BIRDS OF PANGOLAKHA ( SIKKIM , INDIA )

 This time I have no plan for tour due to hectic overload of my work but I want to share one experience which I got to know from one of my friends who recently visited Pangolakha and I am describing the same in my own language.

PANGOLAKHA

Monsoon has its own beauty but when it rains excessively, then the climate and the surrounding seems to react against us. Landslide is very common in hilly areas including some places of North Bengal in India. But when nature calls, it is irresistible to sit back at home. Moreover the inner thrust in mind led us to plan our trip to Pangolakha in Sikkim to watch birds.

Sun was at mid sky when we reached NJP on 25^th 2011. Our vehicle for our journey was pre-arranged. We took NH 31A, the highway towards Gangtok from Siliguri. As per our plan we have to cross Rangpo, the border of West Bengal and Sikkim and take the right hand route to Zuluk where we will stay for next 4 days and trek the nearby jungles as well as Pangolakha sanctuary to watch birds.

ZULUK  VILLAGE

Pangolakha is very beautiful, picturesque and falls on the north of Neora valley and is one of my favorites. There is a trek route from Pangolakha to Neora Valley. Cho-lo ranges fall on the north of Pangolakha with Chumbi Valley on North West, on the east is the Pangolkha range which is the border of India and Bhutan, on the South and North-West is Neora Valley and on the west is Pakkim or Payking where the first airport of Sikkim is under construction.

OLD  SILK  ROUTE

The Juluk village, 9300 ft above the sea level is the gateway of Pangolakha. The route goes amidst the hills, the landscape looks like lots of inverted bowls kept there. This is the so called silk route and when in winter there is water crisis, the route gets covered by ice.

RONGLI

What so ever we are going there in the rainy season when excessive rain causes many difficulties. Although it rained for past few days, today it is sunny. Sign of landslide are seen on the hilly road. While going, we got news of landslide before Rangpo when we reached Tista Bazaar. The task of clearing the road has started though it is time consuming. Without wasting any time we took the alternative route to our destination via Kalimpong –Algara-Pedong-Rishi-Rongli and finally Zuluk. The journey gets extended but there is no way.

STRIPED  THHOATED  EUHINA

We took our lunch at a restaurant at Kalimpong. The road goes straight to Lava via Algara but we took the left side road and reached Pedong by mid noon. Many butterflies are flying everywhere making the surrounding colorful. Few familiar birds are flying everywhere. We stopped our car near Rishi and took photos seeing two tree creepers, one after another, climbing up a tree very fast and fluently. We stopped as and when we got glimpse of any interesting thing. Till now we saw very common birds like Pied Bush Chat, Rufous Sibia, Striped Throated Euhina, Orientl Turtle Dove etc.

RUFOUS  SIBIA

We reached Rongli by evening and took our inner line permit which took no time because copy of our photo identity card was sent beforehand. For this reason local vehicles get an upper hand over outside vehicles.

The road climbed up from Rongli to Lingtham. Everywhere there is darkness. Suddenly we saw in the headlight of our vehicle, a Leopard Cat appearing from the roadside bush and walking in front of us. The skin was yellow with striped black. This little incident got everyone of us back to attention throughout the time we reached Zuluk.

ZULUK

There is only one home stay facility at Zuluk. Except those over-curious ones, very few travelers come in this route. There has been little rain because we found water stagnant on the stairs when we got down entering our rooms. Electricity, geyser and room heater is present creating a soothing atmosphere although there is not so cold outside.

We planned our next few days program while relishing snacks with tea. Almost every afternoon it rained and the sky remained cloudy. So we used to plan our next day journey after seeing the morning sky. We had to take same route to Zuluk which goes through Pangolakha to Nathula.

CHESTNUT  TAILED  MINLA

We can move down to Padamcham or Lingtham which falls in the range between 4000 -9000 ft. Here birds like Grey Hooded Warbler, Chestnut Tailed Minla, White Browed Fulvetta, Chestnut Bellied Rockthrush, Yellow Breasted Greenfinch, Fire Tailed Sunbird, Rufous Sibia and Black Faced Laughing Thrush can be watched. Himalayan Monal, Blood Fleagent, Satar Tragopan can be watched occasionally in year. We got to know that Red Panda is available there in that area.

FIRE  TAILED  SUNBIRD

We reached Pangolakha. Himalayan Monals can be seen in between 9000-14000 ft. on the zigzag road which goes to Nathula towards Jelepla. In this region almost 2 ft dazzling monals can be seen amidst Rhododendron Flower, Juniper Bush which is a treasure of Pangolakha.

HIMALAYAN  MONAL

Each and every member of Fleagent family is very dazzling. We have not seen yet Satar Tragopan and moreover glimpse of Blood Fleagent is a dream to photographer like us. Other than these Birds, Bear, Clouded leopard, Red Panda, Himalayan Thar, Deer, Pel Wiezel, Yellow Throated Master Pyka are also present here.

RED  PANDA

Next day we got ready before sunrise. Large hawk Kaku is having chorus with Blue Whistling Thrush Clurk. After advancing a few kilometers, we suddenly got glimpse of Kanchenjunga with its ministers including Koktang, Narsing, Pandim, Kabru, Kabrudom, Janu, Sinialchu with the first strike of sun-rays on peak of Kanchenjunga. We took photos and got astonished while turning our heads to see a Goral standing at a distance of 30 ft away and staring at us. Here Himalayan Thar is also available.

GORAL

We stayed there for a few more time with the sunshine hitting the valley. We climbed up a little bit. The Zuluk village can seen very down there, with the Silk Route looking like crawling snake very deep down. Jelepla is very close nearby where previously business was used to be done between India and Tibet and people used to have night stay here at Zuluk. Now business is no longer done and the whole area is under control of army and forest department. The total area is very historic.

PIED  BUSHCHAT

We spotted many Fire Tailed Sun birds at a place and took many photos. The sun went up above the sky when we reached Lungthu which is bout 18 kms from Zuluk. On our return journey back to Zuluk we caught sight of Black Faced Laughing Thrush.

SATYR  TRAGOPAN

We took lunch by 2 pm. By 3 pm we got out and now our journey is downwards. After  a few minutes search we got sight of Blood Pheasant and Satyr Tragopan. In the evening we celebrated ourselves with tea and snacks and took dinner by 9 pm.

BLOOD  PHEASANT

We spent our days by watching each and every morning and afternoon. We took photos of many rare birds like Grey Hooded Warbler, Rusty Tiled Tree-creeper, White Chested Laughing Thrush, Chestnut Tailed Minla, Olive Blacked Pipit, Chestnut Bellied Rockthrush, Yellow Breasted Greenfrinch, Barred Cuckoo Dove, White Colored Black bird and many more.

KUPUP  LAKE

One day we crossed Lungthu and went to see Nathang Valley and Bedong Tsao (Kupup Lake) where due to excessive bushes in rainy season, birds were very less. Still the greenery soothed us.

LENGTHU

FULFILLING YOUR DREAMS BY TRAVEL IN MINDS

PURE POTENTIALITY

There are many rules to get success and the first rule of success says that our basic or fundamental state is one of pure potentiality like perception and it’s the field of all possibilities and creativeness. Our physical world, body anything in this universe comes from a ground of quiet, unmoving awareness from which everything is possible. There’s no division between the ground of energy, our spiritual essence and our self. This self is the ground. If we know that who originally gives us the ability to accomplish any dream we have.

Nature also uses the same ground to create a human body or galaxy. It is the ground of pure potentiality from where all powers, intelligence come from and where everything is possible and positive. So the success in life relies on knowing who we really are. First we have to cut our ego feelings because this ego is influenced by objects outside the self. This is a social mask; it’s the role we are playing. We have to control it by self and self power is the best power, based on the laws of nature. Practicing of silence and meditation is the best way to know and judge our self. 

There is another way to experience pure potentiality, which is nonjudgmental (by practicing). Judging constantly things as right-wrong, bad-good creates a lot of confusion in our mind and this confusion constricts the flow of energy in between us and the ground of pure potentiality. This question will arise in our mind that what is then actual awareness? That is, the silent space in between our thoughts where you we meet with our true power. So silence our mind and access our inner stillness by practicing of non judgment. To fill this power we can spend time in nature and by observing we begin to sense the sweet interaction of all the elements and the forces of life.

To experience the pure potentiality we can follow these simple rules:

. To connect with our inner energy and to just be we should take time each day to be silent.

. “We will judge nothing that occurs today” – start with this declaration by practicing non judgment and remind ourselves of that declaration every time we catch ourselves judging.

. Communicate with nature. Quietly observe the wonderful intelligence within everything. Watch a full moon, a rising sun, a sunset, follow the sound of ocean or simply smell a flower’s scent.

GIVE AND ACQUIRE

Giving and acquiring is a policy of nature. We can see that the world operates it self through dynamic exchanges. In human relationship we can also see the give and acquire policy. These (give & acquire) are the different elements of the flow of energy in the world. We must not interrupt this flow. There is a line known to all of us is, “without money there is no honey”. We have to know what this honey actually is. This is a flow of life energy. Exchanging of money provides services to us. Here, actually we are exchanging our needs through this media (money) and this is a continuous flow. By stopping this rotation or by holding on to our money and stockpile it, we actually stop its circulation back into our lives. 

Purpose is the main thing behind our giving. When the purpose of giving is joyful and from the heart then the power behind the giving multiplies many times over. But if it is not from the heart we will not get the gift of true joy. If we do something good for others from heart then life will pay us back with good. We have to keep it in our mind that everyone has something good in them. So loving all is the simple answer and for this we have to study how to give true love; how to sacrifice. Nature it self is the answer. It teaches us everything. For example- tree, crop, our hard labor, all these things are in the nature and it teaches us if we do good for others they will also do the same thing. Even an ant also tries to do something good for us. So just love and bless everyone and give everyone the costless gifts of caring, affection, appreciation and above all love.

Giving and acquiring are nothing but a flow of life. Every gift that comes to us is freely given by the universe and without any asking we get them freely. Seeking for need, desire, laughter, harmony, joy, love not only for us but also for others is the actual policy and nature also supports this. 

To experience the give and acquire policy we can follow these simple rules:

. To begin the process of flowing joy in our and other’s life, we have to give a gift of love, affection, appreciation, attention to everyone we meet.

. Always receive gifts from life with a joy even that would be a material gift like praise or a prayer. 

. Wish everyone's good.

MOUNT. EVEREST

MT. EVEREST

Each and every year many mountaineers come in love for Mt.Everest. It is a dangerous, tremendous life risking passion. One of the common routes for Mt.Everest trekking is via Kathmandu, Nepal and further journey towards base camp through Lukla. Everyday the mountaineers travel by day and some times in night also. I am describing the journey day by day.

TREKKING  ROUTE

1^st day:

Lukla is approximately 9,240 ft (above sea level). There is a place called Chablung located there where the trek route from Jiri converges. Proceeding a little lower from that place, flows the river Tharakosi. Phakding can be reached within half an hour after crossing the Tharakosi River by suspension bridge.

NAMCHE  BAZAAR  TO  JIRI  TREKKING

Phakding is a beautiful, picturesque village with very less population constituting hardly 30 lodge huts. Trekking up from Phakding, a place comes known as Jamfurty. Mt.Thamsherku 21,674 ft (above sea level) can be viewed from Jamfurty. A little trekking further up, comes Benkar (8,888 ft), from where moving a little further flows the river Dudhkosi. Trekking for about an hour after crossing the river, Monjo can be reached. Further proceeding, comes Sagar Matha National Park.

SAGAR  MATHA  NATIONAL  PARK

Trekking through the park and again crossing the river Dudhkosi comes a place called  Jorsale(9,339 ft). This is the point where the trekkers take interval after the first day trek and take rest for the next day journey.   

TREKKING

2^nd day:

The journey begins in the early morning. Advancing a little forward, comes a beautiful place where the river Dudhkosi, flowing from west meets the Votekosi river which flows from east.

DUDHKOSI  RIVER

Now the direction is towards north, proceeding through the pine forest in front and reaches Namche Bazaar (11,286 ft), which is the largest city in the route. Everything is available here like hotel, bakery, post office, police station, military base camp etc. It should be better if a two night halt is taken here to adjust with climate and altitude.

RIVER

3^rd day:

Rest

4^th day:

Rest

5^th day:

NAMCHE  BAZAAR

Thyangboche is about an hour distance from Namche Bazaar. Descending a little about (9100 ft.)  comes a route through the jungle. Traverse through the jungle watching its beauty, the trees like birch, conifer, rhododendron and reach a place called Devuche, crossing which comes the river Imja Khola. Cross the river and reach Pangboche(12,738 ft). The whole journey on this day takes about 5 hours, so it is better to have a night stay here.

THYANGBOCHE

6^th day:

There is a route from Pangboche to Dingboche. Crossing the river Imja Khola and going towards right, comes a place called Suro, from where the route to Dingboche falls on the right side (on the left falls the route to Everest through Feriche and Dugla). Proceeding towards right and advancing through Khumbukhola, reach Zingboche (14,388 ft).

KHUMBU  KHOLA  VALLEY

7^th day:

Trek to Dugla (15246 ft) after a 2 hrs journey from a little place called Zuma starting from Zingboche. A route from Feriche converges here at Dugla.

DUGLA  VILLAGE

8^th day:

Dhukpilhara can be reached after an hour trek from Dugla. Here are memorial dedicated to those Sherpa who were unable to make to Everest and finally lost their lives on the way. Proceeding a little west comes the valley Lobuche (16269 ft) where few lodge and hotels are available but comparatively costlier than Namche bazaar.

LOBUCHE

9^th day:

Journey begins in cold atmosphere, the route goes slowly ascending keeping Khumbu glacier on the right. This route is carefully maintained despite high altitude. After walking for 2 hrs and crossing Changorisar glacier, comes a place called Gorakshep (19,028 ft), where there is a lake which remains frozen all the time. Gorakshep is the best place in this route having accommodation facilities, with few hotels but good.

GORAKSHEP

 Take rest before proceeding to Everest Base camp (17,701 ft), which is 2 hrs walking distance from here. Himalayan monals can be watched from here.

HIMALAYAN MONAL

Most mountaineers take rest here for 2-3 days to adjust with climate and high altitude, night staying is on ground.

BASE  CAMP

10^th day:

Rest at base camp, arrange for sherpas.

11^th day:

Arrange for mountaineering equipments, check for medicines, oxygen cylinders etc. Make a possible plan to reach to the top of Mt. Everest.

12^th day:

Rest.

KHUMBU  ICEFALL

13^th day:

Khumbu Glacier is the first and biggest hardle in this route which starts from south of Nepal. Everywhere there are lacs of tons of ice scattered with hidden death trap and crevasces, through which goes the trek route discovered by the sherpas. Aluminium staircases are present on the ice over the crevasces, in some places the staircases are positioned on ice wall to climb-up. Avalanches are very common. The whole route is maintained by Sagarmatha National Park Society. Slowly the journey proceeds towards camp 1 (19,833 ft) after a trek of approximately 10 hrs. It is better to have a night stay here with altitude and climate and descend to the base camp next day.

CROSSING  KHUMBU  ICEFALL

14^th day:

Rest in base camp.

15^th day:

Rest in base camp.

16^th day:

Again the journey begins in the same route to camp 1 travelling all the way after crossing Khumbu Glacier. Take a night stay here and proceed towards camp 2 on the next day after wearing snow boot, crampon and other snow accessories.

EVEREST  NORTH  FACE

17^th day:

Walk over the staircases, cross the crevasces and after a 4 hrs journey reach camp 2 (20,944 ft) where most of the mountaineers take rest, in tents. It is very cold there and body requires more water with the increase in altitude .It is better to drink as much water as you can to avoid high altitude sickness.

TREKKING

18^th day:

Rest in camp 2.

19^th day:

Get ready very early because camp 3 is situated very high above , but the route is not so dangerous except that after climbing 2000 ft high , there is a ice wall which has to be crossed with the help of rope, carabineer , joomer etc . Slowly and slowly after climbing up and taking rest on the way , reach camp 3 ( 23,891 ft ) , where in the day the ultraviolet rays from sun roasts human body but by night , the temperature goes below the freezing point . Most of the mountaineers take night rest here and descend to camp 2 on the next day to adjust with climate and altitude and keep them fit.

CAMP  3

20^th day:

Camp 2

21^st day:

Camp 1

22^ndday:

Base camp

BEAUTY  OF  HIMALAYA

23^rd day:

Rest

24^th day:

Rest

25^th day:

Rest

26^th day:

Rest

In this prolonged period of rest, it is advisable to take the latest information about the possibility of the perfect period when the climate stays normal on the top of Everest. Then according to that, choose the correct day of journey from base camp. If the right information about good weather over Everest comes, then it is the right day to start the journey from base camp. Staircases, ropes etc are present throughout the route for the sake of mountaineers and for this the Sagarmatha National Park society charges dollar from each mountaineer. First reach camp 1 crossing Khumbu icefall and proceed towards camp 2 on the same day and take night rest, and if required rest can be taken on the 27^th day.

CAMP  2

27^th day:

Rest at camp 2.

28^th day:

Proceed towards camp 3 by climbing up 2000 ft high and cross the ice wall. Take night rest here.

29^th day:

Start journey towards South Call or camp 4. Climb up about 500 ft ice wall twice, and proceed forward to hard rocky soil. Traverse the rocky land with the help of oxygen cylinder and slowly reach South Call (26,025 ft) in about 8 hrs .South Call is the point where Everest and Lhotse ridge coincides. From here, South Lhotse looks beautiful and in the north is Everest. Nuptse looks very closer from here. Minimum 5 oxygen cylinders are required per head, extra cylinders are welcome to tackle any problem, and wait for the correct time and keep body fit which is most needed.

LOOKING  AT  THE  SOUTH  SUMMIT, LHOTSE  BEHIND WITH  IT'S  THREE  SUMMIT  VISIBLE  AND  CHAMALANG  IN  THE  DISTANCE

Right time comes with the right weather when the situation is in favour of the mountaineers to start the journey to the top of Everest. Ropes for climbing are present everywhere on the way. Joomering is done each and every time when the help of rope is taken for climbing. After a tideous journey and slowly progressing, reach South summit which is 500-600 ft below the top .Here the surrounding scenery is beautiful and picturesque. But progressing is to be kept on without wasting any time here. After advancing a little forward, rock climbing zone comes about 15-20 ft high with 8000-10000 ft deep gorge on both sides. This place is called Hillary Step. After very cautiously climbing up Hillary Step and advancing a little, comes the Summit or top of Everest.

HILLARY   STEP

All happiness, excitement, pain behind every failure, pleasure behind every success explodes in the mind at the same time. But not wasting much time, the journey starts descending step by step, capturing the memory and the moment of conquering the Summit.

TOP  OF  THE  MT.EVEREST

MOUNT  EVEREST