Sunday, August 25, 2013

Yumthang - Valley of flowers

Yumthang Valley is a beautiful place situated in north Sikkim. It sits at an elevation of 11,800 feet above sea-level, at a distance of 150 km from the state capital Gangtok.

After having a quick breakfast, we started for Yumthang Valley which was approximately 25 km from Lachung. Our driver told us that it would take minimum 2-3 hours to reach Yumthang as the the roads very steep and we need to climb about 2500 feet. There was a a minor security check before entering the stretch to Yumthang. The Indian army has a base camp in Lachung and we saw few soldiers jogging on the way. 


The road was full of mist and the visibility was not very clear. The route was full of waterfalls and at places the roads were submerged by the flowing water. It was too scenic around to be expressed into words, the clouds were hanging low and the trees over the slopes of the mountains were soaked into them. After driving for sometime, we heard a gurgling sound which was actually a tributary of river Teesta flowing between the mountains. 


Finally, we reached Yumthang Valley. It was extremely picturesque, with the slopes covered with green trees, yaks grazing in the flower-spangled grassy plains below, and a river flowing right through the valley. The serene and tranquil air of the Valley cannot be described in words. 


 There was forest house and some shops at the entrance. A good number of people were having breakfast there. We were too longing for a tea before starting to explore the valley of flowers but the magnetic beauty of the place pulled us towards itself. I kept moving ahead enchanted by the surroundings. One could see a series mountains standing tall in a queue which were all painted green. There were so may varieties of flowers around which were countless.

The grass throughout the Valley was covered intermittently with tiny pink and yellow flowers.We strolled through this charming expanse of greenery, dotted with wonderful wildflowers, and watch the river which was flowing through the Valley.


We did not feel like walking out of the paradise, but our driver wanted us to leave early so that we can reach Gangtok by evening. We came back to the hotel and after a little of bit rest, we had lunch, and then started the drive back to Gangtok. As the journey was down the hill, the drive was shorter. We stopped at Mangan which was approximately 50 km before Gangtok for some snacks. Finally, we reached Gangtok by dusk.

As we lay in our beds after a hot shower, the beautiful flowers of Yumthang Valley and its serene slopes refuse to leave our thoughts. Hours after arriving, we still roam about in an enchanted state.

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Reminiscences from the North Sikkim trip - Lachung valley

After a long but beautiful journey during the day, I was finally in Lachung. It is a small village in the lap of the Himalayas and also the last village in North Sikkim before Yumthang. 


Ours was a small lodge with only the basic amenities. The rooms had wooden walls with neither t.v. or internet connection. Initially, I was a little troubled but after loosening up in complete solitude for sometime I realized this is what I wanted from a holiday in a small little hilly village. So, I started enjoying the silence. After unwinding for a while, we came out for a stroll. The outside temperature was less than 10 degrees and after walking for a bit, we saw a small river. The water was freezing cold and in order to guess this I didn't have to go near by & touch it. If one takes the 360 degrees view of the place, there were hills all around with little sparkling waterfalls streaming out. It was so silent there and only audible sound was of the outbound water streams.


Then, we went to a shop for some snacks. It was a small covered wooden hut with a little entrance door. It could seat around 5-6 people at a time and was managed by an elderly couple. After inquiring, we found that they can offer us veg. maggi and tea. What more could one expect, it was the perfect snacks that could complement the misty surroundings.
Those people could understand Hindi a little and that started a small conversation between us. They told us that mostly all the cooking was done on woods as lpg supply was quite scarce there. It was one of best maggi I ever had. After having a good time with them we came back to the lodge. 

As the night started taking over, the temperature was dropping down. Suddenly the current got cut and there were no lights. A strong wind was blowing outside which we could feel it by the intermittent flapping of the windows. I kept staring at the window glasses which were completely covered by mist and after sometime water droplets started flowing down the glasses. It was raining. Deeply engrossed in nature I fell asleep. 


By the time I got up in the morning it was around 6 am. I went directly to windows to get a feel of the surroundings. At the very first glance, I was just amazed by the beauty outside. It seemed like the lofty peaks of the mountains were touching the horizon. One needs to endlessly look upwards to measure their altitude. It seemed like these mountains were embracing the valley in its lap with lots of love. There was a thick cover of clouds over various parts of the valley and it was an explicable experience.




I will stop here and take you through the amazing experience of the valley of flowers, Yumthang in the next piece.

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