• Ben http://t.co/bCt4xAAE #
• En route – Thomson. http://t.co/rrNrm7CV #
• Getting tough!! @ Singapore Association For The Deaf http://t.co/UsOzuo47 #
• #nofilter @ Pulau Bawah http://t.co/1DCWGjv4 #
• Lunch date with @jlfang bowl was bigger than her face!! #
• iPad, parker and pacman moleskin. #meeting2 @ Starbucks http://t.co/Tl66I8qy #
• Cc: !! http://t.co/mqAMFWnH #
• Bananas! http://t.co/3q0wgimN #

Making a comeback. Good song. Always preferred this style.

One of my favourite Bob Marley songs.

• Back with coverage. Lots of stories to share after 9 days at sea. http://t.co/mQqY8Pqp #
• #nofilter and zero coverage @ Pulau Bawah http://t.co/xICkJw4T #
• #
• What's that big fire on the east side of Singapore. Looks like Changi
  Area? http://t.co/fCoOtKGo #

• UWCSEA students. Remember getting home diaries every year? #memories #springclean http://t.co/jxeC7nXH #
• The king and his chariot. http://t.co/OnOB7a84 #
• Gold. http://t.co/2mitNX8T #
• Back at the box #
• Toothy grin #
• Wearing his daddy's shirt. Photo every year. Eventually he will grow in to it. http://t.co/snjxkrtO #
• Fav study place. @ Toby's Estate Cafe http://t.co/rtE9W53F #
• Brain fried. So much to learn! I wish I has someone to sign with for p @ Singapore Association For The Deaf http://t.co/B7nWDmRu #

Haven’t blogged much about nephew #2, thought I’d share a few photographs I helped my sister take this week of the lil fella. He is wearing his papa’s shirt, and every year we will take a photo of him in it till he fills it out.

Click on a photo to enter gallery mode.

Click on any photo to enter gallery mode.

Quiet stroll up the hill in the morning

Rock surface

Not sure what flower this is.

Village kids getting ready for school. We will see them in a bit.

The forests consists of mixed species like rhododendron, bamboo, oak, ferns. The valley also has numerous species of orchids. Flower season in this region is from Mar - May, Sep - Oct.

Raj explains to us about the Himalayan mountain range and Mt Kanchenjunga.

She peeps out of curiosity and beams a shy smile.

Bhut Jolokia chili pepper. Once touted the hottest chilli in the world. Rated at 1,000,000SHU+. The Scoville scale measures the capsaicin content in the chili, the substance that gives peppers their kick. To put the scale in perspective, the jalapeño pepper measures between 2,500 and 8,000 SHU. Recently it's been replaced by a chilli grown in the UK.

View of the valley

Hanging veranda

Farmer's hut.

Keeping warm. Kitchen is typically under the house.

The walk to school.

Passed by a goat hut on the way back to the log house.

This has to be one of my favourite captures of the whole trip.

View of some more village houses.

Such cute school uniforms.

The Neora Valley Eco Huts are the wooden lodges/log houses available at the Kolakham Village. There are other accommodation options available such as the jungle camp and home stays. The log house that I stayed in was completely made of natural local materials. It’s no 4-star hotel, but it’s what was expected in the more rural parts of India. It’s particularly popular with nature lovers and eco-tourists because of its location in the Neora Valley National Park, well known for its flora, fauna and wildlife especially birds.

Here are the list of amenities in this place

• Heater
• Blankets
• Towel
• Soap
• Toilet paper
• Complimentary bottled water
• Power points (weak voltage, takes longer to charge things)
• Security: locks on doors
• Dining room

The Kolakham village is about 8 kms from the nearest town called Lava, home to about 60 Nepali families belonging to the Rai community. A walk around the village gives you a sense of their lifestyle and daily activities. They predominantly farm or breed live-stock, cardamom being the primary crop. Although simple, their houses are proudly decorated with potted flowers of marigold, dahlia and chrysanthemum which skirt the path to their doorstep.

Highlights

• Neora valley eco huts were clean and authentic
• Food and hospitality was exceptional. House manager was very welcoming and would spend the time to sit with you and talk about the village and its history.
• Food tasted better than it looked. Was exceptional, and felt like home cooked Indian food. Curries, rice and parathas.
• Pretty good view of the valley and on clear days you can see Mount Kanchenjunga

Things to note

• You can arrange for a morning tea call the night before (i.e. a knock on your door wake up call with a hot of hot chai tea)
• Don’t expect bread and scrambled eggs for breakfast, you will be eating local such as Aloo Paratha. If you can’t stomach that in the morning, bring your own snacks.
• Hot water has to be requested, which involves them boiling a pot of hot water over a wood-fired stove. If you want to bucket shower, mix it with some cold water to make it lukewarm.

 
Published Price: Minivet Loghouse – Rs. 1400.00

We left the Swissotel Kolkata at 9am to catch our Jet lite domestic flight to Bagdogra.

Bagdogra is a small town in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, which is surrounded by tea gardens.The Bagdogra Airport is the only airport in North Bengal, which is now an International Airport. Even though it’s an international airport, don’t expect much.We deplaned on the apron and walked to the non-air conditioned terminal. After being greeted by Raj, we commenced our journey to Neora Valley by 4WD.

Click on any photo to go into Gallery mode.

4WD is the best mode of transport to tackle the Himalayan hills. Because we would be travelling on dirt and possibly muddy roads, we wouldn't stand a chance in a mini-van.

This was one of our drivers, Gopal. He doesn't speak much English but is learning.

We would be driving through Siliguri which is the largest city in the North East of India and an important trade center for West Bengal. The city is also known as “Gateway of North East India” and famous for its triple ‘T’ – Tea, Transport and Timber.

I was quite surprised to see so many women employed in hard physical labour jobs - road works carrying heavy loads.

Trishaws also a mode of transport in Siliguri.

Beautiful colours.

It doesn't take very long for one to see poverty in this country.

As we climbed, the views get more spectacular. And the people look more Nepali too. This little girl babysits her sister while her mother is at work.

Even within one city you can tell which part of India they are from. This style is usually the more South Indian with the sari draped on the left shoulder.

This woman is wearing a more tribal print sari skirt. Firewood is still widely used to fire up stoves. Due to increasing population and tourism, deforestation and pollution is becoming an issue.

Old vs New. Modernisation is clearly apparent in Siliguri.

Stopped by a stationery store to buy some supplies for the kids.

Landscape starting to change. I think that cloud is giving me the middle finger?!?

Home style cooked food.

It was already dark when we reached Neora Valley. It would usually take 4 hours to get to Kolakham village in Neora Valley, but we made a few pit stops here and there. We stayed at the Neora Valley Eco Huts which is a homestay initiative driven by Help Tourism to provide villagers an alternative source of income.

This meal doesn’t look like much but it tasted AMAZING.