Nothing but the highway as company, cool air on my face and ever changing landscapes... a boyhood dream was realised
The 350 cc engine roared, breaking the calm of the late October dawn, as my brother and I got all set to go on a bike trip from Kathmandu to Kalimpong, India. It had taken a lot of persuasion and coaxing my mother to let us take this road trip. Being a big fan of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's motorcycle journey television series Long Way Round, I'd always wanted to do something similar. And here I was, finally, ready to experience the same thrill and perhaps also the excitement of possible danger that comes along as man and machine head out on the highway .
Day 1: Kathmandu to Dharan At 4:00 am, while the city lay asleep, we set out on our journey with the goal to reach Kakarvitta, the eastern border, before nightfall. The quickest way to reach the destination was to take the Dakshinkali-Kulekhani road to Hetauda. We had an early breakfast near Khulekhani and after a few hours into the journey, we reached Hetauda, where we made the necessary checks on our bike to ensure that our best friend for the trip would not betray us down the road.
The hills on the horizon slowly started to disappear and the temperature started rising as we passed Hetauda. The roads got a lot smoother and straighter and I was left amazed by how, after every few kilometres, people and culture changed. A quick stop for lunch somewhere near Lahan gave us a taste of terrible highway food. As exhaustion had started creeping in and Kakarvitta was still a long way to go, a nap under the trees hidden away from the afternoon scorching sun, a few kilometres after Jhapa, was truly blissful.
By the time we reached the Koshi Barrage, it was already late afternoon and reaching Kakarvitta before dark didn't seem possible. On reaching Itahari, we decided to head to Dharan instead for the night and on reaching there, all that was on our mind was a warm shower, a delicious meal (Dharane Pork BBQ, which truly lived up to its fame) and a good night's sleep.
Day 2: Dharan to Kakarvitta The next morning, Dharan greeted us with a beautiful cool day and since Kakarvitta wasn't really that far off anymore, we rode off to the famous Charles Tower in Bhedetar, a 20-minute ride from Dharan. The air was crisp, and the view, absolutely beautiful. After a quick re-check of our bike, it was time to hit the road again and as we reached Kakarvitta, it was late afternoon.
After hotel check-in and currency exchange, we retired for the night, excited that we would be riding on Indian highways, come tomorrow morning.
Day 3 and 4: Kakarvitta to Darjeeling to Kalimpong -the road trip was finally international As soon as the border office opened for the day, we filled up the necessary paper work. From Siliguri, we took the highway to Darjeeling and by afternoon amidst much traffic mayhem (it was prime time for tourists from the plains to head for the hills, so we couldn't have picked a better time!), we reached the `Queen of the Hills'. Upon arrival, it struck us that not making prior hotel reservation was a big blunder, as every other hotel we went to was packed. A few hours later, we met a guy who arranged a place (a dingy one obviously) for an exorbitant price -a price we paid for being careless.
On our first day, we rode the toy train (the very one which you see in all the Hindi films that are filmed in Darjeeling), hung out at Chowrasta, the most happening place in the town (it's a sin not to go there when you visit the town) and ended the evening watching a movie at the town's only mall, Rink Mall.
The next day, we went for a ride on the ropeway known as `Rangeet Valley Passenger Cable Car' and were rewarded with beautiful views of tea gardens, rivers and mountains in the backdrop. As afternoon came, we were on the road again to Kalimpong.
Winding roads that twist and bend into hills, small settlements that appear out of nowhere, lush green tea gardens, and amazing mountain views followed us almost all the way to Kalimpong.
By late afternoon, we had reached our destination. fternoon, we had reached our destination.
For lunch, we stopped by a tiny restaurant on a friend's recommend ation. He had sworn by their pork momos. And boy, oh boy, were they delicious! After a hearty lunch, we went to the famous Deolo Hill, for a serene view of the hills and the Teesta River, which you can see from the top. The four-day road trip from Kathmandu to Kalimpong was a pure joy, which ended sooner than I'd have liked. Four days with nothing but the highway as company, cool air on my face and ever changing landscapes, it was a boyhood dream come true. The people and places that we came across and the beauty of the nature left a lasting impression. The joy and overwhelming feeling of fulfilling a long cherished dream still linger on my mind.
-Tsering Ngodup Lama
Source: The Himalayan Times, 24 Oct 2013
Photo Courtesy : The Himalayan Times, Oct 24 2013
Day 1: Kathmandu to Dharan At 4:00 am, while the city lay asleep, we set out on our journey with the goal to reach Kakarvitta, the eastern border, before nightfall. The quickest way to reach the destination was to take the Dakshinkali-Kulekhani road to Hetauda. We had an early breakfast near Khulekhani and after a few hours into the journey, we reached Hetauda, where we made the necessary checks on our bike to ensure that our best friend for the trip would not betray us down the road.
The hills on the horizon slowly started to disappear and the temperature started rising as we passed Hetauda. The roads got a lot smoother and straighter and I was left amazed by how, after every few kilometres, people and culture changed. A quick stop for lunch somewhere near Lahan gave us a taste of terrible highway food. As exhaustion had started creeping in and Kakarvitta was still a long way to go, a nap under the trees hidden away from the afternoon scorching sun, a few kilometres after Jhapa, was truly blissful.
By the time we reached the Koshi Barrage, it was already late afternoon and reaching Kakarvitta before dark didn't seem possible. On reaching Itahari, we decided to head to Dharan instead for the night and on reaching there, all that was on our mind was a warm shower, a delicious meal (Dharane Pork BBQ, which truly lived up to its fame) and a good night's sleep.
Day 2: Dharan to Kakarvitta The next morning, Dharan greeted us with a beautiful cool day and since Kakarvitta wasn't really that far off anymore, we rode off to the famous Charles Tower in Bhedetar, a 20-minute ride from Dharan. The air was crisp, and the view, absolutely beautiful. After a quick re-check of our bike, it was time to hit the road again and as we reached Kakarvitta, it was late afternoon.
After hotel check-in and currency exchange, we retired for the night, excited that we would be riding on Indian highways, come tomorrow morning.
Day 3 and 4: Kakarvitta to Darjeeling to Kalimpong -the road trip was finally international As soon as the border office opened for the day, we filled up the necessary paper work. From Siliguri, we took the highway to Darjeeling and by afternoon amidst much traffic mayhem (it was prime time for tourists from the plains to head for the hills, so we couldn't have picked a better time!), we reached the `Queen of the Hills'. Upon arrival, it struck us that not making prior hotel reservation was a big blunder, as every other hotel we went to was packed. A few hours later, we met a guy who arranged a place (a dingy one obviously) for an exorbitant price -a price we paid for being careless.
On our first day, we rode the toy train (the very one which you see in all the Hindi films that are filmed in Darjeeling), hung out at Chowrasta, the most happening place in the town (it's a sin not to go there when you visit the town) and ended the evening watching a movie at the town's only mall, Rink Mall.
The next day, we went for a ride on the ropeway known as `Rangeet Valley Passenger Cable Car' and were rewarded with beautiful views of tea gardens, rivers and mountains in the backdrop. As afternoon came, we were on the road again to Kalimpong.
Winding roads that twist and bend into hills, small settlements that appear out of nowhere, lush green tea gardens, and amazing mountain views followed us almost all the way to Kalimpong.
By late afternoon, we had reached our destination. fternoon, we had reached our destination.
For lunch, we stopped by a tiny restaurant on a friend's recommend ation. He had sworn by their pork momos. And boy, oh boy, were they delicious! After a hearty lunch, we went to the famous Deolo Hill, for a serene view of the hills and the Teesta River, which you can see from the top. The four-day road trip from Kathmandu to Kalimpong was a pure joy, which ended sooner than I'd have liked. Four days with nothing but the highway as company, cool air on my face and ever changing landscapes, it was a boyhood dream come true. The people and places that we came across and the beauty of the nature left a lasting impression. The joy and overwhelming feeling of fulfilling a long cherished dream still linger on my mind.-Tsering Ngodup Lama
Source: The Himalayan Times, 24 Oct 2013
Photo Courtesy : The Himalayan Times, Oct 24 2013
