If you are feeling suffocated by attending to thousands of errands and tasks at your office and family, the tiny-hill-hamlet of Samsing, in the Dooars,is the place where you should pay a visit. It is advisable that you should arrange for your own vehicle because transportation in and around the hill-spot are yet to be up to the mark, and if I am allowed to comment, it will be better to arrange for a Mahindra Bolero. On such a terrain as the way to Samsing and Suntaleykhola, it is an ideal vehicle, and for going to Samsing and back from my residential town of Balurghat (the headquarters of the district of Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal, India), I had to spend a mere Rs. 2200/- or so for diesel.
First, accommodation in Samsing! Most of the travellers consider this point last. I, however, have this opinion that it should be prearranged because, believe me, you will not be wanting to be left clattering your teeth outside in the cold, counting stars and watching moon shining on your helpless and restless eyes, while people around you are sleeping soundly or lustily playing their guitars away! Mountains are known to make poets out of the die-hard anti-romantics! But then, a full-stomach is needed so as not to view moon as a piece of bread! I would suggest contacting Mr. Tribhuwan Pradhan, the jovial and helpful - needless to add, polite - proprietor of Trishna Lodge at Samsing Khas Busty. He may be contacted at (03562) 200118, or 94746 29319 or 94758 96363. Insist that you need the suite on the ground floor, and I guarantee, it will be a pleasant surprise when you wake up in the morning - with the dawn breaking in through the glass windows and with the soothing chime of River Moorty striking your ears! You may need anything between Rs. 700/- and Rs. 1000/- a night for the suite. Mr. Pradhan has arrangements for parking your vehicle and there are rooms for your chauffeurs. You may book Trishna Lodge from Kolkata (West Bengal). You need to go to the ground floor of 3, Barretto Lane, Kolkata - 700 069, or call (033) 55122917 or 98302 52843.
Samsing, 26.56 degrees N and 88.48 degrees E, is at a distance of 82 kilometres from Siliguri (northern Bengal), and is situated at an elevation of 3000 feet above the sea-level. It is in the Kamimpong Subdivision of the district of Darjeeling. The towns of Meteli, Chalsa, and Malbazar are respectively 8 kilometres, 15 kilometres, and 19 kilometres away from the picturesque hill-station. The distance between Samsing and Jalpaiguri is approximately 72 kilometres and that is the easiest route to the spot because the road from Siliguri to Samsing crosses Malbazar, and it quite steep. For this route, you need to go to Sevoke from Siliguri. Thereafter, Bagrakote is to be reached, from where you need to travel to Malbazar. From Malbazar, go to Chalsa, and then, finally, to Samsing. If you want to go by bus, go to Sevoke Busstand.
We took the road less travelled. We went from Siliguri to Jalpaiguri - a distance of approximately 50 kilometres by road. The scene on even the busy National Highway 31 is enjoyable. We crossed the New Teesta Bridge, and went to Maynaguri - also called the "Gateway of Dooars" - 12 kilometres away. It was already around three late-afternoon, and it was Christmas Day 2010. A chill was fast descending on us. Chalsa is around 45-7 kilometres away from Maynaguri, and on the way, you may take the pleasure of taking a look at the beautiful town of Lataguri on National Highway 31, following which your speeding Bolero enters a portion of the majestic Gorumara National Park, 77.99 square kilometres in area. The dense forest of Sal, Common Teak, Rain Tree, Silk Cottonand Bamboo is bound to take your breath away, and give you a shutter-bug's bite. The National Park is home to Indian Rhinoceros, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Sloth bear, Chital and Sambar deer, wild boar, leopard and (occasionally) tiger. However, it needs a lot of luck to spot them.
We could not actually enter the National Park. It was Christmas time, and thousands of visitors had gathered from all over India in front of the principal entrance to the park, angrily awaiting their turn. Hundreds of green-coloured Maruti Gypsies were taking these tourists for short visits in and around the park. We could not watch the Jatraprasad Watch Tower, Rhino Observation Point, Chandrachur Watch Tower, and Chukchuki Bird-watching Point. With a heavy heart, the travellers - myself, my mother Ratna Roy, my wife Sreeparna Roy (Chattopadhyay), my father-in-law Arun Chattopadhyay, my mother-in-law Kamala Chattopadhyay (the last two from Raiganj, in the district of Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal) and our chauffeur Biswanath Orawn, continued with their journey to Samsing - our original destination. (In the photograph pasted below, Mr. Pradhan is standing next to our Bolero). At Chalsa and Meteli, I could not but notice the smallness of the place and the happiness of their inhabitants. Basic life was hard, but nature was unthrift in endowing them with numerous beautiful scenes. It was getting late - dusk was already coming in. We took a rather bumpy road from Meteli, and when we reached Samsing , swaying in confusion about the rightness of our direction, it was very dark.
We were really in the seventh heaven until we learned that we would not avail lodging at the State Government-managed Samsing Bungalow because we had no prior reservation, and, added to this, it was festival time! We would have been in a rather tight situation indeed had not an angel appeared before these bewildered explorers in the garb of a Nepali watchman from nowhere. He guided us to Mr. Pradhan's hotel and soon we were gorging on rice-fish-curry-vegetables-and-what-not! Mr. Pradhan manages a good kitchen, and things would have indeed been all-joyousness for us had not he, in his charming self, announced that we were expected to leave the suite at 11 a.m. the next morning. There were bookings!
I was unready to give up the colonial control of the suite - no imperialist gives up so easily. We requested, tempted, coaxed and cajoled Mr. Pradhan, to no result. Then, after having a stroll outside and taking in the indescribable beauty of Samsing at night, we fell asleep, lulled by the constant chime of a river which we were yet then to see!
I do not know how we managed to sleep that Christmas night - it was freezing! When the dawn broke in, I was amazed, looking out from the glass windows of our hotel. The photograph beside shows what I saw in the first light of the rising sun. There was River Moorty in the distance, constantly soothing out ears. The Himalayas were so majestic all around! In addition to the dense greenery, a few orange trees belonging to Mr. Pradhan added to the irresistible charm of Samsing! It is a spot that is not as famous as Darjeeling or Kalimpong. But Samsing has its own charm!
We had our breakfast, and, thereafter, lunch - all completed within 11 a.m. - and then we left with a heavy heart! I was wondering whether I shall be able to ever walk on the path leading to Trishna Lodge on which myself and my mother had been frequently exploring in the morning, looking out for flowering plants. Sreeparna, meanwhile, had her heart full going down into a valley and plucking two oranges. After a brief stroll around the charming hill-spot, we went to Suntaleykhola.
The way from Samsing to Suntaleykhola is one of the more picturesque ones I have ever seen. One has to be stoical enough not to respond with elation and amazement as the serpentine road slowly winds up to the beautiful lush-green spot whose name means 'Orange Stream' ('Suntaley' - Orange; 'Khola' - Stream). Actually the five-six kilometre-road from Samsing terminates before a small stream - the 'khola'. As for accommodation, the W.B.F.D.C. maintains a forest bungalow at Suntaleykhola, and to stay at the eco-resort, named Suntaleykhola Nature Education and Wilderness Resort which remains close to the inquisitive but modest travellers like us, you need to spend anything between Rs. 800 and Rs. 1100 a night, double occupancy.
November-December and February-March are the two best 'seasons' to visit Samsing and Suntaleykhola. The region has a bird-zone, and it you stroll on feet, with a pair of binoculars dangling from your neck, you may come to take a peek at hill maynas, Indian peafowls, white-capped water redstarts, forktails, rock thrushes, white wagtails, pigeons, brown shrikes, and so on.
From Samsing, you may go trekking. Walking two hours, one can reach Mouchuki, the entrance to Neora Valley National Park. From Mouchuki, trekkers often visit Rechela. If you have a week to spare, you may want to go to Rechela via Bhotegarh and Thusum, and from Lava to Aluabari. Rocky Island Camping Ground, though not a trekking field, may also be reached.
It occured to us that we could make most from our trip by returning to Chalsa, and thereafter journey 16 kilometres, 45 kilometres, or 57 kilometres to reach, respectively, Chapramari, Jhalong, and Bindu from Chalsa. Unfortunately, we were desperately short of time. We actually went to Moorty, situated on the bank of the river of the same name. The scenery all around was simply splendid. I have given a photograph of the surroundings here.
Tired but happy, our fingers smarting from constantly pressing the shutters, we returned to Jalpaiguri from Moorty. Next night, we journeyed back to Balurghat, via Raiganj.
