The review is more oriented towards a rafting/camping trip in a place called Tarkhola, on the bank of river Teesta (Sikkim). Magicalsummer’s review on white water rafting covered a lot good deal of necessary info on rafting which I dint repeat here.
Title There are trips at the end of which one look back with satisfaction and leaves with good memories but there are trips which when ends one look back with wishful eyes and says to oneself that I will be back here. Aasche bachar aabar hobe is a typical kolkatan way of saying the same.
=======================================================
With 2006 fast approaching I was once again caught in that tug off war of thoughts, what to dos and where to gos started hitting my mind from all sides.
Where would it be this year??
I wish it’d not be like last year when I ended up watching TV all night with my roomies.
Shall I go for the most obvious (and most dumb too) choice, a new year party in a disc??
Noooooo!!!! My heart cried out …anywhere but no disc this time. I mean whats the point in getting drunk to a stage where you are not even in a position to determine if you are enjoying it or not and then hopping in that jampacked floor where the stench of booze and smoke choke your nostrils. I don’t know about you people but I kinda pretended that I am enjoying it but I never really did.
=======================================================
As I said in one of my earlier reviews we are made of five elements Earth, Fire,Water, Air, Sky and that is the reason why we feel at ease and content when we are in the close vicinity of these elements in their most natural form. That’s why when my colleague Arnib (oops! Was it Arnab) approached me and ask if I am game for a rafting, camping trip on new year eve I was like Yes !! Yes!! Yes!! , much before he finished asking.
=======================================================
Le commencement
So ladies and gentlemen fasten your seatbelt as we are about to embark on a fun filled roller coaster ride for two days. Lets start from the very beginning:
Welcome to New Jalpaiguri railway station. Since this is only the first stop of our journey and not the destination so better get a light bite to eat before we start on to a two hour journey to the rafting site.
Kolkata as you know is the gateway to entire north east but in its true sense it is NJP which offers you direct routes to various areas of North East. A train journey from kolkata to NJP takes app 12 hours. Another option is to take a flight till Baghdogra.
Alrite we have reached Malli. Don’t get disappointed if you don’t see anything interesting yet, as you see our rafts are already loaded onto the top of a jeep and we are off to Tarkhola from where the rafting starts. Btw I am in a fun mood and I am not gonna sit inside the jeep, I’d rather sit on the top to enjoy the ride and the landscapes.
Malli is the place where trip organizers have their offices. It’s a 15-20 minute ride from Malli to Tarkhola and since one cant raft upstream so we take carry our rafts by road to Tarkhola.
So our rafts are ready and lowered into the water. Our luggage is already taken to the campsite. Aren’t we forgetting something?? It is December and mind you the water is freezing cold so a few sips of brandy, White Rum or beer would prove out to be worth while in next two hours.
Raft is a rubber boat consisting of 6-8 tubular cells. The adventure part of rafting are rapids, a spot where the river flow become steep, whirly and tend to topple your raft. Those of you who haven’t , must read Magicalsummer’s review on white water rafting. It is needless to repeat all that information since she covered almost all the necessary things. Yet I must add rapids have grades i.e. 2+, 3+, 4+ etc. Rapids up to 4+ grades can be tried by tourists. My suggestion is if you are a non swimmer then stay below or up to 3+.
Hurray!!! We have reached our campsite finally. Its superb …with mountains camouflaged by lush green shrubs and devdar trees and emerald green Teesta on the other side this virgin place is the perfect choice for a camping site. A large bonfire is being prepared on the far end of the site. Food is being cooked by the river side and its almost 4 pm, I am very hungry. After enjoying this sumptuous meal all I can think of is a relaxed evening by the fireside.
Tents are tiny but manageable. You must ask beforehand if you want twin sharing tents or trio sharing. Please carry sufficient mineral water as the Teesta water may not suit to your city habits. If possible then carry your own sleeping bags. Sleeping bags provided by the organizers often tend to fall short in length for taller people.
With plenty of wood available for free you would be able to enjoy a huge bonfire which could be made to last as long as you want. Fire to keep you warm from outside, good wine to keep you warm from inside (wine is cheap in sikkim), soothing music in background, company of good friends, clear and bright sky, soft roar of Teesta waves…what more can a person ask for???? You can switch off the music and talk or sing among yourselves. If you have a dancing feet and with enough wine gone up your head you can have a jam session by the fire side. Dinner will be served between 11 and 12 and don’t go to sleep till you are able to stand straight. Capture the magic of these moments after all its not everyday you get to enjoy such setting and such company.
Rise and shine…..Good morning!! What did you say ..its only 7:30 am??? C’mon it’s a beautiful morning and we are going to explore the heights of this mountain and will see how does the Teesta look from top. By the time we are back from an hour or two of trekking a filling breakfast is ready to be gorged. Eat like a beast cause you deserve it today. It is not one of those lazy mornings when you get up at 10 and jump on to breakfast.
Nyways we are ready for another round of rafting. This time the route is from campsite to Teesta bridge where our journey ends and we got to bid goodbye to these hills and Teesta which by now have turned bottle green with thoughts of parting. Don’t forget to go for a lil swimming when the water current is still.
Wish I could stay here forever but all good things come to an end so did our wonderful trip. We all took one last wishful look at the whole setting and Teesta river which let us play in her laps for last two days. We all promised to ourselves as they say in Kolkata:
“Aasche bachar aabar hobe” ( We shall come again next year)
and moved on with the best of the memories in our heart.
Necessary info
Necessary things to carry:
Torch, candles and match box (There is no electricity my dear)
Sleeping bag (if you are above 5 ft 8 then carry your own.)
Mineral water (Teesta water may not suit you)
Extra pair of clothes (Its common sense, they are gonna get during rafting)
Poly bags ( where dya think you are gonna keep all those wet clothes and shoes)
Tarpolene sheets (Yes the tents are water proof yet sometimes the dew drops make their way through it and some time the foam you use as mattress is wet too.)
Last but not the least is a handi cam …trust me guys you will miss it cause those memories are for keep.
A weekend trip for rafting /camping cost somewhere between 1500 – 2000 per head. Depends how large a group are you and depending on that you can get a good bargain.
M2m me for any further info, have a nice trip.
~Barn~
