[BlackPearl]

There are trips that you plan for months and then there are those which just happen but still remain etched in your mind forever. This was one of those unplanned trips that happened because three frustrated men wanted to get out of the daily chores of life and just travel.
Bhpian himadrimondal had been travelling to East Sikkim for years for photography, specially the elusive Himalayan Monal and came to know a lot of people there. There was this family who had invited him to visit their place and Himadri extended that invitation to bhpian Avrendu and me. We were more than happy to accept and started for Pokhridara in East Sikkim on a sultry evening.
We took the Kolkata to Krishnanagar route and stopped at Krishnanagar for dinner. Driving duty was shared between Himadri and me. Avrendu said no whenever Himadri asked if he wanted to drive. Later though Avrendu complained that he was not given the opportunity to drive. It was Himadri's Thar, so it was not a complaint against me
There was torrential rain on the way once we crossed Moregram. The Rigid Industries LED bar on the Thar was put to good use.



We crossed Siliguri in the morning and stopped at a photostudio on the highway to get passport size photos required for permit to Zuluk. By afternoon we had reached Rongli and got the permits for Zuluk. Nadu Ji, one of the owners of the place in Pokhridara and Himadri's friend, came down to meet us in his Bolero. He escorted us the rest of the way. The drive to the place once we went off the main road was beautiful.
On the way we stopped at Norden Ji's shop and had tea and biscuits.

Nadu Ji, Avrendu and Himadri engrossed in discussion


Unfortunately my phone crashed and I lost a lot pictures that I had taken. One has to take the gravel road on the left to go to Pokhridara. A picture taken on a later trip to illustrate.



A video of the drive to the homestay

https://youtu.be/439o6xhj1Ns

There was truck blocking the road to the hilltop. So we had park our vehicles at a place and walk up the rest of the way to the house of Nadu Ji and Norden Ji. It was already quite late and Himadri started cooking for dinner. He insisted that he will cook and give a treat to the family and us. He was carrying a huge bag full of meat, vegetables, utensils and "massala" for cooking. Unfortunately he had forgotten to pack one of the main ingredients (as per him) and there was a 10 minute chaos trying to find it. Finally he had to cook without it, and though the dishes turned out to be fantastic, Himadri was never too happy. The rest of the evening was spent in chatting with Nadu Ji and Norden Ji.

Posting a picture from our next trip as I lost all the pictures on my phone. From the left - Nadu Ji, Nordern Ji, Upal, Anindya (cr4nkshaft) and BlackPearl


Next morning we walked down the hill first to get our vehicles. The Thar was able to come up but the 2WD Bolero could not reach as the road was quite steep.

The view from the house in the morning

https://youtu.be/HlIJi_I-X4k

After breakfast all 5 of us boarded the Thar and went towards the hilltop. It was a strictly four wheel drive territory and that too with high ground clearance.

A video of the drive

https://youtu.be/SKhgt4Y6Edw

The hilltop was one of the most serene places I have visited in Sikkim. There was just one house on the top. We got a 360 degree view of the surroundings from the top.



The lonely house








The monastery can be seen at a distance


The sacred pond on top of the hill from which the place gets its name Pokhridara


The indomitable Thar!


From Pokhridara we took our leave from Nadu Ji and Norden Ji and went towards Zuluk. We did not go very far as we had to go back to Kolkata the next day. There was a lot of fog as well.

The famous loops of Zuluk. We could not get a proper pic due to the heavy fog.

https://youtu.be/2TfvFmfBnNQ

From Zuluk we started our return journey and reached Rangpo in the evening. After a lovely dinner Himadri went off to sleep and Avrendu and I chatted till 1:30 in the morning! Next morning we started at 8 am and reached Kolkata in the evening. A short and exciting trip came to an end.

We loved the place so much that we went back after a few months. The travelogue was written by bhpian Anindya aka cr4nkshaft. Here is the link -

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...back-seat.html (Zuluk from the back seat)

[SDP]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[hothatchaway]

Sumitro, you are revealing a lot of well kept secrets of the eastern Himalayas, and being a part of the Kolkata tbhp whatsapp group i know now that even a casual string of posts can trigger travelogues on roads less trodden. Wonderful account written in an inimitable manner. The slight touch of malice only adds to the fun of reading. Keep writing!

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Sumitro, you are revealing a lot of well kept secrets of the eastern Himalayas, and being a part of the Kolkata tbhp whatsapp group i know now that even a casual string of posts can trigger travelogues on roads less trodden. Wonderful account written in an inimitable manner. The slight touch of malice only adds to the fun of reading. Keep writing!

Thanks hothatchaway! I really want to plan for a camping trip with team-bhpians at this place. The road is challenging and it will be fun with a few 4x4s!