Sikkim Tales - June 2018



Get, set, go!

Life only gets busier as time passes. One of the issues with a working couple is the fact that vacations have to be planned well in advance to align leaves. With Aashi moving into 1st standard now, we now also have to factor her vacations too. July is a bad time to get married. It cuts down your travel options for anniversary celebration in India, as most of the country is under monsoon spell. From this year we decided to go on our anniversary vacation a little earlier, so that we have more travel options. Strangely, this time there was very little objection from better half, when I proposed Sikkim for anniversary destination. I think she has started adjusting to the vagaries of her profession or my persistence. Irrespective, I am glad that it is finally working out.

After bidding farewell to Pandyas, we barely had any sleep at night as we had to catch an early morning flight to Bagdogra via Bangalore. We were already tired at the start of the trip and the coming 9 days were going to be action packed.

The trip was planned through one of my good friends'(Nitesh's) acquaintance, Souvik. So, I was a little relaxed on the logistics to start with. The names of the air hostess in Bangalore-Bagdogra flight were from a comedy script - Lily, Julie, Sweety and Shabnam. One of the pilots was a Sikh and he made it funnier by calling out Sweety in a typical Punjabi style - Sweettiee. We reached Bagdogra on time and our driver Pemba Tamang was there at the airport to pick us up. To our surprise, Pemba spoke decent Hindi. Souvik told us to stop at Ladoo Gopal in Siliguri for snacks. Turned out to be a great place. We were delayed a bit due to traffic at Melli. We finally reached Gangtok at around 10:15 pm. On the way, we got first of the many jolts from Souvik. Apparently, he could not arrange the permits for Nathula and said that it would have to be arranged in black for which another 6k would be required. He would foot 2k and wanted me to pay the remaining 4k. Before departing from Pune , he had assured me that there would be absolutely no hassle in arranging any permit. In a matter of 2 days, his stance had changed completely. I spoke to Vinita  Bhabhi through whom I got Anshuman's number. Anshuman is Bhabhi's cousin. He is a Major in Indian Army and I know him from his NDA days. I thought of trying my luck. First few calls went unanswered, so I left him a message. He finally called back late last night and assured me that the permits would be arranged free of cost through his recommendation. He gave me contact of his NDA batchmate, Major Sudarshan who was posted in Gangtok. Major Sudarshan requested for our Aadhar cards and driver's details. I messaged him everything and he just asked me to call him at 8:45 am the following day for the permit. Sensing that we may be late in reaching the hotel, I had ordered dinner in the evening. The cook at the hotel turned out to be good and we just crashed on the bed post dinner. 

Day -1
The plan for the next day was to call Major Sudarshan,  collect the permit and then set off for sight seeing. Major Sudarshan requested for a copy of Pemba's DL and insurance. Just when we thought that things were getting back on track, we got a series of jolts. Pemba didn't have a copy of his documents. He did a traffic violation in the morning and his papers were confiscated. I had to give the driver's documents or else I was not going to get Nathula permit.

To make matters worse,  his vehicle had a "J" permit. Our hotel was at a place, where "J" permit vehicles are allowed at specific times only. Souvik had assured me many times that a "Z" permit vehicle would be arranged. Z permit vehicles have unrestricted entry at all places, but the taxes are very high.

Pemba asked us to take a local taxi and come to Vajra stand as he could not enter our hotel's area after 8 am. I called up Souvik to vent my frustration. My immediate need was the driver's documents. Souvik sent the required documents through whatsapp.



Major Sudarshan had appointed one of his guys - Gause Khan for coordinating with me for the permit. Unfortunately, Gause Khan didn't have a smartphone and easy access to printer. So, he requested me to get hard copy. I first thought of asking Pemba to go and hand over the documents to Gause Khan. Looking at the turn of events since morning, I decided to go with him. We took a local cab from M.G road to Ganju Lama Dwar to hand over the documents. I requested Gause Khan to hand over the permit to Pemba.



The next task was to get back Pemba's original documents, as those might be asked for at check posts. He didn't have enough cash with him. I gave him 500 rupees to pay the challan. With the challan paid, the receipt had to be submitted at some other place to get the original documents. As it was already 1 pm by this time, we decided to collect the documents along with Nathula permit in the evening. Pemba assured me that we would take care of both without me.

All this while, Aashi and Ankita waited in parking lot of Vajra stand. We had lost half of the day and it certainly was not the start that we had expected.

Seven Sisters waterfalls

The first point that we visited the Seven Sisters waterfall. It was a decent size waterfall by our standards. Little did we know that we will see really very huge waterfall in the coming days. We were more relieved than excited, that our outing has finally begun. 



Tashi View Point



Next in line was the Tashi View point. Papa later told me that "Tashi" in local language means Kanchenjunga. One can see a good view of the Gangtok city from this place, but Kanchenjunga was no where to be seen. We had to bribe Aashi with 'bubble' tube as we had to cover few more points.



Hanuman Tok



When we reached Ganesh Tok, it was very crowded. So we decided to head to Hanuman Tok and see Ganesh Tok while returning. Both are good temples,  especially Hanuman Tok. One can see some very good view of the valley.

Our last point of the day was the Flower Exhibition Center. Sikkim is famous for rhodendrums and butterflies. There were myriads of beautiful flowers at display in the exhibition center.

Beautiful Rhodendrums

Aashi wanted to click a photo everytime I clicked one from my SLR. It is nice to see her develop some basic photography sense. Because of the continuous rain and treacherous travel conditions, I had to put away the SLR for most part of the trip. My relatively new mobile One Plus really lived to it's expectations. Possibly the Flower Exhibition was the last place where I  used the SLR in the trip. Again because of the "J" permit vehicle, Pemba could not drop us right till the hotel. So, he arranged a hotel drop. I reminded him to collect his documents and Nathula permit which we would need the following morning.

Day-2


The highlight of the day was Nathula which was dependent on the permit. I reminded both Gause Khan and Pemba at 6:30 am to coordinate at the tourism office at M.G road. Thankfully, permit was arranged on time without any surprises. Pemba was there at Powring with a local cab to pick us up. Just day earlier, Pemba had shown us the check post where Nathula permit is checked. We could instantly recognize that. Hanuman Tok is about 2 kms from this point in the other direction. This time we were going past the check post. On way to Nathula are two other scenic spots - Changu (also called Tsongo) lake and Baba Mandir. Changu Lake completely freezes during  winter.

Tsongmo (Changu) Lake 

 

Baba Mandir is built in remembrance of a brave Indian soldier called Harbhajan Singh, who single-handedly fought 300 Chinese soldiers. The Chinese were finally able to get hold of the guy who was providing him food supply and were thus able to corner him. As a mark of respect, the Chinese returned his bust to India. It is widely believed that the revered Baba Harbhajan warns Indian soldiers whenever there is any movement on Chinese side. Interestingly, the pujari in the temple is an Indian soldier in uniform.

Baba Mandir

Nathula Pass

Nathula is at a height of 14000 ft. The area is maintained by army and photography is strictly prohibited in certain areas. We stopped at a shop near Changu Lake for tea and snacks. We also rented the gum boots from the same place. The road leading to Nathula is very scenic. I loved stretching my neck and hands out of the window to feel the air. It was exhilarating. We crossed a bridge on the way which had many buddhist flags around. The flags are considered very pious as they have prayers written on them. They are hung at a height as it is believed that the prayers are carried by the winds. If the flag fades with time, it is considered auspicious, as it means that the prayers have been carried and have been answered. The place was very beautiful. In the interest of time, we decided to stop at this place while returning. We finally stopped at a vantage point from where one can almost see the entire Changu lake. We then proceeded further and finally reached Nathula at around 11 am.

As it was a clear day, we had ample time with us. We went right till the international border which is just a barbed wire which was put after the 1967 war. Few Chinese soldiers were just at 2 meters from us, patrolling on other side of the wire. Our Indian soldiers were explaining about various trade meets that happen all through the year. There are 8 such meets that happen - 5 times on Indian side and 3 times on Chinese side. It was quite an experience to interact with our soldiers. Aashi loved sliding down the snow with me. While coming back from Nathula, we stopped on the scenic bridge. It was very cold and foggy now, so we just clicked few snaps and moved on. Very close to Changu Lake is another small lake called Manju Lake. We decided to have some refreshment in the same shop from where we rented the gum boots. Just before reaching the shop, I experienced some motion sickness and vomited. Bread Omlette is probably the best food for mountainous terrain. It is tasty, can be quickly made and is very filling. I had only few bites as I was still not well completely. Souvik was trying to call, but I was in no mood to talk. Pemba dropped us at a point from where he could go no further. He negotiated a cab for our hotel drop. After reaching the hotel, I just crashed on the bed.

Day -3
The next day was predominently for travelling to Lachen. Lachen is about 110 kms north of Gangtok. Because of the tough terrain, it takes almost 4.5 hrs if one goes uninterrupted. 

Scenic drive to Lachen

Considering that one would obviously take some breaks, it takes around 5.5-6 hrs. As we had to head to Gurodongmer lake early morning on the following day, we wanted sufficient time to sleep as well. So, the plan was to start early at around 9 am. After a good outing the previous day, we were looking forward to going to Lachen. Souvik called in the morning to inform that Pemba wont be travelling due to some permit issues with his vehicle, but there would be another driver who would take us in Xylo itself. I was fine, but I was a bit off with his management and last minute changes. Pemba picked us from Powring guest house in a small cab and brought us to Vajra, where he introduced us to the new driver - Lokendra. The first thing which I asked the new driver was his age. He was all of 21 and I was a bit sceptical about his driving skills. He assured me that he has been driving for last 6 years and has made many trips to North Sikkim, the most recent one being 3 days back. It was already 11 by now and we were waiting to start from Vajra stand in the new vehicle. I asked Lokendra to ensure that he has all the papers required for travel. It took another hour for him to arrange and we finally hit the road at noon. We were still hopeful of reaching Lachen by 6 pm.
Lokendra was a very talkative fellow. He told us many interesting things about the people, the local markets, houses of famous celebrities like Danny Denzongpa and Baichung Bhutia etc. Talking about Bhutias, they are actually immigrants from Bhutan who have settled in Sikkim. Likewise, Chettris are immigrants from Nepal. Powring's owner Khushboo was also a Chettri. The indigeneos people of Sikkim are called the Lepchas. We passed by Danny Denzongpa and Baichung Bhutia's bunglows in the outskirts of Gangtok. Being a small state, Sikkim has 4 districts - North, South, East and West. We were now going from East Sikkim to North Sikkim. Towards the end of our trip, we were to stay for a day in Namchi, which is in South Sikkim. East Sikkim is something which we could not cover. So, we were covering 3 out of 4 districts of Sikkim. Souvik, our "official" tour operator was based in Pelling, which is in East Sikkim. Apparently, one can see the best view of Kanchenjunga from Pelling. All of a sudden, I felt I know quite a lot about Sikkim.

Butterfly Falls

Our first stop of the day was a small waterfall called Butterfly waterfall. I say small now, because we saw many daddy waterfalls later. It was getting a little crowded as most people who were going to Lachen were stopping at this point. So, we clicked some snaps, sipped tea and moved on. We crossed Dikchu. The name sounded familiar. Papa was posted close to this place almost 4 decades back. We stopped on a big bridge immediately after Dikchu. There were only 3 things that the eye could see - Teesta river, mountains and the blue sky. We stopped at Mangan for lunch. It was almost 2:30 and we were feeling hungry. Mangan is the local market for North Sikkim, just like Melli is for East, Namchi is for South and Pelling is for West. Most raw materials to areas like Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang goes from Mangan. After a light meal, we were back on serpentine roads again.

The majestic Naga Falls

The next stop was the majestic Naga falls. It was a towering fall and tourists had really flocked the place. Not many people prefer to go to North Sikkim becasue of the harsh terrain and lack of amenities, so it was refreshing to see some people around. Aashi wanted to out her feet inside the water. Though it was a little cold, we let he do it. We spent around 20 mins, clicked few snaps and moved on. We reached a place called Chungthang at around 5:00 pm. From Chungthang, one road goes to Lachen, whereas the other goes to Lachung. Today we were heading to Lachen, but would come back to this place again when we go to Lachung a day later. There is a beautiful Gurudwara at Chungthang. Immediately after cross Chungthang, there is a vast stretch of land, where the Teesta river flows very gently. The depth of water would be 3-4 feet at max. It was a perfect picnic spot and we were itching to get down there. As we were already late, we decide to stop here on our way to Lachung. As Lachen is very remote, mobile network connectivity is almost non-existent. I was trying to call the number that Souvik had shared for hotel Florate, but it wasnt going through. After inquiring the locals, we finally reached the hotel at around 8 pm, where an unpleasant surprise greeted us. 

We were informed that there hotel is completely occupied. Actually, there were two sites for this hotel, and this particular site where we had reached was completely occupied. The other site was completely empty, however there were no support staff at the other site. All 3 support staff were absconding. So, the guy at the reception requested us to have dinner and then move to the other site where there were no support staff. I had shortlisted this hotel after looking at the photos of many hotels that Souvik had shared a month back. All that planning meant nothing now. I called up Souvik and gave him a piece of my mind. He assured me that he would arrange another hotel. It was pitch dark and we had to leave for Gurudonger early morning or else we would be late in reaching Lachung. I had told Souvik that we should stay overnight in Lachen even on the following day as travelling from Gurodongmer to Lachen will take additional 2 hours. He had assured me that there is a short cut from Gurudonger to Lachung which doesnt show up on google. My initial guess was right. Apprarently, the only road to Lachung from Gurodongmer is via Lachen / Chungthang. Both Lokendra and Pemba confirmed this. I now doubted if Souvik had ever been to Gurudongmer himself! My immediate worry was the hotel to stay overnight. We just wanted some basic food and a place to crash. Souvik arranged something in hotel view point, where we were the only guests that day. There were many flies in the room too and one adult as cook and a kid as an attendant. I think the adult was playing the dual role of manager as well as the cook. Considering the situation, I decided to take it, but not before I vented out my frustration on Souvik.

Day -4

Sunrise @ 4:45 am from Lachen hotel

The plan was to just get up early morning, have tea and then leave for Gurudongmer. No one one dared to touch water as it was very cold. The sunrise view from the View Point hotel cheered us up. What an amazing sight it was at 4:45 am! The snow clad peak started glittering like gold, as the sun shone over it. Back in layered clothing again, we set off for Gurudongmer at 5 am. As it was too early to eat anything, the caretaker at Hotel View Point had packed some bread butter for us. Aashi was half asleep. She had been very cooperative all this while. We let her sleep as we enjoyed the natural beauty. 

First pit stop for tea at 13000 ft

At around 7 am, we stopped at a place for some refreshment. The altitude was around 13000 feet and one could feel that breathing was a little difficult. I had an urge to answer nature's call and it was quite a chilling experience doing so at 13000 feet. Sipping hot tea and looking around was very mesmerizing.

Cautious of time, we decided to move on. Noticing that we were very underloaded for a Xylo, two locals requested us for lift. I oblidged. They owned medicinal planatation slighly ahead and wanted to go to the plantation area. We had some interesting converation with them on the way. They showed us the point from where one can take a detour for Kala Pathar. We decided to go there on our way back. 

Wall paper - Isnt it? 

Meanwhile the landscape was changing every 10 minutes - from green mountains, to snow clad peaks, to completely rocky mountains. It was an incredible sight to behold and absorb. It was as if one is looking at a windows wallpaper.

The next check-post was an army check-post at around 15000 feet. Now it was Aashi's turn to answer nature's call. The restrooms were not clean as one can expect. I requested one of the army officials if there was a cleaner place and he took us to a cleaner restroom. Aashi was getting a little cranky and I had to carry her along with my bag-pack for sometime. In about 25-30 steps, I became breathless. Realizing that even a little exertion can trigger AMS, I decided to put the bag down. As a precautionary measure, we were popping popcorn and smelling camphor to ensure that AMS doesnt get the better of us. The locals were regular in this route and had their connects with the army officials. They requested that our vehicle be passed through first. We skipped the queue of vehicles ahead of us and thus would have saved around 30 mins.
We were relieved to learn that Gurodongmer was just about 20 minutes further. From this point on, the terrain was completely barren. 

Road to nowhere!

I never thought that even barren land can be so beautiful! It was a like a road to nowhere. There was no destination in sight. Only brown and blue dominated whatever the eyes could see. We then started seeing some colourful flags, which signelled that we are close to our destination. And finally, we reached the much awaited destination! There would have been hardly 80-100 people. Gurudongmer lake is at almost 18000 feet. Oxygen level at this place is less. So, it is advisable to leave the place in under an hour or else one can develop AMS symptoms. Aashi was not feeling well, so she didnt venture out of the vehicle.

The serene Gurudongmer lake

We went around the serene lake soaking the natural beauty of the place. The color of the water wasn't deep blue as we had seen on the internet. Possibly it changes with time and weather. I had not seen anything like this before! The lake is considered very pious by Buddhists. A very revered Buddhist called Guru Rinpoche had visited Tibet on the request of the then Tibetian emperor. While returning back, he had visited Gurudongmer lake in Sikkim and recognized this place as a sacred place of worship. The local didnt have a source for drinking water as this lake was always frozen. Guru Rinpoche touched a part of the lake which miraculously stopped freezing year after year, thereby providing drinking water to the locals. It is also believed that by offering prayers at this lake, one is blessed with a child. 

Different shades of green

Changing landscape

We would have spent around an hour at the lake, after which we decided to head back. It was about 11 am and we had to go all the way back to Lachung. We had to briefly stop at Lachen hotel for lunch. We would have hardly decended a few kms from the beautiful lake, when I started feeling nauseating. What followed was the second round of vomiting for me for the trip. Thankfully it was the last one too. We intended to visit Kala pathar on the way back, but decided to skip as Aashi and I were not feeling well and we had a long journey ahead of us. The stunning landscapes started reappearing. It was like watching the same movie back to back on a single day. No words or photos can describe the beauty of this place. For its not just what meets the eye. Its also listening to nature's music - birds chirping, rivers flowing, leaves fluttering and on some occasion an eerie silence. It has to be experienced and felt.

We finally reached hotel View Point at around 1:30 pm. We were profusely exhausted, so we requested the manager if we can take rest for 30 mins after lunch and then move on. We took a 30 minutes power nap and then started on our way to Lachung. 

We had decided to stop at one scenic place. Teesta river was very shallow at this point and one can easily venture into the waters. Aashi wanted to put her feet into the water. While Lokendra cleaned his vehicle, we sat in the rocks and admired the surrounding natural beauty. 

By the side of the river
I have some of my happiest moments ever, 
The trees, the mountains and streams
Seem to grip my heart from within.

By the side of the river
I am sometimes lost for ever, 
In a whole new world of mine
But for a very short time.

The water was so clear, that one can drink it directly. As the water comes directly from the mountains, there isnt a lot of mud either. So, there is no real need to remove the sediments. We finally moved on and reached Lachung hotel at around 6:00 pm.


Lachung is also a small place, but bigger and better than Lachen. We had bit of a problem in locating our hotel, but we finally got there. Hotel Park Palace at Lachung was comparatively much better than View Point. The food was to our palate's liking too. Finally, it was appearing that Souvik had got something right. Though it was at a strategic place, we didn't have much of a view from our hotel room. However, as soon as we come out of the room, the place was surrounded by huge mountains. It was an amazing sight. Teesta river was so close that one can listen the sound of flowing waters from the hotel.

View from Lachung hotel

Day -5

The following day was for Lachung sightseeing. The plan was to cover Yumthang valley, Zero point and Hot springs. Lokendra told us that people usually go to Zero Point to play in snow. He had taken few tourists to Zero Point a couple of days back and there was very less snow at that time. We had seen a good amount of snow in Nathula, so we decided to skip Zero Point. We decided to start a little late, as we had ample of time at hand. After we were ready, Lokendra's vehicle had some ignition problem. By now, we had kind of resigned to the fact that something will go wrong every day. Thankfully, he was able to get his vehicle repaired soon and we were able to start for Yumthang at 10:00 am. 

Drive to Yumthang valley

The drive to Yumthang was very beautiful. The roads were much better as compared to the one to Gurudongmer. The roads were flanked with red, purple, yellow and white rhododendrons. We were in no hurry, so we clicked a lot of photographs along the way. Lokendra told us that the flowering season was receding and the place is actually even more beautiful during April - May. 

Yumthang valley

When we reached Yumthang valley, it started to rain heavily. We took shelter in Shop No: 40 and as we had nothing to do, we decided to have some maggie. The shopkeepers spoke good Hindi, something that we had not expected. Once the rain subsided, we ventured to the valley. It is a vast expanse of land, surrounded by huge mountains on all sides, with Teesta river flowing in between. Even the mountains exhibited different forms - on one side, it snow clad, on another side it was completely green and on yet another side it was completely rocky without snow. It was a sight to cherish and soak! 

Some people were doing Yak ride and zorbing in the valley. When asked if she wanted to do a Yak ride, Aashi said a vehement "No". It started drizzling again and so we decided to head back to the parking lot. We had planned to see the the Hot springs on the way back. 

The road to the Hot Springs wasn't motorable and one has to walk for a kilometer or so to get there. As it was still raining, we decided to skip the hot springs. The hot springs are rich in sulphur and have very curative properties. It was interesting to learn that Lokendra's childhood skin problems were cured through hot springs. We finally reached the hotel at 3 PM. We were slightly past the scheduled lunch hours, but lunch was arranged for us. It was our fifth day in Sikkim and we had not yet tasted momos. After inquiring, I found out that there was a nearby shop which made good momos. I thought it would be readily available, but even there one had to order there about 1.5 hrs in advance. Finally, we tasted mouth watering momos in the evening.

Day -6
We were finally approaching the end of our trip. The very thought of joining back work after such a nice vacation made Ankita shudder. Most of this day was to be spent in travelling back to Gangtok. 

Magnificent Bhewma falls - 275 mts!

On our way back, we stopped at the majestic Bhewma waterwall, which stands a towering 275 meters. No wonder it also called Amitabh Bachchan falls! We were the only folks around, when we reached this place. I had to really stretch my neck backwards to get a good video of the falls. We moved on, but were slowed down at a place where there was a small landslide. I stepped out to click some photos of the treacherous road. After Chungthang the route was familiar as we had been on this route 2 days back. We passed by Dikchu bazaar, Naga falls, Butterfly falls and finally reached Gangtok at around 3 PM. Lokendra dropped us at Vajra stand and arranged a cab for Powring hotel drop. The young lad really entertained us with his interesting talks. Though he looks very boyish, for his age, he is very mature in his thoughts. I thanked him for his services and tipped him before we bid good bye.

The road that one would not want to get on again

Back in Powring felt a little like home coming. The staff was excited to see us. We freshened up at the hotel. Though there was a slight drizzle, we decided to stroll down to M.G Marg to check out the local market and try local food. We had momos and thukpa at a small roadside restaurant in M.G road. The area lit up beautifully and came alive after sun set. We bought some souveniors from gift shops and walked back to hotel. It was uphill on way back. I tried to coax Aashi to walk another 20 meters a couple of times. Finally I had to carry her in the last leg. The next day was going to be our last day of a wonderful or should I say an eventful trip. It was actually both! Souvik assured me that Pemba will be at out hotel to pick us at 7:30 am.

Day -7
Souvik's call woke me up early morning. He said that he had messaged the details of the pending amount, which I had obviously not checked as I was asleep until then. I told him that I will check and get back. I was a bit shocked to read his message. His bill was 62K, which was supposed to the higher limit with all the goodies that he had promised. Even on this amount he had assured me a discount of 2-3K. While some of his lapses were understandable, I was definitely not able to get Nathula and the Lachen hotel fiasco get out of my head. I responded back to him that he should redo all the calculations considering all the lapses that had happened in the trip. What followed was an unpleasant discussion. He agreed to reduce only 2K, which according to me was not enough. Amidst all this negotiation, I had almost forgotten that we had one more day of sight seeing left. I told him that we can continue the discussion, while I am on my way to Namchi. I told him that had it been someone else, I would have just not given any money and moved on. He retorted that if he doesnt send the driver now, I would struggle to do the rest of the trip. That was the tipping point! I had a feeling that he would intentionally ask the driver to report late. Which is what actually happened! Pemba became unreachable. Souvik kept telling me that he is trying to reach his driver, but his phone is not reachable. I told him that his phone is ringing some times. 

In parallel, I asked Paresh (manager at Powring) if he can arrange a vehicle for Namchi sightseeing and Bagdogra drop. He said that he will check and revert. Meanwhile, Pemba continued to be unreachable and Souvik kept frustrating me with his "I am trying my  best" remarks. Paresh finally got back saying that he can arrange a small vehicle which should be good enough for us, but it would be at a premium. The rate was 9k. Given the situation, I was in, I though it should be ok. I double checked with Paresh if the driver is indeed reliable and would turn up. Honestly, at this time I could bank on anyone apart from Souvik. Fortunately, the driver was Paresh's cousin. That made me feel a little comfortable. I asked Souvik one final time and told him in clear terms that if he cant do anything, I will manage something on my own. I finally told him that I am arranging my own vehicle. And as expected, Pemba turned up at that very moment. I gave him a piece of my mind and asked him to leave. That was the last time I spoke to Souvik. He tried to get in touch with me on the next day, but I didnt respond.

Julian was our third driver of the trip after Pemba and Lokendra. He was almost my age and a very good driver. We started from Gangtok at around 10:30 am in Maruti Alto K10. I initially thought that we would be constraint for space, but that was not the case. Julian assured us that we would be able to cover everything as per our plan. 

Temi Tea Garden

Today we were heading to Namchi in South Sikkim district. Our first stop was Temi Tea garden. When we reached here, it started to rain a bit. We took some good panaromic snaps at the tea garden. As it was raining, we decided to wait for some time by sipping tea made from Temi leaves. As we were running a bit late, I called up the hotel manager at Dungamali resort to inform that we would check in only in the evening. 

Buddha Park

Our next stop was the magnificent Buddha Park at Namchi. The sight of a calm golden Buddha statue, partially hidden by clouds, amidst verdant surrounding was a treat to the eyes. We spent considerable time inside the park, reading about the life of Buddha. It took me back to my school days. I recalled the history class in which Chakraborty mam taught us Buddha's teachings. The clouds had dispersed when we were winding up from the park. The park looked greener and the Buddha statue glittered like gold. 

Namchi ropeway

Our next stop was Namchi ropeway, which usually closes at 5 PM, as per information available on the internet. Julian told us that during peak season, the authorities usually operate for slightly longer time. We reached Namchi ropeway few minutes before 5. I saw a few cable cars go over us. So, I rushed to the ticket counter. Luckily we got the tickets. The ropeway ride was for almost 20 mins. It was a bit cloudy, so at some places, visibility was less, but we saw some beautiful views from there. It was almost like seeing the valley from a drone camera! 

Char dhaam

It was beginning to get a little dark and we had one more spot to cover. Luckily, the Char Dham was open until 7 PM. The security asked us to hurry up as we had just about 30 minutes. Char Dham is a replica of all famous Hindu pilgrimage spots in India - The char dhams (Badrinath, Rameswaram, Somnath and Puri) and the 12 jyotirlings. We had seen some originals - Dwarka, Somnath and Nageshwar temples and could quickly identify those. At the center of the char dham is the towering Shiva statue, which looked even more beautiful after the evening lights were switched on. We finally reached Dungmali resort late evening. It was a very basic hotel. We had to walk to the restraunt amidst dim light and heavy rain. While we were having dinner, we heard someone sing. The restaurant had a Karaoke in the bar and one of the attendants was singing alone. We asked him if we could join. After some proding, Ankita agreed to sing. She sang two beautiful songs - "Gazab ka yeh din" and "Pehla Nasha". The hotel owner, Minu Rai advised us to start early, as the area is prone to landslide during rainy season. 

We woke up with the sounds of very heavy rain, possibly even before out alarms went off. The plan was just to start as early as possible, so that we reach Bagdogra airport on time. When we started, the rains had almost stopped, but the visibility was pretty bad. On the way, we saw a group of small kids on their way to school in such an inclement weather without any umbrella or any adult. Life in this part of India is pretty tough!

We stopped at Ladoo Gopal again, this time for lunch. On our way back, we kept recounting our various facets of our sojourn. Our first trip to the North East and what a trip it was ! The state has so much to offer - The majestic Naga and Bhewma falls, the lofty peaks at Nathula, the serene Gurudongmer at Lachen, the turbulent and pervasive Teesta river, to the picturesque Yumthang in Lachung. Above all, its a place where people really live in harmony with nature. So much to see and learn!

Rajasthan - 2017

Rajasthan sojourn

Monsoon hits most parts of the country by July, which makes it a bit difficult to plan a trip at this time of the year. After deliberating for quite a while, we decided to go to Rajasthan. My first choice, Ladhak was left for some other day. Rajasthan is split into two by the Aravalis. The part south of Aravalis is green and fertile whereas the deserts are to the north. We decided to cover the southern part - Jaipur, Udaipur and Mount Abu.

Jaipur

On 1-Jul, we took a late night flight from Pune to Jaipur and checked in at hotel Vesta Maurya at around 11 AM, the following morning. There are some exquisite paintings in the entrance lobby of Vesta Maurya. After taking much needed rest, we had  lunch at a nearby restaurant called Niros. The food in Niros didn't live up to its expectation. With our stomachs filled, we decided to stroll down to a nearby park called Ram Nivas. Five mins into the park, we were stranded under heavy rains without any umbrella or raincoat. Aashi, being very susceptible to cold, and this being just the start of trip, we were a bit overcautious and took an eco friendly rickshaw ride back to Vesta. After rain subsided, we ventured out again in the evening. This time for a religious outing, with an umbrella and raincoat. As expected, we didn't need it much though. We first visited a 5 headed Hanuman temple. Adjacent to this temple was the Mooti Dongri Ganesh temple. It's a famous Ganesh temple, frequently visited by Rajmata Gayatri Devi. After that we went to Birla temple, which looked even more splendid at night. Tired, we took a rickshaw back to the hotel. The rickshaw wala had very good knowledge of Jaipur city and its history. Impressed with him, we decided to hire him for the following 2 days. Suraj Mahal is a restaurant at stone throw distance from Vesta. Relished mouth watering Rajasthani Thali at Suraj Mahal before retiring to bed.

Started second day with a sumptuous breakfast at Vesta. Had pretty much everything that the breakfast menu offered. A day earlier, we had chalked out a detailed plan for places to visit. Our driver and guide for the day - Mr Birju Chowdhury was slightly late to report. He however made that up with the places that he took us to later in the day. 

We first went to the famous Hawa Mahal. It's a 5 story building built by Lal Chand right in the  heart of old Jaipur city. There are 953 windows through which cool breeze flows through. Hence the name Hawa Mahal. The Mahal was used by royal ladies to watch processions that went through the old city. Almost all buildings in old Jaipur are in pink colour, hence the name Pink City. The only exceptions are the royal buildings like City Palace, Jantar Mantar etc which is in yellow colour. There is a road calld Mirza Ismail (M.I) road that runs across old Jaipur city. All major roads in Jaipur are connected to MI road. The architect of this road didnt take any remuneration from the king and only requested the road to be named after him. Raj Mandir, a famous cinema hall is there on MI road. 

Jaipur is named after a great Rajput king called Sawai Jai Singh - II. He became king at the age of 11 but was very intelligent and built many monuments across the city. The city has been built on principles of Vastu Shastra. There are 9 blocks which took almost 4 years to build. Jai Singh knew 17 different languages and had a penchant for astrology and architecture. 

One famous monument built by this great king is the Jantar Mantar, which houses many astronomical instruments. There are 5 Jantar Mantars across the country, but the one in Jaipur is the most famous. The sun dial (clock which tells time on the basis of Sun's position) here has a precision of 2 seconds! The guide at Jantar Mantar was worth his fees and explained every instrument in detail. Jantar Mantar is a UNESCO world heritage site. 

Next we went to City Palace. The current royal family stays in one part of city palace, while the other part has been converted into a museum. We took the tickets for the museum and mostly saw old armoury and clothes of the kings and queens. The place where the king used to hold the darbar is also open to the public, however photography is not allowed. It has exquisite paintings on the walls and glittering chandeliers. The museum also has two 5-feet high silver kalash, For religious reasons, the Maharaja used to carry Ganga jal in this kalash when he went to England. Birju then took us to a nearby veg restaurant, where we had lunch.

Post that, we went to Kallu Chacha's shop, a very renowned and old footwear shop in Jaipur. The footwear made here is all hand crafted and can be folded and kept in the pocket! After learning that we have come from Pune, the shopkeeper told us that Nitin Gadkari had visited this shop few years back and bought footwear worth 50,000 rupees . We ended up buying 4 pairs for 2000! Kallu Chacha's another claim to fame is that he died at the ripe age of 138. His son is now 110 years old. 

After Kallu Chacha's shop, we embarked on the famous Amir fort, which is about 15 kms from the old Jaipur city. We passed by Rani ki Chatri (final resting place of all queens). Another important palace on way to Amir, was the Jal Mahal. It is a palace made right in the middle of Man Sagar. One can only marvel at the engineering prowess of the people who made this 100s of years back. The king used this place as his summer palace.

Before Jaipur, Amir was the capital of Kachwaha Rajput until 1727. The guide at Amir was worth the money. Explained the various parts of the fort in detail - Shila Devi temple at the entrance and the associated history, Parade ground, Diwane Aam and Khas, Sheesh Mahal, natural geyser, bhul bhulaeya leading to the rooms of the queens etc.

The guide also took some creative snaps at the Sheesh Mahal. The Sheesh Mahal was made from glasses and mirrors imported from Belgium. Interestingly, the queens were not allowed to speak to each other and the King had a secret passage to the room of every queen in Amir fort. The only time queens could be together or speak to each other was in the presence of king. There is a dedicated place in Amir, where the king used to watch live performances along with the queens. Amir is connected with Jaigarh fort which was used as an escape route by royal family. While returning from Amir, we stopped at a Rajasthan tourism shop and bought some souvenirs. Coincidentally, our cabbie turned out to be from Darbhanga. He charged 800 for the entire day, which was very nominal, considering that the hotel arranged cab was for 1800.

The third day at Jaipur was going to be our last in the city in this trip, as we had to catch an overnight train to Udaipur. We left our our luggage in the hotel and checked out at noon. We headed to Albert Museum only to find that it remains closed on Mondays. Disappointed, we called Birju to pick us from Albert Museum. Post that headed to Jaigarh fort. 

Jaigarh fort is famous for housing the largest cannon in the world - Jaivan. The cannon weighs a mammoth 250 tonnes and required 4 elephants to move it. The cannon ball weighed 50 kgs. Jaivan has been fired, rather test fired only once and there were some rather telling aftermaths. The bomb landed almost 40 kms from the place from where it was fired. The  person who fired the cannon was told to immediately jump to an adjoining water body to escape the impact of the explosion. He jumped into the water, but died couple of days later due to injury to veins. There were cracks in walls in nearby areas and some untimely delivery of babies. The king ordered that the cannon be henceforth used only in grave situations. Luckily, that moment never came! 

Another interesting facet about Jaigarh fort is the treasure that was recovered from here. It is widely believed that during emergency, based on orders from Indira Gandhi, 7 trucks loaded with gold and jewellery were taken away from this fort. Delhi-Jaipur highway was locked down for 3 days. The incumbent King and Queen were imprisoned. As per official records, only 1 truck (4 tonnes) full of gold and jewellery was recovered. All this treasure was hidden underneath a big water tank and very few people knew about this. Another treasure, adjacent to the treasure below the water tank, was used by the King to build Jaipur city. This was housed in 9 rooms! Next in line was another adjoining fort called Nahargarh. This fort had 9 divisions, one each for each queen. The top of the fort presents a beautiful sight of the entire Jaipur city. We didn't take a guide here as we were running short of time. We finally came back to Jaipur city in the evening and went to the famous Rawat's shop to try Onion  and Mawa Kachori. We were extremely tired by this time and with no place to go, we decided to watch a movie in Raj Mandir. Birju dropped us at Raj Mandir, where we watched Tubelight. Raj Mandir is a very famous old movie theatre in Jaipur. After watching the movie, we collected our luggage from hotel and then headed to railway station to catch the train to Udaipur.

Udaipur

 

We reached Le Roi hotel in Udaipur at around 7:15 AM. We were very tired after overnight train journey, so the first half of the day was for recharging the batteries. Udaipur is named after Rajput Marwar King Uday Singh. His palace, built alongside Lake Pichola is a major city attraction. We went to City Palace in the afternoon, where we shared a guide with another touring group. Like the City Palace in Jaipur, this is also divided into 2 parts- one part is where the Royal family stays whereas the other part has been converted to a museum. The guide gave us huge doses of history and Maharana ancestry for about 2 hrs. We saw royal clothes, silverwares, armoury, paintings etc.

The King's bedroom is another mini Sheesh Mahal. There is an interesting story associated with a chair in the museum. Apparently, one of the Maharanas was invited by King Edward for some ceremony in Delhi. Upon reaching Delhi, the King learnt that he will be seated in the second row. Feeling humiliated, the Maharana returned back to Udaipur from the railway station without participating in the ceremony. Realising his mistake, King Edward sent Maharana's chair to Udaipur as a mark of respect. Until date, no one has sit on this chair. At the center of Lake Pichola, is another Palace called Jag Mandir. The King used this as a Summer Palace. The Palace was earlier open for all, but post Mumbai terrorist attack, one can go only if there is a formal dinner invitation, which can be bought for 3000 rupees per couple.

Next we went to Jagdish temple, which is about a 400 years old temple. Took almost 25 years to be built. Dusk was spent in Saheliyon ki Bari (Garden for Queens). There is nothing spectacular about the garden, just that it has bit of historical significance. We finished the day with dinner at Ambrai, restaurant alongside Pichola lake. Food was very ordinary, but there were some amazing views of City Palace and Jag Mandir from Ambrai. 

On the second day in Udaipur, there wasn't anything significant for us to see. We could have probably gone to Sajjangarh fort. But we decided to give it a skip and travel to some nearby historical and religious places. Our driver for the day was one Mr Vikram Sisodiya, who was quite a character. We started the day early, as we had to travel 110 Kms east of Udaipur to Chittorgarh. We went around Chittorgarh fort for about 2 hrs. This fort has a periphery of almost 13 kms and was made in 700 AD. Unfortunately, it had to bear Alauddin Khilji's onslaught after he defeated the Rajputs in 1305. Still a lot is intact - Vijay stambh, Kirti stambh, the legendary Merabai and her Guru's temple, water tanks where entire Rajput army used to take bath/ drink water from, main entrance of the fort, Jauhar site etc. The guide at Chittorgarh fort told many interesting stories. One of the most notable stories was that of Jauhar by Rajput queens and ladies. Jauhar is a puja performed before mass Sati. In all, 3 Jauhars were performed in Chittorgarh fort. In the first, 16000 ladies participated, whereas in second and third, 13000 and 8000 ladies participated respectively. The place is a testimony of the valour, courage and honour of Rajputana ladies. Accordingly to another account, Alauddin Khilji saw Rani Padmavati's shadow in water and was infatuated by her beauty. Padmavati's husband Ratan Sen was defeated by Alauddin Khilji. Before Khilji could capture Chittor, Rani committed Jauhar along with thousands of women. The tribals in Chittor make sari out if Tulsi and custard apple (Sharifa). We bought two Tulsi saris for both mothers. 

After Chittorgarh, we traveled about 90 kms eastwords and came to Srinathji temple at Nathdwara. Srinathji is a very revered Krishna temple. There are specific darshan timings. After doing the 4:30 pm  darshan, we traveled back and reached Udaipur by 6 pm. We couldn't cover the famous Eklingji (kulguru of Maharanas) temple as it was closed. We had South Indian dinner for a change in Bawarchi restaurant in Udaipur's Bappu Bazaar. The hectic schedule was really taking a toll on us now. We were looking forward to mostly relax in Mount Abu, our next destination.

The next morning, we checked out of Le Roi at 10 AM to catch a bus to Mount Abu. Getting a commute to Mount Abu was bit challenging. There are only 2 AC buses from Udaipur to Mount Abu. One departs at 8AM, whereas the second one departs at 3 PM. We missed the first bus and the second bus had a long wait. Rates for local taxi were very high. Finally we decided to take a semi deluxe Rajasthan State Transport Bus to Abu Road. Wasn't as bad as we had thought earlier. After reaching Abu Road, we took a cab to our hotel Mount Regency. Reached the hotel finally at 3:30 PM. 

Mount Abu

We were greeted by an aged lady Sangeeta at the front desk. Sangeeta mam is specially abled, but she manages the front desk for the entire day. She appeared to be  pretty well known in Mount Abu and guided us really well on how to plan our sightseeing in limited time. The view from the room balcony was amazing and took away some of our fatigue. After taking some badly needed rest, we went to the local market in the evening. On the way, we learnt that many people prefer two wheeler for local sightseeing as the roads in Abu are very narrow and winding. We also decided to rent an Activa for going around Abu on the following day. We went around Nakki Lake and had dinner at Arbuda. 

On second day in Abu, we woke up to the sound of rains, which to my delight subsided after a few hrs. I intentionally mention "my" because Ankita and Aashi were looking for a reason to stay back in the hotel. We started on Activa and set out to the farthest point - Guru Shikhar, which is the highest point in the Aravalis (read Rajasthan to keep it simple). It's approximately at 5100 ft. There is a temple of Lord Dattatreya and one can see some breathtaking panoramic views from the summit. We then descended and went to Peace park. It's a good garden. The only flip side is that there is a compulsory 5 mins sermon which everyone is supposed to attend the start.

Next in line was the famous Dilwara temple which Aashi was most excited to see as one of her teachers had specifically asked her to see. It's a conglomeration of 5 temples, the oldest one being 1000 years old. The oldest one was built at a cost of Rs 18 crore. With 1500 masons and 1200 labourers, it took 14 years to build. The next one is about 800 years. Took 12 years to build at a similar astronomical cost as the first one. The temple has such exquisite carvings that one can just not stop admiring. I haven't seen any wonders of the world, but Dilwara to me is clearly a wonder of the world. The third temple has a golden deity made out of 800 kg of gold.  Interestingly, the top of all these temples is very ordinary and is in a shape which can be confused with either a mosque or a temple. No wonder, the temple survived Alauddin Khilji's onslaught when most temples in Rajasthan were decimated. Another interesting thing about the temple is that there are only 20 pujaris who work as guide as well. There is no entry fee for such a beautiful temple! Unfortunately, but for a good reason, photography is strictly banned inside the temple since 1992. In the  evening, we first went to Shankar Math and then to Toad Rock. Later is a huge rock, overseeing Nakki Lake on one side and the mountains on another three. Again there were some amazing views from the top. There are close to 270 steps to reach Toad rock and luckily Aashi climbed up and down on her own. Add to this, another 150 odd steps for Guru Shikhar and I must say that she really cooperated. There were two more points which we missed due to lack of time - Sunset point and Honeymoon point. Infact we had reached Sunset point, but it was almost closing then. Honeymoon point was another 3 km away, so it wasn't worth trying. On the way back to the hotel, we bought some snacks from the local market. At one point, I was struggling to work out a plan for a day in Mount Abu, but honestly there is more than enough for few days.

On the following morning, we took a cab to Udaipur airport from Mount Regency. Finally our 8 days of action packed trip to Rajasthan was coming to an end. Ankita and Aashi slept most of the time in the way. Between transit at Udaipur and Delhi airport, we talked about various facets of the trip - how much variety we saw, and how many interesting anecdotes we heard in last few days. We met many interesting people, starting with loquacious Birju in Jaipur and ending with modest Sangeeta mam in Mount Abu. Rajasthan is truly is a mystical land with tales of splendor, chivalry and romance emanating from every nook and corner. It was definitely a trip worth remembering! 

We reached Pune pretty much on time at around 9 PM. Had dinner with friends and had loads to talk about. One of those few occasions, when Sinhas did most of the talking. Amidst the conversation, I didn't realize how time flew and the clock struck 12 after some time. Our friends had arranged a surprise cake cutting ceremony for us. It truly was an icing on the cake for a memorable trip. Couldn't have asked for more!