Dharamsala
Stayed at: Paul House up the hill in Dharamkot for R250 (w bathroom) - decent budget accomodation, if sometimes loud at night with Israeli banter into the wee small hours.
Stay again? Yes, probably - great views, good price, nice guys.
 |
| Looking out from the chai shop. I miss that chai. |
One of our most favourite places of the trip, as well as our one of our first. Friendly Ajay runs the chai shop at Dharamkot on the main road up from McLeod Ganj. We breakfasted here most mornings of our 10 day stay in the area on cheap tasty chai, toast or pancakes and watched the world go by: locals, monks, school kids across the road, tired backpackers arriving from the night buses. You could easily pass the day here and see weeks turn into months.
Trek and Dine, Dharamkot
Trek and Dine, Dharamkot
Great restaurant and hang-out with fab Indian dishes and all the usual traveller fare. The momo`s were awesome and the cakes pretty irresistable too.
Moonpeak Cafe, McLeod Ganj
Time to rock out with the best coffee in Dharamsala area... Coffees at 50 or 60 INR are fresh ground and tasty; with a fridge of cakes and some exciting sandwich options included. Free wifi, a soundtrack of Pearl Jam et al. and some funky local artwork on the walls kept us coming back every time we were in the 'Ganj. There are cheaper options around but Moonpeak was worth every penny for a good caffeine fix in a cool spot.
Lung Ta Restaurant, Mcleod Ganj
Japanese restaurant in Mcleod Ganj with awesome tofu, miso soup and Japanese salads. Great views at the back over the valley; and inside, a really pleasantly arranged restaurant with some traditional floor seating. The set lunch changes throughout the week but for budget-conscious traveller bellies, it does fine for two people. Some of the best honey-lemon-ginger tea of the trip and lots of monks call in here too - always a good sign for your karma!
Welcome Cafe, Upper BhagsuThis place gets the nod for pure atmosphere but the Thupka is huge and tasty to boot. The smiley hard-living owner, dressed in cowboy hat and Jim Morrision t-shirt, called me "brother" from the start and the balcony area has a stunning view across the valley, next to a small waterfall we clambered across from the Dharamokot-Bhagsu road. Inside is a psychedelic mix of wall hangings and all-floor seating. Clearly a hang-out where some choose to sit and get stoned all day, it defines "getting away from it all". We went back for a live Sufi music evening and the musicians were superb: the only challenge is finding it! If ever I need to escape the world, this is where I'd come...
Manali (Vashisht)
Stayed at: New Dharma Guesthouse, Vashisht for R300 (w bathroom) - budget accomodation we allowed ourselves to be shown to from the main road after a tiring bus trip (thus assuring a commission mark-up).
Stay again? Nope, too many flies and they hit us with a suprise `luxury tax` on departure. Great views from the roof cafe though and the cook was a great guy.
Leh
Stayed at: Gomang Guest House, Changspa for just R200 (shared bathroom), this has been the best value accommodation we've had, not least because it was so clean! Clean walls, clean sheets, cosy duvets, peaceful atmosphere. The family were sweet lovely people, letting us keep our belongings in the same room for no cost while we went trekking, and even cleaned it while we were away. No hot showers, but they were very accommodating with the hot water buckets and made a very tasty omelette. The guest house looks out over the 9th Century Gomang stupa, with a view of the Shanti Stupa too.
Stay again? At the drop of a hat. Prices would be R300-350 in high season but this would still be worth it and helped make our stay in Ladakh so memorable and charming.
 |
| View from Gomang guest house. Which doesn`t entirely suck, let`s face it. |
All the guidebooks recommend it and they are not wrong. The restaurant is constantly busy with the best quality traveller food in Changspa. To be fair, it's probably the best in all of Leh. The veggie lasagne was particularly good, and the excellent fresh salads were a godsend given the need to be a bit careful with fresh fruit and veg in India. It's always the little touches of service that make the difference e.g. one night when the restaurant had run out of change, the friendly Sikh owner waived us away and suggested we pay next day with the immortal line `It happens only in India´. With a roof terrace for the summer, some nice tunes in the background (Manu Chao/Rodrigo y Gabriela/Gotan Project) AND a book swapping service, this is a great place to chill out after trekking and to replenish those calories.
Seeing Ladakh: Nubra Valley, local trek routes...
Sounds blindingly obvious but our main tip for the area is to make sure you get out of town. It`s not always easy to do it independently or at rock-bottom prices, due to distances and permits needed so I fear this puts some backpackers off. But if you´ve made it all the way up here to the roof of the world it´s a shame to huddle in Leh for the sake of a few thousand rupees. There are dozens of tours and it`s easy to group together to lower the costs. The week and a half in Ladakh was one of the biggest highlights of our trip and passing in and out of Leh to visit further afield was a huge part of that.
Calcutta
Stayed at: Hotel Galaxy for R700 (w bathroom) - big room in a pleasant budget place on a quiet side street in the buzzing Sudder Street area.
Stay again? Yes,probably. It`s pricey for backpackers but that`s the big cities, baby and sometimes there`s only so cheap you want to go in this glorious country... Great location, big room and good water pressure.
Street food, street food and more street food
I think Calcutta was where we really hit our stride with Indian cuisine this trip - the food and fresh juice stands were everywhere and were fantastic. Friendly people, good prices and fresh lime juice, massive dosas and other treats await - just remember to use your elbows in line!
Siddheswari Ashram, near New Market
We wrote about this place and it was one of our most memorable eating experiences in India. Hard to make the most of it as a vegetarian as the meat dishes were fantastic but we ate better here for about R40 (for both of us) than in many mid-range places elsewhere. Staring slightly helplessly at the wall menu on our first night in Bengal, we were whisked into the kitchen to bypass the communication barriers and had everything pointed out. Eat like a local - speedy, communal, bursting with flavour and served with piles of fresh onions, chilli and lime.
Fairlawn Hotel, Sudder Street
Great for a few beers before or after dinner. We enjoyed a lovely few Kingfisher here after a month of abstinence. Peaceful, good decor and plenty of Calcuttan youngsters here drinking and smoking the night away making for great people-watching!
Calcutta
Stayed at: Hotel Galaxy for R700 (w bathroom) - big room in a pleasant budget place on a quiet side street in the buzzing Sudder Street area.
Stay again? Yes,probably. It`s pricey for backpackers but that`s the big cities, baby and sometimes there`s only so cheap you want to go in this glorious country... Great location, big room and good water pressure.
 |
| Fresh fruit juice everywhere in my new fave Indian city |
I think Calcutta was where we really hit our stride with Indian cuisine this trip - the food and fresh juice stands were everywhere and were fantastic. Friendly people, good prices and fresh lime juice, massive dosas and other treats await - just remember to use your elbows in line!
Siddheswari Ashram, near New Market
We wrote about this place and it was one of our most memorable eating experiences in India. Hard to make the most of it as a vegetarian as the meat dishes were fantastic but we ate better here for about R40 (for both of us) than in many mid-range places elsewhere. Staring slightly helplessly at the wall menu on our first night in Bengal, we were whisked into the kitchen to bypass the communication barriers and had everything pointed out. Eat like a local - speedy, communal, bursting with flavour and served with piles of fresh onions, chilli and lime.
Fairlawn Hotel, Sudder Street
Great for a few beers before or after dinner. We enjoyed a lovely few Kingfisher here after a month of abstinence. Peaceful, good decor and plenty of Calcuttan youngsters here drinking and smoking the night away making for great people-watching!
Raj´s Spanish Cafe, Sudder Street
We regularly stopped here for coffee with our newspapers - cheap, peaceful courtyard, good service. Good coffee and lots of cheap tapas dishes too.
Varanasi
Stayed at: Yogi Lodge for R350 (shared bathroom). Longstanding budget place in the Old City, one of the few with fixed low rates who don`t work on commission in this hustler holy town. They also pick you up from the station for free to make the passage into town past the touts that bit easier. I stayed here before in 1998 and it is much the same: good cafe and chilled out - but rooms, showers and toilets very basic.
Stay again? Hard to say - we both got ill in Varanasi and may have needed a bit more luxury than Yogi Lodge has to offer. Would definitely recommend as a good, reliable budget stay - but might branch out if I return to Varanasi again.
Brown Bread Bakery, Dashaswamedh
With a sister outlet in Ajay`s hotel in Pahar Ganj, Delhi, this place has great food with a particular focus on organic breads and cakes. Also a huge cheese selection - and proceeds go towards the charity Learn for Life. Chilled out cushioned seating and live classical music in the evenings.
Kathmandu
Stayed at: Student Guest House, Thamel for NR900 (w bathroom) - cheap clean and very comfortable, this place was a great refuge in the heart of bustling Thamel, booked by a friend before we arrived.
Stay again? Yes probably. There may be cheaper options around but we generally found Nepal a bit pricier than India and this was a great price for a really comfortable stay in a central location.
Cozy Cafe, Chowk-29, Thamel
This place runs a restaurant and internet centre set just back from the road and does a fantastic breakfast. The poached eggs were the best T had anywhere in the country and the steak was done perfectly too. The guys who run it couldn`t be sweeter or more welcoming and this place deserves much more business. Go, eat, chat, check your email. You won`t be disappointed.
Clubbing in Thamel
We were pretty spoiled on our awesome Friday night in Thamel by gatecrashing our Nepali friend`s night out and getting the fast-track on where the capital`s cool kids go. Bar-hop, club-hop, dance your ass off. Lots of fun - and suprisingly cheap Laphroaig whisky in The Factory, we found to our undoing...
Bhaktapur
Unlikely to be missed off many itineraries but as the price seems to be climbing to dizzying amounts, worth the shout out to shoe-stringers in particular that the ancient city 20km outside Kathmandu is not to be missed. Capital of the Greater Malla Kingdom, the site is packed with incredible temples, palaces and monuments in excellent condition and is a fantastic half-day or more`s wander. We hired a guide at the entrance (which we don`t normally do) for a snip - I forget the exact cost - and he was so worth every penny we tipped over 50%. Stunning.
Pokhara
Stayed at: Vagabond Guesthouse, Lakeside-6 for NR700 (w bathroom). Beautiful guesthouse set right back from the main Lakeside road on a side-street - lovely gardens surrounded by pretty rooms opening onto shared balconies. We stumbled on this place as walk-ins after the long bus from Kathmandu and it was perhaps our best random, unresearched stay of the trip. Peaceful, clean, friendly, well-run.
Stay again? Definitely - excellent value.
DB Momo, Shiva Mandir Marga, Lakeside
Fantastic little hole in the wall restaurant with superb Tibetan, Japanese and other Asian dishes. It`s a great place to sit people-watching with a beer and the momos did not disappoint - some of the best we had anywhere. I suspect on a long-term stay in Pokhara you would find yourself coming back here every other night...
Delhi
Stayed at: Travelling through town three times we stayed at Wongdhen House, Majnu-ka-tilla (R600), Ajay´s, Paharganj (R800 plus tax) and Amax Inn, Ram Nagar (R900-1000 plus tax) - all technically budget-level on a scale and all with bathroom but in different parts of town.
Stay again? Probably not, yes definitely and unsure, respectively! Wongdhen was a bit too basic and unkempt for our initial arrival in India, if a good price. I also wasn`t that fussed with the area whcih is a long schlep out unless you are smitten. Ajay´s is an old favourite, a 24 hour budget traveller hub with great restaurant, internet and clothes boutiques, plus nightly movies on the roof. In rowdy Paharganj and pretty windowless but decent rooms with fab water pressure, TV and overall very well run. Amax was the most upmarket of the bunch and comfortable with good service - but for the extra money I was never quite convinced. Water pressure a bit hit and miss.
Karim´s, near Jama Masjid
We wrote about this place - awesome historic restaurant complex near the mosque in old Delhi - ask anyone, anywhere, nearby for directions if in doubt, they`ll know! For meat-eaters in particular but the veggie options, as everywhere in India, just as tasty. Hot hot hot, with naan as big as a house, and fast, friendly service. Watching the guys prepare the rotis in the courtyard is also a destination in itself. Still thinking of that Palak paneer...
No comments:
Post a Comment