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The JungleLook - Tales from the Indian Jungle TripDarjeeling, Gangtok and Pelling - 28 October to 06 November 2005
I never imagined that I would be back in the beautiful land of Sikkim
so soon. Ok, let me tell you at the outset, no birds pix in this trip.
This was a family trip with my wife and kid along with 3 other
families.
It all began when my friends Naresh, Aravinda and Sandeep contacted me
and asked if I was interested in joining them for a trip to West Bengal
and Sikkim. There was no second thought for the answer. I contacted
Asit of Help Tourism to get the bookings done. I had had a great trip to the same place last year
through Asit and I knew I could bank on him for this trip. All the
bookings and itinerary were ready by that evening and we were set for
the trip.
Help Tourism was there to pick us up from New Jalpaiguri and take us to
Darjeeling. It was a scenic route all the way to Darjeeling. We wanted
to travel by the toy train but could not because of the timing. Our
route was parallel to the train track, so we were not that disappointed
but the pleasure of the toy train would have been something else. We
reached by 4 pm, freshened up and had lunch. We spent the evening
shopping around.
The next morning after breakfast we visited the Rock Gardens. It has a
beautiful water falls with a well maintained garden. We spent about an
hour at this place before driving to Mirik. It was a misty drive to
Mirik. In between we had a brief stop and literally stepped into Nepal.
There is this particular cliff beside the road; part of it in India and
other part in Nepal. By afternoon we were at Mirik. Its more of a
picnic spot with a Mela going on. By evening we were back in Darjeeling.
We were up by 3:30am and had to drive down to Tiger hill for the
Sunrise. All the tourist vehicles were headed in that direction. No
wonder we had to leave by 4am to beat the rush hour. I counted more
than 100 vehicles parked at the top. By 5:50am the Sun was up,
with its golden rays kissing the mountain top across the valley. We
enjoyed the marvelous view and headed back towards the town for the
Batasia Loop. From there we were able to have a glimpse of
Mt.Khangchendzonga at a distance. After breakfast we left for Gangtok.
By afternoon we were at Gangtok and checked in to Hotel Sonam
Palgey. We took some rest after lunch and went around MG Marg for
some shopping. The next morning, we visited the Museum , Enchey
Monastery, Cottage Industry and later headed for the Hanuman Tok in the
afternoon. Its a beautiful view from atop Hanuman Tok. Because of the
clouds, we missed Mt.Khangchendzonga view. On the way back, we went to
the Zoo which has the Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Common Leopard,
Himalayan Wolf, the Leopard cat and other mammals. The habitat of the
zoo, built among the hills is a must see for visitors. We spent more
time than planned at the zoo enjoying the beauty of the hills. By
evening we were back at the hotel and celebrated the festival of lights
- Diwali. The kids enjoyed the flowerpots and the rockets which was lit
by the hotel staff.
The next morning was the journey we all had been waiting for - The
Nathu La pass, border between India and China. Help Tourism had
taken all the necessary permissions for us to go there. The journey was
picturesque among the mountains with the Indian army camps all along
the way. We were high up among the clouds and the beauty has to be
experienced, cannot be written in words. We passed the picturesque
Tsomgo lake and proceeded towards Nathu La. At 14,000 ft and a
temperature of -4 Deg C with very cold breeze, it was a quite a
challenge for me to carry my son and climb the steps all the way to the
border. We were face to face with the Chinese troops and shook hands
with them. We spent some time bearing the cold before heading
back to the Tsomgo lake. This was the high point of our trip -
both literally and figuratively.
This serene lake is situated at an altitude of 12,000 ft on the Gangtok
Nathu La highway. The lake is about 1km long, oval in shape, 15 meters
deep and is considered sacred by the local people. It is also a home
for the brahminy ducks. It's cool, placid water harmonizes with scenic
beauty around. This placid lake remains frozen during the winter months
up to mid May.
By evening we were back in the hotel and celebrated Diwali with
our families. I was a bit excited for the next day's trip as I was
heading to Pelling, a birder's paradise. By afternoon we were in
Pelling, a bit ahead of schedule. And there was the magnificent
Mt.Khangchendzonga showing off her beauty. Since there was no scheduled
plan for the afternoon, I took Aravinda and his wife Hema, along with
their kid to Sanga Choling Monastery. We wanted to see the sunset from
there. I was so thrilled to be back in that place in less than a year.
It brought back fond memories of our previous trip. I captured the
wonderful scene of the golden rays falling on the peaks of the
mountain.
The next morning we visited Khangchendzonga falls and from there went
to Khechiperi Lake. Twenty kilometers beyond Pemayangtse at an altitude
of 1,951 meters, this small and tranquil lake is a pilgrimage spot
sacred to the Sikkimese Buddhists. Strangely, not a single leaf is seen
floating on its waters. Legend has it that all day long, the birds of
the forest dutifully pick them up. The whole area is also an excellent
site for bird watching.
Later in the afternoon we were back at the hotel and after lunch
headed off to Mt.Pandim hotel beside Pemayangtse Monastery. I wanted to
visit this place to see the Sunset as this is where we had stayed
during our previous visit. Located in the dense forest, this is an
excellent place for bird watching/photography.
We spent some time capturing the beautiful sunset and visited Pemayangtse
Monastery. Back at the hotel in the evening, we started packing as we
had to head back to the busy life in Bangalore. Though I could not
capture any birds, I was quite happy to have re-visited Sikkim.
Here's our travel itinerary ( WARNING: Its a 3.4MB file) and details of the places we visited in case you are interested to plan a similar trip. And of course, Help Tourism would be more than happy to arrange the trip for you.
Here are the landscape images I took during this trip. Enjoy the images.
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On Way to Darjeeling
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Sunrise at Tigerhill
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Sunrise at Tigerhill |
On way to Nathu La
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On way to Nathu La |
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Tsomgo lake
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Rays
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Rays
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Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
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| Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
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| Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Stream
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Stream
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Khangchendzonga Falls
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Khangchendzonga Falls
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Sunset from Pelling
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Sunset from Pelling
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On way to Mirik
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Gangtok Zoo
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Gangtok Zoo
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On way to Nathu La |
On way to Nathu La |
On way to Nathu La |
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Near Nathu La
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Tsomgo lake |
On way to Nathu La |
On way to Nathu La |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
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| Mt.Khangchendzonga |
Mt.Khangchendzonga |
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