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Gangtok, Sikkim
milsum, Pune, Posted Date: 21st February 2011
SIKKIM: A MUST VISIT DESTINATION FOR NATURE LOVERS
WE WENT TO SIKKIM WITH A LITTLE UNCERTAINTY.....
SIKKIM: A MUST VISIT DESTINATION FOR NATURE LOVERS
WE WENT TO SIKKIM WITH A LITTLE UNCERTAINTY LURKING IN OUR MINDS SINCE WE HAD PLANNED TO VISIT INTERIOR OF SIKKIM I.E. NORTH SIKKIM AS WE HAD NOT MET ANYONE FROM OUR FRIENDS/RELATIVES WHO HAD VENTURED BEYOND GANGTOK/PELLING/DARJEELING. WE HAD GATHERED INFORMATION FROM THE NET WHICH WAS NOT VERY PRECISE AND ASSURING. ALSO WE HAD 3 KIDS WITH US AND THE MONTH WAS NOVEMBER WHICH WE WERE TOLD WAS TOO COLD FOR VISITING SIKKIM. BUT WE VENTURED ALONG. AND WHAT A TRIP IT WAS!
WE REACHED BAGDOGRA AIRPORT AT ABOUT 2.00 PM. A TAXI BOOTH IS AVAILABLE AT THE AIRPORT FOR BOOKING TAXI(SUMO/MAX AND EVEN INNOVA) TO GANGTOK. IT TAKES ABOUT 4-5 HRS AND COST RANGES FROM RS. 1600/- TO RS 2200/-. THE TAXIS ARE NOT ALLOWED DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOTEL IN GANGTOK CITY IF YOU REACH THERE BEFORE 5.00 PM. THEY WILL DROP YOU AT TAXI STAND WHERE YOU HAVE TO HIRE ANOTHER TAXI FOR LOCAL TRAVEL(MARUTI VAN/WAGAN R). SINCE WE REACHED IN EVENING THE TAXI DRIVER DROPPED US AT HOTEL (MINTOKLING GUEST HOUSE) BY CHARGING EXTRA RS.200/-.
WE HAD BOOKING FOR 2 DAYS AT MINTOKLING GUEST HOUSE. THE HOTEL WAS GREAT FOR STAY AND IT WAS COLD IN GANGTOK. IT IS COMPLETELY DARK IN SIKKIM BY 5.00 PM. WE HAD DINNER AT THE HOTEL BUT WE WERE DISAPPOINTED. THE DISHES WERE NOT UP TO THE MARK. NEXT DAY WE ARRANGED FOR LOCAL SIGHSEEING BY A LOCAL TAXI. THE RATES RANGE FROM RS. 800/- TO RS. 2200/. WE OPTED FOR SOME 10 POINTS PACKAGE COSTING RS. 1400/-. WE VISITED THE RUMTEK MONASTERY, ONE MORE MONASTERY, SOME VIEW POINTS, A GARDEN, AND THE ROPEWAY. TO BE FRANK WE COULD NOT FIND ANY OF THEM IMPRESSIVE. WE SUGGEST THAT VISITORS SHOULD SELECT ONLY 3-4 POINTS/PLACES AND NEGOTIATE UPTO RS. 800/- ONLY AS THE ROPEWAY AND THE FLOWER GARDEN IS IN GANGTOK LOCAL AND CAN BE SEEN ANYTIME AFTERWARDS.
IN THE EVENING WE BOOKED A 3N/4D PACKAGE TOUR OF NORTH SIKKIM FOR RS. 25000/- THROUGH OMEGA TOURS (MR.DEEPAK RAI). NORTH SIKKIM TOUR MAINLY CONSIST OF VISIT TO GURDONGMAR LAKE FOR WHICH ONE NIGHT STAY AT LACHEN IS ADVISED AND THEN FOR VISITING YUMTHANG VALLEY AND ZERO POINT ONE NIGHT STAY AT LACHUNG IS ADVISED. MANY PEOPLE OPT ONLY FOR YUMTHANG VALLEY AND ZERO POINT AND AVOID GURUDONGMAR. HOWEVER I WOULD RECOMMEND TO COMPULSORILY VISITING GURUDONGMAR LAKE IF YOU ARE PHYSICALLY FIT AND MENTALLY STRONG. WE DID NOT WANT OUR TOUR TO BE TOO HECTIC AND HENCE OPTED FOR ONE NIGHT EXTRA STAY AT LACHUNG. NEXT DAY WE WERE ON WAY TO LACHEN BY TATA SUMO. IT TOOK US ABOUT 6 HRS. TO REACH LACHEN . ON WAY THERE IS A TASHI POINT AND SOME WATERFALLS, WHICH WERE NOT WORTH WATCHING IN COMPARISON TO WHAT WE WE GOING TO EXPERIENCE IN THE NEXT 2 DAYS. WE REACHED LACHEN AT ABOUT 7.30 PM AS THE ROAD WAS CLOSED DUE TO LANDSLIDE AND THE DRIVER TOOK AN ALTERNATE ROUTE. IT WAS FREEZING COLD. WE HAD PURCHASED JACKETS FROM GANGTOK WHICH WERE NOW PRICELESS. THE LODGE/HOTEL AT LACHEN (HOTEL PINE VIEW) WAS A VERY MUCH A BASIC HOTEL. BEDS WITH BLANKETS, GEYSER, A FIXED MEAL WITH RICE, POTATO SABZI, DAL (ROTIS ARE A LUXURY HERE). WE WERE TOLD TO BE READY AT 4.00 A.M SHARP FOR THE EXCURSION TO GURUDONGMAR LAKE.
WE LEFT FOR GURUDONGMAR LAKE AT 4.30 AM. WE WERE ALL FREEZING AND THE INTERIOR OF SUMO WAS WARMER. IT WAS PITCH DARK. THE ROAD WAS ROUGH TO SAY THE LEAST. AT 5.15 AM THE SUN RAYS APPEARED ON THE HORIZON AND WE BEGAN TO SEE THE SNOW CAPPED MOUNTAINS. THE VIEWS THAT WE WERE EXPOSED TO WERE STUNNING TO SAY THE LEAST. OUR CAMERAS JUST COULD NOT STOP CLICKING. WE CLIMBED AND CLIMBED HIGHER AND FINALLY REACHED OUR DESTINATION “THE GURUDONGMAR LAKE “. THE LAKE WAS ENCHANTING WITH DARK BLUE WATER AND ICE CAPPED MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND. THE LAKE IS SACRED AND HENCE FOREIGNERS ARE NOT ALLOWED HERE. IT IS ONLY 5 KMS TO CHINA FROM HERE. IT IS SITUATED AT 17100 FT. AND IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST LAKES IN THE WORLD. A SMALL TEMPLE IS BUILT HERE BY THE ARMY. AS THERE IS LACK OF OXYGEN AT THIS ALTITUDE, SOME OF US FELT A LITTLE GIDDY/NAUSEATED. WE EXPLORED AROUND ONLY FOR 15-20 MINUTES AND TURNED BACK. IT WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE. WE WERE A LITTLE TENSE AS THE DRIVER HAS ASKED US TO KEEP THE KIDS IN THE VEHICLE AND HAD ADVISED US NOT TO WAIT FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES. HOWEVER THE KIDS DID NOT FEEL ANY MAJOR PROBLEM. WE HAD TAKEN THE PRECAUTION OF HAVING COTTON BALLS IN OUR EARS, FREQUENTLY INHALING SCENT OF CAMPHOR (SAID TO BE USEFUL?), EATING POPCORN ETC. INFACT, I WOULD SAY THAT DON’T GO BY THE DRIVER’S OR TOUR OPERATOR’S EXCESSIVE ADVICE/WARNINGS ABOUT HIGH ALTITUDE PROBLEMS AND GET TENSE, FEEL RELAXED AND ENJOY THE SURROUNDINGS WHICH YOU MAY EXPERIENCE ONCE IN THE LIFETIME.
WE RETURNED TO LACHEN AT 3.00 PM FOR LUNCH AND WERE FEELING EXHILARATED AS IF WE HAD ACCOMPLISHED SOME GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. (WELL ! IT WAS AN ACHIEVEMENT, WE HAD TRAVELED FROM PUNE AT 1850 FT. , GANGTOK AT 4715 FT. LACHEN AT 9020 FT. AND GURUDONGMAR AT 17100 FT. I.E 3/5 TH OF MT. EVEREST WITHOUT ANY HICCUPS). THOUGH WE HAD TRAVELED FOR MORE THAN 9 HRS. NONE OF US WAS FEELING TIRED AND WE WERE READY FOR ONWARD JOURNEY TO LACHUNG. LACHUNG WAS 3-4 HRS JOURNEY FROM LACHEN. WE LEFT LACHEN FOR LACHUNG THRU CHUNGTHANG. WE REACHED LACHUNG AT 7.00 PM AND STAYED AT HOTEL TOURIST CENTRE. WE WERE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE HOTEL HOWEVER HAD TO BEAR WITH THE SAME AS THE BETTER HOTEL NEARBY DEMANDED EXORBITANT RATES. THE HOTEL WAS VERY MUCH AVERAGE/BELOW AVERAGE. THE HOTELS HERE DO NOT ENTERTAIN DIRECT CUSTOMERS AND MOSTLY HAVE TO BE BOOKED IN GANGTOK AS PACKAGE TOURS. WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT BEFORE BOOKING THE PACKAGE, PL. ENQUIRE ABOUT THE HOTELS PROVIDED AND INSIST FOR BETTER ONES LIKE FORTUNA, LE COXY THOUGH THEY MAY COST MORE.
THE NEXT DAY, WE LEFT FOR YUMTHANG VALLEY AND ZERO POINT. THE YUMTHANG VALLEY IS FULL OF RHODENDRON FLOWERS IN APRIL/MAY AND NOW IN NOVEMBER THERE WERE NO FLOWERS BUT WE COULD IMAGINE THE BEAUTIFUL SIGHT IT MUST BE. AT YUMTHANG VALLEY, WE HAD A BREAKFAST WITH MOMOS SERVED BY SMARTLY ATTIRED SIKKIMESE GIRLS HAVING MANY STALLS THERE. ONE MORE THING MOST LIKED BY US IN NORTH SIKKIM WAS THERE IS A VIRTUAL MONOPOLY OF THE LADIES IN BUSINESSES OF SMALL HOTELS/ROAD SIDE HOTELS/RESTAURANTS/SHOPS AND THEY ARE VERY MUCH WELL DRESSED, SMART AND GOOD LOOKING AND ARE DOING THE BUSINESS WITH A FLOURISH.
WE ALL ALSO TOOK ON HIRE SOME GUM BOOTS TO BE USED AT ZERO POINT THOUGH SOME TOURISTS ADVISED US AGAINST THE SAME BUT IT WAS FOUND BY US AS VERY GOOD DECISION LATER. WE LEFT FOR ZERO POINT ABOUT 1 HOUR FROM THIS POINT. ON WAY THERE IS ALMOST NO VILLAGES/HOUSES BUT ONLY ARMY CAMPS COULD BE SEEN. WE MET TWO JAWANS AT A CHECKPOINT AND INCIDENTALLY THEY HAILED FROM MAHARASHTRA AND WERE VERY HAPPY TO SEE US AND SPEAK WITH US IN MARATHI. WHILE RETURNING, THEY WAITED FOR US, AND GAVE MY SON A CADBURY WHICH WAS A GIFT HE WOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER SINCE INCIDENTALLY IT WAS HIS BIRTHDAY. WE ALSO OFFERED THEM SWEETS WE HAD BROUGHT FROM PUNE ESPECIALLY PREPARED IN MAHARASHTRA DURING DIWALI AND SINCE THE JAWAN’S DIWALI WAS SPENT HERE GUARDING THE BORDERS FOR US.
IT WAS FREEZING COLD AT ZERO POINT (15700 FT). THERE IS OPEN LAND WITH NO VEGETATION AND COLD BREEZE WAS BLOWING. THERE WAS SMALL STREAM/RIVER FLOWING AND BEYOND IT WAS SNOW AND THE SNOW COVERED MOUNTAINS. WE HAD TO CROSS THE STREAM/RIVER TO GET TO THE SNOW AND WE BLESSED OURSELVES FOR BRINGING THE GUM BOOTS. WE CROSSED OVER AND PLAYED IN THE SNOW TILL OUR STAMINA PERMITTED. WE COULD VISIT THIS POINT NOW BUT IT WAS INFORMED TO US THAT IT IS ALMOST CLOSED/INACCESSIBLE IN DEC/JAN WHEN THERE IS HEAVY SNOWFALL HERE. WE RETURNED BACK TO LACHUNG IN THE EVENING AND HAD A NIGHT STAY THERE. NEXT DAY, WE LEFT FOR GANGTOK IN THE MORNING AND REACHED GANGTOK IN EVENING. WE FOUND A BUDGET HOTEL NEAR MG ROAD AND STAYED THERE FOR NEXT 2 DAYS. NEXT DAY WE WENT FOR ONE DAY EXCURSION TO NAMCHI/CHAR DHAMIN SOUTH SIKKIM. CHAR DHAM IS A RS. 100 CRORE PROJECT GOING ON NEAR NAMCHI AND WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION WHEN WE VISITED. IT IS WORTH VISITING THOUGH NOT YET COMPLETE. OUR SIKKIM TOUR WAS COMING TO A CONCLUSION THOUGH WE ALSO VISITED CHANGU LAKE AS NATHULA PASS WAS CLOSED DUE TO SNOWFALL AND RETURNED BACK.
IT WAS ONCE IN A LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE.
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