Monday, May 10, 2010

Sikkim Tour

April 2010

Nine members of two families embarked on this tour which was divided in two segments:
Part 1: Travel from Mumbai to Kolkata
Part 2: Travel from Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri (NJP)
My family (4 members) decided to travel by air from Mumbai to Kolkata and then from Kolkata to Bagdogra. The other family (5 members) chose to travel by air from Pune to Kolkata and then by train from Kolkata to NJP. The tickets reservations were done 3 months in advance.

Approximate tour expenses:
v     40K per person for my family, inclusive of 4 flight journeys by Indian Airlines.
v     18K per person for the other family, inclusive of 2 flight journeys by Indigo Airlines and 2 overnight train journeys.
Tour Map:


 

Summary for the 15 Days:
Day 1:  Leave for Mumbai Airport from Pune.
Day 2:  Reach New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and Visit IskonTemple.
Day 3, 4:  Reach Darjeeling and Darjeeling - Local siteseeing part-1.
Day 5:  Darjeeling - Local site-seeing part-2 + travelling to Gangtok.
Day 6:  Gangtok Local site seeing.
Day 7, 8, 9:  North Sikkim Tour.
Day 10:  NathulaPass TsomgoLake (Wasn’t reachable due to heavy snowfall and landslides)
Day 11:  Reach Siliguri and visit to the Hong Kong market
Day 12:  Reach Kolkata
Day 13, 14:  Kolkata site seeing and shopping
Day 15:  Reach Pune

16th April 2010:  We started the journey at 9:30 PM from Pune and reached Mumbai airport at 12.00 AM to board our morning flight to Kolkata. The booking was for a Tata Indica through "acabs" for Rs.1500. However we had a pleasant surprise in store for us when we saw a Toyota Innova, equipped with AC and TV at same price. Our journey began with an excellent start and lots of smiles.
Seeing Mumbai airport in a renovated avatar was extremely pleasing and I still feel it’s the BEST.

17th April 2010:  At Mumbai airport, while going through the security check we got an opportunity to see the Femina Miss India contestants. (This is a perfect case of getting double for the price of one.) We boarded the Indian Airlines IC 721 for Kolkata. The flight experience with Indian Airlines was good. The breakfast was ok. However the food did not match the 5 star rating they vouch for.
We reached to Kolkata at 9:00am, on schedule and waited for the other family accompanying us, flying by Indigo Airlines to reach the destination. Their flight arrived at 10:30AM. How can we proceed without clicking the photographs? Well… we did click some snaps together at the airport. The other family left for Howrah railway station to catch the train to NJP and we boarded the connecting flight to BagdograAirport, scheduled at 1:00PM for a one hour journey. We landed at Bagdogra airport at 2.00 PM. This airport is one of the military air bases and one can see a number of jets taking off with a roaring sound and enormous speed. It is a small airport where photography is strictly prohibited for security reasons.
From Bagdogra airport we hired a Taxi to reach NJP – the cost Rs.340. We located a hotel near the NJP railway station as we had to catch DHR (Darjeeling Himalayan Railway), the toy train. In the evening, we decided to visit the ISKON temple at Siliguri. The temple is truly majestic and one can feel the aura of spirituality around. After spending a very nice and peaceful time there, it was dinner time. Food was good at the hotel, especially when it was easy on pocket (sometimes these extra good feelings come to you unexpectedly).
   
                                                          Iskon Temple

ISKON Temple Photos:

18th April 2010: At 8:15 am we hired an auto to reach the NJP railway station. Disaster Awaits!!! After reaching there we are informed that the DHR was not in a working state since last 15 days due to some bridge collapse. Definitely most upsetting… as we were looking forward to travel by this train which is slated to be a major tourist attraction. The reservations were done 3 months in advance but we could not take up this journey... huge disappointment Wish we had checked the latest status… before assuming that everything will be flawless. One cannot predict nature… right?
What next? Well, we decided to hire a vehicle and move towards Darjeeling.
Caution: Don’t fall prey to any of the local tour operators who have their agents spread all over like fog. They keep following you wherever you go. You can check your patience level with these agents around. Believe me, they don’t give up easily.  They will offer less travelling package to Darjeeling i.e. Rs.800 onwards but then you have to book the hotel through them. Here you don’t have any choice.
We decided to just hire a vehicle to reach Darjeeling via Mirik which cost us Rs.2200. This awesome journey takes you through dense forests of pine trees and Nephrolepis. Mirik is 55 kms from Siliguri and around 50 kms from Darjeeling. Our driver Sharma from Muscat was really great. With amazing driving skills, he drove the vehicle in heavy rainfall and fog that seemed to engulf us. We could see the Indo-Nepal border and reached Darjeeling in 5 hrs via Mirik.
     
           To Mirik from NJP                                                           Mirik Lake
Mirik is a picturesque tourist spot nestled in the serene hills of the district of Darjeeling and SumenduLake adds to its beauty. SumenduLake is surrounded by a garden on one side and pine trees on the other, linked together by an arching footbridge called Indreni Pull (RainbowBridge). A 3.5-km-long road encircles the lake and is used for walks. A view of the majestic Kanchenjunga on the far horizon makes an amazing backdrop. Boating on the quaint shikaras and pony rides is available. We spent app. 1.5 hrs there.
On reaching Darjeeling we searched and booked hotel called Timber Lodge which is in the heart of town situated on Mall Road, near Chaurasta. Water scarcity and electricity are most prominent problems in Darjeeling. Most hotels supply river water through tankers.

19th April 2010: For local sightseeing we booked through the Darjeeling Transport Corporation. It costs app. Rs.1600. The visit included Japanese Temple, Peace Pagoda, Orange Valley Tea Estate, Rock garden, Ava Art Museum, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park,Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre and finally Tea gardens. A fabulous day indeed!! Darjeeling is a good Hill station with a good market. You can buy woolen clothes at much cheaper rates. Market is very big. In the evening we did some shopping and visited Chaurasta. The day was concluded with dinner at “The Park” Hotel which near Timber Lodge.
  
           Orange valley Tea Estate                                     Rock Garden       

20th April 2010: We woke at about 3 AM in the morning as we had to reach Tiger Hill to see the Mighty Mt. Kachenjunga. It was about 45 min drive. We were early birds, so caught all window seats in order to get the best, clear and beautiful view of Kanchenjunga. At 5:20 AM we were blessed with the appearance of the 3rd highest peak in the world turned golden, as the sun rays reflected the white snow on it. It looked like a snow peak wearing a golden crown. It was an amazing, enthralling and totally satisfying experience. This view was visualized after 3-4 days of murky and cloudy weather. We were lucky to see it. Believe me… it was a dream come true!!! On the way we visited the Ghum Monastery and then Batasia Loop. Batasia Loop is the scenic gigantic railway loop where the Darjeeling toy train makes a 360 degree turn. It is about 5 kilometers from the main Darjeeling town and was built to help the train negotiate the steep landscape. It is perched at a perfect location to offer a panoramic view of the Himalayan mountain range, especially Mt.Kanchenjunga and Mt.Everest. We were very surprised to see Mt.Everest in the skies because it is not visible at our eye level. It is like saluting this amazing creation of nature… Truly Fantastic!!! Go and catch this view if given a chance…
   
                                       Kachenjunga Sunrise from Tiger Hill
At about 12 PM we boarded Mahindra MAXX to continue our journey to Gangtok. Our driver was someone who could crack a joke and laugh at it himself without making us understand what it was all about… ekdam mamu tha bhai. Finally we reached Gangtok at about 5 PM in the evening.
It took around 2 hrs to search Hotel in the Children’s Park as most of the Hotels were full and we wanted to stay near MG Marg. Finally we booked our room in Travel lodge. The rooms were good and very close to MG Marg. We booked our entire Sikkim Tour Package through the Hotel owner.
 Darjeeling Photos: 

21st April 2010: Gangtok is a very clean city. Climate wise also it is different. Rains make an entry anytime of the day… either morning or evening. Overall a good weather to freak around. Dinner was at Hotel Parivar on MG Marg. As the day passed it became our family restaurant. Local site seeing tour cost Rs.1000 per vehicle for 10 points i.e. FlowerExhibitionCenter, NamgyalMemorial Park, Ganesh Tok, Tashi View Point, Monastery, Do-Dhul Chorten, BakthangFalls, Sales Emporium, Ropeway and Museum. 3 taxis were hired for the local sightseeing.
    
       Do -Dhul Chorten                                                  Bhakthang Falls

22nd April 2010: We started with North Sikkim Tour. 3 days and 2 nights including Lachen, Gurudongmar, Lachung, Katao, Yumthang valley and Zero point. Entire package for 9 cost us Rs.20, 500. Our vehicle was a brand new ‘Sumo-Victa’ with good interiors. And our Driver “Navraj” was also unforgettable. Thanks to his awesome driving and also to his great music collection.
We started at 12:30 PM and reached Lachen by 7 PM. On the way we saw “Seven Sister’s Fall” and the “NagaFalls”. Falls were too beautiful and scenic. We hit Lachen by dusk. Lachen (9500 feet above sea level) turned out be a one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. Lachen is set on a grand ridge between two real mighty chains. The view of the valley below and the misty peaks above had an absolutely bewitching effect on the senses. The Hotel “Tso Lamu” was also very nice and 2 families got 4 rooms to stay in. We were very happy with the stay and the food served.

23rd April 2010: We woke at about 3 am to start our journey to “Gurudongmar” which is about 4 hrs drive from Lachen. An incredible view accompanies you while travelling to the sacred lake which is 17100 feet high. The road continues with an absolutely breathtaking view of the high snow clad mountain ranges and desolated barren land. We were lucky enough to reach there as very few people are able to. In short, we reached where few men have gone before. Our reliable Sumo got us up without the engine conking, the tyres getting punctured or the diesel freezing... some common problems faced here. Also some people suffer from AcuteMountain sickness (severe headache, vomiting, etc) due to paucity of oxygen. We escaped all this fortunately. The lake is the most beautiful lake I have visited till now .It’s truly a Paradise on Earth!! No words can describe it and no picture can justify it! We were astounded to see such a beauty. Felt like heaven on earth. For me this was “The Mansarover”
        
                            Panoramic view of Gurudongmar Lake

Within half an hour we left Gurudongmar at about 8:40 or so. We began our return journey to Lachen. Had lunch at about 12:30 PM and moved towards Lachung… our next destination.
Lachung is a picturesque Himalayan hamlet surrounded by sky high snowy peaks from all sides. We reached there by 4 PM. Our Hotel was good and each family was given two rooms to stay. We had the entire evening to freak out. UNO was our mate for the evening… for me, Gauri, Ganesh, Suraj and Pinki.

24th April 2010: We started early in the morning at about 5 am to visit Katao which is also known as the Mini Switzerland of the North East India. Just 2 days before, Katao was opened for tourists. WOW… we were lucky again. We played in snow and captured amazing snaps. KataoValley is situated at an altitude of 15,000 ft above sea level with the panoramic view of snow clad peaks of the Himalayas; it is a rival to Yumthang in beauty. Truly Fabulous!!! Not many tourists visit Katao. We are the trendsetters.
     
                                                         Katao
We then moved through the YumthangValley towards Zero point. Zero point Sikkim is 5100 mts above sea level and 14 kms from China. It was extremely beautiful and scenic.
   
                                                     Zero Point

While returing we visited the Yumthang valley. You can experience the breathtaking view of the rhododendron flower beds and alpine trees. Deeply mesmerized by their deep-red beauty, we spent nearly half an hour in the valley and descended towards Lachung.
    
                                                        Yumthang Valley

After lunch a feeling of sadness had begun to creep in as the journey of North Sikkim was coming to an end. We returned to Gangtok by 7.00 PM. There were heavy rains that day and the roads were muddy due to the potholes (thought of Pune roads). Navraj drove the vehicle very carefully as visibility was zero. There was a landslide in between too. Huge boulders seem to be blocking the road as if they didn’t want us to end this tour. The journey was risky but it was thrilling too. After returning Gangtok, Navraj found one of the vehicles travelling with us missing. We took deep breath, thanked GOD to bring us here safely and moved ahead...
 All the roads in Sikkim are maintained by BRO (Border Roads Organization). There is no public transport. We can hire private vehicles. In this entire North Sikkim tour we were totally packed with pairs of shirts, sweaters, socks etc. because it was icy cold. Climate changes every five minutes and is unpredictable.
 An advice - always have additional pairs of clothes in these regions as it is impossible to dry wet clothes in these climatic conditions.

25th April 2010: This day was meant for our visit Nathula pass and TsomgoLake. But situation did not permit as there was a massive landslide blocking 150 vehicles leaving people stranded. A horrifying experience indeed! One lady expressed that she was thankful to GOD for giving her second life and narrated her experience. There was a heavy snowfall the time they started their return journey from Tsomgo. Initially they enjoyed the snowfall but the snow fall became more intense and rose 1 foot blocking all the vehicles. An alarming situation and hearts started beating faster. It was fully dark outside. At about 2:30 AM, army people asked them to get into their vehicles. People walked 2.5 kms in heavy snow that night. Finally they came out of this nightmare. They were thankful to the army people who rescued them. I thank GOD that I did not have this kind of frightful experience. However, I will miss Nathula and TsomgoLake.
We spent this day chilling out on MG Marg, and Lal Market.
Sikkim Photos: 

26th April 2010: Sikkim tour had come to end. We hired vehicle and descended towards Siliguri. Started our journey at 7 AM and reached Siliguri by 1 PM facing the traffic jams in between.

Finally we reached Siliguri and had lunch at Hotel Palms… hmmm… food was good. Then we visited the Hong Kong market. Several goods are sold at app. half the prices. We need to bargain at least 60% of what those people say. But beware of electronic goods. Most of them are China made. I was looking for 64GB pen drive @ Rs.600. But fortunately I came to know that those pen drives don’t work after one format.
Also Ganesh took some 3 Deodorants for Rs.150.  He was quite happy that he got in cheap. But later he realized that all had passed their expiry dates…Its OK Ganesh, next time before looking at the brand check the expiry date first… just kidding!!!
My Mom bought a huge tour bag for Rs.1750. That was a good bargain. In Pune you will get the same bag @ >3K.
Ganesh’s family left at around 6:30 PM to NJP station to catch train to Kolkata. We had to catch our flight to Kolkata the next day at about 2 PM. So we were relaxed wandering in the market. Suddenly we came to know that next day was Bharat Band and no vehicles would ply on the road. Everything would be closed. We were in traumatic situation as what could be done? Go to Bagdogra and make a stay there? Or directly go to the BagdograAirport? Or early morning leave to the airport?

We heard that in Bagdogra there was only one hotel called Manila. All people would be rushing in. So the first option was out. We were reluctant to go to the airport directly as there was long span of time in between. Also the airport authorities wouldn’t allow us to stay there. So, second option was also out. We had to select the third option anyway. We booked cab @4 AM in the morning paying Rs.700 for just 12 km.

27th April 2010: The cab reached earlier than expected @ about 3 AM.  We reached airport @ 3:45 AM and had to wait there till 3 PM. Thanks to ‘Bharat Band’ called by the political parties. All flights to Kolkata were cancelled excluding the Indian airlines flight in which we were going to board. See... God at help again and a reason to smile for us. There was just a 45 mins delay. Suraj, my brother had to catch the connecting flight to Mumbai the same day as he had to join his company. 12 hrs were spent restlessly. Moreover, the Bagdogra airport was overcrowded and gave us a feeling of a railway station (have you ever felt that you are in a train while travelling by air?). Some people sleeping on the floor on bed sheets, some people just roaming as there were no place to sit and the people sitting were taking a nap. It was painful day… but life is like that, isn’t it? Sometimes sweet, sometimes not so sweet but becomes a part of our memories. Finally we boarded the flight from Bagdogra and landed at Kolkata at about 4 PM. We waited for 2 hours and eventually booked taxi @ the airport. We were stranded there for almost 1 hr as the taxi counter did not open. Slowly it became a serpentine queue. Finally on my mom’s request one TC asked a taxi driver to take us to Hazara Road. At last we reached Maharashtra Nivas @ 8 PM. The other family had already reached there in the morning. After a satisfying dinner, it was time to catch some sleep.

28th April 2010: We planned for Kolkata site seeing. Kolkata weather is same like Mumbai… hot and humid. It was not pleasant...
Kolkata temples failed to meet our expectations. We visited Dakshineshwar temple at Bali and KaliTemple at Kalighat. Both the temples lacked cleanliness. In fact, the priests and touts have made it dirtier. It is sad to see such condition of our holy places that are sacred. Hope someday we realize the importance of keeping God in a clean place.
    
         Victoria Memorial                                          Dakshineshwar Temple
Visit to SciencePark, Jain Temple, Victoria memorial and Belur Math was fulfilling. We had dinner at restaurant "The Dhaba", at Baliganj. The Non-Veg food was amazing and delicious. Well… Kolkata did not fail us here… our taste buds were definitely tantalized.

29th April 2010: The “Gariahat” market of Kolkata. Market is very huge and we reached there at about 10:30 AM. There are approx. 10,000 shops. We shopped till 2:00 PM and then it was time for another delicious lunch. At 3:00 PM it was time for the metro railway journey from Kalighat to Esplanade and vice versa. In the evening we visited BirlaTemple. The temple is a majestic and marvelous edifice and is absolutely clean. Can’t all gods live like this at all the holy places?
With an early dinner at 7:30 PM, our last one at Kolkata for this visit, it was time to sleep and get ready early in the morning to catch our flight to Mumbai.
Kolkata Photos: 

30th April 2010: It was Good Morning Kolkata at 2.00 AM and we reached airport by 4 AM. At the KolkataAirport, we saw the Indian Football team. Unfortunately I recognized nobody... we remember only cricketers...sad isn’t it? Wish ‘Baichung Bhutia’ was there… I remember only him. We boarded the Indian Airlines flight and reached Mumbai by 9 am. WOW… Amchi Mumbai. We were in our familiar domain. We had booked cab through “acabs” again for our return journey to Pune. We reached Pune at about 1:45 PM confronting the traffic jams in Mumbai.

Overall the journey was awesome and great. I keep Sikkim memories on top, just like the view of the mighty Kanchenjunga, awesome Gurudongmar and finally viewing the Queen in the skies - Mt Everest, of all places that I have visited so far. What a memorable event of my life… these are what nostalgic memories are made of… not to forget my lively and enthusiastic group. Thanks Guys, you all made it all the more brighter and lively. Cheers.


I would like to acknowledge the efforts that “Neelam Sharma” has put in reviewing my blog. Thanks a ton, Neelam. Without you it wouldn’t have been possible.

For more photo's, you can follow @sagarbidkar/@saylibidkar on instagram.




2 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice and interesting information and informative too.
Can you please let me know the good attraction places we can visit: Mumbai To Kolkata Flight

Jackson Walker said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.