These areas being on the border with China you have to get all sorts of permits and the areas are restricted for foreigners.
Entry to Nathu-La is restricted up to 12.00 noon.
Nobody is allowed to go after that.
Hence we decided to go there first although we had to pass Tsomgo Lake on the way.
As we went higher, we passed the snow line and the tree line where there was no green vegetation.
The final climb of about 50 stairs for reaching the borders between China and India was exhausting.
There was a notice by our Government cautioning people with High BP and Heart problem to take precautions.
We climbed, becoming breathless on the way, because of the thinning of air and the spectacle which greeted us.
One thing I noticed was that the Chinese were place higher and more strategically placed than us.
In case war ever broke out, which is very likely, seeing China’s expansionist tendencies, our Indian forces would be at a great disadvantage.
Further, they have built there 4-lane tarred road network right up to their border and we are still struggling to build our roads.
As per the progress observed by the local population, it will take them another 5 years to complete the road.
God forbid, if war should break out before that, our forces have had it.
I fear the Chinese would be in Siliguri within 24 hours.
There will be a repeat of 1962.
Our corrupt politicians are just not seeing the writing on the wall and continue to fight for reservation and quotas for their vote banks for various categories and sub-categories while the Chinese army continues to breathe down us menacingly.
From Nathu-La we went down to Baba Harbhajan Singh’s Temple & Memorial.
We bought some items just for the sake of being able to say we bought them from Nathu-La.
Most of the items are available at Gangtok at the same price.
We took some photographs and returned to our vehicles.
Thereafter there was a mix-up.
Sonam had brought his car in which he had carried three of our boys.
While returning from here he took four of the boys and sent his driver in our vehicle.
The driver said an old man had gone with Sonam.
We waited for 20 minutes for A K Roy to come to our vehicle.
When he didn’t come, we assumed he had gone with Sonam.
We were mistaken, Avijit had gone and A K was left behind.
We only found out our mistake after reaching Tsomgo Lake.
We were shocked.
We turned around our vehicle in search of A K.
On the way back, we stopped all passing vehicles to see if AK was in it.
Finally we found AK in the last vehicle which was coming down.
Saying he was angry would be an understatement.
He fired the driver left, right and centre.
We tried to cool him down unsuccessfully.
On reaching Tsomgo Lake he fired Sonam and the others.
He finally cooled down after a long time.
The rest of the journey down was uneventful.
I suppose we had sufficient excitement for a day.
We reached our hotel and got ready for the next programme of the day which was dinner at K K Rai's place.
But that is another story and we will have to wait for it.
Back at the hotel, JK.Ready to go to K K Rai's place
Back at the hotel, Manosh
A view of the Tsomgo Lake
Another view of the Tsomgo lake
Yet another view of the Tsomgo Lake
Yt another view of the Lake
Baba Harbhajan Singh's Temple
Another view of the Temple
Stairs leading down from Nathula
Manosh JK and Self, boy was it cold?
Manosh, J K and A K
J K Ghosh, A K Roy, Amarnath Banerjee, Mrs Ranjan Mazumdar, Mrs Rudra and Rudra 
Nelson, J K Ghosh, A K Roy and Amarnath Banerjee
A view on side
Another view of the Chinese side
A mountain range on the Chinese side, don't know the name
This is our side on Nathu-la
A view of the Chinese side from Nathu-La
A view of Gangtok from the top
A view of the Kanchenjunga from the Taxi stand
Another view of the Kanchenjunga from the Taxi stand
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