The other day one of my old school friends called on me and I was so immersed in my work that I was hardly attentive to what he was saying, my replies too were very curt. He probably thought that I wasn't interested in talking to him and so he went back quickly. He must have felt bad. Though I realised my mistake pretty soon and promptly called him back to apologize for my behaviour but such acts can scar even the oldest of friendships. Sometimes I do get this feeling that I am no more the jovial person that I used to be once. I have in fact noticed that day by day I am turning into quite an unfriendly and grumpy person. And the reason for my odd behaviour is because I am working a bit too hard and so I remain stressed out most of the time. I haven't taken a proper break since a while now. It's no secret that we are all madly hustling around to fulfill our life goals. We want success - both in life as well as in our career. However working too hard without taking a break is not the way to go. Breaks and rest are also integral to our success, otherwise we will end up burning ourselves out!
In the rush of life, day in and day out, we often forget that what really matters is our health and peace of mind, our own well-being - that should be our first priority. We have become too busy for our own good, so much that we keep on putting on hold all plans of taking a break and going on a holiday, be it alone or with our family. How often have we avoided taking a vacation, telling ourselves that we don't have time? In reality however, time is just a choice - our choice. It's not that difficult actually to carve out time for a vacation trip. We all need to slow down and pause. We need to rejuvenate. We need to take time off and go on a vacation every few months. That is one of the best ways to relax and unwind, to refuel and recharge ourselves. It’s amazing how even a week's vacation to some beautiful new place can rev one up and fill him with endless enthusiasm!
The last time I went on a full vacation was way back in 2014 - a good two years ago. Ideally, traveling to a new country at least once every two or three years would be fantastic but it’s not always feasible. So this time I have decided to go on a week-long trip to the North-East - precisely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, and spend some quality time there. Initially I wasn't sure about which place to visit but then finally chose the North East after much consideration. Though I have never been to any of the North-eastern states of India before but my friends had often recommended these places to me in the past. I have myself seen some really amazing photos of a few exotic places in these states on the internet and in travel magazines and those had definitely piqued my interest about the region.
Well, my travel plans are almost ready and so is the itinerary, all thanks to www.yatra.com. Not only did the website help me in selecting the flight route but also gave me some really affordable options for lodging. After quite a bit of careful planning, I have zeroed in on 25th of next month to fly down to Guwahati from the New Delhi airport by Indigo Airlines. It's a direct flight that would take only a little over two hours from Delhi and even the timing of the flight is perfect. It leaves at around five thirty in the evening and will reach Guwahati by eight o'clock. I have already booked my tickets (both for the to and return journey), I will be returning back to Delhi on 2nd of July from Guwahati by Spicejet Airlines. It leaves Guwahati at four o'clock in the evening and will land in Delhi in the next three hours or so. Thus New Delhi will be my starting point and once I reach Guwahati in Assam, the rest of the trip will be by road. Once I touch down in Guwahati, I will head straight to the lodge where I have booked a room for the night, The Kamko Place (it was recommended by a friend and I was told that it serves some really delicious assamese dishes in dinner). The real journey will start from the next morning. I will take a tourist volvo bus to travel to Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang is going to be my first stop-over place. On the way however, I also intend to stop by Bomdila and Dirang valley. I have heard that Bomdila is a beautiful small town that is blessed with a brilliant landscape full of lush greenery and snow clad Himalayan mountain ranges in the background.
From Bomdila, I will move for Tawang.
I am really excited about visiting this place. As seen in the above photograph, Tawang is endowed with absolutely mesmerizing beauty. No doubt, it's regarded as a paradise for nature lovers. I will surely be head over heels in love with this place.
Sela Pass, Tawang Monastery (the largest monastery in India), Shonga-tser Lake and Nuranang Waterfalls are some of the places that I plan to visit upon reaching Tawang.
Sela pass is a high altitude mountain pass (at 13,700 feet above sea level) located between the towns of Bomdila and Jung, that connects the city of Tawang with the rest of India. It is of special importance to the Buddhists, because they believe that there are almost hundred and one lakes in and around this pass, each of them holding religious significance. The photographs surely look magnificent.
From Nuranang Falls, I will head for Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. Going by its photos, the snow-clad Tsomgo Lake in Gangtok will be a visual treat. I am going to put my photography skills to test.
This vacation is going to be memorable and I am hoping to have a fabulous time there. I'm sure by the time, I return back to Delhi, I will be feeling completely refreshed and renewed and would have also got lots of pleasant memories to cherish for life.
