[PapaBravo]

Prelude

Well, I have not been able to write a Travelogue since Jan 2020. We had done 5 big road-trips in 2019. Never had we thought what 2020 would have in store for us. March 2020 was an eventful month for us. Just 15 days prior to the lockdown, we were blessed with a baby boy, KABIR. We had a new travelling partner . But the never ending lockdown & the fear of catching the virus made us stick to our home for most part of the year.

October 2020 is when things started looking a bit better. Lockdowns were gone, cases were going down & it looked like we will be able to resume our travelling. If you have read my earlier travelogue, you would know that my wife & I are used to travel long distances without many breaks. But this time it was going to be different. Kabir was just 7 months old. Pre-covid, one could stop anywhere & check-in any hotel if things get tough, but now we had to limit our interaction with anyone & drive directly to our destination. We had no experience of travelling long distance with a baby. From our previous trips we knew it would be a 13 to 15 hour trip till Kalimpong.

Meghna, my wife, planned & made all arrangements to make the journey comfortable for Kabir. Since this was going to the first long trip(we had made a short dash to Shantiniketan approx ~200kms away in between) with Kabir post covid, there were a lot of preparations required. We carried all our food with us so that we do not have to stop for food on the way. The Hotel was called & asked about availability of cooking facility for baby food. Infact the Hotel was chosen since it was comparatively less booked. The trip wasn't the easiest one for us but yes, we enjoyed it thoroughly.

A teaser pic before we take you on the journey with us.

[PapaBravo]

Day 1 : Kolkata to Kalimpong

We started around midnight thinking that Kabir would sleep through most of the journey. Kabir had different plans

On our city drives at night we had noticed that he would look at the lights outside while sitting in his car seat & eventually sleep. But on the highway, things were different. There were no lights outside. Nothing to entertain him. We managed to entertain him a bit & make him sleep but the roads were not in top condition & he would wake up again. So this process went on repeat for the rest of the journey. It was a learning curve for both Kabir & his parents. Finally the sun was up & it was breakfast time. We had packed breakfast with us. Stopped at a nice spot off the highway under a tree for a sumptuous breakfast.

Sunrise Enroute



Breakfast time

With the tummies full, we were on the roll again when around 15 kms before Bagdogra, we saw something white on our left. It was Mt. Kanchenjunga. We were still in plains. I was elated. We had made numerous trips to North Bengal/Sikkim but had never seen Kanchenjunga from this far. The exceptionally clear sky made this wonder happen for us.

Mt. Kanchenjunga from the Highway



Hulk with Mt. K in the background

After a mini photoshoot, we were back on the road & reached Kalimpong post lunch after 17 hours of driving. We had booked our stay in Elgin Kalimpong for 3 nights and planned to go on day trips to nearby places.

Elgin Kalimpong, our stay for 3 days.

[PapaBravo]

Day 2 : Bidyang & Riverbed

The next day we woke up to beautiful clear weather again. Morning tea was enjoyed in the open. Post soaking in the beautiful hilly morning, we were ready to venture out for the day.

Waiting for Morning Tea



Morning Views





Ready for Breakfast

This time our plan was to just explore new places around Kalimpong since we had already seen almost all tourist points on our previous visits. On one of our previous trips, we had found a nice place called Bidyang picnic spot. We planned revisiting the place since it is just by the river & sans any crowd. But on our way, we took a wrong turn & ended up at the same river a little upstream. Kabir was sleeping in the car seat all this while. The river was shallow & we did some river crossing adventure without waking him up.. Speaks a lot about Duster's ride quality apart from my driving skills.

Some River Crossing Shots







Beautiful Blue Sky



One with Hulk

After the river crossing shenanigans, we sat besides the river for sometime. There was no other soul in sight. But this picnic didn't last long since the sun was pretty strong due to clear weather. Scouted for a for a nice spot on a trail & took a break for Lunch. We were carrying packed lunch from Hotel. Done with Lunch, we were on our way back to the hotel. At the Hotel, we explored the property for a while and enjoyed some coffee with views. It was supposed to be a relaxing holiday so we stayed put at the hotel for dinner.

Roaming around exploring the Hotel





Waiting for our coffee



Hotel at night

[PapaBravo]

Day 3 : Revisiting Yuru & Exploring Pudung

There has not been a single trip to Kalimpong since 2017 when we have not visited Yuru Resort, Delo. This time was not going to be different. We planned to have an early luncheon at Yuru & then meet our friend, Leon, who was going to show us new places around Kalimpong. We left in the morning to enjoy the views from the vantage point in Yuru. To put cherry on the cake, a forest official on recce explained the whole geography of Sikkim & North Bengal from that the vantage point. We spotted everything from Sandakhphu to Nathula. It was too early for lunch so we just had soup at the restaurant. This was a good decision as we got to know that Leon had planned a visit to PFC or Pudung Fried Chicken, similar to KFC in the afternoon.

Clouds paying Hide & Seek with Mt. K



The Views





Restaurant with a View



Enjoying the Views from the Vantage Point

With Yuru checked, we met Leon on the way & followed his lead to Pudung Farm Adventure Park. The roads were empty, narrow & beautifully lined up with trees. This is nice place to visit for anyone travelling to Kalimpong. We loved PFC, went on a tour of a new hotel called 'Fo Lyam Lang' which was yet to be opened & saw the bird farm. Our friend Ming has opened an ATV track nearby. Both Leon & I chose our vehicles & went for some track timing. It was great experience.

Following Leon


At PFC with Ming & Leon


Exploring the Hotel



The Way to Bird Farm


And the Birds




The ATVs


Enjoying some track time

Post this superb outing, it was time to head back to the hotel. Leon accompanied us & we had parting coffee at our hotel. The next day we were supposed to leave for Kolkata & therefore slept in early.

Leon's beautifully done Bolero at our Hotel

Day 4 : Kalimpong to Kolkata

We left Kalimpong at 5 am & were soon on the highway. We had picked up good pace till Farakka. Since we had encountered pathetic SH7 roads while coming, we though of taking NH34. The road surface was good but the traffic was at another level. It felt like 100 kms of city driving till we were back home. Took us the same time i.e. 17 hours on our way back too. The rest of the journey was uneventful.

Hope you enjoyed reading the short travelogue on our first trip our new travelling partner

In the end, I would like to tip my hat to my better half, Meghna, as handling a kid for 17 hours in a car is no easy game.

Signing off with my Simba !!

Cheers,
Pawan

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[ABHI_1512]

Oh for the joys of travel with your little one for the first time- priceless I say. We seem to have missed each other by a month or so and the same place as well. Elgin is a fantastic place to spend your time in leisure and takes you back to those bygone era of the glory days. Great to see your Hulk gulping down the water. I am sure, we will get to see some real blockbusters from you real soon, now that the dreaded Covid situation is improving and I hope it stays that way. Loved the pictures, and yes, Kabir is winsome

Regards.

Love the views, we seem to have clicked the same pictures as well

[sahil624]

Excellent and crisp travelogue, enjoyed it thoroughly. Brought back the memories of our seven hours road trip with our 10 months old son, Abeer, just a month back. However, it wasn’t an easy task to travel with him and would love to have a tip or two on handling a toddler for 17 hour road trip

[HornNotOkPlease]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

[h3]

In the end, I would like to tip my hat to my better half, Meghna, as handling a kid for 17 hours in a car is no easy game.

Signing off with my Simba !!

Attachment 2194358

Cheers,
Pawan

I did a similar trip to Deolo on Feb 2020 with my 9 month old son and i cant agree less, the patience and perseverance my better half showed in tackling my kiddo over the 10-12 hr journey make the driving effort traversing nh34 look like a walk in the park

I am gearing up for a hill run next month so would definitely give SH7 a miss after your comments.

[Samba]

Loved it to the core. North Bengal is love. The first drive to the hills with your newborn is always special.

The extra passenger is soon going to capture your driving seat! Just a matter of time!

Hope to see this with Kabir in the lap of Himalaya very soon!


Should I give you a time frame to achieve the target? How about this to be done by Diwali 2021?

[GTO]

Lucky Kabir to have such wonderful parents! Am sure he's already got road-trips, cars and AWDs in his veins . God bless the three of you and wishing you all a lifetime of memories together .

[papr23]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

The river was shallow & we did some river crossing adventure without waking him up.. Speaks a lot about Duster's ride quality apart from my driving skills.

Haha, you might want to reserve that comment until you navigate the choppy waters with your threenager in the future!
It reminded me of this article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-a-threenager/

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Oh for the joys of travel with your little one for the first time- priceless I say. We seem to have missed each other by a month or so and the same place as well.

Bad miss.

Elgin is a fantastic place to spend your time in leisure and takes you back to those bygone era of the glory days. Great to see your Hulk gulping down the water. I am sure, we will get to see some real blockbusters from you real soon, now that the dreaded Covid situation is improving and I hope it stays that way. Loved the pictures, and yes, Kabir is winsome

Thank you so much !!

Love the views, we seem to have clicked the same pictures as well

Originally Posted by sahil624

Excellent and crisp travelogue, enjoyed it thoroughly. Brought back the memories of our seven hours road trip with our 10 months old son, Abeer, just a month back. However, it wasn’t an easy task to travel with him and would love to have a tip or two on handling a toddler for 17 hour road trip

Thanks a lot sahil624. We have done some more trips now and now Kabir is 18 months old. Travelogues incoming !! Lots of love to Abeer !!

Originally Posted by HornNotOkPlease

I did a similar trip to Deolo on Feb 2020 with my 9 month old son and i cant agree less, the patience and perseverance my better half showed in tackling my kiddo over the 10-12 hr journey make the driving effort traversing nh34 look like a walk in the park

I am gearing up for a hill run next month so would definitely give SH7 a miss after your comments.

True that !! You need a lot of patience. Also, a crying baby in the car may distract you but you have to keep calm. I would recommend getting the latest updates from fellow travelmates since my account of SH7 is of last year October.

Originally Posted by Samba

Loved it to the core. North Bengal is love. The first drive to the hills with your newborn is always special.

Thanks a ton Samba. Special it is.

The extra passenger is soon going to capture your driving seat! Just a matter of time!

I am sure.

Hope to see this with Kabir in the lap of Himalaya very soon!
Should I give you a time frame to achieve the target? How about this to be done by Diwali 2021?

How I wish !! But Diwali looks too tight. Will try my best to meet your target !!

Originally Posted by GTO

Lucky Kabir to have such wonderful parents! Am sure he's already got road-trips, cars and AWDs in his veins . God bless the three of you and wishing you all a lifetime of memories together .

Thanks a ton GTO. Means a lot

Originally Posted by papr23

Haha, you might want to reserve that comment until you navigate the choppy waters with your threenager in the future!
It reminded me of this article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-a-threenager/

Haha. Thanks for updating me with the term 'threenager' !!

[Burn_out]

Nice travelogue and fantastic pictures as usual. Kabir seems to have taken to the drives on the hills like a pro. Hulk always looks best in its natural habitat.

I was supposed to travel to Delo this Sunday but due to the prevailing weather conditions and the closure of Sevoke route to Kalimpong, decided to postpone for a few weeks.

Thanks to Abhi da’s advice and your previous TL, I had booked my stay at the Yuru retreat. Hoping I will get a glimpse of the mountains and Kanchenjunga once the clouds clear.

[DriveTrain]

Wow , the "Chalk in Hand Or Haate Khori" ceremony as we say in this part of the country seem to have started really early for little Kabir ! He seems to be enjoying it like a pro , you are shortly going to have tough competition for that driver's seat Wish the three of you countless miles of happy driving.

Kalimpong is beautiful and Yuru is amazing. Thanks to your advise , we really enjoyed every bit of our stay there.

Hulk looks simply stunning

[PointZero]

Nice title .. "Extra Passenger"

Congratulation to Kabir for his first road trip.

PapaBravo Da, I am just thinking about the day when you will be the passenger and Kabir will hijack the driver seat .