It was the year of 2010 and the month of October and I was thinking of a trip. Sikkim has been always among one of my favourite destination. But I have never explored West Sikkim before so I did some research and found the name of Varsey which is also sometimes called Barsey.
Varsey is a little known and short trekking destination at an altitude of 10000 fts. Since it would be a trip with my wife I was a little reluctant at first to do a trekking. But once I told her about the beauty of the place she at once agreed to give it a try.
After deboarding the train at NJP station at around 10 AM we reached Sikkim National Transport bus terminus in Siliguri and took a shared jeep for Jorethang. It costs around Rs. 200/- per head. There was a halt in between for a bowl of maggie and if you like Sikkimese strong beer Hit which is quite popular. The journey took around 4-5 hours. There is a beautiful river flowing named Rangit. We got down at Jorethang and took our lunch and withdrew some cash as no ATMs would be available from here onwards.
There is always a scarcity of vehicles for Okhrey where we had booking for the night since it is a less travelled place. Luckily the driver of the last Mahindra Max 4X4 towards Okhrey took us in his jeep although it was already full with local passengers and gave us the best seats. We were really overwhelmed by his gesture.
Although the road was very narrow and dangerous our driver cruised through it at ease. It was 6: 30 PM when we reached Okhrey. We were warmly greeted by the hotel owner who was expecting us and was worried whether we would be able to arrive today or not.
Okhrey is a little mountain village. No fancy hotels were there when we visited. But the hospitality was quite good.
The next morning it was all bright and sunny. The hotel arranged a Bolero for Hiley from where we would start our trek. On the stretch from Okhrey to Hiley we found no other vehicles passing by. We stopped by a beautiful lake to take a few snaps.
After we bought tickets to enter Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary we prepared our mind the last time because we will be on our feet for next 36 hours all alone and we will not turn back once started. Both of us looked in each others eyes and there was a silent affirmation.
By that time the weather had turned a bit foggy. Both of us leisurely started our journey. It was only two of us in the jungle. I saw nobody else in the whole stretch. There were Red Panda signboards on our way although they are too shy to give you a peek.We could hear the wind flowing and the sound of leaves hustling. That was a terrific experience. Only nature nothing else. It is good to be in a place like this once in a while. You will be rejuvenated. We took frequent breaks on our way, chatted, took some dry snacks which we brought with us. I heard that in the month of April the area is covered in red coloured rhododendron flowers.
Then finally we reached a spot showing the sign of the Trekker's Hut itched by previous travellers and it was thick fog all around. After a couple of minutes we reached a lonely hut beautifully built for the travellers. We had already made our bookings from Kolkata. But we cannot find any sign of human life at first. After some calling the caretaker came out from the kitchen which is situated at the back of the cottage in a separate hut.
The cottage was two storied. Top floor was all wooden and dormitory style. In the ground floor there is a room and the dining. We had booked the room for us through an agent in Behala. Quickly hot meal was served which was life saver as we were really hungry. Keep in mind that there is a scarcity of water and no electricity. They have to bring water from the nearest village which is around 2 hours downhill. They provided hot water when we needed which is constantly being heated in their wooden oven.
There is another deserted army camp in the bushes a little downward now used as a trekkers hut. But I haven't seen any good reviews about it. So beware before booking and properly know which one you are booking. The hut we booked is the genuine one built for the trekkers by the Sikkim government.
In the evening it was a surrealistic view all around. The clouded mountains, the setting sun rays and the cottage amidst it. Maybe you will get a haunted feel sometimes.
The caretaker arranged for the campfire for warming us up and it was truly a fabulous experience.
But we were a little bit upset since we couldn't get any view of the Kanchenjunga which is the third highest peak in the world jutting at a height of 8586 mts. The caretaker assured us that nobody leaves here without the view of the majestic peak. All you have to do is wake up early.
With a lot of hope in our hearts we tried to get some sleep. But in the night we were shivering like hell as there were glass windows all around. I then got hold of all the blankets and quilts available in the dormitory as no other guest was there and the caretaker has long left for his home downhill. I wrapped some of the blankets in the windows and few on our body.
It was around 2 AM in the night and something unbelievable happened. That was luckily a full moon night. My wife waked me up and told me that something amazing has happened outside. Then I reached the window and cleared the fog settled on it. I still remember the magnificence of the sight that we saw that night. The sky was clear and the whole of snow covered peaks of the Sikkim side view of the Himalayan mountain range was glittering in the moon light. It will be never possible to describe the beauty of it in words.
After that I suppose we slept for an hour or so and came outside of our cottage just before sunrise. Woooww, when the first ray of sun fell on the majestic Kanchenjunga it turned bright red and then orange and afterwards white as milk. Slowly all the other peaks were lighted up and the complete Sleeping Buddha pose of all the peaks together was revealed in all its glory and became a sight to behold.
Two of us witnessing a grand event unfold before our eyes with not a third person within a few kilometres around. Only us and the nature. This not something we can experience daily. Now a great thank goes to my reliable companion Canon SX120IS manual point & shoot as well as my tripod with which we managed to take few couple-photos of us in front of the grandeur. Nobody else was there to take a snap for us and the famous selfie concept was not that famous then. Lol.
Then after having breakfast we had two choices. One to return back same way as we came. The other one is much more interesting which is to trek through the rain forest in the other side and reach Dentam. This trek is a bit tougher one and it does not have any defined path. You may easily wander off and get lost in the mountains. I asked the caretaker if he could arrange a guide.
All said and done we started our trek towards the unknown after paying respect to a little Buddha idol which is a customary tradition in trekking. Several previous trekkers had offered various mementos for a safe journey. The young man who was our guide told us that we have to climb up and down a few mountains to reach Dentam.
The path was again breathtaking. This time the weather was shining throughout. It was a fantastic trek albeit a bit tougher. We could hear the birds chirping and crossed several streams. We even witnessed some lonely lakes on our way whose beauty seems to be untouched by the eyes of human beings earlier.
I would like to warn you about something. There were leeches in our boots and our socks were blood soaked by the end of the trek. But nothing to worry about as it seemed harmless to us. Although if you faint at the sight of blood then you will fear it. So take extra precautions to repel leeches.
At last when we reached Dentam both of us were totally exhausted by 5 hours of continuous walking and our legs seemed to have detached from our body. It was a painful situation but absolutely worthy.
Since we had planned our stay in Uttarey we had to reach there. But we were not in a position to move a bit further. Then came a person as our saviour. I somehow managed to get a phone number of a nice resident of Uttarey while I was in Siliguri. The hotel owner of Uttarey and a gentleman Mr Subba came with his car to pick us up after I called him from Dentam stating our condition.
I will write about the beauty of Uttarey and the hospitality of Mr. Subba in another review.
So far so good.
Stay well and happy trekking.
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