[PapaBravo]

Well, if you go by the thread title, you would know that the idea of this trip was to take a break from work and just relax. We had no detailed itinerary & no POIs marked. But it had to be somewhere in the Himalayas. In one of our Silk route trips in April 2016, we had checked out a resort called "YURU Resort" in Delo while waiting for our paragliding trip to start. In fact, I had mentioned about this resort in our travelogue as well. We had decided to stay there on one of our future trips, and that day came two years later. Called up the resort booked it for 2 nights and we were sorted.

A teaser as always

Day 1 : Kolkata to Delo (650 kms)

We left Kolkata in the night around 2030 hrs. Currently the best route to Siliguri is Kolkata-Burdwan-Morgram-Farakka-Malda-Raigunj-Botolbari-Dhantola-Siliguri. As soon as we were on the highway, the dinner was served on the move. When driving throughout night we usually have just one homemade sandwich for dinner. And since it is a night drive, we don't really stop much. The roads were in better shape and we were in Siliguri by 0545 hrs. This was good since we had avoided all traffic by reaching early. But there was a problem, our check in time in Delo was 1200 hrs and we would have reached that place by 0800 hrs. We were not sure if the resort would provide us a room so early. We took may stops in between these 80 kms in order to delay our arrival at the resort.

Entering the Hills



Calm Teesta. (The picture is actually flipped upside down)



The way up to Delo



A stop to absorb the beauty



The Buddha statue just before the road that goes up to Delo Park



Arrived at Yuru

Even after delaying so much, we arrived at the resort by 0830 hrs. Spoke to the person at the reception who was expecting us much later in the day. The room in which we were supposed to check in was occupied but another room was free and he gladly offered us to stay there till Lunch post which we could shift to our booked room. Full points for great hospitality. We had heavy breakfast & went for a short nap till lunch. "Able", the person who manages the day to day activities in the resort was a very helpful. Post lunch we asked him about good places where usually tourists don't go. He suggested a place called Bidyang & told us that it is only frequented by locals & has less tourist influx. One of the reason would be the nonexistence of the road in the last stretch to this place.

Ready for Bidyang



A small settlement near the river bed in Bidyang



Dogs of Bidyang





The Suspension Bridge



At the Bridge



HULK far away



Spot HULK in the picture

After spending good amount of time doing nothing at the bridge we headed back for the resort which was just 20 kms from this place. The dinner was served in the room (which was delicious by the way) and we retired early.

contd...

[PapaBravo]

Day 2 : Delo-Rishop-Lava-Delo

Since we had gone off to sleep early the last night, we were up pretty early. But since we did not have any concrete plan, we just lazed around in the resort enjoying the views and weather.

Lava & Rishop are two small towns in Neora Valley National Park area and we decided to drive there and back. They are about 25-30 kms from Delo. We left after late breakfast & reached Algarah in 20 minutes. Most of the shops were shut due to Holi. As soon as we entered Algarah we saw this

Holi celebrations at Algarah

Before I could think of taking a U turn, there were some local Sumos/Boleros behind us. I thought of letting the Holi procession pass but they were there to stay. One guy helped us by clearing the public so that we could take our cars ahead of the celebration point and before we could anticipate, there were Holi colors on the car. I was obviously not pleased with this, but had not option. We continued ahead and thought of washing the car somewhere ahead.

Colorful HULK





Wifey posing with HULK

We found a taxi getting washed on the roadside & parked near it. Used the same source of water & gave Hulk an express bath. Needless to say the water was freezing cold for an elaborate cleanup. Somewhat clean & shiny, we moved ahead for Rishop. Rishop is quite regular with tourists but since it wasn't full tourist season and we could only find a handful people on this stretch.

On the way to Rishop





Enjoying the weather

A lot of people don't know that Rishop is reachable through two routes. One from the Lava/Delo side & one from Reshi/Pedong side. The latter route is not even present on Google Maps. Usually, nobody takes this route since this is very narrow & has some steep hairpin bends. As soon as a local told us about this route, we were all set to explore. We went about 15 kms ahead on this route and literally did not find any other vehicle throughout. After some 8 kms, we found a very small village where an Archery competition was taking place.

One of the Archer



The Archer on the Left of the picture & the target on the right. The distance would be approx 100m, if not more.

After watching several rounds from both the teams, we went ahead and road turned beautiful. We stopped a nice place for yet another photo-shoot & absorbing the nature's beauty. Now, since the roads were so narrow we were not able to find a spot for making a U Turn. We finally found a comparatively wider hairpin bend & tried to make a U turn. Had to engage 4WD once since the wheels were slipping but in no time we were headed back.

The narrow roads/trails





The spot where we stopped





The Hairpin where we took a U Turn

While coming back went for a short visit to Lava & started returning back to our resort. Just before we could get back to Algarah, we saw some vehicles standing on the road & a small jam building up.

One of these tall trees



Decided to fall down & create a roadblock

This roadblock was cleared in 45 minutes and we were back on the road. Luckily the place where this roadblock took place had a tea shop nearby and we enjoyed a hot cup of tea in the chilly weather. After the clear up, we returned to our resort and went on the vantage point for some time & then finally retiring to our room

Pathway to Vantage point n Resort



Comfortable Rooms

The next day we had planned to visit Darjeeling for lunch &therefore had to check out and move to a hotel in Mirik. This was our last night in the resort which is famous for its Kanchenjunga views which we were not able to get due to cloudy weather.

[PapaBravo]

Day 3 : Delo-Darjeeling-Mirik

So after spending 2 days in the Kanchenjunga view rooms but still not able to see it, we did not have much hopes on the last day. But to our surprise, the Mighty K showed itself on the last day. The weather was comparatively clear and the snow-clad mountains were visible. Could not click clear zoomed in photos since we were not carrying our camera.

One of the pictures from my phone camera.

After enjoying the morning cup of tea with the view, we decided to go for breakfast. Post breakfast went trekking on a walking trail that was just beside the main gate of the property to a small hill top. The views from the hilltop were breathtaking & we spent good amount of time there just sitting and enjoying a hilly morning.

Breakfast at the Restaurant



Views from the Hilltop

Panorama

Got back from the trail & check out of the room to begin our journey to Darjeeling. While leaving the property my wife enquired about the beautiful flowers at the resort. "Able" came to rescue & told us that his cousin owns a Nursery on the way & we can pay him a visit for more such plants. Coordinated with Viresh, Able's cousin & reached their nursery called "Krishna Kutir". This is a must visit place if you like plants & flowers. My wife has big interest in them.

The Nursery



Flowers at Nursery





And propagation of Succulents



Meghna enjoying the company



Spotted a Bhpian in Kalimpong



Entering Darjeeling



Nature's Height Barrier

We packed some plants for back home & continued our journey. We had planned to have lunch at Kunga in Darjeeling as it came highly recommended from bhpians Teesta & Blackpearl. Darjeeling as usual was full of jams it took us one hour just to enter Darjeeling town & another half to find parking. Traffic & parking are two biggest problems in Darjeeling. Finally after walking all the way from parking to the restaurant we found this

Don't miss the "Closed" board



Keventers



Glenarys

Went to "Keventers" and grabbed some grub. Paid "Glenarys" a visit for desserts & got out of Darjeeling. Our nightstay was booked in Hotel Jagjeet in Mirik. Whenever in Mirik, we have always stayed in this Hotel, since it is on the main road making early morning departures easy. The rooms are clean & the food is good.

On the Road to Mirik



Room @ Jagjeet Hotel, Mirik

Being tored after such a long day, we adhered to the rules of hills & decided to sleep early. We wanted to leave Mirik the next day at 0400 hrs in order to reach home well in time. We left at Mirik at 0430 hrs & reached our home in 12 hours taking the same route back.

Crossing Dudhia Bridge before dawn



Beautiful trees on the way back



Odo after the end of trip



With this, the short travelogue ends. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it.

Signing off till next one

Cheers,

Pawan

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Spotted a Bhpian in Kalimpong

Attachment 1746028

Entering Darjeeling

Excellent travelogue.

Feels so good to see her again. I knew she was in Kalimpong. The only one that I still miss, even after 3 years. Sangeet's taking good care of her too.

[delix]

Nice travelogue pawan as always.. awesome pics. I would rather consider holi colors on ur hulk to be the best shot of the lot which signified ur tribute to the featival of colors. I am sure hulk gives you that extra confidence when it comes to exploring new pathaways.

[sayakc]

Pawan,

Loved the photographs - those mist filled hills of Darj and Kalimpong have a charm thats difficult to define. A hot cup of tea to wake up with followed by a short walk or may be a drive across those tall conifers - always enchanting!

Heres a question about your night drives. Have seen that you/BP take the road at night and it actually saves a day.
1 - How does the body react in the wee hours - especially when it comes to sleep?
2 - Does the lack of sleep, impact your travel plans the next day?

Candid answers will help sir!
And btw, rated your thread a well deserved 5 stars.

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

We left Kolkata in the night around 2030 hrs. Currently the best route to Siliguri is Kolkata-Burdwan-Morgram-Farakka-Malda-Raigunj-Botolbari-Dhantola-Siliguri. As soon as we were on the highway, the dinner was served on the move. When driving throughout night we usually have just one homemade sandwich for dinner. And since it is a night drive, we don't really stop much.

[Sheel]

I wish to know where guys park in Darjeeling? Its a mess, so much so that I am yet to take my wife there (she has been to Sikkim) and prefer riding to Darjeeling, having our late breakfast and riding back.

We too have picked up on Hotel Jagjeet at Mirik and one Hotel Amarjeet in Kurseong. Were alloted the same or very similar rooms.

Thanks for sharing this

[Red Panda]

Wonderful travelogue Pawan. Loved the photographs. I have never visited Darjeeling which is in my wish list. Hope to drive there soon.

Cheers.

[saket77]

Lovely log there Pawan! Most of the talking done by your lovely photographs here though.

The inverted Teesta pic, most of us wouldn't have noticed if you didn't tell. Lovely trip; travel more, share more.

Regards,
Saket

[SJM1214]

I visited Sikkim back in 1999. Water rafting in Tista river was amazing. Back in those days, I didn't have a digital camera. Due to that, I don't have many photographs of my Sikkim trip. In fact, I have only one photograph.

That innocent boy in blue denim shirt is me. Somewhere around Mirik.


Thanks for sharing the detailed Travelogue with amazing photographs. I think now its time to visit Sikkim and seven sisters for me (with a DSLR) to create some memories. I think your travelogue will work as a catalyst in planning my trip to Sikkim.

Thanks, PapaBravo.

[Samba]

A crisp yet detailed travelogue. Rated 5*

Am a fan of the mist covered mountains, specially in this part of the Himalaya's. You have beautifully captured the essence of the place.
Though you didn't like the colors of 'Holi' on Hulk but still your pictures portrayed the festive mood quite nicely.

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Excellent travelogue.

Feels so good to see her again. I knew she was in Kalimpong. The only one that I still miss, even after 3 years. Sangeet's taking good care of her too.

Excellent !! I knew you had a Gurkha earlier, never thought I would spot it in Kalimpong. It can be spotted parked on the road to Delo. We saw it every time we passed that place.

Originally Posted by delix

Nice travelogue pawan as always.. awesome pics. I would rather consider holi colors on ur hulk to be the best shot of the lot which signified ur tribute to the featival of colors. I am sure hulk gives you that extra confidence when it comes to exploring new pathaways.

Thanks a lot Debjit Da. Holi colors were not looking that bad but they would have left marks if not washed off soon. Hulk has definitely been very confidence inspiring whenever I have decided to take any off-beat path.

Originally Posted by sayakc

Pawan,

Loved the photographs - those mist filled hills of Darj and Kalimpong have a charm thats difficult to define. A hot cup of tea to wake up with followed by a short walk or may be a drive across those tall conifers - always enchanting!

Heres a question about your night drives. Have seen that you/BP take the road at night and it actually saves a day.
1 - How does the body react in the wee hours - especially when it comes to sleep?
2 - Does the lack of sleep, impact your travel plans the next day?

Candid answers will help sir!
And btw, rated your thread a well deserved 5 stars.

Thanks a lot for the appreciation Sayak. The feeling is superb no doubt. Now the answers :

1. If you have a convoy, it is still easy since you have company & usually make more stops. For single vehicle trips, it can get a bit difficult. I usually stop for tea or coffee at that time (made at home & carried in a thermos flask since no shops are open that time). Now, we have been doing 22-24 hour trips to Delhi for a long time. For that we start at 2000 hrs & reach by 1700 hrs the next day. So overnight hill trips are not much of a stretch. I would say it is not that difficult provided people undertaking them have enough practice or experience. Apart from saving a day it saves a lot of traffic trouble as well.

2. No. Once I reach, we have a short power nap of 4 hours and ususally ready by lunch or late after noon. We can enjoy the evening wherever we are put up & then go to sleep early. As it is, the hills have very less to offer late at night.

Apart from the above, sleeping well & long the night before helps a lot.

Originally Posted by Sheel

I wish to know where guys park in Darjeeling? Its a mess, so much so that I am yet to take my wife there (she has been to Sikkim) and prefer riding to Darjeeling, having our late breakfast and riding back.

We too have picked up on Hotel Jagjeet at Mirik and one Hotel Amarjeet in Kurseong. Were alloted the same or very similar rooms.

Thanks for sharing this

Welcome !! For parking in Darjeeling, go to Bhanu Bawan, take the up road on the right which goes to Gymkhana & Tourist lodge . On your right you will find St. Andrews Church. Ask the guard there & he will let you park in the premises for approx Rs 100 bucks an hour.

Originally Posted by Red Panda

Wonderful travelogue Pawan. Loved the photographs. I have never visited Darjeeling which is in my wish list. Hope to drive there soon.

Cheers.

Thanks Avishek !! Do visit the place once.

Originally Posted by saket77

Lovely log there Pawan! Most of the talking done by your lovely photographs here though.

The inverted Teesta pic, most of us wouldn't have noticed if you didn't tell. Lovely trip; travel more, share more.

Regards,
Saket

Thanks a lot for the appreciation Saket. I realized that the Teesta pic looked same inverted after clicking it.

[prithm]

Beautiful travelogue. Those Misty roads bring back memories.

Did your trip not extend till Tsango lake ?

[ALTIMAed]

Wonderful travelogue Pawan. Looking forward to see your write up on the Mukutmoni trip. Rating 5 stars.