In this episode:#manipur #northeast #offbeat #solotravel #markets #food #history #war #bordertowns #nature #lakes #nationalparks #warmemorial #ina #moreh #loktak #imakeithel Contest Alert!!!----------------We're giving away a copy of Rajat Ubhaykar's book - Truck De India, a hitchhiker's guide to Hindustan, to one lucky listener!All you have to do is listen to Rajat's episode - Around India on trucks (https://audioboom.com/posts/7258364-tms-specials-around-india-on-trucks-and-highways-with-rajat-ubhaykar) and answer two simple questions and send them to our email - themusafirstories@gmail.com before Nov 10, 2019.1. From which city did Rajat start his first leg of travel on trucks?2. Name any one driver with whom Rajat hitches a ride, who finds mention in the episode.Winners of #GetFeatured on The Musafir Stories!- Tarun- SangeethaCongrats!! We will reach out to you on very soon to schedule a recording session!This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to the Nomadic Thunker, Elita, as she takes us to a lesser explore gem of North East India, Manipur!Today's destination: ManipurNearest Airport: Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IMF)Nearest Railway Station: Dimapur Railway StationPrerequisites -  Government issued Photo ID will be required at checkposts. Please be sure to check the ground situation before planning your travel as there might be closures.Packing - Pack some warm clothes if you're traveling during the winter months.Time of the year - JanuaryLength of the itinerary: 4 daysItinerary Highlights:- Elita covers Manipur as a part of her 49 day North east itinerary. Please be sure to check the ground situation before planning your travel.- Elita starts off her journey from Imphal where she flies into. It can be quite economical to hail a shared taxi from the airport to the city.- The first point of interest after settling down in Imphal is the Ima Keithel Women's Market, one of the biggest women-run market in the world! The market is a must see while in Imphal and is a great opportunity to pick up some local souvenirs.- Having spent some time interacting with women traders and getting a first hand experience of their warmth and hospitality, Elita heads back to the rest for the day.- The plan for Day 2 is to travel to the border town of Moreh, which borders Myanmar's Tamu. The town is the eastern most frontier of India, opening up to the South East Asian market.- The journey involved taking a shared taxi to Moreh, and some interesting experiences passing through army checkposts. The market is a minor trading hub for nearby villages and a lot of traders sell their produce here. One can walk about to the sister town of Tamu in Myanmar with the necessary ID documents.- Elita spends some time interacting with the local traders and buying some edibles. Once spending some time here, Elita heads back to Imphal in the same shared cab.- The Day 3 itinerary is planned for a visit to the Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and is famous for the phumdis/vegetation floating over it. The lake is located at Moirang in Manipur state, India.- The lake is also the location of the Keibul Lamjao National Park, famous for the Sangai deer or the brown antlered deer, found here in large numbers.- After spending some time watching the natural marvel of the Loktak lake, Elita heads to the INA martyr memorial. The INA Martyr's Memorial complex is a war memorial at Moirang, India, dedicated to the soldiers of the Indian National Army and some haunting stories of the freedom struggle and World War 2.- Day 4 was a reserve day which Elita uses to check out the war memorial in Imphal. Travleres can also check out the Kangla fort/palace, Thalon Caves, Govindajee temple, RKCS art gallery if they have time on hand!Links:Link to the blogpost-stories-of-hope-manipur-loktak-khwairamband-bazar.html">https://nomadicthunker.com/2017/04/micro-stories-of-hope-manipur-loktak-khwairamband-bazar.htmlmyanmar-border-photos-friendship-gate.html">https://nomadicthunker.com/2017/04/indo-myanmar-border-photos-friendship-gate.htmlbazar-imphal-women-market-manipur.html">https://nomadicthunker.com/2017/04/khwairamband-bazar-imphal-women-market-manipur.htmlLink to the blog: Nomadic Thunker (https://nomadicthunker.com)Link to #BeYouForYou expressive writing workshopshttps://nomadicthunker.com/be-you-for-youSocial media: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nomadicthunker/?hl=enContact: https://nomadicthunker.com/contactImage Credit: Thank you Grasskode! http://grasskode.xyz/Follow the Musafir stories onTwitter : https://twitter.com/musafirstories?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/themusafirstories/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musafirstoriespodcast/?hl=enwebsite: www.themusafirstories.comemail: themusafirstories@gmail.comitunes -  https://apple.co/2LPtTA3Google podcasts - http://bit.ly/2toY7ljwebsite - http://bit.ly/2xFZqOVSaavn - https://bit.ly/2J5rIqiSpotify - https://spoti.fi/2HLPSVipocketcasts - https://bit.ly/2xu3Ewgcastbox - https://bit.ly/2sqBDQiOvercast - https://bit.ly/2LN9wnfStitcher Radio - https://bit.ly/2JiBbhwaudioBoom - https://bit.ly/2oZZowSTuneIn - https://bit.ly/2xyQH4aRadioPublic - https://bit.ly/2snY9u0iHeartradio - https://ihr.fm/2xvOG8RDeezer - https://bit.ly/2L7GmOo IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII