As much exciting it is to visit a new place, there is immense joy in visiting a place you truly adore for the second time. So when I decided to visit Sikkim this year, I somehow was more excited to relieve the memories of my first visit and embrace the familiarity of the place I fell in love with. Sikkim, for starters is the most cleanest state in India - implementing full organic farming statewide in 2015. Along with that, Sikkim also has the country's highest peak - Kangchenjunga, which is the world's third. A train journey from Guwahati (also my hometown) of about 7 hours took me to New Jaipaiguri (NJP). Further, we took a Tata Sumo to Gangtok, which was a five hour curvy and hilly road journey. We could feel the cold breeze hitting us as we approached our destination.
Gangtok is a treat to the eyes - with elevated roads, colourful shops, clean environment, warm people and cute little cafes! The most popular destination here would be the "Mall Road" which is the heart of the city with popular shops and restaurants. Since, this was my second visit, we already had planned where to invest our time in. We decided to explore North Sikkim. 'Lachung' was our first destination. A road journey of 4-5 hours took us there from Gangtok. We were greeted by a delicious home-made meal in a cosy little Inn where we also spent the night. It was pretty cold, much more than Gangtok and probably that's why we were freezing at night. Though life shuts down around 7-7.30 pm there, we decided to go for a walk much later. Sitting on the huge rocks beside the freezing Lachung lake and staring at the starlit sky, it felt like a dream. In the morning, we were set for Zero Point and Yumtung Valley. A delightful breakfast of fresh bread, butter and jam with tea was served, after which we stocked ourselves with jackets, boots, woolen hats and gloves - after all we were going to face the snow! Situated at an altitude of 15,300 ft. above Mean Sea Level, Zero point is nature personified. The road ends here. It is surrounded by mountains covered by snow and the cool breeze makes it even more serene. We decided to climb to the highest point possible to get the best view. I wouldn't say it was a tough trek, but it was one where we needed a lot of energy. The high altitude almost made it difficult to breathe normally. Once we were satisfied at the top, we slid down the mountain in the snow - making us feel like kids again :)
Once we were down, we were more than happy to grab on some hot tea and momos to warm ourselves. And click dozens of pictures of course !
Our next stop was the Yumthang valley. Located at an altitude of 11,800ft, the view is beyond words. The name Yumthang Valley means 'Valley of Flowers' but since we weren't exactly in the peak season, we missed out on that. Yumthang also offers lovely views of the mountain peaks such as Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa forming the backdrop of the river Teesta. One of my personal favourites, the scene here is a must-see.
We returned to Gangtok the same day and were quite exhausted after all the road journey. The next day was spent in local sight-seeing which included catching up some good live music in some lovely cafes of Gangtok. For our next and final destination, we planned for Nathula Pass which is about 52kms from Gangtok. On our way, We also stopped at 'The frozen lake' which wasn't frozen during our visit. But the view was totally worth it. Also, you will find Yak-rides in this place, quite popular among tourists. This lake is also famously called as Tsomgo Lake. Located at an elevation of 3,753 m (12,313 ft), the lake remains frozen during the winter season. The lake surface reflects different colours with change of seasons and is held in great reverence by the local Sikkimese people.
We went ahead to our main destination, Nathula Pass. Located at an altitude of 14,140 feet, Nathula Pass was the place through which the famous Silk Route used to operate until 1962. The Indo-China border is the main attraction presently with both Indian and Chinese army guarding the boarder. A strict no photography rule was followed and for once, we really had to learn to live without our cellphones too. Though we didn't experience snow, the peak season covers the whole area with thick snowfall and it is thus advisable to carry heavy woolens along. During our visit, one of my friends had an interaction with an Indian army officer and he was kind enough to let our whole group visit their base which is otherwise only allowed for VIPs and other guests. We were thus privileged to catch a glimpse of the conference room and other important places where both the Indian and Chinese army would interact from time to time. The experience was truly one-of-a-kind and it made us realize how different is the real life of army in contrast to what is being portrayed in Bollywood cinemas or by the national media. A sense of immense pride emerged in all of us that day.
On our way back, we visited the 'Baba Mandir'. This is a shrine created in the honour of Major "Baba" Harbhajan Singh. He was an Indian army soldier who died in 1968 near the Nathu La in eastern Sikkim, India. He is revered by soldiers of the Indian army as the "Hero of Nathula". He has been accorded the status of saint by believers who refer to him as the Baba. Many of the faithful people, chiefly Indian army personnel posted in and around the Nathula Pass and the Sino-Indian border between the state of Sikkim and Chinese occupied Tibet have come to believe his spirit protects every soldier in the inhospitable high altitude terrain of the Eastern Himalayas.
We had quite a content-filled day and happily returned to Gangtok, back in our hotels. Our exotic trip had come to an end. We drove back to New Jaipaiguri from Gangtok and from there a train ride back to Guwahati. Each day spent at this beautiful state was mesmerising and gave me memories to cherish forever. The serenity and peace one feels between these mountains is an experience that lasts life long :) Here are some more important details - How to Travel : * By train : New Jaipaiguri (NJP) is the nearest station from where you have to rent a taxi to Gangtok (3-4 hours). * By Air : Bagdogra is the nearest airport from where you have to take a taxi to Gangtok ( 4-5 hours). When to travel : Anytime between October to May, but if you are looking out for heavy snow then November-March would be ideal. Things to carry:
*Heavy woolens like jackets, hats, gloves etc for places like Zero Point. You can also hire/buy woolens and boots easily from Lachung. *Light woolens for Gangtok since the temperature does not drop there much. It is only moderately cold. *Valid government ID cards and passport-size photos since an 'inner-line permit' is required before travelling to places like Nathula Pass.
Things to note: *Ideal for those who can travel in roadways since the whole trip requires extensive road travel. *Telecom connectivity is quite low, so you should be okay with zero network in some specific places.
That's all for this one, hope you liked my travel diary and got inspired to visit this awesome place. Fell free to ask me about any query you have. Till the next time, stay happy, travel a lot and celebrate life every moment! Much love! Benaaz :*