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**krishna77** · 12-03-2014, 11:38 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Please update the first leg of the trip. Enjoyed reading it so much!

**itsmevini123** · 12-04-2014, 06:15 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Bhutan is wonderful place to explore, nice pictures please complete the log

**Aurobindo** · 12-06-2014, 01:54 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Beautiful pictures there. I am so so happy

to see a fellow biker ride through my state and through the roads i frequented during weekend in my college days. Orissa is such an unexplored beautiful state. There are places here which would mesmerize anyone. Sadly, the government does little to help promote tourism. glad you could explore Puri and konark

**offtopic** · 12-13-2014, 11:03 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Amazing stuff there. Is the visor an official KTM part? How effective is it? Would it fit an NS?

**sudhir222** · 12-14-2014, 01:46 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Day 1: New Jalpaiguri to Pelling(Sikkim)

Oct 6, 2014
Odo for the day: 142kms.

Before I start off with the ride part, I think it's worthy to mention the events that unfolded until two days prior to the train journey.
I had my EQ confirmed in Kamakhya Express and hence once day before the departure, I went to the Yeshwantpur Parcel booking office to get my bike packed and booked for the train journey along with me. It was 4PM by the time I reached the office and since I knew the drill from the Spiti experience, straightaway went over to the counter and asked him for the charges.
The reply I got absolutely flabbergasted me. The clerk said that only perishable goods were allowed in the brake van of this particular train and bikes would not be loaded. I had to hear it again to confirm the nerve wrecking news.

Different thoughts running in my mind - perhaps I should ride all the way up there and then load it for the return, advance the plan so that I can ship it via a
road carrier. But in fact, there was no way I could advance the plan. Too many things would turn out into an issue - leaves, bookings at Gangtok, train ticket.

So I just went out of the office wondering the next course of action. It as then that an elderly person walks over to me and asks what exactly was that
I wanted to do. I explained him about the ride plan. So he says there is one guy who could help me. Turns out be a fellow named Shankar and
as luck might have it, he had leased one brake van in the train.The price he asked was steep but then I didn't have an option nor am I happy with cancelling plans.
So agreed to it and passed over the bike docs.
Had the bike packed and the last shock of the day was that I suddenly was aware about my train departing at 8AM and not 8PM the next day.
I was cursing myself for being so stupid and reckless. Proof of how absent minded I had been in the last couple of weeks!
Fortunately, my luggage was already packed and only a few items needed to be found and organized. Also, had to book a cab for an early morning arrival
at the train station.

The bike load was peaceful since the only other goods in the luggage van were few crates of mangoes

Katoom could almost sleep with his legs wide open mimicking the Spiderman pose.

Next 48hrs in the train were spent reading Kenneth Anderson Omnibus and sleeping. I slept as if I never had it in the last decade because that was the
best way of passing time. A little about the book - it is about an English gentleman who was famous for shooting man eater tigers in Southern India in the
period of post independence until the 1960s. Beautifully written and the last time I had read it was way back in 2002.
I was sick as well, lungs almost seemed to be infected and a severe cold.
Just prayers on the lips that would be back fit by the time I reached NJP.

There was this super cute kid in my coach and we often had long unending arguments of who should sit on who's seat since mine was the upper berth and her's the lower. It typically was like - She: You come here. Me: You come up here. She: You come here. Me: You come up here. She: You come here. Me: You come up here.
This went on for about 30 times and her parents were going nuts hearing us so I stopped and again went back to my state of coma!

Finally reached NJP at sharp 6:AM, perfect sunrise time and after some choicest swears on the guys unloading for asking big money, I used the 2ltr fuel which I had carried along and made the Katoom drink it. I had quite an audience since most of them had never seen this weird looking bike.
Pressed the starter and he roared to life without a blink and I just rode off with jacket on my lap and bags loosely tied up.
Need to find a chai shop and peacefully get the knuckle guards, mirrors and windscreen back on the bike since I had removed all of these for the train journey.

Bike loaded at Yeshwantpur

Yay!! NJP finally..

Just found it around the corner and drank a tea. Took me about 20mins to install all the stuff back on and I couldn't explain how shabby I felt.
Sticky hair, oily skin, grown up whiskers - almost like a neanderthal. I am sure all of you who have traveled in train journeys lasting more than 30hrs agree with me.

Withdrew enough cash to last until Pelling and then started looking out for a hotel alongside the highway.
About 15kms outside Siliguri, saw a neat hotel on the LHS and hit a bargain for one hour usage of a room for Rs200.
What pleasure does a hot, long shower gives to a man(now dont get sexist on me)!!! I was reborn and fit for the ride now

I just followed the directions that pointed to Darjeeling and a little while later could see signs of Pelling.
It so happened that the route to be taken was Siliguri-Melli-Jorethang-Legship-Pelling.
Now the initial 20odd kms from Siliguri were great and I cruised at 90-100kmph and started seeing colorful imaginations about the roads. But no sir, the next stretch until Jorethang and almost til Legship was a sheer agony. Dust, my black jacket, saddle bags had all turned beige.
Perhaps I had eaten about 50gms of it as well. No food in the stomach and the hot climate all made it so difficult.

I did not take out the DSLR for the most part and only clicked a few pics on the cell phone.

Just out of Siliguri

This is where I slept for 15min and stretched my back after the terrible dust ridden roads

After Legship, the conditions improved greatly and Katoom could at least touch the third gear sometimes.
While crossing Geyzing, noticed fuel pump but thought of getting a tank up at Pelling - MISTAKE! Pelling does not have any fuel pumps.
Although it's only 10kms separating these two places, the roads are very steep and will take about 25mins to cover. More on this later.

So my first ride day in Sikkim had seen 140 odd kms at 16:00hrs. I prefer low profile, less crowded stays. Went away from the main chowk and found a decent looking hotel. Told price: Rs1200. Paid: Rs800. Good job Sid.

The room was good with two huge windows and the terrace supposedly had a brilliant view of Mt Kanchenjunga. Had to wait until the next morning to confirm since back then it was already cloudy.

Took a long shower and asked for some roti sabzi after which I rode out to the helipad which was hardly 2kms from my hotel.
This is situated in an elevation and a very chilled out place(quite literally).
On a clear day, one could see some Himalayan peaks and also a bird's eye view of the hill towns. The colors of dusk had already began to show. It was so very peaceful there and I tried some night shots using the tripod. Weather was pleasantly cold and a smoke was relished.

Returned to the hotel with the next day's plan of checking out Khecheopalri Lake the next day. The lake was close to 24kms from Pelling.
Other than that, I really dint have any concrete plans for the day.

At night, the owner of the hotel, a very kind soul, offered me the local drink in the traditional apparatus.
One needs to pour hot water into the mug like structure which had millets on the top. And then, there is this bamboo straw to suck the fermented
beverage into our mortal bodies. I had about 4-5 moderate gulps and could realize that I was getting wings

So stopped drinking it and switched to Vodka for the day. Borrowed some maps from the hotel guys and chalked up a rough plan for the next day.

Day 2: Around Pelling(Sikkim)
Oct 7, 2014

Woke up at 5AM with a faster heartbeat owing to the curiosity of looking at Mt Kanchenjunga. What a shame, whole sky was covered in clouds and I
came downstairs dejected. Really hoped that perhaps she would allow me a sight the next morning before I started off towards Gangtok.

Now, I had mentioned about my mistake of not tanking up fuel at Geyzing. The Katoom had hardly couple of liters of fuel which given the road conditions,
would dry up pretty quick. Found a shop selling fuel in black but at a steep price. Filled three liters for Rs85 each which I actually thought was okay since
the trip to Geyzing alone would cost the difference amount. With this, headed towards Khecheopalri Lake aka the wishing lake.

Do I need to say that I was greeted with magnificently brok
en down roads and the Katoom's stiff suspension made me feel as if I was taming a wild horse.
I had also stiffened up the monoshock by one step keeping in mind the heavy baggage on it, so yes, the pleasure was all mine!

Shot some GoPro videos and after numerous water crossings and water falls, reached the lake. we need to park the vehicle and then walk up about
500mts to get to the lake. Don't bother, leave the baggage on the bikes, no one would even touch it.

Rimbi falls. Check the size of the falls with that of the Sumo. It is really a loooong water fall!

Cute kids..

Delayed exposure shot from the helipad at Pelling

Delayed exposure shot from the helipad at Pelling

The lake has a ramp for the entry, numerous prayer flags fluttering calmly on one shore and the rest of it was bound by thick, dense jungle.
To the right of the lake, is an old temple with a chorten kind of structure in front. The moment I entered this area, serenity was palpable.
First removed the shoes and entered the temple. Lit some incense sticks and placed a wish for someone. Now it was time to get to the lake.
Entered the ramp, almost 50 feet long with prayer wheels on either walls of it. The lake when seen at the end of the ramp is a symbol of
peace.
It is as serene as a place can get. I was all alone and silently watched the big fishes diving up near the water surface.
All those who ask us why do we undergo all the hardship of riding/driving in extreme conditions, this is the answer.
It is moments such as these that defines our motive, determination and reassures that the journey along the road less taken was well worth it.

Found this fella while returning!

15min later the whole are was chaotic with a family screaming about fishes. Taking the cue that it was time for me to leave, I headed back towards the bike.

The short walk towards the lake

May there always be light...

Khecheopalri Lake..

The temple to the right of the lake

Fly baby fly!!

Back to my room after another bone shuddering ride and had a couple of chai. By then Mr Bhutia had come back and asked about my post noon's plans.
I replied that I had none to which he replied about him taking me along to Pemayangtse monastery and then to Rabdentse ruins.
Boy was I thrilled to hear that a local person would show me couple of places! Happily took him along as my pillion and we first went to the monastery.
It is beautifully constructed building in the 17th century and also happens to be one of the oldest monasteries in Sikkim.

Mr Bhutia patiently explained me the Buddhist pictures and one of the old wooden model depicting life in hell and heaven.

Pemayangtse monastery

We then rode on towards the Rabdentse ruins. Had I knew that this involved a huffing-puffing trek for 40minutes, I would have swiftly escaped but alas,
Mr Bhutia caught me well. I actually was trekking after about four years and enjoyed talking to him on various topics. When we reached the location, sun was
shining bright but it wasnt hot. Pleasant breeze and some areas of shade along with the lovely greenery
encompassing the ruins confirmed that this visit was totally memorable.

Locally, the kings are called as Chogyals and Rabdentse was once the capital of Sikkim. Incidentally, Namgyals were the kings.
On the eve of successive invasions from the Nepalese(Gorkhas) and the Bhutanese,
the capital was shifted and gradually Rabdentse turned into a sad page in the history books.

The place has been painstakingly restored to some extent and maintained by ASI. It is amazing to see the expanse of the rooms and the prayer halls.
Being on an elevation, it also offers great views of the surrounding and Mr Bhutia helped me spot the huge Buddha statue of Ravangla.

Three chortens too were present and I was told that the restoration was done using special cement of a pinkish hue so as to appear natural compared to
the original construction. Absolutely laudable effort.

The pinkish cement was the custom prepared for the patch work

We then went to Geyzing to get fuel and I also utilized the trip to get the chain adjusted from a Bullet mechanic.
Yes sir, am a bulleteer as well

The same evening sprayed the lube onto the chain as well.
Me and Mr Bhutia then went in search of Gold Flake Kings cigarettes which was a rarity in Pelling.
Eventually, after asking a dozen shops and walking a kilometer, one shop had it saying they stocked it only because the government officers next
block ask for it! Good lord.

We then went to a small hotel for a nice chai and for a change Bhutia jee took a smoke. Guess what, we smoked inside the hotel :P
It was there that he asked me as to why I had the Buddhist tattoo on my arm. I dint have a concrete answer and could only tell him that
I just meant peace. He seemed to understand something and said that it meant a lot to him and that he respected me for it. I could only
blurt out some thanks because sometimes it is really difficult(emotionally) accepting some compliments.

Some more pics from the day:

That's Mr. Bhutia, the owner of the hotel I stayed at

The local drink made of fermented millet..

Entrance of the monastery

Pano of the lake..

Another view at the Rab. ruins

Michelin power!!

**coolmaverickguy** · 12-14-2014, 09:10 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Once I took the deviation to Puri from Bhubaneshwar, the two lane road which was well marked and paved greeted me.

Bhai first of all Congrats & nice travel-log.

But you crossed Bhubaneswar [bbsr] and didnt even try to contact xbhp bbsr

xBhp:Bhubaneswar

https://www.facebook.com/xBhpBBSR?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

xBhp:Bhubaneswar. 3,477 पसंद · 1 इस बारे में बात कर रहे हैं. xBhp:Bhubaneswar The Group of Enthusiastic Ryders from the Temple City of India !!!

xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/xbhp-offline-meets-g2gs/4872-xbhp-bhubaneswar.html

We could had helped you with lots of thing

my plan of riding along the Chilika lake and also taking the shortcut by loading the bike on the ferry across the lake could not be done.

as the road trip is over, still im just telling you the route.
you should have stayed in bbsr. than bbsr >Dhauli> pipli> konak> puri> satpada> ferry > palur [ this would have save you a day and 100 + km as you dont have to ride back to bbsr]

Google Maps

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Odisha+State+Museum,+Bhubaneshwar,+Odisha/Dhauli+Shanti+Stupa,+Dhauli,+Odisha/Konark+Sun+Temple,+Konark,+Odisha/Shri+Jagannath+Temple,+Swargadwar+Road,+Sandhajaga,+Puri,+Odisha/Satapada,+Odisha/19.6458747,85.4058901/19.4490441,85.0797764/@19.4632472,85.1021782,14z/data=!4m34!4m33!1m5!1m1!1s0x3a19a7364c80d203:0x7049a3cd0650684!2m2!1d85.841265!2d20.256075!1m5!1m1!1s0x3a19a6a8b4ae15c1:0xb615dee32122ba0b!2m2!1d85.839558!2d20.19235!1m5!1m1!1s0x3a19f2a097819bbf:0xed9983ca391e3247!2m2!1d86.094536!2d19.887595!1m5!1m1!1s0x3a190d84c3d4624d:0x83da5680a619ebe5!2m2!1d85.818064!2d19.804567!1m5!1m1!1s0x3a182f8e28e2d03d:0x32c72d61b7b7ebf3!2m2!1d85.4420706!2d19.6680947!1m0!1m0!3e0

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Cheers

**BaibhavMishra** · 12-21-2014, 02:03 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Beautiful written log. Bring the rest of the story on. Your pictures and your bike are Love. Btw was it the stock Michelin tyres or something else ?

**dichkaun** · 12-21-2014, 08:06 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Great narration. Waiting for more.
And very nics pics there

**Doga** · 12-21-2014, 07:59 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

one word. WOW!! when will I start going on such long trips ? When o When o when ?

**yatishankar** · 12-22-2014, 03:25 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Glued to the thread till now, simply a marvelous log and outstanding achievement. How did the stock Metz tires perform in the hills.

**pitbull** · 12-28-2014, 09:19 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Fantastic mate! I did the same trip - infact took the same train from Chennai, but my bike got shipped by a later train.... the luggage van was sealed from yeshwantpur! damn it. I took my impulse from NJP >> Gangtok >> Lachen >> Paro >> Tezpur >> Arunachal Tawang >> Kaziranga >> Cherrapunji >> Guwahati- shipped back by train while I flew back....

How was the long distance comfort on the duke 390? Did you mod the rear or front suspension? I am 33y, so comfort is key...so went with impulse. I was scratching my beard over the d390, but went for something simple and aircooled. KTM should pay you for stress-testing the motorcycle. please do a bike review from a tourer persective...
Before my trip, I sold off my CBR and got the impulse specifically for the long Arunachal roads, but Bhutan was a pleasant surprise. The deviation off the main road about 100km before the Paro-Thimpu fork, leads to a fantastic but narrow road - the best biking road in the world for me!

Those 3 weeks in march 2014 are worth a million bucks! I am sure you had a great time too...

**ride.respect.RE** · 12-31-2014, 08:17 PM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Yes. I managed to do it during the peak Monsoon season and the entire ride of Bhuran (paro-haa-thimpu-wangdue-punakha) was magical for me. Arunachal unfortunately the roads are same if not worse since last 50 years. Bad connectivity. Wish they give more stress into the infra of the beautiful state and people.

**manojkrishnaks** · 01-02-2015, 08:40 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Amazing stuff [MENTION=31944]sudhir222[/MENTION], Your tlog increased my itch to visit north east and Bhutan. I am sorting out leaves at office once they are finalised i ll contact you and [MENTION=18852]pitbull[/MENTION] for more info.

**koolsantosh22** · 01-02-2015, 11:47 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Superb ride and fantastic pics there.

**Grimmjow4** · 01-03-2015, 05:19 AM

Re: North by North-East: Katoom goes to Sikkim and Bhutan

Pretty neat narration.
Waiting for more of it.

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