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| Winding Roads@ Zuluk |
Continuing from the first blog on our Zuluk trip:
http://sayakskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/trip-to-zuluk.html
The stay at Mr. Gopal Pradhan’s place is like a homestay.There may not be elegant king sized beds,persian carpets in the room, but his smile, warmth and affection makes up for almost everything. He has single handedly tried to promote tourism around Zuluk and the eastern part of Sikkim – which shares its proximity with the Chinese border.
Contact Information:
Gopal Pradhan +91 9609 860 0266
Suraj Pradhan(Gopal’s son) +91 787 288 3264
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| Zuluk – Bhool Bhulaiya |
Zuluk in itself does not have any fascinating scenaries or views of the Kanchendzonga range. Most tourists will be disappointed the first evening they land up in due to the heavy clouds and dull atmosphere all around.However, its the Old silk route that starts from Zuluk and used to a trade route to Lhasa through Gnathang-Kupup-Sherathang that is a delight for the nature lover.
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| Bhutan Beyond those hills |
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| Note the sharp hair pins |
Now coming back to the day we experienced the Old Silk Route. We woke up at 7 in the morning and loitered around in Zulukfor sometime.Refreshed ourselves and were ready by 8.30 for the trip. The driver, a young lad of 19, revved up his Sumo and we were gradually climbing up the narrow winding roads. The roads were good and as we climbed higher the snow line appeared. Zuluk,dull till a few moments ago, turned into a delight.
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| From Zuluk to Kupup |
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| Snows removed by Army Personnel |
Some small things:
- There were several smaller lakes which was totally invisible because they had “merged” with the snow fields in the winter.
- You dont need a refrigerator to store cold drinks, the temperature in the winter days ensure that cold drinks always remain cold.Similarly no need of an AC.
- Salute the Indian Army for guarding our borders and ensuring that we have our sovereignity intact. We get a night of sleep due to their sleepless nights. I had an interview with a Army Medical crew where I questioned “its so cold out here, how can one fight the enemy when one has to fight the cold first?”. He replied “Yeh desh hamara ghar hain, iski raksha to karna padega na? (This country is our home, just like we defend our home, we need to defend our country too) – which speaks volumes of the commitment, dedication and selflessnes of our Armed forces.May be sometime later I will elaborate upon the hardship through which they manage.
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| The Gate says it all – The Best of The Best |
- Give a lift to someone needy if you have an extra seat in the car that you are travelling.We callit “humanity” in the city, but its a necessity in the remote places of Sikkim.
- Visit Zuluk once in summer because the route from Zuluk to Tsomgo to Gangtok remains closed in winter.However, in summer you wont get the snows that you see in the photos.
