ay VIII: Darjeeling.
Day XXI: Darjeeling drive to Bagdogra.
Captivated by Kangchendzonga
From lush tropical forest to postcard-pretty the trail trails to snow-capped peaks — Sikkim has it all. Little wonder the natives call their home the ‘earthly paradise’, writes LEONG SIOK HUI.
Most people associate the Himalayas with Nepal. But the Great Himalayan Range actually stretches from Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat (8,125m) in the west, across Nepal, and over 2,000km to the peaks framing Sikkim and Bhutan in the east.
And the tiny, 7,300sq km Sikkim is tucked between Nepal in the west, Tibet in the north and Bhutan in the southeast. Formerly one of the four Himalayan Kingdoms, Sikkim became the 22nd state of India in 1975.
Awesome views kept the hikers company throughout the trek.
The Sikkimese are mainly the Lepchas – its original inhabitants, the Nepalese who migrated from Nepal since early 18th century, and the Bhutias – descendants of Tibetan and Bhutanese settlers.
The Lepchas have no written record but their oral history dates back to 1400AD and they still preserve their own language, culture and tradition. After China occupied Tibet in the 1950s, Sikkim also sees a steady influx of Tibetan refugees.
Today, the Nepalese make up Sikkim’s majority population and Nepali language is the most widely spoken.
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World’s third highest peak On Sikkim’s Singalila Ridge, a mountain range bordering Nepal and Sikkim, sits the world’s third highest peak, Mt Kangchendzonga (8,586m). Peaks, averaging 6,200m to 7,500m, dot the ridge to the north and south of Kangchendzonga, making the area a mountain buff’s heavenly playground. But due to its turbulent political history, Sikkim was off-limit to foreigners till the late 1970s. And today, foreigners entering Sikkim still need a 15-day entry permit. Hence, many of Sikkim’s rugged terrains, plateaus and formidable mountain passes are relatively unexplored and pristine. My friends, Hilary, Yin San, Soo and I hooked up with Sikkim Tours and Travels – a Sikkim-based travel operator – for a 10-day trek on the Goechala trail in Kangchendzonga National Park. Despite its 850sq km size (one fifth the size of Taman Negara), the national park boasts a terrain that ranges from an altitude of 1,600m to 8,586m, and a mind-boggling medley of flora and fauna that thrives in the tropical, temperate and alpine zone forests. Our trek would take us from the trailhead in Yuksam at 1,740m, to the highest point at Goecha La Pass (4,950m) and back. returning on the same trail. |
Some groups use horses to lug their things up the trail |
Our seven-hour jeep ride from Sikkim’s capital, Gangtok to Yuksam was quite hair-raising. The jeep careened up and down steep, winding roads overlooking plunging valleys of emerald-green terraced rice fields, cardamom groves, rivers and waterfalls framed by jutting peaks. Good thing we had some nausea pills handy.
 The Mahindra that took the group to Gangtok after the trek.
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The picturesque village of Yuksam (the first capital of Sikkim) is also home to our Nepali guide, Madan, and our porters, Tashi, Pasang, Sonam, Prem and the yak herdsman, Lhakpa. The yak, dubbed as the highest dwelling animal in the world, is a member of the ox family. With a thick, shaggy coat, this beast of burden is usually found in large herds on desolate mountains above 3,000m. But in Sikkim, these animals have been domesticated. To our relief, Lhakpa’s four yaks would accompany us on the trek, leaving us backpack-free during the hike. On our first day, we weaved through a procession of porters – in flip-flops or yellow Wellington boots – lugging cooking gas tanks, pans and pressure cookers piled on wicker baskets secured at their foreheads with tumplines. We passed groups of trekkers, horses and yaks laden with Basmati rice, baskets of okra and French beans and multi-hued backpacks. . Amid the cool, crisp autumn air, we trudged up sheer slopes through rhododendron, oak, magnolia and bamboo forests, while being serenaded by bird calls and catching fleeting glimpses of magpies, robins and honey suckers. “In spring (April and May), the mountain slopes are dappled with rainbow-coloured rhododendron blooms,” said Madan, a college student cum part-time guide with seven years’ experience. Along the trail, Madan also pointed out some wild herbs like the sisnu, a Vitamin-loaded edible plant good for the eyes, and the bon mara, the juices from its crushed leaves help stop a bleeding wound. |
Serendipity at its best
On our third day, from the Tsokha campsite (3,048m), we had a preview of the ragged skyline of snow-capped peaks thrusting into the crystal-clear blue skies. At dawn, when the clouds parted, the jagged peaks of Mt Pandim (6,691m) loomed over our campsite. Over the days, we clambered up steep hills, waded through ankle-deep mud, trampled through mossy or conifer forest, strolled across bucolic pastures or clawed our way up rock-strewn trails.
I huffed and panted. The thin air made breathing difficult and my knees throbbed. By day four, when we reached Dzongri campsite (4,030m), Soo was suffering from a pounding headache and heart palpitations – effects of altitude sickness.
A view of Kangchendzonga from Goecha
La Pass. — Pictures by
LEONG SIOK HUI
But the staggering beauty of the rugged peaks, the sweet juniper-laced crisp air and moments of stumbling on a blue poppy or a noisy robin lent much-needed solace.
After each day’s hike, averaging three to nine hours, we looked forward to Indra’s scrumptious ‘gourmet’ meals like the stir-fried masala vegetables, freshly made hot chapatis or fresh mushroom and shredded cheese pizza, and banana pie for dessert.
At the Lamuni campsite (about 4,200m) with its bone-chilling, whipping wind, we huddled beneath our porters’ thick wool blankets in their hut and savoured the warmth from Indra’s cooking fire.
The six-rupee (50 sen) “Honey Bee” brandy I bought from Gangtok, and hot water bottles (provided by the porters) kept us toasty after we slid into our ‘chilled’ sleeping bags. In the freezing morning air, we looked forward to either Sonam or Tashi’s morning call with a pot of hot tea and bowls of hot water for washing.
“I could really get used to this (first-class treatment),” sighed Yin San.
Yes, life seemed simple . . .
It was also the chance meetings that made the journey so unforgettable.
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Breakfast with a magnificent view at the Tsokha campsite. — Pictures by LEONG SIOK HUI |
I’ll never forget Lhako Doma, the pretty, ruddy-cheeked Tibetan lady who runs a café and a mom-and-pop store in Tsokha, a small Tibetan settlement with seven families, and the only village on the Goecha La. Over hot chai (milk tea), I listened as she talked about her yearning to return to the Tibet her family fled from 30 years ago.
I had my first tomba, a mild rice wine made from fermented millet, with a bunch of rowdy but fun American students who were studying Nepali in West Bengal. During the trek, I was reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake and voila! I met a Los Angeles-born Bengali trekker whose parents came from Kolkata. Naturally, we launched into a spiel on identity crisis and cultural displacement.
But seeing Mt Kangchendzonga (from Goecha La) was definitely the ‘whipped cream topping’ to our trek.
It was also the longest and toughest day. At 3am, we set out from campsite with headlamp and flashlights, floundering our way through rocks and boulders and more steep inclines.
After dragging our feet for hours through the moraines and sandy trails of the Onglakhing Glacier, we clambered up the last 500m rocky hill. Then, we tottered on a one-metre wide steep trail skirting the pass before straggling to the top.
There it was, the awe-inspiring peak looming above us. I could almost reach out and touch it. Simply awed, we fell into silence. Only the flapping of the colourful prayer flags broke the stillness on the pass.
A week after we left the trail and I bade farewell to my trekking mates, I found myself standing at Tiger Hill near Darjeeling, West Bengal. Shivering in the pre-dawn hour, I was sandwiched between hundreds of Bengali tourists craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the mighty Kangchendzonga.
Tiger Hill is just a 30-minute jeep ride from Darjeeling and boasts a sweeping view of Kangchendzonga, all the way to Nepal with views of the tiny mounds of the Everest, Three Sisters and Makalu peaks.
But I abhorred the raucous crowd and missed the Goecha La trail terribly. Then, as the sun slowly broke over the horizon, Kangchendzonga peeked from the morning fog.
Once again, it cast its magic spell . .
Finding an agency
There are more than 200 travel agencies in Sikkim, just be sure to choose an agency endorsed by Sikkim Tourism.
For info on Sikkim Tours & Travels, visit www.sikkimtours.com or e-mail: info@sikkimtours.com
Trekking costs range from US$45 (RM165) per day and below, depending on the number of trekkers. Cost includes guide, porters, food and accommodation (tents provided).
Preserving the trail
Unlike Nepal’s popular teahouse trekking concept – lodges with full amenities en route the trail, Sikkim’s trekking industry is less commercialised.
It wasn’t until the mid-80s when the Sikkim government finally eased restrictions on foreigners’ entries and started promoting the Goecha La trail. By the 90s, more outdoor operators in Sikkim have sprouted up and the tourism department built basic trekkers’ huts along the trail.
But during the peak trekking seasons – from mid-September to late November or from April to May – up to 3,000 trekkers in various groups trample on the Goecha La trails.
“The groups are usually spread out and thus the impact on the trail isn’t so severe,” assured Lukendra Rasaily, the founder of 19-year-old Sikkim Tours & Travels.
“Besides the government is opening new trails to ease the pressure on the Goecha La trail.”
The Sikkim government has recently allowed foreigners to do the Yambong-Singalila and Hee Bermiok trek, Rasaily said. And foreign tourists are usually more conscious about preserving the environment so they don’t trample around and pluck any plants, he added.
Also an environmental activist, Rasaily publishes a partially self-funded weekly newsletter, Nobeli.
Catering to travel trade industry people and policy-makers, Nobeli aims to create awareness on potential ecotourism and conservation practices. Rasaily depends on free articles contributed by friends and experts in the field.
Before 1995, guides and porters depended on fuel wood for cooking and campfire. But when the Sikkim Biodiversity and Ecotourism Project was established, the guides and porters were given training on trek management and alternative fuel use, Rasaily explained.
The Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) has set up its own code of conduct to maintain the trail and prevent degradation of flora and fauna in the area.
During off-peak seasons, TAAS holds training sessions for waste management and eco-friendly practices supported by Sikkim’s Tourism Department. TAAS also provides funds for maintenance of trails.
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