We left Rangpo by about 4pm on Wednesday and started driving towards Gangtok. We were to check in to the Club Mahindra Resort in Gangtok. Now, while at Kalimpong, I had forgotten to check up on the web, as to the exact location of the resort... as there was no power and no charge in the laptop... and now here we were, almost reaching Gangtok without knowing where to go. We tried asking a few passersby in the city but to no avail. We then decided to first go to the Police Guest House, get the location, and then proceed. It was here that we learnt, the resort is popularly known by the name Royal Demazong and not Club Mahindra. So finally after getting the location we reached the resort by about 7.30pm when it was already dark... and even this was not without a few hiccups on the route. We even managed to loose our way in the dark, at one point, and find ourselves at the Central Jail asking if that was the Royal Demazong... only to startle the jail guard ; ))
After checking into the room, we decided to stay put there for the evening after dinner. The next morning was our trip to Nathula. So we decided to retire early and leave early in the morning. But come morning, both of us started to feel so unwell that there was no way we could have made, that demanding a journey. So after waiting for a few hours, we decided we'd drop the plan for the day and have a nice relaxing day in the room. The room also was so nicely located with a splendid view of the Himalayas from the bed.. that we decided to do some justice to it by hanging around in the room for one whole day. We got our meals served to the room and did nothing but relax and watch the hills continuously... get covered and cleared by the misty clouds. We took a short walk around the resort in the evening and got ready for the next days Nathula trip.
It was Friday and our last day of stay in Gangtok. We had to make to Nathula, else we'll be returning back on Saturday. It was a nice clear morning and we packed early and jumped on to the vehicle by 9, to make it to the border before noon. To make it to Nathula one has to have a pass. One of my batch mates is an SP in Gangtok, so she'd arranged for the passes in advance.
As we started our journey and ascent, we had some splendid views of the imposing Himalayas and the Teesta river running down the valleys. But, like nothing can be perfect...the absolutely pathetic roads, kept us from fully savoring the scenic beauty. It was a jerky ride for most of the time.
We halted at the 15th mile check post for a while and just drove past the famous Tsongmo lake as it was totally covered in fog. We decided to halt there during our return. The roads started to get a little better as we got closer to Nathula, but there were some land slides too. There seems to be some serious road widening works in progress and think a journey on this road a year later would be a real dream. So there we were... at about 12.30pm, at the last motorable point at Nathula pass. The altitude here is about 14200 ft above msl and the actual border is a short climb from there for about a few hundred yards.
As I got out of the vehicle I just recalled the last time I was here during my Training in the Academy way back in 2003. In all my enthusiasm back then, I started to run up this short climb to the border and half way through I collapsed falling short of oxygen. When all my friends actually made it to the border with a steady climb, I was the one, who fell short by about a few yards and was rushed to the Military Hospital down below for oxygen. So this time I decided to do it a little easy. As Deepu was enjoying the scenic beauty around, I just sat down on the culvert and took some deep breaths to get acclimatized to the altitude. After a few minutes I started to feel better and me and Deepu took those last few steps towards the border. I started to take those last steps very cautiously, and there we were face to face with the Chinese soldiers. They clicked a few pictures of ours (as a matter of security policy perhaps) and we did the same to them. It was chill, windy and slightly drizzling... but the experience of seeing China from across our borders, had taken over us completely. Though the policy is strictly not to cross the borders, we decided we wouldn't come back from that far, without making it to China. So me and Deepu found the easy way out. We put our hands across the fence and made a quick touch down on Chinese soil. Yesss ! and Mission was accomplished. Off course our Indian Soldier guarding the post there didn't seem too impressed with our (mis)adventure.
Now that I was totally acclimatized to the altitude, we hanged around there for about an hour. Deepu even made calls back home from the phone booth there.
We left the place by about 1.30pm, on the return halted for a few moments at the Tsongmo lake. We again halted at the 15th mile check post, for some steaming Maggi noodles and then proceeded towards Gangtok. We reached Gangtok by almost 5pm.
We went straight to M.G. Marg as suggested by our driver and what a pleasant surprise it was. This is one unique road in the entire country I would say which is more like a European Mall. It is completely vehicle free, tiled end to end, dividers with nicely trimmed flowering plants and benches all along for people to sit. How I wish every city had atleast one street like this.
We quickly went to the souvenir shops and picked up a few gifts. Deepu even picked up some tea cups for all... now that she is going to have only Darjeeling tea. We grabbed some quick snacks at a bakery and made a call to my batch mate if she was available to join us for Dinner. She reached the place by about 7 and we went to a restaurant for dinner. It was some gossip, catching up with academy days. Deepu also had things to share as they were acquainted earlier during our Phase-3 training in Hyderabad and Australia in May 2010. After dinner we bid goodbye to her and then left to the resort for our last night in Gangtok.
Our return flight from Bagdogra (Siliguri) was at 4.20pm on Saturday and the drive from Gangtok to Bagdogra was about 4 hours. So even if we left Gangtok by 9am we would still have about 2 1/2 hrs extra to ourselves. So me and Deepu, after a quick breakfast at the resort and the check-out formalities, decided to make it to the famous Rumtek monastery on the way.
The driver suggested we make a short visit to the Banjakhri falls on the way to the monastery. So we did and our driver surprised us for the second time (after his suggestion to go to Glenary's in Darjeeling). The Banjakhri falls is not just a water fall but a complete theme park with beautiful gardens, bridges and well laid out walking trails and gazebos dotting the green landscape. A must see place, but for us... we were just racing against time. So after a few good pics, we left towards the monastery. We made it to the Monastery by 11.30 and again it was touch and go. The place deserves at least half a day to be spent there but we wound up in about half an hour.
We left the place by 12 and we still had about 3 1/2 hours drive left, and God forbid there was a blockade en route then we were in a soup. With all that, we did halt mid way for a short snack, and our good old friend DP, the SP of Darjeeling was waiting for us along with family, at a Restaurant near the Bagdogra airport to give us a quick lunch and put us on the plane on time. We made it to the restaurant by 3.40 and it started to rain so heavily... I think me and Deepu would remember this lunch for a long time to come. DP had reserved an outdoor gazebo for all of us for the nice picturesque setting, not expecting the rain. But it came so fast and so heavy, and we were in such a hurry... that half of us were literally standing and having our lunch with rain splashing from all directions. The attendants at the restaurant, frantically trying to bring in some umbrellas to protect us. It was all over in 10 mins. We rushed to the airport from there, bid everyone goodbye and were on the plane to Kolkata half drenched in rain. At Kolkata we were on the connecting flight to Bangalore that would have a brief halt in Hyderabad too. Finally landed in Bangalore by about 10.30pm and made it home before midnight. That was one hell of a trip !
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