THE MOUNTAIN LORE I: Unperturbed North Sikkim

The Snow Woman

The life running at jet speed had exhausted me to the core and my delicate nerves were well-strained from last few months. So I desperately needed a short trip nearby to breath some fresh air. The idea of charming yet unspoiled  North Sikkim struck the mind. If you mainly focus on northern part of Sikkim, it would hardly take a week or so and also the trip would be of shoestring budget. So being confident and in sync with myself I headed towards Gangtok. 

 Gangtok is so Mainstream

Just an hour fly from Kolkata, Sikkim offers breathtaking views at every turn. This picturesque little hill state flaunts its tranquil alpine forests, snow capped mountains stretching over the ranges, craggy landscapes dotted with colorful tiny villages, adorned with silver ribbon of  river Tista. 

North Sikkim tour has to be entirely planned by travel agent only. There is absolutely zero public transport over there. Moreover one requires permits from Sikkim tourism corporation to visit North Sikkim. Any standard travel agent can handle this issue smoothly. For all these formalities, I would recommend to keep a day or two in Gangtok before you start for north Sikkim. So you better be all set with your complete itinerary, hotel bookings, identity verification and  permits  before you leave Gangtok. 


What I needed was to cut apart myself from hustle-bustle of daily life. Hence, I opted the less traveled path to north Sikkim. Gangtok being a bit mainstream and little boisterous these days , I avoided extensive sightseeing in that town. But if you are there for the first time you should think of a stay for three to four days. I had only one and half day in this modern capital and utilized the time quite wisely. From local taxi stand you can hire cab for whole day sightseeing at the charge of 1000 to 1500 Rupees. My target points were 

Do Drul Chorten

This is the most popular stupa in Sikkim and was built in the year of 1945. A Tibetan Buddhist Turlshik Rinpoche was the founder. Apart from the gold plated steeple atop the Chorten, 108 prayer wheels engraved with Buddhist mantras is its main attraction. The monks and tourists swirling the wheels,  pin drop silence,  holy chanting of prayers and hundreds of burning lamps offer a sacred environment to this place.

Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

 NIT is just a stone throw away from Chorten  and was built in 1958. It's like a Tibetan ancient royal palace. The entire palace is decorated with colorful mural frontages and forest-glade setting. The main hall houses a decent collection of Tibetan/Buddhist iconography and artifacts, statues of Tibetan mythological characters and renowned Buddhist monks and scholars, along with detail explanation.

Colorful Mural Frontage

The entry fee is Rs. 10/- and photography is prohibited inside the hall. 

Orchid Sanctuary

Just adjacent to Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok lays an orchid sanctuary with its rare and boundless collection of more than over 200 species of orchids. A total 454 species of orchids are known to exist in this world, out of which 200 is present in this sanctuary. The lovely flowers, their charming colors, appealing shapes and seductive fragrance  eventually leave the visitors enchanted. The entry fee is Rs. 40/- per person.

Tsuk La Khang Monastery


This palatial monastery is a center of prayer and houses impressive collection of Buddhist scriptures and literature. This monastery hosts several colorful celebration of Buddhist festival like Phang Lhabsol and Tibetan new year. 

Hanuman Tok   

Tok means a temple. It's temple of Lord Hanuman. But this place far more popular for its wonderful tranquil ambience, soaked in greenery around. It offers a spectacular view of Kanchenjunga range. There is a saying and a local belief that Lord Hanuman took rest for a moment at this place while returning to Lanka from Himalayas. Prayer chants and religious music are played all over the area. With a divine and heavenly feeling in your heart you can climb the stairs, reach up to the temple and can offer your prayers to Lord Hanuman. 

Yes, we know this place is dedicated to you

A flavorsome lunch at MG Mark

This modern hill city feels its heartbeat at this road. The entire area is of free of litter, smoke, and even a spot of dirt. This road is for pedestrian only and no vehicle is allowed over 1Km stretch of the street. The  tourists and locals leisurely strolling through, lined up glittering shops, restaurants and hotels on both sides and the statue of Gandhi Ji overlooking the Marg make almost carnival like atmosphere in this boulevard square. Most of the tourists prefer this particular area for mouth watering foods available in the restaurants here.  I walked in to a restaurant Taste of Tibet for authentic Himalayan cuisine. The hungry stomach was greatly appeased by their excellent momo, thukpa and noodle soup at affordable price. Moreover, you can find no better place than MG Marg in entire Sikkim, if you want to shop sovereign for your near and dear ones on the way back home. In line with Government's green initiative, most of the buildings by the side of this road have been painted green. 

source

In the evening, when Victorian lamps are lit up along the road, this magical place looks like a sophisticated square of a western hill station. You can treat yourself once again with a delicious dinner over here.

Other attractions in Gangtok

Mainly North Sikkim and not Gangtok was my center of attention. But if you are willing to cover Gangtok as well with North Sikkim, you should keep few more days in your tour plan. Go and visit

• Rumtek Monastery, 1.5 hours away from Gangtok.
• The Lingdum Monastery, with beautiful golden Buddha statue, 6-7 Km away from Rumtek Monestery
• The stunning Bhan Jhakri falls with beautiful park surrounding it.
• Changu lake, a galcian lake 40 Kms away from Gangtok 
• The Botanical Garden
• Himalayan Zoological Park

 Lachung

Before you start for Lachung, be assured that you (or your driver) have collected all the necessary permits for North Sikkim. April to May is high season for rhododendron and primula blossom. So it would be easier  if you are already done with Hotel bookings. After breakfast, I started the journey by 8'o clock next morning.

How to Go

Lachung is 118 Kms from Gangtok at an altitude of 8610 Feet. Although the distance looks easy, but it takes six hours to eight hours depending on the traffic and condition of Gangtok-Chungthang road. The road is smooth here and extremely bumpy there due to land slide. Be prepared to have pockets of road blocks and within a minute there will be pile up of vehicles packed back to back. Hence it is advised to start from Gangtok latest by 9'o clock, so you can reach Lachung before it gets dark.

You can get shared vehicle from Gangtok. It may cost within range of Rs. 3500/- (Maruti WagonR or Tata Indica car type) to Rs. 5000/- (Toyota Innova or Mahindra Xylo car type). The road trip should be made as  comfortable as possible to avoid unnecessary travel fatigue. 

Unfortunately, I got stuck in a road block for almost forty minutes.  But picturesque beauty of Himalaya did outshine this trouble. Almost at every hairpin bends I was amazed by the curtain of milky white water tumbling down the hill sides in a series of mini water streams. They flow through the rocky outcrops as smoothly as syrup, foaming and making a bliss pool at the bottom. 

On the way to Lachung, many travelers halt to see a waterfall locally known as 'Amitabh Bachchan Falls', However the real name is Bhim Nala Waterfall. The legendary name is coined for it due its massive height. Tourists usually stop here for photographs, tea break and munching snacks.  

Amitabh Bachchan Falls

Where to Stay

Lachung is tiny hill station in north-east Sikkim and shares the borderline with Tibet. The confluence of two rivers Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu, alpine forests and waterfalls have adored this place with pure love. This town's economy has been recently boosted manifolds by tourism, opened through Indian Government. Tourists from all over the world come here to visit the eastern valley of flower-'Yumthang Valley', Lachung Monastery and zero point. You can get hotels of all kinds,  from budget hotel to luxury hotels over here. 

• Yurlum Resort **** ( Rs. 7000/- per night )
• Royal Lachung **** ( Rs. 5000/- per night )
• Etho Metho Hotel *** (Rs. 5200/- per night)
• Be Yul Alpaine Resort ***( Rs. 3500/- per night )
• Hotel Retreat ** (Rs. 3861/- per night)

(All Hotel prices are approximate and may vary with season, availability of rooms, type of rooms, discounts etc)

  Yumthang Valley   


In the lush green pasture of Sikkim, lies this silent valley at an elevation of 3500 meters above sea level. This tranquil place in the lap of Himalaya is house of various species of Rhododendron, primula and other state flowers. River Tista flows past the valley and intensifies its beauty. The best time to visit this valley is March end to May end. In spring, over 24 species Rhododendrons cover different stretches of the valley and paint the entire area red. 

Apart from Rhododendron, another low growing Himalayan flowers are was seen in abundance all over the valley. These tiny but extremely pretty pink/purple flowers are Primula but more popularly known as rose pink drumstick due to their unique shape. Local people say, blossoming of Primula announces the departure of gloomy winter and arrival of jovial, colorful spring. Purple being my most favorite color, these primulas won all my attention over rhododendron. 

I truly wanted to stop the car at each and every point, wherever I spotted Primula.  But our driver stopped at a flat grassy valley in the middle, surrounded by snow capped lush green mountains, a  river flowing through it with the rose pink drumsticks nodding their heads by it. I stood there speechless, pleasing my eyes with that breathtaking view. I strolled through that lovely expanse of greenery, dotted with pink flowers and photographed every possible corner. 

 

There were small trees with blooming white and red Rhododendron shrubs.  

In one corner a happy mushroom family was found, popping their heads up through the grass and saying spring is right around the corner of Himalaya.

The entire valley was in a naive mixture of childhood and blossoming youth. I lost myself in awe. 

As monsoon starts in June, the valley blooms with variety of Himalayan flowers like Cobra-lilies, Himalayan yellow poppies, Lousewarts, Cinqefolis and many others. But as it says, beauty lies in the eye of beholder. All it needs is an eye, searching the details and appreciating the well scattered beauty all over the nature.

Zero point

Moving on from Yumthang valley we did proceed to our next destination, zero point. The actual name of this place is Yumsumdong. As we started climbing up,  we got different set of scenery at different stretch of mountains. Initially, the snow line arrived, the roads were all covered with thin layer of ice. The thick snow coated the alpine trees and the branches, weighing them down.  It seemed like someone has served huge scoops of vanilla ice cream on the leaves and branches, that were slowly melting down in droplets through the edges.The air was filled with a Christmas charm, though it wasn't. 

 

At higher altitude, the air became thinner so did the vegetation. From alpine forest greenery, it changed to light shrubs and then it completely disappeared. The entire valley was full of stones and that made the place extremely rugged and rough. Most probably few years ago, a glacial brought everything down and accumulated these stones over here. The mountains were sky stabbing at the top. The wave of white snow went rumbling down the sides. It is dangerous to halt there for long time as stones can start rolling down at any moment. So try to get the photographs of this postcard perfect landscape as early as possible. The view is no lesser than a paradise. The name 'Switzerland of Sikkim' has been wisely chosen for this place.  

Katao

I spent two days in Lachung. The first day was planned with Yumthang valley and zero point. The next day I went to a spot called Katao, at an altitude of nearly 15000. Katao is 24 Kms away from Lachung. Some tourists say, Katao is a true rival to much sought after Yumthang in Panoramic beauty. But I would personally suggest, if you are not extremely disappointed to miss even a single spot, you can skip Katao and can make necessary cost cutting. There's nothing much to see. A military check post is there. The valley was previously open for the tourists. But these days you can not go beyond the regiment, as they don't give permits to visit the valley for security issues.  However the route from Lachung to Katao is extremely beautiful. The Rhododendrons, Himalayan poppies and primulas and fluttering Buddhist flags will be waiting to greet you on both sides of the road. 

 

Lachen

Where the word Lachung translates 'Small Pass' , the word Lachen means 'Big Pass'. The colorful ranges of Himalaya, blue sky and white snow, absence of any human noise and their loud activities offer this place an inviolable environment. Lachen is much smaller as compared to Lachung.  This town is mainly popular as base to sacred Gurudongmar lake and Chopta valley. It takes near about three hour and so to reach Lachen from Lachung. Once again I am mentioning, the road is badly damaged. So try to book a car, suitable for hilly roads. 

Where to stay


If you have a slight inclination towards luxury hotels, as I do have, then let me tell you there is only one luxury hotel in Lachen, Apple Orchard Resort (Rs. 4500/- per night ).

This is a beautiful property, surrounded by the majestic Himalayan peaks. The wooden rooms are spacious, overlooking the beautiful valley.  Most of the hotels of Lachen have constraints for poor power supply, but they do their best to run the heaters using generator. The staffs are friendly and extremely co-operative. They never say no for any help. Be it warm drinking water 24x7, early morning breakfast,  extra bed, specially cooked food if needed (I was suffering from hill diarrhea on the day, I arrived there. On request they cooked plain rice, smashed potato and vegetable stew for me, though it was not on restaurant's menu). I got amazed by the hospitality, I received from them.  

There are other budget hotels as well 

•  Delight Hotel Royal Lachen (Rs. 3500/- per night )
• Hotel Blue Pine (Rs. 2500/- per night )
• Hotel Snow Retreat (Rs. 2700/- per night )

 (All  Hotel prices are approximate and may vary with season, availability of rooms, type of rooms, discounts etc) 

Gurudongmar Lake

Fortunately, by next morning my health was much better and finally I decided to visit the sacred lake of Gurudongmar. I started at 5.30 in the morning. Vegetable sandwich, fruits and fresh juice were packed in breakfast from hotel restaurant. You have to start the journey for Gurudongmar latest by 6'o clock. Because it takes almost four to five hours to reach there from Lachen. At higher altitude the weather condition begins to worsen as the day progresses. The entire area is controlled by  The Indian army and they won't allow you to stay there in afternoon.  This trip and the probability of reaching the lake is entirely dependent on the weather. So keep your fingers crossed for clear weather.

The car ran through one of the worst roads in entire Sikkim (or on this earth may be). The road is truly in pathetic condition with never ending  potholes, cracks and bumps. I almost got a free body massage (not a relaxing though) with the car jerking. You can stop at Thangu for tea/cofee break or breakfast (if you don't have packed breakfast with you). 

 The army camps are scattered here and there. You have to drive past the Maratha regiment, Madras regiment and Gorkha regiment. The military trucks, jeeps, war tanks and the young and courageous army men marching through the roads would give you goosebumps . Such a hardship they go through to dedicate themselves in the service to the nation.  

The terrain inching towards Gurudongmar is absolutely stunning.  The drive up to the lake is a steep affairs but it leads to astounding scenic beauty with colorful mountain ranges. The meadow looks like flat Tibetan plateau, surrounded by snow capped mountains piercing the white clouds and with very limited vegetation. The roads go through stony moraine like unpaved path. 

 In mid April the lake was all frozen. The blessed water of the lake is believed to possess miraculous power of granting children for the couples who are deprived of offspring. The name Gurudongmar is coined after the name of Buddhist scholar Guru Padmasambhava. He did visit Tibet through this area and blessed this one of the highest lakes in the world. 

Keep in Mind (dos and don'ts)

• Due to high altitude a sudden attack of breathing problem is very common. So tourists are suggested to spend little time over there and come down to Lachen as soon as possible. 
• It is definitely not recommended for the people with permanent asthma/aliment. 
• Unnecessary physical activity (running, jumping, harum- scarum for taking photographs and selfies) by the lake is absolutely a No-No in that area. 
• If possible carry a one litre oxygen cylinder with you. Or else you can have any prescribed anti- altitude sickness medicine before the journey.
• There is an Indian Army primary medical camp for treatment of oxygen deficiency problem. 

After having spent twenty minutes at the lake we started back to Lachen. In  the evening, the sky was overcast with masses of black cloud and it started raining heavily. A silent darkness enveloped not only the entire valley but my heart too. The amazing trip finally came to its end.

While flying back to Kolkata from Bagdogra, the mountains, the waterfalls, the alpine forests, the rhododendrons, the dove white snow, the grey Tibetan plateau, the sacred holy lake, the bumpy roads all were dancing in my eyes. As if they were trying to keep the hope alive. The hope of coming back very soon to explore the other parts of this picturesque state. I was not exhausted any more.

And yes, I missed my lovely little primulas the most. 

My most favorite drumsticks

      & Miles to Go Before I Sleep - Robert Frost

 
Thanks for stopping by. I would be happy if you share your feelings before leaving.