Chapter 16_The Sikkim Souvenir

Chapter 16

The Sikkim Souvenir

“You guys had to ride all the way to Zero Point to see snow caps. Look, I have it here, right in front of me.” It was Mahesh. He was right. The mountains across our balcony were adorning their new white caps and they looked stunning. It was as if the universe had conspired for our Mahesham – poor chap had ridden all the way to Sikkim, but hadn’t explored the mountains much. “Good morning! Here’s for you, at your doorstep,” Mother Nature offered.

The snowcapped mountains that surprised Mahesh…

We soon got ready to leave for Gangtok. After our bikes were loaded, we had one last round of tea at Lachung, served by deedi. Two days back, when we sat there for the first time, I had asked for black tea. For the next ten or more rounds of tea we had there over the next few days, I was served black tea, without making a request. ‘Revirie Resort’ had been a great host for us. And therefore, I ensured that it was deedi who tied the prayer flag (bought from shop no. 41, Yumthang) onto Batman. It was our souvenir – the Sikkim souvenir.

‘Revirie Resort’ - our home in Lachung…

Before leaving Lachung, we bought a bottle of fuel for Khan’s bike. The jerry can reserves had made it to the tanks already. A liter of petrol cost INR 120. Of course, one wouldn’t bargain; the nearest petrol bunk was 50 kilometers down, in Mangan. The shopkeeper gave a discount of INR 20, for reasons unknown.

“Rendezvous” – our minds chanted, as we rode back to Gangtok, passing all those water crossings, bridges, falls and tunnels. We did not talk. We did not stop at any viewpoints. We just rode on. Our brains seemed to have gone numb – perhaps the thought that ‘the return ride has begun’ had started sinking in.

Adios Lachung!

At Chungthang check post, Khan enquired about any possibility for Gurudongmar. Nope, a bridge on the road to the lake had collapsed. And so did the last hopes of Gurudongmar. Two roads diverged in front of us – one to Lachen (and Gurudongmar) and the other to Gangtok. We took the latter, reassuring ourselves that the former was for another time.

All eight in a frame…

We stopped for breakfast at the same valley hotel we had dined during the onward journey – jumbo momos, tukpa and tea, yet again. A few kilometers from there, we missed the shortcut that we had taken while riding to Lachung. We soon reached a point which was on the Siliguri-Gangtok road. We now had to ride up to Gangtok, which was basically going around your head to reach your nose. I was very frustrated; unfortunately, I chose to vent my feelings on the throttle. I regret that decision, more for the fact that it was a disrespect to one of the most disciplined traffics in India.

At around 2 PM, we were back at ‘Capital O Chithrakoot’. Most of our belongings were chilling in a room in this hotel for the past few days. Thanks to OYO and Goibibo, we had turned the luxury room of a star hotel into a cloak room. We booked one more room and got some rest.

In the evening we went out to explore MG Marg, a market street in the center of Gangtok. We set out on two bikes. These bikes were given a royal bath on the way. Khan and Thorappan watched with gleaming eyes as the dirt and dust from the Himalayas washed down and their machines got back their colour.

MG Marg lies in the heart of Gangtok town. Vehicles are not allowed in this one kilometer long ‘marg’. The path is paved with granite tiles and there are illuminated shops on either sides. These ranged from hotels and pubs to gift shops selling souvenirs. There are benches in the middle for people to sit and relax. The place bustled with tourists and locals window shopping and taking leisure strolls. We went into an alley to try rolls from a pretty old and renowned shop. However, the place did not serve non-vegetarian rolls. There was another shop nearby, which did not boast of a rich heritage, but did serve non-veg rolls. There was just enough space for four people to stand inside that shop, though it was occupied by eight individuals munching delicious rolls.

As the sky darkened, the street lit up. There were lamp posts all along the street. The shops too glittered in decorative lights. It started drizzling and umbrellas popped up like mushrooms. We walked into shops to get ourselves a few tangible memories from Sikkim. These ranged from bottle openers to bamboo coasters. The prices of same items differed from shop to shop. For example: Mahesh bought a set of coasters for INR 200. A couple of shops ahead, it was sold at INR 150. Eventually I got it for INR 120 at a shop at the end of the street. Mahesham was utterly disappointed.

MG Marg…

Khan and Mahesham went from shop to shop looking for prayer beads of a specific color. The ones that pleased their minds cost a few hundreds and therefore they kept looking for better deals, shop after shop. After a point, Thorappan and I got really bored. At the end of the street, there was an alley going down and there were make-shift shops on both sides. Khan and Mahesham wanted to hunt in those shops as well. I decided that I wasn’t going to walk anymore. I knew Mahesham quite well. During our college days, I used to accompany him to shopping malls, where he would go to each and every clothing store, shortlist a few pieces from every place and go another round again to select one from the shortlisted candidates. My legs used to terribly ache those nights. Therefore, at the end of MG Marg, I just sat down and waited for him to hunt for his Sikkim souvenirs.

Down the alley…

While returning, we bought a few bottles of brewed grains to make the most of the last night in Sikkim. We had tukpa and a dish made from pork ribs for dinner. The chilly air and bottled stars gave us a good night’s sleep.

The initial hours of the next morning were very crucial for Mahesh and me. We had to book tatkal tickets for our return journey. We had two options: one – parcel the bikes and fly back home. This had a great deal of uncertainty, as we wouldn’t be able to predict when our bikes would reach us.  Two – travel by train and bring the bikes on the same train as luggage. Option two seemed more convenient, as it would allow us to pick up our bikes from the arrival station and ride home. Mahesh had to catch the Silchar-Trivandrum ‘Aronai Express’ from New Jalpaiguri and get down at Kochi, from where he had to ride (around 100 kilometers) home. I too could travel on the same train and get down at Chennai, from where I could ride to Pondy. However, we were worried whether there would be enough space for two bikes in the luggage coach. Since the train originated from a different station, it was possible that its luggage coach would be filled up when it reached Jalpaiguri. I had two other options of which the ‘New Jalpaiguri-Chennai Express’ was undoubtedly the best. Since the train originated from Jalpaiguri, there would be enough time for me to ensure that my bike was loaded on to the train and likewise for unloading it in Chennai.

At 9:30 AM we were all seated on plush sofas in the balcony of the hotel. It overlooked a range of mountains and the view was a very soothing one; except when you were booking tatkal. Mahesh couldn’t just sit anywhere; he walked up and down, like a father-to-be in front of the labour room. I decided to ride on my luck and booked a waitlisted (WL 6) second AC ticket, at around 9:45. This allowed all of us to try for Mahesh’s ticket. At 10, the IRCTC website froze on all our devices. By the time it came back to life, all AC tatkals on Aronai Express had been sold out. When tatkal closes its doors, you go to tatkal-ka-baap – premium tatkal. But as we all know, that guy is so dynamic! Second AC tickets were available at 7k INR (more than double the price of a normal second AC ticket), and poor Mahesh had no other option but to go for it.

There was no water in the hotel due to some problem with the plumbing. Most of us postponed our morning rituals. The room boys went around with buckets of water for other guests. We got ready to ride down to Siliguri. There were a few confusions during checkout, as our multiple bookings from various apps had messed up the calculations of the receptionist. It took us a while to settle it out.

It must have been 11:30 AM when we left Gangtok. Khan led the group, followed by Thorappan and me. Mahesham trailed behind – he had left Gangtok with a heavy heart and a light pocket.

Thorappan on cam…

We cruised down leisurely. All of a sudden, Khan was seen doing some acrobatics on the road. I couldn’t comprehend much. A car in front of him had taken a sudden sharp right into a petrol bunk and he almost rammed into it. Looks like ‘Lady Luck’ was riding pillion with Khan. She then shifted onto Thorappan’s bike. For, after a while, he along with his Duke was in the air for a few seconds after going over a brick lying on the road. The boys took a break to catch their breath after back-to-back scares.

We had lunch at the same place where we had stopped on our onward journey – the one that overlooked a two-storeyed house made of wood and bamboo. Having skipped breakfast, we were very hungry. One plate of momos which was ordered as a starter was followed by three more. Had there been more momos in the shop, the number would have been even higher. A plate each of spicy ‘Wai Wai’ noodles made it to the main course.

Post lunch, we descended at our own pace. Soon, Khan and Thorappan were pretty ahead of me. Mahesh was quite far behind as well. I switched to auto-pilot mode as my mind revisited our memorable moments in the mountains.

There was a slight traffic congestion on a bridge. Batman must have been in first or second gear then. A lorry in front of me braked suddenly and my nervous system responded immediately, but the messages sent out seemed to have got messed up. I was down on the road, Batman on top of me. The little blue water bottle that had been resting in my tank bag rolled away.

(to be continued…)

Chapter 15_A Distant Dream

Chapter 15

A Distant Dream

Yes, we had heard it right – a landslide. A tsunami of thoughts attacked my mind – does it mean that we are trapped; that we cannot cross to the other side; that we would have to be airlifted or something; what about the vehicles? We pushed Khan to gather more details. The army was already at work. They were clearing the path. The taxi drivers told us that it may be possible for bikes to go ahead. We moved towards the epicenter of the calamity, passing a kilometer-long queue of taxi cabs and anxious tourists. Not everyone was worried though. Some of them were chilling outside their cars, exploring the area, clicking photos and so on. A little ahead, it was a dead lock – the cars were covering 90% of the road and the little gap on the side was in no way suitable for wheels to rotate on. A young man bent down and arranged pebbles to make the surface as even as possible. A smile was all we could return in gratitude for that kind gesture. Khan led the way and I had the test of my life. Given my height, the area of contact that my feet had with the road was limited. I wasn’t quite confident about my skills to tackle the situation. However, I trusted the machine. It didn’t fail me either. First gear and mild throttle was all I did from my end – that was all I knew to do as well. Batman saw me through it, like a loyal companion.

Crossing the landslide area…

At the head of the queue, there were trucks filled with debris. The road was clear. We had to wait for a couple of minutes for the lorries to move to the sides and then we were allowed to go ahead. We had passed the test – the Sikkim test – quite satisfactorily. It did definitely raise our confidence levels to negotiate tough roads (that we anticipate in our trips to come).

Waiting for the ‘go ahead’…

It started to drizzle. We had our rain gears on. We galloped ahead, without any further halts. Apart from an untethered horse that appeared on the road out of nowhere, there are no particular memories of the rest of the ride to the homestay. Perhaps, the landslide episode kept replaying in our minds till we reached back at deedi’s.

The untethered horse caught on Thorappan’s Gopro…

Back at the home stay, we told deedi that she shouldn’t expect her mother to be back home anytime soon. Deedi’s mother had taken one of the last cabs from Yumthang and it would definitely take her a lot of time to cross the landslide area and reach home. The Duke gang (that we had seen at Zero Point) passed that way. They stopped for a chat with us and told us that they were planning to visit Gurudongmar Lake the next day. Though the road to the lake was officially closed to tourists (due to adverse weather conditions), they had contacts in the army and hoped to be permitted to visit the spot. They welcomed us to join them. They were on their way to Mangan, from where they were to get the permit for Gurudongmar. We told them that we would confirm our plan before next morning.

The Sikkim test…

Gurudongmar is undoubtedly the most beautiful place to visit in Sikkim. At a height of 18,000 feet, this lake lays frozen for most part of the year. The mountains in the background and the blue skies along with the white clouds casting their image of the lake’s surface is said to be a sight to behold. But not every visitor to Sikkim gets a chance to witness this mesmerizing sight. It all depended on the weather conditions. Gurudongmar road was open when we started our ride from Pondicherry. Unfortunately, the army had closed the roads a day before we landed in Sikkim. We tried to get the Gurudongmar dream out of our minds and had almost come to terms with the fact that it was for another time. Yet, it kept coming back to us – in the form of that stranger, whom we met at a hotel on the way to Lachung, who told us that Gurudongmar was a sight worth seeing once in one’s lifetime; in the form of the Duke gang who now told us that they were hopeful of visiting the place. Thus, once again, the Gurudongmar dream resurfaced. “Gurudongmar is on” said an excited Thorappan.

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Gurudongmar Lake

Deedi’s mother came home with a doll for deedi. As she got out of the jeep, she held the doll in her arms, as if it was a baby. She kissed it and handed it over to deedi, who hugged it and held it like a doting mother. All three of them – deedi, her mother and the doll – were adorable.

We had a late lunch, at around 3:30 PM, and went back to our rooms. Mahesh had had a full day in bed, waking up only for food. He had quite decided that he wasn’t riding back home. His body had become a lot weak. He felt that he couldn’t take the cold anymore and wanted to reach back to the plains at the earliest. Gurudongmar was definitely not in his plan. With a heavy heart, I too decided that Gurudongmar was for another time. We could not let Mahesh ride back alone to Gangtok or Siliguri. One of us had to accompany him. Mahesh and I would ride back to Siliguri the next morning. Thorappan and Khan would go ahead with the Gurudongmar plan and later meet us in Siliguri. Mahesh and I would then courier our bikes and take trains back to our bases, while the other two would ride back to Bangalore and Mumbai respectively. Thus, over the few hours of the evening, plan B had to be rolled out.

Just before dinner, we were informed by the Duke gang that they couldn’t get permit for Gurudongmar. Once again, Gurudongmar became a distant dream for all four of us.

There was no power and we had ‘candlelight dinner’. Rocky bhai served us roti, rice and chicken. The cook eagerly looked through the kitchen window for acknowledgement, and our happy faces enjoying the food did indeed give him good feedback. Deedi served us tea at the shop, which was lit up by candles. The yellow flame gave a different beauty to the place.

Deedi’s shop lit by candles…

Deedi gave us apples that had been collected from their farm. She told us that the best apples would be kept for sale, while the ones with any visible damages would be kept for the family. We too were given those ‘family apples’. That meant a lot for us. Over the past two days, we weren’t much treated as guests, but more like family members. As recorded in the avalokanam of the day, “Sikkim, that includes Gangtok, Nathu La, Padamchen and Lachung, is definitely a beautiful place. However, Lachung will have a special place in our hearts. Perhaps, deedi, shop no. 41, Rocky bhai and the ‘family apples’ are all reasons for that.”

We munched the ‘family apples’ and went to bed, dreaming of Gurudongmar – a distant dream.

(to be continued…)

Chapter 14_Zero Point

Chapter 14

Zero Point

Rocky bhai! He was a native of Lachung, but had spent a few years in Kerala – Attingal, Trivandrum, 15 kilometers away from my house, to be precise – some time back. Thorappan was delighted to hear Malayalam. The Tuborgs had kicked in and he flipped over Rocky bhai’s bits and pieces of Malayalam. We had roti, rice and anda curry for dinner. The food was delicious and Rocky bhai’s service added to the taste. Dinner was followed by a round of tea and we went to bed soon after.

We woke up at 5:15 AM, the next day, to a very cold Lachung morning (definitely not the coldest though). The view from our balcony was one of the best that one could wish for. The Himalayas spanned out in front of us, revealing its colours as the sun brightened up. Mahesh, who didn’t dare to expose even an inch of himself outside the blanket, declared in a feeble voice that he was going to stay back in the room. We didn’t persuade him either, as we felt that the cold might put him at risk.

Wake-up scene in Lachung…

Deedi served us tea. She assured us that Mahesh would be taken care of. The three of us started off at around 6:30 AM. A few kilometers ahead, there was a check post. During the verification, the jawans asked us the name of the hotel we stayed at; none of us knew it. They then gave us a piece of advice that it was important to note such things while travelling. True that.

The cold was bearable now. We had our full gears on. I had five layers of material covering my upper half – a t-shirt, thermal vest, rain coat, jacket (thermal vest and rain coat came with the jacket; detachable), and another rain cover. A couple of kilometers from the check post, we were right at the foot of a range of rocky mountains. They were so huge that I felt a little scared, seeing them in front of me all of a sudden.

Mighty, mighty, mountains…

The roads were the toughest we rode on this trip so far. However, we enjoyed every bit of it. After all, this was what we came for; this was the challenge that we were looking forward to. There were landslide debris and water crossings – both small streams and ones with strong currents. Khan led us, as he was the experienced one among us and his Himalayan was the one that was better equipped for these roads. It seemed that the vehicle did enjoy exploring the natural wonder after which it was named! It galloped ahead in full vigor, even as the terrain became tougher and rougher. Thorappan’s rear tire got stuck at one point. He did manage to pull himself out, with some effort. I had never in my life imagined that I would be riding a bike through such terrains. It all felt like a dream. In fact, it was the realization of one.

Off-roading…

After about an hour of off road adventure, we reached Phuni valley. Against the backdrop of huge mountains was the Phuni lake, with jade green waters. Another fifteen minutes ride, and we were at the much heard of Yumthang valley. There were a few shops on either side of the road and then the valley spanned out in front of us. One could see different shades of green in a single frame of vision – the thick forested mountains were dark green, while the grassy valley had a lighter shade. Colourful prayer flags adorned the valley. A little stream flowed through the center of the spot.

Phuni Lake…

The three bikes (and their riders) amidst a dozen or more of white taxi cabs were a matter of curiosity to some of the tourists in Yumthang. A few even wanted to click pictures with our bikes, which we readily and happily agreed to. The little stream did beckon us. We decided that we would explore the valley while returning back from Zero Point.

Yumthang Valley…

The line of shops in Yumthang had numbers, and we were to have breakfast at shop number 41. Because, that shop belonged to our deedi’s mother. When we asked a shopkeeper where to find shop no. 41, she nodded her head and asked us to go into her shop. For a moment we thought that hers was 41, but then saw no. 39 painted in a corner of the shop. The next was 40 and then came shop number 41. It was a busy little shop and a few people were seated inside – sipping hot tea, slurping noodles and warming themselves at the fire place. We introduced ourselves to the lady who was preparing tea – “we stay at your hotel in Lachung; Deedi asked us to have breakfast here”. The lady recognized us; we three dumb heads didn’t! She was deedi’s mother, to whom we had even engaged in a conversation the previous night. Along with her was deedi’s cousin, who helped her run the place.

Shop No. 41

At the center of the shop was a fireplace, with three kettles warming themselves on top of it. The smoke from the stove was guided out through a metal pipe. We huddled around the setup and exposed our palms to the fire, in an attempt to bring our numb fingers back to life. The latter half of the shop had beds to sit on; jackets and snow boots were stacked up on the wall cupboards. The wooden floor creaked as we walked across to the beds and settled down for food.

Deedi’s mother was a chatterbox, who bustled with energy. As she prepared spicy, soupy noodles for us, she enquired about the fourth one in our gang – Mahesham. When we told her that he was unwell, she replied that, back in Lachung, his marriage was getting fixed with deedi. “Not when we’re alive!” the three of us murmured. In the background, all four of us had laid claims on deedi, the previous night. (In fact, each one of us had specific and convincing reasons as to why we were the best suitor for her. However, I am not able to recall any of those reasons now; nor have they been captured in the avalokanams).

Good food, warmth and care – ‘shop number 41’ for you. Deedi’s mother did treat us like her own kids. As we were clicking a few photos near the fire place, she complained that we hadn’t included her. The sportive lady did pose for a few clicks with us as well. We had another round of tea (hot water sprinkled with milk and some tea dust) and left for ‘Zero Point’.

Deedi’s mother with her adopted kids…

The 25 kilometer ride from Lachung to Yumthang had taken us about an hour and ten minutes. The next 25 to ‘Zero Point’ would require about the same time. However, the latter stretch wasn’t as challenging as the former. There were proper roads, though quite narrow and we reached ‘Zero Point’ at around 9:45 AM. The road ends there, which is why it is called the ‘zero point’. We had reached the final destination, the farthest point, and the end of an Indian roadway. After 10 days and 3000 odd kilometers, we were there!

A panoramic view of Zero Point…

Khan and I were the first to reach Zero Point. Thorappan arrived a few minutes later. On his way, he had seen some garments lying on the road and stopped to pick them up. In fact, he had seen a rain coat first, ignored it and moved further, when he saw a pair of rain pants lying a little ahead. He then collected both and proceeded further to find a pair of shoe covers as well. If you are wondering why he picked up all these random stuff lying on the way, they all belonged to me. I had been carrying them pillion from Yumthang, as it wasn’t raining enroute, and hadn’t realized that my fellow passengers had fallen off on the way. (Thanks Thorappan!)

Unlike Yumthang, the mountains of Zero Point were barren. There was not a single tree in sight. It was just boulders and pebbles all around. There were huge mountains in front us, at a distance; perhaps many more behind them as well. Like in Yumthang, a stream flowed through the valley. A small bridge had been made across it at one point; a major attraction for the visitors. We ventured out into the valley. I walked along the stream, dipped my hands in the water and washed my face – it gave that same refreshing feeling that the waters of Rangpo River gave in Padamchen. Behind us, the clouds split apart like the curtains on a stage, revealing snow clad mountains at a distance. That was the first sight of snow in our trip; in my life as well!

The Zero Point click…

We too clicked a few pictures on the bridge. There was another gang of bikers around; four chaps on two Dukes, registered in West Bengal. They had the Indian flag with them, with which they posed and took photos. Poor Khan looked on enviously. We assured him that we too would have flag poles on our bikes in the next trip. After about an hour of exploration at Zero Point, we headed back to Yumthang. We were among the last few to leave the place. We had to hurry up.

A few kilometers after we started back to Yumthang from Zero Point, the mist suddenly cleared off and there, right in front of us, were snow clad mountains. This time, the snow-capped peaks were clearly visible. An otherwise composed Khan, became exhilarated all of a sudden. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was so beautiful. The sun glittered up the snow and I sat down on the road to just breathe in and freeze the frame in my heart. Thorappan was trailing behind, and we couldn’t wait for him to see this sight. A couple of minutes passed by, he was not to be seen. Khan and I sat on the roadside, recording with our eyes, as much of the scene as possible. However, tension started mounting in our minds, with every passing minute – Thorappan hadn’t reached yet. There was no network coverage to contact him either.

Surprise snow-cap…

After about fifteen minutes, we decided that Khan should ride back and look for Thorappan. The guy turned up just in time. Apparently, he had seen the snow peaks a few meters back, and had stopped there itself! Bloody Thorappan!

We clicked a few pictures there. During an attempt to capture the full figures of Thorappan, Khan and the mountains in a single frame, my body got paralyzed for a few seconds – reasons I know not. It did give me a scare though!

It was a quick ride back to Yumthang. The place was deserted when we reached there. Most of the tourists had already left from there. The shops were also closing for the day. Zero Point and Yumthang wake up to tourists and go back to slumber as they leave. It was just about mid-day then. We had tea and bread omlette, yet again at shop number 41.  We bought a few prayer flags from the shop as Sikkim souvenirs.

A jubilant Thorappan posing in front of the snow-capped mountains…

We soon left for Lachung. A few kilometers from Yumthang, there was a long line of cars in front of us. All those tourist taxis that had gone ahead of us were there. We were quite puzzled at the sight. We enquired and got to know with a shudder that there had been a landslide and the road was blocked with debris!

(to be continued...)