Venice of the East) or Kollam aboard a kettuvallam (rice-barge houseboat)
• Watch the spectacle of the Nehru Cup Snake Boat Race at Alappuzha.
• Soak on the sun, surf and seafood on busy beach resorts at Kovalam and Varkala.
• See traditional fishing in Kovalam in the mornings.
• Take a look at the wildlife or do on a jungle walk, boat trip or trek at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Walk around and take in the mountain vistas an tea gardens at Munnar.
• Admire the Portuguese, Dutch and South Indian architecture at Kochi.
• Laze on the beautiful palm-fringed atolls of Lakshadweep.

Tibet cow?

Entering Tibet you feel as though you’ve entered an entirely different world. As much as the Chinese government maintains its policy of cultural assimilation and autonomy, Tibetans try to preserve their unique heritage.

Isolated Tibetan autonomous prefectures found in Qinghai, southwest Gansu, western Sichuan and northwest Yunnan provinces along with the Tibet Autonomous Region form the Greater Tibet region of China. These areas outside the Tibet Autonomous Region are culturally, historically and linguistically Tibetan to various degrees.

Wikitravel

When to go

Generally, it is best to visit Tibet from May to July, and September to October.
Lhasa, Tsetang and Shigatse are suitable for tourism throughout the year. It is not recommended to visit the Everest Base Camp area in winter – October to next April. During the winter, roads might be blocked by heavy snow in east Tibet and Ngari. Frequent rainfalls in August make road travel more difficult.

Although winter is very cold, many restaurants are shut and snowfalls can sometimes make travel difficult, some travellers swear by these months. There are few travellers about and Lhasa, for example, is crowded with nomads and at its most colourful.

The average temperature in January is -2°C.

Lonely Planet

Lunar to Gregorian calendar conversion.
Online Chinese Lunar to Gregorian converter

I will be probably in late December:

• 1st December = 4th of the 11th lunar month
• 31st December = 5th of the 12th lunar month

Event calendar for that dates. Yet another calendar (PDF).

November

• Lhabab Dhechen (22nd of the 9th Lunar month) Nov 3 2008
• Palden Lhamo Festival (15th of the 10th Lunar month) Nov 26 2007

December

• Gaden Nga-Choe (25th of the 10th Lunar month) Dec 7 2007
• Ling Parinirvana () Dec 18 2008
• Tsongkhapa Parinirvana () Dec 21 2008

January

• Tibetan New Year (Losar) (1-3 of the 1st Lunar month) Jan 26-29 2009

Getting in and out

Seems like going from India or Nepal, through Tibet, and then inland (Sichuan) is not possible.

To go to Tibet you have to go as a group from the same nationality (3 people can be a group) in a tour.

All foreign visitors to Tibet need one or more permits. The basic one is the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit, which can be issued to you by Chinese travel agencies that handle trips to Tibet, or (if overseas and arriving via Nepal) by the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu on proof of purchasing a package tour (there is no way around this). If you buy an expensive package tour, the TTB permit will only cost you US$6, but if you just want train/plane tickets, the travel agency will inflate their cut accordingly and you’ll need to fork out up to US$50-70. For land crossings (including the train), you’ll get a physical permit that will be checked; for plane tickets, the permit may just be an annotation on your ticket record.

Some parts of Tibet also require an Aliens’ Travel Permit (ATP), which is issued by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in major Tibetan cities like Lhasa, Xigatse and Ali. The list of regions that require ATPs changes constantly, so enquire locally. Lhasa’s PSB has a poor reputation, while Xigatse and Ali are said to issue permits without any unnecessary difficulties. If your papers are in order, the permit can be issued in several hours for Y100.

Tibetans tend to rely on prayer to facilitate a safe arrival – you might consider doing the same once you see the conditions.

Lonely planet

Leaving by train to Sichuan

Train from Lhasa to Lanzhou to Shanghai. 2 days. $100-$150

Train from Lhasa to Chengdu. 1 day 21 hours. $80-$120

Map of trains in China.

Leaving by plane to Sichuan

Flying out of Lhasa is considerably easier and cheaper than flying in. No permits are necessary – just turn up to the Civil Aviation Authority of China office (CAAC; Zhongguo Minhang; tel: 683 3446; 1 Niangre Lu) and buy a ticket. Lonely Planet

Plane from Lhasa to Chengdu (Sichuan): winter schedule. Y1200

My notes

• Casa del Tibet de Barcelona. Com arribar.

Darjeeling Tea Estate

“Stop for a cuppa in this quintessential hill station, with its tea plantations, cool climate and English colonial houses”

Lonely Planet

When to go

Things to do

• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was opened in 1881 and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Toy Train?)
• Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI)
• Himalayan Zoo – Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park (shares the premises of HMI)
• Buddhist monasteries
• Japanese Peace pagoda
• The Kanchenjunga – best seen at dawn from Tiger Hills (check out the weather as best you can though, a cloudy day can ruin the effort of getting up at 03:00 hrs. Also for traffic jams, can take hours in the morning rush when almost all the taxis here are at the Tiger hills)
• The Darjeeling Rungeet Valley Ropeway
• Deolo Hill, Kalimpong This is a must see for all the nature lovers visiting Darjeeling. The view of tea gardens from a park on the top of this hill will sweep you off your feet. You will find yourself in a garden on the top of the hill. You’ll be surrounded on all sides by tea gardens going thousands of feet deep, and the entire picturesque landscape guarded well on all sides by high rise mountains. Kalimpong is a little warmer than Darjeeling. On your way from Darjeeling to Kalimpong, you will come across many hill points and a picturesque view of river Teesta. You can enjoy rafting on the river, if you have enough number of enthusiasts in the group.
• Mirik – The lake of Mirik is a nice stretch of water where you can enjoy horse riding and boating. You will be chased by a number of horse riders who will offer you an affordable ride on the horse, even if you don’t want one. The best way to avoid them quickly is to tell them that you will take a ride after boating and lunch. Some riverside restaurants can offer average quality meals.
• Tiger Hill – Ideal to visit early morning when the first rays of Sun kiss the Mt Kunchenjunga and give it a golden color. To visit the hill, one needs to get up at 3:00 am in the morning. You can taste some excellent tea on your way to the hill, which will provide much needed warmth on cold Darjeeling mornings. When getting into a taxi at 4AM keep in mind that they are shared taxis and your driver might wait around in vain for others to join your taxi causing you to miss the sunrise! Those travelling alone or as a couple might want to squeeze into an already occupied jeep to insure full viewing pleasure.

My notes

• Toy Train and Tea Route
• Toy Train starts in Kolkatta
• Priority 3/5
• Movie: The Darjeeling Limited