Bhutan: Conversations over a Cuppa with Mr. Atanu Sinha

                                 

Have you visited Prrem’s recently for a trip to your dream destination? We’d love to hear about your travel experience! Join Diipti and Yuktie from Team Prrem’s and share with us your travel memories!

This month's Conversations over a Cuppa, we meet Mr. Atanu Sinha who’s adventurous spirit took him on a cycling trip around Sikkim and Bhutan.

Diipti: Where did your wanderlust lead you to?

Atanu Sinha: I am a cycling enthusiast and spend a good part my fitness regime in cycling around the city with my group of friends. In 2012 around Feb, one of my friends suggested why not try biking across the North Eastern route in June, stretch our legs a little along the mountain trails!

11 to 12 of us were excited about this trip, we received promising weather forecasts, but as the dates approached, quite a few backed out, just before taking off we were a group of 5: Rafiq, Vikram, Drupal Deepak and me, all set on this adventure!

We planned a 7 day, non-stop bike route, covering 1000 kms stretching across three climatic zones ranging from hot and humid, to wet and windy to the tundra region with alpine forests. En route the weather changed drastically as we passed through these different zones. The temperatures dipped from a cool 12°C to a freezing 1°C.

This was a cycling trip in the mountains, which means hilly terrains and a lot of uphill climbs. Add to that rain, slippery roads making it a dangerous equation. All the routes we trained on in Bandra were nothing in comparison but that was the challenge we wanted to experience!

Yuktie: Wow sounds like a thrilling adventure!

Atanu: It was every bit of the way! Bhutan is a very clean and neat country. Everything there is well organised and planned. We had a tight 7 day nonstop ride across the country but wherever we stopped we saw so much beauty, they really take care of their country.

Diipti: Tell us more about the journey?

Atanu: We were scheduled to ride across 1000kms of the country side. Apart from our bikes we had 2 pickup vans for carrying our luggage and cycles in case of bad terrain. Every morning we would start riding at 7am stop for short food brakes and continue till 5.30pm in the evening as it gets dark early in the mountains. One of the days we were at the peak of our riding which is when we did a total of 120kms in a day which included a 19km uphill climb and 70km downhill!

Apart from this, we had to ride through blind bends en route, other vehicular traffic; just navigating through it all itself was a thrilling experience.

Yuktie: Highlight of your journey?

Atanu: Throughout the journey we came across pro teams during their practice cycling sessions from various parts of the world. There were three English teams among them, I could not believe that some of them were 50 years old, that’s how fit they were! I was amazed by their disciplined pattern, they cycled at amazing speeds, took brakes at the right time, ate rationed meals and got back to the drill. We were in awe of them!

Yuktie: Nirvana Moment?

Atanu: Just being in up in the mountains was amazing! Every time I set out for a vacation I try to head to the hills. In India I have travelled to Masoori, Nainital, Kedarnath and Badrinath. There is something magical about the mountains that just makes me go there again and again.

Yuktie: How is Bhutan as a travel destination?

Atanu: The people are very friendly and as I said it is a very clean and well maintained country. They accept Indian rupees and we experienced no language problem.

Diipti: How did coming back to Mumbai feel like after being in such a heavenly place?

Atanu: At one level I feel sad about the way we disrespect our country, seeing all the litter around and bad infrastructure. But at another it was such am amazing experience that I can never forget in my life. At one point during the ride, my bike broke down. While I was trying to fix it, there was a hail storm. Yet, somehow I got through it, it was thrilling to share the memories of braving through such experiences with my family, especially my son.

My friends and family were so excited about this adventure, that one of my friends who is a writer and book designer compiled our photographs and experience into a book!

I have currently stopped cycling for a while due to an injury but I want to get back to riding again.

Yuktie: 3 Must Dos:

Atanu: While cycling, oxygen consumption is very high, higher tendency of muscle tear and cramps, prepare with a lot of cardio workouts for this before the trip.

Try the traditional rice and chilli dish, only if you are a chilli fan, it really is very hot!

Diipti: Top Tips:

Atanu: There are 2-3 imp rules about Bhutan, you have to have a guide at all times, you cannot backpack, travel alone without permits.

We travelled in August and even though forecasts were good overall, yet we experienced a lot of chilly weather and rains in the mountains. Always carry warm and quick dry clothes in the mountains, be prepared for cool temperature as well as rain.

Energy bars and chocolates are not enough, you need a lot of good carbs and our Indian foods are so good at it, take things like theplas, khakras along, unlike what most people may think it really comes in handy on such trips.

Check your gear every morning before the ride. And on most days we kept our cycles inside the guest house as a safety precaution.

Yuktie: Any research that paid off?

Atanu: Yes I really found something interesting while reading about Bhutan before the trip. Bhutan has climatic zones, the subtropical zone which is warm in winter and hot, very humid with heavy rainfall in summer.

The mid-Montana zone is more temperate, with cool or cold winters, hot summers and more moderate rains.

The Alpine zone is where summers are short and cool, and winters are cold with a lot of snowfall. Will you believe that we rode through all hose zones in a matter of a few days!

Also when you go for such a trip, knowing your gear is very important. We prepared for every problem! We carried along with us extra tyres, chains, learnt how to fix punctures, we even learnt to disassemble our bikes and put it back together!

And the funny thing is not a single one of us had a puncture through out the trip!

Diipti, Yuktie: Wow! Well, it was super talking to you, hope you are on to your next adventure soon! 

Atanu: Thank you! I hope so too!

(Excited about this story and wanna plan a bike trip of your own? Get in touch with Atanu at atanusinhak@gmail.com)

The Duffel Coat

A Coat is the essence of a Man's winter wardrobe. The utility, elegance and multi-faceted functionality of a coat makes it a vital overall for the male silhouette. Among the classics, here's a story about the Duffel Coat.  

The History:

The duffel coat is the only classic overcoat to have a hood. This form of head protection has a long history, for gowns with hoods were known as long ago as the Bronze Age. The English word duffle, denoting a coarse woollen cloth and thought to be derived from the town of Duffel in the Belgian province of Brabant, hasn’t been around for quite that long: only since the eighteenth century. The origin of the name is thus more or less clear. The origin of the design is thought to be the so called “Polish coat”, an overcoat with a toggle fastening that was popular in the first half of the nineteenth century. Some think the monk’s habit was the forerunner of the duffel coat, and that would explain the hood. In common with many other overcoats the duffel coat made its entrance into menswear via the military, when the Royal Navy began to issue it to sailors: the hood and the thick woollen cloth protected them from wind and weather. 

In the Second World War Field-Marshall Montgomery wore a beige duffel coat, thus giving the design a new surge of popularity. And in the 1950s large quantities of army surplus duffel coats came onto the market, which conclusively  established them as hot favorites for cold winter days. In France the duffel coat quickly achieved great popularity among high-school and college students and intellectuals. 

Features and Variations:

Today it exists not only in the classic colors of dark blue and beige, but also in dark green, dark brown, burgundy, and yellow. The boxy cut and the hood, and not least the characteristic toggle fastenings, make this a very casual overcoat. If your wardrobe tends towards the elegant, you will certainly have trouble finding other items to combine it with. But if you favor casual outfits, you would be well-advised to wear a duffel coat.

Even today the duffel coat still recalls Montgomery, the British Field-Marshall whose nickname was “Monty”. The duffel coat is often called the “monty coat” in his honor.

The duffel coat has traditional toggle fastenings made of buffalo horn. They  have no real advantage over buttons; it is often said that they are easier to do up and undo with gloves on, but actually quite the opposite is the case.

The duffle coat’s hood is quite small, but it should be big enough to wear a beret or flat cap underneath it. It provides excellent protection from cold and wind, but cyclists should be warned that it severely restricts vision and hearing.

As the toggle fastenings mean that the duffel coat is not particularly wind-proof, the version at Prrem's has a zipper running from base to neck, this ensures maximum protection against the wind. At moderate temperatures this makes a scarf unnecessary.

A duffel coat always has two big patch pockets with or without flaps. Pockets without flaps have the advantage of easier access, but things are also more likely to fall out of them. A breast pocket is not normal, but sometimes a larger inside pocket will be found at thigh level.

The All Weather Adventure Series

Its the season for adventures. For roll up pants, boots and backpacks. Is it Ladakh or South America, Sweden or Lake District for you? Where ever you are planning your adventure vacations, make sure to carry along an All Weather Jacket. Here is a quick dekho.