Sikkim

Once we decided to visit Sikkim, I made up my mind to visit Nathu La so that I could at least peep into Tibet. 

Nathu La is about 55 kilometers to the East of Gangtok. The road to Nathu La is one of the highest motorable roads in the world.

We had to get a permit to visit Nathu La. The travel agent who arranged our trip from Gangtok to Nathu La arranged for the permit. He said that we could visit Nathu La only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. During our trip, this permit was checked at several places.

Foreigners are not allowed to visit Nathu La. This border had been closed ever since the 1962 Indo China war and was opened to the public in July 2006.

to give you an idea of the poor visibility

It was raining in the morning when we woke up. Gangtok was enveloped in fog and visibility was very poor. My heart sank. What if the driver says we have to cancel the trip? What if we can see nothing because of the fog? The driver came late but did not say anything about canceling the trip. I felt relieved.

He drove the vehicle slowly and adeptly. Three days of traveling in Sikkim had prepared us for snaking roads that turned sharply and climbed sheer heights. It is a thrilling experience; nevertheless your heart is in your mouth and you thank God after every turn and every climb is negotiated successfully!  

Once upon a time, traders from India used to load salt, ready made garments and kitchen utensils on mules and sell these popular items in Tibet. I could not help thinking how tedious their journey must have been. There were no roads back then.

Clearing the road at 14000 feet

The BRO is doing an excellent job of laying roads and maintaining them at such altitudes in the Himalayas. Landslides are quite common in the Greater Himalayas. The terrain consists of many sinking zones. This is one of the reasons tourists need permit to go there. The government can regulate the number of tourists and hence the number of vehicles passing through the terrain.

 Lake Changu

On the Gangtok Nathu La route, we saw the beautiful Changu Lake. Also called Tsomgo Lake, this one kilometer long lake lies at a height of 12,400 feet. After spending a few minutes admiring the lake, we climbed higher up in the mountains. We decided to spend more time at the lake while returning. Yaks grazing on mountain sides and rhododendrons and primulas are a common sight. We could see army camps at places. One couldn’t help marveling at the hardships the soldiers must be going through year round. Even in the month of June it was biting cold up there; how would it be in winter? And these guys had to carry out road repairs with the help of laborers who too were braving the harsh conditions.

This poor yak certainly didn't want his nose pierced

About six kilometers from Nathu La is a small village Sherathang at an altitude of 13,600 feet. There are shops and warehouses in this quaint village. The place boasts of a highest cybercafe in the world. For want of time I curbed my desire to visit the cybercafé and log in to Sulekha. I would probably have been the ‘highest’ Sulekha blogger at that moment!

Rhododendrons at 13000 feet

As we traveled from Gangtok to Nathu La, we could observe the change in the vegetation around us. In the lower altitudes, trees such as bamboo Sal etc grow. Cardamom is grown in plenty here. At higher altitudes are oaks, maples and Magnolia. After crossing 12,000 feet or so, we could see pines and ferns. Beyond this height, rhododendrons and primulas flourished. Probably, the yaks we saw grazing were relishing the flowers of these plants. I am not sure of this. Rhododendrons at these altitudes are small shrubs. As the shrubs are full of flowers at this season, from a distance it looks as if the mountain has been painted a shade of pink. At greater heights there is no vegetation.

Bonhomie at the border!

Finally we arrived at Nathu La. We disembarked from the vehicle and started climbing the stairs leading to the border post. 

The stairs to the post

I found the climb very exhausting probably because at this altitude (14,500 feet) the oxygen level is low. My son and my husband, however, seemed to have no problem whatsoever.

Finally, I was up there with the Indian soldiers manning our border. I could see the Chinese soldiers in their cabin across the wired fence. They were kind enough to come out on seeing us and came and stood right across the fence talking and sharing a joke with soldiers on our side providing me a wonderful opportunity to click them together!

Across the border

I peered down at the Tibet side of the border, but could not see much because of the fog. I put out my hand across the fence into the Chinese side. Doesn’t that make me China returned?

My Kerala brought up husband soon found a Mallu friend among the soldiers and started conversing in Malayalam. The soldier said that he had been in Nathu La for the past four years. There was another soldier who belonged to Orissa. He clicked a picture of the three of us—my husband, my son and me as we stood near the stone that marks the visit of Nehruji to Nathu La in 1958. 

A memorial for the martyrs

There is a war memorial for soldiers who were killed in the battle with the Chinese in 1967. It made me turn and look at the soldiers on the two sides chatting and pray that the bonhomie lasts forever. 

The friendly soldiers did not want us to return in a hurry. Jaldi kya hai, Nathu La ka hawa khao one of them exhorted. We spent about half an hour up there and then decided to climb down the stairs and return to our vehicle. 

A cafe at that altitude

All the while it had been raining but we were too excited to be bothered by it.

As we made our way to Baba Harbhajan Mandir we turned back and saluted the soldiers.