[pyrodrive]

This is a North Sikkim travelogue without any of the usual spots of Yumthang, zero point, kalapathar or Gurudongmar. Now that is unusual, but since we were travelling in and after the Christmas period, we expected both those routes to be closed on and off due to heavy snow. So, rather than aiming for those spots we thought to enjoy the post Christmas chill around Lachen and Lachung instead and hopefully enjoy some snowfall.
It was the year end of 2021 and pandemic related travel restrictions were getting on our nerves since sometime now and apart from a short 5 day arunachal drive in October, the old steed, my 2013 Thar crde did not seen any action he deserved to see. So, the North Sikkim winter drive was planned. One concern was that the temperature would definitely go subzero at night, and the thar might have some starting issues. So, I got the Mahindra service to send the starter motor for de-carbonisation and cleaning first.
Then another Thar crde came into the picture.. My old friend and bhpian, Shyam decided to join in his 2017 crde with his wife and kid and so, it was goin to be a two thar journey to the hills.
A teaser pic



Day1- A 6AM start from guwahati, with packed sandwiches and boiled eggs has become a norm now. For one thing, on the first day drives from home, we always want to cover as much distance as possible before the first pit stop. So 6AM start it was and by the time we stopped for our mini breakfast stop, we were nearing Shreerampur gate into west Bengal. The roads in Assam side was good as usual and after the 4 lane roads came to an end, the smooth dual carriageway along the reserve forests of Bengal was as good a drive as any.


Apart from a small traffic jam caused by an overturned lorry, which cost us half an hour, there were no holdups and we got to Chalsa at around 2.45pm for refuelling and a pit stop for food. The rest of the drive through dooars were pleasant with the rolling tea gardens on either side of the road. Coronation bridge traffic was bad as expected and by the time we reached sikkim (rangpo) it was nearly 5.30 pm. At Singtam, we left the Gangtok highway and took the road via Dikchu to Mangan.The road here was pretty rough and the milton water container which we carried (mineral water bottles are banned in North sikkim), it didn't spill a drop on the entire journey to Singtam but it looked like a really bad decision thereafter with lot of spillage. so I said to myself( top gear style) " It could be worse.." and carried on. Actually that was an even worse decision which we found out afterwards.(a lot of things got soaked)
Finding the location of the homestay took some time and finally we got there at 9.15 pm, having covered 610km in the day. The homestay was warm and comfortable with clean rooms and linen and parking was available too. The owner is very helpful and the family cooked a great dinner for us at night with chicken, rice and fresh vegetables.

The cosy homestay

The Thars parked safely.
The next morning we explored Mangan on foot, the best views were from the helipad area.


The helipad.


With the kids of our hosts, the scarves were their parting gifts to us.

Our host had arranged for our permits, (we had sent our documents well before we arrived), and after getting the xerox copies in town, we were on our way.
First stop was the checkpost, where there was a line of cars. Having negotiated that we reached Chungthang for some snacks and then finally reached Lachung around 1pm.



After a quick lunch, we decided not to laze around at the hotel but head out to explore the Katao road. We didn't have permits for Katao but I was expecting some snow on the way and we were desperate to see some snow. It turned out to be a very good decision. The Katao road had practically no traffic and was magical on that wintry evening. I will let the pictures do the talking here..

Leaving Lachen behind, bathed in the pale afternoon sunshine.

On the katao road. The Thar twins looked ready for some fun.

The first bits of snow lifted out spirits.

Yak traffic

The roads got more and more interesting

The haziness up ahead meant more snowfall

Some more snow

And more.


The valley covered in fresh snowfall.

The road became quite slippery at one point and all traffic ceased altogether. We ploughed ahead on 4H for a while and then stopped for some frolicking in the soft snow. It was a really fun one hour for all of us. By then it suddenly became quite dark and we decided to head back.
A curious Incident occurred after returning from katao, we parked for a quick maggi before we returned to the hotel. After the maggi, my thar refused to start! I mean it was cold, but we had stopped for just 20 minutes, engine cannot cool down that much. Luckily the taxi guys came up to see whats up and then someone twiddled with the battery wires while I cranked. It started! The guys said here everyone is an automotive engineer when it comes to cars not starting. But he also said that if you are having starting trouble now then what will happen tomorrow morning? Well that thought surely lingered in my mind and all night I could picture myself struggling with some juggad to start the car in the morning. Shyam's thar was newer than mine and having freshly returned from a ladakh drive a few months ago, he was little more confident.

Next morning it was COLD, no doubt about it. A few flurries were floating around but not real snowfall.

Just a little powery coating on the canvas top.

Without much expectations, I gingerly cranked the ignition and to my surprise it started on the second crank! I was very happy.
Post breakfast, the weather was bright and sunny.


We went on the zero point road for a while but then we saw a huge traffic jam up ahead. Rows of white taxi cabs could be seen up the hill from a distance. Many of you must have experienced this feeling..that is one ugly sight you can expect to see in the hills. Mind shouts: escape!
We were just ambling along without any fixed plan, so we stopped and then reversed our jeeps and decided to go back. We left Lachung and headed towards Lachen.

Lunch was on the way, near a very windy bridge.

As we were nearing Lachen, we started seeing flurries gently floating through the air and landing on the windshield. Could we hope for some real snowfall? (Lachen did not have snowfall yet when we enquired the previous day.)
At Lachen the highlight was the stay. It was a small cottage on the hillside, near the monastery, away from the hustle of the town.
That evening is what inspired this travelogue. The snowfall started just as we parked our cars there, at around 1PM.

The landscape and the two cottages at 1PM.


An hour later.

Just a cosy cabin in the woods.

Wooden walls to keep the chill out.

Hastily we covered the engine bay of our Thars. The light started to fade early and the temperature had dipped below zero by this time.

[pyrodrive]

The snowfall continued as the evening wore on and the mercury dipped sharply as the sun set.


The incessant snowfall continued into the night.

The ground was gradually getting covered in snow.


Around a much needed fire.

The host got some fire going for us in one under construction cabin and the fire, along with the particular beverage that is common in sikkim, they kept us toasty warm. The temperature at that time was around minus 6 deg C.
At night, the concrete stairs were totally covered in snow and some ice, and became slippery. Shyam had dinner served in the room itself but we came down to the kitchen and enjoyed the dinner served in the warm kitchen. After dinner I went to see the cars. Well there they were..


I decided to crank the engine and keep it running for a few minutes to warm up. Provided it starts of course.

Starting up without any hiccups.
Kept the ignition on for a few minutes.
The snowfall continued into the night and as we turned in for the night inside the cozy sleeping bags, we could see the snow flakes through the window. What an evening it was.

The next morning, we woke up to a white fairyland. The snow was thick and it blanketed the ground, the roof and everything.

First view out of the room. A whiteout!



A totally different look now.

The cabin looking great in the early morning sunshine, especially with the woods behind.

Work in progress. The girl in the panda hat helping in making a snownan.

Here we go. Panda and snowman.

Then we went down to have a look at the cars. Wow! they looked beautiful, decked in a layer of snow.


Quite a thick layer.


Then came the small matter of seeing whether the cars start or not. By now I was a bit more confident and much to my relief, my trusted warhorse growled to life at the first crank! The other thar started likewise. Some tourist xylos and sumos had a hard time getting started, and I could see the guys busy with the jugaad ways for a cold start. Thankfully no such issues for us.

After breakfast, we finally bid adeu to the place and drove down the frozen street towards Lachen town. But there was quite a bit of hard ice on the road and most of the cars were slipping and sliding. Some cars had also slided and banged into other cars.


The thars with the 4wd engaged fared better, little bit of slipping but nothing alarming. Then one xylo guy shovelled some sand and earth over the ice to get some grip.
Finally we were out of Lachen and went forward on the Gurudongmar road, even though we knew the road was closed. A few kms down, we came to a large patch of black ice. Shyam's thar did a dangerous slide and shortly afterwards, he decided he had enough and turned back.
Unfortunately, that was the last we saw of them in the trip. We have been on many road trips together and that is what I like, we are all independent units. If somebody decides to turn back, there is no compulsion for the other to do the same. If someone wants to stay at a particular place, the other can move to another place he fancies more. No discussion needed, no explanations and no hard feelings. It is a loose association and we dont do much of convoy driving anyway. No "gang of thars" or similar analogy. Each capable in their own right. So, no words were spoken as I watched them reverse and take a U-turn and disapear in my rear view mirror. Then I moved ahead on the empty road.
The road was generally good with some patches of black ice and powdery snow on some stretches.

Looks ok to drive on, but black ice is very dangerous and slippery.
(We had snow chains on standby but did not feel the need to use them because most of the road here were clear of snow and only some stretches of ice and snow)

Anyway, I did not face much difficulty. I slow down and engage 4wd in any patch of ice and snow, and avoid too much steering inputs, and do not brake while on the snow patch. Driving carefully, I went on ahead.
After a while the road became fabulous.

Deserted roads, since there were no cabs( road was closed ahead).


A frozen waterfall. The temperature even near midday was still below zero.
We continued up ahead for another 2 hours and finally approached a place where one small shack was open. (everything else was closed) . There were two guys here apparently packing their stuff. The guys were surprised to see us and asked us where from we arrived and if we had seen a scorpio on the road. We replied in the negative. They made some maggi and omlettes for us, it was past lunch time and nothing else was open on that road and we were hungry.


The guys told us that the road was closed a couple of kms ahead from that point and that they were waiting for the scorpio to arrive and take them to Lachen where it was warmer. And anyway there were no tourist here since the road was closed. It was also bitterly cold and windy here.
We decided to turn back as well. Then we saw a little tin enclosed shed and some roly poly puppies inside. The mother was somehow managing to provide for them in the harsh environment. We left some biscuits near the shed.

The puppies.


The last point from where we returned.

The weather was taking a turn for the worse and there was definitely more snowfall on the way, and we were around 2 hours away from Lachen and there were absolutely no one on the road. So made our way down in a slight hurry, it was very cold but no snowfall yet.

By the time we reached Lachen it was nearly 3.30PM and the other thar was probably around 4-5 hours ahead of us. So we did not stop for lunch and hurried on past Lachen, past Chungthang and then at around 6pm, had a pit stop for food.
The previous plan had been to make it to Kalimpong on that day for the stay, but as it was 7 pm and we were only nearing Mangan, reaching Kalimpong in a sane hour did not seem possible. The other Thar reached Kalimpong at around 9.30pm and we had reached only Rangpo around that time. Tired and hungry, we decided to call it a day and checked into one of the better hotels at Rangpo.

The hotel with the Thar safely parked. A good dinner and night's rest was exactly what we needed and we got it.

The next morning we had a comfortable start at 7 AM and was a quite relaxed drive to the plains. The other Thar started late from Kalimpong and they took the Lava- Gorubathan road to Damdim. Somehow, we did not see them although we knew they were not far behind.
The rest of the drive was uneventful and we reached home safely in the late evening.

Lovely roads in the Dooars and back to the plains.

Note: This was during last winter. Sadly, this was the last trip on my 2013 Thar. Although it performed like a champ, it was a head over heart decision to let it go. I mean it was getting old, and nearly 1lac kms on the odo. Besides I did not fancy the newer model thar at all( my brother in law got one from the first batch and I drove it a fair bit), so I wanted a pre worshipped CRDe Thar again. But if I wait another year, the chances of finding a pristine condition CRDe from around the last lot will be slim.
So having found its replacement, I let this one go in feb. The new ride is a similar colour 2019 CRDe, still under extended warranty and totally stock except touchscreen HU, good speakers and power windows. I simply love this generation of the thar and for me nothing comes close to it- the retro looks, the rugged feel, reliability and performance. The next travelogue hopefully will be with this beast, raring to flex its muscles. Till then, goodbye.
Thanks for reading.

[Aditya]

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

[skyocean]

Excellent travelogue, enjoyed every bit of it. Nothing can beat the snow experience on a bare bone 4x4 like the Thar CRDe. That snow on the canopy picture elates me to that level happiness and satisfaction which is unparalled, wonderful and thanks for sharing.

Thar in its true form is the old generation. Glad to know you were able to find one in excellent condition. My search is still on.

[trippytragopan]

Originally Posted by skyocean

Excellent travelogue, enjoyed every bit of it. Nothing can beat the snow experience on a bare bone 4x4 like the Thar CRDe.

Thar is not a ideal car for the snow experience. I have seen Thar getting stuck on an icy patch during winters in Spiti.

[haisaikat]

What an adventurous TL, loved every bit of it. Just before this one I read another beautiful TL from Guwahati to Tawang and I am glad to say this one too has excellent photos and narration. When there is snow around the world indeed looks like a fairy land and your TL once again reinstated that. The Lachen stay and next day drive towards Gurudongmer has some of the best pics of this TL. Rated 5 stars, keep more of them coming.