Yumesamdong Zero Point l, Chungtang District, N. Sikkim 2007

North Sikkim is primarily a restricted district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its district headquarters Mangan, is the cardamom capital of the world, and it's the seventh least populous district of the country and the largest of the four districts in Sikkim. The landscape is mountainous with dense vegetation all the way up to the alpine altitude before thinning out to desert scrub towards the northern tundra. Numerous waterfalls astride the main road make the area extremely picturesque, however, roads are in poor condition owing to the frequent landslides. The area, shares a sensitive border with the People's Republic of China and is heavily patrolled by the Indian army. As mentioned, the most prominent effect of the steepness of the terrain is, the prevalence of landslides that carry devastation along their course; the majority of them caused by either the melting snow beds on top of the mountains or the erosive action of the monsoon rains. North Sikkim is home to the red panda, an endangered species, which is the pride of Sikkim and is also the state animal. In 1977, North Sikkim district became home to Kangchenjunga National Park, which has an area of approximately 700 sq miles and shares the park with West Sikkim district. The district is also home to the Shingba or Rhododendron Wildlife Sanctuary, which was established in 1984 and has an area of 17 sq miles. The sanctuary has close to forty species of rhododendron trees, and is located in the Yumthang Valley north of Lachung. Mo, Doji and I passed thru Lachung and Shingba on the way to this picturesque vista along the Tibetan border. At an altitude of around 15,300 feet, Yumesamdong, and popularly known as Zero Point is a site to behold. The wild lavender Azalea's dotted the tundra landscape and where a stark contrast against the snow white peaks. Doji said, if you are lucky, sometimes one may see the rare wild Himalayan Blue Sheep. Not us...... Available as 8" x 11" or 11" x 17" color photo, painted print, watercolor print or b & w photo on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Fine Art Inkjet Paper and each photograph is personally approved and hand-signed by me, the artist.