The Travel Independently Blog

As I was planning this trip, you may remember that I researched flight options to make sure it was possible to get from Bangkok to Bagdogra in one day. The schedules of the airlines made the choice of which airline to take very simple: only one could do that, Jet Airways.

So it is time to buy those tickets. I went to the Jet Airways web site and input the flight information. This required a multi-city itinerary, as we need to fly from Bangkok to Kolkata, change planes and fly onto Bagdogra where ground transport will take us to Gangtok. Ten days later, we fly from Bagdogra to Kolkata, and three days later. We fly from Kolkata back to Bangkok.

I found the Jet Airways website easy to navigate. I always wonder whether I will be able to buy intra-Asia tickets online, as sometimes there are issues with credit cards. I do have a back-up plan if my credit card is not accepted, I have a travel agent in Bangkok who I have used for purchasing tickets when needed. But this time, it all went smoothly, I booked and purchased our tickets, and the electronic ticket was delivered to my email in pdf format. Jet Airways requires a printed copy of the e-ticket to enter the airport.

Technorati Tags: Bangkok to Bagdora, Bangkok to Kolkata, buying intra Asia airline tickets, Jet Airways, Kolkata to Bangkok

Glenburn requires an international wire transfer to make a deposit. Other properties I research in Sikkim and Darjeeling also required wire transfers. We are accustomed to make deposits by credit card, so I needed to do some research.

I planned to make the wire transfer out of the bank at my brokerage (E*Trade). I conduct virtually all of my business with the brokerage and bank online. I found the web page about wire transfers, international transfers cost $25, which seemed quite reasonable. It looked like I could make the arrangements online. For security purposes, I had to request an authorization code they emailed to me. As I moved through the process, I suddenly realized they wanted to transfer money out of my brokerage account rather than my bank account.

I went back and couldn’t find a link to make the transfer from my bank account. I could always transfer money from my bank account into my brokerage account, if necessary. So it was time to talk to someone. I had a very helpful conversation with a service rep. He said I couldn’t make that transfer online from my bank account, but he could do it for me. As I started to give him the details, he stopped me and said, I can only make this transfer if this transfer is into a foreign bank account with your name on it. Oops – this wasn’t going to work. In order to make an international wire transfer to an account I did not own, I would have to create a signed set of instructions, have my signature notarized and mail it to them. I decided to talk with my local bank.

My local bank (US Bank) said, sure, they could do it. Their price was higher, $50. But I just needed to bring in the instructions and they would do it. I asked about a premium on foreign exchange and they said there would be none. Mentally, I was comparing the cost of putting a transaction like this on a credit card, vs. the wire transfer. The amount of the transfer was about $1600. My Visa card would charge 3% ($48) or my American Express card would charge 2.5% ($40) so the cost of the wire transfer ($50) was fairly comparable. However, when I received the statement from my bank on the actual cost of the wire transfer, the exchange rate I received was 1.65% ($27) over the listed exchange rate on the day it was made.

Also, once I got the confirmation from Glenburn on the amount received, some bank that it passed through added an additional charge of $7. So all told, it cost $84 for the wire transfer, which works out to 5.25% of the amount transferred. The cost of the wire transfer worked out to be about twice the cost of putting it on my credit card.

When I make the final payment in October, I think I’ll do it through E*Trade so I have a direct comparison of costs.

Technorati Tags: hotel reservation issues, international wire transfers, making hotel reservations

Travisa emailed us once they had received our passports and visa applications. Their website also allows you to track your passport through the process. They emailed us when they sent our packets to the Indian Consulate and when they received our completed visas from the consulate. They notified us the same day they received our passports that they had mailed them back to us via Fed Ex. Fed Ex, of course, also has tracking information. Thus, we could follow our passports on their journey every step of the way.

We received 10 year visas. When I get a new passport in two years, I will send off both my new and old passports to Travisa and have my 10 year India visa transferred into my new passport for a $25 fee.

Because we are going to Sikkim, we also need Sikkim permits. I asked them about this in an email and discovered that we could have arranged to get our Sikkim permits at the same time. We did not do this, so we plan to get our permits at Rangpo on our drive to Gangtok, but I hope this is useful information for other travelers.

Technorati Tags: india visa, Sikkim, travisa

I wanted to make our reservations for the Sikkim and Darjeeling part of the trip first. All of the places we are staying are small, so (as we learned from our Glenburn experience) fill up fast – even far in advance. A friend told us Glenburn could make all of our Darjeeling and Sikkim reservations for us, which would mean that all of our transport would be coordinated. So I asked the woman who replied to me from Glenburn if she could also reserve us rooms at Norkhill and Mt. Padim. Indeed, she could, and she quickly had those reservations confirmed.

Next to reserve is transport. The Glenburn package includes transport from your last accommodations to Glenburn and from Glenburn to your next accommodations or, in our case, the airport at Bagdogra. So we need transport from the airport to Gangtok and from Gangtok to Mt. Padim at Pelling.

After hearing about the helicopter transport, that’s what we wanted to do. We asked her to make those reservations. Apparently, this is not an easy process. I guess it’s hard to get a response back from the Sikkim Tourism Authority that offers this service. Eventually she did get a response, but the response was that they wouldn’t open reservations for our date until October or so. The other thing we learned is that the luggage limit on the helicopter is 15 kg. per person. Given that we need to carry clothing for a range of weather, we decided we didn’t want to be stressed about a luggage limit.

Also, there is the issue of the Sikkim permit. If we go by ground, we can have the permit issued at Rangpo as we enter Sikkim. By helicopter, we need the permit in advance. Usually, people get the permit in Kolkata, but we won’t be in Kolkata before we go to Sikkim. Another thing to consider is that the helicopter can be grounded by bad weather, so you need a back-up plan. So going by ground seemed most practical even though the drive is 4 – 5 hours.

One more decision to make – did we want an Innova or a Sumo for our transport? I quickly Googled those vehicles. One of the things I’ve learned in my travels is that if we are traveling distances or over bad roads, we want the most comfortable vehicle we can get. The Innova, while a few dollars more, clearly looks to be the more comfortable vehicle.

With that decision, we asked for a final invoice; Glenburn requires a 50% deposit to hold reservations and we would need to do a wire transfer to their bank account in Kolkata.

Technorati Tags: india, making hotel reservations, Sikkim

India is one of about half of the countries in the world which require a visa for US citizens. Some of those countries you can purchase a visa upon arrival at the airport, some you must get your visa or arrange for your visa in advance. India is a country that requires a visa in advance.

I always begin my visa research by going to the country’s embassy website here: http://www.indianembassy.org/newsite/default.asp

India has outsourced its visa processing to a company, Travisa outsourcing at https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/homepage

The excellent website has very clear instructions and details all of the items you need to send with your visa application. I must say that while I have applied for a number of visas from embassies or consulates, I’ve never had to mail in a copy of my birth certificate or provide proof of my address via a driver’s license or a utility bill. Each country has different requirements.

The visa application is filled out online. The format gives you instructions for each line or box you have to fill in. You then print out your application and send it in with your passport and the required documentation.

India has the option for US citizens of a 6 month ($60), 5 year ($150) or 10 year ($150) visa. All visas have a $13 service fee added to the cost. We felt the 10 year visa was a good idea, as this is only our first trip to India – we know there will be others. As you can see, it’s also a good deal, price-wise.

We sent our visa applications, documentation and passports via Federal Express so it can be tracked. The Travisa website also has tracking information online, so once our applications have been received, we can track its progress.

Technorati Tags: india visa, indian embassy, travisa

I received a quick reply from Glenburn that the dates we wanted were not available – six months out from our trip. The Glenburn is small, just 8 rooms, but I had not anticipated that they would be full. They gave us alternate dates and I started working around those dates.

So the next iteration looked like this:

Day 1 leave SEA
Day 2 arrive BKK, overnight Novotel
Day 3 fly BKK-CCU, Kolkata
Day 4 Kolkata
Day 5 Kolkata
Day 6 fly to Bagdogra, ground to Gangtok
Day 7 Gangtok
Day 8 Gangtok
Day 9 Gangtok to Pelling (ground)
Day 10 Pelling
Day 11 Pelling to Darjeeling (ground) Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 12 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 13 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 14 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 15 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 16 ground to Bagdogra, fly to CCU
Day 17 Kolkata, fly to BKK
Day 18 Bangkok
Day 19 Bangkok
Day 20 Bangkok
Day 21 Bangkok
Day 22 Fly SEA

This itinerary accommodates the dates we can get at Glenburn, but I don’t like the fact that we’ll have an overnight in Kolkata on our way back to Bangkok because of flight times.

After discussing it and sleeping on it, I had a second revision:

Day 1 leave SEA
Day 2 arrive BKK
Day 3 Bangkok
Day 4 Bangkok
Day 5 Bangkok
Day 6 fly BKK-CCU-IXB, ground to Gangtok Norkhill
Day 7 Gangtok Norkhill
Day 8 Gangtok Norkhill
Day 9 Gangtok to Pelling (ground) Elgin Mt. Padim
Day 10 Pelling Elgin Mt. Padim
Day 11 Pelling to Darjeeling (ground) Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 12 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 13 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 14 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 15 Darjeeling Glenburn Tea Estates
Day 16 ground to Bagdogra, fly to CCU, Kolkata
Day 17 Kolkata
Day 18 Kolkata
Day 19 fly BKK, Bangkok
Day 20 Bangkok
Day 21 Bangkok
Day 22 Fly SEA

I like the second revision better. It will divide our time in Bangkok, but it eliminates the night in Kolkata due to flight times. This itinerary also notes the places we have arranged to stay in Sikkim and Darjeeling.

Technorati Tags: darjeeling, Glenburn Estates, independent travel itinerary, India Independent Travel, kolkata, Sikkim, travel planning

I always make an outline of our travel schedule, beginning with our flights from Seattle, to, in this case, Bangkok. It gives me a visual aid for planning the itinerary. I note where we are staying each night (initially, this is just the city) and transport from one place to the next. Noting the transport is a good reminder than any day that is a transition from one place to the next will be mostly taken up with transport.

My first draft for this trip looked like this

Day 1 leave SEA
Day 2 arrive BKK
Day 3 fly BKK-CCU-IXB, ground to Gangtok
Day 4 Gangtok
Day 5 Gangtok
Day 6 Gangtok to Pelling
Day 7 Pelling
Day 8 Pelling to Darjeeling (ground)
Day 9 Darjeeling
Day 10 Darjeeling
Day 11 Darjeeling
Day 12 Darjeeling
Day 13 Darjeeling, ground to Bagdogra, fly to CCU
Day 14 Kolkata
Day 15 Kolkata
Day 16 Kolkata
Day 17 fly to BKK
Day 18 Bangkok
Day 19 Bangkok
Day 20 Bangkok
Day 21 Bangkok
Day 22 Fly SEA

I like this arrangement, though the beginning of the trip will be a killer. Fly from Seattle to Bangkok, a brief overnight at the airport hotel, then fly on through Kolkata to Bagdogra followed by a five hour drive to Gangtok.

The friend who recommended Glenburn also told us that they could arrange all of our Sikkim reservations. So I drew out an itinerary and emailed them with our request.

Reading over what I’ve written as I prepare for my next entry reminds me how much of the process happens in tiny, almost unnoticed steps. For instance, we have changed where we are staying in Darjeeling as we stumbled across a place in the countryside that looked great. A recommendation from a fellow Fodorite sealed the deal – Glenburn it is!

The Elgin properties in Sikkim are still our first choices, including The Elgin at Norkill and The Elgin at Pelling.

Alternative options we looked at were the Bamboo Resort in Rumtek and Yangsum Farm near Richenpong.

We also considered other stops, such as Kalimpong and considered staying in Darjeeling at The Elgin or The Windermere as well as outside of Darjeeling.

Technorati Tags: Glenburn Estates, India Travel, making hotel reservations, Sikkim

I try to read as much as I can about places I visit. Typically, I can find several dozen books, so the task is to choose the best. I usually find a combination of history, fiction and memoirs.

Finding books is a bit more difficult for Sikkim than for other places we’ve visited. I’ve done a thorough search for books on Sikkim, and have turned up only a few, none of which are available directly from Amazon. I ordered two books from IndiaClub.com. One arrived in a week or so, the other arrived in a couple of weeks, shipped from Delhi. Next, I did a more thorough search and turned up a number of books I could get from Amazon resellers. I ordered the books, and have received all but one of the books, which is being shipped from Delhi.

Here is a list of what I’ve found:

Sikkim: A Traveller’s Guide, Photographs and Essays by Sujoy Das, Text by Arundhati Ray. Permanent Black, New Delhi, 2001 (This is the book most often recommended)

Garuda & Winged Horses by Somnath Guha. Srishti Publishers, New Delhi , 2001

Memoirs of a Political Officer’s Wife in Tibet, Sikkim and Bhutan by Margaret D. Williamson. Wisdom Publications, London, 1987

Mountaintop Kingdom: Sikkim Photographs by Alice S. Kandell, text by Charlotte Y. Salisbury. Norton & Co, New York (no pub date listed)

History of Darjeeling and the Sikkim Himalaya (this book not yet received; being shipped from India).

I also ordered one DVD from Amazon, The Lion’s Roar, a documentary about the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa filmed in 1985

The next task is to read and digest as much of this information as possible!

As I mentioned earlier, in my reading I found that there is a separatist group in Darjeeling that is demanding the formation of a separate Gorkha homeland. Periodically, this group calls a bandh to put pressure on the government to resolve the issue. A bandh is a political strike that stops all traffic. While Sikkim is not party to this dispute, the road from the airport in Bagdogra or the train station in Siligari leads to both Darjeeling and Sikkim. So if there is a bandh in Darjeeling, you cannot get to Sikkim.

Since it is impossible to predict when there will or will not be a bandh, we need to have some contingency plans. This is one of those times when I wish my schedule were more flexible. But we have fixed dates in and out of Bangkok and need to work within that framework.

Sometimes, the separatist groups names a date when they are going to have a bandh. In this case we might know far enough ahead of time to rearrange some of our itinerary as needed. But other times they just call a bandh with little warning.

So, where can we be flexible? The current plan calls for flying from Bangkok through Kolkata, on to Bagdogra, then drive to Sikkim and Darjeeling for 10 days. Next, a flight back to Kolkata and four nights there before returning to Bangkok for five days. So we have three puzzle pieces: 5 nights in Bangkok, 10 nights in Sikkim/Darjeeling, and 4 nights in Kolkata. Those could be re-ordered in a number of ways. We would need to have flexibility in our hotel reservations (and I’ll be checking on that).

Another option is to change locations if there is a bandh. I’ve already researched Assam. Perhaps we could go there instead. This would require a flight from Kolkata to Guwahati instead of Bagdogra. Of course, it would also require both canceling hotel reservations in Sikkim and Darjeeling and making new ones in Assam as well as changing our flights out of Kolkata.

But when do you decide? A month ahead of the trip? Weeks ahead? Can I wait until I arrive in Bangkok to change plans? Until Kolkata? Until Bagdogra? I guess that depends in part on how willing hotels are to change dates or refund deposits. It also depends on how long we are willing to wait to know where we are going. While I’ll gather all of the information I can when I start making reservations, I’ll have to make that call as the time gets closer.

Technorati Tags: bandh, contingency plans, darjeeling, independent travel research, kolkata, Sikkim