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Old 30th November 2024, 02:29   #1
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Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Introduction
The time of year when the entire city of Kolkata becomes even more vibrant with the colors of Durga Pujo, it is not generally regarded as the best time to leave the city. But destiny had it that we would be spending this year's Pujo elsewhere and this time my sister also accompanied us.

The subsiding rains brewed ideas to make a trip to the mountains during the last leg of the monsoon season. Our search perimeter was confined to Bengal and Sikkim looking at balancing the time offs against work priorities. After a lot of weighing on various options we dropped Sikkim (Pelling, Yuksom circuit) and signed up for Kalimpong and Lebong hoping these places would live up to the promises of a misty vacation.

Here is a sneak peak into our journey
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-start_2024_12_14_10_57_58.jpg

Route
Optimal route to North Bengal keeps altering seasonally. At the time of our travel, after following the route updates in this thread (Kolkata - Siliguri route via Dumka, Bhagalpur or NH-12 (old NH-34)) along with general consensus of other sources we decided to take the route of Kolkata -> Kalyani Expressway -> Kanchrapara -> Ranaghat -> Krishnanagar -> Berhampore Bypass -> Malda Bypass -> Raiganj Bypass -> Dalkhola Bypass -> Kishanganj -> Islampur Bypass -> Phulbari -> Oodlabari ->Gorubathan -> Lava -> Kalimpong

During the early part of October 2024 loads of rainfall in North Bengal lead to floods and landslides and ultimately road blockage which hampered tourist movements along with infusing severe unpredictability. NH-10 / Melli and the Matigara/Kurseong route to Kalimpong were reported having severe to moderate impacts. Although there were news of situations improving, we decided to take the longer route via Gorubathan as it was distanced from all the troubles.

Preparations
Connected with my designated Service Advisor at Topsel Toyota prior to the travel for any required checkups prior to this 1500 KM travel. My 5th year warranty had got over middle of the year, next major service being due only in Jan 2025. He looked at the service records and asked about the ODO (just crossed 50K) and then if there are any perceptible problem? I said NO, to which his only guidance was to Ensure tyre pressure is adequate at the start of the journey and to move on, without even bringing the car physically!! I did carry along the regular survival things like Tyre Inflator, Puncture Repair Kit, 20 ft 2 AWG Jumper Cable, Nylon Rope, Window Glass Breaker and Seat Belt Cutter, Fuses, etc

Day 0-1 / Wed-Thu / 9-10 Oct / Kolkata to Kalimpong
We started from Kolkata around 1130 pm on Wednesday 9th October after settling all work commitments. The vibes of Maha Shashthi were all around as we saw loads of visitors flooding the pandals and streets along with the loudspeakers switching between music and announcements, and of course the colorful lighting setup all around. We got lucky for not getting stuck in lot of congestions and cleared past the city limits in no time.

We took the Sodepur turn from Jessore Road to meet with the Kalyani Expressway, it was empty to say the least with several Puja Pandals in hibernation mode. Kalyani expressway was smooth and a pleasure drive. We almost avoided an accident where an elderly lady, probably on a pandal hopping spree, was attempting to cross the road along with her granddaughter. She ignored our honking and dippers completely and still crossed the road in a hurry, I steered out the Innova quickly while braking hard, thanks to the ABS and avoided a mishap. The other peculiar thing I noticed was biker groups (2-3 on a bike) trying to pick up race with random cars and overtaking from the wrong side trying to bring the other car to a halt. I tried not to intimidate them and avoided stopping a couple of times, hopefully it was just racing.

We broke off from Kalyani Expressway near Kanchrapara where there were some bad roads and merged with NH-12 (previously NH-34). Thereafter the road condition improved. Berhampore bypass was not in good shape. Around 20-30 KM on either direction from Farakka the roads were in pathetic condition, I had to simply remind myself about Toyota Reliability and hit the accelerator to move forward taking a deep breath. There was light congestion on the Farakka Bridge.

Our first halt was Pardesi Dhaba (it seemed closed at the hour) around 530 am for some on board refreshments and an hour of rest. Thereafter we drove over some excellent tarmac through the newer bypasses of Malda and Raiganj, these seem to have inherited format of the NHAI Expressways like Agra Lucknow Expressway.

A refuel stop at Raiganj Bypass
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-xx-1410929.jpg

We crossed Dalkhola and merged into NH-27 by 8 am and by 830 am around Purnia we halted at a roadside tea stall to add warmth to our morning.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-01.-rastai-cha_083023.jpg

Excellent tarmacs continued thereafter till our next stop, the Boroli restaurant at Phulbari by 1130 am. This scenic route via the Phulbari and the food stop was suggested once by Bhpian ABHI_1512 and I keep taking it, invariably every time. Boroli never disappoints us and even this time we had a fulfilling lunch, the Boroli fries being the star attraction.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-02.-boroli.jpg

We resumed by 1 pm, crossed Oodlabari with scenic tea gardens on both sides of the road and then finally started the ascent to along Gorubathan. There were shower forecasts and we observed drizzle along our way
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03.-started-gorub-ascent-meghla.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-04.-step-gard-starts-crysta.jpg

We crossed the Ambeok Tea Garden by 230 pm
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-05.-deepjhora.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-05.1-tanz-out-door.jpg

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Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.-leaving_143137.jpg

Misty roads at every turn
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.1-approaching-pine-clouds.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-10.-another-turn-clouds.jpg

The elongated pine leaves signal the advent of higher altitudes
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-11.-pine-leaves.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-12.-turn-clouds-pines.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-13.-another-angle-1540.jpg

By 530 pm, after a leisurely scenic drive, we arrived at Deolo Bunglow, Kalimpong driving 715 KM from Kolkata. This would be our second visit to this place.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-14.-reached.jpg

It was dark and foggy outside while we unloaded and checked in
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-15.-light-trail-crysta-1541.jpg

Our Crysta parked securely behind the reception
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-car-oiutside-730.jpg

We had some snacks and coffee . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-16.-snacks-630.jpg

. . and headed out for the park which closes down by 6 pm for outsiders and remains pretty much private for the in-house guests thereafter.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-17.-stairs-ready-get-out-7.jpg

It was cold outside, but the wind bite was not there allowing us to survive easily with just warmers.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-18.-selfi-730-outside.jpg

A Grasshopper trying to make it way into the hall.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-poka-dorjai.jpg

We had our dinner at the restaurant and called it a day

Last edited by haisaikat : 1st January 2025 at 02:28.
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Old 14th December 2024, 23:49   #2
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Day 2 / 11-Oct / Friday / Kalimpong

I got a momentary glimpse of the sun rising around 6 am from the topmost viewpoint in the park.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-01.-sunrise_055306.jpg

But it was short lived, for the rest of the cloudy day we could hardly see the sun again. Needless to say Kanchenjunga remained invisible behind the clouds too.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-img_20241011_060734.jpg

We had a laidback start of day with breakfast at in-house restaurant and then getting ready to set out by almost noon
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-02.-ready-1151.jpg

The greatest advantage of staying at the Deolo Tourist Lodge is its location within the larger Deolo park. The park was filled up with tourists. Lot of interests for . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-02.1-dress-shops.jpg

. . ice creams, and . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03.-ice-cream-duo_120619.jpg

. . dressing in local attire
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-04.-mom-son-dress.jpg

This shopping cart has been lying like this abandoned since last time we visited in 2020
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-05.-cart.jpg

Train models inside the cart
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-05.1-inside-cart-almirah.jpg

We roamed around the park, the fog, mist and drifting clouds kept elevating our moods all over a highly pleasant weather devoid of the sun
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-6.-3-them-walking.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-dsc09852.jpg

His short singing spree
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.-singing.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-img_4515.jpg

Its difficult to capture such views in a single click
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.1-looking-towards-gate.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-10.-them-3-downwards-cloud.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-12.-pano-gate.jpg

A short video of the Misty Delo Park


We came back to the Deolo Lodge by 2 pm and waited for our prebooked cab to arrive
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-05.2.-back-bunglow-4_141715.jpg

Driver informed us to board from the gate since there was tremendous congestion there
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-13.-we-3-coming-down.jpg

After crossing some more foggy internal roads . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-15.-fog-roads-143811.jpg

. . we arrived by 3 pm at the Fortune Resort Kalimpong for an excellent continental lunch, their service was highly impressive beyond the food they served.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-16.-restro.jpg

The evening view of Kalimpong from the restaurant of Fortune resort, we left by 545 pm
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-17.-kalimpong-evening-restro.jpg

Our next stop was the long overdue visit to the Kalimpong market areas, something we had always given a miss when selfdriving since parking is a mess there. Our cab dropped us at a point near DS Gurung Road and then we walked down through some busy stairs. .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-19.-1754-down-stairs-markets.jpg

. . and arrived at the crowded and happening main market
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-20.-them-walking-busy-market.jpg

We walked all the way to the Damber Chowk
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-21.-dember-chawk.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-21.1-balloon.jpg

Huge traffic queues were the signature of this place, walking gave us the desired peace of mind without having to worry about parking
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-22.-jam.jpg

There were lot of old houses along this road
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-24.-old-houses-street.jpg

We got some local tea, fruit juice concentrates and of course variety of noodles including the famed glass noodles.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-24.1-tea-shop.jpg

A pause for some souvenirs, however we had to give up pass to halting at the Queen's Cafe since our little one's mood became jittery owing to lots of walking around.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-25.-studio-shop.jpg

After roaming around for more than an hour we finally came back to our drop point by 7 pm where our cab picked us up and headed back towards Deolo. We observed several Durga Puja happening in the hills around this time.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-27-lights-pujo_190745.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-28.-durga-pujo-1-190824.jpg

We arrived back at Deolo before 8 pm, had dinner at the restaurant and called our day.

Last edited by haisaikat : 1st January 2025 at 01:33.
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Old 15th December 2024, 01:36   #3
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Day 3 / 12-Oct / Sat / Kalimpong to Lebong
Next morning, it was even more cloudy and foggy. So much so that we could not even perceive the changing color of the horizon at sunrise.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-01.-moening-delo-binglow-top_054226.jpg

Besides witnessing such views, the hard work involved in getting up early morning went in vain only
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03.-bunglow-curvy-road-fog.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03.1-park-jump-fog.jpg

After breakfast we checked out from Deolo Tourist lodge by 930 am. We had a long drive ahead of us to our next destination in Lebong. After due consultation with the next resort, we abandoned our idea to take the Jorethang route on being assured that roads in proximity of the Teesta River have improved than last week.

A truck carrying the Durga Idol was seen as we headed for the Teesta Bazaar bridge over the Teesta River.


We crossed the Teesta bridge and encountered some severely broken roads where cars are crossing avoiding near grazing situations or even from toppling off the edge by 1-2 inches
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-06.-bridge-over-teesta-1039.jpg

Thereafter we crossed Peshok and then an ever-congested Lamahatta before finally landing on the busy Hill Cart Road. Vehicles began moving slowly henceforth as we crossed the Ghum Station.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-07.-1231-ghum-station-traffic-start.jpg

The crawling traffic did allow us to catch a glimpse of the heritage toy trains.


The slow-moving traffic gobbled up a lot of time, we finally got some relief after entering into the Lebong Cart Road. The resort manager Andrew had been in constant touch with us providing critical direction support in places where GMaps were confusing to follow. The last 1 KM to the resort was treacherous with broken roads and steep downward sloped narrow hairpin bends.

We arrived at our final destination, the Ging Tea House after a 101 KM of drive by 230 pm. As per our request Mr Andrew arranged the lunch soon after. At the very first impression, our kid loved the food there. There was nothing fancy, but the carefully chosen Indian cuisines and their variety and nice taste was apparent.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-08.-ging-lunch_143603.jpg

Our room (apparently, they call all rooms as suite) had a direct view of our Crysta parked at the back. The heritage colonial era construction dating back to 1850s intertwined with the modernization has a great appeal.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.-ging-room.jpg

The open lawn garden is a beautiful . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-img_4669edit.jpg

. . offering a panoramic bird's eye view of the tea gardens all around the Ging Tea Estate


Sitting here and watching the drifting clouds alone is a great way to spend time
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-11.-tanz-sitting-garden.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-dsc03094.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-13.-tea-garden-below-cloudy.jpg

Cloud engulfs the bunglow every now and then
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-dsc03070.jpg

The chill in the air started to make its presence felt
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-dsc03103.jpg

There are two hanging decks attached to the lawn garden, the one on the left is open air and this one on the right is covered at the top where we decided to sit and watch all around.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-13.1-tea-lounge.jpg

Evening tea was served with snacks, we dived right into it
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-13.1-tea-serve.jpg

It was gradually getting darker as we sipped through the nice hot cup of Darjeeling tea
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-15.-tea-cup-tea-garden-below.jpg

Post some family gossip, we decided to walk around
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-17.-us-garden.jpg

The place indeed had a solace of its own
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-19.-tanz-alone_172028.jpg

By 530 pm the lights came on and we headed inside
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-20.-sudden-dark-530-bunglow-lights.jpg

Everyone found something to their own interest
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-21.-piano.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-22.-tea-mug.jpg

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The cold bite was not to that extent so as to require lighting up the fireplace
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-24.-fire-place-630.jpg

After some time, the manager Mr Andrew invited all the guests to head out in the lawn, the bonfire was in the making and a local singer was also brought in to make our evening musical
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-24.1-andrew-lighting-fire-640.jpg

The singing session started soon after, the young local lad beautifully portrayed one song after the other to the tune of this guitar
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-25.-7pm-singing-starts.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-26.-sing-closer-fire.jpg

He did not use any mic or amplifier, just his subtle natural singing voice along with a guitar, enough to touch our souls amidst the silence of the valley
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-27.-back-side-singing.jpg

The moon kept peeping through the clouds every now and then adding to the ambience as the songs kept pouring in one after another, the unknown Nepali tunes became everybody's favorite
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-28.-singing-moon-till-8.jpg

A few moments from the singing session, let me know if someone can identify the Nepali songs, would love to hear them again.


Distant villages of Lebong had lighted up in the dark
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-29.-distant-cities.jpg

The singing carried on till 8 pm after which we strolled for some time in the garden before heading inside. The dinner was served by 9 pm and we enjoyed the continental varieties some of which the chef had taken prior advice from us in the evening based on our choice and selection. We called it a day thereafter.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-30.-moon-ging-840.jpg

Last edited by haisaikat : 1st January 2025 at 02:29.
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Old 16th December 2024, 00:50   #4
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Day 4 -5 / 13-14 Oct / Sun - Mon / Lebong to Kolkata
The place has no Kanchenjunga view, yet we went out early morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. But just like last evening, everything continued to remain wrapped under the clouds
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-01.-morning-627-ging-cloudy.jpg

The bungalow indeed had a remarkable view of the garden below
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03.-ging-garden-clouds-below-pan.jpg

The sun finally appeared . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-02.-sunrise-hazy-628.jpg

. . lighting up the valley . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-04.-first-ray-hits.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-05.-sunstar.jpg

We headed back inside to finish the packing and get ready for breakfast and checkout
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-06.-billiards.jpg

While the lawn garden was lit up under the sun, the backyard continued to remain misty, surrounded by the dense flora
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-08.-car-clouds-backyard.jpg

We were advised to keep the window panes closed all the time in order to keep away the community of ground crawlers thriving in the garden.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.-kenno.jpg

Desires to extend the holiday was being placed at this moment
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-10.-casual-fun-sofa_081937.jpg

The sun was gone again behind the dense clouds, and it was misty all over, again
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-11.-bagan-theke-dure-megh-home-stay-842.jpg

We headed for bungalow gates that take to the tea factory, with an intention to take a stroll in the tea garden
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-12.-didi-beroche-back-gate.jpg

The misty serpentine path passed through scenic tea plantation on both sides
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-13.-banka-poth-bagan.jpg

Drifting clouds over the tea garden


Our walk was cut short on meeting a local guy who was headed to bunglow gates with the pet dog of the bungalow follwing him. It was limping. We were informed it has been attacked by a leopard. We did not want to take further risk and headed back as well
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-14.-leopard-sune-back_090410.jpg

We finished a well-arranged filling breakfast inside the bungalow . .
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-15.-cha_094937.jpg

. . and checked out by 1130 am
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-16.-1128-checkout-us-car.jpg

The upward climb was otherwise fine, but the road was so narrow that I had to retract back almost 200-300 metres all the way down to the bungalow for allowing passage to another Innova driving downward with a guest.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-17.-approaching-darkjeeling-_124634.jpg

We left Lebong Cart road and merged into the Hill Cart Road. There were frequent traffic congestion. Being the last day of the puja holidays the roads were overcrowded with tourists. We went past the Toy train cafe at Limbugaon
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-18.-train-cafe-1258.jpg

Caught a glimpse of plying toy trains
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-19.-train-jachhe.jpg

When cars do not move for a long time, interesting aspects of the surrounding keep getting our attention.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-20.-sob-ji-bikreta.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-21.-monk-jachhe-jam.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-22.-megh-past-darj-1346.jpg

It was 2pm when we crossed the every misty Ghum station, we had inched only 5 Km over the past hour.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-24.-ghum-2-.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-25.-egiye-goggy-pine-line_142205.jpg

Traffic had improved after crossing Ghum station, over the next hour we managed to drive 9 KM as we went past the Sonada station. There were more tourists waiting for their hired cabs to pick them up than toy train riders.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-26.-sonada-station-3-pm.jpg

Some glimpses of our misty drive along the Lebong Cart Road and Hill Cart Road


We were looking for a place to break for lunch but everywhere looked to be overcrowded, from the likes of regular restro and dine-ins of Kurseong to the likes of Margaret Deck, even parking the car seemed challenging. Eventually we decided to dodge the regular Matigara route to Siliguri since the rush towards NJP / Bagdogra was all along it. Instead from the Zero Point at Kurseong we continued following the Hill Cart Road which was free from traffic congestion. Soon after we made our overdue lunch halt at The Kaizer Valley Hotel.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-27.-mithun-hotel_161250.jpg

It's restaurant was otherwise nice and fine. Somewhere we were told that this property belongs to our beloved actor Mithun Da.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-28.-luinch-done_170450.jpg

After an hourlong halt we resumed towards Siliguri. This route was longer than Matigara but seemed to be a gradual descent than the steeper Matigara route, helpful after a meal break with our little one who suffers from motions sickness. The roads continued to remain foggy and we drove carefully.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-29.-foggy-roads-past-530.jpg

After arriving at Siliguri due to ongoing Durga Puja immersion processions several roads were closed and we had to reroute a few times. Finally past 7 pm we arrived at the Bidhan Market and Hong Kong market area of Siliguri.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-hong-kong.png

Several Durga Puja processions along the road while I was waiting in the car, while family was busy in some curious shopping at the Hong Kong market.


By 830 pm we left the market and headed out of Siliguri, and of course the roadblocks continued to reroute us. We followed NH-10 while continuing to witness several large scale Pujo Pandals along our way, thereafter we passed Bagdogra and followed NH-27.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-31.-nh10-er-dhare-pujo_210508.jpg

The road blocks continued to haunt us as we headed for our night halt in Islampur. Finally, after a 155 Km of driving for the day, we checked in at Hotel BMB Grand of Islampur past 10-30 pm. Islampur seemed to be quite an happening place under the vibes of the Durga Puja with crowded streets and busy traffic along with several Durga Puja processions.

Next morning we left Islampur early post 8 am, and followed the same route as our onward journey back to Kolkata via Islampur -> Kishanganj -> Raiganj and Malda bypasses (Excellent roads) -> Farakka (bad roads post 30 KM on either direction) -> NH 12 (NH 34) -> Krishnanagar-> Kalyani Expressway -> Barasat -> Kolkata

Steady driving and dodging the numerous barricades places every few kilometers along NH12 we arrived by 2 pm at Mother's Hut of Krishnanagar where we made a long halt for lunch. Kid was interested to see the newly operational food delivery robot fleet Ananya(s) in action.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-32.-mothers-hut.jpg

After an overall 446 KM of driving, we arrived at our home in Kolkata by 830 pm. Thus our wonderful 1500 KM+ drive came to an end. Until the next travel account, stay safe and wish you all happy and prosperous new year 2025.

Last edited by Aditya : 1st January 2025 at 21:31. Reason: As requested
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Old 1st January 2025, 07:43   #5
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

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

Wonderful travelogue as always!
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Old 3rd January 2025, 12:24   #6
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Hello Saikat,

Yet another journey from you and very much loved the narration. I am not sure how well the chefs at Boroli restaurant cooks - but I extend you an invitation to our CoochBehar home for some home cooked Boroli maher jhol the next time you visit .

The mist filled hills have a separate charm and till the monsoon had receded completely the probability of mist always remains high. Some one told me that late October to early January is a good time for clear weather and panoramic view of the Kanchenjunga range.

Best Regards,
Sayak
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Old 3rd January 2025, 13:00   #7
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Hello Saikat,

Great travelogue as usual. Great to read your travelogues especially ones like this one which reflects the beauty of North Bengal.

Just to add, Boroli restaurant is located at Gajoldoba and not at Fulbari. You take the Fulbari byepass to reach Boroli without entering Siliguri.

Regards.

Last edited by dpaul : 3rd January 2025 at 13:01. Reason: spelling correction
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Old 3rd January 2025, 15:47   #8
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

@haisaikat wishing you and your family a happy new year and many more such amazing travels.

Such a cool and detailed blog and absolutely loved the photos.Pretty brave to venture to the market place at kalimpong.Had a chance to bike on the same highway towards Darjeeling last May and the drive was heavenly crossing the toy train tracks all along the journey.Perhaps the next time you can consider staying at Tieedi Dwellings about 17 kms before Darjeeling.

Cannot believe you couldn't catch a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga travelling in autumn.When is it the right season to catch the kanchenjunga?? She always seems to remain elusive!

Thanks once again for the lovely travelogue.
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Old 4th January 2025, 00:13   #9
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

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Originally Posted by KarthikK View Post
Wonderful travelogue as always!
Thank you Karthik for the appreciation, glad you liked it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sayakc View Post
I am not sure how well the chefs at Boroli restaurant cooks - but I extend you an invitation to our CoochBehar home for some home cooked Boroli maher jhol the next time you visit :
Many thanks Sayak for the invitation, one of these days you will certainly end up seeing me at your doorstep unexpected . We love the crispy Boroli fries more than the gravy / curries. Regarding the misty season of monsoon in the mountains, it surely casts some magical spell on the vibes of the mountains and tall lines of pine. I had shortlisted Dowhill too on my list for similar reason, hopefully some other time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dpaul View Post
Just to add, Boroli restaurant is located at Gajoldoba and not at Fulbari. You take the Fulbari byepass to reach Boroli without entering Siliguri.
Thank you dear for the correction and glad you read by the lines. I will make sure that I rectify this for all future accounts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vijayols View Post
Perhaps the next time you can consider staying at Tieedi Dwellings about 17 kms before Darjeeling.

Cannot believe you couldn't catch a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga
Thank you Vijay for the nice words. I took a look at Tieedi Dwellings based on your suggestion. Seems wrapped in nature from bottom to top, awesome find and pretty much where I would picture you on a trip. Will surely try out in the future.

Ideally the timings we had selected for our trip are otherwise suitable for Kanchenjunga viewing. But due to the untimed rains everything got messed up with uninvited clouds blocking the horizon most of the time.

Here are some more photos.

Delo Park and Delo Bunglow

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-01.-baridelo.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-02-bagan.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-02.1.jpg

Ging Tea Estate

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03..jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-03.1.jpg

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Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-08.1.jpg

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Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-08.4.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.jpg

Last edited by haisaikat : 4th January 2025 at 00:16.
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Old 5th January 2025, 07:58   #10
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Well written Travelogue. I am from Siliguri and could relate to every statement.
Boroli restaurant has alwasy been our Mandatory stop on short drives to Gazoldoba. Been visiting it since last 5 years and it is still our goto for Maach bhaat in that area
Visited Delo 15 yrs back in an all biking trip but after reading your travelogue seems like i have to visit it again.
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Old 5th January 2025, 08:58   #11
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Yet another gem of a travelogue, thanks for sharing, Saikat!
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Old 5th January 2025, 12:27   #12
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

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Regarding the misty season of monsoon in the mountains, it surely casts some magical spell on the vibes of the mountains and tall lines of pine. I had shortlisted Dowhill too on my list for similar reason, hopefully some other time.
...
The misty weather captured wonderfully though beautiful does not cover the disappointment of viewing the majestic Kanchenjunga I guess. Maybe its a sign that she wants you once again to visit and see her.
Out trek team to Goechala were equally disappointed having scaled 15k feet to view her up close only to discover it was hiding behind the clouds.And the Oct-Nov batch posted awesome golden glow photos of the same making us all determined to do the trek again in autumn.

Last edited by vb-saan : 6th January 2025 at 09:25. Reason: Please avoid quoting a full long post. Thank you
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Old 6th January 2025, 02:42   #13
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

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Visited Delo 15 yrs back in an all biking trip but after reading your travelogue seems like i have to visit it again.
Hoping to see another Delo TL soon . Thank you for the nice words.

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Yet another gem of a travelogue, thanks for sharing, Saikat!
Thank you NPV !!!

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Originally Posted by vijayols View Post
Out trek team to Goechala were equally disappointed having scaled 15k feet to view her up close only to discover it was hiding behind the clouds.And the Oct-Nov batch posted awesome golden glow photos of the same making us all determined to do the trek again in autumn.
The Goechala trip report from you is still on my pending lists of things to do catching up. The photos are captivating. If the weather is clear then usually Kanchenjungha is visible between September to November period. Waiting to see another high altitude trek from you soon.

Here are some more photos of Ging Tea Estate
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.5.jpg

Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-09.6.jpg

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Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-14.jpg

Last edited by haisaikat : 6th January 2025 at 02:54.
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Old 9th January 2025, 23:49   #14
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

Another excellent travelogue of a place that I love, Saikat. I went to Delo twice, once with the TBHP group and again with Ananya and her family. While we stayed at Yuru on both occasions, I did go to Delo park and could relate to your TL. Like you, we also did not get to see the Kanchenjunga, but having said that the mist has its own charm as well. Plus you went during the Pujas and actually got to see the Pujas of North Bengal, so that must have been quite an experience.

Speaking of Kalimpong, I had taken the Vista to Kalimpong market and luckily had even found a place to park, but I can see that it would be a big challenge for the Innova. Did you buy any pastries there?

One thing that intrigued me about your post was the part where you mentioned that you had to reverse downhill. As far as I know, ascending vehicles always have right of way. The other driver should have waited/backed up and not you. Maybe a Calcutta number triggered the other guy - I have seen that many of the local drivers try to bully non local cars. Did you face that?

Once again, thanks for this excellent TL and looking forward to reading the next one. You should also come to our meets - the last time was at Dada Boudi and that was quite some time ago.
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Old 11th January 2025, 14:22   #15
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Re: Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta

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Like you, we also did not get to see the Kanchenjunga, but having said that the mist has its own charm as well.
Thank you Sumanta da, great seeing your encouraging notes. We like visiting the Delo Lodge owing to its integrated park concept, with kids alongside we can just let them lose and be at ease for some time. . The mist is an icing on the cake.

Misty Delo Park
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-dsc09873.jpg

The misty surrounding elevated his mood to sing along, the park has enough things to keep kids busy.


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I had taken the Vista to Kalimpong market and luckily had even found a place to park, but I can see that it would be a big challenge for the Innova. Did you buy any pastries there?
We could not buy pastries in Kalimpong even though we had intent to do so including visiting Cafe Kalimpong as per recommendation from BHPian Travelmania (Abhijit da). Kid's mood became jittery seeing our intention to traverse the crowded market on feet and we ended up cutting short our visit. I somehow like this market more than mall market of Darjeeling.

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Originally Posted by Neversaygbye View Post
One thing that intrigued me about your post was the part where you mentioned that you had to reverse downhill. As far as I know, ascending vehicles always have right of way. The other driver should have waited/backed up and not you.

I have seen that many of the local drivers try to bully non local cars. Did you face that?
You are not wrong, seems they have a lower level of tolerance especially if someone is slower around the hairpins that potentially slows them down during their intended high speed manuevers (I am not that fast, rather tortoise in comparison to them). Even one regular guy schooled me on a foggy road (we were on our way from Kurseong to Siliguri) around late evening when he came with blinding high beams and argued why did I not plan to keep enough space for him to pass. Since these were 1-2 instances only I let these pass pretending to be compassionate and moved ahead with a smile.

However, that downhill retract I had kind of volunteered for. Below photo was the road exiting from Ging Team House, it has only enough width for my Innova to pass through it and starts ascent right away that becomes steeper soon after. From the other side another Innova came and had foreign tourists when I had advanced about 50 metres only. Both of us were on inclines and somehow, I felt both of us being RWDs it might have been difficult for him to reverse on the incline upwards (more steeper) instead of me reversing on a downward incline (less steeper and leading back into the estate binglow) and hence the decision.
Misty Himalayas of North Bengal: Lebong and Delo in an Innova Crysta-dsc03219.jpg

[quote=Neversaygbye;5908030]You should also come to our meets - the last time was at Dada Boudi and that was quite some time ago.
Dada, weekends have gone crazy schedule these days, but certainly will meet some day, may be closer to our offices, thanks for the warm invite anyway.

The safari has got you long legs now and am dying so see some far off expeditions soon. Something like Pondicherry? A bit of history, people, cafe and culture blended, perfect how you love to perceive and describe things.

Last edited by haisaikat : 11th January 2025 at 14:27.
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