I last visited Gangtok in 2019, the last year of the pre-covid era. Crowds did not scare us. Beautiful lips with lipsticks were more common a view than facemasks. We packed woolens and boots.
No! Huge sanitizer bottles did not contribute to the weight of our luggage. During that era, We travelled to Gangtok.
It was the end of May, and the streets of Gangtok were crowded with tourists and the sky was crowded with dark clouds.It was a two night and three days trip.We had arrived from North Bengal and Gangtok was the last destination of our weeklong trip.
The itinerary
The plan was to visit the local places of interest on day 1 and on the next day we had planned to visit Nathula Pass. On the third day our plan was to check out of the hotel and travel to Siliguri by road for our return journey to home.
Day 1:
We checked into our hotel and booked a cab from our hotel for sight seeing for that day.
As soon as our journey began ,the clouds began to rumble. It grew dark everywhere. Our first point was the Tashi view point from where we were supposed to be able to see the beautiful Himalayas. The view point was crowded and there was no place to stand properly even. But why would the clouds let you even have a glimpse? There arose a murmur of dissatisfaction. No Himalayas! Only grey clouds.
Next, we headed on to the Bakthang waterfalls. It had already started raining. We had no umbrella with us. The elders in our group decided not to get down from the cab. I and my sister got down and ran somehow to a shop nearby. We were determined to see the falls. Luckily, the shop had some umbrellas and we bought one. I and my sister enjoyed the Bakthang waterfalls in the rains.
Our next destination was the Hanuman tok temple. It was still pouring cats and dogs outside but I and my sister were still determined to visit. We got down in the rains and reached the temple drenched. The umbrella failed to keep us dry.
After Hanuman tok, our next destination was the Ganesh tok temple. The rains by then had subsided.
The temple premises were crowded with thousands of tourists! There were colorful prayer flags adorning the roads and little shops selling beautiful souvenirs.
A flight of steps took us to the top of the hill to the Ganesh temple. The views were beautiful and the experience was wonderful!
There were so many other places to visit but the rain had started pouring again. So ,after this, we decided to go back to our hotel for the day.
Day 2
On Day 2 we had plans of visiting Nathula Pass.
For visiting Nathula Pass we had given our photocopies of our voter ID cards at the hotel who arranged the Vehicle for us for a hefty sum of money. Only a certain number of vehicles per day are allowed at the Nathula Pass. Also, the vehicles are specific. Not all vehicles are allowed. We were not informed about this and we were told that the vehicle would take us to the Nathula Pass and drop us back to our hotel. We believed that we had the entire vehicle to us.
Our first stop was the shops renting out warm clothes.As the height began increasing with our progress in journey, the temperatures began to drop.We hired jackets and boots as Nathula Pass was even higher up.
Our first destination was the Tsomgo Lake.
It was a lovely place. The beautiful turquoise water surrounded by gigantic mountains. Little flowering trees were scattered here and there. White and Black Yaks lined the roads.
We spent some time at Tsomgo Lake, taking in the beautiful views, walking around the lake and taking photographs.
Next we headed towards Nathula Pass.
I was worried if there would be any breathing problem as I had my 60 years old father who was an asthma patient and my 75 years old grandmother. We took the risk ,as we wanted them to visit the border which would have been a memorable experience. Luckily, none of us faced any health issue. But we had a bitter experience with people.
The Scam
The vehicle that was carrying us halted at a point on the road and told us that this vehicle is not allowed after this point. we would have to share another vehicle with its passengers. We were not informed of this while all the bookings were being made. When we asked about this,the driver simply shrugged and said 'Mujhe Nahi pata. Aap ko nahi jana agey toh wapas chalte hain'. After waiting for 2 hours at that point, the second vehicle came to our location. The passengers were informed of this there and they fought with us bitterly as they did not want to share. They were not even ready to make space for my old grand mother. Even they were not informed earlier about this and thought we were trying to travel at their expense. After a lot of discussion, we somehow managed to squeeze into the vehicle.
We reached Nathula Pass and it was bitterly cold. It had started raining as well. Photography was not allowed at Nathula Pass. We climbed the steps and reached the border.Indian armed forces were guarding the area. They pointed to us the Chinese buildings .The cold was terrible. I was filled with renewed respect for our army men who stayed here all through out the year to keep us safe. They tolerated that immense cold! We complain at every little thing but there are men who do their jobs against much more odds than we ever face.
After Nathula Pass, we began descending and our first stop was the baba Harbhajan Shrine. This shrine is important for the army and they offer prayers here. It is believed that Baba Harbhajan, protects the borders and helps the army men.
There was a play of cloud and fog everywhere. Sometimes the mountains around could be seen and then again they vanished behind thick fog.
We ended our trip for the day with a visit to the M.G road market. The market was very beautifully maintained. The paved road was lined on both sides with stalls selling a myriad of items-from souvenirs to snacks. There were decorative street lights illuminating the market and decorations depicting Sikkimese vibes.
Then it was time for us to pack our bags and return home with memories and experiences. This pre-Covid era trip proved to be a very memorable one, as it was a kaleidoscope of experiences: rains, a scam, scathing fog and lush mountains.
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
