Trip to North Sikkim go to album >>
North Sikkim was always on my bucket list, but I kept putting it off until the last week of December 2010. Big mistake! We were so late that we couldn't get train tickets or even Tatkal quota! What a bummer! The only thing left was to take a bus and pray for a smooth ride.🙏
Day 1
Journey started from Kolkata: We hopped on a Volvo bus from Esplaned, Kolkata at 8:00pm, all excited and ready to go. Little did we know that this bus ride would be the most epic adventure of our lives.😱Day 2
Reaching Siliguri: The road to Siliguri was a nightmare! We got stuck in a huge traffic jam at night for five hours. Five hours! Can you imagine? And in the morning, we saw three accidents on the highway that slowed us down even more. We finally reached Siliguri by 8:00pm (11 hours late!) and had to crash at a hotel. But we didn't let that ruin our mood. We went to Hongkong Market and I bought another pair of shoes. Yes, I have a shoe addiction. Don't judge me.😉 By the way, let me introduce you to my awesome travel buddies:- Arun: A cool guy who always cracks jokes
- Writwik: A smart guy who knows everything… our human Google😎
- Sankhadip: A lively guy who loves taking group photos… most of our pics are thanks to him 📷
- And me, Saikat: The planner and leader of this trip.
Day 3
Siliguri - Gangtok - Lachen: We got up early the next day and took a Tata Sumo to Gangtok. It was a nice and smooth ride and we reached there by 10:45 in the morning. Our travel agent and guide was waiting for us at the North Sikkim taxi stand. He was super nice and took good care of us. He offered us tea ☕ and momos 🥟 at Tashi View Point. I'm not a big fan of momos but they were actually delicious in Sikkim 😋.The road to North Sikkim was pretty rough & though. We saw landslides and water on the road in many places. We passed by Seven Sister Waterfall, which frankly I didn't like much. We wanted to see some real nature 🌲, which we did in the next part of the road. We stopped for lunch at a place where our agent knew we could get some yummy Bengali food 🍛. We loved the chicken dish. The restaurant also had a beautiful flower garden 🌺 where we took some snaps 📸.
The road to Chungtham was amazing, especially when it followed the Tista river. We had a tea break at Chungtham in the evening. This is where Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu meet and form the Tista river. This is also where we split our way to Lachen and Lachung. We went to Lachen first. When we got to our hotel there (around 8:30pm), it was freezing cold ❄️! But we managed with all our clothes on. Our rooms were nice and cozy 🛏️. Our guide got us some room heaters for each room, but they were barely enough to keep us warm in that freezing place.😬
Day 4
Chopta Valley - Gurudongmer Lake - Lachung: We woke up early and left for Chopta Valley and Gurudongmar Lake. It was freezing cold and the water pipes were frozen❄️. We saw a beautiful view🌄 outside our hotel that we missed last night. The road was rough and dangerous but our guide was amazing😎. He cleared the ice with a steel plate and helped us cross the valley. We saw yaks🐂 carrying goods for the army. The snow cap mountains with green valley felt like Switzerland🇨🇭 of India🇮🇳.We stopped at Yathan for breakfast and had noodles🍜 and tea☕ in huge bowls and cups. It was delicious. We took some photos and enjoyed the scenery.
We reached Chopta Valley and saw Raja Pahar, a mountain with secret caves where the local Lepcha royals used to hide. It was fascinating 😍. We tried to go to Gurudongmar Lake, a sacred lake that never freezes completely even in extreme cold weather because of a Buddhist blessing. But the road was too bad so we had to turn back.
On our way back to the hotel, another car got stuck in the ice where our guide had cleared it before. We felt lucky that we had such a great guide. Our guide cum driver showed his skills by creating a shortcut path with stones to bypass a road blockage.
Anyways, we returned back and had a relaxing lunch at our hotel in Lachen, a remote village surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The sun was shy here, hiding behind the mountains and making the air chilly. I was glad I had packed enough warm clothes for this trip.
After lunch we met our new driver, who would take us to Lachung, another scenic destination in Sikkim. He was a cautious and quiet driver, who rarely spoke but drove fast and confidently. He seemed to know every turn and bump on the road, even at night. We enjoyed the ride to Lachung, admiring the changing landscapes and the starry sky. We arrived at our hotel late in the evening. The hotel was cozy and comfortable, with a big TV in our room. The temperature here was more bearable than Lachen, but still cold. I contemplated taking a shower, but I remembered how hard it was to bathe in Lachen without a geyser.
Day 5
Zero Point, Yumthang Valley - Gangtok: We had a short vacation leave, so we had to make the most of our time. After a good night's sleep at our hotel in Lachung, we woke up early and had a hearty breakfast. We were ready for our next adventure: Zero Point.Zero Point is the last motorable point on the road to China. It is a stunning place where snow covers everything and the river freezes over. The drive there was breathtaking, with views of mountains, valleys, and flowers along the way. We reached Zero Point around 10 am and felt like we had entered a winter wonderland. The road was slippery with ice, so we walked carefully to explore the area. We saw a frozen river with water flowing underneath it. It was amazing to see how nature works. We climbed down to the riverbed and touched the ice. It was cold and hard, but also beautiful and sparkling. We took many pictures of ourselves and the scenery. We felt like we were on top of the world. But we also felt out of breath as we climbed back up. The altitude was high and the oxygen was low. We realized how precious life is and how lucky we were to be here.
On our way back, we stopped at Yumthang Valley, also known as the Valley of Flowers. It was springtime, so there were many colorful flowers blooming everywhere. We saw red stones that looked like jewels on the ground. There were some shops selling local handicrafts and souvenirs.
We also visited a hot spring near Yumthang. It was a contrast to see steam rising from the water in such a cold place. We dipped our fingers in the water and felt its warmth. We didn't have much time left after that, so we hurried back to our hotel for lunch. We packed our bags and said goodbye to Lachung. We had another driver who drove us fast and safely to Gangtok.
It was already dark when we reached Gangtok around 8:30 pm. We didn't have any hotel reservation, but we managed to find a nice hotel near Nam Nang Road using our database that I had prepared before our trip. We checked into our room and relaxed after a long day of traveling. We had seen so many wonderful things today that we couldn't stop talking about them. We fell asleep with smiles on our faces, grateful for this experience.
Day 6
Gangtok Sightseeing - Jalpaiguri Station: We had a fun-filled morning exploring the local attractions of Gangtok. We visited the Rumtek Monastery, a serene and sacred place of Buddhism. We admired the architecture and the art of the temple. 🙏We then went to see the Ban-Jhankri Waterfall, a spectacular sight of nature. We enjoyed the sound and the spray of the water. We also learned about the legend of the Ban-Jhankri, a shaman who lives in the forest. 🌲
We took a ride on the ropeway, which gave us a bird's eye view of the city. We saw the buildings, the hills, and the valleys from above. It was thrilling and scenic. 🚡
We ended our morning with some shopping at the local market. We browsed through various stalls selling clothes, handicrafts, food, and souvenirs. We bargained and bought some items for ourselves and our friends. 🛍️
After lunch, we headed to the taxi stand and boarded a Mahindra Max that would take us to Jalpaiguri Station. It was time to say goodbye to Sikkim, a beautiful state that had given us so many memories. 😊
We reached Jalpaiguri Station in time for our train. We settled in our seats and looked out of the window. We saw glimpses of Sikkim as we left it behind. We felt sad but also happy that we had this amazing trip. 😢😃 That's how our journey came to an end.