After a 10 hour tight cab ride yesterday, we got some good sleep and go ready to leave to Lachen. The plan was to halt at Lachen for the night and proceed to Gurudonmer lake.
We got permits to go to North Sikkim. We left Gangtok at 12pm. The ride was supposed to be 6-7 hours long.
We had bets as to when we would reach. The most obnoxious number quoted was 10pm. Every other quotes were around the 7pm 8pm range.
At 5pm, we got stuck in a jam. And by a jam I mean vehicles not moving. Luckily, today, we were in a Xylo which had much better space and leg room compared to yesterday’s Innova. The temperature was around 15-16 degrees. So sitting inside the car was not so difficult.
To top it, it was drizzling and quickly within 30 mins, it got dark. With nothing else to do, we started watching a movie on Netflix which was pre-downloaded. 20 mins of movie passed. That was when, the vehicle moved. An inch.
After traveling for a full 5 hours, we realized we’d barely covered a quarter of the distance. We had no idea when we’d reach Lachen. The driver mentioned that yesterday it took him 14 hours for the same route.
By the way, our driver had slept only 2 hours the previous day and desperately needed some good sleep.
Eventually we started moving. The whole route was pitch dark. The road conditions were terrible. Mountain roads with their ups and downs. And suddenly, there was tremendous fog. We were not able to see ANYTHING. For once we all had a group adrenaline rush. The music had gone to zero volume. Everyone (whether they knew driving or not) were razor focused on the road. Everyone (including the driver) were sitting on the edge of their seats as if they are waiting for the plot reveal in a thriller movie. Pin drop silence. Death was not very far for sure. We could get a mild smell of it.
We went slow. Really slow. The driver got down a couple of times to check if there is a road ahead or we were standing at the edge of a cliff. After a gruesome 30 mins or more, the weather cleared.
New hour, new problems. It’s well beyond 10pm now. Again pitch dark. It’s a full moon today. We drive through a road which has the mountain cut on one side and a straight deep cliff, direct to hell, on the other side. A river is flowing deep down the cliff a few hundred meters below. With the moon shining, the whole valley has a monstrous and scary look. The same valley during the day, would look so beautiful with its lush green pastures and small houses here and there. But by night, the monster in it unleashes to scare the s**t out of you.
The roads are slushy. And the driver is sleepy. So we have a conversation with him. And guess the topic? Ghosts!! Seriously?? Ghosts??
The driver somehow is very excited to talk about it and if there is one person who is important right now, it’s the driver. “So many people and army men are dead in this cliff right here. How will they rest in peace? They will come as ghosts only. I have also seen many” – he says quite casually.
Really?! The night, roads, valleys, and mountains were scary enough. My heart is already in my mouth, and now ghosts? Even a flag fluttering in the wind could frighten me.
By midnight we are 8km away from our destination. Another 20 mins of mountain ride. The driver is DEAD sleepy. We are out of conversations. All the ghost stories he knows and we know have been narrated. We know about his family, friends, wife, children, salary, skin care routine, favourite heroine, and many more. We know more about him than his wife probably. And what to talk now??
The driver suddenly slaps himself. We are scared that some ghost is beating him. We quickly understand that he is slapping himself as he is feeling sleepy. Every slap of his brings chills down our spine in the already chilly weather. We desperately make random conversations to keep him awake. “Does it snow here? Have you seen snow leopards? How often do you travel here? What is your opinion on BJP?” It is the most excruciating 20 mins of my life. I start questioning myself on the basic ability to have a conversation.
Finally at 1am, (yes the day is passed), we reach Lachen. The original plan was to leave for Gurudonmer lake at 4am. Now, we are all tired and the driver of all people needs some sleep. We cancel our morning plans. Tomorrow’s problem for tomorrow – or technically today as it’s 1am. But who cares.
The hotel staff are super surprised by our late arrival. “Everyone else arrived by 8 PM max,” the receptionist says. We have no clue why we were so late either—maybe just bad luck. But at this point, we don’t care.
The hotel serves us with hot rice, dal and aalo. It tastes heavenly.
The best way to make food taste good is by feeding it to a super hungry person.
It’s a cold night. We are so tired after the 13 hour LONG travel. This vacation so far is just travel travel travel travel travel travel.
Let’s see what’s in store tomorrow.
Endless thoughts 