The Valley of Flowers which wasnt


"There is no need to rent the snow boots. You rent some wind cheaters. It will be windy there and the jackets will be useful against the wind", said the senior guide. No harm came to him because I abhor violence !!!

The journey from Lachen to Lachung was a short and uneventful one. It took us around 2 hrs to get to Lachung from Lachen. The scenery, as usual, was breathtaking. Just before entering the Lachung town, there was a nice waterfall. We stopped here since the driver wanted to have tea at a tea shop here. We also had a cup of tea and took some snaps near the waterfall.

The place we stayed at Lachung was a nice one. It was better than the one we stayed at Lachen. The cold was also less here and the hotel people gave us hot water packs, which were very useful. Upon arrival, we were treated to plate of onion pakodas, which were extremely tasty. That night I had a minor shock. I had covered myself with a razai and about to sleep. I turned around and suddenly felt breathless. It took me some time to get back to normal !! I was wondering as to what happened to me. The razai was heavy but not so heavy that you become breathless. There didnt seem to be any doctor or hospital around and here I was feeling breathless. Anyway I slowly relaxed and was able to sleep. Only the next morning did I realize that what happened was not due to my lack of fitness but due to the altitude at which we were staying. We were staying at close to 13000 ft and I did notice the effort I had to put in when I took a morning stroll to get some photography done.

The next day morning, we started for Yumthang, the Valley of flowers. It is not too far from Lachung and takes around an hour or so to get there. Along the way we saw a lot of yaks. We passed through the rhododendron sanctuary. There are supposed to be around 63 or so varieties of these flowers which grow here. Unfortunately when we went it was still snowing and so the flowers were not in bloom. There were some trees which had flowers on them. This itself gave us an idea of how beautiful this sanctuary would be in the summer time.

As we entered the Yumthang area, we saw a board, 'Welcome to the Valley of Flowers'. We were excited to get there. As we got out of the vehicle, the scene in front of our eyes totally surprised us !! There were no flowers. Instead the whole valley was filled with snow !!! This is a big valley and the whole of the valley was covered with snow. From the main road, around 200 mts away ran the river. Past the river, around 100 mts off were the mountains again. To our left, around 20 to 30 mts away were the mountains. Both the sides of the road were fully covered with snow. The snow had carpeted the whole area till the river and it would be great walking all the way till the river in the snow. The area again resembled a black and white picture, with the black mountains being covered with glowing white snow.

I looked round for the senior guide, who had advised us against renting the snow boots. All the people who had come there had come prepared. They were taking off their slippers, putting on their snow boots and started walking and playing in the snow. Here we were, looking totally dumb and frustrated, with all the snow around us calling us to play and we unable to step into it. It took great control not to give the senior guide a few bangs on his head. Instead I went and bugged him and told him to get me some boots on rent. After almost half an hour or more, he managed to get a couple of them. We sent in Ranjani and Harini and they just loved it in the snow. After some time, we got two more pairs of boots and then Gayathri and I went in.

Nothing beats the experience of walking in snow. The land beneath us was not even and we were not sure if we stepping on firm ground or on a stone. I did fall a couple of times but it was enjoyable. I walked till around the place where the river was flowing. Harini had done done something close to a snow man and the kids didnt want to come out of the snow. We finally came out and went to a water spring which was nearby. They have built a room around the spring. The water was luke warm. What was interesting was the walk to the spring. You had walk across a bridge in order to cross the river. The bridge also had snow on it which made it slippery. The light had faded a bit and I was able to take a couple of good snaps of this area.

We came back to out hotel for lunch. In the evening we visited a monastery nearby. Before that I had taken Gayathri and kids for a small walk around. There were some kids playing cricket here. I joined them and played for some time !! It was a nice experience.

The next day after breakfast we started for Gangtok. We had lunch at the same place where I had earlier had salt tea !! Along the way, as we were getting near to Gangtok, we saw our first and the only glimpse of Kanchenjunga. It was a towering peak which seemed to tear apart the clouds. It was visible for less than 5 mins before being covered with the clouds again. It was raining in Gangtok when we arrived and the drizzle continued for some time.

Thus ended our North Sikkim trip. The next day we were off toNew Jalpaiguri from where we would go to Kolkata and get back to Bangalore

The unsuccessful attempt to reach Gurudongmar lake


The light drizzle continued the next day as well. We had finished breakfast, when we got a call from the reception informing us that the vehicle from our tour agent has arrived. We went down with our luggage. The driver said, " We need to start soon so that we can get to Lachen soon". As soon as we loaded our luggage, the driver promptly disappeared !!! He informed us that he was going to the market to buy a spanner. So there we were, all luggage loaded and looking lost !! We came in to sit at the reception. A set of old people were already sitting there and one of them asked me,"Are you off to North Sikkim?". I said yes upon which he told me that there was a landslide and the road was blocked. Oh great. At this time the guide from the travel agency arrived. He said that the road was being cleared and there should be no problem. I hoped so. After some time the driver came and we started, not knowing what roadblock lay ahead.

If you thought the 'guide' meant someone who knew the land intimately and knew about its history and will educate you about the mountains etc, you will be sorely disappointed. He was a tour guide, which means he will tell you where we will stop, where we will eat, what we will eat and when you need to get up tomorrow etc. He was more like an arranger of the trip. Anyway the guy who came with us was a young chap, who was very polite and did arrange things well.

We started in the drizzle and the first stop was not very far from Gangtok. We had to climb a small hillock to have a good view of the region, which we did. Then started the actual journey. I had initially thought that nothing would beat the drive from New Jalpaiguri to Gangtok. This drive was to prove that wrong. We were entering the actual Himalayan ranges now. The mountains became huge. After seeing them, the Brahmagiri ranges look like small hillocks. The Teesta river was running along with us all the way and whenever we stopped we could hear the gushing of the water. The Teesta was running with gay abandon over the rocks and the water was crystal clear. Once in a while the river would drop a few feet to create a mini water fall. Teesta would run along with us at our level sometimes. When we crossed bridges, it would run underneath us and we could feel its force. Most of the time it was way below us but always visible. Added to it was the vegetation all around us and it was a real pleasure driving along this road. I thought this was the best road journey I will ever have. I was to be proved wrong the very next day !!!

At many places we crossed some old bridges and when you cross these bridges you get a lovely view of the river beneath you and the mountains surrounding you. Generally we were climbing mountains, so we could see the valley below and the mountains in the front of us. At one point, we got a great side view. There were mountains on both sides stretching as far as the eye could see and the river running between the mountains as if it was the river which had cleaved these mountains. An outstanding sight. Mention must here be made about the Border Road Organisation, who have done a wonderful job on all these roads. I guess to have such great roads in a remote area like this wouldnt have been possible without their dedicated effort. Three cheers to all of them.

The journey to Lachen was a long one but the scenery kept us captivated. It took us more than 6 hrs to get there. On the way we had first stopped for lunch. I came to know that the driver and guide were having salt tea !!! Yup. That is right. They put some butter and salt in the tea. I had to have it and asked for a cup. After I drank that Gayathri asked me how it was. I told her it tasted like tea with salt in it !!! She knows me well not to react to such statements !! We then stopped in the evening at Chungthang and had tea, this time with sugar. The kids had Maggie noodles. By the time we reached Lachen, it was getting dark.

The facilities at Lachen are very basic and the tour agency had told me this. The place we stayed cannot be called a hotel. It was a multi storied building in reverse !! It started with the ground floor and was about three levels deep. The rooms were plain but they had hot water and electricity. The most fascinating part of the stay here was the disappearing act of the cast and crew there. When we went in, one guy showed us the room and disappeared. When I came out I saw that the driver and the guide have also disappeared. I searched for some soul but couldnt find any. After sometime the guy who showed us the room appeared bearing some tea. Then again he disappeared !! Suddenly the guide would pop up and say something and disappear. Then this guy would appear with some news about dinner and then promptly vanish. I was scared that I too would suddenly vanish without my own knowledge !! I wasnt the only one feeling that way. A family which had come there the previous day told me that they couldnt find anyone when they wanted something !!

Lachen was cold. Gayathri comes from Chennai and is not used to this type of cold. The temperature was getting close to zero degrees. Chennai people's concept of a cold day is when the temperature hits 20 degree centigrade. You can see people in sweater and mufflers in Dec in Chennai when the mercury touches 20 !! So you can imagine what a single digit temperature would have felt like to them. Gayathri was literally shivering and so were the kids. I asked for a room heater. The guy said he will check the availability and vanished. He didnt appear again for some time. Gayathri was fully draped in blanket and a razai but was still feeling cold. The guy finally appeared with a heater. We gave a sigh of relief when the heater gave out some hot air. This relief was short lived when the fuse gave out. I again went in search of someone and by some miracle located the guy who got us the heater. Told him about the problem. He came to the room, checked the heater, confirmed there was a problem, took the heater and you guess it, he vanished. Then the guide appeared. I told him about the heater. He said he will check about it and did the vanishing trick !! Finally the first guy appeared with a heater which worked and kept working. Only after this did Gayathri's agony subside.

Given the cold weather, we werent sure if we wanted to go to the Gurudongmar lake. I wanted to see it but wasnt sure if the kids will be able to take in the cold. We finally decided to go and we started a bit late than what the driver would have liked. Now came a journey which was incredible. After we left Lachen, the mountains seemed to grow even taller. Wherever our eyes turned we saw snow capped mountains. The whole place was deserted and ours was the only car on the road. Along the way there were lot of yaks grazing. Cows were climbing the mountains surefooted. There were waterfalls everywhere you turned. We could clearly see the snow melt and come down in the form of a waterfall. There were small purple flowers growing out of the ground all along the way, giving the whole place a colorful glow. This area is supposed to be a birdwatchers paradise and we could see why. As we were driving along, suddenly a big group of tiny birds would take off, fly in front of our jeep for some time, then do a tight right turn in such unison that it would have made the best fighter pilot jealous. As you watch these birds with amazement, another bird, slightly larger, with a black body and a lovely brown tail would start off from a bush and fly away. As you watch that wonderful bird with your mouth agape, there would rise a couple of tiny birds with wonderfully colored wings and fly away. I am not a bird watcher but I was sure taken in by the sheer variety of birds I saw during the journey. If a birdwatcher were to come here I am sure he will just die of sheer pleasure. The yaks, flowers, birds, waterfalls, snow capped mountains and the ever flowing river made this a journey which was unforgettable. This sure beat the journey of yesterday.

After traveling for quite some time, we encountered snow. There had been a very heavy snowfall the earlier day it seems and the whole area was now covered in snow. We traveled for some more time before we saw a large caravan of jeeps in front of us. A couple of vehicles had got stuck in the snow and all the people were trying to help these guys. We were stuck behind the vehicles for close to one hour and our dream of visiting Gurudongmar lake vanished. Somehow they got the vehicles out and we proceed for some more time. The snow was thicker here and almost everyone turned back since it made no sense trying to get to Gurudongmar. One guy had told us, when we were waiting for the traffic to move, that Gurudongmar was at a high altitude (17,000+ feet) and kids may find it difficult there. Gayathri was apprehensive and she was relieved when we turned back. We turned back at a place called Thangu, which was at 15000 ft, had tea there and proceed back to Lachen. Due to the heavy snow, we couldnt get to see Chopta Valley either. The kids though were very happy since they could play in snow again. We came back to Lachen, had our lunch and left for Lachung. Not seeing Gurudongmar was a regret.

The next day was our planned trip to the Valley of Flowers near Lachung. We were in for a surprise.