Mekedatu

After visiting a few top listed pristine places, when in in Awe! Mood, we do not want to come out of it as we are still relishing the time that just passed. Well in such a phase, we set off to “Mekedatu” on a bike trip. With climate getting warmer, we would have to wait till the next season if not this day. A prejudice set that this place is not going to be impressive for it is too close to the city and not much talked about. Such wrong notions that we get pushed into often! The spirits were high as it is going to be a motor bike trip. A group of us started early in the day and reached a road side restaurant for breakfast. A low profile space with an unusable bullakart. The bullakart was the center of attraction as few folks could associate memories of their village time. Folks who had no such memories were just fascinated to see their buddies muse over something so trivial. Well we all lived in the moment and yup! What a start of the day when little things could put the grown ups to smile. Drive there on was beautiful with roads lined up on both sides with orange red bloom.

We reached Mekedatu. There were a few small shed shops lined up and a gate. As we entered, we noticed a board with warning on the whirlpools in the river Kaveri and how trying to swim beyond the marked limits could lead to fatalities. The presentation was different as it was written as if the diseased were writing the message by narrating their fatal story. As we walked in, we could see bus that would take us up the hill but on the other side of the river. How do we cross the river?? NO boats! We are to cross it by foot. WoWWwww!! Interesting isn’t it? There start the fun. We crossed over the river on foot in around 2 to 4 ft deep water with slippery rocks beneath. We preferred to walk on the gravel and avoid stepping on the bigger rocks. There we could board a bus that takes us up a hill over a rough road.

From the view point we could see the river between layers and layers of rocks. The rocks here are different. It is as if peaceful sea waves turned up to rocks. They had that smooth wavy pattern. As we went down over the rocks, the magnificence was unfolding. We were awe struck with the beauty of the rocks and the green waters. Nature never fails to impress! After spending good time there we headed back in a hot climate exhausting ourselves. 

Dal Lake

Nature often gives us what we can enjoy. Learning its depths is indeed nice but leaning too much …. Can cost you something to anything. Enigmatic isn’t it? Well my experience at the visual of Dal Lake is amazing. A water body with snow capped hill in the backdrop on one side, green life cladded hills on the other side, the capital city thriving around and in it. Decorated shikars lined up at the coast and floating here and there, make the view colorful and cheerful.

We had a booking in a houseboat. To get to the house boat we need to take the shikara boat. Luggage is boarded and once in this little decorated boat, it slowly and steadily drifts across the waters. Unplugged from city life, it was just an awesome feel to soak the soul in the beauty of nature and drift slow. You can opt to sit or lay at leisure on the couch in the shikara just for you. What more comfort can you ask for? As we drifted, we had Knock! Knock! Wondering who can knock at a boat with your luggage? LoL! Not the pirates but the merchants who are on a small boat knocking at different shikaras trying to sell what they have. They try to sell tea, snacks, shawls, dry fruits …. Well it’s a market. Seems crazy and funny but could get annoying with too many which usually does not happen.

There is a floating market area where you actually have to stop by your boat to step in to the shop. There is an entire colony of people who live in the Dal lake. Yes! their houses are floating in the water. People residing in the lake move in boats to run errands like get vegetables, attend school ….. May be getting to a boat is as simple as wearing footwear before stepping out for them.

We reached the houseboat floating in the water. This is a small but richly decorated place. There is literally nothing you could do other than relaxing and gazing at the beauty. Watch the same picturesque space in different hues of the day. For lunch and dinner, Yes! Yes!! Row to the banks and get to a restaurant. This was enjoyable but seemed restricted mobility to us. Being there for an experience is worth but killing time in days needs a taste for it.

With nothing much to do in the house boat we set off on a Shikara ride of the lake. Was surprised to learn that there is a seasonal grass that grows and floats on the lake (as seen the picture) that would also provide a base for growing vegetables in the lake. May be a kindaa native hydroponics. They showed us few places that are guarded by fences for the lotus bloom. There was not a single lotus we could see but yes when there is bloom in the area that is shown to us, yes it would be spectacular.

Coming to the enigmatic expression!! As I looked down into the thick dark waters of Dal lake I could see a lot of water weed swaying. There are people who are deployed solely to pluck the weed. Their boats are on the patrol to rip the weed and load their boats. But somehow looking at the deep waters gave me an impression that it would have its crime fossils on the lake bed. Well this is true with any water body.

Sikkim - Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir

Woke up early in the chill!! Believe me, if not a new place to explore, I should have given in to the lazy cloud that day. We were to reach the pickup point by 7:30 AM which is a steep walk of 10 mins from the hotel. Reaching the pickup point in advance, we got some time to leisurely feel the chill and watch the morning at Gangtok. We then were taken to an assembly point and had to wait for permits until 09:30 AM.

Nathula pass, baba mandir and Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake as the locals call it) was the itinerary of the day.

The first halt was at Changu Lake, bounded by hills, it is believed to be sacred and hence no boating or fishing in the lake. It has a small temple and cheerfully decorated Yaks. 

Then we headed to Nathula Pass. This is open for business for few months a year when both the nations would open their gates to facilitate movement of vehicles by road. Being at a high altitude, people could experience some discomfort due to chillness and altitude change. Medical aid is available for assistance. Vehicles would stop in the parking area and then we need to walk and take few stairs to get the view.

Our heartbeats were jumping too. Not very sure it is the excitement or the altitude and climate taking a toll. With all the self-preparation we could relax and get to the top. LOC cautions us not to talk loud or shout out slogans. I totally understand why this is needed. Any difference in energy here could be interpreted as an alarm on the other side! We definitely do not want to alarm the armed men out there.  

Visiting Nathula pass is a moment of pride with high respect and dubious silence. Standing on the edge of India at a friendly border with China. With my feet in India I can raise my hand in China. I can see China standing right in India without a visa. I could see the tough Indian army guarding border in the crux of harsh scenic nature. Their hardship is for us to breathe free yet we overload ourselves with complexities at different levels. At a height of 14000 ft, standing tall we soaked ourselves in the AIRS GRACED BY NATURE BUT MARKED BY MANKIND.

Har Bhajan Baba Mandir is temple of a soldier. There are a few stories on this but as I cannot judge, I prefer not to pen down any. With all due respect to soldiers and no doubt on Indian army’s belief for such a place, I do bow to it. On entering the temple, you would see a worship place, an office room to the right and a water room to the left. Soldiers leave a bottle of drinking water in the water room when they reach Nathula and take it with them as sacred water when they return home. It is believed that the soldier “Har Bhajan” guards the borders and the soldiers in the harsh climates. They give sugar chips as Prasad, and have a certificate to declare your visit to that place at a nominal price. There is a small shop monitored by Army where they sell artifacts. Assuming the contribution would directly reach the army pockets for a good cause, we were determined to shop there. I wonder how they are selling at a low price in such remote places. Some of those artifacts like a metal bike model are priced higher in other places of India.   

Sikkim Tourism Nomenclature

The border area has a challenging terrain and climate. Army limits the number of vehicles that could ply to a certain place. Of course, there are restricted areas too. If you are lucky enough, your vehicle/ travel agent could get the permit to get to the places you intend to visit. Photography is also prohibited at few places that have army activity. Plan to include the expense\ time for getting the permits. The routes are often through forests with many many water streams and falls. Water falls never fail to fascinate me but yes had too much of it that I didn’t mind dozing off for a while. It is amazing to see pockets of lively communities at higher altitudes. They have small colorful shops that serve the tourists food and sell woolen caps, refreshments, toys …..

They have a simple lifestyle and limited good food (vegetarian)! Not something that would make you to crave for Sikkim but served hot and friendly. They have different languages with the influence of Tibet and Nepalese on Hindi and a tribal language too. However, they manage to speak a little Hindi and English to accommodate tourists. 

Warm up! Sikkim ahead

Early winter, touring Sikkim was on the cards with the adventure side shining. Sikkim as of now does not have an airport or a railway station. The only way to get there is by road or heli (this is just what I heard. Not sure on the helicopter services). We choose to reach by road from the near by railway station New Jalpaiguri. This is the place where the Himalayan railways run their narrow gauge too.   

A pleasant morning at New Jalpaiguri railway station, we were rushing with excitement to reach Gangtok. Lets go go go ….. was the motto when the friendly taxis at the station greeted us with a No .. No .. No J Well it was the start day of the friction between West Bengal and Sikkim for the vehicle permits. A little knowledge, West Bengal allows Sikkim taxis to run around but Sikkim does not allow the ply of West Bengal vehicles and hence West Bengal was on a strike for getting permits to Sikkim. With no clue on the friction as we arrived it was not pleasing to hear a "No way to go to Sikkim". Some of the tour operators suggested we alter our trip to visit Darjeling instead. We headed to Siliguri, a small place away from New Jalpaiguri to try our luck. Fainted luck with cab, we were in a snail paced long long queue at the at the bus station. Quite a few tourists like us were there who just wanted to get a way to go to Sikkim. The long wait paid off as we managed to get the tickets in the last row of the bus. The route was mostly uphill in the dense forests. Finally we reached Gangtok! A sense of achievement for the start of the trip. A warmup to make a good memory!

Gangtok to me seems to be thriving on a mountain. Roads with heavy inclinations and basic living is the Gangtok signature. There are several narrow, sometimes shabby public staircases between 2 roads at different altitudes. This is the pattern all over this place. There is a lot of exercise for people there. We were in a hotel close to the main market but at a different altitude. Not easy on the calf muscles. We went to MG Marg the reputed market place to be astonished at the organized world class look. A broad tiled road with plantation divider and seating benches. Shops lined up on both sides. It is a very cool hangout place as there are no vehicles here.  

 Sikkim is not low on charm. A state of art to line the sides of the roads with trees, trees from the below deco up the roads above. Kudos Sikkim!

Adi Shankaracharya Temple Srinagar

This is something we have been sighting since day 1 up the hill but managed to be there just before leaving Srinagar. Few blossoms just blooming and flowing freshness was that hill. Could feel loads of positive energy as we went up and then the cab stopped. We had to take 250 steps to get to the temple. We wished we had enough time to actually climb up the hill on foot too. They do not allow phone or cameras beyond this point. Hence you can keep leave your minds free to just soak in the present. The stairs were not very tiring but yes, people do take small breaks and smile at each other. To add to the beauty, there were 3 schools having their day excursion there. They come up the hill by foot and then are at the stairs. Those innocent beautiful Kasmiri girls and boys added more vibrant energy as they quickly run up and then gasp yet again race with each other. They bump into strangers as they run and throw an innocent child smile to them before they continue to rush. No doubt innocent children always have the power to make you smile.

As we get higher and higher, the altitude was uncovering a glorious view of the city. WOW! Was just not enough….  A few deep breathes before our minds could sink in the beauty seen and give us words!  Populous city around a cheerful lake with colorful boats and house boats. River Jhelum made an excellent twist and turn in the city to add to the picturesque view.   This habitat is encompassed with green hills and those green ones in turn encompassed by seemingly dark hills with white icing. We stood there under a maple tree with hue green leaves. For sure the maple trees envy the beauty and change color to attract attention towards them at least for few months an year. None the less, the huge maple (Chinar as called by Kashmiris) trees are definitely a pride to this place. It looked like a challenge nature was giving itself. With hills all around, there are different views one can get. All the elements, Lake, hills, greenery, blossoms, snow covered hills, river Jhelum and beautiful people with colorful boats (shikaras)  were racing against each other to stand out and high in the enthralling view of the city.

The temple is a simple small and robust stone structure. This is reputed to be the place where Shankaracharya meditated. As the clock rushed, it pushed us back to the cab to head to the airport. 

Nature Retreat

I have always heard of the Nature and beauty of Kashmir since I was a child and it was a dream for me to be there. As I set out to realize the dream all excited, I was specific to get a window seat in the flight to get a glimpse of the snow clad hills and mountains. It is not the first time I was to see and feel snow. But it is going to be the first time in India. I am sure this is going to be splendid than what I can imagine as that is what I heard.  A birds view of from the flight was the start of my delight. The airport view of grey tidy runway, greenery and iced hill far off was a teaser from Kashmir to me as we proceeded towards local sightseeing. We were in the city at the time of morning bells. Our hotel check-in was by noon. Hmmm… so go around places and then go for the check-in was the way for us.

A little too early to start the day as we reached Shalimar Garden. We reached an hour before the garden opens and hence were just walking down the street. We played the morning birds to the stalls nearby as they still are getting ready for the day. With an eye on the ticket counter and finally, a gardener came out. He was not to open the counter but was kind enough to allow us inside after we assured him we would pay for the entry ticket before we leave the premise. 

Once inside, it was a visual retreat. Lush green and blooms around. Well maintained with the snow covered mountains in the far side. With no visitors in, it seemed like my own kingdom. We walked at leisure and enjoyed very much in the moment. Breathed freshness, ran around the hue green trees that were springing life after winter.  Very much swept in the moment as our souls got feather lite we moved around the garden gazing at each flower and tree. There was a small structure that a hall with idling fountains around. As we were done with the place and decided to move on, our heads turned again as the fountains were coming alive.  A little more time and then we moved on to visit other gardens in Srinagar. We visited Nishat garden and chasmeshahi  gardens that that had different views but yes! Along with a little more audience who were as mused with the beauty of the gardens as we were.