My New Year Holiday In Sikkim ! ! !

After a long long time, could gather time to type some text on my blog. This time, it is about my holiday in Sikkim for celebrating New Year.

On the evening of 29th December, Ashok, Rashmi & Myself have started our journey to Gangtok from Kolkata. Rashmi has come all the way from Indore to Kolkata via Delhi. We have taken a sleeper coach bus from Kolkata to Siliguri and landed up there at 11.30 AM on the other day. Had lunch there and hired a car from Siliguri. The Journey on the beautiful roads along side the teesta river was the first great experience of the trip. Finally reached Gangtok at 6 o Clock in the evening of 30th December, feeling the temperature drop. The hotel arrangement was already done and we hurried to rooms to fresh up, have dinner and take rest to start our journey, the next day.

On 31st of December, early in the morning we got up from sleep and first of all, had a fabulous view of one of the Kanchenjunga ranges. Had breakfast, and started journey to Tsomgo ( Read it as Changu ) Lake and Baba Mandir, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman Tok. We almost went to a height of 12,400 ft hitting clouds at some points. In Baba Mandir, the water was frozen and Changu was melting to lake from ice. It was an absolutely amazing scenic beauty and can surely confess that, it was the best live thing, I have ever seen. Returned back to hotel at around 7 PM, packed very little liquor on the way to bid farewell to the Yr 2007. Ladies & Gentlemen, Cheers ! ! ! & Wish U A Very Happy New Year 2008.

On the following day, i.e first day of this year, we have booked a packaged tour of 1 night and 2 days to Yungthang Valley, which is around 150 kms from Gangtok. We started at 10.00 AM and halting at different places to have food, enjoy waterfalls and valleys, we could only reach Lachung, a place which is 25 kms before Yungthang Valley, wherein people stay in resorts as there is no provision to stay in Yungthang bcoz of the chilling whether. But, Lachung was no better. It was also chilling cold and the resort people have arranged for camp fire for some time, in the evening. The next day morning we started to Yungthang Valley and reached there at around 10.00 AM. There, I have taken a snap standing on the lake, flowing in the valley. Imagine the state of water. We were not at all in a mood to leave the place. But, as soon as we realized that there was another place 22 kms ahead called Zero Point, which is another wonder, we immediately jumped in to the car to go to that place. ZERO POINT, father of all places visited till that time, was a stunning beauty. It is called Zero Point, bcoz, Indian roads end there and 6 kms from that point, U land up in China. It is at a height of almost 16,000 ft and the temperature was much below subzero. One will feel that, breathing is probably the most difficult thing a person can do. Anyways, after almost sweating my Digi Cam by clicking snaps everywhere, we started our return journey down to Gangtok and reached at around 9.00 PM on 2nd January.

The next day, we got to start our journey to return to Kolkata. So, on the way to Siliguri, we covered Rumtek Monastery and also done River Rafting in Teesta for almost 40 mins. It was one of the most exciting moments, I have ever experienced. Reached Siliguri at 6.00 PM, caught the train at 8.00 PM and landed up in Kolkata the next day early in the morning, to come to the office, as usual.

Sikkim was unquestionably, the most beautiful and exciting places, I have ever visited and just check the snaps below, which speak for themselves.

















Smile Always,

Raja Gopal /-