[lovecars21]

It was 26th December,2013 the plan came into my mind while having tea with my family on a winter evening.

The year was going to end and I was completely stressed out and wanted to go for a trip. As soon as I told my mother she agreed and said she would also go. Then my brother, sister-in law and their 5 years old daughter put forward their hands to join in. So, the group was decided.

28th December, 2013 to 1st January, 2014 were the dates we agreed on. Next the destination was to be decided. Considering the time we had in our hands places like Digha, Mandarmani, Puri, Bhuwaneswar, Darjeeling, Dooars, Deoghar where suggested.
We all readily agreed on Darjeeling and Dooars as we were to spend 31st Night at Darjeeling.

Having just one day in hand to prepare, we all started packing bags. I squeezed some time out to get my new car thoroughly checked before the trip. Just 2 months old; my baby Figo Diesel seemed perfectly ready and pumped up for the first trip of its life.

[lovecars21]

Day-1: On 28th December we were supposed to leave early but considering just a day to prepare everyone was late. Finally we jumped into the car at 8:00 am and we had to travel to Siliguri and halt there for the night.

On the way I had some work in Suri and Malda hence had to take the route via Raniganj-Pandeswar-Dubrajpur-Suri-Rampurhat-Nalhati-Moregram-Farrakka-English Bazar-Raiganj-Dalkhola-Kishanganj-Siliguri. Being a Team-bhp follower I knew the road was not drivable but returning from Malda and then taking the Bhagalpur-Purnia route was not in the cards. I decided to move on.

After Rampurhat the traffic seemed to increase and road condition deteriorated. Last year in May when I drove to Gangtok via this route the roads were much better. Had our lunch off schedule at 4:00 pm after getting stuck in a jam for over an hour in English Bazar.
At 8:00 pm we reached Raiganj. Already 12 hours into the journey and considering the road conditions our destination still seemed too far.
To our nightmare the road conditions further deteriorated after Raiganj and it was dark. The road had deep craters everywhere, literally everywhere! It was a drive of 30 kms from Raiganj to Dalkhola and took us 3 hours. Can you imagine!

Finally after 3 hours of struggle we reached Dalkhola at 11:00 pm and had our dinner at a road side dhaba. Then after getting fresh and relaxing for an hour we left for Siliguri.

Called a fellow team-bhpian and he arranged for a stay in Hotel Central Plaza. At 2 o’clock in the night we reached Siliguri. As soon as we checked in the hotel room we fell on the bed and slept like logs.
Total of 520 kms took us 18 hours.

[lovecars21]

Day 2: 29th December: To my utter surprise we I woke up at 6:00 am I saw all other members already having tea and getting ready. Yes, they were excited about the trip. There excitement pumped me up even after going through the nightmare yesterday. At 7:00 am we were all ready to check out from the hotel and move towards Dooars via Mongpong forest.

After having breakfast at a road side stall in Siliguri we hopped into the car and zoomed towards the green mountain forest.

We reach Mongpong forest via Coronation Bridge which was on the way in Sevoke. We took some snaps on the Bridge and we all enjoyed the chilling breeze. All my stress had just vanished.
After taking some snaps we moved into Mongpong forest and walked through the meadows to reach the famous Railway Track which swirled itself through Dooars.

After taking some snaps we moved on. Reached Chilapata forest at 11:00 AM. The weather was cloudy, the road was smooth and minimum traffic. A perfect road trip seemed to unwind.

After enjoying the whole day in the forest and surrounding places we reached Alipurduar at 5:00 pm.
Had and a quick search for hotel with my brother while my Mother and Sister-in-law enjoyed the local market.

We checked in Hotel Sinchula, parked our vehicle and then along with the other members did some shopping and eating out in the local market. The day ended with us all satisfied and relaxed!

[mallumowgli]

Awesome locales. My favourite kind of trip - a relaxed drive through forests. Thanks for sharing. Waiting for the rest

[lovecars21]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Awesome locales. My favourite kind of trip - a relaxed drive through forests. Thanks for sharing. Waiting for the rest

Coming up rest of Dooars and Darjeeling..


Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[gearhead_mait]

Great start to a travelogue! Waiting to see more.
Did you stay at Chilapata?

[lovecars21]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

Great start to a travelogue! Waiting to see more.
Did you stay at Chilapata?

As it was a sudden plan we did not get time to book any lodging. Hence we targeted night stay in cities nearby. We stayed in Alipurduar and whole day we spent in the forest.
Hotel Sinchula tariff: ₹ 850/-. Air cooled decent rooms.


Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[lovecars21]

Back to back posts: You can upload upto 30 images in single post instead of creating back to back posts. Thanks.

Day 3: 30th December: Woke up early and after breakfast we drove towards Jayanti. Once the Buxa Jungle gate opened at 8:00am we drove in as the first for the day. Got our passes for Rs. 550/- and booked a Bolero for Jungle Safari with Guide. They charged Rs. 1,500/- for the Bolero and Rs. 700/- for the guide. A small trek to Mahakal Temple was included in the Jungle Safari package. Rest let the photos do the talking.

At around 5:00 pm we drove off from Dooars and reached Siliguri at 9:00 pm and check-in a hotel.

Some more pictures from Day 3:

The weather had cleared up and invited us to fall in love with nature.

[lovecars21]

Day 4: 31st December: As per plan we were to reach Darjeeling early and enjoy the whole day there.
We reached Darjeeling at 10:00 am via newly paved road, Rohini. The road was stiff but excellent with super view.

The clouds had cleared. The mighty Kangchenjunga along with the locals seemed to be in a celebration mood. The whole day we enjoyed at Darjeeling visiting places like Batasia Loop, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and Rock Garden.

In the evening we check in Hotel Purnima and parked our car in Big Bazaar. Purchased cakes and walked along the Mall Road.

We along with some localities celebrated the ticking of the clock with crackers. After celebrating the arrival of New Year we went back to the hotel and slept like logs.

[lovecars21]

Day 5: 1st January: We check out from the hotel at 8:00 am after having breakfast. Bid goodbye to the mountains and drove off. We reached Siliguri at 9:45 am. After having tea and snacks we moved towards Dalkhola. Had our lunch and took the Purnia-Bhagalpur-Dumka-Masalia route to Asansol.

From Darjeeling to Asansol distance of 519 kms took us 12 hours. We reached home at 8:00 pm.
We found Bhagalpur to be congested and road sections near Vikramashila Setu were bad. Rest of the road was good with some minor potholes. Had to drive very carefully as in Bihar and Jharkhand people didn’t seem to care about speeding vehicles on the highway while crossing the road. Still I managed to cruise at a good speed of 100 km/hr all the way and reached on time.

Coming up
Asansol to Kumaon Road Trip

[mi2n]

Man you have just multiplied my itch to do the Silk Route on our newly acquired Figo TDCI! Did you face any GC issues at any point of the journey?
Great trip and nice snaps, congratulations!

[lovecars21]

Originally Posted by mi2n

Man you have just multiplied my itch to do the Silk Route on our newly acquired Figo TDCI! Did you face any GC issues at any point of the journey?
Great trip and nice snaps, congratulations!

I didn't face any issues with GC even after having 5+1 passengers and boot filled with luggage. Tyre pressure were set at 32psi.


Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[shuvc]

Super ! And I echo @mi2n's sentiment. Have been wondering about a Darjeeling drive in my Figo but was apprehensive whether it would make it.

Btw, I'm ex-Asansol .. Pats .. parents used to stay there till a couple of years ago.

Edit: What's the label under the 'Titanium' badge?

[lovecars21]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Super ! And I echo @mi2n's sentiment. Have been wondering about a Darjeeling drive in my Figo but was apprehensive whether it would make it.

Btw, I'm ex-Asansol .. Pats .. parents used to stay there till a couple of years ago.

Edit: What's the label under the 'Titanium' badge?

Ya surely Figo can do Darjeeling.
End of May i will drive my Figo to Uttarakhand(Kumaon Region)

In which year you passed out of SPS?
Its a Titanium sports badge.


Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[shuvc]

Did you calculate FE for the trip? Being winter it should have been good. FE with AC drops drastically.

ISC'91