A memorable road trip - Part 2

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts,  it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you – it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you… Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”  So says Anthony Bourdain.

The above quote is very relevant to our journey specifically from Gorakhpur to Kathmandu. Read on to see why.

We started off early from Gorakhpur as we were advised to cross Narayanigadh by noon as that road would be closed later for resurfacing. We also had to get permits for our vehicles at Sonauli, the border town between India and Nepal, and we were not sure how long that would take. So off we drove on lovely roads yet again towards OYO rooms in Kathmandu, Nepal. Enroute we witnessed a 

magnificent sunrise and soon we arrived in Sonauli.

Our Scout My Trip captains got busy in getting the permits for the vehicles and Nepal SIM cards for us. Before we could say #HelloNepal  we were ready to move on and bid farewell to India and once again the decent roads welcomed us into Nepal.

Apparently the Universe was listening to some of us complaining of boredom due good but boring roads and conspired to give us an experience to remember!

The shortest route from Sonauli to Kathmandu was around 280kms but the catch here was that you had to cross Narayangarh before noon. This road would otherwise be closed due ongoing road repairs and resurfacing. And, if we managed to make it, it would take us around 8 hours to cover the 280kms. The roads so far were excellent and scenic too! We made a quick pit stop for breakfast  and reached Narayangarh at 11.30am, half an hour before scheduled time. But then on a road trip barely anything goes as per plan, isn’t it? We saw a queue of trucks parked on the road and in true Indian style overtook all of them to be right in front. When we reached the head of the queue we realised that they had already closed the road. Who were we to ask why as the security personnel told us to get back in the queue as jumping the queue was not done. He also told us to go relax in some restaurant as the wait would be as long as four to five hours! So we did the next best thing, consulted Google maps and got the alternate route which was 365kms and would take us 13 hours. It was then the fun and games started. This route was an offroader’s delight. To add to the adventure thunder started rolling 

and lightning did its best to light up the path forward. And yes, it rained too. But we took it in our stride like veteran travellers, making jokes, singing songs and cheering for every small strip of tar as I was clutching on to dear life as the car rocked and rolled its way!

We reached OYO rooms in Kathmandu at 9.30pm instead of the scheduled 7.00pm. we were received

Pictures courtesy : OYO rooms.

very warmly by the Hotel staff and they did everything possible to ensure we got to our rooms in a jiffy. The efficiency was marvellous!

During our dinner, knowing how tired we would all have been, they suggested we do our sight seeing the next day by a taxi van.

The CMO of Scout My Trip being accorded the traditional Nepali Welcome.

Next morning the CEO of the hotel personally welcomed us with the traditional tikka and shawl, followed by a hearty breakfast.

The bloggers in the van to explore Nepal

The van was at the hotel door on the dot of 10am as promised and took us to the famous 

Pashupashinath temple - Built in the 5th century and later renovated, is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Shiva.

Budhanilkantha temple - an open air temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Pashupatinath (Lord Shiva) temple ,the BudhaNilkantha (Lord Vishnu is seen relaxing on a coiled 

Swayambhu stupa - is a pilgrimage site for Hindus, Vajrayana Buddhists, and Newari Buddhists.

snake) temple and finally to Swayambhu Stupa.

We were treated to a traditional Nepali evening of rice wine and Nepali thali accompanied by some traditional folk dances of Nepal, to end the day on a glorious note.

Patan Durbar Square - A UNESCO World Heritage site.

Next morning the van again showed us around Patan Durbar and Bhaktapur Durbar. These two 

Bhaktapur Square - A UNESCO World Heritage site.

historic places took all day to explore and was well worth the time. So if the first day was devoted to religious places, the second day was spent in exploring the historic beauty of Nepal. Both were amazing! Some went to Thamel for the shopping buzz too. I gave it a miss and retired early to soak in the memories that were created so far.

A note for roadtrippers – The fuel pumps open only at 6am in Kathmandu so plan your departures accordingly.

Our foray into Nepal would end as we would leave early next morning on our return journey to Delhi via Gorakhpur and Agra. And this time we were determined to take the path that had skilfully avoided us when we came in.

Join me yet again in the next post to know what happened.

Part 11 - Gangtok to Paro

We had started our journey towards Siliguri on a very pleasant morning. The weather was cool and the roads were good. Perfect for a lovely ride down the mountain.

Everything seemed perfect, actually too perfect. And sure enough my bike just died as we neared the Teesta river bridge. I cruised it on a silent mode to the edge of the road to check what the problem could be. Aditya had gone ahead but I was not worried as I knew that in a short while he would either ride back or stop and call me to know what it was that was keeping me back.

I tried starting but no go. The bike did not show any sign of life or coming back to life. So I called our trusted mechanic Vinod back in Mumbai to ask what the problem could be. He asked me to carry out certain procedures and after listening to the results he declared that it was a fuel pump problem which would have to be replaced.

In the meantime, Aditya called, I apprised him of the situation and within minutes he was with me. He checked the bike for whatever faults that he thought it might have suffered and then decided to go ahead and try to get a mechanic. And he did return with a mechanic who apparently had his workshop under the Teesta river bridge. The mechanic went through the paces of checking and he too arrived at the same decision as my Mumbai mechanic – Fuel pump needs to be replaced. And this being an expensive part would be available only at the Royal Enfield dealer’s outlet in Siliguri which was another 30kms away. Seeing our plight he said that he would organise the van to carry my bike to Siliguri.

We had time till the van was organised, so Aditya called up the Royal Enfield dealer who reluctantly agreed to source the part for us. It sounded a bit dicey. As luck would have it, just a couple of days back a biker friend, Sakshar, had called and given me a couple of contact names and numbers who were prominent members of the ‘Teesta Thumpers’ the Royal Enfield motorcycle club from Siliguri. So I called them up and they put my mind at ease and said they would connect with the dealer and ensure we got the best attention. Thank you Anupam and Saura for responding to our SOS and assisting us move on.

The van arrived, bike loaded and we were on our way to Siliguri and by the time we reached it was early evening. Aditya had gone ahead to ensure immediate action, hence, as soon as we reached my bike was taken in for necessary repairs. After a check up by their seniormost technician it was firmly established that the fuel pump needed replacement. And they got onto the job at hand while four riders of Teesta Thumpers motorcycle club arrived to ensure we and our bikes were attended to!

By late evening both our bikes were ready for the ride ahead to Phuentsholing but as we, as a  rule, did not ride at night, were escorted to the hotel by our rider friends so that we could have a good night’s rest before riding on to Bhutan.

Next afternoon we reached Phuentsholing, the border town of Bhutan, where we had to get our permits for ourselves and our bikes to ride around in Bhutan and this took some time so we stayed over in Phuentsholing for the night with plans to ride to Paro the next day.

The road to Paro was beautiful, winding through the mountains, with fog reducing visibility at places.

 We reached Paro early evening and checked into a beautiful hotel. Everything in Paro is quaintly beautiful. After arranging for a taxi to take us to the base of the ‘Tiger’s nest’ hill, we went for a walk around town.

Paro is a very pretty town with lot of cafes and restaurants. The discipline there among the drivers is amazing. Nobody seems to drive above 50km per hour. Everything is very sedate. Nobody is shouting or fighting. There is a general sense of peace all round. If you do hear some raised voices or laughter you can rest assured it is the tourists. The streets are clean and all pedestrians are on the footpath.

Next morning, surprisingly the taxi arrived a bit late. Somehow I had thought punctuality would be a virtue here but as we found out during our stay there, it is not.

The taxi ambled along, as was the general trend on the roads, to the base of ‘Paro Taktsang’ where he would drop us and then pick us up again once we were back from the visit. ‘Paro Taktsang’ means ‘Tiger’s lair’ and the legend is that Padmasambhava flew in from Tibet on the back of a tigress from Tibet and was responsible for introducing Buddhism to Bhutan.

Now there is a monastery that is built on a cliff 3120 metres above sea level and to visit it one has to climb all the way up there. The path 

to the top is well laid out and though tough there are places to rest with availability of drinking water for both men and horses (used to carry humans and/or cargo). We climbed all the way up, prayed for a successful ride and walked down. The views all along were amazing.

The waiting taxi was a welcome relief from all the exercise and we returned to the hotel for yet another well deserved restful night.

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-2-wheeler-odyssey.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/vapi-to-kapurthala-in-my-2wheeler_16.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/kapurthala-to-keylong-part-3-of-my.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/keylong-to-leh-part-4-of-my-2-wheeler.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/02/part-5-our-time-in-leh-ladakh.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/03/part-6-leh-to-tanakpur.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/04/part-7-entering-nepal.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/06/part-8-bardia-to-lumbini.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-9-lumbini-to-pokhara.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-10-pokhara-to-gangtok.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/10/part-11-gangtok-to-paro.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-12-paro-to-ranchi.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-13-ranchi-to-mumbai-via.html

Part 10 - Pokhara to Gangtok

We left Pokhara around 0800hrs and reached Kathmandu around 1400hrs after yet another peaceful ride through the beautiful forested hills of Nepal.

Kathmandu is as busy and crowded as any other Asian city. We stayed in Hotel Vaishali in Thamel 

which seemed like a tourist hub. There were plenty of small cafes, bars and restaurants which vied with each other for attracting customers. There were plenty of cyber cafes too and one did have guys

View from our room in Vaishali Hotel

sidling up to you and asking if you would be interested in dope or women.  

We visited the Pashupatinath temple and again eased our minds and bodies of the rigours of riding. 

After a couple of restful nights in Kathmandu we decided to move on and say goodbye to Nepal which we did after spending one more night in Bardibas, very close to the Indo Nepal border.

From Bardibas we headed straight to Siliguri. The exit was chaotic. We managed to change our balance Nepali rupees into Indian Rupees and were looking out for the police to hand over our vehicle permits. Strangely, nobody was interested and when I asked one officer at the border he just waved us on!

Siliguri was just a transit halt for us and we spent the night at the WBTDC (West Bengal Tourist 

Development Corporation) ‘Mainak’ Lodge. The rooms were spacious but the service was poor.

From Siliguri we rode onwards to Gangtok. Was a beautiful ride through the mountains with the 

pretty Teesta river running alongside us all along.

In Gangtok we booked ourselves in ‘Nettle and Fern’ a cute little Hotel. There is no level road in Gangtok. It is either going up or coming down.

Since we had reached Gangtok in the afternoon we decided to have a quick look around all the must see points by a local taxi whose driver was full of information (another advantage of taking local cabs) and 

took us to a popular waterfall where you could indulge in ziplining and then to Ganesh tok from where you could get a bird’s eyeview of Gangtok.

We spent the evening on MG road one of the most popular traffic free streets in Gangtok where the tourists and locals come to shop and spend time.

We dined on some excellent veg and non veg momos in one of the stalls there and returned  to our room feeling content.

Next morning we had to ride back to Siliguri. This ride back was full of adventure so don’t miss the next part!!

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-2-wheeler-odyssey.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/vapi-to-kapurthala-in-my-2wheeler_16.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/kapurthala-to-keylong-part-3-of-my.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/keylong-to-leh-part-4-of-my-2-wheeler.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/02/part-5-our-time-in-leh-ladakh.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/03/part-6-leh-to-tanakpur.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/04/part-7-entering-nepal.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/06/part-8-bardia-to-lumbini.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-9-lumbini-to-pokhara.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-10-pokhara-to-gangtok.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/10/part-11-gangtok-to-paro.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-12-paro-to-ranchi.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-13-ranchi-to-mumbai-via.html

Part 9 - Lumbini to Pokhara

The ride of 180kms from Lumbini to Pokhara was a very pleasant ride that we completed in a leisurely 8 hours revelling in the atmosphere.

Pokhara is a honeymooners’ paradise apart from being a base for quite a few treks in the Himalayan

region.  It is most famous for Mount Annapurna which is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres. If you are the real adventurous type, you can go for a trek to the Mount Annapurna Base Camp from Pokhara too.

Boating in the Pokhara lake is one of the most serene activities. You can row the boat to the centre 

and meditate sitting amidst the mountains. It is an amazing feeling.

Or take that flight by microlight aircraft to hover around Mount Annapurna and return!

The cuisine in Pokhara is to suit every possible palate and wallet. You have the Continental, Indian,

Italian (with pizzas baked in wood fried ovens) or the native Nepali food. If you wish to taste Nepali 

food visit the restaurants sporting ‘Thakali kitchen’ boards. There is free wifi available in all the restaurants that line the main street so a great place to hang out and chill.

We spent 2 rejuvenating nights there before heading out to Kathmandu.

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-2-wheeler-odyssey.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/vapi-to-kapurthala-in-my-2wheeler_16.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/kapurthala-to-keylong-part-3-of-my.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/keylong-to-leh-part-4-of-my-2-wheeler.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/02/part-5-our-time-in-leh-ladakh.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/03/part-6-leh-to-tanakpur.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/04/part-7-entering-nepal.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/06/part-8-bardia-to-lumbini.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-9-lumbini-to-pokhara.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-10-pokhara-to-gangtok.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/10/part-11-gangtok-to-paro.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-12-paro-to-ranchi.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-13-ranchi-to-mumbai-via.html

Part 8 - Bardia to Lumbini

The ride to Lumbini was a soul soothing ride. The road was good and the ride was trouble free. We reached Lumbini late afternoon and were guided to a ‘hotel’  by the traffic police in the centre of town. It was a 2/3 room hotel with bare necessities and included safe parking for our bikes. The owner offered to go get our tickets for the Lumbini park wherein all the temples and the birth place of Buddha lay, to ensure we did not waste time in standing queues to purchase tickets. We utilised the time to freshen up and eat a roti or two made by the owner’s wife and were ready to explore by the time we had the tickets to the Lumbini park. 

To get the local flavour we hired a cycle rickshaw to take us around the huge park with the driver as our guide.

Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Japan and India have their temples there, each one trying to outdo the other in beauty. We loved whatever we could see as some were closed for the day or renovations. You can admire them in the pictures below.

The Golden pagoda of Myanmar

Thailand temple

International Goutami Nun's Temple

Finally we went to the most important place of all – the birth place of Buddha. Obviously this 

occupied the prime place in the park. The solemnity there was calming.

After paying our due respects to all we got back on the cycle rick to get back to our hotel and rest for the night to get ready for our next day’s ride to Pokhra, an exotic destination!

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-2-wheeler-odyssey.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/vapi-to-kapurthala-in-my-2wheeler_16.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/kapurthala-to-keylong-part-3-of-my.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/keylong-to-leh-part-4-of-my-2-wheeler.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/02/part-5-our-time-in-leh-ladakh.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/03/part-6-leh-to-tanakpur.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/04/part-7-entering-nepal.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/06/part-8-bardia-to-lumbini.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-9-lumbini-to-pokhara.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-10-pokhara-to-gangtok.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/10/part-11-gangtok-to-paro.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-12-paro-to-ranchi.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-13-ranchi-to-mumbai-via.html

Part 7 - Entering Nepal

Tanakpur to Bardia 

The ride to Tanakpur was delightful on winding mountain roads. In Tanakpur we stayed in the 

KMVN resort. It was a comfortable overnighter after which we started our journey to Nepal. Exactly seven months have passed since that day, and the recent tragic event of the devastating earthquake brought back fond memories of that wonderful country tinged with a lot of sadness.

Entry into Nepal was a hassle free affair. At the border after submitting copies of our driving licence, motorcycle registration and insurance papers we were waved through after paying the visa fees.

Our destination for the day was Bardia Tiger Reserve. The distance was not much and the road was 

lovely! The famous Mahendra highway! Though it was just 2 lane the traffic was sparse and the surface wonderful. It was a ride through the dense forest hence the ambiance was very pleasant and no animals nor humans criss crossing the road except when we passed through villages.

The final few kilometres to Bardia Tiger Reserve consisted of a tiny river crossing and some off 

roading on paths which added to the fun of the ride.

We reached just in time to savour a refreshing chai and got ready for the last jungle safari of the day 

in a Toyota pick up van designed for jungle safaris.

We were fortunate to spot deer and more deer but no tiger.

We returned to some delicious meals prepared by the resort staff at their inhouse restaurant and had a long restful night in a very comfortable room.
It had rained in the night and fortunately for us the resort staff had covered our bikes which still had the saddle bags with our luggage on, with tarpaulin that saved our clothes from getting wet.

Next morning we set out for Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha, after a sumptuous breakfast.

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-2-wheeler-odyssey.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/vapi-to-kapurthala-in-my-2wheeler_16.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/kapurthala-to-keylong-part-3-of-my.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/keylong-to-leh-part-4-of-my-2-wheeler.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/02/part-5-our-time-in-leh-ladakh.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/03/part-6-leh-to-tanakpur.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/04/part-7-entering-nepal.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/06/part-8-bardia-to-lumbini.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-9-lumbini-to-pokhara.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-10-pokhara-to-gangtok.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/10/part-11-gangtok-to-paro.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-12-paro-to-ranchi.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-13-ranchi-to-mumbai-via.html