[car-go]

Originally Posted by saket77

No guesses dear. But will wait for the pics. Try using MS Office Pic Manager to scale down the size. Edit> Compress> Documents. QED!

Dear Saket, thanks so much for the valuable advice - will try this out this time.

Originally Posted by saket77

I think the bold part is a typo.

Thanks a lot, and sorry for my rather bad assumption.

[car-go]

Few more photos ... index:
(Saket, thanks to you again - the MS Pic Manager suggestion works great!)

1) At 4:30am from Lachen on way to Gurudongmar
2) At Gurudongmar lake
3) Cloud clad peaks around the lake
4) Are these strawberries?
5) Huge Shiva at Namchi Chardham
6) Which flower is this?

[daisyb]

Originally Posted by car-go

Few more photos ... index:

1) At 4:30am from Lachen on way to Gurudongmar

Very nice pic car-go

[saket77]

Originally Posted by car-go

Few more photos ... index:
(Saket, thanks to you again - the MS Pic Manager suggestion works great!)

1) At 4:30am from Lachen on way to Gurudongmar
2) At Gurudongmar lake
3) Cloud clad peaks around the lake
4) Are these strawberries?
5) Huge Shiva at Namchi Chardham
6) Which flower is this?

Nice pictures Car-go. The Himalayas are truly majestic. And really like the info on the dam in the pic.

Thanks,
Saket

[rulerofsun]

Yes Those are wild strawberries. Amazing Clicks. I am planning Sikkim next time I am in WB. Thanks for the TL.

Regards
RoS

[rahul4640]

Hallo,
I hope I am intruding into this thread but I shall also like to mention here that I too went to Gangtok and Darjeeling, returning back on the first day of this month. And here are few photos from my side.

A landslide inflicted stretch of the Gangtok-Siliguri road, where a tree was completely uprooted.

No idea which stream or river is this but the view from this place was so nice that my wife asked me to stop here. This photo was also taken by her.

A view of Gangtok town.

Standing close to Tashi viewpoint. This is the road which goes to Nathula.

A view of Tsango (Changu) Lake.

Pictures of the road which goes to Tsango Lake and Nathula.


But I enjoyed most the day I had the opportunity of driving to Darjeeling town from Gangtok, climbing via Peshok Road. I had once descended via Pankhabari Road but this was perhaps a better experience. The road even has a spiral and one has to see the total length of the steep climb (gradient) to believe it. I never had any idea about this road and negotiating it successfully gave me a big satisfaction of mind. Even my wife and daughter said they enjoyed it much.


Hope you will like my picture. Thanks,
Rahul

[saket77]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Hope you will like my picture. Thanks,
Rahul

The pictures are wonderful Rahul. Thanks for sharing them.
The spiraling roads that you have clicked is the pankhabri road or the other road?

Regards,
Saket

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by saket77

The spiraling roads that you have clicked is the pankhabri road or the other road?

No. I did not use the Pankhabari, as I was entering Darjeeling from the Gangtok side. Please see few more pictures of this road, although the stretch involving the steepest climb was not filmed. I even remember that just after clearing the unique spiral I found two cars coming down. I had been told by the locals that the number of cars going up is lesser than the vehicles coming down, because few drivers are not comfortable with the steep climb and use this road only in the downward direction. As the road was quite narrow, I braked and made way for them and after they went past put the car in first gear and started. To my utter surprise, the front wheel started spinning on the rainy wet roads and the car slowly started to drift backward. For a moment I was little scared too. I hit the brakes, slammed the handbrakes, put the gear afresh and revved the engine, with simultaneously release of the clutch and withdrawal of the handbrakes. It worked. The wheels gathered traction and the car started climbing up the steep gradient again. Honestly speaking, we were not prepared for such a gradient.


And this picture shows the fog on the road even at mid day.

While coming down I used Hill Cart Road and Rohini Road. The later has been thoroughly repaired and is in wonderful shape. Please allow me to show few photos of it.



Warm regards,
Rahul,
Cossipore, North Calcutta.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

To my utter surprise, the front wheel started spinning on the rainy wet roads and the car slowly started to drift backward. For a moment I was little scared too. I hit the brakes, slammed the handbrakes, put the gear afresh and revved the engine, with simultaneously release of the clutch and withdrawal of the handbrakes.

Gosh! That must be scary for a moment. The pictures look inviting though. The rains & fog, though would have made the driving a little difficult & scary, but its a watcher's delight, esp on valley roads. Looks beautiful. Nice set of pictures again.

I might bug you again when I plan to undertake the trip to Sikkim.

Thanks,
Saket

[car-go]

Originally Posted by daisyb

Very nice pic car-go

Thanks daisyb, for the compliments. Ought to get a better lens for my camera before next trip though.

Originally Posted by saket77

Nice pictures Car-go. The Himalayas are truly majestic. And really like the info on the dam in the pic.

Thanks Saket. Yes, the info on the dam corroborates the story I told earlier on the name.

Originally Posted by rulerofsun

Yes Those are wild strawberries. Amazing Clicks. I am planning Sikkim next time I am in WB. Thanks for the TL.

Thanks RoS for confirming on the strawberries. Can you also name the bird and the flower in my earlier posts? I guessed the flower to be white calendula.

Rahul - great pics, and thanks for sharing in my post - truly complements the thread. Good to know that you love the drive itself.

[rulerofsun]

Originally Posted by car-go

Thanks RoS for confirming on the strawberries. Can you also name the bird and the flower in my earlier posts? I guessed the flower to be white calendula.

The Flower I am sure is a Wild Daisy. I am no expert and would let the expereinced Ornothologist's answer that.

But to me the bird seems to me to be a Chaffinch.( http://www.galleryofbirds.com/chaffinch/chaffinch.html )
Regards
RoS

[car-go]

Originally Posted by rulerofsun

The Flower I am sure is a Wild Daisy. I am no expert and would let the expereinced Ornothologist's answer that.

But to me the bird seems to me to be a Chaffinch.( http://www.galleryofbirds.com/chaffinch/chaffinch.html )
Regards
RoS

Thanks so much for your replies, RoS. May need to check more on if the bird is a chaffinch - saw that there are minor differences.

[avimal]

Which month ( between April and may) will be better to see Sikkim? Can anyone suggest pls?