10/31-11/2, 2014:  3-DAY NORTH SIKKIM TOUR
 
November 1, 2014 - DAY 2
LACHEN to THANGU, 35KM (2 HOURS) FOR A HIKE IN CHOPTA VALLEY
THANGU to LACHEN FOR LUNCH, then to LACHUNG (54 km 3.5 hours)

 
OMG - 4 AM, Really?
   
We were gently woken at 3:45 am and served masala chai in bed. 
 
And at 4:00, we drove 2 hours, only 35 km mind you, up to the small enclave of Thangu at 13000 feet.. It was chilly when we arrived near dawn and stumbled out of the car and into one of the quaint wooden buildings for breakfast. We sat around a small table and cauldron heating a pot of water. Sylvain cut up the fruit he had bought in market along the way. That was a real treat. Omelets and bread were served. A young boy serving hot chai kept our tiny cups full. Afterwards, we continued up Tsopta (Chopta) valley to begin a wonderful hike. 

 
Morning Hike

We stood at the road looking down a steep scree slope to trying to spot the remains of a trail. Sylvain was aching to climb even higher. He has a lot of Alpine experience and he promised to climb the mountain (to 4600 meters /15000 feet) and still catch up to us before we got back to Thangu. Sonam was reluctant to let him go by himself but we assured Sonam everything would be okay. 

After, we made it down the rocky hillside to the valley floor, we hiked through some marshy stretches and eventually found a rough stone trail through wooded areas of rhododendron. Sadly, they would not be in bloom until April. Eventually, we crossed the small river on makeshift planks. Doris, who was wearing flimsy sandals, had a hard time of it. She loved it best when she could just go barefoot on stretches of soft moss. Here Dylan, who had taken a different route, caught up with us. He snoozed in the sun for a bit. We all took our time and thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings. 
 
With the valley running from 4000 to 4600 meters, none of us was a bundle of energy. Yumi took pictures with her iPad mini. She has a wonderful attitude, and takes things as they come. I asked her what she did in London and she whispered, "I was a tour guide for Japanese tourist but am retired now". 
 
The last stretch took us up hill again and from the top we could see Thangu, where our Sumo Jeep was parked. The trail down was pretty slippery in parts and took us as long to go down as it had going up. We crossed a large suspension bridge covered with prayer flags. On the other side we took a little break. Then Sonam spotted Sylvain running down the trail we just came down. It had taken us at least 30 minutes. Sylvain made it in ten minutes. He was a tired puppy and had made it almost to the top of the mountain he aimed for. He had been curious to see the view from the other side of it. But after what appeared to be the crest, were higher points. He decided to turn around so we would not have us waiing. Sonam was relieved. He said it is easy to get lost there and the army patrols there. It would not be a good thing to have an unaccompanied foreigner stopped by the military. 

We drove back to Lachen where we had a mediocre (way to spicy) lunch at the Holiday Hotel, picked up our luggage, and then drove 3.5 more hours (54km) trip to Lachung. 

 
Fury Creatures, Temples and Vegetables
 
We made two more stops along the way. One was at the "Improvised Rabbit Rearing Shed (350 units) at Rabum, Lachen, North Sikkim" where they raise little soft fuzzies for mittens and hats. A few brown ones were mixed in and they said those would be sold for meat. Yummy. We stopped at another village and checked out the newish golden domed (Hindu?) temple which was fronted by much more atmospheric Buddhist prayer wheels around a large holy stone. There was also a small family owned Buddhist temple. We stocked up two large sacks full of vegetables, green beans, 4 large bunches of spinach, carrots, cauliflower, and bell peppers. Even if I had to cook them myself, we were going to have vegetables tonight. 

 
Hotel Season House - Best in Town
 
Just before sundown we arrived in Lachung. Our hotel was high above the town. It is an attractive wooden building with sprawling vistas of the surrounding Himalayas. The owner greeted us and insisted that his staff would prepare the vegetables we brought. I told him I wanted them done plain, no spices. He stopped me halfway and assured me he knew exactly how foreigners like their food. I reiterated "NO spicy, NO peppers NO HOT". "Okay, I know, I know", he answered now a bit impatient and more pronounced head wiggle.."but chili okay right?" I rest my case. 

Tongba is an alcoholic home-brew beverage popular in NE India and the Himalayas. Sonam and the driver offered to go into town to find us some. Dave and Sylvain treated. At 50 Rs ($1) a piece, it is a bargain for sooo much fun. The boys came back with eight huge Tongbas. Most of the group had not tried them before. 

We had a nice group. Everyone was there to have a good time. Dylan talked about wanting to buy a motorcycle in Darjeeling after he heard about our experience. I didn't quite understand his complicated plan and how he was going to fit it in. He is flying home for a week at Christmas to surprise his mother. He will then head to Iran. Later, he will come back to India and ride the motorcycle up to Ladakh.
 
Dinner was set up buffet style and we had plenty good food, albeit a bit overcooked for my taste. Everyone enjoyed the feast. 
 
It had been a long but great day. Time to go to bed early with hot water bottle .