For the view from the top: A first-time trekking experience in Tiffin Dara

‘And in that one moment, I was infinite’ — that is exactly how it felt after climbing up the stairs at the Tiffin Dara viewpoint and completing my first trekking experience.

Completely unplanned, trekking to Tiffin Dara in Lava was my techie friend, Kaustav Bhattacharjee’s plan, who has a penchant for hikes and treks. All I wanted to do for my holiday in the hills was relax with a view, read, have momos and fill up my phone’s photo gallery. But, my friend had other plans, and it seems listening to friends sometimes lead to the best experiences.

The first warm-up trek

It all started when we chanced upon a temple during our stay at Ravangla in south Sikkim. A local informed us about Rong-Lui Drak, a small, lesser-known temple tucked away in the woods of Ravangla, where the white snake (shwet naag) and which comes under the purview of the Doling monastery. The site was a 15-minute walk from our stay at Ravangla, which opened up the opportunity for a 10-minute uphill hike! We set out on a chilly, misty morning — what we saw is a story for another time.

Known only to the locals, there is a small natural water source atop the stone henge that is home to the temple. It is believed that the water in the crater of the stone henge never dries up. Of course it was a must-see, but I had to make my way on an uphill slant that was wet and bushy. Once I made it to the top, I realised I never felt more alive. My pounding heart told me I had found a new love — trekking.

Now I was ready to explore those craggy mountain routes, and much to the joy of my friend this led to us adding the trek to Tiffin Dara to the next part of our itinerary in Lava.

Tiffin Dara, here I come…

At Lava, we stayed at the WBFDC Nature, Education and Wilderness Resort. Incidentally, the uphill path by the resort’s canteen was the route to the Tiffin Dara view point — so there was no getting out of this. For a beginner with questionable fitness and a few ailments, the 4km uphill hike was a daunting prospect. After the first five minutes, my brain was screaming, “Give up already, please!” every 30 seconds, but the softer words in my head that sounded like, “Courage, dear heart,” won.

Tiffin Dara is a moderate trekking route on Rishyap hill, starting from the WBFDC property and ending at the view point. We set off on a cloudy morning on February 28, the first day of Losar. This also prompted us to make a stop at one of the essential stops along the trekking route — a site of Buddhist worship, about 10 minutes into the trek.

For me, this stop was also a welcome opportunity to catch my breath and a little break, because truth be told, the journey so far through stone cut stairwars and a gravelly path had felt more like torture and less like adventure.

Is this a forgotten world?

The initial 30 minutes of the trek is through comparatively broad but stony trails. Once the woods get denser and the sounds of cars on the serpentine roads below muffles, all you can hear is the sound of your feet on a bed of leaves.

Myriad birds kept us company with their melodious and unique chirps As we kept getting closer to the destination, the silence of the jungle creeped in, and dense fog engulfed us. It was as if we had entered a forgotten world. The chilly wild and the fragrance of the jungle, took over our senses. Worries ceased to exist, and I was just falling hopelessly in love with nature in its full glory all around us.

However, while nature has bestowed us with its finest, humankind failed us and the Tiffin Dara trek made me realise yet again how the (un)civilised are capable of ruining something perfect. The trail that should have been covered with fallen leaves and invoked lines from Shankha Ghosh’s poetry celebrating “jhora patar shok” (the melancholy of fallen leaves), was instead littered with plastic bottles and packets, and alcohol cans.

I walked on choosing to look at the foliage and listening to birdsong.

It’s a climb, but the view is great!

An hour and half later, we reached the end of our route and arrived at the viewpoint. I did it!

Kachnejunga was enveloped by clouds in clouds, but the misty landscape was like a still from a Thodōros Angelopoulos film. For me, the uphill climb was some sort of championing personal tale — of grit, of winning over fears, of completing what I started. And it will be a milestone for me, every time I stumble.

Returning to the stay through the same route, I felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind, yet I carried with me a sense of profoundness. There was melancholy in letting go of how I felt standing at that view point, and I also found the new meaning that that moment of my life gave me.

Back in Kolkata, my mind still wanders back to the wild strawberry plants, the geometric pattern of ferns, the tree painted red with rhododendrons in full bloom, the whistling of wind through the pine trees.

Tiffin Dara, I owe you another visit. See you soon, dear friend.