UTTARAKHAND CYCLE TOUR (JUNE 2012)

Uttarakhand became a state in the year 2000. Yet there is no sign of development in hills. Lots of people migrated due to unemployment.  Consolidation of land never happened due to government ignorance and people chose the easier option of migration instead of farming in scattered land pieces, which remained difficult for them. Other hilly states like Himachal Pradesh are much more prosper because of the land consolidation. Ganesh Garib, an activist from my maternal village told this story during my visit to my village. So I decided for a cycle tour across the state to see the ground reality. 

Cycling itinerary with distance-gradient-time for each segment of the route was prepared.  Nainital as a starting point was decided, covering districts Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Rugraprayag and Pauri.

Route - Nainital to Kotdwar (800Km)

We were three riders this time. Lakshya was very enthusiastic about this adventure tour. He had purchased a Firefox bike for India tour but never used it. I warned him during practice weekend rides that this brand can trouble him for long tours. Firefox being Pan India brand do not offer high-quality components which can bear hard trails during MTB expeditions.

Bhanu had some leaves issue so he was supposed to intercept us on the fourth day. We traveled to Nainital by bus. At Anand Vihar Delhi, you get very few Volvo buses. Private bus experiences are horrible especially when you carry a bike. At about 5 AM when we were enjoying the back seat swing during a nap, suddenly we were thrown up with a strong jerk. Bhadashhh!!!! Our head banged on the bus ceiling. Lakshya shouted at the driver loudly” OYE!!! Thik se challa” Driver compartment door opened, one person asked Lakshya to come over but I asked him to stay. Again after some seconds, he called. Lakshya arose and started walking toward the cabin. I was in a half sleep. Then I realized that Lakshya was arguing with them. I wake up and ask what happened. Lakshya – “ Ye cycle rakhne ke aur paise maang rahe hain”. While loading, the conductor asked for 150 rupees fare for both the cycles. Which now they were feeling less. This was also because we shouted at them. I ask, what for they want more money, rather they have to pay if something will go wrong with our bikes as they are expensive and they were driving rashly. I threatened them “Nainital pahunchke deta hun” (I will see you in Nainital). They saw my face…… with typical Pahadi features, squint eyes & Roman nose. They just shut up after this.

Day 1:

Nainital (1950m) – Kutani(1420m) - Padampuri (1635m)
Stretch: 31km

Immediately after getting down from the bus we got our bike ready with panniers. We had little space in a store next to a tea stall where we had an omelet in breakfast. We ate our lunch at a T-Point before Bhimtaal, not a great food, also we were not hungry but it was very much required for next uphill stretch. After Chafi Bridge there was a difficult climb on Danachuli Road. Before that, the stretch was very scenic like the jungle book. Big trees kissing the shallow rivulet in a cozy flat valley surrounded with green hills.

Lakshya

From Chafi bridge one can see the next steep road as it was taking a long bend. I started pushing with 2/2 speed gears. Soon I realized that Lakshya is struggling as a first timer. I wait for some moments for him. He was doing well, although he was loaded heavily on his shoulders with his camera accessories. His struggle lasted only for a few kilometers. We decided to take small breaks as the steepness started saturating our thighs & back muscles. On the very first day, this condition was obvious. Our body was also tired because of last sleepless night on the bus. But our enthusiasm was high. After 7Km crossing Chafi bridge, we realized that we don’t have energy left to pull more than one hour.

Our target for the day was Danachuli(2250m) which was 15Km away, all up-hill. We saw some people were waiting for the bus. I asked them about local agriculture as they were farmers. They were carrying Potatoes & Khumani. Irrigation was not their problem but the remote market was. They use to sell their vegetables at Bhowali. They told us that there is a good KMVN guest house in Padampuri and that became our destination for the day.

The guest house was big but without any guest. Rooms were king size but occupied with very less furniture. A single person was the cook, service boy, guard, accountant & manager, all in one. Aaloo was the main course for the dinner. Not properly cooked, but tasty because they were grown locally without chemical fertilizers. Padampuri was prosperous but most of the people migrated and most of the agriculture land was on lease given to some private companies, they call them Land Mafia.

Day 02:

Padampuri (1635m) - Danachuli(2200m) – Jainti Sunari (1600m)
Stretch: 53km

It was a bright morning with beautiful high valley in front of our room. Again AAAALU, this time in Paranthas with the pickle. Paranthas were heavy and we ate one extra for the extra mileage!

By 10am we were ready with our costume, sunscreen, goggles & panniers. I asked Lakshya to hand over his camera bag to me for the day during ascent. The second day is always considered to be the most difficult during the cycling tour. Muscles usually pain a lot for recovery.

A man was waiting for the bus with a big box full of Kafal (local berry). I asked him to sell a handful of them to me. It was difficult but he somehow manages to open a slit and gave it to me for free. After Dhari (Mukuteshwar band) steepness & heat started increasing. The good part was that road was smooth. Many Sikh pilgrims were riding two-wheelers (scooters) for their destination to Ritha Sahib.

For Lakshya it was a nightmare. From training time he was more concerned about sunburn, as he had the skin allergy. He covered himself at every part of his body and this led to a heat trap. His clothes were not ventilating and he was dehydrating very fast. At DakPatthar we had rice and daal with a refreshing salad. Food was tasty. This was the first time on this trip, we enjoyed the food. Beautiful view with big fields. It was a very pleasant breeze which holds us for the next 30mins for a short nap.

From Danachuli

The shopkeeper told that they have evenly consolidated & distributed the land among brothers. The terrain was plain and easy with some local slopes.

Soon we reached Shahar Fatak. Next two kilometers were very killing. Steep climb at the end of the day is really troublesome. Soon it ended with a dense forest called Mournaula. As per schedule, Mournaula Guesthouse was our first-day halt. HAHAHA! And we scheduled the first day for a 74km stretch. That was too ambitious!

After this, we were glided down through Kafal forest for about 30 mins. Some children were selling Kafal, which we purchased & gave them a lift back to their home. Late evening at 7 pm we reached Jainti Sunari. Stay for the night was very uncomfortable with hard old dirty bedding. Somebody gave us their old storeroom for the night. We had no other option to stay. We woke up for 3-4 times in the night.

Day 03:

Jaintisunari(1600m)–Masan(900m)–Dungra(1300m)–Ghatyuri(800m)-Dhayari(1150m)
Stretch:53km

The morning was fresh but without a bath, we were dull inside. It was downhill until the bridge. We were looking for breakfast but couldn't find one before Masan Baba Mandir Bridge. I knew that it will be very difficult to climb without food. At bridge, there was a small tea shop where we asked for milk but he had powdered milk only. Luckily he had some biscuits. A group of 4-5 people was walking down the hill. It was a dry area. I enquired about the agriculture conditions of the area.

Morning at Jainti Sunari

One of them told how he managed to get irrigation subsidy. The government was providing fifty percent subsidy on the irrigation project.  And he spent his half amount on repairing his house and another half on his daughter’s marriage. And now he doesn’t have money to even manage his family meals.

Now again we had to start from level 900m, Riverbank means - Start again! An ascent of 400m for next 28km. We were in a dry area, where our 1.5liter bottle was getting empty in every 5km. We manage to get breakfast (Oily Omelet) at 12noon in Dungra near Banoli. People told me that they have not plowed their field for last three years due to lack of rain. After Banoli it was a beautiful downhill trail. We were flying in the realm of pine forest and lost our way. I came to know when somebody asked me my destination when I stopped for some water in a shop at Dashoula. He told that, we left Kathar turn on the way and now it was 6km uphill. It was a little frustrating but immediately I decided to start ascending in order to stop Lakshya on the way. Now we were struggling in the scorching heat burning of tar at the construction sites (on the way) was adding flames to our sweat. I manage to reach and found the turn after 40min.

Dashoula

Link road from Kathar to Dhyari was abandoned and very secluded. After downhill of 4km, we were at the 800m level for the second time on the same day. Lakshya was not interested for the next climb as he was exhausted completely. I pinched him a comment. Suddenly he stopped and asked for his camera bag, which I was carrying. He said he will carry it now. Strange! Maybe he wanted to revert bitterly but he opted for the other vent. My intention was to match the planned timeline as Bhanu was reaching the same day.                         

Next was the steep ascent, 350m in 7km. Our problem was that we were short of calories inside. It was already 3 pm and we could get lunch only at Dhyari. As a backup, we had some chocolates to manage. At the bridge, we filled our bottles from last natural stream. Steepness with dried up mountain was horrifying.

Lakshya vanished again inside the mountain folds. Meanwhile, Bhanu called me. He told that he is in Pithoragarh bus. I told him to get dropped at Ghat bridge on the way. It suddenly started raining heavily when I was 2km away. Immediately I took out the flex banner (which I brought for the Consolidation campaign) to cover my pannier. It stopped after 30mins. I was thinking of Lakshya, what he would have done to save his expensive camera apparatus as there was not even a single tree to hide. I reached Dhyari at 5 pm. Somewhere in the middle of the market, I asked for food, I knew that it’s already too late for the lunch, shopkeeper first denied, then offered me Daal & Rice considering my condition. That was enough for me. After taking meal I called Bhanu to come up to Dhyari as Lakshya was out of network. It was 6 pm by that time, I was worried for Lakshya. When Bhanu reached, we decided to go for Lakshya on the way. We jumped with joy when we saw a jeep reaching us carrying Lakshya & his bike.

We had a long discussion on spirituality over dinner. The shopkeeper was retired army personnel he offered us to stay as guests but we paid him for the room the next morning.

Me & Bhanu 

Day 04:

Dhyari(1150m) – Ghat(500m) - Pithoragarh(1500m)
Stretch: 51km

Night sleep was ok. I wake up early in the morning to enjoy the beauty of the valley. We did some cleaning & oiling to our bikes. Due to the bad dusty road, gears got filled with dirt. The sky was a bit cloudy, after having heavy breakfast (roti subzi) we moved ahead.

Bhanu pointed out Lakshya for his riding posture and corrected his saddle height also. Lakshya was relived a bit but the real problem was the ATB bike frame which was small in size. MTB frames are in angle to easy sitting posture while ascending, whereas ATB frames are usually flat, bending our back.

Our Bikes were splashing down the mountain like surfboards. At every fold of the mountain, there was a heap of sludge. It was risky but everybody was enjoying the downhill. Bhanu made numerous unsuccessful attempts for video recording using his phone while riding but he managed to get some good videos.

Before Ghat

We reached Ghat in no time. Bhanu showed us a Shack where he was rescued last evening during a rainstorm. It was a bit early for lunch. Next stretch was the steep (1:17) ascent till Gurna and now the sun was throwing challenges for us. The road was burning like a hot metal plate and there was no tree where we could cover ourselves during breaks. After 5km we stopped for lunch in a shack which was placed on a ridge overlooking the river below. Cool breeze but sharp sun, ultimate contrast. We ate ample of food and rested atleast for an hour, though this could reduce the travel time in this heat. But we were supposed to reach Pithoragarh on the same day.

This was Bhanu’s first day and he was paddling too hard. At one point when we reached the shady side of the mountain, we decided to wait for Lakshya. Bhanu slowly took out all his gears and laid on the road. I knew, this being his first day what must have gone wrong with him. He was trying to overcome his situation by keeping himself busy in photography. Lakshya arrived soon and we asked him to continue if he can. Lakshya was adapting, his lungs and muscles got toned but his skin was still suffering.  It was amazing seeing Lakshya managing his senses all these days. I guess it was his willpower, a never say die spirit which was enduring long in this screaming heat….. Hat’s off.

After recovering from nausea, Bhanu started rocking the saddle again. We reached Gurna at around 4 pm….. Ate some local bananas…. Nowhere we could find local milk. After 7km we found the steepness again. It always becomes mentally difficulty if you confront steep road during the end of the day, that too with the empty stomach. Luckily we found omelets. After this speedy snacks, we started moving slowly. Finally, at last, we reached our destination for the day. Bhanu called it Pi….Thora….Garh (Place where people drink less). People might be drinking less but we had enough at the end of this challenging day.

Day 05:

Pithoragarh(1500m) – Satgarh(1800m), Ogla(1400m), Jauljibi(650m)
Stretch: 45km

It was a hotel night with soft mattress.  Owner of the hotel told that Jauljibi road is broken badly. He suggested going via Tejam. But we were not interested in the clockwise loop because doing that we had to cross Thal two times. After taking some cash from an ATM, we stopped for aircheck. Suddenly some reporters surrounded us with cameras and mic. They asked us fast questions - why are we making this journey. “Each of us has a different purpose” – I told. But I told them about CONSOLIDATION, MIGRATION,  EMPLOYMENT in UTTRAKHAND. I gave them some pamphlets and told them that they can contact us on phone, as we were already late leaving this town.

Again road started burning as sun escalated.

Enjoying water near Paleta

At some point near to Paleta we stopped our bikes near a rivulet to cool down ourselves. Inside the valley it was dark. We enjoyed the water and were missing beer over there. At some places, road work was in progress. Bulldozer was pushing a lot of debris into the valley. At Paleta we had tasty Lunch with Desi Ghee. We purchased 1.5kg from shop owners.

Jawan with heavy curled mustaches was managing two German Shepherded at the gate. It was JAK LI (J&K Light Infantry) at Charma.  One man was cycling down the road, we greeted him. He was the CO of that battalion. We asked for the accommodation but there Guesthouse was not available.

Slowly we reached OGLA, it was nothing but a crossroad. After Ashkot our problems started when it became dark and roads got worst. A wide view of the noisy confluence of two rivers was visible from 5km before our destination. For two kilometers we took a walk as it was hell shaky to ride the broken road. We were worried about Lakshya (he was behind) as road also had a lot of blind turns.

Bad Roads

After reaching I was having some snacks & Bhanu was finding someplace to stay. Bhanu came back with a gay looking guy. Then he introduced that person, he was a policeman. That guy was thin like a hanger with a linen. He was too impressed with Bhanu’s personality. After keeping our luggage in the room we came out for beer & food. It was already 8pm. Suddenly we saw a person walking on the street in dark, he was Lakshya. But where was his bike? We asked what happened!! He said, he had a minor accident and his front wheel skewer is lost. He didn’t know exactly what happened. Maybe skewer got loose & came out or it got broke. It took place about 1km before the last bridge.

We asked the policeman to come with us. He was drunk and was in a hyper mood. Chitchat all the way up to the accident site. At site, we searched for 10min, we couldn’t find that skewer and we didn’t have that in spare also. While walking back all of us were thinking that how we will move further without a skewer.

When we reached back to the town all the shops were closed. We were left hungry. That night we managed somehow with some fruits.  That night was very noisy and humid as our room was on the bank of Gauri river.

Day 06:

Jauljibi(650m) – Madkote(1350m)
Stretch: 65km

Lakshya started packing his bag early morning. He then said, he wants to end this tour. It was the skewer but there could be other reasons also. We did not force too much. And then started helping him to get the taxi back to plains. It was a different experience with Lakshya to see him dealing with the troubles he had during this trip.

Road along Gauri River

Eighty percent of next stretch was almost flat and traffic less. This was one of the remotest stretches where nobody goes. The route was along the Gauri river in the beautiful valley and then a steep ascent to Munsyari. Most of the villages were abandoned.  The route was easy but winds made it difficult.

Overhead Waterfall

This route also had some mesmerizing waterfalls. One of them was so huge that we were getting showers on the road and fall was located far across the river. The other one was flowing over the overhang rocks above the road. Good for cycle wash. Nowhere we could find lunch and we reached Madkot at around 4PM. The target was for Munsyari but we decided to halt.

Narrow Valley before Madkot

Day 07:

Madkote(1350m) – Munsyari(2200m) &  Khaliya Top (Trek)
Stretch: 21km

Before Munsyari (Panchachuli Peaks in the background)

It took not much time to Munsyari as we were full of energy. Evening plan was for camping at Khaliya top. We took a nap after reaching Munsyari. Did some purchasing for camping - rice, pulses, Rum, Lighter and utensil. Took rucksack on rent. Somebody dropped us in his car to the point from trekking for Khaliya Top starts. People told us that there is a KMVN rest house which is abandoned. And also warned us about Bears.

I estimated one hour for the trek. But we lost the way a bit. Trek was steep, we had no water. And it started raining. We rushed quickly to keep us dry for the cold night. Reached somehow before the sun was down.

Rest house rooms were full of goat shit. We cleaned one of the rooms which was comparatively less dirty. It also had some logs which we thought will make a bed out of it.

There were some half burnt log pieces and we started making fire inside the room. I took out Rum bottle and pour some of it to light it. There was a sprout behind the building for water. And next task was to prepare hotchpotch for diner. It took more than one hour to cook for only two people at that height without a pressure cooker. After drinking & eating we arranged wooden logs to make some kind of bed. Both of us were having sleeping bag. And then we had an argument – We should close the door or not. Risk of the bear coming in was there and also the risk due to smoke. The window was also of doors height. Then we agreed for half-open window.

Day 08:

Munsyari(2200m) – Kalamuni (2700m) - Birthi(1780m)
Stretch: 34km

That was the worst bed, I slept on. Wooden logs were uneven. And something was pinching me all night. Nest Morning I checked, it was an Iron nail in the wood. I cannot forget this night for struggle, fear, and discomfort. We climbed on the hill-top, which was a grassland with some big rocks. Panchachuli peaks were clearly visible. Khaliya top was at 3000m height.

Khaliya Top

We reached back to Munsyari in the afternoon to start paddling again. There was a steep downhill with 10 hairpin bands after Kalamuni Temple. Cycle speed crossed 50Km/Hr. We pulled our breaks immediately when we saw a tall waterfall. This was Birthi. There was a KMVN Resort next to it and that became our destination for the day. Food and rooms were nice.

Ratapani Hairpin Bands

Day 09:

Birthi(1780m)–Raton(1100m)-Shama(2100m)–Kapkot(1140m)-Bageshwar(1000m)

Stretch: 95km

Woke up at 6am as we decided to visit the waterfall. Fall was so close that showers were coming in the hotel. Exactly 700steps was the distance from the hotel gate. We realized that the waterfall was huge when we came closer. Smoky Water was like a very light fluid which was changing shape like clouds do. I clicked some photos while Bhanu was taking a shallow bath. We came back and left without eating breakfast as there was no milk & eggs, Paranthas would have taken a lot of time for preparation as we had a long way to go.

Waterfall at Birthi

Bhanu got crazy when he saw the steel bridge, he desired to climb a similar bridge earlier also, in jauljibi. Height was good enough to break his legs. I was watching time, as I wanted to cover the maximum distance that day. We were one day behind the schedule. He reached to the top very fast. And he wanted to hang himself in the middle of the bridge for 1 or 2 pull-ups. While he was thinking, I was looking for nearby help in case of emergency. After 10minutes of negotiation, he got down. It was the feeling of nausea & cold which brought him down. I said – “Damm………... Bhanu you wasted 30minutes and did nothing”!.

Bhanu on the top

At  Kwiti we had our breakfast, chapattis & rajma. The trail was all downhill till Tejam turn. Till Rataun bridge also it was OK. But after that, there was the most difficult stretch. The gradient was similar to Madkot-Munsiyari stretch, but the difficulty factor was due to the road condition. Plus the heavy sun. There were seven segments and the shortest was the most difficult. It was almost impossible to pedal. Whenever I try to hit paddal with force, the tyre was skidding. And in the fourth segment, our water bottles got empty. Mountain face was all shaved closely, there was no grass. Luckily we found a half-constructed structure, where we took rest for half an hour. And One car traveler helped us with water. We were halfway on this mountain face. Slowly we started again and reached to the ridge.

Bands after Tejam

Steaming like a pressure cooker… that’s like our nose was. There was a shop on that ridge. We asked for water at one shop. The Shopkeeper bought some water from the hand pump outside. After eating some biscuits we lay down on his shop’s floor. Floor temperature was very relaxing. Shopkeeper had two children. His son was having a minor hole in his heart. Life in this remote place was strange, calm but difficult, especially during medical conditions.

We were entering into Bageshwar district. Shama was 6km away in front of our eyes from that ridge. We had decided to eat Rice & daal there. Shama was a model village at a good height. From Jhopra Gaon we started descending. Pine trees all the way. The Land was fertile & fields were bigger.

Suddenly a noise came from my rear wheel and bike slowdown. I saw the extended carrier strip support was bent which was connected to the rear axle. It got bend because the carrier was assembled wrongly by Aniruddh, the mechanic who service my bike last time. Due to which load was not distributed equally to the mainframe and came only over the forks resting on the axel. Bhanu came back 8km looking for me. We somehow managed to fix it and it took about one hour.

Repair

We reached Ratapani at 5pm.  Patisa(sweets) with evening tea waao… Ratapani was a big market. It was also the last town on the way to Pindari glacier. We wanted to reach Bageshwar on the same day so I pull out my headlamp from our panniers. Funny thing was that we never knew if they run on batteries. It was difficult to find AAA batteries but luckily we got it. We had only one lamp. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any place to stay. And we soon realized that headlamp was not enough for a safe ride. Bhanu recently had an operation for his one eye. He was struggling to focus on the road. Cycling in dark is always risky and here it was deadly. We saw some lights shaking on the road. And those were some boys practicing their run for army selection. They boosted us and we reached Bageshwar at 10pm in the night. It was a Big room where we stayed but we had nothing to eat but 2 pieces of Patisa purchased at Ratapani.

Day 10:

Bageshwar(1000m) - Baijnath(1100m) - Gwaldam(1900m)
Stretch: 43km

Bageshwar is not a famous destination but it is the starting point for the Pindari Glacier Trek. The town is situated on the wide confluence of  Sarayu and Gomti rivers.

I woke up early in the morning because of hunger but waited until the market opened. After having food we went to DMs office to give a memorandum on Chakbandi (Consolidation). DM saw us last night cycling and appreciated us for the social work. The District was not having much of the development issues and fields were also in use. We had some good chats with localities on the way to Baijnath who briefed us about the current situation.

The Route was almost flat along the Gomti River. Steepness actually started after crossing the river. But the road quality was good and we reached Gwaldam easily. Now we were entering into the Garwal Region. Here people knew both Garwali and Kumauni dialect. It was a calm remote hill station. Due to forest fire smoke, the famous Trishul(7120m) Peak was not visible, that was very unfortunate. GMVN guest house was very old and cheap(450/- per night) and without hot water for bath. There was a good market for local herbs. I called my friend who recently moved back to his village near Tharali. He asked me to meet the next morning.

Day 11:

Gwaldam(1900m) - Tharali(1200m) - Karnaprayag(800m) - Rudraprayag(700m)

Stretch: 101km

Green downhill ride till Tharali was chilling. My friend was waiting in a Tea shop. While having breakfast we discussed the local conditions at his village. People in these remote places were living with contentment. All the agriculture practices were same as 20 years back.

Bath in Pindar River

The Route ahead was flat along the Pindar River. We took a bath in shallow river water during the hot sun. Heat on the road was increasing with time. We saw many lime cavities in the mountain and rested inside one of them for some time as there was no tree in the dry mountain. Near Karnaprayag, there were so many road construction site. Bulldozers were pushing all the debris in the river. It was very destructive.

We stopped at Karnaprayag for lunch. Huge crowd in a small market, people were transiting during Char Dham Yatra. I saw families from the different part of the country. Karnaprayag is situated on the confluence of Alaknanda and Pindar River.

Now we were on the National Highway 58 which connects to Badrinath. Busy Road was very wide. Our plan was to stay near Rudraprayag. Hot discussion between me and Bhanu started over Hotel stay. We saw many hotels on the way they were expensive considering our budget. I was willing to take a comfortable one after a long route in the hot summer. After a very close fight, we decided to stay at GMVN. It was a kind of resort with a beautiful river view from the window. Then we dissolved our grudges in the bottle of RUM.

Day 12:

Rudraprayag(700m) – Kherakhal(1460m) - Khirsu(1800m)
Stretch: 53km

Next morning, the plan was to visit District Magistrate. From DM’s perspective, Chakbandi was a smaller issue. And he said it is difficult to implement. They have tried already publicizing some success stories, but nobody is willing to exchange his good yield field for barren or rock areas. Although they were offering them with a factor of benefit which depends on the value of the particular field. But it will take time. Other issues we brought to his notice was Debris management during Road construction and Forrest Fire.

After a long meeting, we had a good head massage for just 20 rupees in the market. The road was burning due to the sun as we started late. We started experiencing all type of city nuisance like pollution & traffic. It becomes difficult to bear the heat especially when you just land down from heavenly mountains. We decided to take any road which is elevating to raise our altitude. Next left cut on the road at Khankra was leading to Kherakhal. Initially, the road was bad and steep but we had no option.

When we stopped for a while to manage our lactose. My eyes stuck on a Hercules bicycle which was loaded heavily with beddings, clothes and accessories. Then suddenly a Sadhu appeared sitting on a rock next to me, cleaning his chilam. I asked him if that cycle belongs to him. I realized he was a foreigner. He introduced himself to be a Naga Sadhu and his name was Neelkanthe. A French practicing Naga ascetic from last 5-6 years. His bank balance was got empty when he visited India and he decided to stay here for the indefinite time.  Cycling helps him to clear his lungs after smoke, he told.

It was a full circle in the valley to reach Kherakhal as villagers told. By the time we crossed Kherakhal the sun was down. Khirsu was 20km away. Quick pedals didn't help much as we saw a thick Forrest ahead and it was already dark. Luckily one jeep was passing us. We asked them to drop us at Khirsu. Only 7km was remaining. Jeep dropped us for free at Khirsu GMVN.

The resort was stinking bad due to seepage. There was a good option available for staying in tented accommodation in the middle of the jungle. That was thrilling. Cook prepared local mutton and arranged beer also. That was really fun.

Tented Accommodation

Day 13:

Khirsu(1800m) – Pauri(1800m) - Adwani(1950m) - Soola(1800m)
Stretch: 50km

O, it was in my own district Pauri. I visited my in-laws’ relatives in the morning. Banj tree jungles are very thick, these are very common in Pauri district. On the way to Pauri, we saw one shop selling Local Burans and Amala juice. The shopkeeper told us everything about the juice making process and how he is taking benefit of government subsidy. We also purchased one bottle of Burans Ark(decoct juice). Burans is the state flower of Uttarakhand. And it is sweet & sour in taste with flowery flavor.

This day route was along the ridgeline only. We took the upper road to skip the Pauri city and had lunch at Kandolia. After Pauri, I was expecting a nice Pine Forrest. But was surprised to see that most of the Pine trees were burnt and vanished. Villagers use to burn dried out pine leaves which fell down on the ground during winters. So that ground gets clear and grass can grow during rains for their cattle feed. But this forest fire most of the times is not under control and burns the whole jungle down. And pine trees are flammable. Instead of Pine, we should plant Banj trees. Banj trees do not catch fire easily.

Road to Mundaneshwar

Adwani was no town but a junction in the middle of the forest located over the ridge. We visited Mundaneshwar Temple which is our deity’s temple situated on the hilltop. Usually every year we visit our village and this temple during the annual fest. Our destination for the day was my mother’s village Soola, where we were supposed to visit Mr. Ganesh Garib. We stayed overnight at his house where he told all the stories, issues and technicalities about Chakbandi.

Day 14:

Soola(1800m) – Satpuli(1800m) – And back to Delhi
Stretch: 32km

My maternal Grandmother was staying alone in the village which was 20min downhill. I rushed down to meet her but we were supposed to leave on the same day. My Grandmother said that you have visited me like a dream, a short dream.

Our things were packed already. Route till Satpuli was downhill. We boarded the bus to Kotdwar with our bikes tied on the roof. Bikes were banging with the roof railing at every band. We again changed the bus at Kotdwar to Delhi. 

Our tour came to an end. We learned a lot of things about Uttarakhand.

SIKKIM Cycle Tour (May 2018)

Temi Tea Estates, Sikkim

Bhutan is known as world’s Last Shangri-La. But we didn’t imagine that getting inside this heaven is going to be that difficult. Cycle tour in Bhutan remained as a dream may be for some good reasons and lack of planning pushed us into the tea valleys of Sikkim.

I do not recommend train journey for travel if you are carrying your cycle. My misery was way more severe because of RAC ticket which did not confirm till the end of journey. After a terrible journey by train from Secundrabad, we wasted three days at Phunsoling/Jaigaon, which  is 50km from the train-station New Alipurdaur. Rajesh was coming from Delhi after two days. Meanwhile I inquired about permits.

Do you think getting visa/permit to Bhutan is easy?  Do not underestimate Bhutan for its regulations like Nepal. Although it takes only half a day to get permit from their immigration office but they are very particular about their rules. Hotel booking at Paro & Thimpu is a prerequisite for the permit. I booked the hotels but a big loss hit me when my phone services got barred suddenly. I received a message saying that I have consumed 20MB of data while roaming internationally and outstanding amount is nineteen thousand rupees. I manage to avoid this loss after coming back from tour later. My argument was, how can a phone company charge international roaming, if person has not travelled internationally for that period. I saved about 25 thousand rupees but lack phone & internet services during the tour caused further losses also.

On the other side we were trying hard to get permission for our cycle tour. But we were denied for cycling on their highways for safety concerns. Option of transporting our cycles to Paro & Thimpu was there and we could have started from there. But we became apprehensive about further permits and road safety rules. So we turned our direction toward Sikkim. And moved to Jalpaigudi with our cycle in a local bus.

Japiguri was a nice calm place where one can enjoy authentic Bengali cuisines. It is always better to fill your glucose pool before you ride for a long bicycle tour. And we were happy being at core typical Bangla town with variety of mouthwatering specialty sweets. Not a complete one but I discovered a good circuit, starting from Jalpaigudi and ending at Siligudi, covering majority of east and south Sikkim. I always spend lot of time in route planning before starting, where I study roads for their slopes, conditions and halts. This time, lack of time and barred phone service was going to put me into lot of uncertainty.

Road along river Teesta

First day was supposed to be easier one. Route was through the jungle without elevations but little challenges we had because of sun and traffic. Our morale turned down immediately after the start, when I got my cycle tyre puncher. And it repeatedly happened for 2 more times. I was so disappointed as I was not able to trace the reason. After third time I dragged my cycle to a puncher shop. Young but skilled mechanic found that plastic strip running over the metallic rim below the tube is repeatedly cutting the soft tube. I appreciated him and paid double for his good job.

Gorubathan

On the way, I asked Akhil (in office) to book Air ticket back to Hyderabad for me. Due to some mis-communication he thought I’m having permit issues, so I wanted to come back on coming Saturday. So he booked ticket costing 13 thousand for coming Saturday, Whereas I was asking him to book ticket  after two weeks. I was feeling satisfied like a stupid after receiving the tickets for the wrong dates which I never checked. 

We reached Tourist Lodge at Gorubathan before dark and rain. Our stay was a beautiful hide out located in the narrow valley with thick vegetation. Lodge was clean and cheap but not much variety for food.

Local wine served in Bamboo Jar

Now onward it was a steep route till Lava. We decided for early start for which we skipped the breakfast but managed to get aromatic organic tea for just RS 5. Taste of that tea, I cannot forget forever. Highway was getting wider for Mansarovar route connecting China via Nathula pass. We reached Lava on time  but rain drenched us at high pass. Body started shaking during downhill, road was bad and our clothes got filled with mud. By evening we manage to find a cozy homestay (Sweekriti) on the road, where we were offered with local homemade wine called “Thumba” made up of Ragi/Kodha. It was served in bamboo jars with a narrow bamboo straw. Instant brewing was taking place in the jar every time we were adding hot water in it. Wait for (natural pause) 10-15mins and then you can sip the jar. 

Next destination was Rongli, from where we were supposed to get permission for Nathula Pass. It was a long downhill till the state border where we had a bath in the river. Had authentic local cuisine in hotel Magnolia at Rehnak market. After arriving at Rongli, we inquired for permission at police station, where they denied saying they do not provide permission for two wheelers. Disappointed again, we turned our wheels toward Gangtok for some hope for permit. We stayed at Rorathang, which is not a good spot.

Near Singtam

On the same day I received message from Akhil – “Where have you reached”. I replied –“Rorathang”. He said- “Oh this place is only 100km from the airport”. I smell something is wrong and checked  the ticket which was booked for the next day. And here was the another big loss I encountered. I asked Akhil to request Airlines to provide reimbursement on ticket cancellation. But he was pulling me to come back on next day which was possible. But I was not at all willing to compromise with my passion. Especially when you have taken so much of pain and spent that much of time & money. Luckily we got compensation of eight thousand rupees. It was non-reimbursable ticket but airlines granted because it was a business class category, Oh that was the reason ticket was so expensive.

Gangtok

From Rorathang we had two routes for Gangtok. First one via Pakyong and second one via Rangpo. Airport at Pakyong was under construction and there was heavy truck movement, so we decided to go for second option, which was also full of traffic after Rangpo. Amount of traffic increased as we approached Gangtok. It was a weekend and all the tariff for hotels  were up by 100%. Sometimes it’s OK to spend for the value as good hotels do not escalate much during weekend as they are already expensive. We visited mall and checked with hotel travel desk for Nathula permit. It was very difficult and very expensive in such a short notice. Permit was free, permit office opens at 5AM during season. But you have to reach one day in advance. We decided that we will talk to taxi driver or travel agent in the morning.

Rajesh had difficult night, he drained off due to loose motion. This probably happened because of cold when he went out to the mall after having hot water bath without a pullover. So we decided to ride downhill next day. Our next destination was Temi and route was via Samdong. We reached Singtam bridge from where the road was uphill. Rajesh was not in a situation to pedal on uphill trail so we booked a cab till Temi Guest House.

Temi Guest House

Stay for at least two days was required for Rajesh to recover. And the location was worth to spend that much time in Temi. It was an old heritage property (about 150 year old) of Mr. Lalit Pradhan who had old mother, wife, five children and two servants. I spent good time during long talks with his old mother who told me about the local culture and history of that part of Sikkim. We stayed at guest house surrounded by natural garden and jungle behind. They always use to invite us for food in their big kitchen. Two days were relaxing when we had a lot of organic Orthodox tea. Temi has about 450 acre of tea garden located almost at one stretch which gives Temi a different eye pleasing topographic character. At some viewpoints Tea farms stretches from one horizon to other. In Rs.100 one can take a tour of Temi Tea Factory where you can see actual processing. So if you are visiting Sikkim, Temi is must to visit zone for its mesmerizing experience especially during rains.

Recently Sikkim was declared as Organic state. Which was a good stand for government but was a big trouble for restaurants and tourists. Only options at some of the restaurant was potatoes. Most of the restaurants were run by ladies who were very strong headed and were not willing to cook or serve. We were surviving on maggi and biscuits we had. Overall we found this zone very commercial with average level of hospitality.

Namchi

From Temi onwards, road was smooth & uphill for about 16km. We stayed next night at Namchi. This place is known for miniature Char Dham complex which did not attract us. We found mall area more interesting which was wide open and happening . Our plan was to reach Darjeeling via Jorethang. I remembered a beautiful narrow route from Mountaineering days when I attended BMC at HMI, Darjeeling. For glacier training they take all students to Sikkim (to Rathong Glacier) from this route. That experience was with the bus and was 10 years back.

After lunch at Jorethang we crossed cable bridge to enter West Bengal /Gorkhaland. Everybody on the way was suggesting not to go on that route because of its surface condition & steepness. After 5Km meter we realized that fact, when we failed to paddle on the rocky road. We started dragging bicycle on foot. It was the impossible route we had chosen. This was worse than Jarori pass road during our first tour in 2010. We should have checked the slope at least on the google map. Road was waving on the ridge only, which was causing irregular and unbearable steepness. After too much of struggle we decided to call it a day and started looking for accommodation.

It is always difficult to find homestay if you are close to such a big city. Residents doubt that “why they are not searching hotel inside the city”. Somehow we found one place where owner was expanding his house and the building was under construction. Room was totally upset with construction material lying everywhere but we managed to sleep only after two bottle of beer.

Next day we again try on cycle but after 15km we give up as the road continued its character. We boarded a pickup truck till Darjeeling and realized the remaining difficult steep route where Bolero was moving on first gear only.

Marget's Deck

Darjeeling was a bad experience. It was dirty & overcrowded. It disappointed so much that we decided to move down early next morning. It was a long downhill road with the railroad. We experienced locomotive crossing us so many times. One should be careful crossing rails which are embedded on the road surface, they can be slippery for two wheelers. We had good experience at Margret’s Deck Tea Lounge on the way (about 20km from Darjeeling). Beautiful vista of valley from deck was a mesmerizing experience while having their authentic orthodox tea. Rs.500 for a Pot, expensive but worth an experience. 

Cycle ride was finished at Siliguri. Now the first big task was to bring Bicycle cartons from Jalpiguri. We took a local passenger train to Jalpaiguri. It became a cause of worry when we came to know that those cartons got damage because of rainy flood. It happened, when hotel owner forgot to keep those carton inside while raining. I was not sure if we can pack cycles with those cartons as they were wet and weak. 

Near Siliguri

We had no option but to carry them to Siliguri and to find out some to fix it for Air transportation next day. There was one more difficulty, how to carry cartons to Siliguri. Local bus service stops after 8PM. And state buses which works all night do not have carrier on the roof, so they do not allow such big cartons inside. Luckily we found one tempo/van and travelled sitting on the lorry behind with our cartons in the open at night. Somehow we reached hotel after eating lot of dust. On final day we managed to get two big polycovers from the market to encase weak cartons and succeeded board our flight on time.