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-   -   The Cold : A bike ride of over 3500 kms to the North East including NathuLa (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/261665-cold-bike-ride-over-3500-kms-north-east-including-nathula.html)

Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.
Khalil Gibran

My last good ride was back in 2020 in the Before Covid era to Nepal.

Since then life had returned to normal but it was still not the same.

Life went on. It dragged itself on its elbows and knees, trying to turn corners but just managing to cut corners.

The roads were calling. I needed the free air from the mountains.

Everytime I started my Himalayan to commute, the pain returned knowing this was not what this bike was made for.

The offices had reopened. The cubicles had turned to a prison and the drudgery of everyday life slowly chipped away at the bare straps of sanity.

There is only one remedy and that is the life on an open road.

Where nothing matters except the open sky.

A plan was set for January 2023. No one knew this would be the coldest month in decades. But in hindsight it of course had to be so....

The ride plan for January 2023:

• 14: Hyderabad (TS) to Srikakulam (AP)
• 15: Srikakulam (AP) to Kharagpur (WB)
• 16: Kharagpur (WB) to Malda (WB)
• 17: Malda (WB) to Gangtok (SK)
• 18: Nathu La (SK)
• 19: Gangtok (SK) to Kalimpong (WB)
• 20: Kalimpong (WB) to Barpeta (AS)
• 21: Barpera (AS) to Umtyngar (ML)
• 22: Dawki (ML)
• 23: Shillong (ML)
• 24: Shillong (ML) to Kaziranga Eco Camp (AS)
• 25: Kaziranga
• The Return.

14-January-2023: Hyderabad (TS) to Srikakulam (AP)

The day before the ride is always a difficult one. I had to leave at around 3:00 AM from my home and catch up with my friend somewhere near the start of the Vijayawada highway.

He came in on his Interceptor. We took off towards Vijayawada. Here we would catch up with our two friends, who were coming in from Kochi in a Thar.

We stopped for a quick breakfast at a roadside bandi in Vijayawada. The advantage of such stalls is that we don't have to worry about the bikes and the luggage.

Location sharing on our mobiles, helped in easily co-ordinating the catch up with thar guys.

The thar was also going to serve as our luggage carrier. This was a huge relief as we no longer needed to worry about loading and unloading with the bungee cords.

We reached Vizag and got stuck in the festive crowds in the middle of a traffic jam.
The roads started deteriorating and we were between a combination of bad roads and no roads. The Himalayan is a capable bike on bad roads. But our higher speeds resulted in a small clip breaking apart and the windshield started rattling.

Luckily the road suddenly changed into a wide four lane and we could make up for lost time.

Finally by around 8 PM, we reached Srikakulam and found a decent hotel (Sri Ram Lodge). Since we had the Thar, a safe parking was of prime importance.

The dinner at this hotel was tasty but spicy. The spice extracted its price the next day when my stomach got messed up.

15-Jan-2023: Srikakulam (AP) to Kharagpur (WB)

Since we had a lot of distance to cover an early morning start was needed. We were packed and ready to leave before 5:00 AM.

The weather felt normal and the city was covered in a soft blanket of mist. But we soon realized that the highway was completely different. It was not cold. But the fog kept getting dense as we rolled forward. I was not prepared for this. Very soon my clothes were getting drenched in water. It was not raining. The fog was just full of water.

I pulled out the raincoat and wore it on my jacket. My lower limbs were exposed and losing a lot of heat. I had the rain pant in my saddle bag but it never registered in my head to wear them.

This watery fog soon started triggering a severe bout of hypothermia. I was shivering on my bike. I dug into the bike with all my willpower and rode on till we stopped for breakfast.

After breakfast the effects of the fatigue from the extreme cold kicked in. My internal battery was dried up and there was just nothing left to power my way forward.

I messaged my fellow travelers to carry forward as I am going to take more breaks and relax. A tired rider usually ends up as a dead rider. I have no interest in making that transition.

Fatigue has only one cure and that is sleep. So I parked on the side of the road and slept on my bike. I must have slept for close to 20-30 minutes and woke up fully refreshed.

With renewed vigour, I resumed my ride and soon entered Odisha. The roads in this state are not only excellent but every road has very good signages. Bhubaneswar was a breeze to cross although there was a lot of traffic on the roads.

I even found a RE service center on the highway and fixed my windshield.

The worst part is the entry into West Bengal. It is absolutely disgusting. There is no other word I would use to describe this blatant abuse of power by the Traffic Police in this sector.

They diverted all the traffic into the wrong side. About a kilometer or so later, the traffic will merge back into the correct side. At the edge of this "entry" point will be a couple of "policemen" who shine in their torches into the truck cabs. There is very little doubt in my mind that this entire exercise is to check for "permits" that the poor truck drivers would have had to get on the way.

This nonsense results in a traffic jam that extends for a couple of kilometers.

It disrupted all our plans of riding longer and had us halt at Kharagpur in a highway hotel called Raja (Boudi) Hotel. This was a really cool place. The outside is setup like a theme park. The room was cheap and decent. The food was good and well priced.

16-Januray-2023: Kharagpur (WB) to Malda (WB)

With the schedules going a little haywire and the traffic being so unpredictable, we decided to make multiple targets.

The original plan was to have reached Siliguri by the end of 16th. But our confidence was very low about making it even as far as Islampur.

So we set a target as Malda or Krishnaganj.

We left around 8 AM from Kharagpur and rode towards Kolkata. Since we were on motorcycles and a Thar, it was possible to take a shortcut between the highways. The way these roads crisscrossed was very similar to the drain pipes setup outside a building. Nothing makes sense, but it kind of works.

This took us thru some small villages. It was a crowded road but was filled with the sweet smells of the countryside. The fresh air and silence without any mechanical sounds in it was like stepping back in time.

West Bengal roads are ok but there are simply too many people all over it. The good thing is that there are uniformed police constables at every intersection to enable safe pedestrian crossing. But the bad thing is that there are to many such crossing. It is extremely difficult to sustain any decent speeds on this road.

One of the remarkable changes is how the same food items like pooris and the curries change as we cross regional boundaries. The sheer variety in our beautiful country is remarkable.

We also came across a political rally, which had blocked a part of the highway to enhance the West Bengal experience.

We reached Malda in the late evening. Parked ourselves close to a clock tower and while I kept watch on our vehicles, my friends went on foot to find us a nice hotel.

They had covered parking for the bikes, but the Thar had to be driven a little distance away for a secure spot. The rooms were quite nice.

17-Jan: Malda (WB) to Gangtok (SK)

The guys at the lodge gave us a packed breakfast with some plain bread slices and fruits. We left around 9 AM and rode towards Sevoke. We crossed a forest and then reached the gorgeous river Teesta. The curves are starting and the wind is getting cold. The traffic manners in Sikkim are really nice. There is no unnecessary honking and everyone is well behaved.

I had installed a pair of Maddog Fog lights on my bike before the trip. These were extremely useful and made my ride much safer.

We stopped at a small eatery for the mandatory bread-omlette and noodles before entering the mountains. GMaps is not a very reliable navigator in the mountains but we somehow managed to find our hotel. Hotel Meraki in Gangtok is AWESOME.

The place is managed by a very sweet guy who goes out of his way to make life better for all his guests.

It was a cold night and we left the heater on.
A word of advice, don't use the heater for the whole night. It dries up the room and you wake up with a very scratchy throat.

18-Jan: Nathu La (SK)

A lot has been written about this pass. I will only describe my ride to the top. Before the ride we needed passes etc. All that was taken care off by an agent.

We got the passes in the morning for our 2 bikes and the thar.
Crossed the first gate and realized that our bikes both had around half a tank of petrol. The distance was just 40+40, so we were not really worried about it.

Having been riding in cold weather for the past few days, it did not even register just how different things are going to get.
The weather forecast that Nathula will be having about -5C or so.

We started the climb. The fuel gauge started its descent. I estimate my mileage on this climb was in single digits. Slowly panic started to set in. We were lucky that we managed to find a petrol bunk on our descent with hardly any fuel left in the tanks.

There are 3 levels of cold.
When the temperature is around 10C, it feels cold.
In single digits, it no longer feels cold, it feels like a lethargic burn.
Once it crosses the 0C, there is pain. Pain like someone is smashing your fingers with a sledge hammer.

My helmet started fogging up, so the visor goes up.

I have a choice, either ride completely blind or getting punched by the cold winds in my nose. I had to keep the visor up.

I had worn multiple layers of clothing. But the cold January winds were easily able to penintrate all the layers and grip me tight. The funniest was when I needed a bathroom break. There are a couple of pay and use toilets. It needed all my imaginary yoga skills to work around all the layers of clothing and get things done.

The Thar was not permitted to drive up the last 4 kilometers. So I had my friend as a pillion. In second gear at full throttle my bike was hardly able to go faster than 20kmph. There is very little air at that height.

The highest point of the pass brings us within inches of China. Here photography is strictly forbidden. One stupid middle aged joker took out his camera and was immediately reprimanded by the Army Jawan. Instead of just following such clearly laid out rules, the dumb idiot quipped, "Ask your superior officer, who I am! ".

He did delete the pics he had taken but it was such a stupid display of arrogance directed at a soldier, who is literally there to save our lives. I hope that idiot suffered the worst case of diarrhoea for the rest of his trip.

There is a small shop manned by the Army, which sells tea, samosa, jalebi and wadas.
We had all of them.

The tea was remarkable. The first sip it was hot tea, second sip its ice tea.

By the time our descent started it was late and the fog had started rising. If the ascent was cold, this was unbelievably colder. The wind chill in the fog must have been at least a couple of degrees colder than at standstill. My bike has a thermometer that shows the engine temperature. It was showing between 2C and 3C while running.

Later in the evening we went to a local restaurant for dinner. The cold had opened up all my old blisters on my worn out palms. But every scar has its own story and for me each is memorable.

19-Jan: Gangtok (SK) to Kalimpong (WB)

A pic of me with all my luggage on my person. This is the best way to travel, carry only what you can carry in one shot.

Our plan was to leave in the morning and reach Darjeeling and then get to Kalimpong. But at halfway point we stopped and decided to change our plan. There was a lot of fatigue from the previous day's climb. So we bikers went to our hotel in Kalimpong, while the thar boys went to Darjeeling.

As soon as we reached our hotel, my friend promptly went to sleep and slept till late evening.

I got bored after sometime and went out for a ride in Kalimpong. Got some snacks and came back to watch TV and just chill.

20-Jan: Kalimpong (WB) to Barpeta (AS)

The halt at Kalimpong had helped a lot in clearing the fatigue. We left early and took off in the direction of Guwahati. The idea was to reach someplace close to it and rest for the night. The roads in Assam are decent but there were quite a few diversions. The air is also quite dusty.

By 10 AM, the heat started getting unbearable and we had to strip off the layers to be comfortable. There was a Indo-Bhutan restaurant, which served one of the best poori's, I have ever eaten.
The best place to halt appeared to be Barpeta. We found a Govt owned hotel that was very cheap and fairly clean. It was an old building but as long as the toilet works...its good enough for us.

I think we paid around 500 per person for the night halt here.

Petrol costs less than a 100 rupees for a liter.

A very aggressive cat in a tea stall provided a fun moment. There were so many people who were trying to push him off the stone, but the grey monster was more powerful and alpha than any of them.

21-Jan: Barpera (AS) to Umtyngar (ML)


The morning was cold and foggy. But nothing like what we had already been thru. So it was early morning start as the sun lazily shone from behind the thick fog. A warm fire by a tea shop is always welcome. We passed thru Guwahati and entered Meghalaya. The scenery is beautiful, the roads are smooth but how can I even begin to describe the fragrance of those trees. It was a treat for all my senses in one place. I was literally a bird soaking in the absolute freedom of the roads on my two wheels of joy.

We kept riding till we crossed Shillong and then found a resort called River View. The temperature had steadily dropped and it was forecasting some 2C for the night. The room had a heater. But the electricity supply was quite bad. The heater barely managed to warm itself. It was a night of being bundled under multiple blankets.

We left our bikes and took the Thar out for a fun late night drive in the hills. This terrain makes you fall in love with the Thar if you are not already in love with it.

22-Jan: Dawki, Mawlynnong and Living Root Bridge (ML)

It was cold in the night. The temperature had gone to around 0C and are bikes were covered in ice. The day time temperature is warm, so we stood in the sun to get some blood flowing.

Today there was no plan of riding. The four of us got into the Thar and went to Dawki lake.

This is on the border of India and Bangladesh. There is boating available on the lake. I highly recommend using only the Govt Approved boats. When driving here, you will encounter a lot of locals trying to stop your vehicle and get bookings, Ignore all of them. Drive straight to the Lake by crossing an ancient bridge. Pay at the counter and enjoy the lake.

The water is extremely clear and you can see the bottom of the lake. Its awesome.

You can skip Mawlynnong. I did not find it that interesting. It looks like any well maintained gated community.
The Living root bridge right next to Mawlynnong is very interesting. I enjoyed that a lot more than the village.

Almost all the hotels we had stayed so far used RO for water. So I used these to keep filling up my large water can. This is a simple way to keep our surroundings cleaner and better.

23-Jan: Shillong (ML)

We planned a relaxed ride back to Shillong. This is a narrow road with heavy traffic. But the drivers in Shillong definitely deserve praise. No one cut into the opposite lane. No one was honking. This is simply awesome.

We checked into a hotel and freshened up.

A leisurely stroll thru the market was very pleasant because of this very limited honking. There was a lot of vehicular and pedestrian traffic but the absence of honking eliminates a lot of stress.

A Tibetan restaurant looked very promising and we had a nice lunch of thukpa and noodles.

24-Jan: Shillong (ML) to Kaziranga Eco Camp (AS)

Back on the highway and the curvy roads. But we were prepared for the expected hot day ahead. As the ride progressed we slowly shed the layers to remain comfortable.

The roads in Assam are decent. They became a bit raggedy once we were close to Kaziranga. But it is an animal corridor and speeds are mandated to be kept low. We reached our destination of Kaziranga Eco Camp. There was a bit of chill in the air and we relaxed by a bonfire under the starlit night.

25-Jan: Kaziranga

I have never ridden on an Elephant before. Sitting sideways in the early morning safari, I took zero pictures because I was too busy gripping the seat and clamp.

If any animal came in my direct line of sight, I saw it. If any animal was behind me, then I respected its decision and did not turn around to see it.

According to my friends the ride was a lot of fun. I consider it as a bucket list entry done. I am more comfortable riding my bike to the edge of a mountain than sitting atop this huge lumbering beast.

Our next safari was scheduled for the evening and thankfully was in a Gypsy. In between that time we hopped over to a nearby restaurant that cooks using the traditional bamboo style.

They also have an excellent environmentally sound way of construction. Absolutely loved the location and ambience.

The Gypsy safari was indeed a lot of fun. We did come across Tiger pug marks but did not get to see the majestic cat in its natural landscape.

There is a picture below of two elephants hidden in grass. We were barely 20 feet away from them and barely able to see them thanks to the excellent camouflage.

26, 27, 28 and 29 Jan: Kaziranga Eco Camp (AS) to Guwahati (AS) and Return.


We directly went to the Guwahati Railways Parcel office and booked in our bikes. Our train tickets were already booked in the same train.

The railway staff was very meticulous in removing all the petrol from the bikes. There was not even a single drop left in tank, when they were done.

It was a long train journey back home.

After the bikes were unloaded, I had to push it for a kilometer to a petrol bunk and get fuel.