The
village of Kupup is situated at an altitude of 13000 feet provides breathtaking
views of the famous Elephant Lake, which got the name from its shape that
resembles an elephant. Locally known as Bitan Choo, the lake is surrounded by
towering snow clad mountains on one side and a difficult to maintain 15 feet
wide road carpeted with fresh snow on the sides and in between that provides
the only route to reach Kupup via the lake. Kupup has a helipad primarily for military use.
Another
point of attraction in Kupup is the Yak Golf Course which is considered to be
the highest golf course in the world. Me and Samyukta had the privilege to play
there (and they give you a certificate saying that you played in the higest
golf course in the world after that!) The magnificent Tukla Valley opens up as
one crosses Gnathang Valley and Old Baba Mandir which commemorates the valiant
sacrifice of an Indian soldier Harbhanjan Singh who lost his life during the
relief and rescue operation of people affected by terrible landslides and
floods in this part of the region in the year 1968. There is an old war memorial
too in Gnathang which commemorates Col Younghusband’s famous expedition to Tibet
in the early 20th Century.
A
few houses dot the landscape on either side of this village as tyres wrapped in
chains move in and out of this village with high degree of caution against
possible slippage on the snow. There is another lake known as Menmecho lake,
about 5 kms from Kupup and requires a possible diversion from the usual route
that goes all the way to Nathula Pass.
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