Lachung and Yuthang Valley: Yeti Country

So soon after arriving in the Sikkimese capital of Gangtok (pictured here), we decided that good ole' Sanjeet of West Bengal's trip was a bigger headache then help, and Anjali's sweet lawyer skills came in handy as we (in writing) got out of the package and headed into the main square to book our trip to the northern part of the state that is known for its beautiful Himalayan valleys and panoramic views of the mountains leading into Tibet. Gangtok has a really nice pedestrian only main road that looks like a little piece of Europe in the Himalayas, which was kind of surprising. I again felt like I was in the twilight zone and hardly felt like I was in India, 6 weeks in Ahmadabad had made me pretty Guju. It was pleasant and clean, and we found an affordable, fun, eccentric travel agent to book the final few days in Sikkim. When travelling to the northern part of the state, you have to go through these special travel agents for security purposes (China doesn't officially recognize Sikkim as a part of India) We roamed around Gangtok for the evening and stumbled upon a little pub that from the outside looked like a normal Indian building, but on the inside was a swanky little bar with a live local band playing bluegrass and classic rock... twilight zone! It was really fun though, the band was actually pretty good, and we got a little taste of the very popular and growing Tibetan/ Sikkimese rock scene.

The next morning we met our "guide", a Sikkimite that by law has to accompany foreigners, who was a fun 20 year old local guy; we also met our driver, who was my favorite of the whole trip, who we nicknamed "Mcgiver" of Sikkim cause he was pretty much a G, and could do/fix anything. So we started on the steepest climb of the trip to the northern valleys, along mud paths on the edge of gaurd-less cliffs through the soaring Himalayas. At first it felt like we were in the mountains of Japan or tropical rainforest of Costa Rica, but through the parting clouds behind the green hills, the mammoth snow covered, rugged peaks reminded me where we really were. We were now entering YETI country, but felt pretty safe seeing as how Mcgiver was our driver.

On the way up we stopped at some huge, beautiful waterfalls, crossed kind of nerve-racking rickety bridges, rode through little villages and towns, and got to sample "Nepalese pop", which, surprise surprise, was the Backstreet Boys! Sunil (our 20 year old guide) was singing "Show me the meaning of being lonely" while the others slept. When we stopped at one big waterfall, Mcgiver gave us a stem to chew on and eat that apparently was good for your immune system and for car sickness, it tasted like sour pear, and worked.

We soon arrived in the picturesque little town of Lachung on the banks of the Yuthang River of melted glaciers, surrounded by tall rugged mountains and waterfalls that tumble down from the sky. We pulled up to our home stay that was a two story wooden cottage set against the backdrop of mountains and prayer flags. The home stay was by far the coolest place we stayed at while travelling- a few generations all lived and worked in the house. Upstairs were our rooms and down below was a large kitchen where they prepared fresh meals over a wood burning stove with an open "lounge" area where we ate and hung out. Adjoining the common room was a store and boot house also run by members of the extended family. The local family was full of life and tons of fun. The main cook, the 18 year old son who they nicknamed "Energy Boy", ran around dancing and blasting hop-hop, the mom would sporadically come in and bust out her sweet dance moves (or just laugh hysterically at mine), and the others sat around sharing stories and laughs. Before dinner we tried some "tongba" which is the local brew of fermented red Millet seed that you pour hot water over and suck down with a bamboo straw, it tasted like Saki and was delicious. It also helped with the below freezing temperatures and no heat, haha. We were pretty much wearing everything we brought and still slept under 2-3 blankets, but it was worth it! The power cut in and out, but was quite common, so plenty of candle were handy and lit during the blackout at dinner... Tongba by candlelight in a Himalayan valley, watching a 40 something year old local dancing to Shakira, who could complain? Energy Boy was sadly a little camera shy, so this video is all I could muster out of him, but with the camera off, it was like an episode of America's Best Dance Crew...

At 6:30 in the morning, there was a knock at the door; I rolled over and looked out the window to see snow tipped, rugged peaks backed by blue sky, then answered the door for one of the sons who came to deliver hot tea... it was going to be a good day. Before breakfast I decided to take a little walk around town and came across a bridge over the stream with great views and a strong breeze. There were some army barracks near by and huge military trucks were about the only vehicles crossing the bridge, along with the occasional jeep with the "Gorkhaland" flag. Seeing as how it is election year in India, everywhere we went there was plenty of campaigning, and the local Sikkimese are currently fighting for their own state that would include parts of Sikkim and West Bengal... Gorkhaland. As I turned to return to the home stay, Mcgiver came barreling around the turn in the jeep, yelling "get in the car!!!!" I was thoroughly confused, until he explained that foreign passport holders were not allowed on the bridge, and definitely not allowed to cross the bridge to the other side... oops. So thankfully I was not thrown into a Sikkimese prison and got some of my favorite pictures out of it. When I returned to the house, Jack was down in the store looking extra goofy, I asked him what was going on. He explained that he was feeling sick (some sort of stomach thing, not uncommon when visiting India, haha) and so the old man that owned the place gave him three hefty shots of whiskey, the Sikkimese cure-all. I don't know if it killed all the bacteria or just made Jack forget about the pain, but either way it was a hilarious "breakfast" for Jack, especially when he looked at me kinda flush red and said in his British accent "I think I'm a bit drunk."

After breakfast we hopped in the jeep and drove and hour further north to the breathtaking Yuthang Valley, where glacier ridden mountains opened up to an alpine valley leading into the Tibetan portion of the Himalayas. The snow covered landscape was awe-inspiring and I hope to one day come back and see what it looks like during the spring time. After wading around in the stream, having a little snow ball fight, and (again) sitting and staring for an hour or so, we headed to another scenic spot with fresh snow to sled. Unfortunately, the sled guy was not there, but no worries Mcgiver made some skis out of dried bamboo and found a sign to sled with. We played in the snow, took in the scenery and headed to the "holy hot spring" which was a nasty little pool (we didn't get in). We grabbed some hot tea from a little shack and by the time we were done, it was snowing! We were rushed in the jeep, as the roads can get pretty dangerous in such weather and made our way back to the house. Along the way, something flew in my eye, but again, no worries, Mcgiver stopped, pried my eye open, and blew on it furiously to get it out (much like your technique dad!). The others laughed and when it was all over, there was still something in my eye, haha.

When we got back, Mcgiver and Sunil took us on a walk around town to see the monastery, a hand loom house, and a great lookout point overlooking little Lachung in the huge valley. The viewpoint was apparently off-limits and illegal for foreigners, but again, Mcgiver does what he wants. Sunil and Mcgiver also had an adolescent rock throwing contest over the valley, which entertained us for a solid 20 minutes. When we got back to the house, Energy Boy's older brother (the manager of sorts) asked us if we wanted to help make dinner, so we went down to learn how to make MOMOS! It is much harder then it looks, and the first few dumplings looked pretty sad. Anjali's inner FOB was shining as she was already an excellent Ghugra (an Indian sweet that looks like a momo) maker, learning from the best (our grandma), BUT, it was the wrong kind of pleat for veg momos. After a few trials, my momo skills were ripe and I was a momo making machine, no worries Anjali I'll teach you the proper way when I get to London, hahaha. Anyway, we had another great evening of food, Tongba, and dancing, and plenty of great conversations with the locals and plenty of laughs. Energy Boy said that when he gets enough money, he is going to swim to America and be famous, or mail himself to my house... so note to mom and dad, don't be to alarmed if a Sikkimese kid pops out of a big box on your doorstep. I could have stayed in the house for a week... beautiful scenery, amazing people, and great company, by far the best two days of the trip in Sikkim.

On our way back to Gangtok, we got a little wake up call to how dangerous of any are we were in, as we passed a jeep that was completely flattened by a tumbling boulder (two people had died). The snow from the day before also caused many of the buses and jeeps to be stuck in deep mud pits, which caused some major delays. But what was difficult for some drivers was child's play for Mcgiver who quickly got us out of the mud pits. We had time to stop at another Monastery which was full of kids playing cricket, but you could see storm clouds moving in so we didn't linger too long. Our trip to Sikkim was over, and the next day we would head back down to the Bengali Hills to relax before heading back into the heartland of hot India to the "Golden Triangle". The trip to Sikkim had its ups and downs with weather, but was on of the most amazing places I have ever been, it will be a week I will never forget.

(Below: Sunil on the left and Mcgiver in the middle)