[ron82x3]

“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.”
― Helen Keller

Keeping that theme in mind, we planned a journey to our favourite summer gateway - Delo in Kalimpong. We started the trip in the darkness with 12 mad men to celebrate friendship over a common interest. The journey of over 1300Km was completed in less than 56 hours. The hours we slept were less than the cups of tea one had in the journey.

A funny thing in this entire trip was that nowhere the name Kalimpong or Delo was mentioned. During our planning stages and throughout the journey, the only name that resonated was Yuru.

Well before you ask, I'm talking about Yuru Retreat, simply to spend a few hours enjoying this beautiful scenery as seen from the hotel rooftop.



The tour itinerary was pretty simple. 9 pm meeting at Kitchen Sutra on August 19, a Friday and have dinner there. Reach Yuru the next day at lunch time and start return journey the next day post breakfast. A short meet as it was supposed to be, isn't it?

As mentioned earlier, sleep was not a highlight of this meet, and with limited Parking space in Yuru, it made sense, not to use individual vehicles in the trip. The vehicles were:

1. The Mighty Pajero SFX of Mr. Debdeep (TBhp handle dip27in)



2. The Big Bold Nissan Magnite 1.0 of Mr Dibyajnan (TBhp handle cdibya)



3. The Wild by design Sonet GTX Plus 1.0 DCT of Mr Sukanta (TBhp handle Sukanta73)



4. The FAST Hexa XM+ 4x2 driven entirely by Mr. Niladri (TBhp handle Mile_Breaker)



Other Bhpians kept rotating cars, sometimes acting as passenger and sometimes taking charge of the wheel.

Meet Mr Dibyajnan (TBhp handle cdibya), Mr. Rhitabrata (TBhp handle HornNotOkPlease), Mr. Niladri (TBhp handle Mile_Breaker), Mr. Atanu (TBhp handle Edunta), Mr. Taposh (TBhp handle topse), yours truly (Subhasish), Mr Sukanta (TBhp handle Sukanta73), and Mr. Sumanta (TBhp handle Neversaygbye) from L to R.



I'll get the readers up to speed and since the trip has already started. The Sonet Driven by Bhpian Sukanta73 had left at 5pm from his home which is near Bengal Jharkhand border at Asansol. Meanwhile Bhpian Mile_Breaker had started the journey at 7pm. He had the duty to pick up 4 others (yours truly, HornNotOkPlease, Edunta and topse) along the route. Bhpian cdibya had also started the journey at a similar time, picking up Neversaygbye.



The Pajero had started the journey a little late and had the duty to pick Mr. Mithun (TBhp handle Mi2n), Mr. Prateek (TBhp handle octane1002) and Mr. Abhishek (TBhp handle ABHI_1512). When the Pajero arrived the others had already completed their dinner, nevertheless we had ordered food for them and after they had finished dinner, we started out journey.

Special thanks to ABHI_1512 who pushed everyone of us for the trip, and handled most of the bookings and the stops in the routes.



Another special mention goes to Mile_Breaker, who motivated us weeks before the trip and held our energies high through his enthusiasm. It's difficult to match his energy. His energy keept our spirits high.



Well not everyone.....

Bhpian Topse could squeeze a full night sleep and then some more, during the next day and even in the next evening. He has an impressive personality, and carries an aura, which will soon make you believe that he is unparalleled in most areas. He is also an off-road enthusiast and was very keen on driving the Pajero.

[ron82x3]

So the journey begins with respective Bhpians behind the wheel of their machines, except Mi2n in charge of the Pajero, dip27in's trusted driver whom he trusts more in the night.

And goneeeee..... The Hexa is fast. It has already left the pack. It was followed by the Pajero and closely by the Magnite. And at some distance, was the Sonet.

Funny enough, all the experts were on Pajero and took the wrong route on the Magra flyover. Inside the Magnite Neversaygbye and cdibya, who had ample knowledge about the route followed the Pajero, thinking that the other car could not be mistaken and had taken a shortcut

Finally after knowing, they joined the other 2 cars. So the order became, Hexa leading by some 5 mins, followed by the Sonet. With about 30 mins gap was the Pajero and behind it was the Magnite.

The Pajero was doing constant 55-60 whereas the other cars were carrying a little more speed. This reason is not a mystery if you know a little bit about dip27in. The Magnite still following the Pajero later overtook the Pajero finally after cdibya got the green signal from Neversaygbye. It was a sight of relief, or should I say relief in sight, since the Bhpians in the Pajero could see daylight inside their cabin with the Magnite's LED headlights shining bright behind them.

I faced the same issue with Sonet. These LED headlights scatter light a lot and their effectiveness worsens in presence of fog or rain. This is mainly due to the reflective nature of while light as compared to yellow light.

There is little to write about the night except the fact that the Pajero was tailing a bit with the other cars in almost close proximity. Hence the 3 cars could take Tea breaks together.

One of the many stops in the night, after crossing Krishnanagar.



After this, I took the charge of the Sonet. The highway manners of the Sonet is similar to my EcoSport, and has similar ride quality. This car was a 24 day old car . I could easily play catch up with the other cars and the DCT gearbox likes to remain in D7 as much as possible. However it does not hesitate to downshift at higher speeds.

Morning view on Farakka bridge, turned out magnificent from the cockpit of the Pajero


The rest of the drive was mostly uneventful. Drove the car just before dawn, because I intended to have a power nap, before the sun was up. Our next stop was planned at Raigang, which we did reach after sunrise during 7 am. But the consistency of the Raiganj Tourist lodge was still in place, and they were unable to serve neither Tea, nor breakfast.

So, all 4 cars decided to keep driving till the next break at BP Dalkhola to have Breakfast at Ghar Dhaba, adjacent to the petrol pump.
Some cars feared the sun, while othe others did not. Interestingly the Black Sonet and the Dark Blue Hexa (the darker coloured cars), were brave enough to park the car in the direction of the sun.



The unending wait for the Aloo Parantha at Dalkhola BP resulted in this picture, the smiles were just as fake as one can think off !!



Also ordered 2 rounds of tea with the Aloo Parantha. The service was slow, but the aloo paratha seemed tasty and the tea heavenly. Right now, I want you to make an educated guess when 12 hungry mad men are served breakfast one plate at a time. Yes, that was the scene.





With breakfast out of the way, we marched ahead more steadily than ever. Major credit goes to the broken sections NH 34 which are unrecognisable these days. Sukanta73 was now in his Kia, and he loves open stretches of National Highways more than anything in the world.



With Balason Bridge being closed for work we took the left and encountered massive crater size holes in the road surface.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3Tynp408s

When we entered Siliguri, it was well past 12 in the noon and we received no mercy in terms of traffic. Took over an hour to cover the breadth of Siliguri and enter Kalimpong through Sevoke driving through Teesta. Not only were the roads in a poor shape, there was also some traffic holdup. But what is a trip to the hills without it?



Yours truly had already taken charge of the Kia, carefully navigating through the hilly roads, making sure to downshift manually so as to prevent clutch slippage (the DCT likes to stay on 2nd, even in crawling speeds) and shifting to N, while waiting in traffic. I was thoroughly involved, at the same time I was missing a manual gearbox. An automatic gearbox just makes the job so much easier, but I personally would have liked to use my own skills to navigate steep inclines and slippery roads.



Our sleepy headed bhpian had woken up for a short time, and had driven the Kia a bit through the congested roads of Siliguri, before going off to sleep again. The others were still high on spirits and had hardly slept.

This was cdibya's maiden trip to the hills with his Magnite and this is how he made a fool of us. He was bossing throughout the journey driving like a seasoned driver in such terrain, and even taking a few work related important calls through his handsfree system. He was calm as a cucumber.



We were nearing our destination and had already crossed Kalimpong Bazar. One final stop just before the final climb and we encountered some beautiful flowers.

Wild was the theme. No design pun intended.





And this was it. We had completed one half of the journey, and 11 stupid awake minds had taken over 20 hours for the journey. And after parking our vehicles we ran to get a view from the rooftop.



All the vehicles facing the Mighty Pajero.

[ron82x3]

This lunch was finished in seconds, the menu was basic and yet tasteful enough to satiate the hunger, just that the cooks forgot to add salt !!

It consisted of Steamed rice, dal, Bengali style potato chips, white mix veg curry, chicken gravy and papad. Some people were craving sweets though, which was missing.







Some hungry Bhpians in action



Post lunch we headed to our rooms.





With such well furnished rooms, we could only manage to freshen up. Most of were still unwilling to get any sleep. Well I said most

So half of the people went to enjoy more views, but it was soon getting cloudy





While others decided to chat near the parking and slowly enjoying some tea. Remember when I said about the cups of tea and the hours of sleep? Well, this was my 6th cup of tea, and I was yet to get a complete hour of sleep.



At this point ABHI_1512 had already motivated cdibya to drive to the market in his Magnite. He said, the market is just a few clicks downhill and would hardly take 10 mins. So, I got motivated and joined Mi2n and HornNotOkPlease. All of us had a some or the other shopping agenda. 30 mins after driving, we reached the market. Post 10 mins, ABHI_1512 said, the market is just after the next turn where some statue of Vivekananda is located. It was fun having other Bhpians passing comments

After a brief shopping spree we returned to our hotel. Funnily enough, the return journey took less than 20 mins, and we returned by 8 pm.

The table was set for gossip and dinner laid.

We Kolkata Bhpians are huge meat lovers. In frame is Chili Pork



Dry Chili Chicken as snack/starter



The dinner was whole Chicken Roast with Garlic toast and boiled potatoes sautéed in butter, a mashed version would have been better though.



ABHI_1512 won our hearts by organising this trip and there was a brief cake cutting to celebrate the occasion. It was kind of him to bring the cake from us. It is a butter cake from a bakery in Kalimpong market, and such good cakes are difficult to come by.



The gossip session was longggg and our energies were high. All 11 of us were having dinner already. It was then Bhpian Topse had woken up from his sleep.

This was a tough egg to crack.



Finally and we had dinner peacefully and enjoyed the the night. By midnight, most of us went to our respective rooms.

[ron82x3]

So far so good. Enough with all the descriptions of our travel. This was going to be the most eventful day, and sadly our return journey. We had slept for some hours, got ready by 8 am left by 9:30 post having breakfast. For a lazy writer like me, this day was so picturesque, that I'll do photos do the talking.

Wholesome Pooris. Eggs, toast and hot beverages were also part of the menu.



I got ready by 7:30 and had some time to visit Delo. It was hardly a 10 min walk, but we took the Kia. Bhpian Mile_Breaker, Sukanta73 and I went to the park.



The flowers of Delo:





Soon after entering Delo park you are greeted by this sight



View from the top



A gimpse of Delo Tourist Lodge



Meanwhile some photo-session was also in progress in the hotel. Bhpian Mi2n and octane1002 in frame with the Pajero.



After this, we headed back to our hotel to join the gang and start our return journey.



The route for our return journey would be Lava - Gorubathan - Odhlabari. This is one of the most scenic roads of India and finds mention in multiple places.

Come fall in love with Lava

:

The Hexa always led the way.



Sonet amidst the clouds



And everyone's favourite car



Did I miss the elephant in the room?



I think I will have to travel back soon. This is already my 4th visit of the year in this district.



Beautiful tea gardens all around



They say, a waterfall and some momos will complete your trip to the hills



Chicken Momo



They say there are 19 varieties of pine trees in the forests of Lava



This sight of the pea pluckers selling their tea was a sight to behold



Peekaboo. Can you spot the waterfall?



Have you seen this place earlier?



Or this?



Posting other pictures of the drive would do serious injustice to the above pictures.

This would have been the whole group picture was it not for the minor camera positioning issue.



This is the last time the whole team met somewhere in Murshdabad.



So, this is the story of how 12 crazy heads executed this idea, with this fine line between madness and craziness.

The hotel staff has labelled anyone from this forum as crazy. He was struck with awe, when he heard that we will be leaving in less than 12 hours after arriving.

We hope to bring some regular dose of craziness to the forum. Having said that we continued our journey. This was not the last time we stopped, nor the last time we will stop.

Thanking you,
Yours truly,
Subhasish.

[Aditya]

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

[boniver]

Lovely writeup! I wish I could've made it to this trip, but looking at the fun you guys had, I'll join the next one for sure if I'm in the city. Can't wait to meet all of you again and have a nice adda about the the various challenges and competitions that went down over that weekend

[edunata]

Very nice writeup Subhasis.
Really enjoyed the trip (madness). Personally, I had never been a part of a group like this of various age groups, all bound by a common passion.
The evening adda was awesome!
Thanks to everyone, especially Abhi and Niladri.

[Mile_Breaker]

Fabulous writeup ron82x3 ! The madness to drive to Yuru resort and back from Kolkata over a weekend first emerged during a regular BHPian breakfast meet in the month of May 2022! That plan eventually ended up in an overnight stay at Shantiniketan due to lack of participation. Since then the urge to make this trip successful went up 10 folds and eventually we made it with a strong team of 12 BHPians ! Total roundtrip of 1500 KMs that included two overnight journeys each spanning over 17 hours with just few hours of sleep in between wouldn't have been made possible without the constant feed of humor and energy from fellow BHPians who made sure that the BHPian on wheel stays awake and alert. Hats off ! Yuru resort located in Delo hill of Kalimpong has now become a well known destination among BHPians and it rightly deserves the honour because of the cleanliness, good food and gorgeous location. The breathtaking beauty of the route from Kalimpong through the mystic pine forests of Lava and tea gardens of Darjeeling district would transport one to another world. Overall this trip left all of us wanting for more and these twelve BHPians are already charged up for the next!

https://youtu.be/mpEUkn_yxD8

[cr4nkshaft]

Have read the background chats in the whatsapp group, this oh-fish-ial writeup gives me the full picture(s) of the trip, how you guys said carp-e diem and seized the one and a half days..
I am sure some juicy bits are missing, you guys are being shellfish and not sharing it all - and I will fish out the not so so-fish-ticated parts.

Jokes apart - great thread. Will definitely not miss out the next one!

[turboNath]

A non stop blitzkrieg drive to the mountains is always an incredible experience and I am pretty sure the '12 mad men' simply took it to the next level altogether. Thanks for narrating this tale in such an engaging way ron82x3. The pictures look fantastic especially the ones from my favourite stretch - Lava-Gorubathan-Odlabari.
The food spread looked delicious and I think apart from pork you all must have enjoyed piping hot fish fry and 'dim-er-devil's as well !
Keep up the energy and most importantly keep up this madness !
I really wish that I could have joined you all in this epic journey but hey, there's always a next time!

[SVK Rider]

What a travelogue.
Surely missed this one badly.
Too good pictures and yes the background chats provided the fun part of the drive also.
Good going and awesome narration.

[razor_crest]

Wow, awesome pics! We could literally see the energy of the gang through your post. Great writeup and reading how you powered thru without sleep, we can do that only if we have great company.

[Samba]

This trip = Fun, fun & more fun..!
A location in the Himalaya, 4 capable cars, a comfortable stay with good food and 12 Bhpians! It’s bound to be fun!

This travelogue did full justice to the trip with a lucid narration backed up by beautiful pics.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by cr4nkshaft

I am sure some juicy bits are missing, you guys are being shellfish and not sharing it all - and I will fish out the not so so-fish-ticated parts.

They will post it in pisces.

/Random text to cross character limit/

[octane1002]

Heads-up for anybody reading this thread - what has been penned by the OP or 'Bala' as we call him, is a carefully projected sane version of what actually went down on the trip. The trip was absolute madness , and for once food and photography were not the only highlights of a Team-bhp meet (in a good way, of course).

What cannot be presented on this thread (for some obvious and some not-so-obvious reasons) is the tom-foolery that went down on the evening we spent at Yuru, and the to-and-fro drive.The banter and goofing around that happened on this trip would make a college boys' trip seem civilised. Sample some gems, somewhere during the evening, we had a debate between 2 BHPians culminating into a competition of push-ups.From the side of my eye, I caught another BHPian marching around on the terrace and then in the dining lobby with (I kid you not!) a huuuge vase of flowers - which was then presented to the push-up competition winning BHPian amid an impromptu song and dance sequence by the presenter. The song and dance was gold-standard, and as with anything gold-standard, the entertainment is best kept limited to the original audience. The references to eggs and fish (fry?) are purely deliberate too and I hear memes are now being created on those references.

P.s -For any of you planning to chalk out a trip to these parts of Bengal/ North East , please reach out to BHPian Abhi_1512. The man has the soul of a cartographer in him, trying his best to chalk out new routes to save you time and refusing to just blindly follow maps. If and when I choose to foray into rallying, you are my navigator!