North Sikkim Travelogue Part 1
Yumthang
Valley and Gurudongmar Lake had been on my travel wish-list for a long time.
Both of these places are in the Northern part of the Indian state of Sikkim,
high in the Himalayas of North East India. Our travel agent in Calcutta
suggested we add Dzongu, a forest valley that has been reserved for the Lepcha
peoples of Sikkim, to our itinerary. Since I am not the type who treks, me and
my friend Prasenjit chose to do the normal tourist thing, i.e. travel from
Calcutta to Bagdogra via air, and take a car from there to Gangtok, Sikkim’s
capital. A four by four would then take us for our week-long vacation in the mountains. I don’t know why, but to me, music always sounds better in the mountains,
and I find myself quietly staring out of the car window at peaks and valleys,
listening to classic rock. Sikkim is magical, they say, and the first piece of
magic happened as we pulled in to Gangtok. I had just turned on Led Zeppelin’s
Houses of the Holy album on the iPod, and as if on cue, as the first strains of
The Rain Song started playing, it began to rain! We arrived at out hotel as it
was getting dark, to the sounds of thunder echoing in the mountains.
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| Thunderstorm in Gangtok |
We spent
the night at the Sonam Delek Hotel on Tibet Road. Plush but cosy, with good
service and great food, one of the unique features of the Sonam Delek is that
every single room has a view of the Kangchenjunga Mountain, the third highest
peak in the world. Thanks to cloudy weather, we were unable to spot the peak
the next morning but the view was superb nonetheless. We had picked a room
which had a large veranda extending out over a valley, which allowed us to set
up a tripod, for some great night-time photography. After a breakfast of pancakes
and bacon, we set out towards the little hamlet of Lachen, where we would stop
for the night before heading to Gurudongmar Lake. On the way, we would be
visiting the Tashi View Point and a number of small and not-so-small
waterfalls. But as we proceeded further north, the roads started deteriorating.
There was a major earthquake in Sikkim in 2011, and while much repair work had
been done, much remained. Thankfully our exceptionally handsome and
exceptionally well dressed driver Wangchuk Lepcha took everything in his
stride, and we rolled over some of the worst roads I have ever travelled on,
without any incident. But if bouncing around in a car is a problem for you
(motion sickness and all that) then you may need medication.
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| One of the many waterfalls on the way to Lachen |
We
stopped en route for lunch at a small hotel serving hot, fresh, Indian meals,
and reached Lachen late in the evening. At an elevation of 9022 feet (2750
metres), Lachen is a small village with a population of 1000, that acts as a
base for visits to Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley. For those interested
in trekking, Yumthang can be reached from Lachen in two days. We had a room on
the 3rd floor, overlooking a beautiful valley with a snow-capped
mountain. As I set up my tripod for a shot of Lachen by night, I suddenly
became aware of the intense cold. My fingers were going numb! For the rest of
the evening, I and Prasenjit were constantly sipping rum. Our buffet style
dinner was wonderful as well. Rice, dal and vegetable and chicken curries. But
such was the cold that we went to bed in our jeans and our thermal inner-wear.
Room heaters and thick blankets can only do so much when the temperature dips
below 0°Celsius.
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| The rising sun turns the mountain-top orange in Lachen |
We were
woken up very early the next morning by hotel staff who handed us cups of tea,
and packets containing our breakfast. Inside the packet was an entire 400 gram
loaf of bread (very fresh, very soft), 100 grams of butter (frozen solid),
bananas and boiled eggs. We chose rum instead, saving the solid food to munch
on the way. We stopped for a second hot breakfast at 12,500 feet (3810 metres),
where after gulping down hot noodle soup and coffee, I was intensely grateful
for the presence of a basic, but clean and usable toilet. This was the last
chance! We were stopped at 15,000 feet at the army check post. This being
within walking distance of China, security is tight, and Indians need an Inner
Line Permit to visit. Foreigners are not allowed. As we proceeded to
Gurudongmar Lake I noticed that the landscape was different from yesterday. It
was harsher, rockier, more desolate, and there was nothing on the roads; no
dogs, no people, no huts, nothing save the occasional presence of the Indian
Army. Huge mountains and valleys, and not a single sound save that of our car’s
engine! Frightening and fascinating at the same time. What would it be like to
live here? Without a mobile phone network, there would be very few
distractions. A better life? Perhaps. But all these thoughts had to be put away
as we began spotting snow on the roadside. We were in the mountains, in the
very snow-capped peaks we had been staring at for the last two days!
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| On the road to Gurudongmar Lake |
Our car
pulled up right outside the temple on top of the hill next to Gurudongmar Lake.
The temple has an interesting but confusing history. According to the board
outside, it is one of the most sacred lakes of Sikkim and receives around 15000
visitors annually. The Guru in the name is the Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava, who
is said to have visited this place. Dongmar means “red face”, and hence the
lake represents the angry side of Padmasambhava. But Sikhs from the army say
that the Guru was a Sikh, probably Guru Nanak himself, who visited this part of
India on foot. Apparently local shepherds appealed to him to arrange for a
source of water for their animals, and the Guru struck a corner of the frozen
lake with his staff and the thick ice cracked and water spewed forth. One
corner of the lake never freezes, even in winter, and this is seen as
confirmation of this legend. A more rational explanation would be the presence
of a hot spring under that part of the lake. The temple’s walls are filled with
marble plaques naming Indian Army regiments and personnel who have repaired and
renovated the temple at various times. Steps lead down from the hill to
Gurudongmar Lake.
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| The temple at Gurudongmar Lake |
A word
of caution here; at 17,100 feet there is very little oxygen in the air. For
people from the plains, it is advisable that you walk slowly, speak softly, and
be cautious. The slightest bit of physical exertion at this height can cause
panting and dizziness. Do not even think of smoking. In fact, it would be
better if you quit smoking a few months before you considered visiting
Gurudongmar. If the weather is sunny, apply sunscreen on all exposed parts of
the body as sunburn at this height is very common. We found the lake completely
frozen solid in late April. The sun was blindingly bright, the skies were
clear, and the wind was cold. Not a single creature in sight, no trees or grass,
no one anywhere except tourists and their chauffeurs. We chucked a few pebbles
on the ice to confirm that it was solid enough and then tried walking on it. It
was fun, but keeping in mind that if it was to crack, and we sank into the
freezing water, no one would be able to save us, we stepped off the ice soon.
Take some time at Gurudongmar, sit down, breathe deeply, look around and take in the
scenery. It is empty, quiet, and beautiful. In the distance army trucks move
towards the China border, looking like little ants. If the weather is right,
the sky is a shade of blue that one can never see in the cities. The stream
that flows out of the lake joins another from Tso Lhamo Lake to form the Teesta
river. For reasons of health our tour operator had warned us not to stay at
Gurudongmar for more than 45 minutes. We ended up staying 2 ½ hours and had a
wonderful time, except for when I had to climb back up the stairs to reach the
car, when it felt like my lungs would explode like a Diwali firecracker!
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| The completely frozen Gurudongmar Lake |
Sipping
rum, we bid goodbye to the frozen wonderland. Wangchuk Lepcha put on his
shades, and gunned the engine. We set off towards Lachung and our next destination,
Yumthang, the valley of the flowers.
…to be
continued
- by
Deepanjan Ghosh
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Bookings and planning handled by Desh Duniya Tours. Check out their official website http://www.deshduniyatour.com/
- Sikkim transport, stay and permissions (I.L.P.) arranged by Galaxy Tours and Treks. Check out their official website http://www.tourhimalayas.com/
- Many thanks to Amrita Dutta for liaising with the local guys and always being available on the phone for us.
- Thanks to Prasenjit Das for the company, and to Santanu Dutta for originally suggesting the trip.
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