Hyderabad to Sikkim road trip

[Gowtham]

Hyderabad to Sikkim road trip :

Four  BTech friends,

Proper reunion after a decade.

 

Crossed two borders, (Nepal and Bhutan)

Drove around 5.5k kilometres.

Hanging around with old friends and saying "Remember when..."(15 days of memories)

Trusted steed

 

Menu

Day 1 : Hyderabad to Vishakapatnam

Day 2 : Vishakapatnam to Puri

Day 3: Puri to Kharagpur

Day 4:Kharagpur to Malda

[Gowtham]

Day 1 : Hyderabad to Vishakapatnam

Road condition : Complete 4-lane, overall road condition is good.

Start time: 6AM
Reached: 7PM

 

Accommodation :

Hotel : keys select vizag
Rating: 4/5
Cost: 3000/- (three members)

 

Food options enroute

Breakfast : Village Aharam (3.5/5)
Lunch : Srikanya (Rajahmundry) (4/5)
Tea break : Coffee day (After crossing Annavaram)(5/5)
Dinner : Keys select (4/5 expensive side)

 

Note : All the pictures were taken from mobile 

 

First picture of the day

Setting up action camera,

3M Mount point is strong, held up well through out the trip.

Roads between Vijayawada to Vizag improved a bit.
Village traffic is still high on the highway.

Testing the YI action cam(wide angle)

Quick break round Annavaram 

Coffee day at Annavaram is maintained very well.
We spent around an hour here.

Much needed picture of the day.

We reached Vizag around 7PM, Keys hotel is decent for the price.

 

To be cont..

[Saikishore]

Nice pictures. 
 

[hsudhir]

Nice one so far @Ranger.. We are waiting for the next

[Gowtham]

On 1/9/2019 at 12:54 PM, Saikishore said:

Nice pictures

 

On 1/9/2019 at 2:05 PM, hsudhir said:

We are waiting for the next

 

Thank you,
 

[sagar]

Missed this legendary trip.. Keep it coming @Ranger. Waiting for your log on Bhutan and Nepal.  

[ksa171983]

@Ranger will wait for the complete travelogue and the splendid picture which you guys would have taken for sure..

[Sridhar Tandra]

Waiting for more! btw very decent pictures @Ranger that too when you end the day at 7pm   

[vinz]

Nice pics.. the word 'reunion' with college friends itself guarantees a great trip ?

Definitely waiting to both see and hear more about the trip 

[Anand Singh]

Good Clicks.. Waiting for the next one  

[Gowtham]

On 1/9/2019 at 6:30 PM, Sridhar Tandra said:

very decent pictures

 

Used only mobile for the entire trip.

 

On 1/9/2019 at 4:31 PM, sagar said:

Missed this legendary trip

 

On 1/9/2019 at 5:54 PM, ksa171983 said:

will wait for the complete travelogue

 

You guys gave hand.

 

On 1/9/2019 at 6:30 PM, Sridhar Tandra said:

you end the day at 7

 

We always respect the Monk magic

 

On 1/10/2019 at 12:27 AM, Anand Singh said:

Good Clicks

On 1/9/2019 at 8:42 PM, vinz said:

Nice pics

 

Thank you.

[ksa171983]

22 minutes ago, Ranger said:

guys gave hand. 

lol I could have joined if the dates were after 22nd ... but still there is always a next time ... 

[Sridhar Tandra]

1 hour ago, Ranger said:

We always respect the Monk magic

?

[Gowtham]

Day 2 : Vishakapatnam to Puri

Impressed by Vizag City.
Very clean and neat roads.

 

Today our primary aim is to drive away from Phethai Cyclone :)

We experienced strong winds across the coastal area.

 

We did not book any beach side resort in Puri since heavy rains and strong winds are expected.

 

Road condition :

Mix of 2-lane and 4-lane.

Can maintain 100kmph without any fuss.
Few diversions(road work) kill the overall average.
Overall road condition is good.

 

Start time: 11 AM
Reached: 6 PM

 

Hotel : OYO Gangotri Puri
Rating: 3.5/5
Cost: 1500/- (value for money)
Newly constructed.

 

Very few food options from Vizag to Puri.
Most of the area is remote.
Better to avoid night drive on this section.

 

Breakfast : Vizag beach road(food truck)(5/5 for the beach view)
Lunch : We skipped
Dinner : OYO Gangotri (veg)(3/5)

 

We decided to do this trip leisurely,

No early morning/late night drives.

We could have directly driven towards Kolkata but we avoided it.

 

Ready to roll, Keys Vizag. YI wide angle.

Started exploring Vizag beaches.

It is definitely one of the cleanest City in the country.

Roads are clean, dust and pothole free.

 

I'm not sure about internal roads.

Roads around beach and our accommodation are too good. 

Wide angle shot, RK beach,

It is windy and gloomy due to Cyclone.

Mandatory selfie

We drove along the coastal  line till Bheemli beach. 

Vizag to Puri roads are good,

There are few diversions near bridges which kill the overall average. 

Duster is literally shaking on speed above 100, due to strong winds

Some smooth sections and

Dense forests.

Sunlight started to fade away after 4PM,
We thought due to cyclone effect,
Later we realised that we are driving towards NE.

Once we divert from the highway,
It is single lane road to Puri.

 

Roads are average, most of the places we pass through are very backward.

Finding a proper tea/washroom/hotel  is a uphill task.

 

Around 10 kilometres of road is like this..

It looks beautiful, I'm sure these roads are not safe.

 

We were stopped on this section due to some elephants crossing,
They released us after some time.

But we couldn't find any elephant.. 

Hotels in Puri are extreme,

They are priced either 10k + or below 2k.

There are no mid level options 

OYO room in Puri

 

To be cont..

[Anand Singh]

8 hours ago, Ranger said:

Once we divert from the highway,
It is single lane road to Puri.

 

Around 10 kilometres of road is like this..

It looks beautiful, I'm sure these roads are not safe.

 

We were stopped on this section due to some elephants crossing,

 

These road remind me of some horror serials or movies and it looks scary  too. 

Nice Pictures.

[Gowtham]

On 1/11/2019 at 11:23 PM, Anand Singh said:

These road remind me of some horror serials or movies and it looks scary  too. 

 

Yeah, we felt the same. 

 

On 1/11/2019 at 11:23 PM, Anand Singh said:

Nice Pictures.

 

Thank you.

[Gowtham]

,Day 3: Puri to Kharagpur

 

Explored places around Puri and Konark.

Personally, I had high expectations on Puri but the place is pretty average.

 

If you want to enjoy the night life in Puri, only proper option is Lotus resort Konark(starting at 5.5k per day)

Konark sun temple is a must visit,
Pictures can't do justice to this place.
Would rate it 5/5.
It is unesco heritage site. No idol inside the temple, It is more about architecture and history.
Cameras are allowed inside.

 

Even though we have driven away from Phethai Cyclone path.
Our average took a hit, Due to heavy rainfall and gusty winds.

After crossing Puri, Sunset time is between 4:30PM - 5:00PM.

 

Driving around 8PM feels like midnight. :)

We couldn't reach Kolkata(as planned), We decided to stay in Kharagpur.

 

Road condition :

4-lane (few two lane sections near Konark/Puri)
Few diversions on highway.
Overall road condition is good.

Start time: 12 PM
Reached: 9 PM

 

Hotel : Green land towers
Rating: 3/5
Cost: 3500/- ( not value for money)

 

Very few hotel options in Khargpur,
Better to avoid stay in Khargpur.

Limited food options between Puri and Khargpur.

 

Breakfast : OYO Gangotri Puri(3/5)
Lunch : Sai Anand Bhubaneshwar (4/5 )
Dinner : Green land towers Khargpur(3/5)

 

Plan was to drive down to Kolkata,

Due to weather conditions and late night sleep,

We decided to start in the mid day.

We started drive towards Konark.

Enroute to Konark, Beautiful roads.

Beaches in Puri are over crowded,

Around Konark, it is zero crowd. 

They are maintaining zero plastic policy at the beach,

There is a team, who are picking up all the left over plastic. 

Pictures cant do justice to this place, Konark sun temple.

You see this pictures on day to day basis. Any guess on which item?

Architecture is mind boggling.

Hiring a guide is a must,

You will understand the story behind this place. 

As a road trip enthusiast we love wheels.

Much needed picture of the day

Cyclone effect is still present. 

Railings fell off the truck,

And the restless auto driver got stuck on them.

We took a u-turn and managed to get into the opposite lane. 

Reliance fuel stations are very reliable and has good washroom.
Most of our highway fuel stopovers are at Reliance. 

Accommodation for the day at Karagpur.

 

 

[sagar]

@Ranger The main pack of pictures and details of this road trip are yet to fall out. Waiting for the complete post  

[Gowtham]

7 hours ago, sagar said:

The main pack of pictures and details of this road trip are yet to fall out. Waiting for the complete post

 

Will start posting from tomorrow. 

Caught up in work. 

[Gowtham]

Day 4:

Kharagpur to Malda

 

Today all we did is driving, driving, driving..
We felt like truck drivers :)

 

Heavy rains, traffic jams and poor roads.
We couldn't make much progress.

 

Plan was to reach Siliguri by night.
But we have faced a huge traffic jam at Farakka barriage.

 

Maintenance work is going on and rains made the situation from bad to worst.

Very few cars on this section,
More than 95% vehicles are trucks.

 

We got stuck in a 10 kilometer long traffic jam.
It took us 3 hours to cross the barriage.

 

There is no lane system,
All the trucks are blocked by cops (barricades)

Cars and bikes are allowed on the wrong route.(by cops)
Zero traffic sense.

 

We met a truck driver who is in the traffic from the past 9 hours.

We couldn't reach Siliguri as planned, we decided to retire for the day at Malda.

Malda has many stay options,

 

Problem? Most of them did not have any online booking option.

It took us some time to find a proper stay that fits our budget/requirements (some hotels quoted 6k per night)

 

Sunset time is around 4:30PM.

 

Road condition : 4-lane and 2-lane (1:1)
Few diversions on highway.
Overall road condition is average to bad.
Progress is very slow.
Numerous villages enroute.

 

Some sections have crater like potholes.
Duster took few under body hits ?

 

Start time: 10 AM
Reached: 7 PM

 

Hotel :

Hotel Golden park, Malda
Rating: 3/5
Cost: 2500/-

It is on highway, no diversions required.
Not an ideal place for families.

 

Strictly limited food options between Kharagpur and Malda.
It took us four hours to find a good dhaba.
Our lunch break is around 5PM.

 

Breakfast : Green land towers kharagpur(3/5)
Lunch : Some random village (2.5/5 )
Dinner : Golden park, Malda(4/5)

 

We started on a 4-lane highway from Khargapur

Turned to single lane, Duster needs a wash

20kmph speed limit on a NH?

Even cars like Duster cant survive these potholes,

We took one under body hit. 

Potholes through out the journey

The famous Farakka barrage,

Get ready to stuck for 3 hours(Cars)

 

For some trucks,

It is more than one full day!

We reached hotel,
We are the only guests in the entire Hotel.

Rooms are strictly average

Finally a much needed wash!

 

[sagar]

The roads look horrible in the pictures itself and I can imagine the kind of pain you guys must have undergone during your drive on this day .. How many Kilometers have you guys fared on this day ?

[Sridhar Tandra]

2 hours ago, Ranger said:

Finally a much needed wash!

 

Hotel guys arranged it?

[Gowtham]

3 hours ago, sagar said:

How many Kilometers have you guys fared on this day ?

 

Less than 400 kilometers.

 

I pity the truck drivers lineup at Farakka Bridge. Some drivers are even playing cards.

It is a chaos and the work is going on from the past four months,

Rains made the situation even bad.

 

2 hours ago, Sridhar Tandra said:

Hotel guys arranged it?

 

Yeah,
There is so much dust inside out,

It took one complete hour to clean it. 

 

Finding a proper tea point on this section is a herculean task.

 

[Gowtham]

Day 5: Malda to Mirik

Today it was event full.

Instead of going to Siliguri we drove towards Mirik(less commercial).

 

Roads are good through out the drive,
Some sections are very narrow (village roads)
We came across many tea estates enroute.

We started gaining the altitude around 2PM.

 

We reached Mirik by 4:30PM,

Our stay is located 5 kilometers away from Mirik and it is very isolated.

 

Roads are very narrow and dangerous,
Hair pin curves are too narrow for Duster.

Not a sedan/hatch back territory.
Duster All terrain tyres came very handy.

Slipping and sliding,(due to rain from past 4 days)
We reached the mid way(2 kilometers)

 

Many locals started discouraging us not take that route.

In the mid away, it got difficult,
With some patience and navigation, we finally reached the destination.

Our expectations about the stay went down drastically looking at the road condition.

Once reached the stay,
We are blow away by the facilities and property view.

Start time: 8 AM
Reached: 6 PM

 

Hotel : Royal Suite
Rating: 5/5
Cost: 2500/- (Got an upgrade to 6k suite)

Breakfast : Malda(3/5)
Lunch : we skipped it
Dinner : Royal Suite(5/5)

 

Today it was eventful,

We started to gain some altitude 

Beautiful tea estates enroute

Inner roads through tea estates 

Our first road block due to slide.

Now it is officially that we arrived

Tucked-IN

One of the best sunset ever

Duster enjoying the view,

All the struggle from the past four days is worth it?
Thirty minutes that we spent at this sunset point, Will be remembered forever. 

Our accommodation is located  5 kilometers away from Mirik.
Our host asked us, If we are driving a  SUV?
We said YES!, biggest mistake. 

And the next one hour drive is like switching between hell/heaven/earth

Hair pin curves that can make your car tilt side ways,

Slush,

Some sections has zero traction,

If we brake we will loose the traction.

 

At one point we decided to turn back, We felt it is not worth the risk.

Guess what? We couldn't find a place to take a U-turn.

 

After one hour of constant spotting and corrections we made it to the destination.

 

Looking at those roads,

My expectation for the stay went from 100->0.

Worst case scenario, we decided to sleep over in the car.

 

Once we got down at the property.
We were blown away by the facilities and the view.

 

We stayed awake till 4AM in the morning with monk.

Definitely best accommodation of the trip. 

 

Bedroom View

Balcony 

Second room

View from the hall 

Early morning rituals 

Kitchen

[Gowtham]

Day 6: Mirik to Nepal, Darjeeling and Gangtok.

Mirik is very close to Nepal.
We decided to drive down to Nepal.

It is a 2 hour drive from Mirik.

 

To enter Nepal,
- Own vehicle
- Owner of the car should be present
- Original documents
- Customs entry
- Vehicle details entry
- Identify card

Cost 20/- per car.

 

Process is pretty straight forward,
It took us 10 minutes to finish the formalities.

 

We went to Pashupathi market,
It is famous for clothing.(Cheap)

 

We had lunch in Nepal,
Decided to drive back to Darjeeling.
Since we don't want to miss view of kanchenjunga (world's third highest mountain)

 

Roads are excellent through out drive (considering hills)

View of Kanchenjunga is excellent from Darjeeling.
Apart from the view,
There is nothing much exciting in Darjeeling.

 

We decided to drive down to Gangtok.

On the next day, we have to try our luck with permits.(zero point)

Start time: 11 AM
Reached: 7 PM

 

Hotel

Hotel : Royal Orchid
Rating: 5/5
Cost: 2300/- (value for money and very neat property)

 

Food

Breakfast :Royal Suite Mirik(4/5)
Lunch : Nepal (4/5)(you can find plenty of bars, hookahs, Momo shops..in Pashupathi market)
Dinner : Royal Orchid(4/5)

 

Beautiful roads en-route to Nepal

Best view of tea estates 

Image quality from pixel is quite impressive, I did not  use DSRL for the entire trip. 

Selfie time

Nepal entrance 

 

Enroute to Darjeling 

First view of might Kanchenjunga

This is first time, I missed the DSLR

 

 

light started to fade away, this is at 4PM

 

[mayank]

Wow, your stay at mirik looks fabulous and the price is so unbelievable. I wouldn't mind staying there for a month. Is it like an airbnb stay? Do they have a kitchen to serve the guests or do we have to prepare our own food?

Edited February 7, 2019 by mayank

[sagar]

You log from now gets more and more interesting. Great going and waiting for more   Btw, The place looks like a never to miss out on. Has always been in my to do list and failed to make it last year. My desire to do this now goes on a heavier side  

[Gowtham]

4 hours ago, mayank said:

I wouldn't mind staying there for a month.

 

We had similar thoughts. 
Ideal place to getaway for a month. 

 

4 hours ago, mayank said:

Is it like an airbnb stay? Do they have a kitchen to serve the guests or do we have to prepare our own food?

It is AirBnB.

They have fantastic restaurant. 

[Gowtham]

Day 7: Gangtok, Zero kilometers.

 

Our aim is to get permits for North Sikkim.
North Sikkim permits are available at Mangan.

 

Documents required for permits:
- Original RC
- Original License
- Identity card (Aadhar)
- Insurance
- PUC
- Passport size photos

 

Permits:
- Lachen
- Lachung
- Zero point
- Gurudongmarg lake
- Yumthang valley

 

Entire process took half day.
Finally we managed to get permits.

Every one is curious about TS registration vehicle.
We had to explain them about newly formed state :)

Once you get the permits in hand,
You need to take photo copies of the permit (6 photo copies)

'

At each check post,
We need to show the original permit and get it stamped.
Also, We should provide the photo copy of original permit.

 

We did some shopping around Gangtok,
We visited few places in MG Marg.

 

Hotel : Royal Orchid
Rating: 5/5
Cost: 2300/- (value for money and very neat property)

 

Breakfast : MG marg
Lunch : MG Marg (5/5) Many street food options are available.
Dinner : Royal Orchid(4/5)

 

Agents for permits:

Pulazor 77970 01118 for North Sikkim permits at mangan.

 

Morning view from the hotel

 

MG Marg, We spent half a day, hopping different bars/food joints,

Ideal places for couples

 

Sunset view from the accommodation 

 

[KSK]

@Ranger

That is intensely visual and profound travelogue. Your write-up is like going through poems. Details provided are very helpful. Waiting for the complete report.

[Gowtham]

17 hours ago, KSK said:

Your write-up is like going through poems.

 

Thank you. But nowhere closing to you writing skill man. 

 

Day 8: Gangtok to Lachung, Yumthang, Zero point and Lachen

Early morning start is a must.

According to local people, Winds will pickup from the afternoon.

 

Plastic water bottles are not allowed after crossing checkpoints.(Gangtok )
Only option is hot water.

 

If you carry plastic water bottle, you will be fined around 1k.

Roads are very bad,
Good ground clearance is a must on these sections.

 

These sections are dominated by cabs.
Our Duster is the only car with white plate.

 

Crowd is very less and we loved it.( due to snow )

We spent around 1 hour in some locations without any disturbance.

Roads are slippery due to snow,

 

Few sections has black ice.

Snow chains are must in winter.
In our case AT tyres helped a lot.

 

We went further, where local cabs did not dare to venture.

Start time: 5 AM
Reached: 9 PM

Hotel : Will update
Rating: 2.5/5
Cost: 3400/-

 

Only food options are Maggi and Momo

Breakfast : Road side food joints(3/5)
Lunch : Maggi
Dinner : we skipped

 

All the pictures are taken from Pixel,

Built into the nature, dream home?

Unnamed roads begin and we love it

We crossed numerous bridges and landslides 

Only section of good road deserve a picture

Duster basking in the Sun

Lachen : The big pass

 

 

After gaining some altitude, we started seeing snow patches

 

 

Of all the wonders in the world, In my view Himalayas is the greatest 

 

 

 

Slush

There is not even a single sole from this point,

All the struggle from the past 10 days is worth it, best/memorable day of the trip. 

Dreamy, My favourite picture of the trip

Sound of silence

Slip and slide

It is completely snow from this point,
We pushed little ahead and decided to stop for the day.

We spent around an hour at this places and decided to drive back. (badly missed snow chains/4x4)

Selfie of the day

[Sridhar Tandra]

Did Duster slip / struggle at any point on this entire stretch @Ranger in spite of the AT's that you have had? I am sure it must have at one point or the other looking at the intensity of snow / Ice on the roads! How did you manage at those stretches in case if you have come across one?

[Gowtham]

Not on the entire stretch.

Some patches only, we used to come across them every one/two kilometers at the peak.

 

AT tyres are of no use in thick snow.

Only advantage is we were able to push ourselves little ahead of others.

 

Maintain momentum,

Very less steering/brake inputs.

Don't panic and pray.

 

We had few scary moments where the car used to fishtail on curves.

[SK01]

On 1/11/2019 at 2:59 PM, Ranger said:

Started exploring Vizag beaches.

It is definitely one of the cleanest City in the country.

Roads are clean, dust and pothole free.

 

Roads are beautiful in Vizag. Even the internal roads. visited Vizag in the month of Dec 2017, such a bliss driving on those roads. Very little traffic even during the peak hours compared to Hyderabad. 

[sagar]

36 minutes ago, Ranger said:

We had few scary moments where the car used to fishtail on curves

 

Interesting! Was it similar to the incident which we have experienced earlier at the Prashar lake ?  

[mit1682]

wow @Ranger very nice, clean and crisp photos. Every shot has something to say. Love it.

[KSK]

4 hours ago, Ranger said:

 

There is not even a single sole from this point,

All the struggle from the past 10 days is worth it, best/memorable day of the trip. 

 

A chance to rejoice in our solitude to its purity is rare these days. Superb!

 

4 hours ago, Ranger said:

 

Dreamy, My favourite picture of the trip

 

Indeed. It is breathtaking!

[Gowtham]

2 hours ago, Krish said:

Roads are beautiful in Vizag. Even the internal roads. visited Vizag in the month of Dec 2017, such a bliss driving on those roads. Very little traffic even during the peak hours compared to Hyderabad. 

 

Agree on it. I was surprised looking at the cleanliness of Vizag. 

I am not sure about internal roads, but the road along the beach is fantastic.

 

2 hours ago, sagar said:

we have experienced earlier at the Prashar lake ?

 

Haha, it is the most scariest one.(first time experience)

This time we got used to it. 

 

1 hour ago, mit1682 said:

very nice, clean and crisp photos.

 

4 minutes ago, KSK said:

Indeed.

 

Thank you

[sagar]

@Ranger I have also noticed some interesting food pictures that you have shared. Can you share the names of the local delicacies in the places you've toured.

[SK01]

On 2/13/2019 at 1:14 PM, Ranger said:

Not on the entire stretch.

 

Tips on driving that you give out if your experience during these kind of situations? 

[Gowtham]

On 2/14/2019 at 8:43 AM, SK01 said:

Tips on driving that you give out if your experience during these kind of situations? 

 

• Maintain steady pace
• Stay in higher gear (as much as possible) 
• No sudden steering inputs
• Brake gently, no harsh braking. Plan in advance.
• Don't panic, We panicked during the first slippage, later we got used to it   

[ksa171983]

i dont mind taking 2 complete months of my leave exhausting my leaves for the year and staying here @Ranger

Beautiful ..

[sagar]

14 hours ago, ksa171983 said:

i dont mind taking 2 complete months of my leave exhausting my leaves for the year and staying here @Ranger

Beautiful ..

Hey @ksa171983 .. Waiting for your Rajasthan trip log  

[ksa171983]

On 3/13/2019 at 8:25 AM, sagar said:

Waiting for your Rajasthan trip log

sab hoga sab hoga .. as of now FB mein pics upload done..

[SK01]

On 2/28/2019 at 5:13 PM, Ranger said:

 

• Maintain steady pace
• Stay in higher gear (as much as possible) 
• No sudden steering inputs
• Brake gently, no harsh braking. Plan in advance.
• Don't panic, We panicked during the first slippage, later we got used to it   

@Rangercan a cross hatch like Freestyle do this trip?

[sagar]

1 hour ago, SK01 said:

@Rangercan a cross hatch like Freestyle do this trip?

 

Ofcourse it can do this trip. All you need to have is a good presence of mind, experience and confidence in handling tricky situation

[ksa171983]

2 hours ago, sagar said:

 
Ofcourse it can do this trip. All you need to have is a good presence of mind, experience and confidence in handling tricky situation

Ivanni naaku vundunte driving lonekaadu jeevitham loguda bavupadevaadini [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SK01]

2 hours ago, sagar said:

 

Ofcourse it can do this trip. All you need to have is a good presence of mind, experience and confidence in handling tricky situation

@sagar will plan for this trip in this year. @Rangerhow did it cost for the entire trip?

 

1 hour ago, SK01 said:

@sagar will plan for this trip in this year. @Rangerhow did it cost for the entire trip?

What’s the suitable time to do this trip?

[Gowtham]

2 hours ago, SK01 said:

how did it cost for the entire trip?

 

Costed us around 1.8 lakhs for four members. Inclusive of all (shopping) expenses. 

 

2 hours ago, SK01 said:

What’s the suitable time to do this trip?

 

Roads are open though out the year, expect for peak winter. 

 

 

3 hours ago, SK01 said:

can a cross hatch like Freestyle do this trip?

 

You can do it without any issue. 

 

[Pralay]

@Ranger.. I have no words to explain my feelings looking at pictures & log you have shared. Feeling like watching a movie and its the intermission time. Hope the second half is even more exciting !! ?

[Gowtham]

2 hours ago, Pralay said:

I have no words to explain my feelings looking at pictures & log you have shared. Feeling like watching a movie and its the intermission time.

 

Thank you

 

2 hours ago, Pralay said:

Hope the second half is even more exciting !!

Yes it is..

[Anand Singh]

Road looks beautiful and also Driving in this type Weather is bliss.

Every Pic looks Fantastic @Ranger, Keep Smiling  

 

[SK01]

On 3/20/2019 at 11:46 AM, Ranger said:

Costed us around 1.8 lakhs for four members. Inclusive of all (shopping) expenses. 

@Ranger could you please send me the details of stay during your entire trip. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by SK01

[sagar]

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 12:04 PM, SK01 said:

@Ranger could you please send me the details of stay during your entire trip. 

 

I think @Ranger has already shared all the details of the stay with pictures of everyday. He is yet to finish up the post of their drive to Bhutan or is that all?  

[Gowtham]

On 3/22/2019 at 10:14 PM, Anand Singh said:

Every Pic looks Fantastic

 

Thank you

 

On 3/23/2019 at 12:04 PM, SK01 said:

could you please send me the details of stay during your entire trip. 

 

I have attached accommodation names, price and rating for all the stays en-route. (at the beginning of each day) 

[SK01]

16 hours ago, Ranger said:

 

Thank you

 

 

I have attached accommodation names, price and ranting for all the stays en-route. (at the beginning of each day) 

I may have missed checking it. Thank you @Ranger.

[BORNDRIVER]

Hello Ranger ,

 

Yesterday evening , I read the entire blog.

I felt like really I am travelling with you guys. Couple of questions as below.

 

1. It was a planned trip or sudden trip ? If sudden one, I must salute you and your friends. If it was planned it must be a very exhaustive planning.

 

2. I understood that the accommodation in each of your halts were not pre-booked and you booked them after reaching those places ?

 

The accommodation in MIRIK is like a dream house and a perfect place to have a wonderful leisure time. How you came to know about this accommodation in Mirik.

 

3. During your entire trip , I saw the stretch near FARAKKA BARRIAGE is horrible .Total how many km is so bad in this stretch ?

 

4. I saw the stretch between SIKKIM TO LACHEN,LACHUNG....etc is also equally bad, In some of these stretch , I dont see any road at all and the roads are very narrow.

I guess you were continuously climbing up while going from GANGTOK to LACHEN, LACHUNG.... ?

 

5. Is it possible to do this stretch (GANGTOK to LACHEN,LACHUNG...)  by using SEDANs like CITY/VERNA/TOYOTA ETIOS? I think SUVs are perfect for this ....Till GANGTOK no issue for SEDANs.

 

Finally a mesmerising trip and equally a wonderful travel blog. Again a big Salute.

 

About your comment on PURI. (HIGH EXPECTATION but Pretty Average).

 

I am little sad (joking) as I am  a NATIVE of BHUBANESWAR (ODISHA) which is very closed to PURI.

 

However I do agree with you. This city is not being maintained well and it is not because of city  administration but more towards mindset of the peoples.

 

In fact PURI beach is one of the most famous beach in India but it is not clean and you will find lots of wastes here and there around the beach.

 

We used to visit PURI ,Whenever we go to Bhubaneswar (almost once a year during summer vacation of kids), but our travel is solely for DARSHAN of LORD JAGANNATH and spend 1 to 2 hr in beach. 

 

Regards

BORN DRIVER

[Gowtham]

On 3/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

I understood that the accommodation in each of your halts were not pre-booked and you booked them after reaching those places ?

 

We used to book the accommodation when we are in the mid way.
Pre booking is very difficult, We can't afford to miss a single destination.

 

On 3/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

The accommodation in MIRIK is like a dream house and a perfect place to have a wonderful leisure time. How you came to know about this accommodation in Mirik.

 

Airbnb

 

On 3/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

During your entire trip , I saw the stretch near FARAKKA BARRIAGE is horrible .Total how many km is so bad in this stretch ?

 

There are many bad stretches in the entire drive. Most of them are manageable. 

Farakka bridge is a disaster, some trucks get stuck for more than three days. Horrible management. 

 

On 3/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

4. I saw the stretch between SIKKIM TO LACHEN,LACHUNG....etc is also equally bad, In some of these stretch , I dont see any road at all and the roads are very narrow.

I guess you were continuously climbing up while going from GANGTOK to LACHEN, LACHUNG.... ?

 

5. Is it possible to do this stretch (GANGTOK to LACHEN,LACHUNG...)  by using SEDANs like CITY/VERNA/TOYOTA ETIOS? I think SUVs are perfect for this ....Till GANGTOK no issue for SEDANs.

 

Most of the roads around Sikkim are average, narrow/single lanes. 

Any car can do with some careful driving. One needs to drive with lot of caution. 

 

On 3/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

Finally a mesmerising trip and equally a wonderful travel blog. Again a big Salute.

 

Thank you

 

On 3/26/2019 at 10:45 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

About your comment on PURI. (HIGH EXPECTATION but Pretty Average).

 

Place is decent but nothing much to encourage tourism.
Very few beach resorts options which are quite expensive. 

[BORNDRIVER]

Thank you Ranger.

 

Yes for us ODISHA peoples, PURI means LORD JAGANNATH TEMPLE, SRI LOKNATH TEMPLE (near to PURI) and SEA BEACH..... Nothing else...I never stayed in PURI overnight.....?

 

Because my Hometown is Bhubaneswar which is just 60km from PURI. We normally start to PURI around 1 PM and reach by 2 or 2:30 (very high traffic every time between PURI & BHUBANESWAR ). Do the DARSHAN in the temple , take lunch inside the temple (SPECIAL FOOD called ABHADA). Take a look at the picture . This is called ABHADA or LORD JAGANNATH's PRASAD. You will get them inside the temple . We always eat this whenever we visit PURI . There are ample space inside the temple where you can sit and eat .  We eat the food on BANANA LEAF..... If you see below picture , the person has holding BANANA leaf.  We always visit PURI as a group .  ry once if you go to PURI again or come with me ...We will go together .......??

 

 

Any ROAD REPAIR GOING on in  FARAKKA BARRIAGE ? This FARAKKA BARRIAGE road is how much km ?

 

Regards

BORNDRIVER

[Gowtham]

On 3/29/2019 at 11:48 AM, BORNDRIVER said:

Any ROAD REPAIR GOING on in  FARAKKA BARRIAGE ? This FARAKKA BARRIAGE road is how much km ?

 

I think they are still pending. 
Try to check online (news).

 

It was horrible during our last visit. 

Truck drivers suffer a lot. 

[ksa171983]

@Rangeri see this as the next destination .. how difficult is the terrain overall? During my Spiti trip i found driving post 9pm towards reckong peo to be the toughest and post sunset at Hikkim/Koumik... When you were describing the roads my brain was remembering these roads ...

So you took Mirik route only to go towards Nepal is it?

What was total km covered?

Duster got new tyres before the trip (they look fresh ).

How commercial is sikkim compared to shimla and manali (not the spiti valley)?

 

 

[Gowtham]

On 6/17/2019 at 8:23 PM, ksa171983 said:

how difficult is the terrain overall?

 

I would say, it is better than Spiti valley. 
But the problem is timing, In December this terrain is difficult compared to Spiti (in summer, Monsoon)
4x4 with snow chains is a must in December. 

 

On 6/17/2019 at 8:23 PM, ksa171983 said:

So you took Mirik route only to go towards Nepal is it?

 

Yeah

On 6/17/2019 at 8:23 PM, ksa171983 said:

What was total km covered?

 

Around 4~5k 

 

On 6/17/2019 at 8:23 PM, ksa171983 said:

Duster got new tyres before the trip (they look fresh ).

 

We got them a day before the trip

 

On 6/17/2019 at 8:23 PM, ksa171983 said:

How commercial is sikkim compared to shimla and manali (not the spiti valley)?

 

NE is opposite to commercial.

My next trip would be somewhere around Arunachal Pradesh. 
At least in December, very few tourists. 
Our car is the only self drive car. Most of them are cabs, very limited in number. 

 

[Guest Radhika Kundur]

AMAZING trip, you guys !!

taking a few pointers from here.

[Gowtham]

On 11/19/2021 at 11:53 PM, Guest Radhika Kundur said:

AMAZING trip, you guys !!

taking a few pointers from here.

Thank you.