The Home of the Rhododendrons

The Yumthang valley awaited us. This was a very green drive. Not that Gurudongmar or any other drive wasn't green, but this was a very photogenic drive. Green forests, snow-capped mountains, clear blue skies with scattered clouds…. Picture perfect. The road was fantastic, which was a relief after the previous day's roller coaster. Numerous streams crossed the road. We entered the Rhododendron sanctuary. This place is in its full bloom from February to April. Mid May is the fag end of the rhododendron season. But even now, rhododendrons could be seen in a variety of colours and sizes. I am not well informed enough to identify the various species, but it was a colourful sight. We stopped every now and then to take close up photographs of the flowers. The road meandered into a coniferous forest, where it was lined by numerous dhabas. We halted for breakfast here. The rhododendron sanctuary ended here. Some distance down the road, we came to a wide valley along the river Lachung. This was a beautiful sight, somewhat similar to a huge meadow with yaks grazing all around. This is the venue for skiing in the winters. But presently it was devoid of snow. We did not stop here, and headed to Zero Point, in Yumsedong near the China border. That was again at 14000 ft. The terrain was rocky, devoid of vegetation. Gradually, we ascended to above the snow line. We stopped at a bridge over the Lachung river, beyond which civilian vehicles were not allowed. Bengali tourists could be seen frolicking around in slushy snow. Obviously, they had never before seen snow in their lives. We spent some time at Zero Point, then returned to Gangtok the same day. The end of a lovely, but cramped tour.

Zero Point

The Roof of the World

This was the most eagerly awaited trip since I came to Gangtok. Not because it is difficult to visit, but because Gurudongmar lake has a very exotic sounding name, is located in one of the remotest regions in India, and yet it is so easily accessible by road; just hire a cab, dish out a bit of cash, andvoila… in 2 days one is in one of the most pristine environments on earth

So that's what we did during a prolonged weekend- planned a trip to Gurudongmar lake and the Yumthang valley. We booked seats in a shared taxi, along with 8 strangers and a driver. This is what is known as travelling cattle class- 11 people packed into an SUV. A never-again way to travel, but definitely a must-visit place. We proceeded on the Nathula highway, till Tashi view point and then took the North Sikkim highway (NSH) to Chungthang. Initially the road looked promising, but that was deceptive. As the journey progressed, the road condition varied from very good to non existent. This was on account of the work being carried out by Border Roads Organisation (BRO), for the widening of the highway. . The road passed through tiny hamlets and small towns like Phenegla, Phodong, Kabi, Mangan etc. What struck me about the route was the greenery all around. Except for the road, the entire mountainscape was lush green with dense vegetation and colourful flowers. Waterfalls were all over the place, with even running across the road. This was quite a contrast to the western Himalayas, where the hills have been stripped off the green cover. Population was sparse. The NSH ran along the river Teesta. In fact, we were retracing the Teesta almost upto its origin from Tso Lamu lake and Tista khiangte glacier, near Gurudongmar lake (some day I hope to trek there). In about 4 hours, we reached Chungthang, a small, but important town in North Sikkim, located in a valley and the site of a major hydroelectric power project. The rivers Lachung & Lachen meet here to form the Teesta. Thereon, we took the road to Lachen, the last major town before the China border. It was night by this time. The road ran along the river Lachen. We halted for the night in Lachen, at 9000ft. The next morning, we left for Gurudongmar lake. Beyond Lachen, the Indian army had taken over the entire region. It was heavily guarded. We crossed numerous military stations, and bunkers.

Military Bunkers

Soldiers could be seen proceeding for training, with heavy guns, rocket launchers and Schwarzenegger type paraphernalia. This was a high altitude drive. The vegetation and terrain changed rapidly. From the thickly forested slopes, we graduated to alpine vegetation, grassland and finally, desert-like terrain where only few scrubs could be seen. The last halt was at Thangu, at 14000ft. The air was already thin. Herds and herds of yaks could be seen. They were deft climbers, belied by their dimensions and appeared like cows wearing a thick fur jacket. They could be seen lolling around on snow, and bathing in ice cold rivers as if they were on a tropical beach. Now began the last stretch of our journey. Very soon, the terrain became increasingly rocky and devoid of vegetation. Snow smattered peaks appeared everywhere. Suddenly there were no more huge mountains to be seen. We were driving through a vast, barren, undulating landscape dotted with small hillocks.

I realized that we were on the Tibetan plateau. I now knew why its called the roof of the world. The mountains had not disappeared; we were riding on top of them. The road was non existent. One could drive anywhere and everywhere. The only signs of civilization here were the electric poles running right upto the China border. Yaks could be seen at these altitudes as well, grazing on whatever dry grass they could find. The driver informed us that the place hardly received any precipitation.

We then saw a small structure on top of a hillock. We drove towards it. That was the sarv dharm sthal near the Gurudongmar lake. We got out of our vehicles to be greeted by a signboard that read "Gurudongmar lake: 17100ft". Finally, we were there. Just below us was a massive, pristine blue, absolutely still water body, half frozen in the month of May.

The sun was beating down hard and bright. But failed to beat the chill. The sky was a darkest shade of blue. Clouds appeared like huge fluffs of cotton hugging the snowy hillocks around. We moved about slowly. Slightest of exertion left us breathless. The sarv dharm sthal was essentially a sikh religious place; Guru Nanak is said to have visited the place. It was constructed by the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army. We chatted up a soldier on duty there. He showed us the China border that lay just half a km from where we were. He told us that they have to spend an year here, with 3 months leave. It took an army soldier 20 days to reach this region, taking time for acclimatization enroute.

I then descended to the lake taking a steep flight of stairs. Soldiers were taking a dip in the holy waters, some were filling up their canisters as well. Truckloads of soldiers had descended here. I took a short walk around the lake, then went up again. A short climb left me panting and with a throbbing headache. All our copassengers were unwell. It was best to leave now and descend to lower altitudes. So we started the drive back through the spectacular lunar landscape, back through lachen, on towards our next destination, Lachen enroute to the Yumthang valley.

Nathula Pass

The long awaited day was finally here. I made my first foray out of Gangtok, to explore Sikkim. My mom is visiting me, so I we decided to visit Nathula pass today. Nathula is about 55 km away from Gangtok, and can be easily covered in a day. So we hired a taxi from Gangtok and left at around 9 am. It’s a rather late hour to leave for a high altitude area, but the taxi people have to arrange for passes. So its usually that late by the time taxis leave. Scores and scores of taxis with hundreds of tourists left one after the other.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, with bits of clouds hovering around. Nothing really threatening. It promised to be a great day. So we started out. The highway does not have a great reputation. That was evident right from the moment we drove into the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, the highway from Gangtok to Nathula. It was narrow and in tatters. We crossed the 3rd mile police checkpost that led us out into the great Himalayan wilderness. The Himalayan landscape spread out before us in all its splendour. Unlike the western Himalayas, it was well forested and with hardly any civilization, except for military stations along the highway. This was probably necessary, given the security concerns in these parts. The mountainside was lush green. In the distance, the clouds played hide and seek with the hills; sometimes enveloping them, then revealing them. It was as if a magician was performing the disappear/ reappear trick. The highway was in a very bad shape owing to the road widening work being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation. The road was completely washed away in long stretches, replaced by slush and loose rocks. It was treacherous to drive in such conditions. An ordinary car could never survive such conditions. The terrain gradually changed from lush green, subtropical to tundra type, consisting of only shrubs. The mountainscape was extremely rocky and steep as in really, unimaginably steep. We came across innumerable waterfalls on the way. A number of streams ran across the road. It was a miracle that a road actually existed under such conditions. In the distance, the road appeared to cling like a thin thread to the mountainside, as if for dear life. On one side was a sheer drop, and on the other was a steep, rocky mountainside. It was a welcome sign of habitation in an otherwise bleak, inhospitable landscape. One by one the military stations rolled past us. 5th mile, 7th mile, 10th mile, 15th mile, 17th mile and so on. As we gained altitude, it became colder and colder. It became more and more difficult to keep the window open, but I had to in order to take photographs. But I loved the cold wind against my face.

The only town we crossed was Kyongnosla, at 10000 ft. Thereon, the terrain changed drastically to a rocky one. We crossed the snow line. The snow lay in bits and pieces along the road, and the pieces grew bigger as we climbed. The slopes on the nearby hills were covered with dirty snow. Immediately after Kyongnosla, we crossed Tsomgo lake at 12000ft. This was one of the tourists spots that we were to cover on the way back. It was a huge glacial lake with crystal clear water. Numerous yaks lazed by the banks. These were decorated and meant for yak rides. We gradually reached almost the same height as the nearby peaks, a sign that Nathula was nearby. 6 km before Nathula, was a town called Sherathang. This was a cross border trading town. Merchants from China crossed the Nathula for cross border trade. Today, the town appeared to be shut. Thereon, I craned my neck to catch any signs of Nathula.

Nathula

Finally, a bright red coloured building drew into sight. Our taxi stopped near a stairway that passed through a gate leading to the red building. We had reached Nathula. We climbed the stairs to reach the red coloured building. The red building was our border post. Right behind the red building was an equally impressive Chinese border post. A barbed wire separated the 2 buildings. We could walk right upto the barbed wire. Across the wire lay China. 3 chinese soldiers guarded their post. The Indian army soldiers kept a strict watch on the teaming crowds, warning everyone to stay away from the wire. The entire place was covered by a thick layer of snow. One slip here and we would fall inside Chinese territory. On one side of the building was the border gate opening into Tibet. The gate was shut, and deserted. Unlike our side of the border, the Chinese side was quiet and deserted. No tourists there. At other places, a huge wall separated Chinese territory from India. A lot of photographs jostling with the teeming Bengali hordes later, we left Nathula.

China

Baba Mandir

The next destination was Baba Mandir. Baba Harbhajan Singh, an Indian army soldier lost his life while leading a mule column in these parts in the 1960s by drowning in a nullah. He was 22. Legend has it that baba effected a few miracles that saved lives of many army personnel immediately following his death. He appeared in the dreams of one of his colleagues and demanded that a Samadhi be constructed for him. These instructions were followed and a mandir named after baba was constructed. Baba is said to be the guardian angel of the Nathula pass, and would warn Indian troops 3 days before a Chinese invasion. Baba mandir lay in a picturesque, grassy valley close to a military helipad. The mandir was small and crudely built. It had a garlanded photograph of baba and his office and personal effects. Baba is considered to be on duty and is treated as a serving army soldier. It began snowing here. The driver said that we have to depart immediately. So we rushed back. The snow and sleet got heavier and heavier. It was beating down hard on the vehicle. The road became even more slushy. But the driver drove confidently. The surrounding peaks had been devoured by the clouds. It was scary to look out of the window- the slushy road, a steep valley and an imposing, rocky mountainside. We hurried down.

Tsomgo Lake

We had a brief stopover at Tsomgo lake. The yaks still lazed around, undaunted by the snow and sleet. One of them was half buried in snow, but lay as if it were basking in the warm sunshine. The owners implored us for a yak ride. But we were too wet and cold to bother about yak rides. We hurried inside the jeep and rushed back. The snow, sleet and rain beat down as hard as ever. Finally, we stopped at Kyongnosla for lunch. It was past 3 pm. Me and my mom shared a packet of maggi. We wanted to rush back into the car and back home. The rain had mercifully stopped. But we were wet and cold. As we descended, it grew warmer and dryer. We discovered that it had not rained at all in Gangtok. It was so much better to be back in Gangtok.

This trip was true value for money. Whenever I have a holiday and nothing much to do, I know where to head- again and again and again.