Shankarpur Shenanigans

If the year 2020 has taught us one thing, that is change is the ONLY constant. Add “uncertainty” to the mix, and you have got the perfect brew for the future! It is important to remember that, TODAY is all we have. Live in the present and mostly, ENJOY the present!

Being couped up in an apartment for an indefinite amount of time is bound to wreak havoc on one’s mental sanity. And boy did we suffer! So as things slowly started to improve our spirits too longed to break free of the shackles and run wild with the winds and dance with the waves, until we finally gave in to our Bohemian spirits and rode towards the warm and sunny beach of Shankarpur!

On the 27^th of December, 2020, early in the morning, we mounted our saddle bags onto our Chewbacca (that’s what we lovingly call our Dominar 400 UG 19) and set off for our destination. Gourab, being the rider, was the one with the responsibility of manoeuvering our way, which left me with ample time and opportunity to soak in the beautiful surroundings. It was a sultry winter morning, and the gushing winds made us fall in love with the roads all over again. One of the perks of marrying your best friend is all the fun things that you get to do together. It’s literally sharing ONE life together, living ONE dream and working towards ONE common goal. Anyway, getting back on track, or in our case the dusty roads of Kona Expressway, we took our first stop near Azad Hind Dhaba. Though we were carrying our breakfast with us, it was a customary stop – almost like a ritual. 

From there we again started our journey, next landmark being Kolaghat. We crossed Kolaghat around 9:40 a.m. and from there we took a left turn as we continued towards Nandokumar.

The distance between our house in Jadavpur, Kolkata to Shankarpur is almost 180 kms. The first 100 kms of the journey did not offer us much in terms of scenic beauty but the road was moderately smooth and hassle free. The next 79 kms from Nandokumar to Shankarpur was a completely different story altogether! As the roads became narrower, bumpier, covered in potholes and congested, the scenes on the either side became greener and a treat for the eyes. Fields and farms and trees and shrubs offered a refreshing visual.

As I enjoyed the scenes to my heart’s content, Gourab only had eye for the road ahead, with an occasional glance of his eye and twist of his neck on either side to soak in his surroundings. Soon I asked him to stop beside the road. It would have been a transgression to pass by these beautiful roads without stopping to admire the beauty. This is a huge perk of moto-touring! You can stop as much or as little as you want, based on your whim. Needless to say, obviously not without following the rules of the road. It was already 11 a.m. and thus we decided to have our brunch with the Mixed Singapore Noodles which we had packed from home. From there it was 70 kms till our hotel at Shankarpur and we hoped to reach there by 1 p.m. Unfortunately, the road conditions only deteriorated and the congestion increased. After manoeuvering through the apparent procession of private cars and buses, when we reached Shankarpur it was almost 2 p.m.

Hotel Belanibas has a decent parking area where we parked our bike and unloaded our luggage. We checked in and our clothes and luggage were sanitized following the COVID-19 sanitization protocol. Inside our already sanitized and clean hotel room, we went over with our personal regime of sanitization. Never hurts to be careful! No nook or cranny was spared from a bursting spray of our pungent sanitizer! Eyes watering with all the constant spraying, we headed to the washroom to clean ourselves up once we were thoroughly satisfied with the sanitisation.

It was almost 3 p.m. when we finally could have our lunch. The menu included steaming plates of rice with raw onions and lemon wedges on the side, crispy potato fries (or commonly known as jhuri aloo bhaaja), thick sunshine yellow daal, spicy cabbage and potato curry, Pomfret fish in a delectable mustard gravy and to finish the meal off - tomato chutney and crispy papad (poppadom).

It was a soulful and comforting meal which took away all the wearies of the journey.

The lunch was served in our room as per our request. This was another precaution taken by us in our endeavour to maintain maximum social distancing. Another “NEW NORMAL” in the age of the PANDEMIC. Thankfully we had a fantastic view of the sea beach from our room. As we had our lunch sitting at the table by the window, we had a refreshing view of the Bay of Bengal. We enjoyed our meal, watching the waves lazily breaking on the shore. It was a beautiful afternoon- a couple’s retreat indeed!

After the sumptuous lunch, as we were contemplating whether or not to go for an afternoon promenade by the beach, we watched in horror as a private bus along with two private cars filled with passengers stopped in front of our hotel. Day trippers poured out and rushed towards the beach- old and young alike! And thus, we tossed the idea of a peaceful and tranquil promenade out of the window for the time being. Thankfully, in a couple of hours the crowd cleared and we geared up to step out in the dark to stroll by the now deserted beach.

As we sat by the sea in the growing darkness, memories of the past flooded our minds. We first came to Shankarpur in the year 2016, a while after our court marriage. Since then, almost every year we have been coming back. Shankarpur holds a very special place in our hearts and life. Going back to the year 2016, we were a couple of newlyweds, filled with excitement, who visited Shankarpur, to find a virgin beach devoid of any cement construction or beautification. Many of the hotels and resorts were still there but the beach was relatively untouched. No structure or monument to mark the dominance of civilization. We still remember the mud road (which is now a well-constructed road regularly traversed by modern commutes) which we took walking hand in hand and dreaming of our future ahead. Walking snugly along the narrow path, 30 minutes later we found ourselves by the beach of Tajpur. It was a pleasant surprise and we still remember having tea in a small shack by the Tajpur beach, which too was dark and deserted.

But this was all in the past.

Now Shankarpur and Tajpur are regularly frequented by tourists. The once dark roads now flooded with streetlights and the once deserted surrounding is often occupied by hawkers selling their merchandise. Nevertheless, Shankarpur is still far from being as congested as Digha. Shankarpur, though not as untouched as it was in 2016, is still secluded enough to offer a recluse away from the maddening crowd, which we all sometimes want to escape from.

After a very private and romantic time by the beach, we returned back to our lovely hotel. In our room we had dinner sitting by the window side. The warm, spicy and succulent pieces of chicken were melting in our mouth, as we listened to the roaring of the waves and watched the meandering roads disappearing into the darkness of the night.

 Now that we were fed and watered and light headed from the evening’s euphoria, we decided to call it a night. Slipping beneath the freshly cleaned layers of blankets, I drifted into the most peaceful slumber 2020 had to offer.

Next morning, I woke up just early enough to see the sun slowly rising as the layers of fog and mist were lifted. The glass windows of our room indeed provided a front-row view. I quickly nudged Gourab and almost shook him out of his dream. I just couldn’t allow him to miss this wonderful view, that too from the bed and underneath the covers. As he woke up with a start, I almost felt a little apologetic. Tousled hair, he got up and looked outside the window. The expression on his face was one of awe and wonder. What an amazing start to a beautiful day! 

Morning tea was followed by a fulfilling breakfast of luchi and a simple potato curry along with soft and spongy roshogolla! Loaded with this fuel we just had to head out to the beach to bathe in the sunshine! It was time for our mandatory photo-shoot as well as time for vlogging for our YouTube channel. In the morning as we walked by the beach, it was a very different experience from that of the previous night’s.

Last night’s deserted beach was now flooded in brilliant sunlight and filled with energetic “morning walkers”, including us. In the distance we could see small fishing boats out there in the sea, going about their daily business, slowly becoming smaller until being reduced to a tiny speck. 

The sparkling waters of the sea, seemed to dance and rejoice with us as we eagerly waited for 2020 to end. 

Sitting hand in hand, Gourab told me that he was planning to capture the time lapse of the sunset and the changing colours of the sky in the late afternoon and evening. As it would be our last evening at Shankarpur, we decided to return to the beach once again in the evening, just before sunset. But alas! Man proposes and God disposes! 

Quarter to 5p.m. we headed out of our hotel to capture the perfect view by the sea. Crossing the parking lot, compelled by habit, Gourab went towards Chewbacca, just to check on him. After walking ahead for a while, I stopped and turned to see, that Gourab was still lingering by Chewie, now with an ominous frown on his forehead.  “What happened?” I asked. “The rear tyre has a puncture. I can see a nail sticking out of the tyre. I have to get it fixed immediately!” said Gourab. “Ugh! Now I won’t be able to capture the time lapse of the sunset!” he added. The shocking revelation of the punctured rear tyre damped our mood. Thankfully the staff informed us that there was a puncture repair shop nearby.

As I went back to our hotel room to sulk and scowl, Gourab carefully rode off with our Dominar. Standing by the window of our room, I saw the colours change, and the darkness gather…but it was not the same without having Gourab by my side. By the time Gourab returned, the surrounding was already covered in darkness. He opened the door of our room, sad that we had missed our beautiful sunset but visibly relieved that the puncture was taken care of. He informed me that there were three punctures, two of them caused by “Babla gachher kanta”- a kind of sharp thorn from the Gum Arabic Tree or commonly known as Babul Tree. Now that Chewie has been taken care of, Mr. Sen turned his attention to his sulking wife. It was time for his second mission! Coaxing his sad wife was no small feat indeed! He did that too with equal efficiency. Ultimately when we headed out, he had his arms around me and I had a smile on my face… Another magical evening, we had by the sea.

Dinner that night was Mutton Kosha and hot chapatis. Tummies filled with the delicious food we bid adieu to the night skies and beach of Shankarpur. We packed our bags that night to avoid any hassle and rush the next morning. Next day we would be riding out and back to our little nest in Jadavpur.

29^th December, 2020. After spending two carefree and splendid days by the sea, it was finally time to return home. Like every good thing, this trip too was coming to an end but the ride on our Chewie kept our adrenaline levels pretty high! We had already packed our lunch consisting of omelettes from our hotel. Gourab had this amazing idea of layering the piping hot omelettes with slices of cheese while we were packing it. This ultimately resulted in a gooey and cheesy delight which we enjoyed on road, during our return journey.

Has anyone noticed that the return journey always seems a little shorter and quicker? Or is it only us?

Though Shakespeare questions if the 

"Horse doth untread again

His tedious measures with the unbated fire

That he did pace them first?"

It seems our Chewbacca has more power than Gratiano’s horse in question! Well to be fair, our Chewie does possess of power of 40 horses! Thanks to our Dominar, our return journey was quite smooth and fast. We had set off at around 10:30 a.m. and when we reached home it was 4:20 p.m. We did take two stops while returning, one was at a petrol pump just after crossing Nandokumar and the second was after crossing Kolaghat, where we had our packed lunch.

Thus our hurricane tour came to an end and as we neared our little and imperfect yet perfect nest, we promised each other of new adventures and getaways, just as we promise you to come back with yet another ranting of our eccentric minds and stories of our adventures! Till then stay safe, stay happy!

To watch the video of our full journey please click the link below

https://youtu.be/ATpU917EosI

Much love,

Ananya Kundu

Bangali BackPacker

MACARONI & CHEESE with CHICKEN & VEGGIES

🔺   MACARONI & CHEESE with CHICKEN & VEGGIES   🔺

A healthy take on our all time favourite comfort food Mac n Cheese!

Given to you on your request.

Do try it out and definitely let us know your opinion.

ENJOY!

➤INGREDIENTS

• ·        100 to 120 gms Licia Macaroni
• ·        1 capsicum cut into cubes
• ·        2 medium sized Onions, chopped
• ·        10 to 12 Florets of Broccoli
• ·        100 gms boneless chicken, cubed
• ·        5 to 6 medium sized tomatoes, diced
• ·        4 medium cloves of garlic, crushed
• ·        4 to 5 Green chillies, chopped.
• ·        80 gms Sweet Corn
• ·        50 gms of Cheese (quantity as per preference)
• ·        Pepper powder
• ·        Chilli powder
• ·        Pasta Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs
• ·        Oil and/or Butter
• ·        2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
• ·        Salt and Sugar to taste

➧METHOD

1. Cook the Pasta in boiling salted water till Al Dente (firm to bite).
2. Keep one cup of the cooking liquid reserved for later use.
3. Drain pasta and wash in cold water. Keep aside.
4. Steam or blanch the sweet corn. Keep aside.
5. Blanch the florets of broccoli for 10 to 15 mins. Drain and keep aside.
6. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the chicken pieces. Cook the chicken pieces till brown. Keep aside.
7. In the same pan, melt a little butter and add the chopped green chillies and garlic.
8. Once the garlic gives off aroma, add the chopped onions.
9. Once the onions start turning brown, add the capsicum cubes and toss for a couple of mins.
10. Now add the broccoli florets and stir for another couple of mins.
11. Add in the diced tomatoes and cook till it starts breaking down. Add a little water to help the process.
12. Cover and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 mins.
13. Now add in the cooked chicken pieces and the reserved cooking liquid from the pasta.
14. Add in the cooked pasta.
15. Add in the tomato ketchup, cheese and the steamed sweet corns. Stir till the cheese melts. Add in half a cup of water and let it simmer for a minute till the sauce comes together.
16. Now add a generous sprinkling of pepper powder. Add salt and sugar to taste.
17. Season with your favorite pasta seasoning or Italian mixed herbs. (We used the one from ‘KEYA’)
18. Serve hot or at room temperature.

...bon apetite...

...Love & Regards...

⟰ BANGALI BACKPACKER TEAM ⟰

Mulkarkha Lake Trek

The main attraction of Mulkarkha Lake is the reflection of Mount Kanchenjunga on the tranquil water of the lake. It is also called Manokamna Pokhri and is considered holy by the locals. They believe that if you wish something by making a Chorten or Stupa of seven stones by the lake, it will be granted. This is a new trail, rarely traveled by tourists and the beauty is unparalleled.

The Bangali Backpacker team undertook this 4 day trek at the end of December 2015 and had a wonderful experience. Please watch the video to know more about it.

MULKARKHA DELIGHTS

MULKARKHA DELIGHTS

RICE, DAL, SABZI, PAPAD & Homemade GHEE

Imagine yourself amidst the virgin mountains, shrouded in greenery, with the cold mountain breeze lightly carrying your body and soul away from the maddening city life. We found our abode of peace, where the people welcome you with an open heart and a beaming smile. There they will accept you as one of their own, sharing their homes, food, experiences and their lives with you.

They will feed you till you burst with gratitude and happiness. The food there is organic, farm fresh, grown and cooked right in front of your eyes. Each morsel is fresh and delicious straight from the lap of Mother Nature. From being bountifully filled with the beauty of nature, this place also offers you with its local specialties when it comes to food.

From the creamy and spicy Churpiko Achaar that will complement your morning Aalu ka Paratha, to the rustic and sweet Dhakane which will end your evening dinner on a sweet note – the people of Lingsey, Jhusing, Tagathang and Mulkarkha has a lot to offer. A specialty of this region is Rai ka Saag, a leafy green from the mustard family. They either serve it stir fried with your breakfast roti or in the form of Gundruk, a soup made with fermented Rai ka Saag which they serve as a side dish with rice. This leafy green is a great source of vitamins and rounds of your meal. 

GUNDRUK

After having this nutritious, slightly bitter and sour greens you won’t even feel guilty about loading your Rotis with dollops of freshly churned homemade ghee or clarified butter. The Ghee was exceptionally creamy and flavorful, nothing like we have ever tasted before. If you are lucky they might also serve you with fresh homemade Dahi or Curd, sprinkled with sugar after your afternoon lunch.

Dinner was often rounded off between 8 pm to 9pm in the evening and our dinner at Jhusing Home Stay ended on a sweet note with the rustic Dhakane. 

DHAKANE

DHAKANE

It is a sweet dish made with rice, ghee, sugar and milk. As told by Mr. Bedu Dhakal of Jhusing Homestay, the rice is first fried in ghee till it turns reddish in colour. Then it is cooked in milk and sugar till the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked fluffy and sweet. Each spoonful was light and warm with a lingering aftertaste of the delicious homemade ghee.

Churpiko Achaar is another specialty which is often served with breakfast or lunch, made with light curd and red chilies; it offers a hot and creamy aftertaste. The organic curd or cream is boiled and then the top layer of the curd is skimmed and hung in a cloth till all the liquid runs out. The light curd thus formed is ground with tomatoes, red chilies and seasoned with salt and sugar. We got a taste of this deliciousness both at Jhusing and Mulkarkha Homestay.

CHURPIKO ACHAAR

Along with the Ghee and the Churpiko Achaar, no meal was complete without their salads, made with an assortment of farm fresh vegetables and tossed with light curd or cheese and seasoned with spices. Mr. Lalit Poudyal’s family at Golsimal Homestay, Lingsey made sure that we consume enough of the nutritious veggies in the form of those delicious salads. No meal at Lingsey was complete without those tasty and crunchy veggies. Be it rice, roti or chicken - Salad was a must.

One of the things which intrigued us most was the local alcoholic beverage called Chhaang. It was offered to us at Tagathang by Mr. Tikaram Chettri who is the elder brother of Mr. Raju Chettri. Along with the warm hospitality and tasty food he also offered us this heart warming and thirst quenching drink. Chhaang is a local beverage made with Rice, barley or Millet. The one offered to us was made with semi-fermented seeds of millet and was filled with red coloured seeds of some local fruit. It is generally served in a Dungro and is drunk with a narrow bore bamboo tube which acts as a straw. It is repeatedly topped off with warm water and consumed at room temperature. It has a very low alcohol content and tastes like a cross between Beer and Wine, never the less, yumm. Mr. Tikaram Chettri even filled up a bottle with the strained liquid and told us to consume it during our trek to replenish our energy levels.

CHHAANG in Dungro

We will never forget the taste of the fresh and delicious local produces which were offered to us, ever so generously. We extend our thanks to everyone at Lingsey , Jhusing, Tagathang and Mulkarkha who made our adventurous and gastronomic journey so memorable. 

MILLET

LOCAL BEANS

TREASURE of LINGSEY ECO TOURISM

TENDONG HILL TREK

TENDONG HILL TREK

It feels Mysterious even in the Daytime

How to reach:

We were travelling from Kolkata, so we boarded Darjeeling Mail from Sealdah station and reached New Jalpaiguri Station in the morning. From there we hired a Car (Mahindra Max)

which charged us Rs. 4000/-. We reached Damthang just in time for a late lunch at Hotel Dew Point. Mr. Kiran Kumar Pradhan (mob: 08116170660, 9635034035), the proprietor of the hotel was extremely hospitable. 

Overview:
In December of 2014, we went to West Sikkim to soak in all the beauty that nature has to offer. This time our destinations were Damthang, Chemchey, Ravangla and Pelling.
Damthang is a small, serene and remote village in West Sikkim, about 112-115kms from NJP, or an hour long drive from Ravangla. Situated at an altitude of 6,076ft, Damthang gets extremely chilly during the winters.
During our trip we stayed for two nights at Damthang, one night at Chemchey (another remote location - 2kms from Damthang), two nights at Ravangla and finally two nights at Pelling.
We will separately give another post, with the detailed descriptions of our entire trip.

Trek Details:
Destination - Tendong Hill.
Distance – 6kms approximately, from Damthang bazaar till Tendong Hill top
Time span - 5 to 7 hours, including both up and down
Trek difficulty – Easy to moderate

The Trek and our experience:

We ventured out on our trek on the 22nd of December, 2014, from Damthang, after having quite a filling breakfast of Sikkimese sweet bread and butter, spicy omelet and cups of steaming hot coffee at our hotel. The 6km uphill trek route passes through the lush green forests rich in flora and fauna. Thanks to Google we got the information that more than 90 species of birds, Himalayan bears, leopards and illusive Red Pandas inhabit this forest! The hill top is at an altitude of 8,600ft and offers a spectacular panoramic view of the entire Eastern Himalayas.

The word "Tendong" means upraised. According to the legends, long time back a huge flood had struck the place and the land upraised itself to give refuge to the flood struck people. The Tendong Hill is also known to be a dormant volcano.

We started at 10 a.m. by taking a wrong turn from Damthang bazaar, and ended up going on the wrong trail for the first 40mins. Realizing our mistake, we had to double back to the same spot at Damthang bazaar. There we asked a few locals, who showed us the more recently paved way to the Tendong Hill, along with attempts to scare us with stories of wild bears and leopards! They insisted that we hire a guide as we may get lost in the woods!
My companions for this trek were Gourab Sen (Gary) and Mr. Sanjoy Kumar Basak. And must I add, that it was for them that I immensely enjoyed the first ever trek of my life! Kudos and thanks! 

In spite of their attempts to incept fear in our minds, we decided to carry on along the fairly straightforward trail, without any guide. The initial part of the trek started with the surroundings being lightly covered with trees and The Kanchendzonga glowing in the distance. Following the trail further, the forest became quite dense and lush. Alongside the conifers, there were several other vegetations that grew together in the thick forest. The trunks of the trees were mostly covered in mosses and several other fungi. The trees formed a cathedral of branches over our head, making the trail shady and chilly at the same time! After walking for some time the artificial and man-made noises died out only to be filled in by the slow song of nature. We went into a trance as we moved deeper into the forest.  

We avoided any shortcuts and kept to the more recently paved dirt road. (Though, quite a few times Gary tried to take the steep shortcuts and almost got lost in the woods!) Soon after we took the trail through the forest, we did not encounter any human beings throughout our entire trek! (Apart from a few workers on the top of the Tendong Hill)

After walking for an hour in the woods, we suddenly heard a loud grunt along with movements in the rolling, thick forest to our right. We immediately stopped in our tracks, holding our ground and trekking sticks as spears, without making a single sound! We soon realized that it must be a wild boar! After sometime the movements and the grunts faded into the distance. We heaved a sigh of relief and continued with our journey.

The pathway was slightly steep, paved though, with steps going both uphill and downhill. At certain points the trail was so narrow that it was feasible for only one person to pass at a time. On our left, the forest ran high up along the slopes of the mountain. On our right there was rolling green forest, going down hundreds of feet below.

 About midway, we came across a tree, whose trunk was naturally bifurcated vertically down the middle, making enough space for one person to pass through. 

As we neared the hill top, we saw sign boards, requesting trekkers to keep the pathway clean as it was a holy site. Soon we saw steps going up adorned with prayer flags on the both sides. We immediately knew that we have neared our destination and it was only a matter of few minutes! Hearts beating with excitement and eyes longing to see the panoramic view, we walked as fast as our legs and lungs allowed!

And soon enough we saw the famous watch tower of Tendong Hill, right in front of us!  

And boy were we surprised! It was an experience of a lifetime! The entire Eastern Himalayan range was surrounding us from 360 degree angle!
The wind was cold and fresh and smelled of the pure mountains. 

As we went on to explore the surroundings it was already 2:15p.m.
There were two small monasteries. One was old and nearly in ruins and the other one was relatively new. And then there was the famous three storey Tendong observation tower!

There we came across a few workers and a caretaker. They were busy with the renovation and construction. The caretaker showed us in the tower, and we came to the top following the spiral staircase.

From the top the view was completely surreal! All around you, only mountain ranges, to quench the thirst of your eyes and soul. After the initial awe-inspiring moments, we pulled ourselves together and took out our lunch that we had brought along. After a delicious lunch (with cakes, cheese cubes, peanuts, cashews and chocolates), on the top of the tower, amongst the mountains, it was our time to return. 

Eyes soaked in with the beauty of the place, where we spent about 45mins, we started our return journey, once again through the forest. During our mostly downhill descent, we saw the mountains changing colour in the golden glow of the afternoon sun. The cold wind was sending shivers down my spine! The serenity of the forest left us in peace and calmed our heart and soul. As we neared Damthang bazaar, we had to bring out our torches, as it was quickly getting dark. By the time we reached our hotel it was past 5:30p.m. Heart filled with content and mind filled with memories, we promised to return to the beauty of Sikkim for years to come! 

Booking details:

1. Damthang:
Hotel Dew Point.
Proprietor: Kiran Kumar Pradhan
Phone: 8116170660

2. Chemchey:
Mt. Kabru Guest House
Proprietor: Kazi Sherpa
Phone: 9434117158

3. Ravangla
        and
4. Pelling: Hotel bookings done from the Kolkata office of Holidayhomeindia.
Address: 3A, Dalhousi, Pollock Street, B.B.D Bagh, Kolkata-700001.

Information courtesy:
Google and Holidayhomeindia.com

Picture courtesy: Gourab Sen (Gary), Mr. Sanjoy Kumar Basak, Mr. Abhishek Bagchi and Ananya Kundu. 

Thanks and much love, Bangali Backpacker team
...Happy Hiking...