India’s Changu Lake in Sikkim offers a breathtaking sight as it is blanketed with pristine snow

Before going on a world tour, you can see everything if you go on a trip to India. If you go to Kashmir, you can see the world of heaven. If you go to Rajasthan, it is desert; if you go to Cherrapunji in Assam, it is rain and rain. So many people say to visit India before traveling to the world. Scholars also say that when you see India, you see much of the world. India has everything from glaciers to deserts. Regions of high rainfall, from mountain peaks, are all there. Many people consider Janmu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Sikkim the first lines of travel to India.

Everyone likes to travel. Maybe it doesn't happen because of my busy life. I am going out in the context of this. Kolkata was seen first, and Santiniketan was seen second. Where to go now? Everyone says Darjeeling is a good suggestion, and no one disagrees; Darjeeling via Siliguri by bus. Mountain, Seven Points, Mirik, and Tiger Hill have all been seen; what can be done now? The hotel manager suggested visiting the snow-capped lake and mountains of Changu Lake, 35 km north of Sikkim's capital, Gangtok, near the Chinese border. What else to do everyone decided to see Changu Lake.

Several provinces of India were visited, but Sikkim was not. Where the natural beauty is so unique. At the same time, the people and culture of these four countries, India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan, are united. I was just happy to see the wonderful Gangtok in many films. I like the winding mountain roads. One thing we did not know is that when going from one province to another in India, foreigners have to register their passports in the register of Border Security Force (BSF) guards at the border of that province and enter the new province.

But the Darjeeling jeep driver let us in without giving that information, thinking that since we are from Darjeeling, we might be from West Bengal. But when the hotel manager came to Gangtok, he asked if we had checked the passport at the Sikkim border. He expressed some surprise when he answered no. So now, the Sikkim police or army came to the hotel; we are from the Darjeeling Jeep driver who made that mistake. Because of this, almost a few days of our stay in Sikkim were spent in an unknown fear. However, on the day of our return, the hotel manager told the Jeep driver that we should not get into any trouble.

Sikkim is one of the most popular places in the world for travelers. Surrounded by high mountains on the borders of China, Nepal, and Bhutan, several areas of this state are more than 17 thousand feet above sea level. These high mountains are covered with snow most of the year. As far as the eye can see, there is only ice and ice. It seems that someone has gone to a land of ice. Millions of tourists from different parts of the world flocked to see these mountains and ice, but these sights were just a fantasy due to the ban on Bangladeshi people.

The next day, the hotel manager arranged for a jeep to take us around Changu Lake. Early that morning, our jeep started with us. Our destination today is Changu Lake, the tourist hub of East Sikkim. The distance is 35 km from Gangtok. After about two hours on the curved mountain road, drawn as time, we proceeded through Sikkim House Tashi-view Point, crossing uphill of Gangtok city. Many check posts on the road seem strict near the Chinese border area. On that day, Indian Army personnel are distributing sweets at an army check post on the road due to some event. We all got down from the jeep and ate the sweets given to the Indian army men. I was curious and drank the water from the fountain next to me. Playing with the sparkling water in both hands, the pure water fell from the mountain. Jharna means crying of mountains.

At first, it looks green, but after going some distance, it has a touch of discoloration in the form of nature. Since it is the Sino-Indian border, the army camp is guarded by the members of the Indian army.

During the journey's break, the sky seemed huge. I could touch it if I extended my hand. Here, there is a mithai of the sky with the high mountains. It might not be possible to understand how beautiful this exciting road trip actually is. The Nepalese driver continued to climb up the painted, winding mountain road. Snow piles on both sides of the road tell us our destination is near. The jeep stopped at a shop lined up near Sangu. I rented shoes and a jacket and went to Changu Lake to sip hot coffee. It's crowded as it is tourist season. I climbed up from the standing row York into one. Pushing the crowd to take photos, it's time to ride the cable car. From the cable car at 14,500 feet, the view of the winding mountain passes and Sangu was spectacular. This lake is very sacred to the local people—the color of the lake water changes with the change of season. In winter, the lake water freezes and turns into ice.

After renting shoes and gloves to climb the ice mountain, I tried to climb the ice mountain with everyone. I got up with my bag containing everyone's money. I saw two types of ice coming down from time to time: a solid one like grains of salt or sugar and a big hard one. And I remember picking up pieces of rock during the hailstorm in Baisakh. Let's say that the weather here starts getting worse in the afternoon. Nothing is available except coffee, noodles, and momos, but almost all hard and soft drinks are available in the shops. After some time, we returned to Gangtok in the hired jeep.

It needs to be said that Sikkim is a high-security Indian state. In addition to the state entry permit, a separate license is required to enter some other regions. Permission is not available in different areas. Apply through Sikkim Tourism and Civil Aviation at MG Marg or Sikkim government-registered travel agencies.

The manager of Hotel Pine Leaf in Gangtok said that Sikkim has tourists throughout the year. However, the roads are covered with snow from November to February, so communication with the sightseeing stops. Tourists come a little less. May, June, and July are peak tourist seasons in Sikkim. All the tourists who come from different countries stay in Gangtok city. Gangtok alone accommodates seven to eight lakh tourists. However, cars and hotels are usually unavailable in Gangtok during peak season. The rent also doubled.

Gurdokmar Lake in North Sikkim is 17,800 feet above sea level, Zero Point is 15,503 feet in the same area, Yamthang Valley is 11,800 feet, Katao is 15,000 feet, Nathula is 14,140 feet, and Changu Lake in South Sikkim is 12,313 feet. Most of these places are closed to tourists from December to February. 1 to 2.5 feet of snow on the roads leading to these places hampered communication.

Sikkim is India's first chemical-free or organic state. To prevent environmental pollution, the Sikkim government has banned plastic water bottles in North Sikkim's Lachung and Lachen villages. Those who disobey the order will be fined heavily. Oxygen is not a problem at Changu Lake. There will be enough air, and there will be no problem breathing because there are plants. If you have to travel by cable car, you need to multiply INR 380. The view you can enjoy in the cable car is the complete view of Sikkim. The most interesting one is Kanchenjunga, which can be seen very closely. You will be back in about 40 minutes. Going to Changu Lake, you will see many small mountain springs. Also, I realized an interesting thing: in Sikkim, most boys or men are lazy, and women are the most active.

These places were opened for Bangladeshis on 22 November 2022. On that day, the then-Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla announced the opening of Sikkim in a press briefing at his office in Dhaka. Arunachal and Kashmir's Ladakh were opened at the same time. Since then, Bangladeshi tourists and travel lovers have flocked to beautiful Sikkim.

Not only the ice, but you will also see many waterfalls on the crooked road on the slopes of the enormous mountains. 5 to 10,000 feet above the mountain belt will make you go to the road. Apart from this, the internationally known Teesta River can sometimes be seen on the left and sometimes on the right of the mountain road. The Teesta River flows for about 170 km in the state of Sikkim at an altitude of 23,000 feet above sea level, formed from the glaciers of the Himalayas. These waters come to Bangladesh through Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

Bangabandhu, the land port of Panchagarh, will go to Siliguri after completing the immigration work. The distance from Siliguri to Gangtok is 114 km. The winding mountain road will take at least five and a half hours. If you take Chumo or another car, it will take you 3000 taka to Gangtok. Gangtok City has thousands of hotels and motels. Hotel rent is 1500 to 5000 taka for two beds. However, this fare doubles during the tourist season. 116 km road from Gangtok city to Lachung car fare is 3 thousand. Spend the night in Lachung village or visit Yamthang valley-zero point and return to Gangtok within that 3000 rupees rent. The fare to Gurdokmar Lake and Nathula will be 2 to 3 thousand.

Written By: Hiren Pandit 

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