Day 6: Deep into the Himalayas in Gangtok

I was woken up early in the morning at 5:30 by the morning alarm and I never wanted to get out of the blanket. It was quite cold outside but manageable. My underestimation of the summer temperatures in Darjeeling turned out to be pardonable. My destination for the day was Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim which was about 4hrs drive from here on a shared taxi. This was my first unplanned destination in my trip. The extra hours I gained by coming here by road yesterday gave me this oppurtunity. The jeep moved on. In the taxi, there was a budhist lady next to me who was silently chanting prayers with the prayer beads. Enroute, I saw the Kanchenjunga peak slowly creeping out of the clouds. If you want to see the peak, don't try to find it next to the hills around. Look to the sky. You'll find it. Its such a huge peak. And on a very clear day, you can also see Mt. Everest far far away. If you don't believe me, just do a google image search on, 'everest from tiger hill, darjeeling'. You'll find the photo. Its a pity that it was a cloudy day yesterday. Anyways, with Darjeeling being more of a family destination, I should come here again. So, here is my travel tip. Come here during clear sunny days and spend around 3-4 days here. Also take the Darjeeling train.
The road to Gangtok was really breathtaking. Its surely a must try. But today, it had a lot of traffic snarls with the mud and rocks still being cleared with bulldozers. In one place, we were held up for almost an hour. Maybe there was a landslide here last night, I wondered. But the delay there, gave me a unique oppurtunity to take photos of the Kanchenjunga peak which was slowly coming out of the clouds. Let me tell you one thing. The first time you see a mountain peak for real is very special. I have seen many photos of this peak before. But only when you stand here, you get to see the relative size of the peak with everything else around you. That, my friend, you can't get in a photo. For people like me from the plains, its truly a breathtaking experience to see a mountain peak.
As we moved on, we passed through beautiful pine and tea plantations. With no breakfast, the chocolates came handy. The first town enroute was Teesta. It was on the banks of the Teesta river. The Teesta was a fast flowing river with white water rafting capabilities. We crossed the river and we were now on the road built by the border roads organisation of India under project swastik as Sikkim is surrounded by Nepal, China and Bhutan. Interesting signs were put up, "its not a rally, enjoy the valley". Five minutes down the road, another landslide, another delay, but more importantly, another photo oppurtunity. Took some photos over the Teesta river and then we moved on. The road was mostly on the immediate parallel to the river, though the river was atleast 100ft down. The next town enroute was Ringpo and thus we were now in Sikkim. By noon, I reached Gangtok and it was just a 130rs ride. Now I was quite hungry and that was my intent of arrival - To have a typical Sikkim lunch. I got into a hotel and though it was the ordinary chicken meals, it had a distinct taste. I enjoyed the food. One particular mannerism I noted in this part of the country was that whenever the people here give or take things like money, food or other materials, they always do that with the left hand crossed over to the right elbow. Suprisingly, you will feel quite uncivilised in taking or giving it with your single hand.
In the stand I could find buses and taxis to places in Nepal and Bhutan. Since I have already been to Nepal, it did not interest me much. But I was very much excited about the idea of a travel to Bhutan from here. That would mean missing out on my further destinations but I could still have come back to my trip by moving to the next strategic location. I would have given a serious thought at the travel to Bhutan if I had my passport in my handbag. That was back in the backpack kept at the cloak room. On enquiry, I learnt that I could still enter bhutan with my driver's license to prove my Indian citizenship but entering another country without my homeland passport was asking for trouble. Maybe this could be my next backpacking destination. Who knows. I had to be thankful that I could atleast visit Sikkim which was not on my trip plan. I set out back to get to Jalpaiguri to get my train to the next destination. This time, it was a direct route without touching Darjeeling. The road passes almost entirely by the side of Teesta river, though 100ft up. The route is so amazing that it is still worth going through, even if you don't do a thing in Gangtok. There was a small drizzle enroute that added special ambience to the journey. It took me 150rs and 4hrs to get back to the station with wonderful memories of the inner Himalayas.

berT
30.05.2009
Location: Gangtok

Track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day6DeepIntoTheHimalayasInGangtok?feat=directlink

Day 5: In the queen of hills, Darjeeling

I woke up early in the morning, somewhere in northern Bengal. It was only 5:30 but the sun was way up in the sky. When I looked outside, I felt as if I was back in Kerala. It was beautiful all around with lush green fields and trees. The train finally reached New Jalpaiguri. It is from here that I can take the mountain train to Darjeeling. I finally made up my mind to keep the backpack at the station itself. I had to get to the narrow gauge platform to get to the train to Darjeeling. On enquiry, I came to know that the train was cancelled due to mudslips enroute caused by the recent cyclone. That was a real miss. I started thinking of backup plans like, to delay my Darjeeling leg of the trip and continue on my journey and then come back when the train route is up, etc. In the end, I made up my mind to go on. Just outside the station, I got onto a shared sumo that would take me to Darjeeling. The bus services were also cancelled. Enroute, I could see the narrow gauge just to the side and often, crossing it. I could also see boards of "we want gorkhaland!" on the side of the road. And there were even some private vehicles that had 'GL' for gorkhaland in their number plates. They were demanding a separate state from west bengal. After an hour's journey we stopped at a roadside hotel for food. I had chicken rice. I also took some photos and then we moved on. Just 5 minutes later, poof... It was a puncture. But the driver changed the tyre in just 10 minutes. So it did not make much of a delay. Soon we passed through the 1st town enroute, Kurseong. There were landslips on the road and the tracks. It did not look as if the tracks would be cleared very soon. My estimate, it should take atleast 3 weeks to get the rail services back on track. So it was a right decision that I took, to go ahead with Darjeeling now itself. It was getting cooler and cooler. I hoped that it would be manageable temperature at the top as both my thermals and jacket were in my backpack at the station. After many traffic snarls enroute, I finally reached Darjeeling. I tried to get a single room. But only double rooms were there in all hotels. Probably because there will be only be a few lone backpackers here in Darjeeling. I finally got a double room in Youth Hostel, since I was a member. Though at a cost of 440rs, it was the lowest in the place with reasonable comforts. The mercury was plummeting by the hour. I got fresh and headed out to the city centre. First of all, I wanted to do what I came here for - to taste the famous 'darjeeling chai' in Darjeeling. The tea did not have much of a colour, but the aroma and the taste was indeed special. Wow. Priceless. You have to be here to know its magic. For just 5rs, I was in a different world.
I then went on to the railway station to take a few photos in there. There were different coaches and steam engines at the station. With such a beautiful climate, landscape and people around, I decided to roam around to do some souvenir hunting here. Also, I need to taste that tea again. After that, I'll head back to my room where I can sleep on solid ground after 5 days.

berT
29.05.2009
Location: Darjeeling

Track the full story at www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day5InTheQueenOfTheHimalayasDarjeeling?feat=directlink

Day 4: In the grand old city of Kolkata

Very early in the morning, I was woken up by the coach attendant's call that the train had reached Howrah. As I got down, I could see patches of water on the ground. Should be from the cyclone Aila that had lashed out in Bengal 48hrs back, I thought. And now that the cyclone had eased off to a depression, I didn't have to worry. But before I could go around the city, I had to first dump my backpack at the Sealdah station. I learned that the first bus to get there starts at 5:30 only. So I decided to wait till then. The upper class waiting room wore a deserted look with only the cctv making some movement. The long, old fashioned 'easy chair' tempted me to take a small nap. After sometime, I woke up to find that it was already dawn. But it was just 4:45 in the morning. Seems the sun rises early in this part of the country. As I was getting fresh, a look outside the window surprised me. Just outside the station, I could see the beautiful Howrah bridge. I could also see the spectacular line up of the famous orange-yellow ambassador taxi of Kolkata. I was tempted to try that first. For 80rs, I took a prepaid taxi to Sealdah station. I found the city buzzing with activity even at 5:30 in the morning. The streets looked chaotic and in disarray. I reached the station and found a confident 'beware of rats' board hanging in front of the cloak room. I hope rats here don't need my chocolates.
I moved out of the station. One of the targets for the day was to get onto the tram, the only operational tram service in India. I got into a bus to get to Park circus. I saw a tram coming. Another guy jumped onto it. As I was busy photographing it, I could not. Maybe the trams don't stop for you. The next tram came. This time, I decided to get in. By the time I read where it was heading to, it was too close. I jumped. And somehow managed to scramble in. The tram provided a very low cost mean of travel in Kolkata. But was quite slow. It was just a 4rs ride to Howrah bridge. One particular thing that I noted in here was that, whatever you see around you looks atleast 30yrs old. One exception to this was the Howrah bridge which looked brand new. I walked over the bridge. And was taking photos with the cellphone camera. As soon as I took out the main camera, the passersby warned me against using it on the bridge. I walked across to find a police checkpost with a 'no photography' sign. I asked the police if I could take a photo. After producing my ID card, he agreed. But as soon as I pulled out my camera, he politely refused permission. I too smiled back and moved on. I went to the Howrah station, had my breakfast and bought a city map. Enroute the station, I had seen the ferry service and wanted to try it out. From the map, I thought to use it to get to Babughat to go to the Victoria Memorial. As the ferry passed through the hoogli river, I could take clear photos of the Howrah bridge. Now that I had taken most of the photos I needed to, I had the full day left for sight seeing around Kolkata. I saw the Victoria memorial which was a beautiful marble structure around which there was a beautiful lawn and pool. I also visited the museum which had paintings and photos of the old English empire in India. Just outside the museum, I found a small sherbat stall where I thought of tasting the local drink. I had the drink. It was horrible. Yuk.
As I moved on, I saw the Birla planetarium on the side but found that the show would start a good hour later. I looked around and just by its side was the St.Paul's cathedral, a beautiful church indeed. Went in and found tiny tots practising some action songs there. I took a look around and got back to the planetarium. After the celestial journey, I was back on earth and very hungry. I tried hard to find a hotel by asking others. They all pointed to the stalls at the sidewalk where people were standing and having food. I decided to find one for myself. After a long walk, all that I found was a Barista. Now, if I wanted to have food from a Barista, I could have stayed at Bangalore. So I decided to follow the old saying, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'. I had some stuffed puris which they called 'sabji puri' and some gulab jamun. It was good. I moved on. A little ahead, I saw another food stall. They were selling what they call, 'momo'. It was just 10rs for a plate of 4 momos and a cup of soup. It tasted really great. With a full tummy, I now wanted to see the great banyan tree. For that, I needed to cross the river. I took the bus route and was a 7rs ride to the botanical garden. Now only I got to know that the banyan tree was in fact 250yrs old and was in the guiness book of world records. After taking photos and taking some rest under the tree, I decided to call it a day in Kolkata and return back to the station. On my way back, I stopped at esplanade stop. I saw an entrance which looked like a subway. On a closer look, I found that it was the entrance to a metro station. How could I miss this mode of transportation in Kolkata? I still had lots of time left. So I decided to try it out too. It was amazingly cheap, comfortable and fast. It resembled the Delhi metro with air conditioned stations and magnetic tickets.
As I am now in my 1st strategic location, the kind of phase 1 of the trip is complete, covering 2324kms (excluding city travel). While planning the trip, I had also planned about 'strategic locations'. The idea was that, in case I missed a train, the backup plan would be somehow get to these strategic locations. In this way, a goof up at one point of the trip still keeps the overall trip intact. The other point to be happy about was that I will now be moving from the hot and humid regions to the more temperate places. And thus the journey goes on...

berT
28.05.2009
Location: Kolkata
Track the full story at: www.onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day4InTheGrandOldCityOfKolkata?feat=directlink

Day 3: In the temple city of Bhubaneswar

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."
- unknown

I could see parched fields upto a long distance as I took my first look outside the window. The farmers were preparing the fields by ploughing and manuring early in the morning. They were waiting for the monsoon which is due in a few weeks time. And here, I was trying to evade that. As I stepped outside, I found that it was a very warm morning. So there should be a pretty hot day too, I thought.
I could not find a good refreshment stall. So had to be content with fruit cake, chocolate and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I got to a passenger train which would take me to Puri for 10rs. Travelling like the locals was my kind of travel. After passing through the beautiful countryside, I finally reached Puri after a good 2hrs with the train stopping at each station enroute. After enquiring the return train timings, I then walked 2kms to the local bus stand to go to Konark, which was my destination for the day. I was tired after the walk in the hot sun. Thought of having a glass of roadside sugarcane juice. But it tasted more of diesel than sugarcane. So I took my first can of energy drink to get refreshed. The mini bus passed through the literal gallis of Puri and finally entered the marine drive road. Though long, I took this route as the 35km marine drive was the longest I would have done yet. The bus passed through Balukhand wildlife santuary. However, I was not lucky enough to spot any black buck or deer enroute. It was a 15rs ride and took me an hour to reach Konark from Puri with the bay of bengal on the side. I headed straight to the sun temple (a UNESCO world heritage site). It was amazing to find that it was built back in the 13th century. Awesome, is the word I would use. After having a look around and taking lots of photos, I headed out of the complex. I bought a small replica of the wheel of sun temple as a souvenir. I had a typical Marvadi meal from the nearby restaurant and headed back to the bus stand. I came to know that Bhubaneswar was a mere 2hr ride from here by bus. So I decided to try the new route. And it took only 30rs for my bus ride back to Bhubaneswar. I wanted to jump back into the cool confines of the train after the long day out in the sun. And thus, the journey goes on..

berT
27.05.2009
Location: Bhubaneswar

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day3InTheTempleCityOfBhubaneswar?feat=directlink

Day 2: In deccan city of Hyderabad

After a comfortable night's sleep, I woke up today morning near the hyderabad suburbs which was my first stop-over. I dumped my backpack at the cloak room and headed straight to the auto stand. I wanted to keep the trip on minimal comforts, but the mere 3hr window at Hyderabad left me with only a few options. I passed through a beautiful lake. However, the city roads were quite traffic free quite contrary to what I was expecting. Each minarets I saw enroute, brought about the hope that I reached charminar. After a 75rs ride, I was finally looking at the beautiful charminar. It looked awesome. I just had a look from its four sides and took lots of photos. Now, I had to return back to the railway station. I got to a bus and it was just a 7rs ride back. Of course, it took me more time though. And after having my idli vada breakfast, here I am back in the train, to my next destination.

berT
26.05.2009
Location: Hyderabad

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day2InTheDeccanCityOfHyderabad?feat=directlink

Planning the big trip

"what would you remember in life? Is it the corner office and the other mundane things of corporate life? Or is it the breath taking views of the great outdoors?"
- tata safari dicor ad

Is this some kind of a terrorist cache? Certainly looks so. These are the things am carrying for the big trip I just started. Try to spot the different things. The golden colored box at the centre is 1.5kg chocolate. That is to serve as an energy boost. You'll also find my thermals, jacket, clothes, camera, ipod, medicines, etc. And the list goes on. The paper strip you see at the centre is nothing but my train and flight tickets. Count them if you can. Such is the nature of the trip.
It was exactly 38days back that I had come to Kerala. Since the admission process were almost done, I decided to put in my papers as soon as I get back to office. Now that would give me a 45days of break. The Kashmir trip was there at the back of my mind as a broken dream. And this was the last time I could do something. Hence the big plan unfolded. Now, even if I have to cancel the Kashmir leg of the journey, I can still have a challenging trip. No more clues on the nature of the trip. Wait for my next mail tomorrow.

berT
25.05.2009
Location: out of Bangalore

Day 1: Embarking on the trip of a lifetime

What's so special about this photo? Why do I need to post this to all my friends on my routine visit to Kerala? Or is there anything special in going to Kerala this time around? Well, I am NOT going to Kerala.
Surprised? All my friends, except for Anish and Mecks, clearly believed my outright denial of having any trip plans before joining TAPMI. Kudos to you two guys, had caught me, almost.
Anyways, I had always planned for a big trip since I have joined here. All the things that I had purchased had a clear intention in that direction. Camera, backpack, ipod, mobile with gps, etc. Now the dots seem to be connecting eh? I had a clear plan to visit Kashmir last september. But due to the situation there, I had to cancel it at the last minute. I was waiting for an oppurtunity. The MBA admissions had robbed me of most of my trip chances. But now that the process is almost complete, I wouldn't get a better chance than this particular time. Also, because of the failed attempts earlier, I decided to keep the entire plan under cover and to reveal only when I start the trip. Till now only my sister and brother in law, know the entire plan. Papa knows that I am going somewhere but thats all I have told him. So papa, please find the entire trip itenerary hidden safely under the table cover of the laptop table.
I will be mailing you all throughout my trip with all those beautiful photos I promised. You may also check my blog,
onestepcloser2freedom.blogspot.com. I will be updating it with my daily entries on the go. Anyways, will mail you all the same. To know more about the preparations for the trip, wait for my next mail. As for the probable question, where am heading to?, well, keep guessing. :)

berT
Location: out of Bangalore
25.05.2009

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/meberty/Day1EmbarkingOnATripOfALifetime?feat=directlink