I had seen some mesmerizing photos of North Sikkim in some travel blogs and was keen to spend a good 3-4 days there. Sadly there is no public transport to go there. This meant that the only option before me was to sign up for a 2 days 1 night package on a sharing basis. I was informed that the roads Gurudongmar Lake were still covered by snow. We left Gangtok quite late - almost at noon. This time the co-travelers were not good company. Some of them real rowdies! Sigh! The price of travelling solo! :P
First stop was the Seven Sisters waterfall. Probably offers better views post-monsoon.
The skies were overcast. The road beautiful
We reached Lanchung well after sundown. Lanchung is a remote place. No mobile network. No TV... and today India was playing Australia in the World Cup quarterfinals! With not much to do and a distinct chill in the air, sleep came easily.
Got up at 6 the next morning the plan was to leave early for Yumthang. Stepped out to realise that it had snowed overnight! Today was going to be a good day :)
The hotel
Early morning views from the hotel
A few kms into the journey and suddenly it seemed like Christmas time!
Black ice! Kudos to the driver for managing well in such treacherous conditions
Soon we reached Yumthang. I was expecting Yumthang to be a village. Actually it was nothing more than a collection of dhabas on a straight stretch of road!
The views though are amazing!
Snow on the roads meant we could not proceed further to Zero Point. Also it was still snowing in spurts. So we decided to head back to Lanchung for a quick lunch and then to Gangtok.
Some fantastic views on the way with mist rising from the valley. A couple of clicks from the car
As we neared Gangtok the weather improved significantly. Somewhere along the way the mobile connectivity returned. We got the good news of India's victory over Australia. We were in town by 5. Checked back into my hotel. Tomorrow I head to Pelling
First stop was the Seven Sisters waterfall. Probably offers better views post-monsoon.
The skies were overcast. The road beautiful
We reached Lanchung well after sundown. Lanchung is a remote place. No mobile network. No TV... and today India was playing Australia in the World Cup quarterfinals! With not much to do and a distinct chill in the air, sleep came easily.
Got up at 6 the next morning the plan was to leave early for Yumthang. Stepped out to realise that it had snowed overnight! Today was going to be a good day :)
The hotel
Early morning views from the hotel
A few kms into the journey and suddenly it seemed like Christmas time!
Black ice! Kudos to the driver for managing well in such treacherous conditions
Soon we reached Yumthang. I was expecting Yumthang to be a village. Actually it was nothing more than a collection of dhabas on a straight stretch of road!
The views though are amazing!
Snow on the roads meant we could not proceed further to Zero Point. Also it was still snowing in spurts. So we decided to head back to Lanchung for a quick lunch and then to Gangtok.
Some fantastic views on the way with mist rising from the valley. A couple of clicks from the car
As we neared Gangtok the weather improved significantly. Somewhere along the way the mobile connectivity returned. We got the good news of India's victory over Australia. We were in town by 5. Checked back into my hotel. Tomorrow I head to Pelling
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