THE SIKKIM TRIP

My wife and I were in Sikkim for four nights. This blog post captures memories and sights from that trip.

NOTES : 1.) As usual, I have avoided mentioning names of people and places in this blog post.
2.) The photographs in this blog post DO NOT have us in them. If you would like to see pictures of my wife and me, please email me separately.

My wife and I have ended this trip with mixed memories : the sad part of our trip was that it was originally planned as a seven nights eight days tour. However, my wife suffered from food poisoning apparently, due to which I decided to cancel the trip mid-way. The fact that our trip did not go as planned did upset us a little, but under the circumstances we felt that it was better safe than sorry. I am sure neither of us would have enjoyed the trip anyway even if we had continued !

On the positive side of the trip are the wonderful sights and sensations that we have experienced during the trip. Bengaluru has been facing a severe summer. Temperatures have crossed 35 degrees Celsius at its peak. Sikkim was around 20 degrees Celsius with some places even being less than 10 degrees Celsius ! The greenery in the state was a pleasure to view.

When the sky is cloudless, Sikkim shows us many sights like this one ! After some time, my wife asked me : "Don't you get tired of photographing scenery ?!" Considering the number of photographs of "empty" greenery (without people !) that I have taken, the answer clearly is "No" !

DAY 1: ENTERING GANGTOK

Our flight was early in the morning from Bengaluru to Kolkata and then from Kolkata to Bagdogra. The Kolkata domestic airport has two food courts. In one of them, we ate sandwiches. In the other, at the other end, we drank "kesariya chai" or saffron tea. Usually, coffee and tea at the airport are rarely worth complimenting. In this case though, both of us relished the tea served in a "kullad" or a small earthen pot !

This was the day when cyclone Fani hit Odisha. Our flight to Bagdogra was delayed by 30 minutes. When we went on the bus to the plane, it started raining. For more than 10 minutes, it rained so heavily, we were left waiting in the bus ! I had seen the news that Fani would hit Odisha. I wondered if we would be affected too. Fortunately, Our flight took off without any problem. The next day, I read a newspaper article that Kolkata airport was closed for two days from the evening. If we had been delayed by a few more hours, our trip would not even have begun !

Bagdogra airport is an international airport that is small, as one would expect. We met our contact person, who set off with us towards Gangtok in his Bolero jeep. Just a little beyond Bagdogra airport, we saw a tea estate on the way to Siliguri. We could see cycle rickshaws and tuk tuks with six people moving around. The road to Siliguri is single lane. Siliguri has a huge army presence. There is a forest area through which our road passed. It was in excellent condition and a pleasure to drive, I assume ! We stopped for lunch in Siliguri where our contact person purchased vegetables. "The vegetables in Siliguri are far cheaper than in Sikkim", he said. Sikkim is famous for its organic farming. https://www.sikkimorganicmission.gov.in/towards-organic-sikkim/achievements/ highlights the successes that the state has seen. It appears that economically, it is still expensive for the common person !

Through out our journey to Gangtok, one constant companion was the Teesta river. We saw youngsters doing river rafting. The current in the river looks ferocious in some places. The Teesta river has been used for hydroelectric power in both West Bengal and Sikkim. We saw several power plants. Sometimes, the Teesta would be a few feet below us and sometimes several feet. At other times, it would be on our left and then it would appear on our right ! The Teesta river seems to be a playful one ! https://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_000171.htm suggests that the name is derived from "Tri srota" or "Three streams".

The Coronation Bridge can be partially seen here, which is near Sevoke.

We drove through the winding road, enjoying the refreshing scenery and the cooler weather. The border between West Bengal and Sikkim is near Rangpo. Ahead of us, we saw a taxi sporting the slogan "1 Life 1 Love 1 Club" in the back, to the left of its registration plate. On the right side of the plate, the slogan read: "Born to Stamford Bridge". I am not a huge fan of football and the English Premier League (EPL). People in West Bengal and Sikkim are certainly ardent fans ! This brings out the passion that West Bengal has towards football. I had read and heard about it from fans. Here was first hand evidence for it ! I noticed few other taxis claiming support for other EPL clubs during our trip. At around 4 p.m., we stopped for a tea break.

The views from the restaurant where we drank tea were superb.

The views from the restaurant where we drank tea were superb.

 Villages and towns like Majitar, Singtam and Ranipool followed. One fact struck me: Sikkim is more prosperous than West Bengal. I recall seeing only one beggar at a monastery during my entire trip. Towns like Ranipool (which falls under the Gangtok Municipal Corporation) had upscale clothes stores. As a small state, it appears that Sikkim has been governed well by its leaders.

The respect for traffic rules is high in Sikkim. The mountain roads are narrow. From Ranipool, the traffic was heavy. None of the drivers in our lane overtook even though the other side of the lane was empty. Precedence was given to pedestrians crossing. Vehicles coming up were given priority. Our contact person said that this was a common feature since police promptly fine the violators. All taxis have yellow bonnets in Sikkim.

It was nearly 6:30 p.m. when we reached our hotel. Our contact person said that another person would accompany us the next day in a Maruti Alto. He took photocopies of our identity proofs since we planned to visit Lake Changu (also called Lake Tsombo) the next day.

The dinner that we ate that night was the tastiest during our trip. The phulkas were light and fluffy while the vegetable dishes were all delicious. There are no hotels with more than three floors in Sikkim as I noticed. None of the hotels that we stayed in had lifts. We had to walk upstairs (or even downstairs) to our room. Satisfied with dinner, we slept fitfully.

DAY 2: BABA HARBHAJAN MANDIR, MAINLY

It was cloudy and drizzling the next morning. Breakfast was just as good as dinner the night before. Our driver and guide met us as planned. He was a young lad inclined to speak freely with us. His driving skills were good: he drove steadily, hardly honked except when needed in the hills, manoeuvred the bad stretches in the roads well and in general, handled the car like a person who knows his vehicle. I will simply refer to him as our guide from now onward.

By the time we left it was almost 8:30 a.m. Our guide said : "Traffic may be heavy. The army only allows vehicles at the lake until 2 p.m. Most people come at around this time." More than the traffic, it was the visibility which was a concern for me ! The cloud cover was so thick, I could barely see beyond a few feet, at times ! My wife was thrilled when she spotted a waterfall as we climbed the mountains. Our guide told us: "Madam, you will see many waterfalls like this one !" So it proved: we saw several waterfalls, big and small during our trip.

We saw several waterfalls like this one.

The cloud cover obscured the view from the ascent almost totally.

We stopped for tea at the 13th Mile. My wife and I borrowed jackets and boots here. The temperature was probably around 9 degrees Celsius here.

The lady who lent us the jackets and boots appeared to be Tibetan. Hearing us converse in Kannada, she urged us that the jackets were good in Kannada itself ! During lunch when we returned from Lake Changu, we heard her speak Telugu with customers. She was quite a polyglot and very friendly with her customers. We ordered a rice thali and thupka for lunch.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed and maintained the roads. We read several interesting slogans that they have put up along the road. Some of them are related to road safety, others are life lessons, including the importance of reading ! http://sikkim-guide.com/road-signs/ shows some of the slogans.

Lake Changu is huge, at an elevation of more than 12,000 feet as seen in http://www.sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/PlacesOfInterest/Tsomgo.aspx. When we reached there, all that we could see was a shroud of grey with glimpses of water as the wind blew and moved the clouds. Yak rides are an attraction at the lake, as also the rope-way. We decided against the yak rides. I felt it was unfair to the majestic animal, though my weight was probably nothing for it !

We headed to Baba Mandir, a temple dedicated to Baba Harbhajan Singh who died in a flood. The scenery around the temple is awesome.

A Shiva temple is seen at a short distance from the Baba Mandir, vaguely seen here.

To reach the Shiva temple nearby, we would have had to cross a stream. The walk would have taken us 30 minutes if not more. The weather too was changing, now clear and now cloudy. We did not go to this temple. Our guide told us that Baba Harbhajan Singh was instrumental in detecting intrusions along the border. His bed in the camp would be all ruffled in the night as if somebody had slept in it. Our guide also said that this had stopped after Baba retired. His benevolence is still with the army camp, it appears.

On the way back, we stopped at Hangu Lake, in Kurup. The view here is superb.

My wife and I used the pedal boat at Hangu Lake. I am glad she convinced me to take this up: the view is beautiful, as can be seen here. I felt that I was in one of the lakes in Switzerland !

The sky began to clear on our way back.

The snow filled mountains were a treat for the eyes.

We got down to enjoy the snow. It was slippery - and cold ! My wife made a snowball and felt snow for the first time in her life ! She considers it a memorable sensation !

One can see greenery and the mountains here.

As we descended from Lake Changu, we saw several wonderful views of the scenery when the clouds permitted them !

Sights like these were common whenever the sun overcame the clouds !

Our guide stopped at Hanuman Tok, where Hanuman is supposed to have stopped briefly while bringing the Sanjeevani herb.

This photograph was taken at Hanuman Tok.

We returned to Gangtok, feeling satisfied about the day overall. In the evening, we went for a walk around the hotel. The hotel was at the bottom of a slope that had a gradient of 30 degrees or so, but it felt like 60 degrees to us when we started ! Gangtok and Sikkim have many curving roads that climb and descend. On foot, climbing steps provided in the staircases is a good idea to cover the distance. We did that during the walk. There was a stadium near our hotel and a park which was closed.

DAY 3: GANGTOK AND AROUND

The next morning, we ate breakfast leisurely. One sour note that this day trip in and around Gangtok was not part of our original plan. I expressed my displeasure with our tour organiser on being told that I would have to pay extra. Originally, we were supposed to visit Namchi on this day, but our guide said that he could combine this on the next day, on the way to Pelling. After the discussion, I reluctantly agreed to pay extra.

Gangtok and other towns in Sikkim ensure that there is a footpath for pedestrians, wide enough for just one person or maximum two people. Despite the narrow mountainous roads, it was interesting to see how well laid these footpaths are. As our guide took us away from our hotel, we noticed this. We went first to Banjhakri falls. http://www.sikkimstdc.com/GeneralPages/Details/Banjhakri-Falls-and-Energy-Park/78/Details.aspx provides an introduction to Banjhakri and explains the tradition of the "jhakri", the traditional healer.

Banjhakri falls has a nice park and a pond constructed around it. There are rope bridges and other adventure games in the park.

The practice of healing as performed by the "jhakri" (traditional healer) is shown here.

We went to Enchey monastery, where we saw a long queue. We stayed for some time but as the queue showed no sign of moving, we came away from it.
On the way to the Gangtok Flower Exhibition Centre, we stopped just to admire the view !

https://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_000113.htm provides information about the Flower Exhibition Centre.

The Flower Exhibition Centre has flowers that can make one marvel at God's creations. My wife appreciated the flowers a lot.

The profusion of flowers at the Flower Exhibition Centre are a treat for the eyes.

I had not seen these flowers before, seen at the Flower Exhibition Centre.

The orchids at the Flower Exhibition Centre were colourful.

Some of the gladioli were dried, but they still looked spectacular.

These are probably lilies. They have bloomed at home also. In Gangtok, the size of these flowers was bigger and the colours were far richer.

My wife and I walked around the Exhibition Centre. The Ridge Park is a good place to relax and just amble around. After a few minutes, we set off for Ganesh Tok, a temple to Lord Ganesha.

The day was beautiful around noon time. Gangtok showed us its greenery, as seen here as we drove to Ganesh Tok.

Our guide explained that these colourful flags/ pieces of cloth are a means of expressing thanksgiving or memorial to God. White is used for memorials, while coloured flags indicate gratitude for a prayer answered or a wish fulfilled. We found these flags near all monasteries and temples.

This is a view of Gangtok from Ganesh Tok.

We ate lunch at Ganesh Tok itself. The zoo is right opposite Ganesh Tok, but our guide said that it was nothing special. He took us next to the Plant Conservatory. This is an open air park with a small waterfall. There is a path for people to take with steps at some places. Trees and plants are helpfully labelled. Like in the Flower Exhibition Centre, the place is a treat for the eyes.

I took most of the photographs here in "Portrait" mode in my smartphone. The colour of the flowers was striking.

It was unusual to see a flower in this shade of blue.

The "Portrait" mode in my smartphone seems to have worked to good effect here !

My wife and I saw foxglove flowers for the first time in Gangtok. It is an interesting flower.

The blue of this flower is quite striking.

From the Plant Conservatory, we went to another monastery, the Gonjang monastery. http://www.sikkimeccl.gov.in/History/Monasteries/East/TinkyeGonjang.aspx has more information on the monastery. The monastery has three idols of Khen Lop Cho Sum, three persons who are considered as the founding fathers of Tibetan Buddhism. We saw young students practice their cycling skills here with enthusiasm. Like in Ganesh Tok, the views of Gangtok are excellent from the monastery.

This is Bakthang Falls.

http://www.sikkimstdc.com/GeneralPages/Details/Bakthang-Waterfalls/25/ has more information on Bakthang Falls which we visited next.

By this time it was almost 4:30 p.m. We had asked our guide to drop us off at M. G. Marg in Gangtok city. He left us there for us to walk about.

M. G. Marg is a "pedestrian only" road filled with tourists mostly and the ideal place to do souvenir shopping.

M. G. Marg has restaurants with different kinds of cuisine. One can easily spend time. The lights are traditional, as can be seen here.

DAY 4: RAVANGLA

After breakfast the next day, we checked out from Gangtok. Our guide was in a leisurely mode : it took us a couple of calls before he came to pick us up ! We set off for Namchi. The Teesta river accompanied us again for a small stretch. We stopped for a tea break at a place where the Teesta flowed beneath us.

By 11:40 a.m. we were in Namchi. The specialty of Namchi is that there is a Shiva temple surrounded by replicas of the 12 jyotirlingas. Further, a Dwarka dham and a Sai Mandir are also constructed here. As indicated in http://www.sikkimstdc.com/GeneralPages/Details/Siddheswar-Dham/249/Details.aspx, the Shiva idol in seated posture is 108 feet tall.

The doors of the temples opened at 12:30 p.m. We did not have time to visit all temples. So my wife and I visited some of the dhams and the main Shiva temple. The Shiva temple has friezes depicting Shiva puranas, i.e. legends of Lord Shiva like the story of his wedding with Parvathi and the slaying of Tripura. http://allsaivism.com/articles/tripura.aspx narrates the legend and its significance.

The Shiva idol is majestic and can be viewed from many kilometres away.

Our guide led us to a Sai Mandir in Namchi that was extremely peaceful. For some time, I closed my eyes and meditated here. The Sai Baba idol is located in the first floor with an artificial sky adorning the ceiling.

The Sai Mandir looks grand from outside, but I found it extremely silent and peaceful inside.

We had an option to visit a rock garden using the ropeway, reported in https://www.thesikkimchronicle.com/namchi-2-1-kms-long-new-passenger-ropeway-is-all-set-for-inauguration/. Instead, we decided that visiting Ravangla would be preferable.

I am glad that we took the decision ! The Buddha Park at Ravangla (also called Rabong) is a place that needs to be visited.

The park is immaculately maintained and clean. It was inaugurated on the occasion of the 2550th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. It is called the Tathagata Tsal. The walk from the ticket counter to the idol would take around 15 minutes. Stairs need to be descended and climbed, but the exercise is well worth the effort. The Buddha statue is 130 feet tall !

Tathagata Tsal or the Buddha Park is a well maintained park, as seen here.

A bowl filled with water placed in front of the Buddha is probably six feet tall. There are twelve such bowls around the Buddha idol. The proportion and scale of the idol and other art work is admirable.

Inside, one can see beautiful paintings illustrating the life of the Buddha. There is a spiral ascending staircase which showcases the twelve deeds of the Buddha. http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-BH/bh117477.htm lists these deeds and their significance.

Serenity flows from the face of the Lord Buddha.

From Ravangla, we moved towards Pelling.

What looks like a waterfall in this photograph is actually a landslide.

http://sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/Destination/Pelling.aspx?LocName=Pelling provides more information on Pelling. It is called as a town, but it is more like a village. We were given a room in a new wing of the hotel that we checked into.

RETURN TO BENGALURU

In the night, my wife's health deteriorated. She threw up all that she had eaten during the day. This was when I learnt that there is  no pharmacy in Pelling ! She became extremely weak.

In the morning, we decided to cancel the rest of the tour and informed our guide and tour organiser accordingly. I packed sandwiches which I ate during our drive back to Bagdogra. We started at 8 a.m., but what we had not planned for was the "back cutting" of roads. This is when the traffic is stopped and boulders and rocks are levelled to prepare the road. These boulders just fall into the ravine, hopefully into the river. In two places, we were delayed by 30 minutes.

We also stopped for a break where my wife drank juice. Luckily, this seemed to settle her a bit. I had hoped to reach by 1 p.m. but the interruptions meant that it was almost 1:40 p.m. when we reached Siliguri. Bagdogra was still 15km away. The traffic and the speed restrictions from Siliguri were extremely frustrating at this point of time !

Somehow, our guide drove quickly and ensured that we reached by 2:10 p.m. only 5 minutes before final check in ! The air hostesses were extremely helpful when we informed them that my wife was unwell and gave us better seats. Eventually, we reached home at around 12:30 a.m., midnight as expected.

Both of us slept fitfully during the remainder of the night. The next day was also one of rest, relaxation and recuperation for my wife, but also for me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This trip ended earlier than we had planned !
 Still, what remains in my mind are the visual memories of the snow clad mountains, the brilliant flowers, the magnificent Shiva at Namchi, the beautiful Thatagatha Tsal (the Buddha Park) at Ravangla and the abundant greenery of Sikkim. My wife recalls her first experience of snow fondly. Thus, despite the bitter end to the brief trip, we do have pleasant memories of the trip to savour in times to come !