Day 7: Gorkhey to Siri Khola

Day 7: 21/10/2011

Gorkhey to Siri Khola

Woke up leisurely & found the first cloudy day of the trip. Went for a walk to the waterfalls. We were ready to set out after breakfast, but it started raining. We spent the time in our room with Darjeeling tea & did some reading. Bhalu, the black dog, gave us company. There was not much going on in the farm either. Around noon, the rain stopped. We said our farewell & set out for Siri Khola via Rmaban. It was to be an easy trek with no climbing.

We crossed the river & entered the pine forest. The walk was on a carpet of pine needles. A dog accompanied us. Pratap encouraged it with a promise of Buiscuits. Dogs here are pleasant creatures. They are all extra furry & I guess they need to be in these parts. They are friendly & happy to accompany you on your trek.

A climb and a short while later we came to Samanden. Pratap had called it a second Switzerland, but I found it be the poorest village in these parts. The primary school was on & I found the kids were poorly dressed. Some had runny noses. But the kids were full of beans. I gave out some of my candy as we took some pictures.

We climbed a bit above the village & we were back in the forest of Oak, Cypress & Fern. The Pine forest ended. Met a couple with a baby. They were coming back after vaccinating the baby. Imagine walking hours for just getting a vaccination.

The trek from Samanden to Ramban was the best walk in the entire trip. The forest with the streams & the soft path was exhilarating. The rain had softened everything. There was little mist. As we gaze across the valley, we can see the clouds climbing the hills to find a way across. We had short cuts through water channels. Flowers adding colour. Suddenly we came across the loveliest of scents. It would bring life back to a dead body. Which tree was emitting the scent? In this thick forest, there is no way of knowing. No wonder Hanuman had to bring the whole mountain for Laksmana. What wonders are hidden in these forests! I enjoyed the sights, sounds & smells in every step.

The setting for Rambam Higher Secondary School could not be any better. Set on the ridge overlooking the valley, it had views of the mountains in Sikkim. This was the first high school we had seen & the classes were all busy. There was a teacher in each class & I was impressed with their professionalism. The great thing about all these schools was the Teacher-Student ratio. Vasu had every one lined up in the corridor for a picture. The teachers were obliging.

The Ramban Monastery is owned by the people at the Ramban Trekkers' Hut. A young boy with a round face, a sweet smile & pink cheeks opened the Monastery for me. Talk about being apple-cheeked. The family which ran the Trekkers' Hut at Sandakphu ran the Hut here in Ramban. Apparently it was home away from home for Pratap. We were welcomed like family. It was around 2:30 & not having had lunch, we were hungry. We had noodles & tea. We also tasted Rice Wine. It was fiery on the insides. There were 2 other boys at the Hut beside the apple-cheeked one. Pratap said they were all orphans from Darjeeling being cared for by the family here. I gave out the last of the Orange Candy. I was concerned about these kids who seemed to be doing all the work here.

Ramban to Siri Khola had a lot of habitation. Pratap seemed to know everyone here. The trek was ending & he was slowly unwinding. The path also had a bit of Porter & Kacchra traffic. Smuggling Rum? View of Darjeeling in the distance. We are certainly getting closer to the end of our trip!

We saw 3 people handling a huge log. Apparently they had brought the log up from the side of the cliff through heavy vegetation. Amazing.

We rested at a point & looked at the mountains on the other side. 4 Days ago on the first day of the trek we had been on the other side looking at this side. Again, we heard commentary floating in. Football? but the cadence was different. It was Tambola. Somewhere, Friday night was already on! The last part of the trek was steep descent along a path with loose rocks. It was getting dark & I was anxious. We reached the Hut at Siri Khola at 5:30 & it was dark. Apparently it was not too late for some guides who brought a couple at 7:00 using torches.

The Trekkers' Hut at Siri Khola was humming. There was a bunch of youngsters returning from Sandakphu & they were in party mood. There was a French Couple with an older Guide also coming from Sandakphu. Like the English couple earlier, the French Couple also was on an extended vacation after leaving their jobs. And I thought Europe was in recession! With the end of the trip the Guides were letting their hair down. The talk was about Gorkhaland & which would happen first Telangana or Gorkhaland. It was a pleasant evening over dinner & sleep was to the sound of the Siri Khola bubbling along.