Lolegaon, Rishop...

Whenever we think about the best of our outing so far invariably this tour comes in our mind. This was perhaps the most enjoyable tour we have had so far. It was just after the Durga Puja in 2006 and our agony was at the highest level just because we couldn't make it to any place in this Puja. So the meeting was finally held in one Sunday evening. Had a multi round of discussion and finally these 3 places came to our mind. Away from the polluted Kolkata, hustle and bustle of Siliguri and dirt of Darjeeling.

One Sunday morning we reached NJP station where from we booked a cab and set up for Lolegaon. There are two routes to go to Lolegaon - one is via Kalimpong and the other one is via Gorubathan. We chose the later one. The road is an absolute beauty. Coronation Bridge at Sevoke is a definite stoppage for all the tourists and we were no exception. From Damdim we took the road that goes left and soon we reached Gorubathan. The slope of this road is a bit too high and soon we were at quite a height. We reached Lolegaon in the afternoon and shifted to hotel. It was a nice one with 2 large rooms and an absolute grand view of the valley. But unfortunately we were late for lunch and had to adjust with noodles. The evening was certainly spectacular as it was a full moon night and every corner of the hills were flooded with the moonlight. We had a balcony with our room and though it was quite windy out there still we couldn't stop ourselves from seating there for hours. At around 8:30 the dinner was served and we couldn't resist ourselves from going into the warmth of the quilt.

Kanchanjangha can be viewed quite clearly from the room itself but still we were keen to have something more. So walk towards Jhantidanra...the famous point where from one can witness a breath taking view of the sunrise. It really was awesome. We were free for the day and after breakfast we paid a visit to the famous Heritage Forest and enjoyed the canopy walk. After lunch we set up for Lava and there from to Rishop. It was a 4 km uphill journey through dense forest. Th road is made of boulder and probably a 4WD vehicle will be able to carry you upto Rishop. We preferred walking and would suggest so as well. Rishop is a typical Himalayan hamlet with some 10-15 families and a few lodges. All of them are quite clean and offer almost all sorts of comfort. Certainly you have to pay for them though because all these things are brought from places like Kalimpong, Siliguri, etc. But the people around there and their behavour will surely touch your heart. We reached there at around 1:30 in the afternoon and after putting down our sacks we started to roam around the village. It was like a picture postcard in front of us. Everything about the village looked as if they are made for us only. You can simply seat anywhere on the grass and relax. It was getting dark and was quite chilly out there and we came back to the lodge and helped ourselves with few pegs of Rum. As I've said earlier it was a full moon night and the enitre Rishop was looking like a place out of the world. We were literally spellbound. Clouds were coming slowly from the valley and above all The Kanchanjangha stood like the sentry of the Paradise. But we could hardly resist the cold anymore and wnet inside the room. 3 a.m. in the morning Daju came and he was our guide to Tiffindanra, a view point some 1 km uphill from Rishop. We set up at around 3:15 and oh God! What a journey it was. It was through thick forest and though it was a full moon night still because of the shade of the trees the road was quite dark and to make life more miserable we forgot to bring a torch. But it was quite adventurous and throughly enjoyable. Subhankar was the first to arrive at the viewpoint and we were just behind him. We could hear his exclamation of joy and soon we reached at the top. Oh! What a panorama it was. It was a clear bright sky and the great himalayan range was ready with all its beauty. We could point out each and every peak of the range - Kanchanjangha was certainly the brightest of them all. The others were Kabru, Jano, Pandim, Siniolchu, etc. A part of Jolep la and Nathu la are also visible from this place. The Sun began to come out and the range started changing it's colour. First it became red and then yellowish and finally white. The sunrise was over and it was time to get back to our hotel. This time we took a shortcut and what a road it was. Actually there was no sign of any road anywhere. It was through dense forest and according to our guide it's a part of Neora Valley National Park. The slope was quite high and after a great deal of effort we finally managed to land safely. Post breakfast we proceeded towrads Lava, our next destination.

Vizag, Araku, Jagdalpur...

It was middle of the November 2004 and all of us were waiting eagerly for the confirmation of our railway tickets. Initially the plan was to go to Vizag and Hyderabad but few alterations were made and H'bad was replaced by Chattisgarh and Araku Valley. Just 4 days before the journey our tickets were confirmed and on a Sunday morning we started our journey from Howrah railway station.

The train journey was quite tedious until the late afternoon when we crossed the famous Chilka Lake. The railway track goes just beside the lake and it takes more or less 15-18 minutes for the train to cross the entire lake. Just gives an idea how big the lake is. Apart from a few hilarious incidents/comments by Rupam, the journey was quite monotonous. We reached Vishkhapattanam at around 10:30 in the night and shifted to a hotel near the station. We had dinner with Chowmin from a Punjabi Dhaba! Just try to envisage the situation! We all were really very tired and without spending much time crashed on our bed.

The next day was the reserve day and we planned to go to Bhimunipattanam alias Bhimili. 2 city autos (3 wheelers) took us there. It’s a small village beside the Bay of Bengal and to Rupam’s delight we found that this is the place where from fish is transported to various parts of our country. There is a Dutch cemetery out there. Some 200 years back this was a Dutch protectorate and every here and there of the village one can found remnants of Dutch sculpture. There is a small lighthouse out here as well. But for some security reason tourists are not allowed to go into the lighthouse. It’s a cool place for a half day outing. We came back to Vizag and had lunch at Ramakrishna beach which is at the heart of the city. There are many places of tourist interests around this place like, marine museum, sub marine, etc. But we found it more interesting to seat on a boulder and enjoy the vigor of the sea. In the evening we booked a cab for next few days. This will take us to Araku and Jagdalpur. We spent the evening around the RK beach and came back to hotel after having dinner at the Bengali hotel near RK beach.

Next day very early in the morning we set off for Araku. It took an hour or so for us to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and the road led us to Araku. It’s a great valley in the deccan plateau. A passenger train from Vizag also can take you to Araku and if you choose that mode of transport then you can get a closer glimpse of the local tribes and their lifestyle. Anyways we were deprived from it as there were some technical problems with the railway service at that time. We reached Araku in the noon. We had no plan to stay there so we straight went on to visit Vorah Caves which certainly is a miracle of the nature. It’s a cave which has gone down the basement and inside the cave there are plenty of rocky sculptures that are made of stalactite and stalagmite soils (remember those early days of school and the geography syllabus). They say that, ‘beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’, so I won’t be wasting my vocabulary (which certainly has its limitations) and your time. It’s indeed unique and unbelievable. The rocks have various shapes like monkey, rabbit, bull, etc. Inside the cave it will be prudent to carry a torch or hire a guide (no shortage of knowledge whatsoever) who will carry a torch and will describe you each corner of the cave or if you think that you are smart enough then you can simply follow a guide who is hired by someone else (readers, please don’t ask about the ethics, it’s unethical for sure). Here comes a piece of advice mainly for the Bengali travelers who are particularly not quite used to with the local food and quite reluctant to have them in lunch or dinner…don’t forget to carry your packed lunch from Vizag because the restaurants outside the cave can only give you local dish which certainly is very good but might not be so tasty specially for Calactions (me too a part of that group).

Anyways, we carried on our journey and visited the Tribal Museum which offers huge informations about the local tribes, their lifestyle, culture, food habits, etc. We left Araku in the afternoon and still a good amount of distance was yet to be covered on that day. We reached Jaypur (Orissa) at around 6:30 in the evening. Had some snacks from one of the roadside stalls. The tedious journey began again. But this time the story was just a bit different. Soon we were amidst a tick forest which is famous for its scenic beauty and equally infamous for its dacoits. Somehow, we managed to dodge them or they didn’t bother to pay any attention to us. Soon we were at the border of Orissa and Chattisgarh. One needs to collect inter state permit to enter Chattisgarh. We didn’t have to do much apart from some signatures and the permit was ready and we entered the land of tribals’. Just a few kilometers and a signboard took me to a bit of surprise when I saw “Ghat Begins” written over it. Our cab driver told that it’s the Eastern Ghat Mountain Range and soon we were at quite a height. It was densely clouded out there and driving was becoming more and more difficult as visibility was dropping every now and then. Somehow without any more trouble we managed to arrive at Jagdalpur and shifted to a hotel. It was 11 o’clock in the night. Next day our tour was to Kangeghati National Park, Kutumbsar Cave, Tirathgarh Falls and Chitrakote Falls. We started with Tirathgarh and this was inside the Kangergati National Park. One has to take permissions after paying necessary fees for self, vehicle and cameras while entering the park. Tirathgarh is a famous picnic spot for the locals. The unique aspect of this falls is its position. Its right in the middle of the forest and the serenity is something which you will relish out here. It was a great outing and then we moved to Kutumbsar Cave but unfortunately it was closed at that time so we had our lunch and went to Chitrakote. This is also known as The Niagara of India. The river Iravati comes down and suddenly falls 200 meters down and it’s quite wide. It is at its very best during the monsoons. The drizzles create rainbow which is a breathtaking view. The stairs out there take you to the river and you can enjoy a boat ride as well. There is a tourist rest house out here as well. One night out there can be memorable for the entire life.

We came back to Vizag next day and visited few other places like the Dolphin’s Nose, Hrishikonda Beach, etc. Our train to Howrah was on the next day in the evening.

Sandakphu by Land Rover

It was a Sunday and we all friends were busy in our Sunday 'adda' in the evening and we were talking about our experiences in various tours and suddenly the name “Sandakphu” was uttered by someone. And it took approximately 10 minutes for us to decide that Sandakphu is out next destination. Wasted no time and started gathering information about Sandakphu. There are plenty of informations available in Google so it was not a big trouble. The initial plan was to trek but the moment we came to know that land rovers are also available from Maneybahnjang we opted for that only because we didn't have much of time. We booked our hotel and a land rover from Kolkata itself and that was a big mistake for which our tour was almost going to end before it had started. Shall talk about it afterwards.

We reached NJP in a bright sunny morning and booked a cab for Manebhanjang which is the starting point of the trek/land rover. We went via Mirik and spent sometime beside the famous lake. From Sukhiapokhri we took the left hand side and reached Mane at around 12 noon. We shifted to hotel and after our lunch we got out of the room to roam around the small village. Mane is a nice small hamlet with some 30-35 families. In the evening we met the famous 'Masterjee'. We'll never forget the way this man helped us although he didn't even know us. However, he came to us and gave us some useful infos about the road and route. It was getting colder out there in Mane and we already had our dinner so we opted to go to bed and prepare ourselves for the tough journey ahead.

The next day we were ready and so was our vehicle. But honestly I could hardly believe that this 'Dabba' shaped vehicle is actually going to take us to 11000 ft! Anyways, its better not to think about things which are beyond of my control. We got into the cab and our trouble began.

The problem was, there are approx 30 land rovers which ply between mane and sandakphu. Now whoever comes from Kolkata (which is 90% of the total travellers) they book that cab only and the other cabs seat idle. Now they won't let that cab go. We could do nothing but seat and watch. Now we can't change the cab as we've made the full payment of hotel, cab, everything in Kolkata only. This went on for almost an hour or so and finally Masterjee came for our rescue. He sat with the other car owners and convinced them that he will talk to the Kolkata booking agent and ask him not to book cabs anymore from Kolkata. After another half an hour of this urgent meeting we were given the pass to go and they all came to us and apologised for their behaviour and we also understood that it is their only source of income so their point is also quite logical. However, thanks to Masterjee, we started our journey at around 10:30 in the morning.

5 minutes in that vehicle and we understood what a big mistake we've made by opting for land rovers. No there was no complain against the vehicle. It was perfectly OK but the road was horrible. It was full of boulders and the jerking made our life miserable. Our first stop was at Tumling and we reached there at around 12 noon. The hotel was quite good and was in a great positin to watch the sunrise over the Kanchanjangha. Tumling falls under the teritorry of Nepal. The place doesn't have electricity and that makes it even more beautiful. We paid a visit to Tonglu which is at some one and half km distance from Tumling and that is within India. Late in the afternoon the entire place was covered by fog and it was an awesome experience.

The next day morning we enjoyed the grand sight of the Sunrise over The Kanchanjangha. We had our breakfast and started our journey to Sandakphu. The beauty of the road can't be described in words. It was mid of the April and the Singalila Sanctuary was getting ready with all its beauty. We had lunch at Kalipokhri. The word 'Pokhri' means pond/lake and there is a lake at this place and the water of the lake is black. Hence, it is name as Kalipokhri. It is a holy lake for the locals. The next place is name Bikebhanjang and 6 kms from here on is Sandakphu. This last 6 kms is the most difficult one for the trekkers. The slope is almost at 60 degree angle. However, we reached Sandakphu at round 12 noon and shifted to hotel. There are quite a few hotel (roughly 4 to 5) here and there is a camp of the SSB (Shashatra Seema Bal) as well. This is probably the only village of India where from one can see so many 8000mts high peak. But we were not so lucky...it was cloudy and in the afternoon it started raining! We actually had nothing to do except watching rain through the window of the room. But the rain, the cloud, the lush greenery...in one word its fantastic.

The next day we all went up very early in the morning and guess what did we see?...it was still raining out there guys! And that was our last day in Sandakphu. We had to retun in the afternoon. We were terribly upset! Even a single peak was not visible. It was 7 o'clock in the morning and by that time rain had also stopped. I went out with my camera to take a few snap of the morning and to my surprise I saw that the cloud cover was gone and the Kanchanjangha was in front of me. It seems as if I could touch the paek by stretching my hands. And it wasn't Kanchanjangha only. I could figure out Kabru, Pandim, Jano and few others as well. I couldn't even imagine that the weather can change so quickly. I had my photo session for a while and came back to hotel for breakfast. We had no plan to go Falut but our driver said he is ready to take us to some distance towards that direction and he said that the scenic beauty of that road is breath taking. And indeed, it was. There are lush green grass lands at both sides of the road though there was hardly any sign of any road. We came back to our hotel and after lunch headed towards Manebhanjang...

Tunganath - The Arms

Tunganath is the highest Shiva shrine of India. It is close to 12000 ft above the sea level. According to the Hindu mythology this temple is worshipped as the Arm of Shiva.

According to Hindu mythology, after the end of the great battle of Kurukshetra in The Mahabharata, the Pandavas felt ashamed of having killed their brothers and other relatives. They started worshipping Lord Shiva for his blessings. But Lord Shiva was not willing to give his blessings to the Pandavas and he disguised himself as a Bull. But somehow, Bhima recognised him as a Bull and hold the Bull from its back. The place where Bhima hold him is today’s Kedarnath. As soon as Bhima hold the Bull, it frozen and the other parts of the body appeared at four other places. These are, Madmaheswar, (the middle portion of the body is found here), Tunganath (arms), Rudranath (belly button & face) and Kalpeswar (lock). All the five places were worshipped by five different Pandavas. In tandem, these five places are known as Panch Kedar and one of the most holy places of the country. Few people say that Pashupatinath is also a part of these Kedars.

We had the chance to go there in Oct 2008. We reached Haridwar in the morning and immediately we hired a cab for the next one week and shown him our total route map. He gave us few suggestions and finally we fixed to one itinerary. We started at around 9:30 in the morning. We reached Rudraprayag in the evening. The next day morning we started our journey to Sari as we had plans to spend a night at Deoriatal.

The day after we reached Chopta, which is the starting point of the trek. It’s a moderate trek route which is just 4 km in length. But you will gain some 4000 ft in these 4 km which means a slope of almost 60 degree alngle. We started at around 8 o’clock in the morning. Initially it was feeling very nice. The road is made of concrete and it is through lush green forest. At around one and half km distance there is a grass land (Bugiyal in local terms). It is one of the most beautiful places one can see in a trek route. You would surely like to stop at this place and spend a few minutes here. There are small tea stalls and snacks corners all through the road. We did stop at the Bugiyal and had a round of photo session. Also helped ourselves with a cup of warm tea and then again started walking. The road is in very good condition (at least it was good in Oct 2008). You will have to give way for the ponies which carry both pilgrims and goods. It took approximately two and half hours for us to reach the temple. We didn’t have any plan to stay there in the night and we had the plan to go straight to Chnadrashila which is another one km trekking and offers a great view of the Garhwal Himalayan ranges. But the weather was not good at all and we understood that we won’t be able to see anything. So we just visited the temple and started walking back. Suddenly we heard one noise and we found that one Bengali family is calling us. We spoken to them and they were also from Kolkata. They asked us to stay in the night at Tunganath and we realised that all of us were actually thinking this but didn’t reveal it to anyone. We got a room in the Kalikamli Dharamshala and after transferring to hotel we visited the temple again to pay homage the Almighty. When we left the temple it was drizzling and within ten minutes the weather changed completely. Now it is raining quite heavily and after half an hour rain snowfall started. This was a new experience for all of us and in no time all of us were out in the road. But it was so windy and cold out there that none of us could resist ourselves from coming back to the warmth of the quilt inside the hotel room. It kept on raining for rest of the day and we had no other option but to spend the whole day inside the room. We had plans to go to Chandrashila next day morning to watch the sunrise. At 3 o’clock in the morning, our hotel boy, who was supposed to be our guide to Chnadrashila, came to us and suggested us to drop the plan as we were not at all equipped to walk on thick snow. This came like a thunder strike to us. We were silent for around a couple of minutes and the person who spoke was Rupam and his valuable suggestion was – “let’s get back inside the quilt guys” and surprisingly we all followed him! At around 4:30 in the morning we came on to the road and guess what was waiting in front of us…the great Garhwal Himalaya peaks – chaukhamba, kedardome, kedarath, nilkantha, nandadevi, and many more. The lodge personnel were kind enough to make a cup of tea for us. The Sun came out at an easy pace and the same old game started in front of us. The peaks, one by one, started to become red…first it was chaukhamba and then the others followed. The red shine became yellowish and after some 10-12 minutes all turned white. This was a grand sight and we witnessed it standing just in front of our room. The road was still covered with thick layer of snow and with the first ray of the sun the outer layer were melted and made it really difficult to get down. Almost all of us were fallen down on the road and then again stood up. And it was a bit risky as there was no barricade beside the road which means once you are out of the road you are straight into the gorge. Thanks to God, nothing happened and we all reached Chopta safe and sound. But the experience we had is something which is awesome and something which I will cherish throughout my life.

A day at The Rocky Island-Samsing

There are few places in North Bengal which can give you some amount of refreshment in the hectic and tight schedules of our daily life. Samsing is certainly one of these places. It is not too far away from Siliguri. There are quite frequent bus services from the Mittal Bus Stand of Siliguri. I had the opportunity to visit the place while I was there in Siliguri. I went there with one of my colleagues. It was a bright sunny Sunday and we started our journey at around 8 o'clock in the morning. The Sevoke Road will take you to the famous Corronation Bridge where from two roads have diverged and you have to take the one which will lead you to the other side of Teesta. You might also have a pleasant stop on the bridge and enjoy the grand sight of Teesta flowing gently through the gorge. The road condition is quite good and you will certainly enjoy your ride. One by one you will cross Bagrakot, Mongpu, Damdim, Malbazar and you will reach a place called Chalsa. Here from you have to take the left hand side road which goes uphill. Just after few minutes you will get a fantastic view of the planes of Jalpaiguri. Carry on your journey and very soon you will be on a road that goes right through a tea estate. This is probably the most beautiful part of the journey. Soon you will reach Samsing and after a certain point your two wheeler will show his reluctance to go any further. Don't worry...just keep it outside any roadside house and inform any of the members of the family. You can be rest assured that nothing will happen with your vehicle. Start gently for an uphill walk. Half a kms gentle walk will take you to the beautiful Rocky Island. The river Murti has flown very slowly through big boulders/rocks at this place. You can take a bath here and enjoy with your companions or can simply just seat on a boulder and enjoy the serenity. There couple of tents out there on the bank of Murti. One can spend a night here. I must say that if you do so it will be a great experience of your life. Booking can be done from Siliguri. If you spend a night here the next day morning you can take a walk through the forest and visit Suntalekhola and the Neora Valley Forest, one of the virgin forests of the country.
Road condition from Metelli is not so good and there is very lil chance of the same getting improved. Rest of the road is quite good.

Deoriatal...bird watcher's paradise!

Deoriatal is one of the most beautiful lakes of The Himalaya. We had the opportunity to go there in Oct 2008. It was a bright sunny morning when we reached Haridwar…the gateway of Garhwal Himalaya. We took a cab and set off for Rudraprayag. The road was typical Himalayan highway with gorge at one side and the mountains at the other. Rudraprayag is one of the pilgrimage places of the Garhwal Himalaya. The two famous rivers of North India, viz. Bhagirathi & Alakananda have merged here and this is one of the five prayags. We shifted to a roadside hotel at Rudraprayag and spent the night there.

The very next day morning we had our breakfast and visited the Prayag. It is one of the holy places of North India. One has to get down through the stair cases to get there at the particular spot where the two rivers are getting merged. We carried on with our journey to Ukhimath. This place has a big significance in the religious culture of India. In the winter season when the Kedarnath is completely under thick layer of ice the Shiva Idol is worshipped from this place only. Bharat Sevashram Sanagha has one of their resthouses here. Anyways, after having lunch at Ukhimath we set off for Sari, a small hamlet where from the trek route for Deoriatal is originated. We arrived at Sari in the afternoon at around 1:30-2:00 pm. And here we met Mr. Negi who will be taking care of us for the next couple of days. He has got two tents just beside the taal which is a steep upward journey from Sari. We took few absolute necessary belongings with us and kept our sacks in Mr. Negi’s house at Sari and started walking. Initially the road was between the village huts but soon we left all of them behind and were in midst of thick forests. Mr. Negi has sent a little, shy boy, named Raju, with us as our guide for this 4 km uphill journey. Raju was initially a bit circumspect but soon he became a good companion and kept on providing much information about the flora and fauna of the locality. The road to Deoria is a typical Himalayan walkthrough with boulders and rocks. The road is more or less covered by the overhanging branches of the roadside trees. So although it was quite sunny still we didn’t have much trouble. There are slabs for taking rest while walking. Eventually we reached our destination without facing a leopard or bear which according to Raju, is a very common phenomenon in this part of the world. Deoriatal is a holy lake of the Garhwal Himalaya and is famous for bird watching. It’s indeed a bird watchers’ paradise. We occupied two tents immediately and amazed to see that there is a small tea stall there beside the lake. Further enquiry revealed that this shop is also owned by Mr. Negi. We had a cup of warm tea and went off to explore the place. We scouted the every possible portion of the place and finally returned to our tents as it was getting dark very fast. It was a full moon night and we helped ourselves with a few pegs of vodka and enjoyed the night thoroughly unless the people engaged in the tea stall came to us and after handing over our dinner box went downhill to Sari. Now we were alone amidst the thick forests. Before going into the tent we saw a glimpse of the mountain range but that was just a very thin line in the sky…nothing else. The night was one of the most exciting nights in my life. It was so silent that you could listen to the sounds of dew drops on the ground. With every sound of the night we thought that this could easily be a leopard or a bear or some other creature approaching towards us. Anyways the animals of the locality didn’t say anything to us (perhaps they took pity on these foolish Calcations) and the night finally came to an end. The morning came with a clear sunny sky and what a scene it was! All the famous Garhwal Himalayan peaks are in front of us. Cowkhamba was the best of the lot. We found a broken watch tower at some distance from the lake and took few snaps of the peaks from the top of the tower. It was an awesome experience to watch the peaks getting red with the first ray of the sun and then getting yellow and finally became white. We had our breakfast and started walking downhill to Sari. Our cab was waiting there to take us to our next destination – Chopta.

Useful informations:
Ukhimath is well connected by road with Haridwar, the gateway of Garhwal Himalaya. One can take a cab to Ukhimath or there is direct bus service from Haridwar but probably only one bus goes to Ukhimath directly from Haridwar.and that too very early in the morning.
For booking tents at Deoriatal you have to get in touch with Mr. Lakpat Singh Negi @ +917966057128 and +919411554291.
Enroute to Ukhimath one can stay at Rudraprayag to avoid a hectic and troublesome journey.