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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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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