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-   -   An Autumn Diary : Road trip to Sikkim and the hills of North Bengal (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/204907-autumn-diary-road-trip-sikkim-hills-north-bengal-2.html)

Excellent travelogue! excellent narration clubbed with nice clicks. During Durga Puja, I was also in parts of North Bengal and some of our visiting places were common. But I appreciate the timing of this travelogue; Last few months, I couldn't afford to visit hills. Thank you for writing it late and reigniting the travel-hunger in appropriate time.

The Peshok road always spells its special charm to drive on. I feel driving on this road again and again. Didn't you stop at Lover's Meet Viewpoint at the conflunce of Rangit and Teesta while coming to Kalimpong?

The long trees of Lamahatta with the overall background make the place look a bit spectral. But my bad luck, I always visited the place with booming crowd. Next time, I would definitely stay at Lamahatta and make sure to visit it in early morning sans any human being around. Hope, you have noted the exact position of the place where your camera was victim of paranormal activities and please do pass me on the GPS co-ordinates. It sounds interesting:D.

I hope, your elder brother along with your extended family enjoyed his maiden trip to hills thoroughly.

Keep travelling, and share awesome TLs with us. Please do pen down the short distance road-trips too. They are also fun to read and cover many info. about off-beat places.

what a beautiful travelogue ! excellent writing, pics and the best of all an excellent video at the end. There is a budding filmmaker in you.

As detailed as ever, Soumyajit. You and your Eon are setting standards in long distance touring that many in bigger, taller, more powerful cars can only dream of. It was Durga Puja season, so no wonder half of Bengal as well as quite a few of the BHPian team from Kolkata were touring the hills of North Bengal and Sikkim.

Rated 5 stars. Look forward to many more such Eon-trips!

Thanks Samba! Not at all planning to sell off Sherdil. Really it has taken me places without any issue.

Thanks sdg4wheels! Waiting for a travelogue from your side with Tavu (your Tavera as you call it) in the Himalayas.

Thanks Blackpearl! You and people like adc, tsk1979, SS-Traveller and others were an inspiration when I started venturing out in the early days. Will never forget the session with you and Himadri da (himadrimondal) at Azad Hind, Gopalpur before my first trip to the Himalayas - Kaluk.
I don't know but Sherdil doesn't feel underpowered to me. May be I am being possessive about my car, but it has surprised me at times with its ability.

Thanks Saket. Sikkim really is my second home. In fact I love roaming around the Himalayas. Exploring the unseen places has turned out to be an addiction.

Thanks Debojyoti! Glad that it reignited the beautiful the beautiful addiction - Traveling!
Driving on the Peshok road was fun but at the same time the gradient was quite steep and all those driving in FWD cars, should keep their revs optimum otherwise the wheel spin is guaranteed. And while coming down engine gearing is the only way out. The engine will scream but the car will be happier. For my fully loaded car (four adults, two large suitcases and two additional bags) it was 1st gear all the way, both while going up and coming downhill.
You should try the Lamahatta trail in the early morning hours. Will PM you the location and would like to hear your experience. If you climb the trail early morning say around 5:30-6:00 am and if you are the only one around, you will surely feel the way you have never felt before! lol:

Many thanks for watching the video and going through the travelogue!

Thanks Shamindra da! Coming from you this is indeed special!

Beautiful log, engaging, detailed and fantastic pictures. As a reader, it feels like a family as your story has so many mentions of relatives. Looks like there are multiple photographers in the family. Lastly the Video is cool. Thanks for sharing and writing the details painstakingly.

Thanks a lot for your kind words. The video surpassed my own expectations. Whenever I play that it brings back a lot of memories of the trip. I have lost count how many times I have played it since uploading. It was indeed a beautiful family outing.

An excellent travelogue with amazing photographs clubbed with good narration.

Thanks for Sharing this report with us. Great to see your Humble EON going places. Keep travelling and keep writing.

Great photologue / travelogue, Gearhead_mait - wonderful details, great photographs and narration combined to make this a treat. The two incidents (bordering on the paranormal) which you have mentioned are worth remembering, bringing to mind our own experience during our travels in Kumaon.

Thanks, SJM1214!

Thanks Shashanka. Please throw some light on the incidents of Kumaon and let us readers share a bit of fun.

An excellent write up as always Soumyajit. Your accounts are a testament to the fact that a passion to drive and a thirst for adventure are the key ingredients. The wonderful photographs complement your exploits behind the wheel very well.


Keep driving and keep sharing!

Hello gearhead-mait,
Before getting to our own experience in Kumaon, I should mention that I am a firm believer that our larger reality is vastly more complex than what we perceive with just our 5 senses.

Now to our own experience. This was shortly after my F-I-L had passed away, and it was during one of our earlier trips to Naukuchiatal (our travelogue “Naukuchiatal: Far from the crowd” dated 13th March 2015, is an account of our continuing love affair with the place) when we made an overnight stay at the Chakori KMVN tourist hotel. As was the practice during that phase, my wife used to offer a small Pujo every night before hitting the sack (for her father’s soul to rest in peace I assume). The ritual would be performed in whichever room we happened to be in at the time.

That night, after lighting the diya (a small brass one) and placing it in on the floor, my wife sat in front of her father’s framed photograph which was resting on the floor against the wall. I usually sat slightly behind & a little to her side. As we sat, the brass diya rose up in the air for a couple of feet and we reared back quite startled. The diya fell to the floor with a clatter & spilt the oil on the floor while the flame on the wick went out. This was, in essence, what we experienced.

It hadn’t happened before nor was it repeated any time thereafter. We did not make an issue of the incident with the KMVN staff because neither of us was specially disturbed or upset by the incident. And also because our terms with KMVN have always been very cordial, as my travelogue mentions. My F-I-L was a splendid character, full of life & with an uproarious sense of humour, and I can’t imagine him having anything thing to do with this strange incident! But we did not stay at the Chakori KMVN hotel again.

Soumyajit , As usual , an excellent travelogue from your stable that comes with all the accompanying bells and whistles ! And a couple of "paranormal" experiences as icing on the cake! You are really a brand ambassador for the Eon and Hyundai.


It was great bumping into you in the hills exactly after four years and hoping that we again meet at an altitude :D

Lovely travelogue Soumyajit. You planned and executed your itinerary perfectly covering most of West Sikkim & Kalimpong. Another feather in the cap for Sherdil.

We (Blackpearl, Ghostroder28 & I with families) did almost the same circuit in Aug-17.

Cheers,

Pawan

Thanks a lot! :thumbs up

:eek: Nothing can explain the facts behind such experiences. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Angshuman da. Surely we will meet in the Himalayas again, but hopefully it will not be a gap of 4 years this time.

Thanks Pawan. Yes, I saw pictures of your travel, covering Singshore Bridge and parts of West Sikkim. Awaiting your travelogue on the Meghalaya tour.

What to say. I don't have words for this wonderful write-up. I always love to read the way you write. And the photographs... just makes me feel more connected and takes back to the place itself. Brilliant.

Cheers,
Avishek