Delayed trip to a heavenly destination on earth: Hee-Bermiok

Nice reporting trisha and nice photos...

Enjoyed a lot.



Regarding Mr. Sarkar issue, I'm telling of a similar type of experience when we made a phone call to some Choudhury of Varsey for booking Guras Kunj... he discouraged us for going there and encouraged to visit and stay at Okhrey.

Then we got another phone No. of Varsay people and he said- Mr. Choudhury is no more related with Varsay since a few months and there are lots of allegations against him... he is working in Okhray now... and he is no more dependable'.

These are all hearsay.... but things are happening now-a-days ...

I think our dependence on mobile phones makes these guys act like this. Land phone at least ensure the presence of receiver in the Hotel...

@Trisha

This is really wonderful writeup as well as the photographs. Waiting eagerly for the next...

Though feeling sorry on your fortune regarding the weather. Oh no, I should not be so early, you didn't finished yet. May be you have some twist to share at the end!!!

You are absolutely right buddy. But I don't think only calling to land line can solve the problem. Sometimes if the travel agent has no interest to arrange accommodation for you in some place, most of the time they do not deny rather to discourage you with some negative review. Recently I felt the same when my travel agency reviewed very bad regarding staying in Dzuluk!!...

Thank you all for your inspiration and encouragements...I will post the next portion soon....

@Ruchira: Thanx for the correction
@ashisdas:1. Checking of photoID is irrespective of nationality. What I gathered from locals, Sikkim police are very strict and the checking is mainly to curb illegal smuggling of goods and drugs. Two persons in our shared vehicle (they were from Bankura) were held up because one of them could show only photocopy of his voterID and were released only after they could confirm that they were going for work in Jorethang. Infact, I also remember showing our ID card in Rangpo when we went to North Sikkim.
2. The issue with Mr. Subrata Sarkar is very dicey. He had talked very genuinely with us and apologised many times when he said he would be unable to come but never informed us of the real situation. After talking to Mr. Batore we felt that he is not interested in entertaining guests personally, he was even offended that Mr. Sarkar has put up his phone number in the Hotel Silent valley website and people kept calling him for bookings instead of Subratada. The lease for the hotel has been given to Mr. Sarkar and he is responsible for running the hotel (and keep staffs). Mr. and Mrs. Batore only took care of us as Subratada has requested them. But they are busy with their life and can't run the hotel by themselves. So I think giving Mr. Batore's number for booking wont be wise. While returning from Hee-Patal we had met Mrs. Batore again and she informed us that Mr. Sarkar's wife had come to take care of things. I dont know how the situation stands now.
The only way out may be to look for other place of accomodation in Bermiok.We could see one or two hotels being constructed there.

Great start Trisha .... Amazing snaps.... And sorry to hear about your experience in Hotel Silent Valley. To me , Mr. Subrata Sarkara seemed to be a very responsible gentleman- and this kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable from him.

Anyway I will be glued on to this thread and would wait to read rest of your journey.

Thanks Trisha for detailed explanation.
1. Yes, Mr. Sarkar's case appears to be a little tricky. Okay, when there were so many good reports about Mr. Sarkar on the pages of IM, I would inclined to given benefit of doubt favoring Mr. Sarkar. Nevertheless, it was surely very irresponsible act of Mr. Sarkar to put you in such an embarrassing situation.
2. As regards checking of Photo ID Cards in Sikkim, I have serious apprehensions. Is this checking is restricted to non-Sikkimese only? After all Sikkim is just another State in the Country like any other State. It does not have special status like a few other NE States or J&K. If a traveler is subjected to ID Check at every other Check Post within the State itself (as you were checked twice), life would become miserable. If all other States in our country start emulating the practice followed by Sikkim, the traveler/tourist would be in great disadvantage. Just think of a situation, where a traveler is going by train from Kolkata to Kashmir. The train would cross several States viz. WB, Bihar, UP, Punjab, J&K etc. and if the respective authority of each State through which the train is moving start checking ID proof, what will happen? More over, knowing our Police Force, this kind of restrictive practice would surely breed corruption at lower level. Pity, poor travelers do not have any place to go for redressal! Anyways, I think we can not do much about this except expressing our views in the column of IM. If somebody in the higher ups listen..... wishful thinking??

@ ashishdas: i just wanted to clarify that we were asked for photo ID only once while entering Sikkim, the incident at Rangpo had taken place in our previous trip to North Sikkim. Yes I agree that it does cause some inconvenience but considering the fact that Sikkim is a border state and West Sikkim has close proximity to Nepal, the chances of smuggling is high.Maybe that is the reason for all this strictness.

Sorry folks for the late post. I had trouble with internet connection at home. Here's my post for Day2 of our trip.

Day2:
From the time we have planned this trip the thing that I wanted to see most is Mt. Kanchenjunga. It was to be a first time experience and the beautiful pics that I have seen of this majestic mountain had only fuelled my desire. Bermiok had disappointed me on the first day but I didn’t want to lose hope. Though we were tired and slept soundly the previous night, the alarm made me wake up at 4.30 am. I rushed to the dining hall balcony to check whether the clouds have cleared but was disappointed again. A thick mist enveloped the entire valley and even the lights on the mountains could not be seen. A chilling breeze didn’t allow me to wait for long in the balcony and I returned to my room feeling dejected but still keeping a hope alive that the rising sun may clear the clouds. But that was not to be and even at 5.30 the clouds remained.


We had to be ready by 7 am for the local sight-seeing, so we started getting ready. Our guide Mr. AB Chettri was waiting for us in the dining room. After breakfast with puri-sabzi, we left in an Alto. The plan for the day was to visit Changey falls, Sinshore bridge, Uttarey before lunch and then go to Srijunga falls.

By now the weather was very pleasant, the sun was up but not very bright, white clouds floated in the mountains, small birds could be seen fleeting about and colourful trees lined the valley. The path through Hee bazar, Dentam bazaar leading to Changey falls was very picturesque.
View of Kalej Khola from Dentam bridge:


The sight of white daisies dotting the mountain side had become common by now.



Some unusual vegetation, like this “Bar”(local name) tree, the pods of which are used locally to make pickles, was abundant. Our guide got one pod for us, the taste was tangerine and salty.


We could also see flowers of orchids hanging onto trees (the local people call them “sonikarni”).


Our first stop was the Alpine cheese factory at Dentam.


We were not interested in buying cheese and didn’t spend much time there. Of more interest was the school opposite to the cheese factory. Children were assembling for the morning prayer and it was such a cheerful sight. We stopped a threesome for a candid snap .


The road leading to the Changey falls (the sight of terrace cultivation at Dentam valley was mesmerising) was more beautiful than the falls itself. The volume of water was less and though the falls is big, it looked like any other small stream falling off the rock.


Our next destination was Singshore bridge (many claim it to be Asia’s second highest suspension bridge, but I could find no reference of it in Wikipedia’s list). As the sun had come up strongly by then, many tourists could be seen and the bridge was a little crowded. The bridge is very beautiful and can be seen passing over the gorge from quite a far distance. The river flowing beneath it could be seen only as a thin line.


Spending half-an-hour at Singshore bridge we moved onto Uttarey. Uttarey is a small hamlet in the far western side of Sikkim (close to Nepal border). A peaceful and tranquil place, a hillock in Uttarey had been the site for International Rhododendron festival last year. The beauty of this place has already been described in Amitda, Sagarda and Ruchira’s post. We went uphill towards the local monastery (Gumfa Dara) through a rocky unpaved trail. Spring season was in full bloom, plenty of colourful flowers dotted the trail, countless bees and insects could be seen pollinating.

Rhododendron in full bloom:


The sun was high up by now and the entire valley was radiant. The monastery was a small one with a single chorten.


But the sight that catches most attention here is the garden, so many varieties of orchid and other spring flowers including rhododendron could be seen -a total riot of colours.


Apart from Nagbeli Resort, another govt. lodge has come up here which is at a little higher position. The place is new and not much beautification had been done but the valley looks amazing from this place.


On our way back we had lunch with veg. momos at Dentam bazaar and then started off towards Srijunga falls.
Dentam bazar:


The sky had again become overcast; our driver said that rains may already have started in the upper reaches of the mountain. We wanted to trek to the falls but he discouraged us because of the rain and lateness of the day. We finally decided to go by car to the last motorable point and then trek to the falls. First we visited the Srijunga Yuma Mangheem. Samadhi of Srijunga (deity of the Lepcha community), and also his statue is present here. The place is very beautiful with colourful flowers all around.


To our bad luck, it started raining when we were at the Mangheem and it became impossible to go the the Srijunga falls. With no other option available we returned to the hotel. Hoping that the rain woud stop soon and we will be able to go at least to the local monastery, we thought to while away the time sitting in the dining hall balcony. And guess what! Another surprise was waiting for us there. Though it was raining briskly in Bermiok, the clouds had cleared a bit in the higher mountains and we could finally catch a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga. Thick, grey clouds covered the mountain but the snow covered peaks reflected some of the sunlight.




Still we were happy that we could see some of her. But the rain clouds came up again covering the range entirely. With nothing else to do, we took rest for a while waiting for the weather to clear up. The gloomy mountains had begun to depress us; we sincerely hoped that we would be able to see a sunny day.

By 4.30 the rain had stopped. Though the sky was cloudy we were determined not to stay inside. With Chotu (a small boy from the hotel) as our guide we went to see the local monastery. Bermiok monastery is located at the top of the hill opposite to the Hotel Silent Valley. As we were short of time we took a shortcut. The path lay through the village cardamom plantations, rugged terrains and non-existent trails used by the locals.Chotu was an expert in leading the way.

The village church:

A football ground in the lap of nature:


The view from the top was awesome, with a sprawling valley, dark mountains and the Silent Valley nestled into the valley. The sun was disappearing fast into the horizon, the light started becoming thin. As we trekked higher up the hill we were rewarded with another spectacular sight.


A wider range of the Kanchenjunga could be seen from here which was not visible from the Hotel; three peaks were clearly visible with another small cluster visible towards the left horizon. We started clicking again but as before the peaks became quickly engulfed in clouds with only a single peak dazzling in the sunlight. The sight was such a delight to our starved hearts removing all the fatigue that we felt.



On the way to the monastery we met Mr. Chetri who had his home snuggled into this hilltop. He was very happy to welcome us, his ten-month old son real curious on seeing strangers. His cosy home warmed our heart, we refreshed our tired souls with a cup of hot water (this seemed a standard mode of reception in the villages). With a few snaps we headed off to the monastery again.
Mr. Chetri with his son, Rajiv(Chotu) standing in the back:


The Bermiok monastery, though small, has a grandeur which matches any other famous monasteries. It had been recently renovated and dazzled in its colours.


The monastery housed the deity of Guru Padmasambhava, Lord Buddha and Lord Narayana. Each idol had a fantastic look beaming with peace and serenity. The small artefacts of daily prayers lied in abundant.

Soon, a lama started the evening prayers; rotating the “maane” (prayer wheel) and chanting Buddhist mantras along with reading of Holy books. The pious environment soothed our souls and we could feel oneness with the universe.


On our way back, we strolled through the Bermiok bazaar. A few grocery shops, liquor shop, fish and meat shop constituted the bazaar. A permanent construction has been made where the weekly “Hat” of Saturday takes place.


The primary school of Bermiok is present adjacent to the bazaar area. Some sitting areas at the edge of the hill have also been made from where one can have fantastic view of the valley. A little further ahead, a small stream gushes by creating ripples on the road. It being a full-moon night, the moon could be seen playing hide and seek with the clouds; showering the valley with a pristine light whenever she could show her face. The calmness of the place seemed mind-boggling, the strange calmness which can be felt only in the mountains. Buzz of crickets, sound of flowing water, leaves rustling in the gentle breeze - all added up to make oneself to be at peace with the world.

As we had arranged with Mr. Chettri to trek to the Srijunga falls early in the morning the next day (if the weather permits), we had dinner and went off to sleep reliving the beauty of the mountains and enjoying the “silentness” of the Silent Valley.

Contacts and Transportation details:

Mr. AB Chettri: 9800755446, 9593277655.

Guide charges: Rs. 300 per tour. (Total of Rs. 450 for us – Rs. 300 for Changey/Uttarey etc. and Rs. 150 for Srijunga Mangheem)

Car charges: Rs. 1600 for the the Changey/ Uttarey trip and Rs. 600 for the Mangheem.
A copy of the transport charges from Bermiok is attached.

What a beautiful snaps , along with such a beautiful decription Trisha!!!!

Trisha wonderful writing and snaps are "jaw dropping" (© sagarneel)

A very nice write up and excellent photos Trisha.
Waiting for the next installment.
I never knew there is a monastery in Bermiok. Mr.Sarkar or Mr.Batore did not tell us about this monastery.

Excellent trisha !!!

Nice snaps and I must nice presentation ... awesome!!!

CA note: Trisha, outstanding job so far. Please continue to post and congratulations on being selected for the photologue forum!

Thanks..it was a pleasant surprise indeed..

Thank you all for your encouragements.

Thank you for your appreciation. Mrs. Batore had told us that the Bermiok monastery had been recently renovated and encouraged us to visit. The visit was worth it, not only because of the monastery but also because the altitude provided an excellent view of the mountain ranges.