BOOKINGS OPEN: FOR THE LONGEST AND BEST TREKKING SEASON

Dear Friends and Patrons, 

Greetings from Darjeeling! With the opening up of the Autum and Winter Trekking seasons, the booking for the same are open. So hurry in and experience one of the best trekking experiences in the world. We provide specialized trekking facitilities for Singalila Range – Sandakphu and Phalut route. All bookings will be at ‘First Come and First Serve’ basis.  Book now to avoid disappointment. 

For details contact us at through email, mobile or text. Our contact address is given on the right panel of this site. 

Cheers

Rumba K

Director

Momos for Karuna

By Karen Coates

I subscribe to A.Word.A.Day. Do you? There must be karmic or cosmic influence in each day’s selection because yesterday’s word — at the end of a volatile week, at the start of Easter weekend — was karuna. Karuna, an ancient Pali and Sanskrit word, a hallmark of Jainism, Buddhism and Tibetan culture. (Curiously, Karuna is also the name of a breakaway Tamil Tiger commander in Sri Lanka.) Most commonly, karuna means love and compassion; its definition encompasses the concept of enlightened wisdom, the wish for human suffering to end.

It got me thinking about momos, in particular these momos, which were made in Darjeeling’s Hot Stimulating Cafe, which sits like a little hippie house carved into the hillside. Walk straight through to the deck out back, and you get a prime view of the Himalayan foothills. Or you can sit inside and watch the making of momos, a favorite snack or meal in Tibet, Nepal and northern India.

These little dough-ball dumplings are stuffed with meat, fish or simply vegetables. Here at the Hot Stimulating Cafe, chopped ginger and onion are most important to the filling; then cabbage, carrot and soybean oil.

Meat momos must, must, must have more ginger and onion than meat, I am told.

And the contents of each momo determines its shape.

Clockwise, starting from the top, we have a fish momo, a meat momo and a veg momo, each pinched into a neat little pocket to be steamed or, alternatively, fried — a supremely yummy way to eat your momos.

Of course, who wouldn’t eat her momos with a cup of masala tea? Hot Stimulating tea ranked among the best in Darjeeling masalas — each cup with “less than a pinch” of ground cardamom, cinnamon, clove and black pepper.

As for momos, there is a mystery within. You know my problem with wheat, so Jerry did most of the momo indulging in Darjeeling. But at times I couldn’t resist. We found them steaming hot, or sizzling in oil, at many little Tibetan restaurants scattered across town. Perhaps it was the vibrant dipping sauce that won me over. Perhaps it was the intense warmth on such frigid, wintery days. I don’t know. But momos certainly seem to hold a secret ingredient.

PHOTO FEATURE: Trek from Sandakphu to Phalut

Trek from Sandakphu to Phalut: This is the longest leg of the Singalila trek (21km) but also by far the most scenic and rewarding one. Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

PHOTO FEATURE: Singalila National Park

Singalila National Park, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the Rhododendron trees were not blossoming, hard to imagine how it looks in spring.... Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge

Last tea break before another steep climb up to Sandakphu. Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

This road is only for the brave ones. Even though it's quite strenuous I would always prefer the hike up. Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

A little joke almost at the end of a strenuous 4km hike up to Sandakphu... Some one has actually written high up on the wall ..."No sweet without sweat.." Philosophical, I guess. Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

Kangchenjunga (8,586m); View from Sandakphu. The clouds cleared away for about a minute or two before covering the mountain again for the rest of the night. Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

Sunrise over Sandakphu. Got up pretty early to get this shot...Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

Three Giants:(R to L) Lhotse, Everest, Makalu - just before sunrise. Picture taken from Sandakphu (3,636) Photo by Christina Groth-Biswas. Click on the image to enlarge.

Booking Started for Spring 2009

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Darjeeling! I hope you are all doing well. Please do accept my best wishes and regards.

The trekking season has started. The season will last for around four months. The  best months however are March, April till mid May. You could book our different services. We offer trekking especially on the Singalila Range.

Please go through our site and book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. You can simply comment to this post for more info or write to us at hotstimulatincafe1@yahoo.com.

Regs

Rumba K

Darjeeling Hills – Paradise for Trekking

Darjeeling internationally acclaimed as one of the best hill resorts is also a veritable paradise for trekkers and adventure seekers. Trekking in Darjeeling is an experience which no lover of nature should miss. It takes one to places where nature is yet in her premival majesty. It brings one face to face with the sublime grandeur of the Himalayas.

The region abounds in rhododendrons,magnolias,primulas,orchids and ferns of numerous varities. About six hundred different species of birds inhabit the emerald green forests on the slopes of the mountains. The following is a brief description of some of the most popular and most rewarding treks in the region.

(a) Darjeeling-Maneybhanjyang-Tonglu-Sandakphu and return by the same route-118 km (4 days)
(b) Darjeeling-Maneybhanjyang-Tonglu-Sandakphu-Phalut and return-160 km. (6 days)

This trek is perhaps one of the best and certainly the most popular of all the treks in Darjeeling for those having a limited time at their disposal. It offers the travellers an excellent view of the Kanchenjunga and the Everest group of mountain peaks in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan.

It is advisable to start the trek early in the day and to cover ther distance from Darjeeling to Maneybhanjyang about 26 km. by jeep/buses. One can also go upto Sukhiapokhri, halfway from Darjeeling since transport to this point is easily available and from here to Maneybhanjyang either by jeep/buses or one can even trek from here to Maneybhanjyang(4 km). The drive from Darjeeling to Sukhiapokhri is about one hour and from there to Maneybhanjyang another half an hour.

Maneybhanjyang to Tonglu is a steep climb up to Meghma 7 km or 3.5 hrs. walk. There is a small tea house where tea and snacks are available at reasonable price(if necessary, accomodation is also available at Meghma Tea House). Meghma is a small hamlet with few houses & small Monastery & impressive Chorten(stupa). Meghma to Tonglu is anothere 2 kms. [Inset: Hot Stimulating Treks and Tours Rumba K. chatting with trekkers]

Tonglu or the local name Tumling is 3070 mt. high and is one of peaks of Singalila range, falls on the West of Darjeeling town. On a clear day one can get a fine view of the Nepalese valleys and of the plains of North Bengal with the snow fed Teesta on the east, the Koshi on the West and a number of smaller rivers between them. There is a Trekkers Hut at Tonglu.

The next day’s march from Tonglu to Gairibas 2621 mt. is downhill. The distance is 9 km and it is 2 hrs. walk. The route passes through the bamboo glades. Gairibas to Kalipokhri 3170 mt. is continuous climb through the rhododendron forest. Distance is 6 km and it takes 3 hrs. walk from Gairibas. Trekkers may stop here for a while for a tea break. There is a small pond at Kalipokhri which means ‘Blackpond’. The colour of the water is black and muddy and it never freezes. From Kalipokhri the road descends to Bikhaybhanjyang-valley of poison-(Aconites grow in abundance at this place). Bikhaybhanjyang to Sandakphu is a steep climb of 4 kms. and takes more than an hour to cover this trek. Accomodation is also available at Bikhaybhanjyang and Gairibas. There is a trekkers hut at Gairibas.

Sandakphu 3636 mtr. is 58 km. from Darjeeling and commands one of the most spectacular views. In the foreground is a great basin set in the midst of the hills, the slopes covered with rhododendrons and silver fir trees. In the background is continuous barrier of snowy mountains, the most prominent of which is Kanchenjunga-28156 ft. 8598 mts. towering up in gigantic height and breadth with its attendant peaks Kabru 7338 mts. 24,026 ft, Jano (Kumbhakarna) 7710 mts. 25,294 ft. and Pandim 6691 mts. 22,010 ft. clustering closely round it. Kabru is foreshortened and does not present the same graceful outline above the spectacle with its lofty peak standing up like a great icy horn. Far off to the west at a distance of 160 km. among a group of other snowy mountain rising from graceful peaks of Everest group can be seen,behind the crest of Mt. Makalu, which looks like a great armed chair of snow; and further to the west towards Nepal, there is a wonderful square mass of mountain looking like a wal of snow Chamlang 7317m-24006 ft. The contrast between Everest and Kanchenjunga is very marked. Kanchenjunga is remarkable for its imposing bulk and massive proportions while Everest soaring above a series of valleys and its ridges, is more graceful and majestic. The space between the two is occupied by snowy ranges. Three Sisters which cluster together if you look towards east beyond Kanchenjunga you will see Narsing and then the Dongkya and Chola ranges of the Tibetan frontier with Chumalhari lifting up to its heads in the rear. The whole snowy ranges of Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal about 320 kms in length; is visible, but the panoroma is completely dominated by the Kanchenjunga and Everest group.

Arunchal lad to scale Mount Everest

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Itanagar, Jul 7 (PTI) He sold his four prized mithuns to fund his expedition to climb Mera peak — the highest among 36 group-B peaks, at a height of 6654 metre in Nepal and is now considering a solo expedition to Mount Everest. [Inset: Mt. Everest. Photo Source: Wikipedia.org]

Though he could get sponsorship from clubs if he wanted dimunitive 24-year-old Tapi Mra from Lemiking in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh on the Sino-India preferred to bear the expenditure on his own.

Last year, he had scaled the 6160 metere Island Peak, in the same area almost barefoot, but because of his ignorance of the rules he could not secure a certificate for the feat.

Profile of the Himalayas

Greetings Mountaineers.

Please forgive this intrusion, but I need some ideas. The Himalaya
Atlas construction is progressing slowly and what I am looking for are
ideas about simple maps that will help amateurs like me orient
themselves a bit when confronting hundreds of aerial panoramas. I am
attaching a first draft of one of four such maps. Suggestions,
corrections, additions …

Open it in your web browser and stretch out the window as far as it
will go. This is best seen on a large screen.

Thanks for any assistance you may be willing to offer. – Bill

–
Dr. William A. Bowen
California Geographical Survey

drwilliambowen@gmail.com

Darjeeling – Land Rover Nation

A Land Rover Series One Dash Board stripped to its basic frame. Land Rovers ply seemlessly to Sandakphu where the most modern of 4X4 fail.

Long and Short Treks at Dzongri and Goechala

We offer short and long trek at Khangchendzonga (Dzongri and Goechala Trek)

SHORT TREK AT KHANGCHENDZONGA (DZONGRI AND GOECHALA TREK)

DURATION: 5 NIGHT / 6 DAYS

DAY 1: Darjeeling to Yuksum (By Land Rover/Jeep)

DAY 2: Yuksum to Tshoka (18 Km)

DAY 3: Tshoka to Dzongri (17 km)

DAY 4: SIDE TRIP: Dzongrila and Rathong Valley (Halt at Dzongri)

DAY 5: Dzongri to Bakhim (19 km)

DAY 6: Bakhim to Yuksum and back to Darjeeling / Gangtok / Probable Destination

LL

LONG TREK AT KHANGCHENDZONGA (DZONGRI AND GOECHALA TREK)

DURATION:

DAY 1: Darjeeling / Bagdogra / Siliguri to Yuksum

DAY 2: Yuksum to Tshoka

DAY 3: Tshoka to Dzongri

DAY 4: SIDE TRIP: Dzongrila and Rathong Valley (Halt at Dzongri)

DAY 5: Dzongri to Thangsing

DAY 6: Thangsing to Goechala and back to Kokchering

DAY 7: Kokchering to Bakhim

DAY 8: Bakhim to Yuksum, back to Darjeeling / Gangtok