Wild Beauties

The variety of flora to be found in the Lachen valley is simply amazing. The great explorer botanist J.D. Hooker was completely awed by the variety of flora he found in the Lachen valley during his exploratory trip in 1849, making the following entry in his diary ” At first it appears incredible that so limited an area should present nearly all the types of flora found in the north temperate zone” . These  wild flowers held a captivating fascination for me as well. Managed to capture a few of these beauties during my excursions to Lashar, Thangu, Dewthang and Tarum.

  

Primula glomerata

  

Blue poppy -Meconopsis grandis

 

Enjoying the Marigold

Rhododendron slopes

You can check out more pictures over here

Zipping to Zachu valley

Both of us were ready by seven am, waiting for our guide Pema to accompany us to Lashar valley or Zachu, as the locals popularly called it. Last evening Pema had seemed a bit skeptical about our intention to go to Zachu valley in a day. According to him, it would take us a good five hours to reach there, contrary to the three hours we had been told in Lachen. So we readily heeded his advice of leaving by seven in the morning so that we could be back in Thangu the same evening.
From the very beginning itself Pema was sprinting up as though he were getting late to catch a train. Our walking path criss-crossed the motorable road, which was in the process of  being built, all the way to Bamzay. It made me wonder if a road would be built all the way till Lashar, but I really hope not.

Quarter of an hour into our climb I am panting like mad, finding it difficult to keep pace with Pema who always seemed to be running away. My mind drifted, thinking of one of the crazy Vijay-type hikes back in the Sahyadris. My dear friend Vijay is quite fabled for killer hikes, having a sort of a faithful imaginary clan to which I belong. His unassuming physical appearance does not give out much – just a glance at his thin stumpy legs gives a feeling of being barely able to walk. But once these sticks pick up pace, they never seem to tire, making me wonder how such thin legs could have so much power. To be a part of this crazy clan your backpack must weigh a minimum of 20 kgs, almost like an entry criteria. But it does not end over here. This is the minimum weight after which we’d compete as to who is carrying the most weight, as though we’re training to be mules. The irony of this being that despite all the stuff we carry to weigh our bags like water, stones (literally) and other impertinent paraphernalia, we never seem to carry food or enough of it, the most essential of all things. Once the hike starts there is not much opportunity for a break except if you are lucky enough to get lost or have to answer nature’s call. Even the few fruits we carry are generally had while we are walking. Well it’s not as bad as it sounds, for I am party to this insane clan and completely enjoying it.

 

By the time I came back to my senses Pema and Nima were way ahead of me making me pick up my

Rhododendron slope

pace. The one and a half hour climb was quite a killer though I have a feeling it was the height rather than my fitness that was getting to me. At this point we took a much needed break to quench our parched throats and also to eat sometime to replenish energy. From here, the path became relatively easy with gentle ups and downs. Now that I was more relaxed, I could really marvel at the view ahead and behind us, enjoying my walk. After about an hour we reached an open expanse of green meadows completely laden with rhododendrons , wild poppies and other wild flowers. I was gleeful to be in the midst of these vivid wild flowers, like a small child who had just received a surprise gift. This time I had ample opportunity to photograph the blue poppies, making me go completely trigger happy. Rejuvenated, we begun our walk towards Damboche village from where the path gently descended down to enter Lashar valley.  

 

Once we entered Lashar valley we were in altogether a different world. Everything seemed so serene and still as though the earth had stopped rotating. The serpentine river meandering through the valley floor flowed so gently giving one an appearance that it had come to a complete standstill. A little further down we saw a large heard of sheep on the grass less slopes being tended by a Dokpa, with whom Pema immediately got into conversation. Dokpa are the nomadic Tibetan herders who inhabit these high valleys of Lachen, most of their settlements are in Muguthang valley but there are a few in Lashar as well. Further down we could see the snow capped mountains with their hanging glaciers like a spectacular necklace meant to bedazzle the onlooker, and a little ahead was Sebu la – the connecting pass to Lachung. Crossing this 17,000 foot pass is supposed to be quite challenging but very rewarding too, the major issue in this region is arranging for the logistics which is a nightmarish activity. Though sometime in the future I would really love to do this three-day trek from Thangu to Yumthang. One more hour of walking through the calm Lashar valley got us to a small, dilapidated hut which was seemingly used by the Survey of India people while mapping the valley. This hut marked the end of our five hour journey to the base of Sibu la. Took a half hour lunch break over here, enjoying views of Kanchgyao (22600 feet) and other mountains to our North.

 

Sibu - la (to the right)

Now that there is some food in my tummy and my body sufficiently rested, am able to keep my pace with Pema on our return journey. The path skirts over the bank of the Lashar chu unable to give us a good perspective of the serpentine river meandering through the valley. Pema makes us climb the ridge to Phalung from where he says we would get excellent views of the river, beginning our

Lashar chu

scramble over loose rocks and steep slopes, puffing and panting as we move further up. To our misfortune dull grey clouds decide to envelope the entire valley at this very movement, turning our climb into a futile exercise as we are unable to get any good snaps. The downward journey proves to be extremely tricky, being more of a sliding cum balancing act rather than a climbing down. Over here we spotted a pair brahmini ducks playfully flirting with each other, while quacking out loud to break the silence within the valley. For a few minutes we watch their constant ritual of landing over the river, to take off again the next instant. Pema shows me the watch to indicate that we need to keep moving to reach Thangu by early evening. Our amazing and arduous trek finally came to an end at three in the afternoon, eight hours after we had left.

Lashar valley

Lachen – Part II

Was really glad to be back in Lachen, after spending nine long and boring days in rainy Gantok. As luck would have it the weather in Lachen was much better, it being bright and sunny and with slopes having more chlorophyll induced grass and plants due to the melting snow on top. Everything seemed to be much more infused with life. The next few days things went a bit downhill as I was completely alone , without my helper – Tshering and Gokey’ (my host) sons was completely bored and pretty frustrated. Most of the village was empty as many people had gone up to Thangu to tend to their farms or collect forest products. A dull gloom set over me as the days passed by; at one point I thought that my second trip would be completely futile, unable to make any progress on the guidebook or any other front.

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post on Lachen was about the kitchen, the epicenter of their household existence. It is the heart and soul of the household, acting as their hall and dining room, a place where families socialize and guests entertained. They have a really large kitchen completely encircled with  pots, pans, kettles and cutlery of all shapes and sizes which  sit proudly on the shelves, showing off the social status of their owners. I doubt that even half of the vessels must have ever been used as I guess they are more ornamental than practical. The size and variety of vessels I saw in all the kitchens never seized to amaze me; they actually held some sort of fascination for me.

 

 

The turning point of the trip came with Nima’ arrival three days later, as he pushed the pipon in his gentle way to get the ball rolling. The next morning Nima arranged for me to go to the base of Lama Angden , the guardian mountain of Lachen. This plan materialized on the spur of the movement putting the Gokey family in a bit of disarray as a guide had to be arranged for and my packed lunch had to be prepared. Lama Angden (5868 m)  is a very beautiful snow capped peak sitting right above Lachen, which I never had the luck of viewing during my one month sojourn. The hike to it’ base takes around 5-6 hours depending upon one’ speed and the condition of the route, making it a strenuous one day affair.  

My guide taking a breather

  I was introduced to my guide an old Lachenpa who understood neither English nor Hindi, resulting in us communicating in the cosmic language of human expressions and signs. Our progress was a bit slow as the old man had to keep catching up with his breadth, which he did by taking numerous cigarette breaks. An hour into our hike the climb really became steep and we had to start scrambling over loose rocks and grassless slopes, making the old man to mutter a bit. As luck would have it the weather gods chose to be displeased this very day, the entire valley being blanketed in dense clouds after it being bright and sunny for the past four days. As the going became tougher the length of his muttering and frequency of his cigarette breaks proportionately increased, but I was only beginning to enjoy the rugged terrain within the confines of the clouds. Finally when we reached the first plateau after climbing for two hours his muttering became way too much for me to handle. He was explaining that there was no defined path ahead of us with a good three hour climb still remaining, and the visibility was truly becoming very bad , so I conceded to turning back. Now the roles were reversed as I got down slowly and cautiously over loose rocks, while by guide seemed to be as sure footed as a mountain goat literally running down. I was really amazed at his skill as I saw myself fumbling in a hesitant manner over my footings. Mrs. Gokey was surprised to see me back before lunch time, maybe even a bit disappointed after all the effort she had taken.

 

One very important thing I learnt while working in Lachen was that things never and I mean never go according to the plan while working with communities. Dates and time do not mean much to these people, who luckily, still live in a peaceful and laid back world. We had to wait out one more day to go to Thangu for our reci trip to Lashar valley locally referred to as Zachu valley. At last the morning came when we set out to leave for Thangu. Our jeep seemed to be quiet abused as it was coughing it’ way up, having occasional spasms. At two points we had to push the poor tormented soul so that it would start in hope of transporting us to Thangu. Despite our apethtic progress we reached Thangu by 10, giving us enough time to walk to Dewthang for seeing the meditation caves of the Lachen rinpoche and Alexandra David-Neel.

Alexandra David-Neel' cave

Alexendra David-Neel was one of the most famous French explorer cum spiritualist and the first women from the western world to have set foot into Tibet. On her second visit to Sikkim in 1914 she met gomchen Aphur Yogden at the Lachen monastery with whom she retreated to the caves above Dewthang to study and meditate for two years.  The path for Dewthang commences from Kalep, taking around two hours to reach the cave. Wild flowers like marigold, primula sikkimensis, rhododendrons and blue poppy colored the route all throughout, making our walk all the more enjoyable. The blue poppy immediately became a favourite with me , proving a bit difficult to photograph due to it’ shy and illusive nature, The ones near the path were closed or withered away, and the ones which were well bloomed were in between inaccessible thickets. The path gradually climbed on top through lightening struck tree trunks and an incompletely built monastery to get us to the main cave where the first rinpochi of Lachen monastery had meditated for 13 years. The cave being quite big was compartmentalized into smaller spaces for meditating, cooking and sleeping.  Still it was pretty dark and damp inside and found it hard to imagine how somebody could stay in such a place for so many years, but then such are the ways of the venerable monks. From here we got some nice views of the Kalep valley below us , as we were wondering where the second cave of Alexandra David-Neel was. Climbed up a bit more over the rhododendron slopes, permeating their sweet smell in the crisp air of this serene valley.  Sat down for some time enjoying the natural beauty surrounding us , reflecting and analyzing my philosophies of life. While coming down we saw a small shallow cave which I thought would be the one used by Alexendra David-Neel as it was below the main cave of the rinpochi as described to us. After speaking to a few people and showing them our photos, it was confirmed that the shallow cave was the one where Alexendra Davis-Neel had meditated.

 

Kalep valley from Dewthang

By the time we reached Thangu it had begun to rain quite heavily forcing us in our room. Luckily the skies opened out in some time to reveal a bright blue dome giving us an opportunity to see the old rustic monastery as also the new one being constructed. After that met up with our guide who was to take us to Zachu valley tomorrow, though he sounded a bit surprised on hearing our intention to do the trip in one day as it was a long walk according to him. Will write a more detailed post about this outing in time to come.

 

When we were back in Lachen I had the fortune of experiencing Saga Dawa, one of the holiest Buddhist festivals. On this auspicious day it is supposed that the Buddha was born, attached enlightenment and died. The day started with a pooja at the monastery , with some of the monks continuing the prayers all through the day. The entire village had come with some sort of floral or culinary offering for the gods. It was my first experience of the Buddhist chants and quite a powerful one. The next morning we left to go to Tarum hot springs ,a very popular jaunt with the local people. The outing turned out to be a relaxed vacation of grand proportions for the two of us , would be putting a separate post for this trip too.

 

This brought to an end my second and final trip to Lachen. A trip which seemed really doomed in the beginning, finally turned out to be a fabulous one with a good deal of exploration. It was quite a challenging and at time frustrating experience working with the local community over here, none the less a very fulfilling one.

You can check out more pictures of my outings over here

Short trip to Kitam – Sumbuk

It seems to me that every village in Sikkim wants a share in the tourism pie, which resulted in our short trip to the villages of Kitam and Sumbuk for checking the feasibility of tourism over there. Kitam, which is around 12kms. from Namchi at an altitude of 2200 feet, has very recently been declared as a bird sanctuary. The first thing I could feel when we reached Kitam late in the evening was the sweltering heat. For the first time since leaving Mumbai I was actually sweating and feeling the humidity; I was back in the sub-tropics.

It was a perfectly warm and sunny morning whence I was greeted by the gulmohor, jackfruit and jacaranda trees on my morning walk, all so familiar to me. For breakfast the lady served us dal-rice and vegetables, for which I gave her quiet a quizzical look. Now who the hell has dal-rice for breakfast, that’ lunch for god’ sake. My mind and eyes were just not able to digest what was on the table, but in the end the rumbling stomach over powered the mind to have dal-rice that fateful morning. Post breakfast Nima and myself met up with the local eco-tourism committee who were to show us around the place for tourists spots. With a growing number of tourists, people everywhere are beginning to have some obsession about so called ‘ tourists spots’ , for which they will cut down trees ( destroy the natural environment) and make all sorts of ugly structures. They cannot understand that there would be tourists who would be more appreciative if they left the environment, their customs and culture intact, instead of changing them to heed to the senseless masses. A half hour drive and an equal duration by foot got us to our first place ‘Alley Khet’, which was an open football ground from where one could get some good views of the surrounding area. But it seemed to me completely crazy and highly ambitious to promote a football ground , something which can be seen anywhere around. I could only give them a skeptic look as I was pretty speechless.

From here we walked down to the Sorok monastery in the scorching heat of day, and continued back to Kitam. On our way down we took a brief halt near the Kitam primary school, giving me an opportunity to peer into the cute little school. I glanced into one of the small classrooms, bringing great delight to the kids who were enthralled to have spotted an alien like me within their midst . And as soon as I took out my camera all hell broke loose as all the kids wanted to be photographed. This thing spread like an infectious disease and in no time kids from all the classrooms surrounded me to have their photographs taken. Only after taking tons of photos did I manage to somehow escape from their clutches. Our final sight that morning was an old village house constructed of mud and timber. It was more than a 100 years old and found it hard to digest that there were people still residing in it, for it was way to basic especially in today’ time and age.

School kids

The second half of the day , where we drove down to the Rangit turned out to be comparatively better than the morning half. Our first halt as usual was another ‘view point’ , a 40 feet watch tower standing in a forest thicket at the end of slope. I simply cannot understand this obsession with view points, but it seems to be deeply ingrained in the psyche of the philistine Indian tourist. As we continued our journey down, the driver came to a sudden halt pointing his finger down towards the open slope. He was showing us some peacocks which are apparently found in the plenty in this area. In 2006 Kitam was notified as a bird sanctuary to popularize and protect the diverse bird life of this area. The area which has been demarcated for the bird sanctuary winds around the road going down to the Rangit making it bit prone to vehicular traffic. Kitam’ low altitude and moderate temperatures makes it a hot spot for migratory birds which flock in plentiful during winters. Sightings of species like White-rumped Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, Beautiful Nuthatch and the Rufous-necked Hornbill have prompted this area to be demarcated as an Important Bird Area (IBA). The road wound further down to take us to Majitar bazzar, a dusty and poor village on the banks of the Rangit. The ongoing volleyball game came to a sudden halt to quench the curiosity of the young boys towards us visitors. From the square we walked towards the Rangit over which a long footbridge has been constructed to connect the opposite bank in West Bengal. From the opposite bank a three hour trek gets one to the ever popular hill station of Darjeeling. The evening breeze brought with it a very cooling effect on the body and the mind enhancing the tranquility of the surroundings. The broad bank of the river makes it an ideal place for promoting tented accommodation and stays like those found on the Konkan coast.

Was a bit anxious the next morning, wondering which ‘view point’ I would be taken to today. It was around a 15 minute walk from the bazzar to a small stupa , sitting under the shady boughs of a Peepal tree. Some discussions followed after which they finally took us through the corn fields into the heart of the village. This was the best part of the place and something which I was looking forward to, rather than all the silly points. Locals tilling their land amidst chirping birds was a treat for the senses; an old man building a temporary bamboo shade, some women carrying basket loads of stones, a little ahead some more women singing while working in their fields brought forth the simplicity of life. The morning’ outing was followed by a lengthy discussion with local representatives on strategies to promote tourism in Kitam and packages they could offer, after which we bid them goodbye.

A half hour’ drive got us to Sumbuk , whose tranquility and rustic look attracted me immediately. In the fading light of the dusk sky it seemed to have a definitive other worldly village charm. We were cordially greeted by Puran, who is one of the most respected local and the person taking the lead to promote village tourism in Sumbuk. That evening we were served dinner in a bronze plate , a tradition reserved for very special guests, which was quite an honor for the both of us. The sumptuous spread consisting of different vegetables, french fries and meat was lavish by all proportions and I completely gorged on the food . Dinner was followed by more conversations and bed which proved to be a difficult affair. For some reason they had assumed that only Nima would come for the visit as a result there was only one spare bed for him. So we had to pass of an uncomfortable night, squeezed in the confines of a single bed which also was a bit short for me. To add to my woes there seemed to be no dearth of mosquitoes and other imaginable insects getting inside my blanket to ensure that my night was made even more miserable.

Was still recuperating from last night’ turmoil when I stepped out of the room for a short walk. The morning clouds hovering just above the valley gave out a dream like effect to the entire village. The floating clouds penetrated by the early rays of the sun accompanied by the melodious cooing of the birds completely rejuvenated me. Our first ‘tourist spot’ for the morning was another mandir, my fourth in three days, of which I was now getting a bit tired. From here we walked towards the bank of the Rangit, which has some factories leaving no scope to promote any activities. The scorching sun was now getting to me resulting in salty beads of sweat rolling down my bearded face. A small foot track led us up once again into the shady forests for which I was very thankful; 20 minutes later we were back on the road. Over here I witnessed something really ironic which disgusted me. Some locals were clearing a slope by cutting down trees leaving me a bit baffled as they were actually supposed to be planting trees. After a bit of talking and interrogation Nima found out that they were clearing the slope so that they could plant trees, an ironic case of deforestation for aforestation. It seems that the forest officer of that area had given them orders for the same, so that he could show his superiors the number of trees he had planted proving his performance. Found this completely crazy and disgusting but that is just how our bureaucratic protectors of the forests worked. Moved on to a small opening in the forest where they had made some rustic benches from where once could peacefully sit down and enjoy the birds.

In the afternoon Puran took us on a long tour of the village which was both beautiful and interesting. Sumbuk is considered the land of gladioli due to the abundant cultivation of this sword like flower over here. Luckily we were able to see the vivid colors in some of the fields. Besides horticulture there is a good deal of crops and vegetables like maize, black dal, sweet chilly, tomatoes, grown organically over here . Sumbuk being a farming village people very simple and warm, inviting us for tea while explaining us the intricacies of their farming practice. Our path cut across many small rivulets , dotted with really old banyan tress under which we used to rest. Time just flew by and I didn’t even realize that we were walking for two hours till the time we reached our house.

On our final morning we drove to upper Sumbuk from where we walked to ‘Tamble Chor’ , a small forested area on top of the range. The walk through orchid laden trees was very nice till the time we reached an opening where we saw some sort of construction. Puran told us that the tourism department was building a big mandir (which made my face go red) and some eco friendly huts. On our way down we took a short break at the Sumbuk market which was bustling with activity , it being the market day.

Thus came to an end my four day trip of two very different villages in South Sikkim.

All in all both places are definitely worth a visit especially during the winter months when the climate would be more pleasant compared to other snow bound places in Sikkim.

Lachen – Part I

With impatient anxiousness I was waiting for the helicopter to land at the Bhaku helipad, for I was finally leaving to Lachen for my project. I was introduced to the UNDP official Mayura, and another consultant Raj Basu, who were going to be my accomplices on the journey. The initial part of the drive is simply amazing as it passes through thick evergreen (sub temperate) forests bejeweled with numerous waterfalls. I was awestruck at the sight of such lush green forests even though from a distance. Our conversation wavered from Lachen and its people, to the hydel project on Tista, to other community based projects. During this course I was to find out that Raj had been working in the environmental and community based tourism field since the past 21 years all around the North East and was an extremely knowledgeable person. Our five and a half hour journey brought us to Lachen at 8.30 in the night, whence we were greeted by the pipon and Nima.

A bright sun was already staring me in my face, leaving me no option but to wake up by 5.30. Took a small walk around the village and the first think I noticed was that it really wasn’t as small and rural as I had thought it to be. Post breakfast we had a meeting with the village council in which Raj spoke about his thoughts on ways and means to increase the tourist inflow and increase profitability of the hoteliers. Later Mayura, Raj, Nima and Myself were taken around the village by Tshering who would also assist and help me in my work in Lachen. Our walk started with a tour of the monastery which is amazingly beautiful, the resident monk explained to us the significance of some of the paintings and statues within the monastery. Later, Nimbum the thanka painter of Lachen also joined us and invited us to tea where he was explaining to us the intricacies of painting a thanka. From here we went down the gompa road to the Tourist Information Centre which was shut ( no surprises here) and when we had it opened they hardly had any information and all their broachers and books were years old (still no surprises). It seemed that the TIC was the most unfriendly and unlikely place from where a tourist could get any sort of information. Since it was not being put to use we decided to have the interpretation centre for Lachen in their premise. The remaining part of the day was spent in more discussions and brain storming for improving upon the benefits of tourism to the people.

Project backgroundWill digress a bit over here to give a brief background on the project currently going on in Lachen. The Ministry of Tourism and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) are executing a project in Lachen to promote a more sustainable and equitable form of tourism, thus improving the livelihood of the people. The NGO I am volunteering for, namely TMI (The Mountain Institute) is assisting UNDP in executing the project on ground. It has taken a better part of two years in just developing relationship and trust with the local people over here to finally get the project running from May. The people of Lachen are a very closed community and they don’t speak to people outside or open up easily, and since they have their own system of local governance even the government can’t do much over here. But things have finally started rolling and the new village chief is eager to get the project going. My role over here is to develop a guide book about the place and the people , help out in developing the website and do a recci around places in Lachen, which have a good tourist potential. Besides this am also helping out in driving the ‘zero waste’ program, and making a sort of Interpretation Centre.

To assist me in my work over here a girl named Tshering has been assigned to me. A graduate in Political Science with budding enthusiasm to work towards the betterment of her village, she represents the new face of Lachen. Along with her I met up with quite a few people to document their food, culture and history which till now has been the most difficult part as nobody is sure about their history and it remains a gray area. A lot of help and information has been provided to me by the postmaster Rinzing Chewang, who has painstakingly and meticulously recorded the customs, culture, governance system and travel places over the years. I spent many of my evenings in his ever enthusiastic company, talking about anything and everything related to Lachen, thus learning a lot in the process.

The village and it’ people

Lachen is located at an altitude of 8838 feet in the North district of Sikkim. The village has seen a good deal of expansion in the recent past, with around 180 households and around 20 hotels; not really as small as I had initially expected it to be. The locals, who are Bhutias by race originally came from Chumbi valley in Tibet and the Ha valley in Bhutan, sometime in the 17^th century (or so it is believed). Being herders they led a nomadic life , staying in Lachen during winters and moving up to Thangu during the summer months. Till a few years back the entire village would move to Thangu in summer but now since most people have a settled life only the herders move up.

The most unique feature about Lachen is it’ administration and local governance system called Dzumsa which literally means the meeting place. This system of self governance was introduced sometime in the beginning of the 19th century and even after the panchayat system was introduced all over Sikkim it was not imposed in Lachen and Lachung, thus the Dzumsa system continues to function till this day. The Dzumsa is a group of people chosen by the villagers to represent them and manage the village affairs. The council of representatives known as lehyan consists of two pipons who are the head of the village, assisted by five village elders called gyambos , two treasurers called tsipos , two messengers gyapons and three elder monks. This council or lheyan is changed every year unless the villagers wish to renew their mandate. Traditionally the Dzumsa system came into existence to organize and regulate the people while dispensing the benefits to the entire community. The Dzumsa not only determines the code of conduct of all individuals in social as well as economic issues but also implements and monitors them, while collecting fines from those who break the norms and rules. The Dzumsa performs all the developmental functions that are assigned to the panchayats in other areas and also have customary judicial power for trial of cases in their respective villages.

Dazzeled at Guru Dongmar

Thanks to madam Mayura’ beauty bath we were late by an hour . Bid farewell to Raj as he had to leave for Sillgury while Nima, Mayura , Tshering and Myself proceeded on our way to Gurudongmar with our driver Budul Lachenpa. The road upto Thangu is quite winding as it skirts the valley giving us good views of the waterfall ridden land with pretty rhododendrons and melodious birds. As one rides to the lake one can literally see the change in terrain from the temperate oaks and conifers, to the alpine shrubs, to the barren Tibetan desert. Our drive brought back fond memories of my trip to Ladakh, the barren mountains with the most amazing shades of red, brown and green standing beside snow clad mountains ornate with stunning hanging glaciers. The first thing I felt as I stepped out of the jeep was a tinge of dizziness due to the lack of oxygen reminding me that I was now standing at 17,100 feet.

 The lake is a pearl in the desert and has a spell bounding beauty. It is the largest lake in Sikkim and is considered a very holy one by the Buddhists and Sikkimese alike. Legend has it that Guru Padmasambhava crossed this lake when he went to Tibet in the 8^th century. On the shore of the lake you see all around stones which have been piled one on top of another (mostly four to five stones), like a pagoda called Lapse, this is to ward of the evil spirits and bring peace and harmony in the valley. Recently a footpath has been built around the entire lake, which supposedly takes around an estimated three hours to walk.

 

On our way back we took a brief halt at Chopta valley where there is a yak breeding centre, from where we proceeded to Thangu. Over here I had my first glass of Tibetan tea which I was over zealous to taste, as I wondered how tea with butter and salt would taste. My verdict was a mixed one and in anyways I was to get used to drinking tea with salt very soon. Thangu is the summer residence of the Lahenpa herders as during this time of the year they get their yak, sheep and goats to the green meadows of this valley. There was once a time when the entire village would migrate over here being nomadic tribes, but with changing times most people have settled down in Lachen. The flowering meadows were inviting us for a walk amongst their beauty , to which we readily obliged. Our driver Budul was quite an expert on flowers and had a good knowledge about them and identifies quite a few varieties of rhododendrons, primulas and wild flowers for us. The path meandered through the meadows and led us to the Chopta chu (stream) cutting right across it. The water had carved some amazing rock formations creating some spectacular light effects. Relaxed by the stream for some time before we left to go back and return to Lachen.

 The entire area near Thangu was covered with flowers giving an appearance of a grand flower basket. I was lost in this dreamy world when all of a sudden I find that Budul had taken a sort of a detour and we were driving on a mud road. He got us to some rustic village covered in clouds, where horses roamed about freely. This was the village of Talem, which somehow seems to have been lost in time. The houses over here are more than a 100 years old, made of mud and timber. There was an amazing tranquility to this place and for a few movements it appeared that I had actually traveled back in time. But a single honk from Budul awoke me from my dreamy state as we returned back to Lachen from a most exciting and enthralling day.

                 

                     

Sunday at Tsamgo

I was waiting for Sange’ call to provide me the details of the driver who would take me to Tsomgo . As soon as my mobile hummed I picked it up to speak to Sange who provided me the details of the jeep and driver whom I had to meet at the Vajra theatre. He asked me to take a taxi over there but after some scouting around, chose to walk it down to the theater which turned out to be a very pleasant 20 minute walk. I was greeted by complete chaos and cacophony at the taxi stand and now I was wondering how I was to find the jeep number Sange had given. Half an hour of hunting in the stand didn’t yield much result and I called Sange back to provide me with the mobile number of the driver. A couple of phone calls later I finally managed to bump into the driver who was to take me there. At 9.30 am I was at last packed of with nine other people to see Tsomgo and Baba mandir. All nine of my companions were either from Bihar or UP and it was extremely entertaining to listen to their conversation in the typical hindi style.

 The road is winding all the way to the top but it well compensated with the scenic beauty of the surrounding mountains. There were times when it appeared that we were floating in the clouds as there was a layer of fluffy cumilo-nimbus clouds right below us. All of a sudden our jeep came to a halt and all I could see ahead of us was a bee line of jeeps, trying to break their line (in the normal Indian impatient way) and honk their lungs out creating an utter mess of the place. The reason for this chaos turned out to be the army checkpost where all the tourist jeeps had to show and register the permits for all the passengers they were carrying. This is an army ritual which needs to be followed by all going to Tsomgo lake or Nathula, due to the close proximity of the area to the China border. At the check post met up with Sange, who introduced me to one of his colleagues who would show me around the lake . After the check post the entire path is dotted with army camps of varying sizes . When we reached Tsomgo lake the driver told me that we would first go to Baba mandir and then halt at Tsomgo on our way back. So I made the decision to carry on with them ionstead of getting down at Tsomgo, which proved to be a wrong one at least in terms of weather.

 Baba mandir was at least another hour from the lake and I was already wondering if I had made the right decision.   I was greeted by a flock of Indian tourists at 13000 feet all of whom were scrambling into the mandir . The mandir is actually a shrine which has been created in memory of   Harbajan Singh. The story goes that in October 1968 sepoy Harbhajan Singh was escorting a mule caravan from his battalion headquarters in Tekula to Dengchukla, he fell into a fast flowing stream and drowned. Search for Sepoy Harbhajan was made with no results, and it was on the fifth day of his being missing that his colleague Pritam Singh had a dream of Harbhajan Singh informing him of his tragic incident and his dead body being found under the heap of snows. Harbhajan Singh desired to have a samadhi made after him but Pritam Singh ignored the dream as just as an imagination. Later when the body of Sepoy Harbhajan Singh was found at the spot where he had informed, the army official was taken aback and to mark respect towards his wish a samadhi was constructed.

 By the time we reached Tsamgo it had become cloudy though I did manage to take a few photos. Once I reached the lake I met up with the two ‘pokhri rakshaks’ or lake guards.       The NGO I am working with has initiated a wetland conservation program called Pokhri Sanrakshan Samiti to save a few lakes from environmental degradation. For this they have started charging all tourists a sum of Rs.10 which goes into the upkeeping of the lake. The important thing is that they have empowered the local community as custodians of the lake and to take care and execute projects to reduce degradation.I will also be helping out on this project at a later date and would post more details about the same then.

 It had started to rain by the time we left from Tsomgo and was glad that was carrying my rain jacket. On our way back, one of the Bihari’ was in full mood and was cracking jokes about the place he was from getting everyone in splits. Frankly did not understand much but his accent and his way of talking just made me laugh out silently. Reached Gantok market at around 4 to put to an end an enjoyable Sunday outing.

A short outing to Rumtek

Dallas was running out of ideas to pass our time on Saturday and so he suggested we go to Rumtek to see the monastery over there. It is touted as one of the main tourist attractions around Gantok and so I approved of the plan. Rumtek is around 22 kms from Gantok with good access via taxis , or so I thought. We went to the taxi stand but had to wait for around 30 minutes for the taxi to get full before it started . It was a one hour drive through lush greenery and some entertaining local gossip.  Along the way one gets good vistas of Gantok city surrounded by green mountain slopes giving an impression of a rudimentary castle in the air.

The first thing I notice as I enter the monastery complex is the ITBP guard station, from which one of them gives me a peering glance to inquire if I am a foreigner or not. I speak to him in fluent hindi to eliminate any of his doubt. A five minute walk through the complex gets us to the main gate of the monastery where I buy two entrance tickets for us. I walk into a huge quadrangle with the monks quarters on both the flanks and the main temple opposite the gate. It is the largest monastery in Sikkim and home to the Karma Kagyu sect of Buddhism.   The Rumtek complex was founded by the sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje after he ran away from Tibet to avoid communist prosecution and to continue with his preaching.

The main temple is a magnificent and opulent four storied structure. I went inside the main temple hall which is open to all visitors and was enthralled by the vividity of the paintings and it’ colors. Unluckily I did not have much understand into the meaning of the paintings and Dallas seemed to be least interested in them. The hall is supported by red pillars from which silk banners and intricate thangkas hang. From here we walked towards to Nalanda Institute and the Golden Stupa. I was really astonished to see the number of ITBP cadets and they had an entire army post inside, it was both sad and painful to see a heavy army presence in such holy a place.

 

The Nalanda Institute was a richly painted five storied building. The institute was founded to preserve and propagate the teachings of Buddha and, in particular, the Kagyu tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. It is supposed to be the most important learning centre for Buddhism in the world.   

                                                       

Since we could not go in, just had to admire the institute from outside. By this time Dallas was really getting restless and so could take only a brief glance inside the Golden Stupa. It contains the precious relics of the sixteenth Karmapa and is bejeweled with ancient turquoise and coral, and decorated with filigree and fine metalwork. came out and roamed about a bit in the gardens to take in the peaceful and serene atmosphere, till I was interrupted by an impatient Dallas and asked if we could leave.

So started our homeward journey which turned a bit ugly and adventurous. On reaching back to the road we did not find any shared jeep to take us back and after 30 minutes of waiting did not yield any results we started walking down. But as fortune favours the brave we did manage to get one after about 20 minutes to comfortably reach Gantok.

Sail away from the safe harbor… Explore. Dream. Discover…

So said Mark Twain , who’ famous phrase has been echoing in my head since quite some time. At long last I have taken the step to begin a new journey into the un-chartered territory of my dreams. My initial nervousness has been quelled by my every increasing excitement and now look forward to a new beginning.

 

After two and a half days of travel have finally reached Gantok to begin my volunteering stint with TMI. Both the train journeys were pretty good but my head is still spinning a bit from the five hour winding ride from NJP to Gantok. The air has a mild chill since it rained this afternoon and the skies have cleared out to portray beautiful dusk colors. Maybe that has helped clear my head from the doubts.

Will end with this beautiful Buddhist saying I had photographed on the Sandakphu trek.