[ChiragM]

This was a nice lunch-time read.

Simply stunning pictures and a well-written travelogue.

I have always wanted to visit Sikkim. In my bucket-list for long. Now I know where all to go in Sikkim. Gurudongmar is breath-taking. Reminds me of my visit to Pangong lake. The mountains in the pictures are covered by clouds. It would have been better if it was a clear day, but that's rare I suppose.

Marengo's performance during the trip also looks to be flawless.

[Madmax_SP]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Day 8!
...
To sum it up, well, nothing to summarise actually, a Roadtrip is always welcome, better if it rewards you with excellent sights and amazing experiences, even if it doesn't it’s still better than wasting oneself at home or sleeping it out on commercial transportation!
...
But to me, a roadtrip needs to be away from all those numbers, because numbers practically mean nothing to me (would entertain a debate on this topic). It needs to be an experience to cherish. A date you take yourself to. This one was exactly that!!

Thanks for putting up with me!!

A perfect way of summing up, agree no less. A roadtrip to dream locales should not be calculated in terms of numbers and timing devices. It is an experience of a lifetime, which cannot be quantified.
A wonderful travelogue with deep insights of that amazing Gurudongmar Lake. Goes into my bucket list.
Thanks a ton.
Warm regards
Madmax_SP

[ARAY]

Beautiful narration , some splendid pictures of the region. Driving to Himalaya has always been a special attraction in my life and you and few other teambhpians have unknowingly triggered the fire of "road trip vacation" straight in the heart of many travellers. The blogs act as a blueprint for several trip.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience, keep traveling and sharing such wonderful experiences.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Great travelogue along with pics.

Liked the way you have given a warm tone for the scenery pics.

Thanks So Much! Good that you noticed the tone. However, its only on those pictures where there is no direct sunlight, lighting up the scenery. I used the appropriate White Balance for Cloudy settings.

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Also, any reason you changed the tail lamps of your Scorpio to that of post 2015 design?

Purely for the Aesthetics. Had loved Altezza tail lamps from the time they came out, never had the opportunity on the other vehicles I have/Had to install them (they were not available). So when the new Scorpio came out, thought of fulfilling that wish. However once installed, the upper red reflectors looked horrible with it, so those were also replaced.

The second point is that the 4 D's look kinda cool at night!!

Originally Posted by saket77

Yet another wonderful trip to the hills. You are absolutely smitten
Loved the photographs and yours, plus your family's enthusiasm.

Another tough destination nailed perfectly. Good to see you guys taking up such trips often. Keep bringing those lovely logs.

Regards,
Saket.

Thank You Saket. Actually, the first 200 weeks of my Life, I had spent at Ranchi!

Originally Posted by vinayrathore

Wow! Kudos to you and the Morengo!

Thank You @vinayrathore, however the name is "Marengo" - kind of has a dual significance to Napoleon, his horse, as well as the Battle of Marengo

Originally Posted by vinayrathore

Read all in one go and felt like you guys had more than 24 hour per day. Kalaphatthar to Gangtok in one go is insane! Hats off to the preserverance behind the wheel!

Actually, more than that Sir! We started the day from Lachen, went upto Gurudongmar, came down to Chopta, went up to Kalapatthar and then came down to Chopta, to Lachen and then onto Gangtok! Distance wise, wasn't much, however, road conditions, multiple landslides and a super heavy torrential rain, loads of slipping and sliding, not the best thing to do on these parts.

Originally Posted by vinayrathore

North Sikkim is a different world altogether. The terrain, the flora and fauna are amazingly unique. This thread was like a trip down the memory lane.

We had done Gurudongmar way back in 2008 and I, like you had promised myself to come back driving down. Have done most of NE driving but Sikkim is still elusive.

It was the month of August/September and there was way more snow around Gurudongmar that time. Even the lake was partly frozen and the snow was there till its shores. Looks quite barren now, Global Warming? The Chopta Valley too was way greener or multi colored I would say with colorful leaves and flowers.

Hoping to do Sikkim again soon!

You're absolutely right, it must be the Global warming and also the fact that it's a decade since you visited.

However, there is a little unpredictability dialled in these days, for example, last year, same time, it snowed at BumLa Pass in Arunachal just the night before we went there!!

However, like Ladakh, North Sikkim is temperamental, it has to allow you in. Once inside, the threats of natural road blockage are also real. All it will take is one hour of a heavy downpour and you maybe stuck for days.

Chopta Valley was too barren for my expectations too, maybe later during the year, the vegetation comes up.

Originally Posted by vinayrathore

OT: what front bumper does Morengo wear?

The front Bumper is from a Tata TL/207 attached on the brackets for the Scorpio Bumper. I also happen to indulge in a little bit of offroading in our region with this vehicle. The Stock Scorpio Bumper was a little too vulnerable to be bent/damaged by obstacles. In most cases it could be pulled right back into shape by hand or a crowbar, but was always an irritant. This bumper helps increase the approach angle by a lot, hasn't taken a single hit in the last one year.

Originally Posted by Samba

Beautiful narration. The pics are splendid.
Seems like this travelogue is straight from your heart. Again a date with Himalaya is always a heart thing, not directly proportional to the brain.

Wish you & your family many more such engrossing trips with Marengo.

Rated 5*.

Thanks So Much! Yeah, the travelogue is straight from the heart, but the documenting process was also documented this time, about 54hrs! The brain surely isn't too pleased!!

Originally Posted by mi2n

Absolutely fascinating! It feels great to hear from Marengo after a while. This is an exceptional and pleasantly different take on North Sikkim. Will surely be the reference for future trips to this region.



Thanks for sharing. Rated 5*.

Thanks Mi2n. An honor if this can form a reference for someone to base their adventure on.

Originally Posted by majumon

Super write up and great pictures, thanks for bringing up such wonderful places and sights that are unheard of in our part of the country. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Good that Marengo was covered with slush only during the last leg of the journey so she could remain picture perfect.

Thanks @majumon. However!!! Marengo is clearly a "he", one doesn't have to peep on its underside to ascertain that!!

Originally Posted by ChiragM

This was a nice lunch-time read.

Simply stunning pictures and a well-written travelogue.

I have always wanted to visit Sikkim. In my bucket-list for long. Now I know where all to go in Sikkim. Gurudongmar is breath-taking. Reminds me of my visit to Pangong lake. The mountains in the pictures are covered by clouds. It would have been better if it was a clear day, but that's rare I suppose.

Marengo's performance during the trip also looks to be flawless.

Thanks So Much @ChiragM

Your Lunch I guess was a pretty late one, going by the timestamp of your post!!

It surely would have been a lot better on a clear day and like you mentioned, its rare at the time of the year we visited. End May is when the Monsoon begins to set in. One needs early start for clear skies and that too by 9/9:30am the clouds construct the ceiling! But am not complaining, happy with whatever, the powers above, still allowed us to witness or capture.

Originally Posted by Madmax_SP

A perfect way of summing up, agree no less. A roadtrip to dream locales should not be calculated in terms of numbers and timing devices. It is an experience of a lifetime, which cannot be quantified.
A wonderful travelogue with deep insights of that amazing Gurudongmar Lake. Goes into my bucket list.
Thanks a ton.
Warm regards
Madmax_SP

Thanks So Much @Madmax_SP

Originally Posted by ARAY

Beautiful narration , some splendid pictures of the region. Driving to Himalaya has always been a special attraction in my life and you and few other teambhpians have unknowingly triggered the fire of "road trip vacation" straight in the heart of many travellers. The blogs act as a blueprint for several trip.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience, keep traveling and sharing such wonderful experiences.

Thanks Aray. We had been clubbing child's vacation with roadtrips for years now. Didn't get to write travelogues on recent years, but each trip had a unique experience. However, this one seemed worthy of typing down.

[benbsb29]

Anirban, thanks for another amazing travelogue. Well documented, and definitely a pleasure to read. As you would have noticed, I've been following this one right since its inception in the Assembly Line section.

Originally Posted by 1100D

To sum it up, well, nothing to summarise actually, a Roadtrip is always welcome, better if it rewards you with excellent sights and amazing experiences, even if it doesn't it’s still better than wasting oneself at home or sleeping it out on commercial transportation!

Well said. Many a time i have been asking if we were taking a flight to our destination when we travel, and my answer is that if there is a road to drive, and which fits within our timelines, I WILL drive. Some think of me as crazy at that point, others echo the sentiment, and frequencies are matched.

Originally Posted by 1100D

On the other hand, there are many I know, who take up roadtrips, for the sake of documenting that they have driven to that place, with a stopwatch, recording section times. But to me, a roadtrip needs to be away from all those numbers, because numbers practically mean nothing to me (would entertain a debate on this topic). It needs to be an experience to cherish. A date you take yourself to. This one was exactly that!!

Thanks for putting up with me!!

I've been a regular follower of your travelogues right from the Ikon days, and wanted to thank you for sharing these with us. It's amazing how quickly time flies, as i still recall the pic you had posted of your daughter atop that Merc!

[aniyo]

North Sikkim is very beautiful. We had gone there for our honeymoon. My wife wanted to go "somewhere out" but I insisted that India is equally beautiful.
We got married in Vizag and from there took a train (First Class) to Kolkata and from there flew to Bagdogra. From Bagdogra we took cab till Gangtok.
Honestly after we saw Gurudongmar lake, rest everything felt just so average. We still cherish that trip.
My wife just loved Sikkim. What surprised us the most was the food. irrespective where we ate the food was always good and tasty. I think Sikkim is an organic state, that has helped probably

[Sheel]

Feel the more guilty to take a commercial transport for my trip to Kolkata, but seeing the traffic and mess on 21st July, I think, it was somewhat a favorable destination to *NOT* use one's own car. Besides, either the Maldah or the Dumka route don't have much to offer, especially when I almost every week ride down to the hills.

Beautiful thread, witty narration of pictures/destination. Thanks for taking out time and putting in effort to show [few] parts of Sikkim which I have not visited.

Thanks to Marengo, I think to keep my Scorpio 4WD for some more time, not that I have the $$ to change it, but know, it has few healthy years & kms ahead of it. I used to call my Scorpio 4WD an explorer, but maybe, this tag suits the Marengo more, so have stopped using that :-| A to Marengo from its younger sibling, its been inspiring it a lot.

EDIT: Couldn't find your Bhutan travelogue, where has it disappeared?

[sayakc]

Dada,
A travelogue from you after a long, long time I believe. Like your North Bengal visits which are detailed with information and photos, this too is quite informative. Rated it 5 stars.

Referring to the speed camera point that you mentioned - my drive license was compounded for 3 months for over speeding in the Rajarhat area sometime back. And when I narrated my plight to some office colleagues, I heard that not only in the cities, but also on highways, the speeds are monitored.

I have a few questions in this regard. It will help if you can answer these questions in this or the Bypassing NH34 "bible" thread will help fellow travellers.

1. What is the speed limit in the highways?
2. Did it impact your drive time to Siliguri?
3. What was your average to/fro journey time excluding breaks?
4. Were you consciously driving sedately? Or did you have prior information of places where police where there were speed radars ?

Thanks in advance.
Sayak

Originally Posted by 1100D

Carrying on then!

Infact, as a reward for enduring the lengthy text in the previous post, will totally skip the mundane detail of driving from my home in Howrah to Siliguri on the first day. Let’s just say, it was uneventful, boring and slow, mainly to avoid being prosecuted by any speed cameras. I did manage to pass a breathalyser test though as we were nearing Siliguri.

[gmhossain]

Wah! Anirban, it's wonderful to read a travelogue from you after a really long time. I guess, you are at the best of your witty humour in this travelogue! I really needed to zoom the picture to grasp the meaning of the following

Originally Posted by 1100D

... Taj Mahal and this pedestrian shelter kind of shares a similar story! ...

May be you should try to find more time to write more travelogues for readers like us!

Best,

[arjab]

Originally Posted by 1100D

However, the whole facility now, seems to be in a state of disrepair. Flaking walls, deteriorating woodwork apart, the service and the availability of basic food left a lot to be desired. Facility is owned by the Government of Sikkim. Probably was great once!

Sad to hear that Cherry Resort is on a downhill slope. As you correctly mentioned, it was indeed very nice. We visited Temi / Cherry in 2010 April and the service, food and ambience was lovely. Those many years ago, Cherry Resort had just come on stream and the staff went out of its way to make things comfy for the guests. In fact we extended our stay by a day at Cherry, as the miss'us liked it so much!

[//M]

It feels great to read about Marengo's adventures after such a long hiatus.

North Sikkim has always been my personal favourite. It has the perfect mixture of great adventures, beautiful landscapes, harsh conditions, challenging terrain and the best part about Sikkim is the culture and the wonderful people who have managed to keep the state as beautiful as always, despite commercial tourism.

Memories from my motorcycling trip to Yumthang Valley and Gurudongmar Lake are still fresh. It seems the road to Gurudongmar has finally started taking shape from what used to be a dirt track few years back.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Hi there. Marengos ancedotes had been one of the primary reasons for me buying a TharCrde here in Sikkim and I missed a perfect opportunity to meet the legendary Marengo when it came to visit Sikkim. Nicely put travelogue. The hot water springs in Yumesamdong Zero would have been wonderful and an icing on your trip. I did an overnight camping there during peak winters and it was blissful. Wonderful travel tales. Lovely pictures. Thank you for visiting Sikkim. Do come again soon.

[megazoid]

Love the connect with the vehicle and place. To travel is one thing but you resonate with these places. Gurudongmar is indeed breathtaking and the pics have rekindled memories of Sikkim. Enjoyed reading!

[GwD]

Your travelogue made for great reading. I can understand what a wonderful trip it was. The pictures are brilliant and brings it all to life. Will certainly take tips from you before I attempt a similar trip.

I hope that there will be many more travelogues from you. Thanks for all.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Anirban, thanks for another amazing travelogue. Well documented, and definitely a pleasure to read. As you would have noticed, I've been following this one right since its inception in the Assembly Line section.



Well said. Many a time i have been asking if we were taking a flight to our destination when we travel, and my answer is that if there is a road to drive, and which fits within our timelines, I WILL drive. Some think of me as crazy at that point, others echo the sentiment, and frequencies are matched.

Thanks Benny!

Originally Posted by benbsb29

I've been a regular follower of your travelogues right from the Ikon days, and wanted to thank you for sharing these with us.

The Ikon still remains, strong, smart and sleek

Originally Posted by benbsb29

It's amazing how quickly time flies, as i still recall the pic you had posted of your daughter atop that Merc!

Yeah, the same little Girl, very difficult to imagine how quickly time flew

Originally Posted by aniyo

North Sikkim is very beautiful. We had gone there for our honeymoon. My wife wanted to go "somewhere out" but I insisted that India is equally beautiful.
We got married in Vizag and from there took a train (First Class) to Kolkata and from there flew to Bagdogra. From Bagdogra we took cab till Gangtok.
Honestly after we saw Gurudongmar lake, rest everything felt just so average. We still cherish that trip.
My wife just loved Sikkim. What surprised us the most was the food. irrespective where we ate the food was always good and tasty. I think Sikkim is an organic state, that has helped probably

Sikkim is addictive and we are indeed very lucky to be very close to it. The people, the sights, the sounds, the music, the food, leaves you spellbound each time. Sikkim becomes a different scenery altogether in Autumn.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Feel the more guilty to take a commercial transport for my trip to Kolkata, but seeing the traffic and mess on 21st July, I think, it was somewhat a favorable destination to *NOT* use one's own car. Besides, either the Maldah or the Dumka route don't have much to offer, especially when I almost every week ride down to the hills.

Comeon! We are speaking of recreational roadtrips. Your trip to Kolkata was hardly that!! Moreover, difficult to imagine anyone having Kolkata as a dream destination to drive to!!

Originally Posted by Sheel

Thanks to Marengo, I think to keep my Scorpio 4WD for some more time, not that I have the $$ to change it, but know, it has few healthy years & kms ahead of it. I used to call my Scorpio 4WD an explorer, but maybe, this tag suits the Marengo more, so have stopped using that :-| A to Marengo from its younger sibling, its been inspiring it a lot.

Trust me, you're not exploiting its potential. Additionally, from my own ownership experience, I can safely say, that the Scorpio actually stays healthier with higher usage, kind of like the old-school Mercs (Infact it's an old school vehicle after all)

Originally Posted by Sheel

EDIT: Couldn't find your Bhutan travelogue, where has it disappeared?

Did not post it!!

Originally Posted by sayakc

Dada,
A travelogue from you after a long, long time I believe. Like your North Bengal visits which are detailed with information and photos, this too is quite informative. Rated it 5 stars.

Referring to the speed camera point that you mentioned - my drive license was compounded for 3 months for over speeding in the Rajarhat area sometime back. And when I narrated my plight to some office colleagues, I heard that not only in the cities, but also on highways, the speeds are monitored.

I have a few questions in this regard. It will help if you can answer these questions in this or the Bypassing NH34 "bible" thread will help fellow travellers.

1. What is the speed limit in the highways?
2. Did it impact your drive time to Siliguri?
3. What was your average to/fro journey time excluding breaks?
4. Were you consciously driving sedately? Or did you have prior information of places where police where there were speed radars ?

Thanks in advance.
Sayak

The Speed Limit on the 4-lane highways were 80 during the time. I did not exceed it. Like I mentioned in the original post, it was a pain (boredom) driving to Siliguri. I did see vehicles being prosecuted at multiple places and did not wish to take any chance with my Child's vacation being spent following up on a traffic offence.

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Wah! Anirban, it's wonderful to read a travelogue from you after a really long time. I guess, you are at the best of your witty humour in this travelogue! I really needed to zoom the picture to grasp the meaning of the following



May be you should try to find more time to write more travelogues for readers like us!

Best,

Thanks a Ton @gmhossain

To be very honest, It was your words during the last T-bhp meet and some from Samba (and few others) that kind of motivated me to capture this one! But then, being from the IT industry, and one who's spent some time in it, things are a little different for us!!

This particular thread captures the essence of the life!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...their-40s.html

Originally Posted by arjab

Sad to hear that Cherry Resort is on a downhill slope. As you correctly mentioned, it was indeed very nice. We visited Temi / Cherry in 2010 April and the service, food and ambience was lovely. Those many years ago, Cherry Resort had just come on stream and the staff went out of its way to make things comfy for the guests. In fact we extended our stay by a day at Cherry, as the miss'us liked it so much!

Yes, even very trustworthy friends of mine who had been to Cherry Resort earlier, echo the exact same words as yours. Its a shame, because the location and the setting is just perfect!

Originally Posted by //M

It feels great to read about Marengo's adventures after such a long hiatus.

North Sikkim has always been my personal favourite. It has the perfect mixture of great adventures, beautiful landscapes, harsh conditions, challenging terrain and the best part about Sikkim is the culture and the wonderful people who have managed to keep the state as beautiful as always, despite commercial tourism.

Memories from my motorcycling trip to Yumthang Valley and Gurudongmar Lake are still fresh. It seems the road to Gurudongmar has finally started taking shape from what used to be a dirt track few years back.

Thanks @//M

Marengo has had trips in the intervening period to Spiti, Cris-crossed Bhutan, Western Arunachal in the last few years. I did not get the time to post any travelogue for those trips.

One thing to say is that, everything about Sikkim is nice, except the Tourist Taxi drivers (Local drivers, commercial or otherwise are very courteous and helpful though)

The Road to Gurudongmar from Lachen is still mainly Dirt/rocks/slush. Only about 13kms between Gaigaon and about a km from Gurudongmar is fabulously Blacktopped.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

Hi there. Marengos ancedotes had been one of the primary reasons for me buying a TharCrde here in Sikkim and I missed a perfect opportunity to meet the legendary Marengo when it came to visit Sikkim. Nicely put travelogue. The hot water springs in Yumesamdong Zero would have been wonderful and an icing on your trip. I did an overnight camping there during peak winters and it was blissful. Wonderful travel tales. Lovely pictures. Thank you for visiting Sikkim. Do come again soon.

Thanks @Dr_MNC_SK

Your post reflects the loveliness of the people from Sikkim!! It's that warm welcome that makes one want to go back again and again.

Originally Posted by megazoid

Love the connect with the vehicle and place. To travel is one thing but you resonate with these places. Gurudongmar is indeed breathtaking and the pics have rekindled memories of Sikkim. Enjoyed reading!

Thanks a lot @megazoid

Originally Posted by GwD

Your travelogue made for great reading. I can understand what a wonderful trip it was. The pictures are brilliant and brings it all to life. Will certainly take tips from you before I attempt a similar trip.

I hope that there will be many more travelogues from you. Thanks for all.

Thanks @GwD. Feel absolutely free! You may check out all the earlier Threads/Travelogues I had posted, might get a fair idea of a few places to go to.