Khukri Ride

Got up early. It was biting cold last night. However, we had some brandy which Vishal had given to keep us warm. Sunrise was exquisite and breathtaking.  Our route for the day was  Kopidara- manebhanjan- sukiyaki- semana- mirik- gayabari-dudhia- sukuna-Siliguri. We saw some antique British age Land Rover’s which were still in use.  Roads were good and we clipped a good pace. By now we had mastered the down ride and could manage to keep on the left. Our first stop was Mirik lake. Spent about half an hour at the man made lake and bought some local tea. Started from Mirik at around 1:30 am and stopped at a roadside eatery to have some veg momos, Wai Wai and black coffee as I was feeling a bit drowsy.  As we passed through sukna army camp traffic started becoming dense. We managed to reach our hotel around 5 pm.  Khukri ride completed ! Great feeling to have completed this wonderful adventure created by balaji and team. Every thing was well planned and executed....

Watched the exquisite sunrise over the tea estates while sipping cups of local green tea.  Vikas and his family prepared simple breakfast for us.  We packed up and started at 9am. We had to pass through Ghum - Darjeeling, - bridge- bijonbari/ kaizale bazar- megytar. Our first stop was the house of Balas friend Prabhdev/ Mridula. An ex India today sports journalist who decided to settle down in the mountains. The house the built in their tract of mountain is worth showcasing on architectural digest. We had some tea and snacks at their place. We geared up and started our descent to Darjeeling. The road condition was better and we managed to avoid the potholes.  Darjeeling was crowded and we were lucky to pass through without getting caught in traffic. The steep descent from Darjeeling to bijonbari bridge was one of the most challenging manoeuvring I have ever done. But the route was scenic. Nash stalled in one of the turns but was courageous to get up the bike and ride out ...

We stayed at honesty managed by Sonam Tawang at megytar. A local landlord and ex army man with a few words.  Morning sunrise helped in warning us up to the days ride. We had some nice Alu parathas with pudina chutney.  Today’s ride was mostly down hill from megytar to Rambam- kopitara. We stopped by a hanging bridge built in 1980s for some tea. The tea stall owner suggested that we visit the rambam  Hydro power station which was 3 km away. We drove down to the place only to be turned back s as visitors were not slowed.  We started our climb to Dotre village. a very beautiful and scenic village   On the way we passed through a dense pine forest. Red pandas are found in these forests.  The temperature was near freezing. Hand knuckles were aching despite the ski gloves. Stopped a couple of times to cook the bikes and warm up the riders with a cup of local tea. Goutam’s liquor tea affinity increased our consumption and knowledge of various tea types. ...

Our ride route for the day https://goo.gl/maps/5wDsEfgurho9XMUX8 Got up early morning and had Puri bhaji breakfast while watching lovely sun rose over the Himalayan mountain range. Sagar was an excellent host. A room heater would have been welcome but we could grab some winks.  We stopped to see Guru Sambhadeva statue entire to Kalimpong..  Guru Padma Sambhava - first Buddhist monk to spread Buddhism to China. He was a warrior ( see the spear) and a tantrik. See the demons he slayed stacked in his spear! Demons here signify one bad habits We drove through the crowded Kalimpong market while Jojo pointed out his old school and a few of his childhood favourite spots. Had to stop at a bike maintenance shop to oil the chains. All that lie great riding has taken some toll,  The ride along teesta rivers was serene.  The climb to takdah was quite steep. Previous climb experience helped though we stalled at one or two places. Road condition was not good. We stopped at a place...

The proprietor of our hotel is a war veteran. A handsome young man who has seen the vicissitudes of life. 14 of his friends were lost in border skirmishes. While we are moaning and groaning due to cold weather, he mentioned that while in force he to face weather close to -80 c!

Our ride route for the day https://goo.gl/maps/Vxea5b4xXYkUSXc49 It was a scenic drive through some wide roads. As it was Republic Day, lots of revellers were on the road to various picnic spots dotted along the route.  We passed lava and stopped at a place called pedang. 

We reached Prabhats home to a very nice and warm welcome. His dad, mom, sister and brother in law were all there with garlands.  Every one made a bee line to the view point.. not as much to enjoy the view than to get some 4G access so that they could talk with their families and post the pics.  Evening bonfire went on for more than a couple of hours while Prabhat’s father regaled is with local stories. Place is worth visiting with family

Pristine and clean. Lots of home stays close by

Druk Thek Choling Monastery located in Tangta. The climb was quite challenging and only because of our driver Mox, an experienced mountain driver we could make it. The gradient was nearly 35° at some places. Monastery was established in 2010. 

Woke up at 4am. It took some time to gear up with the riding accessories like the leg and arm guards etc. Had tea and went down to the garage. The bikes were furled and tanked up. As we carried out the pre start check, Goutam’s Avenger 220 start key went into parking mode! The bike would not start. Seems like this is a bug in all avengers. One needs to use the duplicate key to get it back to ignition mode. We did not have the duplicate. Team leader Bala bring an electrical engineer, rolled up his sleeves and shorted the ignition button.  We had another round of chai while watching. We finally rolled out of the Loft hotel at 7 am. Bislu (Colonel Vishal Dash) and his son Adi were waiting for us at his Cantonment gate. Bislu of a helicopter pilot and flies for the Indian army in north east region providing various types of support to army movement activities. He gave us a grand tour of all the aviation facilities and regaled us with some incredible stories of heroics. It was good to r...

From left Bala, Prabhat, self, Goutam and Nash

We took air Asia. Getting onto a flight after nearly a year. That in itself is an adventure. True to its motto air Asia charged extra luggage/ weight and even boarding pass issuance. Face shields are a must for every passenger and while in flight. Bit suffocating but as the flight was a short one managed to bear it. 

  Day 0-- Kolkata  ---------- The day has arrived when we set off. The hills beckon, the distant hills slumber like an ascetic, unconcerned. The twisting roads- here we come! All my bags are packed, ready to go! Leave for airport ard 11 am to fly to Bagdogra. The toothache has been taken care of, lists of essentials cross checked and ticked off and the apprehensions and fears pushed to the back of the head for now. The excitement has taken over; meeting friends, making new ones, shaking off the laziness and inertia induced by Corona....ohhh that's one thing that has taken the least amount of our thoughts during the last couple of days. But we need to be careful and mindful about that as well. Welcome says the dream....get ready to hold my hand and off we shall go...to gather a few more memories. 

Travelling through an airport after almost one year. Nice to see the buzz slowly coming back after covid. Bangalore is melting point of many cultures and very cosmopolitan city. At the same time, true to its cultural and south Indian roots.  Nothing like a breakfast thali from masala dosa to masala chai to start my mountain ride 

 

xxx

  On the road After ages, Would be a few good men. Disregarding the aches, The apprehensions, Nervousness and tensions, They would let the wind whistle into their ears and spear through their inners to reach the core of the heart Hoping to clean the debris Of ages long gone past!   Under Capt Bala We shall smoothly sail along Greeted by sunrises and sunsets for our lullaby song!

After doing China time, the way to move ahead is to start with a good foot massage

 Red Panda adventure presents Khukri ride with Capt Bala at the helm. The ride starts from Siliguri with 5 riders. Some veterans and some newbies trying to rediscover themselves. Created this blog with a hope to record our exciting trip. Lets see. Chip in guys.