Gangtok-Lachung: Night riding in rain..

Again a leisurely start. We started at 10:30. Rode at a leisurely pace. Stopped to fill petrol. Took a lot of photography breaks. Road was rain swept. Many potholes. 1-2 landslides also. There was still rubble on the road. Photos on the way..

The greenary and the good road..

Beautiful flowers..





The bad roads..

Riding along the river

We enter North Sikkim..

Big bridges over waterfalls and rivers..

Prayer flags..

Huts..

More flowers..





After yesterday's experience I had worn a lot of woolens including the thermal lowers and riding jacket inner liner. But God was in a playful mood. As soon as we left Gangtok, the sun came out and it was a bright sunny and warm day. Others were also wearing a lot of woolens. Soon we were sweating and after a few hours, we had to stop to take off the woolens.

the afternoon sun..

children playing nearby..

small flowers..

smaller spiders..

After riding for half an hour, Anup realized that he had forgotten his knee guards at the place we had stopped earlier. He and Gopi back tracked while the rest of us waited. waiting meant more photos..











I dont think there was any plant around which i dint click. Finally they came back and we started again. It was a lovely sunny day with great views of the valley. Due to rains the colour everywhere was natural dark green.

A bad patch..

Clouds kissing the hills..

Best macro of the day..

Frequent photography breaks meant slow progress. 2:15pm and we had just done 56kms from Gangtok..

more photography..

view from the bridge..

On the way we encountered the first "real" water-crossing of our trip. But here also, although there was lot of water, there was solid road beneath it. So it wasn't exactly tough.

more green valleys..

more waterfalls. Notice the Tata Sumo standing underneath the waterfall. Imagine from what hieght must the water be falling..

some religious structure..

We reached Mangan (a distance of 69kms from Gangtok) at 3:00pm (in 4.5hrs). Dont even bother calculating the average speed. There we had a lunch of chowmein, momos and thupka which took a very long time to prepare. At around 4 we left Mangan. As soon as we get out of the town, it started to rain.
The bad news..

This time the rain was a bit heavy. Quickly we put on the rain gear. Rain meant no photography. Rain also meant slippery and muddy roads. Dirt on the road now became slush which was slippier. Slowly we progressed as the sun went down and light faded. We had to show permit after Mangan. The guard kept the photocopies. It is advisable to carry 4-5 photocopies of the permits as they ask for them. Ride till Chumthang was bumpy which had caused a bad shoulder and stomach ache. After Chumthang, the road is very good. But riding at night in rain, it dint make much difference. We reached Lachung a 7:00pm again drenched and cold. We checked in to a very comfortable hotel called Karzang Fooding and Lodging. Very nice rooms and really cheap. A double room for Rs.200. Very cosy beds with really warm blankets and quilts. Very cold. Also the hosts were really friendly. The plan for the next days target was Lachung-Yumthang-Zero Point-Lachung-Chumthang-Lachen.

Distance traveled in the day: 123kms
Total distance in the trip: 690kms

# back to the index
# next page