ROUTE TIPS - EAST INDIA



Road to the North East:
09 October 2010 at 16:14
Darjeeling More (NH2)-Siuri-Rampurhat-Morgram NH34) road being widened, messy
Road after Malda, around Raiganj, is terrible as usual
From Siliguri onwards NH31 via Myanaguri, Drupuguri till Falakata is totally broken
Info from Tirthankar Basu, who is on his way from Calcutta to Guwahati
Bad roads all over, after a small respite around Cooch Behar, roads in Assam are also bad. Average speeds 40 kmph. All over, Durga Puja "collections" being made. Traffic jams at the WB-AS border Boxirhat. Strange young men in mobikes accosting motorists
Keep your small notes ready and keep tipping every one who asks, that is the way in North East highways
 
Are you worried about bypassing Kolkata, if you are going towards Siliguri?

26 September 2010 at 09:27 

If you plan to take the Siuri route, then NH6 (coming from Bombay/Madras/Hyderabad/Bangalore) merges into the NH2 at Dankuni and you get onto the Durgapur expressway

Or of you want to go onto NH34 via Barasat & Behrampur, you can turn right at Dankuni and take the Belgharia Expressway which cuts through the city and takes you direct to Dum Dum and Barasat

http://maps.mapmyindia.com/?t=2&from=JaypurBil,West Bengal&to=Sultanpur,North Dum Dum,Kolkata,West Bengal

Which is the best place to stop over between Calcutta & Siliguri?
12 September 2010 at 08:13
Malda has the most hotels, both inside the city as well as on the outskirts on the highway
Dalkola also has a motel on the highway
yes Malda is the best option , then Roygunj and Dalkhola.
by the way north bengal roads are terrible now, in protest
private buses are off the road for last 12 days.
Does Raiganj have any good hotels? Can you recommend any? 
The condition of the N Bengal roads is bad news, they used to be so good. Does it mean that from Morgram to Siliguri, one can expect bad roads?
Well Raigunj has ,
1. Tourist Lodge Run by West Bengal Torism Dept.
Ample Parking space , right on NH 34.
2. Stella Resort - 1 km Northerly from Tourist
lodge . on NH 34.
3. Third one - Can't remember , a Bar-cum-restourant-cum hotel . on NH 34 before Tourist Lodge.
Road upwards from Bagdogra more till north side upto sevak and towards Jalpaiguri are in Bad shape.
Till yesterday local buses / transports refused to  run on this road.

Driving on a bandh day through West Bengal highways is a very dangerous thing,
says Tirthankar Basu, mobs forcibly stop all vehicles and if you don't stop, call up ahead on mobiles to the next mob!

07 September 2010 at 17:23

Kerala is much better, I have never had problems on a bandh day on the highways.
NH4 is also safe. I drove on a National Bandh in the middle of tensions between MH and KA over the Belgaum issue and I had ZERO incidents. I think the East in general is messed up!

Is North east doable in Jan. I am riding with my bullet club buddies there after Rider Mania in Kolkata

03 September 2010 at 05:13 

Good time to do North East. Expect snow atop Se la Pass if you are going to Tawang. River beds will be dry so you can do difficult sections like Pasighat-Tezu easier.
Thanks for the reply. Do you think 11 days are enough to cover the places. Of course we wont be able to cover the distance in your pace.
Not sure of Itenary . working on it. Thinking about Nathula pass,Gurudongmar lake, Bhutan.
Your comments please
Nathu la Pass gets heavy snowfall - not sure if it will be open consistently; they may also not allow tourists. Further, remember that they do not issue permits to ride your own vehicle to Nathu la, it takes lots of wrangling with the police higher-ups to get a permit which in many cases may be denied. Bhutan - expect freezing sub-zero temperatures and passes like Dochu la and Trumsingla may be closed. 11 days ex-Kolkata is challenging, but can be done. Getting the permits in Sikkhim itself will take 2 days of lobbying in Gangtok, I am told.
 In that case what is the possible scenic itenary.Will have 9 Days after Rider mania in Kolkata. I am planning to take flight back to coimbatore and send the bike back through train or some other means. So I would like to end my trip in a place with these facilities.
New Jalpaiguri - NJP - is the railhead for Darjeeling, Gangtok & Bhutan. All trains to the region pass that way, and you have trains to all places in India
For any reason, you get to East Bhutan, then Gauhati is the nearest
D1: Calcutta-Darjeeling (aggressive ride needed, with early morning start)
D2: Darjeeling
D3: Darjeeling-Gangtok
D4: Gangtok
D5: Gangtok-Phuntsoling
D6: Phuntsoling-Thimphu (after taking permits)
D7: Thimphu/Paro
D8: Paro-Siliguri
D9: Siliguri-Calcutta
 If Siliguri to kolkata can be avoided, what is the route to guwahati from paro. I think this way we can end the journey in guwahati (send the bikes back to coimbatore and board a flight from guwahati)
I Dont want to ride back to Kolkata but like to end the ride in a place where I will be able to send my bikes back to coimbatore and board a flight
From Paro to Gauhati, you can go in 2 routes: One is to go West-East Bhutan (3 days) from Thimphu via Punaka, Wangdu, Trongsa, Jakar, Mongar, Trashigang and exit Bhutan through the Samdrup Jhonkar border town. From Samdrup, Gauhati is only a 2-3 hr drive via Rangiya. The other route is to return to Phuntsoling from Paro and drive to Gauhati via Alipurduar, Cooch behar, Gauripur and Goalpara (which is no excitement at all, being ordinary highway)
 
Militants abduct rail train drivers in Assam, near Bhalukhpong which is the highway between Tezpur and Tawang
http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/aug/29/assam-militants-abduct-2-railway-drivers.htm

29 August 2010 at 23:00

‎..and this area was not originally unsafe, being on the Arunachal border

   
Watch Rhinos, Stay at Kohora at the gates of Kaziranga National Park
http://www.bonhabiresort.com/

27 August 2010 at 22:03

Recommended by San Phrangmung, in team-bhp


Driving in Garo Hlls, Meghalaya
 
An Extended Weekend Escapade to Garo Hills, Meghalaya! - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Communi
www.xbhp.com

25 August 2010 at 14:17

 

Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya -Destination Garo Hills
megtourism.gov.in
24 August 2010 at 13:58

New bridge across the River Brahmaputra at Saraighat near Guwahati under construction

22 August 2010 at 23:33

Roads less travelled: Guwahati-Nganglam (Bhutan)
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109072952536396263025.00048e25414d067e0228c&ll=26.578702%2C91.463928&spn=1.382871%2C2.469177&z=9

19 August 2010 at 09:35

Courtesy team-bhp, http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/72170-info-about-nh152-wikipedia-gets-wrong.html

This is NH152

 

If you are driving to Sikkhim, remember that car parking is precious in Gangtok, ensure that your hotel will arrange car parking in his premises or nearby

16 August 2010 at 19:37 

Hill station, narrow roads, no space for car parking. They have built car parking lots around teh city where you can park cars, but it is very difficult to find parking next to your hotel since most of them do not have compounds

Therefore, if you are advance-booking your rooms, bargain with the hotel guy for parking next to his hotel, or ask him to pay for the parking charges if you have to park it in a parking lot. And check out how far away is the car parking lot.