Sikkim

Hundred in Gangtok – Part 4

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The very first place to visit was Tashi View Point. It was around a distance of 7 km from our hotel. It is an observation point at an altitude of 6000 ft developed be erstwhile king of Sikkim, Tashi Namgyal. On clear days in early morning, this is the best place in Gangtok to view the mighty Mount Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. One final destination still remained to visit and it was Ban Jhakhri Falls. It is a theme park surrounded by lush green forest on the outskirts of Gangtok.

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Hundred in Gangtok – Part 3

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Vehicles are not allowed on MG Marg like in most Mall Roads in any hill station. A large sign board welcomed us at MG Marg. We were completely stunned after witnessing MG Marg, the feeling was kind of a European city. Gangtok administration has developed and maintained it in very good manner. It has been divided into two lanes, one lane for one side walking. And the divider is not a typical road divider. A large number of beautiful plants with flowers give the feeling of a green belt to the divider. On both sides of divider, benches have been placed so that people can sit and enjoy their time with no hurry. I didn’t have an experience of this kind of setup before.

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Hundred in Gangtok – Part 2

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Very soon we hit the Sevoke town and surroundings change dramatically. For first time we saw mighty Teesta river as it was flowing on right side of the road. On left side of the road were hills. The view was very beautiful and everybody in the bus was astonished. It was hard to believe the change of surroundings so sudden. As the bus was moving towards Gangtok on scenic NH 31A, we were enjoying the green hills, Teesta river running side by side and also the beautiful rainy weather.

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Hundred in Gangtok – Part 1

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What could be the meaning of the title of this post Hundred in Gangtok ? This is about visiting Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, in a group of around 100 persons one year back in May 2011. At sharp 2:00 the train started its journey at the right time. The mood inside the coach was like we were in some party. There were different activities happening in different compartments – people were playing cards, watching movies on laptops, senior persons were talking about politics and nation.

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Goecha La (Sikkim) Trek

Goecha La (Sikkim) Trek

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After spending a day in Gangtok, I proceeded to Yuksom, a small town about 150 km away from Gangtok which can be reached via Rwangla or Rangpo. This is the place from where the trek to Dzongri, Goecha La and to the base camp of Mt. Kanchenjunga begins. The way to Yuksom is absolutely gorgeous with marvelous mountain views with green/blue watered Rangit river flowing in the middle of this Himalayn Kingdom. I started of on 27th September for Yuksam via Rumtek and Rwangla. At Rumtek, we gave lift to a couple of people from Rwangla.

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In the Valley of Flower

सफ़र सिक्किम का भाग 6 : फूलों की घाटी यूमथांग !

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चूंकि ये घाटी 12000 फीट की ऊँचाई पर स्थित है यहाँ गुरूडांगमार की तरह हरियाली की कोई कमी नहीं थी। कमी थी तो बस आसमान की उस नीली छत की जो सुबह में दिखने के बाद यहाँ पहुँचते ही गायब हो गई थी। पहाड़ों में बस यही दिक्कत है। अगर नीली छतरी का साथ ना हो तो प्रकृति का सारा नैसर्गिक सौंदर्य फीका पड़ जाता है।

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सफ़र सिक्किम का भाग 4 : वो तेज़ हवा, बेहोशी और गुरुडांगमार झील…

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पर ये क्या बाहर प्रकृति का एक सेनापति तांडव मचा रहा था, सबके कदम बाहर पड़ते ही लड़खड़ा गये, बच्चे रोने लगे, कैमरे को गले में लटकाकर मैं दस्ताने और मफलर लाने दौड़ा । जी हाँ, ये कहर वो मदमस्त हवा बरसा रही थी जिसकी तीव्रता को 16000 फीट की ठंड, पैनी धार प्रदान कर रही थी । हवा का ये घमंड जायज भी था। दूर दूर तक उस पठारी समतल मैदान पर उसे चुनौती देने वाला कोई नहीं था, फिर वो अपने इस खुले साम्राज्य में भला क्यूँ ना इतराये । खैर जल्दी-जल्दी हम सब ने कुछ तसवीरें खिंचवायीं ।

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