Finland : first travel experience and tips

Hello from Finland!

I have relocated to Finland to join as an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) at the University of Eastern Finland. And this would mark my first travel outside India. After 3 years of getting the Indian passport, it finally got stamped at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi on 3rd December 2020. I started my journey from my home town in Tura, Meghalaya early morning on 3rd December for Guwahati - the nearest operational airport. From Guwahati (GAU) I flew to Delhi (DEL) and from there onward to Kuopio (KUO) via Frankfurt (FRA) and Helsinki (HEL). My flight exiting Delhi was at early morning at 3.35 a.m (IST) on 4th December and reached Kuopio the same day at around 9.00 p.m. (IST). 

Here I present a summary of all the preparations, experience and tips for first time international travellers like me or someone who would like to come to Finland. Apart from my experiences, I have also listed some other resources that will be helpful while travelling in Finland and international travel as a whole.

Chennai : My last trip before the #lockdown

So my last trip before #Lockdown was to Chennai. Not a leisure trip but to attend a conference at IIT-Madras. I was to leave Allahabad on 4th March early morning by train and on 3rd evening a piece of news flashed on Times Of India that visas for people from few countries have been suspended. This was probably the first major step taken by the Government of India to prevent the outbreak of Corona in the country. Over the previous few days, I had seen big conferences including those of American Physical Society getting cancelled due to the Corona virus outbreak. The IIT conference starting on 6th was to have several speakers and participants from Japan and I feared should the event get cancelled. With some hope, I boarded the train on my way to Chennai. While on-board, I received an email that the event would go on as planned except that the Japanese participants would join in via a video-conferencing.

Destination Garo Hills

After being in oblivion for years, Garo Hills have started to open up to a new era. An era of TOURISM. When one talks of Meghalaya, Shillong, Cherrapunjee or Mawsynram are the probable names that come to mind. But around 300 km west of Shillong lies this hidden gem. It is only lately that tourism has started gaining pace in the hills with better road connectivity and opening up of homestays and hotels. Frankly speaking, having born and brought up here even I haven't yet explored this place. 

Garo Hills is one of the three hills besides Khasi and Jaintia Hills that make Meghalaya. Apart from clouds, these hills are home to the Garo Tribe. The blue-green hills are rich in biodiversity and houses two national parks and two wildlife sanctuaries besides several other protected areas. The National Citrus Gene Sanctuary within the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is also the home to Citrus indica or Indian wild orange which is considered to be the most "primitive" citrus.

Your guide to walking around Darjeeling

Darjeeling is synonymous to tea all over the world. No other flavour is believed to be finer than those grown here. Darjeeling, also called the queen of the hills, sits like a crown over the sweetest part of India a.k.a Bengal. The name Darjeeling has been derived from the Tibetan language and it translates to ‘land of the thundering bolt’.

For a budget traveller who loves walking around, Darjeeling is heaven. Supplemented by cheaper travel options at certain zones, this hill town has a lot to offer to a thrifty traveller. In this guide, I have tried to compile a walking circuit of the places to visit in Darjeeling. This is based on my own trip in February 2019.

A solo trip to the Valley of Flowers

To visit places within the Garhwal circuit, including the Chota Char Dham, Haridwar is the starting point. The Haridwar Jn. (HW) on the Delhi-Dehradun route has direct trains to major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Madurai, etc. The Jolly Grant Airport, 44 km from the city provides air connectivity to the rest of the country. Ample bus services are also available from the neighboring states - Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab - to reach Haridwar. 

As I was based in Allahabad, I took the 14163 Sangam Link Express, the only daily train between the two stations. This is a bit slower train and one can also board the tri-weekly 14115 Prayag Ghat (PYG) - Haridwar (HW) Express. The scheduled arrival time for Sangam Express is 10:48 hours while for the PYG-HW Express is 14:15 hours. Taking either of these trains allow enough time to explore Haridwar before heading to the higher altitudes. Additionally, with Indian Railways being well known for their punctuality the time can be kept as a buffer to avoid delay in further plans.

Road trip to Nainital

"Once a year go to a place you have never been before." 

This quote by Dalai Lama has become one of my favourite in the last few years. I have even tried my best to follow it by visiting a new destination on the first day itself or at least in the first month. I was in Hyderabad during new year 2016 and in Kerala on Pongal holidays 2017. 2018 was a bit loose and had to wait till march to visit Gwalior. In 2019, I was back to celebrate new year in a new destination -  NAINITAL. The 2018 year end trip was another milestone as Uttarkhand became the 18th Indian state I touched down at.

I tried hard to cut down cost by availing the Indian Railways but luck would not have it and it had to be a road trip. I started from Prayagraj at 8:00am on 28th December 2018 bound for Lucknow. After around 5 hours of smooth ride I was dropped off at Alambagh bus station in Lucknow. This newly opened bus stand, I must say, is one of the finest I have ever seen in India. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) must have been the same when it was opened. As it was lunch time I visited the food court on the first floor and tried their aloo paratha served with pickle. The pricing has been kept in budget. The food court serves a variety of food at pocket friendly prices.

An exam trip to Varanasi

Varanasi or Benaras, situauted on the bank of the Ganges is considered to be one of the oldest inhabited cities on Earth. The first time I had set foot on this holy land was in August 2017 when my train decided to change it's route on way to Delhi. I had to get down here and continue my journey to Allahabad on bus. However it was not long when I got my second opportunity to visit this famed city. CSIR NET December 2017. As I was staying in Allahabad, Varanasi was the closest exam centre. Though I was on tight schedule I managed to visit a few spots within the approx. 24 hours I was in the city. So this is my encounter with the holy city.

Durga Puja of Allahabad 2017

I moved to Allahabad to join as a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) at the University of Allahabad just a week before the festival. Though I had holiday and tried to be home but festive hour ticket rush made me stay here. For the four days I went around (mostly on foot) the City of Sangam discovering it's streets and how it celebrates the festival. This post covers most of the major Durga Puja pandals of the city; some among them having crossed their centurion. A major attraction of Allahabad that I missed this time is Ramlila and the processions or as locally referred mela. Several groups during the nine days of Navaratri stage Ramlila - the dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. A procession is also taken out each night at different areas each day. I hope to see these next year; till then please enjoy the pictures of this year.

Planning your trip to the Scotland of the East

Fact check:

Location: Shillong

State: Meghalaya

Country: India

Altitude: 1525m

Reaching there:

For the people coming from Rest of India and other countries, Guwahati in Assam will act as the hub. Guwahati (Maligaon) is the head quarter of the Northern Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railway. The Guwahati (GHY) and Kamakhya (KYQ) railway stations have trains to most major cities in India. The city has Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) to cater to the tourists preferring airways. Buses are available from several places in West Bengal and Bihar till Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in the city.

Guwahati not only serves as a hub for visiting Shillong but all the seven sister states of North East India.

The four lane Guwahati-Shillong Road (GS road) or NH-6 connects the two cities. TATA Sumo and buses ply at frequent interval from Paltan Bazar. From here one can also hire taxis for Shillong.

The first thing that welcomes you to Shillong is the majestic Umiam lake. It was created by damming the Umiam river in the early 1960s. Apart from the scenic beauty this place offers water sport facilities to enthusiasts.

Umiam or Barapani Lake (Source)

A day in Dhanushkodi

Dhanushkodi, located in the state of Tamil Nadu, is one of officially declared ghost towns of India. The place lies at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath. An estimated 1,800 people died in the cyclonic storm on 22 December including 115 passengers on board the Pamban-Dhanushkodi passenger train. The entire town was marooned and the Government of Madras declared Dhanushkodi as Ghost town, unfit for living.

Pamban Island

Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara -- version India

[Source: Scoopwhoop]

ZNMD. This movie must have inspired countless souls to travel. Why not? The road trip that Imran (Farhan Akhtar) & his school time buddies Kabir (Abhay Deol) & Arjun (Hrithik Roshan) take across Spain is simply breathtaking. Cherry on the top. The surprise sport. Each one would choose one sport and the other two had to participate. Deep sea diving in the coral reefs of Costa Brava, La Tomatina festival in Buñol, Seville for sky diving and the climax bull run in Pamplona. It must have atleast once got into the mind to go and try it ourselves. But! Spain it is. Passport, visa, flights - the cash crunch is gripping tight. May be someday ( which may never come) when I have sufficient money I will go. But for now I was looking for Jugaad to this experiences within India and surprisingly it exists.