It is that time of the year when me and my wife start looking out for places to visit as a part of my annual trip. This year around my annual trip got preponed by a couple of months to the last week of November. I did some search and narrowed on Kolkota and surrounding areas to begin with. After reading about the places and getting know about Sikkim, my plans changed and Sikkim was the soul of my trip.
Sikkim is a small hilly state in the North Eastern part of India. One of the smallest states in the country but has an unique distinction of sharing its borders with three different countries - Nepal, China and Bhutan. Sikkim has no airport and the nearest airport is at Bagdogra in West Bengal. A long flight from Bangalore with a stopover at Kolkota got us to Bagdogra. We were supposed to take a Taxi to Gangtok, Sikkim's capital which was a good 4 hr drive from there. Soon as we got out we were surrounded by Taxi drivers trying to get a bargain to drive us. We took a taxi and off we were to our first destination - Gangtok. The roads are crowded till you cross Siliguri and then you hit the greens. River Teesta gives you company for most of the time of your journey. The road is serpentine and the greenery of the place alongwith the beauty of the River flowing in the valley is just so perfect. We reached Gangtok by night and had no energy left but to sleep.
Day 2 : North Sikkim Journey
We woke up all excited in the morning - our destination North Sikkim. Sikkim is divided into four districts - North, South, East and West. Gangtok is in West Sikkim and the North sikkim in the biggest of them all. A visit to North Sikkim requires a special permit from Sikkim Police and the Indian Army. The permits are issued at 8 AM in Gangtok and you have to compulsorily go through a travel agent to North Sikkim. 2N/3D tours to North Sikkim are the most common and we took the same. We got our permits done that morning and left from Gangtok at around 11AM. The first stop was the Tashi View Point. From here we can see Mount Kanchendzonga which is the highest peak in India and the third highest peak in the world. A thick cloud cover meant we missed the oppurtunity. The next stop was a water fall - nothing great about it. We later realised that the way to North Sikkim has a lot of water falls. Through most of our journey, River Teesta gave us company along the valley. Teesta is to Sikkim what Ganges is to India. Teesta originates in one of the glaciers in North Sikkim and goes all the way through Sikkim to West Bengal and hits Bangladesh before getting into the Bay of Bengal. The water is so pure you will see the rocks and pebbles underneath clearly. The water is untouched in most of North Sikkim and pretty much through all of Sikkim as well. A beautiful river flowing through a valley with lush green mountains on either side is what the Teesta is all about. The trail through Teesta and we reached our destination for the day. Lachen, a small village in the mountains was our halt for the day. At around 8000 feet above sea level its a good stop overnight to acclimatise to the altitude and oxygen levels.
Day 3 : Gurudongmar Lake
The morning started very early with a lot of curiosity. Our destination - Gurudongmar Lake. This is the second highest lake in India at an altitude of 17,100 ft above sea level. The highest is Tso-Lahmu lake which is just a few kilometers further up north of this lake and is not permitted for civilian visit. Our journey from Lachen to Gurudongmar was a ascent of about 10,000 feet in a matter of 60 odd kms. We started our journey from Lachen at 4 AM. We traveled through roads that never existed and reached Thangu by 6.15AM. Thangu is at a level of 14000 ft and an army base camp. Thangu is a breakfast and acclimitazing point for a Gurudongmar trip. We did not have any major altitude sickness at that point. The scene of the first rays of sun on snow capped mountains was truly one to remember. After a quick maggi breakfast break we continued our ascent towards our final destination.
Sikkim is in the shadow of the Himalayas and it rains incessantly most of the year. As we continued our journey from Thangu, we were much above the Himalayan shadows. There is absolutely no vegetation around and no inhabitation - Its just a cold desert! The only living things in this part of the world are the Yaks, a few Yak rearers and the brave soldiers of the Indian army. Half past eight, we were finally there. We were at 17100 feet above sea level at Gurudongmar Lake. The first expression after seeing the Gurudongmar lake was that of WOW! Snow peaked mountains all around and azzure blue water was the scene in front of our eyes. No words can do justice to the beauty of the place. You can just be there do nothing and simply feel tranquil! If you carefully listen you could probabaly hear your own thoughts. The lake is considered sacred by Buddhists and there are prayer flags all around. Of all the things God created, this one was surely done with lot of passion!
We were hardly at the lake for 20 mins when altitude sickness hit us. We had heavy breathing difficulty and got back to our vehicle. Back all the way through roads that never existed we hit back Thangu visiting the beautiful Chopta Valley and then to Lachen by lunch. The picture of the Gurudongmar lake was etched in our minds and just kept recurring all day long and to this day! Post lunch we headed to Lachung another small village on the North east of Sikkim for our night halt.
Day 4 : Yumthang Valley and Zero Point
Our agenda for the day was Yumthang valley and Zero point. We started out by 5.45AM and off we were to Yumthang. Yumthang is a valley of flowers and is covered with Rhododendrons of all colors. The whole valley is just a riot of colors in spring and summer. Its amazing how nature works and changes its landscape with the season. Its winter and not a single flower was seen. The whole place had an something-missing look. The valley in itself was beautiful nonetheless. Standing in the wide valley with towering mountains on both sides you're sure to feel very small. After going around the valley and having breakfast we headed to Zero Point. Zero Point is where the Indian roads end! The road in which in you are travelling just ends there and a couple of kilometers from there is the Indian border. There are mountains all around and you are pretty sure to see snow most of the time here. People come here to see and experience snow. After having experienced two Canadian winters we were not all that excited about snow. It just feels so nice to have been to the Indian border at this part of the country. It just occurred to me that I have completed a nice triangle of the Indian Borders - Sam desert near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan; Kannyakumari, Tamil Nadu and Zero Point, Sikkim. A long journey that afternoon after lunch got us back to Gangtok.
Day 5 : Gangtok
Gangtok by itself is a very beautiful city. A typical hill station and a full of tourists all the time. The first thing that you would notice is the orderly traffic and the cleanliness of the city. Of all the cities I have visited in the India this one would top the cleanliness list. Being a tourist destination it has a lot of places around which are worth a visit. We visited most of them barring a few temples. The highlight of the city would surely be the MG Marg. The downtown shopping place in Gangtok is a pedestrian friendly and a litter free zone. Vehicles are not allowed on the road any time making it a really beautiful street to walk around and shop at leisure. Every city must have a place like MG Marg, Gangtok I would say. The other attraction is the ropeway which runs at the heart of the city. The view of the city from the ropeway is simply beautiful. Gangtok is surely a city to visit in India.
Day 6 : Nathula Pass
The next day we were off to Nathula Pass. On the old silk route, Nathula was India's passage to the west through China. In ancient times, Chinese traders came through Nathula and Gangtok to India and reached the warm water port of Calcutta. Even today Chinese traders are allowed a little inside India's border for trade at the Sherathang market. The drive to Nathula Pass is through hilly terrain again and through Tsongo Lake. The lake looks the best on the way up to Nathula. The oval shaped lake in the valley of snow capped mountains looks breathtaking. A short photo stop at Tsongo and off we were to Nathula. At 14000 odd feet its damn cold out there. You can actually touch the Indian border fence at Nathula. The Chinese land is just a feet away and the soldiers at touching distance. The Indian flag flies high at Nathula where the Indian army has a permanent post all through the year. En route to Nathula at Theggu village is the Axis Bank ATM which happens to be the highest ATM in the world. Baba Mandir, a few kilometers away from Nathula is a memorial built in memory of an Indian soldier who died at that place. No trip to Sikkim is complete without visiting Nathula. Visitors on a short trip to Sikkim also make it a point to visit the place. The only hitch is getting there and the obtaining a permit which are both expensive.
The next day we woke up early to leave for Bagdogra to get back to Bangalore. The trip to Sikkim was simply stunning. All good things come in small packets is the saying thats made stronger by a visit to Sikkim. This is a state to visit and a few days are just not enough. We still did not visit West and South Sikkim which have a lot of tourism oppurtunities to offer. The journey through the entire terrain is pretty tough but as a general rule while to remember while visiting a hilly region is that the Journey is your ultimate destination.
