Kaza, Himachal Pradesh

The best place to stay at Kaza (12000ft approx), Himachal Pradesh is the HPTDC Guest House, The Spiti. It's located a few meters away from the Kaza bazar (market). However, if one wishes, he/she can walk to the market. Kaza market repletes with the tribal works and handicrafts. However, I have seen a good many trekking goods over there. Apple of different types are among must-buy things. We started our journey from Tabo at about 10AM and reached Kaza having visited Dhankar monastery at about 1PM. Dhankar is about 5KM upward journey from the main Tabo-Kaza Road. Sightseeing includes around Kaza visiting Kibber, the last village of India and Kibber Monastery, Ki Monastery, Pin valley etc.

Gangtok-Rabongla (Ravangla) April, 2018

After a certain time-lag, I and Tanushree (my wife) once again are going to be off from the hustle-bustle of Kolkata and this time our journey is full of adventures due to some reasons such as

1. We have moved to our flat at Bally and the journey starts from here;

2. We have not booked anything for our journey this time except the to-and-fro between Kolkata-Siliguri (NJP);

Our journey starts on 28^th April, 2018 through Aitiana Airwings which I have already booked to make our reach a secure and that was a wise decision since during cross-verifying the details of bus itinerary when I checked the availability of the same bus on the same date of our journey, I found no seats were available in any of the buses on the same route. However, I myself felt a bit secured and privileged thinking of those who couldn’t manage to get a position in any of the means in North-Bengal bound vehicles.

Bus journey on this route is not new to us since in May, 2016, we have returned from Siliguri to Kolkata through Shyamoli Paribahan and it was a nice experience. With this hope in mind we have gathered in front of the Gurudwara near Gate No. 1, Airport from where Aitiana Airwings will take us to the gateway of Himalaya, Siliguri. We boarded on the bus at 6.45PM (since the bus was 15 mins late) and a packet of biscuit, a 500ml water bottle and a blanket were ready for us. The bus took the route of Dankuni-Bardhaman instead of Krishnanagar-Malda and had its first halt at Bardhaman at a roadside dhaba beside highway at around 9.30PM for dinner. And then it stopped only when the destination came i.e. Siliguri at 6.30AM. The city is yet to rise from its night long sleep and we reached there. After dodging several touts there, we walked towards Sikkim Nationalized Transport (SNT) bus depot from where we were to catch the bus for Gangtok (since we had made already our mind to go to Tsomgo Lake, Babamandir by then). The bus was scheduled to departure at around 7.45AM. So we bought a ticket that costs Rs. 300 (Rs.150 each). Now the journey begins. Our mind now is relaxed and had already started to plan the next step i.e. to search hotels at Gangtok while enjoying the beauty of Sevok and the Coronation Bridge. The bus was in good condition. It stopped at a place named Mumkhola for breakfast at a roadside restaurant. And after a halt of almost 30 mins the bus again rolled on the road to enter Sikkim through Rangpo. Whenever I visit this place, a kind of cool breeze starts to blow inside me thinking of the exotic beauty lies ahead in the hills of Himalaya. However, we reached Gangtok at around 12.30PM at SNT bus stand and entered in the lodge at the very end of M G Marg, the room No. 9 at Sukhim Guest House at 1PM for Rs.1600 per day including GST.  We have been continuously travelling for almost 26 hours and so we were in desperate need of long and tight sleep now.

For the next day i.e. 30.04.2018, we had already booked two seats to visit Tsomgo (Chhangu) lake and Babamandir against a payment of Rs. 500 each and we were told to be ready by 7.30AM and asked to reach at Bajra Chhangu Stand by 8AM. But we had a torrential rain from the previous night and so we were a bit late and reached there at 8.30AM. The whole journey was shrouded with thick clouds that made me think that we might have not got any views of Himalaya due to this.

However, the cloud got cleared at the time we reached the altitude of 9000ft and got that thing that pulls us to visit such a remote place from Kolkata i.e. ice made its first appearance at an altitude of 10000ft.

So far our eyes could have vision, we could only see the peaks clad with ice that creates only two colours viz. White and Black. It seems the mountains are wearing long gown of white threads which is nothing but the melted ice on the mountains in reality. At a place near Tsomgo lake, the driver stopped and asked us to borrow plastic shoes from roadside shops in order to walk on the ice clapped roads as well as areas. He took us directly to the Babamandir since it is the farthest than Tsomgo and throughout the road, we got so much ice that quench the thirst of our soaring eyes. Everywhere we could see there was only ice and ice.

 

From Tsomgo, it took around 40 mins more to reach to Babamandir (altitude almost 14000ft.) The scenic beauty of the mandir was awesome. Baba Harbhajan Singh was a sepoy at the then army base posted at the Silk Route. In a disaster, he lost his life and since then the other comrades feel his existence still and it believed that Baba Harbhajan saves their life as a sentinel in this remotest part of world against any threats. So, he is now worshipped as God to them and the army personnel made a ‘mandir’ in his loving memory but the one we are talking from Gangtok is not that one which has been built years ago. It is called ‘New Babamandir’ and it is built in this route since most of the tourists visit Gantok-Tsomgo-Nathula Pass.

The ‘mandir’ is situated at a very beautiful location inside Himalayan range surrounded by ice clad maountains. The whole Himalayan is buzzing with the patriotic songs that are played to entertain the visitors by the army personnel. They have a cafeteria there and one cup of coffee only costs Rs.10. The have a exhibition centre and the tourists are welcome with ‘Kaju-kismis-almonds’ by the military personnel. The whole day was cloudy and when we were to leave the ‘Babamandir’ it started raining again. At the North-East side of the Mandir, there is one falls and a huge statue of Lord Shiva. The whole mandir was clapped under ice and ice was everywhere one can see.

However, we started from ‘Babamandir’ at around 12.30PM and reached Tsomgo at 1.15PM. The beauty of the lake is awesome and the Sikkim Govt. has arranged some adventurous activities such as Rope way etc. However, we returned at Gangtok at around 3PM and with full of images of ice in cameras, handycam, and in our mind and a wet hose and shoe that used to remind us every minute that we have just returned from a heavenly place i.e. Tsomgo and Babamandir.

After having a delicious lunch at Woodland restaurant just beside M G Marg (opposite Rumtek Taxi Stand) of Rice, Katla fish, Chicken, Dal, Sabji, Papad, etc. at just Rs. 150 per thali, we decided to spend the rest of the day at M G Marg roaming and shopping.

   

The very next day i.e.01.05.2018 we have left the Hotel Sukhim Guest House at around 6.30AM since we have already been informed that the shared vehicle for Ravangla from Gangtok leaves at around 7.45AM and in order to get a seat booked we need to reach as early as possible to the Rumtek Taxi stand from where it is schedueled to depart. However, we reached there at around 7.05AM but to our utter surprise we have been told that all the seats for Ravangla bound vehicle have been booked and next car would be leaving for Ravangla at around 12PM. The driver of the vehicle had suggested to take a booking for Namchi bound vehicle and from there Ravangla is only 1 hour distance. We did so. The shared Bolero left Gangtok Rumtek Taxi Stand at 9.15PM and it took 2.30hrs to reach Namchi amidst a very well maintained and beautiful landscape. The car stopped at a place named Tarku for freshening up and taking rest a while. This place is very calm, quite and serene. At around 12O’Clock we reached Namchi and from there Ravangla at around 1.30PM since the vehicle at Namchi Taxi Stand started at around 12.30PM. Namchi is the district headquarter of South Sikkim and therefore is a bit congested like other hill towns. But, Ravangla is serene, calm with soothing coldness during May. After spending some nights at Gangtok, we found that we have come to the most serene place of the world. Ravangla at the very first sight has created a spell on us.

We didn’t book any hotel yet then. So, we need to secure first an accommodation. However, looking an accommodation is not possible without taking lunch because we were terrible hungry. The place the car dropped us is Ravangla bazaar and we had our lunch of Non-veg thali (Rice, Chicken, Sabzi, Papad, Dal ) at a restaurant beside the SNT Bus Stand. The food was really good. One reason for this could be the organic Sikkim tag of Sikkim Government who secures that the whole Sikkim is 100% Organic and the tasty of organic vegetables is delicious.

Now, this is time for looking for our accommodation. From Local source, we have come to know that if we walk along the Legship road, we would definitely get some good hotels for our stay. But, in reality this emerged to be false. Actually, we were at our wit’s end to get a hotel at Ravangla on the Legship Road. However, a Bengali guy, Mr. Soumen Poddar whom I met for the first time at Gangtok taxi stand, came to my rescue and helped me in getting an accommodation. We took a cab and went 3.5KM downward of Ravangla Bazar and the name of our destination is 14^th Mile. It is a very beautiful place with full view of Mt. Kanchenzunga and Annapurna on a clear sunny day from the room of almost every hotel and homestay. We met Mr. Barun, a Bengali person, who had been at Ravangla for the last 30 years. He is nice guy and the resort that we got is Candy Park Resort just beside the Legship Road at 14^th Mile with a few local inhabitants and a church at the very of the resort. This place is really awesome. They have 4 cottages and one building with four bedded rooms.