phaedrusarcher

This is my first post at xbhp and I would like my first post to be an introduction to other fellow members and my first trip report on xbhp too.
Im an orthopedic surgeon by profession and have always was fond of touring on wheels since my college days. Having recently moved from my home In Mumbai to the hills of Sikkim in order to develop a hospital that will take up two years of my life I was more than looking forward to some great escapes to hills and nature, flowering valleys and terrifying heights and with this fantasy in my mind I got my RE Classic 500 an impulsive purchase in august this year. Having toured on my Mahindra Xylo till July I was more than happy to get astride my C5 and the day I had to ride from Siliguri (the nearest dealers of RE) to Gangtok my current location I was eager to ride the thumper 110 kms into the hills through winding roads and slopes with vistas of greenery and clouds around me.


Needless to go into details but I found the C 5 an awesome ride full of power devoid of glitches and fairly comfy for a ride compared to my old electra.
Few weeks into ownership I decided to go for day tour around Gangtok. There are plentiful places to ride to and be back by dinner. So I did the usual tashi viewpoint, martam and scenic tours around Gangtok. It was time now to test the C5 on rougher terrain…with the odo running above 1200 kms I decided to head into where real ice and snowfall is. Nathula!!
First things first was to get a team together and destiny would have it …in just 48 hrs of spreading word around I had four riders ready for the tour. Lalit on his new july purchased TBTS, Raju on his old 1995 model T’bird. Obviously the machines were in top shape the best one being the oldest model and the newest being mine was the most unreliable. Would the trip go uneventful? Better be prepared.
Karan and Lalit were to obtain the necessary permissions from the Home deptGangtok and the army and do the route planning. Raju was in-charge of food and support and I took the charge of equipment support being the oldest and most bullet-experienced person (amongst the lot!!)
Our map was ready in a jiffy and down to altitudes distances and expected halts with facilities because Lalit is an experienced mountaineer and traveler and had been to the are by his preferred route before.
We took the longer more picturesque route which was like this
Gangtok ->Rangpo->Rongli->Padamchen->Zuluk where we were halting for the night ->next morning Kupuk-> Baba mandir->Tsomgo and back to Gangtok. The govt issued map which does not show Zuluk though it has ahuge army presence or maybe thats the reason.
So we agreed to meet at my clinic which is conveniently situated next to the only reliable unofficial RE service center at Gangtok and 7.00 AM sharp all of us were there. Raju’s speedometer was not working he wanted to keep count of kilometers eaten on trip so we gave him ten minutes to fix it up. He obviously could not fix it in that time because mechanic was still asleep.
It was a crisp morning in Gangtokwith temp around 12*C and lightly foggy skies and we were in top shape.

After we gave a good look at the bikes noted that they were in good shape too and our equipment and luggage was in order we took a customary photograph at the starting point and headed down on the national highway 31 A got our tanks filled at 5th mile petrol pump which in my experience is the only reliable pump selling good quality petrol. After that it was a joyride till we hit singtam where a row of army trucks form the Jabalpur vehicle factory made a hurdle in front of us. Time to revv up the bulls and in a jiffy we overtook the army guys. I noticed the notoriously reputed army guys making way for us when they noted we were on bullets as these bikes are standard way of transport for army personnel here in Sikkim and elsewhere. There is a bit of brotherhood amongst people who ride enfields and army guys. Very soon we were much ahead of the traffic and roaring thro the highway ..the road is exceptional from Singtam to just before Rangpo and riding at 70-80 kms per hour is effortless though slowing down at turns makes sure you do not get your heartfill of the thumpers power.

the pic above is a place u always encounter any time u leave Gangtok for anywhere except north.
Within an hour and half into our journey we hit Rangpo…so far so good. The tricky thing about Rangpo is it’s the last place in our route plan where we could get petrol check air pressure and get any kind of mechanical or tech support in case of our bikes going wrong. Once crossed Rangpo we will be at the mercy of our thumpers and in case anything goes wrong all we had was an air pump, some puncture patches and tools and nylon rope just in case a bike needs to be towed. Well trusting our luck we set forth after coffee at Rangpo. None of our machines needed a look after just two hrs of riding. The bulls had just warmed up to the trip!
We soon found out we were in for a rough ride when we encountered some long slushy muddy road half an hour form Rangpo. The roads through Rorathang were dreadful as we had heard with cobblestones and muddy stretches alternating with rain filled ditches and slushy climbs.The stretch was quite a warm up for further roads to come and all of us who were a little wet behind our years with our new bikes matured into seasoned riders by the time we covered the 40 odd kilometers to Rongli in about three hrs.

One word about riding in the hills, it’s much more focused much less forgiving towards errors of man and machine and much more tiring at the end of the day. For me riding a kilometer is equivalent to four of plains and we try to keep our riding close to 100 kilometers in hills/day that makes it roughly the same experience as 400 of plains. The toll on machines is equivalent with uphill cruising demanding much more power than plains. Add to that rain wet roads and constant turns every 40 meters or so and you are on for a rough game. You have to constantly watch out for oncoming vehicles that squeeze you into the hill or threaten to push you down into the valley stand your ground and outmaneuver every trick of the lorry and truck drivers who consider themselves the rulers of the road. Safety cannot be taken for granted anywhere and in hills esp with fogs and rain its even more so.
We reached Rongli two hours behind schedule blaming our late start and delay at Rangpo for it and had a quick bite at a restaurant in Rongli bazaar. We met up a friend who has a house there and he advised us to make time because darkness falls fast in hills.
Straightway we headed higher into hills felt the chill soon hitting its way through our windcheaters and changed into warmer layers of jackets and cold gloves when we stopped at the extremely picturesque village of Padamchen where we got our passes and permits checked.

Whenever you travel across borders especially in army protected areas be sure to keep your documents pit pat and up to date. They can turn you around without ceremony and all travel plans can be quashed if even one rider is at fault with his papers.
We soon crossed all evidence of humanity and now it was only the hills which soon filled our vision looming at the horizons. Slopes became steep as we reached nearer Zuluk and we could make out the snowfall at the horizon. The turns and twists were now easier with practically no vehicle and we had the road to ourselves.

We mounted camera and shot some nice locals and videos. At Zuluk we had some sudden downpour and by the time we arrived at the army camps where we stayed overnight that day someof our bikes were drenched though all of us were safe with our correctly chosen gear and protective helmets and gloves.
It was 5 *C at Zuluk and once we were off our bikes soon the cold got to us..we lined our outer clothes jackets and gloves across the chimney and waited for them to dry and our bones to warm up. The staff consisted of kitchen people who were all locals and they very graciously provided us with popcorn which is a life saver from altitude sickness (oh by the way zuluk is just 14000 feet nothing to fear but next day was higher). Then dinner came with neatly fried vegetables and rice and some graet local preparation of chicken and cheese(churpi)we also had soyabean and none of us could keep form gorging on the absolutely delicious food. Night time was tyo sit around the fire stoke in a few logs and listen to stories from the locals over glasses of vodka. Some were pretty simple and funny like the village having a record of their chicken being 8 kgs and the person swore on his ancestors so we were bound to believe him. Then the topic turned serious on how they have been asking the govt to put the village on the map..the village had been founded by the ancestors of one of our hosts and there were 50 odd houses there with somewhere around 200 population. Not a very big vote bank he said. I was inclined to agree. The army people once passing by the village at night saw the lights of the village …the villagers drew electric lines form the army camps and they were enchanted by the play of lights across the otherwise pitch dark background of the mountains and named it Jhili-Mili. I could not agree more and supported whole heartedly if ever the govt recognizes the existence of this village officially that should be the name.
We called it a day at around eleven in the night it was dark and cold outside and I thanked o god and our hosts for the warm beds and the good food and rolled in our beds tucked sleeping soundly till 6 AM next morning. Shot a few morning photographs and chatted with the army people.

Met a guy form Bombay Mr. SandeepPatil well-muscled and devoting himself to lathering his face and shaving with a precision of a surgeon. I watched with interest till I cud take it no more when he splashed old spice on his cheeks and asked him kaypatilshaeb?kashala? Your aftershave is wasted in these hills. There is hardly someone to look at your handsome face and get a whiff of your aftershave here. He smiled good naturedly and said doctor saab I hope for the best. Next time you come make sure you have members of the better half in your tour. I promised him I will, knowing full well I won’t!!
After hogging on T- momos butter and jam with cups of strong black tea,we got hold of our bikes. It’s a pleasure to hear your bull jump to life at the first self-start in a frozen morning when the temp is around 3*C and it has snowed all night. The day was gloomy to begin with no sun broke throughthe clouds to melt the snow. We started our bikes, did some acrobatics across the badly wet and slimy terrain of the army camp road which was muddy very steep and our brakes and feet just didn’t have any hold on the ground. But soon we hit the highway and climbed at a steady pace till we could see the snow on the road.

Luckily army vehicle shad just gone ahead and we had fresh tracks to ride our bikes in. speed was down to 15-20 km/hr and braking was very gradual. We had to literally plan our braking.

Very soon the roads were all covered with snow. We had a few falls and lost controls and treacherous terrain made it difficult to progress at beyond 10km/hr speeds.

But the scenery was too beautiful, we passed the village of Gnathang at an altitude of 11000 feet, white covered with snow and looking so unreal that we could hardly believe we were riding through such territory. In such conditions we finally covered the final 16 kilometers of snow-capped mountains to Kupuk at a height of 13000 feet. below is a pic of Gnathang covered with two days of snowfall. there was no way we cud reach this place except walking for an hour off roads so we let it go.

Unfortunately it started snowing again and we were stopped by a dead end beyond which we just could not make out the road from the valley and a fine sheet of snow covered all else. With active snow fall it was difficult to make out inches away from our bikes and we stopped. Waiting for a few hours the snow fall stopped and we found out that vehicles gone ahead of us were returning because there was a huge logjam of about 200 army vehicles and four wheelers at Nathula-Kupuk junction. After some debates and weighing the pros and cons we decided to return back the same way though the route was longer by about 50 kilometers we headed back …the descent was more treacherous because now gravity was pulling the bikes down and there was no help form our brakes or our feet. All of us opened our accounts with one fall each fortunately it was into a seven inches thick bed of snow and none of us men or machines had any injury.

Slowly we made our back to Zuluk ….waved our goodbyes to the army people and headed towardsRongli where the weather as much better.
Soon we hit the early roads on way to Rongli and found that rain had turned roads into a nightmare. Fortunately we had no breakdowns not even a flat tire and we were soon at Rangpo after a quick bite we decided not to delay going back to Gangtok and made quick time back home. The journey back took hardly five hours from Kupuk to Gangtok and we were in time for drinks and dinner and heating up our frozen tips.
At the end of the day though news poured in of inches of snow at Nathula and a 8 hour wait for vehicles such there to clear through we still had the words on our lips : we have unfinished rendezvous men! As we wait for the snow to clear off and head once again this fascinating trail of snow and peaks we plan our next trip to Kafer a place near Kalimpong which arguably has a sunrise far surpassing Tiger Hill of Drajeeling in splendor and majesty.
More on the next trip to Kafer in my next post.
Till then keep thumping.

Aryan

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phaedrusarcher

now thats funny...where are my pics?
i must have made a blunder in my first post...guys sorry..tryin now to upload again...but can someone be sweet n tell me a simple way to do it.

phaedrusarcher

here are some pics
the first one has us four riders from left to right Karan, Raju, Lalit and I ...with our t'birds and my C5
in the second one taken at Rongli abt 4 hrs ride from gangtok Raju n I are sending final messages to wives!!after this there is no reception on phones.thank god!!

the last one is through the scenic town of Padamchen where the check post for pemits stops u for few min...nice place to shoot a few pics till the wait is over

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phaedrusarcher

4 of us sitting at the monastery at padamchen ...taking a break after two hrs of riding in the hills...n waitin for permits to process...the first pic

the army camp at Zuluk...army guys were impressed with our resolve to go thro the ice hit areas of nathula. two of them tagged along on their vespas!!

third pic ...raju n I goofing ard for the camera..
welcome to Zuluk...9000 feet only.

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phaedrusarcher

army guys with us n our rides

the village of gnathang covered with 6 inches of two days snow fall!!

the road towards kupuk n nathula

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phaedrusarcher

ride through ice laden tracks of kupuk

6 inches of snow...helluva ride

the road ahead ...riders eye view!

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phaedrusarcher

partially frozen lake on way to nathula...12000 feet

striking a pose on Lalit's T bird..loved this bike..never before but after this trip it has grown on me!

if i had a parachute i mit have taken a jump into this valley...mind blowing beauty.

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shelton_jh

Wow! That's amazing. I really envy you nice bike, awesome place and wonderful snow clad road

rpmboy

Thanks for sharing the pics , Sikkim is itself is so beautiful & we can really feel the ice from the pics itself. as u said 'Keep them Thumping'

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Ownerships going strong :-
Bajaj Chetak 1981...clocking 2,00,000kms+
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