Siliguri To Yuksom

 15-April-2022

Divyesh and I were to meet the other trekkers at hotel Heritage near the bus station. We were the first ones to reach there. Even the Bolero that was booked for our journey wasn’t there yet. 

Subham was the first to come after us. He is a software engineer and this was his first trek. He was suggested by the organisers to try an easy trek but he wanted to go for this trek (Goecha La) despite it being a trek of moderate to difficult level. 


Banasree and her brother Bishashwar joined us in a while. When she took out our shoes from the bag that morning, the sole crumbled. This is a common issue with some of the Quechua shoes. Now, she was without a trekking shoe for a moderate level trek. We hoped to find something in Yuksom. 


Banasree works for Andaman tourism and her brother works at Kolkata. Their friend Pavan was already in Yuksom. So, it was 6 of us on this team. Experience tells me that smaller the group, better it is. 


We headed North and approached Teesta river that flows down from the eastern Himalayas and crosses through Sikkim and West Bengal, before crossing the border to Bangladesh and joining the Brahmaputra river. I remembered visiting the region back in 2008. For breakfast, I had Bakhri prepared by Divyesh’s grandmother and some black tea. 

At Sikkim border, we were instructed by our driver to wear the mask. As soon as we crossed the border, the driver said - “That shall be all, you can remove your mask now.” 


I found the roads in Sikkim much better now than last time. Most part of the road is newly laid. It appeared to me that some roads were recently widened by cutting the hills. However, landslides had sent mud and stones rolling down the slopes to the roads. Many places had heap of stone and mud blocking the road from one side. 

Along the way, my slippers got cut. When we stopped at Legship for lunch, we walked around to find a cobbler. We were told that the cobbler visits the town centre only once a week and today was not that day. I found one shop that sells shoes and sandals. The shopkeeper struggled to find a slipper that fits my leg size (UK 8). I realised that this was a bit large for the people here. He finally found one and I bought it. I must say that the slipper is way too sturdier than the branded one I was using previously. It is designed for function and not for fashion. 

For lunch, I ordered Veg rice and was offered a lot of food - Rice, Dhal, sabji, papad, pickles. 

After lunch, we continued our journey to Yuksom. I must mention here that Sikkim is very clean. Waste management is handled well here with strict enforcement. 


After 6 hours of drive, we reached Yuksom at around 3:30PM. We checked in at Limboo homestay. 5 men got a room with 6 beds and the only lady got a separate room. 


When we reached Yuksom, the sky was covered with dark clouds. It began to rain heavily. I was also surprised to see leeches there. 


At the homestay, I met Pavan, who drove his car from Goa to Yuksom and has been staying here for more than a week. By now, he knew most of the people in the village. He is a scuba diving instructor and tells me that he often takes long vacations. 


Our guide Ram Singh came to see us as well. Ram is a jovial young man in his mid thirties with a great sense of humour. 


Limboo homestay is a beautiful place. The price here can be anywhere from Rs800-1000 per person, including food. They also have beautiful cottages within the premises. We were served hot tea and then dinner in the main hall. A middle aged couple with their 3 daughters run this place. Homely food and excellent hospitality by the hosts impressed me a lot. 

The walls of the main hall was filled with amazing paintings. Ram tells me that it is his artist friend who had made them. 

After dinner, everyone was tired and wanted to hit the bed. We were all excited about our 8-day long trek which was to begin the next day. 


CONTINUED HERE - Goecha La Trek Day 01


Comments

  1. Enjoyed your meeting and spending time with fellow trekkers.

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  2. Lovely trip! Sikkim is one place I long to visit. There is something so very enchanting about it. I like the pronunciation of their capital Gangtok! We hardly get to hear much about that place.
    Which is the good season to visit Sikkim?
    (My latest post: Online games and the idea of beauty)

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    Replies
    1. I have been there in November and April. Both seasons have its charm. Hard to tell. If you want to experience snow, then winter, else summer.

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