Icicle Magic

Icicles are brilliant weapons. They are strong and sharp to pierce through human flesh and do not leave back any fingerprints as they melts into water. Or at least this is what the suspense movies portray.



It had been a while since I saw Icicles out in the open nature. I got lucky when I spotted them enroute to Bumla Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, North East India. The dropping temperatures and the biting cold winds had ensured that the melting water turned into sharp icicles.



These icicles seemed to weave a nice and interesting blanket around the snow covered and some non-snow covered brown rocks. It’s colourless formation also seemed to form a nice contrast against the white surroundings and the clear blue sky.



The Icicles were so inviting that me and my friends got down from the warmth of the car and decided to play a war game. Each of us got us a nice solid icicle and indulged in a near true sword fight.

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High Altitude Winding Himalayan Roads

It was a very cold day and I was on my way to Bumla pass, the India-China border that can be approached from Arunachal Pradesh in North East India. I had just crossed ‘Y’ junction, an important army post enroute, when I came across these snow covered high altitude winding roads in the Eastern Himalayas.


The roads, though were not in great shape as perceived from the pictures. Instead, it was a bumpy and slippery drive. But, in my mind, having roads in such unforgiving conditions is itself a boon and credit should be given to the Border Roads Organization of the Indian Military for paving the way.

 
In spite of the foul weather, it was a magical sight as I crossed pristine high altitude lakes one after another. And all across I was skidding on these winding roads. It was a memorable experience indeed!

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Tongpen La View Point–A Himalayan Vista!

The high altitude Himalayan land always throws surprises at me in spite of me visiting different parts of them across different seasons. This time around, I was at the road that lead to the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.


I had just crossed the ‘Y’ junction and was on my way to Bumla pass. I was standing at an altitude of 15,150 feet above MSL and that was when my heart skipped a couple of beats. Such was the beauty of this Himalayan vista.

 
I was at Tongpen La, a high altitude mountain pass that connected the army base of Y Junction to Bumla. The view from here was stunning. It was a splendidly blue sky and that shone on the Tongpen lake that stood in the centre of my view. And everything around the lake, including the mighty Himalayas were covered in fresh snow.


It was such a sight that can help you forget all your sorrows. No wonder all the yogis we read about, come to the Himalayas in search of nirvana.


Tongpen La view point can be accessed by jeep (4 wheel drive for snowy conditions) from Tawang in Western Arunachal Pradesh. It is at about 30 kilometres from Tawang. One needs permission from the District Commissioner and the army office to visit this place. Such permits can be made a day in advance, though final discretion is left with the officials signing on the permit. Only Indian citizens with valid proof are given these permits.

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Heavenly Sela Lake in the Eastern Himalayas of India

The Himalayas are bound to excite nearly all kinds of travellers. For me, I have a huge fascination for them in my head. The Himalayan vistas are simply breath taking and if one happens to visit them in the winter, then the panoramic beauty simply jumps multiple levels.

 
Last month, I was at the high altitude Sela pass in Arunachal Pradesh. Sela pass is the only mountain pass that connects the Buddhist district of Tawang to the rest of Arunachal Pradesh and India.


Sela pass is situated at about 13,700 feet above MSL and is known to be home to more than 101 lakes. Each of these lakes are considered very religious by the Buddhist community. One of these 101 lakes is the decently large Sela Lake that is located right on the top of Sela Pass. Sela pass is also an important location on the India-China border and hence one can find large Indian army camps and soldiers nearby.

 
One can catch a sight of this beautiful lake from right near the main signboards and near the Sela memorial. When I was here, the entire place was covered in a blanket of fresh snow making for a heavenly experience. It was here that we spotted a couple of Brahminy (Ruddy) Shelducks floating on the lake.


It was also the day when the Dalai Lama was coming to visit Tawang and hence we spotted a lot of Lamas present in huge numbers preparing a welcome for the holy one. Upon asking one of the Lamas, we were told that the Dalai Lama would stop here for a cup of tea before proceeding to Tawang. What a natural setting for the Dalai Lama to have a cup of tea?

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Nathu La (Nathulla Pass) – The Chinese Connection!

Why do people travel to Nathu La? Is it to see the Himalayan beauty of Sikkim? Is it the urge to see snow clad peaks? Is it the fantasy of being able to survive in low oxygen levels?


If you said yes to the above, then you form a very small percentage of tourists that go to Nathu La. The major percentage of tourists go there only to shake hands and take photographs with the Chinese.


Such is the obsession that I guess the Chinese soldiers must have a hard time. In fact, when I was there as recent as three weeks back, I saw the look of scorn on the faces of the Chinese soldiers when people used to shake their hands. I guess, if I were in their place, I would get mad too.
 

How many strangers can you shake hands with in an hour. I guess in peak tourist season, these soldiers might have to shake hands with at least a 1000 people. And by the way, this is a very pessimistic number.


There is nothing as such to see at Nathu La except for the experience of actually being close to the India-China border. There are a couple of bases from either country and there is a thin line of peaceful agreement where Indian and Chinese soldiers stand side by side.


But, you have to give it to the soldiers of both countries to be able to survive in such unforgiving conditions. If you are planning a trip to Nathu La, I would request that you do not bother the Chinese soldiers and instead show your gratitude to both the Indian and Chinese soldiers (if you know to speak Chinese) coz the soldiers of both sides are showing great character for their respective countries.


Nathu La, is a trade route between India and China and is situated on the eastern side of Sikkim at over 14,000 feet. The winding border roads connect Nathu La to Gangtok. The distance from Gangtok to Nathu La is about 50 kilometres. As part of the trade agreement, Chinese import pulses, rice, cotton clothes and cooking oil from India, while India imports quilt, jackets, electronics and other small items from China.

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