(Chapter Two) :- Day One of Sandakphu Trekking From Chitrey to Tumling

Hello Friends,

First and foremost I want to thank all my readers for overwhelming response, kind words and appreciation which all of you have showered over me, it has been very encouraging and motivating for an amateur writer.

Finally I start my voyage with trekking gears to an unknown land with new hopes and dreams to experience a different world all by myself. I met all my group members at Bagdogra from where we were scheduled to head towards Kurseong which is known as “Land of Orchids”. By the time we reached Kurseong it was late evening and dark so couldn’t see the scenery but our hotel “Cochrane Place” was beautifully built amidst the mountains. Each room were given the names of Mountain and had small individual lawn attached to it. The view and ambiance was spectacular.

We had our tour guide who asked us to freshen up and meet in the lobby for the briefing session where he discussed about the upcoming days and how we can get acclimatized to mountains and Jungles.

Thereafter, there was a brief introduction session where each one of us introduced them. It was surprising to know none has ever experienced trekking before and all were new to each other, leaving behind their families and friends and all sorts of inhibitions and comforts to explore an unknown land and rediscover themselves.

Each of them came from different segments of life and had unique stories and experiences to share which was incredible.

Thereafter, we head for dinner which was a lavish spread of local cuisine having its unique flavor which was a treat to the taste bud before gearing up for trek. We retired to our room and slept early as all of us were tired and had long days ahead.

The most awaited morning dawned with a beautiful sunrise at Kurseong which was the first sunrise of our BIG day. All of us were excited and thrilled to embrace the world of trekking.

After a hearty breakfast we drove from Kurseong to Manebhajnjan the origin of this amazing Sandakphu trekking. We took an uphill car ride to Chitrey as we started off from an incredibly picturesque village bright white Buddhist monasteries greeted us providing an insight into the mountainous civilization. We kept walking as desultory and dangling conversation prevailed amidst dazzling surroundings covering approx 10 kms. Since it was our first day we all were huffing and puffing during the initial climb. We were losing breath and walk turned into an arduous climb as we were not accustomed to mountain trails and lacked fitness. The path was full of surprises as we walked amid pine forests and chortens and crossed the scenic hamlets of Lamey dhura where we halted for lunch. Our next desired stop was at Meghma, another Nepaly village as we proceed further the weather turned around, the fog came thick & fast to engulf the view around. The dense fog reduced the visibility only upto a few feet and severe wind made us really cold. From Meghma we started our last stretch towards Tumling though it was steep but the gradient was easier. Finally we made it to “Shikhar Lodge”, Tumling. It was here that the mountain peaks revealed themselves. The valley below lay covered in white clouds, looking like an ocean. Far on the horizon, the peaks shone in a serene light against the back drop of the setting sun.

The evening was quite chilly and fog set in as we reached there in the evening. After having a hot cup of tea we retired to our room and had hearty chit chat with all group members. Thereafter, we had amazing dinner prepared by Neela Di, the camp leader, and a glorious entrepreneur who run the camp lodge all by herself. This is a common sight we get to see in North East, Himalayas and Nepal regions. Most of the setups are managed very efficiently by the women of the house while husbands are mostly Sherpas.

Post dinner, weariness had begun to weigh on the eyelids and soon we abandoned ourselves to sleep.