We have been planning to do a camping trip for ages but the determination to do it was lacking. The last camping that we did in India was way back in 2012 in Zanaskar (Ladakh). This time nothing short of a calamity was going to stop us. The destination was finalised, Sandakphu.
Preparation started in full swing. Thanks to cr4nkshaft for lending us a new Quechua 2 person tent.
Can you imagine all these went into the Thar along with 4 people!!
Then there was the eternal dilemma of choosing between the Bolero and the Thar. I was more inclined towards the Bolero for several reasons, but finally people were able to convince me to take the Thar.
Four of us started the journey from Kolkata at around 9 in the evening, took NH34 all the way. Kaliachowk was a mess, but we were able to follow an ambulance and then did some off-roading to get out of the mess. Thanked my stars for choosing the Thar because I had to cross a ditch where the Bolero would have bottomed out due to the longer wheelbase. Dalkhola was a breeze and we met the Kolkata bhpian gang just before Siliguri. They were heading towards Zuluk.
We reached Kurseong at around 11 in the morning and stopped at Kurseong Tourist lodge for the customary momos and Darjeeling tea.
We reached Darjeeling just after noon. Rooms had been booked at Sinclairs.
Parking was a bit of a problem at Sinclairs as there were a lot of tourists and the parking place is very narrow.
A trip to Darjeeling is incomplete without a session at Keventer's
Next morning we started at 4 o clock and were supposed to meet Bhpian sinsha en-route to Sandakphu.
Sinsha and Rajib had travelled in a Duster AWD and wanted to test whether it could up to Sandakphu or not. We found their Duster parked at Chitrey.
Woke them up and continued towards Lamey Dhura for breakfast. They were supposed to catch up with us there. As we waited for the Duster gang at Lamey Dhura, several Land Rovers passed by and we kept on asking each one whether they had seen a Duster coming.
The answer was negative each time. After about an hour or so, the answer was affirmative from one Land Rover driver. But then he asked why that vehicle was going. He went to on to say that it would not reach Sandaphu at any cost and he was willing to give his Land Rover for free if the Duster made it
Photo session as we waited at Lamey Dhura
Spotted these cuties
From Lamey Dhura onward both cars traveled together with the Thar leading the way. However after sometime I realised that the Duster needed a lot more momentum at the sharp and steep turns than the Thar. So we let the Duster lead the way from there on. We had to maintain a fair amount of distance between the two vehicles as the exhaust smoke of the Duster as well as the dust kicked up was entering the cabin of the Thar.
Early setback and bhpian to the help
As we were approaching Jaubari, sinsha pointed out that the rear left tyre was looking quite deflated. At first he thought that I had purposefully deflated the tyres to tackle the rocky terrain. However it turned out to be big nail that has caused this. sinsha fortunately was carrying a tyre repair kit and an inflator. I must say that he is one of the most helpful people I have traveled with. He was the first person to jump out to help during our Ladakh trip as well. It took quite an effort from him and two guys from our vehicle to get the nail out and repair the tyre without taking it off the vehicle. Unfortunately I could not help much due to an injured left shoulder.
After about 30 minutes, the Thar was back on road.
The route to Sandakphu at this time of the year is beautiful, specially through the Singalila forest. We stopped innumerable times to capture the beauty in digital form.
Rhododendrons were in full bloom. We wanted to stop at almost every turn to grasp the beauty of the place.
Kalapokhri
Till Beekaybhanjan the Duster went up without too much drama though there were places where it was struggling a bit. The real antics started after that, during the last stretch of 3 kilometers to Sandakphu. Passengers had to come out of the vehicle, place stone behind the rear tyres, driver had to rev the engine hard to get going. All these had to be repeated every time the Duster came to halt in the middle of a steep slope. The engine was also getting overheated.
But even after all this, sinsha and Rajib Da did not back out. The finish line was near and they were able to smell victory.
The jubilant Duster team just 1 Km from Sandakphu
Finally after an epic struggle and some skillful driving, the Duster made it to Sandakphu. As confirmed by the owner of the Sherpa Chalet hotel, this was the first Duster to have made it till Sandakphu. I was glad that the accolade went to a team-bhpian!
The Land Rover drivers had said that the last three kilometers would have been easy from the Nepal side, but then the naysayers would have said that the Duster did not take the steepest route to Sandakphu.
The trip beyond Sandakphu
The Duster gang were on a shorter trip than us and they did not want to push till Phalut that day. They planned to return to Siliguri the next day and it would be very hectic to do so from Phalut. On a hindsight it was a great decision as the road after Sandakphu deteriorated drastically and the Duster would not have made it.
If the route to Sandakphu can be called stunning, then what lay beyond can be termed as out of the world. The rolling fields called bugyals, the wild horses, the grazing yaks and the blue skies combined with the sheer remoteness of the place is bound to have a lasting impression on a traveler for years to come.
It was almost dusk when we reached a remote village, if it can be called a village with just one civilian hut and a few army tents.
To be continued......