RINCHENPONG

A village with snow clad mountain has always fascinated me. The gigantic structure of the mountain, its unbeatable attitude, to have enormous patience, has always attracted me. I learn from mountains, how to remain calm and have patience, how to conquer our problems and how to stand alone for what I believe even when the whole world is against me. So, I decided to spend few days with mountain and decided to stay in a small hamlet of west Sikkim, from where Mt. Kanchenjunga is clearly visible.

Rinchenpong is a picturesque village in West Sikkim, India at an altitude of about 5576 ft and is approximately 120km from NJP. It is an offbeat destination of Sikkim and is famous for splendid views of Mt.Kanchenjunga.

The place has historical significance also. When British attacked Sikkim and reached Rinchenpong, the local people poisoned the pond, the only source of water in Rinchenpong. That killed number of British forces and com pelled them to retreat. From then the pond is known as poisoned lake (bikh-pokhri).

We visited this place on 3rd Feb, 2020. The place is immensely beautiful with abundant natural beauty. There are many staying options near Rinchenpong bazaar. Instead of staying near to bazaar, we opted for home stay which is outskirt the bazaar. We arrived in the home stay around 4 pm. The home stay is very beautiful, neat and clean, well decorated. Our host madam ji, is a very humble person. She welcomed us with her beautiful smile and with hot and delicious lunch. There were only 03 home stay and our booking was in Kanchanjangha view point home stay. It is located at a distance of 2 km from the main bazaar and is free from hustle and bustle. The location is simply stunning with 180 degree view of the snow clad mountain. From the window of our room, Mt.Kanchenjunga was visible. The temperature in the evening was around 3-4 degree. Madam ji arranged camp fire and veg pakora for us. My brother suggested me to taste the local wine. So, as per his suggestion, we tasted guava and apple wine. The chilled night was well spent with local wine, camp fire and veg pakora. I wake up at 4 am in the morning with a hope to get the spectacular views of Mt. Kanchanjanga. I sat in the veranda of our room, shivering in cold and praying god so that we can get a glimpse of the snow clad mountain. My wish was fulfilled. Around 5.45am, Mt appeared in front of us with golden peak. My heart was filled with joy. It was a joyous moment for all of us. We were standing in front of world 3rd largest peak.

When I stand in front of mountain, I realized how tiny I and my worries are. Our madam ji served hot tea in the garden. The cozy morning started with breathtaking view of mountain and hot tea. Nothing more is needed to start a refreshing day.

Heaven is over our head as well as in earth also & within our reach, we just have to explore that. The breath taking views of snow clad mountain compelled me to gaze at her and can't resist myself to go on clicking with my lens.

Due to fog, mountain disappeared around 8 am in the morning. We completed our breakfast with mouth-watering alu paratha, sabji, and boiled egg. Around 10 am we headed for sightseeing. Our sightseeing spot were - It took around 2 hrs to reach. It's a beautiful place. The entry fee was Rs 100.It is India's first glass sky walk. The structure is made up of glass and is located adjacent to Chenrezig Statue. It is a gigantic statue of approximately 137 ft high. It is the 4th tallest statue of Sikkim. To reach the statue, we climbed many steps.

Sky walk was opened in 2018 and from then, it attracted many tourists. It is a glass foot bridge which leads to the statue.

There were monks from Ladakh, who also came to visit the sky walk.

T o walk in the glass and look down, was little bit scary.

The downward view from the glass walk was overwhelming. The glass structure is indeed a great example of marvelous engineering. It was a unique and mesmerizing experience.

ii) Water garden- This place is around 13 km from Rinchenpong. It is near to Hee. The water plant has an eatery. It is surrounded by lush green trees and a flowing river.

i ii) Singhsore bridge - It is 27 kms from Rinchenpong. It is a suspension bridge that connects Dentam and Uttarey village. It is the highest bridge of Sikkim and second highest bridge in Asia with a vast length of around 240m and 100m height. There is a small restaurant adjacent to the bridge.

i v) Chayataal- It is a less crowded place and has few staying options. The main attraction of Chayataal is the lake with emerald green water. The place is very peaceful and serene.

We decided to visit the Rinchenpong monastery last. But due to scarcity of time could not visit that. We returned back to our home stay around 6 pm. We all were hungry. Madam ji served us hot tea along with toasted bread and butter. Our day ended with delicious dinner. For the first time I tasted Fing. The food of the home stay was very fresh and tasty.

The next morning, due to fog, mountain was not visible. That day, I wake up late because that was the last morning of our tour.After completing breakfast, I ambled around the place to get the acquainted with village lifestyle. The local people wake up very early in the morning and all the homes has garden.

They are fond of domestic animal also.

I spend time with nature to heal up my senses, to get positive vibes, learn to have patience in life and to stay calm in every phase of life. When I am with nature, all my worries and stresses get vanished. Spending time with nature is best medicine of all illness.

After visiting the place, my wish to live in the lap of nature got fulfilled. It is a very colourful place amidst with mountains and lush green forest. If you feel depressed, go and walk in nature. Your mood will definitely change; you will feel peace and calm from inside. Yes, this place has everything to replenish our thought. It has everything we want from nature.

The hospitality of the home stay people is truly commendable. Especially madam ji, was always ready at our service. The people of the home stay are very affable.

Nature is the best gift of god to us. And Rinchenpong is a perfect example. It's a poet dream destination with plenitude of natural beauty. The enchanting beauty of mountain, the simplicity of the local people, natural beauty will allure me to come again to this place.

The nearest Railway Station is New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. If you want to avail shared cars of public transport, then you would get them from Siliguri. These cars would take you to Jorethang from where you can take further shared cars to Rinchenpong. Pakyong airport is the nearest airport. Private car are also available from airport as well as NJP station. It takes some 5 hours along the banks of Rangeet and Teesta Rivers to reach. Budget-

iii) Home stay including food and lodging per head per night - Rs 1000

i) From NJP to Rinchenpong cab fare - Rs 4000-Rs 5000

ii) Local Sightseeing including Pelling sky walk - Rs 3000-Rs 3500