This is my first travelogue on this forum. So, feel free to suggest and I will get to learn something new.

" The man who go alone can start whenever he wants but he who travels with another must wait for the other person. "

A ride to Sikkim was in my bucket list since my school days as I traveled this beautiful state during my family vacations. From that time, I always cherished an urge that one day I will cover the state on my own bike. The endless Twisties, picturesque landscapes, simplicity of habitants, food culture always attracted me to this beautiful mountain state.









Prologue:

I belong from the city of joy Kolkata but due to my work I was posted at Guwahati in February, 2017. I can not thank the Almighty much for offering me such a pleasant and happening workplace. Guwahati being the gateway of North east, I was excited that now I have to cover the North Eastern circuit as soon as possible before my office try to land me some other place. I have been many less traveled places in North East and was planning to go for Sikkim. I had planned for Sikkim ride earlier also but due to some family responsibilities it was not fruitful.In the meantime, I got my hands on a RE TB 350 and Sikkim ride was imminent by then.

Initially I planned my itinerary in such a way that I will depart Guwahati 10 days prior durga puja and after completing the Sikkim ride I will head towards my hometown to enjoy the festive season with my friend and families staying in Kolkata. I already applied for leaves and I was quite sure that it will get approved. But I was wrong, not totally but partially. I got full 35 days of leave but not for the dates I asked for. Now this is monsoon and riding in monsoon that too on mountains, I had to think twice before heading.

For about 2 days, I was clueless about my journey. I was searching for weather, road conditions, availability of permits and really I was getting frustrated with these things. On day 3 of my leave, while I was having my morning tea I realized that if I don't start now, it will not happen this time also. So it was now or never situation for me. It was 11th Aug, 2018. I immediately started packing my saddle bags, gave my bike for service and evening I got some essentials stuff and was ready to hit the road.

Day 1
13th Aug, 2018
Guwahati - Siliguri ( 475KM )

I packed my bags and loaded it on bike previous day night to save some time and energy before starting my journey. I barely slept for 2 hours at night due to the excitement of the ride. I planned to start around 5 am but as soon as I woke up I saw a heavy torrential downpour was going on. I didn't mind as I knew that this was going to be with me throughout my ride. So, I have to be prepared for this. I put on my rain gear and started my solo journey towards the Himalayas at around 5:30 am.

Soon I was on the highway and crusing around 90km/hr, crossed bongaigaon enroute and stopped for an tea brake. By this time I covered around 190 km without taking any brake. So, I planned to take a long tea brake here as I was ahead of my scheduled time of arrival. Luggage was completely drenched but kudos to my rain covers, my belongings were spared to get wet.

As soon as I started from bongaigaon, I heard a weird noise coming from my chain. I had already clocked 18k+ km on the odometer and I did a thorough checking before this ride. Initially I thought that the extra weight of luggage is playing an issue and rearranged the luggage. But the issue was still there. It was around 12:30 pm, I stopped at Bengal-Assam border at sreerampur and contacted Siliguri RE service station. They asked me to ride slowly till Siliguri. As I had no other option, I had to do that. By that time, I was sure that my chain sprocket is gone and I have to be extra careful while riding with extra weights.

I reached Siliguri at around 3:30 pm and headed directly towards the service station. Fortunately it was just 2 km from the hotel I was staying. So, I went to the hotel,.checked in, unloaded my luggage and came back to the service station. The mechanic took a test ride and eventually concluded on my point that chain sprocket had to be replaced. By the way, I asked the mechanic to put a extra clutch wire also, in case it might help.

At the service center, I met with the service manager and he was from Sikkim. So, I did some chit chat with him about the roads up ahead and weather conditions etc. He informed me that road is still open and there is no news of massive land slide blocking the road. In the meantime, my bike got ready. I took a test ride and settled the bill. The small glitch made my pocket lighter by 3600 INR. But I couldn't help as it was imminent to change.

I came back from the service center and ordered dinner. After dinner I made some phones to my friends and families to inform my whereabouts and went to sleep. Tomorrow will be a exciting day as I am going to get the first glimpse of mountains.

Chetak is in hospital



Somewhere outskirts of Bongaigaon




Day 2:
14th Aug, 2018
Siliguri - Gangtok( 120 Km )

During my ride I always try to munch as much miles as I can in day time. Personally I don't like riding at night due to hazardous truck traffic, low visibility, mostly road sense of the users. That's why I always start my ride as early as possible.

Today I woke up at 6 in the morning and hit the road around 6:30. Generally Siliguri to Gangtok takes around 3 to 4 hours if you go non stop. But, I was not there to just cover distance, but to explore. Another reason to start early today was I had to apply permit at Gangtok for my North Sikkim trip.

As soon as I was out of Siliguri, I was welcomed by the beautiful stretch of Mahananda wildlife sanctuary. This roads gives you a mix feelings like when you are going towards the mountain, you enjoy the beautiful landscapes, nature but when you are coming down, it makes you feel that your beautiful journey is going to end. You are going back to your daily boring lifestyle, get up, 9 to 5 work schedule, lifeless weekend party.

In Siliguri to Gangtok stretch, it's really difficult to keep your eyes on the road as there is amazing views of mountains from every angle. As soon as you are finished taking a turn, you will notice that the view is changing drastically from boring cityscapes of Siliguri to beautiful green valley. I was so hard on my brake pedals sometimes to enjoy the surrounding nature , that during a hairpin I realized that my rear brake has gone. I didn't panic, just stopped the bike around the corner, sat there for sometime and let the brake cool down a bit. While I was enjoying the view, a fellow biker from Siliguri stopped for greeting and we exchanged some words. After around half an hour, I started my journey towards Gangtok with my new riding pal. This is one more reason I like to travel solo as you get so many like minded chaps on road with whom you end up having a long term relationship.

We stopped for breakfast at a nice roadside joint, Ma Kali Line hotel, suggested by my partner as he was regular on this route. In Siliguri to Gangtok stretch, you will find teesta river is flowing beside the roads throughout. The main usp of this restaurant was it was situated just above the river. You can enjoy your meal while having a magnificent view of ever charming teesta. If anyone is going by this route, try to stop there. It's 10 km before Rangpo.

After breakfast we started for Gangtok. It was around 50 km from there and we reached deorali taxi stand in almost 1:30 hrs. At deorali, we encountered huge traffic jam. We took the benefit of being on two wheeler, crossed the traffic and my friend bid me good bye and wished me luck for my upcoming ride. From there I directly head towards Tourism office, Gangtok for my permit.

At Tourism office, I was asked to fill up a form mentioning places of visit, route intended to follow, time and full details of the vehicle you are taking. You have to submit one copy of the following documents with your form.
1. RC of your vehicle.
2. Driving license.
3. Insurance paper.
4. PUC
5. Adhar/ Voter ID
If you submit the form by 12 pm, you will get the tourism permit by 4 pm of the same day. In my case, being off season there was no rush of tourists. So, I got my tourist permit then and there. But this is not the final permit. You have to produce a Xerox copy of this permit at police check post just beside tourist office at MG Marg on the day of your journey and they will give you the final permit. Make sure you make at least 10 copies of this permit as you have to give it every check post and they will stamp on your original copy.

So that was the brief procedure of permit. After that I went to the hotel. I preferred to stay outside the city limits and chose a nice hotel through oyo with a hefty discount at JN Road. It offered me the best view possible. Got freshen up and after having my lunch I decided to take rest. After having my evening tea, I started to walk in the streets of Gangtok just to feel the essence and fresh air. I planned to go the nearby places like Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Tashi view point etc but skipped the plan as I was really tired and I had been to these places earlier. I had a delicious dinner at MG Marg and came back to hotel. Tomorrow I had to start for Lachen.
Teesta near sevoke



View from Gangtok hotel



Teesta



Day 3
15th Aug, 2018
Gangtok - Lachen ( 120 Km )

I woke up early in the morning, enjoyed the sunrise from my balcony with a cup of tea. After that I went to get the final piece of permit from the police check post at MG Marg. I met two fellow rider there from Delhi. they had just came back from North Sikkim and were heading towards eastern part of the state. I asked them about the weather and road conditions and what i heard was not quite impressive. But anyway, it was my turn to explore the north and I was really up for it. We had some tea and snacks together, wished each other for our ride and I came back to hotel to start my journey towards Lachen.

There are two routes to go Lachen. one is via Tingda-Chawang-Phodong-Mangan-Lachen and the other is via Kabi-Dikchu-Mangan-Lachen. Normally the tourist vehicle ply through the first route. So, I decided to go via later route to enjoy the pristine nature without much of tourist chaos. Though the road condition of this route is not that great, but for two wheeler it is quite manageable. I started around 9 am in the morning. According to weather forecast, I was about to expect some drizzle en-route. So for preventive measure I kept all my rain gear on top of my luggage tied with bungee chords. Soon I was out of the city limits. I took my first stop at Tashi View point to have a cup of tea while enjoying the view. But my bad luck, as per the forecast it was totally covered with clouds.

After the short brake, I started for Lachen. After covering just 20 odd km I had to stop for the view ahead and the first fall of my ride happened here. I parked the bike aside and get of to click some snaps. I was so mesmarized of the picturesque valley that i didn't realize that I parked my bike on loose gravel. Due to the weight the gravel underneath the side stand got slipped and in a moment my bike was lying on the road. This was the first time i was cursing myself for being solo on this trip. I was travelling on that road for almost 20 km and I didn't see a single vehicle from any side. So I knew that there is no one to help me out. I gathered some courage to lift the bike and surprisingly I lift it at my first attempt. Perhaps I was really high on adrenaline, otherwise it was not possible to lift that 300 kg monster alone that too on high altitude. After that, I continued my journey. It was aroun 1 pm and I was almost 25 km from Mangan. By that time it started to drizzle and I stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant just beside a un-named waterfall. It was the independence day and the all seemed to be in holiday mood at the restaurant. I thought of trying some local cuisine but end up having maggi and boiled egg.

Un named waterfall near Mangan



Welcome



Chetak is taking some rest



After my lunch, I headed for Mangan. It took me around 40 min to reach Mangan. En-route I crossed almost 10 to 15 water crossings, some of which were gigantic in size due to monsoon season. Also it was raining heavily till Mangan. At Mangan, I stopped at the fuel bunk to refuel. Make sure you fill your tank up to the brim at Mangan as there is no other fuel station after mangan. From Mangan, I headed for Choongthang where the roads get divided. the left one goes for Lachen and right one goes towards Lachung. I took the left one to towards Lachen. From Choongthang road condition gets to worse. your tire will start skidding as it will get zero traction due to the loose gravel and boulder on the road. But, nevertheless being a civil engineer, I can understand how much effort and dedication it's take to maintain the roads in these locations. Hands down, BRO is doing an excellent work in this locations. As per the locals, road conditions now are much better today. Just before entering Lachen you have to show your permit to Lachen police station. I forgot to mention earlier that you have to show your permit at Toong check post also.

I entered Lachen at around 5pm. I didn't book my stay at Lachen. So, I searched for a hotel and ended up at Hotel Tso Lhamo. I experienced a hearty welcome at the hotel. As it was the off season, there was no staff except the owner and his family. The owner of this hotel is a nice person to interact with. I talked with him about my plans ahead and he suggested me some places to visit. After that I had my dinner with him and went to sleep. by the way, there is no network at Lachen except BSNL and Airtel. But I didn't get tower in Airtel also. Next day, I had to leave for Gurudongmar around 5 am.

Chetak with mountain backdrop



Valley



Clouds and valley-a view to be cherished




Day 4
16th Aug, 2018
Lachen-Gurudongmar-Lachung

I set the alarm for 4 am today but woke up before the alarm at 3:30 am due to heavy rainfall from previous night. It was completely dark outside and I came down at kitchen to find if I can get a cup of tea. To my utter surprise, the owner and his wife was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the guests. I sat there, had my tea while discussing about the road conditions up ahead after this heavy rainfall. The owner seemed less confident about my proxmity to go till Gurudongmar after this heavy rainfall. But, I was up for it to at least give it a try. Let's see how far I can go and if I don't be able to reach Gurudongmar, it's not like that I would mind as there's always a next time. For me, I always prefer the journey over destinations and if I am able to reach the destination today, it will be icing on the cake.

I packed only my tank bag with my camera gear and some other necessary stuff. Temperature was not bone chilling but it could give you shivers. So, for the first time I attached all the thermal linings in my jacket and pant. I planned to take my remaining luggage during my return leg towards Lachung. I started my journey towards the mighty Gurudongmar at around 5:30 am. Usually the ideal time to start for Gurudongmar is 4:30 to 5 am because the weather in high altitude can get really harsh after 12 pm. So always try to start your return by 12 pm. I was just 15 km from my hotel and I encountered a huge line of stranded vehicle ahead. I went past them and noticed that a shear portion of the mountain has come down on the roads due to the rain causing the blockage. Local drivers assured that it will get cleared up by 10:30 to 11 am. But neither I had time nor I had the patience to wait there for about 4 hours. I decided to park the bike there and move towards the other side of the landslide on foot to explore. As I crossed the landslide, I noticed that there is a chance to go past the landslide if I move some boulders from the right side. I immediately started to move the boulders aside and by that time, a group of six bikers came to my rescue. Together we moved around 30 to 40 boulders to make a fair way for our bike. Though it was really on the edge of the road and we had to be extra cautious while crossing because if the tyre starts to skid we will directly fall into the valley. We crossed the blockage one after another and soon we were on the open roads. I felt pity on the fellow travelers who were on cars. But this is the rule of life, sometime you get past the difficulties on your own and sometime you have to wait for others to bring you up.

View before Thangu



En-route Thangu to Landslide point



Eventually I reached Thangu, the last village before Gurudongmar. I stopped their for breakfast. It was really cold outside, so we sat inside a shack to keep ourselves warm from cold. While I was having my breakfast with Maggi and tea, a rider came from the Gurudongmar side and informed us a huge landslide has happened just 20 Km ahead of Thangu. At that time my heart was saying that I should go ahead and my mind was saying repeatedly that there's no luck or chance to get through the landslide. At the end, always heart wins over mind. I started to go ahead with two more riders. One more reason to go there was I had ample amount of time and daylight remaining to go back to Lachung. In case, I couldn't continue till Lachung, I will stay one more night at Lachen.

We continued till the landslide and the rider whom we met was literally right on his words. We didn't have any chance to cross it without the help of heavy machinery. So, we stopped there for sometime, roamed around, took some snaps and started our return journey towards Lachen. I couldn't reach Gurudongmar this time. Nevertheless, we always need an excuse to come back and this will be my excuse for coming back again to this place. This time with proper planning and most importantly in proper season.

I reached Lachen around 12 pm. I packed my luggage and loaded it on my bike. I asked to prepare my lunch at the hotel. So, after having lunch I started for Lachung. This time a tourist Innova driver asked me to continue the journey together. From Lachen to Choongthang, road conditions are not good that I have mentioned earlier. But this leg of journey is more difficult than the previous part as going downhill with extra loads of luggage while your tyre is skidding, really takes a toll on your body. You need to have good body weight balance, engine braking and 1st gear, that's all. Brake hard and in a moment you can find yourself lying on road. No matter, let your clutch plate take the toll of the road but not you.

So, I and the Innova from Lachen reached at Choongthang and stopped for a tea brake. From Choongthang, Lachung is just 25 km but due to the road conditions, it will take around one hour to reach. We stopped just before entering Lachung to click some photos. I had booked my hotel at Delight Royal Lachung. I reached my hotel at around 5 pm. After checking in, had some tea and went for an evening stroll. I came to know that there is also an landslide happened just before Yumthang 3 days before and it's still not cleared. I hoped for the best and came back to hotel.

Lachung entrance



Picturesque green valley




I had my dinner early and went to sleep as there is no electricity after 8 pm. So, it's better to reserve some energy for upcoming adventures.


Day 5
17th Aug, 2018
Lachung-Yumthang-Gangtok

Today I was in a chilled out mood for my upcoming ride. As I heard that a landslide is still about to clear just before Yumthang, I thought of started a bit late than usual. I spend some quality me time today. At morning I woke up early, around 6 am. After having breakfast I went on foot to explore Lachung. After 20 odd minutes of walking, I found an under construction building and instantly I went to the top of the building. It was an amazing view of lush Green valley with clouds as if the clouds were dropping into the valley. During my exploration on foot I came across a nice little monastery at Lachung. It is situated on a hilltop amidst apple and peach orchards with a stunning backdrop of snowy Himalayan peaks. A visit to the monastery will surely give you the peace of mind and tranquility. After morning excursion, I came back to the hotel to get ready and try my luck for Yumthang valley.

View from Lachung




I started for Yumthang at around 9 am. It was around 30 km from my hotel. The road from Lachung to Yumthang goes through the Singhba Rhododendron Sanctuary. During spring season, it looks beautiful to drive through the sanctuary as the surrounding is covered with different types of colors. I reached the landslide spot at around 9:45 and I was thrilled to see that BRO officials have started to clear the landslide. I waited there roughly for 30 minutes and BRO officials asked to move the bikes ahead. I was not carrying any extra luggage except my tank bag. Hence I moved ahead with help of BRO jawans.

After covering just 15 km from the landslide spot I was in front a huge water crossing. It seemed impossible to cross the barrier first time. I get of the bike to inspect the depth and current of the stream. It was manageable to cross but main concern was the sharp open TMT bars of the pavement and sharp edged boulders that can cut your tires. After taking a deep breath, I put my Chetak inside the stream. First 100 meter it was smooth but after that I couldn't judge the depth of the water and chetak's underbelly was stuck in boulder badly. I was not able to move the bike even an inch. I was feeling really helpless by that time as there were no one to help me out of the situation. Suddenly I saw an army truck approaching from the other side. Army jawans saw my condition and extended help. Three of them pushed me from back and I was able to get out of the ditch. After that it was a rough and smooth ride till Yumthang.

The place I got stuck towards Yumthang



Me with Chetak



Yumthang is known as valley of flower. But this was not the time to visit the actual colors of the valley. Due to monsoon, the valley was completely green and it's gave a distinct pleasure to my eyes. I enjoyed the beautiful valley for sometime and started my return journey towards Lachung. I intended to spend a little more time to adore the beautiful valley but it started raining. I feared that if a fresh landslide occurs this time I will be completely isolated from the world. So, I rushed for Lachung immediately.

Today I had to head back for Gangtok. I planned for East Sikkim also. If one had to cover only North Sikkim, then they can go via Lachung-Mangan-Siliguri directly. No need to come back to Gangtok and waste an extra day. I started for Gangtok after lunch around 1 pm. It was completely sunny day and this time I had to take the usual route to Gangtok to experience the seven sister waterfall, Naga falls etc. I reached Choongthang at around 2:10 pm and stopped there for a water break. My next stop was at Naga falls. It is situated between Mangan and Choongthang. The main usp of this waterfall is you can walk into the stream, actually into the waterfall itself as the water is broken into 2 to 3 steps, the force of the fall is relatively on the lower side. The colour of the water was perfect white which is really soothing to the eyes. You will find numerous waterfall from Gangtok to North Sikkim stretch. Don't need to plan for them. Just stop by, enjoy the nature and carry on. My next stop was at seven sister waterfall. It covers seven steps before coming to the ground. That's why it's named after seven sister waterfall. It's naturally huge in size throughout the season, but due to monsoon time I experienced the most humongous size of the waterfall. It's a good place for pro photographers as they can take a perfect milky form pic of the waterfall.

From there I directly headed for Gangtok. This time I booked a hotel near MG Marg to explore the happening night life of Sikkim. It was completely sunny throughout the day but just before entering Gangtok I was welcomed by a heavy downpour and I was completely drenched. I reached my hotel at around 5 pm. After having tea, I went for a stroll to MG Marg. I heard of a fast food joint named "Roll house" which serves the best rolls of Gangtok. I tried their Chicken roll and it was nice. After that I went to a local bar and gulped down 2 beer. The ambiance of the bar was really nice and I enjoyed the night at Gangtok. Came back to hotel at around 9 pm and went to sleep. Tomorrow my excursion towards eastern part begins.

Day 6
18th Aug, 2018
Gangtok - Zuluk

By far this was my toughest day of entire ride. I will come to that point later. I woke up early and went to get my permit for Zuluk at MG Marg police check post. Permit process completed smoothly and I went at a nearby cafe for early breakfast. After that I went to my room and started packing. My shoes were a bit wet due to previous day rain but it was ok for me. I removed the thermal linings from my jacket and pants as it was really humid in Gangtok. This was my first mistake today. I started for Zuluk at around 8:30 am today. I thought it was just a 100 km ride and I will cover it with ease. My second mistake of the day. Anyway, today my first stop would be at the Tsomgo Lake which is roughly 45 km from my hotel. At 3rd mile check post my permit was checked and they kept the original copy as I was not returning by that route. The road condition till Tsomgo was really great except a patch just 10 km before Tsomgo. I managed to pass the patch with help of the BRO workers. After that it was a butter smooth ride till Tsomgo.

En-route Tsomgo Lake



Previously when I visited Tsomgo lake, I noticed a lot of activities there by the locals. But this time, may be due to monsoon season there were no shops to refresh yourself with tea or coffee. But one good thing about it, I was able to enjoy the pristine view of the lake without any disturbance. By that time I was feeling a little bit of cold but I thought I can manage. Actually I didn't want to remove the entire luggage to get my winter liners as it takes quite lot of time and effort for a solo person to tie the luggage properly. This was my third mistake and it's going to cost me huge later on.

Tsomgo Lake View









I skipped Nathula this time because I had to make a 200INR deposit at an SBI branch to get the challan for permit. So, I decided to miss it because to make the challan I had to wait till the time bank opens. So, I thought to miss Nathula this time. I directly headed for Zuluk. I stopped near baba mandir for a quick refreshment. Enjoyed the nature for some time and started towards Zuluk.

View from baba mandir







Till baba mandir, I was accompanied by many of the tourist vehicles. But once I started from baba mandir, after covering almost 3 km I saw in my rear view mirror, there was no one except me on that road. As I was approaching Kupup, a mild downpour started. I thought to stop somewhere but to my utter surprise, there was not a single shop that was open where I can stop for a moment till the rain stop. This was the start of my misery. I continued my ride and as I was approaching uphill the downpour started to increase drastically. I was literally shivering inside my riding jacket. My hands became numb and I was not able to feel my fingers. To make the situation more miserable, road condition started to get worse. After Kupup to Nathang valley, there was literally no road at all due to monsoon and road widening process was going on. By that time I was completely drenched in rain. As I was coming from Gangtok side, it was a tremendous downhill ride towards Zuluk. I was hardly able to press clutch lever as my fingers were completely became numb by then. After sometime I found a temporary tarpaulin shed for the BRO workers. I parked my bike and ran under the shed. After some 1 hour rain stopped and I continued my journey towards Zuluk. I stopped at Thambi view point to witness beautiful zig zags of the road, but due to rain and fog I was not able to get a clear view.

View from Kupup







I booked a home stay from Gangtok to stay at Zuluk. But after reaching Zuluk, I came to know that my home stay is in Phadamchen, 15 km more from Zuluk. 15 km seems less but on mountain and being completely drenched in rain it seemed almost 50 km to me. Somehow I reached the home stay and asked the owner to prepare some food as I had not find any place to had lunch today. The owner himself prepared Maggi and tea. After having Maggi I was feeling a bit well. Enjoyed the view from the terrace of the home stay but it was really foggy after the rainfall.

At the evening something happened that made my day. I was talking to the owner about the place, their lifestyle and by that time two army officers came to the home stay to buy some groceries. They had good terms with the owner and they were really surprised to see me covering this road solo. It's not that no one had covered this route solo but during monsoon it's really gets difficult to ride on this particular stretch, that too solo. You completely depend on your own and rarely you will get any help in this stretch as the traffic movement is really on lower side. They took us to there camps and we had sumptuous dinner followed by a couple of drinks.

They drop us to our home stay after dinner. I made some phone calls to my family to inform them that I am safe and sound. I went to sleep around 10 pm and tomorrow my return journey towards home begins. This was an different level of excitement as I was going home after almost six months.

Day 7
19th Aug, 2018
Phadamchen - Raiganj

The scenic part of this ride is almost over. Now I had to cover the distance part towards Kolkata. Initially I thought that I will go till Siliguri today. According to google maps, it was showing somewhere near 5 hours to Siliguri. I went to explore this tiny village in the morning. It was raining and after the rain I got to experience an awesome rainbow. After my morning stroll, I came back to my hotel. It was a lazy day for me. The feeling that my ride is going to over was acting really heavy on me. I was so lazy today that I took almost two hours to pack my luggage. But sometimes, you have to go back to your daily life to understand how beautiful was your ride and you will get a chance to come back again. I had my breakfast and started for Siliguri at around 9 am.

Rainbow at Phadamchen



From Phadamchen, next village is Lingtam. At Lingtam I had to submit all my permit documents. There is a view point at Lingtam from where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the valley. Road condition is not that good as construction is going on to make the road more wide. I reached Sikkim border Rangpo at around 11:30 am and stopped for a tea brake. After that I just twisted the throttle and directly stopped at salugara, just a few km before Siliguri. It was around 1 pm. I stopped here to enjoy the last view of the mountains before I head towards the boring highway. I reached Siliguri and stopped for lunch at a roadside dhaba.

It was 1:30 and I was done with my lunch. I decided to move ahead as much as I can till the daylight remains. So I opened up my throttle and soon I was out of Siliguri city. It was a nice 4 lane highway middle of tea gardens. I really enjoyed the ride till islampur. After islampur I took the Dhantola - Botolbari route, commonly known as Bengal to Bengal bypass to avoid the truck traffic of Dalkhola and kishanganj. It was 59 km through the bypass and by 6 pm I was on NH 16 towards Malda. I decided to call it a day at Raiganj. I directly went to the WBTDCL Raiganj Tourist Lodge. The lodge was right on the highway, so I didn't had to take any detour. There was nothing much to do as the lodge was completely deserted. Ordered dinner and directly went to sleep at around 9 pm.

Day 8
20th Aug, 2018
Raiganj - Barrackpore

As I had done this stretch previous year, I knew that I will get a huge traffic at Malda and Raiganj itself. So today I started at around 5 am in order to reach my home without much of hustle and bustle. I planned to take a break for breakfast at Malda, 75 km away from Raiganj. But due to rain I had to stop before Malda, after covering just 30 km from the hotel. I did my breakfast, put my rain gear on and hit the road. From Raiganj to Malda, on paper it's a four lane highway, but due to construction, most part of this stretch has become two lane. And the famous Malda bypass is still under construction so I had to go through the city traffic. From Malda to Moregram, it was a smooth ride. From Moregram, I took the SH-7 route via khargram, kulli till bardhaman. This is a two lane road but you can easily maintain triple digit on this road as it is less crowded and the tarmac is nicely laid. One more thing, when I traveled this route earlier there was 5 to 6 rough patches or maybe more. But this time entire 123 km was in good shape except the 10 km patch before bardhaman.

I reached bardhaman at around 2 pm and stopped for lunch. After that it was my usual ride till home via NH-2. I stopped at saktigarh also as it was my regular stop for this stretch. After some langcha and tea at saktigarh, I went straight to my home at barrackpore without taking any more breaks. I reached home at around 4:30 pm due to excessive traffic at Dunlop crossing and throughout the B.T.Road.

So officially my Sikkim ride is over now. Bucket list ticked. But there is always an urge for more. In my opinion, you have to go to Sikkim in different seasons to experience how the landscape changes throughout the year. So in my case, monsoon season is done. Let's see when I can reach Sikkim again to explore it in a different season.

Happy travelling.
Cheers.