most every part of the city. It is simply
beautiful!
After a large sumptuous breakfast, I
started my preparations for a day visit
to Nathu La. This restricted area lays
on the Indo-China border at an alti-
tude of 4145 metres. I had arranged
special permission to visit Nathu La
with the help of a local friend, a doc-
tor by profession serving the state
government as MLA. The Nathu La
(Pass) is about 60 kilometres from the
city. Restrictions mean that all visitors
must cross the first check post before
11:00am. I made it in time. My excite-
ment knew no bounds as I was about
to experience something that was
unique, I felt privileged and lucky.
I rode about 40 kilometres before I
made my first stop at a tea stall near
Tsomgo Lake, also known as Changu
Lake. During winter, when the tem-
perature falls below zero, the lake
freezes. The snowfall on the freezing
lake is a rare and spectacular sight.
After enjoying a cup of hot steam-
ing tea, I continued my journey. I was
enjoying every minute of it. The chilly
weather, cold breeze, and lack of oxy-
gen were all forgotten. As expected,
photographs were strictly prohibited
so I left my camera gear and phone
before I was escorted in.
Walking towards the border, I was
overcome with a strange feeling that
I struggled to describe in words; a
mixed feeling of joy, sorrow, awe, and
pride.
Around 80 to 100 stairs that had to
be climbed before reaching the top.
As I started climbing, the cold wind
blew hard on my face and I felt like I
would drift away. I kept climbing and
reached the final summit … absolute-
ly mesmerizing and breathtaking. I
was exactly on the Indo-China border,
a gate and a wire marked the bound-
aries of the two countries with an In-
dian soldier on my side, and a Chinese
soldier on the other. The soldiers de-
ployed are friendly but strict. All my
queries were answered by both. No
TRAVERSE 113
photos were taken however, images
are vividly ingrained in my mind.
I believe I was extremely lucky as
the India army does allow some visi-
tors with restrictions but Nathu La is
not open to visitors from the Chinese
side.
On my return journey I stopped at
Tsomgo Lake again, this time to take
photographs. It was getting cloudy, so
I packed my camera gear and headed
back towards the city. By the time I hit
the city limits, it was late evening. I
enjoyed the evening with great food,
great company and great conversa-
tions. An evening well spent with my
friend before I bid him goodbye be-
cause I was leaving Gangtok early next
morning.
As guided by my friend, I chose a
route and terrain to avoid the ongoing
construction work. This is where I ex-
perience some off-road biking on the
mountains, unplanned but exciting.
After riding for 60 kilometres, I
reached Rabong in South Sikkim. The