Golden Boots

Golden boots, well, not made of gold but just as precious. These are trendy amongst the folks of rural villages in the region here and almost a necessity. Mostly worn by farmers, porters, milkmen and well, wannabe farmers 🙂

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These are definitely comfy once you get the hang of it and it can take you through mud, slush, monsoon season with much ease. You get a variety of colours, blue is another favourite. Perhaps will do another picture story with the blue boots later.

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For now, do enjoy this series and probably get one for yourself whilst visiting these regions. Follow the trend 😎

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Day ride to Darjeeling

The 104 days of strike not only damaged our economy, peace and normalcy but also a lot of machines.

Obviously because of the strike, the movement of vehicles/bikes were restricted and also all shops shut including fuel stations. Most of the machines got damaged because it was not used regularly. On the other hand some like me, managed to take a ride every once in a while however I was buying petrol in the black market which was mixed with kerosene maybe. Really bad fuel but had to still buy them even if was overpriced.

That horrible fuel killed my machine, finally after the strike being withdrawn I visited maila daju’s workshop. He’s garage is definitely the best place to go for Enfield bike maintenance. Shrawan, immediately started work on my bike and did all the necessary maintenance.

Took a day ride to Darjeeling yesterday, with the weather not being favourable, I got into my waterproof gear. The first ride from Kalimpong to Teesta, downhill all the way was fun. Got a bit of rain but that was alright.

Soon after I was making the climb up to Darjeeling via Lopchu. Loved the feel of how the bike was working, shifting gears navigating the steep turns, going full throttle on some patches felt incredible. Can’t beat the feeling of having the crisp wind hit your face.

Just a little ahead, saw this accident that had taken place. I couldn’t figure if the vehicle was going up or coming down when it crashed. I do hope that the people survived it though.

The steep curves & gradient make it an interesting and a challenging ride/drive to some extent. Guess it’s not everyone’s preference of roads to enjoy. Surely, you can’t be drinking and riding/driving on these roads.

The views got more scenic as the clouds started to clear. I had to make a quick pit stop to take a

moment to enjoy the mountain views. The high peaks of the Kanchenjunga himalayan ranges were just about visible.

As I sat on the bike, the weather got bad again. The fog set in, reducing the visibility to almost just 5 metres. It was a slow ride then, concentrating on the road and vehicles coming from ahead. The moisture in the air didn’t do good either as my glasses kept clouding. It’s just an eerie experience of not being able to see anything ahead of you, covered with thick fog and riding through cryptomeria forests. All in all the ride to Darjeeling went well.

Coming back I had the same problem to deal with, a blanket of thick fog for half the section. The steel downhill didn’t go well with my bike as by the time I had descended, it started to choke. Something was not going right, with the fuel injector I suppose…as it would not throttle at a single go without choking. I had to drain out some fuel and it finally kick-started after that. The uphill ride continued to Kalimpong and the bike was as good as ever.

All in all was a good day of riding! Jai Bullet!

P O R T E R S ~ Working Class Heroes!

The winter trekking season is already on in Nepal and my cousins with their team from HHE is headed towards EBC. .

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I’m sure these bunch of wonderful people are equally excited to get back up. They are referred to as porters and I’m certain that without their participation no trek, expedition would be a success. .

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Strong men often carrying loads twice their weight run up the hills and mountains in making sure that all baggage reach well in time. They are some of the most wonderful people that I’ve come across. They all have their share of problems yet they do their job with a smile on their face, happy as ever and make the entire trek, expedition memorable. On your return you don’t call them porters anymore but by their names and as friends who’ve gone through the same shit as you in a mountain landscape. Our team of great guys we had on two treks while I was there, some of whom I had pictures of Moti, Saila and Tanka.

But for all the other porter community, I salute you! .

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Darjeeling Tea

Did you know that Kalimpong also produces tea?

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Samabeong Tea Garden grows and produces Darejeeling Tea and Green Tea. It’s known for producing high flavor, light liquor premium Darjeeling teas. The bio organic garden produces about 50,000 kgs of annually. We were served their first flush of Darjeeling Tea which was really refreshing. For tea lovers, you should definitely give it a try.

Sandakphu Trek (Singalila Landscape)

In the year 2000, I had undertaken this trek as a school boy on one of my winter breaks. It was my first trek which (along with my cousin) we ventured on our own. As amateur trekkers we totally screwed up on our packing list, we carried unnecessary items and had a massive backpack. Our backpacks had a change set of clothes for everyday, cigarettes, alcohol and god know what we were thinking but we did also carry our swimming trunks (hoping to take a dip in the streams). With no idea what to expect we trekked along, only to realise that we never changed our clothes everyday, with each day gaining on altitude our backpacks were incredibly heavy for us and for that matter it was snowing all the way, so our swimming trunk was the worst decision ever. And if we hadn’t learnt enough we were broke by the mid of the trek as we splurged on the beginning…we did not complete the entire trek then.

However that was our learning, we enjoyed it thoroughly! Our love for the mountains had only been planted. Years passed by and have since trekked in many parts of India and Nepal.

Come 2016 and towards the end of the year, I quit my job in the city and came back home. Well, I had to complete  the trek which I had not completed earlier and is also mentioned as “10 things you should do before you  die” – BBC

In December 2016, I packed my bags and set out on the road again, this time I was trekking alone.  Singalila trek has to be one of the most scenic trek on offer in the eastern hills. Sharing its border between Nepal and India, the ridge trek offers great walking, stunning mountain views of some of the highest peaks in the world (viz. Everest, Lhotse, Makalu & Kanchenjunga), rich in flora & fauna, and its also the natural habitat to the Red Pandas.

With proper packing and not carrying alcohol, cigarettes and the swimming trunk 🙂 I walked and completed the entire trek enjoying each and every moment. What was started in 2000 finally got completed in 2016.

The winter season offers great views of the mountains whereas the summer/spring season will delight you with rhododendrons in bloom.

Sharing below some of my pictures the Singalila landscape or popularly known as the Sandakphu Trek

 

Helmet Story

It’s a hot summer day, 38*C and if you have a question as to how to beat the heat? Well the answer is that you really can’t. So, its better to accept the heat, sweat it out and keep yourself hydrated; along the way have fun and enjoy what you love doing. 

For me, today was about riding. Sitting on the saddle and allowing the road to lead me. With no destination in mind, it’s fun riding…drifting with the wind.  You do realise that even though with so much of freedom, open road and the chance to accelerate to high speeds however subconsciously you are well aware so as to avoid any kind of danger and dont go full-throttle. For that matters you dont really do anything stupid and also ensure that your bike and gear meet the safety requirments. 

Similarly, life i suppose is freedom with vast openness. You could misuse it or allow being free and subconsciously not being stupid. Likewise, one has to check the safety aspect of the machine, for us humans perhaps it is the emotional, physical, spiritual and mental quotient. 

This is what 38deg and being inside the helmet does to you. Helmet Stories of a different kind. 

5 things to do in Calcutta (in 24 Hours)

A mere village in the 17th century, Calcutta  thrived during the British Raj and became a leading center for commerce and a port of call for east bound ships. It today reveals the rich diversity of the Bengali artistic heritage. The first impression of Calcutta may not be very flattering. However, Calcutta is a city with soul, which has been immortalized as ‘City of Joy’ by Dominique Lapierre.

If you visit the city and have only 24 hours in hand, I would recommend the below 5 things to do.

1) Travel using the local transport – Calcutta has an amazing network of local transport. You have options ranging from the loved yellow ambassador taxis (all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride), city buses (which are rickety but would give you a great insight to the common peoples lifestyle), metro rail (it’s probably the first underground rail system in India and hence it could be a bit outdated as compared to Delhi’s metro rail, however when you do take the metro in Calcutta along with the ride, you also get the chance to appreciate amazing artwork in most of these metro stations), tram (well it’s a treat to take a short tram ride and enjoy the slow ride whilst soaking up the cityscape)

Ambassador taxis and Tram

2) Explore on foot and appreciate the architecture and heritage buildings – the heart of the city has some beautiful colonial British buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Walk and explore some of the most important buildings in this area and trace the fortunes of the British Empire through these buildings.

Heritage building in College Street

3) Take a rickshaw ride – It may not seem like a great idea to many but trust me, a ride on these man pulled rickshaw keeps many families going. Don’t bargain, just be generous and help these folks. Along the way just enjoy the ride.

Rickshaw Ride

4) Enjoy the street food – well after so much of exploring you need the food to get you going. Calcutta probably has the best street food culture in India. It’s delicious, clean and cheap. There’s also a huge selection to choose from. Personally, I love the egg rolls 🙂

Egg rolls joint

5) Sunset river cruise – And finally put your feet up, relax and end the day enjoying a sunset boat cruise down the hoogly river.

Sunset boatride