Romancing The Roads

Pokhara, Nepal trip

2011-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

Now this wasnt a planned trip & what's about to follow sure would be a testimony to it.

Onwards Journey:
1.HWH to TATA

With an early morning train its hard to catch some sleep a night before. Left home so early that it wasn't even time for the first bus. Reached 8B(rickshaw + walk) prior to 5! There was an anxious 30min before the bus came & reached HWH by 6:10. Thought that 6:20 train wouldn't have been so bad either :P. Dawns' always a weird feeling, perhaps lack of sleep coupled with unaccustomed-to views - roads being mobbed, vendors setting up their roadside paraphernalia, & no crowd, which is usually a busy thoroughfare.

Bought a BS since didn't want to carry any books. I got reservation in 2S & not being very accustomed to it was quite cynical of the infra, gentry. Anyways, have no complains as to it with my very limited stint in WB & down South.

Weather was okay. Train had many un-reserved passengers. Lots of vendors - jhal muri, cold drinks, lassi, chana, ....i was inherently waiting for the one with boiled egg. whom i ran into at intermittent station but Railways had better plans.

Stood at the (middle)door & enjoyed the gush of fresh air & lots of lotus ponds alongside tracks for quite some time. A flower farm with yellow flowers looked remarkable among that part-green patch.

Reached at noon time & waited for friends at TATA. I don't get much time with them so was looking forward to it even in that sweltering heat. Met them at Sakshi & headed off to Golmuri police lines quarters. Saw many thelas selling juices including Bel, i miss them so much in Calcutta.

2. Tata to Patna :

An (Atithi Travels,Orange)AC bus cost about 300 per person but if the ply with which some window panes have been replaced runs loose, it leaves about 2 hours late than schedule time of 6pm(standard delay time is 30 min!) amidst a bit of rain shower, dust storms. These had most amazing seats but AC stalled half way into the journey. That wasn't before we had mid-nite halt & dinner at a joint around Ranchi.(Here is when, all of us forgot about the wallet & then had a torn-note fiasco, though filter coffee was quite welcome). With AC down, it was quite chaotic as we progressed towards Patna, both inside & outside. What i had perceived would be a lot of fun being my first interstate bus ride, looking at the serenity amidst moon & moonlight, turned into volley of abuses at bus staff, children puking etc. I then realised 'sleeper' coaches(no wonder 'sleeper' seats are the ones left till the end) are so claustrophobic though this one had amazing leg-room & thankfully didn't screen any movies along the way.

Booked a ticket to Raxaul at Patna Bus stand(Amar Jyoti). No AC coaches & ONLY evening buses! I also learn't prior booking was advisable none the less. Patna Bus stand is utter dirty & chaotic, perhaps due to magnitude of passengers.

Stayed at friends place & recharged for the journey ahead.

3. Patna to Raxaul :

This was a pathetic bus(seats were antiquated & didn't lean, service staff wasn't polite, played some faltu movie where i realized i was so glad i didn't have a gr8 view!). Horrible roads & dust storms as u inch towards Nepal. This crook played some bhakti song since 3:30 am !! with roads looking like pagdandi in fields, the combo almost took the lid off the patience can. Silver lining, reached in time & resolved to look for Sapna travels on way back since AJ was only a glorious ghost from the past.

Detailed Account : Kaluk, Sikkim & Mirik, WB

2009-09-08T01:21:00.000-07:00

Day 1 :
Reached NJP & then begun search of our frenz who were fast asleep with their fones switched off(Mysteriously so). To the extent I tried & eavesdrop into all the waiting rooms @ NJP. All except Room#6 werent locked so we were rest assured our frenz may have found some getaway. Then, Rly Stn not being my idea of a vacation, loitering on the streets wasnt such a bad idea to kill time. Since I had been thr previously, i thot of goin to Hong-Kong market with absolutly NO intention of buying anything. But it came as no surprise when shops were closed on eve of Independence day. I wasnt too disappointed except for the weather. We headed straight back.
After a while via some shortcut we were on our way to Kaluk. It was foggy & raining when we arrived at nite to the warmth of the resort.

Day 2:

Kaluk, Sikkim & Mirik, WB

2009-09-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

DOJ : 14/Aug/09
Off-season, Dense Fog & Persistent drizzle

Our iternerary :
NJP -->kaluk(6-8hrs, Max, Rs.2-2.3K)
kaluk-->darjeelling--> Pashupati(Nepal Border) -->Mirik(Max@2k on daily basis)

Places of Accomodation :

P1. Mandarin Resort(mvresort-kaluk.com/aboutus.htm)

P2. Jagjeet hotel, Mirik.

Effects of visiting in Off-Season:
+ve:

Fewer tourists!
P1 offered a discount of 25% & P2 offered 40% discount(Infact, Mirik was quite particular with 50% flat waver from road-side food stuff to horse ride around the lake!)

-Ve:

Sight-c'ing diffcult
Difficulty finding food at places : Pelling, that too!...No food, none.
Chances of Land-sliding.

Shopping :

Clay cups(called kaluk cups)
Passion fruit's juice
Tea(preferably Darjelling would be better)

Nearest ATM :

Sbi @ Jorethang
Sbi @ Pelling

Detailed account:
Visit here...

Taki n Hasnabad

2009-05-29T03:57:00.000-07:00

This, unlike most of othr trips, was in a local train. But was loads of fun nun-d-less. Met amazing ppl at d same time amongst a gang of atleast 10!
Got very sick but stil braved d cold to take a van-ride to Hasnabad followed by boating in mo0nlight.
Travel tips : Local from Sealdah & on way back catch train frm Hasnabad since d train is less crowded out thr.

Will write more, m too tired as of now.

Mandermuni

2009-05-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

Mandermuni:

Distance : 185 km
Even tho its quite cloz to Digha, & has a coastline it cud easily boast of, its inaccesibilty in terms of infrastructure & commuting problem has to account for its low hype. The last 15km or so(i.e. frm Chandi Khola), thr is no road so to say! The only public conveyance at disposal being trecker which usually takes 25-30 ppl wid a vehicle of seating capacity for 15. Van, as the local motor driven rickshaw is costly to d tune of 100 buks/person & carries 6-8 person. Mind u the condition of road cud only b conveniently traversed wid a SUV/MUV...or enfield:).
A better option wud b to book a resort in advance & ask them to send a private vehicle upto the aforementioned destination.
Tips for bikin enthusiasts : its all worth it ...d fun of driving on a beach cant b narrow down to some scribblings...do it to beleive it!. Its a particular treat to drive along NH6.
Tips for ppl wiling for public conveyance : Thr r plenty of buses frm Dharmtala to Digha rite from 4 am in d morning. From ChandiKhola u know how d story goes :)

Mayapur

2009-05-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

ISCON temple is d prime focus for all d tourists who drop by. Tho a nearby village Nevada rite acros d river offers candid view to ancient temples....20-30 wont b n euphemism to the numerical magnitude of the varios religios shrines. Wut i particularly liked was d ease wid which u can get d accomodation in the temple premisis itself & tht too at a meagre 300 bucks! Even lunch is gud but brace up for atleast n hr or two of queueing up.
Tips for bikers : Roads r okay but narrow inspite of being an NH. Refrain nite drivin. Eat at Krisnapur Dhabas.

Kolkata--Shantiniketan--MessenjerDam--Tarapeeth--Kolkata

2009-05-28T03:57:00.000-07:00

Distance:

Kolkata -- Panagar (NH2 , 140 km , Awsum)

>> SN (Right turn towards Illibazar , ~50 km ,Okay)

>> MD( via Shivdi into Jharkhand , Good)

>> Tarapeeth (via Mohd Bazar ,Bad )

Bikes : 1 Bull & 1 Pulsar 180

People : 3 guyz

Places To Stay & Eat:

Do bargain at all d places, it works evn in festiv season!

SN :

Make adv bookin else will hav to do a lil search & end up wid a huge dent in pocket. We stayed at *******(Horrible food, Okay Infra , 1600@3Beds).

Suggestions:

Hotel : WBCTC hotel has gud infra.(DONT go w/o adv bookin else 400@Buffet !!!)

RangeKutta had Gud food(80 buks for Veg Thali)

Tarapeeth:

Sonar Bangla (Gud food , Gr8 price).

There is a back-door entry at a premium price of 25 bucks!!

Special Note :

Thr is a Punjabi dhaba on d right side(i.e. opp. lane) of the road as u cross Burdwan goin away frm Kol. (Adress is smthg like Badam mod,Burdwan).

Time to Visit :

Holi mela(21 Mar) & Poosh mela(arnd 24Dec)

**Aesthetic Details

-----------------

SN was on cards since forevr...feels like i m done wid sight c'in in West Bengal :)

Trip was awsum, tho a bit hectic wid 700km rollin past ovr d weekend. Durgapur expressway was d best f all i hav bn to in WB. Drive to SN & Dam was loaded wid scenic beauty wid rows of tress of orangish-yellow hue side-linin d roads.

At SN, the ambience n environ was kewl. Ppl play gulal . Singing n dancing is in d air. Small groups swarming wid similar activities enhance d festivities manifold. Ladies in Yellow-green sari serve as a harbinger to wut the Vasant month connotes, abundance....

...More Soon

Merlin Greens, Joka

2009-05-28T03:52:00.001-07:00

U may avail it even without a membership with a cover-charge of 250 per head.

Another interesting thing was pay-per-facility kind of arrangement.e.g. 25 for a day in swimming pool

Excellent hospitality but a bit slow. Food quality okay. All charges/prices reasonable.

Sprawling campus. Nice clientele.

Nice amenities : Swimming pool(with a bar), Small Golf Green, Gym, Usual Games(Basket ball, TT)

Geonkhali, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal

2009-05-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

DOJ : 02/May/09

Total distance :

Time taken:

Machines :

Machismo & Pulsar-150

Routes :

R1 : Ride along Diamond Harbor Road uptil Ashram Xing(??km)

Right from aforementioned uptil Nurpur Boat Depot()

R2 : Ride along Diamond Harbor Road till u reach Riachak

Ask for a boat depot ferrying u to Haldia

Places of Accomodation :

P1. Irrigation Dept Guest House : Booked STRICTLY from kolkata office apriori.()

P2. Tribeni Sangam Tourist Complex (9800864722/99330484120/03224-266772)

Charges :

Transport

R1 : Boat : 5 per person plus

30 per bike plus

50-100 to hire villagers(readily available) to upload/offload bikes

R2 : Boat : 5 per person plus

26 per bike

Analysis & Suggestions:

1. Bikers shud prefer route 1 over R2 since former has a boat depot which is for small boats. U will have to shell 50-70 bucks(subject to bargaining skills) to get people to load & un-load bikes besides paying usual charges for froying the machine as it is.

2. Take route R2. Else, ur bike is bound to be scathed. R2's boat depot is a LOT better than R1. R2 is a bit longer but totally worth it.

Since DH road is single lane so drive early(before 6). On way back, try n make before 4:30 to avoid market place rush along the way. Prefer Sundays.

3. Get advnced room bookinng cos only 2 places to stay. Altenately, lodging only in Haldia & Gadiada.

4. P1 has huge campus with a pond & surrounding huge trees while P2 has well maintained rooms & gardens. Both have equally appealing sea view.

WHY GO?

Foremost, its very thinly populated since POORLY connected

sprawling sea-side

Un-perturbed Nature

R1 has a canopy-kind-of-tree linings from Ashram X'ing to Nurpur.

Why NOT go?

Some serious walkin up ur bike onto boat but u'll love drivin around the place.

Our iternerary :

R1 on onset(Yes! a mistake. An Enfield lost its right foot-rest...so hope u get the message, atleast NOW.)

R2 on return.

Did NOT find accomodation since all were booked for election duty officials.

Halted at Merlin Greens near joka instead of Khanna Gardens on account of expert guidance for more than 2 hours.(Read more HERE)

Pehle Thodi Pet Pooja -- Places to Eat While Hitting the Roads

2009-05-28T03:38:00.000-07:00

Places To Eat

Direction Nomenclature is such that its seen as away from Kolkata

P.P = Petrol pump

Highway : Kona XpressWay

1. Lake Country Club

Location : Just after Santra-gachi rly Stn

Rating : N.A.(Didnt try but +ve reviews from credible sources)

Highway : Towards Mumbai (i.e.AFTER Kona XpressWay)

1. Nola Dhaba

Location : After Second toll point(i.e.where Bikes are not charged :). It seems like inside a factory premises.

Rating : N.A.(Didnt try as was probably closed)

2. Azad Hind Dhaba

Location : Ullberia, Milestone reading 21km stil to go for Kolaghat. In B.P. P.P

Verdict : Ambience Awesome(Park for kids)

Gentry Good(little crowded even)

Food Okay(Aloo paratha & coffee were just okay. Tea was okay.)

Service was very slow.

******* ******* ******* ******* ******* ******* *******

Places NOT to eat

Highway : Towards Mumbai

1. Singh Dhaba

Location : nOT sure, about 15 km before Ullberia, Next to IOL P.P over-crowded with swarms of trucks

Dis-Advantage : Gentry, Cleanliness

Silver Lining : Ask for special milk Tea.