The Quest for Sleeping Buddha

There was only one reason why I had been delaying penning down this account.

How can you describe an event that was so beautifully magical and as perfect as it could get, without the risk of not doing justice to the entire experience :)

So please bear with this longish narrative !

Preparation :

With the regime of yoga & jogging on alternate days, I was hoping that I would not be struggling too much on the Sandakphu-Phalut trek, which was rated “Moderate” mainly because of extremely long walks on the rough & hilly terrain.

This one had been on my list since forever, mostly because the idea of walking alongside of the magnificent “Sleeping Buddha” had an intriguing appeal.

Day 0 

I’d booked my travel to NJP on Kamakhya Exp, which had a slotted departure time of 11:30PM, but was delayed at source by 6 hours. Spent an uncomfortable night at the station, with the wait ending at around 5 AM, when the train finally rolled in. Killed time alternating between sleeping & reading, in what was an uneventful ride. Any hope that the train would make up on the lost time, was shattered as the time went by. Reaching NJP at 1:30PM, instead of 5:30 AM, meant I missed the pickup that had been arranged by Indiahikes. Reached the basecamp at Jaubhari by 8:30 PM.

Was late for the briefing, which more than anything was an opportunity to get to know the fellow trekkers who would be my companions for the next 6 days.

After all that went awry, imagine my delight to find a familiar face there !!

Sai Pawan, the trek leader from my previous one to Kuari Pass, would be the TL on this one too.. and he seemed to remember me ! This was going to be fun.

Called it a day. Introductions tomorrow !

Day 1 : Jaubhari( 6400ft) to Tumling (9450ft) – 11 Km

The briefing for the day was 6:30-7:30-8:30, which refer to the timings for tea – breakfast – march !

One thing about the treks is that, I’m never so cozy that getting out of bed / sleeping bag in the morning feels too difficult. Was up and out, taking in the beauty of the place – a scenic & cozy little teahouse on a pretty little slope. Standing there, one could take in the panorama view of the valley.

Another interesting thing was that in our group of 21, while we had seasoned trekkers who had completed 8-9-10 even 15 treks, there was hardly anyone, who was a novice. The result was evident since day one.

No wakeup calls were required, and people were pretty much before time .

Following a quick round of warm up & a  few dos & don’ts we kicked off towards our destination for the day.

On the way to Tumling

Tumling, a tiny village, where we got the 1st view of sleeping buddha. The trail took us through forests and some beautiful shortcuts along the meandering hilly countryside.

A steaming cuppa ginger tea , is a beautiful start to the day and certainly the most relaxing thing, when taking a (tea-) break. While this item is extremely popular  in North India, to my dismay, it is a thing almost unheard of around the eastern side of the country. The hope of finding one elusive place serving ginger-tea sustained me through the 7 days ;) .

We reached Tumling by evening. The team assembled for stretching exercises, which ensured that we don’t end up with sore muscles, especially since body had not yet fallen into the rigorous routine of walking long distances on the uneven hilly terrain. While it did help to a certain extent, Pavan had a secret recipe too, for those of us who were complaining of sore calves, knees, shoulders and backs. Warm mustard oil mixed with kerosene !! Worked like magic !!

After dinner by 7:30, we retired for the day. The plan was to wake up by 4 the next morning, and head out for a view of sunrise.

Day 2: Tumling (9450ft ) to Kalipokhri (10400 ft) – 13 Km

The tea house gently came to life, with alarms going off in the rooms, one by one. By 4:30, the ones who were determined enough to brave the cold, and overcome the urge to spend a few more hours inside the comforting warmth of blankets we ready and lined up. It was roughly a kilometer’s walk up to the view point, where one could see, weather permitting, the dawn breaking, and the first rays hitting Kanchenjunga, painting it orange – pink .

Walking in the dark with clear starry sky, moon light just enough to outline the route, light from headlamp falling on the frost covered grass, making it glitter, giving an impression of walking on a carpet studded with diamonds…..it was beautiful.

Breaking Dawn

On reaching the top, we waited for the view. It is not everyday, that we get to see the beauty of 4 of the world’s 5 highest peaks being lit up by the first rays of the sun.

Once back, the hot tea was waiting. Soon we changed got ready, had breakfast, and lined up for the next destination.

The day’s walk took us into Singhalila National Park, the forest trail, dense, dark and beautiful. Parts of the trail were rough cobblestoned  dirt tracks  frequented by British era Landrovers ( the conveyance used by tourists & locals), and parts of it were steep shortcuts cut along the slopes for the benefit of those traversing on foot and needed to avoid the long loopy dirt tracks.

Picture this : An almost deserted winding road, with cloud covered valley on one side, and array of trees along the hilly slope on the other. Strong winds push the clouds along, causing the autumn yellowed leaves from the tree above head to dance and fly away.  

Walking along, everybody was absorbing the beauty in their own way. No conversations. Silence was beautiful.

Just when we were beginning to wonder how much further we needed to walk, almost magically, the clouds cleared, and we had the view of Kalipokhri. A small, bean shaped lake lined with Buddhist prayer flags , considered holy by the locals .

Our destination for the day was a tea house, 5 mins walk from the lake. Reaching there by early evening, the same routine followed. Tea by 5, soup by 6:30,dinner at 7:30.

This time, due to exertion and the bout of stomach upset, wasn’t feeling too well. The cold had set in, and despite wearing 3 warm layers and 2 socks, the shivering just wouldn’t stop.

Tea time followed by another round of icebreaker was so much fun, that it set context for the many light hearted banters that followed through the coming days and still continue over the group chats even thought it has been two weeks that everyone is back to their respective lives. We even had a birthday celebration, with a yummy innovative cake, made out of biscuits, milkmaid and jam.

Day 3: Kalipokhri (10400ft) to Sandakphu (11950ft) – 7 km

Happy Diwali !!!

Woke up exchanging Diwali greetings ! 
It felt a little strange to be amongst this unfamiliar bunch of people on a festive day. Stepped out to witness a beautiful sight. Sun shining brightly, everything and every surface covered with white frost, drains frozen, water dripping from tap frozen. Took a quick round to view the beautiful  lake glistning in the morning sun, surrounded  by frosted covered grass all around. This was  followed by a quick breakfast of delicious upma & pancakes before hitting the road.

Kalipokhri

Even though today was the shortest walk , it was one of the hardest ones. For one, there was no tree cover, which meant that we were under sun the entire time. Coupled with the fact that it was almost entirely ascend . We reached Sandakphu camp side by lunch time. The views from this point are so out-of-the-world-ly beautiful, that it fills you with instant energy, washing away all the fatigue.

This is the highest point in West Bengal, a flattish tip on a hill, with an almost 360 degree view.  After lunch , we scrambled up to the top of a hillock to enjoy the mesmerizing views of Everest and the Sleeping Buddha. We sat there till sunset, after which it became too cold & windy to bear.

With nothing much to do, but unwilling to let Diwali go by, just like that, the gang gathered and for the lack of options, grooved to the tunes of nepali pop music ! It was fun ! I chose to retire early, gulping a paracetamol for the headache, which by now, had picked up intensity.

Day 4: Sandakphu (11950ft) to Sabargram ( 11807ft) – 14 km

To say that Sandakphu is a windy campsite would be an understatement. Throughout the night, that wind was howling so loud that most people slept fitfully. I was rocked the whole time, with winds pushing against the tent. Woke up in the morningto find that , one of the tents had given away to the relentless pounding .

Sunset @ Sandakphu

The brave ones woke up by 4am for viewing a magnificent sunrise. Choosing to  conserve my energies, with regret I opted out of the  plan. Nevertheless, guilt pushed my out of the cozy warmth of my sleeping bag and I headed out to the little hillock, settled down on the rock to view the sunrise. Once the group was back, tea & breakfast followed.  Wind made it impossible to stay outside for any longer than what was absolutely essential. I was glad to be on the move, just to get away from the wind !

The days trail was a combination of ascends & descends through the meadows .

We reached Sabargram  by evening, just in time to relax a bit in our tents &enjoy the sun warming it. Evening tea & biscuits followed by dumb-charades till dinner. Later the team was split into two groups in preparation for the next day. Not everybody would be going to phalut.

Every trek has casualties and this one was no different. There were a few, who ended up with knee trouble, blisters severe enough to considerably slow down their pace. Which meant that they would be taking the shorter route to Gorkhey, so as to be able to reach there in time.

Day 5: Sabargram (11807ft) to Gorkhey (7546ft), via Phalut -21km

Woke up to the amazing view of the entire Himalayan range right in-front , in one straight line. With Mt Everest & its surrounding peaks - Mt Makalu, Mt Lahotse (which are amongst the highest 5),  in one sweeping gaze one could view the entire Kanchenjunga range and the mountains further extending into Bhutan.

We hit the road by 7:30 am, since it was going to be along day for us.

The walk till Phalut top was grueling, the last 4 km being continuous ascend. But the view from there was so absolutely worth it.

Sleeping Buddha from Phalut Top

After spending 40 odd minutes there, we pushed off.

From here, the trail was a mostly descend, a large part of it through dense bamboo forests. We had our packed lunch under the sun, in a small clearing within the forest, and since we were making good on time, managed a 20 mins nap !

What followed afterwards was ~ 6 km of steep descend so challenging that by the end of it I was limping, secretly hoping that there was no serious damage to the  left knee. I should have taken squats more seriously ! ☹

Reached Gorkhey, a pretty little village, by the side of a small cascading stream. A typical storybook village setting with a bunch of pretty huts, surrounded by land where they grow crops and a stream flowing by ! It had to be the cleanest village I've ever seen !!

After tea and snacks, as the routine went, we stayed huddled together, with random conversations flowing  till the call for dinner, after which the team assembled formally for a de-briefing session. People spoke of their experiences , learnings and what they would take back as beautiful memories. It was the last day as a team, before everyone dispersed to their respective cities.

Day 6: Gorkhey (7546ft) to Sepi (6234ft) – 15 km

Gorkhey Village

It was a day of goodbyes & promises to be in touch.  After a round of group-photos , we headed out to Sepi. It started with an ascend out of the village of Gorkhey, and what followed was level walk and descend rest of the way. The last day was no less scenic. Even though there were no peaks accompanying us this time, there was a beautiful forest trail  with occasional wooden bridges across the stream, cottages alongside the road – so pretty and bright that they appeared to be straight out of a children's colouring book. We reached Sepi by noon and were treated with the yummiest lunch. It was a treat.

After lunch and a final round of goodbyes later, everyone headed out to their destinations for the day, a temporary halt, before finally being home-bound.

Reflections :

This has been one of the most enjoyable treks that I had been to. There were several things that contributed to the overall experience.

-       That sweating it out in preparation was a wise thing. Even though “ fitness “ is relative, and we had a bunch of guys engaging in friendly competition ,literally racing on uphill trails, for me it meant that I could enjoy the walks & the body was sort of prepared to cope with the rigors without getting fatigued or injured.

-        While it was a diverse group ( 2 Russians, 1 British, 3 Indian origin Singaporeans , and the remaining ones from all over the country – Kerala, TN, Maharashtra, UP, WB, Karnataka & AP), the group was like-minded & gelled extremely well.

-        After experiencing nature the way you do on trails like these, it is nothing short of painful, to step back to the routine life. The effect of our activities in terms of generating waste and polluting environment is hugely upsetting.  

-        It is always easy to find inspiration around us. It is amazing how people don’t let age or physical conditions to be a deterrent to pursue what they love. In fact, if one has a passion for something, he / she will always finds ways to overcome the challenges.

-         A week of living with basic amenities, not only makes one appreciate all that we take for granted, but also acknowledge with a grateful heart what  blessed lives we lead.

I honestly believe that it is God’s chosen ones who get to live such experiences and like everything else, there are lessons to be learnt here as well !