Travelogue from the Driver's Seat - Hyderabad to Sikkim (Part 3)

""""Well the interesting part of the trip happens here"""

Day 6 – Mar 6 – Gangtok to LaChen

 The plan for the next few days was to head to Gurudongmar for which we had to go to La Chen, stay there for the night and depart early morning the next day. LaChen is 125 kms from Gangtok and the drive is very scenic. We departed post breakfast and the scenery started unfolding right after we got to the outskirts of Gangtok, first the snow capped peaks, followed by waterfalls – we crossed the seven sisters waterfalls, the innumerable army bridges, and with the topography of hills on one side and a turquoise blue river flowing below on the other, all these are straight out of a fairy tale for sure.

Route taken – Gangtok – Phodong - Mangan (district headquarters for N.Sikkim) - Chungthang - Lachen

  Roads are motorable but please be cautious while negotiating bends – horns are sparsely used while dippers are highly respected. At many stretches road work was in progress. The sight before Chungthang is beautiful and a bit scary. There is a huge dam right below and the road cuts and curves with some narrow passes. As the traffic density was low, we didn’t face any challenges maneuvering this stretch. The green waters of the dam below is a sight to behold, at one point you are almost at the water level before ascending upwards. Chungthang is also where the roads splits to LaChen (higher pass) and LaChung (lower pass), so kindly take the correct road, wherever you are heading.

  After showing our permits at various checkposts, we reached LaChen about 6 hours since we started that morning. We had booked our home stay @ RC homestays. After dropping our bags we headed out for a late lunch of piping hot pakodas, chilly paneer, washed down with tea. La Chen is a small town which is surrounded by snow capped mountains on all sides. It is extremely cold though the locals say the chillness is going down every year. For a couple from the coastal plains from the southern part of the country, this was very cold. We clicked some snaps, walked down the road and headed back to our cute little home stay. After a shower and piping hot dinner with owners, we retired for the day. For the first time I was wrapped in 3 layers of clothing and socks with a comforter and blanket. Can’t even toss and turn as the warmth might disappear. Struggled quite a bit to sleep but the experience was one to be cherished. 

Day 7 – Mar 7:  La Chen to Gurdongmar

Departed at 5 A.M from La Chen to join a small convoy that was heading towards Thangu and Gurudongmar. This is important because the weather in these parts are unpredictable and coming back from Gurudongmar can be quite a challenge. Leaving very early is also not a wise option as we were advised to follow convoy of other vehicles. Even the authorities recommend a 5 A.M start from La Chen. The view starts unfolding at every bend, first the black rocks, then the ice, the frozen river and the majestic snow covered peaks.

As the first rays of the sun appear the peaks turn golden in colour. The small puddles which are covered in ice overnight slowly start melting, you can feel the nip in the air and the ascend starts getting tough little by little. We pass thru the numerable army dwellings wondering how these men have to battle against nature before taking on the enemies. We pass by rows of army vehicles with ice chains on them. Suddenly I find myself in the midst of ‘trax’es who are also ascending the mountains. Keeping pace with them was challenging and exciting.

We reached Thangu, a very small village where we had breakfast – a few slices of bread, a bowl of instant noodles and tea. We encountered some tourists here – those who were in the trax. Some wondered where we came from – as ours is a TN registered Thar. Some didn’t believe when we told them and some were just plain excited to look at the vehicle and the crazy couple.

Except for the small narrow stretch of land – called a road but infact is a only gravel – it was white everywhere. The black Thar was in complete contrast to the white surroundings everywhere – a perfect black and white romance.

The final checkpost was at an elevation of 15,000+ feet. Had to get down to show the permit. I felt a tinge of dizziness at this point – my first experience of altitude sickness. Every step was with utmost caution – should not slip on the ice and shouldn’t run out of breath. Every thing had to be done slowly. Left the place and entered the final 14 kms of actual road – finally some tar for the thar. Surprisingly the terrain became flat from this point. I now started understanding the meaning of icy desert. The land was bone dry – brown and white mountains as the backdrop. There was some ice on the roads – please be careful as it can slippery. I had engaged 4 wheel drive from Thangu to provide additional traction to the wheels so felt slightly more comfortable.

The final ascent to the lake was a tad steep and when I had to put that extra effort to change the gear, I felt a stinging sensation in my nerves which shook me for a second, again all part of the experience. What unfolds in front of your eyes is nothing but surreal – a frozen lake in the middle of nowhere.  Cannot compare this to anything I have ever felt in my lifetime. It leaves you speechless and emotionless for a few minutes before you realize the thin air around. You just take in the sight and marvel at such wonderful creations. This lake is considered holy by the Buddhists and Sikhs alike. When you hear that people traveled here by foot you cannot but help admire the courage of those brave souls who came here centuries ago. Will let you take in some sights now.

We left after a brief 20 minute stay – some times the altitude sickness starts playing games inside your head. Though I had some camphor and an oxygen mask, I still did not want to take a chance. Sometimes the good things in life stay only for a few minutes but will be forever etched in your memory – this was one such moment (philosophical punch line). We bade goodbye to the lake and started our journey back.

It was 9:45 by now and the ice had started melting. After a quick coffee – free at the army check post - and bio-break, we headed back to La Chen. The gravel roads started getting slushy and frozen sticks started emerging from the tips of the rocks. By now, there was no fear of the path, only respect. We reached La Chen in time for lunch. It took 4 ½ hrs to cover 64 kms – one way!!!

We bid goodbye to our kind hosts and contemplated our visit to La Chung and Yumthang for which we had permits but apparently dropped out of at the last minute – a mistake that I’d regret later. After a 6 ½ hrs drive to Gangtok – post 6 it was dark, the terrain was unknown and the speed not exceeding 30 kmph we made it to the luxurious comfort of our resort. A lot of army bridges actually scared me though I did not show it. The entire journey was like a fairy tale.
 

Day 8 – Mar 8 – Gangtok

Today was a no-driving day for me. One of those rare days where you don’t do anything. Get up late, have a brunch, admire the mountains, watch the pics and videos of the previous days, pinch yourself hard whether you actually experienced it in real, explore the local area by foot, keep looking at the mountains and snow peaks around you with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea and just do absolutely nothing. Life is a lot more peaceful and relaxed this way

Day 9 –  Mar 9 - Shopping in Gangtok

By now, we were familiar with the place, we knew where the vehicle could be parked, what we had to buy, where to eat etc – traveling truly enlightens you. Back to M.G. Marg again and shopped till we dropped. Atleast one good common habit that both Radhika and I have are to shop for things which have a local flavor – i.e.., something you won’t find anywhere except in that place. And we did find a lot of options. By now, we had already filled one large bag and atleast 2 smaller bags with souvenirs, gifts, prayer flags, tea, woolens, wine. Enough for now.

Day 10 – Mar 10 - Dep from Gangtok 

One more early morning start. Post settling the bills, we headed out of Gangtok. Being a Saturday early morning, there was very little traffic. We planned to reach Kolkata that night – but as always could not go as planned. Reached Baghdogra around 9:30 AM. Stopped for brunch near Purnea around 12 noon, crossed Baagalpur at 2 PM, entered Jharkand around 5 PM and exited from Chittaranjan around 8 P.M. We stopped on the outskirts of Asansol as I was tired and didn’t want to push too hard to reach Kolkata the same night. When on the road, safety always becomes first priority and we never compromise on it. We booked into a hotel in Durgapur and halted there for the night.

"A dream come true" - Ladakh

Ladakh has been a dream to me for many years. I used to read a lot about many of my friends traveling, used to read articles on what a place it is and the breathtaking beauty of the Pangong Lake especially after the movie "3 Idiots". It was always a "Must DO" on my bucket list and was always looking forward to an opportunity till "Date a bike" helped me realize my dream.

I visited Ladakh not once but twice in a span of 2 months and its etched in my memory forever. 

I fell in love with that place !!!

A dream come true - To come soon!!!

Travelogue from the Driver's Seat - Hyderabad to Sikkim (Part 2)

......Continuation of Part 1. Stop here if you do not wish to read further. As already mentioned this is meant to re live our memories of the trip......

Day 3 – March 3 (A day which we never thought would be the way it was.......)

Departure from Asansol 7 A.M

  As usual, got done with the routine of settling bills and bidding goodbye to the staff. Had to tank up fuel to go till the destination for the day. I was recommended the Jubilee gas station, an IOCL coco-bunk very close to the hotel and right beside the highway. The staff at the bunk were still in the "holi"day hangover and were still resetting the fuel meter with the latest price change. Apparently this bunk was closed the previous night when we entered Asansol. Had to wait a full 30 minutes for the end to end process to complete, including negotiating hard to use my credit card instead of cash for payment. 

Followed the route-o to branch off the highway and head towards Chittaranjan – yes the famous loco shed. We were advised to have breakfast @ Asansol as there were not too many eateries en route. We stopped at a trucker’s dhaba and had piping hot aloo parathas with omlette and tea. We finally got back to driving mode around 8:30 A.M. 

  Entered Jharkand – the home state of one of many idols – MSD, can’t take the quintessential Chennai guy out of me!! Had to cross the railway tracks a couple of times before heading off to open roads. We crossed the entire state of Jharkand on 2 lane roads passing one village after another, innumerable speed breakers, driving thru reserve forests, rivulets , seeing people carrying coal in their bicycles, lorries engulfed in the black soil from the mines and loads of 2 wheelers which were challenging to overtake. We also passed through Devgarh, one of the 12 Jyotirling's. Couldn’t stop at the temple as we had to cover a lot of miles and the apparent safety concern of leaving everything behind in a vehicle whose rear door cannot be locked – atleast not in the stock version made us skip it. 

After the not so good roads we entered Bihar to some astonishing 2 way road with clear lane markings and reflectors which were shining in the mid-day sun. We thought we’d left the worst behind but reality struck us in less than 20 kms. My patience began to wear out mile by mile. Even the brilliant topography couldn’t control my temper much. I was lamenting why we didn’t take the NH. Radhika tried to talk some sense into me but it turned futile. I vowed to do some research on the NH and I decided not to take this route while heading back. It didn’t dawn on me at the time that HVK had given this route after exploring all the options. Finally we came to Bhagalpur around 2 P.M, tired and hungry after 5.5 hours of grueling drive to cover 260 kms

The route-O suggested Vaibhav Inn and it turned out to be a good choice. We had piping hot sizzlers which somewhat calmed me and made me prepare for the road ahead. 

Radhika was quite fascinated by the ‘buggy’ in Bihar. It was cute in a way and easier to navigate thru traffic especially in congested areas as compared to the regular Bajaj autorickshaws

  We were about to cross the mother of all rivers, the holiest river of India – the mighty Ganga. We entered the bridge not realizing how long it actually is. It is a 2 lane bridge with constant movement of vehicles on both sides especially commercial vehicles of all sizes and motorized cycle rickshaws. I was in awe of the river and the bridge, which was slightly run down in parts. You could feel the bumps in your bum at times, but the beauty of the breathtaking river below is worth of it.

 The road was starting to get wider once we crossed the bridge and we were back on NH again. The Thar purred onto 5^th gear after 6 hours and we were back on cruise mode. We were heading towards Purnea -> Bagdogra. We had to be alert at all times to ensure we don’t crash head on with a vehicle coming on the wrong side of the road and that too on the extreme right lane – considered to be the fastest. Sometime Radhika was wondering if the vehicle was going forward or coming head on towards us. We crossed Purnea and were heading towards Kishanganj, the border town of Bihar and Bengal and a very important railway station. From here on we were travelling parallel to the railway line and were having fun with train’s criss crossing us. There are quite a few markets on this highway infact we saw this right after from Purnea onwards. Kindly exercise caution while driving thru these stretches especially after sunset when people try crossing the road. As Siliguri is the entry point for all trucks proceeding to the northeast and vice versa, the density of truck traffic is also high. 

30 kms before Bagdogra the road abruptly becomes a 2 lane road. We got stuck briefly on the last toll gate before Bagdogra, thankfully it wasn’t all that bad and we able to pass it without too much delay. We reached Bagdogra around 8:30 P.M, checked into our hotel. Radhika had invited a business partner, Mr.Shantanu Bannerjee for dinner. Shantanu owns a bike rental and holiday company in Siliguri and is an avid biker himself. He has extensively covered all the 7 NE states and Bhutan and he was offering insights on different places in Sikkim which is a must visit. Thanks to him, we also got our permits arranged for North Sikkim. One more night of peaceful sleep beckoned me!!

 Route: Asansol - Jharkand - Deogarh - Banka - Dhaka More - Bhagalpur - Purnea - Krishnaganj - Islampur - Bagdogra - Siliguri

Total Distance: 

Toll Charges: Rs 170 💁

"More pics to be added soon" 

Day 4 – March 4

Dep from Bagdogra – 10 A.M

  Decided to take it a little light today as we had to cover only 120 kms to Gangtok. Woke up at 7, got dressed and headed to the restaurant for breakfast. The options were only a choice between poori and toast with omlette. I opted for the former. I go quite heavy on my breakfast and today was no exception. Started with canned mango juice followed by 4 king sized poori’s with sabzi, a masala omlette and a full cup of Darjeeling tea.  Burrpppp!!😎

  I’am a big sucker for trains. So much so that I wanted to become an engine driver during my childhood. In hindsight I should’ve pursued it a little seriously.  Anyways, In the pretext of wanting to show the famous Himalayan Darjeeling mountain railway, I told Radhika that we’ll go to the train shed in Siliguri. We were able to drive parallel to the narrow gauge railway line on hill country road and entered the shed thru one of the lanes on main road. I became a kid upon entering the loco and carriage shed. 2 steam beauties were being attended to.  Coal was being loaded in the furnace and the white smoke emanating from the chimneys. The pistons were being oiled and cleaned by the master craftsmen aka technicians. This was a work of art being preserved. I wish the children of this generation share the same passion for trains that people of my generation do. Boarded one of the carriages to check the seating pattern, Radhika and I have done a couple of hill train journeys across India – NMR (Nilgiri Mountain Railway to Ooty), Shimla (Himalayan Railway), Khangra Valley Railway to name a few but this was a first visit to the DHR – also certified by Unesco as a heritage railway line.

After tanking up we proceeded towards the road heading to Gangtok via Rangpo. The road was two laned and had the beautiful Teesta river for company right from Sevoke all the way to Gangtok and north Sikkim. We started experiencing traffic on this stretch and when we were about 10 kms before Rangpo – the border of Bengal and Sikkim – the vehicle came to a standstill. As far as the eye could see there was a line of vehicles, one behind another. This is the discipline of the people driving in the hills, they simply follow road rules. Wish the entire country could do that. As it turned out, the chief minister of the state (Sikkim) was addressing a rally in Rangpo. People had come from all parts of the state and gathered at Rangpo. It was a nightmare to cross those 20 kms all the way till Singtam as the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace.  It took 3 hours to cross this stretch.

We finally reached Gangtok around 3 P.M and had to travel 15 more kms to our resort. Now there is a lot of difference in travelling 15 kms on plains vis-à-vis hills. Made it to Club Mahindra Gangtok at 3:45 P.M and were courteously received by the staff. Had a mind-blowing herbal tea, Sikkimese style and were guided towards our room post the check in formalities.

After freshening up, we ordered for a Chinese combo, not surprising given that the China border was only 50 kms away. Had a piping hot lunch, unpacked and settled in the balcony to admire the view

<< pic of view from CM balcony>>

  I just wanted to laze for the rest of the evening, cozily tucking up in my side of the bed with the heater turned on. March is winter in Sikkim which I came to know later!!!

Route: Siliguri - Sevoke - Teesta - Rangpo - Singtam - Gangtok

Total Kms: 130 

Day 5 – Mar 5 – Gangtok

  Sikkim wakes up early but surely I didn’t. Woke up at 7 and was admiring the scenery all around me. Snow called mountains on one side and green foliage on the other.

<< pic of view from balcony>>

We decided to take it easy today. Very little driving, some walking, some shopping and some good food.  So we decided to head to M.G. Marg, a famous landmark in Gangtok, almost in the centre of it. It’s a 30 minute drive from the resort. Parking is a bit challenging near the market, so we were directed to the Paljor stadium parking from where we took a cab to the starting of M.G.Marg. One section of the marg is only for pedestrians, I think this is a great initiative. We first roamed around the market from one end to another – shops were just opening as it was a Monday morning around 9:30 A.M. We had a roadside breakfast and were simple roaming around the market.

We heard of the Gangtok ropeway and decided to try it. It was a short walk from M.G.Marg. I was going on a cable car after a long time so was naturally excited. Radhika is more adventurous than me when it comes to these rides. Seeing Gangtok from above is an amazing sight. Will let some pics do the talking now.

 Post that we headed to a restaurant named ‘Taste of Tibet’. Its rated #1 in terms of reviews so decided we’d stop by. It’s a small place but the food was very good. The options are slightly on the lesser side for the vegetarians but it is tasty nevertheless. The only dish I was familiar with was chowmein while Radhika ordered thenthuk – a soupy dish with lots of vegetables. A very healthy and tasty option. We noticed that people in the restaurant were having their soup and momos towards the end of their meal, like a dessert. Very interesting to see because I thought it was different. I respect every culture when it comes to food habits. I was looking at the science behind it, anything hot post a meal aids in digestion and soup was definitely a healthy way to round up a meal.

 Thenthuk - Vegetables in broth

A note for the vegetarians – the smell while entering this restaurant might be slightly overwhelming, both me and Radhika did not have any issues though.

  We visited the lal bazaar which is right adjacent. Here you find more shops and it has a local flavor to it. Price wise while some sites might tell you its cheaper to shop here than in M.G.Marg, to me prices of souvenirs/gifts were almost the same. We headed to a tea bar post our shopping and ordered for ‘white’ and ‘temi’ tea while looking around at the plethora of varieties available. The crockery for sale were also very attractive. We decided to call it a day and headed back to our hotel where we soaked in the scenery, had a simple dinner and slept peacefully.

 Darjeeling "White Tea", it was "Yucky to me"