NorthEastTrip2011

This year's Diwali Vacation took us to explore the North East Region of our country. Our trip was focused on 3 destinations - Kolkata, Gangtok and Darjeeling. This time we took my in-laws with us. As always, we did our booking with Sterling Resorts that has timeshare resorts at Gangtok and Darjeeling, about 2 months in advance. There are limited options for Pune-Kolkata flights especially due to the Diwali rush, so we had to take a taxi to Mumbai Domestic Airport for a Mumbai-Kolkata flight on the last day of Diwali.

Day Zero (28-Oct): Our direct flight from Mumbai was in the evening and we left Pune at noon. We had done booking in advance to stay at Maharashtra Niwas in Kolkata. This is really good low cost option if you are looking at primarily camping for the night with a very good Maharashtrian breakfast served in the morning (About 700/ per night for a twin bed). At Kolkata Airport, we went by the pre-paid taxi taxi booking option where they charged us about 300 Rs. Interestingly we spent about 1+ hr waiting for the taxi to be allocated since there too many taxi drivers are very choosy and try to maximize their trip fare. Beggars are always around to shell out whatever possible from you even at the domestic airport. Anyways, our check-in was smooth when we arrived at Hajra Rd into the late night and went to bed right away.

Day One (29-Oct): When I am on a vacation, I tend to wake up even earlier, dont know why. I tasked my Android Google maps to help me plan for the day's itinerary.
After having hot and tasty Masala Puris for breakfast, we did a check-out and kept all our luggage in a store-room.

Travelling in Kolkata has been made really easy and convenient by the Kolkata Metro. This was one of the highlights of this trip. We took a 10 min walk from Hajra Road to the Jatin Das Park metro Station. Metro is really cheap and convenient means of transport and fun for the kids.

Tanvi and Atharva were delighted to draw water from one of the many old style hand pumps that you will find in old town areas of Kolkata. We got down at Park Street Station and right outside was Elliot Park which houses Victoria Memorial. This side of the gate was closed early morning and so we waded our way along the periphery to reach to the other main gate. Kolkata is a city greatly influenced by communists and we saw this statue of Ho Chi Minh, one of the great communist leaders of Vietnam. Rabindranath Tagore's writings can be seen at many places, we noticed one such important message at a bus stop besides a big canvas depicting Kolkata's monuments.

While crossing across a junction we encountered another important monument of Kolkata. St.Paul's Cathedral, is a symbol of Indo-Gothic architecture commissioned in 1847 by the Architect W.N. Forbes who also built the Calcutta Mint. The distinct white sandstone edifice was truly shining in the morning sun. After a quick tour of the church, we treaded along to reach the main gate of Elliot Park to see the Victoria Memorial. The garden is well landscaped with benches placed at many locations for visitors to relax and absorb the pleasant surroundings. Tanvi was very much interested in chasing the ducks roaming around the ponds. The path from this gate led us to the back side of Victoria Memorial and we had to again go round the building to reach the front door. There was an arts exhibition on display at this time of the year. Photography is strictly prohibited inside. We enjoyed all the art and other collections housed inside and gave us good glimpse of the British era associated with this place.

After coming out we spend some time in the Garden and then headed out to have lunch. Then Manisha took Atharva to see the Nehru Planetarium which offers knowledgeable insights into the astronomical world. We then boarded a private transport bus to reach Howrah Station. This area is very crowded and one can get lost in the area which is a major railway station as well as a market place. From here we boarded into another bus to get to the famous Ramkrishna Missions's Belur Math and Swami Vivekanand's Temple. Again here too photography is prohibited. The tranquility of this place can be felt once you enter inside the main dome. We had to cross over the Hooghly river by taking a water taxi to reach another religious attraction - Dakshineshwar, home to Goddess Kali.

After this we took a taxi from Dakshineshwar to the Metro Station at Dum Dum Airport and then took the train for only Rs.8/person to get back to Jatin Das Park Station. We had a simple meal at Maharashtra Niwas, picked up our luggage and hired a taxi for Rs.250/- to reach the Sealdah Railway Junction. On the way, we saw a characteristic procession taken out for Goddess Kali. This is the starting point for all the North East Train journeys and we boarded the Padatik Express at 11 PM.

Day Two (30-Oct): The train ride to New Jalpaiguri was peaceful and all had a sound sleep. One crosses into Bihar and then gets back into West Bengal with no major change in landscape - lot of fields of paddy and sugarcane. In the train we made friends with a localite from Darjeeling who gave us more information about the area.

As soon as we got down at NJP, we were surrounded by tourist agency dalals rather hyenas I must say. One guy approached us right inside the railway station and agreed to take us to Gangtok by shared taxi for Rs.300/person. We thought that this was a fair price for outside visitors as compared to the fare charged to locals. He also suggested us to look at travel package options with a travel agency right outside the NJP Rly Stn - Sen Travels. One of the frontdesk guys (Ashok) there had an hour long discussion with us and lot of sell talk forced us to sign up for their travel package of 15K for a 5 day package of Gangtok-Darjeeling and return to NJP on the last day. Eventually we found out that this was the worst experience one could get. They took 4k from us right at the outset as advance and after that they never ever bothered to make sure that we get the right service from the contracted persons. My sincere recommendation to all - NEVER ever sign up for any travel package from these guys and more importantly, one can get better rates and service from local - i mean from the destination place city/center, which you are visiting in this region. The shared taxi ride was not very comfortable and we found out from the other Bengali group in the Jeep we were travelling with that they were charged only Rs.100/person for the trip from NJP to Gangtok. The road to Gangtok was very scenic and along the Teesta river which also has a couple of hydroelectric projects being constructed. The greenish waters that come tumbling down at certain places have chiselled the rocky valley to lay a lot of rounded boulders and pebbles all along the edge of the river. Another interesting thing fo r the day was that the Taxi takes you to the Bus Stand ONLY and one has to again pay a hefty amount to take another local van to reach the final hotel destination. Ours was located near Burtuk helipad which is on the edge of the Gangtok city.

Day Three (31-Oct): We were awakened in the early morning by a rooster right below the Resort, I opened the window of the room to let the fresh cold air in and the view was very refreshing and energizing. We had signed up for the Sterling Food Masti package which is a great value for money option that includes a dinner and breakfast.

After a heavy breakfast, we had another conversation with the local contracted tour operator - a very friendly fellow - Tashi (+91-9434446827 / +91-9593976359) who then explained how these travel packages costed us more than what he could have offered us directly. Sen Travels had calculated this package with 2 vans citing that tourist rules in Gangtok would need us to take 2 cars for a group of 4 adults and 2 children. We actually took a single Maruti Van for the day long local sightseeing but unfortunately the advance part payment was all gone, anyways!!

En route to see the oldest Monastery- Rumtek, we stopped at a point for a hot cup of tea and a photo session adorning local wear. The recent quake in this area had done a lot of damage to the Buddha University building and repair works were underway. After we stopped at the Botanical Garden which has a vast range of mountain flowers and plants on display. Another interesting sight was a tinshed that had creepers on its roof with lot of pumpkins.

Our next stop was at Do Drul Chorten - a stupa built by the Tibetan Buddhism sect with a large golden top.

Next to it is the Namgyal Institute which houses a large collection of artifacts, masks, weapons and scriptures on Mahayan Buddhism and Tibetan culture. Next we stopped right opposite the Sikkim Legislative Assembly to see a point called Hurhuray Dara which shows the majestic valley and river below.
The Driver then took us to the Flower Museum which had a major variety of Orchids and then the tour operator dropped us near the Gangtok Ropeway.

The ropeway ride gives a clear picture of this unique city which is dispersed across the valley slopes and the peculiar architecture of old tibetan buildings interspersed with modern day commercial centers. We then made our way to the MG Road Mall Area. During the day we also discussed with Tashi and decided to extend our stay by one more day to see the Tsomgo Lake (which is a must see but was surprisingly not recommended by Sen Travels) the next day. Sterling Resorts Customer Care was reasonably efficient to take care of the changes to our resort bookings after a couple of calls to both the resorts and Chennai office. In order to see the Tsomgo Lake, one needs to get a tourist permit from the Sikkim Tourism Office located at the end of the MG Road - 2 passport photos and proof of identity are required for Indian citizens and additional copy of passport and Visa for foreign tourists. Tashi had organized for the pickup of these documents with a local boy and he took care of the procedure smoothly.

Day Four (1-Nov): The early morning was a bit colder than usual and we had heard that there was a lot of snowfall at Tsomgo Lake aka Changu Lake the day before. A sturdy and heavy car is preferred for this day long trip as it passes through rough and slippery roads, we went in a Tata Sumo. The road to Tsomgo Lake passes through rough patches and at one point there was a huge line up of all tourist vehicles where we had to wait for the security pass point to be cleared for about 30 min. We built a good rapport with the driver and came to know the reason. Every couple of days, there is a huge caravan of trucks that comes from China and stocks up pile of Parle G biscuits and snacks for their locals in exchange for winter jackets,hats and apparels. We also saw an Army post with soldiers dressed in White Jackets and eyeglasses in charge of manning Howitzer Guns. All the roads in this area are maintained by Border Roads Organization which works in harsh conditions to clear the roads of snow and watch out for sudden landslides.

It was a very refreshing site when we reached the destination. White capped mountains surrounded the serene Lake Tsomgo. Kids as well as Adults were having fun ride on the yak, an animal mostly seen only in Alphabet Learning Charts. We drove a little north to play in the snow and take in the beauty of this wonderful place from a vantage point.

We were lucky in terms of the timing since we encountered snowfall as soon as we started back and had to drive carefully in the reduced visibility. The Indo China border @ Nathula Pass is 5 km from this place, however, this is open to tourists only 3 days in a week (Mo/Th/Fr) so we did not have the option to visit this place.

Day Five (2-Nov): Even before the rooster, we were woken up early morning by the shrill voice of 2 new born sheep. Atharva and Tanvi has made good friendship with the staff who also took them for a quick visit to the new born lambs. We played a few games in the Clubhouse before our pickup van arrived. This was the day to leave this enchanting city which is also the home to Bhaichung Bhutia. The local government has built a state of the art football stadium here which we got a glimpse on the way out of the city.

We took the route from Gangtok to Darjeeling via Delo Hills, a scenic hilltop garden. This is a unique spot and must see on a trip to this area. There is a large variety of flowers in this garden and the fresh unpolluted air in this area leaves a refreshing memory of this place.

We stopped for a short bit in the village Kalimpong at the foothill. This place is known for the Lord Krishna Temple which has a vivid picture story of Lord Krishna's life. Another quick stop we had on the way to relish some chana dal was at a scenic point which is the confluence of Teesta river with one of it's tributaries- Rangeet River. We reached the Sterling Resort just outside the main city of Darjeeling late in the evening. It was cold and we were relieved to turn on the portable heaters placed in our rooms. As soon as we had checked in, there was a short bout of power failure and as luck would have it, the generators did not kick in. What came handy in this time was the small Swiss knife with a torch light that I carried throughout this trip.

The Sterling Food package in indeed good one with great value for money on a family trip of 6. I tried the fish fry and was impressed with the preparation.

Day Six (3-Nov): The morning breakfast too was very filling. We were greeted by this young driver (looked to be < 18 yrs of age) for our sightseeing trip in and around Darjeeling. He was the younger brother of the tour operator whom we had contracted with - Ashok. We first stopped at the Ghoom Monastery, a quaint place for worship. Manisha purchased a woollen stoll from the roadside vendor, looks like it was cheaper here than most of the other places. Our next stop was Batasia Loop, a garden memorial for the local Gorkha regiment troops who had a significant contribution for the Indian Army post Independence. The unique thing here is the 8-digit shaped narrow gauge track loop that rises about 1000 ft for the Darjeeling Toy Train. One has to book much earlier in advance for this picturesque train ride, else the touts mint lot of money selling these in black. The next stop was rock garden which has an array of cascading waterfalls flowing through a multi-level terrace garden. I and Atharva did a short rock climb at this place. The fresh water flowing from the valley rock edges into mini-waterfalls was very fresh and sweet here.



Next on our list was the Darjeeling Tea Garden. Based on our experience, I would suggest that you should buy only 1 or 2 small packets of tea as a souvenir here since the packed tea was not as tasty and aromatic as one would expect, alas, you realize this only after you come back home from such a trip.

The traditional dress photo parade was embraced with zeal by my family members and I took the honours of being the official photographer in this scenic tea garden estate. We then had a quick stop to look at the football stadium at the other end of the city where apparently Bhaichung Bhutia trained and got to the first level of stardom.

On our way back, myself and Atharva ventured into a rock rappelling session at the Tensing Norgay rock point, it was fun for Atharva and goosebumps for me !

Day Seven (4-Nov): The Tiger Hill which is nearby the Sterling Resort is a integral part of all tours to Darjeeling. One has to wake up at 3:30 AM in the morning and get ready for the 4AM pickup. The intent here is to get a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga Mountain Range from the top of this hill at sunrise. This day the target sunrise time was 5:20 AM and all the tourist cars hoard up to the parking spot to get as nearer to the top as possible. Tanvi was very excited but we had to cover her up with all possible gear since it was really cold and freezing in the morning.


As luck would have it, we did not get to see the mountain range due to the immense cloud cover and had to condole ourselves to a pack of 10 photos that show this mystic Himalayan range in its real grandeur and glory. We then returned back to the hotel and had a grand breakfast before checking out of the resort. We were happy with the hospitality at this location. We again had a hard time with this operator Ashok whose younger brother did not show up for the final pickup and we had to make many calls and negotiate again for the route and plan to reach back NJP via Nepal Border Pasupati Market and another stopover.

Eventually the person who took this last dropover to NJP - Gautam, turned out to be a good guy who made this last leg of the return to NJP a peaceful one. He voluntarily stopped at one particular point on the way which has a small pond at the top of the hill with lots of ducks. The kids took turns to chase and try feeding the ducks and enjoyed it a lot. Pasupati Market right across the border in Nepal is an absolute farce where people visit with the expectations of getting various things at much cheaper prices. However, 95% of the time, things sold here are either fake or duplicates (especially perfumes and other cosmetics). Given a choice, please avoid this place and save your time for other sojourns. The most common dish in this entire area is the Momos. My family relished the Veg Momos on the way at Lake Mirik. Eventually we reached New Jalpaiguri Station at around 6 PM. The kids and parent-in-laws stayed back at the Railway Station while myself and Manisha ventured out into the nearby Siliguri market. I could not resist buying an 8GB Transcend Flash Drive for Rs.150/-. As it turned out, the Flash Drive was a superb con job and though it fits well into the USB port, it simply does nothing else since there is nothing inside the body. As you may have guessed, I found this out only after returning back to Pune. So it was a good lesson learnt. However, this place is good for purchasing jackets and kids dresses. We boarded the Padatik Express late at night and had a good sleep in the overnight journey.

Day Eight (5-Nov): We arrived at the Sealdah Railway Station at around 7:30 AM and took a taxi to the Maharashtra Niwas where we had a quick refreshing bath and breakfast. We then took the Metro to Park Station and spend the next 4 hours at the historic Indian Museum which has a diverse collection of natural history courtesy of course the Britishers in the pre-Independence era. The Indian government too after inheriting this place have done a good job with maintaining it reasonably well. We then walked along the footpath upto the next Metro Station - Esplanade. This entire area is filled with merchandise vendors selling gift articles, clothes and toys. It is a good place to shop and all woman fraternity never miss such an opportunity to negotiate and strike deals and my wife is no exception. Finally we crossed over to the other side of this busy corner and entered K.C.Das - the famous sweetmeat pride of Kolkata for Rasagollas. We indulged in many varieties of this sweet cottage cheese delicacy. We had heard that there is a big flower market and so we traced our way using the private bus channel, crossed the Eden Garden stadium and reached Howrah. However, this place is very unhygienic and littered with the leftovers from the flower wholesale. I would recommend to avoid this bit and rather spend time around the Esplanade area. So we returned back to the main market place and spent more time shopping at a famous place for all kinds of footwear - Sree Leathers. Good quality shoes and footwear for all family folks, do plan time here.

Finally we traced our way back to Maharashtra Niwas for a good simple supper and relaxed for the night before boarding the early morning flight to Mumbai and then onwards to Pune to reach home sweet home after a very memorable vacation.