After three days of touring South Sikkim, we were all set to two and a half day tour towards North Sikkim. Our day 4 of the vacation began. Relaxingly we checked out from our hotel at 9 am and started our drive towards North Sikkim. A white cat passed by us when we started. If black cat was a sign of bad omen, is white cat symbolising good luck? I laughed to myself.
North Sikkim – This region of the country requires special permit to be visited. It has Indo Tibetan border police check posts in few places where the entry permit is checked. Indians also need a valid permit to enter this zone.
We started from Gangtok and drove through the Seven sisters waterfalls. It is said that the water flows through seven stages and finally ends in the Seven sisters river here and hence gets this name. As I was mesmerised by the falling beauty, I noticed Buddha peacefully meditating beside this waterfall. “Must be definitely calm at dusk with just the sound of the water jumping over the huge rocks”, I thought. The excitement of the seven sisters looked brighter. Looks like they were chit chatting and with seven women together, what fun should it be? Surprised that Buddha did not run away!
The sisters didn’t seem to rest. They continued flowing below and across the white rock bed now. They were glowing and appeared in a lovely Turquoise colour. The sisters seemed friendly and moved across the dark and light coloured rocks. Nature knows no racism, isn’t it? How lovely it should be if we were the same?
After a few clicks, we sat for a hot sip of tea and Maggi. Maggi was prevalent across all tea stalls and smaller restaurants in Sikkim. Maggi was served with toppings of onion, carrots, red and green chillies. Awesome for the climate. The tea with a pinch of cinnamon seemed to tingle our senses. Waving goodbye to the Seven sisters, we continued.
The roads weren’t smooth anymore. We were heading towards Lachen which was about 150 kms away. The roads were broken and mashy. Few areas were under construction too. The tingling feeling beneath our abdomen made us giggle. The road was just enough for one vehicle to pass through at a time. The driver skilfully approached the turns and cuts. The demon beneath us was widely opening his jaws waiting for a prey. The mountains were growing larger and larger like giants. Driving through this path was truly an adventure. The driver mentioned that it would take 4 hours to drive 120 kms. The serene beauty of the mountains blinded our frustration on the drive.
My eyes refused to blink seeing the folded mountains side by side. Thick trees covering the mountains made me puzzled. The trees were growing from deeper excavations and twisted to accommodate themselves. They seemed to dance to the tunes of the chilly breeze. They seemed merrier even under a heavy downpour. “No sunshine or monsoon can drive us mad for we decided to keep smiling” did they say? The Mountains seemed to join hands too. Seven or more folds of mountains side by side. “When we are for us, who can be against us?” did they ask?
We drove through another Indo Tibetan border police check post and reached a little town Mangan. This is the district head quarters. We continued to meet the Singhik view point. The Seven folded mountains appeared closer now. How I wish to join hands with them? We stopped for some pictures. River Teesta which we saw closer in West Bengal can be witnessed from this view point flowing through the Mountains. I remembered that she flows over 300 kms. We were now at an altitude of 5000 feet above sea level. “Was she drawing a separation between the mighty mountains?” I asked myself! I’d prefer to think that she’s joining them forever. I smiled.
A little pup wagged its tail warmly welcoming us to his Masters tea shop. What a bliss it is to rest beside the Mighty Himalayas! He is truly blessed!
From the other side, I saw the brooks growing into a larger stream. The stream flew for quite some kms already. We were able to see the Chumthang dam which appeared turquoise too. We always appreciated the clear turquoise water in Phuket or Bali but hardly spoke about our own country. This is truly a treat to our eyes.
The spiral route was breathtaking and we were looking forward to see the beauty of the little town Lachen. The cab driver seemed friendly and asked us for permission to let some school children join our cab. We smiled and nodded and he stopped for the children. Two little girls boarded the front seats and we continued our drive. After about twenty minutes drive (must have been 5 kms minimum) they got down and thanked us. Inquisitive to know how they may generally travel, the driver said that most kids walk to school as there were no much transport in that area! We send our kids in cars and buses and still complain. We complain if our apartment lifts wouldn’t work for even an hour. We complain if we don’t get a rick for even half a km. The uncomplaining smile on the kids faces seemed a slap to me. “One can live in any situation if he has the will power to” my moms words flashed my head.
We approached closer to Lachen which is at an altitude of 8300 feet above sea level. Lachen is a small town which has a 360 degree view of mountains. Sounds of water falls can be heard from any corner of the town. We hardly could see the top of the mountains as they appeared to be growing and covered with clouds. Houses were simple and nestled on the foothills of the mountains. Each house appeared to have a hill of its own. Accommodation was within such houses and simple but lovely. The dampness of the wind stroke our spines and pinching us deeply.
Lachen is not only a greener city but cleaner too. As we entered the streets, some sign boards mentioning not to use plastic bottles, to keep the environment clean showed the responsibility of the citizens in this area. I couldn’t see even a paper lying on the streets. Villagers show their sense of responsibility better than us from the city.
The aroma of dhal and rice was strong and welcomed us to some home food. The sun seemed to wrap himself around the clouds and finally disappeared. So did we wrap ourselves with the fleece blankets. The drive wasn’t smooth but worth every inch of it. The mesmerising serene Himalayas overtook our tiredness. With the freshness in my mind, hearing the lullaby of the water falls, here I rest looking forward to explore the second part of North Sikkim tomorrow.
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