In the Land of Kanchanjunga at Lamahatta Oak Retreat

We have been in love with the mountains for many decades, and the Darjeeling Sikkim belt has been one of our favourites. Every year we end up answering the call of the hills, and some best moments of our life is spent there. While we enjoy the hill towns like Darjeeling, Gangtok or Leh, it is the pristine villages that have much more attractions for us.

It was September, and the rainy season was dragging on in the country. We had planned to be in the Darjeeling hills for about a week. Our plan was to spend three days in Darjeeling town and another few in a small place nearby preferably a homestay. Rummaging through the online travel sites, we stumbled on to Lamahatta Oak Retreat. The Tripadvisor reviews suggested that their first floor room Juniper provides a fabulous view of Kanchenjunga, and we wasted no time in contacting Ashis, the manager of the boutique place to book the room for three days.

Continuous rains greeted us in Darjeeling. Our three days there went off in playing hide and seek with the clouds, though we managed to have a good time at our pet food places Glenarys, Keventers and Kunga. We had been to Darjeeling many times before, so sightseeing as such was not an agenda. We preferred long walks through the hilly roads, and the markets, sipping tea at the numerous cafes in the vicinity and eyeing the local produce. Then on a rain soaked morning we set out for Lamahatta.

Lamahatta is a village located on the road that connects Darjeeling and Kalimpong at a height of approximately 5000 ft. The village is about 25 kms from Darjeeling, to reach it you have to come down to Ghoom and then take a left turn near Jorebunglow. The road was pretty good, and soon we reached Lamahatta Eco Park, a popular destination for sightseeing. We had no problem locating the Lamahatta Oak Retreat, which is located on the main road itself almost opposite the Eco Park. 

The two storied place has a café named Lamahatta Café and one room on the ground floor, and two rooms on the first floor. The rooftop gives a nice view of both upper and lower Lamahatta, including a dense pine forest on the other side of the road.

Our room Juniper was on the first floor. As we entered the room, we were happy, as it met the expectations we had gathered from the Tripadvisor reviews. On two sides of the room there were huge glass windows. It is from these windows that we will get a magnificent view of Kanchenjunga a day later, sitting on our bed itself.  The room had a nice collection of books of diverse tastes – right from a book on Ikigai to one by Harold Robbins. The weather was still quite cloudy, so we went to have a coffee in the café downstairs. It was surprising to find very good quality black coffee at Lamahatta Cafe. Ashis told us that they get their coffee from Baba Budangiri off Chikmagalur in Karnataka. After some coffee, and a walk down the village, we settled down for a pre-ordered Nepali lunch.

Nepali Thali (top), Nepali style Pork (Middle) and Chicken Curry

The Nepali thali here was completely comfort food, the meal that we loved so much that we repeated another day. The Chicken Curry with local Rai saag and the Aloo Dum were so so good, and I requested Ashis that we wanted to try some local pork. That was not on their menu, but on a subsequent day, he organized Pork Curry with rai saag from a neighbouring hotel.  The rai saag from the hills have a totally different taste than what we get in the plains.

English Breakfast

Our package included breakfast, lunch and dinner, and for the latter two, there was choice of Indian, Nepali, Continental and Oriental food. We were not keen on Indian and Oriental, and over the next three days exhausted their continental menu, apart from trying different versions of Nepali thali. I would wholeheartedly recommend their Grilled Fish in Butter Sauce and Fish N Chips. The Chicken Schnitzel worked out well too.

Fish N Chips (Top) and Grilled Fish

One evening they served Pizza for us with one half farm veggies and the other half chicken. I was really surprised to note that the pizza was at par with some of the better Hyderabad places.

The English Breakfast served was decent with eggs, sausages etc.  I only wondered why they did not have pork items on their menu.

Roast Chicken (Top) and Chicken Schnitzel

The second evening finally ended our wait, and we could see glimpses of Kanchenjunga emerging out of the clouds. And the third morning it was out in full glory. 

We had visited Lamahatta, Takdah, Teesta and Tinchuley in one of our earlier trips, so did not bother to go around for a sightseeing trip. Instead we preferred long walks, both in the morning and evening through the quaint village, and relaxing with a book back in our room. In fact, in the three days I was there, I did the whole book on Ikigai that they had. The staff was really helpful, especially Ashis and a young lady who used to come from the local village below. She helped us procure some local radish and squash vegetables that we carried back to Hyderabad.

We had a little setback on the last day. We were supposed to start back for Siliguri at noon, but a flash strike by tea workers regarding their Durga Puja bonus got us stranded till 7 pm. Though our check out was in the afternoon, the retreat management was gracious to let us continue in our room till the strike got lifted in the evening. 

I have brought back many fond memories of Lamahatta. The retreat that is run by GetBengal is an ideal place to relax for a short or long getaway.

Address: Lamahatta Oak Retreat

9th Mile Road, opposite the Eco Park, Lamahatta, Tukdah Forest, West Bengal 734213

Phone: 93823 42597

Web: https://theoakhospitality.com/lamahatta/

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A Long Weekend at Abad Brookside Wayanad

The Jadavpur University Alumni Association Hyderabad is a vibrant group of past students from the university who currently reside in the city. Though JU is not my alma mater, I have been very closely associated with this group for a long time as my wife is an alumnus. Among the activities of the group are frequent outings to destinations in India and abroad almost on a semi-annual basis. For the long weekend in mid-August 2024, the plan was to visit Wayanad National Park in Kerala. 

On 30th July 2024 Wayanad faced a slew of landslides killing a few hundred people. The group was naturally concerned that this tour may have to be shelved, but our resort Abad Brookside assured us that that the landslide had occurred far away, and life in the area we were travelling to was not disturbed. Yet, we had a lot of dropouts but around 37 people finally boarded the Kachiguda-Mysuru express on 14th August evening. From Mysuru, couple of buses took us to Lakkidi, the 150 km distance was covered in around six hours with frequent stops. The journey covered the scenic Bandipur and part of Wayanad forests, where one could see many wild animals like elephants, deers and wild boars on the side of the highway. The road was very smooth till Lakkidi, but from there the journey up to the hotel that is located at an altitude proved quite scary, as the road was narrow and rocky and dusk was setting in rapidly.

We reached around 7 pm. The resort is massive, with cottages spread across the campus. The reception and dining area was close to the main gate. We were offered a welcome drink, a hot concoction of herbal tea, black pepper and honey that soothes your throat. Our cottages were a bit of a walk, but the rooms were clean, spacious with all amenities. Apart from the usual stuff, we noticed packets of salt and were curious what they were for. There are three types of cottages here – brook facing, garden facing and villas.

Dinner at the restaurant was very good. They make quite a few Kerala style dishes that were of interest to me. Also they use the local fish that are absolutely fresh. Apart from fish and prawn, beef and chicken are also available, the beef curry that I ordered the next day was pure comfort food, and went famously with rice.

Next morning, we went around the campus. Abad Brookside Resort is named so as there is a small rivulet passing through the campus. Many cottages are lined up next to the brook, and ours was one of them. The campus was absolutely clean. There were ducks floating around, as well as hordes of monkeys ready to pounce on any food that they can locate. On the third day, a few of them had a field time pouncing on our chakna and drinking some of our vodka.

We went for a walk uphill outside the gate of the resort. It was green all over, and we found that the resort was located just next to a tea garden. We climbed up about half a kilometer and then realized why they gave salt packets in our rooms. Many of us were stung by leeches that were patrolling the roads, and we had to scurry back to the resort. Salt application gives some relief if you are attacked by a leech.

After a sumptuous breakfast of soft idlis, vadas and sausages we took off to the areas nearby. Abad Resorts is located at Lakkidi, a place known as the Cherrapunji of Kerala. The notable hamlets around are Vythiri, Kalpetta and Sultan Bathery. The greenery in the entire belt catches your attention. There is a lake named Pookote nearby and Banasura dam that we visited. On the way back we visited a shop for local saree and had a sumptuous lunch of Mutton Biryani and Fish Al Fahm at an Arab-inspired Keralite restaurant. One has to go gaga over the quality of fish we got throughout the trip, but the Al-Fahm definitely took the cake.

It was drizzling intermittently during the two days we stayed there, but we were not overly worried. The resort itself was so scenic that one could spend the entire time there. In fact, the next day most of us did not venture out at all. Some relaxed at the swimming pool, some played a game of cards and some sang on the karaoke that we brought along with us.


The highlights of the food on the second day was Meen Polichatthu, where fish in spices is wrapped inside a banana leaf and steamed. The other was Unniyappam, a dessert of coconut and rava balls served with honey. That said even the Kerala style Fish Fry was scrumptious.

The two days passed like a breeze. As we were boarding our buses to Bangalore on the wee hours of Sunday, we could not but feel a bit sad that perhaps we should have planned for a couple of days more here.

The Abad property was an extremely scenic place, with good support and service from a set of smiling staff. They have resorts all over Kerala, including Kumarakom, Munnar and Kochi.

Location:

Abad Brookside, Lakkidi

Lakkidi, Vythiri, Kunnathidavaka, 

Wayanad, Kerala 673576

Phone 99465 82222

Web: https://www.abadhotels.com/brookside-lakkidi-resort-wayanad/

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Feasting on Street Food at Sindhi Colony Secunderabad

The area around Prenderghast Road in Secunderabad is better known as Sindhi Colony. Every evening, you can find a motley crowd gathering around various food carts and small shops at different corners of the road, and gorging on some delicious street food. The dishes available in these places are mostly vegetarian and range from Gujarati to South Indian, international to local. Food walks are often planned by groups to sample the diverse street food available here.

The best place to start your food journey here is at Pizza Den, located near Sunshine Hospital at the far end of the street. You may have to wait a while for getting your favourite pizza here. The vegetarian place serves some great tomato and cheese Pizza, another one with jalapeno and olives is called Vegetable Exotica. The ice creams here are pretty good too, especially the Mishti Mango. Proceed next to the Shivaling Chaat Bhandar, a street cart little ahead on the same side of the road for some bhelpuri and papri chaat. Even the pani puri here is to die for. 

The next stop should be Chachaji, the perennially crowded place for Vada Pav and Gujarati Dabeli. It is run by a Gujarati family by regular customers. The main attractions here are the special spicy chutneys used in their dishes, which are prepared at home and brought to this shop. 

Cross the road from here, and you have reached Dimmy’s Pan Palace, that does not just serve paan, but the entire range of street food at Dimmy’s Food Court. Stop for a tea here. The dosas made on a counter live on the road are pretty good. The fusion paans are superb too, especially the Chocolate Paan and Kulfi Paan can impress anyone.

Another place for good vada pav and dabeli is Bombay Chat House located slightly ahead. These snacks are made right in front of you and sell for as little as Rs 40. Next to this kiosk, Prachi’s Kulfi Celebrations serve some of the best kulfis in the city. Apart from seasonal fruit-based kulfis, the Gulkand and Thandai kulfis are worth a try here. 

After a lot of street delicacies from Western and Northern India, you may be yearning for some South Indian food. I will advise you to take a walk further down the road to Sai Ram Tiffin Centre almost near the junction of PG Road and Minister Road. Do not miss their Tawa Idli and Paneer Butter Dosa. 

No food walk at Sindhi Colony can be complete without having the famous Tawa Sandwich at Mayur Pan House. The cheese and capsicum stuffed sandwich fried in butter is an old time favourite of mine. You can also go for their popular Aloo Toast instead before calling it a day.  These prominent and popular street food places in this area are just the tip of an iceberg. If you probe a bit more, discovering quite a few more of new hidden gems is not ruled out.


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Ramakrishna Mission Keesaragutta: A Spiritual Retreat close to Hyderabad

In Hyderabad, Ramakrishna Math at Domalguda is visited by devotees from all over the city. Apart from the aesthetic temple where one can pray and meditate to The Lord, the Vivekananda Institute of Languages, the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence attract a large number of students from the city, many from the underprivileged visit the Health Centre for treatment at a concessional rate, and the vast library is also very popular. But very few Hyderabadis know about the Ramakrishna Mission campus at Keesaragutta, a temple among the nature barely 35 kms from the city.

This was our second visit to the location. Almost a year ago, we had gone there during a weekend and had a really peaceful time in the serene silence of the temple, interactive sessions with Swami Jnadanandaji (who was earlier the Adhyaksh of the Hyderabad math) in a premises, with greenery all around and roaming around - enjoying the blissful nature all around us. From Begumpet, we went through the city via Sainikpuri, AS Rao Nagar to ECIL. After ECIL as we proceeded on the road to Yadadri, the journey became interesting with greenery on both side of the road. We crossed the Outer Ring Road and soon reached the Keesara town. The math premises are on the right about seven kms past Keesaragutta.

As you enter the ashram you can’t but admire the serene surroundings. It is green all over and a lake that provides water to the ashram adds to the beauty. The ashram has about 50 rooms for the devotees of which around 15 are air-conditioned. It is better to pre-book before arrival, but you can also do spot booking. Any devotee is welcome to stay in the ashram, but you need to understand it is not a fun and frolic place. Tranquility and peace needs to be maintained at all times.

We checked into our no-frills but clean room, and soon set foot towards the campus. The serene lake has seating next to it, where we sat for a long while. Small groups of monkeys play around, but they do not disturb you. A long pathway among the trees enable you to explore the idyllic surroundings.

The temple is central to the campus. Large images of Sri Sri Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada and Swami Vivekananda are central to the temple, which also has images of the main disciples of Sri Sri Ramakrishna. The temple is open from 5 am to 8:30 pm, and unlike many Ramakrishna Math centres do not close in the afternoon. You can sit there and quietly meditate through the day if you want. There is Mangal Arati at 5:30 am in the morning, puja at 7:30 am and in the evening there are prayers from 6:30 pm.

The ashram canteen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is local vegetarian food but is extremely tasty. The upma in the morning was very good, and so were the sambar, dal, chutney and vegetable curry. The cost of food is included in the room charges. Please understand however, that it is not a lavish spread, and you are supposed to wash your own utensils after eating. 

One of the highlights of our trip was the satsang with resident Maharaj Swami Jnadanandaji. The satsang is held every morning at 9:30 am and additionally during weekends at 5:30 pm. You can ask the Maharaj any questions or doubts on your spiritual journey that you wish to clarify. The limited number of people in the group also facilitates a frank and stimulating discussion.

As we bade farewell to the ashram after a two-day stay, we had made up our mind to come back for a longer stint next time.

Location: 

Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Keesaragutta

Ramalingampally, Telangana 508126

Yadadri Bhubanagiri District

Telangana

Telephone: 79016 96801


Directions:

From ORR take Exit 8. The location is 7 km away.

From Secunderabad travel via Sainikpuri- AS Rao Nagar – ECIL – Nagaram.


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