Category Archives: Tourism

Sri Lanka Travel Tips and Advice

Sri Lanka, the beautiful island country in the Indian Ocean is a paradise on earth. The country is rich in everything be it culture, heritage, traditions, food, sunsets, golden beaches, lush green tea estates, thick jungles, Buddhist temples and Monasteries, the calm vibes, peace, and serenity. We must admit, the teardrop-shaped country won our heart completely in a single visit and now rate in the chart of must-visit beautiful destinations. Moreover, flying and getting a Sri Lanka visa is a super easy and stress-free process. In this post, we will be listing 5 Sri Lanka travel tips for a wonderful memorable trip

Sri Lanka Travel Tips

Sri Lanka Travel Tips

1. Sri Lanka Visa

The first and foremost thing is the Sri Lanka visa and in the country, there is NO option of visa – on arrival. So, it can be booked by the Embassy or online. The process of applying online is referred to as ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization).

Book Through Embassy

We feel booking a visa through embassy is a multistep, tedious and quite a time consuming process. First reach Embassy, wait for your token number, fill an ETA form available there, submit the filled form along with the relevant fee and documents to the embassy officer. The officer will further send it to Sri Lanka’s Emigration & Immigration department. Then an acknowledgment and ETA reference number will be sent to you.

Book online Sri Lanka eVisa

The easiest way is to apply for eVisa Sri Lanka online. Open the website, fill in the required personal details, the details of your passport, transit details, and pay through paypal, American Express, or the master cards.

Sri Lanka ETA are basically issued for short stays (business, tourist and transit purposes) and are valid for 30 days. It is a double entry visa (i.e. 2 entries are allowed per visa) with a fee being USD 35 except for the SAARC countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), which is USD 20.  The only thing to note while applying online is to be very careful while filling the details – a single digit mistake can stop your entry at the airport or can make you pay again. We advise, in case one is not confident or have any issues in filling the form, apply by clicking E-visums.co.uk.

After application, you will receive your e-visa by email in 24-48 hours.

Note: The citizens of Maldives, Singapore, and Seychelles don’t need a visa to enter Sri Lanka

2. Travel internally through public transport (buses and trains), Tuk Tuks and Scooty’s

Hiring a cab for hopping from one place to another is an expensive affair in Sri Lanka. So, we suggest to go local via bus, tuk-tuks or rent a scooter. In Sri Lanka too the Tuk Tuk drivers will try to con you by quoting high prices as it happens in India. So, check with the locals for the correct amount and then bargain. Buses too are good options for local movement but be prepared to walk extra miles to catch one.  The scooty worked best for us as we could stop wherever we wanted and go wherever we can. Indeed, we covered Galle, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Ahangama, Handunugoda all on our rented two-wheelers.

South Coast of Sri Lanka Travel Tips

For hoping from one city to another like from Kandy to Ella use the train services. This train trail is considered to be the most scenic ride in the world as it passes through the bewitching landscapes, lush green tea estates, waterfalls, bridges, etc. 

In Sri Lanka, the cab apps system was not very popular earlier but now it’s picking especially in COLOMBO and currently the players like UBER have started intercity service too

3. Respect the culture, religion and hide the Buddha Tattoos, if you have

About 70% of the people in Sri Lanka are Buddhist and the religion in their constitution holds the foremost position. So, the people here don’t tolerate any kind of disrespect to religion. Indeed, they consider a Buddha tattoo also an insult to Lord Buddha. Earlier, there are cases of several people deported and arrested who had a Buddha tattoo. So, keep them cover if you have one.

The view from Shanti Stupa - Sri Lanka Travel Tips
The view from Shanti Stupa – Sri Lanka Travel Tips

Also, remember to take off your shoes and hats, cover legs and arms and bow while entering the Buddhist Temples. Never point a finger at the Buddha statue and obey the no photo signage. There is a zero-tolerance for the selfies with Lord Buddha statues.

4. Food, water and Drinks

Sri Lankan food is super rich and is considered as one of the delicious cuisines in the world.  The most common dish is Rice and curry. The other ones include chopped flatbread stir-fried with eggs and vegetables (Kotu Potty); string hoppers; shredded coconut with red chilies, curry leaves, and herbs; spicy Egg Samosas; Egg Hoppers; and the fresh seafood.

Fish & Chips - Sri Lanka Travel Tips
Fish & Chips – Sri Lanka Travel Tips

Locals prefer drinking tap water in Sri Lanka but we stick to the bottled water and advise you to do the same. Coming on to the drinks do try the local brews like Lion (Beer) and Arrack (prepared from coconut flowers).

5. Currency and ATM

On conversion, Sri Lankan currency seems quite cheaper than Indian currency (1 Rs. = 2.50 LKR) and makes you look super-rich but actually it is not. While spending you will realize the price of the products in the supermarkets or at a good restaurant goes equal to that in India itself. And we found, especially the beach towns and the famous places are far more expensive.

Don’t completely rely on ATM for the cash withdrawal, you will find many of them in a non-working state. We carried USD with us and would advise you also to carry USD/LKR while heading to Sri Lanka. Credit cards too are accepted widely.

Best Time to visit – Sri Lanka Travel Tips

Sri Lanka, being a tropical country is blessed with good sunshine and blue skies throughout the year. The temperature remains constant between 18-22 degree Celsius in the coastal areas whereas goes a bit lower with the drop in altitude.

Sunset at Beach- Sri Lanka Travel tips
Sunset at Beach- Sri Lanka Travel tips

Sri Lanka can be visited at any time of the year. It also has two monsoon seasons from December to March and June to October. So, the best time recommended for South and West Coast is from December to March whereas for East Coast it is April to September.

Must Carry for Sri Lanka

The packing list for Sri Lanka will completely depend upon the places you will be visiting. But one must keep cotton T-shirts, cotton/ linen dresses, track pants, raincoat, windcheater, lightweight jacket, scarf, sun hat, mosquito repellant, sunscreen, and universal adapter.

Must visit places in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has plenty of places to explore but these are the ones you must check in a 2 week SriLanka Itinerary.

  • Colombo city for its bustling markets, temples, and restaurants
  • Galle the gorgeous colonial walled town on the ocean with amazing cafeterias
  • South West Coast for beautiful beaches and sunsets
  • Yala Safari Park to see the acts of wildlife and for natural beautiful scenery
  • Tea towns like Hatton, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Handunugoda
  • Cultural triangle -To see ancient cities and beautiful temples around Dambulla, Anuradhapura and Sigiriya

So, Sri Lanka is perfect for every type of traveler or tourist, adventurer, or backpacker or photographer. The destination has a variety of accommodation options too, from luxury resorts to budget hotels to hostels. We stayed at one of the heritage property Apa Villa Illuketia, located among the greens.

Prviate Lotus Pool at Apa Villa Illuketia - Sri Lanka Travel tips
Prviate Lotus Pool at Apa Villa Illuketia – Sri Lanka Travel tips

Apart this, be polite and humble to the locals, respect their culture and traditions and be smart, confident and keep your eyes ear open to avoid getting into any unwanted traps.

Would you like to add anything more to these travel tips? Please leave in the comment and we will be happy to include them.

Sri Lanka Travel Tips

Darjeeling Tea – The Gift of West Bengal

Step into the Darjeeling tea shops and you will be left completely amazed seeing the countless variety of teas. Yes! It is true. There are numerous sections and endless classification of tea in the Darjeeling tea shop shops. We are a regular tea connoisseurs, and being in the “champagne tea” city; it was must for us to purchase various types of tea. But after visiting the tea-shop, purchasing seemed like a task in itself. So, we thought to research first and purchase later. Here in this post we will be writing what we learnt on researching and you too should know before buying the Darjeeling tea.

Darjeeling Tea Shop - The gift of West Bengal

All you need to know about Darjeeling Tea

The Darjeeling Tea known worldwide for its aroma and flavor is grown in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal at an altitude ranging from 750 to 2000 meters. It is considered as one of the finest teas in the world and is made from a small leaved plant known as Camellia Sinensis unlike the large leaved Assam Tea plant. Traditionally, Darjeeling Tea was only a black tea but now they have varieties of green, white, Oolong, Matcha and many more teas.

The tea grown in this zone has unique aroma and pleasant muscatel smell due to the rich fertile soil, apt climate, the incessant rainfall and the gradually sloping terrains. Moreover, the Himalayan tea is still manufactured by Orthodox manufacturing process i.e. Labor carries out the complete leaf plucking process. Interestingly, it is also the first Indian product to receive a GI (Geographical Indication) tag in 2003.

Orthodox Manufacturing Process of Harvesting in Siliguri - Darjeeling Tea

Fact: 1 kilogram of leaf processing is carried out from 20,000 shoots plucked from slopes having 40-60 degree inclination and each bush provides a total of 40 cups of tea per year. The labor forms the 60-70% of total incremental expense.

History of Darjeeling Tea

Most of the Darjeeling tea owe its origin back to Chinese tea seeds smuggled by Dr. Campbell from Kumaon region in 1800’s.

By 1850, the tea consumption in Britain was nearly 2 pounds per persons, England was continuously demanding its own brew and the major supplier of tea was only China. British people were paying high tea tax to China. To end this monopoly, Britishers started looking for the alternate land and then came the name of Darjeeling which was also the perfect retire hill station of the British officials and their families to escape the brutal heat of the plains. So, in 1850 the commercial tea plantation started in Darjeeling. And by 1866, Darjeeling area had 39 tea plantations of 1000 acres producing tea and this number tripled in the next ten years.

Darjeeling Tea Gardens

And today Darjeeling alone has almost  89 tea estates out of which Castleton, Goomtee, Puttabong, Margaret’s Hope, Thurbo, Makaibari, Giddapahar, Ambootia, Tindharia are the most famous ones.

Classification of Darjeeling Teas

Today, each estate in Darjeeling produces 7-8 varieties of tea and it is majorily classified according to the harvesting season- named as first Flush, second flush and so on. As the harvesting season progresses, first flush moves to second flush and so on.

Testers of Darjeeling Tea in Golden Tips Tea Shop

First Flush i.e. Spring Flush (Late February to Mid April)

The leaves plucked during First Flush are the new, young & most tender part of the tea plant. They look extremely delicate, are light greenish in color, have floral scent, and are said to yield the purest and freshest cup of tea.

The tea prepared from the first flush leaves is light in color, have mild aroma and astringency.

Fact: The FIRST FLUSH Tea is the most premium and expensive tea as it is produced in less quantity and its demand over powers it supplies. Most of the Spring flush is exported.

Note: The first flush tea leaves should be brewed in slightly lesser temperature for the perfect aroma and flavor. The Tea connoisseurs suggest that to get optimum flavor of the leaves of this flush, brew them in water after removing it from boil. Don’t soak the tea leaves for over 2, 3 minutes.

Difference between First Flush and Second Flush of Darjeeling Tea
Source

Second Flush i.e. Summer Flush or Summer Tea (May – June)

The summer flush tea leaves are luscious, moist, juicy and larger than first flush. The leaves are characterized by purple bloom and shimmery shiny bud.

Tea prepared from the summer flush is more vivid, copper purplish in color and have a Muscatel flavor (which resembles a sweet fortified wine prepared from muscat grapes).

Fact: Most of the Summer flush too, is exported

Note: The best way to enjoy second flush tea is by brewing leaves for 5 to 6 minutes. These leaves give a strong taste, so add a small sugar cube or a few drop of honey to complement the bitterness.

Monsoon Flush / Breakfast Tea (July to September)

The Monsoon flush leaves contain lot of water, is less withered and more oxidized than the other flush teas. The tea produced from these leaves is dark and strong in appearance. The rainy flush teas are usually blended teas and are served with milk in the morning.

Fact: They are the cheapest of all types and is rarely exported.

Autumn Flush (October to November)

The last flush leaves are different in color and texture from others. The leaves are dark green to copper brownish color, with light aroma. The infused leaves give a copperish gold hue with a fresh fragrance, fruity flavor and a sparkling character.

Fact: Autumn harvest is shortest of all the harvest types, as temperature begins to drop and tea bushes go in to hibernation state. So, the Autumn flush is tough to find, is expensive and most of it is exported.

Note: The Autumn flush is consumed all by itself i.e. without milk, sweet or honey due to its exquisite goodness. The prepared liquid has no sharpness or astringency as it is in the first and second flush and is typically described as the Balanced tea.

Darjeeling Tea Tasting Session

Apart from the flush, comes the Qaulity Grade of the Tea leaves, segregated as:

  • Whole Leaf
  • Broken Leaf (B)
  • Fanning’s (F)
  • Dust (D)

There are over 30 grades in this with Whole leaf being the best and dust being the lowest. If you find SFTGFOP (Super fine tippy golden flowery orange pekoe) it is the highest grade, followed by FTGOP (Fine tippy golden flowery orange pekoe) and TGFOP (Tippy golden flowery orange pekoe) whereas if whole leaf is getting replaced by “B” it falls into Broken category. It is classified as FTBOP (Fine tippy broken orange pekoe) followed by TBOP (tippy broken orange pekoe) and BOP (broken orange pekoe). In fanning’s B is replaced by “F” and it is available as GFOP (Golden flowery orange fannings) and FOF (Flowery orange fannings).

Flowery Orange Pekoe Darjeeling Tea
Flowery Orange Pekoe Darjeeling Tea

Note: The shorter the grade, lower is the quality. Once the OP (Orange Pekoe) is missing in the abbreviation, tea will be just a ordinary tea.

Remember, each of these Darjeeling Flushes has its own characteristic and everyone will have it own view on taste. Taste Completely depends on one’s palate liking, if some will love light and bright (First & Second Flush), others will like full bodied and dark (Monsoon & Autumn Flush). So, we cannot generalize the classification as best or worst.

Apart from this, Darjeeling estate too produces – Green Tea, White Teas and Oolong Teas.

Darjeeling Green Tea:

Many of the tea estates in Darjeeling, have entered into the segment of producing green tea too. The Darjeeling green tea is not divided into flushes like the other Darjeeling teas but the taste definitely varies with the harvest season from March to November.

It is made from the handpicked small leaves (i.e. two leaves with a bud) that are further dried and withered to make the water evaporate. The leaves are further steamed to prevent oxidation as of black tea and they retain natural green color.

The Darjeeling green tea has a nutty muscatel flavor, flowery aroma and is light yellowish green in color separating it from other green teas.

Note: Avoid over steeping of green tea leaves for best aromatic nutty flavor

Darjeeling tea

Darjeeling Oolong Tea

Every tea estate in Darjeeling doesn’t produce the Oolong tea. Only, the estates which lie above 3000 meter, having temperature between 5 -20 degree Celsius throughout the year, and more than 40% concentration of Old Chinese Bush (Chesima) produces oolong tea. The Oolong tea is made from finely plucked or withered two leaves and a bud.

The Oolong tea too is classified as First, Second Flush etc. The Darjeeling first flush oolong is lighter than the Darjeeling First flush black tea. Tea is lighter orange in color. The Darjeeling Second flush oolong is much thicker than first flush and produces as dark orange liquid with distinct muscatel flavor.

Fact: The Darjeeling Second flush is demanded worldwide and is quite expensive

Darjeeling White Tea

The Darjeeling white tea is grown in the tea estates which lie above 2000 meter and where temperature remain cold throughout the year. The white tea is made from the new unopen buds, or from the new leaves which are handpicked, rolled and then withered in the sun making it a rare tea.

On making it has a light aroma, brews to pale golden color and has bit of natural sweetness to it. It is recommended to use more quantity while making the white tea.

Fact: The Darjeeling White Tea is available in small quantities and is quite expensive like 50 gram costs around Rs. 2500- 3000.

Also Read: The virgin White Tea Estate Tour – Handunugoda in Sri Lanka

Darjeeling Scented, Flavored, Blended Tea

This includes the various other teas like rose, hibiscus, litchee, Jasmine Earls Grey etc.

Where to buy Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling, being a tea estate land has endless tea shops too. We were super confused from where to buy the premium one. Every second guy was referring to one or other shops. After inquiring from the hotel guy, we went to the Boutique Tea shop – Golden Tips. We tasted almost 10 -15 types there and brought which our taste buds liked. The shopped list includes:

  • Lemon Grass
  • Hibiscus Tea
  • Rose Tea
  • Masala Tea
  • First Flush Darjeeling Tea

Whole Leaf HIbiscus Darjeeling Tea

Out of these, Lemon grass and first flush turned out to be our favorite whereas Hibiscus is bit sour but has plenty of health benefits. Masala Tea / Chai we love with milk and rose is what we use not very often.

The other option is to purchase these Tea online from the golden tips, tea box, Darjeeling Tea Boutique etc.

Fact: The demand for Darjeeling tea is higher than its supply so many other teas from Assam, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc are sold fake as Darjeeling Tea. So, do buy from the reputed sources or check for the certifications.

Certifications of Darjeeling Tea

Before buying, make sure to check one of these certificates on the Darjeeling Teas- ETP (Ethical Tea Partnerships); UTZ certified, India Organic, Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade etc. These certify the purity and freshness of the beverage from the Himalayas.

Darjeeling Tea Certifications

Conclusion

Tea gardens in the estates of Darjeeling are like a mystic message on the earth canvas. Visit some of these estates to see the women working, smiling and plucking each leave; to feel the aroma and freshness of tea. Taste it wherever you get a chance and then buy the flavors to which your tongue says WOW!

Darjeeling Tea Estate

 

Trip to North Sikkim – Complete Guide

Endless muddy roads, green pastures, barren mountains, changing landscapes, glistening blue high altitude lakes, small quiet monastery towns with a little habitation, flower sanctuaries is what perfectly describes the aura and beauty of North Sikkim.

Trip to North Sikkim

North Sikkim

North Sikkim, the largest district of Sikkim, is also the least populous districts of India and is no less than a paradise on earth. Years back, the zone was non – touristy but the increased social media reach and awareness has put it on every tourist’s radar now. Indeed, the North Zone of Sikkim receives lot of tourists for 6 months and rest 6 months, mother nature lays snow covered and replenishes itself just like Chandratal, Spiti valley, Nubra Valley and Leh Ladakh.

The first time we saw a picture of Gurudongmar lake in North Sikkim on Instagram, it marked to our bucket list. So, recently during our unplanned Sikkim trip, the only plan we had was to visit Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim.

At Tashi point on the way to North Sikkim.

So, after reaching Gangtok from Siliguri via Zoomcar, we started inquiring about the trip to North Sikkim. And we found that You cannot make a self-drive road trip beyond Mangan and the Zone can be explored only with the local travel agents. So, it seemed like a complete Tout game. Apart this we needed answers for the more questions running at the back of our mind. So, we thought to inquire more and do online research. Online research took us to the  TripAdvisor’s Sikkim Travel forum ; where there were plenty of questions and many didn’t had the complete information. So, we are writing this post to include all the information what tourists like us are looking for, before taking up a trip to North Sikkim.

Trip to North Sikkim

No doubt the journey and terrain of North Sikkim is hard but we felt that much of the hype is created by tour agents and touts only. These guys try to scare you, squeeze down your itinerary and cut your pockets in every way. Anyways, if you have made up your mind then there are different types of itineraries to choose from.

Lachung in North Sikkim

North Sikkim Itinerary

Itinerary 1 (2 nights 3 Days)

Day 1: Gangtok to Lachen via Chungthang (120 kilometers, 6 hours drive). Overnight stay at Lachen

Day 2: Early morning trip from Lachen to Gurudongmar Lake. While on the way back include Chopta Valley and Kala Pathar. In the evening head back to Lachung and overnight stay at Lachung.

Day 3: Early morning trip to Yumthang valley, Zero point (Yumesamdong) and post Lunch head back to Gangtok. One can also add a trip to Katao

Itinerary 2 (1 Night 2 Days)

Day 1: Gangtok to Lachen via Chungthang (120 kilometers, 6 hours’ drive). Overnight stay at Lachen

Day 2: Early morning trip from Lachen to Gurudongmar Lake. While on the way back include Chopta Valley and Kala Pathar. In the evening head back to Gangtok.

Itinerary 3 (1 Night 2 Days)

Day 1: Gangtok to Lachung via Chungthang (120 kilometers, 6 hours’ drive) and overnight stay at Lachung

Day 2: Early morning trip to Yumthang valley, Zero point (Yumesamdong) and head back to Gangtok post Lunch. You can also add a trip to Katao.

Out of all the above 3 itineraries, Itinerary 1 is the ideal one to explore the beauty of North Sikkim. Indeed, we felt three days for the North Zone are less and it should be extended to at least 4 days. However, if one has a lesser time then he/she can opt for Itinerary 2 or 3.

Note: Early morning trip means your trip will be starting between 5:00 -6:00 am and you will be returning back to the base i.e. Lachen and Lachung by 2:00 – 3:00 pm.

On the way to Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim

Permit for visiting North Sikkim

North Sikkim shares border with the People’s Republic of China and comes under sensitive zone. So, only few areas are open for the travelers which can be visited only with the special permits, just like inner line permit in Ladakh.

North Sikkim Map
Source

We got to know that the special permit is issued only to the travel agents and not to the travelers individually; that too on the same morning of journey. Whereas the fact is that the permits are issued to individuals but for that you need to run several times to the government offices and sometimes you end up losing the complete day. So, the hoax of permit is spread by the touts and travel agents to confuse tourists and gain business.

Our Suggestion: Book a trip with the good driver who can arrange for permit himself instead of tour operator or with the hotel reference.

Note: Permit to Gurudongmar Lake is issued only to Indians here whereas international tourist need to take the permits from Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi, otherwise they have to option to visit the scenic Chopta Valley

Documents For Permit

Carry an identity proof (Aadhar Card, Voter ID, Driving License, Passport) of each individual along with 2-3 photographs.

On the way to Lachen from Gurudongmar in North Sikkim

Choose a Vehicle

Rugged terrain means a rugged vehicle too. So, a big yes to SUV – Bolero, Scoprio or Xylo and no to Innova and Sedans. Innova is a rugged vehicle but because of the low clearance from ground, it fails to cross the rough roads.

Along with this, there is an option to choose between the shared or personal vehicle. Personal vehicles are expensive but they offer you more freedom and privacy. Shared vehicle are affordable but there is a misconception that shared means everything shared including accommodation. Actually, this is not the case. Solo travelers will get their own space and do confirm the same with the agents before enrolling.

Our Suggestion: Choose personal Bolero for having ultimate fun and making “N” number of stops on the way

On the way to Kala Pathar in North Sikkim

Choose the Hotel

Travel agent’s packages include food and lodging. And the price of package will range according to the accommodation one chooses from home stay, budget or luxurious hotel.

At both Lachen and Lachung, majority of the places look like Home stays only. They have basic amenities and are really clean and cozy. Rest, the hospitality of the locals really covers up for everything.

Recently, during our visit we saw huge luxurious structures coming up. You can also check their listing on websites like Tripadvisor.

Our Suggestion: Prefer staying in a home-stay to enjoy the local culture and hospitality.

Package Cost

The package cost includes cost of travel, fuel, permit, food and accommodation.

For personal vehicle cost for 2 Night 3 Days package is around 18,000 – 20,000 in off season and 25,000 in season. For 1 Night 2 Days package costs around 8,000 -10,000 in off season and 12,000 in season.

The shared vehicle costs around Rs 3,000 -4000 for 2 Night 3 Days package in off season and can go bit higher in season.

Note: Package doesn’t include a trip to Chopta Valley, Kala Pathar, Zero Point and Katao. You need to pay extra to your diver for covering each of these. He will ask for almost Rs. 2500 to each point. Negotiate for all the places together and he will settle down around Rs. 4000/-.

The green Chopta Valley in North Sikkim

From where to book Package for North Sikkim

There are several agents on MG Marg which can help you in booking the package. We booked for ourselves through the Hotel Chumbi Residency and it costed us slight less than the MG Marg prices.

There are several online sites from where you can book the package. You can also check the list of registered tour operators for taking North Sikkim trips.

Our Suggestion: Book a tour at least one or two days in advance

When to visit North Sikkim

North Sikkim is accessible only for 6-7 months in a year. During rest months, roads get snow covered.

Season: April to June and November to February. In April – May, rhododendrons are in full bloom at Yumthang Valley whereas from November to February the lake is frozen and surrounded by white peaks. October too is considered as an ideal month, as the sky will be clear and there will be no snowfall.

Off season- July – September. There are high chances of landslides due to rain but then there will be hardly any tourists

Our Suggestion: Visit North Sikkim in off season, when the clouds will float over greens, rain will make everything look fresh and everything will be quite reasonable.

Shingba Rhododenderon Sanctuary in North Sikkim

Clothes for trip to North Sikkim

In North Sikkim the altitude changes drastically from 9,000 feet to 17,000 feet and so, does the weather changes here. It gets quite cold and windy at high altitudes. Do carry woolens in all seasons along with cap and gloves.

Note: Remember to dress up in layers while travelling in North Sikkim

Points to Remember

  • There are high chances of Altitude Mountain Sickness in North Sikkim. So, do carry Diamox and camphor to protect it. Also keep on sipping liquid and munching food to avoid AMS
  • Children below 5 years and adults above 60 years are not allowed to visit North Sikkim especially the Gurudongmar Lake. Also the people with ailments like Heart diseases, high Blood pressure, need to have a doctor recommendation for visit. Please do respect that. It’s for your safety and well-being.
  • There are almost no roads in North Sikkim but the journey is a lifetime experience
  • Don’t try to rush directly from Siliguri to Gurudongmar. The journey will be super tough and not at all advisable
  • One doesn’t need to carry whole of his/her luggage to North Sikkim. Hotels in Gangtok have provision of keeping it in their store rooms
  • Plastic is banned in North Sikkim. So buy a refillable from Mangan and fill it wherever you have a chance

We did the trip to North Sikkim with driver Sharon Chettri and his contact details are: 8348815694. He himself too organizes the trip, which costs quite less than the tour operators.

Trip to North Sikkim

If you have any questions or want any more information on North Sikkim, feel free to ask us in the comments.

Related posts

Gurudongmar Lake

Our Experience with Zoomcar from Siliguri to Sikkim

Popular Brands that you can find around the world

Travel makes you modest, confident, a decision maker, happy, and a storyteller, it also changes your behavior and brain but has ever travel left you confused. Yes! We are serious. It did the same to us in Sri Lanka, when we wanted to have our favorite Choco Chip dessert from Kwality Walls (Unilever) after dinner and we couldn’t find it. We came back to our room with a puppy face at APA Villa Illuketia and later after researching on internet and reading analysis by Data Label, we found; that the brand is known in the country as Magic rather than Kwality Walls. Oh really! It was an eye opener for us and there we realized that some brands are present all around the world but with different brand names.

Magical Evening in Sri Lanka - Brands around the world

So, what is a brand name?

If I go by simple dictionary meaning; Brand Name means the words that identify not only the products but also its manufacturers or producers such as Coca Cola, Sony, Kodak etc. But then why the difference of name here.

And the

Answer we got was

  1. Different countries have different languages, different slangs, different sense of humor and different cultures. The same word may sound like a pride in one country whereas in other it can mean the war or boycott or something else. For example, the Chevrolet Nova might be a good word in English, but for Spanish, the translation of “no va” is “doesn’t go”. So, it isn’t the best option for a new car.
  1. Then is the Language Laws – For example KFC the initials for Kentucky Fried Chicken or the appellation for Finger Licking Food does business all around the world by the name KFC except at Quebec in Canada where they are known as PFK. And the reason for same is that Montreal has super strict Language Laws. If you are a business with English name you need to have a French Equivalent in the country and “Kentucky Fried Chicken” became “Poulet Frit Kentucky”. Hence, PFK was born.

KFC & PFK - Around the world

  1. Already Existing Brand Name and Trademarks – Burger King, the American global hamburger chain operates both nationally and Internationally. But while expanding to Australia they faced a certain issue in their branding. There was already a fast food store named as “Burger King”. So the American Burger King, asked the Australian franchise i.e. Jack Cowin to choose the name form its pre- existing trademarks. He chooses Hungry Jack and to make it more controlling, he added an apostrophe to it. So, the Australian Burger King brand came up as Hungry Jack’s.

Burger King & Hungry Jack - Around the world

  1. International Brand Names –Some brands make no attempts to keep the same name and make changes according to their international audience. For example – Lay’s a famous potato chip brand is known by different names in different countries. It is known as Walkers in UK and Ireland, Smith’s in Australia, chipsy in Brazil, Sabritas in Mexico, Chipsy in Egypt and Elma Chips in Brazil. However, PepsiCo created some unity between all these brands by making their logos appear visually similar.  All these brands logo have a red wavy banner just as that of Lay’s. So, Lays is available all around the world.

Lays - Around the World

  1. Started off as Independent Businesses and later Acquired – In this case, the bigger brands acquire the other reputed brands and keep selling them with the original respective name. For Example – Dove Chocolate Bar available worldwide is not available in UK, India, Ireland and middle east by the same name. Indeed, it is available as Galaxy. The story is both Dove and Galaxy both started off as independent companies. Dove was Chicago-based and Galaxy was a UK firm. Later, the Global confectioner Mars Inc. acquired both these companies and unified their product lines. Although today, the packaging design for both the products is almost identical but still it is sold as Dove in some countries and Galaxy in others.

Dove & Galaxy- Around the World

  1. Previous Connotations – If you are a Diet Coke Lover, you won’t find the same in Europe, Malaysia and Mexico. The reason is that it is available as Coco Cola Light here as the people of these countries associate Light with lesser calories as compared to Diet. But the Branding and Logo is same everywhere making it easier to spot.

These reasons, helped us in understanding why brands are available in different countries by different names. Hopefully they will help you too around the world and next time you can order or buy some of your favorite brands by just looking at their logos or referring to this cool infographic made by Data Label.

Popular Brands Around the World

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