It was second day in north sikkim,being already smitten by its irrevocable beauty which was a true nature lover’s paradise.After a yummy hot breakfast in our hotel Riverie in lachung, which was a small hamlet of north Sikkim, we geared up for our Yumthang valley excursion. The serpentine road was good compared to that of gurudongmar,which was covered on day 1 of north Sikkim trip.It was the season of rhododendrons, the state flower of Sikkim, and the journey was really beautiful amidst the multicolored flowers and the blue sky.Yumthang is a picturesque area of north Sikkim at 11693ft elevation, which can be visited both in winter and summer. The fall of spring is the time when the valleys come alive, comprising of alps, sloping green valleys ,grazing yaks and horses, Himalayan flower beds and flowing river. One can go for excursion, trek into valleys,picnic into the woods or just stroll around in the beauty.There were stalls in Yumthang where we can rent boots, gloves and other woolen wears. After crossing yumthang valley, by paying an additional of 250 rs per person to our driver, we decided to go to zero point.Also known as Yumesamdong, some 23 km away from Yumthang, it is the last stop of civilization where the road ends and a few distance away is the international border of India and China. The road leading to zero point was curvy, zigzag with huge snowy mountains and river surrounded. The population was thin with few nomadic shepherds, huts and army bunkers. But the flowers needed some special mentions. I was lucky to witness the floral paradise in it’s full grandeur that immediately transported me to a floral Narnia and my heart bounced with childlike joy, a moment I dont think I’ll ever forget in my long run.Exceeding those rugged terrain and serpentine road, we finally reached zero point which was like another heaven. That was literally the end of the road and whole mountain ranges started after that. It was May but we were lucky not only to plunge into snow but also witness live snowfall! There were few stalls for snacks and drinks. I started conversation with a stall lady ,post which I got to know that they come everyday in the morning from Yumthang to put up their stalls and return by evening.We returned to lachung after having a time of our lives. Packing our bags, we finally bid adieu to dearest north Sikkim and returned to Gangtok.
Kaziranga is situated in the golaghat and nagaon district of the state Assam of northeast India. An UNESCO world heritage centre, its the abode of the endangered world famous iconic Great one horned rhinoceros. Also a tiger reserve and home to various floras and faunas,it is one of the most sought after wildlife vacations.If one is need of a peaceful holiday amidst the wild, witnessing enigmatic nature ,exotic birds,animals and of course the rhinos that seem like coming straight out of fiction movie! Then a trip to kaziranga is must.Sometimes the heart seeks for isolation and what more can it be than a night in jungle. So, I boarded a bus from ISBT guwahati to kohora with a friend of mine. For who may not know, there are four tourist circuits or the entrance for safaris, that are split into four areas in the whole of the Kaziranga, accordingly Kohora, Bagori, Agaratoli and Ghorakati. Each of them is unique for its terrain ,grasslands and animals.It took about 4 hours to reach kohora at about 12:30pm. As it was peak season of december with flocking tourists, I decided to book a private lodge in advance for a calm and peaceful stay. Although there were multiple options from govt provided lodges to private hotels. The owner of my lodge arranged for my safaris with some additional costs.
I had some time left for shared jeep safari, so I decided to explore the place a little. There were multiple shops, resorts and tea gardens. While purchasing some local Assam tea, I started conversation with the shop lady. She suggested me to visit Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity park which was about 3km away.Without wasting much time, I took a local transport to the park. The park was a pretty big area comprising of hills with various flowers and orchids,lake and plains. It was a beautiful experience ,well explained by the local guide about various colours, exotic shapes, sizes of orchids ranging from few millimeters to ascending! Various arrangements were there for the visitors to have the best possible experience and acquaintance with the Assamese and northeastern culture. We had elephant safari next early morning so I called it a day and retired to my bed.
Thєrє αrє dαчѕ thαt wє cαn,
Thєn thєrє αrє thαt wє cαnt.
Thє fírє ín hєαrt σutѕhínєѕ thє mσíѕtѕ σf єчєѕ.
Wє wαnt thє ѕpαrk вut nσt thє вurn.
Lєt ít вurn, lєt ít gσ
Lєt thє pαѕѕíσn cσmє flσw
Thє σnє thíng thαt mαttєr íѕ ѕєlf
And σnє thíng thαt dσn’t íѕ tσ lσѕє σnєѕєlf
The calmness of the night was overwhelming and I lulled to sleep after a while. I was instructed to get ready by 4:30am in the morning for elephant safari. There are like three shifts for the safari, about 1 hour each. I took the earliest one. Kohora region was completely packed. So the resort arranged my safari in Bagori region along with transport. It took about 15-20 min to reach there. It was shivering cold,dark and completely foggy. I sipped some tea and had some Assamese coconut laddoos from a nearby stall. The dawn cracked and the morning light came visible,although the foggy curtain was still hugging the earth. After about 1 km walk into the entrance of jungle and climbing a high platform ,finally I got into a giant elephant. The mahout rode her,slowly and steadily she (her name was Malati) took us into the jungle along with numerous other safari elephants. Venturing into small muddy trails with no sign of definite roads, branches slapping faces and tilting of the elephant sides was really scary but amazing. After sometime through grasslands,trees and marshes I spotted a mother rhino with her baby. It wasnt late till I spotted a crash of rhinos grazing. Although not allowed to get close to them because of safety reasons, on request, the mahout took us as near as possible. The innocence in their eyes and the tranquility with which they were grazing along with their young ones would touch everyone. Illegal Poaching and regular floods has lead to decrease in their population with only few remaining. Although I couldn’t spot tigers as they were much deeper in the forest and time was limited. We spent some more time spotting herds of deer, wild hen, boars. As we returned to the entrance, I thanked the mahout and patted malati for the amazing safari.Grabbing some food, I took a stroll in the nearby tea estate where the horizon seemed lost in greenery,as if green was the only pellet left when god made that place.With a heavy hearted parting words with hotel owner and other tourists, I took a bus to Guwahati from kohora with happy memory of Kaziranga, that will always be carved into my heart with a smile.
Tips- Safaris needed to be booked prior (atleast 24hours) in peak season. Better to stay in calm lodges to get the better taste of jungle night. Many outdoor activities are included in some resorts like fishing etc. Assam govt tourist lodges and guest houses will be best if you are searching for budget stays,where online booking can be done. If possible, book a return bus ticket after landing in Kaziranga to decrease some last moment work. The mahout will have amazing stories to tell, have a conversation. Have taste of ethnic food in orchid and biodiversity park. Taste Assam tea!
North east India has a deeper connection with its mystique and overwhelming organic aesthetics. Although originally hailing from the heart of this very slice of heaven, I am yet to explore so many hidden gems of this region. And thus, Sikkim happened. Sikkim is a small state of northeast India bordering Bhutan, China, Nepal and falls in the himalayan range. My main focus was northern part of Sikkim ,especially Gurudongmar lake, the place I have heard so much about its difficult terrain and enchanted beauty, it’s spiritual importance and many unsuccessful attempts of people to reach because of the challenging road and frequent road blocks due to its inhospitable terrain and landslides. Without much planning, me and my friend packed up our bags and reached NJP. We took a shared vehicle at cost 250 per person from NJP to Gangtok which took about 5 hours with about a 15 min halt for snacks. The local food stalls served delicious noodles and thukpas ( basically a spicy vegetable soup mixed with noodles) which was a real treat to our taste buds. As we resumed our journey, the altitude increased gradually and we entered Sikkim through Rangpo check post. The beauty of both sides of the road and the ever accompanying turquoise teesta river was something that was incredible. After reaching Gangtok at about 3pm in the afternoon, we searched for a hotel which we found very easily. Being a tourist oriented place, there are multiple options for staying in Gangtok ranging from economical to delux hotels along with multiple homestays and comfortable cottages. We took a stroll around MG marg and Lalbazar in the evening, a place to behold in the evening with its lights and delights. After enjoying some steaming momos and packing some, we returned to our hotel. Our north Sikkim package started from 2nd day which we booked prior to coming Gangtok. It was a tiresome day so I retired early and slept like a log.
Next morning I got up early really excited to a bright may morning.Without much delay, we contacted our tour operator. The tour vehicle picked us up and soon we were heading towards our destination.The journey from Gangtok to north Sikkim was another 6-7 hours. The journey towards north Sikkim itself was very intriguing and adventurous, with the thrill of high altitude, narrow cut roads, steep canyons and shaky vehicle. There were frequent halts for photography near beautiful waterfalls and scenic landscapes. We had a brief lunch in a local resort which was part of the package and resumed our long journey. Reached our hotel in lachen which is a small village in north Sikkim , at about 6 pm. It got pretty darker and colder by then. We rushed to our rooms shivering with the shift of temperature. The owner of the hotel Tso Lamo, where we halted was very friendly. Since we were really tired, they served us a hot tea followed by hot delicious homely dinner really quick. I rushed to my bed and literally jumped into it. We were instructed to get ready by 5am next morning for our much awaited journey to gurudongmar lake.
I woke up at about 3am and couldn’t sleep further. So I decided to go outside to have a better view of the surrounding. For the first time I was amazed by the serenity and scenic beauty of lachen. The dawn was about to crack.The ice capped mountains,the colour of dawn cracking sky, the gurgling of a stream nearby and a chilled wind accompanying transported me to an otherworldly utopian charm. I came back to reality when I saw our vehicle getting ready. We got ready hurrily after sipping hot ginger tea and thus began our journey towards much awaited gurudongmar lake. Gurudongmar lake holds a special significance to Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus. It is one of the highest lakes in India at an altitude of 17800 ft. About 5km north of the lake lies the Tibet border. Special permit was needed to enter the place which was arranged by our tour operators.The journey to gurudongmar lake will always be a memorable one. The road was bumpy and broken due to landslides. But the driver was very expert. He was quiet initially but as the journey progressed , he opened up and shared us various tales and experiences. The journey continued through alpine pastures ,yaks, rhododendron trees and flowers ,small villages until I dozed off. I woke up when we halted for breakfast with toasts, pakodas and tea near an army camp. That was an altitude of 17000 ft. As we resumed our remaining journey, the landscape was totally something else, stony rugged area with ice capped mountains as if straight out of a live canvas. About 30 min later, our vehicle halted. I got down from vehicle and as I inched nearby and there it was ! The gurudongmar lake below , with its magnificent blue with sunny touch,half frozen, bordered by icy mountains. Speechless, It felt like I’m in a dream. Literally. There’s a belief that even in winter one small part of the lake remains unfrozen. Though the weather was spine shivering chilly, but it was sunny and bright that made the visibility of the sacred lake really beautiful. We offered prayer to a nearby Buddha temple. I was so struck and enchanted that I forgot that I was in an altitude of 17800ft, but soon realised it when I started feeling dizzy due to scarcity of oxygen. The trick is to do less activity, talk less to conserve the necessity of oxygen. I took my camera and climbed the stairs downward towards the lake. Every moment was priceless. During my last visit to Bhutan, I was awed by Buddhism. That might be one of the reasons for my natural attraction towards gurudongmar lake. There were many stones, piled one above another which was kept by people to make their wishes come true. Few monks were doing parikrama of the lake. Each parikrama around the lake takes about 2.5 hours. Although it was not possible for me to do a parikrama with limited time, I was determined to go as far as possible. Few people,probably adventurous like me, were walking by the lake too. But most of them stayed back. The lake was extended towards the mountains and the walk was a long one as it was difficult to walk fast due to fear of passing out. Some people(who were walking by the lake or wanting to have a better view ) were sitting holding their heads,probably due to dizziness or nausea. I decided to turn back as it was getting late. I returned to the usual spot,climbed up the stairs with slow pace and reached our vehicle. We were served hot coffee and snacks. But I was feeling too nauseous to have anything. I clicked some more pictures,sat by a stone had a relaxed time lost in my thoughts. Finally it was time to return and with a heavy heart I bid adieu. Flashbacks of the place dominated my mind in most part of the return journey. It was one of those moments where we actually fall in love with places and couldn’t get our mind off it . Internally I thanked the Almighty for letting me witness the phenomenal beauty without any roadblocks, rain or poor visibility. We returned to our hotel and after lunch, packed our bags and started our journey to lachung for another amazing day in north Sikkim ,which will be for another day.
Mesmerizing view of the snow capped mountains. On the right side few travellers can be seen resting and coping with the thin oxygen
Tips: Try engaging in conversations with the locals, they will give the best, honest advices. Take your Id proof and lots of passport size photographs for permit into restricted area. Carry anti emetics and analgesic because of motion sickness and headache due to low oxygen. Enjoy the local food. And bargain,it works!
Travel Therapy 