North East India during summer Monsoon -2003

BAGDOGRA - Jun 2003

Main access town to the hill stations of and Darjeeling,Kalimpong, and to Pelling and Gangtok in Sikkim. The area in which Bagdogra is situated is commonly called the Dooars at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. It is rich in natural beauty and abounds in exotic flora and fauna. There are several tea gardens and fruit orchards too in the region. Tourists can go for extremely interesting heritage tea tours in the plantations here. The Teesta is the main river flowing through here, and is the base of whitewater rafting and angling.

The approach into Bagdogra is not easy as it is surrounded by restricted areas and hilly terrain to the north. It is surrounded by four countries, namely, Nepal to the west, Sikkim to the North, Bhutan to the North East, and Bangladesh to the South East.
During the rainy season and low clouds extreme caution on the part of the pilot is required with specific procedures to be followed.
Below: Our aircraft in transit at the apron in Bagdogra (IXB). Awaiting passenger boarding for return flight to Calcutta.

Late lunch after return from Bagdogra

Guwahati
Guwahati is the largest city in the NE region of India.

It was raining and turbulent all the way from Calcutta (CCU) to Guwahati, located in Assam.

 Below: Aircraft is making a low visibilty approach into Guwahati. Just about make out the Brahmaputra River in background left.

Quite  big terminal for Guwahati.

Jorhat- Assam.
 Know for its tea industry and sprawling tea gardens. Assam Tea anyone?

Another low vis approach in rain to Guwahati Airport. Shorter strip and restricted apron and taxiway.

Miserable looking Terminal. Hope they have modernised it by now, 6 years hence!

All dressed up to operate flight back Calcutta - Mumbai.

Calcutta is not as bad a place as I thought it was.

Always equated it with squalor and lepers.

In fact I feel its is cleaner than suburban Mumbai.

Meriam in the lobby of the Oberoi Grand in Calcutta

Just prior to departing for the Airport for flight back to Mumbai.