This is part of the thirteenth section of our around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from Nepal or read our previous visit to India

14/2/07 Indian immigration and customs were efficient and friendly taking just 30 minutes to re-enter the country. Still raining we arrived at our hotel in Siliguri leaving puddles in the foyer from soaked boots. This is unseasonable weather with snow falling in Kathmandu and Darjeeling, the same weather system. We had planned to meet up with Dietmar, a German, who we last met in Tanzania, and has been travelling Southern Africa, Bangladesh and India the last eight months, he arrived at the hotel late afternoon. Miki (Minori), the Japanese woman, riding alone from South Africa, we had met first in Iran, was also there. One of the highlights of travelling is the people you re-meet. So often encounters are singular, never finding out what became of other's plans, of the experiences they had. To be able to catch up and follow their travels first hand is great. 

15/2/07 The road to Darjeeling opened this morning as the snow cleared. The Enfield tour, that we are joining in Bhutan in two days time, left Siliguri, riding their motorcycles for the first time, up the steep mountain road to Darjeeling. We rested up with more talking to Dietmar and Miki. Both are now heading home. Miki in a couple of weeks and Dietmar slowly over the next six months through Central Asia. We couldn't help comparing the two ways of travelling. A tour, by it's time frame, is fraught with possibilities of things not going to plan. An accident with the back up truck, delayed airline flight, snow in the mountains all make keeping a tour on schedule a mammoth task compared to our more flexible mode of travel. The ability to organize a motorcycle tour of 16 paying customers in a country like India is something beyond our comprehension. 

16/2/07 We said goodbye to Miki and Dietmar and headed East to Jaigon on the border with Bhutan. Back into Indian traffic we are again reminded that our size is small as we are pushed off the road by anything larger who wants to use our side of the road with no concern to us. The horn blaring is intense. Motorcycles, to be heard have car horns and cars have truck horns and who knows where the buses get their penetrating air horns. This upping the noise level seems to be ignored by everyone and is likely to result in more noise upgrades. We find yelling in emergencies more effective than using the horn. Like in the rain leaving Nepal a man on a bicycle, head down, came straight across from our right, not having seen us we were about to hit his front wheel, on yelling loudly he veered away as we narrowly missed him. Riding in the rain has to be twice as dangerous as normal and riding at night in the rain definitely suicidal as we have seen three head on collisions between buses and trucks, all drivers obviously killed. Settled into our hotel we checked emails to learn that our paperwork for the motorcycle to enter Bhutan had needed to be finalised prior to arrival as we were entering on a weekend and the necessary officials aren't working. The remaining motorcycles on the tour, local Indian Enfields, had all been pre-approved. A phone call to Mike Ferris, the tour co-ordinator, informed us the fixit man could work miracles and not to be concerned. The Lonely Planet Guide Book advises it is possible to cross into Bhutan for the day, into the duty free zone. That option has been removed, now everyone needs a visa to cross the border, even to the duty free region. Whilst walking around town we came across Bhutan World Travel, a home office business, that offers tours to Bhutan. The visas take three days to issue, $US 20.00, paperwork for a vehicle to enter, $US 30.00 plus the normal $US 200.00 per person per day paid to the government. Bhutan is perhaps the most expensive country to visit because of this minimum expenditure of which $US 70.00 stays with the government for health and education for the locals, and the remainder can be claimed back by your local tour company for hotel, meals, and other expenses. The system is designed to limit the number of tourists impacting on this small country whilst gaining maximum financial benefit.

17/2/07 We took a late check out of the hotel room, relaxing before the first Enfield tour bike rode through town about 4pm. There are twelve motorcycles on the tour, including ours. Seventeen people, including us and Mike and Denise, the tour leaders. A passenger bus, driver, facilitator, mechanic and a couple of extra staff accompany the group as support. Our passports for leaving India were completed, the carnet was not stamped.     

Move with us to Bhutan or go to our next trip to India

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