The Dance of the Eight Kinds of Spirits is performed during Paro’s tsechu, Bhutan’s most important festival.
WHERE: Paro is 40 miles/65 km west of the capital city of Thimphu. VISITOR INFO: www.tourism.gov.bt. HOW: U.S.-based Geographic Expeditions offers 7–14-day tours to all the major festivals. Tel 800-777-8183 or 415-922-0448; www.geoex.com. Cost: 7-day trip from $3,150, all-inclusive. Originates in Paro. WHEN: Feb or Mar for Punakha; Mar or Apr for Paro; Sep or Oct for Thimphu; Oct or Nov for Jambay; Dec or Jan for Trongsa.
Untrammeled Terrain in a Himalayan Kingdom
CHOMO LHARI TREK AND THE TIGER’S NEST
Paro Valley, Bhutan
Tucked along the southern slope of the Himalayas below Tibetan China and bordered by India on three sides, the little-visited nation of Bhutan is one of the most remote and protected places in the world, tantalizing for its pristine natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Slightly larger than Switzerland and 70 percent covered by forest—practically a third of the country is designated as national parks—this primarily Buddhist country has a deeply spiritual population of fewer than a million people, nearly all connected to the land through agriculture (hunting is against both federal and religious law).
Tourism is a carefully monitored industry (Bhutan opened its doors to the world in 1974), but the intrepid visitor will be rewarded with glorious landscapes and ancient temples, monasteries, and villages, all while encountering few fellow travelers.
A trek to the base of Mount Chomo Lhari (“Mountain of the Goddess”), which at 23,997 feet is Bhutan’s highest and most sacred mountain, is a perfect way to experience the country’s unspoiled wilderness. Climbers hike through villages and low forests; alongside terraced farms, verdant rice paddies, and rushing streams; and beyond the treeline into a world of glaciers and rock, where the legendary snow leopard prowls. Campsites are set up high in alpine pastures, where herdsmen graze yaks and the Himalayan blue sheep, or bharals, roam in lush meadows. Bird-watching in Bhutan is among the best in the world, with more than 700 species recorded.
The trek from the capital city of Thimphu to Chomo Lhari, or a day or overnight hike from the Paro Valley, leads to the greatest of all Bhutanese monuments: the famed monastic retreat of Taktsang, the “Tiger’s Nest.” It was founded in A.D. 747 by a Tibetan missionary who, according to legend, landed here astride a flying tiger. The stone and wood monastery—built in 1692 on the spot where he meditated—clings to a sheer cliff face 2,700 feet above Paro valley, accessible only by a bridge and steep, winding track (horses are available for a portion of the trail). Since its near-destruction by fire in 1998, the structure has been painstakingly restored.
The “Tigers Nest” monastery is one of Bhutan’s holiest sites.
WHERE: Paro is 40 miles/65 km west of the capital of Thimphu. HOW: Bridge to Bhutan offers 8–16-day customized treks including Chomo Lhari, along with day treks to the Tiger’s Nest. Tel 975/2-331766; in the U.S., 434-390-5763; www.bridgeto bhutan.com. Cost: 8-day trek from $1,750, all-inclusive. Originates in Thimphu. BEST TIMES: Mar–May and Sep–Dec to avoid extreme temperatures; Apr and early May for rhododendrons in bloom.
Indian Cuisine at Its Finest
TOP TABLES
New Delhi, Delhi, India
When it comes to India’s cuisine, you’ll find many of New Delhi’s long-reigning favorites housed in its finest hotels. The ITC Maurya Sheraton boasts two: Dumpukht and Bukhara. Dumpukht is an airy and elegant dining room that serves refined court food with roots that go back to the 18th century: Slow steam-cooking produces meat and vegetables tender enough to melt in your mouth. Bukhara is radically different, offering robust northwestern cuisine in a hunting-camp-like space of stone walls, wooden tables, and a glassed-in kitchen that’s always good for a show. It is acclaimed for its perfectly prepared tandoori that’s fit for a king (or a former president—Bill Clinton is known to dine here when he’s in town).
There are also a number of small and innovative restaurants bringing a whiff of change to the dining scene in the city, including Indian Accent, in the newly refurbished Manor Hotel. Although Chef Manish Mehrotra’s stellar reputation in both India and London is long established, there’s nothing “establishment” about this award-winning restaurant’s inventive Indian cuisine, deft pairings of global favorites, and regional specialties.
A classic landmark and the city’s most impressive heritage hotel, the Imperial is famous for its Raj-era, Art Deco interiors, cool, lush green gardens, and an excellent contemporary restaurant, the Spice Route. Painters from Kerala took 7 years to complete the murals depicting the famed passage for which the restaurant is named, and the cuisine is a mélange inspired by that journey: stir-fried Kerala-style prawns, classic Thai soups, and distinctive Sri Lankan curries.
ITC MAURYA SHERATON: Tel 91/11-2611-2233; www.starwoodhotels.com. Cost: dinner at Dumpukht $65, at Bukhara $70. INDIAN ACCENT: Tel 91/11-2692-5151; www.themanor delhi.com. Cost: dinner $40. THE IMPERIAL: Tel 91/11-2334-1234; www.theimperialindia.com. Cost: dinner at the Spice Route $40.
Sensory Overload in the City’s Beating Heart
RED FORT AND CHANDNI CHOWK
Old Delhi, Delhi, India
A city teeming with close to 17 million people, Delhi is the capital of a rapidly changing India and can seem utterly daunting to the casual visitor. To get your bearings and reinvigorate your senses, find your way to its beating heart, Shahjahanabad, the ancient walled city of Shah Jahan (builder of Agra’s Taj Mahal, see p. 552), also known as Old Delhi.
The Mughal emperor moved the capital from Agra to Delhi in the mid-17th century, creating the same magnificent architecture in the latter as he had in the former. Masterworks include the tomb of the 16th-century Mughal emperor Humayun and the Jama Masjid, the country’s largest mosque. Perhaps the most visited site is the hulking Lal Quila, the Red Fort, named for the color of its 1.5 miles of turreted sandstone walls and the former seat of Mughal power. Armies, servants, and ladies of the court once filled the various mosques, lush gardens, royal quarters, richly decorated halls, and marble-floored hammams or bath chambers. That all ended with the Mutiny of 1857, when the British expelled the last Mughal ruler. For close to one hundred years they used it as barracks, until Jawaharlal Nehru first unfurled the flag of newly independent India from this very spot on August 15, 1947. On Independence Day, the prime minister traditionally hoists the flag and delivers his nationally televised speech here.
But there’s more to see here than the fort. Branching off of the half-mile-long Chandni Chowk (Moonlight Alley) is a network of ancient lanes and timeless bazaars selling everything imaginable, in chaotic operation since the 17th century. Flag down a cycle-rickshaw at Lahore Gate, the entrance to the Red Fort, negotiate fiercely, then let your wallah (driver) navigate the winding backstreets teeming with traffic and people. Pop into a hole-in-the-wall food stall for savory samosas, or stop at a halwai, or candy store, sampling sweets made from recipes that have been passed down over generations. Pick up a Kashmiri carpet or a stack of skinny bangles. The smells of dust and incense mingle with the headier ones that emanate from Khari Bioli, one of Asia’s largest spice markets. In nearby Kinari Bazaar, watch local Hindu families shopping for wedding festivities that usually go on for days.
No one with an appetite leaves this part of town without searching out Karim’s, an unassuming landmark restaurant in an alleyway not far from the Jama Masjid. Packing them in for a hundred years is the authentic Mughlai cuisine: Karim’s fourth-generation owner traces his heritage to the chefs who once prepared these royal recipes for Mughal emperors.
The Indian flag flies above the three-story Lahore Gate, the main entrance to Lal Quila, the Red Fort.
KARIM’S: Tel 91/11-2326-4981. Cost: lunch $13. BEST TIMES: Feb–Apr and Aug–Nov for nicest weather; Aug 15 for National Independence Day.
The Good Life with More than a Touch of Portugal
THE BEACHES OF GOA
Goa, India
Nowhere else in India will you find the laid-back atmosphere of the tiny, Portuguese-influenced state of Goa, known to many as “India lite.” Transformed from the hippie nirvana of yesteryear, Goa is now the place where young Indian urbanites and well-traveled Europeans come to shed their inhibitions and enjoy the languid pace. That’s thanks in part to the stylish upscale hotels and beach-side villas that have recently popped up and sit cheek-by-jowl with modest hostelries on the Arabian Sea coast, with its 66-mile strip of palm-fringed beaches.
Goa was the first state of India colonized by Europeans and the last to be liberated (after a protracted battle with the Portuguese, who had ruled since 1510 and didn’t leave until 1961). Portuguese influence is everywhere, including in the architecture and religion: Goa is 30 percent Catholic and contains a cluster of magnificent cathedrals, monasteries, and convents. The centerpiece of the former capital of the Portuguese Indies is the huge Baroque basilica of Bom Jesus, which houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuit order and Goa’s patron saint.
South Goa’s peace and quiet make it a lovely oasis, but North Goa is where the buzz is. You’ll find lively towns lining its pristine beaches, as well as weekly markets that let you shop for both food and information about where to find the week’s best trance music and full moon parties. Wednesday’s sprawling flea market is in the popular beach town of Anjuna (a throwback to hippie days), whereas Mapusa’s colorful showcase is the Friday farmers market, where vendors hawk fresh-cooked local food. Saturday it’s over to Baga for its nighttime market, which brims with stalls selling Goan cuisine, a unique, spicy mix of southern Indian and Portuguese influences. (Sample the curry-charged pork vindaloo, which originated here.)
Check in at the chic, Portuguese-inspired Pousada Tauma in North Goa. It is within walking distance of the popular 4-mile-long Calangute beach and a leafy and secluded home from which to explore Old Goa and Panaji, the capital city. Enjoy a glass of the local feni, the double-distilled spirit made from coconut or cashew nuts, followed by a dinner of lobster masala in the open-air poolside restaurant, one of the best in the area. There’s more of a house-party ambience at the seven-suite Vivenda dos Palhacos, an old Portuguese mansion in South Goa impeccably restored and run by the charming India-born brother-and-sister team of the Haywards. Or stay at the secluded Elsewhere, a coconut plantation that has been in the owner’s family since 1886. Four colorful colonial-era beach houses afford front-row views of multihued sunsets over the Arabian Sea and three candy-colored tents sit at the wooded edge of a narrow, saltwater creek.
So where have all the hippies gone? About 150 miles south to Om Beach, in Karnataka, every bit as beautiful as the shores of Goa.
North Goa’s bohemian feel and Catholic influences mix at Arambol Beach.
WHERE: 360 miles/582 km south of Mumbai. POUSADA TAUMA: Tel 91/832-227-9061; www.pousada-tauma.com. Cost: from $195 (off-peak), from $340 (peak), inclusive. VIVENDA DOS PALHACOS: Tel 91/832-322-1119; www.vivendagoa.com. Cost: from $75 (off-peak), from $150 (peak). ELSEWHERE: Tel 91/98-2003-7387; www.aseascape.com. Cost: 2- and 3-bedroom houses from $1,530 per week (off-peak), from $4,520 (peak); tents from $485 per week (off-peak), from $1,340 (peak). When: Nov–Apr. BEST TIMES: Oct–Mar for nicest weather; Feb or Mar in Panaji for Carnival; Dec 3 for feast of St. Francis Xavier and the Old Goa Fair; Dec–Jan 6 for Christmas decorations and festivities.
In a Former Summer Capital, a Relic of the Raj
SHIMLA
Himachal Pradesh, India
Kipling once called the heat “the central fact of India.” No surprise, then, that to carry on business during the summer months, the British would head north to the Himalayas and the town of Shimla (then Simla), “Queen of the Hills.” Here, melting snows kept the temperature tolerable, and Victorian architecture, gardens, and entertainment—including The Mall, Gaiety Theatre, and lawn tennis at the posh Viceregal Lodge—helped to create a simulacrum of the sceptered isle they’d left behind.
Chapslee harks back to those earlier times: a stately, decidedly British, ivory-colored manor-house-turned-hotel, built in 1835 at 7,000 feet and one of the last great homes of the Indian aristocracy. From the start, it offered the kind of princely living, cuisine, and hospitality that were the hallmark of the golden age of the Raj, and reminders of that era can still be found, including Gobelin tapestries, Venetian chandeliers, Persian carpets, and an imposing portrait of the present owner’s great-grandfather, the former maharaja of Kapurthala in the Punjab.
Shimla remains one of India’s most venerated British-built hill stations and provides an imperial starting point for visitors who wish to explore Himachal Pradesh, among India’s loveliest states. Its rural landscape is dotted with Hindu and Buddhist temples and communities whose festivals enliven the summer months. Just a 45-minute drive from Shimla, through forested hills, is the lavish, newly built Wildflower Hall, an 85-room luxury hotel nestled within 22 acres of virgin pine, rhododendrons, and cedar, grounds where Lord Kitchener’s summer home once stood, 8,250 feet above sea level. Here, nature lovers and adventurers can trek, mountain bike, river raft, and golf on one of the world’s highest courses, the century-old Naldhera. After an Ayurvedic treatment, soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi and take in the breathtaking views of the Himalayas’ snowy peaks.
You can arrive in Shimla as the British did: on the narrow-gauge railroad that departs from Kalka. This steam-powered “toy train” line, like the earlier railway built to service the hill station of Darjeeling (see p. 554), dates to 1903 and is considered an engineering marvel, passing through 102 tunnels, crossing 969 bridges, and delivering endless high-altitude beauty along its 63-mile, 6-hour run.
Once a maharaja’s summer residence, Chapslee now welcomes overnight guests to a world of Victorian charm.
WHERE: 230 miles/375 km north of New Delhi. CHAPSLEE: Tel 91/177-280-2542; www.chapslee.com. Cost: from $350, inclusive. WILDFLOWER HALL: Tel 91/177-264-8585; www.wildflowerhall.com. Cost: from $270 (off-peak), from $400 (peak). KALKA-SHIMLA TRAIN: www.himachalpradesh.us. BEST TIMES: Mar–May and Oct–Nov for cool weather; late May-early Jun for Shimla’s Summer Festival.
Altitude, Snow Leopards, and a Taste of Tibet
LADAKH
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Also known as Little Tibet and Moon Land (for its unearthly landscape), the awe-inspiring, high-altitude plateau of Ladakh sits between the world’s two highest mountain ranges, the Karakoram and the Great Himalayas. While politically Indian, it is geographically and ethnically Tibetan and shares a religion and culture with Tibet that is fast disappearing elsewhere. As part of India, Ladakh was protected from the Chinese Cultural Revolution and today contains one of Asia’s most intact Buddhist societies. Ladakh was closed to tourism until 1974, but since then has slowly been attracting visitors, despite the troubles in China’s Tibet, to the north and east, and in the Kashmir Valley, to the west.
The flight to Leh, the region’s principal city, is one of the most spectacular in the world, offering a magnificent perspective on this remote area. Such a trip can only be topped (literally) by a journey to the Nubra Valley, Ladakh’s “Valley of Flowers,” which requires you to cross Khardung La Pass (Ladakh translates as “land of high passes”). At 18,383 feet, it is believed to be the world’s highest drivable road. The air is crisp, and the views are out of this world.
Immersion in the culture of this isolated region would not be likely without the help of an unusual Indian tour company called Shakti, which owns a network of traditional village houses in the Indus Valley, renovated to include en suite bathrooms and comfortable bedding, but still maintaining authenticity and great charm. Journey from village to unspoiled village by foot, boat, and 4WD vehicle, visiting schools, gompas (fortified monasteries), and other places of interest along the way.
Ladakh is also home to both the Hemis National Park and the Hemis Gompa; the latter is one of the state’s most interesting and best-known Buddhist monasteries. Its festival of masked dances, mu
sic, and handicrafts in June and July draws villagers from all parts. Wildlife is the attraction at the national park, India’s largest. It is home to the beautiful and elusive snow leopard and is one of the very few areas anyplace where they can be tracked on foot. Cold winter months are the best time to spot the creature, which means only true and seriously fit adventurers need apply.
The Hemis Gompa monastery, established in 1630, stands at an altitude of 12,000 feet.
WHERE: 380 miles/613 km north of New Delhi. SHAKTI: Tel 91/124-456-3899; in the U.S., 866-401-3705; www.shaktihimalaya.com. Cost: 7-night package from $3,889, all-inclusive. When: May–Sep. Originates in Dehli. HOW: U.K.-based Steppes Discovery leads snow leopard–tracking trips. Tel 44/1285-643-333; www.steppesdiscovery.co.uk. Cost: 14-day trip from $3,795, all-inclusive. Originates in New Delhi. When: Nov and Mar. BEST TIMES: late Jun or early Jul for the Hemis Festival; Sep 1–15 for the Ladakh Festival in Leh; Nov–Mar for tracking snow leopards.
Unique Waterworld of Canals and Lagoons
THE BACKWATERS OF KERALA
Kerala, India
Isolated, peaceful, and exotically beautiful, the southern coastal state of Kerala sits on the lush and tropical Malabar coast. An elaborate labyrinth of 44 rivers, twisting kayals (lakes), palm-fringed backwater canals, and lagoons meander past dazzlingly green rice fields and forests rich with wildlife. Once used to transport coconuts, rice, and spices, today this 600-mile watery maze links sleepy islands and villages inhabited by people famous for their religious tolerance, their flavorful cuisine, and their Ayurvedic traditions. Kerala is believed to be the birthplace of Ayurveda, the ancient practice of natural medicine and well-being. The region has a wealth of Ayurvedic clinics and spas (called shalas) offering millennia-old restorative treatments and massages using herbal oils made from the exotic spices that first drew Vasco da Gama to Kerala’s shores in 1498.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 85