In the lap of the hills

Sutapa Karmakar
Feb 4, 2016
5 min read

A derived shorter version of this is published in Hindustan Times on 4th Feb 2016. Thanks a lot to Hindustan Times Kolkata.

Link for Hindustan Times Read- http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/showlink.aspx?bookmarkid=CBIN8X8FUX05

Life was getting dull and monotonous with the same daily routine, getting up early, rush to office, slog at office, come back, watch TV and then go back to sleep, follow the same routine next day. Weekends were also no relief, it seemed more hectic with grocery, laundry and cleaning. On one such dull day in the evening my husband and I were watching a Bengali travel show on television, when we both felt the needed for a break. Yes, we desperately needed a VACATION.

Now the question arises as where to go with a limited 2 -3 days leave. I suggested Sikkim as the last visit to Gangtok was awesome. The next day we informed a bunch of our friends and starting researching. After many discussions and research we decided on Richengpong, a quiet village hamlet in the lap of the hills.

Sikkim and North Bengal has a different nostalgia for me. The valleys and hills filled with natural beauty bring freshness with it where I can happily spend a lifetime just feeling the surrounding. It just rejuvenates me and my soul. For me this place means the beautiful green valley with the Tista River flowing amidst the valley, the numerous wild waterfalls, the fresh wild flowers, the mysterious mist weather and the smiling faces of the Lepcha people and kids.

Richengpong is a town in West Sikkim, India. It is situated about 40 km west of Gangtok, 10 km due south of Gyalshing, close to the village of Kaluk. It sits at an altitude of 5576 feet (1,700m) above sea level amidst a heavily forested area. The place is famous for a lake which was poisoned to stop the British near the town. This is the site of a historical battle between the forces of the King of Sikkim and the invading British forces. The Lepcha tribesmen used an herb to poison the lake which was then the only source of water. As a result more than half of the British forces were wiped out which stopped the British invasion. The lake remains poisoned even to this day and is known as bikh-pokhri which means poisoned lake.

We took a train from Sealdah at night and we reached New Jalpaiguri Station in the morning at around 7 AM. We hired a Bolero and thus we started our journey. Richengpong is approximately three hours drive from NJP and we had plans to break at Siliguri for a breakfast. Just as we started to leave Siliguri, the lush green scenery and the fresh gush of wind welcomed us. We were initially excited to see even a small waterfall and soon realized we are going to see several of these on our way to Richengpong. The place is offbeat from regular bus route and hence we have to reach Jorethang and then take the route to Richengpong.

Just before we were about to reach Jorethang, the Bolero suddenly started to skid and our driver was skilled enough to stop it close to the steep slope. Another few metres and we would have landed in the deep valley. We thanked God for a narrow escape and on inspecting our driver found that the vehicle has got a broken axle and that caused the issue.

The broken Sumo and our Driver Prem

The Car breakdown and the Driver of the vechile.

We needed help and our driver called a friend in Jorethang. However help would not reach us before 2 hours, which means we won't be able to reach Richengpong before late afternoon. Never mind at least we were safe and that feeling was so overwhelming that we all got down and started to enjoy the greenery nearby. There is a saying that everything happens for a good reason. We would have definitely missed the beauty of this valley have we also driven past it.

The green valley with the flowing Tista River from the steep slope was a hevenly view.

View of Tista River Valley with Sunburst

We reached Richengpong in late afternoon and checked in to the hotel. The hotel was a peace hub which we liked instantly and relaxed ourselves with a cup of steaming tea. The hotel was owned by a Bengali family who have leased the place to build a hotel. It has comfortable fresh rooms and awesome homemade tasty food. The peak could be seen from the hotel window but unfortunately it was cloudy when we reached so we could not view the mighty Kanchenjunga. People say it’s the Kanchenjunga which makes the place beautiful but for me mist has its own mystery and beauty.

The Sunset view from Hotel

In the evening we explored the local area, there were quite a few residential houses, a small bazaar and we found an awesome small restaurant where we enjoyed fresh made momo's and samosa's. They make farm-fresh homemade tomato chutney to go by with the snacks which was just awesome and I could still feel the taste of it in my mouth while I am describing it. After a hearty snacks and exploring the place, we had an early dinner and went to sleep. Next day we planned for a local tour nearby which would cover Uttrey and Kaluk as well.

In the morning we got up early but alas, weather was still misty and cloudy, never mind, the driver was there at sharp 8 AM and we started out local tour. We visited Hee water garden, Teen Chahangay, Uttraey, Kaluk, the poisonous pond, the home of Rabindra Nath Tagore and Richengpong Monastery. We also visited a fair which was going in Uttrey. The view was breathtaking and we enjoyed the whole day with sightseeing, local food and photography.

We reached hotel late afternoon, had our lunch and went out for a walk. We had the fresh momos again at the small hotel down the corner.

We were tired by the evening and ended our day with delicious dinner and a relaxing “Adda”. Next day we planned to visit Pelling.

We started our journey early next day but the weather was still gloomy and it was raining heavily, yet we decided to hit the road. We visited Sangachoeling Monastery, Khecheopalri Lake and Rimbi waterfalls. We could not visit Kanchenjunga Falls and the Sangay Waterfalls as the journey was taking long time due to heavy fog and rain and moreover we were almost drenched. There are several other places to visit if you plan to stay in Pelling for a day, unfortunately we did not have an extra day in our hand. It was evening by the time we returned to hotel. We freshened up and had snacks at the hotel.

The next day was the day of our return. The weather was still misty and we didn’t get a glance of the Kanchenjunga yet we were satisfied with our trip and rejuvenated by the fresh air and beauty of the place. We covered the five hours journey back to Siliguri with a satisfying smile in our face and ready to face the daily life.

Below are few shots captured by me to show the flavour and mood of the place.

The Mist Mystery