The healing Touch Of Himalayas- Our trek to Phokteydara- Singalila

Pic Credits Dr Udippan

                                                  In loving memory of SIMBA

Rewinding the last months , memories of each moment comes in flashes bringing both smile on my lips and tears in my eyes. how do I MOVE ON? HOME FEELS EMPTY, My heart aches for his touch, his smell, his bark............. Holding on to his memories, gathering the courage and strength to pen my experiences of this trek.

Wondering what Simba had to do with a trek up in the Himalayas? Well, This trek wasn't just a trek. It was a family finding their way to grieve the loss of their beloved pet. With a supportive husband and a father and armed with memories of Simba, we decided to go ahead with the trek and here is a detailed description of what we endured and enjoyed.

Along with my friend Lalitha, I signed up for Photkeydhara Singalila trek  with Himalayan Passion. Dhruv is an ever positive energetic young man who runs this company and guides all the treks. As per his suggestion, I started training months ahead since I had to put in the extra effort of strengthening my leg muscles as my meniscus is torn beyond repair. Deepa made sure that I train each day. Vibha is fit anyway and so we decided to go ahead without worrying about our fitness.

With absolutely no time to pack, it was just going ahead with gut instinct and a heart filled with memories of our pet. Someone once said, uncertainty and discomfort are your compasses to growth. Even a day before our scheduled departure, Yuba called to give the news that the runway is damaged and flights are suspended. Tension and stress seems to reach a new level , yet we remained weirdly calm. We take it as it comes. We tried to concentrate on packing did what we could.

Last minute search for Vibha's trek shoes...Omg she exclaims. what happened shouts KK? And I fear the dreaded word-THE SHOES ARE TORN. The usual calmness of KK comes into play and he says calm down guys. Just buy another pair and go. I give him a mean look for I knew what new your shoe can do to your foot on a trek, but we were left with no other choice.

Day 0 - March 16th : CHENNAI TO SILIGURI

We leave to the airport an hour earlier and rush to Decathlon and lucky to find the required shoes. Hurriedly pay the bill and stuffed the shoes into the rucksack and off the the airport we go. As we drove to the airport, it did not sink as to what we were doing and why we were even doing. After the check in and security check, we breathe slowly and sit down to have a burger. It slowly starts to sink in that we are indeed going on a unplanned trek. Indigo announces the departure and Hema rushes in to join us. It is her first trek and she is all enthusiastic about it. The flight takes off on time and calm overcame us which was interrupted by the noise, hustle and crowd at Bagdogra airport.

 Picking up our bags, we set to the hotel. Explore Beyond had made arrangements for our pickup and stay at Siliguri. Hotel Udaan clover is a well located, charming hotel with clean rooms and great service. Once we got up to the rooms, ordered a cup of masala chai and watched the sunset. It was indeed soothing and calming on our minds. After some relaxing  and repacking, we headed down to the restaurant for dinner. The dal Bukhara is a die for, a must try. Stomachs happy and body tired, we went to our room and crashed for the day.

Cozy Udaan Clover

Day 1- March 17th: SILIGURI TO UTTAREY

The sun rises and so did we. Off we went to the breakfast. What a lovely spread from Udaan clover and such friendly staff. Filled our stomach with fruits, sandwiches, bread and guess what? DOSA in Siliguri and that too with coconut chutney. The south Indian in us were elated. Thanking the staff, we hired an auto and went to the meet point which Dhruv had set for the whole team- at Tenzing Norgay bus terminus. Soaking in the Siliguri sun and the bustling streets, we were eagerly waiting to meet our trek leader Dhruv of Himalayan Passion. Did it feel like a first time meet? Not at all. It certainly did not feel like the first time. The connect was evident. In 30 minutes Lalitha joined us . From there we went to a meeting point where other trekkers were also waiting. It turned out that there were 4 Tamil speaking trekkers and 4 Bengali speaking ones and the age group was varied.

From here Dhruv put us on 2 vehicles and we travelled towards Uttarey. We kept yapping in our language and Bina and Subhankar(The only boy trekker in our group) were a little silent. Probably observing us. We did stop temporarily at Melli to have lunch. While some of them had Parathas, Vibha and me had momos. After lunch the journey continued towards Uttarey. Another stop to take out cash from the ATM, brought few people outside the vehicle and this was the opportunity of Lalitha getting us our first dessert on this trek-Ice cream. Having enjoyed the ice cream, we boarded the vehicle again. 

Lunch at Melli : Pic Credits: Dr Udippan

We reached Uttarey by evening. After a few hours, our car rolled up to a beautiful home stay and we were welcomed by animals. So many dogs, roosters, pigs, horse and everyone had their cameras and hearts out. As in any mountains, these dogs were super friendly especially Bhaalu. Why would anyone name a dog as Bhaalu? 

Bhalu : Pic Credits Vibha

As we all were playing with the dogs, they served us the much needed black tea. Only a trekker will know the pure joy of being served hot tea in a camp site. Once we had the tea, we set out on an acclimatization walk with Dr Uddipan who is a doctor and our trek guide. First day of the trek, everyone's spirits were high, the weather was pleasant and the sight beautiful. We took some pictures in the monastery and spent some time getting the shots of the sunset with Vibha, Lalitha and Hema trying to get the jump shots.  We were instructed to return to our homestay before dark and we religiously followed the orders .

Acclimatization walk in Uttarey village: Pic credits: Vibha

Group pic at the Monastry. Pic credits: Vibha

Beautiful Homestay at Uttarey captured by Lalitha

Soon we were summoned to the common room by our trek leader. He gave us the instructions. Talked about Himalayan passion and we all introduced ourselves. One thing what I remember clearly is one of the things Dhruv mentioned about their policies. He said we want to keep the mountains clean and greener, we will bring back trash but not leave anything there! If only all of us had such morals in our city lives. We all had some pakora and chai to go with the serious talk  which we devoured. The day closed with a spread of dinner from dal chawal, sabzi and a must try local achaar. The dogs in the homestay, especially Bhaalu made sure he passed pure joy and happiness to all us trekkers and sent us to sleep with eyes filled with joy and heart filled with love and trust. With cozy blankets and a comfortable bed, we all dozed off to sleep, alarms set for 6.30 A.M. However, we were woken an hour earlier by the contagious laughter of Dipashri and the enthusiasm of the roosters. 

DAY 2- MACH 18TH- UTTAREY TO ACCHALEY

After changing into  comfortable trekking clothes, packing our bags, had our breakfast, we assembled for the customary group picture. As it was Holi, we wished and thanked the locals who hosted us and were on our way. The hardest was to goodbye to the cutest dog Bhaalu.

Customary group pic before starting to Achaley: Pic credits- Dr Udippan

Trekking poles in hand, back packs on our backs, the whole team began the day's trail. We would walk a distance, stops for few seconds, sip water and start back. As always , the ascent was tough on me, but was not impossible. we paused briefly at the Tenzing Hillary memorial park, a towering memorial to remember the great personalities and catch sight of the mighty Kanchenjunga.

 Interesting fact: KANCHENJUNGA MEANS FIVE TREASURES OF THE GREAT SNOW IN NEPALI.

Pic Credits: Vibha

We soon began our path in the Phokteydada camping and hiking trail. Though it was supposed to be an easy ascent, our bodies were in shock and needed time to acclimatize. The last time I trekked was in 2019 and my legs refused to accept that it had to do its bit on the ascent. slowly cajoling the body and calming the breath, I found a comfortable pace at which I could steadily go up. Catching our breath, sipping water, we reached our first campsite in Acchaley around 3 pm. We must have trekked around 8kms. We were immediately greeted with vibrant Rhododendron flowers that lightened our mood. Our tents were put up and our bags arrived.

Acchaley campsite: Pic credits: Vibha

Soon, we were served the much needed hot tea and kichadi with aloo subzi. As everyone was hungry, we finished our meal quickly and started getting to know each other. The sun went down and so did the temperature. Sun caps off, thermals and woolen cap on! Enjoying the full moon and iridescent moonlight we got ready for dinner at the kitchen tent. As I was not feeling too well, had some dal chawal. The dal was very comforting and easy on my tummy.

Kitchen tent at Acchaley camp site at dusk: Pic credits: Vibha

After a tough first day( Dhruv and Uddipan said it was easy though), we all just wanted to rest our legs and get some sleep. After a month of sleep deprivation, exhaustion overtook me. My body and my brain were at loggerheads. I could not do anything coherently. Vibha understood my plight and along with Lalita made the sleeping bags ready so that I could just go and crash into it. But, the devil here is the cold temperature that wakes you up in the middle of the night to pee. Off we go, put on your shoes, headlamps, find a spot and do your thing. This is a part and parcel of trekking, something we trekkers have a love hate relationship with. Drink more water, so that you do no cramp or get dehydrated. But, spoil your sleep! Either way we went to sleep snuggly in our tents with our trekking bags as pillows waiting to catch a glimpse of the mighty Kanchenjunga.

DAY 3- MARCH19TH: ACCHALEY TO KALIJHAR

First view of the majestic Kanchenjunga - Pic credits: Vibha

We woke up to the comforting warmth of the sun hitting our faces and a gorgeous view of the massive of the Mt Kanchenjunga. Fighting the inner urge to stand and watch the snow covered mountains, we brushed our teeth like normal human beings. But be aware, the water is ice cold, perfect for the teeth! With such a campsite, each person set out to find their own corner in the forest to do their morning business and get ready for the hot tea and biscuits. Just when we were getting lost in the beauty of Mount Kanchenjunga, Dhruv's voice , Chalo Chalo sab packing kar lo, aur breakfast le liye aajao echoed! Vibha's favourite and Veena's not so favourite Pasta was the breakfast. 

Pic Credits: Vibha

Quickly devouring the meal, and the second serving, we were set to go to the next height of our trek, quite literally! First stop was at Hangypani- 1000mts.

Pic credit:Vibha

 Soon we reached Thulodaap, which was our planned lunch stop after some descent. To our trek leader's pleasant surprise, we reached faster than planned.

Pic credit Vibha

Here we witnessed a long stretch of meadows. A small rivulet which looked more like a stream was running across this meadow. This flat stretch of green land was a welcome sight. What ensured was an hour of relaxation of yoga and meditation for some, jumping and dancing for others and peace for the rest. I decided to sit quietly and watch everyone to give my body and my mind the much needed stillness. Of course Vibha and gang had to try some slow motion shooting and time lapses of this vast meadow. Soon after, we were served hot maggi soup for lunch. Only a trekker knows the things Maggi does to your mind, body and soul in the mountains! We set out to the ascent part of the day to Khalijhar. There was a lot of ascent through the beautiful Rhododenron forests. We also spotted cherry blossom like trees which were supposedly the national tree of Nepal.

Hot Maggi soup: Pic credit- Vibha

After reaching a said point, Dhruv said, it is just an hour of walking from here to the camp site, let's go. We walked, we climbed, we stood, we spoke, we wondered, we were scared, we kept walking and no view of the camp site, or even anything. It was just wilderness everywhere. The fog from the mountains quickly covered the entire trail and we had very low visibility. It was just me, Vibha and Beena walking together, making our way slowly through the long rigde walk and treacherous crossovers in the snow. Finally we met Deepanjana and Subhankar who helped us cross sometimes. After a while we saw two paths and didn't know which one to take. Soon, our literal cry for help was answered by Amit. We kept walking and walking and finally, there we saw the campsite. It looked like heaven to our tired bodies. It was freezing, it was windy, legs were tired, hands were numb, shoulders were hurting but ham manzil pahunchke hi rahenge!

Khalijhar Campsite: Pic credit: Vibha

View from Khalihjar Campsite: Pic credit Vibha

Wearing all the layers, dipping tea and devouring the Oreo biscuits, we settled into our tents. This campsite is always supposed to be windy, but this was a whole new level. Trying to keep our spirits high and voices heard in the howling wind, we were singing and chatting. Soon we had chai and pakoras served in our tent. I couldn't believe the determination of the Himalayan Passion team at this point. With tea comes the need to pee. With hurricane force winds, it was an even bigger challenge than before. That night, dinner was served in the kitchen tent. Everyone huddled up together, eating Paneer and fried rice in the mountains with Amit, Nima da and Dhruv singing Nepali songs. The mood of the whole team was exhilarating and we forgot the chill and the pain. This is one of my favourite memories of the trek. Now it was time to go back to our individual tents to get a good sleep. We had to wake up in the wee hours to trek to the Phokteydara top if the weather improves.

DAY 4-MARCH 20TH- KHALIJHAR TO PHALUT

As the fog and the wind did not reduce even in the early hours  today, our trek leader decided to skip the hike to photkeydara top but proceed directly to the Singalila top. Since we had some time before the breakfast, Vibha, Lalitha and Beena decided to hike up a nearby hill . Vibha came back saying that the views were breathtaking. In her words- The sun was playing hide and seek with the dark clouds, the branches and the tender leaves were adorned with the crystal clear dew drops, mountain ranges as far as the eyes could see, cool wind caressing our faces.. I guess it felt like heaven. Soon enough, the sky cleared up and it was a bright blue sky and we all looked forward to a bright day ahead. As the fog was clearing up, we also got the sneak peaks of Mt Kanchenjunga again and we did did not waste the opportunity to click pictures with the massive peak.

View of Khalijhar Campsite from a hill top: Pic credit- Vibha

It was breakfast time and much to Vibha's dismay breakfast was poori masala. As a trekker, you realize that being fit and having the energy is more important than being fussy about food and comfort. So we finished our breakfast, packed our lunch and set out from Khalijhar. The path was mostly on to the ridges, and we always had a beautiful view of the mountain ranges motivating us and keeping our mind off the physical strain. Other than occasionally posing for some pictures on the cliff edge, we kept meticulously walking and following our local guide Nima da and Amit. We went farther than the group, so we halted and rested and spotted a lone yak grazing in the wilderness. 

At this point, we could also get a sight of the Nepal side. Then began the arduous climb, the chilly weather, the cold winds and the path to Singalila top. After a good 1.5 hours climbing uphill, we reached the top! Now what was left, was to climb up to the very top, with the beautiful prayer flags and soak in the feeling of contention. Vibha being Vibha, decided to run up to the top, adrenaline rush I guess. We did it! Emotions and spirits were high and there was laughter everywhere. After taking some group photos and pictures from there, we decided to do another crazy thing, a tradition if you will. PLANK TAPS at 13500 ft at Singalila top, in India and Nepal. What a surreal feeling. We were only thinking what our coach Deepa would say about our crazy antics.

Mother daughter duo at Singalila top

Now time to descend. The word is enough to instill fear among many of us, either due to injuries or past experiences. But it had to be done. We had to trek down 16 kms. I followed Nima da and one look at the sight ahead of me, sent shivers down my spine. The path looked very dangerous, It was a descent on the boulders and loose rocks. Step by step, concentrating, using our poles, trusting our shoes we started descending. At some points, when we got stuck, our friendly guides helped us holding our hands and showing us the way. The one striking difference  which was very evident between Himalayan Passion and other trek companies was that these guys don't just help you get from point A to point B but show you where to keep your foot, how to hold your pole when descending and this shows that they want you to learn and at one point do it by yourself. Thanks Himalayan Passion team- much appreciated

After some point, albeit very slowly to the annoyance of some members trekking behind me, I managed to descend and conquer my fear. The one thing that you shouldn't have in the mountains, is self doubt. It will meddle with your mind. Trekking is as much a physical capability as it is mental will and confidence. I must thank Himalayan Passion for this.

Once we were down, at least partially, we stopped for lunch. Everyone was eating the packed poori masala, some playing with the mountain dogs(No guesses that we were doing that) and some resting. Now times up, let us start climbing, we had to get to Phalut. These meadows were one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, just acres of grass, with the landscape of mountains, animals of all kinds-horses, yaks, sheep playing together. Didn't feel like I wanted to leave. Weather started taking turn for a worse here, visibility was reducing. It started to rain and snow and we were all so tired. My arms and shoulders were hurting badly. I had to stop to give my bag  to Dhruv and then continue. Walking behind Nima da and Amit, asking for their help sometimes, pausing between steps, taking 5 deep breaths, we somehow were nearing Phalut. There was lots of snow, ice and ridges during this part of the trek, quite scary at times.

Amit and Nima- Pic credits: Hema

At this point Nima da was asking Vibha to descend fast as the weather was not improving. Vibha was much ahead of me and after a few minutes I lost sight of her. Lalita and I were almost walking in the wrong direction when luckily Vibha shouted at us and we followed suit. The next 20 minutes was blind descent with zero visibility. Luckily Amit was quick to give me a hand and helped me descend to the PHALUT HUT. All of us were so grateful to have reached , to have a place to stretch out and legs.  Four of us got a room which had individual cots and mattress. A lovely room after the arduous trek.

Phalut hut: Pic credits - Lalitha

We were served hot tea and biscuits which we happily ate. As there was no electricity but lots of time to kill, we started playing a multilingual Antakshari soon joined by the rest of the team. Here the hidden talents of our trekkers came into forefront. Deepanjana who is usually silent had deep knowledge about the songs. The number of songs she could remember was just amazing. Next was our silent knight Subhankar. He has a heavenly voice while he sings. Beena surprised all of us with her old hindi melodies. Dipashri along with Udippan were signing all the songs with full josh. Did not know that Vibha knew so many hindi songs.  Lalitha and Hema entertained us with Tamil melodies. Skip to dinner and we had dal chawal, aloo sabzi and paapad. Hunger levels were so high that not one soul uttered a word during dinner. Of course the weather was really cold too. That is it. We had to sleep as the next morning we had to wake up at 6 am to go to the Phalut top.

DAY 5- MARCH 21ST: PHALUT TO GORKHEY

We both woke up at 6A.M, we were thinking it was a short descent today and we are done. But our trek leader Dhruv had other plans- He said let us go to Phalut top. My eyes popped out hearing this. My legs were refusing to get out of bed and it would definitely refuse to do any ascent. However, Dhruv is not used to listen to a NO.I said Dhruv we have not brushed yet. Dhruv says haan, we will come back and brush. Flabbergasted, half sleepy, fully tired, we started trekking up. After half an hour, we were greeted with one of the most beautiful , breathtaking, heavenly views one can ever imagine.

Sleeping buddha as seen from Phalut top: Pic credit- Vibha

The entire sleeping Buddha range with the massive Kanchenjunga towering over others. Let me paint a picture for you, a rich blue sky, massive peaks in every direction you turn, Nepali prayer flags slowly moving to the beat of the wind, and us small tiny humans struck in awe. To make things even better, we could spot the highest mountain in the world, Everest , Makalu and then beside it Lhotse. After Dhruv pointed to each peak and clarified them to us, time for pictures. Some of the more enthusiastic trekkers were jumping and striking poses with the massive Kanchenjunga as their beautiful background. Me and Vibha just sat down, in total silence, just meditating, soaking in the views, expressing our gratitude to the mountains and watching the great Kanchenjunga. At that point, we both silently thought, Simba did this, he made it happen. Time to go back down. We descended to the hut, brushed, washed our faces in ice cold water. With the sunlight mildly hitting your face, tea in hand and such pretty views, did not feel like I wanted the moment to pass.

Vibha pointing to Mount Everest!

 It was breakfast time and we had chapati and dal. Pure bliss. As we started our descent to Ghorkey, we saw more Rhododendrons throughout the forest. We stopped at Aluabari camp for tea and biscuits. Hema clicked some great pics here. 

Pic credit Lalitha

With enough rest taken, we set out again. Sometimes taking shortcuts which had its impact on my knee and toes and sometimes walking beneath the tress , we reached the last bit. We could see our homestay at Ghorkey but our legs were tired and feet blistered. Slowly, holding hands and helping each other, Amit always there to hold hands when I needed help, we somehow reached our homestay. Do you want to know what we were welcomed by? Cats and dogs, Heaven!

Gorkhey Village: Pic credit- Vibha

The homestay at Ghorkey was beautiful. Exceeded all the expectations we had. Four of us took a room and much to our disbelief , we had a bathroom attached too.. Hot aloo paratha and achaar were served for lunch, which we ceremoniously finished. Now that the trek was finished, we went to the nearby river, dipped our legs, took some Bollywood style pictures and got back to our homestay.

I had a request to Vibha and Lalitha to get me some lollipops. As I was happily licking it away, Deepanjana was shocked that a fifty year old was having a lollipop and everyone burst into laughter. Evening concluded with pakora and tea and dal chawal for dinner. It started poring soon and soon after we scrammed back to our rooms. Everyone gathered in a room and exchanged views about the whole trek. The conclusion was that the language was a barrier at the beginning of the trek which slowly dissolved into a camaraderie and eventually felt like a FAMILY. With a sense of gratitude and happiness, we repacked our bags and went into a deep sleep

DAY 6- MARCH 22nd: GORKHEY TO BAHRENG TO NJP

Woke up early after a sound sleep. All of us slept like babies. As were started getting ready, Amit and Nima came to our room to bid a final bye as they were departing from here to their home town . Amit was visibly down and so were we. But the journey has to go on and with these parting words, we promised Amit that we would visit him and stay at his homestay in Darjeeling.

All packed and ready to leave, we had our hot breakfast of chapati and aloo sabzi with achaar. Quickly finished with this and tea and we set out for our final trek of this journey. This was a 4 km walk to a nearby village called Bahreng. Since Dhruv said that it was only 4 kms, everyone was very relaxed . We walked down to the river, crossed over and then after a small ascent in the forest came a shocker again. We had to descend among the slippery slopes, where there was a small path just to keep one feet or at places no path too. However, even before I could wonder as to how to safely cross, Dhruv would be ready with an extended hand to hold me safely and cross the path. He would do this whenever anyone needed help and so did Dr Uddipan. God bless you guys. Finally we reached Bahreng.

Happy Trekkers after successful completion of our trek- Pic credits: Udippan

Since one car was waiting for us, Beena, Lalitha, Hema, Vibha and myself sat in it and travelled 1/2 a km and waited for the rest who trekked down further to the other vehicle. Once they came down, we rearranged ourselves in two vehicles. By now, Lalitha and myself were craving for some sweet. Luckily, our vehicle stopped at Jorethang for a while and that too in front of a sweet shop. Probably Universe heard us. Off they went to get one sweet as I waited in the car. However, I see that they have got all the sweets we were discussing-Gulab jamun, Rasagulla, Jilebi, Ice-cream. Thanks to Beena, my sweet craving was satiated. Having filled our tummy with the sweets, we continued our journey to make a short lunch stop at Melli. We had a regular vegetarian thali and by 5.30 pm we reached NJP train station.

Cravings for sweets satiated

With cramped legs and blistered foot, getting down the vehicle after a long journey was painful. It started to sink in that we finally had to bid bye to our trekkers from West Bengal. With a heavy heart we did , assuring each other that we would keep in touch. Dhruv got us auto's to reach our hotel and Beena to the bus stand. Beena, Lalita and myself agreed to meet again soon for a river rafting at Rishikesh. With that we bid her bye and off she went.

The next few minutes was indeed emotional. Saying the final bye to my son Dhruv was not so easy. The final silent hug said and conveyed the emotions the ones that were expressed and the ones which were never expressed. However, we both knew that we would meet again soon. With a final parting goodbye we left to our hotel at Siliguri- The Udaan clover.

Once we checked, had the much needed hot water shower and then hopped on to Haldirams which was bang opposite to our hotel. We all devoured the chats which we ordered. Thanks to Lalitha. It was amazing. Then Vibha bought loads of snacks to be packed off to Germany. Did we stop with so much eating? Nope, we did have dinner at the restaurant and topped it with a dessert too. God, we ate so much. We were so tired eating, that we dozed off soon after.

Next morning we had an early breakfast, as Lalitha was to leave to Hyderabad around 10. Promised to meet her again soon and after she left, I got busy repacking my stuff. Vibha and Hema decided to explore the local market and Hongkong market at Siliguri. Off they went and bought Tea, Kurtas, Tea cups of Sikkim and some memoirs. I just wondered as to how Vibha could carry all this to her home....Kept wondering.

We asked for a late check out and after Lunch we hired a taxi and left to the airport. Since we had a lot of time to spend, Vibha decided to rummage through the books in the book store at the airport and bought few including Climbing High By Lene. The fever of mountain climbing and its stories are deep rooted in her by now. The final announcement of boarding is done and we had to say Goodbye to Sikkim with mixed emotions. Journey back home was mostly silence, each with their own thoughts about the past few days interspersed with anecdotes about the trek and trekkers.

Thank you Dhruv, Uddipan ,Amit, Nima , Subhankar, Deepanjana, Dipashri, Beena, Lalitha, Hema and Vibha to make this a beautiful memory etched for eternity.

Our entire team: Pic courtesy- Dr Udippan

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE YOU TREK:

1. Always be kind and mindful to your fellow trekkers

2. Try your best not to overtake another trekker , as it might break their confidence.

3. Make sure you tie your shoe lace properly. This avoids tripping down and safeguards your nails from hitting the rocks while on the descent.

4. Eat and drink lots of water and pee, whether you like it or not.

5. Share and help one another

6. Listen to your trek leader. They know better!

7. Don't try to help others, if you are struggling yourself. You might end up making matters worse.

8. Socialize, talk and be cheerful. It always leads to a better experience.

9. Always respect the physical and mental space of your fellow trekker

10. Stretch and cool down on each day of the trek.

ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!!

Himalayan passion can be contacted at their website HIMALAYAN PASSION 

Ph number: +919748955458

                   +919674715111

EXPLORE BEYOND can be contacted at ZEMU GANGTOK , Ph No:7989463938

This blog post is co authored by Vibha. Thank you Vibha.

   

  

Our exhilarating trip to east Sikkim in October 2021

Travelling after the fag end of the Pandemic(If I may say so), is a welcome break for most of us. Like most of us, we kept planning for holidays and treks but then the fear of the deadly virus kept us stay put at home. With the numbers going down, we finally decided to put into action the plan of travelling. It was an impromptu decision of going to Sikkim and all the girls agreed without batting an eyelid. Immediate planning on the places to go in a busy WhatsApp group led us to the final plan and that was to see offbeat Sikkim. The following blogposts will cover those places where many tourists do not venture. If you are a traveller like us, then these posts will a treasure for your future Sikkim trip.

Sikkim is geographically divided into 4. The east, west, north, and south. East Sikkim is headquartered at Gangtok which is the state capital too. The first leg of the trip was finalized to cover the east of Sikkim and our first destination would be Gangtok. The nearest operational airport from Gangtok is Bagdogra in West Bengal. Few Spicejet flights do fly to Paykong airport near Gangtok. So booked our flights to Bagdogra. 

18 the OCTOBER 2021:

On the d day, Padma reached Bagdogra much ahead of us and was ready to receive us at the airport. Yuba- the co-founder of Explore beyond who organized our trip was waiting with Padma to drive us to Gangtok in his black mean machine. 

The drive from Bagdogra to Gangtok was nothing less than the Road rash, which we all might have played. Yuba did a wonderful job jostling the peak traffic jam. My attention was constantly divided between what is going to hit us on this highly populated road and the gorgeous Teesta flowing along.

Coronation Bridge:

Our first stop of touristy nature was at Coronation bridge. It is one of India's engineering marvels, This bridge is also known by the name of Sevoke bridge which spans across Teesta in West Bengal. It was named so to commemorate the coronation of King George and Queen Elizabeth. A picturesque spot to spend some time. However, we were running late and had to move. This did not stop the girls from having some fun dancing on the bridge and making some reels for Instagram.

 This saga continued until we crossed the border and rode into the Pristine Sikkim.

As we enter the pristine Sikkim, the stark difference was evident. Sikkim is beautiful, clean, green and what strikes you the most is the genuine smile of Sikkimese people. There is so much warmth they extend to every visitor. while we were Listening to some Hindi melodies, looking at the greenery, seeing in awe the beautiful jade green Teesta, Yuba drove us safely to the Beautiful Homestay at Gangtok- The Dorjee Lee homestay.

Though some of the roads leading to the homestay are quite steep, the experienced drivers of Sikkim, manoeuvre it beautifully. This beautiful homestay has a rich heritage attached to it. The first glance of our homestay was enough to make us say, let us come back to Sikkim again. 

We were greeted by hospitable staff and two lovely pets Myson and Yuki.

While the staff was unloading our bags, I stood there looking around the beautiful place and listening to the drizzle of the rain oblivious of the fact that rain, greenery, and hill stations are a bad combination. The end result is Leeches. Yes, you guessed it right. I was welcomed to Sikkim by one leech who decided to give me a love bite. Padma was quick to arrest the damage by pulling it away. This was enough for me to rush straight to my room and refuse to come anywhere for the rest of the night.

As we assembled for the dinner in the kitchen, we met Xameer, the co-founder of Explore Beyond. Both of them updated us on the schedule for the forthcoming days. After the exhausting travel and mentally being exhausted from a single leech bite, the warm dinner of Roti, dal, subzi was a welcome change. We then straight hit the bed as it was raining continuously.

19 th October 2021:

The next morning was lazy. Since it was raining continuously, we were snuggled cosily in our beds, while Sasi kept us entertained with her childhood stories at Pondy. After breakfast, our plan to visit a nearby village and explore the village with the locals had been shelved. Thanks to the sudden western disturbance. Instead, Yuba suggested we go to a nearby waterfall, which was a non-tourist spot and a Lepcha worship site. However, our first stop would be at a beautiful unnamed waterfall. There are numerous like these ones across Sikkim.

Without the rains bothering us, after a heavy breakfast of sel roti and aloo dum, with a generous supply of honey lemon tea, we left to watch the mighty falls. It was pouring cats and dogs, and the waterfalls made a thunderous sound. This did not deter Padma and Sasi to pose on the near-empty roads leading to the waterfall. 

With the photographs being taken and videos carefully recorded, we continued our journey to the ancient holy Lepcha site, Kabi -Longstok. Lepchas are the indigenous people of Sikkim. These settlements are mostly in the remote valleys and are primarily nature lovers. They rever to mount Kanchenjunga as their guardian.

This prayer site of the Lepchas was truly beautiful. The continuous drizzle, the rhythmic sound of the rain hitting the leaves, the whoosh in the air made it look so cinematic. 

The rain did not deter us from exploring the holy site. Here are a few pictures of the prayer site where the Lepchas offer prayers to the nature god.

By now, our attention shifted to a rumbling sound of our stomachs-Hunger pangs. Yuba took us to an eatery where the chef made us some delicious noodles and fried rice.  Having had a sumptuous lunch we headed out to our next stop, the seven sisters' waterfalls. Now the intensity of the rain was increasing we decided to see the seven sisters from a distance as the visibility was pretty low by now. Having soaked in natures beauty for a whole day, we headed back to our homestay for a light warm dinner and a cosy sleep, hoping for a better and a clear tomorrow.

20th October 2021:

The day definitely looked better. Not sunny and clear though. Yuba told us that we might experience incessant rains for a day or two. So that means another day of being in Gangtok. Zameer invited us to their other homestay Zemu. Zemu is a lovely place. I could see that they were running the full house and it was more lively than Dorjee Lee. A quick tour of Zemu and then we were served hot delicious lunch. I must say that the service was extremely fast and it was very delicious. The hosts are the best  and made sure that our stay was very comfortable.

After lunch, we headed to a lovely non-touristy spot called Love Dhara. This is a place from where you can get the best view of Gangtok. As suggested by the taxi driver, it looks beautiful when the sun goes down and Gangtok lights up. Beautiful place, not spoilt by the tourists as yet. seeing this beauty, we said to ourselves that it was a lovely day and 4 satisfied girls headed back to our home in Gangtok. once we reached there, it was decided that we leave for Zuluk the next day to explore east Sikkim. 

The other places of interest in and around Gangtok are the numerous waterfalls, for the devout -the Hanuman Tok, the Tashi viewpoint for the mountain lovers and of course MG market for everyone. If you have missed buying any trekking gear, then head to the sports and adventure shop World Adventure on the Mg Marg. He sources most of the things we need. The water-repellent trousers with fleece lining are my best buy. Many eateries to try out and of course a nice place to chill around. Finally a picture tho banta hai with the father of our nation.

21 OCTOBER 2021:

Everyone up early and enthusiastic, looking forward to exploring east Sikkim. From this day on it was Dawa our charioteer who droves us safely all through the mountain roads of Sikkim and he doubled up as our guide. Not to miss the fact that he is a very patient and a lovely photographer who is ever ready to stop the vehicle at safe points because ladies always wanted pictures. Be it a lake or a lone cherry blossom tree we had pictures to click and memories made.

After breakfast at 8.30, we left for Zuluk. Our first stop was at a viewpoint en route to Zuluk, to catch a glimpse of the mighty Kanchenjunga in all her glory. She rose up above the clouds and no camera could ever do justice to the magnificent mountain.

After a brief stop here, we continued our journey towards Zuluk. The next stop was Changu lake. Our tour organiser had taken the necessary permits. We need Protected area permits to visit Tsongmo lake, Baba Mandir, Nathula pass in East Sikkim

Tsongmo Lake- Changu Lake:

Changu lake is a typical tourist spot. It is situated 38 km from Gangtok. A high altitude lake at 12400 ft, this beautiful blue lake is an ethereal beauty. I wouldn't generally want to spend much time in such spots but this lake was just too beautiful to give it a skip. Changu lake is also known as Tsongmo lake. Tsongmo in Bhutia language translates into a source of water. And this source of water is so beautiful. With the fog caressing the surface of the water, this scenic beauty was out of the world. Tourists were busy taking photographs with the decorated yaks. Many tourists vehicles all along this road were I must say an eyesore. Albeit the commotion by the crowd, we did find some spots where it was just us, the lake and our thoughts. Soaking in such a beautiful vision, we continued our journey in the much-acclaimed winding roads of Sikkim. Having had a delicious lunch at Zero, a roadside Dhaba, our next stop was Baba Mandir briefly stopping at the highest golf course known by the name of Yak Golf course.

Yak Golf Course:

Who would expect a golf course at such an altitude? India does boast of the highest golf course called Yak Golf Course situated at a towering height of 13025 feet above sea level in Kupup and holds the Guinness record for the same. This golf course is part of the Indian army base.

This is situated at Kupup a small village in the old silk route of Sikkim.

Young Husband's Track:

Next, you come across a huge signboard showing us the map of Young Husband's Track. It was from here that Lord Francis Young Husband, a colonel of the British army lead an expedition to conquer Tibet. Fierce battles were fought on these mountains and Tibet lost many monk soldiers. On September 7th 1904, Lhasa surrendered and the Lhasa convention was signed.

 Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir:

Baba Harbhajan Singh was a soldier with the Indian Army. At a very young age of 21 years, he was washed away in the flow of water in the glacier while transporting goods to a remote army camp. Even on frantic searching, they could not trace his mortal remains. 

The legend goes that he instructed his fellow men in a dream to take out his body from a particular spot covered in snow. The legend also says that he is seen guarding our border and some Chinese are a witness to this. Even now during the flag meetings between the two countries, there is a seat reserved for him. People believe that he still guards us in his own way.

We skipped the newly built mandir as it was thronged by tourists. Dawa our driver suggested that the old mandir is where we should be going.

The old baba mandir is a place where his bunker used to be. A few flights of steps takes you to the mandir. Here we can see his table, his tidy uniform. A leger with a pen is kept open here. Devotees can write down their issues in this and Baba is said to solve them. The next room is the retiring room. There is a clean bed, with a folded blanket and a pair of footwear. On the small window sill, you can see the toiletries that he used. The sepoy who is stationed there said that some morning he has seen the blanket in a position where it suggested it was used and the footwear had also moved. This suggests that Baba continues to live there and guard us. Patriotism to the hilt. Another small room shows us the place where he prayed to his guru. 

I saw people coming out with tear-filled eyes. I couldn't understand the reason. But once I entered the shrine, I became emotional too. Hats off to all the soldiers who continue to guard us despite living in such extreme conditions and for those who have laid down their lives for the Nation. 

When we came out of the shrine, we saw that the temperature had dropped considerably and it was bitter cold. Had a hot coffee at the army canteen and continued our journey on the old silk route.

Kupup Lake

Kupup lake is one of the high altitude lakes of Sikkim. It is also called the elephant lake as this resembles an elephant from an ariel view. Locally this lake is called Bitan Cho and is one of the sacred lakes for the locals. The nearest village goes by the name of Kupup. Kupup is one of the villages at this altitude which was a transit point during the silk trade between India and Tibet. We spent some time here and continued our journey towards Zuluk

Hairpin bends Of Old Silk Route:

The road beyond this is spectacular. This is where we saw the beautiful old silk route with its hairpins bends. There are 32 hairpin bends along the way. An engineering marvel by itself. The best view of these bends can be seen from Thambi viewpoint on a clear day. The weather god was not very supportive at this time of the day. Hence the clouds were playing hide and seek with the hairpin bends and we enjoyed as much as the scenery had to offer us.

Thambi View Point:

Thambi viewpoint offers a panoramic view of Mt Kanchenjunga at 11200 ft. This viewpoint is named after a civil engineer who constructed the beautiful road at that altitude. There is a lone tea shop wherein you could order your chai and some snacks and sit down in the sitting area at the edge of the road, well barricaded though. The valley below and the mount make a beautiful sight to immerse into and forget everything else. However, the fog, the clouds just decided to play the spoilt sport and we could not see the mountain at all. This did not deter our spirits though.

We had our chai and snacks in the cold evening, while the clouds caressed us taking us into a different world. But then our driver reminded us that we were yet to reach Zuluk and it had started to become dark. With a little remorse that we had to bid adieu to such a beautiful place, we left for our last stop Zuluk.

ZULUK:

Zuluk is a small hamlet nestled in the old silk route which was used as a transit point. Now Zuluk has gained prominence as an offbeat location in Sikkim as it offers a beautiful view of MT Kanchendonga. As luck was playing a spoilt sport, we could not sight the mountain as it was very foggy.

Zuluk has a strong army base which is used as a transit point for the movement to the borders. It boasts of some homestays too. 

Our homestay was just beside an army base. We reached around 6 pm and it was quite dark and damn cold. We quickly had a warm dinner and settled pretty early in bed.

Since it was a foggy morning, there was no point in waking up early for a beautiful sunrise. We had our breakfast around 8 am. We saw few army personnel and gleaming with pride, we decided to take a picture with one braveheart. There was not much we could do on a foggy morning and hence left towards Gangtok. We had to see the famed Nathula pass en route.

NATHULA PASS:

Nathula pass is also called the pass of listening ears. You can see this name painted on the inside of the arch.. Nathula pass is situated nearly 54 km from Gangtok and falls under a restricted area. With our permits being organised, we could easily go towards the pass.

Nathu La is one of the motorable roads situated at a very high altitude and is maintained by BRO. This pass co joins Sikkim and China at around 14450 ft about sea level.  Nathu La is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China.

Here our vehicle dropped us and went back to a parking place. We were advised not to stay here for a long time due to the probable drop in oxygen level by the BRO official. There were jawans guarding the gate and it says photography is strictly prohibited. 

Padma and Priya decided to not climb the stairs while Sasi decided to go with me. We had to climb around 100 steps and as we gained altitude, we did have difficulty in breathing. A sip of water helped us and we reached the top. What we saw was there was a barbed fence that divided the two nations. There was stoic silence from the other side, with the high gates closed. Our side was jostling with the energy of Hamara Desh Mahan. we enjoyed a few moments on the top and started climbing down. Padma and Priya had done their photoshoot in the pass by then and now it was our turn.  One thing which surprised us was that our mobile operator recognised us as roaming. Well, we were so near to the international border and the time jumped 2.5 hrs. However, Sasi phone was very patriotic and showed Indian timing. Look at the picture and see the difference

With this, we completed our east Sikkim tour, with a few hundred pictures clicked by each one, loads of memories . With a great sense of patriotism, we went back to Gangtok. After a sumptuous dinner at Dorjee Lee, before calling it a day,  we packed enough warm wear for the cold north sikkim, which would be the next leg of our tour. Do come back to read all about our north sikkim trip and to view tte beautiful snow clad mountains in north sikkim

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