[SmartCat]

This trail looks better when you are coming back - probably because there is more snow on the road now.

Originally Posted by adc

My son had enough on this Eagle Nest turn back, he asked me why we had to go back from the snow and I say it is 2wd and will not go. He asks then why I did not simply buy a 4wd? Now how do you answer that!!

Very simple.

"4WD Ke Liye Extra Paisey Kya Tera Baap Dega?"

[sen2009]

Knock knock..

Wake up Sir and please boot that darned desktop. Don't leave your readers out in the cold.

[adc]

Day #10 and #11: Nameri Eco Camp [Assam]

As said, we had planned to stay at Eagle Nest another day, but with a bad weather with blocked trails setting in, it was futile to stay out there. A weather front had set in and the Sela Pass was blocked for subsequent 2 days, and thus Tawang was cut off. This then explained the beautiful snowfall at Eagle Nest.

With great help for a staff there [Lobsang], a camp at the Nameri Eco Resort was booked. It was 31st night [New Year's Eve] and never thought we would get accomodation, but lucily just 1 camp tent was vacant and we had that booked.

Checked out of Eagle Nest and connected to the Tawang-Tezpur highway at Tenga, some return journey pictures. It was dusk and with the forest cover on the road, the road was empty and the feel was quite different from when going up to Tawang.







Reached Nameri Eco Camp. Nameri Eco Camp, is great tourist camp to stay close to the Nameri Forest. It was Dec 31st night and all the tents and cottages were occupied with ours luckily being the last booking.

Managed by Assam's veteran society's Ronesh Roy, the Eco camp is a basic but clean and quite comfortable staying option at the Nameri National Park. To see in more detail and photos about Nameri, one can follow this two travelogues at team bhp. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...t-weekend.html and http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post1631420

A sumptuous buffet dinner was organized, this was 3 star style food, with fruits and bread and meat and what not, we gorged on everything. It had been a hard journey for us, and this was like a proper hotel in a forest, eco tourism as they say. And then as the last day of 2009 comes to an end, a local Assamese [Bihu] dance was organized. Thus the last day of 2009 comes to end, as all retire for the night.






January 1, 2010 and it is the New Year's morning. No one, if staying here, should miss the morning at this Eco Camp. The local residing birds are varied and one must listen to the sounds that they make from early in the morning



After a hearty breakfast, we see the fields behind the Eco Camp and just have a walk around.




Another place to stay at Nameri, is the Assam Tourism's Prashaanti. Its newly made and thus it lacks the wooded feel of Nameri and thus its resident birds calls




Second half of the day we booked for the 5 km trek inside Nameri Forest, this is the only way one can see forest, no other transport is available.

contd...

[adc]

Originally Posted by sen2009

Knock knock..

Wake up Sir and please boot that darned desktop. Don't leave your readers out in the cold.

Arre, had to repair the desktop[dusty RAM] and its running great. Just one more post to go, and its all done!!!

[sen2009]

Originally Posted by adc

Arre, had to repair the desktop[dusty RAM] and its running great. Just one more post to go, and its all done!!!

Dusty RAMs are a constant headache.
BTW, please bear in mind that it will not be done in one more post. You have to start upon the Buxa story right away.

Edit:
Breaking News
Veteran Team-Bhp member arrested for murder of fellow bhpian.
:I don't like nagging" - he says in defense.

[adc]

Day #12 and #13: Nameri Eco Camp [Assam] - Siliguri - Kolkata

Nameri National Park is a national park located in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam, India, about 35 kilometres from Tezpur.

Nameri shares its northern boundary with the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary of Arunachal.Together they constitute an area of over 1000 sq.km of semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests with cane and bamboo brakes and narrow strips of open grassland along rivers. This is excellent elephant country and ideal habitat for a host of other animals including the tiger. Nameri beheimatet ausserdem Leoparden, Bisons, Sambars, It is also home to the Leopard, Bison, Sambar, dhole (the Asiatic wild dog), Hog Deer, Muntjac, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Capped Langur, Indian Giant Squirrel etc., Nameri is a birder's paradise with over 300 species of birds - including the white winged wood duck, four distinct species of the Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eaters, Babblers, Plovers etc., Nameri National Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nameri Forest is located on the other side of the River, Jia Bhoreli, and only walking is allowed inside the forest. A 5 km trek is the designated route and we set off with a forest guard. Bisons and rogue elephants is what the gun for, to scare them. Ferry men help cross the river. The walk should be done early in the morning for the birds and late evening for the wild life. We took up the last slot, the evening trek.














The most common and a favourite fruit for all in Nameri is the Elephant Apple.




So with that 5 km walk through Nameri and great dinner again at the Camp, we are truly on our way back. Its long journey again, Nameri to Siliguri and then stop over at Siliguri for some hours for sleep and refreshing up to start the final journey to Calcutta. A 1000-hour strike was on at Lower Assam and the roads were almost empty. Assam Police assured that the forest areas patrolling was ongoing and we can proceed.






As we entered Siliguri, late night, around 2 am, it was fog I like never seen. Hardly can see beyond even a feet. Was thinking of stopping when instead of going to the shoulder of the road, I go into the trench beside the road. The road had turned at that exact point I thought would park and such was the fog that even from the driver seat it was impossible to see. Suddenly we felt going down the slope of the road and the Safari rested like this. With some maneuvering and seeing the area around with a torch, the only hope was if I could take it up by back gear. Did that 5-6 times, to make a track and with a the VTT engine redlining, we made it to the top. It was a huge relief and great escape.


No more incident again and we made safely back to home on late Saturday night, January 2, 2010.

So hereby ends one heck of a travel, a great journey to known and unknown places, meeting up great and wonderful people all throughout, from the hotel people, to the local drivers, to the staff at Eagle Nest, it was truly a memorable journey. Safari VTT-TMT again bring us back safely home, and it sure enjoyed the drive as much as we did!

Thanks again to all of you for following it up and surely it also gives me that sense of going through the journey again as I share it out over here.

End

[sen2009]

When I left Calcutta for good, I thought I was going 'cause there's nothing here.
Sigh!

On the other note, every time I finish reading one of your travelogue, I bet with myself that you yourself couldn't beat that one. And, every time I loose.

[keyurshah]

SOrry for being OT, but there is a question bothering me.

When on the road to eagle camp, did it never struck you once what happens in case you find another car in front of you in opp direction. It would have been a daunting task to maneuver the beast in those narrow roads to the point where you both could pass each other.

In case you did come across such an event, please share the same.

[adc]

@Sen, you surely know that some good adventure is coming your way, monsoon time!.

Originally Posted by keyurshah

SOrry for being OT, but there is a question bothering me.

When on the road to eagle camp, did it never struck you once what happens in case you find another car in front of you in opp direction. It would have been a daunting task to maneuver the beast in those narrow roads to the point where you both could pass each other.

In case you did come across such an event, please share the same.

It sure does in any road, thats by instinct you think like what happens if another vehicle is out there on the opposite side. And similarly by instinct you think at the back of your mind while going up a narrow trail, like where was the last point where the road was just a little wider. I say by instinct since a bare enough wide place in a narrow trail is easily registered in your mind while going up. Now the anxiety will be if the wide places are few and far between. Normally in a hill road, the turnings give places. Well did not encounter any vehicle coming down the opposite side, as later we found out in the whole of 220 sq km of forest, we were the only travellers. But the back gear ride was used here when we saw we would get stuck at Elephant pass snow and back gear backtrack was used to the nearest wide place.

And the situation that you describe was very much encountered in the drive to Bathad in Himachal, the road is similarly narrow and a uphill narrow stretch is there where it goes by the side of the hill for some distance, i.e, no turnings.

Now as we were going up and almost mid way, a Himachal State Bus was coming down from the opposite side. The hill road was barely wide enough for the Safari and so we had to back track for almost a km. Thats a huge distance back for a hill road back gear ride and it required all the attention from me.

The most important thing that one has to have efficiency is the ability to take one's vehicle in a more or less straight line or even a turn [i.e. retrace back on the same tyre track left when going forward] by looking at the rear view mirror/side mirrors. You got to master this if have to do uphill narrow tracks with confidence.

This is from my experience, would of course like to know how others distance travellers handle such situations.

[pulsar56]

ADC, loved the pictures of Eagle's Nest and Nameri Eco Camp.
The fog after Siliguri was the worst and the visibility was nil. Good that you were able to come out of the trench safely.
Hats off to the wonderful trip we had in AP.
Now, I am going to sit back and start reading this thread from the beginning AGAIN!

[adc]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Hats off to the wonderful trip we had in AP.
Now, I am going to sit back and start reading this thread from the beginning AGAIN!

Thanks much Nazim. It was great to meet you guys too and this particular post by Ravveendra out in front captures the moment prefectly when we first met out there in Siliguri.

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

Hi ADC,

LOL your reference to "A quick hello" had me in splits. That was some experience for me - waking up at 2.00 a.m., 2000 km from home and saying Hello to someone I had never set eyes on before!!

Also, definitely you all must have been planning something up again - Arun surely must have thought of something already!

And may be in some other tour we cross each other again in some unknown land - having some great brief stopovers again!

[keyurshah]

You make it sound very simple. I am sure it would have been a monstrous effort to reverse drive the beast on the narrow hill road. As is Safari on the rear has very small view available due to the tyre and height.

Yes, instinctively we do tend to remember the turns, but yet maneuvering one the reverse would be a challenge.

[adc]

Originally Posted by keyurshah

Yes, instinctively we do tend to remember the turns, but yet maneuvering one the reverse would be a challenge.

Keyur, no great driving technique or smartness out here. Just try and practice to reverse some distance once or twice, looking at the side mirrors [not the rear for a Safari], and you will get the hang of it.

[sen2009]

Hi ADC,
Could you please post the research documents you may have prepared while prepping this trip?

[jaysmokesleaves]

@ADC>> what can I say! another wonderful experience you've shared with us. Thanks for sharing. The night incident was quite scary. To think of drifting off the road on a foggy night in the middle of nowhere between the known and the unknown isnt a very pleasant thought. Very glad you could make it out of there.

Originally Posted by adc

@Sen, you surely know that some good adventure is coming your way, monsoon time!.

Sen, whats your monsoon trip plan ? Hope you dont mind sharing your plan!!

Originally Posted by keyurshah

You make it sound very simple. I am sure it would have been a monstrous effort to reverse drive the beast on the narrow hill road. As is Safari on the rear has very small view available due to the tyre and height.

Yes, instinctively we do tend to remember the turns, but yet maneuvering one the reverse would be a challenge.

This is a simple way to reverse out when in a tight spot, like on a narrow hill road with a drop on one side;

If the road has a steep drop to your left, then pop your head out of the drivers window and drive reverse keeping to the extreme possible right your vehicle can manage. That way you have maximum place on the left, which in this case has a hazardous drop.

If the steep drop is on the right. Get off your vehicle and do a visual survey of the road stretch where you will reverse. Then ask your co passenger to guide you so you can keep extreme left as you reverse, while you have a visual of the hazardous drop on the right yourself.

Over time, practice will make perfect.

@Keyurshah > one more thing. The day you begin to tell yourself that your Safari is not a BIG beast, it will suddenly feel small enough to maneuver easily.

Cheers,

Jay