It’s always been my dream to travel, a dream to create and capture memories forever, as a photographer. And been born in a country where you travel 100 kms and you get to see so much of diversity, this dream of traveling only grew stronger. Specifically, I love to travel to the mountains, the Himalayas, for the serenity and simplicity of life you get to experience there. One of such dream destinations is Sikkim, also known as Shikim or Su Khyim in the local language. This tiny Himalayan state borders Chinese Tibet to the North, Nepal to the West, Bengal to the South and Bhutan to the East.
An easy way to get to Sikkim is to fly to Bagdogra (120kms from Gangtok) airport and take a taxi. Or by trains that pass through Siliguri which is 110kms from Gangtok. We took the Bagdogra route, because of the time constraint. Within the state of Sikkim, Inner Line Permits are required to visit few of the restricted places. These permits are issued at a number of places but most tourists can collect it on arrival at Siliguri or at entry check post. The tour operators and taxi services are very helpful to get you those permits. All you need is to carry copies of your government ID proofs and a few passport size photographs.
Going from a corporate world of Bengaluru to a nomad life in Sikkim, was overall such a wonderful experience of my life which I can hardly express in words. As we reached the capital city of Gangtok, the first thing to get amazed of, was a plethora of colors everywhere. Houses are painted in different colors, people dressed in vibrant colors. All those felt so welcoming and friendly that it warms the heart as soon as you get down from your vehicle. This culture rich state is inhabited mainly by three ethnic communities-Bhutias, Lepchas and Nepalese, intermingled with complete harmony.
Gangtok, being the capital of Sikkim, is more of a starting point for most of the travels to other parts of Sikkim. It's also one of the popular pilgrimage sites for Buddhists after the construction of Enchey monastery. There’re a few tourism spots in and around Gangtok itself, which can be covered in two days in taxis available from the central bus-stand area. You can hire these as shared or reserve one for yourself.
The next morning we were all set with the required permissions. All charged up with my camera gear, we got on the road for a drive to Lachen and Lachung. First we decided to head towards Lachen which was 110 kms from Gangtok. It took us 6 hrs to reach Lachen with a lunch break and a road block which are quite common in those terrains. But thanks to Indian Army who have made a drivable road in the middle of nowhere, on the kind of terrains that made us wonder how they could achieve such a feat. This heightens our respect for the Himalayan troops, who are always there to protect us irrespective of any language, religion, or terrain.
We reached our overnight stay in Lachen. As its common in the hills, the night sets in quite early. A view of the blue hours in the evening was beyond words. As the clear sky turned blue, the mist covering the town with the street lights added a lot of drama in the frame for me to go crazy capturing some photographs. Even though this trip was in the month of may, the chilled weather made me wear layers of clothing. After clicking this photo, we decided to relax, get acclimatised to the high altitude and then continue the journey early morning at 4AM to the next amazing place in North Sikkim, the Gurudongmar Lake.
Gurudongmar Lake is situated at a whopping altitude of 17,800 ft (5,430 m). Although, known to be dangerous due to it's high altitude, the drive to the lake is breathtaking. One should never miss an opportunity to capture a video of the views of the heavenly drive. Once we reached the spot, it felt as if a computer desktop wallpaper is displayed in front of our eyes. It was such a dream come true for me, that I pinched myself, if I was awake or still sleeping.
Something important to remember, as the exotic views make us forget that we are at such a high altitude, with so less oxygen in the air, we need to ease down, drink lots and lots of water and allow our body to get adapted to high altitude. All that, while you enjoy the immense peace and tranquillity of this heavenly place.
After a day at this serene beauty, we started to head towards Lachung, our next spot where we decided to do an overnight stay, as the next morning was planned for Yumthang Valley, aka the Valley of Flowers, and the Zero Point where one can chill out and play in the snow.
From Yumthang, we returned to Gangtok. Back there we set out to venture a few spots in and around Gangtok like Tashi View Point, Nathula pass, Tsongmo Lake, Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre and Enchey Monastery.
At the Tsongmo Lake (pronounced as Chhangu Lake), I took a memorable Yak ride, and had a nice talk with the Yak masters. They sure have some amazing stories about the area.
Apart from enjoying the great refreshing beauty of nature, you can always hang around at the MG Marg, to witness the social life of Gangtok. We hit this place at dusk and enjoyed one of the finest cultures of Gangtok. There are food stalls all along the street (special mention goes to lip smacking, fresh and hot momos). Its also a beautiful place for shopaholics with some hidden shops located in adjacent tiny lanes connecting to MG Marg and clean comfy sit out spots for evening chit-chat with your beloved ones. You can also discover some breathtaking hidden viewpoints overlooking Gangtok city and some nice pubs for wine and dine. A perfect way to spend an exotic evening in Gangtok.
Sikkim is also famous for its breath taking view of Kanchenjunga from Pelling, which we had planned for the sunrise.
As I believe, end of every trip should always be start of the next trip. For me, end of Sikkim trip was start of a new trip of Darjeeling. With a heavy heart, we had to say, see you again Sikkim, and a short hello to Darjeeling. Since we were very close to Darjeeling, I was too tempted to give Darjeeling a miss. At times it’s good to deviate from your original plan, so we reached Darjeeling without any research. Without a bit of research things can turn good/bad. One such experience was missing a ride in iconic Darjeeling toy train. Only after landing there, we realized bookings are required to be done much earlier. But at the same time was happy as I got to experience some local culture, some nice food and click some good frames of the train. Was also able to interact with people behind this train history who run them at the moment.
After spending two unplanned, but blissful, days in Darjeeling, as our leaves were coming to an end, we caught a taxi back to Bagdogra to catch the return flight. It was only as we landed back in Bengaluru, that the reality hit us. We were back into the corporate world, from a dream, holding on to the wonderful memories of Sikkim and Darjeeling.
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