The Other Home started a travel photo blog to share interesting photographs of places, people and holidays in India. People say “A picture is worth a thousand words” and we believe that “A picture can show you a different world”. With this idea, they are sharing photographs with the travellers. You can follow them at blog.theotherhome.com.
Jaspal Singh visited the state of Sikkim, situated in the beautiful north-east of India in 2008. The mission was to scale Goecha La (4,940 metres), a high mountain pass in the Himalayan range. This is a 11-12 day trek and takes the climber close to a spectacular view of the mighty Kanchenjunga amidst a majestic panorama of the other lesser Himalayan giants.
The south-east face of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain, is viewable from the pass, which is also a base camp for those aspiring to scale the mountain. This trip has changed his life and helped him to connect with himself.
The interesting place to hang out and eat before the start of the trek is Yuksom Gupta Restaurant. The owner of this place is a lady, popularly known as “Bhabi”. The best thing about this place is the people. You will get an opportunity to mingle with the locals and experience their lifestyle, customs and food, Jaspal felt the need to spread the word for travel enthusiast.
Goecha La Trek is really popular among both domestic and international tourists. After leaving Yuksom, the next key landmark is Dzongri meadows. The raw adventure starts after crossing the Dzongri, as you will entered into the realm of towering mountain peaks directly above and camp is set amid the view of rumbling avalanches and high mountain glaciers.
On the summit day, we started at 1am and it took around nine hours to reach the top. It is difficult to express the feeling in words. “The only word which come to my mind is ‘Paradise’,” says Jaspal.
The local guides are really helpful and give you complete insight about the lifestyle, culture and flora and fauna of the place. Ever after five years, I am still in touch with Puran (our guide) and he keeps me updating about the new things.
His encounter with the mountains changed the way he perceived life. “During my travels, I have always realised the fact that life in the hills is not easy. The simple lifestyle of the villagers has moved me in a way that I understood the hardships that they go through in their daily lives and financial conflicts that they face. This compelled me to think and explore possible means for greater economic benefits for local people and host communities. My dream turns into reality in 2010 when I become founding member of The Other Home. I am trying to leverage responsible tourism and predominantly focusing on micro tourism. The Other Home aims to promote local employment by encouraging travellers to indulge in local food, culture and handicrafts. Meanwhile, by staying in these homestays, the travellers get an opportunity to stay close to nature. Also, by involving the locals with tourism, tourists get a better chance to view the culture more intricately through the eyes of a local guide. This in turn also helps in generating employment for the locals”.
Travel Tip: If you are a foreign national you can stay in Sikkim without obtaining permits from the designated authorities. These permits, officially termed Restricted Area permits/Protected Area Permits, are popularly known as Inner Line Permits.
How to get there: The easiest way to reach is by Air to Bagdogra International Airport. From Gangtok, one can hire a taxi to go to Yuksam. It will take around 6 hours to reach Yuksam. The trek starts from this place.
(Image: fabulousfabs)
