Saturday 2 June
Throw away the guidebook! Only local people can indicate the wonderful places that are not on the tourist map...yet. The BanJhakri Waterfalls at Lower Sichey near Gangtok are in a semi state of development. How nature's beauty can be 'enhanced' by the Tourism Department is forever a mystery to me!
Marc and Emilie, a couple from Belgium, are also ‘nature freaks’ like me so, after a quick tour along the half-finished walkways, we wander beyond, towards a sacred Banyan tree decorated with red and gold ribbons, bells and tridents – obviously a tribute to Lord Shiva.
A precarious walk up the mountain brings us to the top end of the waterfall, but we are keen to follow the path in the opposite direction where the jungle is almost completely wild. Birdsong fills the air and the damp earth smells good from the recent rain. We are surprised to stumble across a wooden house with a cute, old lady squatting beside her calves, smiling at us curiously.
Below, we sway our way along a rusty, suspended footbridge with broken planks and no safety bars – I feel like Indiana Jones! A natural spa awaits us: mini waterfall showers, a water pool and jacuzzi-style massage from the water gushing through the boulders, and it’s all for free.
It begins to get dark so we force ourselves back. The path is slippery, but I cannot care when my eyes feast on the little galaxy that is dancing in our path – little sparky lights swirling around, I have never seen so many fire-flies. Really magical!
Perfect harmony with all the elements of earth, air, fire, water and ether in the form of jungle, fresh-air, sunshine, the waterfalls and the beautiful sounds of nature – a simply glorious day.
Sunday 3 June
Gangtok is back to the middle ages. A raging storm last night has left the capital of Sikkim with no electric power and minimum communication. Earthquakes, torrential rain and landslides have become the norm these days.
The road back to Pelling alternates between views of a gushing river through a valley and vistas from ridges with a 150-metre drop on one side, hardly a boring trip for Marc, Emilie and myself.
Monday 4 June
Wow, I cannot believe my eyes! The Kangchenjunga massif, with its highest peak at 8,585 metres, is spread before me in its full splendour, hardly a wisp of cloud in the sky.
Marc came knocking on the door of my room at 4.30am shouting, “Mountains!” I stumbled to the door and seeing his excited face I ran to the end of the terrace where I stopped dead in my tracks, gob smacked.
For days on end the visibility has been generally too poor to appreciate any of the snow peaked mountains looming in the distance, but we are blessed with clear skies this morning just when we are in this location which is famous for being a vantage viewpoint. Amusing how all the Indian tourists are also on their respective hotel rooftops pointing at the mountains in awe.
Tuesday 5 June
Marc, Emilie and I are not keen on tourist travel, and prefer to appreciate nature without having anyone shout at us and pointing at a watch. Taking the regular day tour at a fraction of the price, we are dropped off at the first stop, the Rimbi Falls, a small but tall and pretty waterfall at the road-side. We arrange to be collected later on from the Rimbi Rock Garden on the opposite side of the river, when the Indian tourists have completed their day trip and are on their way back to Pelling.
Again it is a beautiful sunny day, and we are happy to splash in the cool water as we follow the falls to the river, jumping over boulders on the way. At the bottom, we begin to explore a possible way across the river, but whitewater is gushing over the rocks in most places.
Emilie and I are feeling determined and start across, slowly making our way around the boulders and each other, jamming our feet in the sand between the rocks and passing our bags to each other. It is less than knee-deep and we feel confident until we are halfway across and realise that the river is wilder than it appears!
Suddenly we are overcome by a slight feeling of panic. In all directions, even back the way we came, it begins to feel like pure madness. I feel my heart pumping, adrenalised by the apparent danger, especially when Emilie slips and is washed a few feet downstream before grabbing a rock.
Marc is still on the bank where he laid down his belongings. I shout to him for help and he is quick to come as close as he can get, but he is still too far away so Emilie and I edge closer until he can pull us in.
Marc's rock feels like an island for shipwrecked sailors! We decide it is more intelligent to head back towards the waterfall and take the road. Luckily we hitch a ride with another jeep of Indian tourists, to the rock garden which is a couple of kilometres away.
We run past the marijuana plant growing at the entrance and through the landscaped garden with its red trees and yellow bushes, searching for a nice, quiet spot of riverbank that is out of sight.
We find a little beach with a natural swimming pool about 50 metres downstream, away from the viewing gallery. The pool is deep, green and clear, and rocks create a barrier from the current, allowing for free swimming in the cool mountain water.
I feel like a lazy lizard as I lie on a rock afterwards. My skirt and T-shirt feel cool against my body and the sun feels warm against my bare skin while the breeze strokes my face and I lose myself in the sound of the gushing water and birdsong. I drift into a timeless dimension until Marc remarks that it might be time to head back.
On the way, we observe the antics of some local children playing naked in the Rangit river, free spirits as I feel. What a day! Certainly not the average tourist day trip.
Thursday 7 June
On the way to Yuksam, I revel at the variety of wild flowers on the roadside until we reach the Kangchenjunga Falls. The driver and passengers of our shared jeep are kind enough to halt for a while despite this being a scheduled trip.
They are in no rush as they drink chai at one of the numerous stalls on the roadside, unimpressed by the features of their land they know so well. Heading up the steps past the first set of falls – a tall, thin stream of water flowing down – we find the main falls, so powerful.
Standing some metres away the spray is so intense to have you wet in 20 seconds, and the roar so loud it makes you want to shout. Not wishing to abuse the kindness of our jeep's commuters, we head back feeling exhilarated and hoping the driver will not mind our clothes being a little wet!
The road approaching Yuksam is really rough so I have to hold tight to protect my head from bumps as we bounce along.
Friday 8 June
I meet Lenny, Miki and their Enfield motorbike, Nandi, as we planned when they left me in Gangtok a few days earlier, after our happy Malta reunion. Yuksom is absolutely gorgeous, instantly my favourite place in Sikkim. It has a general serene feel to it and I am happy to take a break here with my old friends.
Monday 11 June
It is hard to conceive that Yuksam was the first capital city of Sikkim, when the first chogyal (king) was crowned here by the three Lamas. His original stone throne is still standing, but Yuksam looks more like a large village.
Most houses are similar in style to the ones I saw in Ravangla which reminded me of country and western movies. There is one main street inconsistently lined along both sides with houses, small shops and a couple of guesthouses and restaurants. Many households also offer home-stays for a more traditional experience, but running hot water is not widely available, a hot bucket still being the norm.
A couple of hotels cater for the large number of trekkers that use Yuksam as the base for the famous Dzongri trek which apparently offers breathtaking views of the Kangchenjunga range, but two factors keep us back from attempting the trek. Firstly, the weather is unstable and misty for at least half of the day with regular bouts of rain at this time of year. Secondly, we are terribly unfit.
Away from the main street, the wooden buildings with corrugated metal roofs and stretches of farmland are scattered throughout the wilderness. A forest lies on one side, full of trails running beside the sheer drop at the edge of the mountain, leading to small farms and other locations.
The feeling of being in a large forest is always amazing to me, deprived of this pleasure when at home on the rock. Trees, ferns, moss, a carpet of large leaves, little animals and birds embrace me during my walks, while leeches sometimes come too close for comfort and leave me with blood oozing between my toes – cheeky!
It is not easy to get lost because the monks at the Buddhist monastery overlooking Yuksam like chanting their mantras all day, assisting sense of direction and giving an easy clue on how to return to the village.
Life in this natural place is easygoing, undisturbed by traffic and modern technology, except for basic facilities. Everybody seems peaceful, happy and willing to share a smile. What an idyllic place!
Wednesday 13 June
The Khachoedpalri (catch-a-parry) lake – a holy lake shaped like a footprint of goddess Tara - is just a six-kilometre trek from Yuksom. It is amusing to note that indeed not a single leaf rests on the surface of the water despite the numerous trees, because the birds collect them.
A small monastery, a giant prayer wheel, numerous Tibetan prayer flags and a double row of prayer wheels leading to the lake's edge add to the interest, but more fascinating to me is the experience of being touched by a friendly butterfly.
Large as my palm, Ms Butterfly allows me to pick her off the grass. She rests on my hands for several minutes, her long tongue tasting my fingers. She even allows for some photos while perched on my nose, flying away and coming back in play – what a gift!
Friday 15 June
The twin peaks of Mount Kabru (7,317metres and 7,338metres) have been bidding me good morning, reflecting the sunshine into a smile on my face. What is it about snowy peaks that is so mesmerizing? I bliss out admiring the mountains which only just peek from behind the hills rising around this Yuksam valley.
Mother Nature has such an effect on me that I wonder how I will be able to get away from her.
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