Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary in Lachung Valley, Sikkim

North Sikkim - Lachung

We drove from Gangtok to Lachung, a small mountain village at 8600 feet close to the Tibetan border. http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/wildlife/wildlife-sikkim.htm 
It took 7 hours by bumpy, twisting roads to reach Lachung. The drive goes past many hydroelectric dams on the Teesta River (now up to Stage V), some near Lachung are being contested by local Lachungpa, Lepcha, and other minority people. It was also seen that some dams are not completed by the construction companies, leaving a mess of concrete in the river.
http://www.indiatogether.org/teesta-environment and http://blogs.agu.org/fromaglaciersperspective/2017/05/02/gurudongmar-glacier-retreat-teetsa-river-hydropower-sikkim/

Lachung has been besieged by Indian tourists to the point where most of the hotels are leased and operated by Indians from other areas of India, mostly Bengalis from Calcutta. Many of these hotels are ugly buildings that advertise Bengali comfort and food. Sadly, there is a lack of Lachungpa culture. One leaves with photos of the pretty flowers but knows nothing of the people.

The beautiful Yumtang Valley leads to Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, where more than 38 different species of Rhododendrons are found.

I wish I knew the names of the different Rhododendron species we saw - there was such an amazing variety of flower colors, shiny white, sunny yellow, vibrant red, delicate pink, bushes and trees, and leaf types.

A lone yak walks in the mist as we enter the park. 

The weather was drizzly and chilly, so our views and ability to walk about were hindered.

Driving into the sanctuary, signs of landslides were common - perhaps nature's way of halting some of the tourist traffic. Near the entrance to the Sanctuary is a beautiful field of flowers, and a memorial to the regiment that built the road.

The first Rhododendrons are purple, mixed with white, and have elongated leaves, making them a gorgeous entry. But then the weather started to deepen into fog and drizzle.

 A Fire-tailed Sunbird perched in a budding bush.

Cold and wet, a female Orethrum dragonfly clings to a juniper.

The rhododendrons varied in shrub size, leaf shape, and color. It was not possible to capture as many of them as I would have liked due to the heavy rains.

Indian tourists rent warm woolies and boots to wear on their one-day visit to the sanctuary; most come from warm regions, so they feel very cold.

The river is lined with prayer flags for the Lachungpa believe this helps guide the soul of the dead away from the present world.

A few birds were out despite the rainy weather - below is the Rufous-gorged Flycatcher.

 On the water was an Ibisbill, a Himalayan resident species of wading birds.

Blood pheasants appeared once the constant convoy of Indian tourist cars had left the park. We saw several cross the road, but they were fast at disappearing.

Driving above the sanctuary is a pass called Zero Point, over 15,000ft, and a few km from the Chinese border. On the way to Zero Point, the signs warn that the area is protected and permits are needed. However, the number of permits seems to have no restriction, and the road hums with traffic, despite the weather.

 A sign on the way to Zero Point and finally below in the snow at the top.

After such a miserable rainy day, the following morning was clear and lovely, but our trip to the sanctuary was over, and we had to leave.

A few examples of Lachungpa houses and their love of flowers - a fantastic color range of primroses below.

A very old, 1940s Nissan truck sits unused on the road in Lachung.

 A clean start to the day, a cat sits in the sun cleaning itself.

 The traditional Lachung village

At our lunch stop, a cute baby was enjoying his bath in a small basin.

The colorful house belongs to the family of the young girl below - she takes care of her brother while her mother works. Her mother proudly said the young girl was number one in her class at the local school.

A roadside vegetable market had lovely bananas, pineapple, and lots of fresh vegetables. The traffic jams were numerous and took so long that we often got out and walked while our driver waited for the road to open. It was a good way to meet people, get some exercise, and see a close-up of what was happening.

Women work hard as laborers to build the road, which is painstakingly slow as they hammer large rocks into small rocks. The roads need a lot of work and workers, as you can see. However, the number of tourists and the jeeps carrying them seem
undaunted by the horrible roads.

From Star