Karmi Farm, Gangtok and into Nepal

Posted on 13th December 20182nd February 2019 by Andy

We were fortunate enough to have a stay scheduled at Karmi Farm and it was a nice to move on. It took about 45mins just to get out of Darjeeling due to heavy traffic and narrow streets. Once outside of the town, we stopped by a roadside stall to secure our bags on the roofs of the jeeps, it was about a 3 hour drive. It wasn’t so much the distance as it was only about 20km as the crow flies, but it was on the far side of the next steep valley.

The roads, if you can call them roads, were single track hairpins, pot hole ridden often with signs of mud slides and collapse. At one point we came face to face with JCBs and tipper trucks carrying out repairs. We had to wait about 20mins for them to finish loading and move out of the way as the road was completely blocked while they were working but it didn’t stop various locals trying to push past beeping their horns as if that will magically make the blockage disappear.

We were lucky if the jeeps ever got above 10mph on the rough, uneven hairpin roads. On one sharp corner, we met a truck coming the other way and had to reverse quite a way back to find a relatively safe passing point, but we were literally on the edge of a very high drop. To add to the excitement, there was still some lingering mist and fog in patches. I really enjoyed this drive and it was a complete highlight. It felt like I was genuinely on a real adventure, not just a passenger.

In contrast to the roads, Karmi Farm is more of a tranquil homestay than a farm run by an English man and his wife who also set up the Karmi farm clinic bringing much needed medical knowledge and supplies to the this remote region in the foothills of the Himalayas in India. I was happy to donate some of the medication I was carrying as have been like a mobile pharmacy which has helped various people on my travels.

The building, location and views were simply breath taking and I was extremely envious of the place. It was a very remote setting, water from a spring, no WiFi, open fire places, clean fresh air and it had a warm healthy wholesomeness about it. Very difficult to describe.

During the days spent here, we went off on various guided hikes. Nothing too strenuous and none that lasted more than 3 or 4 hours.

It got dark around 17.00hrs so was back showered and changed ready for dinner which was really good. The beer was on an honesty tab system which worked really well. All vegetables were home grown and tasted so good. In the evening we moved to one of the lounges which had a roaring fire to keep more than a chill out of the air and played a few games and quizzes. It was a really nice relaxing few days and I would recommend anyone who visits this region to come here if you are able.

It was a shame to be leaving Karmi Farm. I could have quite happily spent the rest of my days there, but needs must. The jeeps were waiting for us for another exciting adventure drive along those narrow and dangerous roads. Instead of heading to Darjeeling, we moved on to Gangtok. Before we got there, we stopped by a tea plantation for a quick brew. The view wasn’t bad either…

Gangtok was nicer than Darjeeling but still similar. It had a nice pedestrianised shopping road which reminded me a little of Shanghai but on a much, much smaller scale. On one night we found a little bar and hauled up there for the night, drinking and getting free popadoms and mo-mo’s (steamed dumplings). It was really reasonable too. On the way back to the hotel found a statue of Mahatma Gandhi so had to have a photo with it, “Andy and Gandhi”…

On the walk back to the hotel, we decided that it should have been Andy and Mandy eating candy, reading the Dandy with Gandhi, which would have been handy… We had had a bit to drink.

Early start leaving Gangtok, meant to get the jeeps at 05.00hrs but after a couple of people slept in, we actually left closer to 06.00hrs. Not a major issue, but it was quite quiet and chilly at the time but still warm enough to get away with a t shirt. By the time the jeeps were loaded and we finally left Gangtok, the place was starting to come alive, with various traders setting up their stalls, taxi drivers looking out for customers in anticipation, rubbish collectors etc. But it wasn’t long before the roads started getting busy again. Sometimes it was difficult to tell whether the on-coming traffic was a scooter or motorbike or a lorry with one light. Trying to avoid various pot holes and rough surfaces often meant driving on the opposite sides of the road too and swerving in at the last minute to avoid a collision.

It was a drive of a couple of hours before we stopped somewhere for breakfast , nothing fancy but the coffee was good and well needed. It was also an opportunity to stretch the legs for a wee while. After breakfast it was another hour or so before we reached the truck park in Siluguri and we rejoined the Dragoman truck once more. Seemed strange getting on board again, like seeing an old friend, but the last couple of weeks I barely gave the truck a second thought.

Soon underway, perhaps the most noticeable thing is the change from peaceful tranquil, clean mountain scenery and fresh air to the heat, noise, litter and busyness of Silaguri. It was about an hour drive to the Indian / Nepal border which seemed to go by in a flash. Once parked up it was only a short walk to the immigration office to get the exit stamp in the passport. Was actually quite relieved to be leaving India. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, especially from Delhi to Mumbai and then from Pondicherry all the way up the east side of India, but south of Mumbai on the west coast am quite happy to forget and not just because I was ill then.

Crossing the bridge at Kakabitta in no mans land between India and Nepal was uneventful and I was surprised by the efficiency of Nepalese immigration and was expecting to have to wait for hours, similar to Morocco, but it was a quick in, fill out a form, pay $25US for a 15 days visa and there you go.

I couldn’t believe I was now in Nepal, the 5th country on this walkabout, and it didn’t look anything l ike what I was expecting. I had visions of high mountain villages, snow capped mountains, glacial rivers and forests lined with all sorts of prayer flags. I’m sure within the next 15 days I will see these, But for now, it was flat, hot enough to make me wish I was wearing shorts, and had quite fertile farm land.

The sun had just set by the time we arrived at the campsite. The safari tents were a permanent fixture with thatched roofs, electricity, comfy warm twin beds and a fully plumbed bathroom (complete with frogs). Not at all what I was expecting when I heard that we would be camping. This was glamping. In the evening we had a delicious vegetarian Nepal dinner but it was early to bed following a very early start as wasn’t able to have an afternoon nap.

In the morning after breakfast, there was a 3 hour walk with two guides. It was hot and flat, enjoyable but along a raised path and back, with the guides pointing out each and every variety of bird they saw from vultures and eagles, to kingfishers and woodpeckers. I was quite chuffed to spot the python in the grass that everyone else missed until I pointed it out.

Calcutta and Darjeeling

Posted on 7th December 20189th December 2018 by Andy

The last night in Puri was also the last night for one of our Dragoman leaders as he was leaving to head a new tour in Africa. This was an opportunity to go out for a nice meal and say our goodbyes. The meal was excellent but sadly the same could not be said for the wine. However after a few glasses, the taste buds had become accustomed to it, just…

Yet another early start to catch the train to Calcutta. It was quite a relief to leave this hotel, but not Puri, and head to the station, even at 05:00 hrs. It was seating only which was OK but like most train journeys in England there were several noisy, annoying local passengers with loud mobile phones and screaming kids, etc. Still, I was able to sit back, relax and watch the scenery go by for about 8 hours. There are worse ways to spend a day, especially when I think about my friends back home working…

Calcutta station was a welcome site. I was anticipating chaos, noise, overcrowding and and people jostling for position but it was really civilised, with people quiet, queued up in straight lines, luggage set out all in a line with several employees guarding it – not at all what I expected. Outside the station however, a completely different story. We lugged our bags to the pre-paid taxi park and must have been accosted no less than 20 times by various taxi drivers offering their services but nice to see the old Hindustan Ambassadors. It was about a 30 minutes drive through heavy Calcutta traffic around some parks, and through underpasses before we arrived at the hotel.

We had a few days in Calcutta which was enough time to try and find the black hole – really difficult and it is split in to two or three different places, including in a working post office! There was also Mother Theresa’s home but I didn’t visit that. Instead I did a walking tour around some of the city which was great and it took me to places I don’t think I would have ordinarily visited if I were on my own, where some of the locals were washing themselves in the streets.

Once again one of our original tour guides was leaving the trip here and was heading over to New Zealand. So we had another great leaving meal as a group in ‘Oh Calcutta’ restaurant. I am not sure if that’s a chain but I really enjoyed it.

The next day I explored a few of the local parks that were not too far from the hotel and ended up back near Oh Calcutta. Feeling peckish I tried a restaurant next door and whilst it was quite disappointing they were doing 2 for 1 on drinks. Later on in the afternoon, met up with a few of the others and as there was 2 for 1 on drinks it seemed like a good idea to spend the afternoon there 🙂 Later at night, we found a jail themed restaurant where all the serving staff were in prison uniforms and our table was in a cell. It was quite interesting and fun.

Taxis dropped us off at Calcutta station around 21:00 hrs as we were to board the 22:05 hrs night train to Siliguri, arriving around 09:00 hrs the next morning. The bunks were in three tiers not just two, but there just enough space, even with all our luggage to lay down. I had the top bunk again and although there wasn’t sufficient space to sit up, it was more than comfortable enough. I actually had a pretty decent night’s sleep as the train slowly trundled its way, rocking us to sleep. I was woken up early-ish as some sellers board the train to sell tea, coffee and breakfast. The coffee was pretty good, but quite bizarre given that we were about to enter tea territory.

There were several jeeps waiting for us at the station to transfer us up to the mountain town of Darjeeling, famed for its tea. The roads were narrow and winding, not dissimilar to the ‘death road’ in Bolivia, often single track on the edge of a mountain with blind hairpin bends which the drivers seemed to take with casual abandon and a blast of the horn. We stopped for tea along the way which had nice views over the valley and a waterfall in the distance.

Continuing up the mountain, the temperature was dropping quite fast and it felt very different to the heat of Calcutta. I was still wearing shorts and T-shirt, but could see some of the locals in hats and down jackets, so it must be cold. This is the first time since leaving England that I have experienced single figure temperatures so it was a little culture shock when I got out of the jeep. Darjeeling seems to be a collection of villages huddled along hairpin roads on the mountainside rather than one large town. As we drove up the road, the views through the valley were obscured by thick heavy mist but periodically, there would be a little clearing and you realised how high up we are. The road also zigzags across a narrow gauge railway too. This belongs to the famous steam Toy Train that runs approx 79 km from New Jalpaiguri and rises over 6,400ft to Darjeeling at 6,812ft and this is one of the must do activities in Darjeeling.

The next day, following breakfast in the hotel was about to venture out, but still wearing shorts and t shirt, I saw a local man done up with down coat, hat, gloves etc. go outside, shiver and mutter a few words in Nepalese or Tibetan and come back in, so it must have been really cold. At that point, even after a warming bowl of porridge I thought it best to go and get changed…

Darjeeling itself wasn’t as picturesque as I was anticipating but I found a little tea shop, Glenary’s, that reminded me of the one by the old clock tower in St Albans.

They served great tea, coffee, cakes and snacks and they even had a red telephone box inside too. It was a nice town with plenty of things to do and a pedestrianised area that helped. Visited the Happy Valley Tea Plantation which is the highest tea plantation in the world and the tour was only 100 Nepalese rupees and lasted about 30mins. The tour only went around the factory, rather than out amongst the tea plants themselves but still quite interesting.

Later visited the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute located in the zoo. Very interesting to see some of the old mountaineering equipment used on previous expeditions including Sir Edmund Hillary’s and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s tools and clothes, etc. Outside the from of the institute is a memorial statue of Tenzing Norgay and his grave too.

We later had afternoon tea which included sandwiches, scones, biscuits and cakes at the Windermere Hotel which maintains the tradition from the old colonial days. The good news is there was a roaring open fire in the room which kept it all cosy and warm. There were a couple of pianos too but we weren’t allowed to play them. It was getting dark by about 17:00 so not much of a view from the top of the look out. Even if it was daylight, the hill was completely surrounded by mist anyway.

Eventually managed to get a ticket for the Toy Train and only rode it for a couple of hours, to Ghoom and back. I was really looking forward to this and it was good fun. However the train seemed to constantly blow its whistle all the way warning any road users and pedestrians that it was coming – as if a big blue stream train in the road wasn’t a big enough giveaway…

Chennai, Odisha Tribal Region and Puri

Posted on 3rd December 20189th December 2018 by Andy

On the drive to Chennai we stopped at the Chennai Snake Park, to witness a venom milking of the cobras and crate snakes. They also have crocodiles and there were thousands of those in various enclosures, but it had started to rain and at least the snake milking was undercover. There was a pit about 4 foot deep and about the size of a small swimming pool containing about 200 terracotta jars in which the snakes were kept. There were 5 cobras and 3 crate snakes that I could see coiled up on a table. The guide would pick a snake up by the head and squeeze it gently but firmly until it showed its fangs, which look like needles, and then positioned the snakes head by a jar with a rubber seal on the top. The snakes fangs were pushed through the rubber, simulating a bite reaction, which in turn allowed the venom to flow. The snake produced about 15-20ml of venom and the guide told us it would be enough to kill about 20 people.

While we were watching the snakes the heavens opened. Within seconds the roads turned into rivers. Honestly, you would be drier if you fell into a swimming pool with the amount of rain coming down. The truck was parked about 200m from the snake park and because of the rain, we all ran back. I can only imagine the terror for anyone passing by, assuming that all the snakes and crocodiles were escaping, seeing tourists run for their lives.

Didn’t really do much in Chennai. The hotel wasn’t great, nor was the food but was completely soaked through. There were options to go and see various temples or museums but by this point I really couldn’t be bothered. So I just explored the surrounding streets which looked pretty much like any other Indian town, with the same advertising hoardings, litter and smells. The station in Chennai looked a little like a smaller version of St Pancras.

Once out of Chennai, the north east side of India really started to improve. Instead of being dusty, dirty, and crowded, it was becoming far more lush with a lot more vegetation. The twisty roads were becoming narrower as they rose up into the mountains, with small remote villages dotted along the way. The air was starting to feel a little cleaner too. Pretty soon jungle started to hug the mountain side and it felt a little cooler in the shade of the trees, but it was still in excess of 30 degrees. It’s weird, but I had a feeling of being ‘alive’ whilst here. Some of the turns on the road were so tight, that the truck could not make round in one go so we ended up having to do a 5 point turn just to make it around. At one stage the hairpin was so tight that we all had to get off the truck just case the turn wasn’t successful. It was quite an achievement but it was a good excuse to stretch the legs and have a jungle loo stop.

We were now entering the Odisha Tribal region of India were very few tourists visit so it was as real privilege to be able to go here.

In Goudaguda we stayed at the Chandoori Sai Guesthouse which is owned and run by an Australian guy. The food were was terrific and it was a pleasure to eat some ‘western food’. Roast Chicken dinner with chilled wine and apple pie for desert – it was just what my taste buds needed.
We were here for a couple of nights but I could have stayed much longer. During the days we walked to and around local Paroja, Mali and Kondh villages which were lovely and are renowned for earthen pottery.

We watched them effortlessly create the most ornate pots within seconds from nothing more than a lump of clay collected from the river and a spinning wheel controlled by the operators feet.

Diwali, the festival of light, happened while we were in this region. Originally were meant to stay in Baliguda but due to some local political disruption, we weren’t able to make the planned accommodation. I don’t actually know where we ended up staying but it was relatively off the beaten track and know the lift played really loud music when the safety doors were open which you could hear in the room. For Diwali people were letting fireworks off in the street left, right and centre. Health and safety was right out of the window, just like some rockets and bangers… Some landed really close and my ears were ringing from the bangs that I could hardly hear people shouting’ “Happy Diwali!” These are much louder fireworks than the ones you get back home. There was a meal laid on in a street side restaurant and one of the highlights was ‘chicken 65’, very similar to a Chinese sweet and sour chicken and very nice.

The next few days were in a town called Puri, one of the holiest pilgrimage places in India. We arrived mid afternoon but it seems most shops and restaurants close after lunch and re-open in the evening. I was really hungry but the only thing I was able to find to eat was a packet of crisps. Still it tidied me over until dinner later that night. The hotel had a pool, but my room wasn’t near it or that great. The bed was warped and the mattress U-shaped. I was on the front, ground floor of the hotel right by the road side so had car horns going off until the very small hours and despite travelling since July, this is the first and only time I have had a squat style toilet in a room. I tried to change rooms but there was no availability.

Late in the afternoon, we had a cycle rickshaw ride to visit various Ashrams, temples, monasteries which was nice. I did feel sorry for the guy having to pedal me around but I guess they are used to carrying two people in the rickshaw.

We stopped at one of the craziest markets I have ever been to and it was pandemonium. What should have been a 5 min walk took 45 mins, due to the volume of people and beggars, to get to the library where palm leaf manuscripts are kept. We were able to access the roof here and see the Jaganarth temple at sunset. Not being Hindu, were not able to access the temple itself.

The next day was fun and very gentle. It was a 1 hour minibus drive to Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in India famed for its birds and dolphins. We boarded long tail boats and had a very pleasant ride with everyone keeping an eye out to see if they could see the dolphins but no joy.

Soon we arrived at, not sure if it was either an island or a spit of land on the other side, but we disembarked and had a nice walk for a few hours and saw various wildlife including kingfishers, eagles and water buffalo. There was a very nice BBQ lunch laid on which had all the usual suspects there including giant prawns. However not liking fish or seafood, I donated my share to the group who were grateful. A quick hop onto the boats for the ride back to the minibus, once again everyone was keeping their eyes peeled for dolphins and this time it paid off, albeit far off in the distance.

The last day in Puri was a cycle ride. Initially we were all apprehensive about cycling in India due to traffic, cows, the state of the roads etc. but the route itself was off the beaten track and on quiet well maintained roads and cycle paths and was really enjoyable even with speed bumps that I would take quickly as if I were still riding at Swinley Forest. At one stage we got stopped by the police, not for dangerous riding or anything, but they just wanted to have a selfie with us. Seemed bizarre, but not going to argue with the Indian police. The ride lasted all morning but I could have quite happily rode all afternoon too, but we were there to visit the UNESCO world heritage site of the Konark Sun Temple, conceived as a giant chariot, believed to be one of Indias greatest temples.