[gearhead_mait]

The charm of the small state of Sikkim enchants one to the level of attraction like no other place. The mighty Himalayas, gorgeous waterfalls, high mountain passes - you name it and you can find it here. From roads lined with Pine trees to forest trails adorned with rhododendron flowers, from pristine blue lakes to dense forest trails, from hanging bridges to bailey bridges - the charm is endless. The reason for which we rush to the place once we even get a small window of opportunity.

With a holiday in office on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on 5th June 2019, we were on the look out for a place close by Kolkata for a road trip. The idea was to relax and unwind without having to do extensive planning as such. A lot of places and ideas were thrown on the table but one way or the other, nothing materialized.

On the third week of May (approx. 15 days before the planned holiday period), my wife suggested Borong. We already visited Borong last October (Travelogue (An Autumn Diary : Road trip to Sikkim and the hills of North Bengal)here), but it was a day visit. The place had a unique charm and we promised to return here to stay for a couple of days.
But we never thought that the promise would be fulfilled within such a short span of time.

So, Borong was finalized and we searched for a room at Wildflower Retreat, our first choice for stay there. Luckily, in spite of ongoing summer vacation in all schools in the adjoining areas, we got a double bed room available for the duration of our stay and hence booked it immediately.

Got our car checked thoroughly as always before any long trip and we were ready for our visit to Sikkim, again!

Day of the journey

Our luggage was minimal as the duration of the trip was shorter than our usual road trips. Loaded the luggage in the boot of "Sherdil" and set ourselves on the journey.
It was already 5:30 am in the morning and we were already behind the starting time we initially planned. Nevertheless, it was meant to be a journey to unwind and relax. So, the journey itself was meant to be enjoyed.

Soon, we crossed Vidyasagar Setu and Dankuni Toll Plaza was tackled without much hassle as well and we were cruising on the Durgapur Expressway. Noticeable difference over the years on this expressway is the ever increasing volume of truck traffic, the taste of which we got as we neared Palsit Toll plaza. More than a kilometer long traffic welcomed us and there was no option but to cross the undulating median and move over to the other side of the expressway. After a fair amount of lost time - 45 minutes to be exact, we were able to cross the toll plaza and reached Shaktigarh. A brief tea and breakfast break and we were on the road again.

We crossed the Burdwan town and took the SH7 (State Highway #7) route. This route has become the preferred route for not only the private vehicles, but all North Bengal bound buses and quite a number of trucks. Inspite of the increased amount of traffic, this route is scenic and perfectly depicts the life of rural bengal - acres of agricultural land around, bullock carts,greenery all around with a nicely paved grey tarmac swirling through. We love this road, ever since we first traveled on it in on our Malda trip (probably July/August 2014).

Typical view of the state highway 7


Some new development, a serious threat to the beauty and raw nature of the place


"Sherdil" in well accustomed to the road


Blends perfectly with the ambiance of rural side of Bengal


Greenery all around, silence even during the day and instant stress relief, guaranteed!


Driving all throughout the SH7 was a bliss. Road quality was good to superb. The chaos of local traffic at places during the day time was compensated by scenic beauty all around.

We reached Moregram BPCL around 12 pm and after refueling our car we had our lunch from the adjoining dhaba. We started the second part of our journey an hour later. Strange but true was the fact that Farakka barrage and Kaliachowk was literally free from traffic and there was no congestion. We were elated to say the least. But our happiness was short lived as we witnessed the worst of congestion at Sujapur. That 1.5 kms stretch took us 2.5 hours to cross.

Good for us that the Malda bypass is open to traffic, although not fully complete. It was smooth with little rough stretch at the exit and few uneven
joints at the culverts. But nothing that can scrape the bottom of even the lowest GC cars with careful driving. In 15 minutes we bypassed Malda Town and its traffic. Thereafter, smooth drive over four lane roads till Raiganj.
The Botolbari-Dhantola stretch had to be tackled after sunset and after a tea break at Islampur we reached our hotel "Vinayak Inn" at Siliguri around 11 pm.

Dinner was ordered earlier over phone and was ready at the time we checked in. We had our dinner and went to sleep.

Route taken for the day:

Link of the map here




Hotel: Vinayak Inn and Banquet. Map link here
Tariff : 1800 plus taxes (Double Bed AC room) (Booked thorugh goIbibo got a good deal at INR 1400 including taxes)

[gearhead_mait]

When the call of the Himalayas reaches our ears, its becomes a custom to answer it promptly. Despite the long travel done the previous day, a few hours of sleep coupled with a lot of enthusiasm was enough to cope with the stress factor. We visited Sikkim multiple times during the season of autumn and winter but this was our first trip to the Himalayas in the onset of monsoon. Excitement was high and we woke up early. Freshened up a bit and we were on our way to witness the beauty of monsoons, and what better than on the lap of the Himalayas.

After refilling a tankful of petrol from the BP pump close to Hill Cart road and NH crossing, we were soon cruising on the beautiful roads leading to the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. It was around 7 am in the morning and with little cloud cover over the sky and faded sunlight filtered through the mist particles, monsoon was already making its presence felt. The lush green trees of the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary with bluish mountains at a distance was a treat to the eye.

Every travel of ours is incomplete and every travelogue charmless, without our steed "Sherdil"


Greenery all around Mahananda wildlife sanctuary


Some colors as well to bring to bring exclusivity to the poster


As we neared Sevoke, we could now see the mountain ranges right in front of us. The tip of the mountains was completely covered with mist particles indicating possible showers in those region of the mountains, while the other side was brightly lit up with sunlight. It was an amazing view and very hard to put down in words.

The Himalayan roads lined with greenery all around


R.Teesta viewed after crossing Sevoke


View of R.Teesta at the Teesta Bazaar


Monosree at the Teesta Bridge


A selfie for the "three" of us


After crossing Teesta Bazaar, we continued on the road towards Gangtok till Melli bazaar. Here we gave a call to bhpian himadrimondal for the road condition for Borong. Last time when we visited Ravangla, we knew that the route through Singtam-Tarku was in bad shape and hence took the Kitam route, but its always suggested to get the latest feedback on the road condition as the roads of Sikkim, like any other Himalayan region, keeps deteriorating and rebuilding from time to time.

This time as well the suggestion was to take the road through Kitam. So, a sharp hairpin bend on the right side at Melli bazaar and then crossing the Melli bridge we were on the entry to the West Sikkim guarded by Sikkim police check post. Only one question was asked by a police officer at the checkpost regarding our destination and we were let through.

We turned left after crossing the bridge and followed the road for 14 kms till the Kitam exit. Till then we had R.Teesta beside us all the way, now we were following R.Rangeet flowing on the left. These two rivers are the jewels on the crown of the beautiful Himalayan range in the region.

"Sherdil" refreshed


Passing through Kitam Bird Sanctuary


Clouds gathering over Namchi seen from a distance


The road till Namchi through Kitam was in very good shape. Considering the arrival of monsoons we would consider ourselves lucky to get such wonderful tarmac without any stoppage related to landslides, rock fall etc.

We crossed Namchi around 11:00 am and took the Damthang route to Ravangla. There are a few stretches post Namchi where the road widening work is still in progress. Slight drizzle turned the road into patches of slush with narrow passing places. With careful driving and at the same time staying alert of any unwanted sound of rock fall or landslide, we crossed the the stretch and reached Damthang.

Beautiful village of Rayong after crossing Damthang


We reached Ravangla market around 1 pm. Lunch was already ordered at our hotel in Borong - The Wildflower Retreat. We decided to spend some time in the Ravangla market before proceeding towards Borong. We were with our family members in the same place 8 months back and we started reminiscing the beautiful moments recollecting the incidents of that trip. We ordered tea from a local shop and spent some good time lazing around the place.

Suddenly, the weather turned gloomy with rain bearing clouds gathering quickly around the Ravangla sky. We decided to move ahead and soon crossed Tathagata Tsal or popularly known as Buddha park. We stopped for a few pictures from outside only as we has already visited the place in our last trip. Focus of this trip was Borong and the places in the vicinity.

Soon after we crossed Buddha Park towards Borong, it started raining. By the time we were at the New Ralong Monastery it started raining cats and dogs. Never before we witnessed such heavy downpour in the Himalayas. It was scary but at the same time a thrill to drive through the twists and turns with near zero visibility.

We reached Wildflower Retreat around 2 pm and it was still raining heavily. We parked our car in the hotel parking and with much help from service boys at the hotel and manager Dhananjay we were able to get our luggage down and went inside our room. Our room was allocated on the first floor of the main building with attached balcony overlooking the beautiful mountains. In fact the view from the window adjacent to the bed was equally beautiful. We were impressed with the hospitality of the guys at the hotel. Lunch was ready soon and in spite of the offer to have it in our rooms by the service boys, we decided to have it in the dining hall itself. We wanted to explore the place and didn't want to restrict ourselves to the boundary of our room.

The rain had stopped by then and slowly the sky was clearing up from cloud cover. The temperature should be hovering around 13 degrees Celsius with cool wind blowing over the area. It was already late around 3 pm and now I knew why the service boys wanted to deliver the food to our room as they had to close the kitchen at 3 pm. Thanks to them that they stretched a bit for us.

Lunch was served piping hot and in the ambience of the place, the food tasted awesome. Though, we misjudged a little on the quantity of food being ordered and it was much beyond our consumption limit. Good that we realized before even starting to eat and saved ourselves from the guilt of wasting food (provided the hardship of getting these raw materials up there, though we seldom waste food even in the plains). So request for travelers coming to Wildflower - The hotel is definitely not a miser in terms of quantity of food being served. So, please order accordingly!

After a hearty lunch, we decided to stroll around the hotel premise. The burst of rain for an hour or so brought back life to the flora of the region.

Few pictures of the property we were staying in:

Beautiful view of the clouds settling down at a distance


Flora of the region








The essence of the property is based on being as close to Nature as possible. Minimal artificial decorations involved, many trees and flowering plants adorn the walkways made with natural stone and wooden cottages that blend in perfectly with the surroundings. The rooms in the hotel doesn't have TV sets as the hotel policy respects the migratory path of the birds in the region which might have been impacted otherwise. Overall a very nice place to relax and rejuvenate and being far away from the chaos of the city it lets you connect with Nature, provided one has the soul for it.
And this place has abundance of beautiful birds paying a visit every morning, so please bring in your binoculars.

And I almost forgot, Borong also provides the opportunity to see snow clad peaks (Mount Pandim and Mount Narsing), literally from everywhere around the area.


Mount Pandim and Mount Narsing slowly coming in view


Last light of the day in the sleepy hamlet


And the mountains again. Simply can't ignore them!


One of the cottage balconies, lit up!


Evening, over a cup of tea!


A picture of the kitchen and dining area taken from the balcony of our room


As the darkness surrounded the valley, right from the attached balcony of our room, we could see the glittering lights on the opposite side of the mountain. Those lights were coming from the Ravangla town and it was just mesmerizing to see the trail of lights (probably from vehicles) moving from one end of the mountain to the other.

We had our dinner around 9 pm and went to sleep early. By that time, the lights of Ravangla also dimmed down and absolute silence ruled the valley.

It was an awesome day spent at Borong with lashing rain greeting us enroute followed by exotic view of snow clad peaks and beautiful surroundings.

[gearhead_mait]

Early morning in the Himalayas has a charm of its own. Silence of the valley is broken by the sweet songs of the birds and sounds of dew drops falling from the leaves. Only "mood breaker" was the slight cloud cover over the sky before dawn.

View from our room


Cloudy sky in the morning


View from the attached balcony


Luck was in our favor that day as the winds blew the clouds over and out came the clear blue skies. The change happened within 15-20 minutes, between ordering a cup of tea and getting that delivered to our room.

A hot cup of tea sitting on the balcony : "Blissful"


With clear blue sky and bright sunlight adorning the valley, the beauty of the mountains increases manifold. After a good time spent overa cup of tea, we decided to walk around the Borong village. Last evening a quick chat with the manager of the property, Mr Dhananjay, revealed a host of places that we can visit around the property. One of them is a beautiful walk in the Bhanjyang forest and we decided to take that trail in the morning.

Owing to the monsoon season, its always recommended to get trekking shoes before venturing out in the forest trail. It was still early morning hours and many of the guests in the hotel are not even awake when we started our walk. It was a pleasant stroll along the quiet, narrow road which was tarred till about 200 meters. The villagers were nice and always smiling and waving at us as we get past each other.


The mystic road with a view of the mountains


Gorgeous duo of Mt Narsing and Mt Pandim along the way






After 200 meters or so, a narrow forest trail goes downwards from the main road to the left and that marks the entry of the Bhanjyang forest. We started on this trail, slowly walking through the vegetation cover around us. The color of green was beyond any words and with constant view of the snow clad peaks, it was an experience of its own. We followed the track marks of the vehicles and went on taking a few hairpins. The track of the vehicles on the trail was the only portion devoid of vegetation, but that too is getting lost at places signifying few vehicular movement through this forest trail.

With each hairpin the view was getting better and better. We heard from the villagers that the trail leads to Rangeet river down below and with the enthusiasm we had, we would surely have reached the place. But, after one such hairpin bend, the trail before us looked absolutely dense with vegetation. The track mark of the vehicles seemed to be engulfed by the shrubs and the branches of trees canopying the trail.

We were in two minds whether to go ahead or to stop here only. Two things were going in our head 1) The monsoon season with dense outgrowth and 2) absolutely no one could be seen on this trail.

The view of the forest trail from that position




The beauty of this trail and the way it attracts


I was clicking photos when suddenly I heard my wife shouting-

"Leech! Leech!"

I immediately went and saw around 5-7 leeches over her shoes. It was really panic situation getting them off, and it wasn't easy. Using a piece of stone, managed to dislodge single one of them off the shoes when I noticed a few climbing up over my shoes. The plan of going ahead along the trail went haywire and we started on our hurried attempt to climb up. As we were climbing, we could see many of the leeches now pointing their heads up though the trail and it was real panic. At the end of the climb, taking each clinging creature off ourselves all the way, were nearly out of breath.

Two of the local dogs who went with us in the trail were attacked by leeches as we could see them taking the bloodsuckers off their body.

We went back to the hotel and checked the inside of our shoes and socks if any of the leeches made their way in, but luckily there wasn't any. Phew!

Rest of the early part of the morning was spent bird watching around the property and having a hearty breakfast. We discussed with Dhananjay regarding the incident on the Bhanjyang forest trail and he said that during this time it is common. He added that Bhanjyang forest has smaller version of the bloodsuckers, but if we had ventured into Maenam Sanctuary we would have witnessed much larger size leeches (~3 inches without blood consumption) and that too falling from the trees. We asked him to stop the discussion immediately after.

Few birds around the property




Serene, Quiet and Calm - synonymous yet each have a unique reference in this place

[gearhead_mait]

After a hearty breakfast, it was time to take 'Sherdil' out for a drive. Two places were on our mind, one being the "Old Ralong Monastery" which we couldn't visit (inside the premise) last October due to time constraint and the other one is the "Titanic View Point" which had many good reviews online and a recommendation from a relative who went there recently.

First we went to Ralong Monastery. Located around 700 meters from Wildflower Retreat, it has beautiful gate demarcating the entry to the holy shrine.

The Ralong Monastery


When we arrived, the monks were doing their daily prayers. We went inside, silently took our seat and listened to the beautiful chants.

Then we roamed around the monastery clicking pictures.

Sherdil parked along with a local friend


An incense holder


A young monk with the Holy candle lights


The entrance to the prayer hall


We, at Old Ralong Monastery


After spending some good time here, we went towards the Titanic View point. While coming towards Borong there was a bifurcation with the right side road leading to Borong. The other road from the cross point goes towards the view point. We followed this route for 7 kms and arrived at our destination.

We parked our car, walked a few meters and were mesmerized by the beauty of the place. There is no reference of "Titanic" theme here. Only reference could be a huge hanging rock which was chiseled in the form of the main deck of the historic ship Titanic. What it offers to travelers is far beyond what the name suggests. It offers a 360 degree view of the valley formed between the mountains of Ravangla, Pelling and Yuksom with a rare view of R. Rangeet flowing way below and even one can spot the Tashiding route to Yuksom like a arrow cutting through deep forests. I have traveled through that route before and could even get a bird's eye view of the hanging bridge en route Tashiding.

I would suggest this place for every traveler. The view is just "priceless "

View of a section of the valley from the Titanic View Point


Monosree enjoying the view, until I disturbed




The Tashiding route with R.Rangeet, zoomed in


Few other pictures of the place

[gearhead_mait]

There was a waterfall in Borong on the other side of Wildflower but we decided to skip it to spend some time within the property. We came back to the hotel and ordered a cup of coffee for both of us. The variety of birds that could be seen around the property all the time is an added bonus. Its hard to realize how much time has already been spent just following those beautiful feather-wrapped colorful creatures.

Green backed tit


A pair of Bulbuls


Black Laughingthrush


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Red Billed Leiothrix


Black Laughingthrush


We had our lunch around 2pm and then went to the Handmade paper factory which lies within the hotel premise.
With an entry fee of INR 20 per head, one could get a demonstration of the entire process involved in making the handmade paper with an expert guide.

We bought the tickets and were shown how the raw materials (bark of a special type of tree found in the area) are gathered and processed, how the pulp is extracted, how the paper is made, pressed and dried. Finally we were also taken to the shop where one can buy handmade paper in variety of designs and also handicraft made with the paper. It was an awesome experience and a wonderful hour spent in the factory.

The ticket for entry with all useful information printed on it


The raw material


The pulp being extracted


Paper being extracted from pulp..







...and pressed in a bunch...


..and then dried out individually






Paper being dried




Some handicrafts made with handmade paper and local vegetables




After a round of discussion with the POC of the factory we came to know that they export these to Australia and Asiapac regions with the help of an NGO.

After an amazing display of skill and enormous potential of a small factory, we returned to our rooms with some goodies that we bought from the factory.

The evening was spent lazing around the property, with mouth watering snacks and hot cup of tea. Dinner was served around 9 pm and we returned to our room post dinner to pack our luggage as the day after we would have start our return journey.

[gearhead_mait]

We woke up in the morning around 7 am. The luggage was already packed last night, so I went downstairs to order for breakfast and clearing the bills subsequently. We had our breakfast and it was delicious but somehow our heart felt heavy with the trip coming to a close. We paid the bills, loaded the luggage in the boot and started our return journey around 10:15 am in the morning.

View of the property in the morning. God has been gracious with bright sunlight on all days of our stay, even during monsoon.


We followed the same route while coming down as well:

Borong-Ravangla-Damthang-Namchi-Kitam-Melli-Teesta Bazaar_Siliguri

Just outside Borong


Buddha park, seen from a distance


The great Buddha statue, Ravangla




Shiva statue of Solophok Char Dham, seen enroute Namchi while coming down


Sherdil - our trusted steed


The Sevoke Railway station


Bidding goodbye to Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, for this time


We reached Siliguri around 3 pm. Lunch was done at Teesta Bazaar so it was only a fuel stop at Siliguri. There was no plan involved on where to stay with no prior hotel booking done in any intermediate location as always. Initial thought was to stay at Raiganj Tourist Lodge, but having started from Borong around 10:15 am we reached Raiganj around 8 pm and decided to proceed further. But we never thought about the extent of that proceeding. We continued and crossed Malda, Kaliachowk and Farakka smoothly. With intermediate snack breaks at road side dhabas and having a good stock of dry food and water, the bare minimum necessities were there. Reached Moregram around 12 am in the morning, refueled our car from Moregram BP. We parked our car inside the petrol pump premise, switched on the car AC in open air mode, tilted the front seats fully, locked our car and had a power nap inside our car for 2 hours. And that only two hours of sleep was the best refreshment we could have got. Woke up at 2 am in the morning and started our journey again.Reached our home in Kolkata today around 7 am in the morning.

This was one of a kind experience we had till now. Never could have thought the effect of just 2 hours of power nap and an experience of an overnight road trip (We drove 22 hours at a stretch before during our return from Agra to Kolkata ~1280 kms but we started around 4:30 am and reached home around 3 am in the morning. So officially this was our first overnight road trip experience)

All because of this fellow, our "Sherdil"


Every travel is unique and new lessons are learnt every time. After this overnight trip, many friends have advised not to take unnecessary risks like power nap in the middle of the night in an unknown and remote location. On the contrary many have appreciated the concept. My advice would be to enjoy the journey and stay safe. Take judgement based on your sixth sense and above all keep sharing your experiences for other fellow travelers.

Keep traveling!

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing.

[Samfromindia]

Borong & WildFlower Retreat occupies a special place among Kolkata Bhpians This is perhaps the most detailed travelogue on Borong with all the sight seeing options. I still cherish my short evening drive from Ravangla years back and hope to return once again in future. Detailed narration and lovely write up like always. Pictures are getting more and more amazing with each TL. Rated 5 stars !

1.5 Yrs Back !

[Samba]

So the trio (you, your wife & Eon) is back with another blockbuster travelogue!

As-usual an engaging read with some brilliant pics. Rated 5*.

Spending a couple of nights at Wild Flower, Borong is in my bucket list for a long time. This place is still pristine and not affected by the huge tourist influx. The wild surroundings, the snow capped ranges and the birds chirping makes this place an excellent tranquil weekend getaway.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

Every travel is unique and new lessons are learnt every time. After this overnight trip, many friends have advised not to take unnecessary risks like power nap in the middle of the night in an unknown and remote location. On the contrary many have appreciated the concept. My advice would be to enjoy the journey and stay safe. Take judgement based on your sixth sense and above all keep sharing your experiences for other fellow travelers.

Keep traveling!

Well said and an excellent writeup cum guide for future aspiration holders like me. We have an i10 and your eon have similar power trains and owing to the weight advantage the eon has a better power to weight ratio. It seems you are a fan of BPCL like me, I think it gives better mileage than Indian oil. If you have any other trips for the novice travellers like me it would be great to know before venturing to hills

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

... Reached Moregram around 12 am in the morning, refueled our car from Moregram BP. We parked our car inside the petrol pump premise, switched on the car AC in open air mode, tilted the front seats fully, locked our car and had a power nap inside our car for 2 hours.

That's quite a cool idea for a power nap, I mean literally. Where did you park exactly? In front of the cash counter?

Anyway, thanks for putting up this sweet travelogue on your Sikkim trip. Keep traveling and keep posting!

Best,

[SaurabhB]

Great write up and excellent photos. Keep it up and keep on sharing.

By the way I followed your car 2day morning from Behala 14 no. to Chetla more from where u took a left turn and I took the right turn. I must say here that you have kept ur Eon in excellent condition.

[gearhead_mait]

Originally Posted by Samba

So the trio (you, your wife & Eon) is back with another blockbuster travelogue!

As-usual an engaging read with some brilliant pics. Rated 5*.

Spending a couple of nights at Wild Flower, Borong is in my bucket list for a long time. This place is still pristine and not affected by the huge tourist influx. The wild surroundings, the snow capped ranges and the birds chirping makes this place an excellent tranquil weekend getaway.

Thanks Samba!

Borong is indeed beautiful and is a must visit if anyone wants to spend memorable time on the lap of Nature.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Well said and an excellent writeup cum guide for future aspiration holders like me. We have an i10 and your eon have similar power trains and owing to the weight advantage the eon has a better power to weight ratio. It seems you are a fan of BPCL like me, I think it gives better mileage than Indian oil. If you have any other trips for the novice travellers like me it would be great to know before venturing to hills

Thanks haisaikat!
Yes, I generally refuel from BPCL petrol pumps in Kolkata and while going to Siliguri. But during longer trips I don't mind refueling from IndianOil or HP provided the pump looks decent.

You can definitely try places around West Bengal and Odisha outskirts. There are many places. You can follow the thread initiated by Samba on " West Bengal A treasure for tourists". Also, there are many threads on places around Kolkata for a decent drive.

Originally Posted by gmhossain

That's quite a cool idea for a power nap, I mean literally. Where did you park exactly? In front of the cash counter?

Anyway, thanks for putting up this sweet travelogue on your Sikkim trip. Keep traveling and keep posting!

Best,

Thanks gmhossain!
I would say its not a thing of everyday travel. Sometimes, when situation demands the power nap is okay.

I parked beside the dhaba alongside the petrol pump.

Originally Posted by SaurabhB

Great write up and excellent photos. Keep it up and keep on sharing.

By the way I followed your car 2day morning from Behala 14 no. to Chetla more from where u took a left turn and I took the right turn. I must say here that you have kept ur Eon in excellent condition.

Thanks SaurabhB

That is the usual route from Behala to Office

[gearhead_mait]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Borong & WildFlower Retreat occupies a special place among Kolkata Bhpians This is perhaps the most detailed travelogue on Borong with all the sight seeing options. I still cherish my short evening drive from Ravangla years back and hope to return once again in future. Detailed narration and lovely write up like always. Pictures are getting more and more amazing with each TL. Rated 5 stars !

1.5 Yrs Back !
Attachment 1890487

Thanks, Samrat! Hope you are doing good away from Kolkata.

[arun_josie]

I loved the view from your balcony.

Awesome pics and very nicely written travelogue. I would love to cover this part of the world some time soon.