[catchjyoti]

MODERATOR NOTE: Do not make back to back posts in the same thread. Use the edit function and secondly read up on our rules


Wonderful pictures. The blue of the Teesta made me remember my school days when I had gone to Sikkim.

You seem to have a zen for travel. Keep it up. It is possible from good ol' Cal to hit both the Himalayas and the sea within a day. Few places afford that luxury.

Awesome writeup. Just unbelievable how you managed to take the eon up there. Went to Zuluk last December, those roads were giving our rented bolero a pretty hard time.
Anyway the writeup is crisp and gives me reason enough to seriously plan a trip in my Beat to the hills. I would love to know the route you took from Kolkata.
Also the colors in your pics are pretty rich, gives a whole new dimension to the beauty of the hills. Waiting for more...
Cheers.

[Fly8843]

You might not know but you just made memories of my school days and growing up years in the Dooars & Hills come alive. Thank you very much gearhead_mait for taking me down the memory lane.
The travelogue is engaging and the pictures truly beautiful.
Additionally, you have proved that small hatches can also conquer the might Himalayas. Congratulations on your feat.

Please let the travelogue flow.

[Samba]

Lovely travelogue with some stunning pictures.

Loved the 12 kms short cut route to Kaluk. Specially both the video's were really nice. Sad you had to turn back. On reaching Kaluk when you saw the AWD Duster you must have thought, having the Duster you could have taken the road less traveled..! But from the video i could make out your Eon has done a great job and you once again proved its not the car its the driver's capability behind the wheels. I strongly believe hatch backs or sedans can go to 95% of the places an Suv can go! Unluckily the short cut to Kaluk felt on the rest 5% !

Now as you have already got addicted to the Himalay's am guessing we will be frequently seeing more such fabulous travelogue's from you in the near future! Already many Bhpians are having this addiction and now you too joined this club! One can quit smoking or drinking but this addiction has no remedy !

[dhanushmenon]

Awesome report there gearhead_mait.
Stunning photographs.
Kudos to your EON to have taken the tread without fuss.

Wish I could venture there sometime.
Hope it materialises sooner than later.

[//M]

Awesome travelogue, the small state of Sikkim is a paradise, a treasureland !

I was in the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary a year back, and a family was staying adjacent to our cottage in the resort. While discussing some routes with them, the man proudly mentioned that out of the places he has visited in his lifetime, there is one place which is close to his heart - Kaluk. He had been there 5-6 times and had lot of stories to share. He showed us pictures of the place too, scintillating it was.

Thanks for sharing this travelogue with us.

[gearhead_mait]

Thanks a lot to all of you! It was indeed an awesome journey. When I get down to write the travelogue, the entire episode flashes in front of me.
There are quite a lot of adventure/events in the travelogue pending (Day 3 and Day 4). The call of work at office is hindering with the progress. I will continue as soon as possible.

Originally Posted by delix

A very nice and detailed travelogue and very well written. The pictures were great. We can easily gauge the level of your excitement. It really gives a breather when you suddenly bump into another fellow bhpian in a trips like these.

Thanks a lot, Sir. In fact you were one of the few to know (apart from the moderators) that the travelogue was coming.
It was a sweet surprise to see DriveTrain in the same resort in which I put up.

Originally Posted by mercedised

Loved your write-up. Please update the travelogue with the route/gmap of the route you took. It would help people like me if visiting the same place to plan.

I will. I forgot to add the route guide. It will be a part of next posts.

Originally Posted by saket77

You are the man! I am sure there is more to come, but it is amazing that you took your Eon to W. Sikkim. Serves as an invitation to take my Zen to the place. So, do you think that a car like Zen, which essentially means even lower ground clearance than the Eon can make it?

Thanks!
Saket

Thanks, Saket! It is nice to see you liked the pictures, more to come!
Your Zen can easily take on the roads as my EON did. But some patches are really bad, specially the moment you step out of NH 31. You have to remember the fact that it's still a hatchback, not an SUV. So one has to drive according to the car's capabilities.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Excellent photos. Which camera & filters did u use?

Looking forward to exploring the Himalayas as I have done most of the south!!

Sridhar

Thanks! The camera is Canon model SX150 (Moderators: No promotion is intended). All the credit of the pictures goes to my wife. She indeed has an eye for photography. Anything on the driving episode, I can answer.

Originally Posted by sumitgovil2311

amazing ride so far. The description is so crisp I feel like travelling along. Wait is getting longer now.

Thanks! that you liked the travelogue. It isn't complete though.

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

Lovely pictures. The color of the river water is unbelievable. Ask any Mumbaikar if he has seen a river of that color and he will think its some blue chemical in it.

Thanks! We were too surprised with the color. Everything was so pure and free from pollution that we, the city dwellers, get more attracted to these places.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

As I go through your pictures, the thought occurs to me that this is the same Eon that I saw in our Kolkata meet, and was driven by someone who was very friendly to me during the whole time. Still remember the moment when we were sitting inside the dhaba and you told us that you will be doing this highly adventurous trip. You were seeking help from BHPian himadrimondal and BlackPearl about driving in thr hills. You were very excited and the excitement was worth it.

Thanks! Kid. What about the new car? Any decisions?
See you in the next meet.

Originally Posted by niranjanprabhu

What is the song that is being played in the videos you have uploaded? Awesome. I have downloaded some of the beautiful photographs posted by you. Absolutely DIVINE.

Thanks! It was the instrumentals (Karunesh).

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Hats off to you for successfully completing such an amazing trip! Given you had mentioned about it in some other thread, I was checking Team-BHP travelogue section regularly for last one week to see whether your adventure with a Hatchback in Himalaya is already public . Frankly, it was worth the wait and waiting for more to read.

Cheers,

Thanks, gmhossain! Go forth and explore the Himalayas. Not even a month after this journey, now I am again feeling the urge to go again.

Originally Posted by Ddrive

Great log there gearhead_mait, You know exactly what im gonna say, Yes, the road from Siliguri towards Coronation bridge, the long standing companion Teesta, and those colourful trees on both sides (i loved the colours in pic no 4322 especially) all these reminds of our trip to Sikkim last year.

Thanks. Ddrive. I went though your travelogue on Gangtok and Nathula pass. It was awesome.

Originally Posted by catchjyoti

Anyway the writeup is crisp and gives me reason enough to seriously plan a trip in my Beat to the hills. I would love to know the route you took from Kolkata.
Cheers.

Thanks! I will share the entire route in gmap.

Originally Posted by Fly8843

You might not know but you just made memories of my school days and growing up years in the Dooars & Hills come alive. Thank you very much gearhead_mait for taking me down the memory lane.
The travelogue is engaging and the pictures truly beautiful.
Additionally, you have proved that small hatches can also conquer the might Himalayas. Congratulations on your feat.

Please let the travelogue flow.

Thanks! It was my pleasure. You were lucky to have spent a quite a lot of your time there.

Originally Posted by Samba

Lovely travelogue with some stunning pictures.

Loved the 12 kms short cut route to Kaluk. Specially both the video's were really nice. Sad you had to turn back. On reaching Kaluk when you saw the AWD Duster you must have thought, having the Duster you could have taken the road less traveled..! But from the video i could make out your Eon has done a great job and you once again proved its not the car its the driver's capability behind the wheels. I strongly believe hatch backs or sedans can go to 95% of the places an Suv can go! Unluckily the short cut to Kaluk felt on the rest 5% !

Now as you have already got addicted to the Himalay's am guessing we will be frequently seeing more such fabulous travelogue's from you in the near future! Already many Bhpians are having this addiction and now you too joined this club! One can quit smoking or drinking but this addiction has no remedy !

Agree 100%. The short-cut was indeed not for hatches. One more road that I liked very much is coming in the subsequent posts on the Travelogue.
Thanks again Samba!

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

Awesome report there gearhead_mait.
Stunning photographs.
Kudos to your EON to have taken the tread without fuss.

Wish I could venture there sometime.
Hope it materialises sooner than later.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by //M

Awesome travelogue, the small state of Sikkim is a paradise, a treasureland !

I was in the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary a year back, and a family was staying adjacent to our cottage in the resort. While discussing some routes with them, the man proudly mentioned that out of the places he has visited in his lifetime, there is one place which is close to his heart - Kaluk. He had been there 5-6 times and had lot of stories to share. He showed us pictures of the place too, scintillating it was.

Thanks for sharing this travelogue with us.

Thanks, //M.

Yes, Kaluk is indeed an awesome place. Probably the best place to see the Himalayas in West Sikkim. You get 180 degree view of the Himalayas from your hotel room.

[Wanderers]

Hi gearhead_mait

Amazing Trip and equally good photography.
The Eon is the clear winner. Love the car from all angle and happy to see it going all over the place.
Hats-off for the little baby's day-out.

When do we get to see the ice-ice baby ?

Thanks

[psurelia]

Beautiful pictures and wonderful narrations! I thoroughly loved reading through it and am waiting for the rest of the story. My situation is like finding the rest of the pages are torn at the peak of suspense while reading a thriller novel.

[Nissan1180]

Great pictures...the fourth one (from top) depicting the flowers with the mountains in the backdrop has become my wallpaper. I'll look at it whenever there's a need to remind myself of how beautiful nature can be.
I saw the video of the road, and I am sorry but I have to say that the track is too dangerous for a FWD car. It is great that you crossed safely, but the lack of road grip and lightweight built of our hatchbacks is best suited for levelled and tarred roads. I am making this statement in the interest of safety - no other intention.

[BlackPearl]

Congratulations gearhead_mait on your first drive to the mountains and I am sure you are hooked for life. As Samba has said, it is an addiction that no correction home can ever cure :-D The travelogue is superb with pictures to match. The music in your video is nice.
The first time I went to Kaluk was in my Baleno and it was a torture on the heart.
The short cut to Kaluk that you have mentioned, is it through a place called Zoom? If yes, then I have been on that route in my bolero. It is treacherous specially during the rainy season and 4wd is needed at stretches.
P.S. - I want to rate this thread 5 stars but can't find how to do it through the iOS app. Can somebody help?

[gearhead_mait]

Day 3:

Before I start for Day 3, let me narrate something which made me really disappointed. After I took my dashcam last evening (Day 2: first sight of DriveTrain's Duster AWD event) and went back to the room I heard a serious conversation was going on with my parents and wife. At first my wife proposed :

Wife: It had been a tiresome day and day after tomorrow we would have to reach Siliguri, and the very next day we would have to drive back to Kolkata. I am only a novice in driving and would not be able to share the drive, so let us take a car for sight seeing tomorrow. You will get some rest in the process.

Me: No way! I am not tired. I have driven through the unpaved and muddy roads and you are not letting me drive over here! I will be driving.

Father: We have listened to you so far. There has been mental exertion when we went through the unpaved muddy road. You have been driving continuously. We would not be able to help you in that. But there is an option of taking a help here which would not be available when you will start driving in the plains again. Listen to us this time. Take a car for sight seeing tomorrow.

After debate of more than half an hour I had to give in to their idea halfheartedly.

Early morning we woke up at 4:30 AM. It was dark and foggy outside. Slowly the sun rays began to show. We went downstairs to the lawn and asked for our tea to be served at the lawn. It was a magnificent experience. One by one the peaks were getting visible and again getting covered with fog, as if nature was playing hide and seek with us. There was no sound of traffic other than crowing of roosters and chirping of birds. We met people who were from Kolkata and we started chatting and sharing our experiences and listening to theirs. What a lovely morning it was! Free from the hustle bustle of city, far from the madding crowd.
Let me share few pictures of the morning.

First morning glimpse


The view from our room


Peaks : Pandim and Joponu (from left)


Thats North and South Kabru hiding itself under clouds


Kumbhakarna, Ratong, South, North Kabru (from left to right), Talung (in the front row)


Our resort at Kaluk


My family in the resort lawn


Black and gold


Resort garden


Magnificent view from the resort garden


The car we had arranged from our hotel arrived at 10 AM. We were ready by then and had our breakfast done with alu-paranthas. Our guide and driver for the day was a man in his late twenties and was a jolly guy. He always kept our endless requests of getting down the car and taking photographs.
Our first stop was at Hee and Bermiok village. It is a small village in the lap of Himalayas and wherever your eyes can reach you would see various shades of green overlapping and bright flowers.

Entrance to Chayatal, which is about 6 KM from Hee village


Next we headed towards Singshore bridge which is the 2nd highest bridge in Asia. It is around 25 KM from Kaluk and we reached there in about 45 minutes. Only one car is allowed to pass the bridge at a time and the bridge vibrates when any vehicle crosses it. People going to Uttarey has to go about 10 KM after crossing the bridge. There were colorful prayer flags hung across the bridge fluttering in wind. The sky by this time got perfectly clear and the chillness of the wind made us shiver although we were in woolens. With the blue cloudless sky, mountains and streams flowing beneath us under the bridge and colorful flags fluttering in the wind, it was a perfect start for the sight seeing.

Singshore bridge




A group snap at the Singshore bridge


A stream flowing under the bridge


View of the mountains


My parents



Our next stop for the day was a view point from where the Dentam valley could be seen. The beautiful view of the valley with terrace cultivation in process mesmerized us. It is famous for Alpine Cheese factories built with Indian and Swiss collaboration. We stopped here and I bought some prayer flags for my Eon.

Dentam valley : step cultivation in process


Our ride for the day


After that we started toward Chhangey Falls. I had visited a fall of the same name when I had went to Lava. It was of less vigor and water volume than its namesake but it was no less in beauty. Our guide told us that it almost floods the road it crosses during the monsoons.

Chhangey Falls

[himadrimondal]

You really deserve a clap. Any person buying a Eon in these parts of the country will never try the Kolkata-Siliguri route, leave alone Sikkim. Further taking Parent along such unknown routes coupled with bad roads really takes a very cool head. Coming back to the trip, roads are tiring but what lies at the end of it is worth the effort. Even better are the memories that cross your mind later. I am not even a week back from Sikkim but your photographs are igniting the passion again. Beautiful set of frames, very well thought and framed and adds so much more content. Your better half needs special mention here. Having two Tbhpians under the same roof was such an unplanned bonus. As BlackPearl says, you are now addicted for life. The secluded winding roads will be calling you again soon.

[gearhead_mait]

Day 3 Continued

After spending some time in and around Chhangey Falls, we were headed towards Pelling. Our driver said that we would first go to Pemayangste Monastery.
The approach to the Monastery is very steep and has a few hair pin bends. Our driver informed us:
"Zoom se Jorethang ka rasta aisehi hai 6 km tak"

Oh! I forgot to mention the background of this reply from the driver. As I had to drive to Siliguri the next day, I asked our driver-cum-guide earlier which route should I take. He inquired about the route I took while coming to Kaluk and told me to take the route through Soreng-Zoom-Jorethang-Melli. He advised that although the road from Jorethang to Melli is bad, I will be able to drive slowly and there wouldn't be any problem. Also, he asked me to keep the AC on in this route from Jorethang to Melli as the road is very dusty.
But, he told that 6 km stretch between Zoom and Jorethang is pretty steep. His actual reply was
"Ek number lagake utarna parega. Brake nahi dabana hai, sirf bends pe brake dabana hai. Nahi to brake jal jayega "(Drive in first gear and apply brakes only at the hairpin bends).
I will come to this story later.

So, lets get back to the day. We were at Pemayangtse Monastery and paid an entry fee of INR 20 per head to enter inside the Monastery. The Monastery is beautifully sculpted. We were lucky that the prayer was in progress as we entered the compound. Drums and a type of trumpet was being played by the monks and the prayer hymns were being sung inside the Monastery by a group of monks. The total atmosphere was reverberating with the crossover of voices and music. Just awesome!
We went inside the monastery and spent some time listening to the prayers.

The compound of Pemayangste Monastery


The Pemayangste Monastery


From the compound, we could see the "Rabdentse Ruins", the ancient Capital of Sikkim.

The Rabdentse Ruins as seen from Pemayangste


Then we went to our car, and our driver said that next we would go to see Rabdentse Ruins, but for that the car can take us only upto the gate from where we have to walk for 1 km through dense forest road to reach the Ruins. I decided that I will take this on, so did my wife. But my parents decided to stay in the car only or explore the surroundings. So, decision made, and the driver dropped us at the gate and my wife and myself went on towards the Ruins, while my parents stayed back.
The road towards the Ruins was a walking trail surrounded by forest trees. The road was moderately steep and the pollution accumulated in our lungs (courtesy our city of joy) began to show its color. We were resting for a couple of minutes every now and then. But, it was worth spending a few minutes a midst this serenity, where we get hear only chirping of the birds and nothing else. There were very few tourists and we moved on.

The trail


Some motivation infused


After walking for about 20 minutes we reached the place, and we were awestruck by the beauty of the place. It was so calm and quiet. We have been to Historical places before, but seeing a historic place at an elevation of 2150m above sea level, has a charm of its own. We decided to spend at least half an hour here just to relax and enjoy the serenity of the place.

The Entrance


Beautiful, isn't it?


Pemayangtse Monastery, as seen from the ruins


A snap of my wife in the beautiful place


A view from the edge


On our way back we had our lunch at a small roadside restaurant in Pelling. We ordered Wai-wai and momos. Both the dishes tasted equally good.

Our lunch for the day


Our guide then asked whether we would like to stop for seeing the cheese making process. We all nodded with a big yes. How could we be tired after viewing all the beautiful scenery the nature offered us throughout the day!

Alpine Cheese factory at Dentam


Inside the cheese factory


After this we made our journey towards our hotel and bid our guide a good bye. He provided really good tips on hill driving. It was really engaging for us to hear about the daily lives of the people inhabiting in the mountains. He was really surprised to hear that we often have to return from work at 12 at night!
Our hotel reception


We decided to have a walk later in the evening in the Kaluk bazar but everything was closed at about 6:30 PM in the evening and we had to return back to our hotel. It started raining sometimes later and the weather turned really cold so had to get the dinner served in our rooms.

[CountMe91]

Excellent Travelogue complemented with wonderful pictures! Your Eon has really inspired me to take our Wagon R to the mountains. As Samda da had said, now-a-days hatchbacks and sedans are capable enough to conquer the territory of SUV's. I have seen many Alto's squeezing their ways up and down the mountains with full load. Eagerly waiting for the TL to finish.

[gearhead_mait]

Day 4

So, we arrived on the day when we had to leave the hills and head for the plains. We had planned to visit the Rinchenpong Monastery, barely 3kms from Kaluk, before we start our journey towards Siliguri.
When we woke up in the morning, there was cloud cover everywhere and it was freezing cold.

A morning view from the resort


I knew there isn't any possibility to view the Mountains today before we leave.
As I went downstairs, I saw DriveTrain was cleaning his car. He was also going to leave for Siliguri today. I had some conversation with him where he showed me the 4WD engaging/disengaging mechanism in the Duster.

Thereafter, we went to our rooms after having tea in the resort lawn to get ready. We were ready by 9 am and went in for the breakfast. After having breakfast, we bade goodbye to all of the Hotel service guys telling them that we will come back sooner than later. They were simply brilliant with the service and we were very satisfied. They again performed their ritual with the silk prayer cloth and wished us good luck.

So, off we went towards the Rinchenpong Monastery. This monastery is quite different and much older than the one in Pelling, i.e. Pemayangtse. Its not that vivid and decorated. But still it had its own charm.

My Family beside the Rinchenpong Monastery compound


The prayer flags fluttering in the breeze


All "Whites"


Some shots of the Monastery



Turn the prayer wheels, be a "Queen"


Spot the EON


EON gazing at the mist


After spending some time here, we started for our journey towards Siliguri. The route we are going to take is through Soreng-Zoom-Jorethang. So, that I was looking forward to the steep 6km descent from Zoom to Jorethang.

The sun was playing hide and seek, and the clouds were coming from all sides with cool breeze blowing - patent mountain climate.



How could I miss the opportunity of a photoshoot!


The roads in this route is pretty good and paved all the way. Soon, we were at Zoom!
I loved this stretch very much. It had everything, steepness like hell, hairpin bends - a drivers' paradise I must say.

A photo of the stretch - the Scorpio had done one hair pin and that's how much descent it had already made


The video of the stretch in timelapse (Please view in 1080P setting)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n9A...ature=youtu.be

Soon, we were at Jorethang (via Nayabazar). I tanked up my EON at Jorethang and continued our journey towards Melli. This road, though rough and dusty, has a unique feature. One side on the mountain was dusty with no sign of green, whereas the other side was filled with green forest trees. And what separates these two is the river Rangeet, in its emerald green color.

A few pictures of the route





A minor hold up


Soon, we were at Teesta Bazaar where we stopped for lunch.
A shot near Teesta Bazaar


As we crossed Sevoke, I started to feel the pain of leaving the Himalayas. It felt like something is just not right. I told myself to return soon enough.

A customary shot of EON with the Coronation Bridge while returning


We reached my Aunt's home around 4:15 pm and she was happy that I kept my word of returning early on the day of return. We spent quality time together and prepared ourselves for the long journey back to Kolkata.