26 April 2008. Goecha La trek: Day 1

From Yuksom to Tsokha via Sachen and Bakhim Steep climb under the rain Risky photo-shoot Meeting Tibetan lamas First extravagant lunch First extravagant dinner

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I woke up at 5:00 because of the now familiar shouts of the hotel's bossy proprietor under the window. Even though it was raining heavily the whole night and early morning, the skies cleared shortly after we left at 9:00. The Australians and their guide, Mr. Buddha, left a bit earlier. As I told Ongdup, according to a Russian belief it's a good sign to leave for a journey while it is raining. Besides Ongdup, our team includes Pemba and Bhaichung (porters), Nima (the horse-keeper), and his brother Lakpa (the cook) who'll join us in a day. Nima and Lakpa are the oldest (they are in their early or mid-thirties) and they are from this area. All dzos have been taken by other groups, so we've got three horses to carry our luggage.

Tip Bring big plastic bags or, better yet, plastic tubing to repack your luggage and tie the tubes from both sides. Then your stuff won't get wet when horses/dzos carry it under the rain/hail/snow.

In the beginning the trail was not too hard. It was very humid though: after all that rain the air was over-saturated with moisture. I sweated a lot and even my glasses got all foggy. ( By the way, the glasses I made at the Blue Sky Optical Centre on Tibet Road in Gangtok, just across from the New Modern Central Lodge, was a life-saver: both the frame and the lenses served me well throughout the entire trek.) As we were going up, some groups were coming down, and I had my first look at a dzo caravan. One always has to step aside to let the heavily burdened animals pass, and—since it is a mountain road—one has to step to the side opposite to a downward slope. Anxious to take a photos of dzos crossing a suspension bridge, I forgot about that rule and stepped to the slope side. Having already crossed the bridge, Mr. Buddha, the Australians, and Wanchuk were sitting on the other side of it. When I stepped to the wrong side I saw how their facial expressions suddenly changed. Afterwards, Mr. Buddha noted drily: “This is how accidents happen.”

The rain started again, and a combination of water, mud, humidity, and the trail rising higher and higher made the climb quite uncomfortable. This, however, was compensated by spectacular landscapes with roaring waterfalls, mountains shrouded in thick mist, and precarious-looking suspension bridges.

Tip Carry a light raincoat/rain-jacket and a warm sweater in your backpack at all times.

When we stopped for lunch at Sachen we saw a group of Tibetan lamas there. They were heading in the same direction, Goecha La pass, but going even further—on a pilgrimage to a sacred cave. Foreigners are not allowed beyond the Goecha La pass, but even though the lamas were ethnically Tibetan they could go there because, most likely, they had a refugee status. When lamas were leaving we saw Nima, Pemba, and Bhaichung with our horses pass Sachen and go forward.

In my naïveté I thought that for lunch we would get some sandwiches. Far from it: instead, we were treated first to hot passion fruit juice with biscuits, a noodle soup with crispy puri bread, aloo dum (potato dish), and—to top all this off—a fruit plate with of clementine cloves. This is quite extravagant, I thought. Since our cook was still with another trek, it was Ongdup who cooked the lunch. Clearly, he is multitalented.

The whole path from Yuksom to Bakhim is about 14 km (8.7 mi). For the most part, the road was quite good, and the climb was manageable though challenging. However, at the last segment (after the second suspension bridge) the path ascends steeply, and climbing it under the pouring rain was a grueling exercise. We arrived at Bakhim, elevation 2,740 m (8,990 ft) at 15:30, and decided we would try to make it to the village of Tsokha today. Having had some rest in Bakhim, we set out for Tsokha, elevation 3,050 m (10,007 ft).

On the way from Bakhim to Tsokha Ongdup we stopped at Ra Luk Yaysa. This is the site where, reputedly, lama Gawa Lhatsun Chempo, one of the three 17th century Tibetan lamas who later met in Yuksom and crowned the first Chogyal, picked a goat and sheep from his herd and sacrificed them. Since Ongdup spoke Bhutia, Wanchuk translated, and I was too tired to remember all the details, I am still not sure why the lama had his animals slaughtered. Perhaps, there was nothing else to eat. Be it as it may, this, according to Ongdup, is the reason why true Sikkimese can eat meat at an altitude lower than this place but should not do so as they go higher up. Our diet on this trek has been and is going to be completely vegetarian anyway, so we are OK :)

From Bakhim to Tsokha it's only 3 km (1.9 mi) but the road goes up and up and up. By the time we reached Tsokha (16:30) I was completely exhausted. It is not so much my legs as it is the respiratory system and the heart that are my limiting factors. It seems that Wanchuk does not find the trek to be too challenging, so it is me who slows everybody down. There is no hurry though: our plan for today was done, and Ongdup told me not to worry.

We decided to stay in a trekkers' hut rather than in a tent. While we were in Sachen our porters and horses had caught up with us and went ahead; thus when we arrived in Tsokha our luggage was already there. It was a relief to change clothes and have a hard-earned rest. Having hung our wet clothes on the rope we bought in Yuksom, we walked to a nearby gompa. On my way there I bought a pair of thick woolen socks and gloves at a local shop.

Tips A rope is always useful: it can serve as a cloth line, a tie for the bags, etc. Warm cap, warm socks, and warm gloves are a must.

The candlelight dinner was quite nice: soup, salad, fried rice, and something else followed by black tea. I had to specifically ask for a tea without milk or sugar, since the default is to put them in. Next table sat our Australian fellow travelers; we chatted with them. A large group of Bengali tourists was having a late dinner. They were quite obnoxious, making a lot of noise even though their guides tried to get some sleep nearby. The attitude of those tourists was: we paid for our trek, and now we can do as we please. Quite irritating. They even tried to smoke inside. Wanchuk—bless his heart—asked them to smoke outside.

Tip Flashlight/headlight/torch operating on AA or AAA batteries is a must.

I scribbled my notes by the candlelight, crawled in my sleeping bag, and passed out. Tomorrow we are going to Dzongri, elevation 3,950 m (12,959 ft).

Tip Take water purification tablets with you. Your team will use boiled water but the boiling temperature at high altitudes is lower than 100°C.

See more photos at my Goecha La trek: d1&2, Apr 2008 photo album.
Check out Wanchuk's blog entry for the same day.