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    Nathu La, Katao and Gurudongmar Lake Roadtrip with BRO in North Sikkim

    Posted onJanuary 10, 2011byghoomakarPosted inIndia,Offbeat Journeys,Traveller's NotesTaggedFrozen Lakes,Himalayas,Kanchenjunga,Mountains,Sikkim1 CommentAll of us love travelling, not just when we do it but also when we write/blog about it. And travelling withthe Defence Forces of any country has its own set of charms, thrills & surprises and is a never-endinghigh. It is expected to be even more exciting if one is the guest of the B.R.O.,the Border RoadsOrganisation, an arm of the Indian Army that builds and maintains all roads in international borderregions of India. Be it the icy Himalayan borders with Pakistan/China or the vast desert borders ofRajasthan with Pakistan; the BRO is omnipresent, making & repairing roads for civilians and armedforces.

    Panorama shot of the frozen waters of the Gurudongmar Lake at 17100Ft above sea level in NorthSikkim

    And the cherry on the inviting cake(of Sikkim, one of Indias eastern-most hill states) was the visittoLake Gurudongmar,a freshwater lake at the dizzying height of 17100ft Above Sea Level(ASL),almost a stones throw away from China(Chinese occupied Tibet). The lake is also one of the 2 sourcesof the River Teesta, the other beingChho-Lhamo Lake.We were happy that our road-tripping to oneof the worlds highest lakes was in the safe hands of the same group of dedicated army personnel, whomade the roads in the first place!Day 1- From polluted plains of Delhi to Gateway of East:Our 6-day roadtrip started with a flight toBagdogra, W. Bengal from New Delhi. Bagdogra which adjoins the city of Siliguri is connected only tothe cities of Kolkata & Delhi and is the main gateway to Darjeeling & Sikkim. It is an airport of strategic

    importance for Indian defence forces and you notice heavy security in & around the airport. For peoplearriving by train, New Jalpaiguri station is adjoining the city of Siliguri.

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    From Bagdogra airport we were picked up at 12PM by a BROMaruti Gypsy, the preferred small vehicle, we later realised, of the BRO and headed out through Siligurion to NH31 and later onto NH31A. Private cabs for hire from both the airport, railway station & SiliguriTaxi stands charge you approx. INR 1500 one-way, but if you wish to share cabs then it is a verynominal INR 150-200 per person. Buses are also available for less than INR100/trip/person.Total Distance to Gangtok from Bagdogra:130KmsTime:3.5 to 5 hours depending on traffic you get when passing through city of SiliguriRoad Quotient:Good roads, scenic beauty with usual hill feature of hair-pin turns & twists and theRiver Teesta flowing alongside the road from Sevoke till Singtam.

    We had a brief stopover mid-way at Rangpo BRO Rest-house for a sumptuous lunch & much needed loo and cigarette breaks. The BRO Driver seemed tohave been instructed to take it easy, in terms of pacing our climb from Bagdogra(400ft ASL) to Gangtok(5500ft ASL) and also due to the twisting nature of the roads, since it was well into the later part of theday that we reached Gangtok, after almost 6 hrs of journey.

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    morning view of Gangtok, matchbox style multistorey houses, hotels & restaurants, a typical hallmark ofhill stations overrun by tourists in India nowadays

    BRO Officers Guesthouse complex is part of the Army Cantt. area and it is right across the city,perched on the highest hill of Gangtok, enjoying all-round views. The bungalow given to us was calledThe Kanchenjunga & we assumed it to be so named after Gangtoks most famous landmark, thetowering peaks of Kanchendzonga (as it is locally called). This is common in Gangtok, as to us itseemed nearly every 2nd hotel, restaurant or souvenir shop in Gangtok was named after the peak! Butthe morning of our Day 2proved us wrong. The doors of our bungalow opened to a clear view of all thepeaks ofMt Kanchendzonga and hence the name of the bungalow! It was a clear view of the worlds3rd highest & Indias highest mountain peak.

    the five peaks of the Mt Kanchenjunga - army jawans posted at the Cantt. Guesthouse told us thisviewpoint was better than the famous Tashi View-point, which civilian tourists access.

    Day 2- Indo-China Trading Border Post, Holy Lake & a Temple: The action of the day was tovisitNathu La Pass(55kms) and Changu (Tsongo) Lake(40kms). Also on the way we were to stop atBaba Mandir and Mt Kanchenjunga view-point. For us it was the BRO Gypsy, but from Lal Market taxi

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Kanchendzongahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Kanchendzongahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_Lahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_Lahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_Lahttp://ghoomakar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/004.jpghttp://ghoomakar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/003.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_Lahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Kanchendzonga
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    stand, Sumos & Jeeps etc, take you as part of groups or on single hire basis. Tour rates range fromINR 750 to 900 per person in a 6-7 seater vehicle or INR 5000 for a full cab hire, depending on vehicletype and peak or off-peak seasons. Permits are required to travel to Nathu La, due toitssignificance as a border post, so keep photographs & copies of some Government ID handy(foreigners passport copies are needed). Do reach well in time to book your passage. Permits aretaken care of by cab drivers/agents/guides whom you hire for the trip. For morning rides the cab drivers

    take your document copies & 2 photos the previous night. Do note that foreigners dont get access toNathu La but can go up till Tsongo Lake only.

    Clockwise from Top Left, enroute the way to Nathu La, Pic of Tsongo Lake( can you see the 3rd eye ofShiva), Hathi(Elephant) Lake and other semi-frozen lakes

    From late-Dec till end-JanTsongo Lake,which is at height of 12400ft ASL, is usually frozen. The lake isconsidered holy by Hindus because of a reflection of the hillside on the water which seems as if it is anopen, watchful eye; consider this as Lord Shivas 3rd eye! Because of its holy nature, the water is stillspared from pollution by tourists or the locals.Since roads are very narrow, we waited our turn to start towards Nathu La and reached in an hour fromTsongo Lake, with innumerable photo-clicking stops included! Private cabs will not be so generous to

    stop for photo-ops though, so many thanks to BRO!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_Lahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsongmo_lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsongmo_lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsongmo_lakehttp://ghoomakar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/sikkim-wtaremarked-1.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsongmo_lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La
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    Nathu La Pass & viewpoint. 14100 Ft above sea level

    Across the border is Chinese-occupied Tibet. We drank strong, sugary tea with the Army jawans andshook hands with Chinese soldiers across barbed wire, saying our Ni Haos( How do you do? inmandarin language). NathuLa is one of only 3 such passes between the borders of India & Chinathrough which local trades-people cross borders for business on designated days.

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    Clockwise from Top Left: Looking over onto the Chinese side of land, our Indian Tricolour proudlyfluttering, heart-stirring words describing how our army men are trained for combat and why Nathu La is

    important

    Next stop wasBaba Mandir,which is a very popular Sarv Dharm Sthal, literally meaning All -religionspoint. The temple is in honourof an army jawan, Harbhajan Singh, who lost his way in a storm while on

    a routine patrol and died. Many of his co-jawans dreamt about him and made a small temple for hissoul to rest in peace. Now army jawans, be it of any religious belief, come here to pay their respectsbefore and after any important posting around this area. It is well maintained by whichever Armycontingent is posted nearby.

    Images of Baba Mandir, Inner Sanctum Sanctorum, huge collection of bells & fluttering pennants tied by countless armybattalions make it a very interesting spot for photography

    Our driver & the accompanying Jawan, noticing us to be click-happy, insisted we go to a place, which,they said had amazing photo-opportunities of Mt. Kanchenjunga. The place is a diversion further on theroad after Baba Mandir and usually out of bounds for normal tourist vehicles but BRO vehicles had therequired authority to go.

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    This sudden change of weather is referred as mausam packwherein the sun would progressivelybecome over-shadowed by these very beautiful cottony clouds we saw from up above. So then it wasback to Gangtok, stopping at Tsongo Lake for some food. The lake area is overrun by shacks sellingwatery coffee, tea, Maggi noodles, pakoras and Yak rides on smelly saddles. We made do withwhatever best we could find!

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    Day2 ended with a dinner with the BRO CO(Commanding Officer) and his team at the Gangtok ArmyOfficers Mess. The army men recounted to us stories of the challenges faced by them in making andmaintaining roads in such hilly & cold conditions. Their stories highlighted the true grit & determinationof our armed forces who defend our motherlands borders, come what may. The CO also very kindlychalked out the next few days plans for us, giving necessary instructions to his team.

    Day 3-To Base Camp Chungthang:We headed north from Gangtok by BRO Gypsies via the town ofMangan, North Sikkims District Headquarters, where Tourists(Indians and Foreigners) can also gettheirPermitsfor going further into North Sikkim. Usually tourists book overnight tour packages fromGangtok (Tour1-Lachung, Yumthang, Zero Point, Katao or Tour2-Lachen, Thanggu, GurudongmarLake). Packages including conveyance, standard food, stays(usually home-stays which call themselveshotels/resorts!) and sightseeing. Gurudongmar or Gurudambaa Lake, as it is called locally, is usuallynot on a general tourists itinerary as there is no road beyond Thanggu. The route is arduous and lackof oxygen at heights of 17000ft ASL make it very difficult for an average tourist. Thus the costs areprohibitive for cab operators, who usually decline to take people to the lake, but if you ask around atNorth Jeep stand at Gangtok, you may find interested tourists willing to club together for a trip. Istrongly advise you to go for it, as the crystal lake bang in the middle of barren snowy desert-likeambience to be one of most breathtaking places in Sikkim. Those of you who have visited Leh/Ladakh

    can imagine Gurudongmar Lake and its surroundings to be similar to what you saw in & aroundPangong Lake in Ladakh.

    http://sikkim.gov.in/ASP/Sikkim%20Places%20of%20Interest%20for%20Tourist%20and%20Trekkers_files/rules_and_permits.htmhttp://sikkim.gov.in/ASP/Sikkim%20Places%20of%20Interest%20for%20Tourist%20and%20Trekkers_files/rules_and_permits.htmhttp://sikkim.gov.in/ASP/Sikkim%20Places%20of%20Interest%20for%20Tourist%20and%20Trekkers_files/rules_and_permits.htmhttp://sikkim.gov.in/ASP/Sikkim%20Places%20of%20Interest%20for%20Tourist%20and%20Trekkers_files/rules_and_permits.htm
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    Total Distance to Chungthang from Gangtok:103Kms(via Mangan)Time:3 hours for travel, not including time needed at Mangan for the permits.Road Quotient:Narrow roads, which are bad after monsoons. Every few miles we saw waterfalls, somewashing out the roads at times.

    Enroute to Chungthang: Top middle pic is the mighty River Teesta as it is in Sikkim

    Before Mangan there are two important Buddhist monastries(Phensang&Phodong), but we didnt stop

    at either, taking our first break at Seven Sisters Falls. There are well-maintained picnic grounds & asteep staircase to reach nearly the middle of the opposite cliff, best vantage point to see how water fallson seven different levels, one after the other.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phensang_Monasteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phensang_Monasteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phensang_Monasteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phodong_Monasteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phodong_Monasteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phodong_Monasteryhttp://ghoomakar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/enroute-2-chungthang.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phodong_Monasteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phensang_Monastery
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    One of the pics capturing middle 3-steps of the fall

    We bypassed Mangan, as our permits were already done by BRO in Gangtok and we were on our finalstretch to Chungthang.

    The BRO team had made arrangements for us to stay just below the ethni cLepchavillage ofChungthang, at the BROs guesthouse for the remainder of our trip in North Sikkim. Chungthang iswhere the roads diverge; one leads to Yumthang Valley(Lachung, Mt. Katao, Yumthang, Zero Point) &other to Tshopta Valley (Lachen, Thanggu, Gurudongmar Lake).

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    a roadside temple, where each passing vehicles drivers pray for blessings to have a safe ride

    Chungthang(5300ft) is the point of confluence of 2 rivers(Chu is what rivers are called locally), LachenChu & Lachung Chu which combine to form a big tributary ofRiver Teesta.Chungthang was to be ourbase for next 3 days. Usually, due to fewer options of staying here, tourists are taken to the nextvillages of either Lachung (22Kms) or Lachen(27Kms) for night-stays. Both these places offer basic

    rooms, and lodges offer bed & breakfast(B&B) and vegetarian food. If you wish to eat non-vegetarianfood, then buy some beforehand at Mangan and the lodge/hotel owners will cook it for you at an extracost. Thus ended our Day3and we slept to the soft lullabies of the river flowing below the cliff wherethe BRO guesthouse was located.Day 4- Snowy Peaks & Valley of Flowers: We decided to go via Lachung(8800ft) to YumthangValley(11800ft), further on to Zero Point or Yumesamdong as it is locally known(15700ft) or onlyattempt Mt. Katao(15000ft). Out of these places Zero Point and Mt. Katao are out-of-bounds forforeigners. Starting early at 7AM, it took us an hour to pass the ethnicBhutiavillage of Lachung, whichis spread on both sides of the Lachung Chu river. The village was abuzz with tourists, who had spentthe previous night here and were also headed towards Yumthang & Zero Point. The local BRO office

    jawans advised us to avoid the touristy rush of Yumthang & Zero Point by going to Mt.Katao first and goto Yumthang later in the day and we agreed to do so, since our Driver also said that weather was

    unpredictable in mid-December in the hills of Mt Katao. Basically due to the concept of mausam pack,as we learnt 2 days back at Nathu La!

    Road quality changes enroute Katao, frequent rain, snow & landslides negate efforts of BRO ! Why Katao is more fun, exciting yet riskier than Zero Point? Going from Lachung to Katao bringson bouts of hill-sickness/headaches as we climb approx. double the height of Lachung in a span of only32Kms. Compare this with the 48Kms ride from Lachung to Zero Point which also takes you to a similaraltitude, but more gradually. The road to Katao is fine for the initial 12-15KMs but especially afterZekuphyak, an Army outpost, roads are non-existent and its a slippery & bumpy last 10Kms. Extremelyskillful drivers can navigate the sharp turns & twists of roads with deep gorges seemingly just inchesaway from your tyres. Passing by almost frozen waterfalls, trees & leaves with icicles hanging fromthem, when we eventually reached Mt. Katao by 10AM it had become dark & foggy with rain/sleet. Stillit was beautiful, completely covered in powdery snow from the previous night. Snowball shooting was

    practiced with gusto for a few minutes to bring back some blood circulation in our stiff muscles!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Teestahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Teestahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Teestahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutiahttp://ghoomakar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/sikkim-wtaremarked1.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Teesta
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    Katao: frozen waterfalls, snow & thick fog all around us..

    We were thankful for the Lachung BRO jawanss advice to aim for Katao before Yumthang &ZeroPoint, because we later came to know that no tourist vehicles were able to make it to Katao that daydue to inclement weather. Actually this is the tourist cab driversKatao Trap,whereby on the way toYumthang they talk glowingly about Kataos beauty, and how it has more pristine snow than Zero Point,

    which because of too many tourists gets dirty. Tourists get excited about Katao & decide to take up thedrivers option of not going further to Zero Point and instead return to Lachung to head for Katao. But bythe time they reach Lachung to start the climb up to Katao it is already few hours after noon and thedark & foggy conditions alarm the tourists. They themselves get second thoughts about going anyfurther up on the steep & narrow track to Katao and stop the cab driver from driving any further. He inturn returns back to Gangtok, with a very disappointed look on his face, seemingly because theweather played havoc with his Katao plans! The BRO driver told us that it is not a common malpractice,but happens to 1-night trip tour packages of Lachung, hence a discussion with the driver/tour agent isadvised prior to starting from Gangtok.

    We returned to Lachung and headed towards Yumthang, where weather was clear. The area aroundthe route is part of Shinghba Rhododendron Sanctuary which is the Sikkim Governments attempt topreserve unique flora & fauna. With a backdrop of snow-covered mountains, the valley lined with alpinetrees and a river snaking through, Yumthang is straight out of a childs coloring book. From March to

    June, it transforms into a Valley of Flowers with many different varieties of rhododendrons and rareorchids. At this time of the year, however, it is a barren grassland, with patches of snow & frost on treeleaves, but a beautiful landscape nevertheless. Our driver said our visit to Yumthang was incomplete aswe could not see the fields of countless rhododendrons & other wildflowers in full bloom.

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    We found this place extremely relaxing and decided to soak in the ambience instead of going to ZeroPoint. The last Jeeps with tourists returning from Zero Point passed us on their way back to Lachungand we were happy to be left alone, with no screaming or hyper-active tourists to disturb us. Wemanaged to stall our driver for about two hours, egging him to tell us stories over hot food and severalcups of tea. But, finally, we started back for the BRO guesthouse at Chungthang.

    Day 5- Frozen waters of a holy lake, source of River Teesta & an icy desert:Today was D-Day; wewere traveling to Gurudongmar Lake at 17100ft. We left by 7:30AM, with the warmest clothing, packedsandwiches, lots of drinking water, spare batteries and most importantly an oxygen cylinder & itsbreathing apparatus. Even though we were shown how to use the apparatus, the sheer possibility ofhaving to use it during the trip made us nervous. I wondered why oxygen was needed because in an

    earlier trip to Leh where I scaled higher mountain passes, I had not needed oxygen. Later, I understoodthat the rapid ascent and descent between 5,300 ft and 17,000 ft, within short spans of 8-10 hoursnecessitated the use of oxygen cylinders.We were off after a quick prayer at a local temple just after Chungthang. We crossed Lachen(9000ft),Thanggu(13500ft) and then Giaogong(15600ft) to finally reach Gurudongmar Lake(17100ft). Do notethat foreigners are not allowed beyond Thanggu.

    Lachen has had a tourist boom due to increasing number of people visiting Gurudongmar Lake andconsequently has some big hotels & restaurants. Tourists from Gangtok stay here overnight beforegoing further to the lake.

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    We stopped at the Army checkpost at Thanggu which was dreary, foggy and cold, to acclimatise to therapid ascent and have food. Frankly, it was just a token acclimatisation as the army camp CO explainedto us. Army personnel acclimatise to weather & altitude changes by staying at a specific height for 7days and then move to the next higher transit-post. This process is followed till they reach their finaldestinations and a similar reverse-routine is used to come down from higher altitudes. Some basic B&Boptions are available for tourists in Thanggu. The landscape is absolutely out -of-the-world from hereon and trying to describe it is futile.

    Enroute to Gurudongmar Lake just before Giaogong Army post

    Multiple army checkposts later we took a final break at Giaogong army checkpost, wherein we had topersonally sign the visitors entry log-book, where we saw that we were the first tourists of that day.After hot cups of tea provided by the camps resident army jawans, we were on our final run toGurudongmar Lake. All these multiple checkposts will ask for your Permits, so do carry copies of GovtIDs apart from your own North Sikkim Permit, procured on behalf of you by the touroperator/agent/driver at Gangtok/Mangan.

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    Under garb of opportunity to film the raw beauty of the barren icy desert, we actually take a

    break to rest our weary bones from 25-30Kms of unpaved, sometimes rocky path to the Lake

    Finally after almost 4.5 hours since we started, we saw a signboard sayingGurudongmar, and we went up one final crest to see the Holy lake named afterthe Buddhist GuruPadmasambhava.The lake has many stories of religiousimportance for Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus alike. Guru Nanak Dev had oncevisited this place on his way to Tibet and is said to have blessed the waters suchthat drinkers of water from here will gain virility and strength & will be blessedwith children.

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    Another popular story is that Guru Rinpoche is said to have touched one corner of the lake and it hasnever frozen since. This seemed true to us since this huge lake of almost 3kms in perimeter wasalready frozen, but from only one corner of the lake water was flowing out easily as liquid to form thethin stream which is the source of the River Teesta.

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    We all started a parikrama/ circumabulation (going around) of the lake but felt very tired & short ofbreath and hence turned back to sit near the Sarv Dharm Sthal to soak in the beauty of the place.Maybe the parikrama could have been possible, using the oxygen we had brought along, but we wouldnever know! It was very cold, surprisingly not windy at all and although we all had extreme difficulty insudden actions & were breathing laboriously, none of us used the oxygen. After nearly 90 minutes ofspending at the lake we headed back to Chungthang. By 8PM when we reached our base camp atChungthang, we all had headaches and were told that if we would have taken in oxygen every now &then, on our rapid ascent & descent, we may not have had to face this problem. Next day saw usmaking the journey back to Gangtok and further to Bagdogra to catch our flights back to Delhi. Thusended our fantastic road-trip with BRO to one of the worlds highest freshwater frozen lakes. All of uswere extremely thankful towards BROs generous hospitality, patience & help provided to us at all stepsof our trip and came back with a lot of appreciation of the efforts, hardships and selfless services that

    BRO personnel.

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    Road Distance & Altitude Summary:

    Bagdogra(400Ft)Gangtok(5500Ft): 130Kms

    GangtokMangan(3950Ft): 65KmsManganChungthang(5250Ft): 38KmsChungthangLachung(8740Ft): 22KmsLachungYumthang(11800Ft): 24KmsYumthangZero Point(15700Ft): 24KmsLachungMt. Katao(15000Ft): 32KmsChungthangLachen(9000Ft): 27KmsLachenThanggu(13500Ft): 34KmsThangguGiaogong(15600Ft): 18KmsGiaongongGurudongmar Lake(17100Ft): 18Kms

    Share this:

    Gurudongmar Lake is situated at an approximate altitude of 17,100ft, which is a high altitude

    mountain lake and needs special precaution. We had thus made our climb gradually and were

    pretty fit and steady to hit the roads for the final challenge. Gurudongmar Lake is 34kms from

    Thangu and is a significant 3200ft climb. Avik das FZ wasnt tuned prior to the expedition and it

    surely proved a little discomfort, however we tried different methods to make the mixture lean

    but werent hugely effective. With a crossed finger, we finally cranked the engines and got ready

    for the ride of a lifetime.

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    Act IV, Scene 2: Ride of a Lifetime

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    We started from Thangu at 5:20am with every bit of excitement that we could afford in that

    chilling weather. For the first hour of the journey it was pretty difficult coping with the very cold

    weather our fingers seemed to freeze under the gloves. The beauty of the snow-clad peaks and

    the sun rays lighting them up should be further blamed for our thinking powers to be affected.

    The beauty is not explainable and neither will I try to do so. At certain moments I was so lost in

    myself that it seemed like a solo trip and every other living being around me seemed to be

    moving in slow motion. At around 7am, we reached the last Army Checkpost of Giaogong at

    15000ft. The Indian Army jawans greeted us with salutes and embraces and they also provided

    hot drinks which were the need of the hour for all of us. The Road-Rollers team was also there

    at the same time. All of us got our permits checked and got ready to ride onto the cold desert.

    The officers debriefed about the route to us and warned us not to cross any iron bridge and to

    keep to the right of the valley.

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    After refreshment and formalities we finally started from Giaogong at 7:30am. The cinematic

    experience of the wide open valley till the horizon was heart-stopping. The large fields were

    filled with small black dots, which were the Yaks grazing in numbers. We rode through the valley

    and every stroke of the engine seemed to be coming from our own heart and soul. The streams

    that crossed the roads were frozen to sleets of ice and they sounded like breaking glass. The

    roads finally led us to a very wide valley with dusty straight roads extending to as far as we

    could see. For a moment all the powerloss, low compression, rich mixture, etc were buried into

    the sand and we rode in top gear at speeds of 70+. I still havent re -gathered my free soul that I

    had left there that day. After riding for 3:30 hours we finally reached the landmark that pointed

    G-U-R-U-D-O-N-G-M-A-R.

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    Act IV, Scene 3: Dont stop at the top

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    Gurudongmar Lake was barely a 250m climb from the milestone, but this is where all the

    carburetted bikes were panting to death. Avik das agility was put to test here. He had to push

    his bike up now. The bike refused to take throttle and it barely stayed alive. Both of us had to

    give in our maximum efforts to push that 140kg beast to the top. We grew too passionate to

    leave the bike and walk up to the summit. The hard work finally paid up, we were at

    Gurudongmar Lake; the highest motorable road to a Mountain Lake.

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    But as soon as we reached there, the weather degraded and it started snowing. The condition

    was overcast and the scene was a little frightening. However, we gathered our guts and decidedto hang around for the weather to clear out, whereas most of the tourists and even our Road-

    Rollers friends withdrew fearing worse conditions. Our wait was worthwhile as the snowfall was

    just a routine one and there wasnt any blizzard and neither any whiteout. We stayed there for

    almost two hours offering prayers at the holy lake. Gurudongmar Lake is better known as Sarv

    Dharm Sthal and it truly puts up the best example of India being a secular country.

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    Doing little things at that altitude needed good amount of stamina and thinking and the world

    seemed to move slowly. The beauty had slowly hypnotised us and we were in no mood to return

    back. We had long chats with the Jawans appointed there, and they were very jovial and we

    had a hearty chat with them. All of us were appreciating each other for the feats of bravery, but

    deep down inside my heart they are the Unsung Heroes. Though we were feeling like guests,

    but they dint have a guest house for accommodation, who knows maybe we would have opted

    to stay there itself. Every good thing comes to an end, and the end finally came at 11:20amwhen we finally decided to climb down to Giaogong. Photography sessions were very frequent

    and for a moment Avik das eyes reflected that this was the best place in the world; again I wont

    try using words to explain the beauty. We finally returned back to Thangu at 1pm. The returned

    journey was very difficult for me, thanks to the extra thin front tires and the racing posture, which

    seriously caused a lot of damage to my shoulders. The climb down was almost like riding down

    an improperly built staircase. This was the part the FZ did with ease owing to its large tyres and

    a raised handlebar. However, no complaints for the discomfort every tingle was worth it.

    Act IV, Scene 4: Night Hawks

    After coming back from Gurudongmar, we both were extremely tired and almost felt like calling it

    a day. We had some tea and maggi with omelette, but still we didnt feel like riding anymore. As

    we were resting in our rooms, we decided that we shall ride down to Lachen (32kms) and rest

    there for the day. While resting Avik da repeatedly insisted on staying back at Thangu, I was

    wondering about my options when suddenly Avik da woke up and agreed to ride to Lachen. We

    packed up in 15mins and started from there at 3:15pm. The ride till Lachen was still quite

    difficult for me as my shoulder wasnt in the best of shapes. But without even discussing or

    stopping at Lachen, both of us continued the climb down to Chungthang. We kept on riding as

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    the roads gradually got better. The ride from Lachen to Chungthang was quite a fast one as we

    had mastered hill cornering by then. When we were in Chungthang it was already dark, but still

    unaware why we kept carrying on that day. Finally, after riding through the dangerous clayey

    zone from Chungthang to Mangan, we reached Mangan at around 7pm. It was a crazy night

    ride and it was a frightening experience when I recall it now. The low altitude and dense air felt

    amazing and we were soon rejuvenated.

    Act V, Scene 1: Stunts & Races

    The last ride back to the plains on 9th morning remained an eventful one as well, thanks to me I

    revamped our trip with some stunting and racing as well. While coming back from Mangan the

    roads seemed very good after Dikchu, with proper banking & tarmac and I was occasionally

    finding my foot scrap the road. In a photo break, I suddenly got hyper-pumped-up and tried

    pulling off some wheelies. Quite a few of them went off pretty well and Avik da was enjoying

    capturing the session until my foot slipped off the rear brakes & I broke my bikes rear fender

    from a 12o clock. As we were nearing Sevoke suddenly a RE350 & a black Pulsar 180 guy

    started enticing us. I suppressed my temptation and held on to their tail until blank roads came

    up, and then I could feel the air at xKmph speeds. So finally we had it, some Stunts, some

    Racing and a Mind blowing Trip.

    We are immensely thankful to the following who made this trip a success:

    Santanu Da

    Suman Da

    Santosh Bhaiya