It was around 7 in the evening. The
sky had become a shimmering canopy of stars. The temperature outside the Sherpa
hut was nearing freezing point and a fairly strong wind was blowing across the
mountain. My host, Purna Kumari, still had handful of work to do including cleaning the
utensils in ice cold water flowing from a small stream. I was in Mulkharkha, a
small hamlet in the foothills of famous Neora Valley. The place was famous for
Mulkharkha lake. Mesmerizing reflection of Mt.Kanchenjungha in the calm water
of the lake weaves a heavenly picture.
Preparation
Solo backpacking is often
addictive. Once you start travelling alone, it becomes a habit which is hard to
give up. It was beginning of January. A quick glance at the calendar revealed an
opportunity for a trek on a longish weekend at the end of the month. And a
quick internet search made me happier. A two-day short trek to Mulkharkha
perfectly fitted my bill. When I called up Purna Kumari for homestay booking, I
heard a frail yet confident voice assuring me of a hassle-free trip. Somehow I
felt like trusting the mountain lady and completed railway ticket bookings
in no time.
Day 1
Garib Rath Express departed on-time
from Kolkata station and I found myself sitting among innumerable tourists
travelling to Darjeeling and Gangtok via New Jalpaiguri ( NJP ). The train
reached NJP an hour late around 8:45 AM due to fog. I took a shared auto to
Siliguri and managed another shared jeep to Rangpo. My journey began around 10
AM. Being away from Kolkata for last six years, I was missing north Bengal and Sikkim. As
the jeep sped past Mahananda Reserve Forest and headed towards majestic
Coronation Bridge, I was elated. The greenery on the both side of the road and
the view of gorgeous river Teesta was refreshing.
Teesta River
Around noon, we stopped for
lunch. I ordered Sekhwa, a Nepalese dish
made of roasted lamb. It was delicious. By 1:30 PM I was in Rongpo. My
co-passengers were surprised to see me getting down at Rangpo and not taking
the well-trodden tourist route to Gangtok. From Rangpo, again I had to share a
jeep to Rhenock, a small town in Sikkim. By this time, Purna Kumari called me
multiple times enquiring my whereabouts and inconveniences. I was assured I was
with right host. A short taxi ride from Rhenock to Lingsey took me to the end
of motorable road of my journey. I was received by Lalit ji near Shiva Temple
in Lingsey. My first night stay was booked in Lalit ji’s homestay. A short walk
through the woods took us to village Samsing. The homestay was comfortable.
Warm hospitality of the host made me feel at home. I attended local Puran Katha
festival. It was an amazing experience to see how village people enjoy their weeklong
festival.
Homestay in Samsing, Lingsey
"Puran" festival in Samsing
Day 2
Second day began with a short
trek to Tagathan through Doksingh waterfalls. Bhim Singh was my guide and
happily made a walking stick out of a branch. The trek was fairly easy. But the
panoramic view of mountains it offered was breathtaking. The detour we took for
Doksing waterfall lead us to a sharp decline to the bottom of the waterfalls.
Since it was January, the water flow was limited.
Doksing Waterfalls
The greenery surrounding the
waterfalls was soothing. After spending few minutes near waterfalls, we resumed
trek to Tagathan via Jhusing. By noon we reached Tagathan , a sleepy village in
the lap of eastern Himalaya. Here my host was Raju bhaiya. Like most of the
villagers in Tagathan, he was a cardamom farmer. Before Raju returned from his
farmland, I was given company by his sister. She was a student in Kalimpong and
was vacationing. She spoke fluent English but extremely shy. She was kind
enough to take me for walk through the village showing the temple and school. I
met other villagers who were extremely warm in welcoming me. In the evening
Raju took me out and we tested “Kodo Dungro”, local liquor which tasted more
like white wine. Dinner was planned ‘late’ at 7:30 PM with tasty chicken curry
and chapatti. I enjoyed every moment of my stay in Tagathan.
Day 3
Another short but stiff trek was
on my card. I started early with my guide Sanjay. As we tread past winding
roads, gradient became stiffer but the surrounding view turned majestic. The
best part of the trek was proximity to nature.
Some of the patches we crossed
gave me an impression that we are back to primitive age. By 12 noon , we were in Mulkharkha and met
ever-smiling Purna Kumari. She offered welcome drink. The homestay had a wide
open area. I spent good part of afternoon enjoying sunshine and hot cups of
tea. A book to read in hand and panoramic view of Kanchenjungha in front of me,
I could not ask for more. Around sunset time we visited some of our neighbors
and saw them making ‘ghee’. December Sun was low by 4 PM. After sunset we
started preparing dinner. All the ingredients were from kitchen garden and
extremely tasty. The day ended with a long chat with Purna Kumari and
others. Another fulfilling day ended.
Day 4
As planned we started very early
around 6 in the morning. It was pitch dark and I was following my guide Lakpa.
Our destination was Mulkharkha lake, a short 30 min hike. As we
continue to climb up, sky started changing its color. Orange ray emanating
behind Neora Valley created an amazing canvas. By the time we reached the lake
at the top it was reasonably bright. The lake was surrounded by trees but
surprisingly not a single leaf could be found on water. Water looked greenish. There
is a small temple on the other side of the lake. Later I found this temple was
founded by the villagers and it’s a world religion temple ( concept is Bahai Temple in New Delhi ). On a clear day, one
could see Kanchenjungha range behind the temple and its reflection on lake
water. But I was not lucky. On that morning Kanchenjungha was hiding behind
cloud cover. May be , this was an indication that I must revisit the place. After
spending some time on the top, we came down to Mulkharkha homestay. I decided to
start downhill trek to Sherpa Gumpha early as I had a long journey ahead to
NJP. My train was scheduled that evening. I left Mulkharkha with promise to
visit then village again. I had to leave for Kolkata but the memories of the place and
people with remain etched to my heart forever.
Mulkharkha Lake
Note: For any contacts/info regarding the trip please drop am mail to sayan.pal@gmail.com
