The Mountain Trails

Part – VII - Rimbick-ed & Partied!

My limbs could take it no more. Because I could not stay out in some God forsaken road the whole night without food, I knew I had to walk to the lodge come what may! I asked both Dipanjali & Amar not to speak!

Once left once right we kept moving and then finally we reached what looked like a town. There were shops, there was a bakery too and then Amar asked me to take a right turn and as I did, we were in the lodge! Pheew! That was long indeed. We were introduced to the owner of the lodge. She greeted us flashing a big smile and asked us to “bathe” as fast as we could as steaming hot momos was ready for us.

The lodge was a beautiful one. Rooms were wooden and polished, neat and clean. For the first time in four days we did not have to worry about generators being shut down, we could charge cells without paying and we could bathe too! Now that’s a prize right!

As we walked towards the room, there were steps again and I vehemently said I would not walk a step more! Amar said, these were the last ones! As I walked down I saw an SUV parked and asked Amar, “Tell me, tomorrow morning do we have to walk up to the main road again or will our car come here like this one?” pointing to the car parked.

Amar smiled and said, “This is our car girl. The front seat belongs to you.”

I was not a mood to buy such boosters. Because a booster earlier about the Switzerland view made us reach our summit and there was no view as such! Even while walking down the whole day Amar & Tshering said in Rimbik there was a small movie hall and they were planning to reserve the whole theatre for us. All they asked us was to give names of the movies we wanted to watch!

But Amar was right this time. As I walked down the steps, and reached our room, in the lawn I saw Shyam! I forgot that Shyam had promised us he’d reach Rimbik the day we’d reach and party with us!

Five girls complementing how good a driver he was and playing such good music all the way from NJP to Maneybhanjan, he could not miss a chance to party one night with us!

Bathing and wearing a set of fresh clothes we were all in a party mode. We gobbled up all the momos and wasted no time to bring in the Old Monk!

We all sat in a group, talking and sharing our experiences and we were all elated.

Hard work surely pays without a doubt.

Dinner was lavish but I stuck to chicken curry and rice, which was the tastiest I had in the recent times.

As we lay on our beds, it was first time in four days we slept like logs.

We woke up early again. We did not have to walk today; we’d be travellling in a car. Nevertheless I took my cam and walked around the area and took some pictures.

One by one everyone got ready and it was time to bid adieu to Rimbick.

Our breakfast stopover was in a place called Dhotre. We again had momos and Tshering told me, “Ma’am there is coffee here. I will ensure the coffee is made the way you like it.”

I gave him an “okay” nod and he happily went inside the kitchen and asked the boy to prepare it, supervising it thoroughly!

From there we drove to Darjeeling. I don’t know why we had to stop there. The place is over crowded, time for shopping was less and well it was not what I was looking for.

From Darj we proceeded to NJP again, via Kurseong. The ride was good. Shyam again played some good music and by five we were in the NJP station.

Just on the outer peripheries of NJP, Shaym stopped the car, removed the music system and hid it.  As a rule on hilly terrains one is not supposed to play music lest that break your concentration from driving. Now I understood why I did not see the music system when I hopped in the car. Shyam had attached it when we stopped for breakfast in Dudhia. I got my answers!

The bags were being unloaded for the final time; Amar was settling the payments whereas Tarun and the three girls rushed to the nearest restaurant they saw. They were famished. Dipanjali was talking on the phone, while I took out the packet of fags. I took out two (one each for Amar and me, we desperately needed one with a cuppa tea) and put it in one of my pockets and five remained.

When the settlement was over, I went to Shyam and patted him lightly on his right arm and said, “Thank you Shyam, you’re such a good driver. I usually do not doze off on hilly terrains. But you managed that too!” I took out the packet of fags and handed it to him.

“This is for you”, I said. “I won’t require it once I am inside the station”.

He gave me his best smile and said, “Thank you Ma’am!”

I looked at Tshering. He was inside the car checking if we had left anything. I waited for him to finish his work. As he came out, I called out to him, “Tshering”

“Yes, Ma’am”, he said and came to me.

And we shook hands and smiled. I thanked him. He had taken good care of me, pampered me the most and treated me like a princess.
I took out my eye-pad and gave it to him.

“It’s a small parting gift from me”, I told him.

“No, no Ma’am I cannot take it. Already you have given me the altimeter. How can I take it? I have seen you using this eye pad and I know this is important to you.”

“Take it”, I insisted. I further told him, “I have another one at home”.

We shook hands for one more time and he said, “Ma’am our next trip will be from where the Ganges emerges – Gangotri”.

“Done”, I said, as I walked to the restaurant where my other team members were and they drove away…

 This is Shyam a.k.a Titu...

                                                Tshering, our Sherpa, My Man Friday

                                                        One Group pic

The Mountain Trails

Part VI – Sunrise in Sandakphu and walking down...

We woke up much before sunrise. Walking this far and not getting to see the sunrise would be such a waste and a foolish thing to do. The temperature in the altimeter showed – 5.7 deg celcius! Holy Cow!

As the first rays of the sun fell on the Himalayas; the Everest, Sleeping Buddha & Kanchendzonga all in a row looked majestic. What a sight it was!

Interestingly Sandakphu is the only place in the whole world from where you can see the five top peaks - the Everest, Kanchendzonga, Makalu, Lhotse and Nuptse. And more interestingly the Assam-Arunachal Himalayas can also been seen if you’re lucky like us to get an extremely clear weather.

As I started taking pictures, I had to open my gloves to get a better grip on the camera. The cold anesthetized my hands and fingers!

Post breakfast everyone was busy posing and taking pictures one after another. Amar was silent and I knew a lot of things were in his mind. I raised my eyebrows and he nodded his head.

“Tell me!” I exclaimed.

“Both you and Dipanjali have passed the fitness test!”

That was the second best thing we had heard in this adventure of ours. The first came from the Israeli guy we met in Tumblimg. He thought us to be twenty year olds! Said, “Indian women are ageless”!

Thank God for Vitamin E, I told myself!

Yes, we were fit. The pain relieving ointment & pills remained untouched.

And soon we got ready to descend. From 13000 feet to 7000 feet. It would take us eight hours to reach Rimbick; precisely 16 kms we had to walk.

As we descended, I stopped in the middle of nowhere and started taking off one thing after another. I had worn a tee, two warmers, one sweat shirt and a jacket. One tights, one woolen track and a wind proof track and two pairs of socks!

As I got down to my basic tee & tights I felt a whole lot lighter!

As we reached Bikeybhanjan again, we took a tea/coffee break.

And then the de-tour started. Tshering showed us the path we’d tread. It was uphill again and I felt like squeezing his neck intensely.

We were assured we had to again ascend 2000 feet and then it was down down and down!

As we ascended the 2000 feet, we were on the opposite ridge and again it was unbelievable the distance we had covered on foot.

And now the downhill walk begun.

Walking down is a serious business. All you have is your walking stick, your eyes and ears to keep you sane and balanced. It was tough for me, more so because I suffer from vertigo. I had told no one about it. But Amar, the pro- mountaineer that he is could make it out instantly and asked me, “Nandini do you have a fear of heights?”

“Bingo!” I replied.

I don’t know how long we walked. My watch stopped working a long back. On the train to be exact. Taking a break here and there, finally we reached a spot where there is a water source. We sat down for lunch, which was packed for us in Sandakphu itself.

Feasting on Tibetan breads, eggs and veggies, I put on my eye-pad and rested for a while. A much needed power nap. Dipanjali too did the same. However our nap was insolently broken by a herd of yaks, which came to quench their thirst.

And we walked again.

We were inside the Singalila forest and it was dense. The walk way was narrow. One wrong step and you could tumble down like a rolling stone gathering a whole lot of dirt and grime.

The flowers were beginning to bloom all around.

Amar casually told me, “Aren’t these white Rhododendrons beautiful?”

I looked up and said, “Yes they are”.

“Look to your left, look to your left, where are you looking, the direction your sight is there are no Rhododendron”, Amar said.

I looked into his eyes and asked him sheepishly, “Amar, which is the left hand side?”

It was not only me. Gradually all were getting disoriented. The walk was a long one and this descend took all the concentration to think about anything else.

No one was talking. One wrong word and that would lead to a fight we all knew. We just had to reach Rimbick. That was the only thing that mattered now.

Both Amar and Thsering assured us that within the next ten minutes we would be out of this jungle and reach human habitations i.e Rimbick. And yes we did it … we reached Rimbick at four in the evening. We all smiled after a long long time I suppose. We stood together yet one more time and took a photograph.

The first house we saw, Niru exclaimed, “Yay! This is our lodge!”

Amar replied, “From where did you get this idea?”

No one responded.

And we kept walking further downhill.

At one time I saw Dipanjali jogging and I was shocked! Did she pop some pills to boost herself I wondered?

Amar who was walking behind her and ahead of me maintained a fair distance. He knew sooner or later one of us would hit him with our walking sticks! There was no sign of our lodge!

And can you believe it… we had to walk for another two hours downhill to reach our lodge? Nothing could be as bad as that. 

                                                      Taking a power nap!

The Mountain Trails

Part V – The “Being on top” (of the world) feeling…

Kaalpokhri is more like a transit camp. With limited facilities. Trekkers usually stop by this place for their food. The rooms and the bathrooms were basic. Nothing much to say and it was expected.

Dipanjali was the first one to get out of the bed. She took out her toothbrush and paste and then gave out an “Oh NO” cry. I asked what could be bugging her so early in the morning. She showed me the toothpaste and said, “The damn thing is frozen!!!” She gave it to me and I tucked the tube between my pillow & quilt for a while! Overcoming our first obstacle, she went out to brush her teeth.

You will get a better idea when I tell you this. Kaalpokhri does not have attached bathrooms. There is no electricity too. But you get hot water any given time of the day. They have mechanized a system by which the iron water pipe runs through the fire wood “chulha” (stove) and this helps in keeping the water warm. The tap is outside.

I saw Dipanjali; as I looked outside the window, walking back to the room, her toothbrush still in her hands. As she entered I asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Ice, ice baby”! She said while trying to match her words with a dance! Icicles formed in the tap. We woke up way too early. The kitchen was closed and the stoves were yet to be lit!

I got out of the bed immediately, took my camera and rushed towards the tap. I wanted a picture of it badly and I hated it when I saw Tshering smashing the icicle! I gave out a “No, stop it, will you?” cry, but the damage had already been done!

Exactly at 8.30 a.m we were all set to make it to our summit. Sandakphu, which was 6 kms and at an altitude of 13000 feet. So you can imagine how steep the climb would be.

From the place where we stayed, Sandakphu was clearly visible. I just looked up at the mountain; saw the roof of one of the lodges… that was our landmark. I mean there were the clear blue skies just above it. Only that. Nothing else.

And we began our trek. Walked and walked. Rested at every curve, got hold of our breathing and walked further up. The curves were very steep. Every curve we took we knew we were inching closer to our summit and that came as the biggest motivating factor.

The six kms seemed an endless sojourn. Bikeybhanjan was our pit stop. We rested for a while and then we moved on.

Amar kept telling us over and over again to walk slowly. But Jun and Niru belonged to the impatient category and they did just the opposite. Tarun and Kakoli were in their world of their own and matched their pace with us.

As we took a break, to gulp some water, have some chocolates, we saw a milestone which read “1 km”.

Both Dipanjali and I gave out a cry! As if we had already reached! Amar told us, “Come on girls, we are just a few steps away from Switzerland.”

Switzerland???? What was he talking about? Was oxygen playing things in his brains too?

“Naah, it’s the view girls”, he assured us.

One curve, two curve and three and there we were… we saw “Sandakphu check post”! We reached Sandakphu exactly at 1.00 p.m. Our estimated time, not a minute more, not a minute less.

Yay!!! We made it! We made it! We hugged each other and all the tiredness went off almost immediately. As we looked across the mountains we could not believe we had crossed seven ridges. It was unbelievable. But we did it.

As I looked to my left, I saw the Himalayas, the Sleeping Buddha looked like a jewel. It was worth every step we took. And it was majestic.

Amar and I celebrated our success by opening the pack of fags and taking a drag!

We took up a small log hut. And for our meals we had to walk to the lodge opposite us. The one which I saw from Kaalpokhri. The one that falls in Nepal. So technically we stayed in India and dined in Nepal.

It was cold. The breeze was wicked! The winds roared, like two giants waves crashing on a high tide. You could feel the cold in your bones. Insipte of wearing so much of warm clothes, there was no respite. The rays of the sun were weak. Did not do much to make us warm. Post lunch we walked down to see a temple. No one wanted to walk but Amar the boss instructed and we listened to him.

We were lucky, to have walked slowly, drink a plenty of water throughout our trek and eat chocolates whenever we felt we were drained out.

The girls who reached an hour earlier were not only dizzy, but had their mouth going tasteless and they felt absolutely weak.

It was a weekend and place was full of trekkers, Indians and foreign. As we sat in the dining hall for another round of Tomba and some yak meat, the place looked liked a cozy pub, much similar to Calcutta’s Olypub!

By 9.30 pm, the generators were shut and we were all tucked in our respective beds. Sleep was not easy. There was too much of excitement in our system and both Dipanjali and I did not get a wink of sleep yet one more night…

                                                        The Sleeping Buddha

                                                  Just before sunrise - Sandakphu

                                                            Kanchendzonga

                                                                   Everest

                                       Friend, philosopher &guide  - Amar

The Mountain Trails

Part IV – And we move on…

So right after a heavy breakfast consisting of Tibetan breads and mashed potatoes with eggs, well I hated to fill up myself so early in the morning but didn’t have much of a choice;  we would finally walk  - trek in the truest of sense.

Though it was bright and sunny, the winds made the chill unbearable. We took one group photograph and Amar gave us the last minute briefing. But no one seemed to pay attention to him.

We put our best foot forward and there was no looking back.

Tumbling is at an altitude of 10,000 feet and our next destination was Kaalpokhri which is at 9000 feet. The very thought of walking down was good. But we had no idea what was in store for us! The distance between these two points is fourteen kilometers. It sounded okay to us.

We entered the Singalila Wildlife Sanctuary and our entire route would be through this sanctuary. This place has a large number of Himalayan red panda, barking deer, black bear and leopards. The park has an area of 78.60sq.km with mixed vegetation of Magnolia, Rhododendron, Oak, Pine Hemlock, Silver Fir, Juniper, Mailing Bamboo, Buk, Kawla, Bhujpatra etc. The Singalila Park also has a priceless collection of different species of rare orchids that adorns the forests.

The walk was good. Dipanjali and I walked together. Far ahead of us we saw Niru & Jun. They were giving our porters quite a competition where speed was concerned.

I wanted to tell them that this was not about speed. We were not competing against each other in a race. We were here to enjoy the beauty, the silence, the fresh air as we walked. But then I let that pass.

The road was rocky and it went up and then it went down. Like a see-saw sliding coherently. Amar switched on his transistor, which was a constant companion to us throughout the walk. At times depending on the frequency of winds it caught different channels. But music knows no language and it was so soothing to hear those unfamiliar tunes in this age when we are fed heavily on Bollywood music!

We reached our first pit stop Joubari, after walking about four kms. It was a small village, with a few houses and this was our tea/coffee break. We rested for a while and again we were on our foot walking.

I never asked Amar or Tshering how long we’d have to walk to reach Kaalpokhri. I knew it was “fourteen” kilometers, but there is a huge difference when you walk that stretch in plains and in hilly terrains. All said and done things were looking good.

I put on my portable music devise and kept walking at my pace. The walk was amazingly good and at one point we saw the Sleeping Buddha. It looked marvelous. And it motivated us to walk further, so that we could see this beauty from a closer range.

We must have walked for another two hours and passed by many trekkers like us when we reached another small little hamlet – it was Garibas. By then the girls had pangs of hunger and they ordered some instant noodles in the first shop they spotted. The rest was good. We were all relaxed and as Amar showed us the way, we knew things would not be a cake walk for us. The up hill had started.

Simple geographic logic. From Tumbling we descend about  550 feet till Garibas and Kayakatta and after that we walk uphill another 1500 feet.

There was nothing much to say, because this is what we had come for in the first place.

As I stared my uphill climb, I remembered what Nirav told me. “Take ten steps or a curve, rest for ten seconds or until and unless you start breathing normally and then walk again. Baby steps, mind you. And don’t sit. It slows down your pace”

And this I followed with all my heart and soul.

Kayakatta was our third pit stop, but no one was too eager to waste time. We did not know how long it would take to reach Kaalpokhri. Even the girls with speed now slowed down and we all walked in tandem. The only high point about Kayakatta was the cell phone signals. After twenty four hours we were able to make calls to home and speak. My phone was some hidden inside my back pack and I was not in a mood for a game of treasure hunt. So I let that pass.

Tshering noticed that I was the only one who was not making any calls. When he asked me, I told him, it would take quite a while to dig the phone out from my bag.

“Don’t worry Ma’am, once we reach Kaalpokhri, I will call Sir from my phone and you can talk to him”, he assured me. So it was a deal and I agreed.

In the mean time Amar, the sweet chap he is, tried calling my home from his phone and it was surprise when he handed his phone to me and said, “talk to your daughter, she is on the receiving end!”

At times both Dipanjali & I would look at each other. We had the same expression – the “cannot take it anymore” signs showing on our face. But we shrugged and let that feeling pass. We’d crack a joke or say something silly and kept walking.

The road seemed endless.

Exactly at three in the afternoon we reached Kaalpokhri. 

We hogged liked pigs when our lunch was served and soon realized we had nothing else to do! Amar, Dipanjali and I went for a leisurely walk around the place, you know, again to acclimatize ourselves with the weather while the rest tried taking a cat nap.

As we were walking around, Tshering came running and pulled me by my hand and dragged me to a hillock nearby.

“What is the phone number?” he asked me.

“Whose?” I asked him back! And then I remembered our deal. I told him that I had already spoken with my girl and “Sir” when Amar called them while we were in Kayakatta but he would not listen. He insisted that he wanted the phone number.

And I guess I had an attack of black out. I simply could not recall Nirav’s phone number. I kept on mumbling one number after another but I was at loss. I tried to spot Amar to ask him what the phone number was, but both he & Dipanjali was far away and they would not hear my voice. It took quite a while for me to remember the right number!

After speaking to Nirav & Nior as I thanked Tshering, he said, “its okay Ma’am. And don’t worry about forgetting. You will forget a lot more as you scale up the altitude due to lack of oxygen”.

I was clueless. Did not know whether to take this as a warning sign or laugh off.

As we sat in the dining hall, charcoal was burnt to keep us warm and we ordered some Tomba.

Tomba is a local wine, made with millet seeds and fermented rice. The wine is served in mugs made of bamboos. The rule is, you keep sucking the wine with a straw which is again made out of bamboo. As the wine decreases, you pour some piping hot water into the mug and you have another Tomba for yourself.  Tomba tasted similar to champagne and as we all gathered around the fire place, we had a good time laughing talking and getting to know one another better.

Soon dinner was served and we retired.

But then again it’s a different story that both Dipanjali and I could not get a wink of sleep. Both of us were worried about the next day’s trek…

                                                 Walking from Kayakatta to Kalpokhri

 Kaalpokhri at 9000 ft.This is a sacred lake... the most unique thing about this lake is that no matter how cold it gets, the lake never freezes...

                                                                           Tomba

The Mountain Trails

Part III – The gift turns our Sherpa into a hero…

Nirav (the guy I’ve been married to for a decade now) is a gadget geek. Name a gadget and he has it. Two months ago the boys had trekked this place with Amar and the same Sherpa. Nirav had carried his altimeter. When Tshering saw this he wanted it then and there.

Like two kids fighting over the same toy, Nirav did not part away with his altimeter then, but promised Tshering, “my wife will be here soon and I will buy you another one and send it with her”.

Tshering was not happy with this bargain and said he wanted this one only. But yes he was ready to wait till “Ma’am” would come in a few weeks time and hand him the altimeter.

The first time I saw Tshering, I had told him I have his “thing” with me and from then on I know he wanted to ask me,

“Where is it? Can I see it? When can I hold it? When will it be mine forever?”

His patience paid off well, because post dinner in Tumbling, I went to my room, took out the altimeter and as I came up to the dining area, Amar spotted me. He asked me, “What’s up? Who are you looking for?”

“Tshering”, I replied, showing the altimeter as I waved my left hand holding the gadget.

“It’s a bad idea”, Amar answered.

“Why?” I asked him. I mean this was his gift and that too a promised one. He was expecting it and sooner or later I had to give it to him.

Amar tried making me see things in a different way. He cheekily said, “As long as the altimeter is with you, he is going to treat you like a Goddess. He will be on his toes to look after you. But if you give this to him now, his services may dwindle”. I did not see any logic and before I could say anything, there he was, Tshering, coming towards us with a mug of hot water for me.

“Coffee, ma’am?” he asked as his eyebrows rose slightly in an involuntary motion.

I looked at Amar & then at him and said, “Tshering, this is the altimeter. I am handing it to Amar dada, and you can take it from him whenever you want.”

I took the mug from him, emptied one Nescafe sachets and told both the men “goodnight” and walked down to our room, leaving them up to their own devices.

I woke up around five in the morning, the view from the window was such a good one, that I took out my camera and rushed outside to freeze all the moments I could. I spotted my Israeli friend and we both walked around trying to take as many pictures as we could.

It was cold, very cold indeed. I felt my fingers getting numb. I rushed back to the room and saw Dipanjali still in a deep sleep. I again looked out of the window and chanted “Om  Mani Padme Hum” and I tell you, it was the most refreshing feeling.

Soon we got ready. Our actual adventure would begin soon. We would trek the hills to reach out next stop Kaalpokhri, descend a thousand feet and walk for about six hours.

As I walked to the dining hall, I saw a group of men outside, soaking up some sun and all heads stooping in one direction. I walked towards the men, just out of curiosity, to see what the buzz all about was.

There he was, Tshering, our Sherpa, in the centre of all possible attention, drawing as many eye balls he could. He was surrounded by a few more Sherpas, around ten porters and all were looking at this wonder toy!

Tshering, literally with his chest inflated was showing these guys and teaching them a thing or two about the altimeter.

I smiled at him and walked straight into the dining room for breakfast.

Amar, who was already having his grub, said, “Nandini, Tshering did not let me sleep in peace. Every two minutes he kept asking about the altimeter and I was so bugged that I woke up in the middle of the night and handed him his gadget!”

I smiled again.

I already had a chance to see the boy with his toy and I knew I had done the right thing!

                             Tshering showing off his altimeter big time to a Japanese tourist

The Mountain Trails

Part II – The Good & Bad Ride…

I was too occupied watching my steps and not fancying being pushed around. NJP is a busy junction. My concentration was however broken when I heard Amar introducing me as “Ma’am” to someone. As I looked up I saw Tshering, our Sherpa and the man I’ve seen in so many photographs, heard a lot and also had carried an important gift for him.

I joined both my hands robotically and greeted him with a “Namaste” and also added, “I have brought your “thing” with me.” And before I could say anything more he took my smaller backpack and walked towards the parking lot, keeping a watchful eye on me while crossing the street. As we walked towards our cab I knew it’d be a wise idea to buy some fags. Just in case. I knew soon we’d be out of civilization. When the chances of finding a phone booth were one in a million, getting some good fags was an absolute zero. So when the others were scurrying for their favourite seats in the cab, I walked across the street again to buy fags. And I think it was a blessing in disguise because as I walked towards the car, the front seat was all for me! Yippie!!! Nothing could be better than this! Tshering opened the door for me and closed like a true gentleman as I hopped inside and also asked me if I was comfortable. Comfortable? I smiled! This was a treat.

As I looked to my right, I saw Shyam a.k.a. Titu, the driver. We exchanged “Hellos” and soon the engine roared and we set off. We were on the outer fringes of NJP town in no time. The four girls took the middle row and Amar, Tarun & Tshering sat behind.

We crossed Mahananda wildlife sanctuary as we slowly began our climb. The weather was bright and sunny. Within an hour and half we reached our first stopover. It was a small place, barely consisting of a few shops, a temple and a few houses. Dudhia is the name of this place. Our breakfast was ready and it consisted of rotis, alu sabjee, boiled eggs (optional) and tea. As I took my first bite I felt I was hungry for ages! But I did not gobble like a fanatic. I prefer traveling empty or at least light stomach. We took a few pictures and soon we hopped inside the car and as the engine roared yet one more time there was some music playing too. This came as a surprise. Because I did not see a music system when I first got on to the car in NJP. But there was too much to do than calculate about the music system. The road was curvy, went up and down, well maintained and with such a bright and sunny weather the view was amazing. It looked like a picture postcard. Tea plantations and pine trees together was quite a heady combo.

And our journey was definitely getting better every minute.

By two in the afternoon we reached stopover number two. Maneybhanjan. It was a small little town, seemed busy and looked as if the number of tourists were more than the locals.
We now felt the chill. There was a drop in temperature, the winds were strong and the sun hid somewhere behind the clouds.

Our lunch was again ready for us. Amar, like I said earlier has excellent networks and he had ordered our lunch prior. And believe me; we had the tastiest lunch. It was simple, very much home made consisting of rice, dal, cauliflower tossed lightly with spring onions and pepper and chicken curry.

By the time we were done with our lunch, Shyam had already unloaded our bags and it was time for us to move on to Land Rovers. We managed to jostle and bustle anywhere we saw the sun. Dipanjali and Niru were busy looking for a paan shop and their happiness was evident when they found one!

We hired two Land Rovers and moved further up. Dipanjali and I took the front seat with the driver, whereas Amar, Tshering and one of the porters sat behind. On the other were Niru, Kakoli, Jun, Tarun and two more porters.

As I looked behind and asked Amar how long it would take us to reach, he said an hour and half at the most.

And the bad road had just begun. The curves were steep, the road was rocky and it got more and more narrow. The land rover at the most moved on second gear. Midway we had to stop. The driver asked us to get down and enjoy the view while he, our Sherpa, Amar and the three porters got busy with some local people. We realized much to our surprise a man lay fast asleep in the middle of the road. On checking him, we realized he had a drink more than he could handle and had passed. It was Holi and maybe the festivity had got the better off him. With the help of a few locals we managed to take him to a small hut nearby and then hopped again inside the land rover and move further.

The road was so bad it seemed as if we were galloping on a horse that had gone absolute berserk! And we passed a few people who seemed more at ease walking.

Dipanjali and I had the same thought and the same time and in unison told Amar, “even we could have walked”.

“We start our walk from tomorrow girls”, he replied.

It was four in the evening when we reached Tumbling. By then it was already misty and very cold. Our lodge was a cute one, neat rooms with clean sheets and quilts and a clean bathroom as well.

Dipanjali and I were sharing a room. As I opened the tap to wash my face, with a good amount of face wash already applied on my face, I gave out a sharp cry! The water was freezing and it felt as if a thousand needles and pins were hitting my face. I immediately knew the less contact with water, the better off I will be. I explained this new found theory to my roomie and we both decided that hence forth “thou shall use wet wipes and spoons only”!

Dipanjali is a red tea no sugar drinker whereas I prefer milk tea. But in such places I did not fancy having tea. I am bit fussy about how my tea is made. So I had carried small sachets of Nescafe with me. Enough to last me a week.

We put on some more warm clothes and walked towards the kitchen. The kitchen was spotless clean, warm & people gathered around the charcoal that was being burnt. I asked for a cup of hot water and my roomie wanted some red tea. After filling our system with some caffeine, we went out for a walk with Amar. It was more to acclimatize ourselves with the air pressure and temperature. We were at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The air was light and at first we had difficulty in breathing as we took the first few steps.

Tumbling is a cute little village that falls in Nepal. Mist engulfed us and literally we were walking on clouds. We could take the cold no more and so we came back inside the kitchen. But soon the lady who manages the lodge asked us to move to the dining area, as there were other people too and the kitchen could not hold so many people. In the dining area there was a big chimney, logs of wood burning and we sat cozily by the fire place and befriended a few more people. We particularly got along well with one German and an Israeli.

Soon it was dinner time. I asked Dipanjali what was the time and it was 7.30 p.m. That was way too early by our standards to have dinner. But in hills people wind up early. They run on generators. There is no electricity. So they shut down the lights by 9.00 p.m.

Post dinner, Dipanjali and I talked for a while and I don’t remember exactly when I dozed off.

                                             On our way from NJP to Maneybhanjan...

                                           Shyam unloading our bags in Maneybhanjan

                                                                The Land Rovers

                                                      Our lodge in Tumbling

                                           The room I shared with Dipanjali in Tumbling

The Mountain Trails

Part I – Embarking on an unfamiliar territory…

Adventure really did not begin at the crack of dawn. I was unsure.  This would be the first time in four years I’d be on my own, taking days off; leaving my daughter home, off course under the responsible hands of her dad. Both daddy and girl had chalked out a detailed plan & “a things to do list” when Mommy would be out of town. But being a mom I was in tears as I kissed her goodbye.  Amar, when saw me in tears, eyes swollen and a running nose, casually said, “Did you just marry off your girl and sent her miles away?”

The train chugged off the station right on time. As I looked into Dipanjali I knew I was not alone. She was a mom too, leaving home a son and all set to soak up some adventure in unknown territories. And with a quick prayer to God, we embarked on this wonderful journey.

Sleep never seems an easy task in a moving train. As we got ready to retire, I sensed Dipanjali talking to one of the co-passengers. I just popped my head out and looked at this stranger and saw him offering her and also to me some pork & rice. I thanked him profoundly saying I already had my fill. But then we had a friend with us who’d love to have a bite or two. Without waiting for his answer I called Amar – our main man who was taking us on this journey. He was far from us and my shout got absorbed with the train chugging at a rapid pace. I buzzed him and poor boy was getting ready to sleep. But “pork & rice” made him run to our seats in no time and soon sleep evaded as we spent a lot of time talking and sharing the stranger’s meal. I am not a pork person but as the man opened the lid of his tiffin box, the whiff of it made my tummy churn and I too had a piece of meat! By the time we retired we had just a few hours to reach our station.

The cacophony caused by the hawkers and tea/coffee vendors broke my sleep earlier than I anticipated. I looked out of my window and the sun was yet to rise. I meditated for a while and freshened up. Soon Dipanjali was wide awake as well and by 7.00 a.m. we reached our station – New Jalpaiguri.

As we got down on to the platform the other four members of the team arrived too. They were in a different compartment. Exchanging Good Mornings we walked up the stairs and proceeded towards the retiring room. Amar is a man with the right connections and network at the right places. He introduced us to Pradeep, the Station In-charge. He opened one big dormitory for us to change, freshen up and also have some teas.

The seven of us were still new to each other in one way or the other. So the ice breaking sessions were still under progress. We waited there for quite a while and seemed our ears got used to the monotony voice of the lady in the microphone announcing which train was arriving in which platform in three different dialects. Amazingly this voice has a particular uniformity across any railway stations in India and we wondered how one can have such an uninteresting job day in and day out! If we had to wait longer I knew it’d soothe me much like a lullaby does to baby. 

Soon Amar walked into the dorm while being glued to his cell phone, asking someone to arrange breakfast for us and gestured with his eyes and hand to take our back packs and proceed.

Yay! The wait was finally over and we were just minutes away from this super adventure ahead of us. The adrenaline rush was immense.