Gurudongmar Lake Adventure

Gurudongmar Lake, is one of the highest lakes in the world and highest lakes in India , located at an altitude of 17,800 ft (5,430 m) in the Indian state of Sikkim.

This stint of our's was one big adventure. We started very morning around 2:00 am from Lachen for this road trip, a our vehicle scaled altitude it started freezing cold, we were on brink of breakdown due to freezing cold when our MUV vehicle driver decided we can break for few minutes. We managed to find a small be cozy place where the landlady was kind enough to prepare us a warm tea with some warm butter and steamed bread. The kitchen felt like a grade one 5 star luxury lounge. 

Steamed bread, warmed butter and hot tea... and life can't get any better in this freezing high altitude cold conditions.

The blue table like furniture was actually multipurpose heater cum stove..

We decorated fully equipped kitchen

We visited the Gurudongmar, gurudwara which is managed by Army. The care takers were very kind enough to share some hot tea with us.

Soon it was time to leave as after 12:00 noon the oxygen level drops very severely here. But no sooner we started for our journey back towards Lachen our vehicle broke down.

We had to walk a short distance before we managed to get into one of the army truck after speaking some army officer. And it was one hell of a roller coaster ride till a small town, where we were supposed to hitch another ride and we had not telephone network so how to communicate with anyone.

Bapi had not joined us on onward journey due to some illness and there was not way we could communicate with him. I gathered some information that we can make a call from army base via their satellite phone network. I somehow managed to climb the hill to make a phone call back to few people and inform them about the situation. We also managed to hitch a small Maruti Gypsie for our return journey at a premium price. But there was another adventure waiting to happen as we reached back.  

Our vehicle could not be repaired and we could not get another vehicle replacement vehicle. With great difficulty and after some negotiations with locals we managed to hire another jeep till a drop to nearest town before we can change our vehicle for onward journey to Gangtok but not before we had to spend additional night at Lachen. 

Above (We had stopped here for few pictures)

Below (Driver who drove us down to Gangtok, very colourful personality. Full on entertainment.)