Nathang Valley - East Sikkim: First trip after my marriage

Nathang Valley - East Sikkim, By Surajit Ray

This time I was extra cautious ... My first trip with my wife. First time I had to plan before I leave. I had called "Dilipji" (Dilip Tamang), my old friend and asked him to make the arrangements in Sillery Gaon for our first night. I wanted to travel along a known track. My friend Kaustav and his wife Sonia were my companions this time. Sonia did the reservation for us in "Darjeeling Mail". 16th March, 2012 is "The day we caught the train" from Bardhaman Jn. for a special trip what everybody reckons as our "Honeymoon".

Day One: Back to Sillery Gaon

Silley Gaon Road: By my wife

Life is changing after marriage! I started my trip with shopping! My wife didn't have the necessary gear to fight the chill at high altitude. First thing I did is to buy a pair of shoes as she had only sandals with her. This time we had our lunch at Siliguri and left for Sillery around 12:30 PM.

We had booked a car - a diesel one, that was not good but cheap. The journey was pretty slow because of the vehicle. We didn't take a break before Algarah, only a few kilometers away from Sillery. After having tea there we started again. It is a bumpy 4 kilometers ride along the poorly paved road towards Sillery. Soon, it was clear to all of us, including the driver, that it is too big a task for our car to complete the journey in a single piece along that road. We left that car midway and I called Dilipji for rescue.

How to reach Sillery Gaon:
There are several options available from Siliguri.
1. Book a car, ideally an SUV, that will directly take you to Sillery Gaon. It will cost you 2500 INR approximately.
2. Go to Kalimpong by a shared Taxi and book a car from there. The cost will be around 1000 INR.
3. Go to Algarah by a shared Taxi from there you can trek (around 4/5 KMs) or optionally can book a car. Costing around 700 INR.

Flower, Sillery Gaon

We were enjoying that unplanned break while Dilipji appeared with a SUV. The driver was shouting "Welcome to Sikkim!", come-on! We are still in West Bengal! Within half an hour we were in Sillery, sipping hot tea with "pakoras". The weather was comfortable, not too hot, not too cold. I didn't even have to bring my sweater out. That evening, not many options were there before us to pass time. Dilipji arranged an old guitar for me, and I played that for a while.
It is after our dinner, when we started planning for upcoming days. I suggested we should stay a day in "Nathang Valley". It was my sweet memories of that place, from my last visit, that compelled me to take that decision. Everybody were in accord with my proposal. So, we just called Dilipji and asked him to arrange a vehicle for us.

Where to stay in Sillery Gaon:
No Hotel/Restaurant is present and the only option is a home-stay. Dilip Tamang leads the business while several others emerging out. The rate is 500 INR per person per day all inclusive. Contact Dilip Tamang - +919635005318.

Day Two: Nathang Valley, itz snowing man

Reshi Khola - By Sriparna Ray

It was a foggy day. I didn't feel any urge to leave the bed early as I was sure Kanchenjunga will not be visible until the atmosphere is clear. I just opened the window to verify ... I was right. Tea got served around 7 AM, and only then I lifted myself out of my bed. Kaustav and Sonia, already out there for a walk, were a bit upset as the view was not clear. We had planned to leave Sillery Gaon early, but the driver came late. He had a companion with him - his friend. After having our breakfast together we left for "Nathang Valley".
We got a TATA SUMO this time. Not in good condition though, the door locks were not working properly. But it was still manageable. We decided to go reluctantly, there was no reason to hurry. We had our first break in Reshi Khola. We spent good time there shooting photos and walking along the Reshi river bed.

Tin Chuley, near Sillery Gaon

Our next big break was in Rongli. We had to stop there to arrange the permit for Nathang Valley, Kupup, Tsomogo and Gangtok. Rongli is the last chance for you if you need cash on that way. There is no ATM available after that and all your credit/debit cards are useless after this point. Our wives went for some shopping there in the local "Haat". Sriparna, my wife bought a down jacket, that served as a real protector to her during our stay in Nathang Valley.

During journey- By my wife

When we had reached Dzuluk, we had a bad news waiting, that turned to be a good news for us. The driver was talking with a local person in Dzuluk and that person informed that due to heavy snowfall we may not be able to reach Nathag Valley. Our crew got excited. "Ahh! that means it is snowing". We were traveling along the famous zigzag road, it was not possible to see anything though as the road got vanished in fog. After we had crossed Thambi view point everything was covered with snows. Ours was the only vehicle in that road. It was first "snow" experience for Sriparna and Sonia.They got excited. We stopped thrice between Zuluk and Nathang Valley to feel the ambiance.We did slide over snow, threw snowballs, shoot pictures and did whatever we wanted to do. That situation brought out the child in us.

Nathang Valley- By my wife

Around 4 PM we had reached Nathang Valley. Again warm tea and pakoras were waiting for us. Everything was covered with snow ... the roads, the roofs, stairs. There was only another group staying in Nathang at that night. So it is obvious, Nathang Valley is not yet a very popular destination among tourist. But it should be because of it's breathtaking natural beauty. we opted for room heaters, and that is a good option to have. Nights in Nathang Valley are really freezing. We had a blanket and a bed-quilt to fight that. I had a wonderful sleep that night.

Day Three: Frozen Tsomgo (Changu Lake) on our way

Near Kupup Lake - By my wife

I wake up early this time. Still it was foggy and no sign of Kanchenjunga. I left the resort with my camera, others from my team were getting ready. People from plane have great attraction towards snow. I am not an exception either. It seems magical every time. Gazing everything with my "greedy" eyes I was walking down the streets of Nathang Valley. That kind of atmosphere always brings out another "me" from me.

There is a war memorial in Nathang Valley carrying the memories of "Tukla War". It raises the question that how can a human mind even think about bullets and guns in such a place. But to face the reality, it is till a military zone. There exists a "Vishnu Mandir" and a "Buddhist Gumpha" in Nathang valley. That suggests people from both communities are living there. There is also a school in Nathang valley, providing education in one of the remotest part of India. Great efforts.

Kupup Lake - By my wife

After having breakfast we left Nathang Valley around 10:30 am. And at the very beginning we had experienced something that might have ended up as an accident. We were providing lift to some local people in our vehicle. During a stiff climb, while our driver applied break, the vehicle started sliding. Our driver was trying his best to control the vehicle but failed. The pedestrians joined the rescue operation. One of them threw a big boulder to jam the wheel, missed first time but lucky second time and he saved us! Our hearts were pounding heavily, but nobody really screamed or had shown any sign of panic. Real kudos! The road was so beautiful, soon tension and fear disappeared, and everybody became normal again. Soon we have reached "The elephant lake", popularly know as "Kupup lake". That was my second visit to that place and this time the lake was fully frozen. Our next major break was in "New Baba Mandir". We didn't spend a lot of time there but left for Changu.

Near New Baba Mandir - By my wife

When we had reached Changu, it was very cloudy and the temperature was falling. I only had a sweater with me and it was so cold that I had to borrow a shawl from my wife. A very common thing for the Changu visitors is to take a "Yak ride". But looking at the angry eyes of those creatures I felt it is better to trust my own legs.

It is not allowed to walk over the frozen Changu. I tried once, but as soon as I placed my feet over the icy surface, the security persons started shouting, so I had to give-up. After spending about an hour in Changu, we decided to return back. The journey was long and we were really hungry. We had our lunch with wai-wai and momo. At one point of time we become a bit restless ... "how long it will take? How far we are from Sillery Gaon"? These questions were arising inside our heads. Effect of a long journey. As I told, our car was not in good condition, the break was not working properly and in search of a short-cut route our driver ended up with a crash with another vehicle. Luckily nobody got hurt. It was 8PM when our journey ended in Sillery.

Day Four: Again Sillery Gaon