Boss Is Always Right

For good or for the bad, Boss being Boss, changes one's life. He definitely has changed mine and keeps on changing it from time to time. Like his decision to shift me from Hostel-8 to Hostel-4 during third year of engineering at Surat. Or perhaps his invaluable advice for this trip now, having stayed in those areas himself.

So the earlier itinerary undergoes a slight change with the Boss's kind intervention. Here it is as it stands now -
Bangalore->NJP->Siliguri->Bagdogra->Kakkarbhitta->Bagdogra->Kersiyang->Darjeeling->
Kalimpong>Gangtok->Changulake->Nathula->Gangtok->NJP->Kolkata->Bangalore

Boss tells me about a smuggled goods market on the India-Nepal border, Bagdodra on the Indian side and Kakarbhitta on the Nepali side. As expected, there's no mention of the smuggled goods market on the internet. Such information can only come from people who've seen it.

So, I'm going not going to do the toy train journey from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. Instead, do the smuggled goods market visit and some purchase, get into Nepal, go to Kathmandu if time permits, visit the Pashupatinath Temple, then come back to India and go ahead with the rest of the trip. Kathmandu looks like a really really long shot as of now. But one never knows.

Update

• Got tickets done. RAC 14. Bangalore to New Jalpaiguri. Departing on March28 from Bangalore . Thank you, Mr. Srinivas.
  
• Common knowledge, but amazing how soon seats in trains get filled. The tickets for the toy train from NJP to Darjeeling were in the wait list. Hence Mr. Srinivas didn't book them. Good, I can now do the Bagdodra->Kakkarbhitta part.
  
• Excerpts from the highly enlightening exchange between His Greatness the Boss and me. The most enlightening parts of the exchange are left out.
  

To hell with all online guides, travel forum posts, wikipedia entries when Boss is around. And Boss, you still do not know what mate(r) of the alma kind is?

me: Nindoo memories-aa?
NJPdu?
6:11 PM ankush: hehe ya maga
NJP was where i used to go on weekends
with dad in the air force gypsy
6:12 PM me: Ah, nice! Must be a good place.
6:13 PM ankush: chennage idde...
me: I'm planning to take the toy train from NJP to Darjeeling.
ankush: its very close to a place call bagh dogra
and nepal
thats one of the biggest smuggled market in the world
6:14 PM from bagh dogra there is a 1km bridge that takes u to nepal (kakkarvitta)
6:15 PM me: Plans are of going to Darjeeling and from there to Nepal.
ankush: NJP and silliguri are like hubli-dharwad.
6:16 PM me: Ah, so this smuggled market is it IN NJP or some distance from there?
ankush: from NJP nepal is godamn close...prolly walkable for a good walker
bagh dogra maga..in india
there is an air base there too
kakkarvitta is the nepal side of the smuggled market
6:17 PM bagh dogra is the indian side
a bridge seperates them
me: Oh nice! So I can go to Nepal from NJP without going Darjeeling?
I thought one had to go to Darjeeling to go to Nepal.
6:18 PM ankush: yes maga...but darjelling i dunno
was in a bad state 8 years back wen iwas there
me: This bag dogra place sounds really interesting.
6:20 PM ankush: it is maga...silliguri,njp,bag dogra,kakkarvitta
hasimara is pretty close to siliguri
6:21 PM 2 hrs i guess
5 minutes
6:26 PM me: My plans are like this - NJP->Darjeeling->Nepal->Darjeeling->Gangtok->Nathu La->Gangtok->Kolkata->Bangalore
6:27 PM ankush: include changu lake before nathula pass
its a lake which frezzes in winter and peopl skate over it
if im not wrong changu lake is the midpoint between gangtok and nathula pass
6:31 PM me: Ok, if I have to go to Nepal, I don't have to go to Darjeeling from NJP. I can go to Nepal straight from NJP?
ankush: and ya i vaguely remember pretty many kannadigas selling hot chowemein near the thelas around changu lake
yes maga..but it doesnt make much of a difference
6:32 PM cuz u get to see darjeling too
7 minutes
6:39 PM ankush: maga jalpaiguri is further south
siliguri and bagdogra come north
6:40 PM u neednt go to jalpaiguri actually
6:41 PM are u sure ghuwhati expresss goes to njp?
6:42 PM gangtok is further north of darjling
6:43 PM and changu and nathula are way north of gangtok
and darjling is way north of siliguri,bagdogra,kakkarvitta(nepal) all 3 are very close
6:44 PM and below these three comes jalpaiguri
7 minutes
6:51 PM ankush: unfortnately after kishan ganj the train stops only at NJP
else siliguri and bagdogra are godamn close to gangtok
njp takes u a lot away from siliguri , bagdogra etc.
6:52 PM if at all possible alight at siliguri or bagdogra..u will save loads of time
6:53 PM at least 2 hours u will save maga
15 minutes
7:08 PM me: Oh. Irli, NJP ge hogtheeni. Train alle nillodu.
7:09 PM ankush: 2-3 hrs waste agatte
me: Wait, I'll put it on a calendar and send you.
ankush: siliguri,bagdogra much closer to gangtok
but train goes non-stop from kishanganj to njp
7:10 PM there is this place called kersiyang on the way from bagdogra to darjling
its awesome
7:11 PM kalimpong is also a must visit place..all on the way to gangtok
me: Yeah. The train goes non stop from Kishanganj.
7:12 PM ankush: nathula pass is slighlty disputed..u may not get to see it..nevertheless changu lake is mindblowing
me: Maga, the Bagdogra market is good, eh?
ankush: godamn cheap
kakkarvitta much better
cuz ur dealing in nepali ruppee there..
u can buy loads of dirt cheap stuff
7:13 PM kakkarvitta is the place to be in for smuggled goods
bagdogra u will need chaukaasi skills
me: Oh. Is it between NJP and Darjeeling?
15 minutes
7:29 PM ankush: no maga njp is south
bagdogra,siliguri,kakkarvitta are north of njp in a straight line
and north of these is darjling
7:30 PM midway between siliguri and darjling is kersiyang
7:32 PM me: Oh so can I do this then? NJP->Siliguri->Bagdogra->Nepal->Bagdogra-Darjeeling?
7:35 PM ankush: perfect!
me: So I won't be doing the train from NJP to Darjeeling. Is it worth it?
ankush: no its not
u will miss all these 3 otherwise
me: I'd rather do the market and Nepal than the train ride.
7:36 PM ankush: between bagdogra and darjling include kersiyang
kersiyang is the mid-point
me: Nice!
ankush: then from darjling u can go to kalimpong - gangtok - changu lake- nathula pass..
me: I'll get the tickets for the train anyway.
7:37 PM Perfect!
7:38 PM ankush: njp-siliguri--bagdogra-kakkarvitta-bagdogra-kersiyang-darjling-kalimpong-gangtok-changulake-nathula
this is what i feel is best
me: Perfect!

Help also came from Mr. Munuswamy who was at Srinivas's office when I went to collect the tickets. Mr. Munuswamy had been to all the places above and offered useful tips and info!