Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Sadak e Azam 2014




GT Road holds a special place in my heart. When I was about ten years old, my father first showed it to me while we were going to my aunt's house in Howrah. He said if you walked along this road you would reach Delhi, Lahore and even Kabul. I used to feel fascinated by the idea. As I grew older I took this road to go to various places. First real long distance travel on this road was when I went to Benares a few years ago in my Esteem. Next I went to Rajasthan in 2011 but I left GT Road a little ahead of Kanpur and went towards Jhansi. While coming back I took GT Road from Agra (where I came in via Jaipur). In fact the photograph of camels in the banner of this blog was taken on GT Road in Jharkhand during our 2011 Rajasthan trip.

In September-October 2014 the call of the road once again became strong, particularly after purchasing the Duster. So off we went. The final trip became something like this. Day 1 Calcutta to Benares. Day 2 Benares to Agra. Day 3 was devoted to Agra city and I showed my daughter the wonders of the Taj, Agra Fort and Sikandra. Unfortunately I couldn't manage Itmad-ud-Daula. On Day 4 we went first to Fatehpur and Sikri and then off to Bharatpur's Keoladeo National Park. Day 5 was spent in the park. Day 6 we went to Noida via Agra and stayed with my friend Dadu (Abhijit Majumdar). Day 7 and 8 were spent in company of them visiting various historical monuments like Purana Qilla, Qutab Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb. Day 9 we drove from Noida to Benares. Day 10 was Benares to Calcutta.

Bharatpur was not in my initial target list. I had wanted to go to Jarar near Chambal. But the climate being quite warm I decided against it as there would hardly be any bird around this time of the year and spending Rs 7500 for just one night in the resort there would be pointless if there was no bird. So we chose to go to Bharatpur instead. I was very happy about the decision. Saw a few lifers like Grey Nightjar, White-eyed Buzzard and Eurasian Spoonbill (funny but true I had never before seen this last bird in the wild). 

I want to write down the various sectors of the road so that friends who want to take this journey can benefit. One word on fuel consumption. I had kept copious details of the journey as derived from the trip computer on a daily basis. It is mentioned here too. However, I find that my total fuel consumption is 204 liters, as per actual bills, as opposed to 180 liters as per the trip computer. It can mean two things. Either the trip computer is a little off the mark. Or the petrol pumps have doctored meters. It could be a little bit of both as well. I will check my trip computer in the city and give a better opinion on it later. 

At Purana Qilla parking lot 

September 28, 2014. Day One. Calcutta to Benares.

Total Distance: 699 km
Average Speed - 54 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 38.1 lit
Average FE: 18.5 kmpl
Driving Time: 5:30 am to 6:30 pm
One line sum up: Very clogged highway. Very slow average speed. Six laning is an immediate priority.

We started early from Calcutta. The highway was absolutely clogged with trucks, moving very slowly. I knew the reason. Just too many overloaded slow trucks. The agony ended in a few kilometers after we crossed the bridge near Das Nagar which is operational only on one side. The next agonising stretch was through Panagarh town where the highway goes right through the town and it is a badly damaged road there. I followed a local bus which just jumped the lane and blazed through the opposite lane. 

After Panagarh you pass through Durgapur, Asansol, Kulti, Barakar. This is where you leave West Bengal and enter Jharkhand. There are many trucks parked for the entry tax formalities. But we managed to cross it without getting stuck. 

The journey through Jharkhand was uneventful. But general traffic movement is very high making it impossible to pick up speed. The typical scene is on the first lane there is a slow moving auto rickshaw which is being overtaken by a slightly faster truck. So you have to wait. The important towns that you bypass on this sector are Dhanbad, Bokaro, Parasnath, Hazaribagh. The road is beautiful after Top Chanchi. Hazaribagh district is really very pretty. It is a pity that there is no tourism infrastructure here. 

After Jharkhand the road goes through Bihar. The beautiful Tilaiya lake is on the right hand side. If you are keen to go to Gaya there is an exit here. But our destination is Benares. So we move on through Aurangabad and then Dehri on Sone. It is a very long bridge. My father, I remember, used to refer to Sone as the tears of Bihar. 

Somewhere along the way the exit to Sasaram is also there. But I think I missed the road sign announcing that this time.

The next big town to go through is Mohania which is the border between Bihar and UP. Next meaningful exit is for Mughal Sarai and a little after this comes the Ganga bridge. There is an exit into the town of Benares immediately after crossing this bridge. The road goes down to the left and then winds it way into the town in the opposite direction. I do not take this route (the first time I did) as it goes through winding roads of the town. Instead I go straight down the highway and turn right through the old GT Road as it comes out of the city towards the Allahabad end.

All along the highway outside the city were parked trucks carrying sand. Hundreds of them. I wonder what kind of infrastructure is coming up in the region to require so much of sand every day. We saw the same scene while coming back too.

We were pre-booked in Meraden Grand - Mampu's most favourite hotel anywhere in the world. In the evening we went on our customary trip to Dasassamedh ghat. Ganga Arati was over. Had a total of 250 grams of malai from Pagla's shop in Biswanath Gali. Malai is Rs 400 a kilo and Rabri (which is sugar sweet) is Rs 350.

Hotel Review: On our first trip to Benares we had stayed in this hotel and Mampu fell in love with it for its bathtub. It remains her most favourite hotel anywhere. The hotel is a little expensive but they have a deal with Exide and they give us rooms at a deep discount. If you are going to Benares for Viswanath temple and ghats etc, this hotel is completely impractical. It is quite far from there. It does not have covered parking. But they organise a secure parking lot with 24-hour security. We stay here only because we love Mampu.

On our return trip we didn't get accommodation here so found out a hotel near the station just off old NH2 which is much cheaper, has a basement parking lot of its own and all the other mod-cons. Will review it later in this blog.

September 29, 2014. Day Two. Benares to Agra.

Total Distance: 608.8 km
Average Speed - 56.6 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 33.5 lit
Average FE: 18.1 kmpl
Driving Time: 8:20 am to 7:30 pm
Hotel: Bhawna Clarks Inn 0562 2650400
One line sum up: Kanpur to Ettawah being six-laned with 35 diversions. NH2 through Firozabad and Agra are really terribly jam prone. 





We started relatively late on the second day after the buffet breakfast. Took the old GT Road and then turned right towards Allahabad from the new highway. The stretch from Benares to Allahabad is fairly urbanised. Full of local people, vegetable markets, auto rickshaws and small non-descript towns. Sitamarih is on the way where Sita had to take the test by fire. There are road pointers showing the way to "Sita Samadhisthal".

The Allahabad by-pass is very obvious and you can't miss it. A new development is they have put up petrol pumps there now. It took us about an hour to cross the fully concreted bypass. Till Kanpur the journey is pretty uneventful and there is nothing worth mentioning. It's relatively a little desolate here.

From Kanpur onward the road is being six-laned up to Etawah. There are some 35 diversions due to flyovers (the technical term is underpass). Average speed is therefore affected on this stretch. But once the work is completed I am sure this will be one of the fastest stretches on the journey.

The name Etawah somehow sends chills down the spine. In my school days we used to read news stories of notorious Chambal dacoits surrendering ceremoniously and the datelines of those stories always used to be Etawah or Morena or Bhind. I associate these three names with notorious dacoits of Chambal. Of course now that profession is a dead one. They and their children are all in politics now.

After Etawah I thought driving into Agra would be a breeze. But I wasn't prepared for this small town called Firozabad. It's somewhat like Panagarh in the sense the highway goes right through the town. It's chock-a-block full of traffic. Cart-loads of glass bangles were being taken around. Soon we realised it is a glassware manufacturing hub. Later we learnt it is indeed the capital for this particular industry. There are huge buildings the size of the Exide head office that are selling chandeliers and other lamp sheds - stand alone single shops. I wish there was some decent parking facility. I would have bought some lamp sheds and glasses. But I concentrated on the bumper-to-bumper traffic. I think it took us about an hour to cross the 2 km stretch through the town.

Next agonising part was the drive down NH2 through Agra town. Once again a very pathetic bumper to bumper drive. Finding our hotel Bhawna Clarks Inn was relatively easy. It is just opposite the Sikandra Gurdwara which is on your right hand side a little after the Bhagwan Talkies Flyover (a major landmark in Agra). The entry towards the hotel is via a V-turn to the left and then you get the hotel after crossing the flyover.

Hotel Review: If you are driving in from Calcutta Bhawna Clarks Inn is ideally located. It is just off the highway, albeit after you cross the city. It has a secure basement parking. However, the hotel's rooms are rather cramped and so is the bathroom. Food is very expensive. I think three fresh lime sodas in the room cost us something like Rs 400. The hotel is also located quite far from Taj or Agra Fort. Sikandra is just a kilometer away though. The hotel has its own diesel generator.

This hotel is okay if you are driving into Agra and you don't want to enter the lanes and by-lanes of the city with your car. Otherwise it is eminently avoidable. Incidentally there is another Bhavna on the other side of the highway before the Gurdwara, which is fine for a night too. But it does not have a very robust generator of its own. We had stayed there in 2011 for a night and the experience wasn't very good.

Next time I go to Agra for a few days, I am going to stay somewhere close to Taj. It's expensive though.

September 30, 2014. Day Three. Within City




We went in an auto to Sikandra in the morning. Later we went to Agra Fort and Taj by the same auto, Didn't even look at the car.



October 1, 2014. Day Four. Agra to Bharatpur via Fatehpur Sikri.

Total Distance: 64.7 km
Average Speed - 34 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 3.5 lit
Average FE: 18.5 kmpl
Driving Time: 10:25 am to 2:30 pm (includes time spent in FS)
Stay: Shanti Kutir Forest Rest House
One line sum up: Very nice and quiet road. Very well marked out with prominent road directions for drivers from out of state.







The drive from Bhawna Clarks to Fatehpur Sikri is totally uneventful. You hardly need to ask anyone for directions. Everything is very well marked out. You can take the road in front of Akbar's tomb or the road in front of the hotel itself. We took both. One while going and the other while coming back.


Finding out Shanti Kutir FRH in Bharatpur is a little tricky as we didn't know it was right inside the park (there is another ITDC hotel inside the park). There are many hotels outside the gate. The area is called Sarus Morh. We parked our car outside the park's gate and hired a rickshaw to go to Shanti Kutir for booking enquiries. It is a good one and a half kilometer inside the park. I immediately regretted not getting the camera as I saw a jackal within handshaking distance and a white-eyed buzzard (I saw them later too and photographed as well).

Luckily we got accommodation on the first floor for two nights. Went back to the gate and brought the car in. They allow you to take the car inside only if you have confirmed booking in the FRH.




Hotel Review: Shanti Kutir is not a hotel. It is a forest rest house. Basically a government office with facilities for some people to stay. The room is huge (has a two tonne AC and two electric fans) and so is the bathroom, which has a working geyser. It has a basic generator that will light up one tube light and a fan only if there is a power cut. The bathroom light does not work on generator. So it is advisable to keep a candle ready. 

Food is extremely basic. Just "daal-chawal-sabzi". Eggs are fine in breakfast but not the meat of the bird that lays the eggs or any other form of non-veg food. If there are VIP visitors there during your stay (and Bharatpur is very VIP prone with at least two vehicles with beacon lights always parked there at any given point of time) the cooks and waiters - who are all employees of the forest department - will not even look at you. It happened with me too and I had to lose my temper in a controlled way to get my food at 3 pm (they wouldn't serve me till the VIPs finished their lunch and left). 

But all said and done - Shanti Kutir is true to its name. Very peaceful. You can often hear the trucks on the highway a kilometer or so away but birds and insects can often drown that out.



October 2, 2014. Day Five. In Bharatpur 

The day was spent exploring the park. Got lucky with a Sarus Crane's mating call which I managed to record with my new recording gear Marantz PMD661 Mk II and Sennheiser K6/ME66. Migratory birds had still not arrived. But Eurasian Spoonbills, Black-headed Ibises and Painted Storks or Asian Openbills were found nesting. 


October 3, 2014. Day Six. Bharatpur to Noida.

Total Distance: 268.2 km
Average Speed - 66.9 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 14.3 lit
Average FE: 18.8 kmpl
Driving Time: 9:35 am to 2:00 pm 
Stay: Friend's House in Noida Sect 21
One line sum up: Yamuna Expressway is quite an experience.

The drive from Bharatpur to Noida is totally uneventful except for the Yamuna Expressway, which is quite an experience. It is a 3x2 six laned totally concreted highway with barbed wire fencing on either side and guard rails as well. It is also the country's most expensive road. Toll was Rs 320 for one way journey. There is hardly any traffic on the road though. We saw a maximum of perhaps 30 cars and two trucks. The road starts from Agra and ends in Greater Noida. I think the road was created for the F1 circuit - Budh International. There is a huge sports city that is coming up. It has a cricket stadium too. I wonder if all this is just a bubble. But the road infrastructure as it is now is fantastic. All of this is owned by the Jay Prakash group. I can smell corruption here. But who cares. Even if the company that created this underutilised road goes under, the infrastructure will remain.

October 4 and 5, 2014. Day Seven and Eight. In Noida.

In Noida we stayed at our friend Abhijit Majumdar's house at Sector 21. We also met another school mate Sarit Dutta who lives in Delhi's CR Park. We had a happy time visiting the various monuments of Delhi over the next two days. Together we covered Purana Qilla, Qutab Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's tomb.


October 6, 2014. Day Nine. Noida to Benares.

Total Distance: 787.1 km
Average Speed - 68.8 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 42.8 lit
Average FE: 18.5 kmpl
Driving Time: 6:05 am to 5:00 pm 
Stay: Hotel Jahnavi
One line sum up: Roads were relatively less congested. Probably due to Eid.

The return journey from Noida to Benares was down a road that had considerably less traffic. This is probably because this was the day of Eid. We had hoped to clear Firozabad through the quiet of the morning. However, the highway was closed well before the town and we were made to go through the old state highway. I think it was a good 20 km detour and certain parts of the road was simply pathetic. If I was in a small car the bottom would have given way.


On the Expressway I had kept a steady pace of between 90 to 110. I got a fuel efficiency of 22 kmpl. However, overall FE was 18.5, which is fine.

We reached Benares in good day light. Much to Mampu's disappointment Hotel Meraden Grand was full. We found a decent hotel in Jahnavi near the Cantt station for 2k. Just as you turn right towards Ratha Yatra from the old GT Road, this hotel is on your left hand side.

The hotel has its own basement parking lot, albeit small and an instant diesel generator. The food is also decent. Godaulia is Rs 50 by rickshaw. I went alone for my customary Malai fill.


October 7, 2014. Day Ten. Benares to Calcutta.

Total Distance: 699 km
Average Speed - 63 kmph
Fuel Consumption: 35.9 lit
Average FE: 19.6 kmpl
Driving Time: 9:30 am to 8:30 pm 
One line sum up: Terrible truck traffic in the Burdwan-Calcutta sector

We took it a little casually on this last day's home stretch. Left the hotel at 9.30 am, which was a stupid thing to do. It got dark after crossing Barakar/Kulti. My speed dropped considerably in the dark due to constant light of oncoming trucks. I hate driving on this stretch in the dark.


Anyway, reached home without any fuss.

One funny thing about these long journeys is that once it is over without any remarkable incident there is nothing worth mentioning :-) Prior to the journey your mind is always filled with an unstated, quiet tension. After it gets over you are personally relieved but it doesn't make for any spectacular story. It is just another journey that was completed without anything going wrong anywhere.




Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Sandakphu With Family & Friends



The word Sandakphu evokes a lot of memories in me. And all of them are pleasant ones. I went to this “highest point in West Bengal” (12,400 feet) about 25 years ago. Completely alone and in winter when there were tonnes of snow there and no tourist except for a lone Japanese guy who I met only in Sandakphu. Slept in small shacks along the way, in my own sleeping bag that I carried in my own rucksack. These are now called “home stays” and now they offer more than just a place to sleep. In 1990 they were just homes of poor local mountain sherpas who let you sleep in their house and eat their food.

From getting bitten by a whelping bitch on a very cold night in Sandakphu to striking up friendships with the locals to getting lost in Rimbik forest, I did a lot of things that only I want to remember.

In 2000 I went there once again. This time with Monisha and of course my friend Ambarish and his wife Bidisha. Now we needed to hire a porter for our luggage. But it was one porter for the four of us. The four of us carried quite a bit of our own luggage too. We thoroughly enjoyed the trek once again, except the climb down from Sandakphu to Gurdung which really tested my thigh muscles and knees.

In 2014 March I did this same trek once again. Now with Monisha and Geetanjali (Mampu) who is ten years old. My friend Ushnik and Jhulan also accompanied us. Only Jhulan and Mampu were novice trekkers, so to say. This write up is about this third trek of mine.



The nameless lodge where we stayed in Dhotre. 


This time, on Ushnik’s suggestion, we chose a different route. We would go as far as Dhotre from NJP by jeep, which is about 20 km beyond Maneybhanjang, our usual starting point. Eat our lunch there, hire the porters (it is mandatory now to have a “guide” with you – which in real life means a porter) and proceed towards Tonglu on day one itself. Next day we would go as far as Gairibas (via Tumling and Jaubari). After that the usual breaks at Kalipokhari and Sandakphu.

We would see if we were strong enough to make it to Phalut. We didn’t have any specific plans for coming back or didn't know which route to follow. It would all depend on what we decide to do in Sandakphu. But Phalut was high on my agenda, as I had not been able to go there in my past two hikes.

Weather gods spoilt our plans a bit. We reached Dhotre around midday amid really gloomy weather. 



Gloomy is an understatement to describe Dhotre on our arrival

Dhotre is a very small hamlet with just a few houses and a couple of “home stays” only. It was biting cold and we ate our lunch of momo and tea amid a bad hailstorm. Small globules of ice were falling from the sky. After a while we decided that proceeding in this weather was out of question. We must spend the night in Dhotre and walk straight to Gairibas tomorrow. So in effect we don’t lose a day but walk more than what we had originally planned for in one day.



Ushnik discussing the porter hiring charges and route etc

Nevertheless, we hired the porters for tomorrow’s journey from the local union. These days they have unions and porters are allotted to you by rotation. We had one porter each for the Sens and the Roys. I had stuffed all our items in the large North Face backpack for the porter. I would carry my Lowepro Flipside containing the 7D with 400 mm f5.6 and 5D Mk II with 24-70 and two 1 litre water bottles on either side. It was a good 7 kg weight. Monisha would carry a small laptop carrier kind of a bag with some essentials and also my binoculars, battery chargers and my rain jacket. Mampu will be carrying a small knapsack containing her essentials. She would also carry the emergency medical kit. Rest everything was stuffed for the porter. It weighed a good 20 kg. 

The North Face sack has this incredible ability to take everything that you throw at it and find a place for it and then wait for some more. It is really a pleasure to have it. I had bought it in 2002 from the US paying a small fortune. I have never regreted the decision.

We had a basic candlelit dinner at night (there is no electricity in Dhotre; not even solar power) amid yet more thunderstorms. The food wasn’t so bad. Egg curry and rice. The ladies thought the egg curry was awful. The place isn’t so bad. We were given two rooms on the first floor. The bathroom is in the ground floor, as is the dining hall. I was surprised to find they had a nice cosy bed with blankets and quilts. Even in 2000 these home stays used to provide just a very basic bed and you were supposed to sleep in your own sleeping bags. In fact we weren’t even carrying any sleeping bag. I reconfirmed this with Ushnik several times out of sheer disbelief.



Part of our bedroom in Dhotre

Next morning, after a big breakfast of aloo paratha, we started walking at around 8 am. My porter is Manoj Tamang. Stout looking with a funny hairstyle. He smiles to see the large bag. But picks it up without a grumble. His friend Dawa is relatively frailer and younger too. He goes for Ushnik’s sac, which is relatively much lighter.

It’s not raining but not sunny either. We walk through the foresty path towards Tonglu. It’s a more than gentle gradient. But nothing too steep. Relatively, much better than the Maneybhanjang to Chitre hike on the other route. The trail goes through a dense forest. There is virtually no bird movement. One of the reasons for my choosing this route is that I was told it’s fairly bird rich. But I saw nothing.

After a couple of hours and somewhere below Tonglu our porters said we must take this narrower trail and go straight to Tumling. We must not go via Tonglu, which would be a meaningless detour.

On this short-cut trail there was a short rain of snowy globules. Since there was no water, I didn’t mind. I got a bit nervous about the cameras though and pulled the raincover on the bag, which remained throughout the journey. Monisha had the umbrella ready in her bag. Soon enough I could see the huge white Chorten of Tumling and felt reassured.

We had a short tea break at Tumling. I saw a yellow-billed blue magpie, but couldn’t photograph it. After some biscuits and tea we started our onward march to Jaubari. This is a gentle walk of a little more than an hour, which we did comfortably. A little out of Tumling, you officially enter the Singalila National Park. There is a fancy gate welcoming you and you are supposed to buy your entry tickets. But there is no one to sell you the tickets. So you move ahead. There is a road bifurcation. The jeeps from Maneybhanjang take the right road to go straight to Gairibas. Trekkers take the left one via Jaubari which is much shorter. However, the descent from Jaubari into Gairibas is pretty steep.

I later learnt that the path on the right is very bird rich. Probably next time I will take that. Gairibas is straight 6 kms from there.



Mampu's mood lifted after a hot soup and an omlette

Mampu had got terribly bored before reaching Jaubari. She was crying and swearing, saying she would never come to the mountains again. Ushnik handled her carefully and calmly (I was a little ahead of all this drama) and brought her to the Indira Lodge where we had omlettes, momos and hot soup, not to speak of the tea. The old man of Indira Lodge is a very nice person. He didn’t charge for the soup. I took his photographs which he said we must send to Mr Pradhan of Maneybhanjang who would send them to him. Mampu’s mood also lifted and we started off for the last stretch of day one.



The owner of Indira Lodge, Jaubari

After the short Jaubari break (we had stayed overnight here in both 1990 and 2000) we walked down the road to Gairibas. On the way I saw a wall creeper and a fire tailed sunbird. However, photography wasn’t good due to challenging light conditions. It was still very gloomy with very low light and poor visibility.

We reached the small hamlet of Gairibas and headed straight for the Trekker’s Hut. This is the best accomodation we found on the trail. It’s a dormitory of seven beds that we had all to ourselves.   Gairibas is pretty famous with birders and I soon realised why. I found many yuhinas and warblers and laughing thrushes etc. But light for bird photography, again, is a major issue in Gairibas, even if it is otherwise sunny.



Gairibas Trekker's Hut

There was some electricity in the evening (possibly through a solar set) where they lit up a 5 watt CFL bulb in the room – which gives me more headache than any useful light. Ushnik brought out a home made gadget to charge the mobiles from the holder from where the bulb hung. I realised it was useless to charge the mobiles because there was no network. So I switched off the phone. We had a fantastic khichdi at night with omlettes and papad etc. I think the boy even fried some chopped potatoes for us.



Monisha playing with a Sherpa child at Kaiyakanta

Next morning we had a back breaking walk up the road for 4 km to a new hamlet called Kaiyakanta. Even in 2000 there was no such halt. But now it is a small hamlet with a few tea stalls where we had the customary tea. Weather was still gloomy. We marched ahead towards Kalipokhari and reached it in good time. From Kaiyakanta there are two roads – one goes up and another stays level. Ushnik and I thought the road going up is the one we normally take. But the porters suggested the level road. While reaching Kalipokhari we realised this was perhaps a new route that we took. Because the village pond came to our left. We remember the pond being always on the right hand side of the road. We saw such a road merging in Kalipokhari but ignored it, now that we have arrived.

In Kalipokhari we stayed at good old Chewang’s lodge where I had stayed in 1990 and 2000 as well. We had a very good time in the kitchen with the Amma doing all the chores. Ushnik and I had a tongba each (a local brew). Towards the end we both got a little high. It was a very enjoyable evening with many types of people around. There were many other guests there. We met a group of youngsters from Calcutta who came that day all the way from Tonglu!!!! What a senseless waste of energy. There were more trekkers from Calcutta, some of who seemed totally drunk. One of the porters was really hilarious with a great sense of subtle humour.




Chewang's wife who runs the show almost single handed

The Amma of this “home stay” deserves a special mention. She did all that is required to cook the food for some 30 guests that night. She chopped the vegetables. Washed the utensils. Cooked the food and served it too. It was a delicious khichdi with omlettes. She also handled the different ridiculous demands of the tourists with a smile.

In the night the sky had cleared up and the stars were dazzling. Ushnik showed us some popular constellations. We could see light coming from a Sandakphu hotel called Sherpa Chalet. It’s a five storied hotel now in Sandakphu !!! We went to sleep happy that the skies had cleared and we would be able to see Kanchenjungha clear tomorrow.

But all my hopes of a clear weather on the next day - the final day of our hike to Sandakphu - were dashed in the morning. It was gloomy. Dark. Cold. Full of clouds coming up from below. I had half a mind not to even start. Visibility was really poor. And I knew today would be a bad day of uphill climb. I didn’t want to do it in this weather. But Ushnik egged me on and I started reluctantly. Breakfast was Tibetan breads hand made by Amma.

From Kalipokhari the road is almost level upto Bikaybhanjang after which the uphill climb starts. Bikay is famous for its pheasants. But with visibility hardly beyond the finger tips of an outstretched hand, I had no inclination to look for them.



The lonely road to Sandakphu. Slow but steady is the answer

I had started off first from Kalipokhari and so started the slow uphill climb alone. On this climb there are many short cuts, called Chor Bato. These reduce the distance but are very steep. I took the ones that were very obvious. Total 5 of them. There were several sections on the way that were full of snow. I didn’t stop even once for water but kept on walking. In one place I stopped for some photography because I thought such snowy and gloomy conditions might not be encountered later. Turns out I did the right thing. It was painfully sunny on our way back down the same path.

I was really surprised to note that I reached Sandakphu in about two hours from Bikay. I had thought it would take me perhaps four hours. The others weren’t too far behind. They had started later than me. So naturally they reached after me.
The only good thing about such gloomy weather is you don’t feel as thirsty on the way. I drank water only once on the way.

Sandakphu was cold, dark and windy as usual. There was some snow around but not as much as I had seen in February 1990. The main snow must have melted out.

We found accommodation in Sunrise right next to the five-storied Sherpa Chalet. My first impression after seeing Sandakphu after almost fifteen years is, it looks a lot shabbier than it used to be. There was a pristine quality about the place which was missing this time. There is a largish army base now here, not to speak of a sizeable presence of the tourism industry. That’s understandable but it could have been more visually pleasing.

I started feeling a nausea after drinking a horrible tea at Sunrise. Later I learnt they had added some “masala” to the normal tea which made it unpalatable for me. This masala is favoured by many but not us Bengalis. Even Monisha had a similar feeling after the tea. I started feeling a bit of a headache too and was initially worried that it could be the beginning of an AMS. Then I realised that probably this was due to dehydration. Drank some water and started feeling better.

It rained rather heavily in Sandakphu that night. All my hopes of the sighting of Kanchenjungha next morning were dashed. We hit the bed with a heavy heart amid sound of rain water dashing on the tin roof. I got a room with a view of the eastern side only. Ushnik got a room with view to the north.



Early next morning I opened my eyes and saw a grey outside through the window. Closed my eyes back again. But soon I had to jump out of the bed. Ushnik was calling. Wake up and see the sight. I knew Kanchenjungha must be visible. Got ready in a jiffy and ran out of the room.  

Lo and behold. What a sight. All the drudgery and gloom of the walk vanished. Open blue sky. Not a speck of cloud anywhere. And Kanchenjungha is dazzling right in front of our eyes. Guarding the Northern horizon. I have seen this sight two times in the past. But it never gets old. You can spend a life time just gazing at the pristine beauty. 



Ushnik explained the various peaks of the massif, which is also fondly called the sleeping Buddha. The morning was so clear that even Everest-Lhotse-Makalu troika was also visible to the west. I woke up Monisha and Mampu and went about like a mad man clicking. One never knows when the clouds from the valley would come up and block the vision. 



This is the glorious east view of Mt Everest standing tall in the middle. The one to the right is Makalu and the one in the left is Lhotse. These are all peaks that are in the hallowed group of 8,000 meter plus. Apparently this is one of the six spots from where Radhanath Sikdar did the survey of Everest and found it to be the highest peak in the world. Till then Kanchenjungha was believed to be the highest peak in the world. This is folklore and not verified by me. However, it is highly believable as Everest was measured from India and this is one of the very few points in India from where Everest is clearly visible. I believe it is also visible from somewhere near Darjeeling. Tiger Hill? I don't really know.

Snow has a wonderful quality of making everything look beautiful. Sandakphu was looking gorgeous as the morning sun shone brightly on the fresh snow. 

  

Birding was also rather fruitful. I got some rare and not so frequently photographed birds. 





Black-faced Laughingthrush 



White-throated Redstart



White-collared Blackbird

 We were extremely lucky, we were told. Sandakphu hadn't seen the Kanchenjungha in the previous five days. We had wanted to go to Phalut and go back down through some other route. But the porters were really grumbling. They didn't want to go to Phalut saying the road would be really bad with snow. Finally we relented and decided to listen to them. Phalut remained untouched even after my third trip to Sandakphu. 

The next day we came down to Gairibas. It was very very sunny till Beekaybhanjang, which is just at the bottom of the climb to Sandakphu. But from Kalipokhari it started getting gloomy and misty once again. We kept trudging nevertheless. We walked right upto Gairibas and went once again back to the trekker's hut. 

The next day Ushnik and Jhulan went back. We stayed on in Gairibas for a couple of days more, taking bird photographs and recording the calls. Next we walked back to Chitre via Jaubari, Tumling and Meghma. 

Meghma unfortunately is now a dirty large mountain village. I couldn't recognise the Meghma of our previous treks. Let me keep that memory only and try to forget what we saw this time.

Near Chitre Mampu unfortunately had a fall on the asphalted road. I think she got ecstatic to see the asphalt road after a long time and started running down the steep road when she tripped over. She cut her chin. Nothing very serious but these days we get a little too concerned with these cuts and bruises to our children. But anyway she soon forgot about it.

We spent the night in Chitre in the small lodge and came down to Meghma the next morning. We had to go back to Dhotre to get our suitcase. But that's another story. 

On balance it was a nice trek with my daughter and wife. Jhulan's maiden trek was really impressive. She walked pretty well. So did Mampu. I don't know if she will want to walk in the mountains again. Even if she doesn't, she will remember this for a very long time in her life.  

Monday, January 27, 2014

Sandakphu. One More Time



I had gone to Sandakphu in the January of 1990. Alone. I used to work in Bhutan then and had come home on my first winter vacation. None of my friends wanted to join me for the trek. So I went alone. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. I remember all the silly things I did or did not do alone. I saw snow in Sandakphu and on the way back in Rimbik forest. I had come down via Bikaybhanjang straight to Rimbik through the dense rhododendron forest and completely alone. I didn't feel scared even once. Not even when I lost my way in the forest or was bitten by a whelping bitch at Sandakphu that cold night.

Then in 1999 Monisha and I went once again. This time accompanied by Ambarish and his wife Bidisha. We took a porter. We came back via Gurdung and Srikhola. It was, once again, a thoroughly enjoyable trip (but for the Gurdung descent and its impact on the thighs). I discovered lots of things had changed in those nine years. Tumling in Nepal was now a full fledged tourist village. The route through Bikay is not taken by anyone any more. People come down via Gurdung, etc. 

Now it's time to take Mampu along. She is ten years and a few months old now. We are leaving on 21st of March by Darjeeling Mail. I am all excited about the trip. After all, it's been close to 15 years and we have not trekked once in this period. Our leaves are sanctioned. Our tickets are booked. Both for going and coming back. It's now a question of waiting with bated breath. Ushnik and Jhulan are also booked for the trip. However, they are not too sure. Leaves might get cancelled at the last moment etc. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Ushnik has been trekking regularly and would be quite an asset to have in the group.

Actually Sandakphu for me this time is more of a "checking out" trek. My real intention is to go for the Chadar trek in Ladakh. I had thought of doing it this year itself. But then I thought instead of starting off with such a hard trek after so many years of inactivity, let me test my muscles out on the better known Sandakphu trail. My leg muscles tighten up easily these days after a little bit of exercise. I am worried about the steep climb down. Even in 1999 the climb down from Sandakphu to Gurdung was difficult. 

This year of course we are planning to go to Phalut. So the climb down will be through some other route. But I am sure it will be equally difficult. I am hoping my muscles will hold out.



Material preparation has started in right earnest. We have already booked Darjeeling Mail. Sophie brought a down jacket for me from Germany. A Marmot, no less. It is not a hiking jacket but I got it principally for the Chadar trek where night time temperatures climb down often to -20. These jackets are needed when you stop or retire for the day. It is the best man made thing I have ever put on my body. It is comfortable with a capital C. 



Regarding camera - I am more concerned about the backpack than the cameras per se. The existing backback won't do. It's too heavy and rigid for a trek. I have made up my mind about getting a Lowepro Flipside 400. Have spoken to Raunaq of Interfoto. He has promised to send it for Rs 5818 which is substantially lower than the Amazon India price.



If this is found to be a good bag I might as well put the other one up for sale. I was in two minds between the 400 and 300. However, the 400's straps look more meant for longer hikes. It also has a raincover. The 300, though adequate in terms of size, looks meant more for day trips in Rajarhat in terms of build quality and the straps. The only risk with a large bag is one tends to put in a lot of unnecessary stuff. I have to discipline myself on that. 



I have just sold my Tokina 11-16 to Sujan. I am not too sure if I want to buy a walk around lens in its place whose width is more manageable. I have half a mind to go for a compact. But then will I be satisfied with the picture quality? Also, I think investment in a lens holds its value for some time. A compact will lose 90 per cent of its value in the resale market almost immediately after purchase. Tanvir apparently has a 24-70 for sale. Let me see. 

Now physical exercise. Monisha and I started walking from yesterday. This morning we woke up pretty late. So we have brought the walking shoes in the car. Let's see if we can find the energy to walk a bit in the evening on our way back home. 



January 30, 2014

The Flipside 400 arrived yesterday. I am really impressed by Interfoto's promptness, not to speak of the discount. The bag didn't impress me much. It doesn't look very robust. It's light. Compact. But not really a proper hiking bag. However, I think it's going to be much better than my Trekker bag for the hike. But I am certainly not putting the Trekker up for sale. If lugging a lot of gear is a priority and not walking then the Trekker is ideal. The Flipside will be ideal for day trips and this type of hikes.



I think I am going to carry just the 7D with the 400 attached, the 450D with a short wide and the tripod in this bag. Perhaps the Edirol too (I am still not sure if I want to take the Marantz on the hike). Monisha will have to help a bit too and carry the binocular and the eTrex. All other camera gear, like Tamron 90 or the various batteries and chargers will go in the porter's bag.

Meanwhile, the Vanguard Endeavor 82A has arrived. Evening of 28th, to be precise. For a first impression read here.



I am going to take it to Sandakphu and try to get a view of Everest from Phalut. It is heavy, no doubt. It will require a tripod. All granted. But I want to really see Everest. I have been shown Everest from Jaubari. I just couldn't make any head or tail of it. No more of all that crap.

I was informed that it is now possible to book the DGHC Trekker's Huts from Calcutta (I think the correct word now is DTA). There is a  guy in Salt Lake. I spoke to him. He said Phalut has a capacity of 20 people. It is possible to book a 4-bedded room for Rs 500 from Calcutta. The guy's name is Suvankar Paul and his number is 9903174047. I don't think booking Phalut makes much sense. Because I am not sure if we can make it to even Meghma :-)

Forgot to mention the Quechua hiking boots I got a few months ago. It's an unheard of brand. But the boot is quite nice, at least on the plain roads of Calcutta. The grip is pretty good. Have to test it out in the mountains though.


January 31, 2014
Went for an early morning walk to the Lake with Monisha. Reached at around 5.25. It was pitch dark and quite chilly. I was perhaps the only adult in shorts and half sleeve T-shirt. But it was fun. Walked fast and did 60x3 skippings and some stretches. Felt a little niggling pain in the knee later in the morning. Walked up the stairs at office. It wasn't so painful. Let me see how the knees hold out.

This morning I checked out the scope from the rooftop. There is a bit of fringing. But I suppose that's the reason why it is priced so low compared to the more sophisticated ones. The image was good and magnification was mind boggling. Sadly enough I could check out only a few crows on a distant neighbour's house. The real test of the scope will be on the sea shore. 

February 3, 2014
Physical preparation is on. In right earnest. Going to the Lake. Walking fast. Skipping. This morning did 80x3. Got Madhav to come on Sunday and loosen up the tight calf muscle and others. The knee is holding out still. I am jumping the rope on the piece of land behind Narayan's tea stall. 

I spoke to Chenku today regarding windcheaters and jackets. He said he might come to Calcutta this week and that he has everything. In fact I have always taken something or the other from him on every trek. I want to put down the list of electronic equipment I want to carry with me this time. 

Camera Related Items  (plastic bag in porter's sack)

  1. Battery for 7D
  2. Battery for 450D
  3. Charger for 7D
  4. Charger for 450D
  5. All rechargeable pencil batteries
  6. Sony charger
  7. Shutter release for 7D
  8. Shutter release for 450D
Camera and Related Items (Flipside 400 + Monisha's backpack)

  1. 7D with tripod ring but no plate - FS
  2. 400 F 5.6 (attached to7D) - FS
  3. 450D with plate - MB
  4. Tamron 90 mm (attached to 450D) - MB (Now, it is Canon 24-70 mm :) 7th Feb)
  5. Wide zoom - MB
  6. All memory cards - FS
  7. Nikon Monarch - FS/MB
  8. Edirol R09 (possibly on waist belt)
  9. Garmin eTrex (possibly on waist belt)
  10. Rocket blower - FS
  11. Lenspen - FS
  12. Cloth - FS
  13. Hoya CPL 77 mm - FS
To Be Carried By Porter

  1. Manfrotto XPROB 055 with 496 RC2 head
  2. Vanguard Endeavour 82A with eye piece
  3. Camera attachment
  4. Sennheiser HD 280Pro 
February 7, 2014

Got myself a new lens to go to Sandakphu. The Canon 24-70 L. Well it's new to me. But the lens is old :-) Otherwise I couldn't afford it. Got it from Tanvir. I don't know who the original owner was. I like its sharpness and overall result from some preliminary shooting at home last night. It's quite heavy though. However, Monisha will have to carry it :-) 



I have discovered a good exercise for the quads which I have started doing at home. It's called the wall squat or something. I want my knees to hold on for the few days in Sandakphu. The down climbs are not going to be easy. While going up you can still rest and recuperate. But on the way down, the quads take a long time to recuperate. Weak quads and calves are the main causes of ligament injury. Let's keep the fingers crossed.

Monday March 17, 2014

Time is almost come. We start Friday at night. Preparations are more or less done. Monisha's Forclaz 50 has arrived. Mampu's has been ordered but Snapdeal has goofed up it seems. It was supposed to arrive on 11th but hasn't yet. I think it is stuck in Sales Tax. 

Meanwhile, our plan is somewhat like this. On Saturday we go straight to Dhotre and start walking towards Tonglu if we are within reasonable time. Else we stay back in Dhotre itself. I am told the hike from Dhotre to Tonglu is bird rich and Ushnik says the trail is more gradual than the hike up from Manebhanjang. Next day we go to Gairibas/Jaubari via Tumling. On this route we avoid going to Meghma. We have fond memories of Meghma from the previous trek where we had a hearty lunch. Too bad that we won't be touching it. 

From Gairibas we go to Kalipokhari on Monday and Sandakphu on Tuesday. On the next day we rest at Sandakphu and then on Wednesday we are off to Phalut. From Phalut if we start on Thursday we reach the bus head in a couple of days. That's the plan so far. Let's see what's in store. Given a chance, I would love to stay on in Phalut for another day. 

The other day, I went and bought a cover for the North Face from Alpine for Rs 300. It's a neat thing for the sack and should keep it clean on the trail. 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Finally got Mampu's Forclaz. I had to personally go to the Bluedart office to collect it. It was supposed to arrive on 11th. Mampu would have got at least one weekend to test it out. Now she will have to go to the mountains with almost a new pair of boots. However, these boots don't need any walking in. My only worry is she has never worn such boots before. And she doesn't have any thick socks to go with it. I hope it has fit her well. She thinks it has. 

From Bluedart went to Tanvir and brought home a used 5D Mk II. The body looks quite new. Obviously it is not. Must have been owned by someone similar to me. It has lot of customised stuff including back button focusing, which works fine for me. Its white balance mode was set at 8600K. Was he a wedding photographer? Metering was on spot mode. I think I quite like the camera. Here is one of the first test shots, taken at 6400 ISO last night. Aperture 2.8. Focal length 70 mm. Metering mode evaluative. Normal tungsten light behind the head. The banner photograph above is also taken with the new old camera.



I hope the camera works fine during the trip. 

The camera comes with a Made in China but Canon original (I hope) battery. My 7D has a battery that has this written, "Cell Made in Japan. Assembled in China". I have asked Suranjan to lend me a battery for the trip. I already have an extra of my own. So that makes it 4 batteries for two cameras. A new battery from Canon's Imagestore costs Rs 2800+. Not now. Yesterday bought a 16 GB CF card from Tanvir. One of those golden ones with Extreme written on it. However, I put a Lexar in the 5D. I will put the 16 GB in the 7D. 

Friday March 21, 2014: 11.35 am

All set for the journey. More or less. I am at work right now. Went to Jogubajar and bought a torch (Rs 150) and some badam takti, tiler biscuit and lozenges. Will have to buy some savoury like dalmut. Yesterday picked up mooger laddu and shon papri from Haldiram. In the evening picked up some Cadbury's and chanachur etc from Spencer's. Nivea too. Monisha bought a pair of slip on shoes. 

A few toiletry items are yet to be purchased like paper soap and hand wash.

We are taking one small sac each. I have the Lowepro, Monisha will carry a Sonic backpack and Mampu carries her own Alpine knapsack that Suvomoy had given her. Our clothings go into the large North Face. The North Face is used only once in a while, but when it is indeed used it looks like the only solution. I don't know what I would have done in such situations without it. We are carrying the Nat Geo bag as well but that will be left behind in Dhotre. It will have stuff for Darjeeling. 

The electronics that's going is this: 5D with 24-70 and 7D with 400 (tripod collar on). Four batteries for the two cameras. The charger and a shutter release cable. Garmin eTrex. Edirol R09. Lots of AA batteries and the charger. And lots of CF cards too. I have bought a new 16 GB card with the 5D. After I come back, I intend to buy another. I will also have to buy a proper battery. I am not taking the scope or the tripod. Monisha is going to carry my Monarch. Because it doesn't fit into my camera bag. It's just large enough for my two cameras with the lenses attached. 

April 7, 2014

We came back as scheduled after successfully completing the trek. We couldn't go to Phalut due to non-cooperation from the porters. So ended up spending four days in Darjeeling. But over all the trek was excellent. If this was a Chadar semi-final, I won the game :-) In terms of birding it was fantastic. Got many many lifers - virtually all of them. A travelogue will come up soon. Till then ............