Eight

Eight hours more!

More fun, Sap has been to Bhutan a long time back and tells me it's easy to get into Bhutan from places I'll be visiting. Let me see if I can squeeze that in. That'd make it three four countries, or at least their borders!

I think I'm set. Only going remains!

National Market For The National Trip

The Gandhinagar/ National Market Trip

The trip before the trip. The trip for the trip.






















Four pairs of cheap socks - Rs. 100

Two Adidas(but not) track pants - Rs. 450. In fact, these are better than the original Adidas track pants.

Two track pants, Blackjacket or Racer or some such name - Rs. 250.

Three cheap t-shirts - Rs. 100. I paid for three, but the bugger packed only two.



















Thoughts of buying a camera pouch and a portable DVD player happened for a while. They just happened, did not materialise. Checked out a few backpacks. Again, only checking out happened.

Lemon slush at Sukh Sagar and some DVD purchase at Babloo's shop happened. Bought Children of Heaven and Color of Paradise. Children of Heaven. Recommend it.

Updates -

• The trip is happening.
• Need to get Bharath's camera from home.
  
• Need to buy a good notepad and a pen to write during the trip. Not that I don't have a notebook or a pen, but will want to go on the trip on a fresh note.
• Print the maps and info collected on the places to visit. Funny that instead of a forum post or a blog post, the info will be a chat transcripts.
  

Power Is Completely Turned On

Would've been lot of fun if Power could come with me on this trip. If nothing In addition all that we'd see, hear, smell, eat, drink and breathe, we'd have come across more information and trivia to help us become better quizzers.

Power mentioned about meeting the Rinpoche and I didn't notice who it was till I did this. Sahu mentioned I must go to Yumthang. Power mentioned about visiting Muktinath if I'm going till Kathmandu.

Random things

• Not sure if mobile phones will be of any use, but still planning to carry an extra phone for talking. The present one will be for music. Dusted and charged the iPod. It is working and working funny. Cannot rely on an iPod which plays and shuts down by itself, can I?
  

Update, Checklist And Random Things

• Update
  
• Booked the return journey ticket from Kolkata. Expense Cost(?)- Rs. 2949.
  
• Expense Cost(?) of train ticket from Bangalore to New Jalpaiguri - Rs. 610.

• Checklist
  
• Maybe buy a couple of pairs of cheap socks if it's going to be cold in those areas. No need to wash and no need to carry them back.
• Music - buy a cheap MP3 player? Or manage till the smuggled goods market at Kakkarbhitta and buy one there!
• What about the camera? Borrow a good one and carry extra memory cards? Bharath's camera is too big to fit into one's pockets and the quality also not too great.
• Get a pro account on Flickr!

• Random things
• I'm highly tempted to travel to a couple of places in Bihar. It's not too far from places I'm visiting. Let's see.
  
• Pick up stuff in places you visit for person, people and yourself.
  

The Sheet

This will be fun! And I could have used Zoho for this, but will go with Google!

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!

Time Table

Man, these Google tools are really good.

Two Countries Greater Than Seven States?

Looks like visiting all the seven sisters in a week's time seems very difficult, unless I fly to two or three destinations. It's turning out such that I might not visit any of the seven sisters! Instead, might get into Nepal via Darjeeling and get to China border at Nathu La Pass. Unfortunate, but that's best I could have done considering the time I have on my hands.

Update

• Got the train tickets!
  
• Have marked the places on the map. Quite a distance it is

To do

• Now that the destinations are fixed, or mostly so, get info about possible accommodation options.
  
• Also get info on places to visit, things to eat and buy.
• Post links on the blog. Will be easier to look up.
  

Mapping

Brain mapping?


View Larger Map

Let's See How Far We've Come!

And we haven't even started! And it might not even we. I might just do the trip alone. This is a blog to chronicle the experiences(when the trip happens, that is), the time spent in planning and arranging for the trip. Have already done a fair bit of research on the places to visit, the distances between these places and how best can I utilize the time I have for the trip.

So here's about the trip - do as much of North East as possible between March 28 and April 7, 2008.


All I know as of now is that I'm taking the Guwahati Express from Bangalore on the 28th and flying back from Kolkata on the 6th or latest by 7th April. Damn, I still haven't booked the tickets. Will have to do that first thing tomorrow. Damn, they're already in RAC.

Updates as of March 11.

• Chander considered coming along over the weekend, but the reply was in negative. Harsha can't. Shashank is going home. Pandit has to serve the last two days of his notice period at IBM. Hutch can't, is flying to Thailand on Fools' Day for his internship. Ayan has his interviews. Boss is planning a trip to Surat to visit his mate(r), that one and the alma one.
  
• Spoke to people at Kim Lee and suggestion was that I should get down at New Jalpaiguri rather than go all the way to Guwahati. I guess I will take their advice.
  
• Spoke to folks about the trip and the possibility of doing it alone. Surprisingly, they were pretty cool about it. Or was it just over the phone?
  

To do for tomorrow.

• Put up the Google Calendar on the blog.
  
• Perhaps import the excel sheet and embed it as well.
  
• Arrive at the checklist of things to carry.
• Maps - best thing to do would be to buy maps, or take print outs.
  

• Get tickets done -
• Bangalore to New Jalpaiguri | March 28 | Guwahati Express |
• Depature - Bangalore March 28 23:20
  
• Arrival - New Jalpaiguri March 30 21:30
  

• NJP to Darjeeling | March 31 | 1D NJP DJ NG TRAIN|
  
• Departure - NEW JALPAIGURI 09:00
  
• Arrival - Darjeeling 16:15
• Kolkata to Bangalore
• Cleartrip has slightly higer fares, by about Rs. 500
  
• Yatra - Air Deccan DN-635 Kolkata at 09 : 00, Bangalore at 11:30
  
• Rs.2,949 (Rs 924 + Rs 2,025 taxes & fees)
• eezego1, as much as Yatra.

Wondering if I should take this one, to be early to work. Or will I be so drained out after the trip that making it to the office on time makes no sense? (On ixigo)

• leave on 07/04/2008- travel time: 2:30 hours
  Flight Airline Departure Arrival Class
  9W515 Jet Airways 06:50 Kolkata 09:20 Bengalooru Economy
  Provider Base fare Taxes Fees Total price
  Jet Airways 1175.00 + 2025.00 + 0.00 = 3200.00
  

Narrow down on the itinerary. Come to terms with the fact that it is not possible to visit all the seven (eight, with Sikkim) in the period that one has. It's best to make the maximum of what's available. S

So here's what it looks like at this point

• Bangalore->NJP->Darjeeling->Nepal->Darjeeling->Gangtok->Nathu La Pass->Gangtok->Kolkata(somehow!)->Bangalore. Will have touched the borders of two countries!
  

Let's see how it goes tomorrow.