[ABHI_1512]

The eastern part of the Himalayas are one of a kind. No matter how many times one travels, the urge remains insatiable. But my initial plan was not for the eastern part of the hills but the northern part. In fact, all my due diligence was done for the Kumaon part of the princely state of Utttrakhand and route plans chalked out as well. But some sudden happenings and some work commitments made the whole plan go awry.

So instead of a well planned Kumaon trip, we suddenly found ourselves sitting at home and working for the very days, we initially thought of travelling. Now, what happens is, when your initial plan of travel gets awry, you tend to think of some way or the other to at least, make something work to at least get the feel of travel. Not this time I said to myself and went back to work and the occasional blabbering, cursing myself for not being able to squeeze out from the sudden spurt of work !!

Days passed and it was around the first week of November that I finally was able to finish off work. As soon as the work was finished, made a sudden plan to at least get the feel of travel. Now for us folks, when nothing is there in mind as destination, we head out to the hills. I had returned back from the hills just a fortnight back and made a promise to myself that unless the road conditions improve, I am
not heading for the hills anytime soon. Yes, it was that bad and specially after monsoons, I was little apprehensive about the repair part due to the ongoing pandemic. Now, the plan was in my head and better half was completely unaware about it. Just told her to squeeze some days of leave and voila, idea struck to go to Kalimpong this time since it’s been some time since we last visited the place.

Two days of leave and combined with a weekend gave me three days of eternal bliss in the hills. Kalimpong was the initial stop and the rest of the places were not decided. Essentially the trip was to make up for the disappointment of not being able to take the Kumaon trip but the travel become a story in itself and all thanks to the mighty Kanchenjunga

Anyways, before I start, here are some of the pictures to start with, being a foodie that I am, I call it ‘appetisers’- a precursor to the actual travel.









The sheer amount of happiness we city folks have when we get the view of the mighty Kanchenjunga is enough to run a power plant if not a nuclear one. More on that later, pictures for now.

[ABHI_1512]

Some things have been constant with us from very long and the route from Calcutta to Siliguri is one such constant. Over the years, the surprises are receding with each passing year although the pandemic and the monsoons did substantial damages to some portions before the repairs were carried out. Thanks to updates from some fellow BHPians that I could again venture towards the hills through the usual route after a nightmare drive just a month back.

The destination set was Kalimpong, a place for the ages and a place which is less crowded then Darjeeling. We have always stayed at a lovely place named HOLUMBA HEAVEN which has got some beautiful cottages amidst the woods. This time, for a change, planned to stay little outside of Kalimpong. One banker friend suggested Yuru Retreat which I only knew as a cafeteria and eating joint beside the famed Delo park. Contacted the owner Mr Moktan and he promptly sent the booking voucher with the option of paying at the retreat itself.

As is the norm, started from Calcutta at around 8 in the evening and promptly stopped for our usual dinner stop at Hindustan Dhaba which we have literally seen growing up in front of our from a trucker's stop to full fledged modern Dhaba with good amenities. Dinner was usual and we started soon after for Burdwan and subsequently SH7. The road has been substantially repaired and the large moon sized craters have been filled up with bricks to a large extent and after Kuli, the road is almost perfect till Moregram with some occasional blips.

The next morning was fabulous and surprise was that we could see the Kanchenjunga top from as far as Dhantola on the bengal to bengal road that we take these days to avoid Dalkhola. It was a perfect start as far as viewing the mighty Kanchenjunga was concerned and the love affair continued till the day we left Siliguri after three eventful days. Reached Siliguri by 9 in the morning and stopped for some delightful breakfast near the Buddhist Monastery at Salugara, Siliguri. The food stop is a non-descript one but serves some delightful food and I make it a point to stop there whenever we pass through Salugara and Sevoke. Breakfast was leisurely taken and the freshness of the vegetables reminded us that we are indeed near the hills.

First view of the mighty Kanchenjunga from nearby Dhantola


Don't know if something like this will ever happen again or not!!


Sevoke road is always a delightful drive. The road surface deteriorates after the Coronation Bridge bi-furcation and it will take some serious time to repair the road since it is the lifeline to Sikkim. I hope the work is carried out sooner then later. The road again gets better once you cross the Rambi Bridge and stays wonderful till Kalimpong and beyond.

Kanchenjunga as seen from Just outside Islampur


This stretch of Sevoke is perhaps one of the most beautiful in the whole country


Fantastic views all throughout the year


Baahon parked at Yuru Retreat after it’s overnight sojourn


Now, Yuru Retreat is another 10 kms from Kalimpong and is situated just beside the famed Delo Park. Reached Yuru after noon and was immediately taken aback by the location. The retreat is situated majestically and the views of the mountains are just splendid. We were the only two people in the entire resort and that got us the best room with great views. We soaked in the atmosphere and landed up in the rooftop, from where the views of the mountains is beyond any description. Clear blue sky and the Kanchenjunga to look at, the overnight drive looked worthwhile all this while.

Lunch was calling us aloud and the food was truly wonderful. Mr Moktan had already told us that food is one of their specialty and the first meal went true to his words. Simple home cooked style food and yet retaining all the flavours.

Stable food of probably every Bengali household


Fulfilling lunch over, we ambled around the property for some lovely views. The retreat has a curated pathways which take you to a point where one can actually spend hours sipping a cup of tea or coffee every now and then. Watching the sun setting over the hills is one sight which we city folks miss badly and so when you are presented with such an opportunity, it was a cathartic feeling.

The view of the mountains and the river flowing gently


That is one hell of a viewpoint


Kanchenjunga


Setting sun over the mountains


Curated pathways


Views that one can spend hours with..


View points be like this..


Mountain love




The evening was spent roaming around the place. Some lovely tea and some snacks as well as the boys from the retreat (Able and Dhanraj) kept us occupied before the dinner. The dinner was early compared to the city standards but was loaded on taste nevertheless. Some chit-chat over and slept off early to watch the sun rise next morning and trust me when I say that it was worthy enough to pull you out of your bed.

[ABHI_1512]

Second day started with a bang when the alarm rang off at 5 in the morning. It was still dark and chilly but the lure of a morning sunrise over the Kanchenjunga was too hard to resist. Quickly went to the rooftop and positioned ourselves for that first ray of sun. The wait was fruitful and the views from the rooftop were magnificent, to say the least. Pictures from the sunrise in chronological order :


















Watching the sun rise and sipping some lovely morning tea, decided to take a stroll around and landed up inside the Delo park. Delo is hardly a three to five minutes walk from Yuru Retreat. Now, having visited Kalimpong many times over, there was nothing new to see but for the views of the majestic Kanchenjunga. Some local boys were playing football that early in the morning inside the park and it was lovely to see. It's always good to see kids playing around in the fields and not on the laptops!!



The age old Delo tourist house


Kanchenjunga and its various hues








Prayer flags against the clear blue sky


The beautiful Delo tourist house


The beautiful rhododendrons in full bloom

A stroll around the park whipped up a great appetite and it was still only 7.30 in the morning. Little time spent with an elderly neighbour on the courtyard of the retreat and soaking in the winter sun. The winter sun has this magical ability to take you back to your childhood. Some time over, it was breakfast time. The breakfast table was set in the rooftop again after a prodding by the better half and it was one of the most incredible setting for a breakfast. We were so engrossed by the view that the breakfast almost tasted heavenly.

Yuru retreat from the vantage point


Morning rays


Breakfast over and we decided to go for a drive in the nearby areas. Since there was hardly anything new to see around, we decided to go to a nearby place where ruins of a fort are visible. Named Damsang Fort, the place has history attached to it. But then Able- the lovable boy at the retreat suggested to go to a place called Bidyang where an old footbridge and a river passing is a nice place to spend some time. We decided to go to the place next day and went to the Army golf course side instead and also thought of paying a visit to Holumba Haven, time permitting. Durpin Monastery was closed due to the pandemic.

Who doesn't want to play Golf in this lovely setting?



The lovely Morgan House


Buddha en route to Delo and Yuru Retreat


Baahon posing in front of the Buddha


Came back after having a nice drive through the heart of the town and had a sumptuous lunch back at the Yuru. We couldn't go to Holumba since it was already way past 3 in the afternoon and it was already late. Having a relaxed frame of mind with not much to see around works sometime too and this I enjoyed to some extent as well.

Evening was spent at leisure and some nice tea and snacks. Dinner was chinese cuisine for a change as we really liked what was on offer at Yuru. That night I thought of doing some night photography but since I left the tripod at home, it was kind of difficult to shoot 20-30 second shots. Nevertheless, found a way somehow and clicked some pictures of the night. Put the camera on the iron railings and clicked somehow without any shakes. Not that great but will do for the while. Here are some :

[ABHI_1512]

Another glorious morning and we both woke up to the thought that this might be our last day in the hills. The weather was too wonderful not to fall in love with and the magical views of Kanchenjunga was gold enough to not let go of the views so soon. We were strolling on the rooftop waiting for the breakfast that somehow this idea cropped up that we can spend another night in the hills. Quickly thought of options and we zeroed in on Lolaygaon- a tiny little hamlet near Lava which has supposedly very good views of the Kanchenjunga and a place we have not visited till date.

Called up the Forest guest house and had a talk with the manager regarding availability of cottages. The Manager was pro active and quickly suggested some particular cottage names which had the best views. My better half quickly made the online bookings and our halt for the night was thus decided.

Meanwhile, the breakfast arrived and this time I did click some pictures of the whole setting.





The tea tasted heavenly just like the other day. The views along with the tea combined together and created some lovely moments.





Morning breakfast done and it was time to take a leave from Yuru and proceed towards Lolaygaon. Bidding good bye to the wonderful staff at Yuru and we proceeded towards Bidyang which was en route to Lolaygaon. Asking around and finding the route to Bidyang was fun. The road is fully tarred but steep at some places and it made me smile. But the surprise came when we were about to reach Bidyang, the foot bridge was closed according to the locals and it was no point going further since there was road construction work going on further down. Asked around the answer was same and so, we returned just from the cusp of reaching Bidyang. The drive was enjoyable though, here are some pictures :





There are some more wonderful pictures but somehow the pictures are aligning differently. Anyways, the drive was beautiful and that is what matters most.



Next up was Algarah on the way to Lava. The road is brilliant till Algarah and goes little bad just after the bifurcation of Pedong-Lava crossing. Landslides and road construction work have resulted in miserable driving conditions for around 15-20 kms towards Lava. The BRO guys are working in full steam and the road should be completely tarred in the next one year or so. Just before reaching Lava, we need to take a narrow road down to reach Lolaygaon.

The road to Lolaygaon is being widened and an old road is being widened and prepared to touch Bagrakote. The road widening work has resulted in chopping of the beautiful and old pine trees and that’s sad. The route nevertheless passes through huge pine trees and is a wonderful journey.














There were some hold ups as well en route. The forest workers chopping trees with mechanical cutters and that created blockages all over the road due to cut trees. Though they were very prompt in chopping the trunks and clearing the road for me. Reached Lolaygaon and stopped in the market for some momos and wai wai. There is this tiny little eatery named Everest restaurant which serves Knick knacks.

The inside of Everest restaurant housing local artifacts


What’s a feeling of hills without the quintessential noodles ?


And without the momos, it’s blasphemous


We had to check in as well at the Forest rest house. So went straight and being inside forest area, the forest workers were dumping tree trunks. Nevertheless, they promptly got the road cleared.













Check in at the reception was a smooth affair and after the whole process, went out nearby to see the Suspension Bridge or the canopy walk. Unfortunately, it was broken and was under repair although we didn't see any sign of any repairs being carried out!!

















The views from cottages were beautiful as in we were looking straight at the Kanchenjunga. After returning from the disappointment of the suspension bridge, we drove through the under construction road towards Charkhole. Unfortunately for us, road construction was going on and we had to return back without even reaching the Jhandi view point. Returning to the cottage, ordered for the dinner and some snacks. The guys from the kitchen were kind enough to serve both the snacks and the dinner in insulated cases. Being in the hills, people sleep early and hence the dinner was served to us by 8 in the evening. Temperature hovered around 8 degree centigrade and it was chilly airight. Slept off early after an eventful day where most of the places were under repair/ construction.

[ABHI_1512]

One more morning and the alarm went off at just the right time for the sunrise view of the Kanchenjunga and this time it was in Lolaygaon. Today was going to be the last day in the hills and we couldn't have missed the beautiful sunrise. The sunrise was splendid as usual and it was an hour well spent on watching the sunrise. Some pictures :








Lolaygaon forest guest houses are spread across a huge area and the canteen is situated far from the cottages as well. Saving grace is that the dinner is served to the cottages. Breakfast was done early and it was time to get back to the grind and to remind ourselves that a pandemic is raging on as well.







Since the area is huge, there are plenty of trees and flowers spread all across the property and it was welcome sight indeed to see the flowers bloom while looking at the Kanchenjunga.


















Breakfast done in a jiffy, we started for Lava at around 9 from Lolaygaon and took the Lava-Gorubathan-Oodlabari-Gazoldoba-Ghoshpukur bypass to connect to NH 31. There was a plan to visit Chel Chittong(a lovely little cottage) as well but for the paucity of time and that we had to reach Calcutta as well by the night.

This stretch from Lava to Gorubathan is a driver's delight


Reached Teesta Barrage by around 12.30 in the afternoon and was immediately stuck by something that I had not imagined to see ever in my life. I don't know if someone else has seen it or not previously but for me it was the first time for sure. Don't believe me, just have a look at the picture below, I have never seen the reflection of Kanchenjunga on water, like never ever.



Savouring the moment for sometime, we started again for Calcutta ,stopped for dinner at Jubilee Dhaba which is beside the IOC COCO pump at MALDA. The dhaba was decked up for Diwali and looked real well. Food was good and the rest rooms clean, taking the route through SH7 and without any surprises reached home by 1 am. Road surfaces all through Calcutta to Siliguri through SH7 has improved somewhat and with the work on Islampur bypass going on smooth, I hope we find one less reason to worry about in the coming days.






A short video of the drive through pine trees of Lolaygaon

https://youtu.be/IYSGe0XMmQg

Another short video while driving uphill from Bidyang

https://youtu.be/IcvpcUbXRs4

I have been to Kalimpong many a times but this time the views of the Kanchenjunga were indeed mesmerising. It was like Kanchenjunga was traveling along with us wherever we went. This small little trip more than made up for the miss of Kumaon and the views of Kanchenjunga were enough to make up for the disappointment. I am sure there will be many travelogues on Kalimpong in the forum but the mountain views made me write this log here. Until next time, stay safe and stay well.


P.S- Yuru Retreat has hosted quite a few BHPians as far as I got to know from the wonderful guys of the hotel Now, Kalimpong has another address for me apart from my usual ones !

[Rudra Sen]

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

[Samba]

No matter how many time we read a travelogue on North Bengal, each of them are special in their own ways. This one is no different.
Loved reading this. The beautiful pictures backed up by your solid narration made me feel like driving to North Bengal right now!
Rated 5*

[ajayc123]

Wow, a lovely travelogue. Photographs have been composed & framed very nicely. And a very nice colours. Curious, did u ever study photography? And what camera has been used?

[sayakc]

Crisp narration yet again with mind boggling photos! The charm of the hills of North Bengal is simply an undying one and looking at your photos is pulling me to go towards the hills.

Rated 5 stars and heres looking for more of your blogs!

Cheers,
Sayak

[arjab]

Lovely scribble! You have a way with words and an even better control over the lens!
Reminded me of our trip to Yuru, Kalimpong in 2019 summer. At that time, the expansion work was in progress. Did you get a chance to Mr. Moktan? Possibly one of the most erudite and interesting persona's of Kalimpong!
Some snaps in the same setting, a year back:

[Neversaygbye]

Lovely travelogue and photos. Most of them wouldn't look out of place in Nat Geo. Which camera are you using?

I noticed you mentioned that you didn't take the Dalkhola route, and also that you left Cal at 8 pm and reached Siliguri at 9 am the next day. Can you let me know the route you took? I did Calcutta-Darjeeling in Dec 2018 and had to halt at Raiganj as there were huge snarls due to trucks and bad roads and Farakka was one way in alternate directions depending on police whim due to repairs. It had taken me 11 hours to reach Raiganj. I had gone through Burdwan and Katwa and the road was bad in many stretches.

I am planning to do the trip again this Dec so if an optimal route is there that will help me reach Siliguri from Cal in 12-13 hours that will be a huge help!

Thanks in advance!

[suvrog]

Lovely travelogue and magnificent photos. Well deserved 5 Stars.

I am planning the same during Dec'2020, with my Ecosport. In how many days did you execute this trip, and how did your car perform? Also, which route did you take.

[gmhossain]

Thanks for putting up such a refreshing travelogue amidst the gloom of global pandemic.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

... Reached Teesta Barrage by around 12.30 in the afternoon and was immediately stuck by something that I had not imagined to see ever in my life.

This shot of yours is a very rare shot, without any doubt. My personal best there was the one below with a bit of touch-up. Of course, I do have a special relation with mount-K, as it has eluded me every time in the last two decades.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by Samba

No matter how many time we read a travelogue on North Bengal, each of them are special in their own ways. This one is no different.
Loved reading this. The beautiful pictures backed up by your solid narration made me feel like driving to North Bengal right now!
Rated 5*

Thanks Samba, I am sure your North Bengal trip just round the corner. Will be looking forward to your wonderful pictures,

Regards.

Originally Posted by ajayc123

Wow, a lovely travelogue. Photographs have been composed & framed very nicely. And a very nice colours. Curious, did u ever study photography? And what camera has been used?

Thank you for your good words ajayc123, no photography is purely a hobby as of now although I wish I had studied photography. Camera used is Canon 550D.

Regards.

Originally Posted by sayakc

Crisp narration yet again with mind boggling photos! The charm of the hills of North Bengal is simply an undying one and looking at your photos is pulling me to go towards the hills.

Rated 5 stars and heres looking for more of your blogs!

Cheers,
Sayak

Thanks Sayak, there is indeed something about the North Bengal air and you know it better than anyone else. I hope we meet someday on the roads to feel the air together.

Regards

Originally Posted by arjab

Lovely scribble! You have a way with words and an even better control over the lens!
Reminded me of our trip to Yuru, Kalimpong in 2019 summer. At that time, the expansion work was in progress. Did you get a chance to Mr. Moktan? Possibly one of the most erudite and interesting persona's of Kalimpong!

Thanks for the good words arjab, no I didn’t get the chance to see him but yes, he must be one interesting persona for sure. The expansion is still going on. Also, the Enfield bullet is probably the same one that is now parked and covered inside the extended area.

This is how the extended part looks now but is still incomplete

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

Lovely travelogue and photos. Most of them wouldn't look out of place in Nat Geo. Which camera are you using?

I am planning to do the trip again this Dec so if an optimal route is there that will help me reach Siliguri from Cal in 12-13 hours that will be a huge help!

Thanks for the wonderful words Neversaygbye, photography is a hobby and I enjoy that. Camera is age old Canon 550D.

Regarding your trip, we have been for many years using Botolbaari- Dhantola route after Raigunj to connect to NH31 near Islampur to avoid the Dalkhola mess. Also, SH 7 has been substantially repaired after the rains and what you and I both got on October 1st is no where to be seen. The craters have been filled up and is now a good drive. I don’t think there should be any issue for you this time round since surfaces have improved overall.

Regards.

Originally Posted by suvrog

Lovely travelogue and magnificent photos. Well deserved 5 Stars.

I am planning the same during Dec'2020, with my Ecosport. In how many days did you execute this trip, and how did your car perform? Also, which route did you take.

Thanks suvrog, Ecosport has never let me down in the hills and it has travelled quite a number of times including Tawang and Bumla.

Three nights and four days is all what it took for me. Route is standard as has been the norm for us for all these years- Calcutta-Burdwan-SH7-Morgram-Farakka-Malda bypass-Raigunj-Botolbaari-Dhantola-Islampur-Siliguri.

Just account for the fog since it is expected in December and January. Have a safe drive,

Regards.

This shot of yours is a very rare shot, without any doubt. My personal best there was the one below with a bit of touch-up. Of course, I do have a special relation with mount-K, as it has eluded me every time in the last two decades.

Thanks much gmhossain, yes, I seriously got lucky enough to get the shot. Never saw the mountains so clear and crisp, it was refreshing to have made the trip.

Regards.

[sayakc]

Golam-da,

If you want that special relation to end, you can very well go to the hills now and a sighting is ensured

Originally Posted by gmhossain

I do have a special relation with mount-K, as it has eluded me every time in the last two decades.

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