On the afternoon of 16 May, I along with my family left for Kolkata to meet my grandmother. We were going to spend a day there and then leave for Sikkim by train from Sealdah Station along with both my grandmothers. One of my grandmothers had come from Chennai to go with us on our 11 day journey.
The next morning, we reached New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri, West Bengal. We booked a driver to drive us through Sikkim. His name was Ugn. We then set out for the 4 hour drive to Gangtok. The hotel we were staying in was called Elgin Nor-Khill. That night we went for a walk by mall road. It is a road where most of the shops in Sikkim are located. Vehicles are not allowed on this road.
The next day, at late morning, we set out to do some sight-seeing. First we went to the Rumtek Monastery. There were beautiful sculptures and paintings over there. There were even Buddhist Prayer or Mani Wheels that we spin clockwise to read. Some shops that sold unique things such as knives and Buddhist artwork were there too.
Then we went to an art exhibition. There we saw many artworks and paintings. We saw weavers at work. There was even a room in which many people were making there own artwork. There were sayings written by great people about art too.
Then we went to see Mt. Kanchenjunga from the Kanchenjunga or Tashi Point in Sikkim. It was a point from where we could see. But unfortunately it was cloudy and we didn't get a chance to see it though the place had a picturesque view.
We left for Lachen the next morning. It was a long journey. We finally reached in the evening. Because it was at a very high altitude ( around 9200 degrees above sea level ) it was very chill - around 7 degrees celsius! The next morning we left the hotel at 4:30 am. Our destination was a lake at nearly 18000 feet above sea level - Gurudongmar Lake. The journey to the lake was extremely scenic though the roads could not be called roads at all! It was very tiring.
That afternoon we left for Lachung, which is also as cold as Lachen.
The next day, we went to see the Yumthang Valley and Zero Point - a place where we could experience snow. There were 2 'zero points'. The one where we went was at a slightly lower altitude, and the other ( the actual and more populated one ) was a little further up. They were both amazing! First, we went to see the Yumthang Valley. It had flowers of various kinds and lots of Yaks ( a type of mountain goat). There was even a river passing through it.
Then we went to see the zero point. It was at a high altitude of about 14000 feet above sea level. The place was full of snow, about a kilometre in diameter. There was even a small eating place and a river. We threw snowballs at each other and played in the snow. We had a lot of fun.
The next day we left for Gangtok. We relaxed at the hotel.
The next day we went to see a lake called Changu lake. It had a picturesque view of the snow capped mountains and the lake. We went yak riding. As we were going we shot pictures with our cameras. We also held snow and threw snowballs with our bare hands! It was an amazing experience.
The next day we left back to Kolkata. We stayed there for two and a half days and visited our relatives and cousins. That was one memorable vacation that I will never forget.
That afternoon we left for Lachung, which is also as cold as Lachen.
The next day, we went to see the Yumthang Valley and Zero Point - a place where we could experience snow. There were 2 'zero points'. The one where we went was at a slightly lower altitude, and the other ( the actual and more populated one ) was a little further up. They were both amazing! First, we went to see the Yumthang Valley. It had flowers of various kinds and lots of Yaks ( a type of mountain goat). There was even a river passing through it.
Then we went to see the zero point. It was at a high altitude of about 14000 feet above sea level. The place was full of snow, about a kilometre in diameter. There was even a small eating place and a river. We threw snowballs at each other and played in the snow. We had a lot of fun.
The next day we left for Gangtok. We relaxed at the hotel.
The next day we went to see a lake called Changu lake. It had a picturesque view of the snow capped mountains and the lake. We went yak riding. As we were going we shot pictures with our cameras. We also held snow and threw snowballs with our bare hands! It was an amazing experience.
The next day we left back to Kolkata. We stayed there for two and a half days and visited our relatives and cousins. That was one memorable vacation that I will never forget.
Photo Log
The Rumtek Monastery
The Exhibition
The Waterfall
A Few Stones Containing Zinc at the Banks of Another Waterfall
The Yumthang Valley
Flowers Along The Way
The Changu Lake
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