ghumakkar.com

It was fourth day of our W.Sikkim trip in May 2007. First three days were well spent at Pelling and around. We reached Yuksom by 3^rd day evening and visited coronation Stone there (about which I have written in my previous post). We awoke early morning and went out in balcony hoping to get a view of Mt Kabur; it was not visible due to clouds. There was a distinct voice of water gushing down. Faraway there was a big stream flowing down. It was looking very small from our balcony but was definitely a delight for ears. Weather was still cloudy and rainy. May be we would not be able to trek today. But it started to clear and we were out in the Hotel Tashigang’s garden for our breakfast – “Aloo kaa Parantha Sans Pyaaz” with juice. We did not order for milk as they had only powdered milk. It was the same at Pelling. Tourism has increased manifolds but people there simply grow only for their needs. Most of the houses had cows/goats, yet we could not get fresh milk either at Pelling or Yuksom. It is true for fruits too. Every house has a banana tree, but we couldn’t get a single fruit in market. It is something strange. Anyway we were not bothered as we were carrying enough supply of dry fruits and vitamin fortified food for Rachit.

As told earlier in my previous post, Yuksom is the place where three lamas met to enthrone first king of Sikkim. There are only three things to be done at Yuksom – Trekking, trekking and trekking. Aptly we did not find any Indian family visiting Yuksom. They were either bachelors or foreigners.

I would better call that day’s trek as “Dubdi Monastery trek”. Suman, our guide for the day, told us that first we would walk up to the Dubdi monastery which was a steep 2 Km uphill walk from hotel and then we would return by circuiting around two villages nestled amidst dense forest.

Initially we crossed a river, passed through some water driven prayer wheels and started to climb up. Suman was telling us about vegetation around us.

Then he plucked these yellow colored berries and gave us to taste. Some fruit after full four days, for people like us who eat fruits thrice a day! The berries tasted GREAT – A bit like orange but with some bittersweet taste and the texture was like strawberry. Rachit liked them a lot. He was asking for more. Plucking them was tricky. You had to have feather touch fingers else berries just fall on ground. We spent next 15-20 minutes plucking more and more berries and started moving only after Suman has assured Rachit that there would be many more berry plants ahead.

The climb was very steep. Just at that time, Suman showed us this nest with eggs. The nest was hidden between rocks and he told that he spotted the nest because he saw the bird just flying away from its nest. We were thrilled. It was after a long time that we saw any nest. He told us how he loved to watch birds nest when he was a young boy. So much so that he would not return home until he found at least one nest. Then he told about how he used to change eggs from one nest to another and noticed the bird hatching another bird’s egg. He also told us about some birds which first eat other birds egg, and put their own in that nest. Once those eggs were hatched the kids would eventually eat the bird that hatched them. It was so cruel to listen, but that is the way Mother Nature is. We explained Rachit never to disturb nests because some Mother birds will abandon the nest.

Later on we came to know that it was a myth that birds reject their eggs and young if humans have laid a finger on them. No matter how flighty birds appear, they do not readily abandon their young, especially not in response to human touch. The myth derives from the belief that birds can detect human scent. Actually, birds have relatively small and simple olfactory nerves, which limit their sense of smell. Still I am averse to touch their nest/egg/offspring.

Soon Rachit was holding Suman’s hand and we were walking in a pair of two. We were a little behind, hearing them chatting about what he does, what Suman used to do; What is it like in Noida, what its like in Suman’s village and so on …

It is a piling of stones in Stupa like structure. It is a general practice there to put five or seven stones one above another and make a wish. Rachit, as he is fond of pebbles, made a Stupa with Suman’s help, but did not make a wish. So Suman did it for him - “Rachit will study a lot and will become a Great man”

And the pathway was fully covered with dried fallen leaves. We were passing through dense forest. I felt as if not a single leaf has been taken away from here, since the day GOD first created this place. Only those who go there are rewarded with such sumptuous bounty of Mother Nature.

After almost two hours we reached at “Dubdi Monastery”. It is again a highly revered monastery of Nyingmapa order; built in 1701. Its location is dramatic, looking out all over Yuksom. Suman and Rachit sat outside and we went in. This time we were lucky to have a Lama who could speak Hindi. He explained us most of the things inside the monastery. There was a hall upstairs housing hundreds of Tibetan manuscripts, which were brought here when the Monastery was built. These manuscripts are taken out once in a year for a procession of a festival. Priceless treasure – scattered all over India.

Here we learned about different forms of Guru PadmaSambhav. Each form is for granting a particular wish, just as we have Lakshmi for wealth, Saraswati for knowledge etc. In the same manner different monasteries are revered for granting particular wishes. Like Dubdi Monastery is revered by issueless couples to get a child.

We moved on and were passing again through wild woods. We were walking along a big wild waterfall and deep down there was a bridge up to which that stream of water was flowing down. I wondered if we could go there.

This was all so extravagance of Mother Nature. We have been to many places from Kerala to Europe, but this was awesomely different. We reached that bridge, crossed it and told Suman that we want to get down to river and sit for a while. When Rachit heard it, he was out of bounds. We took a detour, got down to river and settled ourselves on rocks. All of us were busy in our jobs – Rachit was throwing pebbles, Manish was busy taking photographs and I was sitting silently.

Suman was searching for something in the near by cardamom farm.

This is what he brought with him- young shoots of some shrub and offered us to eat. We peeled it off, added salt (our weapon against any Leech attack) and put in mouth. YUMMY! It was little sour and very juicy. Rachit came running towards us. He wanted to taste it and he too liked it, although not as much as yellow berries. Time to go. Rachit did not want to move. But when Suman told him about another bridge on the way, he jumped up.

Now we were moving along Cardamom (Bari Ilaichi) farms. Ginger and Cardamom are the cash crops of Sikkim. We stopped at a small house, which was the only house in that entire wilderness. No one was there. Their Goats and hen were there in their pet house.. Manish wanted to take Rachit close to chicken. I stopped from going too close. I explained Rachit that Papa Hen (Cock) simply does not like it when anybody goes too close to its kids. In-fact it may attack you to defend its kids. Questions came pouring on me, which I directed to Suman for answers. So again, the duo was walking and chatting. One might be thinking that why I write everytime about what Rachit asked and what we replied. I want to point it out that traveling exposes kids to so many different things and they ask you questions ranging from Machines to nature to Difference in human race. And we not let go of a single opportunity to explain him things when they are right in front if him which is far simpler and more interesting than read through a book.

Suman showed us different varieties of bamboo. There are some 20 varieties of bamboos in Sikkim. We asked him about Rhododendrons, but the season was over. Sikkim has 34 varieties of Rhododendrons that bloom from late March to April. Orchids also bloom at that time. Alas! The school authorities do not know all about this. He showed us Orchids (without bloom) on trees- sometimes four five varieties of Orchids on one single tree. We were going deeper and deeper into forested hills. Except for the Dubdi hike, the trek was gentle. One can come here even with a small kid.

Suddenly the duo stopped and waited for us. Suman pointed to a wild white orchid in bloom.

How wonderful it is! It was for the first time that we were seeing any orchid blooming in natural habitat. He offered to pluck it for us, telling that it will remain fresh for a month in flower vase. I said No, let others also enjoy the beauty.

Then we spotted this pink Orchid in bloom. These were common orchids. The rare varieties of Orchids are generally taken away and sold at price of 15,000 to 30,000 Rs. To see the rare kinds one has to trek at high altitudes and that too on off beaten paths.

We reached at some flattened mountaintop and took a break to snack on Pistachio, peanuts, cashew nuts and “Aloo parantha” with juice. Having got our strength back, we climbed down to another bridge, passing through bamboo trees, wild flowers & Orchids.

It was a long bridge held in place with ropes. Under it was flowing a stream coming from high up in mountain. We crossed it and stopped at bamboo grooves. They were huge bamboos, so thick that I couldn’t hold them with both palms.

Finally we reached hotel around 3:30 pm and ordered for the usual lunch of dal,roti, sabzi, rice and a sikkimese dish Thupka. It is a noodle soup with vegetable. All the preparation was good and Thupka tasted GREAT.

We stretched our legs in their lovely garden, sipped coffee and handed over camera to Rachit. It was good watching him photographing the flowers so keenly. Here are some of his successes:

And a few of Manish’s

For dinner we ordered Momos.It is a very popular Tibetan delicacy in Sikkim. Minced meat/vegetables (for us it was vegetable) are stuffed in dough and then molded in a shape of our “Gujiya”. Then they are steamed for about half an hour in a three-tiered utensil that has tomato soup in lowest compartment. Steam of the boiling soup cooks them. They are taken along with soup and chilly sauce. Manish liked them a lot and I found them so-so.

End of yet another Joyful day for three walkalcoholic teetotalers :)

To be continued …