CHHANGU LAKE: PARADISE IN DIZZYING HEIGHT

By Manas Paul


All the serpentine slippery roads were abuzz with 'khaki' and I did not find it really eye soothing. When you earnestly seek an escape from the daily drudgery , 'far from the madding crowd and ignoble strife' you look for cool, fresh air and cloud-capped mountains. The sight of too many heavily booted cops in familiar uniforms would certainly be disconcerting , particularly for a man married to a police officer, blessed with too many khaki-clad friends and relatives and functioning from an office in front of Agartala?s busiest police station.
I was flabbergasted : why should a charming tourist place have such overwhelming presence of securitymen everywhere ?
There is no militancy in Sikkim and-as I know for sure- crime rate in this state is also abnormally low. Sikkimese are very much peace loving, fun loving simple hill people. They hardly need this much of police protection. The sight of police officers and constables all the time might not also go down well with the travelers, especially from abroad. In the back of mind I was actually comparing Gangtok with Manali- where I did not find any policeman. I remember the only police man I had seen was the cop who stood calm and quiet on the bridge near the city on way to Rohtang Pass.
But the Sikkimese are fine with the men, and a large number of women in khakis regulating the traffic. They are not clad in white uniform and they are tough. That is what my driver from New Jalpaiguri had also told me.
"Without them you would not be able to walk on the road. There are too many vehicles to control", said Amalendu Kundu, a senior journalist of Gangtok.And soon I found how correct he was.
Gangtok despite being a small hilly city has massive concentration of vehicles, perhaps second to Aizwal. With the inflow of tourists from the plains at the onset of the summer, thousands more are added every day from West Bengal and even Assam. Sikkim ?the latest in the list of most favourite tourist destinations of the country- cannot but devise a stringent plan to cope with the situation. And the stringent plan involves some regulations that traffic police of Agartala, where road accidents and resultant deaths are an everyday occurrence, would find hard to believe. In Gangtok no car is allowed to overtake, no car can honk in the city limit and none?no matter, how big you are riding a Red-lightwalla ambassador, or which security force you belong to- can park except in marked parking places.
Soon, I found traffic in Sikkim is, indeed, very smart, very disciplined. Travel to Nathu-La or Chhangu Lake up in the dizzy height of the ice capped Himalayan range and you will discover how Sikkimese drivers ?most of whom are, of course the Nepalese,- have mastered the driving skill with discipline.
For me on the first day of April, Nathu La was out of bound as military stopped civilian movements there due to Tibetan problem. My wife was crestfallen at the news. An introvert lady, she does not prefer to show overt interest on anything but as a student of history she had hoped to see the China border through which ancient India had regular trades. Anyway, she regained her heart when Hotel manager told us that we could visit snowy Chhangu Lake, also known as Tsomgo Lake, at the height of about 13000 feet above the sea and a little below Nathu La.
As our car started rolling on the Silk route of the yore for the Chhangu Lake, the very first sight that warmed our heart with intense joy was hundreds of pretty and, all the time smiling, kids dressed in smart school uniform.
By the side of the serene road they walked uphill in groups slightly bending forward apparently due to the weight of their school bag in the back ?or may be, this was the way one should climb hill to reduce stress. Yet, they frolicked, and they smiled as they walked. Whenever a car would pass by, they would stop, look up at the tourists with an innocent face and then would break into a toothless smile. Last time you would look back from the rear window you would see the kid waving at you.The car moved ahead and the beautiful sight of the playful school children gave way to a more serious business as the car stopped before a check-gate. Here we had to show identities and permits- which of course our driver D K Pradhan did for us.
The Indian army monitoring the strategic route has a limit as to how many vehicles- say 150 or so- and how many tourists would be allowed to go up to the Chhangu Lake or beyond (Nathu-La) a day.
Up in the mountains as the first sight of snow in the hilly slopes made our heart leap some deep green dots on the white snows started turning bigger with every passing moment. These were the military bases- their green-roofed camps, partially covered with white ice. The camps were set up near the road and the heavy duty army trucks- many of them with chains tied in the wheels so to avert skidding on the slippery snow- were parked in rows as if ready to roll out at any moment. Soldiers in thick camouflage jackets, boots and goggles looked busy everywhere. They looked cool and tough. But talk to them, a warm smile with equally warm handshake would greet the tourist.
At a point called Kyongnosla, we passed a picturesque water falls by the road and then came to a halt in a market for some tea or coffee. If you feel too cold, well, you may like to have some rum or brandy.
Cross the military bases at, say 10,000 feet, this time you may feel really dizzy. The road, if not narrow, is certainly not wide. You can see the mountain ridges going down to infinite depth below. The first thing that strikes the mind inevitably- if the car skids off- cloud covered hollow would immediately swallow you down. The only thing assuring is the calm and quiet driver who looks so confident and experienced on this road.
Farther up, slowly the road gets wet as the snow now comes down to the roadside from the mountain tops. If the climate is cool and there are rains- which is almost certain in the noon- the vehicles would have to drive slow, very slow, on the snow covered road. From here the vehicles roll very close to each other. They say, hills never forgive a mistake.
Some more moments, you go up, up and farther up-- and then suddenly the Paradise is in front of you.White had never been so beautiful.Here is the Chhangu Lake- surrounded by mesmerizing White Mountains, a lake that looks so hypnotic, so different from all other lakes that you have seen in the world.
On April 1, the lake was frozen with ash-colored ice layer spreading over the deep blue water. I have seen a big black dog- may be a mountain dog belonging to a Sikkimese hunter, running on the frozen lake. And there was also a yak that was sniffing for grass near the icy lake. They are comfortable and have that God given instinct- the sixth sense- that will save them if the ice gets thinner or melts.
But man is man and a small wrong step can take him down below ?and for ever. So no walk on the icy lake.
At the high noon the sky was getting cloudy and cold wind started blowing. The pretty and fair complexioned local ladies were selling their colorful wares and foods to the thousands of travelers ?mostly Bengali, of course, while young Sikkimese boys moved around with their yaks asking all to have a ride. The families with young children would have no other option but to go for the yak ride.
The road near the lake was very narrow. But it was indeed surprising as to how the huge military trucks, hundreds of smaller vehicles and yak-riders could easily give pass to each other on the snowy and slippery road without making any 'traffic jam' or without any angry voice.In paradise you do not need a traffic police.As the noon proceeds to afternoon, it is time that that you must prepare to return. Or there would be rains and the road would be more precarious.
The downhill journey was not so dizzying. But this time I looked at the snowy mountains, the hovering clouds, the road side flowers and dazzling colored bushes more intently. This time I did not have the inherent tension of visiting an unknown beauty called Chhangu Lake. This time I savored the road side beauty with a different eye and clicked some pictures that I had missed earlier.
On way down at the advice of the driver we spent some time at the Hanuman Tok and Zoological Park. If you are traveling Gangtok with kids, my advice is, never miss this Zoological Park where the kids would be amazed to see the Tibetan Wolf, Snow Leopard, Red Panda and Leopard Cats.As the Sun set somewhere above the cloudy sky, and drizzling began we returned to Hotel with a full heart. At least this year none could make me an April Fool. I was up in the Paradise.

Written on March 10, 2008