Birds of Almora, Uttarakhand

These birds were spotted in Pappersaili suburb of Almora in the last week of October.

<- A Brown-fronted  Woodpecker (a better image courtesy RWeHavingFunYet)

-> Bar-tailed Tree Creeper - I found it rapidly moving up along a side of the pine tree in a short swift bursts ( like a mouse) until it got to the top. Then it would come flying down and resume the ascent, this time on a different side of the trunk. After exhausting one tree, it would take up another. I also noticed that it did not confine itself only to pine trees. Salim Ali calls it a 'Spotted Grey Creeper'

<- Grey Tit

-> Scaly-breasted Munia...foraging in the undergrowth

<- Common Chiffchaff

Right and below: Red-billed Blue Magpie. I got the second shot on the road while driving down from Almora to Bhowali ... the Magpie was absorbed in hunting down a lizard (not in the picture)

<- To the left and below, different profiles of a Grey Shrike

<-Tailor Bird Juvenile (?)

-> Himalayan Whistling Thrush. I noticed during my stay in Almora that it was always the first bird to start singing in the morning.

<- Grey-headed Flycatcher

-> Himalayan Tree Pie

<- Himalayan Woodpecker seen at Binsar Bird Sanctuary

-> Eurasian Jay... A resident of the Himalayas...Black moustachial stripe is distinctive

<- Black-headed Jay ... resident Himalayas...distinctive streaked throat

Shillong

Shillong from Laitkor Peak

Our first experience of Shillong is being sandwiched in  bumper to bumper traffic that inches its way into the city in stops and starts. Over the next few days, we realize that this is the normal traffic scenario in all the main roads of Shillong. There are far more vehicles out on these roads than these roads can handle. The long time spent on the roads breathing in vehicle exhaust and dust is a price we have to pay for any excursion around Shillong.

Our shared taxi unloads us at a place called 'Anjali pump' - a tri-junction  with a petrol pump at the center. Several days later, while leaving Shillong we discover that just a few meters ahead is the Anjali cinema hall and right across the hall is the stand where shared and reserved taxi's wait for Guwahati passengers.


Room with a view at La Chaumiere

We have opted to stay in a 'Guest house' rather than a hotel. La Chaumiere hill where our guest house is located, turns out to be a quiet residential area with narrow curved roads snaking around the hill and down the sides. 'Summit Guest House' is located inside the compound of a colonial style bungalow with a beautiful garden.

View from the room

The common areas of the guest house - a sitting room with TV, the dining room, the staircase and  lobby - are tastefully done up. Our room is pleasant and welcoming with light streaming in through  floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out at the town below and the hills beyond. A little balcony gives an uninterrupted view.

Summit Guest house has its little quirks. The food - breakfast and dinner - comes from the kitchen of the main house and has to be ordered well in advance. The landlady warns us that her kitchen is closed between breakfast and dinner. The order has to be written down to the T and passed to the kitchen. On one occasion we write down an order for roast chicken (the menu specifies roast chicken with vegetables/baked potatoes). We get what we asked for - only roast chicken, no vegetables! But quirks and all, the food is home cooked and wholesome and served exactly at the time requested. We really like this place.

Eating at Laitumkrah

Setting out to explore the neighborhood, we find that a short walk down the hill brings us to a locality called Laitumkrah, with the striking 'Mary, Help of Christians Cathedral', several schools and numerous eating places frequented mainly by local residents. We sample a Khasi thali at Jadoh which appears to be a popular eatery from the number of people queuing up. All the items available are on display at the counter. We opt for plain rice instead of the popular pork-rice as the staple. The thali comes with a small piece of chicken in a green curry, a vegetable (potato) and several spicy chatni's and a fruity drink. It is a quick and light meal served in clean surroundings. We figure out later that Jadoh is the generic name for the Khasi rice steamed with pork. In the next few days, we invariably see this dish being consumed in local eateries and at all times, at breakfast and even in the late afternoon.

Laitumkrah has of course more variety in food joints than just Jadoh's. We have heard that a popular restaurant among the young is 'Flavours'. Looking for 'Flavours', we come across 'Different Flavours' and decide that is certainly not the place we want. Returning to Laitumkrah on another day, we ask for directions from a local youth. He tells us how to find 'Flavours' and 'Different Flavours' but is non committal about which has better food. We finally get to 'Flavours' and order steamed momo's that turn out to be as delicious as we have imagined. In the restaurant, we realize that both the 'Flavours' are part of the same chain!

The archery sweepstakes

Crowd waiting for results of the Archery sweepstakes

Guwahati in transit

Paltan Bazar

It is by accident that the hotels we have chosen for the nights stay in Guwahati, both on our way to Meghalaya from Delhi and on the way back, happen to be in Paltan Bazar. It turns out that staying in the Paltan Bazar is a good choice. An air-conditioned private bus that we board at the airport drops us a few meters from our hotel near Nepali Mandir charging an extremely reasonable fare of just Rs 100. The next morning, we have to just step out of the hotel to find a shared taxi going to Shillong. (Fare Rs 140/- per seat).

On our way back to Delhi, our shared taxi from Shillong again drops us just a few meters from our hotel. The next morning, the government airport bus picks us up at the hotel entrance. (The only inconvenience using the government service is that the tickets have to be purchased in advance from the ASTC counter at Ulubari, a short auto ride from our hotel).

Fancy Bazar

The highlights of the half day that we spend in Guwahati are making our way through Fancy Bazar in the midst of the Pooja shopping frenzy, a ferry ride at dusk across the Bramhaputra and back (costing all of Rs 5) and an authentic Assamese dinner.

A place for authentic Assamese food

We have been recommended Paradise Restaurant at GNB road for authentic Assamese cuisine. At 7.30, it is a little early for dinner and there is just one table occupied. We order a la carte instead of the thali. Amla soup, steamed rice and fish cooked in amla curry, and fish steamed in bamboo hollows. We have ordered a surfeit of fish on purpose - that is something we rarely get to eat where we live. By and by, more tables get occupied, but the restaurant is not crowded. The food is delicious and with unique flavors. We resolve to return to try out the thali, but unfortunately that will have to wait another visit to Guwahati.

We learn that the group running Paradise has also started a restaurant in Delhi  (Jakoi) offering traditional Assamese food.