Solo Sikkim Safari

The holidays of Diwali bring with them an opportunity to meet loved ones, rejoice, gain weight, and of course, burn crackers. For me, it brought an opportunity to fulfil my long cherished dream of going on a Solo Trip. After having read about it in many posts, I was all excited to embark upon my journey.

It was 2014, mid-October. After landing on the Bagdogra airport from Delhi, I boarded a helicopter. That’s right; u heard it, a Helicopter! A brief flashback: the very thought of travelling on serpentine roads in a closed vehicle turns me into a Pukeymon. It’s something about the smell of the seats or the deep-rooted visuals of the past experience, which forced me to look for alternatives. I enquired a lot, but there are no 2 wheelers available from New Jalpaiguri or Bagdogra to travel to Gangtok, unless you happen to know some localite who can lend you his personal vehicle in good faith. Suddenly, my friend-in-need Google popped up an option of taking a Helicopter. It was simply god-sent. My initial skepticism about the cost vanished into thin air when I saw that taking a cab would cost me Rs. 2500-3000 and a heli would cost me Rs. 3500. Wow.. Thank you almighty!

Ok, so back to Bagdogra. The heli was parked at some distance from the main runway and its first view is still etched in my memory. A red, compact, and elegant Pawan-Hans was waiting to take me to an adrenaline-filled ride. After sorting out some issues with the baggage compartment (very less room here), we were all set. The machine set the big fans and also my enzymes into rapid motion. Very soon, I was 200 ft. in the air and the view of the gorgeous, zig-zag, and green Teesta became ever so visible. The breathtaking views of snow-clad mountains lit by sunlight and the diverse flora spread all across the landmass were a welcome sight for someone seeking a change from the omnipresent pollution and the deafening traffic noise of Delhi.

And after 35 minutes of non-eyelid blinking odyssey, I, finally reached Gangtok. As I went outside, I found an idle Omni van on the roadside. It was already 3:30 p.m., and since I was on a short 4 day round-trip, I wanted to make the most of the short daytime that I was left with. The driver told me that I only had time for paragliding, post which he could take me to a nearby waterfall. After a little bargaining, he settled on Rs. 400. For paragliding, I chose the option of a 10 minute ride for Rs. 2200 (without camera) as I was carrying my own. I had to board an Indica which would take me atop the mountain from where I was supposed to jump and hence, was forced to leave my luggage in the Omni purely on good faith. After de-boarding on a high ground, the 3 people who had accompanied me got started untangling their stuff and I got busy taking selfies from the mountain top. After ~10 min, I finally saw the parachute unfolding in all its glory. One of the guys got me behind the bottom-end of the ropes which connected the chutes. There was a provision to sit but the seat wasn’t open and he asked me not to try so. The instructions were very clearly communicated to me: “I am right behind you; you need to run very fast & jump off the cliff without hesitation and the seat will open by itself.” And he politely added a gentle warning, that if I didn’t follow his instructions EXACTLY how he had given them, the chute won’t open and both of us will fall off the 400 ft. high cliff. Simple!

C’mon buddy, c’mon you can do it. You have come this far, you can go all the way! Yes! Just breathe..

I just ran with all my energy and thankfully the seat opened in the nick of time. I was flying! Here I come over the trees..woops, I flew past a bird, wohoo! And here comes my video cam. “Say Hello Bhaiya.” And then, he sharply changed the direction of our flight causing a deep weird feeling in my lower abdomen resulting in a minor scream. Ok, it was slightly more than a minor one. After a few such twists & turns, we were soon flying over the river. It was dreamlike. 10 minutes flew by in the blink of an eye and we soon landed in a football ground. This was the most bird-like experience that one could get in a lifetime, probably only bettered by a sky-dive.

After landing, we headed for the Ban Jhakri waterfall, which took us ~45 min to reach. The waterfall followed a stair-case route and there was plenty of water for the splashes to wash the faces of tired visitors with pristine droplets. It was selfie time again. I delicately placed the camera on an unstable rock and set the timer for 10 seconds, and rushed to take my position right in front of the falls. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for some nasty, giggling visitors, I slipped and fell knee-deep in the water. And that was the last selfie in that location, though a few visitors did show interest, but I politely ignored their offer for pity snaps. No thanks, I’m good! After having some maggi in the parking area, I asked the driver to take me to a cheap but decent hotel. The stay cost me 1500/- per night and I was way too tired to wander around and look for alternatives, so I checked-in.

Hoping against hope, I casually asked the hotel manager if I could rent a bike for travelling. After the failed effort of calling & enquiring his friends 2-3 times, he offered me his scooter, which was in a manageable condition. My eyes, subconsciously, got fixated on its tiny wheels. However, after weighing the option of enjoying a pleasant ride on the slow but open 2-wheeler against puking relentlessly in a closed cab throughout my journey, I chose the former. However, since I was a complete stranger, I didn’t know which parts of Sikkim could be best covered in 3 days on a scooter. After dinner, as I was discussing my plans with the manager, a girl standing nearby overheard my conversation and politely stepped in. As she had the entire map of Sikkim engraved in her brain, I intently listened to each word that she had to say. Well, that she was cute helped. I could feel the intense desire of hers to explain things in as much detail as possible so that I didn’t mess up. Her mannerisms, the innocence in her voice, the utter selflessness with which she was explaining things to me totally gullible to her suggestions. After the brainstorming session, I asked her one question, “Where do you think I should go?” She replied, “West Sikkim” and my destination were set!

DAY 2:

It was 5 a.m. The excitement of an adventure filled day was palpable in the air. I had a bowl of noodles for breakfast and got ready by 8:30 a.m. With my newly purchased backpack firmly tied on the back of the scooter, camera loosely hung in the vacant leg-space, guts and adrenaline tightly stuffed in the belly, I was all set to roll. But alas! The scooter won’t start. I checked the tank; it was full. I kicked the starter for 45 minutes like a maniac but it just won’t start. I asked some shopkeepers who told me that the nearest mechanic shop was 3 km downhill, however, for about half a kilometer, it were uphill and it would be impossible for me to drag the scooter. I locked the scooter near a shop and hired a cab which taking me to the mechanic shop and one of the mechanics accompanied me back to the scooter. After trying for an hour, the mechanic gave up. He concluded that there were some issues with the engine which could only be fixed in the shop. It was already 11 am by then. Pushing the scooter on the half a kilometre stretch cost me double the energy that I had gained from the tiny bowl of noodles. Why on earth did it have to happen today?!

The scooter was finally repaired but it was already 3 p.m., and my entire day was ruined. There was no way that I could have started travelling to West Sikkim that day. As it was just 3 kms away, Hanumantok was the only option left with me which could have been visited in the meager time that I was left with before daylight started fading. There was a Buddhist monastery and a bird park on the way which I wisely decided to skip. The serene atmosphere of the hilltop, the pristine atmosphere of the Hanuman temple, and the raw, spellbinding beauty of the orange rays of the setting sun reflecting on the snow-clad Kanchenjunga, was enough to momentarily transcend my experience to other-worldly. I was happy that an otherwise horrendous day had ended in such an amazing way!

DAY 3

Eager to make amends for the lost day, I started my journey at 3:30 a.m. It took me 2 hrs. to just exit the main city (as I had initially lost direction). Pretty soon, I found myself driving parallel to the marvellous Teesta River. A few kilometers ahead, I found a narrow, hidden trail on the side of the road, leading to the river. It was exactly the kind of stuff that you find while travelling on a 2-wheeler. I parked my scooter on the road-side and began ambling along the mystic, unused path which ultimately led me to the gorgeous, pure, and green beauty. I wasted no time in taking off my shoes, folding my jeans knee-height and rushing up to a depth where the smooth and shiny pebbles provided a safe territory. The gushing water was as pure as it was cold and, as it was 6 a.m., the sun was at its pleasant best. A few splashes of the crystal clear water in the most perfect of winter mornings were enough to rejuvenate me from deep within my soul. 15 minutes and a few customary selfies later, I was all raring to go.

A few hours into the journey, I came across a view which was so stunning that I felt as if I was staring directly at the wallpaper on my laptop. Gorgeous red & yellow Oak & Pine trees on the side of the road on which flowers were spread like a carpet, cool breeze brushing my face ever so softly, clouds filtering and allowing only the gentlest of sun-rays to pass through, quiet & serene environment whose concentration was breached only by the melodious chirping of birds, and a mini-waterfall from the hill on the roadside flowing right across the road in the background; in summary, the ambience was as though god had handpicked his choicest of objects to be delicately sprayed with the perfect mix of colours on the canvas of his imagination! And I am ever so grateful that he decided to make me witness to one of his finest art-works. I was also the reason for the extra-large eyeballs of many passing visitors, when I decided to take a few gutsy selfies by keeping my camera on a random rock on the roadside and then running upstream for the perfect shot with the fountain.

On my way to the destination, I encountered countless such fountains, acres of mustard plantations with a lonely hut in the middle & snow-clad mountains in the far end. However, it was already 1 pm and I was beginning to tire, both out of hunger and the drive. I had been driving continuously for 9 hours with mini-breaks in between and had already come 100 kms. from where I had started, without having any breakfast. I stopped at a small bakery shop in the hope of finding something to eat. The girl on the counter informed me that everything had been sold out. After looking at my dejected face and the big backpack on my scooter, she asked me if I had come from some far off land. I subconsciously replied, “Yeah, I’ve come from Delhi” Her jaws almost touched ground and she emphatically enquired, “Delhi se scooter pe!!”

“Ohh.. no.. no. I’m from Delhi but I’ve come from Gangtok. Actually I’ve been driving since morning and haven’t had much to eat. So I’m kinda starving.”

After a few moments’ pause, she politely told me, “We have some Maggi in our home which I had prepared in the morning. Some of it is still left. I don’t know if it will be enough to satiate your hunger but if you want I can bring it for you.”

I was dumbstruck!! Generosity of such an extent is something that won’t appear even in the most generous of dreams of a person coming from Delhi. I wondered, “First the hotel girl and now her; is everyone in Sikkim this pure at heart?!” I felt like proposing to her at that very instant but she was surrounded my her relatives and I was already so tired that taking a beating at their hands didn’t really feel like a lucrative option, so I dropped the idea.

From a place where money-minded people are perennially on the lookout for easy prey to a place where people offer their own food to a hungry, random stranger, I had indeed come a long way!

Little was I aware that this would be the last pit-stop of my pleasant journey. The last 30 km stretch of road leading up to the Kachiopelri Lake, crossing Peling on the way, was an embodiment of hell and nothing short of a gruesome nightmare, esp. if you were on a 2-wheeler. Narrow road running parallel to a tiny 1000 ft. chasm, an array of sharp pointed stones reminiscent of those present along the railway tracks, and to top it all, thin, small tyres which skidded randomly at the drop of a hat made me regret the moment that I had decided to hire the scooter. It took me 4 hrs. to travel 25 km. and when I finally reached at 4:30 pm., I was exhausted to death. 13 hours of drive had completely enervated me, more mentally than physically.

However, the ambience surrounding the lake was so quiet and pristine that for some time, I lost all consciousness of my fatigue. Clear blue sky embracing the divine lake through its crystal clear reflection and the lush green forest surrounding it, as if to protect the crown from any untoward threat, were forming a spectacular alliance to add to the already existing beauty of the waters. The monks were chanting prayers and offering biscuits to the fishes. It was truly ironical that even after being surrounded by so many trees, there was not a single leaf on such a huge lake, truly living up to its reputation.

It was getting dark very fast and my legs and hands were cursing me for being deaf to their requirements. I thought of staying in a hotel next to the lake but somehow the secluded hotel which was devoid of any guests gave it an eerie appearance and I couldn’t muster up the courage to stay the night in such a remote location. So, after having some Maggie, I decided to stay in Peling, but for that to happen, I would have had to drive through hell for 35 kms., and that too, on a new moon night. After giving another round of 3^rd degree punishment to my bum, I was forced to stay in a hotel to which I would not have given a second glance on a regular night. It was smelly, the bathroom was leaking, and the bed-sheets were dirty. But I was way too tired to think of the perks, I just needed a bed and I needed it right then!

DAY 4

At 8:30 a.m., I woke up feeling all drowsy, still reeling from the happenings of the previous day. After two days, I had a full breakfast, i.e. a Chicken Biryani and fresh fruit juice. Slowly, I motored along the back-to-normal road. Someone had suggested me to visit the hot spring glacier (though the water won’t have been much that time of the year) on my way to Gangtok and considering the fact that my return flight was the next day and I had an entire day to myself, it felt like a decent plan to follow.

I encountered a petrol pump but even after repeated attempts to open the lid of the petrol tank, I failed miserably. Just for information; when the scooter was in the garage for repair, due to some misfit at the time of refit, the lid became very tightly jammed. I assumed (Blunder! Never assume while travelling) that there would be enough petrol to take me safely to Gangtok. I went a little off-track in search of the hot springs and eventually had to give up the search as it was already 2 p.m. and I wanted to reach Gangtok before sunset. I enquired a few local people about the direction, although so few people lived there that I had to travel 4-5 kms just to witness human habitation and also the lack of any road-signs didn’t make my life any easier. Just as I was crossing a tunnel, the scooter gave a few jerks. I was well aware of the disease which was about to take me in its dreaded grips considering the symptoms: Petrol Empty!!

Holy shit!!! What on earth am I gonna do on this scary land with mountains on one side, the god-forsaken trench on the other, and with no human in sight?!

After a few vehicles passed unnoticed, a noble biker stopped by to enquire. He told me that there was a village ~3 km away where there might be a chance to get petrol in black. I was a little skeptical in leaving my scooter in the middle of the mountains but he quelled my fears saying that Sikkim was a “No theft state”, which really was an eyebrow raising statement. So, I parked my scooter near a small mountain curve & went with the biker to his village. I scanned each and every shop for possible traces of petrol but had to be disappointed every time. The villagers told me that the nearest petrol pump was 14 km. away. I thought of taking a vehicle till the petrol pump and bringing back petrol in a bottle. But, (And it’s the ‘but’ which will be omnipresent in the event of a crisis, courtesy a gentleman named Murphy) it was Diwali (Bhaiyadooj) and just about everything was closed. I asked innumerable people to lend me their bike but they were in no mood to deviate from their festive mindset. After a while, I saw a passenger jeep coming my way and a flower of hope started blooming within me. However, that bud was crushed ruthlessly before it could blossom into a flower, as the jeep came to an abrupt halt right next to me. When I put forward my request to the driver saying that it would hardly take 20 min of his precious time, he dismissed it saying that his sister was hungry!!

“To hell with you.. to hell with your stupid sister.. and to hell with your damned festival! I am stranded in an alien land with the sun on the verge of setting and people shutting their shops, and this guy is so damn worried about his gluttonous sister, who just can’t seem to wait for half an hour to fill her filthy pot!”

Fortunately, these words didn’t leave their source of origin or else it would have endangered that of mine! I got so drained by the fruitless searching and the futile pleading that I went and sat on a rock which was a few metres away from the small village. There was no solution in sight.

“Where will I spend the night? Is my scooter even there where I had left it? How will I reach Gangtok to catch my flight tomorrow?” These were the questions which refused to leave me for even a moment. The entire episode spawning right in front of my eyes completely punctured my spirits and was emotionally so draining that a nonchalant tear fell quietly on the light coloured rock. I somehow gathered the last iota of courage, which is probably stored deep within everyone and is released when your survival instinct is activated, and headed back to the village.

A policeman sitting outside a nearby police station (I noticed it late!) was silently listening to this entire hullabaloo and called me to enquire about my problem. He kept giving me the stupidest of suggestions for half an hour until I finally told him, “Please give me some petrol from your own bike at double the price.” I was carrying a 600 ml Maaza bottle with me and offered him to fill it with petrol. After a lot of deliberation, he finally agreed. “Double the price” was the deal clincher, I guess. He finally got up, turned the nozzle of his petrol pipe and inserted its other end in the bottle. With each drop of petrol entering the bottle, life energies within me started breathing again after being battered for a sustained period of despondency and dejection. He filled the bottle only till 500 ml and asked for Rs. 100. I didn’t waste a single second in paying him that amount. Frankly, I was ready to pay him Rs. 1000 considering my mental condition. 

I hastily ran with all my energy and was extremely relieved to find my scooter in the exact condition that I had left it in. He was right.

I took a nearby stone and broke the lock of the tank lid in 2-3 angry hits, poured the petrol and headed towards the petrol pump, waiving off the policeman on the way. Driving at a constant speed of 45 km/hr for maximum efficiency, I finally reached my destination and was so invigorated to find it open because all along the way I was continuously dreading the fact that even this pump would be closed due to his hungry sister. I got the tank filled till the petrol started flowing on the ground. It was pitch-dark and I was on my way to Gangtok, finally!! During the journey, on many occasions, the scooter would shut off (thankfully not break down!) and the resulting darkness that would prevail with the added flavour of a horrendous road supplemented by the steepest of valleys would literally send chills down my spine. Never before had I been to a place so devoid of a living existence. It was scary, trust me. I did manage to reach Gangtok after which I had the longest shower of my life. I did catch my flight back to Delhi the next day but I was dearly missing Sikkim. I so wanted to go back. The highs and the lows of the entire trip is so vividly entrenched in my mind that it seems it was just yesterday.

I have only heard people say that a solo trip changes the way you perceive yourself and also your outlook towards life. I don’t know how many of them had had an experience of this intensity but it did open more than a few logjams in my head. The entire experience was unbelievably overwhelming and even though it tested my patience and determination to the very limit, I won’t trade it with the grandest of treasures. In the end, I would just like to suggest a few things which every traveller must keep with him, at the minimum: a litre of petrol, plenty of cash, some fruits & a torch. Closing comments: I had deliberately not taken my smartphone on this trip as I wanted to use my human skills to manoeuvre my way throughout the trip and not use any GPS! In the end, it was all worth it!

Bucket List – Check.