Visiting Changu Lake In Sikkim.

Glacial Lake for two?

Yes, please!

That morning, we woke up fresher than ever. With the sights of Lachung and Lachen still burning in our memory, Gangtok seemed like just another beautiful town.

The clouds came to greet us, casting a white filter over the whole city, swallowing the hills and all that lay beyond.

As we raced through the Nathula Highway with The Cosmic Truth's Stroboscopic Illusion blaring on the system, the visibility dropped and the car had to be slowed down. Catching altitude has a little bit of a catch in itself, you're at eye level with the clouds. And today was a nebulous day, anyway.

D'punk made a stop a half hour before reaching to get us the right gear for the lake. It included gumboots, thick jackets and water-resistant gloves. The shop also sold chai and maggi so, win-win!

After our second breakfast, we took our rental equipment and headed back to the car.

Jackets: INR 100.

Boots: INR 50.

Gloves: INR 100.

We marvelled at the sights around us. The drive to the lake is said to be one of the most scenic drives immediately around Gangtok, no argument there. Snow-laden mountains surrounded us and there was an immediate dip in the temperature.

The sound of car horns, music and people hit us well before the sights of the lake. The place was absolutely packed with drivers constantly honking to get yaks and blissfully ignorant families out of the way.

D'punk dropped us at the mouth of the gate, promising to find us as soon as he found a parking space. Well, good luck.

As soon as our feet hit the ground, we were surrounded by hawkers yelling various prices for yak rides around the lake. I'm not going to lie, they were almost yanking us to the poor creature. It is on several lists of things to experience in Sikkim but we refused to be a part of it.

Two Metal Tourists do not condone or support yak rides. I find it heartbreaking. The yak, if not sacred, is one of the most important creatures to Tibetans. And here, they are sold for 20-minute rides for the amusement of tourists. Carrying people and their children around, getting dragged by their nose halters and kicked and whipped into compliance. If the Sikkimese are okay with doing this to the yaks, all we can say is we do not agree to this torture.

We walked through the entryway into an over-crowded paradise of sorts. The lake was indeed frozen! The thick layer of ice made it look like nature's own skating rink, daring people to give it a go. Soft white snow surrounded the lake, a stark contrast to the deep grey hues of the now frozen waters.

A dim fog enveloped everything as far as the eye could see, like a dome protecting a wintry kingdom.

There was only one proper route along the lake unless you wanted to trudge through calf high snow and make your own.

Although the narrow path was slick with ice and stained with yak poo, watching people faltering and more often falling flat on their butts made it a super enjoyable walk. Every couple of minutes we had to sidestep for the yaks to pass both ways; it added another element of danger to the overall experience.

You don't want to get the horns or the hooves now, do you?