Whiffs Of Fragrance

Fragrances ignite memories and evoke emotion. Thoughts and moments , they all have a distinct fragrance that lingers on...

[saloni-29]

Sikkim Saga

Day 3 (Destination finally : Gurudongmar lake)

We got an unearthly start the next day from Lachen as we were informed that people returned from the lake post 11-12 due to the snow and wind.

It takes good 5-6 hours including the breakfast stop in a local house on the way. From the pink cheeks that welcome you in their home with smile to the big hearth in the middle of a room..all are an experience which is still cherished. I was amazed to get a taste of the tribal life and hardships of these people. Its bone chlling cold even in April and smallest of task seems daunting. I didn't even feel like taking my hands out of gloves to eat, let alone to fill water or light fire. We were soon on our way further and the higher we climbed the lesser we saw any green habitats. It was all like a cold dessert...a road much less traveled..

With every passing mile, the cold was getting unbearable, vegetation parse and we were enjoying roads less traveled. We stopped at the last army base camp and sampled some hot tea and curios. You can also hire padded jackets from here to keep the cold out...

The white and blue just beckons you and the last few minutes always look so long...Suddenly you come upon this half frozen lake and the sheer starkness of the blue waters and the glaciers behind kind of captivates and binds your eyes and soul...

There is a small temple of Guru Dongmar maintained by army. The breathing gets extremely difficult even for the fittest and each step feels like carrying tons of lead. Yak cheese helps a bit though its tasteless.

The lake is mainly frozen except for the part where the legend says it was touched by Guru with his shaft. The water is said to have properties of fertility and many couples come here to drink this.

By 11 as told by many the wind was very strong and you could hardly see due to snow..We started our journey back with the memories of this pristine lake, beauty of which cannot be described in words and pictures.

The driver took us back through Chopta Valley and we saw many beautiful waterfalls and valleys bringing an end to this beautiful sojourn.

[saloni-29]

Sikkim Saga

Day 2 (Yumthang to Lachen via Lachung)

Crispness of air, early blooms of rhododendrons, encompassing snowy mountains is what greeted us in Yumthang Valley. And yes, hot Maggie noodles stall :-) which we enjoyed while dipping our feet in the stream.

Early blooms of Rhododendrons...

Our driver then told us about Yumesamdong(zero point) , 26 kms further form Yumthang which was his final intention of the day although he was doubtful if the route was open. We did have permissions as it’s close to china border but sadly the road was blocked with ice and we stopped just 5 kms before zero point, a place with perennial snow.

In a friendly competition of ice climbing with him, my better half discovered that he was ex-army as well J So much for winning the race…

We made up not going to zero point, by venturing and sampling some beautiful vistas in Chopta valley.

The accommodation in Lachen mainly are B&B Inns with very few hotels now mushrooming.. It has to be a very early start for Gurudongmar as most of the time one has to leave the lake by 11-12 AM because of blizzard and the oxygen level. The entire route of Lachung-Chota-Thongu valley and then on to Lachen has countless waterfalls and endless wooden bridges. 

We called the night in at Lachen which when we reached was dark and raining lavishly. Lachen  is a small town at 9000 ft needless to say it was teeth chattering cold in the night . 

This sleepy town serves as base for the final lag ahead - Gurudongmar..

[saloni-29]

Sikkim Saga

Day 1

This was before I had set eye on snow…any kind of snow (at least in my adult memory). My hometown being close to east, Sikkim looked like a perfect destinations to quench this yearning to see Glaciers. We wanted to travel the off beaten path and stumbled upon this fresh water lake, one of highest lakes in world being at an altitude of 1700ft! 

To reach here one has to go through sleepy towns of Lachen and with little diversion one can also enjoyed the blooming valley of Rhododendrons - Yumthang. 

The route to Gangtok from Siliguri involves Ghat and the tumultuous River Teesta giving you company all the way.  We stopped on way at Triveni where river Rangeet with its deep green and crystal clear water gushes and meets the forceful mountain stream Teesta at a point. The confluence is surrounded by mountains in all sides. After a total of 6 hours’ drive we were at the beautiful hill station of Gangtok and the vibrant Mall road. Hills are always blessed with vibrant flowers and mall road is beautifully decorated by them.

Next day, a very cold dawn greeted us with beautiful views on our way to Yumthang Valley. 

Just ahead of Gangtok, the route keeps playing peek-a-boo with Himalayan ranges and you get a glance of what more is to come.

At a distance of 11800 ft. it is popularly known as valley of flowers and is abundant with 24 species of rhododendron. This spectacle can be seen in spring time, towards the end of April. Our timing was few weeks before the spring and we were lucky to catch both the ice and few initial rhododendrons. But I am told to return back in spring to see the place in its ethereal beauty.

[saloni-29]

Losing a close one to death unexpectedly is probably an experience so profound that nothing can ever prepare you for the aftermath. You feel the pain dims with time and suddenly resurfaces at most unexpected moments, smells or even some sounds. You see something and it brings memories flooding back, tears threatening to brim over. The first of those words which informed me that I lost her were so unreal that when my mind grasped the meaning my heart refused to agree. It left me gasping for air and I realised for the first time how far away I was from home. Life goes on and responsibilities don’t finish. But in my deepest of silence, in my unconscious level of sleep, she still comes. I can hear her voice clearly sometimes even in broad daylight, for many days, months I picked the phone to share something realising in an instant that it was just a dream. People say time heals, but I know it doesn’t heal, it never will heal, it just makes you learn to bear the pain, it dims the memories, but they will resurface time and again... You can share things with friends and family but the love for one person, cannot be explained, just felt. What's she was to me, was only for me to understand and cherish, so what I lost was only for me to grief over..